OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by 10spro »

wco81 wrote:
Sun May 08, 2022 8:07 pm
Yeah they're running the highlights. I don't think the Madrid Open was televised in the US was it?

So can he play on the hard courts though? I guess the more he strength trains, the better his prospects will be on the hard courts.

Does he have a big serve and forehand or backhand? I saw he got Djoko on a few points with the drop shot.
Like Rafa, if he has a least favorite court it would be grass. He already showed great strength at the US Open last year beating some top players including the likes of Tistsipas and Shapo. At that point of his career he was in the top 50 for sure and with his recents wins, he’ll be top 12.

As for his strokes, I would say his forehand is his strength but really is his smarts in the court that impresses me the most. He thinks his way thru, his shots has a purpose and of course he’s only going to get better.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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The quarters between Nadal-Djoko went well past midnight French time and it was…fantastic. As usual these two put out a show, as the match went back and forth. The #1 player in the world had a very good chance to win the forth set but we all know how Rafa fights for every inch of the court especially in his house Roland Garros.

His resiliency payed off finishing Djoko in a dramatic tiebreaker in the fourth when everyone thought the game may go the distance including myself.

He’s got a lot left in the tank apparently and if he can stay healthy, why would anyone be surprised if he wins it all on Sunday. He’s only 36. 8)

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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10spro wrote:
Tue May 31, 2022 8:05 pm
The quarters between Nadal-Djoko went well past midnight French time and it was…fantastic. As usual these two put out a show, as the match went back and forth. The #1 player in the world had a very good chance to win the forth set but we all know how Rafa fights for every inch of the court especially in his house Roland Garros.

His resiliency payed off finishing Djoko in a dramatic tiebreaker in the fourth when everyone thought the game may go the distance including myself.

He’s got a lot left in the tank apparently and if he can stay healthy, why would anyone be surprised if he wins it all on Sunday. He’s only 36. 8)
Amazing performance from Rafa, especially after the disappointment of losing a second set in which he was two breaks up early on. Zverev has done amazingly well to come back from match point down against Baez and go on to beat Alcaraz. The bottom half of a lopsided draw seemed like a side-show but Cilic played lights-out tennis against both Medvedev and Rublev, and Ruud (reminds me of Borg) has a great game for this surface. Rafa has to be favorite now...I guess

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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How can Rafa not be the favorite now? I really feel for Sasha as they were playing a great match that was perhaps going to go the distance the way these two guys were hitting the ball. But the way he rolled that ankle, man I just felt the pain from my living room, that was painful to watch.

Ruud did his thing, I felt at times that Cilic just beat himself up when he would screw up the most easy points and yet pull a rabbit out of nowhere from impossible angles on difficult rallies. How many overhead smashes did he miss?

No consistency and the Norwegian just sailed along who I hope doesn’t get too star stunned in the finals as Nadal is his idol.

And just when everyone thought that Djoko would be the first man to win 21 GS majors, look who may just come ahead…

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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10spro wrote:
Fri Jun 03, 2022 4:37 pm
How can Rafa not be the favorite now? I really feel for Sasha as they were playing a great match that was perhaps going to go the distance the way these two guys were hitting the ball. But the way he rolled that ankle, man I just felt the pain from my living room, that was painful to watch.

Ruud did his thing, I felt at times that Cilic just beat himself up when he would screw up the most easy points and yet pull a rabbit out of nowhere from impossible angles on difficult rallies. How many overhead smashes did he miss?

No consistency and the Norwegian just sailed along who I hope doesn’t get too star stunned in the finals as Nadal is his idol.

And just when everyone thought that Djoko would be the first man to win 21 GS majors, look who may just come ahead…
Rafa the favourite for sure. Glad he was ahead at least when Zverev's injury occurred. Looked nasty and a pity that what looked like being an epic was cut short.

Don't think Ruud will be star-struck 10s. Seems like a guy totally focused on the job at hand. Very Borg-like in that respect I think. Cilic finally ran out of winners but a great tournament for him, considering that he's going to be more comfortable on the grass and hard courts going forward.

Looking forward to the women's final tomorrow too. I thought Coco Gauff's post-semi press conference was amazing. Great respect and hard to believe she's just 18! Got her work cut out tomorrow though.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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Congrats to the Joker for conquering his 21st GS. His 7th Wimbledon title, nothing to laugh at. This edition at the England club just gave me a lot of what ifs scenarios but at the end of the day, in what was a tough year for the Serbian, this is a major accomplishment for him. Of course I would have loved to see Rafa in the finals and watch these two battled it out but Kyrgios did put on a fight although the experience and fine shot making of Djoko were the difference.

It’ll be interesting to see if he will be allowed to play at the last GS tournament in NY, and will Rafa be healed in time? Highlights at the big W were the parade of past Champions earlier in the week, where the biggest round of applause went to Federer. Here’s hoping that he has a chance at one more crack in Wimbledon, although age of course will be an issue.

But hey for 2 decades the three amigos have been making the news, and being in their mid 30’s obviously did not affect Rafa and Nole.

Pretty sure the Aussie man will be fined at the end of the day just for being ‘HIM’ during the trophy presertnation, the day that he finally grows up will be the day that he will unveil his full potential.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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Hoping that younger players are at least making these older players work hard, even if they do win more titles.

Their bodies will break down eventually, like Federer and now Nadal has.

In the women's side, looks like Serena is probably not going to be able to sustain dominance so plenty of opportunity for the younger players.

Glad to see it though I don't think any young player has emerged yet who could threaten Serena's run of majors.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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Seems incredible that three of the four 2022 grand slam events have been played and Nadal and Djokovic are still ruling the roost. Medvedev does seem to be a real challenge on hard courts and I think he's got a champion's mentality so it'll be interesting to see if he and Alcaraz can take it to these guys in the US Open. Kygrios is an amazing talent but Djokovic started making a lot of returns off big serves and was the better of the two in the baseline rallies by the end. Hopefully, Kygrios will build on this and realise his full potential.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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Why didn't Medvedev play, because of sanctions vs. Russians?

That Russian girl who played for Khazakstan avoided sanctions that way?


In the NHL, the Washington Capitals drafted a Russian player and it was suggested that he should have been drafted much higher but wasn't because of concerns that he wouldn't be able to come to the NHL right away. But they said the Capitals probably had some connections, like maybe Ovechkin got Putin to allow the player to come early because they had some personal relationship.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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wco81 wrote:
Mon Jul 11, 2022 12:10 pm
Why didn't Medvedev play, because of sanctions vs. Russians?

That Russian girl who played for Khazakstan avoided sanctions that way?


In the NHL, the Washington Capitals drafted a Russian player and it was suggested that he should have been drafted much higher but wasn't because of concerns that he wouldn't be able to come to the NHL right away. But they said the Capitals probably had some connections, like maybe Ovechkin got Putin to allow the player to come early because they had some personal relationship.
First of all, Politics and Sports should never be mixed. Period. While Rybakina was born in Russia, about 5 years ago she went to her adopted new country because of lack of funds from the Russian tennis federation. It was a trend then, where many Russsian players moved to Kazakhstan where they were promised of a better future. It wasn’t as she knew her native country would invade Ukraine in 2022.

While I don’t agree that Medvedev should have been banned for political reasons, it’s the same way I think Djoko should be allowed to move on in NY despite my disagreements on how to deal with Covid with the Serbian.

Where are the younger players you asked? Well, Medvedev is at his peak now, so is Zverev, so is Tsitsipas, so is Kyrgios. Just looking around the corner are Sinner, Carlitos and the Canadian kids.

What have they won as a group together? Just the Russian winning the US Open last year.

But if you ask me honestly, they all still fall short of the awesome three and while their health permits, they’ll still make news for a few years yet.

And yeah, Ovie and Putin are buddies.
Last edited by 10spro on Thu Sep 08, 2022 3:39 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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Looking forward to the US Open. Serena's last??? And I'm by no means anti-vax, far from it, but it seems strange that Djokovic was allowed to play last year but can't participate this year. The battle for the GOAT on the mens' side has become a bit adulterated. Doesn't really bother me because I know I'm going to see great tennis regardless, but it was a good selling point for the sport of tennis.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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Well, the kids around the corner that I was mentioning a couple of posts above, have definitely arrived. And what better venue that at the A. Ashe stadium with a full stadium. What a show Sinner and Carlitos have put on Wednesday night. Over 5 hours of punishing tennis, these guys were just hammering the ball at each other and just when the young Italian seemed to have the Spaniard on the ropes, Alcaraz had an acrobatic answer out of nowhere.

Ruud looks solid to win it all in my opinion, he’s so solid not as flashy as these two studs but the Norwegian is as cool as ice.

With Novak forced out, Diafoe upsetting Nadal, and beating Medvedev earlier I thought Kyrgios had a great chance to win his first GS before succumbing to Kachanov in 5 tough sets the other night. He’s so close, if only he could control his temper and childish demeanor.

We’ll see how much Alcaraz has left in the tank after that awesome exhibition, he’s had a great year so far and has a great future ahead.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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That was an amazing match between Sinner and Alcaraz. Maybe the hardest-hitting exchanges off the ground ever in a tennis match (probably no stat for that). Tiafoe has been playing incredible tennis. Nobody really getting near him. Thought Rafa might when he was a break up in the third but Francis just went into overdrive after that. Huge serving, big, early hitting of the ground and great touch on the volleys. Surprised at both results in the top half. Will disagree with you 10s, just for the fun of it. Think Khachanov will have too much power for Casper, but then again, I thought Berrettini would too. I'm guessing Alcaraz will recover pretty well for the match against Tiafoe, though he's played 5 sets against Cilic and Sinner now. Think the winner of that will take it all.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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Let's Go Tiafoe!!!

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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Wow Alcaraz is aggressive.

Some unforced errors and double faults led to losing the first set tiebreak.

But he's definitely a shotmaker, goes for it almost every time.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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Brilliant shotmaking by both Frances and Carlitos. Fantastic match, both tiebreakers were electrifying, and I mean these two guys were drilling the ball too, just ‘Rock N roll tennis” as my hitting partner and I like say and drill each other.

The key for Diafoe now is to learn from this US Open and take it to the next level. He’s still young and the mental part is perhaps the toughest test now for him moving onwards.

What can I say about Alcaraz? This dude has all the shots, is fearless, quick on the feet doesn’t rely so match on topspin as his hero Rafa does and just never gives up. Perfect height and body physics for tennis, he’ll be here to stay for a long time. He’s so composed for his age compared to Kyrgios.

The other semis was great to see too, the 55 point rally where Ruud took the first set was incredible, considering what was at stake at that particular point. I still think Ruud has everything to win his first GS tournament but I would not count off Alcaraz by any means. He’s played a lot of tennis this year, not to mention really tough 5 setters in his last 3 matches.

He’s only 19, is exciting to watch, should be a fantastic finals.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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10spro wrote:
Sat Sep 10, 2022 12:08 am
Brilliant shotmaking by both Frances and Carlitos. Fantastic match, both tiebreakers were electrifying, and I mean these two guys were drilling the ball too, just ‘Rock N roll tennis” as my hitting partner and I like say and drill each other.

The key for Diafoe now is to learn from this US Open and take it to the next level. He’s still young and the mental part is perhaps the toughest test now for him moving onwards.

What can I say about Alcaraz? This dude has all the shots, is fearless, quick on the feet doesn’t rely so match on topspin as his hero Rafa does and just never gives up. Perfect height and body physics for tennis, he’ll be here to stay for a long time. He’s so composed for his age compared to Kyrgios.

The other semis was great to see too, the 55 point rally where Ruud took the first set was incredible, considering what was at stake at that particular point. I still think Ruud has everything to win his first GS tournament but I would not count off Alcaraz by any means. He’s played a lot of tennis this year, not to mention really tough 5 setters in his last 3 matches.

He’s only 19, is exciting to watch, should be a fantastic finals.
Great match!!!

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by wco81 »

Can't imagine Alcaraz being able to move a well as he ages. So he will have to work to be in optimal shape.

And improve on unforced errors so that he doesn't have longer matches than necessary.

Nadal at the beginning of his career was known for muscles, but his physical play style has taken a toll, though of course he's still very competitive late in his career.

Alcaraz may or may not want as long a career as his idol though if he wins the Final tomorrow, he may be a threat to the all-time record.


I just listened to an interview with McEnroe, who said he was friendly with Borg and pointed out that Borg walked away at age 25. That seems incomprehensible now but by that age, I guess Borg had already seen his peak and there were competitors coming up.

The other thing that's interesting, before Nadal, Spanish tennis players were mostly "clay court specialists" meaning they weren't as competitive on grass or hardcourt.

There have been other hard-hitting Spaniards since Nadal but Alcaraz may be the first one since who has a chance to make a serious run at GS records.

That's if he has the determination and dedication to go for the long game.

There have certainly been other tennis prodigies coming up with all kinds of potential and they got distracted by other things -- someone like Marat Safin.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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That 55-stroke rally was amazing 10s, considering that they were both being very offensive. Good call on Ruud too. He was very impressive. Regularly knocking down first serves at 128 mph. Didn't realise he could serve that big and he volleyed a lot better than I would have expected too. Seems very cool under pressure, reminiscent of fellow Scandanavians, Wilander and Borg. Definitely got a chance but I have to go with Alcaraz (kiss of death???). His movement is amazing. That point where he came forward to chase down a drop shot, Tiafoe put the volley past him and he caught up with it to play a passing shot was unreal. Even Francis said in the press conference that he had never seen anybody that quick round the court. As wco suggests, it does look as though that body is going to suffer a bit of wear and tear in the coming years. How many pairs of shoes does he go through a match? And tennis shoes are probably the most robust sneakers out there. Tiafoe could've done with serving a bit better I thought. Haven't seen the stats but he didn't seem to do anywhere near as much damage with the serve as against Rafa and Rublev. Be interesting to see if Alcaraz recovers well from three consecutive five setters. He seems to be just an amazing athlete.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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Rhymes, as ridiculous as it may sound that 55 points rally pales in comparison to the all time record of 86 shots exchanged between my childhood idols Borg-Vilas at the French Open finals in 78. Joking aside again for what it was at stake at that particular point, the quality and intensity of the rally, was great to watch.

Should Alcaraz win, he becomes the next #1 in the world and I am not one bit worried about how his body will wear down over the years. He’s only 19 and he’ll even get stronger, and his shots will have more power as well.

Non believers said the thing about Rafa when he won his 5th Roland Garros, that his body wouldn’t last past the age of 30. Yet under his belt he’s got the most GS in the history of tennis.

Carlitos is a just great athlete all around, his foot speed may slow down in his late 20’s but I am not concerned about his strength.

It’s a toss up really in the end. Ruud got more experience, is very solid all around, and if the Spaniard recovers well tomorrow, this could be another great 5 setter.

That rally you mention when they were drop shoting each other was amazing! Perhaps the rally of the tournament in terms of excitement, but then again he got some great rallies in the match up vs Sinner too.

Best Highlights of the match.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_joWwAlVR4

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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I remember some of those French Open rallies from back in the day too 10s, when clay and grass were so different, it was unthinkable that anybody could be equally good on both surfaces. Borg was incredible in that respect.

When I saw the Ruud vs Khachanov rally, it brought to mind this one from the Aussie Open a few years back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLDm254jtZA

Two French counter punchers who probably knew each other so well that every shot was predictable. Nowhere near as aggressive as what Ruud and Khachanov were producing but great ball-striking nonetheless.

Agreed about Alcaraz. The nature of modern tennis means more injuries for players in general I guess, but I think the guy has a privileged physique and that he's going to be an enduring star of the game. Let's hope so because he seems to be a very special tennis player, even by the standards of the greats we've witnessed over the last 20 years or so.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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Ole, Ole, Carlos, Carlos…The King is dead, “Long Live the King”. With the possibility of Rafa retiring next season the tennis world just welcomed the new hot shot from Spain in Carlitos Alcaraz. This kid has all the tools and mental strength to be a champion for long time. Humble to a fault, mentally strong, doesn’t blame his box when things go sour and just keeps grinding it out with a combination of power and flexibility that maybe expected from a young athlete.

The youngest #1 player in the world in fact, that erased my doubts whether he would be fit enough to withstand another 5 setter if needed after his last 3 tough matches that went the distance, by saying “When you reach the finals of a GS, you cannot afford to be tired”.

Not the electrifying match that we saw in the semis with Diafoe, but it definitely had its moments and shot making by both players.

Kudos to both for remembering 9/11 in their speeches, two classy guys that will be in the top ten for awhile IMO.

If there’s a something that Alcaraz can improve, is that at times he goes too much for a kill on his forehand crosscourt shots, his backhand is beautifully disguised that the opponent can’t read the trajectory of it and with his power, is easily his best shot yet.

He also served beautifully in the finals and Ruud as solid as he is, just did not have an answer for his power.

Alcaraz will win many more GS, would love to see him playing Novak soon and Rafa for that matter, he’s well mature beyond his young years and a fantastic future ahead.

When I mentioned of his great potential last year, I never would have guessed that he would be #1 this early.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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I know what you're saying about Alcaraz going for too much on the forehand sometimes 10s but I also think that it might be risky to try to curb those instincts and tell him to go for less.

Amazing victory, given that he played three consecutive five setters and saved a match point in the quarters against Sinner in the match of the tournament for me. Could be the rivalry of the next decade or so between these two.

Things might have been different if Carlos hadn't saved two set points brilliantly in the third yesterday at a time when Ruud was looking the stronger of the two. And his best serving of what I saw in the tournament came in that final set, which is amazing really.

This is still my favorite point of the many I saw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WlO1URRkMs

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by wco81 »

Wrote up this post before the Final.

Does he hit the ball harder than when Djoko or Federer or Nadal first appeared?

Or for that matter Sampras?

He might but it just seems by the eye test that he hits a greater number of unforced errors than the other prodigies at his age.

So one sign of improvement would be that he no longer gets into these 5-set matches because he's not giving away points and games as much.

It's not unusual to win majors at a precocious age. In fact it seems many tennis players peak by their mid 20s. To go well into their 30s and compete at the highest levels may be more unusual in the history of tennis.

Boris Becker won Wimbledon at the age of 17 and repeated as champion at age 18 in straight sets over Lendl. He won 6 majors in his 15-year career but 5 of the 6 wind came by the time he was age 23-24.

So he peaked quickly and petered out, did win his last major, the Australian Open, when he was 28-29.

Now in his teens to mid '20s, he was relying just on youth and natural ability? Or did he try to train for the long haul? Once he became a global star, there were probably a lot of distractions in front of him and he may not have been as hungry about setting career records.

It may also have been that they didn't rigorously train year round like they do now, probably things like strength training, endurance, controlled diet, etc.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by rhymes450 »

Interesting questions wco.

I think in terms of combined forehand/backhand power, Alcaraz is hitting bigger off the ground than those guys did. After last year's US Open match, Tsitsipas commented that nobody had ever hit the ball harder against him. His serve is more vulnerable than theirs, but he did serve great at the end of the final so the potential is there.

In terms of winners/unforced error ratios, I think he's much more comparable to Federer than Nadal or Djokovic. When he sees openings, he pulls the trigger, especially in faster conditions like Flushing Meadows.

With Juan Carlos Ferrero (who made about 2 unforced errors in his entire career :) ) advising him, he might dial things in a bit over time, but I don't think they'll try to tinker too much with his offensive mentality.

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