Rome Masters 'Battle of the Boards' pick 'em 2009

steven · Tennis legend

RE: Rome Masters 'Battle of the Boards' pick 'em 2009

steven · Tennis legend

if Rome BOTB was to finish right now, the new top 10 in the overall individual rankings would be:

1 same Ashley Harkleroad's ***** (MP)
2 up 6 hebegeebee (IN)
3 dn 1 Wendy (AM)
4 dn 1 Pebs (MP)
5 dn 1 Miffy (AM)
6 up 12 Akhenaten (BT)
7 up 2 GoGo (AM)
8 dn 3 Dentist appointment (IN)
9 dn 2 Fedex (GR)
10 up 29 Pingponger (TA)

This could all change in a big way before Rome really ends, of course.

steven · Tennis legend

ROME MASTERS 1000 BOTB - DAY 4 'SYNDICATED' REPORT

For detailed results, please see http://www.britishtennis.net/competitions.html

Zverev gave Fed a lot to think about in the 1st set, but apart from that the only match with much drama was Monaco v Gonzo. Monaco won the 1st set at a canter but some big hitting from Gonzo helped him take the 2nd. The 3rd set was a closely fought affair until Monaco, serving at 4-4 had an easy volley to put away to win the game to love, but he dollied it back to Gonzo, who thought '¡Muchas gracias, amigo!' and hammered it back past him, eventually breaking serve and serving out the match. Doh!

For player nickname help, please see http://www.andymurray.com/forum/showthread.php?t=253

TEAMS

TAT are now way out in front in the teams league, with a lead of nearly 1.48 points over Team CC, up 1, who have regained 2nd place, pushing Rusedski.co.uk down 1 to 3rd. However, the biggest risers of the day were the two teams that won the QFs, Tennisopolis.com, up 4 to 4th, and Match Point, up 4 to 7th, while R3 winners the Ducklings, up 3 to 6th, also had a good day and the Dammitaires, up 2 to 12th, jumped off the bottom.

The biggest fallers of the day were BBC 606, down 4 to 11th, while the Feddies, down 3 to 8th and T4Y, down 3 to 9th, also had bad days. Gonzo's QF win means that Muzza's early loss has now really started to bite for those who had him getting to the SFs or beyond, and AM.com dropped 2 to last place.

INDIVIDUALS

Well done to the dozen entrants who managed to get all four QF winners correct! One of them, Jtdrum10 (TA), up 5 to 1st, has taken the lead and team-mate TennisAnyone74 (TA), up 17 to 3rd, has joined her in the top three. They are separated by kayce (JM), down 1 to 2nd with 3/4 in the QFs, giving women from the USA who post on TAT (the latter being a TAT member even though she does not play for them) a clean sweep of the current podium positions!

bfp (SG), up 29 to 4th, was another entrant who got 4/4 in the QFs, but none of the other nine entrants with perfect QF scores started off high enough to end the day in the top 10, the rest of which is made up of entrants with 3/4. Minnie me (JM), down 3 to 5th, SLess (CC), down 3 to 6th, and meesohot (VB), down 2 to 7th, all dropped slightly, while Pingponger (TA), up 1 to 8th, nelslus (TA), up 2 to 9th, and kaseldop (GR), ForeverDelayed (BT) & jm-fan (JM), all up 3 to 10=, all edged up a bit.

World no. 7 Fedex (GR), up 4 to 16th, is still the best placed of the overall top 10, but with no points to defend, world no. 8 hebegeebee (IN), up 7 to 21=, looks best placed for an assault on the top three of the overall rankings.

ON THE RISE

The fastest riser into the top 50 was liam_valid (CC), up 55 to 15th, and the eight entrants with perfect day 5 scores who have not been mentioned yet all moved up over 100 places - BalaK (AM), T01 (CC) & amenssen (TA) each moved up 108 to 61=, dukel (AR) rose 115 to 65th, fah51 (CC) & BigMac (RG) both climbed 111 to 87=, jesswrig (TA), up 117 to 90th, had the biggest rise of the day and SONIque (AR) rose 101 to 137th.

DODGY DROPPERS

Only one entrant failed to get a single semi-finalist correct - AllyB (AM), down 33 to 280th, will be the lanterne rouge in Rome if Rafa or Nole reach the Final.

The biggest fallers, however, were five of the entrants who only got 1/4 QF winners correct - Madam (TA), down 114 to 123rd, Year of Rafa (IN), down 132 to 166th, Drikke (MT), down 125 to 212th, Gillyflower (GR), down 124 to 213rd, Austin (AM), down 112 to 222nd, and Marion Bernard (ND), down 109 to 228th, all suffering three-figure drops.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Apologies in advance for this one, but the way Fishflaps (MP) epitomises the brutal, fickle nature that serious pick 'em addicts are wont to adopt still makes me laugh hours later:

"Potty, you stood tall like a champion for me yesterday. Now all I am asking is that you bend over and <censored, but I think it means lose!>" ... and then when Potty had done his bidding (i.e. lost): "Nice one Djoko. Now be a good boy tomorrow and bend over so Roger can ramjet you up the chuffer."

I'm guessing that last bit may be Swiss slang for the painful hit you take if your body gets in the way of one of Roger's massive forehands ...

SFs

11.30 GMT/12.30 BST: (2) Fed 35% v (3) Nole 48%
n/b 14 GMT / 15 BST: (1) Rafa 88% v (12) Gonzo 0%

OUTLOOK

Analysis of this weekend's possibilities is in progress and will appear before play starts tomorrow ...

steven · Tennis legend

ROME MASTERS 1000 BOTB - DAY 6 'SYNDICATED' REPORT

For detailed results, please see http://www.britishtennis.net/competitions.html

As soon as I saw the pick %s for the bottom half semi (Nole 48%, Fed 35%), it was obvious that this was likely to be the most important match in the tournament from a BOTB point of view. It turned out to be the match that decided the winners of both competitions, with Nole looking down and out when a break down in both the 2nd and 3rd sets but staging stunning comebacks in both as Fed crumbled.

TEAMS

Congratulations to TAT, who are now sure to celebrate the end of their first full year of taking part in BOTB by winning Rome and becoming no. 1 in the overall team rankings for the first time. They have four of the top 10 in the individual competition for Rome too, including the winner - see below.

Nole's win also ensured that Rusedski.co.uk, up 1 to 2nd, will finish as the runners up and that 3rd place would be between two sets of entrants who used to play for the same team. Rafa's win means that Match Point have recovered from a dreadful start to their first competition as a full team (they were last early on), moving up 4 more places today to finish 3rd. Team CC, down 2 to 4th today, will drop to no. 3 in the overall rankings with AM.com clinging onto 2nd place, despite staying in last place in Rome today.

The biggest fallers today, not surprisingly, were the Feddies, down 5 to 13th. They would have finished 1st had Fed won the title but will finish last if Rafa wins tomorrow.

INDIVIDUALS

All of the top three got both finalists correct. This left the top three unchanged and Jtdrum10 (TA) is now sure to finish 1st, with kayce (JM) 2nd and TennisAnyone74 (TA) 3rd - well done to all three of them on showing that female American pickers are capable of being far more successful on clay than American male tennis players!

Minnie me (JM), up 1 to 4th, and meesohot (VB), up 2 to 5th, are certain to finish in the top 5, but the placings of the rest of the top 10 (Pingponger (TA), up 2 to 6th, nelslus (TA), up 2 to 7th, kaseldop (GR) & ForeverDelayed (BT), both up 2 to 8=, and liam_valid (CC), up 5 to 10th) are under threat from those who picked Nole to win. These are headed by BalaK (AM), up 30 to 31st today, who will finish 6th if Nole retains the title.

World no. 7 Fedex (GR), up 5 to 11th, is still the highest placed of the overall top 10, but with no points to defend, world no. 8 hebegeebee (IN) is best placed for an assault on the top three of the overall rankings. Despite dropping 31 to 52= today - he will move to 3rd in the overall rankings if Rafa wins the Final, 5th if Nole wins.

ON THE RISE

Malteaser (BT), up 64 to 74th, was the fastest riser out of more than 100 entrants who got both finalists correct.

DODGY DROPPERS

There were 14 entrants who did not get either finalist correct and the three biggest fallers were all from the same team - Lex (CC), down 135 to 181st, vivahate (CC), down 134 to 182nd, and end of R2 leader Tenez (CC), down 93 to 106th.

Meanwhile, AllyB (AM) is now certain to be the lanterne rouge of this competition.

FINAL

220 entrants have picked Rafa to win the title, including all of the top 20. Just 11 picked Nole to retain his title, but the 50 entrants who picked Fed, Muzza or Potty could do with Nole winning too.

QUOTES OF THE DAY

TAT have been spending the last few hours congratulating each other (to be fair, they have had a stunning tournament) and I've been in trouble for calling the winner "Jtdrew" in a rushed post confirming her win. I obviously got her mixed up with JD Drew, the right fielder for the Boston Red Sox - is that a compliment or an insult? The winner, however, had a better comparison in mind:

Jtdrum10: "I guess this is what Justine felt like when she won the USO and was called Christine?" Quite!

Sadly, an 8-year-old who would have finished high up had Fed won the title was reportedly in floods of tears after he lost his semi. This prompted her mother to wonder whether it might be a bad thing to subject young children to the stresses of BOTB. I'd say it's good training for being an adult, which often involves getting let down by random numpties on a daily basis in things that matter even more than pick 'ems (I've heard such things do exist!), but another poster tried (and valiantly failed) to show his compassionate side:

jaydu: "Send her to bed for being a woos {wuss?}, that will toughen her up!"

After dropping from 2nd place a few days ago to 2nd last after the semis, he was probably just a bit grumpy with anyone exhibiting GOAT-like behaviour. He received just as much sympathy himself:

ASE (AM): "Ah, so in hare and tortoise terms, you started like a hare and ended like a brick?"

In defence of BOTB and its role in child psychology, it does seem to be helping to erase someone's traumatic childhood memories:

ptmcmahon: This is fun, I'm not used to playing for winning teams - when I was younger, I once went 4 seasons in a row over 3 sports without a win - one football, one basketball, and two field hockey - although we had a basketball TIE!

steven · Tennis legend

ROME MASTERS 1000 BOTB - FINAL DAY 'SYNDICATED' REPORT

For detailed results, please see http://www.britishtennis.net/competitions.html

Another title for Rafa, as predicted by 74% of us, means no change in the top 3 in the teams league or the top 21 in the individual table for Rome except that they all get a few more ranking points than they would have had Nole won today.

Congratulations once again to TAT on their win and to jtdrum10 (TA) on her win. She got 6 of the quarter-finalists and everything after that correct, so I wonder if she had any money on it!

I won't repeat everything I said yesterday, but I will mention a few things that were changed by the result of the Final.

TEAMS

As I said yesterday, the top three could not change today, but T4Y joined 1st placed TAT and 3rd placed Match Point in all getting the winner correct and they move up 3 to 4th as a result, making them the biggest risers today and pushing Team CC down 1 to 5th. The biggest fallers of the day were the Ducklings, down 3 to 11th, while Rafa's win allowed AM.com, up 1 to 13th, to move of the bottom and leave the Feddies to be the lanternes rouges on clay once more.

INDIVIDUALS

The top 21 are unchanged on yesterday, but one thing I forgot to highlight was the fact that by finishing 4th here, 10-year-old Minnie me (JM) managed to achieve her second top 10 finish in a row, an astonishing performance in back to back tournaments with more than 250 entrants each and a feat that I think only the top three in the overall rankings before Rome have managed to match in the last 12 months.

ON THE RISE

Wolfey (IN) and Silver (BT) were the biggest risers as a result of Rafa's win, both up 22 to 174=. Another big riser was RoastLamb (AM), up 14 to 103rd - I mention this only because that was just enough for her to edge out her husband BalaK (AM), down 73 to 104th, on tiebreak in just one of he many intriguing family battles going on within the main competition!

DODGY DROPPERS

The biggest faller on the final day was bojek (RF), down 88 to 135th, closely followed by fellow Fed-to-win picker KatieK (AM), down 86 to 138th, and Nole-to-win pickers BigMac (RG) & doublelix (AR), both down 86 to 131st & 152nd respectively. They all took a risk (which is good, because if all 281 of us had picked Rafa to win, it would have been a lot less interesting!) and would have been rewarded with final placings in or around the top 10 if that risk had come off.

OVERALL RANKINGS

I'm about to sort out the overall rankings, I'll post again when they are done.

NEXT UP

Thanks for playing everybody, it's been another enjoyable contest - the next BOTB will be for Roland Garros, with entries opening on Friday 22 May and probably having to close on the morning (UK time) of Sunday 24 May before qualifiers are placed, since I assume the annoying GETOs (garlic-eating tournament organisers!) are starting the main draw on Sunday again as they did last year.

Malteaser · Junior player

Yay!!

I got a mention on Steven's report!

"Malteaser (BT), up 64 to 74th, was the fastest riser out of more than 100 entrants who got both finalists correct."

I know loads of people got the finalists right, but for me, being mentioned is huge. I've been trying for a year without getting close to the top 50 in any of the tournaments I've entered, so this mention is special to me!!!!

It's made my day!

steven · Tennis legend

LOL well done, and I'm glad I posted that report here then, even though nobody else has been posting on this thread recently. Here's one that Akhenaten might enjoy ...

POST-2009 ROME PICK 'EM RANKINGS

The overall ranking list (with over 850 ranked players) and the pick 'em 'Hall of Fame' after Rome 2009 can now be found at http://www.britishtennis.net/Competitions.html - please remember that Monte Carlo 2008 points have dropped off as well as Rome 2008 points since the last list.

TEAMS

Rome winners TAT, up 2 to 1st, celebrate the end of their first year as a BOTB team by rising to the no. 1 position for the first time, pushing long time world no. 1s Team CC, last year's MC winners, back to 3rd - their 5th place in Rome was not quite enough to make up for all the points they had coming off.

In between them, AM.com managed to hold onto 2nd place despite finishing 2nd last in Rome and since they effectively have no points to defend at RG while the other two teams in the top three are both defending near-maximum points, they could yet take the no. 1 slot before the clay season is over. Rusedski.co.uk, still in 4th but much closer to 3rd place after finishing 2nd in Rome, also have no points to defend at RG.

T4Y's 4th place in Rome lifts them up 1 to 5th overall, while JM.org, up 2 to 6th, have also overtaken BT.net, down 2 to 7th, who really haven't got going this year after a good end to 2008. None of the other teams have moved more than one place, but Match Point have entered the rankings in 16th, ahead of the Noles.

TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS

It was another dire tournament for most of the top players, with only three of the pre-Rome top 10 managing to get counting scores, though of course the fact that you need more points to get a counting score when you already have seven very good ones is part of the reason for that.

Because none of the pre-Rome top 4 improved their scores and the other challengers were too far back, Ashley Harkleroad's ***** (MP) is still world no. 1 despite finishing halfway down the table in Rome, while wendy (AM) is still in 2nd despite doing even worse at the Foro Italico.

However, we do have a new world no. 3 (BOTB imitating the real thing once more, since the Rome results ensure that there will be a new no. 3 in the ATP rankings in just over a week), hebegeebee (IN)'s combination of a top 50 finish in Rome with no points to defend from MC or Rome last year enabling him to jump 5 places to 3rd, if only by 4 points, which is a difference of about about 1 place and 0.1% in a single pick 'em! Any time in the top three is likely to be limited for last year's RG winner though, unless lightning strikes twice, so it would be a good idea to enjoy it while it lasts.

Pebs (MP), Miffy (AM) & Dentist Appointment (IN) have all dropped a place to 4th, 5th & 6th respectively, though 22nd place in Rome has enabled the latter to catch up a bit on the two just ahead of him. 11th place in Rome allowed Fedex (GR) to hold onto 7th place despite having lots of points to defend, while GoGo moves up 1 to 8th despite finishing in the bottom half in Rome, thanks to not having any clay court points to defend this year unlike the players who started out higher up.

Two players have entered the top 10 after Rome - Akhenaten (BT) moves up 9 to 9th with a top 60 finish in Rome (and no PTDs), while Pingponger (TA), up 29 to 10th after finishing 6th in Rome, is the first player from the new world no. 1 team to make it into the top 10, which suggests that the team have got to the top thanks to lots of very good players who have stepped up to the plate at different times when needed rather than by having a few 'stars'.

Two players lost their place in the top 10 - WimbledonAce (CC). down 6 to 13th, and hfwardhouse (AM), down 5 to 15th.

ON THE RISE

The household of the second player who dropped out of the top 10 has more than adequate consolation, because her daughter Minnie me (JM), 4th in Rome, has continued her rapid rise. Up 57 to 27th, she is the faster riser in the top 50 after being the fastest riser into the top 100 last time - is there no stopping her!

Claire Bear (AM)], up 31 to 21st, and Speedy Hawk (AM), up 31 to 33rd, have also made significant rises into the top 50, while other players in the top 100 who have risen 30 places or more are mmmm8 (TA), up 30 to 53rd, nelslus (TA), up 45 to 55th and the two fastest risers into the top 100, NyGeL (MT), up 38 to 66th, and Grundon (BT), up 30 to 71st.

Marko Mitic (TY), up 78 to 110th, is the fastest riser in the top 250, but to find a player who has risen over 100 places, you have to go down to Rome winner Jtdrum10 (TA), who has shot up 169 places from outside the top 450 to just inside the top 300 at 291st. Btw, Rome runner up kayce (JM) has also moved up, but just 4 to 70th because she did well in both Rome and MC last year (she's very consistent on clay!), while 3rd placed TennisAnyone74 (TA) has risen 29 to 13th.

The biggest rise of all though is for meesohot (VB), up 261 to 381st after finishing 5th in Rome.

HIGHEST NEW ENTRANT

By finishing 16= in Rome on his debut, barrybigones (BT) heads the new entrants in 521st place, with another newbie Pieci (AM), 34= in Rome, also making it into the top 550 after just one tournament.

LAST YEAR'S MC & ROME WINNERS

The big fallers are usually those who didn't play in the latest pick 'em and are running out of counting scores, so when looking at fallers it's probably more interesting to see how the top threes in the two tournaments coming off from last year have fared.

Last year's MC winner, Linda (AM), managed a top 50 finish in Rome, which kept her in the top 100 overall, but she has dropped another 37 places to 81st and has a 2nd place finish at RG to defend as well before she will have better chances to start climbing back up again. Runner-up fah51 (CC) drops 28 to 41st and 3rd placed amalyn (MT) falls 38 to 88th.

Last year's Rome winner BalaK (AM) was on for another top 10 finish had Nole defended his title, but a drop outside the top 100 on the final day means that he falls 73 to 233rd overall. Runner-up lainey (TN) didn't play Rome this year and plummets 107 to 280th, while 3rd placed DR4Life (AM) managed to finish 100= this time, but drops 32 to 92nd overall.

The Knight · Challenger qualifying

i wasn't mentioned once on dispatches in Rome...presumably because there wasn't a sub-heading labled "Complete Muppets Who are terrible at Pick'em" LOL