Grand Slams 2010: Exciting Matches at the Majors This Year
The grand slams of 2010 have had some entertaining matches. Drama, late-night, player rivalries, and other factors added to the tension in all of these matches.
And although many matches in 2010 were straight set affairs, I had many "candidates" for the honor of being one of the most exciting grand slam match of 2010.
I combined the men and women matches, so there are only ten matches on the list. And of course, there are many more great matches, but I feel that these matches deserve the recognition that they will be receiving.
10. Warrior Tested. She Bleeds, But Lives On.
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Serena Williams probably didn't have a smile on her face when she received her Wimbledon draw. She had, obviously, easy opponents in the first three rounds, but the main challenger of her section of the draw was Maria Sharapova.
Sharapova had beaten Serena the only time they played on grass, and they were to play on the same court as they did the day a 17-year-old fighter from Russia put a temporary cut on the Williams' dominance of the manicured lawns of Wimbledon. And it's no surprise that this match lived up to its billing.
Serena and Maria wore their emotions on their sleeves the whole match, and one could here shouts of "c'mon," screams of elation, cries of anguish, and grunts of exhaustion throughout. But the noise was evidence of how much the two wanted to advance to the quarterfinals.
Serena and Sharapova were even the whole first set. The heavyweight fight was deadlocked as the first set was approaching the tiebreak. Sharapova got to the early start, and won a huge point off a net cord. Even Serena, the fighter she is, could not prevent Sharapova from leaping across the board in the tiebreak. But Serena, as she has done many times in the past, upped her game one notch and secured the first set tiebreak 11 points to 9. Serena was her mini headband's width of losing the first set, but pulled it out of the bag.
The second set was a different story. Serena, buoyed by her first set triumph, broke Sharapova early on. Sharapova stood no chance after losing serve. Maria Sharapova did delay the inevitable. She got to deuce on the serving machine's service, but wasn't able to break.
Game, set, match, Williams. Serena smiled, and knew she had escaped her rival Maria Sharapova. Sharapova had drawn blood, but wasn't able to draw enough. The warrior was still alive.
9. Close, But No Cigar. Kim, No One Is Following Your Footsteps.
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Rod Laver Arena was abuzz as Serena Williams and Justine Henin entered the court. It was a dream final for tournament organizers and spectators alike. But the crowd had good reason to be expectant of a great match, especially because it was Serena vs. Henin.
Serena Williams and Justine Henin have a legendary rivalry, dating back to the ancient times of 2001. It was 7-6 in Serena's favor, but one match was all the difference. It was going to be exactly what the spectators wanted, especially after they were deprived of their sister matchup, and especially after their tedious semifinal matches.
Serena was the first to step up her game. In fact, she stepped up her game before the first point. She hit a slice serve out wide. Ace. The first set, at least to me, seemed very short, despite it being the closest set in the match. Before I knew it, the umpire called the last point, and announced Serena's winning of set one: 6-4.
The third set was even until, after pushing Henin way to the back of the court, Serena hit a backhand drop shot. Henin scampered to the not-so-great but not-so-bad attempt at a drop shot, and returned the favor by showing Serena that drop-shotting was not Serena's game. It was her, Henin's, game.
In a blink of an eye, Henin won the point with a cross court forehand drop shot winner. That was the start of a winning streak that Serena couldn't stop until the 3rd set. Henin won the second set, 6-3.
Serena was finally able to stop Henin's streak, but she was still in trouble. Henin was playing relentlessly. It so happened that Serena found herself facing a break point. First serve: Out! Second serve: Foot fault? Nope! It was a second serve ace. From that point on, Henin lost her momentum and Serena went on cruise control.
Photographers were able to take picture of Serena Williams, now a five-time Australian Open champion, down on the ground celebrating.
It was close, but Serena got out of a tight spot to claim her 12th (yes, 12th!) grand slam singles title. As of yet, there has been no second "Kim Clijsters Story," and it seems like it will always stay that way.
8. Sharapova-Henin
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Justine Henin. Maria Sharapova. Samantha Stosur. Serena Williams. All four giants in the same quarter of a draw. It was the killer draw, as some put it. And yes, a Cow on Ice almost killed the Queen of Paris.
Maria Sharapova and Justine Henin were coming into the match trying to prove themselves capable of battling big time. Sharapova had had shoulder surgery, while Henin was coming out of a 2 year "hibernation period." Nonetheless, it was a battle of the ages, this 2nd round at Roland Garros.
Justine Henin proved that she deserved her title "Queen of Clay" by demolishing Sharapova 6-2 in the first set. Sharapova was simply out-classed and "out-moved."
But, as Henin had stated before the match, she would fight to the last point. Sharapova had almost broken Henin the first few service games, but couldn't take advantage of her many chances. Then, Sharapova found herself facing break points, but displayed her newly found finesse and plopped a drop shot over the net for a winner. Sharapova wins the set, 6-3.
Amid all the drama, the rain clouds somehow found a way to get pass the security guards and dump all the water they had been holding onto the court. Play would have to resume the next day. What a shame. It would be a winner-take-all set, which added to the mounting suspense. As the players got into the arena the next day, the tension was high, and everyone was eager to let the match begin.
Surprisingly, it was Sharapova who got to the early start. She got up 2-0 and 40-0 on Henin's service. Were we on the verge of an upset? Alas, it was not to be. Henin saved the four break points she faced that game, and the seesaw of momentum decided to favor Justine Henin. Finally, the last words of the match were spoken. Game, set, match Henin. Two sets to one. 6-2 3-6 6-3.
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7. Tennis Giant Looks Into Mirror. Mirror Almost Falls Onto Tennis Giant.
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Juan Martin del Potro and James Blake were almost 100 ranking spots apart, yet the match was so close. The match ( a third round encounter) was expected to be finished off by del Potro with ease. Actually, it was the exact opposite.
There's nothing much to say about this match. The fifth set tells everything. At the tail end of the fifth set, Blake was serving for the match twice. But del Potro's confidence and experience burst through, and was able to clinch the win 10-8 in the third. Amazing. It was just unfortunate for del Potro that the match was the third consecutive five set match.
There were streaks of high quality tennis, but also long times of errors. But even though it wasn't the most high quality, the match was a thriller. The scores were always so close, and del Potro's one set deficit added to the drama.
After this inspiring performance by Blake, a former Harvard University student, people were hoping for a better season than the previous year. But similarly to Richard Gasquet at the 2009 Australian Open, the performance was once in a year for the veteran.
The tennis giant faced an almost mirror image of himself, a powerful player with no fear. He looked into the mirror, and startled with his reflection, bumped into his looking-glass. The giant leaped back just in time, while the mirror shattered into a million pieces.
6. Terrorist Bombs Dictator's Home. Dictator Fights Back One-on-One.
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Victoria Azarenka marched onto Rod Laver Arena with the slightest hint of a smile, showing a confident self before her Australian Open quarterfinal match. She was confident, yes she was. She was sure of herself she could beat the mighty Serena Williams. They had played in Miami a year earlier, and she beat Serena Williams in straight sets. After all, the two had played each other the last two times here, only in the 4th round. Azarenka had put Serena on the ropes both times, but was never able to finish it. That was the same case this match, but at one point, it looked like Azarenka would complete the upset.
The Belarusian opened fire. Her arsenal included some fiery forehands, blazing backhands, scintillating serves, robust returns, and dazzling defense. Point by point, Victoria Azarenka was able to come up with an insurmountable lead. 6-4, 4-0. That's when all hell broke loose for Azarenka.
This score seemed to flip a switch for Serena Williams, who dictated play with her formidable forehand, beefy backhand, speedy serves, forceful returns, delightful defense, and two things Azarenka did not have- mind-blowing movement and venerating volleys. Such was the sight when Serena "c'moned" her way to a comeback in the second set 7-6.
Victoria Azarenka was crushed after losing the second set, and once she was crushed, she would lose the match. It was all Williams in the decider, as Serena climbed Mt. Everest to win the third set 6-2.
Lesson learned: Never attempt to assault Serena Williams, and for that matter, her property. She's the best fighting one-on-one.
5. Sun-Glassed Celebrity Beats Pro at Her Own Game.
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High ball. Lower ball. High ball. Lower ball. High ball. Lower ball....It was like this until Serena served down 2-3 in the first set. Serena gave Stosur a strong groundstroke, and that's when Stosur made her killer move. She sliced her backhand, sending Serena off balance. Stosur won the point.
That was just one of many points in a brutal encounter between Serena Williams and Samantha Stosur. Serena had that lopsided head-to-head. But Stosur had grown in confidence over the course of one year, there closest encounter being in Sydney, with Serena saving (yes) 4 match points.
Stosur had the early advantage, eventually coming up with a 6-3 5-3 lead. She came two point away from the win while serving at 30-all. But Serena staged a patented comeback to break Stosur and win the second set in a tiebreak.
It looked like Stosur would crumble. But Stosur broke straight away, only to see Serena break straight back. Then Stosur served down 4-5 30-40 in the fifth, and Serena was a few inches from winning the match. Stosur won that game, but served down 5-6 0-30 her next service game. That prompted 4 superb serves from the Australian to win the game. Stosur broke Serena William's famous serve at 6-6 all in the third set, creating two ridiculous passing shots. Stosur believed in herself this time, and instead of choking, closed it out at love.
Even a sun-glassed celebrity can beat the top. It's just a matter of belief. Stosur had it, lost it, and gained it to win their French Open encounter in the quarterfinals.
4. Skyscraper Collapses, Destroyed By Fire. To Be Rebuilt?
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The Roger Federer-Novak Djokovic rivalry, some say, is as great as the Federer-Nadal rivalry, and here's one person that agrees with this statement.
Such was the case with their match at the US Open, in the semifinals. This was their (amazingly!) 4th year playing each other at the US Open, each time either the semifinals or finals. Federer had won the last three times, but Djokovic was not to be conquered.
Federer was down a break early in the first set, but stormed back to win the first 7-5. But in the second set, Federer looked as if he had become delirious, losing the second set 6-1. Federer won the third set the same score as the first, and Federer won just one game more in the 4th set than the 2nd.
The fifth set was big time, though. It looked as if it would go into a tiebreak until Djokovic, serving down 4-5, faced two match points. He saved both of them with audacious forehands, and Federer was "crushed" thereafter. Djokovic broke the Federer serve the next game. It looked it might go into a fifth set tiebreak as Federer held a break point when Djokovic was serving for the match, but Novak held strong and closed it out.
Game, Set, Match, Djokovic. 3 sets to 2. 5-7 6-1 5-7 6-2 7-5
3. Lady Gaga Hires Assassin To Fire Away at Swiss Businessman
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Columbia wasn't really on the tennis map until the first round of Wimbledon. In a thriller, King of Grass Roger Federer came back from the brink to outlast Colombian Alejandro Falla. No one thought it would even be close, but Falla soared above people's expectations, and allowed this match to become an instant classic.
Everyone knew Federer was in huge trouble when he was down two sets to love. Alejandro Falla, a journeyman, travelled all the way to England to play the match of his life. He employed a tactic by Federer's rival Rafael Nadal, except instead of using a topspin lefty forehand, he used a flat lefty forehand. In fact, Federer was serving down 3-4 0-40 in the third set. And Falla was serving for the match at 5-4 in the fourth. But Federer, the more experienced, and better, player, demolished a heart-broken and mentally and physically drained Falla in the fifth, allowing the Colombian zero games. Talk about cruelty.
Roger Federer used 6 lives in this match. Coming back from down two sets to love. Saving 4 break points while serving down 3-4 0-40, and breaking Falla's serve when he was serving for the match. Only 3 lives left for Federer? Even Roger Federer said he was "lucky" to have won the match.
2. Heat Of Australia Barely Warms Cold of Russia
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Elena Dementieva and Samantha Stosur faced each other in the 2010 Round of 64. Everyone knew that this would be a close match, but none knew it would be this close.
Stosur and Dementieva came into the match with a disappointing hard-court season, but these two came up with mind blowing strokes. Stosur won the first set quite easily, 6-3. And the Russian made the match one-set a piece by taking the second 6-2.
The third set saw Dementieva waste 4 MATCH POINTS! Stosur and Dementieva went into a third set tiebreak, and Stosur dominated the crucial game the whole way.
Samantha Stosur of Australia saved 4 match points in beating Elena Dementieva 6-3 2-6 7-6(2)
1. American Empire Gains Control Over France in Battle Of Wimbledon
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In another Wimbledon first round epic, the USA took on France in the closest tennis match ever recorded. There's nothing to say except the scoreline: 4-6 6-3 7-6(7) 6-7(3) 70-68. When you see that score line, you just know how high the quality and drama the match had. As someone said, this match was so long, it looked like a basketball match.
Runner Ups
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1. Fernando Verdasco def. David Ferrer 5-7 6-7(8) 6-3 6-3 7-6(4) US Open
2. Nikolay Davydenko def. Kevin Anderson 3-6 6-7(4) 7-6(3) 7-5 9-7 Wimbledon
3. Nikolay Davydenko def. Fernando Verdasco 6-2 5-7 6-4 6-7 6-3 Australian Open
4. Lu Yen-Hsun def. Andy Roddick 4-6 7-6(3) 7-6(4) 6-7(5) 9-7 Wimbledon
5. Kim Clijsters def. Venus Williams 4-6 7-6(3) 6-4 US Open
6. Kim Clijsters def. Justine Henin 2-6 6-2 6-3 Wimbledon
7. Kim Clijsters def. Samantha Stosur 6-4 5-7 6-3 US Open
8. Samantha Stosur def. Justine Henin 2-6 6-1 6-4 French Open
9. Robin Soderling def. Roger Federer 3-6 6-3 7-5 6-4 French Open
10. Serena Williams def. Li Na 7-6(4) 7-6(1) Australian Open
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