'SUPER SATURDAY'

I remember the greatest day of tennis ever played in New York, can't remember what year but three matches were played with a maximum of 13 sets allowed, it went the distance, 13 sets to be precise.
From memory two Americans, Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe played and it was won by Mac 6-3 in the fifth. The other Men's Semi was between Pat Cash from Australia and Ivan Lendl from Czechoslovakia , I do believe that Cash had match point in the fifth set but Lendl popped a lob over the Aussie's head to sneak out of trouble. 
I do remember the score in the Women's Final between Evert- Lloyd and Navratilova. Evert won the first 6-4 and the favor was returned by Martina 6-4 and 6-4 again. 
I will post this and get back to you with the year and the exact scores, maybe 1982 or 1983.
I have been known to be wrong.....

'NEVER AGAIN'

Remind me never to tip Thomas Berdych again. I tipped against him in the previous two rounds as I think he is a player who goes missing at times mentally. In saying that I felt that his form in this year's US Open was solid as he had barely been tested. Then a long comes Maran Cilic who played Simon in a 4 hour marathon in his previous match, surely Berdych would make the most of Cilic's 'tired legs' ??
I will not be tipping you again Thomas.......

'SOME STAT'S'

My tipping is on the improve, Nishikori just got over the line against Stan but Murray went down in 4 , I thought he may have pushed Novak to 5. I am still going with both Federer and Berdych to win their quarter's in 4 sets.
Some interesting statistics came out of the epic match between Nishikori and Wawrinka, some things that decide the close matches;
Stan won 4 more points than Kei yet he lost the match
Stan hit 27 more winners than Kei, he still lost
Kei made 27 less unforced errors than Stan
Stan hit 10 more aces than Kei but served 8 double faults in his quest for a solid second
Stan went to the net just 15 times , he won the point on 9 occasions
Kei went to the net 37 times and won the point on 29 occasions
So who are these guys ?
Stan hits a big ball from the baseline, we all know that as he destroyed Nadal in the first set of the Australian Open final this year before Rafa's injury. With groundstrokes that good however it is a surprise that he doesn't follow a few more of them into the net to finish the point .
Nishikori is playing a brand of tennis that is not unlike his Coach Michael Chang when he was one of the game's best in the late 80's and early 90's. Kei however is prepared to come in off his big groundie's , a tactic that may just have got him over the line in this particular match.
A match that lasts around 4 hours will take something special to get one player over the line and the player who is prepared to ask the question of his opponent can quite often prevail. In a tight match a tactic such as pressuring the opponent can pay dividends for two reasons. If you are feeling tight yourself then the tactic of coming in can take away the tension of a long rally and asking your opponent to hit a winner is the ultimate question . It can make or break some players.
As good as Nishikori is from the baseline he is also a player who can force the issue at the net because his approach shots are so good. To win 29 out of 37 net approaches is quite remarkable from a player who is not known for his volleying expertise.
There is very little between the best players in the World, sometimes just a few points in it , after all Stan did win 181 points to Kei's 177 in losing the match.
Fascinating game is tennis. As a coach of the game it is wise to concentrate on the error count rather than the winners as most times less errors will beat more winners. I love analysing tennis as it's a game that requires a mind just as smart as the shot making. A thinking man's game.......

'TOUGH TO PICK'

Fair dinkum Gael Monfils is a tough man to predict as far as form is concerned. Who would have tipped him to beat Dimitrov in straight sets ? Just goes to show that there is very little between say a three setter and a five . Look at the score line in that match, 7-5, 7-6, 7-5. This is the sort of score that had everything falling into place for one player at the crucial stages of each set. The second set was obviously the deciding factor in this match. If Dimitrov had won it then it was back to a 50/50. 8-6 in a breaker is tight tennis.
I am sure Dimitrov will get to work on his serve in the coming weeks as you cannot expect to win the tight ones with a first serve percentage of 57. That is putting way too much pressure on the second.
I tipped Nishikori and Cilic to get over the line against Raonic and Simon in my last chapter, both victors in 5 sets, these guys just find a way in the end. I cannot tip Berdych at all, a player who can seem to be red hot with form then lose unexpectedly, another player tough to pick.
I thought Bautista Agut would push Federer however the quicker surface in New York does the clay court specialists no favors, they rely on the ball coming through slower. Novak, well he is simply Novak, doesn't miss a ball unless pressured and Murray is playing well. Tsonga was disappointing in losing another tight three setter that could've gone either way in the first two sets. So to the Quarter's.......
Novak in 5 over a rejuvenated Murray
Federer in 4 over Monfils
Berdych in a tight match against Cilic but only due to Cilic's energy level factor after his epic against Simon
Nishikori to make his first Semi at a Slam with a win against Wawrinka, this match will be a ripper.......
Tough picking quarters as all players are hitting it well at this stage but it's a challenge trying to find a winner amongst the best......

'UNUSUAL SCORE LINE'

The match between Federer and Granollers was unusual . I do not like saying sometimes that I 'picked that' as it gives off an aura that you have your head stuck up your bum. I did however tip that Federer would win in 4 sets, it's on a previous chapter, so why ?
Marcel Granollers has been steadily on the rise for a while now , he's inside the top 50 for singles and top 20 for doubles, the Spaniard is playing a good brand of tennis. The problem is for a guy like Granollers is that he cannot sustain it against the best players in the World, hence the score against Federer. In fact just winning a set from the greatest player of all time would have made his career just about complete, along with around $80,000 for losing.
The score of 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 is a domination , despite an opening set loss, here's another two examples of the same or similar score line.
The great Bjorn Borg  was being smashed by South African legend Johan Kriek in the semi finals of the 1980 US Open when something sparked a Swedish fight back . Kriek lead 6-4, 6-4, with at least a runner's up speech already written in his head. 
How's a score line of 6-1, 6-1, 6-1in the last three sets sound Johan ?? Borg could come back like no other ......
In 1987 at Wimbledon Swede Mikael Pernfors lead Jimmy Connors 6-1, 6-1, 4-1 before finding a way to lose. So what is it with a 6-1 score line ? 
I remember vividly once at a local Club Championship a student lost by a score of 0-6, 6-1, 6-3. She couldn't believe that after a love first set domination she could lose . My reply was simple. 
"So how much energy did your opponent expend with a love reply in the first"? A puzzled response.
If you lose a set 6-0 you are either being dominated or you haven't woken up yet, many times it's just that, you have got off to a slow start, the brekky is still being digested. 
You are by no means out of it by losing a set to 0 or 1 or over the line by being a set or two up by the same score , it's simply where you are at mentally, physically or otherwise in certain stages of the match. Federer won the last three sets 1,1 and 1 against the Spaniard, he had woken up after the first, but Connors ? He was elsewhere in the first two and a half sets against the Swede, two totally different scenarios, tough to make sense of.
 Funny game tennis, many swings and roundabouts, stay focused, eat a good brekky and maintain a level head. Regardless of the score, play each ball like the first shot, there are no memories on a tennis ball, just an imprint in the mind. Show the game and your opponent you are smarter than the scoreboard.......

'AVERAGE '

My last tipping was fairly average to say the least but picked Fed and Dimitrov in 4 sets. Surprised about Monfils over Gasquet but Gael is tougher to pick than a broken nose, sometimes he's on , sometimes he's off. 
Thiem is a player on the rise, a straight sets win over the in form Lopez was a big win but Gabashvili was disappointing against Berdych as he was playing well. Buatista Agut is a man to be respected currently and he will test the Fed in Round 4. Simon is always hard to tip but Ferrer on a hard court isn't the same player as he is on clay, still the win by Giles was sensational.
So to Round 4 and as i tipped last chapter I am sticking with Tsonga over Murray
Novak in a test against Kohlschreiber 
Nishikori over Raonic
Can't find a winner between Wawrinka and Robredo, a 5 set flip of the coin
Fed in 4 maybe 5 over Bautista Agut
Dimitrov in 4 over Monfils
Thiem in an upset over Berdych
Cilic in 5 over Simon

'MEN'S FOURTH ROUND'

Just thought I would put a few tips up for the US Open Round 4;
Kohlschreiber may grab a set from Novak but shouldn't bother him too much
Tsonga should beat Murray in 4 or 5
Wawrinka and Robredo, toss a coin, 5 sets , can't pick it
Nishikori if returning well should beat Raonic

There are still a few matches in Round 3 left;
Granollers should test Federer but 4 sets to the Fed
Gabashvili in an upset over Berdych
Lopez in 4 over Thiem
Cilic and Anderson , can't pick it , 5 sets toss a coin
Ferrer in 4 over Simon
Dimitrov in 4 over Goffin
Gasquet too steady for the flashy Monfils in 5 sets
Bautista Aqut in 5 over Mannarino