WTA China Open, Beijing - day one

Round one of China Open started yesterday and Serena Williams beat Elena Vesnina in straight sets. 

It was a pretty tough first round for Serena and the first set was very competitive.

 But after winning the first set Serena was able to take control of the second set and win the second and the match.

Heather Watson lost to Vavara Lepenchko in three sets. Heather won the first set very comfortably then seemed to lose confidence and the match in the second and third set. 

This was a bad loss for Heather and her world ranking will now drop to ninety. Next week she has to defend her Osaka title and if she is unsuccessful then she will drop out of the top 100. 

Laura Robson beat Klara Zakopalova in three sets. It was a real battle in the first and second set but she won the third set comfortably and she now faces Angelique Kerber in the second round.

Premiership round up - 28/09/13

Yesterday's  premiership games where interesting to say least. Tottenham and Chelsea's game ended in a draw. In a game where Fernando Torres was controversially sent off. 

Tottenham being the home team started well and scored but Chelsea managed to get back into the game and draw.

I really don't believe Tottenham are serious title challengers,  as if they where would getting wins when playing at home against teams like Chelsea. 

On the other hand Chelsea may struggle this year now that the "special one" is back. Personally I think that Jose should not have come back especially now Chelsea are Champion League winners. 

Arsenal beat Swansea City two goals to one and a result which also sets new record for the club of away wins

This was a good win for Arsenal and it was the kind of match that we needed to win if we are really serious about challenging for the title. 

Shockingly Man United lost to West Brom by two goals to one. I did not see that result coming at all and again it's kind of result that adds pressure to David Moyes's shoulders.

I do hope that Man United continue to play like this so that when Arsenal meet them in November. We have an even greater chance of beating them, something we have not done in a while. 

Preview of the premiership games

Today in the Premiership Tottenham play Chelsea in the lunch time kick off. This match could go either way but I think Chelsea will get the win. 

Arsenal are away to Swansea City, now will be a tough match and with at least five key players missing it is going to be a challenge. 

But I think Arsenal have started this season with a different more winning mindset hopefully this will be carried on on into today's game.

Man United are at home to West Brom in a match that most people would expect Man United to win comfortably but as I always say anything can happen!

Toray Pan Pacific Open - final

Today was finals day at the Toray Pacific Open and Petra Kivitova beat Angelique Kerber in three topsy turvy sets. 

I thought that the amount of games that Petra played beforehand would go against her.

 This was not a problem for her and she was able to win her eleventh WTA title. 

So maybe if Petra is able to capitalise on this win she may hopefully reach the end of year championships. 

League Cup round up

League cup matches took place this week and Arsenal beat West Bromwich Albion on penalties. 

It was a close encounter with both teams missing a host of chances. Arsene Wenger played a young team, which included the more experienced players like Nicklas Bendtner. 

Overall it was a close match which could have gone either way. So I was very relieved that we managed to get through it and we now face Chelsea in the next round!

Man United beat Liverpool a goal to nil and what surprised me about this game, was that Liverpool put out a near enough a full strength squad but somehow managed to lose. 

Man United's  win will now ease the pressure off David Moyes and they now face Newcastle in the next round. 

Toray Pan Pacific Open - day five

Day five at the Toray Pan Pacific Open and Venus was in action again. Today Venus was beaten by Petra Kivitova in three close sets.

Venus has really had a fantastic tournament and has a lot to be proud of. She has not allowed her debilitating illness to stand in the way of her playing top level tennis. 

Petra also had to play very well to beat Venus,  it was very good tennis and a long match. This may be factor when Petra plays Angelique Kerber in the final.

Angelique beat Caroline Wozniacki  in straight sets. so Angie might have more energy in the final than Petra.

 Petra played two matches yesterday and a long two and half hour match against Venus today. 

But in tennis anything can happen and I am sure Petra will get a adrenalin rush from making it to the final. 

Angelique is the higher ranked player but I would not rule Petra out from winning this title. 

Toray Pan Pacific Open - day four

Day four at the Toray Open and Venus Williams was back in action today. She beat the young and coming Eugenie Bouchard in three long sets. 

Venus managed to unofficially equal her fastes serve record of 129 mph. It seems that Venus has now got her confidence back and to hopefully try and win the tournament.

 

The shock and unexpected award of the days go to Angela Kerber who beat the world number three. Agneiska Radwanska in straight sets.

Angela Kerber now faces Caroline Wozniacki for a place in the final. 

  

Toray Pan Pacific - day three

Day three at the Toray Pacfic Open and Venus Williams had a great three set win against the up and coming Simona Halep. 

Venus served well and kept her unforced errors down and most importantly did not run out of energy. 

It's the first time in over a year that Venus has won a match in three sets. Next she faces the nineteen year old Eugenie Bouchard. 

This will be another tough match for Venus hopefully she will serve well and keep those unforced errors down.

In the second  quarter final match Angela Kerber faces Agnieszka Radwanska. Agnieszka should win, but they have such contrasting styles that it should make it a good match. 

In the third quarter finals match Caroline Wozniacki faces Lucie Safarova. Caroline on paper should win this match being the top ten player but anything can happen. 

The fourth quarter finals is yet to be decided to the rain delay. 

Toray Pan Pacific Open - day two

Day two at the Toray Pan Pacific Open definitely had its element of surprise. 

Eugenie Bouchard beat Sloane Stephens in three sets. This was a surprise as Sloane is just two hundred ranking points from being in the top ten. 

So a good run in this  tournament would definitely have brought her closer but it was not meant to be.

The major surprise of the day was Venus Williams beating Victoria Azarenka in straight sets. 

Victoria did not seem herself as she was not grunting or making a real effort to chase the balls. 

But at the same time Venus has this long term debilitating  illness. So to me they came across as evenly matched.

 Venus served incredibly well and kept the  points short and her return game was on fire ! It was a real pleasure to watch two women  really competing at the highest level.

 Venus now plays Simona Halep and I hope she will carry the same desire and intensity into her that match. 

Toray Pan Pacific Open- day one

The Toray Open started yesterday and Venus Williams beat Mona Barthel in straight sets. 

I was surprised by the ease  in which Venus beat Mona. However in the next second round she faces world number two Victoria Azarenka and that will be a lot tougher. 

Laura Robson lost in straight sets to Ayumi Morita. I think Laura is now going through a mini slump, hopefully she will get out of this mini slump soon. 

The young Canadian Eugenie Bouchard beat Monica Puig in straight set. Eugenie is already top thirty so a good run in this tournament could see climb further up the rankings.

Premiership round up

There were some truly gripping games in the premiership at the weekend. 

On Saturday Southampton beat Liverpool one nil and I was not too surprised as in the past Liverpool have found it difficult to beat Southampton.

But Liverpool have had a good start to the season and some people were just starting to seem as title contenders. So this result would have dampened the contending for title talk.

Chelsea also beat their West London rivals two nil. This result was not too surprising Fulham have been struggling to get wins. 

The Super Sunday matches lived up to there billing. Arsenal beat Stoke City three one and this was a good win.

My only real concern is in the back four and  especially central defence pairing of Koscielny and Mertesacker. Neither has pace and against better teams their lack of pace will become more apparent. 

However it was a very good win and to win with the set play goals was also nice.   As much as I love watching Arsenal score intricate goals, uits nice that we can score simple goals and bag the three points.

Tottenham scored a last minute goal to to beat the newly promoted Cardiff City one nil. I had expected Tottenham to win but I am really glad that Cardiff City made them fight for it.

Man City hammered Man United four goals to one. It was a score line that I was not expecting.

As I was watching the match I kept expecting that Man United would come back and at least draw the match. 

The only Man United player who never gave up was Wayne Rooney. He came across as angry and embarrassed by the score line and was desparate to make amends. 

Rooney did get the consolation goal for his hard work but that was about it. What I found strange was how passive David Moyes was throughout match. 

Sir Alex Ferguson would have been chewing his gum and pacing up and down the touch line.

After the final whistle Sir Alex would have been down the tunnel in a flash. David Moyes is no Sir Alex and I am sure United fans are praying that he does not turn their team into Everton mark two. 

I think Moyes test will come when they play Arsenal because one thing for Sir Alex would never have allowed Arsenal to beat them like that.

 So if Arsenal were to get a victory like that then  David Moyes 's days as United's manager would be numbered.

    

Premiership- Super Sunday

Today is Super Sunday and in the premiership and Arsenal are at home to Stoke City. It should be a good match but with half of our first team missing anything could happen.

Hopefully the likes of Theo Walcott, Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil will step up like they did against Marseille. So I am cautiously optimistic that we will win. 

Tottenham are away to Cardiff City this should be a very entertaining match as newly promoted Cardiff City try to match the super spending Tottenham. I do think Tottenham will win but Cardiff City could surprise us.

Man City play Man United at home and this should be a very good match. I think the slight edge goes to Man City as they are at home. But it is a Manchester darby so anything could happen!

 

Premiership games preview 21/09/13

There are some interesting games in the premiership taking place today.

Liverpool take on Southampton and on paper it would look like a win for Liverpool. However, Liverpool tend struggle with games against Southampton so it could either way.

Chelsea take on their West London rivals Fulham at home. Fulham have been struggling to win games, so I think Chelsea will win but Fulham could still cause an upset.

 

Guangzhou Open - China

It was quarter finals day and both Laura Robson and Johanna Konta where in action today.

Laura lost in three sets Jie Zheng and to be honest even though Laura lost. It was not a huge surprise Jie Zheng is a good solid player and a former world number fifteen. 

So although Laura is the higher ranked player, I think that Jie Zheng had the ability and the experience to help her beat Laura.

Laura got to the final of this tournament last year so she will lose some ranking points.

But as Laura is still a teen this experience will help her to come back better and win her first WTA title.

Johanna Konta lost in straight sets to Zhang Shui and even though Johanna lost, she will gain valuable ranking points. 

Johanna Konta has been steadily rising up the rankings and I would have thought her next goal would be to break the top one hundred ranking.

 This will not be easy but if she is able to consistently make quarter finals then she will achieve it.

Champions League round up- What a win!

So I am very proud of Arsenal tonight to get to win by two goals to one away  from home and with the skeleton team we took is nothing short of amazing. 

All the players stepped up to the plate and delivered and that is something we haven't seen too much of in the last eight  years!

Our goal scorer's Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey both had a good night. To be honest last season I really wanted Aaron out of the team ! I am now grateful that he is an instrumental part of the team.

I am even beginning to believe in Arsene Wenger again. I just hope that we can keep this up and ultimately get some silverware of some sort this season.

It was a bad night for Chelsea who lost two goals to one to FC Basel. I think complacency is what cost them the match tonight. 

As I said in my previous post FC Basel have good record against British clubs. Which means they know how to rise up to the occasion and they definitely did that today.  

Preview of tonight's Champions League games

So in under three hours Arsenal  play Marseille and this will be a tough match. Firstly any away match is a tough match and secondly half our first team is injured.

If we're lucky we might be able grind out a result but one thing is of sure this is not going to be easy. 

I am hoping that this team that includes Mesut, Theo and the inform Aaron Ramsey will surprise me and get the out right win!

Chelsea take on FC Basel at home and in the past Basel have surprised British teams. 

I am not saying they are going to do it here. Because I know they are capable of surprising teams it would not surprise me if Basel got a result. 

Unlike Arsenal, Chelsea have a full complement of players to pick from. This makes Basel challenge of beating them greater than ever. 

As both Man United and Man City did so well yesterday it would be nice for Arsenal to start with a win!

Champions League - Tuesday round up

Champion league group stages started yesterday with both Manchester United and Manchester City in action. 

Man United beat Bayer Leverkusen four goals to two and as the score line suggest. 

It was no means an easy match for Man United and when Bayer scored the equaliser you could feel the collective groan via twitter. 

I don't think there was ever any real danger of them losing especially as they were playing at home. 

So when Van Persie, Rooney and Valencia each scored a goal that helped to calm the nerves of any worried fans.

Manchester City had a much more comprehensive victory beating Viktoria Plzen three goals to nil.

To be fair I  have never heard of this team Viktoria Plzen but Man City did well to avoid an embarrassing loss.

  

Korean Open /Guangzhou Open

The Korean Open started today and already Heather Watson has been dumped out of the competition by forty two year old Kimiko Date Krumm.

Heather lost this match in three sets and at this stage I am worried for Heather's career.

She is currently ranked seventy six in the world and another lost like this and she will probably fall out of the top one hundred.

It's all becoming a bit desperate for Heather and she hasn't got a coach that can take her out of this current slump.

But funny enough Heather then went on later in the day and played a doubles match and with her partner Lourdes Dominguez Lino managed to win in three sets against  Olrau and Savachuk. 

Which means Heather can do this, she just needs to find a away out of her current singles slump.

                                       Heather Watson  and Laura Robson (Sportinglife.com)

Guangzhou Open

Laura Robson beat Jovana Jaksic  in straight sets to make to the second round.

 It was a good solid win for Laura but she will meet tougher opponents in the forthcoming rounds. 

Laura needs rise up to the challenge and ultimately try and win her first WTA title.  

 

Premiership roundup -17/09/13

It is pretty early in the season to make any bold predictions. However teams Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool have had a good start.

Arsenal now look like a team that can challenge for trophies. I say that but I am also painfully aware of how things start and end each season with Arsenal. So I would say injuries permitting we could have good season.

                                        Mesut Ozil (telegraph.co.uk)

Tottenham are Arsenal's North London rivals and even though they have spent hundreds and millions of pounds I am not  remotely worried that they will have a better season than us.

 I suspect in the last ten games of the season they will probably fall apart as they did last season!

Liverpool drew two two with Swansea City and already there has been a lot of hype about how Liverpool are a force to be reckoned with.

 I suggest if they want to win the premiership it probably starts with beating Swansea City. 

I am convinced that Chelsea, Man United and Man City are in for a tough transitional season. 

All three have changed their manager and to be fair it gives Arsenal a chance of winning some silverware!



 

Premier League review - 14/09/13

So after the international break the premier league was back yesterday. 

Man United beat newly promoted Crystal Palace two nil and to be fair, it was always going to be a challenge for Crystal Palace to win at Old Trafford.

However they did well and Man United had to work hard for this win. If Palace can keep this up they will do well this season.

 

Man City and Stoke City drew nil nil and this meant that Stoke maintained their proud record not losing to Man City at home. 

Tottenham Hotspurs beat Norwich City two nil. This was always going to be a challenge for Norwich.

I thought that with all the new players that Spurs bought it would take time for them to settle in. I guess that was not a problem for Spurs.

Everton beat Chelsea one nil and I was not too surprised by this result. Everton are a good hardworking team. 

Chelsea also bought some new players like Samuel Eto so it may take little while for him and the others to settle in.

Arsenal controversially beat Sunderland three goals to one. Arsenal where winning two goals to one when Sagna pulled back a Jozy Altidore and then Jozy scored a second goal. 

But referee claimed he had blown his whistle for Sagna's infringement on Jozy. So he disallowed the goal and give Sunderland a free kick instead which did not result in a goal. 

Arsenal then went on and scored a third goal and won the match. I have to say that we were a little fortunate, but these things tend to even themselves out over a course of a season.

Aaron Ramsey scored two goals for Arsenal which helped to seal the victory. I have to say that last season I was not impressed with Ramsey.

 So it is a big surprise to see him playing so well. Just as well Arsene Wenger stuck with him as he is now scoring amazing goals. 

Arsenal played well but I was concerned that defensively we looked a little vulnerable. 

Although Santi Carzola did not play and is an attacking midfielder. He  gives the team a little lift which was a little lacking today. Hopefully Arsenal will be  stronger and better in our next game.

Preview of the premiership games

So after the break for the World Cup qualifiers, the premiership resumes today.

Man United are at home to the newly promoted Crystal Palace. This could  be quite a tough match for Crystal Palace but who knows they might surprise us. 

Man City are away to Stoke City this will be a very competitive game. Which  to be fair could go either way.

Chelsea are away to Everton now this should be a good match and I would not be surprised if Everton won.

Tottenham are at home to Norwich this will probably be a very competitive match.

 Spurs new players are still to bed in with the rest of their players. So if Norwich where going to beat Spurs this would be a good time. 

On Monday Liverpool are away to Swansea this will be a competitive game that could go either way. 

However Liverpool  have started very well with three straight wins so maybe their winning streak might continue.

Arsenal are away to Sunderland and we always  struggle away from home to beat Sunderland. 

Arsenal normally comeback from  the international break and play sluggish football. 

I am hoping that our new signing Mesut Ozil might shake the team up and get us a win!

World Cup qualifiers- round up

This week's World Cup qualifiers had some interesting results. 

England drew with Ukraine but two other home nations suffered surprising defeats.

Northern Ireland lost to Luxembourg and Wales lost to Serbia. The manner in which both teams lost was surprising to say the least. 

Luxembourg is a lowly ranked team so for Northern Ireland to lose to them was a little embarrassing. 

Although Serbia have a  good team, for Wales to lose to Serbia was surprising. Especially has they have Gareth Bale the new Real Madrid striker in their team. 

Neither Wales or Northern Ireland can qualify for 2014 which must be galling for their supporters.

Other notable European countries to qualify for 2014 are Italy and Holland who can now book their tickets to Brazil. 

The USA have made it again to the World Cup which is always a little surprising as they are not known as a footballing  country. 

However I would that their last two World Cup outings their results have been very similar to England.

So those October qualifiers should be interesting some countries can play their B team. 

Some countries, who have little prospect of qualifying will be playing for pride. Some countries like England still have it all to do but it is in their hands.

 

England v Ukraine - review

England played a World Cup qualifier against Ukraine yesterday and it ended in a draw. 

England are still at the top of the table despite getting this draw and qualification to the World Cup is still very much in England's hands. 

This was always going to be tough away match for England. What doesn't help matters is the lack of strength and depth in the squad. 

Roy Hodgson chose to go with experience and some up and coming players like Rickie Lambert who plays for Southampton. 

It was a gamble that enabled England to get a draw over a much more established and experienced team like the Ukraine.

The England 's subs bench was also filled with lots  of up and coming players. There was only about two or three players on that subs bench that could have made a difference like Ashley Young , Jermaine Defoe and Michael Carrick. 

Roy Hodgson chose to bring  on Ashley Young who made little impact on the score line. 

The next two qualifiers in October are going to be huge for England. Hopefully Roy will have a better selection of players to pick from.

Although qualifying is still very much in England's hands  it is going to be a real challenge. I still wish Rio Ferdinand and John Terry were still playing for England.

 Yes qualification can be achieved with these current players but it going to require an amazing  effort from the eleven players picked.

I hope England qualifies as anybody who supports them desperately wants to see them at  Brazil 2014.

Review of the US Open

The US Open 2013 tournament was incredibly entertaining with some very high quality matches. 

My favourite match of the tournament was when Serena Williams played Sloane Stephens. It was good to see an up and coming player like Sloane push Serena to play her best tennis. 

From a British perspective it was nice that Dan Evans was able to make a name for himself by reaching the third round for the first time ever! 

I was disappointed that Andy Murray was unable to retain his title. However I am confident that he will bounce back at the Australian Open. 

Both Heather Watson and Laura Robson went into the open nursing injuries of some sort. Therefore we didn't get to see either of them play their best tennis. 

However Laura did manage to make it to the third round. So it was better tournament for Laura as Heather was knocked out in the first round. I am hoping that they will both come back healthier and fitter for the rest 2013. 

The biggest upset was when seventeen year old Victoria Duval beating former grand slam winner Sam Stosur. I am sure we will see and hear a lot more from Victoria in the years to come.

Overall it was a fun and riveting US Open to watch and I was pleased that both Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal won their respective titles.

US Open - Men's Final

US Open men's final took place yesterday between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. 

Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic in four highly entertaining and competitive sets. It was match a battle of wills as well as  talent. 

Rafa played quite tentatively in the first three sets and in these first three sets he played to Novak strengths. 

It was only in the fourth set that Rafa was able to play his own game and win the match. 

I always thought this match was going to be  physically tough for Novak. He had to play a five set match against Stanislas Wawrinka to reach final. 

Novak played well in the first three sets then seem to lose his momentum in the fourth set. 

It was a good match and I thought that Rafa played key the points better than Novak. 

Rafa has now won thirteen grand slams and health permitting, there no reason why he cannot beat Roger Federer current record of seventeen grand slams in the next few years. 

US Open - Women's Final

The US Open women's final took place yesterday between Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka and it was certainly an action packed match. 

Serena Williams beat Victoria Azarenka in three sets to retain her title. It wasn't the best final I have ever watched  but it was certainly the most gripping to say the least.

Serena came across as nervous and tentative in both the first and second set and she served about six double faults.

 In the third set, she was able to regroup and win the set and the match convincingly with a few more aces and winners.

This was always going to be a tough match for Victoria Azarenka and her serve do not help matters.

Victoria served about five double faults and in the third set she looked a little tired and was making more unforced errors. 

However there are many good things about Victoria's game like her coverage of the court was excellent.

If Victoria works on her serve and her fitness I'm sure she will win many more grand slams.

Alternatively  Serena  now has an  opportunity not only to establish her legacy but to make tennis history.

If she wins one more grand slam she will be tied with Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova and I am confident that in the next year or so Serena will achieve this.  

US Open - day thirteen

Day thirteen at the US Open was the men's semi finals day. 

Novak Djokovic beat Stanislas Wawrinka in five sets. It was an great match which could have gone either way. 

In the fifth and deciding set, the third game on Stanislas's serve had twelve deuces an lasted twenty one minutes! and that particular game was won by Stanislas. 

It was a physically tough match and lasted about four hours. So hopefully Novak will get enough rest to properly compete in the final. 

Rafael Nadal beat Ricard Gasquet in three sets. The first set when to a tie-break but after that Rafael was able to control the match and win the game.

So the final will between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal and it also has the potential to be a great match.  

US Open - day twelve

Day twelve at the US Open was the women's semi - finals day.

In the first semi - final Victoria Azarenka beat Flavia Pennetta in straight sets. This result was not unexpected and Victoria was able to win and set up a final match against Serena Williams.

In the second semi - final Serena beat Na Li in straight sets and I was little surprised with the ease in which Serena won this match.  

In the first set Na Li did not win a game and the second set only really became, competitive at the end by this time it was a little too late for Na Li.

The final between Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka will take place about 9.30pm UK time. 

Shortly after winning her singles semi-finals match, Serena then played doubles with her sister Venus. They lost in straight sets to Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka.

Serena appeared to be a little tired from her earlier singles match, however Lucie and Andrea played well to win this match.

US Open - Men's semi-finals

The men's semi-finals is taking place today and the first semi-final will between Novak Djokovic and Stanislas Wawrinka. 

On paper it would seem that Stanislas as little chance of beating Novak. Novak has great serve and he also moves very well around the court.

Stanislas is going to need to serve very and return very well to have any chance of beating Novak. However I do think that Novak will probably win in four sets.

The second semi-final will be between Rafael Nadal and Richard Gasquet. Richard has not beaten Rafael since they played each other at junior level.

Therefore I think Rafael will probably in straight sets.

My prediction is that final will be between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. But I would not rule out Stanislas Wawrinka or Richard Gasquet as they could spring  a surprise.

US Open - day eleven

Day eleven at the US Open certainly had the element of the unexpected and expected results. 

Stanislas Wawrinka beat Andy Murray in straight sets to make it to the semi-finals. Even when Andy went down to two sets to love. I still thought that he was going to come back and win it in five sets.

However it was not meant to be as Andy had a slow start and his serve was not as potent as it normally is and Andy made a lot of unforced errors. 

It was always going to be a tough ask to expect Andy to win both Wimbledon and the US Open. 

Andy did well to reach the quarter finals and would have been nice to see him in the semi- finals but it was not meant to be. 

Now Andy needs to get some rest and come back stronger and more purposeful.

Novak Djokovic beat Mikhail Youzhny in four sets to reach the semi-finals. This result was not unexpected but it was nice that Mikhail managed to get a least a set from Novak. 

However it made Novak step up his game and he bagled Mikhail in the fourth set. Novak now faces Stanislas 

 in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile in the women's doubles Venus and Serena Williams beat Sara Errani  and Roberta Vinci in straight sets.

I was little surprised with the ease in which Venus and Serena managed to beat Sara and Roberta.

 I thought that it was going to be a very tough match for Venus. However Venus played very well which has helped them to reach the semi-finals. 

US Open- Women's semi-finals preview

The women's semi-finals is due to take place tomorrow.

Serena Williams will take on Na Li and they have played each other nine times and Serena is currently leading eight to one.

 This does not mean that Serena will win as Na Li has been playing some really good tennis. If Serena serves well then she will probably make it to the final. 

However if Na Li is able to consistently return Serena's serve then that will also increase her chances of winning.

In the second semi-final Victoria Azarenka takes on the unseeded Flavia Pennetta. On paper it would look like a clear win for Victoria.

 However Flavia has had a great tournament so the momentum she currently has could help her to win the game.

I think the women's final will be between Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka but would not be surprised if either Na Li or Flavia Pennetta caused an upset.

US Open - day ten

Day ten at the US Open and the men's draw still has it's top three seeds and the women's draw still has it's top two seeds.

Rafael Nadal beat Tommy Robredo in straight sets. This was a clinical match from Rafael who did not allow Tommy to get into the match at all. Rafa will now face Richard Gasquet in the semi-finals.

Richard Gasquet beat the fourth seed David Ferrer in five sets. Richard won the first two sets then had to come back to win in the fifth set for his place in the semi finals.

In the women's draw the unseeded Flavia Pennetta  beat the tenth seed and her compatriot Roberta Vinci in straight sets. To reach the semi-finals where she will face Victoria Azarenka. 

Victoria Azarenka beat Daniela Hantuchova in straight sets to make it to the semi-finals against the unseeded Flavia Pennetta.

Meanwhile in the women's doubles Venus and Serena Williams beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Lucie Safarova in straight sets to reach the doubles quarter finals.

 However in the second set Venus Williams ran out of energy and both Venus and Serena did well to close it out in straight sets. As I suspect that if the match had gone to a third set it would have been a real challenge for Venus to finish. 

They now face the number one seeds Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci this match is going to be a real challenge for Venus especially and hopefully they will win it and make it to the semi-finals.

English Premier League - transfer window

The transfer window has officially closed until next year. As an Arsenal fan it was a notable relief to hear that Arsene Wenger had bought a fantastic player like  Mesut Ozil.

However as cautiously optimistic as I feel, I also realise that it will be a tough year and however as good Mesut is as a player.

We are still lacking in the strength and depth that other premier league teams have like Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea or Tottenham who have spent over 100 million pounds in the transfer window.

Arsene Wenger purchase of Mesut Ozil will at least help to make us more competitive this season and ultimately help to bring silverware back to the club.

Other than the big spending Tottenham Hotspurs most premier league teams added one or two players.

Other notable buys include Man United who bought Mourane Fellaini for £27.5 m and outside the premiership Real Madrid bought Gareth Bale for £83.2m! huge a mount of money lets hope Gareth can live up to the expectations of his price tag.

US Open- day nine

Day nine at the US open was all about the bagels... 

Novak Djokovic beat Marcel Granollers in straight sets and he bagled Marcel in the second and the third set. Novak completed this match in under two hours and he will now face Mikhail Youzhny in the quarter finals for a place in the semi final. 

Serena bagled Carla Suarez Narravo in both the first and second set. Serena was obviously still pumped up from her previous match and was not taking any prisoners.

Sadly for Carla this humiliation was probably made worst by the fact that was her 25th birthday and Serena knew!

Some in the crowd where demanding Serena give Carla a game. But in a ground slam match you cannot afford to be so charitable things can change very quickly. 

It's good that Serena was able to maintain her focus. As I have watched one or two of Serena's matches where she starts off very focused then loses it. So I was pleased that she was able to maintain her focus.

Andy Murray beat Denis Istomin in four sets. It was a good win for Andy ad he started a little slow and maybe he was not expecting the match between Serena and Carla to finish so quickly.

However he refocused and won the remaining sets quite comfortably. He will now play Stanislas Wawrinka in the quarter finals for a place in the semi finals. 

Li Na beat Ekaterina Makarova in three sets and Li Na has been in good form. She played well at Wimbledon and has played well here. 

She now faces Serena Williams and they have met nine times and Li Na has beaten Serena once this was about three years ago.

Victoria Azarenka beat Ana Ivanovic in three sets. This was a hard fought win for Victoria but bearing in mind she has had to play on consecutive days this was a good win for Victoria. 

Victoria will now play Daniela Hantuchova in the quarter finals for a place in the semi finals.

US Open - day eight

Day eight at the US open was very much affected by rain.

Tommy Rebredo beat Roger Federer in straight sets. This was a surprising result and for Roger to lose so early in a slam is unusual.

However at 32 years old it will not get any easier for Roger. Roger is going to have to adapt his game and become super motivated to another grand slam.

Rafael Nadal beat Philip Kohlschreiber in four sets and It is the first time. That he has been really tested at the tournament and so it was good that he was able to come through it.

Daniela Hantuchova beat the American wildcard Alison Riske in three sets and it is the first time in about ten years that Daniela has made it to the quarter finals. 

Flavia Pennetta beat Simona Halep in three sets. This was a very good win for Flavia against the in-form Simona who has already won four titles in this year. 

US Open - day seven

Day seven at US Open and the competition is now hotting up.

Andy Murray beat Florian Mayer in straight sets and in under two hours. Andy is now a two time grand slam champion and now is more confident and even if drops the odd set. He knows how to regroup and win. 

Serena Williams beat Sloane Stephens in straight sets and it was very compelling match. Serena worked very hard for this victory and I can honestly say that if felt like I was watching vintage Serena. It has been a while since I have seen Serena to chasing the ball like that.

Sloane played very well in fact  it's the best I have seen her play. Her movement was excellent and shot was also excellent but Serena with wealth of experience was the better player.

Sloane can take a lot positives out of this game and I am sure against any other she would have won. Sloane needs to be consistently playing like this  week in week out. Which will help to increase her confidence and develop her game.

Ekaterina Markarova beat Aga Radwanska in straight sets. This was a surprising result, however with the non attacking game that Aga plays it was only a matter time before the more attack minded players start beating her. 

Hopefully this loss plus the Wimbledon loss will force Aga  to reevaluate her playing strategy and become more attack minded.

US Open - day six

Day six at the US Open was eventful to say the least. 

Dan Evans lost in four sets to Tommy Robredo and to be fair it was not too much of a surprise. However I think Dan should think about all the positives. 

This time last year Dan was playing on the challenger tour so to be playing tennis at the highest level shows how much his game has developed his game.

 If he keeps working had there is no reason why he is not a top fifty player by this time next year.

American wildcard Alison Riske beat Petra Kivtova in straight sets. I have not watched Alison play and yes Petra was carrying an injury but it was still an excellent result for Alison. 

Victoria Azarenka beat Alize Cornet in three sets and it's  the first time that Victoria has been tested in this competition and she was able to regroup and win. 

It actually helps Victoria to have tough match now because if she does meet Serena Williams in the final she will better prepared for this potential encounter.

US Open - day five

Day five at the US Open was filled with high drama. 

Andy Murray beat Leonard Mayer in four sets. This was not one of Andy's best matches and seem to switch off in third set but most importantly he won and is through to face Florian Mayer. 

Li Na beat Britain's Laura Robson in straight sets. It was always going to be a tough ask to expect Laura to beat an in-form Li Na. 

However It was disappointing to see Laura go out but Laura's game is still developing and she is still only a teenager with many more US Opens ahead of her.

The shock of the day was Sabine Lisicki losing to Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets.

 Sabine seems to only do well at Wimbledon and struggles at the other grand slams. However for me this was a shock result and I was expecting Sabine to do better.

US Open- day four

Day four at the US Open had two main highlights for me and that was Serena Williams and Dan Evans.

Serena Williams beat Galina Voskoboeva in straight sets and played very well and didn't even give Galina a game in the second set. 

Britain's Dan Evans beat Bernard Tomic in four sets and if I was being honest. I seriously do not expect Dan to win so he totally exceeded my expectations. 

Dan Evans is through to face the Spaniard Tommy Robredo which will be a much tougher match.    

US Open - day three

Day three at the US Open was filled with highs and lows.

The main disappointment was Venus Williams losing in three sets to Jie Zheng.  Venus really played her heart out and could  not have done much more and I think she just run out of energy.

The match was three hours and two minutes which would have been really draining especially with the medical condition Venus has so to me she did very well. 

Andy Murray beat Michel Llodra in straight sets and Andy played well and completed the match in about two hours which good as there will be tougher matches to come.

Laura Robson did well to beat Caroline Garcia in straight sets as her wrist was troubling her. She now plays Na Li in the third round which will be a much tougher match.