Saturday 18 June 2016

Dominic and Coco - 2 titles in a row ?

Despite the damp weather, tournament organisers have managed to catch up with schedules in the four tournaments being held in England, Germany and Spain.  At time of writing we are just over a week from Wimbledon so the anticipation is building.

Top seed Andy Murray dropped a set to the ever improving Englishman Kyle Edmund before putting the Scottish foot down in the deciding set at Queens Club.  The win put Murray into a semi final against Marin Cilic who terminated the good run of American Steve Johnson in another quarter final.

The other semi final will feature Bernard Tomic, unseeded but decidedly more comfortable on grass, with his quarter final win over Fernando Verdasco.  Next for the Australian will be third seed Milos Raonic who has already knocked over an Aussie, Nick Kyrgios, in this tournament.  Can he make two from two ?

The Halle semi finals are Roger Federer v Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem v Florian Mayer.  If the underdogs were to win, then it would be an all German final in Germany.  However, highly unlikely, especially with the form of third seed Dominic Thiem (although he didn't have to swing a racquet thanks to a walkover from Kohlschreiber in the quarter final).  Also the experience of Federer should be too much for the power and potential of Zverev.  It came to the fore against David Goffin, especially in the first set of their quarter final, in which the Belgian never had a look in.

Birmingham could well be the scene for the second title in two weeks for Coco Vandeweghe, as she has powered into the semis with a victory over Yanina Wickmayer 6-4 6-2.  She will have to beat Czech Barbora Strycova if she is to continue her charge.

It could be an all American final if Madison Keys wins her semi final.  She dropped the opening set in a tie break before proving to strong for Jelena Ostapenko.  Her semi final opponent is Carla Suarez Navarro, more accomplished on the clay, but not performing too shabbily on the grass, if her win at the expense of second seed Angie Kerber is a guide.  

In Mallorca Kirsten Flipkens, who defeated top seed Garbine Muguruza in the first round, has repeated that form all the way to the semi final where she will face sixth seed Caroline Garcia.  Garcia ended third seed Ana Ivanovic's tournament in the quarters, but Serbia will still have representation in the last four as Jelena Jankovic has found some consistency at last.  
The second seed defeated Romania's Sorana Cirstea and will play unseeded Latvian Anastasija Sevastova for a place in the final.  Sevastova had beaten Genie Bouchard in the second round in one of many upsets in the tournament.

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