US Open Clothing: Hit Or Miss?
Monday, September 7th, 2009| Overall Rating | No Ratings |
John Isner is topping new heights at this year’s US Open after he came through a five set match against fellow countryman, Andy Roddick in the third round at Flushing Meadows yesterday. The 24-year-old who stands at well over two metres is into the fourth round of the US Open for the first time in his career and after the shock defeat of fans favourite A-Rod, he will now scale new levels of confidence when taking on Fernando Verdasco in his next match.
The Grennsboro monster needs a little help in the apparel department though. His rather stale style of threads is doing nothing spectacular on the court, but who can blame him for his lack of fashion sense if he continues to beat players on the court. His lack of invention and style with his t-shirt and short combination has given him the thumbs down from us in the style corner. MTF Verdict: Miss
Clijsters is slowly getting back to her best on the court after having a child recently. The 26-year-old seems to have recaptured her master strokes on the court defeating Venus Williams in the three sets 6–0 0–6 6–4 to head into the fourth round to face Na Li of China. The red and black outfit at this year’s US Open works for the former world number one. Fila and their simple designs have complimented Clijsters on the court this year at Flushing Meadows. We think she is looking very fresh and energetic in red. She could go all the way this year equalling her 2005 win at the US Open. MTF Verdict: Hit
Is this the year that Andy Murray gets his first Grand Slam win? He certainly has come along way in such little time and it’s not just his tennis abilities that are getting better – it seems his tennis threads on the court are becoming more and more stylish as he becomes comfortable in the major tournaments. The 22-year-old smashed his way past American, Taylor Dent in the third round 6-3 6-2 6-2 and now faces Croatian, Marin Cilic in the fourth round.
His Fred Perry clobber makes him one of the most stylish players in men’s tennis. The polo-shirts he wears are very simple, but stand out with a touch of retro classic. A calm blue upper with white detail makes this one of the stand out outfits at the US Open 2009. MTF Verdict: Hit
Melanie Oudin has captured the hearts of the American public in just a few hours of memorable tennis action at this year’s US Open. The 17-year-old from Marietta, Georgia has blasted her way past some excellent opponents to reach the fourth round of the US Open 2009. Twice the rookie has fought back from a set down to win. First, in the second round, she defeated Elena Dementieva to face Maria Sharapova in the third round and the 17-year-old American did it again by clawing back from a set down to win. She now has another test in the fourth round when she faces thirteenth seed Nadia Petrova, but with the home crowd behind her we are sure she will claim another scalp.
We are a little disappointed with her attire on the court though – the young lady is sure to rise to fame and fortune in the coming years so an improvement on her bland outfit at this year’s Open will certainly feature when sponsors come knocking on her door after her heroics this year. MTF Verdict: Miss – but we are backing Melanie to go all the way to the final this year.
Stuart Young
Kim returns in Fila
Monday, August 10th, 2009| Overall Rating | No Ratings |
KIM CLIJSTERS RETURNS TO TENNIS IN FILA
Sparks, MD – Fila announced today that Sony Ericsson WTA Tour star Kim Clijsters will begin her comeback to professional tennis wearing Fila apparel and footwear. The agreement with Clijsters is part of Fila’s on-going commitment to tennis as a core category and continues the company’s legacy of sponsoring elite tennis champions.
“We are thrilled that Kim is returning to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour,” said Gene Yoon, Chairman of Fila. “She is a proven champion whose drive, athleticism and style are consistent with Fila’s core values. Kim is a fan favorite in the tennis community and we are pleased that she will continue to wear Fila’s performance tennis line as she returns to professional tennis. Fila has a great heritage in tennis and we are pleased that will continue to have Kim wear our brand, which has been worn by champions in tennis and other sports for over 35 years. ”
Clijsters now 26, is returning to professional tennis after a two-year retirement. She left tennis in 2007 to marry American basketball star Brian Lynch and start a family. Their daughter Jada was born in February 2008. Clijsters is a former US Open Singles Champion and world ranked #1 in singles and doubles, who has won 34 singles titles over her career. Clijsters will make her debut tonight at the Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open in Cincinnati.
Fila has a long and distinguished history in the world of tennis. The company has endorsement agreements with several ATP Tour and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour athletes, is a major sponsor of the Sony Ericsson Open, the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, and the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships and is the footwear licensee with The Championships at Wimbledon.
Visit www.fila.com to see the full collection of Fila tennis apparel and footwear.
Prince Dominates
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009| Overall Rating | No Ratings |
Prince Team Touring Pros Dominate Weekend Tour Events – Take Home Three U.S. Open Series Titles and Reach Finals in Croatia Open
Bartoli, Querrey and Bryan Brothers Use Prince O3 Racquets to Capture Titles in Los Angeles and Stanford
Bordentown, NJ, August 3, 2009 – Prince O3 racquets made quite an impact this past weekend at both ATP and WTA tour stops. From singles to doubles, Prince Team players Marion Bartoli, Sam Querrey, Mike and Bob Bryan and Juan Carlos Ferrero took home three titles and reached the finals of another while wielding racquets from the company’s performance racquet line.
Querrey, the 21 year-old California native, used his Prince O3 Hybrid Tour to win his second career ATP title (Las Vegas 2008) after beating Australian, Carsten Ball, in the finals of the LA Tennis Open on Sunday. The win moved the young American up to #26 in the world, and gave him the lead in the U.S. Open Series. For Querrey, it was his third straight finals appearance (Newport, Indianapolis).
“I feel as though I am striking the ball really cleanly and playing points, both offensively and defensively, very well. Every match I play helps to build confidence and I am feeling very comfortable on the court right now from my racquet, to my movement to my strategy. Hopefully I can continue to play well throughout the summer and surprise a few people through the U.S. Open.”
Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli took to the court on Sunday with her Prince O3 Red in what was billed as a rematch of the 2007 Wimbledon final versus Venus Williams. In the end, the scrappy and hard-hitting Bartoli blasted away at her opponent with crushing two-handed forehands and precisely placed backhands winning 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 for the biggest WTA title of her career. With her title run, Bartoli climbs to #12 in the world.
Rounding out titles for the weekend, were LA Tennis Open top-seeded doubles duo, Americans Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan. Using their Prince O3 Speedport Black racquets, the 31-year-old Bryan Brothers won their fifth career LA Tennis Open title and their fifth title of 2009 as they defeated Germans Benjamin Becker and Frank Moser 6-4, 7-6(2) on Sunday.
The Camarillo, California natives, and crowd favorites, extended their winning streak at their hometown tournament to 12 straight matches. The final marked their 90th ATP World Tour level final (54-36), and the Bros. now stand three titles back of joining Fleming-McEnroe and Hewitt-McMillan at No. 2 on the Open Era team titles list with 57 titles. Australians Woodbridge-Woodforde top the list with 61 titles.
“This is an exciting time of the year for our sport, and we’re glad to see our touring pros off to a strong start on the hardcourts,” says Linda Glassel, VP Sports Marketing at Prince Sports. “More and more players around the globe continue to adopt O3 technology and are winning at every level of the game. Congrats to our Prince Team Players for their efforts and we wish them much luck throughout the balance of the season.”
In addition to the three titles, Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero, currently ranked #29 on the ATP tour, reached the finals of the Croatia Open in Umag on Sunday. Earlier this year, the 29 year-old, wielding his Prince Ozone Tour racquet, captured his first ATP World Tour title since 2003 with a victory on clay at Casablanca and opened the grass-court season with a semi-final effort at The Queen’s Club followed by his second Wimbledon quarter-final appearance.
Wimbledon – Women’s SF Preview Safina v V Williams
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009| Overall Rating | No Ratings |
Dinara Safina v Venus Williams.
The second women’s semi final sees the current world number 1, Dinara Safina take on the former world number 1, Venus Williams. Safina is desperate to win a grand slam after being runner-up on three separate occasions. The Russian will has overcome some difficult matches en route to the semi finals, more notably her quarter final encounter with Sabine Lisicki which went to three sets.
Venus has shown in the past she is capable of beating anyone in the women’s game including her little sister. The 29-year-old is looking for her sixth Wimbledon title which will be an incredible achievement for someone still in their twenties. Venus has been playing some great tennis at the All England Club this year and will take a lot of stopping.
MTF Prediction - This will be very tight. The hunger and desire of Safina against the experience of Venus. We are going for an all-Williams’ final. Venus to show her class and experience out on Centre Court today, she goes through to the final.
SY
Wimbledon – Women’s SF Preview Dementieva v S Williams
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009| Overall Rating | No Ratings |
Elena Dementieva v Serena Williams.
It is women’s semi final day at Wimbledon and we are expecting some superb tennis out on Centre Court later on. Elena Demnetieva versus Serena Williams is a very mouth-watering match-up. Both have great strength in their game and both are heavy weights when it comes to the world of women’s tennis.
This should be an interesting match because we have Elena, who has a strong serve and we have Serena, who is probably the best returner in the game so it will be a fascinating encounter. Both players are 27-years-old and will have to use all their experience to outwit their opponent in the heat on Centre Court.
Serena will be searching for her third Wimbledon title whilst Elena will be hoping she can win her first Grand Slam title at the All England Club.
Both players have cruised to this stage so expect to see some hard-hitting from both players out there.
MTF Prediction – We are going with Serena in the first of the semi finals at Wimbledon today. She will be determined to make the final again this year. Elena will be overpowered in the end by her opponent. Serena smashes her way to the final.
SY
Wimbledon – Men’s QF Preview Karlovic v Federer
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009| Overall Rating | No Ratings |
Ivo Karlovic v Roger Federer.
The tall frame of Ivo Karlovic will cause the five-time Wimbledon champion all sorts of problems out on Centre Court today. Karlovic has an impressive serve, which might be able to undo Federer on a few occasions in this match. The Croatian has already knocked out ninth seed, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and seventh seed, Fernando Verdasco making him a real contender to lift the trophy on Sunday.
Federer will have to be at his best in this match if he wants to reach the semi finals at the All England Club. The former world number 1 wants the top spot back and is also desperate to reclaim the Wimbledon title which will be a sixth time in his career. Roger overcame a tough fourth round match against Robin Soderling to reach this stage, but now the pressure is on to perform against the giant Croatian.
MTF Prediction – Karlovic will cause Federer problems with his big serve, but the former champion will up his game to match anything that is thrown at him. Federer to reach the last four.
SY
Wimbledon – Men’s QF Preview Haas v Djokovic
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009| Overall Rating | No Ratings |
Tommy Haas v Novak Djokovic.
The first match on Court 1 today will be the Serbian versus the German. Djokovic has only lost one set in his previous four rounds and is steadily going about his business with not much fuss. He comes up against Tommy Haas today who is having a great Wimbledon Championships so far. The twenty fourth seed reached the quarter finals by beating a couple of seeded players including Marin Cilic which went to five sets with the German eventually winning 7-5 7-5 1-6 6-7 10-8.
If Haas wants to reach the semi finals at the All England Club for the very first time he will have to produce the best tennis of his career to overcome the world number four.
MTF Prediction – We know this one might go all the way because the heat out there today will probably cause Djokovic problems, but we are still confident that Novak can set-u a semi final meeting with either Federer or Karlovic. Novak Djokovic goes through.
SY
Wimbledon – Men’s QF Preview Murray v Ferrero
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009| Overall Rating | No Ratings |
Andy Murray v Juan Carlos Ferrero.
We are in for a treat if this match is anything like the previous Murray match. Andy Murray dug deep to dispatch Stanislas Wawrinka in the fourth round. It took nearly four hours of play on Centre Court under the roof for Murray to knock out Wawrinka. What a spectacle it was to see the first ever full match on Centre Court with the roof on. The atmosphere inside the arena was electric.
Murray needs to find some energy from somewhere if he’s to get past the talented Spaniard, Juan Carlos Ferrero. This will be Murray’s toughest challenge yet because Ferrero is good on grass and has lots of experience playing in top games on a grass court.
Juan Carlos has knocked out some tough opponents en route to the quarter finals. The Spaniard beat Gilles Simon in the previous round, which is a big scalp at this late stage of the Championships. On paper Murray should win and with their previous meeting only two weeks ago at Queen’s going the Scott’s way we should see Murray through to his first semi final at Wimbledon.
MTF Prediction – We are going with the player with the Fred Perry threads. Murray will be too strong for his opponent despite the best efforts from the Spaniard. Andy Murray to progress into the last four.
SY
Wimbledon – Men’s QF Preview Hewitt v Roddick
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009| Overall Rating | No Ratings |
Lleyton Hewitt v Andy Roddick.
This quarter final match will have everything. Two complete competitors battling it out for a place in this year’s Wimbldon semi finals. Lleyton Hewitt has shown us he is back to his former best after knocking out Juan Martin Del Potro in straight sets in the second round and then overcoming the 23rd seed, Radek Stepanek in round four. His ability not to give in has got him this far because he could have crumbled in the last round when he started feeling an injury, but give him credit where it’s due he battled on to take the match in five sets.
Andy Roddick is no novice when it comes to playing in the last eight. The American has found some excellent form this year at Wimbledon and is a serious contender to win it. Roddick has only lost three sets en route to the quarter finals which means he will be slightly fresher than Hewitt in this contest. A-Rod has improved his game recently adding more variety to his game, which is paying dividends at the All England Club.
MTF Prediction – This is a tough one to call. Hewitt is a born again winner at the moment and Roddick is showing us a stronger game. We will go with Roddick for this one despite Hewitt’s strong backing from The Fanatics. Roddick to clinch this epic match.
SY
