Milos Raonic d. Tommy Haas 6/4, 6/3

Tommy Haas showed up at the HP Pavilion armed with his best game, ready to rumble – only problem with that is that Milos Raonic did exactly the same. The 2013 version of Raonic is a much more mature player than the versions that won the 2011 and 2012 SAP Open titles. Raonic has exponentially improved his ground game while maintaining the booming serve, and he’s added mastery of the scorching return to his repertoire. It’s a recipe for unbeatable in this arena, and Raonic’s noticeably high level of confidence reflects that.

“I think I’m a much better player in general and I think I’m a much better competitor,” Raonic said. “I think I have a lot more experience and know better how to deal with certain situations. I’m more of a complete player.”

Raonic broke Haas’ serve early in the 1st set, and then again at midpoint in the 2nd, and we all know that’s not a good thing when playing Raonic – his serve is just too strong to count on being able to break back. Make just a few errors and you’re behind the 8-ball. It’s a situation similar to that almost-universal bad dream where you’re late to school, you rush down the hallway and realize you’re still in your PJs and sock monkey slippers, and let’s throw in some quicksand to up the ante. There’s nothing good about that scenario, but Haas had a very matter-of-fact take on the match result.

“There was nothing I could have done. I didn’t play a bad match; I just came up against a guy who played phenomenal tennis today,” he stated, displaying a perspective honed over many years on the ATP tour.

X-Man Gets His Double

Xavier Malisse/Frank Moser d. Lleyton Hewitt/Marinko Matosevic 6/0, 6/7 (5), 10/4

Xavier Malisse won his second consecutive SAP Open doubles championship, this time teamed up with Frank Moser. (Malisse and Mark Knowles won the title last year.) Team X-Man quickly bageled Team Rusty, as Lleyton Hewitt and Marinko Matosevic really weren’t clicking at all in the 1st set. In fact, they seemed destined for a double bagel, remaining scoreless through the first ten games.

But once they finally put a game on the scoreboard, Team Rusty began to show some spark, battling back to take the 2nd set and send the match into the super tiebreak. But Team X-Man would prevail, perhaps calling upon the Power of the Bun and some solid team play, giving them the honor of becoming the final SAP Open doubles champions.

The End of an Era

I stuck around to take a pic of the court being dismantled for the last time in the HP Pavilion. Covering the tournament this year has been bittersweet for me – I’ve loved every minute of being here, but I’m incredibly sorry to see the tournament come to an end. I’ve made friends here in the media room and among the tournament staff and spectators – it’s been a blast. My thanks to Jennifer for letting me cover it for you, and my thanks to you for enduring my sometimes giddy tennis-freak tweeting. It’s been a pleasure.   Kimber Bennett (@DirtyOldBroad), signing off.

It was a bad day at Bedrock for the American contingent in both semi-finals, but we did have the consolation of an entertaining mixed doubles exhibition full of Americans (and a lovely German gal married to an American).

Tommy Haas d. John Isner 6/3, 6/4

Isner said it himself: his serve wasn’t quite where he wanted it to be today – nothing wrong from a technical standpoint, it just wasn’t quite there. And he needed to really go for his shots, 100% confident; today, wherever those shots landed, Tommy Haas was there, armed with his A-game.

“I just ran up against a guy who was playing pretty well today,” said Isner.

Haas expressed satisfaction in his performance, and in achieving another ATP final berth at his advanced age, relatively speaking. That satisfaction is perhaps enhanced by the fact that he was seriously reevaluating his career path back in 2010, while recuperating from a hip injury and surgery. Looks like he made an excellent decision, as he prepares to meet defending SAP Open champ Milos Raonic in the final. An interesting point to ponder: back when Haas played for the first time at the SAP Open, Milos was at the age where one starts losing baby teeth.

Milos Raonic d. Sam Querrey 6/4, 6/2

Querrey suffered the same lack of A-game as Isner did, but his opponent, Raonic, was firing on all cylinders and ready to power his way through to his third SAP Open final. Raonic did what he always does at the SAP Open – serves bombs in the 140-mph range, dictates play and ends up with the W.

Steffi Graf/Andy Roddick d. Lindsay Davenport/Justin Gimelstob 6/4, 7/5

The mixed doubles exhibition was exactly what it should be: big names, playful smack talk (Andy, we are not worthy), and laughs for the spectators. Andy rattled Justin’s cage re: his slender calves, his serve, and a serious lack of “unnecessary dives” on Justin’s part – Justin rectified the dearth of unnecessary dives a few games later.

And, not to be outdone, Justin came back at Andy with a little backside discussion, telling Andy that Steffi was having trouble with her first serve because it was hard to serve while looking at Andy’s butt. So of course, Andy wiggled said butt at Steffi, who got the giggles and then DF’d, to the crowd’s delight.

But nothing would top Justin accidentally beaning a ball boy with his racquet. No blood flowed, no tears were shed, no comas induced – and the ball boy subbed in for Steffi as Andy’s partner for a few shots. I think there’d be a huge line of people willing to take a racquet to the noggin for a chance to hit with any one of those former champs – and that line forms behind the DOB’s backside.

I’ll leave you with that scary visual as I say goodnight and head for some serious beauty sleep – I gotta look goooood for the very last SAP Open finals Sunday. *sniffle*

Remember how I told you Justin Gimelstob was a big hit with the ladies at yesterday’s Ladies Luncheon? Well, the man is on a roll. During the break after the Haas/Johnson match, Justin spent a few minutes on court, developing a new tennis talent: Haas’ 2-year-old, Valentina. The girl has a future in pro tennis, based on her poise in front of a crowd and her eye-to-hand coordination. I was joking with JG in the media room later that I’d caught a few shots of him playing with his future mixed doubles partner.

Tommy Haas d. Steve Johnson 6/4, 6/2

Anyway, Valentina’s daddy got down to business this morning, taking out WC Steve Johnson in 2 sets, as expected. Johnson’s play just wasn’t at the level that had gotten him this far, and he was no match for a seasoned tennis veteran who went pro in 1996. Haas will play the first match of the day Saturday, taking on John Isner.

John Isner d. Xavier Malisse 7/6 (8), 6/2

X-man was in better spirits today, mainly because he was serving much better. But then the intense 1st set TB went Isner’s way, and X-man seemed to lose steam, and John wasted no time in capitalizing on it. Don’t cry for X-man, though – he and his doubles partner, Frank Moser, will play in the doubles semi-final tomorrow night.

Milos Raonic d. Denis Istomin 7/6 (0), 6/3

This was a repeat, a rematch of the 2012 SAP Open final – and once again, Milos emerged the victor. I’d only be half-joking if I said I felt like I’d wandered into Big Serve Country, with both men serving very well. Unfortunately for Istomin, taking the TB without giving up even one point gave Raonic an extra energy surge and it was just too much for Istomin to withstand. Raonic will face Sam Querrey in tomorrow’s second semi-final match.

Sam Querrey d. Alejandro Falla 6/3, 4/6, 7/5

Sammy came pretty close to giving this one away, doing pretty much what a Sam Querrey does: an apparent loss of focus, leading to some pretty interesting (embarrassing?) shanks/misses, sprinkled with a few DFs at very inopportune moments. But some credit must go to Falla, who did a great job in the 2nd and 3rd sets and came very close to achieving the upset. All in all, another nail-biter for the Sammy fans – the boy did not disappoint.

Lleyton Hewitt/Marinko Matosevic d. Mikhail Elgin/Denis Istomin 6/7 (7), 7/6 (2), 10-5

I didn’t stick around for this match, but it’s a nice win and a move into the finals for Rusty & Co, given that Rusty’s out in singles; bummer for Denis, cuz…well, ditto. They’ll face the winner of tomorrow’s doubles semi-final matchup between Malisse/Moser and Falla/Farah.

A comfy bed is calling my name now, so I’ll sign off, recharge, and be ready to hit the HP Pavilion for the first Saturday match at 12:15. I have to say, I’m really looking forward to watching Steffi Graf play, since I’ve never seen her play up close & personal. (On an interesting side note, the DOB is only 3 years older than Steffi. Heh. But I think Steffi’s aging better than said DOB. Not-so-heh.)

My Thursday at SAP Open began with the Ladies Luncheon, where Justin Gimelstob performed emcee duties – a big hit with the ladies, I must say. He picked our brains re: what to give his wife for their first Valentine’s Day as husband and wife – dude, you can’t go wrong with diamonds.

Then John Isner made his appearance and won the ladies over with his tale of a Valentine gift gone awry. Seems he sent a lovely bouquet to his girlfriend – but, um, he provided an incorrect address for said girlfriend. He ended up getting a call from an irate big-city florist who made John’s romantic gesture happen, but now John owes him big-time. Happy Valentine’s Day, ya’ big softie.

The food was delish and the wine did flow (though not much for me – I’m a margarita kinda gal) and then it was off to watch my first match of the day, Malisse v. Ebden.

Xavier Malisse d. Matthew Ebden 5/7, 7/5, 7/6 (1)

X-man was Cap’n Crankypants today, and he wasn’t shy about making it known with mumbling, grumbling and a few F-bombs sprinkled in to add a little spice, apparently because he felt there were dead spots in the court. But it could also be because he’s feeling a little under the weather: he requested the medic, who had X-Man open wide & say ahhhh, then palpated the glands in his neck. (Ryan Harrison mentioned similar symptoms following his 1st round loss. DOB makes mental note to wash hands thoroughly and cough into her elbow – standard cootie containment protocol.) Ebden did his Scrappy-Doo best, but X-man moves on to kvetch in the next round, where he’ll face Isner.

Steve Johnson d. Tim Smyczek 6/3, 6/3

With very little fuss or drama, He Who Brought Down Dr. Ivo defeated He Who Brought Down Fer, and he did it in just under an hour. One American falls, one American advances to face Haas.

Sam Querrey d. Lleyton Hewitt 7/6 (6), 1/6, 7/6 (4)

The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ cover of “Love Rollercoaster” was looping through my mind during this match, as momentum kept shifting back and forth. Rusty owned Sam in the 2nd, but in the 1st & 3rd set TBs, he was the one who blinked, DFing it away in the end. Sam advances to take on Falla.

Milos Raonic d. Michael Russell 6/2, 7/5

This match result is about what I’d expected, except…Russell in his muscle shirt (yellow & black, reminded me of the Killer Bees skits from SNL’s Belushi days) took several more games off Milos than I’d anticipated. Props to Russell for being no slouch himself in the serve department and for giving it his all till the bitter end. Milos continues his quest for the 3-peat when he faces off against Denis Istomin, his opponent in last year’s SAP Open championship match.

And that was it for the DOB. After a day of Gimelstob waxing romantic, wine (needed more wine, methinks) and several TBs, it was time for me to get some beauty sleep, so I missed the incredible doubles match between the Bryan Bros and Hewitt & Matosevic. The Bryan Bros are out after a hard-fought 3 set – I really didn’t see that one coming. Hats off to the victors – hope it took some of the sting out of Rusty’s singles loss a few hours earlier.

G’night, y’all – the DOB is heading for sweet slumber.

Kimber Bennett, reporting for duty as your 2013 SAP Open eyes & ears.  I’m a wee bit jetlagged and didn’t arrive in San Jose until early afternoon, so I intend to keep this report short but sweet – just like me.

Michael Russell d. Donald Young – 6/3, 7/5

I’ll admit it: though I love to see an “old guy” (34) rocking the tennis court, I was really hoping Donald would pull out the win and get down to business regarding realizing his potential. Today was not the day.  But he very graciously granted a short press conference, where he talked about trying to just put the disappointment in his 2012 behind him and moving on.  He hopes to start getting some wins under his belt and building his confidence, which was obviously lacking today.

Michael Russell played a solid game, one worthy of a 17-year tour veteran.  I asked him to name his “young players to watch” and he, too, kept it short but sweet: Milos Raonic (gunning for his SAP Open three-peat), Grigor “Baby Fed” Dimitrov and Ryan Harrison. He also mentioned Bernard Tomic, who is a talent, but…hey, supply your own punchline.

Steve Johnson d. Ivo Karlovic  6/7 (2), 6/4, 7/6 (6)

A hard-fought battle throughout. Both players were serving so hard & fast, all this vertically challenged gal could liken it to is watching someone fling bombs from a treehouse.  They made me realize just how wimpy is my all-time best serve speed of 77 mph. This match came down to the wire, and I would not’ve called it either way, but the American wild card earned this one.

John Isner d. Vasek Pospisil 7/6 (3), 2/6, 6/3

Speaking of Americans still in it to win it, kudos to John Isner, who enjoyed an excellent 1^st, suffered through a shaky 2^nd, then dug in for the 3^rd as Pospisil lost momentum. My bombs/treehouses analogy applies here, too.  Isner showed up to his press conference with ice on his right knee – just an ordinary preventive measure, says he.  He joked about getting crammed into economy seating for a plane trip; sounded like torture to little miss 5’4” here, who endured the cheap seats for several hours today and was feeling the effects. (He prefers the window seat, because if he sits on the aisle he gets rammed with the cart.}

And thus ended my day – I wasn’t able to stick it out long enough to watch the Haas Levine match, but I can tell you that Haas took it in 2 sets, 6/3, 6/1.

Well, this has to be a first, we have three of you competing to be SP champion! Since your options are rather limited in who you can pick at this point, in addition to making your final pick, please answer the following as well as a tie breaker:

1. Predict how many sets each player will win.

2. Predict the actual scoreline (e.g., 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 Nole).

Good luck!

Will someone win the whole SP this time? Could be! Choose one player that made it to the semifinal. Just one, and if you’re right, you’ll move on to the final. Good luck!

The end is in sight! Can you make it? Check out the order of play for day 10 here and enter your pick in the comments section. Good luck!

So much for the pack mentality, huh kiddos! Massive carnage with Seppi yesterday. But there are still a few of you alive and kicking, so check out the order of play here and enter your pick in the comments section. Good luck!

If you have been a long-time reader of RR or follow me faithfully on Twitter (which, let’s face it, you know you do), then you know that I am not the biggest fan of Mr. Berdych. I think he has a poor attitude, is frightfully inconsistent for a player of his level, and is all around rather hard to like. And since he will be playing Djokovic next round at the Australian Open, I probably won’t be saying much about Tomas over the next couple days that’s very nice. Now it’s my New Year’s resolution to be nicer in general, so I was thinking, am I being unfair? Berdy has many fans; there must be something good about the guy. So I have decided to find 5 nice things to say about Berdych. That’s not too much to ask for, so here we go:

1. He keeps it real.

You will not get canned PR-approved answers in Berdych’s press conferences. Asked what he thought about Almagro when he playing him in Davis Cup and he said, “He’s missing that little something that distinguishes great players.” That’s a dis and also implies that he is one of those great players. Arrogance and insolence in one sentence is rather impressive.

And when he was upset with Nico for bumping him during their match at the 2012 AO, he refused to shake his hand at net. Some would say that Berdy’s behavior shows his lack of sportsmanship and class. But in an age when everyone is afraid to say what’s really on their mind to prevent scandal and not rock the boat, isn’t it refreshing that Tomas doesn’t play that game?

2. His Facebook page doesn’t suck.

Instead of bland statements about being really happy about winning his last match or just telling us what tournament he’s playing, we actually get to see some of Tomas’s personality. He posts YouTube clips of of music he’s into (though Muse? Really? Oh right, I’m being nice…) and the behind the scenes pics of his training are actually amusing.

3. He’s managed to stay in the top ten.

Although Berdych’s play seems streaky, he still has managed to string together enough points to maintain his ranking in the top ten since 2010. Considering how competitive the game is, this is quite a feat. I don’t quite understand how he did it, but the numbers don’t lie, so there you go. Well done, you.

4. He’s cute.

Fine, I will admit that he’s not bad looking.  He’s even modeling for H&M now. He can sometimes look quite cute.

He can also sometimes look like an extra from the Walking Dead.

But, you know, a zombie with excellent bone structure. That’s totally a complement.

5. He is fun to hate-watch.

Hate-watching is one of the best things about sports. It’s not just fun to watch your faves win; it’s also fun to watch those you aren’t such a fan of lose. Isn’t great when the Yankees just suck? No offense to any of the actual players on the team. I’m sure they’re fine upstanding people. It’s just fun to watch them eff up. It’s how most people who aren’t from Boston feel about the Patriots. “Screw you, Brady, and your model wife too.” Same with Tomas. He’s just plain fun to hate. He even looks like the preppie bad guy from some 80′s movie (keep popping that color, bro). Every story needs a bad guy, and in the soap opera that is tennis, I can’t think of a better villain.*

So there you are: I said five nice things about Berdych. Now, can I go back to hating on him?

*Actually, Soderling was THE BEST villain. Miss you Robin Bo Carl.