murray_2k9 wrote:

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BeefyDeedz wrote:

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murray_2k9 wrote:

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Epic choke from Evo, *6-3 in the second set TB, lost it 6-8!

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 That is the least 'epic' 'choke' I've ever seen. Players often lose TB's from winning positions on serve - it's part of the TB's nature. 

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 Behave, 6-3 up on serve, on grass, is a rare position to lose from. 

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 Behave?

You must not see a lot of tennis, or perhaps you're just a bit sensationalist if you believe losing a tie-break from 6-3 up is an 'epic choke'. Not really sure what the grass factor has to do it with (was it even on grass? It may well have been indoors by the sounds of it) given it was a tie-break situation. Not like he served for the match on multiple occasions. It's very possible to lose 3-5 points in quick succession without 'choking'. Christ almighty.

Apart from losing a set from *6-3 in a TB, players hardly ever lose the lead in games and indeed lose games from *40-0 up, let alone *40-15 ( probably more relevantly since two serves to come for it ). Oh wait, they do often, and on grass and fast hard too, yes more serve friendly surfaces.

Rather than that I'd focus on Brad's report that Evo basically chucked it - unfortunately nothing new for him. Worse if this actually began while still in the TB, having been pulled back to 6-6*.

indiana wrote:

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Apart from losing a set from *6-3 in a TB, players hardly ever lose the lead in games and indeed lose games from *40-0 up, let alone *40-15 ( probably more relevantly since two serves to come for it ). Oh wait, they do often, and on grass and fast hard too, yes more serve friendly surfaces.

Rather than that I'd focus on Brad's report that Evo basically chucked it - unfortunately nothing new for him. Worse if this actually began while still in the TB, having been pulled back to 6-6*.

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I've read Brad's report and I can see "some solid rally tennis from both players culminating in two errors from Dan (admittedly under pressure from Novikov's hard-hitting forehands) and then a big serve at 6-5* to level things up" Brad then mentions "at which Dan began to beat himself", but I don't read this as Dan chucking the game. I took Dan beating himself up as him admonishing himself, maybe trying to energise himself the way so many players do.

Evo essentially lost interest after losing the tiebreak. At 6-6* in the breaker he was chastising himself (I think, although it could have been frustration at an external factor - anything from the echo of several games being played inside a huge sports hall, the adorable yet occasionally incompetent ball boys and girls, some shaky line calls, etc.) and from my point of view, the game was lost after he went from 6-3 to 6-6 in the breaker. I could just tell the sense of confidence and urgency he had played with for the majority of the first two sets had been lost.

Another decent performance from Alex, but he goes down 6-4 7-6(5)

Both fought very hard, and can be proud of their performances.

Lost the 1st set 6-2.

But big cheer from the crowd (Phil and Paulisi no doubt) as Luke breaks back for *3-3 in the 2nd.