Wk.25 - Courting a Collision?

Half way through the season's third grand slam, it's time to take a breath and survey the landscape.

From Justine Henin-Hardenne's early ouster to Serena Williams' ultimately losing battle against her own body, with Martina Navratilova's comments about the state of Maria Sharapova sandwiched somewhere in between, SW19 hasn't been wanting for headline-grabbing stories in 2005.

Now, about the landscape at intermission:

**THE BATTLE FOR THE FINAL 4**
==Section 1==
#1-seed Lindsay Davenport is still the favorite here, with the rematch of her Paris battle with #15 Kim Clijsters the next big match up on the schedule. Davenport won on the red clay, by far her worst surface, so Clijsters (who won a grass tune-up just a week ago) will now have to attempt to flip the tables right back on a surface that favors the American's heavy groundstrokes and serve. Even with #5 Svetlana Kuznetsova (4r vs. Maggie Maleeva) the likely QF opponent,
the Davenport/Clijsters winner should take the first SF berth... and ride it all the way to the final.
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==Section 2==
Someone will have to "overcome" to take the second semifinal spot in this section. #3 Amelie Mauresmo should prevail (over #13 Elena Likhovtseva, then vs. the winner of the #6 Elena Dementieva/#6 Anastasia Myskina match-up) and live up to her seeding. But, remember, we are talking about the most striking slam headcase in the sport... so don't be surprised if one of the three Russians, though none particularly grasscourt-loving, sneak through.
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==Section 3==
With #4 Serena Williams out, the third berth in the semis seems tailor-made to be filled by the remaining member of the family, #14 Venus. It's hard to believe Jill Craybas will qualify to join the elite ranks of Sanchez Vicario, Graf, Hingis, Clijsters & Davenport (all former or current #1's) by defeating both sisters in the same event. That'd likely leave #12 Mary Pierce (vs. #26 Flavia Pennetta) as Venus' final obstacle. The edge in the match-up surely would go to Venus, though Pierce's improved fitness (and, as a result, better movement on the surface that's generally bedeviled her in her career -- it took her fourteen years to claim her first grass title, a year ago in the Netherlands) has already brought her within one win of matching her career-best Wimbledon result, a QF in '96.
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==Section 4==
#2 Maria Sharapova looks like a lock for the final semifinal berth. #16 Nathalie Dechy shouldn't pose too much of a problem, and despite the lurking nature of the versatile #8 Nadia Petrova (vs. Kveta Peschke), any quarterfinal match will simply be a warm-up for the Supernova's chance to play for an opportunity to defend her '04 championship.

**THE FINAL 16, FROM TOP-TO-BOTTOM**
==THE FAVORITES==
Davenport...fit and focused, her shot at first slam since '00 is firmly on her racket.
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Sharapova...her comfort level has been greatly aided by the All-England Club air/aura

==ONE BIG WIN AWAY==
V.Williams...will pre-tournament Wimbledon website kiss-up article end up being prophetic? Will probably have to beat Sharapova to get to the final.
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Clijsters...quietly moving through draw, but will have to take a large bite out of an in-form Davenport in what might be the "most important" match of the tournament, outside of the final. But considering her slam past, maybe Kim should be the next category.

==HAVE THE GAME, BUT NOT THE HEAD==
Mauresmo...I've said Wimbledon is probably her best shot at finally (some day) winning a slam, but I still don't think I believe it's possible.
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Kuznetsova...hasn't been able to beat top players in '05, something she'll have to do (a few times, in fact) to last much longer.
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Petrova...hard to believe her first career title would be THIS one.

==GREAT SLAM RESULTS IN PAST...but not on grass==
Pierce...hey, who needs a grass court tune-up?
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Myskina...the Czarina has been hot and cold over the past week, but before this past week she'd been pretty much ONLY ice cold.
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Dementieva...I picked Punch-Sober to make the Australian and Roland Garros finals, both of which she fell far short of. I didn't predict her to do much at Wimbledon, so...

==NO CHANCE, UNLESS MAURESMO IMPLODES==
Likhovtseva...on second thought, maybe she DOES have a chance, then.

==HAPPY TO MAKE IT THIS FAR==
Maleeva...this is the fourth time in the last five years she's made the Wimbledon Round of 16. She's never advanced to the QF.
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Pennetta...this is already the deepest the Italian has ever lasted in a slam draw.
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Dechy...vs. Sharapova. Enough said.
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Peschke...a career-best slam result at age 29.
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Craybas...I mean, come on, what are the odds?
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...all in all, as long as Davenport gets past Clijsters, it looks like she and Sharapova are on a collision course for a #1 vs. #2 battle in the final, with the American getting a shot to avenge her set-and-a-break-up (before the rains came) collapse in last year's SF.

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==MID-WIMBLEDON PLAYER AWARDS==

PLAYERS OF THE FIRST WEEK: Lindsay Davenport & Maria Sharapova
...so far, living up to their seeds with ease.
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RISERS: Eleni Daniilidou & Flavia Pennetta
...Eleni the Greek christened the tournament and broke the ladies' draw in half by knocking out Roland Garros champ JHH in the 1st Round. Pennetta ended Daniilidou's run in the 3rd Round en route to her own best-ever slam result.
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SURPRISES: Jill Craybas & Kveta Peschke
...after beginning her grand slam year by blowing a 6-3/5-1 (with two MP) lead in the Australian 1st Round vs. Vera Douchevina, the 30-year old Craybas more than made up for it with her upset of Serena in the 3rd Round on Saturday (after earlier wins over Ashley Harkleroad & Marion Bartoli). Peschke, 29, is the last remaining Czech in her best-ever slam, after wins over Vera Zvonareva & Conchita Martinez.
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VETERANS: Lindsay Davenport & Mary Pierce
...both have carried over their Paris momentum. Davenport doing so was expected, but Pierce getting the best of youngsters Safarova and Ivanovic was maybe somewhat less so, considering the surface.
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FRESH FACE: Angela Haynes
...in a tournament in which several African-Americans not named Williams (Washington, Perry & Jackson) made some noise, maybe the most impressive was the one who didn't actually win a match. The 20-year old Compton Sequel nearly became the Compton Comet in a three-setter against Serena Williams in the 1st Round (winning a 14-12 opening set TB, at least), displaying an energetic on-court persona that we'll hopefully see more of come the hardcourt season.
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DOWN: Justine Henin-Hardenne & Serena Williams
...the "loaded" bottom half of the draw turned out to have a few more empty chambers than it first appeared.

**LINKS OF THE WEEK**
First, Martina Navratilova on Sharapova, from one year ago: here at MSNBC.

Then, Martina last week on Sharapova: here at Fox Sports.

...Navratilova was all smiles about the developments at SW19 a year ago, but twelve months later things have changed a little. She stated this week that she doesn't think the Russian is as focused on tennis as she should be, and that she hasn't backed up her Wimbledon title.

With a #2 ranking and six additional titles (including the WTA Championships & a Tier I), it's arguable whether Martina's assessment is a fair one. But with Sharapova's inability to grab the #1 ranking in '05, or reach another slam final, it's at least an understandable commentary... although Martina's standards ARE exceedingly high, coming as they are from a woman who won 167 titles (18 of them slams) during her Hall of Fame career. Still, it should be noted that Navratilova, who won her first slam at age 21, was able to devote herself 100% to her tennis during her heyday largely because she was ignored by many of the same advertisers (at the time, they preferred the more "consumer-friendly" Chris Evert to endorse their products) who now flock to Sharapova.

Considering the amount of things on Sharapova's plate, her success since winning Wimbledon has been admirable. Prolonging and promoting the image what made Sharapova such a boon to the sport a year ago, at least at this point in time, precludes the same single-minded devotion to the game tha Navratilova displayed. Sharapova has been as or more successful than any other player at juggling her on and off-court demands, maintaining a strong presence in both arenas (unlike, say, the absent-more-times-than-not Williams sisters).

A second Wimbledon title would make it difficult to find fault with the Sharapova formula, so the quest to prove herself all over again could take on additional depth as next weekend approaches.

**WIMBLEDON NOTES**

=FIRST SEEDS OUT=
Monday: #10 Schnyder (Ant.Serra-Zanetti)
Tuesday: #31 Medina-Garrigues (Srebotnik)

=UPSET QUEENS=
The Americans
...Mashona Washington (def.#28 Frazier), Laura Granville (def. Koukalova), Jamea Jackson (def. Marrero), Shenay Perry (def. Tanasugarn) and Jill Craybas (def. #29 Bartoli, #4 S.Williams).

==MATCHES==
1.3rd - Myskina d. Jankovic
...6-0/5-7/10-8. These two took turns trying be considered for both the Comeback of the Year and Choke of the Year as Myskina led 6-0/5-3 with a match point, then saw Jankovic take control and lead 5-1 in the 3rd set. At the end of the 2:43 match, Myskina won 10-8 in the 3rd while converting 9 of an amazing 33 (!!) break point chances in the match.
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2.1st - Daniilidou d. JHH
...7-6/2-6/7-5. So, she's human after all.
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3a.1st - S.Williams d. Haynes
...6-7(12)/6-4/6-2. She teetered against the world #104.
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3b.2nd - S.Williams d. Santangelo
...4-6/6-3/6-2. She tottered against the world #124.
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3c.3rd - Craybas d. S.Williams
...6-3/7-6. And she finally fell to the world #85.
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4.1st - Myskina d. Bohmova
...5-7/7-6/6-4. Myskina's OTHER comeback came in her escape from a 5-7/1-4 hole (as well as a 0-3 deficit in the 3rd) on Day One.
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5.2nd - Sharapova d. Karatantcheva
...6-0/6-1. Will Sesil forever be paying for one slip of the tongue?
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6.1st - Tanasugarn d. Sprem
...6-2/6-2. A year ago, many thought Sprem had the makings of something big. Hasn't happened so far.
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7.1st - Ant.Serra-Zanetti d. Schnyder
...6-4/6-7/6-3. First seed (#10) out.
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8.1st - A.Bondarenko d. Golovin
...6-3/3-6/7-5. And so ends a disappointing grass season for the Frussian Pastry.
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9.3rd - V.Williams d. Hantuchova
...7-5/6-3. At least Wonder Girl showed a little life this week.
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10.1st - Jankovic d. Chakvetadze
...6-4/6-2. Pierre picks Anna for a QF. I go for a SF. She loses in the 1st Round. Should have seen that one coming.
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**THE MIND OF MYSKINA**
...the Czarina, on blowing a 6-0/5-3 lead against Jankovic in the 3rd Round, then finding herself down 1-5 in the final set: "Almost the whole 3rd set I was thinking about what I did wrong. But then after 5-1, I realized that I'm playing the 3rd set, so maybe it's something new I should do to win." Hard to argue with Anastasia's assessment of the situation, isn't it? She won the set 10-8 in the 2:43 match.

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=ROUND OF 16 - LISTS=

**FINAL 16 BY COUNTRY**
6...Russia
3...France
3...United States
1...Belgium
1...Bulgaria
1...Czech Republic
1...Italy

**OVER 29s**
(6-of-16)
30-Craybas
30-Maleeva
30-Pierce
29-Davenport
29-Peschke
29-Likhovtseva

**UNDER 20s**
(2-of-16)
18-Sharapova
19-Kuznetsova (turns 20 on Monday)

All for now.

Read more...

Wk.24 - Another Astral Occurrence at SW19?

With Wimbledon set to begin on Monday, here are a few quick preview notes designed to whet the appetite for action (the predictions will come later):

**TOP 8 SEEDS**
#1 Lindsay Davenport - time is running out, and this Wimbledon might be her "now-or-never" moment. If she can get past Clijsters in the 4th Round, an appearance in the final might just be her's for the taking.
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#2 Maria Sharapova - the defending champ has a fortnight to build upon each win and improve on her recent up & down form. If she makes it to the semifinals, a Supernovian encore is possible. If she reaches the final, a "possible" repeat is upgraded to "probable."
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#3 Amelie Mauresmo - she might have the best draw to the semifinals of any top player. Don't think she doesn't know it, too -- so expect an early exit and another year of "if only" ponderings.
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#4 Serena Williams - Serena hasn't really put her heart and body into tennis since Melbourne, but she won the title there when she did. Venus might get a shot at her sister in the 4th Round, as might JHH in the quarterfinals and the Supernova in a semis. It'd be impossible to rule her out as being the eventual champion here, but it'd be a huge risk to think she can just "flip the switch" and blitz the field, too. Picking her to win is a sucker's bet... that could ultimately pay off big time.
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#5 Svetlana Kuznetsova - she'd have to get over her mental block against the top players to win, and her loss to Clijsters in the Eastbourne SF did nothing to make one think she's ready to win career slam #2.
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#6 Elena Dementieva - she was hurt last week in Eastbourne, and her goal at SW19 might be just to outlast Myskina in her section of the draw in an event where her best result has been a Round of 16 appearance in '02 & '03. Punch-Sober could end up putting in a shockingly short work week.
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#7 Justine Henin-Hardenne - with her potentially tough draw, she'll be running on fumes by the final weekend... but that's when the Queen usually manages to reach deeper for even more.
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#8 Nadia Petrova - she couldn't make it through a Netherlands draw that seemed set up for her triumphant run to a first WTA title. If the Empress can avoid an early upset (say, Razzano in the 3rd?), Petrova's glass ceiling is likely playing in a QF match with Sharapova.
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**BIGGEST SURPRISE**
Anna Chakvetadze - if you're looking for a Russian to keep an eye on, why not follow the #43-ranked 18-year old? She was the Wimbledon Girls RU in '03 (after making the final as a qualifier), and last week in Eastbourne took Kuznetsova to a 3rd set tie-break. Sure, she faces #17-seed Jelena Jankovic in the 1st Round, but if she can pull the upset there the draw could open up wide in her section. The two high seeds in her vicinity are fellow Russians Myskina & Dementieva...neither a grass court queen. She could face Mauresmo in the QF for the right to meet the Davenport/Kuznetsova section's survivor in the semfinals. But since Mauresmo's slam history says she could very well bail out before the quarters, Chakvetadze might see a Tanasugarn, Farina Elia or Shaughnessy in her path instead. If so, we'll soon be officially welcoming a new Hordette -- one who lists grass as her favorite surface -- into the big-time WTA fold.

**BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT**
Since it'd be redundant to pick Mauresmo here, let's skip over her and say it'll be at least one of the Williams sisters. With Venus seeded all the way down at #14, she could meet Serena in the 4th Round -- so one is assured to not make it out of the first week (unless it rains every day, that is). And with Venus possibly facing either Daniela Hantuchova or Evgenia Linetskaya before the 4th, a year after going out to Karolina Sprem in the 2nd, it's no lock that big sis will even have an on-court say in whether she outlasts Serena and her bum ankle. Speaking of which, Serena's body might not hold up long enough to make anything other than a cameo performance at the All England Club, either. Geez... weren't these two dominating the tour just a short time ago?

**WIMBLEDON FINALS SINCE 2000**
2000 V.Williams d. L.Davenport
2001 V.Williams d. J.Henin
2002 S.Williams d. V.Williams
2003 S.Williams d. V.Williams
2004 M.Sharapova d. S.Williams

**WIMBLEDON JR.FINALS SINCE 2002**
2002 V.Douchevina d. M.Sharapova
2003 K.Flipkens d. A.Chakvetadze
2004 K.Bondarenko d. A.Ivanovic

**PAST WIMBLEDON SEMFINAL SEEDS**
[W-RU-SF/SF]
2000...#5-#2-#8/unseeded
2001...#2-#8-#3/#4
2002...#2-#1-#6/#9
2003...#1-#4-#2/#3
2004...#13-#1-#4/#5

Last unseeded semifinalist: Dokic '00
Last qualifier semifinalist: Dokic '99
...Dokic, by the way, will not have a presence in the Wimbledon action this year for the first time since she debuted there in the junior draw in 1998

**FIRST SEEDS OUT?**
#12 Pierce (1r vs. Safarova)
...Safarova was RU in the Netherlands. Emotionally spent Pierce hasn't played a match on grass since dropping the Roland Garros final.
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#17 Jankovic (1r vs. Chakvetadze)
...Anna C might be the "Russian-most-likely" this SW19, if she wins here.
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#23 Sugiyama (1r vs. Vinci)
...Vinci had an eye-opening SF run in Eastbourne last week.
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#25 Sprem (1r vs. Tanasugarn)
...where's Ted Watts and his Cheshire cat grin when Karolina might need him?
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#28 Frazier (1r vs. Washington)
...clash of the American vets
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**OTHER 1st Rd. MATCHES OF INTEREST**
#7 JHH vs. Daniilidou
...an early test for the Queen
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#19 Ivanovic vs. Douchevina
...young guns. Too bad one has to go home early.
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#20 Hantuchova vs. Linetskaya
...another chance for Wonder Girl to stop the slide.
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**JHH's POTENTIAL ROUGH RIDE**
1r...vs. Eleni Daniilidou
2r...vs. Klara Koukalova
3r...vs. Gisela Dulko
4r...vs. Ana Ivanovic
QF...vs. Serena Williams
SF...vs. Maria Sharapova
F....vs. Lindsay Davenport

**FIRST WEEK MATCHES TO WATCH FOR**
2nd - #2 Sharapova vs. Karatantcheva
...Sesil will either be the Bulgarian ass-kicker, or get her Bulgarian ass kicked.
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3rd - #5 Kuznetsova vs. #27 Vaidisova
...a Contessova loss would be sweet music to Davenport's ears
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3rd - #3 Mauresmo vs. Tanasugarn
...if Mauresmo goes down in the early stages, this is the most likely spot it'll happen
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3rd - #6 Dementieva vs. Washington
...Washington showed she could defeat a top 10 player (Sharapova) last year at New Haven.
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3rd - #14 V.Williams vs. #20 Hantuchova
...or Linetskaya, or Pierce. Take your pick. If Venus is in the same trance she was last year and at the most recent Roland Garros, Ted Watts won't be necessary to turn this one in her opponent's favor.
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3rd - #19 Ivanovic vs. Safarova
...two of 2005's breakthrough stars
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4th - #2 Sharapova vs. #18 Golovin
...the Frussian Pastry could catch Sharapova looking ahead
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4th - #4 S.Williams vs. #14 V.Williams
...but what are the chances that BOTH make it this far?
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The Backspin Wimbledon predictions come at the end of this week's column.

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**WEEK 24 CHAMPIONS**

EASTBOURNE, ENGLAND (III-grass)
S: Kim Clijsters d. Vera Douchevina 7-5/6-0
D: Likhovtseva/Zvonareva d. Raymond/Stubbs
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's-HERTOGENBOSCH, NETH. (III-grass)
S: Klara Koukalova d. Lucie Safarova 3-6/6-2/6-2
D: Benesova/Llagostera-Vives d. Medina Garrigues/Safina
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**PLAYER AWARDS**
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Kim Clijsters
...her body held up for the entire week in Eastbourne as she grabbed career title #24, one more than Belgian battlemate JHH. Now it's on to Wimbledon with an eye on some vengeance against Davenport (in the 4th Round) for that loss at Roland Garros.
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RISER: Klara Koukalova
...the 23-year old Czech Maiden earned her first career WTA title in the Netherlands, going one better than her RU performance there a year ago. She's the sixth first-time champ on tour this season, and the second of the group to hail from the Czech Republic. The other? Lucie Safarova, who Koukalova defeated in the final.
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SURPRISES: Roberta Vinci & Ashley Harkleroad
...Italy's Vinci, 22, made a surprising semifinal appearance in Eastbourne after wins over Sprem, Zvonareva and Myskina. Meanwhile, Harkleroad (still just 20!) continued her so-far-successful comeback by making it through the Wimbledon qualifying, reaching the main draw with a win over Kirsten Flipkens. Two more wins and she could face Serena in the 3rd Round (hello, Centre Court?).
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VETERAN: Els Callens
...the veteran Belgian qualified for the Wimbledon main draw. With Martina (& Andre Agassi) sitting this year out in singles, the 34-year old Callens will be the oldest player in the main singles draw.
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FRESH FACES: Vera Douchevina & Lucie Safarova
...Douchevina, 18, qualifed and reached the Eastbourne final (her first!) on the strength of a big upset over Mauresmo. Safarova, already a WTA champ this season, narrowly missed out on title #2 in the Netherlands, knocking out Safina and Dulko before losing in a three-set final against Koukalova.
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DOWN: Daniela Hantuchova
...a week ago, Wonder Girl lost a tight three-setter to Parra-Santonja. This week, Vento-Kabchi took her out in her opening match in Eastbourne. A year ago, Hantuchova was looking at the bright side of things as she travelled to Wimbledon. This year, she carries with her a season record that is decidedly mediocre (13-13). After a 9-4 start to 2005, she's gone 4-9 since.
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==LINK OF THE WEEK==
Hmmm... is the article that appeared on the Wimbledon website about the same Venus Williams as the one that Backspin has chronicled this season? The players think she's back to her previous top form? Yeah, she won a title -- but it was a lower-tier event that she might as well have retired immediately after had she NOT won (so, for once, she didn't need to come up with a creative excuse for why she lost). And, yes, she defeated Serena this year -- but Silvia Farina Elia has defeated both Williams sisters, and she didn't get a kiss-up article like this one. Check it out HERE.

**MATCHES**
1.East SF - Clijsters d. Kuznetsova
...6-4/3-6/6-4. This might say a great deal -- both good and bad --about what these two are capable of pulling off at SW19.
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2.East 2nd - Douchevina d. Mauresmo
...6-4/6-4. This was a dead-on impression by Amelie of what it'll look like when she chokes at Wimbledon. Practice makes perfect, right?
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3.East F - Clijsters d. Douchevina
...7-5/6-0. Elle Douche is still looking for that first title (and Backspin is still waiting for that January prediction to pay off).
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4.Neth F - Koukalova d. Safarova
...3-6/6-2/6-2. Battles between Czech Maidens are almost becoming as common as Russian vs. Russian ones. I said, "almost."
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5.Neth 1st - Schaul d. Navratilova
...4-6/6-1/6-4. At 48, Martina still battled back from 0-3 and 2-5 holes in the 3rd to make Schaul sweat a little. She said she won't rule out playing singles again in the future, either. So does that mean she's already decided to play in 2006 at age 49?
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6.East QF - Vinci d. Myskina
...6-4/7-6. Vinci was the Russian killer last week, also knocking off Zvonareva.
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7.Wimb.Q3 - Harkleroad d. Flipkens
...7-5/6-2. Welcome back, Ashley!
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8.Allentown $10K F - Varvara Lepchenko d. L.Lee-Waters
...7-6/6-4. The 19-year old from Uzbekistan, an intriguing up-and-comer, won her second ITF crown of 2005. But it's her personal backstory, which includes seeking political asylum in the U.S. along with her father (leaving her mother behind, and having not seen her for three and a half years), that's of keen interest. At this point, she can't even leave the U.S., so she won't have a chance to make her slam debut until Flushing Meadows in August.
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9.East 1st - Vento-Kabchi d. Hantuchova
...6-2/4-6/6-3. Wonder Girl has gone one-and-out in four of her last five events.
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10.East 1st - Vinci d. Sprem
...6-3/4-6/6-3. Wimbledon '04 is FINALLY a long year behind Sprem, though it's FELT like far longer ago than that for quite a while now.
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HM- East 1st - Clijsters d. Jankovic
...6-1/7-6. A typically underwhelming follow up to Jankovic's RU in Birmingham.
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HM- East 2nd - Kuznetsova d. Chakvetadze
...1-6/6-4/7-6. Could this be the sign that Chakvetadze is "this close" to making some very loud noise?
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HM- Wimb.Q3 - Jamea Jackson d. Kutuzova
...a week after upsetting Kirilenko in Birmingham, the American qualified for the Wimbledon draw. She might face Davenport in the 2nd Round.
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==WTA LISTS==

**2005 TITLES**
4...Henin-Hardenne
3...Sharapova
3...Clijsters

**2005 WTA FINALS**
5...Davenport (2-3)
4...Henin-Hardenne (4-0)
4...Sharapova (3-1)
3...Clijsters (3-0)
3...Mauresmo (2-1)

**2005 FINALISTS BY COUNTRY**
11...Russia (6 wins)
9....United States (4)
7....Belgium (7)
5....Czech Republic (2)

**RUSSIANS - 2005 SLAM BESTS**
Australian - Sharapova (SF)
R.Garros - Petrova/Likhovtseva (SF)

**2005 SLAM DESIGNATIONS**
=="MISS OPPORTUNITY"==
Australian: #19 Dechy (SF)
R.Garros: #21 Pierce (RU)
=="UPSET QUEENS"==
Australian: The Russians
R.Garros: The French
==FIRST SEEDS OUT==
Australian: #16 Sugiyama (Sucha)
R.Garros: #25 Safina (Razzano)

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==BATTLE ROYALE, WIMBLEDON EDITION==

...ah, we finally reach the final stage of the Backspin Battle Royale I (we'll see if Pierre is up for a sequel during the hard court season). As of now, it looks like the ol' Holy Webmaster has gone down in defeat, though there's still enough wiggle room for an eleventh hour "save" at Wimbledon:

Slam 4r: tied 10-10
Slam QF: Backspin leads 7-5
Semifinalists: Backspin leads 18-17
Finalists: Backspin leads 9-5
Champions: Backspin leads 6-4

As we enter Wimbledon, everyone's wondering whether we'll witness another case of the tennis equivalent of "sygyzy" ruling the day. Will everything line up perfectly once again to allow another astral occurrence at SW19? Does the Supernova have everything moving into place for another world-shaking (but much more pressure-filled) performance?

Well, Sharapova generally handles pressure well. She already defended her '04 precursor Birmingham title a week ago. But things get a little bit cloudier after that. She's got a niggling thigh injury, and has been allowing players to push her to three sets often of late thanks to her own in-and-out form. Also, she's on the decidedly tougher side of the draw, with maybe the three "co-favorites" -- herself, JHH and Serena, if she's healthy -- bunched up so that only one could reach the final. It'd be a tougher road to repeat.

On the other side of the draw, Davenport or Kuznetsova (or maybe Clijsters, if her head could be trusted) would seem to be sitting pretty, with the winner of their three-way battle fairly well assured of one of the spots in the final. But will an easier road mean a fresher (and more successful) finalist, or will the rough-and-tumble road travelled by either Sharapova, JHH or Serena make them more battle-ready and prepared to lift the big plate?

Here's Backspin's take... with a big part of the glass pyramid resting firmly on the hopefully-not-too-fragile shoulders of Miss Chakvetadze:

==4th Round==
#1 Davenport d. #15 Clijsters
#5 Kuznetsova d. #24 Asagoe
Tanasugarn d. #22 Farina Elia
Chakvetadze d. Washington
#7 Henin-Hardenne d. #19 Ivanovic
#4 S.Williams d. #14 V.Williams
#8 Petrova d. K.Bondarenko
#2 Sharapova d. #18 Golovin

==Quarterfinals==
#1 Davenport d. #5 Kuznetsova
Chakvetadze d. Tanasugarn
#7 Henin-Hardenne d. #4 S.Williams
#2 Sharapova d. #8 Petrova

==Semifinals==
#1 Davenport d. Chakvetadze
#7 Henin-Hardenne d. #2 Sharapova

==Final==
#1 Davenprot d. #7 Henin-Hardenne

...blasphemous, I know. But JHH has to lose sometime, and Davenport's gritty play in Paris tricked me into thinking she might be capable of something here. Remember, she should have beaten Sharapova in the semifinals last year, and this is her second (and maybe last best)
chance.

As for the men, here are predictions guaranteed to either make me look really good... or horribly bad (that'll happen with two unranked players picked to reach the SF):

==4th Round==
#1 Federer d. Mayer
#11 J.Johansson d. Baghdatis
#3 Hewitt d. #24 Dent
Philippoussis d. #10 Ancic
#12 T.Johansson d. #33 O.Rochus
#23 Gasquet d. #14 Stepanek
#6 Henman d. #17 Ferrer
Karlovic d. #20 Ljubicic

==Quarterfinals==
#1 Federer d. #11 J.Johansson
Philippoussis d. #3 Hewitt
#23 Gasquet d. #12 T.Johansson
Karlovic d. #6 Henman

==Semifinals==
#1 Federer d. Philippoussis
Karlovic d. #23 Gasquet

==Final==
#1 Federer d. Karlovic

...Ivo's bludgeoning serve had better be working early, though, since he could face Roddick in the 2nd Round (like I said, this prediction could go very bad very quickly). At least I picked Federer to win.
========================
read Pierre's picks on Tennisrulz in "Can They Repeat? The Road to the 2005 Wimbledon Championship."
========================

All for now.

Read more...

Wk.23 - A Supernovian Harbinger?

Is history repeating itself?

A year ago, a 17-year old Maria Sharapova went to Birmingham and
walked away with the title, defeating Tatiana Golovin in the final.
Two weeks later, she was spotted lifting up the famed golden plate on
Centre Court of the All England Club... and the landscape of the WTA
Tour was markedly altered.

Last week, the now-18 and #2-ranked Supernova was again in Birmingham.
Again, she faced and defeated Golovin (this time in a semifinal).
Again, she walked off with another grass court championship, her tenth
tour title overall (making Sharapova the winningest Russian woman in
tennis history). A week from now, she'll begin her defense of her
maiden grand slam crown at Wimbledon.

Could the Birmingham repeat be a harbinger for what could be fated to
occur just around the corner at SW19? It's something to think about.

**WEEK 23 CHAMPIONS**
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND (III-Grass)
S: Maria Sharapova d. Jelena Jankovic 6-2/4-6/6-1
D: Hantuchova/Sugiyama d. Daniilidou/Russell

**PLAYER AWARDS**

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Maria Sharapova
...her tenth career title moved her out of the Russian tie for first
with Olga Morozova and Anastasia Myskina. Birmingham is Sharapova's
third title of 2005, all coming on three different surfaces (carpet,
hard & grass).
============================
RISER: Jelena Jankovic
...you've got to give a hand to the #20-ranked 20-year old Jankovic.
It seems like every time she's challenged for national supremacy by
fellow Serb Ana Ivanovic (#21) she proceeds to pull out a great
result. It happened again in Birmingham with a trip to the final.
============================
SURPRISES: Laura Granville & Milagros Sequera
...the 24-year old Granville is the template for the "new" American
presence on tour: a player capable of some good wins (such as
Granville's last week over Alicia Molik & Tamarine Tanasugarn), but
one from which you never really expect much. Hence, when she has a
good week (as Granville did had with a SF run) it can't help but be a
bit of a surprise. As for Sequera, being from Venezuela you'd expect
her to be claycourt-savvy and a bit of a klutz on the grass, right?
Then how do you explain last week's victories over Lisa Raymond and
Elena Baltacha, two players who are generally comfortable on the
grass?
============================
VETERAN: Ai Sugiyama
...the nearly 30-year old Japanese vet must have been inspired by the
other vets' exploits at Roland Garros. With some help from Daniela
Hantuchova, the one-time doubles #1 finally got her first title of the
season, knocking off Eleni Daniilidou & Jennifer Russell in the final.
============================
FRESH FACE: Anna Chakvetadze
...as she prepares for her first appearance in the Wimbledon main
draw, the '03 Wimbledon Girls' runner-up got some good work in
Birmingham. The 18-year old Chakvetadze knocked off fellow Russian
Evgenia Linetskaya and Japanese vet Shinobu Asagoe en route to the
quarterfinals, where she lost to Golovin.
============================
DOWN: Alicia Molik
...the Steamer finally returned to the tour after battling an inner
ear infection for months. Her welcome back party wasn't as festive as
she'd hoped, though, as she lost her opening match in straight sets to
Granville.

**MATCHES**

1.Final - Sharapova d. Jankovic
...6-2/4-6/6-1. One note as far as Sharapova's Wimbledon hopes: she
defended her Birmingham title, but was forced to go three sets three
times (vs. Stosur, Daniilidou & Jankovic). So her form might not be
quite as pristine as it was at this time twelve months ago. Of
course, at this time in 2004 she'd only won one title. Birmingham was
her third win already in 2005.
============================
2.SF - Sharapova d. Golovin
...7-5/6-1. The Frussian Pastry managed to pull out the opening set
against Sharapova in the final a year ago.
============================
3.2nd - Granville d. Molik
...6-4/6-2. It's still nice to have the Steamer back.
============================
4.2nd - Parra-Santonja d. Hantuchova
...6-4/6-7/7-6. Call it the "Sequera Principle" -- meaning, shouldn't
it have been Hantuchova pulling out this tight match against a
claycourter?
============================
5.3rd - Sharapova d. Stosur
...6-3/3-6/6-1. She's no longer making singles finals as she did in
January, but Sammy is at least showing some signs of a "second act" to
her 2005 season.
============================

*BACKSPIN PLAYER OF THE YEAR UPDATE*
1.Justine Henin-Hardenne...28 matches, 27 wins. 4 titles, 2 Tier I's,
1 slam. Question: Can she effectively take care of herself
physically for the next six months so that she'll be able to claim the
#1 ranking at season's end?
============================
2.Maria Sharapova...even with the past year's success, she has
something to prove at Wimbledon. Question; Did her chance to become
#1 this season pass her by on the European clay?
============================
3.Virginia Ruano-Pascual/Paola Suarez... they've traded off or shared
the doubles #1 ranking for all but four weeks since September '03.
Question: Can the duo add the one slam title that has eluded them at
Wimbledon?

============================
4.Kim Clijsters...she's made a wonderful comeback, but has still been
trumped by JHH once again. Question: Did her latest slam collapse at
RG mean the "new" Kim is just like the "old?"
============================
5.Serena Williams...her Oz title showed what she's still capable of
accomplishing when she puts her mind to it, but it's her ONLY
highlight in an otherwise bleak season. Question: Will Serena only
focus on four more weeks in 2005, at Wimbledon and the US Open?
(Unless you count the time it'll take to plan her Flushing Meadows
wardrobe, of course.)
============================
6.Lindsay Davenport...her gritty RG performance speaks well of her
chances to grab one more slam at Wimbledon or the US Open. Question:
If she doesn't win a slam but remains #1 , is her career over or will
retirement be delayed for yet another season?
============================
7.Alicia Molik...the inner ear infection disrupted what had been a
brilliant beginning to her season. Question: How long will it take
for her to return to form?
============================
8.Ana Ivanovic...every year at least one teen emerges, and Ana Ivo is
2005's "It" girl. Question: Was her slightly-surprising RG QF run a
taste of things to come?
============================
9.Amelie Mauresmo...her RG failure was so expected that hardly anyone
noticed or cared. Question: A former junior champ there in '96,
should Mauresmo see Wimbledon as her best chance at winning a slam?
============================
Honorable Mention: Patty Schnyder, Mary Pierce, Nadia Petrova, Flavia Pennetta

**WTA LISTS**

=MOST 2005 WTA TITLES=
4...Justine Henin-Hardenne
3...Maria Sharapova

=MOST TITLES - LAST 2 SEASONS=
9...Justine Henin-Hardenne (5/4)
9...Lindsay Davenport (7/2)
8...Maria Sharapova (5/3)
7...Amelie Mauresmo (5/2)
4...Alicia Molik (3/1)
4...Kim Clijsters (2/2)

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

=MARTINA NAVRATILOVA=
[singles W/L in the 2000s]
2000...0-0
2001...0-0
2002...1-1 (grass)
2003...2-5 (0-3 clay/2-2 grass)
2004...0-0
2005...Eastbourne 1r vs. Schaul

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

**WEEK 24 - THE ROYALE WINDS TO A CLOSE**

...well, Holy Webmaster Cantin doesn't have much chance to win this
thing if we continue to pick the same champions, now does he? Still,
with four event draws remaining in this Europe-based battle, things
can still tighten up considerably. How things stand:

Slam 4r: tied 10-10
Slam QF: Backspin leads 7-5
SF: tied 15-15
Finalists: Backspin leads 8-4
Champions: Backspin leads 5-3

Here it goes...

EASTBOURNE, ENGLAND (III-Grass)
04 F: Kuznetsova d. Hantuchova
05 TOP: Mauresmo/Kuznetsova
=======================
SF: Ivanovic d. Hantuchova; Clijsters d. Kuznetsova
Final: Clijsters d. Ivanovic

...so many if's and but's here. Obviously, everything changes if
Mauresmo gets revenge on Ana Ivo in their potential 2nd Round
rematch... or if Kim's injury flares up... or if Molik regains her
form... or if defending champ Kuznetsova doesn't have a twinge of
panic somewhere along the line in her first action since blowing two
match points against JHH at Roland Garros. It's a grass tune-up,
though, so unexplainable results go with the territory.

's-HERTOGENBOSCH, NETHERLANDS (III-Grass)
04 F: Pierce d. Koukalova
05 TOP: Dementieva/Petrova
============================
SF: Navratilova d. (no, just kidding)... Groenefeld d. Dementieva;
Petrova d. Safarova
Final: Petrova d. Groenefeld

...save 48-year old Martina, the draw's not exactly filled with grass
court expertise a year after Mary Pierce, of all people, managed to
win her first grass title ever at this tournament. Results could be
even more unpredictable this time around. Petrova has to win a title
sometime, right? So why not now?

============================
Pierre's Picks:

Hmmm, well I'm not catching up much the past few weeks. So, hopefully my choices will be different this week (I actually write this before seeing Todd's column). And this is the final step before the Big Event.

EASTBOURNE
SF: Mauresmo d. Hantuchova; Clijsters d. Kuznetsova
FINAL: Clijsters d. Mauresmo

's-HERTOGENBOSCH
SF: Dementieva d. Groenefeld; Petrova d. Safina
FINAL: Petrova d. Dementieva

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

Next week: Wimbledon preview

All for now.

Read more...

Wk.21/22 - Long Live the Queen

The 2005 clay court season came to a fitting close on Saturday, the only way it really could -- and should -- have... with Justine Henin-Hardenne the last woman standing.

In Roland Garros' final women's singles match, the perfect ending to JHH's comeback surge had been on the line in front of mostly-partisan fans sitting on the edge of every seat, just waiting for a reason to will one of their own (albeit by way of a few North American channels) to victory. All that was necessary for Henin-Hardenne to face off against a throng of furious French backers was an inkling that Mary Pierce was up to following up her 2000 RG title with a belated encore.

But Pierce's moment never came in a 6-1/6-1 defeat... while JHH's looks to have only just arrived, with perfect punctuality, for a spectacular encore of its own.

Henin-Hardenne's second French Open crown, the fourth slam title of her career, may have "only" raised her to #7 in the WTA rankings, but it's put her in the catbird seat of women's tennis all over again. And what's to be made of the land she surveys? Well, it's vast and saturated with talent... but, save a certain celestial occurrence dressed in a tennis dress, it's matter-of-factly conquerable. Nearly all potential rivals have a characteristic that precludes them from waging a long-term, complete and total battle with the Queen, who's just a Wimbledon title away from becoming just the sixth player in the last 30 years -- male or female -- to claim at least one title at all four grand slams.

Serena Williams is one of those five other players, but the Williams sisters' dynasty is over. These days, between Venus' mounting excuse-making, we're only treated to an occasional reminder of "what used to be" from Serena, at least whenever her body isn't breaking down or she's not too busy to bother with the sport that's given her so many options to pursue off the court. Battling Henin-Hardenne on a weekly basis hardly seems possible in 2005 and beyond.

If not a Williams, who else could challenge an in-form and healthy JHH? Late-in-career Lindsay Davenport's presence is only a short-term one at this point, though her display of will in Paris could speak well for her ability to add that one final slam title to her resume at either SW19 or Flushing Meadows before she leaves the court for good. Fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters, despite her own great return to form, is still more than a shade behind JHH in the "winning edge" department (with another example coming against Davenport at Roland Garros last week), and she still must contend with the ongoing battle with her ever-more-fragile body, as well.

Most of the Horde, too, have potentially fatal flaws that will likely prevent from being a "true challenger." From Elena Dementieva's serve to Vera Zvonareva's emotions, and from Anastasia Myskina's many moods to Svetlana Kuznetsova's questionable killer instinct, laid bare by JHH's own withering assessment that the Contessova was "afraid to win" their 4th Round match up at Roland Garros (in which Kuznetsova held two match points), it's always going to be something.

Unless she's struck down again by her toughest opponent to date -- the virus -- or another player emerges from the shadows of the tour (Ana Ivo, anyone?), JHH appears poised to reclaim what once was her's... and maybe not even a Supernova can stop her.

Or can she?

In JHH's twenty-eight matches in 2005, only Maria Sharapova has managed to experience a victorious handshake at the net. That match was on a hard court, which will soon become the surface of choice in the season's 3rd Quarter. On clay, Henin-Hardenne dominated Sharapova twice in recent weeks (winning 4 & 2 in the QF of Roland Garros), but the Russian's favored grass could be where their next battleground takes place. The Queen already has managed to block Sharapova from claiming Davenport's #1 ranking in recent weeks... could she go to England next month and literally steal the honor for herself, pulling the rug out from under the teenager's feet before the Supernova can "make every shot a power shot?" Or will she get her revenge at SW19,
or maybe Arthur Ashe Stadium?

Serena vs. the Supernova was the "dream" finale of last year's Wimbledon.. how about a Queen/Supernova All-England Club battle twelve months later to determine the true order of things at the top of women's tennis? One can only hope.

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

**CLAY COURT AWARDS**

=TOP PLAYERS=
1.Justine Henin-Hardenne
2.Mary Pierce
3.Nadia Petrova
4.Amelie Mauresmo
5.Lindsay Davenport
6.Patty Schnyder
7.Ana Ivanovic
8.Elena Dementieva
9.Anabel Medina Garrigues
10.Lucie Safarova

=RISERS=
1.Nadia Petrova
2.Patty Schnyder
3.Anabel Medina Garrigues
4.Dinara Safina
5.Francesca Schiavone
6.Na Li
7.Jelena Jankovic
8.Gisela Dulko
9.Marta Domachowska
10.Jelena Kostanic

=SURPRISES=
1.Nuria Llagostera-Vives
2.Virginie Razzano
3.Maria Sanchez Lorenzo
4.Zuzana Ondraskova
5.Olga Savchuk

=VETERANS=
1.Mary Pierce
2.Lindsay Davenport
3.Elena Likhovtseva
4.Virginia Ruano Pascual/Paola Suarez
5.Silvia Farina Elia

=FRESH FACES=
1.Ana Ivanovic
2.Lucie Safarova
3.Sesil Karatantcheva
4.Nicole Vaidisova
5.Shahar Peer
6.Johanna Larsson
7.Anna Chakvetadze
8.Shuai Peng
9.Sanja Ancic
10.Agnes Szavay

=DOWN=
1.Anastasia Myskina
2.Serena Williams
3.Karolina Sprem
4.Claudine Schaul
5.Alicia Molik

BEST PERFORMANCE
...JHH in Charleston/Warsaw. The first two titles that laid the groundwork for the Roland Garros championship and 24-match winning streak.

BEST MATCH
...Roland Garros 4r - Davenport d. Clijsters 1-6/7-5/6-3. Clijsters blows 6-1/3-1 lead on Davenport's worst surface.

BEST COMEBACK
...Mary Pierce at Roland Garros

BEST TEAM LEADERSHIP
...Elena Dementieva in Fed Cup. Overcoming four match points against Francesca Schiavone, Punch-Sober pulls her defending champion Russian teammates' butts out of the fire in the 1st Round.

BEST ITF PLAYER
...Sanja Ancic. Mario's little sister won three titles and put together a 17-match winning streak.

WORST CHOKE
...Roland Garros 4r - JHH d. Kuznetsova 7-6/4-6/7-5. The Contessova blows two match points at 5-3 in the 3rd set. It's the second year in a row (Myskina - '04 4th Rd.) she held match points against the eventual RG champion.

BIGGEST UPSET
...Amelia Island QF - Farina Elia d. S.Williams 5-7/7-6 ret. SFE has wins over both Venus and Serena in 2005.

SERIES UPDATE
...Henin-Hardenne vs. Sharapova. Sharapova won on hard court in Miami earlier in the season, but JHH was 2-0 with a pair of easy wins on clay.

ITF COMEBACK
...Ashley "American Splendor" Harkleroad won two ITF doubles titles and advanced to a singles SF.

BREAKOUTS
...Ana Ivanovic, just a shade away (one ranking position) from overtaking Jankovic as the top-ranked Serbian, and Sesil Karatantcheva, who Venus Williams will probably recognize the NEXT time she meets her (or maybe not... we are talking about Venus here, after all). Honorable Mention: Lucie Safarova, who was the only one of these three to actually win a title during the clay court season (actually, she did so on both the WTA & ITF circuit during the period).

BEST CATFIGHT
...Patty Schnyder vs. JHH. Or, considering the ease with which Henin-Hardenne dispatched Schnyder in their two clay court meetings (no matter how many balls Patty shot directly at her head, or how many times she complained about JHH's shouts of "Allez!"), maybe Henin-Hardenne was the cat here... and Patty played the role of the helpless mouse the cat cruelly batted about just because it could.

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

**ROLAND GARROS RECAP**
=CHAMPIONS=
S: Justine Henin-Hardenne d. Mary Pierce 6-1/6-1
D: Ruano-Pascual/Suarez d. Black/Huber
M: Hantuchova/Santoro d. Navratilova/Paes
Girl
S: Agnes Szavay d. Raluca-Ioana Olaru 6-2/6-1
Girl
D: Azarenka/Szavay d. Olaru/Rakhim

UPSET QUEENS: The French Pastries claim the honor, with the foundation built by Virginie Razzano (def. Safina), Emilie Loit (def. Frazier), Alize Cornet (def. Jidkova) and Aravane Rezai (def. Pin), then solidified by Pierce's run to the final (with three wins over Top 10 players). Runners-Up: the Spanish armada, with Maria Sanchez Lorenzo (def. Myskina), Nuria Llagostera-Vives (def. Sugiyama & Dechy) and Anabel Medina Garrigues (def. Maleeva) leading the charge.

FIRST SEEDS OUT:
-Monday 1st Round-
#25 Safina (lost to Razzano)
#5 Myskina (Sanchez Lorenzo)
-Tuesday 1st Round-
#23 Sugiyama (Llagostera-Vives)
#26 Suarez (Chakvetadze)

MADEMOISELLE OPPORTUNITY:
Mary Pierce, naturally.

FACT:
#7 Nadia Petrova was the highest-seeded player to make the SF, out-ranking #10 JHH, #16 Likhovtseva & #21 Pierce. Petrova was the lowest-seeded top-ranked semifinalist in a slam in the Open Era (1968-present)... besting the record set last year at Roland Garros, when #6 Myskina was the top-seeded player to make it to the SF.

MOST TELLING QUOTES:
1)Venus Williams, after losing to teen Sesil Karatantcheva in the 3rd Round: "I'd never heard of her or seen her before the match. I think she played well, definitely. But I also felt like if I just played 10% better, you know, I'm going to win this match easily."

...do we expect anything more (or less) of Venus these days? And, by the way, it's not as if Karatantcheva emerged from the hinterlands here. Maybe if Venus showed a little more interest in her chosen profession she wouldn't have been unaware of the Bulgarian's potential.
----------------------------
2)Not to be outdone, Karatantcheva easily handled her moment in thespotlight, lasting until the QF. Talking about how she was able to successfully convince Nick Bolettieri to let her play at his academy years ago, the nearly-16 girl smiled not-very-shyly and said, "Come on... who can resist me?"
----------------------------
3)JHH commenting on what she saw when, down 3-5 in the 3rd set and facing two match points, she looked across the net at Kuznetsova's face: "She was afraid to win the match; that was very clear."


=ROLAND GARROS PLAYER AWARDS=

PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT: Justine Henin-Hardenne
----------------------------
RISERS: Nadia Petrova (2nd week) & Francesca Schiavone (1st week)
----------------------------
SURPRISES: Elena Likhovtseva (2nd week) & Nuria Llagostera-Vives (1st week)
---------------------------
VETERANS: Mary Pierce & Virginia Ruano-Pascual (2nd week) & Lindsay Davenport (1st week)
---------------------------
FRESH FACES: Ana Ivanovic & Sesil Karatantcheva (1st week) & Agnes Szavay (2nd week)
---------------------------
DOWN: Anastasia Myskina (1st week) & Svetlana Kuznetsova (2nd week)
---------------------------

=MATCHES=
[1r-3r]
1.3r - Karatantcheva d. V.Williams
...6-3/1-6/6-1. Venus, meet the 2004 Roland Garros Junior champ. She's only 15, and she learned English by listening to Spice Girls albums. How old does that make you feel, Venus?
============================
2.1r - Sanchez Lorenzo d. Myskina
...6-4/4-6/6-0. After revealing her mother's illness and her own inability to focus, the Czarina became the first defending champ to ever fall in the 1st Round.
============================
3.3r - Ivanovic d. Mauresmo
...6-4/3-6/6-4. Ana Ivo puts Mauresmo out of her late-round misery a little earlier than usual.

[4r-F]
1.4r - JHH d. Kuznetsova
...7-6/4-6/7-5. My, how history would be different if Kuznetsova was able to close out 4r matches in which she holds match points at Roland Garros. For one, the last two years we'd have seen different champions.
============================
2.4r - Davenport d. Clijsters
...1-6/7-5/6-3. Gritty Lindsay. An incomplete Clijsters... take your pick whether it was the head or body that ultimately mattered more.
============================
3.4r - Pierce d. Schnyder
...6-1/1-6/6-4. It took Pierce eleven match points to finally put Schnyder away. No word on whether she shouted "Allez!" just to tick Patty off.
============================
4.Girls Singles F - Szavay d. Olaru
...6-2/6-1. The 16-year old Hungarian claimed the junior slam title that eluded her in Melbourne, where she lost in the final. She also claimed the girls doubles crown, teaming with Victoria Azarenka (the player that defeated her in the Oz singles final).
============================


**WTA LISTS**

=BACKSPIN PLAYERS OF THE MONTH=
JANUARY: Serena Williams
FEBRUARY: Maria Sharapova
MARCH: Kim Clijsters
APRIL: Justine Henin-Hardenne
MAY: Justine Henin-Hardenne

=MOST WTA FINALS=
5...Davenport (2-3)
4...Henin-Hardenne (4-0)
3...Sharapova (2-1)
3...Mauresmo (2-1)

=MOST DOUBLES TITLES=
4...Ruano Pascual
3...Suarez
3...Molik
3...Likhovtseva
3...Stosur (1 mixed)

=RUANO-PASCUAL/SUAREZ SLAM TITLES=
1 Australian Open - 2004
4 Roland Garros - 2001,2002,2004,2005
3 US Open - 2002,2003,2004

=CAREER WTA SINGLES TITLES - active=
47...Davenport (2005: 2)
33...Martinez (1)
32...V.Williams (1)
26...S.Williams (1)
23...Henin-Hardenne (4)
23...Clijsters (2)

=2005 LONG WTA WINNING STREAKS=
24...Henin-Hardenne - April-present
17...Clijsters - March-April
12...Sharapova - February-March
10...Pennetta - February
10...Ivanovic - January

=2005 Top 10 PLAYERS=
[2Q CLAY COURT SEASON]
24-0...Henin-Hardenne
15-4...Petrova
15-6...Schnyder
11-2...Davenport (+ 2-0 Fed Cup)
9-1....Mauresmo
9-3....V.Williams (+ 2-0 Fed Cup)
9-3....Sharapova
8-4....Kuznetsova
7-3....Dementieva (+ 2-0 Fed Cup)
7-6....Zvonareva
2-2....S.Williams
1-4....Myskina
0-1....Molik
0-0....Capriati

=CAREER SLAM SINGLES FINALS=
[active]
10...V.Williams (4-6)
9...S.Williams (7-2)
6...Davenport (3-3)
5...Henin-Hardenne (4-1)
5...Pierce (2-3)
4...Clijsters (0-4)
3...Capriati (3-0)
3...Martinez (1-2)
2...Dementieva (0-2)
1...Sharapova (1-0)
1...Kuznetsova (1-0)
1...Myskina (1-0)
1...Mauresmo (0-1)

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**BATTLE ROYALE PREDICTIONS**

...as the Battle Royale reaches its final stages on the grass, your friendly neighborhood Backspin predictor holds the edge over the Holy Webmaster in this extended competition, claiming both Roland Garros champs (JHH & Nadal) to Pierre Cantin's one (JHH). The updated stats:

Slam 4th Round: tied 10-10
Slam QF: Backspin leads 7-5
SF: tied 13-13
Finalists: Backspin leads 7-3
Champions: Backspin leads 4-2

**WEEK 23**
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND (III-Grass)
04 F: Sharapova d. Golovin
05 TOP: Sharapova/Molik
----------------------------
SF: Sharapova d. Golovin; Hantuchova d. Molik
FINAL: Sharapova d. Hantuchova

============================
Pierre:

Well... I must admit, things ar starting to look bad after a promising start. Yes, I know that you all are aware it was something with the clay. Clearly, Todd was superior on clay... but we're back on grass and this time things will change.

SF: Sharapova d. Golovin; Molik d. Hantuchova
FINAL: Sharapova d. Molik

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

All for now.

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