Australian Open 2014

[Robbin92]

Robbin def. Mikefare 6-4 6-4 6-4

I did not know what to expect from this match as I never played Mike before. Seeing that most people predicted a win for me in 4 sets (meaning that they think he can win a set) caused me to not underestimate him. The match started with 6 quick service games before I started to return a bit better, and breaking first time at 4-4. He got to 0-30 in the next service game, but I managed to win 4 points in a row to win the first set.

In the second set I started off aggressively putting immediate pressure on his service. At difficult situations for him (0-30, deuce) he played some good services + ground-stroke combinations and managed hold service till 2-2. At this game I got to 0-40, but missing all these break points. I created more and more chances and finally broke at my 8 break point this game due to a double fault of him. I relaxed a bit and paid the price for that as he re-broke me instantly. At 4-4 I broke again due to some mistakes from his side. He got to 0-30 in this game and even got a break point but I managed to close out the set in this game.

I was eager to make an early break to break his resistance for good and managed that at his second service game. In his other service games he worked away some tricky situations again but he was not able to put any pressure on my service. I closed the match at the first match point. Overall I think he played a decent match with great serving and I wish him best of luck for the coming season. I am still on track to make those 2 people (idiots ) that voted for me as winner proud.

Furthermore I would like to see some more match reports!

Stats:

[Ugadalou]

After C4iLL's request (how could I refuse you a favour? ) let me give a report for my R64 match vs. Nogian, a 5-setter from two sets to love down.

Ugadalou def. Nogian 4-6/6-7/6-4/6-4/6-1

There was great drama in the match indeed. I felt really relaxed in the beginning, seemed like it would be a fairly casual evening. I had no idea yet...! Initially, I held comfortably and in his first service games had quite a lot break points which I failed to convert. Got to 0-40 and 15-40 in his first games and thought ok let's get to business and clinch this first set, get the upper hand early and not allow him to get his hopes up. However, whenever he was bp down, he got much into clutch, erasing my break attempts with aces and perfect one-two punches. I really didn't feel I had squandered my chances. So I thought ok, be patient, he'll crack eventually. As the set progressed, not only did he not crack, but his serve got very solid, hard to read and constantly finding the lines with very high %. I have a bad game being too careless and aggressive and he has no trouble blasting and acing the first serve out.
Second set I remained positive but still, he was in rhythm and in the same hot zone I couldn't follow on his own serve. We get to the breaker where he only gets first serves in until he gets to *6-3 with 2 balls to serve. I put up a last fight and with two great plays get it back on serve where another dramatic rally deservedly gives him the set with another minibreak.
So that's where I start sweating. I think, there's this guy on the other side leading two sets to love and what's worse I can't even get a look on his serve. Trying to make any tactical adjustment possible to turn it around but nothing seems to work. I'm in despair thinking the odds are against me, I could be about to lose. Critical moment of the match, he's 4-3* and I'm serving down 15-40. I save both break points after long rallies, plus another one on his ADV. Had he broken, there surely was no way back for me. It would have been a 3-0 loss. At 4-4 I get the break out of nowhere really, read a couple of second serves- really back from the dead. Huge breath! Serve it out and get a glimpse of hope.
After trying for 3 sets to find a gameplan that worked, I tried to be offensive and play in the court but he didn't allow me to. So in the 4th set I decide to get further back in return, push some more balls back and give him the initiative, see how he reacts. It worked, perhaps due to him being less experienced he failed to gain command from his positioning and I got another break in that set, things seem to come around for me finally.
The final set it was quite disappointing because in his first service game he made 3 green errors on the lines or just out and that was where he cracked, I remained concentrated and didn't look back from there.
It was a grand slam match worth the ticket of admission, in the end I felt like Hewitt in AO, the rusty veteran playing the high-drama 5 setter in the early rounds entertaining the crowd!!
Nogian admitted he outperformed himself in the first stages of the match, but he was too solid for too long to believe that. With more experience if he consolidates his game and serves like he did he could have success around. Most importantly, there was great sportmanship even in a game like that when things get tense. We even had a few laughs in-between sets when we took a couple of minutes off to get it together.
Now my reward is a match against MaGav who crushed me in my last official match. I know he's class and go in as the underdog without pressure, hoping I still got something left in my tank, after this 5-set thriller.

Stats

Set 1:

Sets 2 to 5:

[C4iLL]

Just an explanation about my match vs Magav (6-1 6-2, retirement).

The match was rigged by freezes from beginning to end, that's why I left for the first time a match in 3 years ITST history. The conditions were normal, 50 ms, 100 delay, but the game constantly "blocked" and wasn't fluid at all.

Under these conditions, it was impossible to produce my usual powerful gamest and display my real level. I can't count how many times I missed a short accel because of a lag during my run or at the very last moment...

Concretely, I could not adjust precisely my footworks with the mini freeze and I was then everytime slightly in retard in defense and not able to hit the usual lethal Short accels in the run... Ball wasn't fluid at all, my character blocked etc it was just unplayable with Nadal, I think I played at maybe 40% of what I do recently.

On the opposite side, Magav didn't seem hurt by lag as Hewitt just has to counter ; on my side I was doomed to hit normal shots and then to loose. Beyond that, my fairplay opponent "intelligently" took advantage of the lag to hit a good dozen of dropshots, most of them winner, in 2 sets. Congratulations for this elegant victory.

At the end, once again the investment in time is not rewarded at all. I managed to get a really good level with Nadal and the result is a total failure, which is absolutely not representative of what I should have achieved in the tournament, for other reasons than competition, logic or superiority of my opponent. So I'm done with the tour, I officialy retire. I'm bored of that kind of stories, it will happen again and again. It's the drop that made the cup run over...

Please cancel my suscriptions for Rotterdam ; for Davis cup, do as you want 4 or 5 players won't change you'll win it

[Fez]

wow

I feel you man. very frustrating stuff
I hope you return though.

What is ITST without C4ill???

Nothing.

[Richie1308]

Come on C4ill, cool down a bit and think if you feel it's okay giving up after so much time for one match that didn't go well because of its conditions of playing. I have so much pleasure when i play that I couldn't really stop the competition like that. Take this episode having a "revenge spirit", it will motivate you even more instead --> (yes, a face like that).

[inseedious]

Just an explanation about my match vs Magav (6-1 6-2, retirement).

The match was rigged by freezes from beginning to end, that's why I left for the first time a match in 3 years ITST history. The conditions were normal, 50 ms, 100 delay, but the game constantly "blocked" and wasn't fluid at all.

Under these conditions, it was impossible to produce my usual powerful gamest and display my real level. I can't count how many times I missed a short accel because of a lag during my run or at the very last moment...

Concretely, I could not adjust precisely my footworks with the mini freeze and I was then everytime slightly in retard in defense and not able to hit the usual lethal Short accels in the run... Ball wasn't fluid at all, my character blocked etc it was just unplayable with Nadal, I think I played at maybe 40% of what I do recently.

On the opposite side, Magav didn't seem hurt by lag as Hewitt just has to counter ; on my side I was doomed to hit normal shots and then to loose. Beyond that, my fairplay opponent "intelligently" took advantage of the lag to hit a good dozen of dropshots, most of them winner, in 2 sets. Congratulations for this elegant victory.

At the end, once again the investment in time is not rewarded at all. I managed to get a really good level with Nadal and the result is a total failure, which is absolutely not representative of what I should have achieved in the tournament, for other reasons than competition, logic or superiority of my opponent. So I'm done with the tour, I officialy retire. I'm bored of that kind of stories, it will happen again and again. It's the drop that made the cup run over...

Please cancel my suscriptions for Rotterdam ; for Davis cup, do as you want 4 or 5 players won't change you'll win it

Unfortunately, this is one of the negative sides of an indie game developed by one only person. As I always said, playing a match with 200+ latency and/or with a high packet loss is just unrespectful for the ones who spend a lot of money and time to achieve a good internet connection. I feel so much frustrated when playing a laggy match that even a stable 150-170 ms can drive me crazy, playing in a bad way, as I did vs leonmonstroso. The problem is that games like this will never be balanced, because, when we achieve a balance in the roster, there always are players who try to win exploiting other ways, like some sort of tricky shots or, in this case, connection. For example, I lost in straight set vs leonmonstroso, and it was frustrating because I had almost the same breakpoints as him (relizing none of them), but he constantly canceled them with center serves and drop+net. But I can say nothing against this way of playing, cause it's perfectly fine with the game mechanics and our rulement. It has been said just too many times that people used to bad connections have an unfair advantage on players with good connections, as they always play in those conditions and are very used to them. They perfectly know when you are gonna hit a no-shot, for example. This is the frustrating truth. The only way to enjoy this game is playing it 5+ hours a day to achieve enough mastery to beat even the most unfair and unusual players, or instead playing a very few times, enjoying maybe the little joy to win an atp250.

[MaGav]

My point of view of our match.
1. I wanted to play on Thursday (I wasn't available almost all weekend, he is not able to play from Monday to Wednesday), but C4iLL was complaining that it's out of the deadline, so we started to play around the midnight.
2. He knew the condition of his connection yesterday, becouse he had turtles also playing exhibition against isaldor earlier.
3. There were lags, but against C4 I had them always (it was worse than in Brisbane, the same as in USO). Lag ratio: 1%
4. He started to complain at the score 6-1 4-2, it's really late.
5. I remember similar lags in US Open, I asked C4 to rehost or do something with the connection. He said something like "Yeah, I know, but we can't do anything, just play". He also said that he can't play in a delay higher than 100ms. He was winning then, so it was not a problem for him.
6. Nadal vs Hewitt - it means looong points. Most of all C4 errors was after long rallies, on Nadal's BH, low stamina, while he tried to do a short acc from BH. I was reading his game really well, i reached many short acc from Nadal's FH, he was using them very often.

7. C4iLL behaviour yesterday and today on chat and forum was really "fair" and all those adjectives about me also. I understand frustration of losing, but all those words, leaving the match, i can't. There is no fault of mine in conditions.

[Elias]

Sad to hear about a nice match-up wasted by bad connexions conditions again. Though, again, when you know your connexion is not perfectly stable and has some variations in a given period, using 100ms auto-delay, even with a 50ms ping, is pretty risky and exposes you to such conditions. I know it's a better feeling to play at 100ms, but auto-delay feature is there to absorb these issues (at least it's absorbing ping variations, but not complete freezes). Myself my modem is currently out of service, and i have to use a wi-fi connexion at this time, and i have often turtles in the same ping conditions (mostly 50ms, autodelay 100ms, but the variations hurts), so i often rehosted at 117 / 133ms with success, playing in much better conditions, absorbing maybe 70% of the turtles (if not all). Yes you can feel a difference in gameplay but imo 133 is still very playable and can be enjoyable, and is still much better than a turtle hopping 100ms game. The main problem is the combination of having a not-so-stable ping, along with always looking to keep the auto-delay as low as possible .. This tool is ment to adress these issues. By the way i can't wait but get back my ethernet connexion, it's night and day regarding stability.

[Richie1308]

It's true, I always put at least 117 ms but in general 133 ms, I absolutely don't see any difference personnally with 100 ms and you're more than fine in most of the matches with lag (and well, 150 ms is still playable if needed). It's also true that I've noticed that when it was 100 ms, there were turtles even in matches with slow ping, so I think you should always put a minimum of 117ms which works great.

[pidzi]

yeah i agree with what guys said above that when you know you experiencing lags on regular basis you are almost obliged to set such delay which minimizes these turtles even for sake of you being a bit uncomfortable with it, but lets be honest you cant really see a real difference from 100 to 133 so i think guys who are stubborn to play <= 100 ms should reconsider this coz im sure if you really feel a bit difference you will get used to it in few sets but you will be rewarded with turtleless matches which is invalueable. Myself also put minimun 100 delay when playing anyone outside of Slovakia but i know he has very good connex and if play someone who i know i usually have turtles i go for 133. Even with slovak and czech players with who i have <30 stable ping i dont go less than 83.

[Fez]

ONe thing i take issue with man. You inseedious, (and magav said this too) say that those who are used to laggy conditions have an advantage. That is absolutely ridiculous. When its laggy, both users suffer. When a turtle hits you when you are running to a ball, its sucks, no matter how many times it happens to you. There is no "getting used to" this. I completely understand the frustration with poor conditions, no doubt. But this idea that one person has advantage in bad conditions makes no sense. However, getting "used to" high delay is a different story. Sure, I am more used to playing in 150 delay than many Europeans, but this is not the same as lag, packet loss, etc....

Also, as an American I dont "always play in bad connections". Only rarely. Usually my ping with Europe is 170-210ms. And delay is set to 117-150 and is stable, no turtles, no spikes. So the only guys who play alot in bad connections are maybe South Americans. And there is only like 2 active south americans I think, right?


Question C4ill: Why didnt you stop playing and reschedule? Why did you play on?

[Fez]

It's true, I always put at least 117 ms but in general 133 ms, I absolutely don't see any difference personnally with 100 ms and you're more than fine in most of the matches with lag (and well, 150 ms is still playable if needed). It's also true that I've noticed that when it was 100 ms, there were turtles even in matches with slow ping, so I think you should always put a minimum of 117ms which works great.

Thanks for saying 150 delay is playable! thank you richie! I'm so tired of people acting like 150 is some kind of impossible blizzard condition.

[inseedious]

ONe thing i take issue with man. You inseedious, (and magav said this too) say that those who are used to laggy conditions have an advantage. That is absolutely ridiculous. When its laggy, both users suffer. When a turtle hits you when you are running to a ball, its sucks, no matter how many times it happens to you. There is no "getting used to" this. I completely understand the frustration with poor conditions, no doubt. But this idea that one person has advantage in bad conditions makes no sense. However, getting "used to" high delay is a different story. Sure, I am more used to playing in 150 delay than many Europeans, but this is not the same as lag, packet loss, etc....

Also, as an American I dont "always play in bad connections". Only rarely. Usually my ping with Europe is 170-210ms. And delay is set to 117-150 and is stable, no turtles, no spikes. So the only guys who play alot in bad connections are maybe South Americans. And there is only like 2 active south americans I think, right?


Question C4ill: Why didnt you stop playing and reschedule? Why did you play on?

You don't seem to understand what I wrote. If there's packet loss and freezes, there's a high chance it depends on one of the player's connection. Even talking about freezes, a person with a bad connection is used to them and can exploit his "experience". It's like playing with a lot of wind vs a player who always plays with wind. It hurts both players, but the player used to the wind will surely have an advantage from it. Under 150ms it's perfectly fine, but from 180+ms it is quite disturbing for players used to the classic 117ms delay. I played almost 800 total matches, and I'm sure that at least 700 of them were played at 133ms or lower. So I played 100 matches with laggy or unstable conditions. What about a player with 300 matches and a bad connection? He played 300 matches in these conditions, so if I play vs him he will surely be more dangerous than his real skill. However, this is OT.

[Fez]

I appreciate your reply, but you are just plain wrong. A person doesn't get "used to" freezes. Trust me. There is no way to "exploit" this. The notion that one can exploit freezes and lags is just not true. Freezes are unpredictable, happen suddenly with no warning. The only way a person could exploit this, is if the person knew WHEN it was going to happen. And of course, that's impossible.

If what you suggest is true, then players who get laggy conditions alot would prefer these conditions in order to get upper hand over a superior players. But nobody would prefer these conditions. Nobody. I sure as hell don't, even though theoretically I play in bad conditions more than Euros.

The analogy of "wind" doesnt work here, because generally speaking, wind is readable. Freezes are not.

[inseedious]

I appreciate your reply, but you are just plain wrong. A person doesn't get "used to" freezes. Trust me. There is no way to "exploit" this. The notion that one can exploit freezes and lags is just not true. Freezes are unpredictable, happen suddenly with no warning. The only way a person could exploit this, is if the person knew WHEN it was going to happen. And of course, that's impossible.

Are you really sure? Let's think a bit out of the box. I'm not saying that every laggy player exploits that, but that, when they're frequent, even the freezes can be exploited. Obviously, installing a big server to host all TE matches is gonna cost a lot of money, but it would definitely solve this issue. Yeah, the server would likely be located in France, so Europeans would get an advantage just in terms of ping, but a good American network can easily ping 100-150ms to France, that is quite nicely playable, and both low and high pingers would be used to their conditions.