US Open Day 3: Nobody Puts Sania in the Corner

The winds blew during the day. The rains came during the evening. In between, Day 1 "upset queens" went down in flames on Day 3, "The Dream Catcher" made its nighttime debut... and the Indian Princess won again to move within one match of facing the Supernova in an event that could cause a New York-wide run on digital cameras.

First up, though, has to be a report on what Serena was wearing (or not wearing) in her '05 primetime debut. Clothing-wise, she wore nothing even remotely bound to cause a stir reminiscent of the catsuit or the go-go boots of recent years. No, 2005's tongues will have to be content with wagging about the $40,000 "Dream Catcher" set of earrings first glimpsed during the daylight on Monday. This time, though, they were fastened more securely on Serena's lobes and didn't fall off during play as they did two days ago. But it was Serena's moment in the spotlight, so she added a diamond necklace to the ensemble for the evening session.

==DAY 3 AWARDS==

PLAYER OF THE DAY: Maria Sharapova
...the Supernova faced gusts of 30 mph during her afternoon match. Oh, and Dally Randriantefy was there, too. Not that too many people noticed, since she only won a single game off Sharapova.
============================
RISER: Julia Schruff
...the 23-year German, who knocked off #28 Flavia Pennetta in the 1st Round, was one of the few players who pulled opening day upsets and followed up the win with another one in the 2nd Round. Today, the #87-ranked Schruff took out veteran Lisa Raymond and pretty well assured herself of reaching a new career-high singles rank (previously it was #82) after the Open. Her streak of raising her year-end ranking every season since 1998 appears to be set to continue, as well, since this little run will likely keep her ahead of her #105-ranked pace of '04.
============================
SURPRISE: Ivana Lisjak
...the 18-year old Croatian, ranked #189 in the world, followed up her 1st Round win over Emilie Loit with a victory over Kuznetsova conqueror Ekaterina Bychkova. Lisjak has already won two ITF singles titles in 2005, and is now the only qualifier in the draw's top half to reach the 3rd Round.
============================
VETERAN: Maria Vento-Kabchi
...Venezuelan MVK, 31, pulled off the biggest win of the day over #18-seed Ana Ivanovic. No word yet on whether she'll be receiving a congratulatory phone call from Pat Robertson.
============================
FRESH FACE: Nicole Vaidisova
...with Lucie Safarova nipping at her heels of late, would-be Czech Maiden #1 is going about proving her worth in Flushing. Jie Zheng was Vaidisova's 2nd Round victim, as she eyes Nadia Petrova in the Round of 16... along with a shot a being this slam's "Miss Opportunity."
============================
DOWN: Ana Ivanovic
...what a disappointing result it is for the 17-year old to fall to Vento-Kabchi. Everyone was looking forward to a Clijsters vs. Ivanovic match in the Round of 16. Hmmm, maybe AnaIvo was, too?
============================

==DAY 3 MATCHES==

1.Sania Mirza def. Maria Elena Camerin
...6-4/1-6/6-4. Roddick's might have gone south, but Mirza's mojo is still going up and up. The Princess, an "Indian Supernova" of sorts, has been to a slam 3rd Round before... so now she has to have the Supernova in her sights, even if she diplomatically refuses to look ahead (she'll face Marion Bartoli next). Hopefully, the match will happen. The rest of the world needs to be introduced to this 18-year old... and being on the court with Sharapova is about as "prime" a place for everyone to get to know her as Mirza will ever be able to find.
============================
2.#4 Kim Clijsters def. Fabiola Zuluaga
...7-5/6-0. Zuluaga had a set point in the 1st, but Nice Kim wasn't about to risk being the second #4-seed to fall in this tournament.
============================
3t.Ivana Lisjak def. Ekaterina Bychkova, 7-5/6-1; Marion Bartoli def. Shenay Perry 4-6/6-1/6-0
...after upsets in the 1st Round, Bychkova and Perry saw their fortunes come crashing back down to the blue courts of the USTA National Tennis Center.
============================
4.Maria Vento-Kabchi def. #18 Ana Ivanovic
...3-6/7-5/6-1. AnaIvo was the first women's seed to fall in nearly 48 hours. She was soon followed by #33 Vera Douchevina, who lost to Shahar Peer.
============================
5.#20 Daniela Hantuchova def. Maria-Emilia Salerni
...6-1/6-0. Wonder Girl is playing well, and Venus is up next.
============================
HM--#9 Nadia Petrova def. Aiko Nakamura
...6-2/6-0. The quietest Russian moves forward, and will remain in the shadows as long as Sharapova is still alive in her quarter.
============================

==DAY 3 ODDS & ENDS==

**CLOSEST MATCH**
...Laura Granville def. Nicole Pratt 6-4/5-7/7-5. The American followed up her upset of #22 Silvia Farina Elia with another win over a 30+ year old vet. Next up: Petrova, 23.


**1st ROUND UPSETS...& what happened next**
Ekaterina Bychkova def. #5 Svetlana Kuznetsova
...lost to Ivana Lisjak today
----------------------------
Shenay Perry def. #14 Alicia Molik
...lost to Marion Bartoli today
----------------------------
Maria Elena Camerin def. #21 Dinara Safina
...lost to Sania Mirza today
----------------------------
Laura Granville def. #22 Silvia Farina Elia
...defeated Nicole Pratt today
----------------------------
Julia Schruff def. #28 Flavia Pennetta
...def. Lisa Raymond today
----------------------------

**EARRINGS vs. EARRINGS**
...Serena sported earrings worth $40,000 tonight, but Sania Mirza wins in the "quantity over quality" battle. The Indian Princess has nine earrings. Not sure if that number includes her nose ring, though.


...tomorrow night, Bulgarian Spice arrives in primetime! Mercy me. Could a media monster be about to be born? We'll either be thanking Sesil's opponent, Amelie Mauresmo, after this match... or cursing her. We'll have to wait and see which will be the appropriate response.

All for now.

Read more...

US Open Day 2: Mama Mia, That's a Spicy Moonball

After five women's seeds fell on Day 1 in Flushing Meadows, nary a one stumbled on Day 2 (not that a few didn't come verrry close, though)... it was such a by-the-book kind of day, I guess Andy Roddick felt like he had to perform his duty and do something that everyone would be talking about tomorrow. I'm not quite sure losing to Gilles Muller in three tie-break sets was exactly what he had in mind, though.

And with that huge upset, ol' Holy Webmaster Cantin's picks lose his men's champion. Since I went with the chalk pick of Federer, I still survive. Ah, there's hope for your friendly neighborhood Backspinner in the "Battle Royale 2" yet.

==DAY 2 PLAYER AWARDS==

PLAYER OF THE DAY: Justine Henin-Hardenne
...come now, the Queen was on the court and handled opponent Zuzana Ondraskova by a 6-3/6-0 score in her first slam match since being upset by Eleni Daniilidou at Wimbledon. Who else was I going to pick?
============================
RISER: Anastasia Myskina
...the Czarina must make sure the say hello as she passes the Contessova on the way back up the rankings. Usually, a former slam winner wouldn't qualify for this category. But after the season Myskina's had, a "routine" 6-3/6-1 win over Tamarine Tanasugarn is a sure sign that all the things that have started to go her way again over the past few weeks haven't been a mirage.
============================
SURPRISE: Vania King
...the 16-year old American qualifier, ranked #721, stunned world #41 Klara Koukalova in three sets.
============================
VETERAN: Lindsay Davenport
...the world #1, but #2-seed, faced the toughest 1st Round opponent of all the top seeds. After struggling with holding her serve in the early going, though, she managed to handle a very game Na Li in two sets.
============================
FRESH FACE: Sesil Karatantcheva
...leave it to Bulgarian Spice to liven up a humid, oppressive day in the Big Apple. After the heat took out Akiko Morigami yesterday (and raised questions about "lack of fitness" rules after a whithered Novak Djokovic worked the rules to stall Gael Monfils, allowing himself to get an extended rest at 3-4, 40-40 in the 5th set... and ultimately dump out the French teen), Karatantcheva and Meghann Shaughnessy battled for 2:24 in it today. Worn and dragging, Spicy Sesil employed moonballs and grit to finally outlast the American, overcoming a 2-6/3-5 deficit (and two match points). In fitting Spicy form, as she sat hunched over in her chair with a post-match glow shining through her exhaustion, Karatantcheva looked at the camera, flashed her should-be-famous smile, and said, "Fun, huh?" So very Sesil.
============================
DOWN: Meghann Shaughnessy
...anytime you blow a big lead and two match points at a grand slam, you're not going to feel good about yourself in the morning.
============================


==DAY 2 MATCHES==

1.Karatantcheva d. Shaughnessy
...2-6/7-5/7-5. The biggest slip of the tournament so far, after Shaughnessy blew two match points. Hmmm... so Sesil saved two match points. Considering recent slam history, does that mean she'll win the title?
----------------------------
2.#29 Anna Chakvetadze d. Viktoriya Kutuzova
...6-3/3-6/7-5. Anna C escaped the Ukrainian teen, who served at 5-4 in the 3rd set and was within two points of making the Russian the only women's seed to fall on Day 2.
----------------------------
3.#23 Tatiana Golovin d. Virginia Ruano-Pascual
...6-3/2-6/7-6(5). The Frussian Pastry didn't exactly have much to draw on for this match, after a frustrating season so far. Still, she pulled herself together long enough to outlast the vet.
----------------------------
4.#6 Elena Dementieva d. Lucie Safarova
...7-5/6-3. Punch-Sober had some shaky moments in the early going, but the '04 U.S. Open RU managed to defeat Safarova and outlast the Russian who beat her in the final last year, 1st Round loser Kuznetsova.
----------------------------
5.Tiantian Sun d. Samantha Stosur
...6-3/7-6(4). The qualifying Cookie pulled off another one. Meanwhile, Sammy will have to commiserate with fellow Aussie Alicia Molik about where all those January hopes for '05 disappeared to.
----------------------------

==DAY 2 ODDS & ENDS==

**UPSET QUEENS...so far**
...right now, it looks as if the Americans will be the "Upset Queens" for the second time in a slam in 2005, with Perry def. #14 Molik, Granville def. #22 Farina Elia, King def. Koukalova and Glatch def. Fedak.

**DAY 2 FAMILY WOES**
...a day after wife Ashley Harkleroad retired from her 1st Round match, husband Alex Bogomolov Jr. lost his opening match to David Nalbandian.

**CLOSEST MATCH**
Sanchez-Lorenzo def. Haynes
...7-5/7-6(6). The Compton Comet has had a little trouble finding her orbit since neary upsetting Serena at Wimbledon.

**LUCKIEST PLAYER OF THE DAY**
...Conchita Martinez. Since she lost to Patty Schnyder in three sets, she didn't have to worry about Sneaky using her racquet as a weapon during that much-worried-about post-match handshake.


Tomorrow, Serena makes her nighttime debut on Arthur Ashe. She wore $40,000 earrings and a rather sedate outfit on Monday. What will she do in "primetime?" Come back to "The Daily Backspin" after the last women's match is completed tomorrow night to get the recap.

All for now.

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US Open Day 1: Curses for the Contessova

Old Hollywood movie ads used to tout that a motion picture had "more stars than can fill the sky." That wasn't quite the case on the opening night of play under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium... but it was pretty close.

Night One starred arguably the brightest lights (or at least, the most marketable) in both the men's and women's draws, Andre Agassi and Maria Sharapova. Both managed to reach the 2nd Round unscathed, a matter-of-fact ending to a day that had at least one bombshell result.

In this inaugural edition of "The Daily Backspin" during the U.S. Open, timed to coincide with the christening of Backspin Blogtown, I'll be presenting a shortened version of the weekly WTA Backspin column. So, here it goes.


==DAY 1 PLAYER AWARDS==

PLAYER OF THE DAY: Kim Clijsters
...Martina Muller proved no problem at all for 6-1/6-2 winner Nice Kim, who only recently said that she's planning to hang up her racquet after just two or three more seasons. With time running out to get that first slam, this was a good start. But, then again Clijsters rarely does have trouble this early in a slam.
============================
RISER: Jie Zheng
...in one of the 1st Round's more intriguing matchups of two unseeded players, the Cookie outlasted Iveta Benesova (taking the 3rd set at love).
============================
SURPRISE: Maria Elena Camerin
...the Italian made it an all-around bad day for the Safin family. First, Marat pulled out of the tournament with an injury. Then, Camerin took out his sister, #21-seed Dinara Safina, in three sets.
============================
VETERAN: Ai Sugiyama
...the 30-year old Japanese vet dropped the first set to Alyona Bondarenko, but battled back to finally close out a victory in three.
============================
FRESH FACE: Ekaterina Bychkova
...when you're a 20-year old Russian not named Maria, you still manage to get your share of attention when you take out the defending U.S. Open women's champion in the 1st Round.
============================
DOWN: Svetlana Kuznetsova
...speaking of the first-ever defending U.S. Open women's champion to lose in the 1st Round, the Contessova officially put her 2004 Flushing Meadows run behind her on Monday. Truthfully, if there's a time when a big upset isn't really all that big, then this was it. With Kuznetsova's poor form all summer (and all season, for that matter), her matchup with Bychkova had troubles written all over it when the draw was announced. Hmmm, looks like the Kuznetsova Curse that Tennisrulz head honcho Cantin and myself put on the Contessova back in January is still alive and well, after all.
============================


==DAY 1 MATCHES==

1.Ekaterina Bychkova d. #5 Svetlana Kuznetsova
...6-3/6-2. The Hordette with the name bound to cause adolescent boys to giggle finally strikes it big by turning Kuznetsova into the "Barefoot" Contessova.
----------------------------
2.Shenay Perry d. #14 Alicia Molik
...6-4/6-4. This one, too, what with Molik's star-crossed season since her great Australian run, was a fairly easy call.
----------------------------
3.Fabiola Zuluaga d. Ashley Harkleroad
...6-0/3-0 ret. Let's hope this isn't another setback that American Splendor will have to claw her way back from.
----------------------------
4.Emma Laine d. Shuai Peng
...3-6/7-6/6-2. Being the only player to defeat Clijsters on hardcourts this summer hasn't exactly sat well with Peng. She's gone 1-4 in main draw matches since.
----------------------------
5.Jie Zheng d. Iveta Benesova
...6-2/3-6/6-0. Peng and Na Li invariably get the most attention of the Cookies, but Zheng is really the more consistent performer of the bunch in WTA events.
----------------------------


==DAY 1 ODDS & ENDS==

**1st FEMALE WINNER**
#26 Nicole Vaidisova d. Kveta Peschke... one Czech Maiden over another

**1st SEED OUT**
Julia Schruff d. #28 Flavia Pennetta

**CLOSEST MATCH**
Sania Mirza d. Mashona Washington
...7-6/6-7/6-4. The Indian Princess didn't fret too long about losing that final in Forest Hills.

**BLUE COURTS??**
...to tell you the truth, I'm so used to seeing them now that I have to be reminded that they haven't always looked that way.

**COSTLIEST ACCESSORY**
...Serena's $40,000 earrings. Honestly, though, they couldn't hold a candle to Oracene sporting a Philadelphia Phillies throwback jersey in the stands... or Serena's dog Jackie "applauding" her win over teenager Yung-Jan Chan.

More tomorrow. All for now.

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Wk.34-Sowing the (Open) Seeds of Doubt

Quick, what was the highest seed to win the women's title at the last six grand slam events?

Buzzzzz.... time's up! The answer: amazingly, SIXTH-seeded Anastasia Myskina, at Roland Garros in 2004, is the highest-seeded slam champ since #1 Justine Henin-Hardenne defeated Kim Clijsters in the 2004 Australian Open final. When Le Petit Taureau knocked off Nice Kim nineteen long months ago, it marked the twelfth consecutive slam (going back to '01) in which the eventual champion was culled from the tournament's top four seeds. Betcha didn't realize that when the Czarina ushered in the Russian "slam revolution" last year that she'd also kicked off an under-the-radar wacky trend, as well, did you?

Chronilogically, the last six women's slam champs have been seeded #6, #13, #9, #7, #10 and #14. So what's going on here, you ask?

Well, the Horde's long-awaited breakthrough, for one. Big steps have occurred at the biggest events over the last fourteen months, and the sport has been all the better for it. But, in 2005, the Horde's slam supremacy has been quelled somewhat by the return to health of some of the game's biggest stars. All three '05 slam titlists missed significant time during '04, only to spark up their play this season and reclaim some of their past glory (and raise their rankings & seeds).

Ah, the injuries. Even if the WTA won't admit to the problem actually being a legitimate "problem," health concerns have wreaked havoc with the U.S. Open tuneup circuit in North America as most of the top players have been out of part, most or all of the nearly two months that have passed since Venus Williams raised the Wimbledon plate (she did do that in between her "happy dances", right?). It makes getting a true read on the Open contenders a bit difficult this time around.

Which is why I'm falling back on recent history. History which says it won't be one of the top four seeds who emerges victorious:

#1 Maria Sharapova
#2 Lindsay Davenport
#3 Amelie Mauresmo
#4 Kim Clijsters

So should we rule out these four ladies, all of whom have been ranked #1 (with Sharapova & Davenport flip-flopping the top spot the last three weeks... though the Supernova gained the honor just in time to sneak into Flushing Meadows as the #1 seed)? Of course, two (Mauresmo & Clijsters) of this year's Top 4 seeds have never won a slam title, the only pair of the fifteen women's #1's since the computer rankings were started in 1975 to fail to do so. Davenport hasn't won one since the Australian in January '00. And Sharapova is a real question mark after struggling with a pulled muscle in her chest in recent weeks... and with Eleni Daniilidou, who upset JHH in the 1st Round at Wimbledon in June, awaiting her on Night 1 of action at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Thing is, at least two of the Top 4 SHOULD be the logical favorites to win the tournament. Davenport just won in New Haven; and Clijsters is really the only player coming into the Open with a full head of steam after a super-successful, three title-winning North American stint. But did Nice Kim peak too early, much like Davenport did a year ago after winning four events before the Open and then falling in the semifinals in the big event?

So, will it be logic or history that rules the day in the Big Apple? Stay tuned for my picks in the "Battle Royale" update section. First, a quick look back at last week's action...


==========================
New Haven, Ct. (II-HO)
S: Lindsay Davenport d. Amelie Mauresmo 6-4/6-4
D: Raymond/Stosur d. Dulko/Kirilenko
==========================
Forest Hills, NY (IV-HO)
S: Lucie Safarova d. Sania Mirza 3-6/7-5/6-4
==========================


==PLAYER AWARDS==
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Lindsay Davenport
...so is Lindsay back, or will her back injury be, well, back, come this week? Either way, New Haven was her 48th career title and her week's work returned her to #1 on the WTA computer after one week out. Wither the Supernova.
============================
RISERS: Anabel Medina-Garrigues & Tiantian Sun
...AMG is generally thought of as a clay courter, but she had a nice run at Wimbledon in June, then on hard court last week she knocked off the likes of Razzano, Dulko and Dementieva in New Haven (and pushed Mauresmo to three sets in the SF, after nearly winning the match in straights). Sun has mostly been the Cookie who's made the most strides in doubles, but the 23-year old from China managed to qualify in singles play for the U.S. Open last week with wins over Marlene Weingartner and Ludmila Cervanova.
============================
SURPRISE: Alexa Glatch
...American youngsters aren't exactly popping out of the woodwork on the women's tour, but the #460-ranked 15-year old from Newport Beach, California managed to slide through to the Forest Hills SF with big-time wins over Akiko Morigami and Martina Sucha.
============================
VETERANS: Lindsay Davenport & Virginia Ruano-Pascual
...the respective #1's in both singles and doubles going into the U.S. Open. VRP, though, managed to find some success in the other discipline last week, qualifying all by her lonesome for the U.S. Open singles main draw.
============================
FRESH FACES: Lucie Safarova & Sania Mirza
...Forest Hills featured a clash of 18-year olds in the final, with Czech Maiden Safarova outmanuevering the Indian Princess in their battle to become the first of the two to claim their second WTA singles title in '05.
============================
DOWN: Elena Dementieva
...the '04 U.S. Open finalists aren't making anyone think they're going to be making a return trip to the deciding match this time around. Svetlana Kuznetsova has been stumbling around for weeks, and now Dementieva was dumped out of New Haven in the 2nd Round by Medina-Garrigues.
============================

==MATCHES==
1.NH Final - Davenport d. Mauresmo
...6-4/6-4. New Haven was one of the few Open tuneup titles that Davenport didn't win in 2004.
============================
2.FH Final - Safarova d. Mirza
...3-6/7-5/6-4. Is Safarova starting to move past Vaidisova as the most promising of the teenage Czech Maidens?
============================
3.NH 1st - Dulko d. Molik
...6-2/6-4. The Steamer's inner ear problem, and long layoff, has really turned what looked like a potentially spectacular season for her back in January into an upside down mess that she'll likely be glad to forget.
============================
HM--NH 2nd - Medina-Garrigues d. Dementieva
...6-4/6-3. Will the last Russian standing please turn off the lights? Hey! Why's is so dark in here?
============================


==LINK OF THE WEEK==
...well, you're already here. The Link of the Week is the Backspin Blogtown, where all the citizens of Backspinville come to meet. Check back each night during the Open for daily musings on the day's action and events (a new feature that'll accompany each grand slam event). Pierre should continue to post alerts to new postings on the Tennisrulz.com front page, but you can still check back here in case I manage to beat him to the punch (something I haven't done of late in the "Battle Royale"... but more on that in a moment) and have to talk about something amazing that just occurred in Flushing Meadows.


==U.S. OPEN LISTS==

**LAST 5 U.S. OPEN FIANLS**
2000 V.Williams d. Davenport
2001 V.Williams d. S.Williams
2002 S.Williams d. V.Williams
2003 Henin-Hardenne d. Clijsters
2004 Kuznetsova d. Dementieva


**IN U.S. OPEN FINALS**
[players in '05 main draw]
4...V.Williams (2-2)
3...S.Williams (2-1)
2...Davenport (1-1)
1...Henin-Hardenne (1-0)
1...Clijsters (0-1)
1...Dementieva (0-1)


=="BATTLE ROYALE 2" UPDATE
...two weeks ago, I had visions of a victory parade and second consecutive diamond-encrusted Battle Royale championship belt dancing in my head. So, what happened? I mean, I had Mauresmo & Mirza (my picks last week) in the finals on Saturday and had a shot to put 'ol Holy Webmaster Pierre Cantin away... but then they both lost, and PC grabbed the Davenport bus to the New Haven title while I tripped over the sidewalk and fell into a big puddle of water. Now, Pierre has a slight lead on me in the BR2 standings. But I still have an outside shot to pull this out (or at least get a tie), as long as he goes with the "logic" and picks a champion from the top four seeds. Come on, Pierre... do it... do it... do it (did my mind-control tactics work? See his picks on Tennisrulz.com to find out... and read his on-site reports from the National Tennis Center and beyond!). (Oh, and Frank Riley's Tennisrulz preview can be found here.)

Anyway, the current Royale standings can be found in the sidebar to the left (Pierre has 23 SF/8 F/3 W, while I'm lagging behind at 16 SF/8 F/2 W).

Now, on with the Open odds & ends:

**SOMETHING TO WATCH**
...the last three slam winners have faced down match points during the tournament (and four of the past six, going back to Myskina at RG '04). So, if someone teeters on the edge of defeat this week it could mean they'll end up winning the whole thing in the end.


**3 MOST LIKELY FIRST SEEDS OUT?**
#14 Molik vs. Shenay Perry
#23 Golovin vs. V.Ruano-Pascual
#26 Vaidisova vs. Kveta Peschke


**EARLY TESTS**
1st - Davenport vs. Na Li
...New Haven hangover? What if Lindsay's back acts up?
--------------------------
1st - Kuznetsova vs. Ekaterina Bychkova
...the Contessova would have trouble with anyone at this point, let alone one of the young Russians looking to make a name for herself.
--------------------------
1st - Schnyder vs. Martinez
...bad blood here, baby. REAL bad blood. Conchita had better watch her back, in case Sneaky Patty gets perturbed.
--------------------------
1st - Dementieva vs. Safarova
...could be the first huge upset of the tournament.
--------------------------
1st - Sharapova vs. Daniilidou
...Eleni the Greek upset JHH at Wimbledon, and would love to get a little Supernova blood on her racquet.
--------------------------


**"(MISS) OPPORTUNITY" KNOCKS?**
...keep an eye on these gals, they could be the BIG stories of the first week:

Sania Mirza
Ana Ivanovic
Anna-Lena Groenefeld
Anna Chakvetadze


==PICKS==

ROUND OF 16
#1 Sharapova d. Mirza
#9 Petrova d. #26 Vaidisova
#4 Clijsters d. #18 Ivanovic
#10 V.Williams d. #8 S.Williams
#7 Henin-Hardenne d. #12 Pierce
#3 Mauresmo d. #13 Myskina
#29 Chakvetadze d. #11 Schnyder
#2 Davenport d. #15 Dechy

QUARTERFINALS
#1 Sharapova d. #9 Petrova
#4 Clijsters d. #10 V.Williams
#7 Henin-Hardenne d. #3 Mauresmo
#2 Davenport d. #29 Chakvetadze

SEMIFINALS
#4 Clijsters d. #1 Sharapova
#7 Henin-Hardenne d. #2 Davenport

FINAL
#7 Henin-Hardenne d. #4 Clijsters

...history wins out in the end.


As for the men:

=QF=
#1 Federer d. Srichaphan
#3 Hewitt d. Monfils
#4 Roddick d. #26 Lopez
#7 Agassi d. #14 T.Johansson
=SF=
#1 Federer d. #3 Hewitt
#4 Roddick d. #7 Agassi
=FINAL=
#1 Federer d. #4 Roddick

...was there really any doubt?


Again, check back all tournament for nightly Backspin Blogtown ruminations on the day's events (including the progress toward presenting the "Upset Queens" and "Miss Opportunity" awards). All for now.

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Wk.33-Nice, Kim

On Sunday, Kim Clijsters took on and defeated Justine Henin-Hardenne in the U.S. Open final.

Yeah, yeah. I know it was actually the final of Toronto, but come on, at this point is there any other final match-up that you'd put your money on happening in Flushing Meadows come September 10 than Henin-Hardenne vs. Clijsters? You can be assured that the Open prediction that'll be coming from this corner on the weekend will include an all-Belgian final... only with a different result, since we know that Nice Kim wouldn't emerge the victor over JHH on THAT big of a stage.

But, for what it was, Clijsters' Toronto title effectively wrapped up her dominant North American hardcourt tuneup season. The final numbers: a 16-1 record and three singles titles. So good has been her August, which was one bad night in the presence of Shuai Peng from being a picture of absolute perfection, that she'll go into New York as the pick by many to walk away with her first slam crown. Can you say "pressure?"

That's why I'd still stick with the Queen, barring any troubling stories this week about her feeling "fatigued" after returning in Toronto following eight weeks away from the tour. Le Petit Taureau, even while having an up and down week as she battled the expected rust on her game, managed to defeat the world #3 (Mauresmo) and reach a Tier I final.

With Lindsay Davenport only now returning in New Haven this week (at least at last report), Venus M.I.A. for most of the month, Serena and the Supernova hurting, Kuznetsova looking nothing like a defending champ, and Mauresmo being Mauresmo, the path to another Clijsters vs. Henin-Hardenne final would seem bereft of any obviously menacing obstacles (unless Mary Pierce recaptures her San Diego form, and her multiple withdrawals from tournament draws since then weren't worrisome developments).

Now, all that's left is a draw that will make it possible.

======================
TORONTO, ONTARIO CAN (I-HO)
S: Kim Clijsters d. Justine Henin-Hardenne 7-5/6-1
D: Groenefeld/Navratilova d. Martinez/Ruano-Pascual
======================

=PLAYER AWARDS=

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Kim Clijsters
...hmmm, that makes it six titles on the season. No one has more (or even as many as five, for that matter). A 6-0 record in finals. Three Tier I crowns, the most on tour in '05. A WTA-best 48 tour wins. She's already up to #4 in the rankings, too. A good bet for Player of the Year? Maybe, but finally getting that elusive slam title would certainly solidify Clijsters' campaign... Nice Kim can only play around in the water on a flooded court (as she did in Toronto last week) for so long before that tremendous hole in her resume is unable to be hidden from prying eyes.
==========================
RISER: Gisela Dulko
...the 20-year old Argentine who took out Martina Navratilove at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2004 has been picking up some impressive scalps on hardcourts of late. In Toronto, she knocked out the disappointing pair of Tatiana Golovin and Svetlana Kuznetsova en route to the QF. On Sunday, she easily handled (6-2/6-4) a returning Alicia Molik in early 1st Round action in New Haven.
==========================
SURPRISE: Anna-Lena Groenefeld & Martina Navratilova
...the 20-year old German/48-year old Czech-born American duo finally charted their first doubles title as a team this weekend in Toronto. That either would be successful isn't a surprise, but that they'd finally meld together perfectly (upsetting #1-seeded Black/Stubbs in the QF, then Martinez/Ruano-Pascual in the Final) at a Tier I, getting Navratilova her first title of 2005 and setting yet another oldest-WTA titlist record, wasn't exactly expected. Now, the Kuznetsova/Groenefeld comparison is just one big fortnight from becoming complete. It's not likely to happen in New York (or is it?), but ALG can dream, can't she? Backspin can, too.
==========================
VETERANS: Martina Navratilova & Conchita Martinez
...Navratilova is just two months from her 49th birthday, meaning she's older than both the Toronto singles finalists -- JHH & Clijsters -- COMBINED, with almost four years to spare. Martinez made the doubles final, and also knocked off Navratilova's doubles partner Groenefeld and Dinara Safina in singles.
==========================
FRESH FACES: Petra Cetkovska & Monica Niculescu
...Czech Maiden Cetkovska, 20, won her second of back-to-back ITF titles in Kedzierzyn (Poland), giving her four challenger crowns on the season. Also winning her fourth ITF title of the 2005 season was Romania's Niculescu, 17, in Coimbra.
==========================
DOWN: Serena Williams
...Serena came, barely conquered Stephanie Cohen Aloro... and then withdrew from the tournament. As chronicled in the Williams sisters' "For Real" reality series, Serena's April ankle injury has now turned into a knee injury that's officially threatening to derail her Flushing Meadows fashion show at Arthur Ashe Stadium next week. For the record, Serena has been in "action" at seven events in 2005. She won the Australian, of course, and made the Miami QF. But she's also retired from two matches, had walkovers in two other tournaments, lost in the 3rd round at Wimbledon, and failed to win a match in Rome just five weeks after her initial ankle injury.
==========================

=MATCHES=

1.Tor F - Clisjters d. Henin-Hardenne
...7-5/6-1. Nice Kim is now 10-9 career vs. JHH, finally gaining an edge over her fellow Waffle in their first matchup since the 2004 Aussie Open final.
==========================
2.Tor 3rd - Dulko d. Kuznetsova
...7-6/7-6. The Contessova played on despite a lower back injury. She still lost, then withdrew from New Haven. Her tuneup for her U.S. Open title defense officially ends with a 2-3 record.
==========================
3.Tor 3rd - Pennetta walkover S.Williams
...so, will there be an Aneres-designed outfit debuted at Flushing Meadows or not?
==========================
4.Tor Doub.F - Groenefeld/Navratilova d. Martinez/VRP
...5-7/6-3/6-4. On October 18, Navratilova will turn 49.
==========================
5.Tor 1st - Jidkova d. Hantuchova
...6-4/4-6/4-4 ret. Just a few days after her L.A. RU, Wonder Girls retires at 4-4 in the 3rd set against qualifier Jidkova. One step forward, two steps back?
==========================
HM-Tor SF - JHH d. Mauresmo
...7-5/3-6/6-1. JHH, after two months off, was able to outlast the world #3. Of course, it WAS Mauresmo... so make of it what you will.
==========================
HM-Tor QF - JHH d. Vaidisova
...7-5/7-6. A nice outing for Darth Vaidisova, but to make her next big move she'll have to start winning matches like this one.
==========================

=WTA LISTS=

==2005 WTA MATCH WINS==
48...Clijsters
43...Sharapova
43...Schnyder

==2005 WTA SINGLES TITLES==
6...Clijsters
4...Henin-Hardenne
3...Sharapova

==2005 FINALS==
6...Clijsters (6-0)
6...Davenport (2-4)
5...Henin-Hardenne (4-1)

==2005 TIER I TITLES==
3...Clijsters
2...Henin-Hardenne
1...Sharapova
1...Mauresmo
1...Pierce

==WTA TITLES - ACTIVE==
47...Davenport
33...V.Williams
33...Martinez
27...Clijsters
26...S.Williams
23...Henin-Hardenne

==2005 FINALISTS BY NATIONS==
12...Russia (6 titles)
12...USA (5)
11...Belgium (10)

==U.S. OPEN SERIES FINALS==
Stanford - Clijsters d. V.Williams
San Diego - Pierce d. Sugiyama
L.A. - Clijsters d. Hantuchova
Toronto - Clijsters d. JHH

==WEEKS AS WTA #1==
377...Steffi Graf
331...Martina Navratilova
262...Chris Evert
209...Martina Hingis
178...Monica Seles
82....Lindsay Davenport
57....Serena Williams
45....Justine Henin-Hardenne
22....Tracy Austin
17....Jennifer Capriati
12....Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario
11....Venus Williams
5.....Amelie Mauresmo
1.....MARIA SHARAPOVA*

=========================
**LINK OF THE WEEK**

...keep up on official U.S. Open news at the tournament website. The draws take place on Wednesday, and will be found HERE.

=========================
**WILLIAMS "FOR REAL" UPDATE**

...the final two episodes of "Venus & Serena: For Real" were a worldwide tour of all that is Williams.

In New York City, an annoyed Venus waits... and waits... and waits... for Serena to show up at a booksigning. What's the holdup? A bad practice running long... and an impromptu decision to film an ad-libbed movie scene with John Leguizamo.

In L.A., Lyndrea Price finally performs her debut show... with Venus taking a turn at singing backup.

In Europe, the clan heads to Rome. Riding around the city, Isha manages to spot a McDonald's. Venus & Serena's plans to buy an apartment are abandoned when the asking price is too high... then an angry Oracene, left behind at the hotel because she was 45 minutes late (does it run in the family?), shows up and shoots the sisters a look that would frighten an unborn child. Later, at a restaurant, Oracene refuses to eat the food she says isn't worth the time... then the bill comes, and it's apparent to everyone that the Williams clan is being overcharged. The bill is eventually paid, but only after Serena argues with the owner in makeshift Italian.

On the court, Serena plays for the first time in five weeks. But with her injured ankle leading to an injured knee, she goes down in her first match to Francesca Schiavone. (Back in the REAL real world, Serena withdrew in Toronto after one match, then pulled out of New Haven, too.)

In the end, Venus goes on to win Wimbledon (Serena's unceremonious ejection, though, isn't mentioned). And the world awaits their next move...

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

==BATTLE ROYALE 2...to the wire==

...Pierre won the Clijsters vs. JHH battle in Toronto (must be some Canadian advantage, I guess), thereby tying me in the Champions picks (2-2) in the Royale. I still hold an advantage in Finalists (6-5), while the Holy Webmaster leads in Semifinalists (18-13). Looks like this Royale won't be settled until after the U.S. Open.

NEW HAVEN, CT. USA (II-HCO)-US
04 F: Bovina d. Dechy
05 TOP: Davenport/Mauresmo
======================
SF: Schnyder d. Petrova; Mauresmo d. Dementieva
FINAL: Mauresmo d. Schnyder

...Davenport returns, and not picking her to win feels like I'm falling into an easy trap. But I'm doing it anyway. I'll bite my tongue and take Mauresmo, figuring she'll peak before a slam... as usual.

FOREST HILLS, NY USA (IV-HCO)
04 F: Likhovtseva d.Benesova
05 TOP: Morigami/Smashnova
=====================
SF: Mirza d. Morigami; Benesova d. Smashnova
FINAL: Mirza d. Benesova

...it's a teeny-tiny little event (a 16-player draw), so maybe the Indian Princess can make like it's the hometown event she won in Hyderabad back in February and win again. (Yeah, I know I'm stretching with that reasoning... unless Mirza DOES win, that is.)

==========================
Pierre Cantin:

NEW HAVEN, CT. USA (II-HCO)-US
======================
SF: Davenport d. Petrova; Mauresmo d. Dementieva
FINAL: Davenport d. Mauresmo

FOREST HILLS, NY USA (IV-HCO)
04 F: Likhovtseva d.Benesova
05 TOP: Morigami/Smashnova
=====================
SF: Morigami d. Mirza; Safarova def Benesova
FINAL: Morigami def Safarova

Well well well, the final stop before the real action begins! And yeah after making my predictions, I took a look at Todd's ones and to my surprise he did not even put Lindsay Davenport in the semis... quite a prediction, I'd say we might have someone looking like a fool just before the start of the US Open. Then again, I've been wrong a few times in the past so maybe he'll surprise us all again! By the way, I'll be in New York reporting every evening as in previous years, for the 6 first days of the tournament, so be sure to check out Tennisrulz for our previews and upcoming columns! May the best man win!
==========================

U.S. Open previews are coming soon!! The draw takes place on Wednesday. All for now.

Read more...

Wk.32-A Supernova, Waiting

Maria Sharapova is resigned to settling for a bit of delayed gratification this week.

A semifinal result last week in Los Angeles would have meant that Sharapova would have risen to the #1 position on the WTA computer when the new rankings were released today. But it wasn't meant to be. Sharapova's chest injury during practice before her quarterfinal matchup with Daniela Hantuchova, and the subsequent walkover, saw to that.

No worry. She'll just have to wait an additional week to finally move Lindsay Davenport down to #2. Neither are playing this week in Toronto, but Monday will mark the "official" beginning of the reign of the fifteenth (and first Russian-born) #1 in women's tennis history. How long will it last?

Justine Henin-Hardenne, Serena Williams and Amelie Mauresmo all finally return to action (another of those "flukes" that WTA Tour head Larry Scott mentioned last week?) for the first time since Wimbledon this week... how any or all of them play might give us some sort of clue to whether the Supernova will still be #1 once play has ceased at Flushing Meadows next month.

As for the champions of Week 32...

==========================
LOS ANGELES, CAL. USA (II-HCO)-US
S: Kim Clijsters d. Daniela Hantuchova 6-4/6-1
D: Dementieva/Pennetta d. Haynes/Mattek
==========================
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN (IV-HCO)
S: Katarina Srebotnik d. Anastasia Myskina 7-5/6-2
D: Loit/Srebotnik d. Birnerova/Santangelo
==========================

**PLAYER AWARDS**

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Kim Clijsters
...Nice Kim put her San Diego upset in her rearview mirror and went on with her North American hardcourt mastery (until Flushing Meadows, at least). Her L.A. crown was her tour-leading fifth of the season, and 26th of her career. She also tied Sharapova for the most WTA tour wins (43) in 2005. Hmmm, the only thing she's still missing is... well, you know.
==========================
RISER: Katarina Srebotnik
...Slovenia's Srebotnik, ranked #62, upset #14 Anastasia Myskina in the Stockholm final to grab her second hardcourt title of the season (the other came in Auckland in January). Teaming with Emilie Loit for the doubles crown, she became the first woman to sweep the singles/doubles at an event this season not just once, but twice.
==========================
SURPRISE: Daniela Hantuchova
...L.A. didn't provide the WTA one-time would-be Wonder Girl with a Wonderous Week, but it was surely one of great progress (as long as she doesn't go to Toronto this week still thinking about her fade in the final against Clijsters). Still, a Tier II final following a SF win over Elena Dementieva is the best news Hantuchova has made in a while.
==========================
VETERANS: Conchita Martinez & Elena Likhovtseva
...Martinez, 33, strung together L.A. wins over Gisela Dulko and Eleni Daniilidou (after the Greek upset Kuznetsova) to reach the QF. Likhovtseva, who'll turn the big three-oh at the end of the U.S. Open, was named the WTT's female season MVP.
==========================
FRESH FACE: Anna Chakvetadze
...a few more good wins in L.A., over Na Li and Iveta Benesova, should make her the subject of some early round "potential upset" talk once again come the Open.
==========================
DOWN: Svetlana Kuznetsova
...San Diego didn't work out. L.A. was even worse. This time, the Contessova didn't even get a win, going down to Daniilidou in the 2nd Round. She'll get another shot in Toronto to get something going before heading back to New York to defend her title.
==========================

**MATCHES**
1.Stock F - Srebotnik d. Myskina
...7-5/6-2. Myskina just ran out of comebacks. In the four matches she won to reach the final, the Czarina came back from losing the opening set to win in three sets on three occasions. Apparently, some of her Wimbledon habits are hard to break.
-----------------------------
2.LA F - Clijsters d. Hantuchova
...6-4/6-1. Defeating Hantuchova in the L.A. final is one thing. Defeating JHH (or Serena, or Venus, or Davenport) in the U.S. Open final would be another. Nice Kim might get a shot at a test run this week in Toronto.
-----------------------------
3.LA QF - Hantuchova over Sharapova (w/o)
...a nice stroke of luck for Wonder Girl. After the past three years, she's due for quite a few more of those, too.
-----------------------------
4.LA 2nd - Daniilidou d. Kuznetsova
...6-4/6-4. 2005 just hasn't been a season to remember for Svetlana.
-----------------------------
5.LA SF - Hantuchova d. Dementieva
...6-3/6-4. This is the win that might signal that Hantuchova is finally ready to lift her game out of the back alleys of the tour. A return to the Top 20 is now within sight for the former Top 5 player.
----------------------------

**WTA LISTS**

==2005 TITLES==
5...Clijsters
4...Henin-Hardenne
3...Sharapova

==2005 SINGLES/DOUBLES SWEEPS==
Jan. - Srebotnik (Auckland)
Jan. - Zheng (Hobart)
Aug. - Srebotnik (Stockholm)

==2005 WTA TOUR WINS==
43...Clijsters (43-6, 2-0 FC)
43...Sharapova (43-7)
42...Schnyder (42-15)

==2005 FINALS==
6...Davenport (2-4)
5...Clijsters (5-0)
4...Henin-Hardenne (4-0)
4...Sharapova (3-1)
4...V.Williams (2-2)

==MOST TITLES - LAST 2 SEASONS==
9...Henin-Hardenne (5/4)
9...Davenport (7/2)
8...Sharapova (5/3)
7...Mauresmo (5/2)
7...Clijsters (2/5)

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

**"VENUS & SERENA: FOR REAL" UPDATE**

...just a week before the season finale, it was singing Williams sister Lyndrea who took centerstage (or not) in Episode 4.

You see, with the clan assembled in Delray Beach for Venus' Fed Cup participation, Lyndrea was scheduled to put on a singing/dancing show. Lyndrea was nervous, but excited. Meanwhile, Serena was excited about her Aneres-made costumes for Lyndrea and the dancers, but nervous that they wouldn't turn out the way she'd hoped. Still,everyone was ready... then it all fell apart. The event's promoter, knowing Venus & Serena would be in attendence, began advertising that the sisters would participate in an autograph session (which definitely hadn't been agree upon). Then, the radio station sponsoring the concert cancelled the show.

Lyndrea, with emotions running the gamut from angry to disappointed to heartbroken, first tries to find a new venue. But the only "suitable" establishment will cause her to not go on stage until after midnight (too late for Venus, who has to play a match the next day), and her advisors dub the place "too ghetto," in any event.

Not wanting to give in, Lyndrea won't let go of the idea of putting on the show she has so planned for... until Oracene, finally making her first appearance in the series, grabs Venus' car keys and drives off "to the rescue" to bring her daughter home. The world's too violent, Oracene says, and she's going to make sure Lyndrea is safe. And after the recent tragedy that struck the Williams family, her reaction is more than undertandable.

In other action, Serena finally meets up with movie director boyfriend Brett Ratner after he's been away for an extended time in New York City. As Venus takes on Els Callens in Fed Cup action in front of them, Rattner tries to kiss an uninterested Serena, who muses about it maybe being time to "cut him loose." "Is this 'the breakup episode?," Rattner wonders. "They didn't have that on 'Nick & Jessica.""

And, oh yes, Venus DID win her match (and another later)... to the delight of an applauding Serena. And, yes, Jackie the Dog was present to give a "paws up" to the victory, too.

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

**BATTLE ROYALE 2 UPDATE**

...well, Pierre's playing of a little "Russian Roulette" (he picked Sharapova & Myskina to win titles last week) didn't pay off. He aced the Stockholm SF (4/4) and Final, but Srebotnik's upset of the Czarina in the final helped Backspin to trump him in the ever-important "Champions" category (I picked Clijsters in L.A.).

With just a few weeks left in "Royale 2," Webmaster Cantin's going to have to make a strong push to make a tie-breaking season-closing "Royale 3" a necessity in this little competition.

Backspin: 11 SF, 4 F, 2 Champions
Cantin: 15 SF, 4 F, 1 Champion

TORONTO, ONTARIO CAN (I-HCO)-US
04 F: Mauresmo d. Likhovtseva
05 TOP: Mauresmo/Kuznetsova
=============================
SF: Clijsters d. Kuznetsova; JHH d. Petrova
FINAL: JHH d. Clijsters

...The Queen is finally back. Hope she's not too rusty. An all-Belgian final would be the Waffles' first meeting since the final of the 2004 Australian Open.

-------------------------------
As for Pierre:
SF: Clijsters d. Kuznetsova; Mauresmo d. JHH
FINAL: Clijsters d. Mauresmo

Hmmm well Todd is certainly doing well so far, but he is certainly underestimating me if he calls it a victory already, the season is still young and after a little trip to Toronto I've got my predictions ready for what's left of this week.
-------------------------------

All for now.

Read more...

Wk.31-Simply, a Woman Named Mary

Mary Pierce has served notice. She's back, and not just for some two week-long "memories tour" in Paris, either.

Since her Roland Garros runner-up performance, Pierce has put up a career-best quarterfinal result at Wimbledon, helped France advance to the Fed Cup final, and now made her 2005 North American hardcourt debut by snaking her way through the San Diego draw to earn her first Tier I crown since 2000.

Being 30, Pierce must have felt the "pressure" to live up to her "brilliant" USTA nickname. You haven't heard it yet? Oh, then let me be the first to enlighten you... it's "The Veteran," obviously the result of one of the US Open Series marketing firm gurus' all-night skull sessions. "The Veteran." How quaint. Not "Proud Mary," apparently for fear that the moniker might turn off any of the Creedence Clearwater Revival (or Tina Turner) haters out there. Not something with a link to her French connections, maybe because they thought American fans might confuse her with Gene Hackman. But "The Veteran." Well, I suppose it's "technically" accurate.

Pierce doesn't need to be singled out by her "advancing" age. Quite simply, it's enough for her to be known as "a woman named Mary" so soon after her career seemed to be spinning its wheels and heading for oblivion (and questions about whether her career was Hall of Fame-worthy)... and that's something for her to be proud of. Be proud, Mary.

Hmmm, a veteran previously hampered with injuries putting up good results on hardcourts in August. Sound familiar? Exactly. Lindsay Davenport followed the same pattern a year ago, going from retirement talk to four titles and the #1 ranking. Pierce isn't quite on that level, at least not yet, but her San Diego title raised her ranking to #11 and she'll be in L.A. this week to try to take Step Two.

Can anyone else feel a sense of deja vu coming on?

==============================
SAN DIEGO, CAL. USA (I-HCO)
S: Mary Pierce d. Ai Sugiyama 6-0/6-3
D: Martinez/Ruano-Pascual d. Hantuchova/Sugiyama
==============================

==PLAYER AWARDS==

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Mary Pierce
...Pierce's first title since winning her first crown on grass in June '04 was the 17th of her career (tying her with fellow Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo), and fourth at a Tier I.
==============================
RISER: Ashley Harkleroad
...not long ago, everyone was wondering where American Splendor was and whether those rumors of her retirement were really true. Well, here she is, wrapping up what has been a very successful summer. She qualified for Wimbledon in June, won her first ITF title in three years in July (at Louisville), and has begun August by taking a $75K event in Washington D.C. Harkleroad told the Washington Post, "The most challenging thing about coming back has been doing it. I've just had to tell myself it is going to take a while. If I hadn't got off to a strong Wimbledon, who knows where I would have been." Well, no matter. We know where she is now.
==============================
SURPRISE: Mashona Washington
...a year ago, Washington made the QF at Stanford and New Haven and defeated Maria Sharapova on U.S. hardcourts. This year, the 29-year old lost in the 1st Round in Stanford, but rebounded with victories over Karolina Sprem and Vera Zvonareva in San Diego.
==============================
VETERANS: Ai Sugiyama & Conchita Martinez/Virginia Ruano-Pascual
...Sugiyama's had a slow '05, but had her best week with a San Diego RU in both singles (after a win over Svetlana Kuznetsova) and doubles. Martinez/VRP teamed to win their second Tier I title of the season (individually, doubles #1 VRP has three Tier I crowns in '05).
==============================
FRESH FACES: Shuai Peng & Anna Chakvetadze
...Peng, 19, had a true breakthrough week in San Diego, reaching a Tier I SF after wins over Dinara Safina, Elena Dementieva & Kim Clijsters, handing the Belgium her first hardcourt loss since the 2003 U.S. Open final. Chakvetadze continued this season's upward climb by knocking off Tatiana Golovin, Iveta Benesova & Elena Likhovtseva en route to the QF (where she was the last Russian standing).
==============================
DOWN: Svetlana Kuznetsova
...speaking of the Russians, the Horde's SF-less streak continued in San Diego. Dementieva, Zvonareva and Nadia Petrova were all knocked out in the 2nd Round, but I'll give the award to the Contessova (though she made the 3rd Round, losing to Sugiyama) simply because this surely wasn't the start she envisioned to the warm-up period that will precede her attempt to defend her U.S. Open title in a few weeks. She'll get another chance this week in Los Angeles.

==MATCHES==

1.SD QF - Peng d. Clijsters
...6-4/6-4. Sure, Clijsters' game was more off than usual (she even hit a ball off the court in frustration). But that takes nothing away from the task well completed by Peng, who let an upset over Davenport get away from her at Roland Garros.
==============================
2.SD Final - Pierce d. Sugiyama
...6-0/6-3. I dare anyone to watch this match and not pencil in Pierce near (or at) the top of the list of U.S. Open favorites. Go ahead, I dare you (and don't mind the six match points Pierce lost before finally putting Sugiyama away).
==============================
3.Wash.DC $75K Final - Harkleroad d. Poutchkova
...6-2/6-1. Harkleroad's victories are coming more often, and with more force.
==============================
4.SD 3rd - Sugiyama d. Kuznetsova
...2-6/6-4/6-3. The Contessova had 69 unforced errors.
==============================
5.SD 2nd - Peng d. Dementieva
...7-5/6-4. Dementieva's serve was broken seven of eleven games by Peng.
==============================
HM- SD 2nd - Mirza d. Petrova
...6-2/6-1. The Indian Princess' win over the Empress was impressive all by itself, but the scoreline makes one hope for the possible 3rd Round matchup in L.A. against Sharapova this week, just to see what might happen if the Supernova isn't in form. (Whew, three nicknames in one long sentence!)
=============================

==LINK OF THE WEEK==
...keep up to date on the U.S. Open Series, and have a gander at some of those "brilliant" nicknames at the official U.S. Open Series site

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

=="FOR REAL" - EPISODE 3==
...ah, back to the "land of Williams." The vitals:

EPISODE THEME: The Sisters and time management.

IMAGE OF THE WEEK: Venus, shopping for a new Mercedes, samples both barbecue and sour cream & onion-flavored potato chips while she and Isha sit inside a showroom's $140,000 car.

EXTRACURRICULARS: Venus & Serena do a TV commercial shoot for McDonald's, then race off to make a Tennis & Learning Center awards ceremony honoring mom Oracene (who doesn't appear in the episode, by the way).

ACTUAL TENNIS: Venus & Serena participate in Fed Cup practice. Two weeks after her ankle injury, Serena isn't healthy enough to play and is ruled out of competition by FC coach Zina Garrison.

VENUS BEING VENUS: She realizes she can't be a guest on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show because she's just too busy, with all the practicing and work at V-Starr Interiors she has to catch up on.

JACKIE THE DOG UPDATE: Jackie was nowhere to be seen, but Jackie the Human was. JtH, a family friend, meets Serena's challenge when, after Serena bets him he can't do it, he successfully approaches a woman at the McDonald's shoot and manages to get her phone number within thirty seconds.

NEXT WEEK... Serena is ready to "cut loose" her boyfriend, and there's a family crisis.

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

==WTA LISTS==

=2005 DOUBLES TITLES=
5...Virginia Ruano-Pascual
4...Cara Black
4...Elena Likhovtseva

=OLDEST 2005 SINGLES CHAMPION=
32...Conchita Martinez (Pattaya)
30...Mary Pierce (San Diego)
29...Anna Smashnova (Modena/Budpest)

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

==BATTLE ROYALE... royal failures==

...whatever the key is to making good 3Q predictions, Pierre & I have yet to stumble upon it. We were shut out of a single freakin' correct SF prediction in San Diego.

=WEEK 32=
LOS ANGELES, CAL. USA (II-HCO)-USO
04 F: Davenport d. S.Williams
05 TOP: Sharapova/Kuznetsova
---------------------------------
SF: Sharapova d. Pierce; Clijsters d. Kuznetsova
FINAL: Clijsters d. Sharapova

...Sharapova sees her first WTA action since Wimbledon, while Clijsters tries to put the Peng upset behind her and regain her Stanford momentum. Oh, and there's this woman named Mary in the draw, too.

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN (IV-HCO)
04 F: Molik d. Perebiynis
05 TOP: Myskina/Douchevina
===========================
SF: Douchevina d. Srebotnik; Garrigues d. Myskina
FINAL: Douchevina d. Garrigues

...this tournament's draw looks like it belongs to a clay court event, but it actually IS a hard court one. I'll try one more time to will Elle Dolce to her first career title, but if she faces Myskina in the final I figure she'll crumble under the pressure of facing the Russian leading lady in a such a big moment.

AS FOR PIERRE...
LOS ANGELES, CAL. USA (II-HCO)-USO
SF: Sharapova def. Pierce; Clijsters def Likhovtseva
F: Sharapova def Clijsters

I have been wrong many times lately but I feel confident that this is the time Maria Sharapova will make history, as she will become the first Russian to ever reach the top rankings. Sure she could reach it without going past the semis, but I think she'll finish off in beauty.

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN (IV-HCO)
SF: Srebotnik def Douchevina; Myskina def Loit
FINAL: Myskina def Srebotnik

As much as I'd like to see Anastasia arrive early in Toronto (I will be there from Saturday to Tuesday), I think I'll miss her arrival because of a great result in Stockholm.

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

All for now.

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Wk.30-There She Goes Again

It's July awards week, so I'll go ahead and get to last week's odds and ends right off the bat.

==WEEK 30 CHAMPIONS==
STANFORD, CALIFORNIA (II-HC)
S: Kim Clijsters d. Venus Williams 7-5/6-2
D: Black/Stubbs d. Likhovtseva/Zvonareva
-----------------------------
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (IV-RC)
S: Anna Smashnova d. Catalina Castano 6-2/6-2
D: Loit/Srebotnik d. Dominguez-Lino/Marrero
-----------------------------

==PLAYER AWARDS==
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Kim Clijsters
...here she goes again, positioning herself as one of the so-called "favorites" heading into a grand slam. Clijsters' third career Stanford title (tying her for the tour lead with four crowns this season), and however many more she'll pick up in August, will no doubt lead her to be chosen to be the Flushing Meadows champion by many (maybe even Holy Webmaster Cantin?). But, we've seen this before. She won Indian Wells and Miami before this year's Roland Garros... then lost in the 4th Round there. She won Eastbourne before Wimbledon, then lost in the 4th Round again. In 2003, her last full season on tour, she won Sydney before the Australian (where she made the SF), Rome before Roland Garros (RU), Rosmalen before Wimbledon(SF) and both Stanford and L.A. before the U.S. Open (she lost in the final to Henin-Hardenne, right after the supposedly worn-out JHH had outlasted Capriati in that epic SF). Clijsters always cruises into a slam as a favorite, then has to charm (& squeegee) her way out of being dubbed a Mauresmo-esque big stage con two weeks later. She usually pulls if off, and likely will again come September. She noted on Sunday that she hopes to make another grand slam final, unwittingly once again exposing herself by not instead stressing actually WINNING one. So be it. Nice Kim is what she is... as what she did (and Venus Williams didn't -- more on that later) after the Stanford final once again highlighted. And I guess, in the end, that's not so bad. Just so long as it's also remembered what she ISN'T, as well.
=============================
RISERS: Patty Schnyder & Anna-Lena Groenefeld
...we'll see what Sneaky/Streaky Patty is made of this week. She came within a believed-ace in the Stanford SF from advancing to back-to-back hardcourt finals, and now comes to San Diego with her five blown match points against Venus fresh in her mind... which, to put it kindly, can get a bit dodgy at times. Backspin's latest Girl Friday, 20-year old German Groenefeld, proved to be Curse-proof last week, having the fortune to be playing an injured Davenport in the 2nd Round (ALG led 5-0 before Davenport retired with her bad back) and the fortitude to follow it up with a win over Nathalie Dechy for a trip to the SF. (Oh, just to point out a completely meaningless observation, has anyone noticed how much this girl's features bring to mind some odd amalgam of Jelena Dokic & Elena Bovina? Just wondering.)
=============================
SURPRISE: Catalina Castano
...the 26-year old Colombian, #89 in the world, made it all the way to her first career WTA final in Budapest, where she had the bad luck to face the buzzsaw (at least in finals) named Smashnova.
=============================
VETERAN: Anna Smashnova
...sure, it's SUPPOSED to be hardcourt season, but 29-year old Smashnova has been the queen of the clay for the past month. Her Budapest win gave her two titles in July, and eleven in her career(where she's still holding onto that pristine 11-0 record in finals).
=============================
FRESH FACE: Laura Pous Tio
...the 20-year old Spaniard, who's won two ITF titles this season, advanced to her second 2005 WTA SF in Budapest, knocking out Mariana Diaz-Oliva and #1-seed Katarina Srebotnik along the way.
=============================
DOWN: Lindsay Davenport
...Davenport's attempt to return from her Wimbledon back injury proved to be short-lived. It lasted all of five games before she had to back out (no pun intended) of her 2nd Round match against Groenefeld. She withdrew from this week's event in San Diego, too. As it is, she's holding onto a 23-point lead over #2 Maria Sharapova (who's also sidelined with a bad back). But with Davenport likely not being up to defending (not well, at least) most, if not all, of her 2004 hard court titles, the Supernova might just become the first Russian #1 without even having to step onto a court.

==MATCHES==
1.Stanford SF - V.Williams d. Schnyder
...2-6/7-6/6-2. Schnyder served at 6-5 in the 2nd, and led 40-0. She even thought she'd served an ace to win the match, and ran toward the net which her fist clenched... then she heard the "out" call. She never recovered. In the end, after five blown match points and a TB that saw her fall behind 5-0, Schnyder had found a way to maintain her very blemished 0-6 career record against Venus. One can argue that Schnyder SHOULD have won with that would-be ace (ESPN failed to show a replay -- so who can tell if the call was correct), but the fact is that streaky Sneaky had a handful of opportunities to put Venus away and failed to do so.
===============================
2.Stanford F - Clijsters d. V.Williams
...7-5/6-2. Anyone who said that Venus neglecting to mention Davenport while addressing the fans after the Wimbledon final was acceptable because she was "so excited" should explain why she did the same thing with Clijsters after losing to her in Stanford. Then, following the script to a "t," Clijsters took the microphone and the first words out of her mouth were to congratulate Venus on her great week and another appearance in the final. If it was anyone else but Venus, one might think the player would feel a wee bit small after such a moment. But we ARE talking about Venus, so she probably didn't even notice her faux paus. Oh, and for the record, Venus excused this loss by talking about her "lack of energy" because, as she happily pointed out, she "usually beats" Clijsters. As a result, Venus is hereby dubbed "Ferris" (for the king of coming up with original excuses for his absences from school, Ferris Bueller, from the movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," available at your local DVD rental store) for her ability to always come up with a new excuse.
===============================
3.Bud F - Smashnova d. Castano
...6-2/6-2. And here everyone thought Sharapova's record in finals was something to behold.
===============================
4.Stanford 2nd - Groenefeld d. Davenport
...5-0 ret. Davenport's 2004 North American success looks to have been turned on it's ear. If she can't pull off the US Open, Venus or JHH's chances of grabbing a second 2005 slam might just shoot up like a heroin junkie.
===============================
5.Stanford 1st - Shaughnessy d. Zvonareva
...6-3/1-6/7-6. Shaughnessy had to qualify, then fight off a match point, but she refused to lose to Vera the Almost for a second time in two weeks.
==============================
HM--Black/Stubbs d. Likhovsteva/Zvonareva
...the two oldest 2005 doubles titlists, Stubbs and Els Callens, both won their titles while partnering with Black. Conincidence?
==============================

=="VENUS & SERENA: FOR REAL" - EPISODE 2 UPDATE==

In the World of Williams, it's mid-April and the sisters are a study in contrasts.

While Venus heads to Charleston, Serena stays behind to nurse her injured ankle in West Palm Beach. While Serena pays little attention to the rehab instructions from her trainer, Venus works out like a madwoman. While Serena acts the businesswoman in her "Aneres" (Serena spelled backward) clothing offices, Venus steps on the back of her trainer's heels as they walk down the sidewalk ("like a four-year old," in the words of the annoyed trainer). While Serena does a photoshoot with a "Fellini-esque" photographer, Venus defeats Denisa Chladkova at night then states her dislike for having to play at 1pm the next day to accomodate TV coverage (she shows them all when she loses to Tatiana Golovin). Watching the episode, it's fairly obvious that Serena handles not playing at all far better than the mopey Venus handles losing, especially when she feels she "let Serena down."

Ah, but once again, the stars of "For Real" were Jackie (who's a girl dog, not a boy as I said last week -- my mistake) and Isha, the Williams family's resident Yoda. Instead of munching on turkey, this week Jackie saw fit to attack the inflatable sharks that accompanied Serena in the pool during her photoshoot. Isha, for her part, let loose with these sage-like quotes: "Do whatever it is that you do when you do what you do," and, "Limbo is a sure-fire way to be a loser."

Next week: shopping, and eating potato chips in a $100,000 car.

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

==WTA LISTS==

=MOST 2005 TITLES=
4...Henin-Hardenne
4...Clijsters
3...Sharapova

=MOST WTA FINALS=
6...Davenport (2-4)
4...Henin-Hardenne (4-0)
4...Clijsters (4-0)
4...Sharapova (3-1)
4...V.Williams (2-2)

=MOST WTA WINS IN 2005=
41...Sharapova
40...Schnyder
36...Davenport
36...Clijsters

=MOST 2005 DOUBLES TITLES=
4...Ruano-Pascual
4...Black
4...Likhovtseva

=2005 WINS OVER WORLD SINGLES #1=
[all vs. Lindsay Davenport]
Jan. - Aust.Open Final - #7 S.Williams
Feb. - Tokyo TPP Final - #4 Sharapova
Mar. - Ind.Wells Final - #133 Clijsters
Apr. - Charleston Final - #43 Henin-H.
May - R.Garros QF - #23 Pierce
Jul. - Wimbledon Final - #16 V.Williams
Aug. - Stanford 2nd - #39 Groenefeld

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

==JULY AWARDS (Wk.27-30)==

**PLAYERS OF THE MONTH**
1.Kim Clijsters
2.Anna Smashnova
3.Patty Schnyder
4.Anastasia Myskina
5.Anabel Medina-Garrigues
HM-Akiko Morigami

RISER: Patty Schnyder
SURPRISE: Bethanie Mattek
VETERAN: Anna Smashnova
FRESH FACE: Agnes Szavay
DOWN: Lindsay Davenport

PERFORMANCE OF THE MONTH:
...Martina Hingis in WTT action. Sure, it's not the WTA, and they only play sets (to 5). But Hingis' 6-1 singles/13-0 doubles mark is worth noting. Who cares if she never plays a real tournament again -- she was still impressive.
===============================
MATCH OF THE MONTH:
...Fed Cup SF (Russia/USA) - Myskina d. V.Williams 5-7/6-4/6-2. Myskina followed up her string of Wimbledon comebacks with yet another in a match that pretty such sealed the fate of the Americans (even though it was the first match of the tie).
===============================
CHOKE OF THE MONTH:
...Stanford SF - V.Williams d. Schnyder 2-6/7-6/6-2. Five blown match points, three after leading 40-love, are impossible to overlook.
===============================
COMEBACK OF THE MONTH:
...the Czarina in Fed Cup play. Myskina might not have been successful in court in July, but on the court she made her return to her Russian teammates a fruitful one by reassuming her leadership role and taking Team Russia back to the Fed Cup final.
===============================
"ON THE COMEBACK TRAIL" COMEBACK OF THE MONTH:
...Louisville $50K Final - Ashley Harkleroad d. Severine Beltrame 4-6/7-5/6-0. American Splendor gets her first title in three years.
===============================
BREAKOUT OF THE MONTH:
...Anna-Lena Groenefeld. ALG opened July by leading Germany through Fed Cup action for the second time this season, then ended it with a win over #1 Davenport and a SF appearance in Stanford.
===============================
UPSET OF THE MONTH:
...Modena QF - Agnes Szavay d. Francesca Schiavone 6-2/6-4. One of the world's top juniors gets her first big win on the women's tour.
===============================
SERIES UPDATE:
...Hingis vs. Navratilova. Hingis never faced the woman she was named for in her WTA career (who'd have thought the elder Martina -- twice the younger's age -- would have been the last one standing?), but they finally faced off in WTT action. Hingis won 5-0.
===============================
BEST MOVE:
...all by the WTT. First, getting Hingis & Steffi Graf to play (along with the likes of Navratilova, Kournikova, Venus & Sharapova) was a masterstroke. Getting addition TV coverage on ESPN, too, was icing on the cake. Having Hingis, Kournikova, Sharapova (maybe) & Navratilova all on teams in the playoffs in September? Priceless.
===============================
WORST MOVE:
...I still can't abide by the USTA's poor attempt at "corporate" nicknames, or the overselling of the blue courts (though they DO look nice -- but that's not really the point).
===============================
VENUS/FERRIS EXCUSE NOTEBOOK:
#1...loss to Myskina (Fed Cup). Venus targeted her tough transition from grass to clay court for this one, as well as a court with "tough-footing" and that caused the balls to dig into the surface a bit too much for her liking.

#2...loss to Clijsters (Stanford). Fatigue/low energy.
===============================
ODD STAT OF THE MONTH:
...in the six WTA events that took place in July, no Russian advanced to a SF (Sharapova at Wimbledon doesn't count, since SW19 began in June). It's the first time not a single member of the Horde achieved such a result during a month since March 2003.

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

==BATTLE ROYALE II==

...I'm holding a slight lead over Pierre (or he has a slight lead over me -- it depends on how you look at it, I guess) in the second Battle Royale.

[SF-F-W]
Backspin: 7/3/1
P.Cantin: 10/1/1

**WEEK 31**
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA USA (I-HO)
[US OPEN SERIES]
04 F: Davenport d. Myskina
05 TOP: Kuznetsova/Dementieva
--------------------------------
SF: Clijsters d. Schnyder; Kuznetsova d. Petrova
FINAL: Clijsters d. Kuznetsova

...Clijsters extends her pre-NY tease?

------------------------------
PIERRE'S PICKS:
SAN DIEGO
SF: Clijsters d. Schnyder; Hantuchova d. Petrova
FINAL: Clijsters d. Hantuchova

------------------------------

All for now.

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