Weeks 35 and 36 - US Open Men's Doubles

Spectator · All-time great

Weeks 35 and 36 - US Open Men's Doubles

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Many thanks for standing in so admirably for me, Spectator (yes, I was away over the weekend - annual August Bank Holiday pilgrimage to mum's, which means no Internet access & thus intense frustration on my part when I am unable to glean all the information I seek from the Beeb's "digiFax". If it weren't for Helki's regular texts, I'd be foaming at the mouth up there!).

Have edited your initial post post purely to include the pairs' respective combined rankings & to amend Knowle's & Melzer's nationality from "AUS" to "AUT" ( wink ). I also gave Jürgen his Umlaut.

Talking of the latter, I agree that Dom & TCH have a lousy first-round draw, but I would venture to suggest that Jamie's & John's is far worse... cry Have my fingers firmly crossed for Skups!

Spectator · All-time great

Good to have you back, SC! Welcome home (so to speak) - and thanks for the edits.

Agree that Jamie Murray/John Peers have a poor draw ... but feel more, almost, for Huey and Inglot. They just make a seeding ... and as a prize, they get what must be about the highest ranked unseeded pairing ... each member of which has won the US Open. Some reward!

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Spectator wrote:
Agree that Jamie Murray/John Peers have a poor draw ... but feel more, almost, for Huey and Inglot. They just make a seeding ... and as a prize, they get what must be about the highest ranked unseeded pairing ... each member of which has won the US Open. Some reward!

Point taken. Let's just hope that Dom's & TCH's star is still firmly in the ascendant, shall we, & that Knowle & Melzer are entering their career twilight years. Easier said than done with doubles players, I know... hmm

Spectator · All-time great

Mr Marray and Mr Fleming play today, 1st up on Court 10. Neither of the other pairings plays. The mens first round seems to be spread out over quite a few days indeed. Insofar as that increases the chances that someone will withdraw before playing a first-round match, it's probably good for Mr Skupski.

Lopez/Sa, Mr Murray and Mr Peers' 2nd round opponents (if they get there), have won their first round match by one of the most lopsided scores I can recall seeing in a mens doubles match at this level, 6-1, 6-3. So that draw just doesn't look any better. And poor Mr Peers, playing in the mixed doubles with the exceptional Ms Barty, has drawn Peya/Groenefeld. Rather unfair.

Jan · Hall of fame

Colin and Jonny lost the first set 4-6

korriban · Challenger level

I'm not a doubles afficionado, so have a question, below..........

Marray and Nielsen seemed to be a superb partnership, not just at Wimbledon - something clicked

Fleming and Hutchins, similar, just seems to click

and when Fleming plays with Andy, that seems to click after they get warmed up

But Marray and Fleming......should be a fantastic partnership......but their results have been, frankly, really average........is there something obvious missing that means they play better with others but not with each other - or have they just been unlucky to date? I ask this because DC is coming up and we've always "banked" on a doubles win, but a Fleming/Marray partnership looks to me like it could be an iffy pick....

Any doubles gurus with a view?

daisy · County player

korriban wrote:
I'm not a doubles afficionado, so have a question, below..........
Marray and Nielsen seemed to be a superb partnership, not just at Wimbledon - something clicked
Fleming and Hutchins, similar, just seems to click
and when Fleming plays with Andy, that seems to click after they get warmed up
But Marray and Fleming......should be a fantastic partnership......but their results have been, frankly, really average........is there something obvious missing that means they play better with others but not with each other - or have they just been unlucky to date? I ask this because DC is coming up and we've always "banked" on a doubles win, but a Fleming/Marray partnership looks to me like it could be an iffy pick....
Any doubles gurus with a view?

Fleming/A.Murray is the more likely pick for the DC tie IMHO even if it means Andy plays 3 rubbers.

I think that's another good reason he partnered Flembo at Cincy - and they did rather better than many people expected even if it was after they got warmed up!

RJA · Hall of fame

Colin and Jonny have taken the second set 6-3

RJA · Hall of fame

Looks like Ken has made it in, he just tweeted

"You in?" "No" "You in?" "No" "You in?" "No" "You in?" "Ohhhh Yeah!!!!!!" #usopen

Jan · Hall of fame

Excellent news for Ken!

Hope Colin and Jonny can get the win when they eventually resume. They had chances to break in the last game. A good hold to start with, please.

Need to turn in soon. Good luck guys!

indiana · Tennis legend

Yes, korriban, I posted a couple of months ago that I was a bit underwhelmed by the Fleming / Marray partnership's results and they don't seem to have got particularly better.

I admit to not following really closely, but my impression is that they have not been unlucky, just as you say have had kind of "really average" results.

I definitely think Fleming was better with Hutchins and of course Marray had that huge success with Nielsen.

The whys and wherefores of why this is so ( assuming it is ) I'd leave for the doubles experts.

Spectator · All-time great

The draw is out for today, and the three remaining GB men's doubles teams are all on it.

Jamie Murray/John Peers are first on Court 14 (11:00 am/4:00 pm start)
Treat Conrad Huey/Dominic Inglot are fourth on the same court (two women's doubles matches intervene), and
(ALT) Denis Istomin (UZB)/Ken Skupski (CR 198) play Jaroslav Levinský/Jirí Veselý (both CZE) (CR 1263), third up on Court 16. (SC, over to you for accents and rankings!)

Yes, they made it - and the trip was worthwhile after all. All best wishes to the three teams ... and commiserations to Juan Monaco and his partner, who withdrew because of Monaco's injury.

-- Edited by Spectator on Thursday 29th of August 2013 05:02:02 AM

With pleasure, Spectator. Rankings, most accents (there should one of those little hook-shaped diacritics over the "r" in "Jirí" but Activeboard doesn't like them & won't allow them to be reproduced ) & an "ALT" duly added.

-- Edited by Stircrazy on Thursday 29th of August 2013 09:42:16 AM

DavidC · Tennis legend

Colin and Jonny just one game away at 5-3*

DavidC · Tennis legend

...and they hold to 15 for a 4-6 6-3 6-4 win