2010 Toronto Masters 'Battle of the Boards' pick 'em contest

indiana · Tennis legend

RE: 2010 Toronto Masters 'Battle of the Boards' pick 'em contest

LadyTigress · County player

steven wrote:

Not being an extreme Ukrainophile like yourself

It's been bothering me all afternoon what the proper word for that is. You know, like for Ireland, the actual term for that is Hibernophile. I tried to look up what that word is for different countries but could only find Slavophile (which according to the dictionary is more Poland, Hungary etc) or Russophile (and I don't think that I'd use that, given the strong anti-Russian movement in Ukraine and the push for distinctive native culture to reassert itself). If we're going by Roman province names, I guess Sarmatophile, but that is I stress an entirely made up term by myself just now. I wouldn't really go that far though, so maybe the point is moot.

Berdych came through eventually of course. Good news for my Pick'em I suppose, but I was kind of disappointed. At least it was a close one. Not a shabby scoreline at all.

Nalby is proving disastrous for my Pick'em. I had Ferrer in his place up until who knows what round. Just when you think the Numpty has had his day, he pulls out another unexpectedly good run.

steven · Tennis legend

I was looking for a better word too before I posted. Sarmatophile sounds good to me! (i.e. it sounds pretty bad!

)

eblunt · Club Coach

Well I've now lost all my semi finalists from the top half of the draw. My only hope now is it least to be mentioned in Steven's "dropping like a stone" section of his daily report.

eblunt · Club Coach

LadyTigress wrote:

Nalby is proving disastrous for my Pick'em. I had Ferrer in his place up until who knows what round. Just when you think the Numpty has had his day, he pulls out another unexpectedly good run.

Nalby is one of the all-time Pickem loose cannons. A potential winner, yet also quite capable of going out dismally in the first round. Whichever of those two you picked him to do you just know he'll do the other.

Nalby is the only pickem player that I wouldn't mind if he withdrew late and got replaced by a GEM.

indiana · Tennis legend

I know Nalby can disappoint at times but on the form he was showing comng in I thought he would do well and had him to make the QF, which has served well.

I am thinking I maybe gave up on him at least one round too soon, and could have done some really more serious pick 'em damage, the way he and Andy are playing respectively. I did hesitate slightly at choice time befor ticking Andy.

Anyway for every reason going now in their match, c'mon Andy !

steven · Tennis legend

2010 TORONTO MASTERS BOTB - DAY 4 'SYNDICATED' REPORT

The top four seeds all got safely through to the QFs, with 96% or more of us expecting each of them to do so. That included Muzza extending his winning streak against GEMs to 23 after a bizarre match with le Monf.

Berdych 81% was a majority pick to reach the SFs too but 21% pick Nalby upset 74% pick Sod to continue his winning run and we have two very unexpected quarter-finalists - Kohli 2% (who emerged from the Cilic/fake Duck PHM section) and Chardy, picked only by Puschkin (RG), who continued his crazy run of upsets by taking out Kolya.

Detailed results can be found at http://www.freewebs.com/britishtennis/competitions.html and they are being updated regularly each day, with 'headlines' and the odd 'quote of the day' appearing on http://twitter.com/botb1 as well.

TEAMS

Their lead has now been cut to less than half a point, but despite losing their hero in R1, the Dammitaires are still in 1st place ahead of AM.com, who lost 2nd place at one point but regained it later in the day.

JM.org raced up 5 to 3rd after a good R3, where their score was only beaten by MTF, who shot up 7 from 3rd last to 4th! Meanwhile, world no. 1s TAT have left last place far behind, climbing 5 to 8th after finishing 3rd in R3.

The teams lower down the table continued to take turns holding the lanterne rouge, but it ended the day in the hands of Rusedski.co.uk, with MTL, down 5 to 11th, also dropping back a lot after both of those teams had poor R3s.

INDIVIDUALS

The top 16 still includes at least 3 entrants who have finished last in previous contests, but we finally have someone from the 100 in the outright lead - Hawkeye (AM), whose Numpty/Berdbrain double (plus the top 4 seeds, obviously) lifted him 9 places to 1st.

Despite getting just 5/8 correct, Johnny (GB) has held onto 2nd place on tiebreak from airsmashers (BT) and the only entrant who started the round with all 8 QF-ists intact, salish (ML) - both rose 14 to 3= after getting 6 players through, though the latter lost his winner (Sod) in the process, as did AllyB (JM), down 2 to 5th.

Imoen (BT) & Gaël (RG), both up 24 to 6=, complete a list of 6 entrants who are just a point behind the leader. The former's mother Anne (IN), down 4 to 8th, has dropped behind her in the family battle but they are now both in the top 10 at the same time! Canadian WxMan (IN) & ChrisSpotmen (RG), both down 4 to 9=, complete the new top 10.

Overnight leader Pabbers (AM) looks to have gone just a bit too far with her otherwise inspired picks Lu and Dolgo - they had served her well on Wednesday but both lost in the L16 and 16th place is where she has fallen to.

ON THE RISE

More than 30 entrants got 6/8 correct, including all five risers in the top 10 (see above) and the three fastest risers mong them were jasonblueboy (IN), Claire Thompson (JM) & Allan (AM), all up 109 to 94=.

DODGY DROPPERS

Only two entrants got less than 3/8 correct (it took some doing to get just 2 given that all of the top 4 seeds were 96%+ picks!) - --cj-- (TA), down 19 to 265th, and new lanterne rouge unclefester (IN), down 10 to 267th. The gorillas are now going hungry though.

However, the biggest fallers of the day came from among those who got 3/8 - ml7000 (IN), down 173 to 190th, liam_valid (CC), down 162 to 232nd, Ryzim (DF), down 154 to 243rd, and dusty dick (BT), down 118 to 247th.

It says all you need to know about the unpredictability (using any rational methods, anyway LOL) of this tournament that at the same time as there are so many former lanterne rouges near the top, current world no. 1 Scotsguy (ML) and kaseldop (GR), the last player to have a sustained spell at no. 1, are both languishing in the bottom 12! Still, it does show that even if you tend to finish in the bottom half of the table, you should never give up - there might be another Toronto just around the corner!

OUTLOOK

Despite the carnage of the early rounds, nearly half of us have all four semi-finalists still standing as we head into the QFs, with about 2/3 of those having picked the top four seeds to make it. Funnily enough, that includes just 2 of the current top 8 though, so the top 10 could look very different by Saturday morning. Only the entrant in last place has less than two of his semi-finalists still in.

QFs OoP (Toronto times, add 4 for GMT, 5 for BST) and PICK %s

CC n/b 13.00: (4) Muzza 58% v Numpty Nalby 8% - an odd-looking split when the H2H is 0-2, but Sod 32% was the 2nd fav here
CC n/b 14.30: (1) Rafa 86% v Kohli 0% - serial gorilla botherer sallydaisy (JM) has placed all her hopes on the cabbage writer here, so either it'll turn out to be an inspired pick or she'll end th day within banana-dropping range of her furry friends!
CC n/b 19.00: (3) Fed 75% v (7) Berdbrain 23% - the expected match-up in this quarter, but less than 1 in 4 expect the Wimbledon upset to be repeated
CC after FvB: (2) Nole 86% v Chardy 0% - nobody foresaw another Chardy upset here

wolf · Tennis legend

I should of picked Nalbandian to win the tournament. cry

Silver · County player

I am having an absolute mare of a tournie. I'm like Lleyton Hewitt's defence of Wimbledon.

I had such a good tournie last year and this year? Let's not go there. DAMN YOU, YOU MUPPETS!!!!

o((>_<))o

-- Edited by Silver on Friday 13th of August 2010 05:45:20 PM

eblunt · Club Coach

Well, my tactic of "avoid the big 4, thet'll be saving themselves for the US open" seems to be really paying off. Duck, Sod and Berdy to beat Rafa, Muzza and Fed. So that's 0/2, so far and -139 places. QOTW and Dodgy Dropper - has this double ever been done before ? biggrin

indiana · Tennis legend

Oh, deary me, the earlier discussion re picks in conflict with true wishes for players has reared its head.

Just as I'm having my best ever pick'em and with all 4 semi finalists through, in particular Rafa there as my winner pick, Rafa meets Muzza !!

Oh no, blooming Muzza had hardly been giving much indication of playing that well, he can count himself lucky that I picked him as far as the semi

But Muzza is well Muzza, the player I most want to succeed on the planet.

Darn, darn, darn....

OK, go Muzza win, but then win again to get the title, then go on and win the US Open to make me truly happy, and we can then call it quits smile

-- Edited by indiana on Saturday 14th of August 2010 12:12:26 PM

airsmashers · County player

Well I'm in shock, didn't think I would be leading with my conservative picks.

steven · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:

Oh, deary me, the earlier discussion re picks in conflict with true wishes for players has reared its head.

Just as I'm having my best ever pick'em and with all 4 semi finalists through, in particular Rafa there as my winner pick, Rafa meets Muzza !!

Oh no, blooming Muzza had hardly been giving much indication of playing that well, he can count himself lucky that I picked him as far as the semi

But Muzza is well Muzza, the player I most want to succeed on the planet.

Darn, darn, darn....

OK, go Muzza win, but then win again to get the title, then go on and win the US Open to make me truly happy, and we can then call it quits

Could be worse - Bethan will actually win if Rafa beats Andy then beats Fed in the Final!

steven · Tennis legend

2010 TORONTO MASTERS BOTB - DAY 5 'SYNDICATED' REPORT

For the first time, the top four seeds have reached the semis in Toronto. That meant wins 86% picks Rafa and Nole, 75% pick Fed (though the closeness of his match kind of justified 23% taking the risk of going for Berdych to beat him again) and 58% pick Muzza, the win that made the most difference to the tables.

Detailed results can be found at http://www.freewebs.com/britishtennis/competitions.html and they are being updated regularly each day, with 'headlines' and the odd 'quote of the day' appearing on http://twitter.com/botb1 as well.

TEAMS

When the dust had settled at the end of the night session, AMcom had climbed 1 place to 1st and MTF 2 places to 2nd, but it was GBTG, up 4 to 3rd, who actually won the round, having already won R2 as well. Overnight leaders the Dammitaires fell back 3 to 4th, just ahead of world no. 1s TAT, who have finally reached the top half of the table, moving up another 3 places to 5th.

Two teams moving up and down like a yo-yo during the day were JM.org, down 3 to 6th after being 2nd at one point, and BBC 606, who jumped from 12th to 2nd after Muzza's win then lost 5 of those places but still ended up as the biggest risers of the day, up 5 to 7th.

The big losers on Friday were BT.net, down 5 to 10th mainly due to almost half of them having gone for Söderling to reach the semis, and the Feddies, down 4 to last fora similar reason.

INDIVIDUALS

Their team may have been the biggest fallers of the day, but airsmashers (BT), up 2 to 1st, and Imoen (BT), up 4 to 2nd, now head the table after a perfect day, with Canadian WxMan (IN), up 6, completing the top 3 a point behind the top two and just ahead of Miles (TA) & jadesa (TA), both up 7 to 4=, on tiebreak.

The new top 10 is completed by Dark_Necrofear (CC) & t_torres (VB), both up 8 to 6=, former leader Pabbers (AM), up 8 to 8th,
greatunclebulgaria (JM), up 8 to 9th, and cazza99 (AM) & HoodMan (RF), both up 11 to 10=.

All of the new top 10 got 4/4 correct on Friday and moved above overnight leader Hawkeye (AM), whose lead survived until the last match of the day, after which he fell 11 places to 12th.

ON THE RISE

With nearly 100 of us getting all four semi-finalists correct, there were no 3-figure risers, but the following players all rose 90 places or more - Swissgirl (IN), up 91 to 116th, Zebra Melanija (IN), tinamarie (TA) and MICHAEL (JM), who has flown over to Toronto to be at the event this week, all up 92 to 117=, janeInScotland (JM), mwoods (TA) & vivahate (CC), all up 90 to 131=, and riser of the day Silver (BT), up 94 to 134th.

DODGY DROPPERS

After 4 days where the risky pickers have generally been well rewarded, most of those who failed to pick the top 4 to reach the semis took a hammering on Friday. A dozen entrants got just 1/4 correct, with faller of the day mysterX (TA), down 172 to 221st, eblunt (BT), down 148 to 228th, JM1138 (BT), down 140 to 237th, and irenerer (RF), down 100 to 248th, all suffering three-figure drops and sallydaisy (JM), down 48 to 257th, finally ending up within banana-dropping distance of the gorillas, who had been getting very hungry!

SFs OoP (Toronto times, add 4 for GMT, 5 for BST) and PICK %s

CC n/b 15.00: (1) Rafa 60% v (4) Muzza 21%
CC n/b 19.00: (3) Fed 50% v (2) Nole 35%

This is the stage where I usually look at all of the possible combinations of results in the last three matches and I have never known there to still be so many possible winners at this stage of a BOTB (6 possible team winners, 8 possible individual winners and 22 entrants still able to finish in the top 3!) so I'm going to leave typing out that analysis until after the semis this time to avoid this becoming a huge report.

JM1138 · Lower Club Player

Oh, and to think it was going so well...

All will be forgiven if, AND ONLY IF, Andy takes the title!