US Open 2014

[owenclass]

Re: US Open 2014 Mens Final: Kei Nishikori vs Marin Cilic Nishikori to win 3-1 set betting 11/4 paddy power Well i did not expect these two to reach the final but i do expect a close match as these two are desperate to win a grand slam and they will probably think it will be their only chance so they are going to play their best Womens Final: Serena Williams vs Caroline Wozniacki over 20.5 games 10/11 paddy power over 2.5 sets 15/8 paddy power over 10.5 aces 11/8 paddy power over 7.5 double faults 11/10 paddy power Serena to win first two games 2-0 15/8 paddy power i think nearly everyone thinks that Serena will win easily but i think her opponent will make a game of it as Serena has not really been tested and i think she can be vulnerable when somebody plays good against her and i have been impressed with her opponent as she has had some tough matches and has come through them when in the past she has lost to them quite easily so i think this maybe she has become better player for it and who has matured she has also reached a grand slam final before so she wont be quite as nervous i think they will be quite a few aces as they good at serving and may be a few double faults when it gets a bit nervy i also fancy Serena to have a good start and break early in the set

[BallsforTennis]

Re: US Open 2014

Why I think Nishikori will beat Cilic to win the US Open crown: Cilic's reliance on the serve:

This is critical as Cilic does rely on getting a lot of cheap points with his serve, to get him out of sticky situations/positions. He played two guys in Federer and Berdych whom don’t return serve as well as Nishikori and when he did play a guy that was able to defend the serve, he was taken to 5 sets. (Simon) With Nishikori possessing one of the better defensive return of serves on tour it’s going to be mighty difficult for Cilic to leech onto his serve for cheap points when the time calls. Nishikori protects the backhand wing really well, whether it’s when exchanging blows from the baseline or when returning serve, Cilic was able to target the backhand side for both Federer and Berdych when serving, against Nishikori he won’t have as such luxury. Nishikori’s ability to disguise his shots: ?Nishikori’s technique on both his forehand and backhand has a lot of disguise and with his natural ability to change the path/flight/direction of a ball that is coming at him, it makes fairly difficult to anticipate his next shot. This IMO was impart the catalyst to his win over Djokovic, as it left Novak slightly more on the back-foot than he is accustomed to when playing from the baseline. If the king of feet preparation is struggling for time at the baseline, then I can’t imagine how stranded and smothered Cilic will feel and be when this ninja warrior is taking the ball early with little predictability as to where he is going. Cilic’s inability to recover court position: Nishikori is world class at manipulating the ball and dragging his opponent all over the court left to right, even when he is being made to move and/ or play on the back-foot. As Cilic is dragged out-wide, he often is sluggish in/at recovering his position to the centre of the baseline, which does mean he will often give away and edge in/of court position. This is particularly critical as Nishikori is not one for predictably going cross-court time after time. (Playing the percentages and relying on easier safety and greater margins to hit into) Magnitude of the occasion: If you look back; Nishikori has greater experience in the very big tournaments and has played in and through matches which can cause some serious anxiety (nerves) before and during. He has appeared in a Masters final, almost beating Nadal and not one time did he buckle due to nerves. Instead it was cramp that got him. My point is he never allowed the occasion to over-roar / over-power him. He has more big match experience and for me played two better players' along the way, than compared to Cilic. It's not all about serving big aces and hitting winners, there's a thing in tennis called 'point construction' and Nishikori is incredible adept at it. I believe Cilic is more likely/inclined to throwing in crucial errors at crucial times, simply because he will be tighter than Kei. Prediction: Kei Nishikori in 4 sets. Nishikori at 1.88 with Pinnacle

[Rossko]

Re: US Open 2014 well I can't see Cilic being "over-roared" either. :rollin

[HurlyBurlyMan]

Re: US Open 2014 I'm leaning towards Nishikori also but its more based on head-to-head than anything else. What stops me from being too confident is his cramping/fitness issues. We haven't seen it here yet but in a final it could make an appearance, I think his issues are not just physical - the way he fell apart against Nadal (after owning him in a way I've never seen before) was just too dramatic to be only physical. Nerves, tension will be ramped up in this final and will affect both players. So I'll probably back Nishi but only for a modest amount. And if he does start well, I'll be greening up for sure.

[Merc]

Re: US Open 2014 I think Nishikori has the better game of the two which should give him the edge. He is able to open up the court and Cilic does not cover ground easily. Djokovic came close to some service games of Nishikori but I don't see Cilic putting much pressure on Nishikori.

[owenclass]

Re: US Open 2014 Cilic wont have it his own way in this final as Nishikori players different to Federer as he covers more of the court so Cilic would have to change his gameplan just to beat him i think Cilic will have a lot of double faults as he needs to get his first serves in Cilic over 4.5 double faults 4/5 paddy power

[CzechPunter]

Re: US Open 2014 The real question is when exactly did Cilic become a mental titan. Glad I covered with the unders.

[Torque]

Re: US Open 2014

The real question is when exactly did Cilic become a mental titan. Glad I covered with the unders.

I wonder if that might be down to Ivanisevic? I know that he was prone to combust on occasions when he played, but I wonder if the real benefit for Cilic in having him in his corner is the belief that he undoubtedly got from the former Wimbledon champion, which is linked to mental strength. It must have been priceless for Cilic to have the ear of someone who unexpectedly won a Slam during his career, and in that sense you can draw parallels with what Cilic has now been able to achieve.

[Aidymac]

Re: US Open 2014 I don't think Nishikori turned up in that final at all, look at the amount of unforced errors, he looked extremely tired from the word go. No disrespect to Cilic of course, he was a worthy winner, but I think he was made to look better than what he actually is last night.

[Bebe]

Re: US Open 2014 Liked this year's US Open in men, first timers and nice matches without poor weather conditions, though some money loss in the end