2021 Qatar ExxonMobil Open...ATP 250...Doha, Qatar

[stotty]

Not as easy on the eye as the match before but a fierce contest nonetheless. The first set could go either way and looks like we are heading for a tie-break. Not too much to see other than endless top quality baseline rallies.

[stroke]

RBA and Thiem in a war of attrition 1st set. Thiem's kick serve for a non giant to the ad court is about as good as it gets.

[stotty]

Thought Roger was going to nick that match. He's so good at biding his time and nicking matches. Early days in Roger's comeback. It's a stunning start after more than a year out of the game.

[stotty]

On an unrelated side note, Bash also had a hot girl in his player box.

What tennis player doesn't. It's the one and only area Roger fell short.

[stroke]

On an unrelated side note, Bash also had a hot girl in his player box.

[stroke]

Bash just kind of bullied Fed out there. I don't think I have ever seen Fed bullied like that except vs Nadal on clay. That's just the way it is.

[stotty]

It's footwork that's the problem. He isn't quite sharp enough to get in position at times and opts has to opt for playing half volleys off the baseline sometimes. He's very relaxed. Almost to relaxed. His opponent his belting the ball hard and to a great length much of the time.

[stroke]

Roger certainly looked disinterested in competing in that 2nd set after falling behind.. I think I would say that was a first.

[stotty]

Roger let's the second set go. Sensible. Better to save energy for the third. His opponent, whose name I can't spell, is really rolling and hitting a very heavy ball.

[stotty]

Roger comes out of the blocks well with little sign of wear and tear from his match against Evans. He's certainly hitting his forehand well and getting serving plenty of first serves in, which, as we know, is usually a recipe for victory.

Roger leads 4-1 first set.

[stotty]

I see the match has been put back 15 minutes. Sometimes I think the organisers do this deliberately...

[stotty]

Still in lockdown here. No tennis permitted. I could get used to this retirement lark. The day is my own to do as I like. I even get to watch Roger in the middle of the afternoon...

[stotty]

I shall be intrigued to see how Roger performs today. In theory it should be an easier match than the Evans match was. But he looked tired yesterday.

I remember Pancho Gonzales stating it wasn't that he couldn't play as well as anyone in his 40's, it's just the effect it had on his body the next day. You may remember that Gonzales movie John posted some years ago where Gonzales goes into a rant about how important his string tension was if he was going to be able to beat Rosewell efficiently. I still think his performance in Las Vegas, aged 41, beating Rosewell, Smith, Newcombe and Ashe remains the single best achievement for an, supposedly, over the hill tennis player.

Nearly showtime...25 minutes to go.

[don_budge]

Taylor and Denis both played great, both big games. It was going to be a brutal loss for somebody. Taylor got it done. He was ovedue for a big win. I really like his game and his disposition out there.

Shapovalov self destructed. For all of his physical ability he is short a couple of cards of a full deck. Tennis IQ...marginal. Fritz weathered the storm in the first set and then kept the ball in play. It looks like Taylor get the honour of playing Roger Federer should he dispatch of Nikoloz Basilashvili. Nikoloz has had a string of five defeats in a row broken with his win over another player going through a dismal, rough patch. Nikoloz should be cat food for Roger the Predator. T-minus some forty minutes and counting for blastoff.

[stroke]

Taylor and Denis both played great, both big games. It was going to be a brutal loss for somebody. Taylor got it done. He was ovedue for a big win. I really like his game and his disposition out there.