And Before Anyone Asks............

[10ClarionSt]

..........about my predictions from last week, at least I'm prepared to make them. As for the outcome, the Lions failed to beat the All Blacks. Sure they drew the series but in league table terms, the results put them in mid-table. Not great but not bad.

Andy Murray is not in good form. His first two matches were ok. He should beat these lower ranked players but I think that hip is causing more problems than he is saying. I hope I'm wrong but I can't see him progressing much further.

Joanna Konta has gone further than I expected. I thought the injury she sustained at Eastbourne would cause her problems but she looks good just now. I hope she keeps it up. She looks good enough to make progress.

[jim360]

Disagree with you about Murray but only because circumstances have given him a favourable draw through to the semis -- where, yes, I don't really see him getting past Nadal. But his next match is Paire, and the one after that is Anderson or Querrey. All dangerous at their very best but I'd be surprised if Murray didn't get through.

If he'd had to face someone like Tsonga or Wawrinka in the quarters then I'd have tipped him to go out then instead.

[jim360]

For sure -- in one sense I'm actually agreeing with you about Murray, just that the draw is favourable enough to let him get to the semis.

As to the Lions -- they were second-best today but lucky, I think. NZ surprisingly wasteful early on. But you have to take what you can get, and the Lions managed to do that in the end.