swedesrule
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2007 Doubles
Just wanting to post my huge delight at Simon Aspelin winning the doubles final    
Simon would have to be the NICEST player I have ever met (including mark and magnus, and they were both brilliant!!!). he spent over two hours chatting to me about swedish tennis after a practice one day in Sydney, and has always been more than willing to give autographs and photos (i have my photo with him too  )
I couldnt think of a more deserving player to win the doubles 
Aspelin-Knowle Continue Dream Run, Take Men's Doubles Title
By Brian Cleary
Friday, September 7, 2007
In the US Open men’s doubles final, No. 9 seeds Lukas Dlouhy and Pavel Vizner employed a popular strategy on the pro tour when their team was serving. Whoever was at the net when his partner was serving would crouch down low in the middle of the court and, after the serve was hit, pop up and move to one side of the court or the other, ready to pounce on the return.
It worked great against their opponents, Simon Aspelin and Julian Knowle, the No. 10 seeds, when they guessed right. In fact, in the seventh game, with Vizner serving and Dlouhy at net, Dlouhy popped up and intercepted two returns in a row, crushing his volleys for winners.
But, of course, when they guessed wrong, it was a different story entirely. At 5-5 in the first set, with Visner serving at 15-30, Dlouhy popped up and guessed wrong two times in a row, and Aspelin and Knowle, as they have done all tournament, came up big with their returns, both times forcing Visner into volley errors as he was coming in behind his serve. With the break in hand, they served out the first set and went on to take the match, 7-5, 6-4.
Aspelin and Knowle, both 34 and both playing in their first Grand Slam final, hugged after the match, overjoyed.
“It's an unbelievable feeling," said Aspelin. "I think it's going to take a few hours for it to sink in."
“It’s a dream come true," said Knowle, who joked that he was happy it was Aspelin who had to serve for the match -- and serve directly into the sun at that. “The pressure was getting pretty big the last couple of days because we knew we were playing really well, and we had a big chance to win this whole thing.’’
In the first game of the second set, Aspelin and Knowle again guessed right on their returns two times in a row -- this time with Vizner crouched at the net, popping up and moving one way or the other to try to intercept the return. But while they broke in the first game, they gave the break right back in the next game with Aspelin serving. With Vizner serving at 3-3, Knowle and Aspelin broke at love, and they held serve from there to take the title.
"Our return game is our strength,'' said Aspelin. "We rely a lot on our returns. Just trying to serve well, hold serve, then we put pressure on them by returning well.''
Aspelin and Knowle first teamed up in May at a tournament in Hamburg, and it didn’t take long for the two long-time doubles stalwarts to click. In just their second tournament together, they took the title in Poertschach on clay, and two tournaments later, they won again -- on grass, this time, in Halle.
But they strugged during the American summer hard-court season leading up to the US Open, winning just one of four matches.
“We knew if we could just change a couple of things in our games and get that to start working again, we would be dangerous,’’ Aspelin said. “We knew we had the game to beat the best teams.’’
That thought proved prophetic. In the quarters here, they took out the tournament favorites and No. 1 seeds Mike and Bob Bryan.
But when they reached the final and knew they would have to play Dlouhy and Vizner, they had a problem. Not only had they lost to them earlier in the year at Roland Garros, but they also didn’t even know a good strategy to beat them.
“We were saying that Dlouhy-Vizner is one team that, when they're playing really good, we don't quite know how to play them,’’ Aspelin admitted.
Luckily for them, they not only returned beautifully but were practically telepathic in their ability to guess right on which way their opposing net man was moving.
For the win, Aspelin and Knowle each earned $200,000, more than doubling their earnings for the year.
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8/Sep/07, 20:38
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swedesrule
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Re: 2007 Doubles
You're very welcome
My trip was fantastic - however I am suffering withdrawals now! 
I have starting having a look to see if I can come to Melbourne for 2008 - the finance situation isn't fantastic but I would really love to try to come if I can.
xoxo
Christina
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10/Sep/07, 20:45
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Corina
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Re: 2007 Doubles
Hi Christina
I just read you were in Bastad this summer. I was there, too. Too bad we didn't meet. I was there for the first time and fell in love with the tournament and Sweden, so beautiful.
I am very happy too for Simon He really deserved to win such a big title. I don't know him very well, but my friend does, and she also says that he is very nice (not to mention that he is quite attractive )
I do have tennis withdrawals as well. I hope to go to an indoor tournament the next weeks, but of course to watch indoor tennis is only half as fun as outdoor tennis for tennis fans, at least that's my opinion.
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11/Sep/07, 1:11
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swedesrule
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Re: 2007 Doubles
Hi Corina 
That is so cool - you went to Bastad too! I wish I had seen more of Sweden - I had heard that Bastad was beautiful but just wasn't expecting it to be THAT beautiful. 
I am so glad that there are other Aspelin fans out there - he really is a great guy and deserves this grand slam title so much. Now I just have to hope that his form will carry over to Davis Cup Semi final - Sweden vs USA!
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11/Sep/07, 8:26
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