Wk.20 - Witness to a Coronation...again?

The ol' Holy Webmaster crossed the big pond to Europe this weekend. Destination: Paris, of course. But what will he witness there? Will it be the early stages of a very familiar coronation story that will conclude the first weekend of June? Or will something else totally unexpected, as has been the case at the last four grand slams, once again transpire? Stay tuned for more on that later.

First, a quick recap of this week's results:
==WEEK 20 CHAMPIONS==
ISTANBUL, TURKEY (III-RCO)
S: Venus Williams d. Nicole Vaidisova 6-3/6-2
D: Marrero/Ant.Serra-Zanetti d. D.Klemenschits/S.Klemenschits ===============================
STRASBOURG, FRANCE (III-RCO)
S: Anabel Medina-Garrigues d. Marta Domachowska 6-4/6-3
D: Andres-Rodriguez/Vanc d. Domachowska/Weingartner ===============================

**PLAYER AWARDS**
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Venus Williams ...she lived up to her seed in Istanbul and defeated Nicole Vaidisova in the final on Saturday. It had to be because she played on that bridge, right? Will her first '05 title give her momentum heading into Roland Garros, where she could potentially face both of last year's RG finalists (Myskina & Dementieva) before reaching the SF? Well, she was certainly in form this past week, bageling Marta Marrero (her 1r opponent again in Paris) and handling Anna Chakvetadze. Her place in the draw could be quite fortunate for Venus, especially if she carries over a lingering confidence from Istanbul, as (excluding Patty Schnyder, a potential SF opponent) most of the top players with good clay credentials AND a healthy month behind are no where to be found in Williams' immediate neighborhood. ===================================RISER: Anabel Medina-Garrigues ...Garrigues, who knocked out the last Pastry in the field (Nathalie Dechy) in a Friday semifinal, continued to gather some French momentum by claiming her third career title with a straight sets win over Marta Domachowska in the Strasbourg final. Her next goal: to produce her best-ever RG result (the probable glass ceiling: a 3rd Round matchup with Henin-Hardenne). ===================================SURPRISES: Tzvetana Pironkova & Clarisa Fernandez ...Pironkova, a 17-year old from Bulgaria ranked #216, raced to her first career WTA SF in Istanbul with wins over Yuliana Fedak and Meghann Shaughnessy. Fernandez qualified for the main draw in Paris, knocking off Laura Pous Tio and Emma Laine. She made the RG SF in '02, but her best slam result since then was a single 3r result at the Australian in '03. Last year, Fernandez failed to even qualify in Paris, and she's currently ranked #214. ===================================VETERAN: Dally Randriantefy ...the 28-year old from Madagascar (and, no, I don't mean the upcoming animated movie) reached the Strasbourg SF -- her second of '05 -- with wins over Silvia Farina Elia (who had the "pleasure" to be picked to win the tournament by a pair of "witless" prognosticators last week) in the 1st Round before finally putting an end to Karolina Sprem's minor resurgence in the 3rd. ===================================FRESH FACES: Vera Douchevina & Shuai Peng ...Douchevina warmed up for her 1st Round match in Paris against Mary Pierce with wins in Strasbourg over Shinobu Asagoe and Emilie Loit. Peng, who could face Davenport in the 2nd Round next week, defeated Tamarine Tanasugarn and the disappointing Tatiana Golovin. ===================================DOWN: Claudine Schaul & Tatiana Golovin ...a year ago, Luxembourg's Schaul won the Strasbourg title with a win in the final over Lindsay Davenport. It was one of the biggest upsets of the season. In 2005, the planets re-aligned as Schaul lost 2 & 3 to Amy Frazier in the 1st Round. Golovin, the #2 seed in Strasbourg, is 0-2 on red clay after losing to Peng. At least now she won't have to deal with any of those pesky expectations in Paris. ===================================

**TOP MATCHES**
1.Stras 1r - Frazier d. Schaul ...6-2/6-3. '04 champ Schaul hits the red dirt with a loud thud. ===================================2.Ist F - V.Williams d. Vaidisova ...6-3/6-2. Finally, Venus didn't have to think of an excuse for a loss. But what will it mean for her in Paris, where she can't be overshadowed by the absent Serena? ===================================3.Stras 2r - Peng d. Golovin ...6-4/3-6/7-5. Hmmm... maybe Mauresmo does have a better shot in Paris than the Frussian Pastry. Just a rather obvious "hunch." ===================================4.Stras F - Garrigues d. Domachowska ...6-4/6-3. In 2005, with this title following Llagostera-Vives' a few weeks ago, the Spaniards are starting to assert themselves a bit more on clay. It's not like the old "glory days" of ASV and Martinez, but it's something. ===================================5.Istanbul 2r - V.Williams d. Marrero ...6-0/6-0. Marrero's booby prize? A "rematch" with Venus in the RG 1st Round next week. What's the opposite of winning the lottery? ===================================6.Stras 1r - Zheng d. Rubin; RG Q1 - Mattek d. Rubin ...Rubin went 0-for-France. it wasn't a good week for the returning Chanda. ===================================7.RG Q3 - Fernandez d. Laine ...a nice welcome back for a player who's seemed to drop off the face of the earth the last few years (though she did win a Backspin weekly honor back in February). ===================================

**ROLAND GARROS LISTS**

==RG SF SEEDS - last 5 years== [winner-runnerup-semifinalists] 2000...6-5-1-8 2001...4-12-1-14 2002...3-2-1-unseeded 2003...4-2-1-unseeded 2004...6-9-7-14

==MAIN DRAW PLAYERS - BEST RG RESULTS==
W: Myskina 2004, JHH 2003, Pierce 2000
------------------------------
RU: Dementieva 2004, Clijsters 2001 & 2003, V.Williams 2002, Martinez 2000, Pierce 1994
------------------------------
SF: Suarez 2004, Petrova 2003, Fernandez 2002, JHH 2001, Davenport 1998, Martinez 1994-96
------------------------------

==FIRST SEEDS OUT?==
=TOP HALF=
#5 Myskina (1r vs. Sanchez Lorenzo)
#20 Hantuchova (1r vs. Krajicek) #16 Likhovtseva (1r vs. Fedak)
#25 Safina (1r vs. Razzano)
#27 Frazier (1r vs. Shaughnessy) #31 Sprem (1r vs. Camerin)
=BOTTOM HALF=
#15 Jankovic (1r vs. Smashnova) #22 Schiavone (1r vs. Zheng)
#23 Sugiyama (1r vs. Llagostera-Vives)
#28 Bartoli (1r vs. Peer)

==MOST STAR-STUDDED 1st ROUND MATCH==
#10 Henin-Hardenne vs. Martinez

==1st Round "FUTURES" MATCH== Nicole Vaidisova vs. Lucie Safarova (LL)

==DARK HORSE (to get a few wins)== Qualifier Clarisa Fernandez

==DARK HORSE (to win it all)== Nadia Petrova, from here on out in Backspin known as "The Scarlett Empress" (for the old Marlene Dietrich movie about czarina Catherine the Great, and Petrova's favorite book -- Gone With the Wind, hence the "extra t"). That is, if her Rome walkover was just a precautionary move by the '03 RG semifinalist.

==MADEMOISELLE OPPORTUNITY==
...the players with the seeming best shots to win Backspin's regular slam honor for the player who takes the most advantage of "soft" spots in the draw: Top Half/1st quarter: Patty Schnyder, Vera Zvonareva (longshot: Dinara Safina)
----------------------------------
Top Half/2nd quarter: Karolina Sprem, Venus Williams (longshot: Maria Sanchez-Lorenzo)
----------------------------------Bottom Half/1st quarter: Jie Zheng, Ana Ivanovic (longshot: Nicole Vaidisova)
----------------------------------Bottom Half/2nd quarter: Gisela Dulko (longshot: Paola Suarez - she'd likely have to upset the Supernova in the 3r, but she already beat her at RG in '04)
----------------------------------

==BACKSPIN'S DREAM FINALS== 1.Henin-Hardenne vs. Clijsters ...Waffle vs. Waffle Redux, though highly unlikely what with Nice Kim's knee trouble.
-----------------------------------2.Sharapova vs. Myskina ...all-grudge match. Winner gets a veto on the other's Fed Cup team spot?
-----------------------------------3.Myskina vs. Dementieva ...all-Rematch, and the Czarina's season-saver
-----------------------------------4.Henin-Hardenne vs. Schnyder ...Spy vs. Spy. Maybe this time, Battlin' Patty would actually hit the Queen with a tennis ball before she ducks just in time
-----------------------------------5.Mauresmo vs. Clijsters ...it'd be a great "mind" game -- to see who'd be the first to fold
-----------------------------------

==UPSET SPECIALS==
1r--Krajicek(Q) def. #20 Hantuchova
1r--Zheng def. #22 Schiavone
1r--Peer def. #28 Bartoli
3r--Dulko def. #6 Kuznetsova

=="ALMOST AN UPSET" SPECIALS==
1r--#5 Myskina def. Sanchez-Lorenzo
3r--#2 Sharapova def. #26 Suarez 3r--#3 Mauresmo def. Ivanovic ================================== ==================================

**WEEK 21/22 ATTEMPT AT RESPECTABILITY** ...another week of picks, another set of mediocre results. Venus' win on Saturday, though, at least made Pierre and my hit-and-miss predictions of a week ago more than worthwhile. As for the "Battle Royale," here are the updated standings:

==BACKSPIN==
Semifinalists...9 Finalists...5 Champions...2
==CANTIN== Semifinalists...10 Finalists...2 Champions...1

On to the Roland Garros picks:

ROLAND GARROS; PARIS, FRANCE (GS-RCO)
04 F: Myskina d. Dementieva
05 TOP 4: Davenport, Mauresmo, Sharapova, Dementieva ===================================...last year's Roland Garros was as close to completely wide open as a slam is likely to get, as the four semifinalists' average seed was #9. As it turned out, the all-Russian final was a portent of things to come. Could the same "wild on" activity take place again in '05? Of course. After all, Serena isn't in Paris, opening up one spot deep into the draw. But that's not all, as defending champ Myskina's head hasn't been on tour all season, Russian contenders' chances are dicey because of injuries (Dementieva, Kuznetsova & Petrova) or inconsistency (Zvonareva), the Supernova is still finding her way on clay, Clijsters is a huge question mark and might not even play a match, Mauresmo is Mauresmo, etc. The odds-on favorite -- by an insanely wide margin -- has to be Queen Justine, and any other result than her lifting her fourth slam title will be a phenomenal upset at this point. Seven more victories would stretch her tour season-best winning streak to 24 matches. As usual over the past year, Sharapova might get a say in the matter. JHH's RG could hinge on her QF matchup with Sharapova, who JHH handled on clay just a few weeks ago (but is also the only player to defeat the Belgian in '05, albeit on a hardcourt). Has Maria become fast friends with the red dirt in the interim? If not, she could meet her maker in the 3r against Paola Suarez, who defeated the Supernova in the QF in Paris last year. Still, the Supernova made the Rome SF last week, and had a lead against Schnyder there, so progress has been made. But will it be enough to derail Henin-Hardenne's re-coronation as the WTA's reigning lady? Let's see...

==4th Round==
#1 Davenport d. #14 Clijsters
#8 Schnyder d. #9 Zvonareva
#4 Dementieva d. #18 Farina Elia #11 V.Williams d. #5 Myskina
#7 Petrova d. #12 Bovina
#3 Mauresmo d. Zheng
#10 Henin-Hardenne d. #30 Dulko
#2 Sharapova d. #13 Dechy
...this is depending a great deal on a healthy Clijsters. If she doesn't even make it to the main draw, and she's said any twinge in the knee will result in her bowing out, consider Davenport over a surprise pick here (say, qualifier Michaella Krajicek).

==QUARTERFINALS==
#8 Schnyder d. #1 Davenport
#4 Dementieva d. #11 V.Williams
#7 Petrova d. #3 Mauresmo
#10 Henin-Hardenne d. #2 Sharapova
...bingo, baby! The Supernova is still no match for Justine on clay. Can JHH be stopped?

==SEMIFINALS==
#4 Dementieva d. #8 Schnyder
#10 Henin-Hardenne d. #7 Petrova
...one more shot.

==FINAL==
#10 Henin-Hardenne d. #4 Dementieva
...she reigns supreme once again. Was there any other appropriate ending to this clay season?

As for the men's side, picking up a few rounds after what might end up being the match of the tournament (3r - Nadal vs. Gasquet):

==SF==
#4 Nadal def. #1 Federer
#8 Coria def. #13 Ljubicic
==FINAL==
#4 Nadal def. #8 Coria

Look for Pierre's Roland Garros take on Tennisrulz this weekend. Hmmm, let's see if he has the gall to do what I think he was trying to "dare" me to do with his front page introduction to last week's "backwards Backspin" -- namely, to pick Mauresmo to win this thing. Of course, we know that'll never happen, and he won't pick it, either. Pierre's not that crazy... is he? Let the games begin.

===========================
PIERRE'S PICKS:
SF: Henin-Hardenne d. Mauresmo; V.Williams d. Clijsters
FINAL: Henin-Hardenne d. V.Williams
===========================

All for now.

Read more...

Wk.19 - now for All. (The Backwards Column)

Now for all.

**WEEK 20 BATTLE OF "WITS"**

...it was a pretty lean week for the Backspin Battle Royale. Your friendly neighborhood columnist pulled an 0-fer. Yes, that's right. 0 champions correct. 0 finalists. 0 semifinalists. But, the ol' Holy Webmaster didn't do much better. He got 3 semifinalists, but that was the end of his "good news." So, for the two weeks-old "battle of the wit-less," here are the overall numbers:

=BACKSPIN=
5 semifinalists
4 finalists
1 champion

=PIERRE CANTIN=
7 semifinalists
0 finalists
0 champions

Don't tread on us. We'll bust ya up, boy. Yeah, right. On to this week's picks:

STRASBOURG, FRANCE (III-Red Clay)
04 F: Schaul d. Davenport
05 TOP: Dechy/Golovin
================================= SF: Dechy d. Loit, Farina Elia d. Golovin
FINAL: Farina Elia d. Dechy

...SFE has won three titles in her career. All three have come at this tournament (2001-03).

ISTANBUL, TURKEY (III-Red Clay)
05 TOP: V.Williams/Vaidisova
=============================
SF: Venus d. Peer, Smashnova d. Vaidisova
FINAL: Venus d. Smashnova

...sure, it's clay. But Venus can play on the stuff (she won Warsaw last year, remember?). Still, this is her first red clay outing on the season. Either way, she got to play in both Asia and Europe this weekend... in the same exhibition match. (more on that later) And now for Pierre's theories about this week's action:

==============================

Pierre's Picks:
STRASBOURG:
SF: Asagoe d. Benesova; Farina Elia d. Sugiyama
FINAL: Farina Elia d. Asagoe

ISTANBUL:
SF: V.Williams d. Morigami; Vaidisova d. Smashnova
FINAL: V.Williams d. Vaidisova

==============================
==============================

==WTA LISTS==

**MOST 2005 WTA TITLES**
3...Henin-Hardenne
2...Davenport
2...Sharapova
2...Mauresmo
2...Clijsters
2...Safina
2...Pennetta

**MOST 2005 WTA SF**
6...Sharapova (3-3)
5...Davenport (5-0)
5...Mauresmo (3-2)
5...Schnyder (1-4)

**CAREER TIER I TITLES - ACTIVE**
10..Davenport
9...Martinez
8...Henin-Hardenne
7...S.Williams
6...V.Williams
6...Mauresmo

**MOST 2005 WTA TITLES - TEENAGERS**
2...Maria Sharapova, 18
2...Dinara Safina, 19
1...Ana Ivanovic, 17
1...Lucie Safarova, 18
1...Sania Mirza, 18

**MOST CAREER TITLES - RUSSIANS**
9...Olga Morozova (1969-75)
9...Maria Sharapova (2003-05)
9...Anastasia Myskina (1999-04)
5...Svetlana Kuznetsova (2002-04)
4...Elena Dementieva (2003-04)
4...Dinara Safina (2002-05)

============================


**WEEK 19 MATCHES**
10.Rome 1r - Ondraskova d. Dokic
...6-4/6-1. So much for that Debutante rebound, I guess. Now it looks like she'll be absent, by choice, from the tour for the next seven weeks. Whatever.
============================
9.Rome 1r - Ivanovic d. Golovin
...6-3/6-4. A nice rebound for Dokic's fellow Serb Ana Ivo, though, after that disappointing 1st Round loss in Berlin.
============================
8.Charlottesville $50K Doubles F - Harkleroad-Bogomolov/Lee-Waters d. Reeves/Wheeler
...this was the second of back-to-back ITF doubles titles for this team. It was an extra-special week for 20-year old Harkleroad, who also made the singles SF. But, really, is there any more mouth-twisting name than Harkleroad-Bogomolov? Just thinking about it makes your teeth hurt.
============================
7.Prague F - Safina d. Ondraskova
...7-6/6-3. Marat's sis has been winning titles since 2002, but she's still "only 19." Maybe she should talk to Maria and tell what that'll be like.
============================
6.Rome 2r - Zvonareva d. Jankovic
...6-4/6-1. Vera the Almost... well, I'll say it, almost completely righted her ship for Paris. A run to the Tier I SF, which also included a win over Schiavone, at least makes her one of the Russians to keep an eye on starting next week in Paris. And after the season she's had, that's something to feel good about.
============================
5.Rome 2r - Dulko d. Dementieva
...7-5/6-4. Punch-Sober's a hip gal, but is her hip up to seven matches in Paris?
============================
4.Rome 2r - Suarez d. Kuznetsova
...6-2/6-4. What about the Contessova's shoulder?
============================
3.Rome F - Mauresmo d. Schnyder
...2-6/6-3/6-4. Mauresmo's 2005 red clay cup is at least half full, as she defended one of her two 2004 Tier I crowns from Berlin & Rome.
============================
2.Rome SF - Schnyder d. Sharapova
...3-6/6-3/6-1. Patty thwarts the Supernova's efforts to become #1 (she needed to win the Rome title). Still, Sharapova is improving on the clay. She and the surface aren't quite "friends" yet, but they are in the getting to know each other better stage. Paris couldn't be the site of a whirlwind romance... could it?
============================
1.Rome 2r - Schiavone d. S.Williams
...7-6/6-1. Serena dubbed this the "worst loss" of her career. It's not an excuse ala her sister, but it is consistent with her tendency to put her every loss on the back of her own poor play rather than the skills of her opponent. Still, it's hard to get angry with her for saying it, since most of the time the assessment is dead on. But not 100%, all the time. Congrats to Schiavone for getting up off the mat after her Fed Cup collapse against Dementieva a few weeks ago.
============================

==LINK OF THE WEEK==

...okay, so this is a little self-serving. But it's always nice to get a mention from SI.com's Jon Wertheim Mailbag (but you'll need a working knowledge of George Orwell to fully get the point here.


==PICTURE OF THE WEEK==

...this weekend, Venus Williams played an exhibition match with Turkey's Ipek Senogul on Istanbul's Bosporus Bridge, which connects Europe and Asia. This is the "Pic of the Week" because, well, it looks like the photographer had the best view of the action here. Story here.


**PLAYERS OF THE WEEK**

DOWN: Karolina Sprem
...her 1st Round loss to Paola Suarez in Rome was her fourth straight defeat. Has it not even been a year since Sprem upset Venus at Wimbledon?
============================
FRESH FACES: Carly Gullickson & Johanna Larsson
...18-year old Gullickson, "The Natural" around these parts (her dad was a pro baseball player for the Montreal Expos, who are now the Washington Nationals, who just so happen to be my new local team -- go Nats!), won her first pro singles title at the $50K in Charlottesville, winning five matches with only one dropped set (including a SF win over Harkleroad). The American moved up to #210 on Monday. 16-year old Larsson, the Swedish Fed Cup revelation, won her first pro title, too. It was in Falkenberg, Sweden over Sofia Arvidsson. Larsson's only #868, but you get the feeling that might change soon.
============================
VETERANS: Paola Suarez & Conchita Martinez
...Suarez, 28, took out Sprem and Kuznetsova in Rome before losing in the 3r to Elena Bovina in a 3rd set tie-break. Martinez, 33, knocked off Anna Smashnova and tied Steffi Graf for #5 on the all-time matches played list with her 1015th career outing.
============================
SURPRISES: Zuzana Ondraskova & Laura Pous Tio
...25-year old Czech Maiden Ondraskova knocked out Dokic, Kostanic, Diaz Oliva and Koukalova in Prague en route to her first career WTA final. Spaniard Pous Tio, 20, has been a force on the ITF circuit (four titles in '04, one this season -- just two weeks ago, in fact), but her SF in Prague was her best big tour result. Ranked #123, she qualified and took down Nagyova and Brandi to get there.
============================
RISERS: Dinara Safina & Patty Schnyder
...Safina made the most of skipping Rome, taking home her second title of the season in Prague (and fourth in her career, as many as fellow Horde member Dementieva). Schnyder didn't have to face Justine Henin-Hardenne this week, so things went rather well. Teenagers were her enemies this time out as Sharapova, Ivanovic, Linetskaya and Groenefeld shriveled in her presence as she went all the way to the Rome final before losing a tough three-setter. Her reward: a Top 10 ranking on Monday.
============================
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Amelie Mauresmo
...a half cup of coffee is almost as good as a full one, a year later. Her Rome defense might just be her best "pressure" result ever, maybe because she didn't feel any at all. Might she have found the key to grabbing her holy grail? (more on that later)
============================


**WEEK 19 WINNERS**

ROME, ITALY (I-RCO)
S: Amelie Mauresmo d. Patty Schnyder 2-6/6-3/6-4
D: Black/Huber d. Kirilenko/Medina Garrigues
============================
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (IV-RCO)
S: Dinara Safina d. Zuzana Ondraskova 7-6/6-3
D: Loit/Pratt d. Kostanic/Strycova
============================


All right, in case you were wondering what this, um, "different structure" for this week's Backspin is all about, I'll reveal it now.

I could be cute about it and say the week before a slam is a slow one when most of the top players aren't playing and a little shakeup is necessary to make this particular week's musings relevant. And as far as the thought process initially went, that's at least partially true... but then Mauresmo won Rome and let loose with this comment afterward: "I really came here without any rhythm and just tried to relax, and here I am the last day with the trophy. Maybe I should try this at the grand slams or the French." With that, I thought, what if Mauresmo did live up to her "Roman approach" in a few weeks?

If it worked, it'd surely set the tennis world on its head. Think of it. Amelie Mauresmo... grand slam champion. It sends a wicked shiver down your spine, doesn't it? Yikes! Why, if that were to happen, practically anything could. By the end of the year, Kim Clijsters would be arrested for running an illegal prostitution ring (Madam Kim?). Jennifer Capriati would enter a convent. Rumors of Conchita Martinez's illicit affair with Brad Pitt would be the talk of the internet messageboards. Justine and Patty would become doubles partners. Venus Williams would be overly complimentary of an opponent who just beat her. Heck, even the U.S. Open might suddenly be played on blue courts later this season. What's that? Oh, they really are going to have blue courts in Flushing Meadows in August? Well, maybe all those things I just mentioned are possible, after all.

I know, the Venus thing is really stretching credibility, but I guess you never know. But Amelie winning a slam? Come on. Don't be ridiculous.

All for now. Oops, I mean... now for all

WTA SPINBACK
16 May 2005

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Wk.18 - Playing Favorite

Tennisrulz.com WTA BACKSPIN May 9, 2005 PLAYING FAVORITE by Todd Spiker Some early Random Spins on Roland Garros, following Berlin... There's little question now, is there? Justine Henin-Hardenne is the going-away favorite to take home her fourth career grand slam title at Roland Garros. In fact, after what Le Petit Taureau has done over the past month, any other result would be a stunning surprise. Consider... Kim Clijsters' participation in Paris is in jeopardy after her leg injury last week in Germany. And even if she turns out to be healthy enough to give things a go, it's difficult to think, "gee, that sounds just like a Roland Garros champion," when Nice Kim publicly says it might be better for her ever-more-fragile body to just skip the clay season altogether. Kim's head has always been an issue come grand slam time. When the rest of her isn't fully on board, either, it feels like a disappointment waiting to happen. And speaking of disappointments... Last year, Amelie Mauresmo swept through Berlin and Rome, then proceeded to fall in the QF in Paris. This year, she went out in the QF of Berlin. Hmmm, could Amelie be pulling the ol' switcheroo of diminished expectations that'll lead to her long-overdue grand slam title? Yeah, right. Turn "long-overdue" into "virtually impossible" and you'd be closer to reality. Tatiana Golovin is now France's best shot at grand slam glory (but not in '05... not yet). But speaking of PAST glory... Lindsay Davenport and Venus Williams will be in Paris looking for their first grand slam crowns since 2000 and 2001, respectively. But, hey, it's clay -- so forget about it. Serena is back this week in Rome, though. But she needs to actually FINISH a tournament without injuring a new part of her body to be considered a leading contender for anything, let alone alone a slam on a surface that's not her favorite, don't you think? But there's one group that's found grand slam success on all surfaces... The Russians, of course. In 2004, the Horde won slam titles on clay, grass and hardcourt. But 2005 has seen much of the leading edge of the revolution stumble badly (Myskina & Zvonareva), start slowly (Kuznetsova) or prove what we already suspected -- that she's not quite the same (yet) on clay (Sharapova). Still, there's a healthy contingent of Russians who might give JHH a run for her money on the dirt. Elena Dementieva, RU in '04, returns to action in Rome this week and, if healthy, could be a major force in Paris. As could the Spanish-trained/dirt familiar Kuznetsova, who pushed eventual '04 champ Myskina to an 8-6 3rd set in the Round of 16 last year. This year, despite that nasty "jinx," could be her year... but her rather easy handling by Patty Schnyder (who was nearly bageled by JHH) last week doesn't cause "champ" to be natually stamped on the Contessova's forehead. But what about Nadia Petrova? A RG semifinalist in '03, she destroyed Mauresmo last week and took JHH to three sets in the Berlin final. But she's still without a WTA singles title in her career, and it's hard to think a slam will be her first. But if she could somehow make a breakthrough in Rome this week, the 22-year old might just be the en vogue pick for Paris. Who else is there who could conceivably challenge JHH? Well, there's defending champ Myskina. But she'd need a resurrection of biblical proportions to pull her game out of the hole she finds it in at the moment. Hard to see it happening all of a sudden, though the Czarina has been known to burn scalding hot and ice cold, depending on the day. There's Zvonareva, too, I suppose. But, despite her title in Memphis, she's played even worse than Myskina for most of the season. Hmmm... who am I forgetting? Oh, yeah. There IS some girl from Siberia/Florida who's "only 18." Name's Maria, I think. The Supernova is still in search of a #1 ranking, but clay isn't her best friend (yet). She might face Kuznetsova this week in the Rome QF, and that could be a good litmus test for both to see if they'll be able to raise their games enough to be forces in Paris. Sharapova is the only player to defeat JHH in 2005 (and the only to do so in the Queen's last eight Tier I's -- more on that later), but that was on a hardcourt. Henin-Hardenne handled her in straight sets in Berlin on the red clay. Which puts us back where we started... at Henin-Hardenne. She's won three straight titles, and 17 consecutive matches. She's due for a brief rest now, so the Queen will arrive in Paris fit and ready to return to her pedestal. Sharapova had better grab #1 before Roland Garros gets here... or else she might have a longer wait (and tougher battle) to get there than she ever imagined just a single week ago. ====================================== ====================================== **WEEK 18** BERLIN, GERMANY (I-Red Clay) S: Justine Henin-Hardenne d. Nadia Petrova 6-3/4-6/6-3 D: Likhovtseva/Myskina d. Black/Huber -------------------------------------- RABAT, MOROCCO (IV-Red Clay) S: Nuria Llagostera-Vives d. Jie Zheng 6-4/6-2 D: Loit/Strycova d. Llagostera-Vives/Dominguez-Lino **PLAYER AWARDS** PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Justine Henin-Hardenne ...Whew! Now we realize what we missed most of last year. Berlin was JHH's seventh title in her last eight Tier I events, during which she's put together a remarkable 40-1 record. She's the first woman to three titles in '05, and the aura is back in full force. The best news for the rest of the field is that she's skipping Rome. ====================================== RISERS: Nadia Petrova & Jelena Jankovic ...Backspin likes the all-around appeal of the Supernova, but it's Petrova's varied game that is often the most entertaining of the Russians' to watch. Problem is, she usually craps out early enough to keep most people from watching her play. Not in Berlin, though. Last week she dialed in to her better impulses and played great tennis, demolishing Mauresmo and outlasting Jankovic along the way. She pushed JHH to three sets in the final, but still failed to get her initial WTA title in her third career final. If she could just break through somewhere, she could be this year's version of Kuznetsova '04. If it happens this week in Rome, Paris could even be the site of her first big star turn. Jankovic, meanwhile, fell victim to Petrova's surge in the SF, but wins over Flavia Pennetta and Elena Bovina showed that she's not quite ready to cede the "best Serb" title to Ana Ivanovic (who lost in the 1st Round, by the way). But can she keep up the momentum this week in Rome, where Serena could be in her path? ====================================== SURPRISES: Nuria Llagostera-Vives & Jelena Dokic ...24-year old Spaniard Llagostera-Vives, ranked #57, finally was able to string together the kind of tennis she occasionally shows in single matches last week in Rabat. She knocked off Arantxa Parra-Santonja and defending champ Emilie Loit before a surprisingly-easy straight sets win over Jie Zheng for her first career WTA crown. Before Morocco, Dokic hadn't strung together four straight wins in eighteen months (though she did do something even more difficult during that time -- she lost nine in a row, and fell from the Top 20 to #450), but she qualified and got a 1st Round win last week. She even took #1 seed Na Li to three sets in the 2nd Round. The Debutante isn't back yet, but at least she's showing signs of life. ====================================== VETERAN: Elena Likhovtseva ...the 29-year old Russian won the Berlin doubles title with Vera Zvonareva, her second Tier I doubles title this year. She also won Tokyo with Janette Husarova. ====================================== FRESH FACE: Maria Kirilenko ...the Supernovette's clay win over Fabiola Zuluaga and three-set loss to JHH gets her the honor this week. ====================================== DOWN: Vera Zvonareva & Anastasia Myskina ...these two seem to have taken up residence in this category. Even a doubles titles couldn't erase the fact that Vera the Almost's singles results are getting even worse. This time she lost her first Berlin match to Kveta Peschke 6-2/6-0. It was her fourth straight loss. Meanwhile, the Czarina was taken out by Julia Schruff, who'd lost in an opening round qualifying match less than a week before. Myskina is 9-9 on the season, and her mustering up something -- anything -- for her Roland Garros defense is becoming more and more difficult to fathom. **MATCHES** 1.Berlin F -- JHH d. Petrova ...6-3/4-6/6-3. It's such a great stat that it bears repeating: in her last eight Tier I events, JHH is 40-1 with seven titles! ====================================== 2,Rabat F -- Llagostera-Vives d. Zheng ...6-4/6-2. One might have thought that Zheng would have been inspired to play a great match here for injured fellow Cookie Na Li, who went out with an ankle injury in the 1st set of their SF matchup, but the opposite appears to have been the case. ====================================== 3.Berlin 2r -- Peschke d. Zvonareva ...6-2/6-0. Yikes! ====================================== 4.Berlin 2r -- Schruff d. Myskina ...6-2/1-6/6-4. Double yikes! ====================================== 5.Berlin QF -- JHH d. Sharapova ...6-2/6-4. Hey, she's only 18, right? Really, Maria. You've got to hire someone to feed you some better press conference lines. It's not like you don't have the extra cash, eh? ====================================== 6.Berlin QF -- Petrova d. Mauresmo ...6-2/6-3. Pop goes the balloon on Mauresmo's RG expectations. Or at least it would have had there been any Mauresmo RG expecatations. ====================================== 7.Berlin 3r -- Schnyder d. Clijsters ...6-7/6-5 ret. At least it wasn't her wrist. ====================================== 8.Berlin 3r -- JHH d. Peschke ...4-6/6-4/6-2. This was JHH's third straight three-setter in Berlin, with all nine sets coming in a span of just over 24 hours. ====================================== 9.Berlin SF -- JHH d. Schnyder ...6-0/6-1. A week ago, Patty was ticked that Justine shouted "Allez!" too much. Last week, she seemed to try to smack the Queen in the face with a shot rather than go for an open court. Look at the score, Patty. Allez, indeed. ====================================== 10.Berlin 1r -- Safina d. Ivanovic ...6-1/6-4. Ana Ivo's never an easy out. Except for this time, I guess. ====================================== HM- Rabat SF -- Zheng d. N.Li ...3-3 ret. Li played great the last two weeks, but has nothing but a bad ankle to show for it. Zheng's still the only Chinese woman with a title this season. ====================================== ====================================== **LISTS** ==MOST SINGLES TITLES - 2005== 3...Justine Henin-Hardenne 2...Lindsay Davenport 2...Maria Sharapova 2...Kim Clijsters 2...Flavia Pennetta ==MOST WTA FINALS== 5...Davenport (2-3) 3...Henin-Hardenne (3-0) 3...Sharapova (2-1) ==MOST CONSECUTIVE TITLES== 3...Henin-Hardenne (April/May)# 2...Pennetta (February) 2...Clijsters (March) #--active streak ==MOST SINGLES TITLES - 2004/05== 9...Davenport (7/2) 8...Henin-Hardenne (5/3) 7...Sharapova (5/2) ==TIER I TITLES - ACTIVE== 10...Davenport 9....Martinez 8....Henin-Hardenne 7....S.Williams ==TIER I TITLES - 2005== 2...Henin-Hardenne (Charleston/Berlin) 2...Clijsters (Indian Wells/Miami) 1...Sharapova (Tokyo) ==2005 FIRST-TIME CHAMPIONS== JAN - Jie Zheng (Hobart, age 21) JAN - Ana Ivanovic (Canberra, age 17) FEB - Sania Mirza (Hyderabad, age 18) APR - Lucie Safarova (Estoril, age 18) MAY - Nuria Llagostera-Vives (Rabat, age 24) ==CONSECUTIVE MATCH WINS - 2005== 17...Henin-Hardenne (April-current)# 17...Clijsters (March-April) 12...Sharapova (February-March) ====================================== ====================================== **WEEK 19 - BATTLE ROYALE, ROUND 2** ...Round 1 of the Backspin Battle Royale went to yours truly by a resounding KO. I correctly picked 5/8 semifinalists to the Holy Webmaster's 4/8. Pierre had zero finalists correct, but I actually got all four (wonders truly do never cease). Alas, I didn't get both champions, though. Only JHH came through for me (shame on you, Jie!). But, hey, it's a good week anyhow. Now, onto Round 2: ROME, ITALY (Tier I-Red Clay) 04 F: Mauresmo d. Capriati 05 TOP: Sharapova/Mauresmo ============================= SF: Kuznetsova d. Dementieva; Petrova d. Jankovic FINAL: Kuznetsova d. Petrova ...Petrova's hot on the clay. Kuznetsova and Dementieva need to be to try to have a shot at JHH in Paris. Conspicuously absent: Serena and the Supernova. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (Tier IV-Red Clay) 05 TOP: Safina/Koukalova =============================== SF: Benesova d. Loit; Kostanic d. Parra FINAL: Benesova d. Kostanic ...fittingly, a Czech Maiden reigns supreme? Now, for "the other side": =============================
PIERRE's PICKS:
ROME:
SF: Sharapova d. Schnyder; S.Williams d. Petrova
FINAL: S.Williams d. Sharapova

PRAGUE:
SF: Benesova d. Llagostera-Vives; Kostanic d. Koukalova
FINAL: Kostanic d. Benesova

...Please note: Ok, I must congratulate Todd on some great picks last week. He outplayed me badley, but it was only a clay warmup. This is where things get serious as we slowly approach the bigger challenge -- The French Open. Like the players themselves, it is only the grand slams where performances can be judged. The other events can merely be seen as a good way to prepare! So again... bust of luck, Todd. I hope you enjoyed your luck this time.
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May the better predictor win. (And by that, I mean, "Please be wrong, Holy Webmaster"... unless, of course, we picked the same winners again.) All for now.

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Wk.17 - Allez Justine! Allez April!

Tennisrulz.com WTA BACKSPIN May 2, 2005 ALLEZ JUSTINE! ALLEZ APRIL! by Todd Spiker Without further ado... the Backspin award winners for April (Wk.14-17): **PLAYERS OF THE MONTH** 1.Justine Henin-Hardenne 2.Lindsay Davenport 3.Elena Dementieva 4.Lucie Safarova 5.Tatiana Golovin RISER: Elena Dementieva SURPRISE: Virginie Razzano VETERAN: Lindsay Davenport FRESH FACE: Lucie Safarova DOWN: Anastasia Myskina **PERFORMANCE OF THE MONTH** ...Queen Justine wins Charleston & Warsaw. JHH entered April with just four matches under her belt on the season, and having gone without winning a WTA title since March '04. She leaves it with an eleven-match winning streak, two titles, three Top 10 wins and a look about her that says we might see her lifting her fourth grand slam singles trophy come Roland Garros. **MATCH OF THE MONTH** ...Fed Cup 1st Round - Elena Dementieva def. Francesca Schiavone 4-6/6-7/6-0. The defending champion Russian team found itself with its back against the wall, as Schiavone held four match points to put the Horde down 2-1 in the best-of-five 1st Round tie. With the Czarina, Supernova and Contessova out of the picture, Punch-Sober assumed the leadership role and led the troupe out of the darkness... demolishing Schiavone in a love-set 3rd. **CHOKES OF THE MONTH** ...on the court, Schiavone in the above match. Off it, Venus Williams and her tireless ability to always find an excuse for each entry on her lengthening list of defeats. **COMEBACK OF THE MONTH** ...the solidification of the Belgians' return to dominance. In a bit of "anything you can do, I can do better," Kim Clijsters' pair of Tier I crowns in March was followed by Justine Henin-Hardenne's two titles (a Tier I & II) in April. This week in Tier I Berlin, they could meet in the SF in a "rubber match." **BREAKOUT OF THE MONTH** ...the coming wave of Czech Maidens finally resulted in a 2005 WTA title in Estoril, as 18-year old Lucie Safarova grabbed her first championship. **UPSET OF THE MONTH** ...Amelia Island QF - Silvia Farina Elia def. Serena Williams 5-7/7-6 ret. Serena led 7-5/5-4 before spraining her ankle, then held a match point at 6-3 in the 2nd set TB. **TOP 2005 SERIES UPDATE** ...Silvia Farina Elia vs. the Williams sisters. SFE's win over Serena in A.I., coupled with her upset of Venus in Dubai earlier this year, means she's one of six players to pull the Williams two-fer in a season since 2000. The others are all either former/current world #1's (Davenport, Hingis, Clijsters, Mauresmo), or soon-to-be top players (Sharapova, who should rise to #1 this spring, possibly as early as next week). **SUB-HEADLINES** 1.Russian Freeze-Out: Myskina & Zvonareva slump ====================================== 2.Sanja Ancic burns up ITF circuit in Croatia ====================================== 3.Teens Bacsinszky, Azarenka, Larsson & Karatantcheva star in Fed Cup play ====================================== 4.Dokic & Harkleroad begin long roads back ====================================== 5.Davenport wins 23rd straight Fed Cup match ====================================== and, of course... 6.Serena Williams out with injury (again) ====================================== ====================================== **WEEK 17 CHAMPIONS** WARSAW, POLAND (II-Red Clay) S: Justine Henin-Hardenne d. Svetlana Kuznetsova 3-6/6-2/7-5 D: Perebiynis/Strycova d. Jans/Rosolska --------------------------------------- ESTORIL, PORTUGAL (IV-Red Clay) S: Lucie Safarova d. Na Li 6-7/6-4/6-4 D: Ting Li/Tian Tian Sun d. Krajicek/Nagyova **PLAYER AWARDS** PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Justine Henin-Hardenne ...so far, Le Petit Taureau is two-for-two on the clay and is a win this coming week in Berlin away from cementing herself as the Roland Garros favorite. Her 21st career title came at the end of an eleven-match winning streak, including a victory in the Warsaw final over Kuznetsova, who she'd gone 1-4 against in their last five matchups. ====================================== RISER: Na Li & Elena Bovina ...Li didn't finally get that much-needed title outside of China, but she defeated Dinara Safina en route to the Estoril final, where she lost a tight three-setter. There's always this week in Morocco, though. Fresh off of stepping in to get the clinching Fed Cup win for the Russians, Bovina continued her minor upward momentum last week with a victory over Daniela Hantuchova and a QF result in Warsaw. ====================================== SURPRISE: Olga Savchuk ...the Ukrainian qualified in Estoril, then knocked out #1 seed Flavia Pennetta in the 1st Round. ====================================== VETERAN: Anna Smashnova ...not really any smashing veteran performances last week, so let's go with the 28-year old Israeli for her Warsaw win over Klara Koukalova and pushing of Kuznetsova to three sets (even if she did lose the deciding set at love). ====================================== FRESH FACES: Lucie Safarova & Ana Ivanovic ...back in January, I devoted one of the Intriguing Questions for '05 to the Czech Maidens. As it turned out, it wasn't Nicole Vaidisova who broke out first this season, but it was instead 18-year world #155 Safarova. After qualifying in Estoril, she upset old (Ruano-Pascual, Diaz-Oliva), young (Dulko, Krajicek) and rising (Na Li) stars alike on her way to her first career WTA title. She's also the first this year to win both ITF and WTA crowns on the season, having already won two challenger events in '05. Meanwhile, Ana Ivo continued to make her case for being the best Serbian on tour. In Warsaw, she tossed aside Sucha (6-0/6-0!), Zvonareva and Dechy, then gave JHH a heck of a fight, too. Ivanovic is 23-6 on the season and is looking like a lock for a Top 20 (or better) ranking. ====================================== DOWN: Vera Zvonareva ...after losing to Ivanovic in the 2nd Round in Warsaw, Vera the Almost ran her everywhere-but-Memphis record to 5-7 on the season. With her one good week factored in, she's a respectable 10-7. But that won't keep her in the Top 10 for much longer. **MATCHES** 1.Warsaw F - JHH d. Kuznetsova ...3-6/6-2/7-5. JHH outlasted the Contessova, who was bothered by a thigh injury and a Belgian who just wouldn't give in. Kuznetsova simply matched her '04 Warsaw RU performance, but she leaves Poland on a high note, having experience her best sustained level of play all season. ====================================== 2.Estoril F - Safarova d. Na Li ...6-7/6-4/6-3. It wasn't a slam, but qualifier Safarova did have to string together seven straight wins to take her maiden title. ====================================== 3.Warsaw SF - Kuznetsova d. Clijsters ...2-6/6-2/6-3. Nice Kim's 17-match streak comes to an end, preventing the first Kim-Justine matchup since the Oz final in 2004. ====================================== 4.Warsaw SF - JHH d. Ivanovic ...6-4/7-5. The girl is never an easy out. Sorry Jelena J, but Ana Ivo will be the top-ranked Serb at the end of the season. ====================================== 5.Warsaw 2r - Ivanovic d. Zvonareva ...6-2/6-4. Vera won't be the top Russian, though. I know... shocking, isn't it? ====================================== 6.Warsaw 2r - Bovina d. Hantuchova ...6-4/4-6/6-3. Wonder Girl, 11-8 on the season, is keeping her head above water. Barely. ====================================== 7.Estoril 1r - Alyona Bondarenko d. Dokic ...6-2/3-6/6-2. The Debutante is even considering playing challengers now. ====================================== 8.Rabat Qual.1 - Dokic d. Carolina Maheiros ...6-0/6-1. Not a challenger, but Maheiros is world #969. If Dokic had lost this one, she might have just retired on the spot. ====================================== 9.Warsaw QF - JHH d. Schnyder ...6-1/6-2. Patty didn't like Justine's shouts of "Allez!" Of course, they probably wouldn't have been so prevalent had Schnyder not lost 1 & 2. ====================================== ====================================== ==LISTS== **2005 BACK-TO-BACK TITLES** Flavia Pennetta (Feb>>Bogota/Acapulco) Kim Clijsters (Mar>>Indian Wells/Miami) Justine Henin-H. (Apr>>Charleston/Warsaw) **LONGEST WTA WINNING STREAKS** 17...Clijsters, March-April 12...Sharapova, February-March 11...Justine Henin-Hardenne, April-* - (*)-current **2005 FIRST-TIME WTA CHAMPS** Jie Zheng (Hobart, age 21) Ana Ivanovic (Canberra, age 17) Sania Mirza (Hyderabad, age 18) Lucie Safarova (Estoril, age 18) **QUALIFIER AS CHAMPION** Ana Ivanovic (Canberra, #100, Q) Lucie Safarova (Estoril, #155, Q) **LOW-RANKED 2005 TITLEISTS** #155...Lucie Safarova (Estoril) #134...Sania Mirza (Hyderabad) #133...Kim Clijsters (Indian Wells) #100...Ana Ivanovic (Canberra) **LOW-RANKED 2005 FINALISTS** #193...Lourdes Dominguez Lino (Bogota RU) #155...Lucie Safarova (Estoril W) **2005 RUSSIAN FINALISTS** 3...Sharapova (2-1) 1...Zvonareva (1-0) 1...Safina (1-0) 1...Dementieva (0-1) 1...Kuznetsova (0-1) ====================================== ====================================== ==WEEK 18 BACKSPIN BATTLE ROYALE== ...my rehabilitation continues. Queen Justine's title this weekend gives me two wins in the last three WTA events (and 4-of-8 since late February). With Holy Webmaster Cantin back starting this week for the balance of the clay court season, the Backspin Battle Royale begins now. For the record, Pierre is 3-for-5 in limited action (I was 2-for-5 in those events, by the way... with Serena's win in Oz the difference-maker). Okay, let's see what happens. Here are my picks: BERLIN, GERMANY (I-Red Clay) 04 F: Mauresmo d. V.Williams 05 TOP: Sharapova/Mauresmo ---------------------------- SF: JHH d. Clijsters; Petrova d. Bovina FINAL: JHH d. Petrova ...Mauresmo's first big defense of her Berlin/Rome title combo of '04. She missed Fed Cup and Warsaw with an injury, and the pressure's on... and you know what that means. Meanwhile, Sharapova is playing to become the first Russian female world-#1 this week, but she might meet JHH in the QF. Sure, the Supernova beat the Queen in their only career matchup in Miami in March... but that was on a hardcourt, and this is red clay (a surface on which she's yet to win a WTA title). JHH has already reclaimed her role as "best claycourter" in '05, earning two titles while still not quite having a totally sound game after her long absence. If she's still improving, well... how could I pick against the Queen? RABAT, MOROCCO (IV-Red Clay) 04 F: Loit d. Cervanova (Casablanca) 05 TOP: Na Li/Llagostera-Vives -------------------------------- SF: Zheng d. Na Li; Llagostera-V. d. Sanchez Lorenzo FINAL: Zheng d. Llagostera-Vives ...you know it's a virtual crapshoot when Llagostera-Vives is the SECOND seed! The best bet is probably one of the Cookies, Zheng or Li. If it's neither, then Rabat will produce one of those un-predictable results so common on Tier IV red clay events.

==============================
Here are Pierre's picks:

BERLIN
SF: Clijsters d. Henin-Hardenne; Mauresmo d. Bovina
FINAL: Clijsters d. Mauresmo

RABAT
SF: Li d. Zheng; Loit d. Pin
FINAL: Li d. Loit

Funny how Todd is not bringing up his whole yearly stats but only talking the last few weeks as well as comparing my record with his by only talking about his success during those same weeks. Please don't take his excuses, we all know Todd has been improving but he's got far to go. This week, interesting top of the draw in Berlin, Amelie Mauresmo must have a nice smile hidden when she sees those players in the first half of the draw (Sharapova, Clijsters, JHH, Kuznetsova)... it should be interesting, but might the best man win right?:) Good luck Todd!
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Hmmm... very interesting. (I'll have you know, though, that I make that comment not knowing what Pierre predicted -- I won't know until the column's posted). Needless to say, I hope I win. Ha. Allez! All for now.

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