Kremlin Cup Open Thread

Reuters

Lucie Safarova of Czech Republic returns the ball to Jelena Jankovic of Serbia during their Kremlin Cup tennis match at Olympic stadium in Moscow October 22, 2009.

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Singles - Second Round
(Q) Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) d. (1) Vera Zvonareva (RUS) 60 62
(2) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. Lucie Safarova (CZE) 76(5) 63
(8) Francesca Schiavone (ITA) d. Monica Niculescu (ROU) 62 75
Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) d. (Q) Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) 61 62
Vera Dushevina (RUS) d. Agnes Szavay (HUN) 36 64 63
Maria Kirilenko (RUS) d. Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) 64 63

Doubles - Quarterfinals
A.Bondarenko/Voskoboeva (UKR/KAZ) d. (2) Kleybanova/Makarova (RUS/RUS) 36 62 10-6
(3) Kirilenko/Petrova (RUS/RUS) d. Ar. Rodionova/Savchuk (RUS/UKR) 16 75 119

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Singles - Second Round
[6] J Tipsarevic (SRB) d C Rochus (BEL) 64 21 ret. (illness)
R Ginepri (USA) d M Granollers (ESP) 76(5) 60
[Q] M Kukushkin (KAZ) d W Odesnik (USA) 63 64
[Q] I Marchenko (UKR) d A Golubev (KAZ) 61 16 64
E Korolev (RUS) d M Safin (RUS) 64 76(4)

Doubles - Quarterfinals
[1] F Cermak (CZE) / M Mertinak (SVK) d I Andreev (RUS) / D Koellerer (AUT) 60 63
[3] P Cuevas (URU) / M Granollers (ESP) d K Beck (SVK) / F Polasek (SVK) 64 62

Reuters

Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland returns the ball to Maria Kirilenko of Russia during their Kremlin Cup tennis match at the Olympic stadium in Moscow October 21, 2009.

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Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Singles - Second Round
Alona Bondarenko (UKR) d. (5) Nadia Petrova (RUS) 76(3) 63
Olga Govortsova (BLR) d. María José Martínez Sánchez (ESP) 61 64

Singles - First Round
Maria Kirilenko (RUS) d. (3) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) 63 63
Agnes Szavay (HUN) d. (4) Flavia Pennetta (ITA) 46 30 ret. (left knee injury)
(Q) Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) d. (6) Elena Vesnina (RUS) 61 36 62
(8) Francesca Schiavone (ITA) d. (Q) Nuria Llagostera Vives (ESP) 67(2) 64 63

Doubles - Quarterfinals
Kondratieva/Zakopalova (RUS/CZE) d. (1) Llagostera Vives/Martínez Sánchez (ESP/ESP) w/o (Llagostera Vives: right shoulder injury)
(4) Amanmuradova/Niculescu (UZB/ROU) d. Koryttseva/Poutchek (UKR/BLR) 60 76(4)

Doubles - First Round
(2) Kleybanova/Makarova (RUS/RUS) d. Senoglu/Shvedova (TUR/KAZ) 64 64
Kondratieva/Zakopalova (RUS/CZE) d. Diatchenko/Dzehalevich (RUS/BLR) 64 46 11-9

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Singles - Second Round
[3] M Youzhny (RUS) d P Starace (ITA) 61 61
[5] P Cuevas (URU) d T Gabashvili (RUS) 36 61 64
[Q] S Stakhovsky (UKR) d [7] F Santoro (FRA) 75 61

Singles - First Round
M Safin (RUS) d [1] N Davydenko (RUS) 46 64 62
E Korolev (RUS) d I Kunitsyn (RUS) 76(6) 63
[Q] I Marchenko (UKR) d D Istomin (UZB) 16 64 41 ret. (throat infection)

Doubles - Quarterfinals
[2] E Butorac (USA) / R Ram (USA) d M Vassallo Arguello (ARG) / H Zeballos (ARG) 64 75

Doubles - First Round
[3] P Cuevas (URU) / M Granollers (ESP) d L Friedl (CZE) / J Levinsky (CZE) 63 36 10-6
I Andreev (RUS) / D Koellerer (AUT) d [WC] T Gabashvili (RUS) / A Manegin (RUS) 46 62 10-3
R Bopanna (IND) / J Tipsarevic (SRB) d J Cerretani (USA) / V Hanescu (ROU) 76(2) 62
K Beck (SVK) / F Polasek (SVK) d S Lipsky (USA) / R Wassen (NED) 16 64 10-6

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AP

Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan, returns a shot to Jelena Jankovic of Serbia during the Kremlin Cup tennis tournament in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009.

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Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Singles - First Round
(1) Vera Zvonareva (RUS) d. Ioana Raluca Olaru (ROU) 62 62
(2) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) 64 57 61
Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) d. Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) 61 62
Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) d. Sara Errani (ITA) 61 ret. (right shoulder injury)
Vera Dushevina (RUS) d. (Q) Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ) 36 62 61
Monica Niculescu (ROU) d. Sorana Cirstea (ROU) 30 ret. (right foot injury)
(Q) Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) d. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) 63 26 64

Doubles - First Round
(1) Llagostera Vives/Martínez Sánchez (ESP/ESP) d. Govortsova/Kudryavtseva (BLR/RUS) 16 64 108
(3) Kirilenko/Petrova (RUS/RUS) d. Dushevina/An.Rodionova (RUS/RUS) 61 64
Ar.Rodionova/Savchuk (RUS/UKR) d. Safarova/Szavay (CZE/HUN) 62 36 1210
A.Bondarenko/Voskoboeva (UKR/KAZ) d. (WC) Chakvetadze/Pavlyuchenkova (RUS/RUS) 63 62

Singles - First Round
W Odesnik (USA) d [2] V Hanescu (ROU) 57 75 64 - saved 1 M.P.
R Ginepri (USA) d [4] I Andreev (RUS) 63 67(9) 76(1)
[6] J Tipsarevic (SRB) d D Koellerer (AUT) 64 63
[7] F Santoro (FRA) d [WC] A Kuznetsov (RUS) 46 62 62
A Golubev (KAZ) d [8] M Vassallo Arguello (ARG) 75 63
[Q] S Stakhovsky (UKR) d [WC] M Biryukov (RUS) 60 62
[Q] M Kukushkin (KAZ) d F Fognini (ITA) 64 57 64
C Rochus (BEL) d M Gicquel (FRA) 75 ret. (sore throat)
M Granollers (ESP) d [Q] N Kiefer (GER) 64 10 ret. (lower back pain)

Doubles - First Round
[1] F Cermak (CZE) / M Mertinak (SVK) d F Santoro (FRA) / M Youzhny (RUS) 76(6) 75
[2] E Butorac (USA) / R Ram (USA) d I Kunitsyn (RUS) / M Safin (RUS) 62 64

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Reuters

Anna Chakvetadze of Russia hits a return to Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine during their Kremlin Cup match at Olympic stadium in Moscow October 19, 2009.

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MONDAY, 19 OCTOBER, 2009

Singles - First Round
(5) Nadia Petrova (RUS) d. (WC) Yana Buchina (RUS) 62 60
María José Martínez Sánchez (ESP) d. (7) Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)
62 62
Alona Bondarenko (UKR) d. Anna Chakvetadze (RUS) 64 63
Lucie Safarova (CZE) d. Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 62 62
Olga Govortsova (BLR) d. (WC) Ksenia Pervak (RUS) 63 46 60

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Singles - First Round
[3] M Youzhny (RUS) d H Zeballos (ARG) 61 76(5)
[5] P Cuevas (URU) d Y Lu (TPE) 64 62
P Starace (ITA) d [WC] E Donskoy (RUS) 63 63
T Gabashvili (RUS) d K Beck (SVK) 36 64 64

Doubles - First Round
A Golubev (KAZ) / E Korolev (RUS) d [4] R Hutchins (GBR) / H Tecau (ROU) 76(4) 26 10-8
M Vassallo Arguello (ARG) / H Zeballos (ARG) d [WC] I Belyaev (RUS) / P Davydenko (RUS) 61 63

US OPEN 2008: Women's Top 10 Preview

By Mad Professah

You've probaby already read Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim's predictions for the 2008 US Open that starts today but here are my predictions for the Top 10 seeds results in the next two weeks:

1. Ana Ivanovic, Serbia. The past, current and future World #1 has not made it past the fourth round at the glitziest Slam in three previous attempts. In order to do equal her previous major performances this year she will have to get past the hottest player on the tour, Dinara Safina, (who Ivanovic defeated to win her first major title in Paris earlier this summer) as well as either Nathalie Dechy, Flavia Penetta or Nadia Petrova in the early rounds. However, I think that the Serbian's performance in New York will be closer to her London form than her Paris form. Fourth Round.
2. Jelena Jankovic, Serbia. The best player in the Top 10 never to have reached a Slam final had her major breakthrough in New York a mere two years ago by reaching the 2006 semis but despite having achieved numerical superiority over the rest of the field Jankovic still has not been able to get deeper in a major tournament than that. She has a pretty good draw this year, but Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka, Marion Bartoli and Vera Zvonareva will all be competing for that semifinal slot. I think Jankovic will make it that far, but not any further. Semifinalist.
3. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia. The 2004 Champion clearly has the game to win the title again but does she have the head (and the heart)? Sveta could make it to the semifinal against Jankovic or lose to a qualifier in the first round. I'll split the difference: Third Round.
4. Serena Williams, United States. The 8-time Grand Slam champion looked great in London until she lost to her big sister in the Wimbledon final and not so great in the hard court season or in Beijing. In New York the draw unfortunately has Serena in a quarterfinal match-up with Venus. Somehow I doubt that this clash will actually occur, I think that one of them will fail to make the fifth round. I'm just not sure which one it will be. Serena won this title in 1999 and 2002 and Venus won it 2000 and 2001 following Wimbledon wins in those years. I do think that Venus win makes Serena hungrier for another major title--but 2008 will not be that year. Fourth Round.
5. Elena Dementieva, Russia. Oh, Elena! The Beijing Gold Medalist has always done well on hard courts and in New York especially. This year she has a particularly friendly draw and should make it all the way to the final if she is able to make it past fellow Russians Anna Chakvetadze and Svetlana Kuznetsova, possibly the only other Russians who are more mentally fragile than she is. Finalist.
6. Dinara Safina, Russia. The hottest player on the tour somehow was unable to win the Gold Medal match against Dementieva due to a sudden return of pre-2008 form (14 double faults?!) but it is doubtful a similar lapse will happen at a major that the Safin family has previously won. In order to do so, Safina will have to go through the World #1 who beat her in Paris as well as a Williams sister--and that's just to get to a final against the person who denied her the Gold Medal. Champion.
7. Venus Williams, United States. The reigning Wimbledon champion reached the semifinals last year and then wilted against the eventual champion Justine Henin. This year she she finally defeated her sister at Wimbledon to win the title and I believe that she will get further in the tournament than her younger sister, although probably not any further than last year. Semifinalist.
8. Vera Zvonareva, Russia. Zvonareva has been playing well this year, winning a title. She's in Jankovic's quarter but I doubt she will make it past Bartoli, Lindsay Davenport or Jankovic herself. Fourth Round.
9. Agnieszka Radwanska, Poland. Last year Aggie Radwanska surprised some by taking out the defending Champion Maria Sharapova in the third round. This year she is firmly ensconced in the Top 10 but unforunately she is likely to face Venus Williams in the fourth round. It's possible that Aggie might make it two consecutive US Opens with huge upsets, but I doubt it. Fourth Round.
10. Anna Chakvetadze, Russia. Last year Chakvetadze broke through to her first major semifinal and then played one of the most hideous matches of the year against Svetlana Kuznetsova for the right to lose the US Open final to Henin. After being horribly victimized by criminals in the 2007 off-season she has not been the same player since, but hopefully she will be able to regain some of her confidence by again playing well in New York. However, it is likely her tournament will be ended by another Russian, this time Dementieva on her way to the final weekend. Fourth Round.

Of course I'm going out on a limb by not accounting for any really early round losses by a Top 10 player. Hope springs eternal. Who do you think will flame out early?

ROLAND GARROS 2008: Women's Top Seeds Preview

BY Mad Professah

[1] Maria Sharapova RUS (1). Maria Sharapova became the top ranked player in the world by virtue of the shocking (some would say suspicious) retirement of defending French Open champion Justine Henin on May 14th. However, Sharapova is unlikely to complete her career Grand Slam with the 2008 Roland Garros title. In her half of the draw she could face Dinara Safina in the 4th round, followed by Elena Dementieva and Svetlana Kuznetsova in consecutive rounds. This is a gauntlet of Russians she is unlikely to survive despite winning the first Grand Slam title of 2008.
Prediction: 4th Round.

[2] Ana Ivanovic SRB (2). Last year's French Open finalist was also in the 2008 Australian Open final, and on both occasions she was overwhelmed by the circumstances and failed to show her all-court powerful game, anchored by her deadly forehand and superior defensive skills. Unfortunately for her, she is in Serena Williams quarter of the draw in 2008. Serena won her first title on clay since her 2002 Roland Garros title, which I see as an indicator of Serena's intentions to go further in the 2008 draw than her 2007 quarterfinal loss against Henin. regardless of who her opponent is.
Prediction: Quarterfinalist.

[3] Jelena Jankovic SRB (3). Justine Henin had won the French Open in 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007. With Henin's retirement, the person who the tennis world has focussed on to win the Roland Garros title is the older of the "Serbian sisters," Jelena Jankovic. She is in Venus Williams quarter of the draw, but I don't expect that to prevent Jankovic from advancing to the semi-final, although I do expect a fantastic match.
Prediction: At least Semifinalist.

[4] Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS (4). Kuznetsova made it to the final in 2006 and will most likely be facing Maria Sharapova after the top seed has been battered by extensive combat with other fellow Russians. The matches between fellow Russians are often difficult-to-watch affairs. A case in point is the 2007 US Open semifinal between Kuznetsova and Anna Chakvetadze, which is likely to be reprised in the 2008 Roland Garros quarterfinals, with the result of Kuznetsova prevailing being the same.
Prediction: Semifinalist or Finalist.

[5] Serena Williams USA (5). Serena withdrew from the Italian Open quarterfinal in Rome with a back injury two weeks ago but if she is at 100% in Paris she will clearly be a threat to be one of the final four players in the tournament, and a good bet to win the whole thing. With the absence of Henin, the result will be completely up to Serena.
Prediction. Semifinalist or Champion.

[6] Anna Chakvetadze RUS (6). Although I am a fan of the diminutive Russian, she has not been the same player in 2008 after her horrific experience with a home invasion robbery during the 2007 off-season. I do expect she will begin her return to form with a quarterfinal berth (and loss) to fellow Russian Kuznetsova. How she acquits herself there will be key to the rest of her year.
Prediction: Quarterfinalist.

[7] Elena Dementieva RUS (7). The beautiful Russian with the ugly serve and the powerful groundstrokes won the Dubai tournament over Kuznetsova earlier this year and has returned to the Top 10 after a disappointing few years. Dementieva has made it to the French Open final before (2004) and can beat any of her fellow Russians, if she's playing well.
Prediction: At least Quarterfinalist.

[8] Venus Williams USA (8). After taking a mysterious hiatus from tennis due to an undisclosed illness the 6-time Grand Slam champion returned to competitive play to lose a hard-fought quarter-final in Berlin against Jankovic. It is likely there will be a reprise of that matchup at the 2008 Roland Garros quarter-finals. It is possible but unlikely the result will be different.Prediction: Quarterfinalist or earlier.

[9] Marion Bartoli FRA (9). The surprise finalist at the 2007 Wimbledon championships has managed to maintain her spot in the Top 10 for the last year but has not managed to get close to winning a tour title. It's possible (but unlikely) that Bartoli will get a chance for revenge against Venus Williams in the 4th round, this time on the red clay of Frenchwoman's national championships. The result will be the same.
Prediction: 4th Round or earlier.

[10] Patty Schnyder SUI (11). The tenth ranked player in the world is Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia but she withdrew from the tournament due to injury. The wily left-handed Swiss Patty Schnyder was moved up from World #11 to be the tenth seed at Roland Garros. She is in Serena's quarter of the draw, with a lively likely 4th round showdown (against a player which has beaten her on clay twice before) which will be a good measure of how far Serena's determination will take her this year.
Prediction. 4th Round.

Perfect Record

Anna Chakvetadze has never lost a Sony Ericsson WTA tour final. Today, she dismissed Agnes Szavay 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 to win the Open Gaz de France, commonly called the Paris Indoors.

Seven championships. Seven trophies. I wonder where she will rank this trophy, the actual tangible thing you see her holding in her hands above. What is that thing anyway?

In the Pattaya Women's Open championship, Agnieszka Radwanska beat American Jill Craybas 6-2, 1-6, 7-6(4).

For a summary of the Davis Cup, read Savannah. I may have something to say about what I saw today in my next Tuesday Tirade. We'll see.

Davis Cup Scoreboard

RUSSIA defeats SERBIA 3-2
Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) d Nenad Zimonjic (SRB) 26 63 62 64
Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) d Viktor Troicki (SRB) 61 16 63 16 62
Novak Djokovic/Nenad Zimonjic (SRB) d Mikhail Youzhny/Dmitry Tursunov (RUS) 63 76(6) 76(5)
Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) d Novak Djokovic (SRB) 46 36 64 ret. (illness)
Viktor Troicki (SRB) d Dmitry Tursunov (RUS) 76(7) 46 63

CZECH REPUBLIC defeats BELGIUM 3-2
Tomas Berdych (CZE) d Kristof Vliegen (BEL) 63 61 64
Radek Stepanek (CZE) d Steve Darcis (BEL) 64 76(4) 76(5)
Tomas Berdych/Radek Stepanek (CZE) d Kristof Vliegen/Olivier Rochus (BEL) 67(2) 76(6) 75 57 64
Steve Darcis (BEL) d Lukas Dlouhy (CZE) 76(1) 64
Ruben Bemelmans (BEL) d Pavel Vizner (CZE) 67(4) 75 22 ret.

ARGENTINA defeats GREAT BRITAIN 4-1
David Nalbandian (ARG) d Jamie Baker (GBR) 61 63 63
Agustin Calleri (ARG) d Alex Bogdanovic (GBR) 63 61 61
Jose Acasuso/David Nalbandian (ARG) d Ross Hutchins/Jamie Murray (GBR) 62 76(11) 60
Jose Acasuso (ARG) v Alex Bogdanovic (GBR) 75 75
Jamie Baker (GBR) d Agustin Calleri (ARG) 76(4) 64

SWEDEN defeats ISRAEL 3-2
Dudi Sela (ISR) d Jonas Bjorkman (SWE) 76(8) 63 61
Thomas Johansson (SWE) d Harel Levy (ISR) 61 61 63
Jonathan Erlich/Andy Ram (ISR) d Simon Aspelin/Robert Lindstedt (SWE) 63 76(3) 75
Thomas Johansson (SWE) d Dudi Sela (ISR) 76(6) 61 75
Jonas Bjorkman (SWE) d Harel Levy (ISR) 06 64 63 76(6)

GERMANY defeats KOREA 3-2
Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) d Jae-Sung An (KOR) 62 62 62
Hyung-Taik Lee (KOR) d Florian Mayer (GER) 75 63 16 76(7) 63
Philipp Kohlschreiber/Philipp Petzschner (GER) d Woong-Sun Jun/Jae-Sung An (KOR) 61 63 63
Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) d Hyung-Taik Lee (KOR) 60 46 61 76(1)
Woong-Sun Jun (KOR) d Michael Berrer (GER) 61 36 64

SPAIN defeats PERU 5-0
Nicolas Almagro (ESP) d Matias Silva (PER) 63 75 60
Tommy Robredo (ESP) d Ivan Miranda (PER) 62 63 63
Feliciano Lopez/Fernando Verdasco (ESP) d Luis Horna/Ivan Miranda (PER) 63 64 76(4)
Tommy Robredo (ESP) d Mauricio Echazu (PER) 64 61
Nicolas Almagro (ESP) d Ivan Miranda (PER) 62 63

FRANCE defeats ROMANIA 5-0
Richard Gasquet (FRA) d Victor Hanescu (ROM) 76(5) 64 75
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) d Andrei Pavel (ROM) 67(2) 64 64 64
Arnaud Clement/Michael Llodra (FRA) d Florin Mergea/Horia Tecau (ROM) 63 64 67(6) 36 62 Michael Llodra (FRA) d Andrei Pavel (ROM) 76(5) 76(7)
Arnaud Clement (FRA) d Horia Tecau (ROM) 76(3) 26 64

UNITED STATES defeats AUSTRIA 4-1
Andy Roddick (USA) d Jurgen Melzer (AUT) 64 46 63 67(4) 63
James Blake (USA) d Stefan Koubek (AUT) 57 75 62 62
Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan (USA) d Julian Knowle/Jurgen Melzer (AUT) 61 64 62
Stefan Koubek (AUT) v Mike Bryan (USA) 75 10 ret.
Bob Bryan (USA) d Werner Eschauer (AUT) 60 36 76(3)

American Hero

(AP Photo)

I apologize for being a day late and a dollar short. But you can blame the rain in southern California for delaying the second day of Fed Cup action between USA and Germany until yesterday. By the time the matches ended, I had to be en route to Boston, where I now sit and throw together this scattered post.

Here's to Ashley Harkleroad, who came into her own once more and led the USA to a 4-1 victory in her Fed Cup debut. I said all I can say about her game and poise and composure in my last post, and it was nice to see her fight through her nerves and close out the tie on serve on her first attempt. Especially against the hot-ticket-of-the-moment in Sabine Lisicki.

For a woman so young, she is a tennis veteran of sorts. What with a marriage a divorce a broken engagement (I'm typing from memory here so if I'm wrong about these personal matters, someone correct me), a retirement from tennis because she couldn't handle the pressure of being America's Next Big Thing on women's side, and her comeback to the tour through challengers as the game seemed to have passed her by and we've got a gritty fighter who showed all that and more in for her team and her country.

Lindsay Davenport bounced back, as expected, and put a 46-minute beatdown on Julia Georges, a last minute substitution of Tatjana Malek who showed she could not handle the stress of Fed Cup. After the final singles rubber, Lindsay and veteran Lisa Raymond but on a brief doubles clinic against Anna-Lena Groenefeld (what the hell ever happened to her?) and Goerges, losing just two game.


(AFP/Getty Images)

Next up for the USA is a trip to Moscow to face Russia who overcame all of Israel in a 4-1 victory.

I watched the reverse singles of the Russia-Isreal tie and the Israeli crowd was back in full force trying to do whatever it could to get their players a victory. But Maria Sharapova and Anna Chakvetadze were having none of it.

For her part, AnnaC went practically bonkers out there. But that was her way of telling the crowd to go screw itself.

Vlad corrected my match facts. I hate when I get a fact from a match wrong, because there's really no excuse for that, but I stand by everything else I wrote. In particular, I've seen worse from crowds. That is my perception. I said I wouldn't go there, but I've changed my mind. Consider this a Tuesday Tirade if you must (you hear me, helen w?).

Agree or not, but I consider it worse when your home fans turn on you, boo you, and shout racist slurs at you in the finals of a Tier 1 event virtually in your own backyard as they did against Serena Williams at Indian Wells in 2001. I consider it worse when the French fans act like a lynch mob simply because you are trying to defend your title by beating a desperate and cheating woman in the 2003 Roland Garros semifinal. And lest you think I feel this way only because I'm a fan of Serena, I will point out that the Madrid fans were worse to Tomas Berdych, whom I no fan of, simply because he was beating homeboy Rafael Nadal at the Madrid Masters in 2006. Tomas had to serve through jeers and hit his groundstrokes through boos. And this was before his infamous finger shush to the crowd after the match, much like the one Sharapova gestured to the Israeli crowd after the first day of the tie in question. Tomas was chastised by fans; Maria, applauded. And who can forget the way the Flushing Meadows fans booed and hissed at a cramping Marcos Baghdatis in the the second round on the 2007 US Open simply because it was Andre Agassi's last Slam event? There's more, but I'll stop. You get my point.

None of the events above were venues where any such fan behavior was expected (well...) or ought to have been tolerated. Davis Cup and Fed Cup remain the only tennis competitions where such roudy and rude fan behavior is part of the attraction of the event. All players know what they're getting into. Know that they have to beat their opponents and the fans. No player expects to be coddled by the opposing team's fans because of what he or she might have gone through off the court during the off-season. This references a fan who suggested the crowd should be ashamed of itself if it knew that AnnaC's family home had been robbed at gunpoint in December. But AnnaC didn't back down from her attackers then. With her life on the line. That experience, which she emerged from physically unscathed, makes what she had to deal with on a tennis court a stroll in the park. Take a look:



Ultimately, how a visiting team deals with hostility can ultimately decide the outcome of a tie. Maria and AnnaC were defiant and antagonistic and it worked for them. Both admitted that the atmosphere motivated them even more to win their matches. Weaker-minded players may have cowered. But not these women. Oh, no. They held their ground, stood strong, and prevailed anyway.

So who, exactly, was harmed by the crowd's behavior?

And lest we also forget, the officials in Davis Cup and Fed Cup have the discretion to give the visiting team points or even games if the crowd's behavior crosses whatever line it needs to cross for the point and game penalties to be given. How often did they use that discretion during this tie?

Mob behavior is just that. If the tie officials don't do their jobs, well, then....

Day 6: Dog Fight

ESPN's Darren Cahill calls him a bull terrier. He'll grab hold of your leg and never let it go. Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic took hold of two-time defending champion Roger Federer in a third-round match and didn't let go till Federer prevailed 10-8 in the final set. The drama equalled that in the Andy Roddick - Philipp Kohlschreiber epic that finished earlier in the morning.

The Australian Open is officially awake.

I don't know how anyone really thought Janko was going to win the match. But he didn't let Raja go till 10-8 in the fifth set by playing exquisite, courageous tennis.

And he didn't choke.

Roger showed why he's a 12-time Slam champion. The way he played his returns at 8-8 was nothing short of brilliant. The way he served it out was worthy (almost) of all the praise he gets. I wish I could be a fan.

But I got what I wanted. Finally. A player not named Rafael Nadal played Raja on a big stage, latched onto his leg and bullied him all the way to the wall.

And he didn't choke.

Tipsy, baby, you the man.



No Country For Old Men



Who's that bald guy running around like he was born to win five-set matches? James Blake made his own personal history today. He beat Sebastien Grosjean for the first time in four tries, and he rallied from a two-set deficit for the first time in his career to bring his five-set record to 2-10. But wait, there's more. He was also down a double break in the fourth set and 1-4 in the tiebreak. Clutch.

Grosjean, a 29-year-old tour veteran and father, was worn out from his five-set win over qualifier Robin Haase in the previous round. But he had such a huge lead in the fourth set, physical exhaustion isn't the main reason he wasn't able to hold on.

Blake simply refused to lose. A controlled, composed performance was just what the situation required and that's exactly what James gave. With Sam Querrey's loss to Novak Djokovic, if Vince Spadea loses his rain-delayed third-round match against David Ferrer tomorrow, James will be the last American man standing at a Slam for the first time in his entire career. His own personal history.

Upset Specials



Maria Kirilenko and Anna Chakvetadze can both be described as Martina Hingis with a serve. Both take the ball early to make up for the lack of pace on their groundies, both change direction of the ball with ease, both play tennis like chess. But on this day, MariaK was too tough to take, even after dropping the first set in a tiebreak. Tough to be the No. 6 seed in the third round. Just ask Roddick. MariaK advances to the first round of 16 at a Slam in her career.



Agnieszka Radwanska knocked off the No. 2 seed at the US Open. She did the same at the Australian Open today, this time in the form of one Svetlana Kuznetsova. I guess the Polish girl has become the bane of Russians in the early rounds of Slams. For Sveta's part, she was simply terrible. Aggie will play yet another Russian in the next round after Nadia Petrova and Ekaterina Makarova's rain-delayed match is completed tomorrow.



Marin Cilic had his knee tightly wrapped, but his game flowed freely. Discovered by Goran Ivanisevic, the Bosnian-born giant has officially announced his arrival. No. 7 seed Fernando Gonzalez, last year's runner-up, had few replies to the questions the Croat asked. Late in the match, Gonzo's shoulder gave out and Marin munched on serves slow as molasses in January. With this upset, the Chilean's ranking will fall out of the Top 10 into the mid-20s.

Midnight Madness

Hometown hopeful Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis coudn't start their match till just before midnight. The dog fight extended the day session into night and with Venus Williams' quick dismissal of Sania Mirza, Tennis Australia broke its own rule of not beginning a match after 11:00PM.

So despite dozing in and out for most of the middle of the night here in the States, the morning sun is shining brightly on the snow and ice outside, and I'm watching extended live coverage of tennis on cable television. Going on eleven straight hours. Freshly brewed, strong coffee in hand. Credit where credit is due: ESPN has finally put the tennis fan first.

I'll drink to that. Let's all drink to that.

Photo of the Day


Click to enlarge. (AFP/Getty Images)

Winners to Errors, 1st Set

Winners
Mary Jo Fernandez has been named the Fed Cup captain beginning in 2009. Yahoo! Sports

And speaking of Fed Cup, Lindsay Davenport has been named to the team for the USA vs. Germany tie in La Jolla, California. Sporting Life

Andy Roddick Foundation is building a tennis center in Texas to give at-risk youth a chance to hone their tennis games. Austin Business Journal

Rowan, a tennis fan from Auckland, New Zealand, will be blogging from the ASB Classic and Heineken Open in his hometown. There's nothing like fan reports of tennis events. Yellowballin'


Errors
Anna Chakvetadze's family home was robbed by armed robbers who tied up her parents. The burglars got away with more than $200,000 of belongings. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured. Russian News & Information Agency

For all his efforts to try to return to competitive tennis, even playing in the local wildcard play-off, Mark Philippoussis will miss yet another Australian Open to undergo another knee surgery. Safe to say, his career is now over. Herald Sun

We've heard of her pending nuptials with Greg Norman. But did you hear that Chris Evert's name may come off the children's hospital at Broward General Medical Center? The drama of it all. (I'm being sarcastic) South Florida Sun-Sentinal

Best Women's Tennis Matches of 2007

by Mad Professah



1. S. Williams USA d. M. Sharapova RUS, 6-1 6-2, Australian Open final, Melbourne.

After a horrible 2006 where her ranking had fallen out of the Top 100, Serena Williams was completely disregarded as a possible factor in the 2007 Australian Open, even moreso after she lost in the quarterfinals of a Tier III tournament in Hobart, Australia, to little-known Sybille Bammer less than 2 weeks before the start of the year's first Grand Slam in Melbourne. In the early rounds, she looked scrappy and won easily before running into the No. 5 seed Nadia Petrova. She was down a 6-1 set and a break before she came back to win the middle set and cruise through the deciding set to win that match. She easily dispatched hard-hitting Jelena Jankovic in the next round and few people were expecting the fierce battle that occurred in the quarterfinal between Serena and Shahar Pe'er, who served for the match twice before succumbing 8-6 in the 3rd set. After every hard-fought match Serena's game looked stronger and stronger and her powerfully effective serve never abandoned her. However, the final against Maria Sharapova, the No. 1 player in the world and winner of the previous Grand Slam was one of the most powerful displays of tennis by Serena Williams ever--and this from a woman who 4 years before had won 4 consecutive Grand Slams! The performance completely stunned the tennis establishment and sent a devastating signal to the woman who had replaced her as the most highly paid female athlete in the world. There was never any doubt who would win the title from the end of the first two games of the match: Serena was hitting winners from every part of the court and serving aces at will. It immediately set the bar for the best match of the year, which was never surpassed.



2. J. Henin BEL d. M. Sharapova RUS, 5-7 7-5 6-3, Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships final, Madrid.

The last match of the year often ends up on Best Matches of the Year lists because it is still fresh in the memory when the entire year's matches are being re-evaluated and compared. In addition, the final of the year-end championships also provide a $1 million prize to the victor. However, this year, like last year (and the year before that) a match from the tour championships has landed in the Top 5 Matches of the Year. This time it was the 3 hour, 24 minute slugfest between the new No. 1 Player in the World and reigning 2007 U.S. Open champ, Justine Henin, and last year's U.S. Open champ, Maria Sharapova. Both players wanted desperately to defeat the other and played some of their best tennis of the year in an attempt to blast their opponent off the court. There were incredible rallies and unbelievable shotmaking from both sides of the net. Sharapova was attempting to salvage a horrible 2007 where she had won only one title during the entire year. Henin was trying to put an exclamation point on a year in which she had won two Grand Slam titles and maintained her #1 ranking for the entire year, winning 10 titles in the process. In the end, Henin won the battle, but Sharapova made the statement that the 5-years younger player would be a factor to be dealt with in 2008 and beyond.



3. S. Williams USA d. J. Henin BEL, 0-6 7-5 6-3, Sony Ericsson Open final, Key Biscayne.

After skipping the Australian Open to "recover from her collapsed marriage," this was the first opportunity the current No. 1 player in the world had to play against the resurgent Serena who had early in the tournament again dismantled Maria Sharapova in straight sets to prove her Australian Open beatdown was no fluke. The entire tennis world was curious to see how the two fierce competitors would match up, especially since it had been nearly 4 years since they had played a WTA tour match against each other. Serena started the match atrociously and before long she was not only bageled (0-6) but was fast approaching elimination as Henin earned two match points in the second set on Serena's serve (3-5). After saving those match points (one with a service winner and the other with a forced error) Serena went on to win a string of 6 consecutive games and easily won the match. However, although Serena was victorious in the first meeting of many these two combatants had in 2007, the 3 others occurred in the quarterfinals of the three remaining Grand Slam tournaments of the year and all went Henin's way, with only the Wimbledon quarterfinal providing a fraction of the drama on display in this Miami final. It will be interesting to see if the two players meet in 2008 and now that Serena's ranking is back in the Top 10, it should occur a bit deeper in the tournament, possibly even on the final Sunday of a Slam.



4. M. Bartoli FRA d. J. Henin BEL, 1-6 7-5 6-1, Wimbledon Championships semifinal, London.

Of course tennis fans were unsurprised to see Henin losing to a French player at Wimbledon, since the defending champion Amelie Mauresmo had beaten the Belgian in the 2006 final. However, the Frecnchwoman the No. 1 player in the world lost to at Wimbledon in 2007 was Marion Bartoli, a relative unknown more widely recognized for her coach/father's unorthodox training regimens. Mauresmo underwent an appendectomy in early Spring and was never much of a factor on tour for the rest of the year. In this match, Bartoli was down a set and 5-3 against the fearsome Belgian when she stormed back to claim the 2nd set and continued her momentum to take the deciding set easily. The result was easily the most astonishing upset of 2007 and I would argue was the biggest upset of the current decade. Bartoli went on to become firmly ensconced in the Top 10 for the rest of the year to confirm that this result was no fluke. However, Henin got her revenge at the year-end championships in Madrid, refusing to let the Frenchwoman win a single game (double bagel).



5. V. Williams USA d. J. Jankovic SRB, 4-6 6-1 7-6(4), U.S. Open Quarterfinal, Flushing Meadows.

It's not often the Wimbledon final doesn't make into the Top 5 Best Matches of the Year but 2007 was that kinda year. Jelena Jankovic and Venus Williams both played several excellent matches during the year but this showdown at the final Slam was I think the best of their meetings in 2007. Unfortunately for Venus, I think she peaked in this quarterfinal match and thus was not at 100% against Henin in the semifinals. Jankovic also was simply outlasted here but this match could have gone either way, and was Venus' revenge for losing another incredibly tight match to Jankovic earlier in the year at the Charleston semifinals in a 3rd set tiebreak. Venus had demolished the other "Serbian sister" Ana Ivanovic in straight sets the previous round and thus earned the rare distinction of beating both Serbians in the same Grand Slam. However, Henin earned the even rarer distinction of beating both Williams sisters in a tournament and winning it. After this match it was revealed by her mother and coach Oracene Price that Venus had been complaining of tiredness and anemia was suspected. Hopefully the condition will be treated and Venus will be 100% and fully committed to the tour in 2008.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
V. Williams d. M. Bartoli, 6-4 6-1, Wimbledon Championships final.
J. Henin d. A. Mauresmo, 7-5 6-7(4) 7-6(2), Eastbourne Open final.
A. Ivanovic d. N. Vaidisova CZE, 4-6 6-2 7-5, Wimbledon Championships quarterfinal.
M. Sharapova d. V. Williams USA, 2-6 6-2 7-5, Sony Ericsson Open 3rd Round.
V. Williams d. M. Sharapova RUS, 6-1 6-3, Wimbledon Championships 4th Round.
S. Kuznetsova d. J. Henin BEL, 6-4 5-7 6-4, Qatar Telecom German Open semifinal
A. Chakvetadze d. V. Williams USA, 6-7(5) 7-6(3) 6-2, Acura Classic quarterfinal.
A. Ivanovic d. S. Kuznetsova RUS, 3-6 6-4 7-6(4) , Qatar Telecom German Open final.
J. Jankovic d. M. Sharapova RUS, 4-6 6-3 7-5, Birmingham DFS Classic final.
E. Dementieva d. S. Williams USA 5-7 6-1 6-1, Kremlin Cup final.
A. Mauresmo d. K. Clijsters BEL, 6-4 7-6(4), Diamond Proximus Games final.
K. Clijsters d. J. Jankovic SRB, 4-6 7-6(1) 6-4, Medibank Sydney International final.

The WTA Top Ten for 2007

by Savannah

It's the end of the official season and everyone is doing rankings and ratings so why wouldn't I? Top 10 lists are a pain because they're subjective. How did I pick my Top 10?

Who accomplished the most in terms of her career this year? Who ended up in the Top 10 to the surprise of almost everyone? Who got a high ranking despite play that was jaw droppingly bad at times? Can you have the worst year of your career and still remain in the Top 10? Did you play yourself into the top only to realize how rarefied the air is up there and falter? Who is hungry enough to walk over the bodies of those in front of her in her Christian Louboutin stilettos?

And who should tennisheads be looking out for in 2008?

Let's agree to disagree and talk about the Women of Tennis and how they fared in 2007.

Serena Williams


I'm placing her at the top because she came back from so far down this year. She won the Australian beating Maria Sharapova convincingly and then followed up with a good spring season in the States.

In my opinion she should not have played the US Open. But she did, fighting through the same injuries that brought her low in Madrid. People always say that Serena is not dedicated to tennis. Too many outside interests. Blah, blah, blah. Her gritty determination this year earns her the top spot.

Venus Williams


She won Wimbledon despite everything but the kitchen sink being thrown at her. Then again I just may have missed the sink. Instead of coming back to the States and resting on her laurels she played a full schedule which included World Team Tennis and the Fed Cup where she almost single handedly beat a great Russian team. After the US Open she played a full Asian swing despite the injury issues that were cited as the reason she pulled out of the YEC in Madrid.

No way she should have been in the mix at all this year but she was.

Justine Henin


I place her third because she was already at the top of the heap and managed to stay there earning herself another Player of the Year award. Justine has, despite her size, been hitting the ball as hard or harder than the Big Babes of tennis. She has also shown stamina and endurance that bigger and seemingly stronger women don't exhibit. During the Final in Madrid it was Maria who was visibly tired in the end.

Justine looked like she could play another two sets.

She plays a limited schedule (she has already announced that she may not play the Olympics in 2008) and makes the most of it.

Marion Bartoli


She's been around like forever. Her father is considered a "mad scientist" among tennisheads for his unorthodox training techniques. He was the one who encouraged his daughter to put on weight but she seems to be shedding some of those pounds in an effort to be more fit.

Her big win this year was of course at Wimbledon where she played the final against Venus Williams who was not going to be denied this year. I think she's had some issues adjusting to the pressure of being among the top women players in the world. I look for a fitter, and more mentally tough Marion next year.

Anna Chakvetadze


This woman with the long long hair and the face of an angel has shown that she has the will and drive, and the game, to take her to the heights of her sport. Of all the top women to me she is the most "gangster", the one who doesn't try to hide her naked ambition behind a nice demeanor. I'm sure her handlers will tell her to tone it down so we may see a more demure Anna next year.

Oh, and she played some fantastic tennis this year. She makes it look like she's not doing anything and then you're on the wrong end of the score against her. It took me awhile to see what she was doing. I see it now and look for her to make a big move next year.

Jelena Jankovic


We love to tease Jelena don't we? She's played so much tennis this year it's a wonder she knows where she is at any given time. The problem is that by the time the US Open rolls around she is already on a down turn. She even had a meltdown in Bali during a match against a resurgent Lindsay Davenport. But she deserves to be in the Top 10 both in official ranking and on fan lists. Let's see if she makes the mental adjustment to being at the top of the game and plays a much saner schedule next year.

Ana Ivanovic


The Katherine Hepburn of tennis played her way to the top of her sport. I don't rank her higher because when the pressure was on during a match she seemed to wilt in the heat. Her big claim to fame this year was that Maria Sharapova seemed not to want to play her and did all she could to avoid doing so. It all turned out to be moot but this young woman, like Anna Chakvetadze, has the will and the drive and the game to stay at the top.

Maria Sharapova


Despite a shoulder injury that seemed to come and go depending on what was going on in a particular match she held on to a Top 10 ranking by the tips of her fingers and played extremely well at the YEC. All things being equal she would have won that Final but that is why matches are played on the court and not in the blogosphere.
By every other measure though she had a horrible year not winning a major, going out in the third round of the US Open, and managing one solitary win against a tired opponent in California. Next year will be crucial for her.

Nicole Vaidisova


Illness laid her low this year but she's still on my list because despite her illness she had a decent second half of the year and is poised to challenge the Big Babes next year. I still see her as having a better game than either Ana or Anna but she needs to keep her emotions under control. She is the youngest on my list and I think that next year, barring illness or injury, she'll be among the elite of her sport.

Svetlana Kuznetsova


I saw a match this year where Sveta played fantastic tennis. She was hitting on all cylinders and blew her opponent off the court. The next day she looked as if she'd never seen a tennis court before and left me wondering which player is the real Sveta. It's sad when she is ranked second in the world after Justine and no one expected her to make the semifinals at the YEC. She is still young, 22, and it's possible that like Martina Navratilova did back in the day, she'll get herself under control and play to her potential.

Honorable Mentions

Agnes Szavay

I do hope that Agnes is able to play a full schedule next year. Serious back problems shortened her 2007. This girl has some serious talent and can give the older stars fits. She's needed on the tour

Aggie Radwanska

At the US Open, she beat Maria Sharapova like she stole something, surprising everyone. She is also very young and didn't have a great second half of the year. The potential is there. I hope she's up to the challenge.

Tatiana Golovin

All the talent in the world but injuries shortened her season. She's shown herself capable of playing at a high level. I do hope she's able to play a full schedule next year.

Shuai Peng

After Li Na went down with injury this young woman stepped up to the plate for China and had very decent results the second half of the year. She is a dark horse for next year.

Chan Yung-jan(Latisha) and Chuang Chia-Jung

This doubles pair has put themselves firmly in the mix and can only go up in ranking.

WTA: The Final Four

World No. 1 Justine Henin plays Ana Ivanovic in one semifinal after Maria Sharapova plays Anna Chakvetadze in the other.

Yawn.

Then again, this seems to be the event of revenge, so in that case, AnaI will kill Justine for the Roland Garros final and AnnaC will finally beat Maria for all their other matches.

And then I woke up.

If these matchups get you excited, raise your hand.

Wanna know how weak is the WTA? World No. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova didn't win a single match at the Championships.

What The ^%*# ?!

I just returned home safely from the Netherlands to read reports that Serena Williams was wrapped like a mummy during her match against Anna Chakvetadze and had to withdraw from the Championships with a left knee injury even after stating how healthy and happy and determined she was to make good at the end of an injury-plagued last three quarters of the year, that Jelena Jankovic ought to have been warned for lack of effort against Justine Henin, that Gustavo Kuerten's paraplegic brother passed away today, and that Tommy Haas was told that he was poisoned before his Davis Cup match against Russia back in September with the ITF about to launch an investigation?

Tennis has officially entered the twilight zone.

I'm going to take my travel-weary behind to bed and maybe, just maybe, when I wake up tomorrow I'll find out that this was all a big practical joke.