Day 9: The Great Escape

I had to run errands this morning right after Roger Federer took the court to face Tommy Haas. I watched a few games then set out.

When I returned a few hours later, I fully expected the match to be over. Fully expected Raja to have won in straights with maybe a tiebreak in the mix. Instead, Raja was two games from exiting stage right the day after the heretofore invincible exited stage left.

Could Haas do it?

Tommy did what Tommy is wont to do, Raja did what Raja is wont to do and in a blink, Raja was leaping in victory in front of a roaring crowd.

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His fifth career victory from two-sets-to-love down.

As Jon Wertheim tweeted, Who writes this script? A trickster, to be sure, I proclaimed.

No. 5 seed Jelena Jankovic wasn't so lucky. Sorana Cirstea rallied from a set down to outlast Jankovic 9-7 in the third, serving up a bagel in the middle set. The Romanian teenager can play. Safe to say, she exhibited stronger gonads than any of the non-elite men. Her reward? Her first Slam quarterfinal.


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Serena Williams cruised, Andy Roddick matured. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga fell, Virginie Razzano crashed. Gaël Monfils is the last French player standing.


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There's an Aussie in the final eight, too.


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When was the last time all the Serbian players were dismissed before the quarterfinals of a Slam?

Upset In Tokyo

by Mad Professah



Virgine Razzano, a 24-year-old player from France ranked No. 33 who won the Guangzhou International Women's Open last week, defeated 6-time grand slam champion and world No. 8 Venus Williams 4-6 7-6(7) 6-4 to win the AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships today.

Venus held 3 match points at 6-3 in the second set tiebreak, after coming back from being down 2-5 in the second set. However, Razzano saved all three match points and at 4-4 in the third set was able to break Venus and hold serve to win her second consecutive title. Venus had won her third title of the year in Korea last week. She was troubled by a leg injury during the match, taking an injury timeout early in the third set and returning with her leg heavily wrapped. However, she gave credit to her French opponent: "She played good at all the right moments."

Meanwhile, at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, world No. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova lost to Tatiana Golovin 6-4, 6-2 in the semifinals and world No. 1 Justine Henin defeated Jelena Jankovic (again!) 7-6(2) 7-5 to set up a Henin-Golovin final. Henin has now won 15 consecutive matches since her shocking loss to Marlon Bartoli in the Wimbledon semifinals.