Fourth Set -- Nadal vs. Blake Saturday, September 03, 2005 When I last left you, Rafa had just lost the third set on his serve. The score now is 4-6, 6-4, 3-6. Hopefully Rafa can regroup, and up his level of tennis. Vamos! Blake to serve. 15-0, overhead by Blake. Rafa is retaping his racquet. Kind of strange. Ace. 30-0. Wild FH by Blake. 30-15. Fault. Another wild FH. 30-30. Vamos. 30-40. Breakpoint by Rafa. Ace. Deuce. Fault. FH winner by JB. AD JB. He holds. 0-1, JB. Rafa to serve. 0-15. Rafa can't handle Blake's fh. Blake is just outplaying Rafa right now. Long return. 15-15. UE by Blake after blistering return Rafa was lucky to get back. 30-15. Blake is really attacking Rafa's second serve. S&V by Rafa. 40-15. Ace. Vamos from Rafa. 1-1. Blake to serve. 15-0, another fh winner on the run. 30-0. Ace. 40-0. 10 aces. Unret. serve. Game Blake. 1-2, JB. Rafa to serve before a record day crowd at the Open. Adjusts the socks. Fault. Another FH winner by Blake. 0-15. Bad luck with let cord. 0-30. Another UE by Rafa. Very sloppy game. 0-40. 3 BP's for JB. Big whole to dig out of. Fault. Blake broke. 1-3, JB. As Mary Carillo said, Blake is playing a better hardcourt match, and he is. 15-0. FH wide by JB. 15-15. 30-15. Rafa doesn't know what to do. Fault. UE into net. 40-15. Game Blake. It's all Blake right now. 1-4, JB. Come on, Rafa. 0-15. 0-30. Rafa is rattled. Bad let cord for Rafa. 0-40. Blake is dominating. Poor Rafa. Rafa hits long, and is broken at love. 1-5, JB. Well, things aren't looking too good for Rafa. 15-0. Another FH. 30-0. It's all Blake now. Another great serve. 3 matchpoints. Blake wins!!! Final score: 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 1-6. Rafa congratulates him. Rafa signs autographs on way out. James gives a lot of respect to Rafa, saying Rafa has many more wins ahead of him. September 3, 2005 posted by Susan @ 12:10 PM  12 comments Third Set -- Nadal vs. Blake They are now 1-1, with Rafa breaking Blake to take the second set. Score is 4-6, 6-4. The good news for Rafa is that Blake seems to be slowing down a bit. He played his heart out for nearly two sets, and Rafa seems the fresher one. But great match so far. The J-Block is still out in force. Blake served just 43% first serves in second set. Rafa will start the third set serving: 15-0, unreturnable serve. Commentators are saying Rafa is playing with more energy. Fault. Winner FH by Rafa. 30-0. Blake is subdued. Blake hits drop shot, and Rafa passes. 40-0. Return into net. Game Nadal. 1-0, RN. Blake to serve. 15-0, overhead by Blake. The crowd is a bit subdued, too. FH winner by Blake. 30-0. Mishit return. 40-0. Game Blake. 1-1, Rafa to serve. 15-0, great rally. Blake dictated, but Rafa hit a great volley, and forced the error. Fault. Blake hits long. 30-0. Fault. Mishit FH by Rafa. 30-15. Great winner by Rafa, James applauds. 40-15. Rafa dictated that point, trying to wear down Blake. Commentators think Rafa is prolonging rallies on purpose. Rafa UE. 40-30. Come on, Rafa. J-Block is yelling. James hits long. Game Nadal. 2-1, RN. Blake to serve. Well, in the middle of commentary, my electricity went out. And as you can see a lot has happened since then. My power went out on breakpoint, so I missed seeing that point. But Rafa's still in this. 4-2, RN, with Rafa down a break. Rafa is serving. 30-0. Rafa volley into net, after great shot by Blake. 30-15. Fault. Missed volley by Blake. 40-15. Rafa misses FH. 40-30. Come on, Rafa. Great volley by James. Deuce. He's getting more energized now. Vamos! Rafa passes, and James applauds. Ad Nadal. Rafa fist-pump and vamos -- well earned. Blake hits long. He holds. 4-3, JB. Blake to serve. 15-0, great serve. 30-0. Blake is serving much better this set. Fault. BH long. 40-0. Rafa is fighting, but Blake is too good at the moment. Fault. Rafa into net. Rafa looked a little tired in that game. They are saying that Rafa is not playing his best tennis, and this is true. 5-3, JB. Rafa to serve. 15-15. Rafa mishits. 15-30. Rafa seems to be losing focus here a bit. 30-30, return into net. Misses his FH again. Set point Blake. Come on, Rafa! 30-40. Blake wins set, after great shotmaking. Will this be going five sets? posted by Susan @ 11:36 AM  21 comments Second Set -- Nadal vs. Blake Vamos, Rafa! For second set. He lost the first set 6-4, after one break of serve. Rafa to serve. Fault. Blake passes him with a FH winner. 0-15. Winner by Rafa. 15-15. They are talking about what a big win this would be for Blake. Fault. Blake passes Rafa. 15-30. Rafa better be careful. Fault. FH into net. 30-30. FH winner by Blake. 30-40. Another BP. Come on, Rafa. Great winner by Rafa. Blake even applauds. Deuce. Rafa is pumped. Vamos! Fault. Blake misses FH. Ad Nadal. Game Nadal. 1-0, RN. JB to serve. Nice to see a little fire from Rafa. There are some Spaniards in the crowd, waving the flag. Fault. JB hits long. 0-15. Fault. Mishit by JB. 0-30. Rafa has an extra spring in his step. Fault. DF. 0-40. Three breakpoints. Vamos, Rafa! Rafa breaks!!!! 2-0, RN. Rafa to serve. Rafa into net. 0-15. Great point, but Rafa couldn't scramble enough. 0-30. Come on, Rafa. Both guys are scrambling like crazy. FH winner by Rafa. 15-30. Another FH winner. 15-40. Now he has two breakpoints. Vamos! Return winner. Blake breaks. 2-1, RN. What a match! Too bad he couldn't hold onto the break. But they are both putting on a show. Blake to serve. 0-15. Great volley winner by Blake. 15-15. Mary Carillo says she has never seen Blake play this well. I tend to agree. S&V. 30-15. Fault. Mishit BH. 30-30. Vamos, Rafa! Fault. Another volley winner. Rafa is running everywhere. 40-30. Fault. Rafa into net. Game to Blake. 2-2, Rafa to serve. Come on, Rafa! DF. 0-15. Rafa is feeling the pressure. Switches racquets. Rafa is a little rattled. Return goes long. 15-15. FH winner by Rafa. 30-15. Blake overhits return. 40-15. Long rally, until Rafa mishits fh. 40-30. Hard hitting. Blake overhits volley, after Rafa did drop shot. Game to Nadal. Rafa is trying different things. 3-2, RN. Blake to serve. But Blake is playing better, and is playing about the best tennis I've seen him play. Credit to Rafa's defense that he's still in this. Vamos, Rafa! 15-0, as Rafa overhits return. Fault. UE by Rafa. 30-0. Rafa is changing tactics, using more spin. DF #3. 30-15. Fault. FH winner. No trouble with Rafa's topspin. 40-15. Game Blake. Easy hold for Blake. 3-3. Rafa to serve. 15-0, FH long. New balls. FH wide. 30-0. These guys are working. Great serve and FH by Rafa. 40-0. Unret serve. Rafa holds. Vamos! 4-3, RN. Blake to serve. Go Rafa! 0-15. JB hits wide. Seems to be slowing down a bit. Fault. Another FH wide. 0-30. Passing shot by Rafa. 0-40. James seem a bit more tentative now. Vamos! FH winner by JB. 15-40. Fault. FH winner. 30-40. One more chance, Rafa. Come on, Rafa! Fault. Rafa UE into net. Man! Deuce. Rafa into net again. Ad Blake. I can't believe Blake is still in this. Rafa seems a little nervous. Rafa hits out. Blake holds. 4-4. Rafa to serve. He will not be happy that he didn't convert one of those opps. Go Rafa! 15-0, JB into net. They are saying Rafa had a bit of a mental lapse. I think that's true. Great serve. 30-0. Volley put away. 40-0. Rafa is rebounding. S&V by Rafa, but Blake passes. 40-15. Be careful Rafa. Blake misses FH. Game Rafa. 5-4, RN. Go Rafa! If Rafa can take this set, it would be good for him as Blake seems to have lost a bit of steam. Vamos! 0-30. Great BH down the line for Rafa. Volley hits the line. 15-30. Groundstroke goes long. 30-30. Rafa is working hard. Fault. Long rally, but Rafa hits just wide. 40-30. 24-stroke rally. Fault. FH winner return. Deuce. Rafa likes that. FH winner by Blake. Ad Blake. Fault. Blake hits long. Deuce. JB misses half volley. Set point for Rafa. Ace. Deuce. Exciting stuff. Fault, and then mishit. AD Nadal. Second set point. Fault. Just wide by Rafa. Rafa thought he had it, but missed. Deuce. Fault. UE by JB. Ad Nadal. Third set point. Vamos! His camp is looking nervous. Fault. UE by JB. Rafa wins the set, and celebrates with a fist pump and leap. Vamos! posted by Susan @ 10:49 AM  20 comments First Set -- Nadal vs. Blake We are waiting for the guys to come on court. CBS is showing the second set tiebreak between Ljubicic and Gasquet. 6-6 in TB. Richard just saved set point. Now Richard has a set point. 7-6. Great passing shot by Richard, who takes the set. They are 1-1. Now they should go to Ashe for Nadal and Blake. Vamos, Rafa! They have a nice video promo of Nadal and Blake. Lots of fist-pumps and Vamoses. They are warming up right now. Rafa is in the blue-and-white outfit. Tight blue shirt, and white capris. Short interview with Rafa before match. He's jumping around. Reporter says good luck to him, and he admits it's going to be a tough match. John McEnroe says Nadal isn't playing with a lot of confidence, and Blake is playing the best he's ever seen him play, so McEnroe thinks James can win. Rafa to serve, as he sprints into position. 15-0, UE by JB. Rafa is going to Blake's BH. UE by Rafa. 15-15. Commentators saying the conditions today are better for Rafa than the Scoville match. 30-15. Unreturnable serve. Fault. 40-15. James overhits return. Fault. DF. 40-30. Come on, Rafa. Deuce. Great FH by Blake. Rafa into net. Great serve. Ad Nadal. UE by Blake. Game Rafa. 1-0, RN. JB to serve. 0-15. Great serve, 15-15. Fault. Crowd is quiet right now. UE by Rafa. 30-15. But the J-Block can be heard. JB is 10-0 against lefties. FH winner. 40-15. Another fh winner. Game, JB. 1-1. Rafa to serve. 0-15, Rafa hits wide. 15-15. JB hits lob long. 15-30. Great FH by Blake. Rafa taking his time. Great serve. 30-30. Another great serve. 40-30. Ditto. Game Nadal. 2-1, RN. James is playing very well, but Rafa is hanging in there right now. JB to serve. 0-15. 15-15. Rafa hits BH just wide. He knew it when he hit it. Great scrambling by Rafa, but James puts volley away. 30-15. Bh wide. 40-15. UE by Blake into net. 40-30. Return goes long. 2-2, Rafa to serve. 15-0. FH winner. 30-0. Great serve. 40-0. Let. Return long. Easy hold. Good serving by Rafa. 3-2, RN. Breaking JB will be tough. J-Block are making noise. Fault, let. DF. 0-15. Wild FH by JB. 0-30. 15-30, after S&V. Fault. BH mishit by Rafa. 30-30. Return into net. 40-30. Blake misses FH. Deuce. Beautiful pass by Rafa. Ad Nadal. Breakpoint for Rafa! Deuce #2. As Rafa goes into net. UE by Blake. Second BP for Nadal. Ad Rafa. Vamos, Rafa! OH winner by Blake. Great point. Deuce #3. Blake S&V. Ad Blake. Let. Fault. Return into net. Too bad Rafa missed those chances, but he is putting pressure on. 3-3. Rafa to serve. Fault. Rafa FH wide. 0-15 Stay focused, Rafa. Fault. Blake missed FH after long rally. 15-15. Blake hits long. 30-15. FH winner. Blake says "yup." 40-15. Fault. DF. 40-30. Come on, Rafa! Wind is picking up. Rafa missed fh, just wide. Deuce. Great rally. Ad Nadal. James hits wide. Game Rafa. 4-3. JB to serve. Rafa is giving 100%, even though you can tell things aren't going just the way he would like. Vamos! Ace. 15-0. 30-0. Unret serve into body. Long rally with FH winner by Rafa. 30-15. Fault. Beautiful pass by Rafa after defensive shots. 30-30. FH winner by Blake. 40-30. Fault. Another FH winner. Game JB. 4-4. Rafa to serve. Vamos! 15-0, return into net. Rafa his FH long. 15-15. Fault. Come on, Rafa. OH by James, after long rally. Lots of hard hitting in this match. 15-30. 15-40. JB has two breakpoints. Come on, Rafa. Rafa hits fh long. Gets the break. :-( 4-5, JB. Rafa is making some uncharacteristic errors, but James is forcing them. Vamos, Rafa! JB to serve for the set. Rafa adjusts his socks. JB FH wide. 0-15. Just showing his parents, and Carlos Costa, and sister. Ace. 15-15. Unreturn serve. 30-15. Rafa winner after very strange point. 30-30. Blake S&V. 40-30. Set point. Fault. Winner by Rafa after favorable let cord. Deuce. Exciting stuff. Ace. Ad Blake. Another set point. Rafa keeps fighting. Deuce #2. Let. Rafa hit a lob. He thought it was good, but it was called out. Ad Blake. Rafa complained, but no good. Rafa his return wide. Set to Blake. 6-4. Crowd going wild. Will need to start a new thread. Rafa is not happy at all. He looks disgusted with himself, but he's not playing badly. James is playing better right now. Let's see if he can turn it around. Vamos, Rafa!! posted by Susan @ 9:43 AM  3 comments Nadal vs. Blake -- U.S. Open (Third Round) VR.com's live reporting of Rafa's third round match against James Blake at the U.S. Open will occur on Saturday, September 3. The match should get underway around 12 to 12:30 p.m. ET. Join us then! Vamos, Rafa! Good morning/afternoon. It's 12:05 p.m. on Saturday, and the match before Rafa's is in the second set. Justine Henin-Hardenne seemed to be cruising to a quick victory, but her opponent is showing signs of life. Stay tuned . . . . Justine Henin-Nardenne is serving for the match. If she wins, Rafa and Blake will be up soon. In the meantime, I'll give you all a "key" of the abbreviations I'll be using: RN: Rafael Nadal JB: James Blake UE: Unforced error DF: Double fault (I'm sure Rafa won't do any of those). BH: Backhand FH: Forehand S&V: Serve and volley (probably won't see much of that!) Justine has gone off the boil again. Two breakpoints. She saved one. She was broken. Tiebreak time. 3-3. 5-4, HH. 6-4, two matchpoints (finally). Game, set, match, for Justine. Rafa up next. We'll start a new thread. Vamos, Rafa! posted by Susan @ 9:41 AM  0 comments