Wk.8-Justine's Port of Call

Justine Henin-Hardenne REALLY likes Dubai.

Maybe it's the weather. No, check that... the tournament had several rain delays last week, the first in a UAE-hosted event since the early 1990's. Hmmm, then maybe it's that she's never lost there. Her most recent title-winning Middle East sojourn makes her 13-0 over three trips.

Yeah, that's a "pretty good" reason. But is it as good as the axiom that says nothing sticks it to "the man" (and your overly-vociferous critics) quite like winning? Justine REALLY likes that one right about now, as well.

On her website the other week, JHH talked about how she should have never played the Australian Open final because of her condition (it might have saved her some grief... but probably not), and that "some understand and some don't. You can't make people like you."

No, but you can make them fear you. Again. So far in 2006, Le Petit Taureau is 14-1. 14-0 when she's been "healthy and able" (and, if you're so inclined, 0-1 when she's been "ably unwilling").

No matter how you look at it, by the end of the year, Melbourne will likely be a footnote written into the margins of a superior Henin-Hardenne season rather than the "tarnishing" agent it was cooked up to be.


==WEEK 8 CHAMPIONS==

DUBAI, UAE (II-HO)
S: Justine Henin-Hardenne d. Maria Sharapova 7-5/6-2
D: Peschke/Schiavone d. Kuznetsova/Petrova
------------------------

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE USA (III-HI)
S: Sofia Arvidsson d. Marta Domachowska 6-2/2-6/6-3
D: Raymond/Stosur d. Azarenka/Wozniacki
------------------------

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (III-RCO)
S: Lourdes Dominguez-Lino d. Flavia Pennetta 7-6/6-4
D: Dulko/Pennetta d. Szavay/Woehr
------------------------


==PLAYER AWARDS==
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Justine Henin-Hardenne

...redemption in Dubai? Maybe not (as if it was really necessary). But career title #25, after a fourth straight win over Sharapova in the final, certainly sets the JHH ship back on a true course.
------------------------
RISERS: Sofia Arvidsson & Marta Domachowska

...both these twentysomethings faced off in the Memphis final in a fight to win their first WTA singles title. 22-year old Swede Arvidsson got it in her second career final appearance, while 20-year old "Poland's Pride" failed to do so in her third WTA final.
------------------------
SURPRISE: Lourdes Dominguez-Lino
...all of LDL's siblings -- Jose, Javier, Enrique, Carmen, Isabel, Patricia, Sara, Natalia & Maria (that's nine in case you were wondering) -- are proud of her today. The 24-year old Spaniard reached her surprise first career WTA final a year ago in Bogota, losing to Flavia Pennetta. This weekend, the two met up for a 2006 Bogota final rematch. LDL got her revenge.
-----------------------
VETERANS: Martina Hingis & Lisa Raymond
...sure, Martina lost in the Supernova rematch in the Dubai QF, but before that she easily handled Sania Mirza and Anastasia Myskina. Meanwhile, Raymond won the Memphis doubles (with Stosur... way to go, Sammy!), her first at a tournament where she won singles titles in 2002 and '03 (and was RU in '04).
------------------------
FRESH FACE: Maria Kirilenko
...in Dubai, she knocked out Nadia Petrova and Lucie Safarova, then pushed Lindsay Davenport to three sets in the QF.
------------------------
DOWN: Vera Zvonareva
...a year ago, Zvonareva won a title in Memphis. Last week, she skipped the small event in favor of the bigger one (with bigger names, and more prize money) in Dubai. Then she promptly lost to Salima Sfar in the 1st Round. After opening the season with four straight wins to reach the Auckland final, Zvonareva has since lost five straight.
------------------------


==MATCHES==
1.Dub F - JHH d. Sharapova
...7-5/6-2. Sharapova led 5-3 in the 1st set, and five times she was two points from the set. But she tightened, after already being tentative about moving toward the net (and losing some points that should have easily been her's as a result), and lost her advantage. JHH grabbed hold of the match at that point, and never relinquished it.
------------------------
2.Memph F - Arvidsson d. Domachowska

...6-2/2-6/6-3. Domachowska started extremely slowly in this match, while Arvidsson was as steady as could be. It was enough to withstand the pressure of Domachowska's eventual comeback. (By the way, the Swede's win fulfills one of my pre-season first-title predictions. Yay! Look how happy it makes Sofia, too!)
------------------------
3.Bog F - Dominguez-Lino d. Pennetta
...7-6/6-4. LDL winning her first title isn't as surprising as her out-of-nowhere trip to the Bogota final a year ago. What is somewhat shocking, though, is that Pennetta's RU means more Italian Noodles (4) have reached WTA singles finals than Russians (3) this season.
------------------------
4t.Dub QF - Sharapova d. Hingis
...6-3/6-4.
4t.Dub SF - Sharapova d. Davenport
...3-6/6-1/6-3. The Supernova was forced to complete this sweep of two former #1's in the same day thanks to the desert rain storms. It was a great accomplishment, but it likely left her fatigued against a third former #1 (JHH) in the final the following day.
------------------------
6.Memph 1st - Azarenka d. Vaidisova
...7-6/2-6/6-4. Too bad for Azarenka that her high didn't last very long, as she lost in the 2nd Round to Lilia Osterloh (though she did rebound to reach the doubles final with Caroline Wozniacki). For the record, this was Vaidisova's first opening match loss in a tournament since June of last year, in Eastbourne to Zvonareva.
------------------------
7.Dub QF - Kuznetsova d. Mauresmo
...7-6/6-4. Mauresmo was up 3-2 in the 1st set TB before rain stopped play for the day. When play finally resumed, her 16-match winning streak was soon over.
------------------------
8.Dub 1st - Hingis d. Mirza
...6-3/7-5. Princess Sania is learning (so far) what "the year after" is often like.
------------------------
9.Dub 1st - Sfar d. Zvonareva
...2-6/7-5/6-3. "The Tunisian Tornado" strikes! I say that because, well, how often do I get to mention Sfar over the course of a season? This could very well be the last mention in '06.
------------------------
10.Dub 2nd - Davenport d. Likhovtseva
...6-0/6-0. Double-bageled by Lindsay. Now Likhovtseva and Sharapova have something in common other than being Russian.
------------------------

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

**FEBRUARY AWARDS**

=PLAYERS OF THE MONTH=
1.Amelie Mauresmo
2.Elena Dementieva
3.Justine Henin-Hardenne
4.Maria Sharapova
5.Martina Hingis

=DOUBLES PLAYER OF THE MONTH=
Samantha Stosur

=RISERS=
1.Ting Li & Tiantian Sun
2.Tatiana Golovin
3.Sofia Arvidsson
4.Marta Domachowska
5.Mara Santangelo

=SURPRISES=
1.Jelena Kostanic
2.Lourdes Dominguez-Lino
3.Aleksandra Wozniak
4.Mariya Koryttseva
5.Caroline Wozniacki

=VETERANS=
1.Martina Hingis
2.Mary Pierce
3.Lisa Raymond
4.Lindsay Davenport
5.Kveta Peschke

=FRESH FACES=
1.Shahar Peer
2.Maria Kirilenko
3.Vania King
4.Victoria Azarenka
5.Tszvetana Pironkova

=DOWN=
1.Vera Zvonareva
2.Sania Mirza
3.Anna-Lena Groenefeld
4.Lucie Safarova
5.Na Li

TOP PERFORMANCE: Amelie Mauresmo in Antwerp
...a third consecutive title runs her winning streak to 15 matches, and she defeats Clijsters in Belgium, too.
------------------------
MATCH OF THE MONTH: Antwerp F - Mauresmo d. Clijsters
...3-6/6-3/6-3. #1 (that's Clijsters) vs #2 (that's Mauresmo). Kim's right... Mauresmo probably SHOULD be #1 right now, not her.
------------------------
COMEBACK OF THE MONTH: JHH rebounds from Melbourne retirement with title in Dubai
------------------------
BREAKOUT WIN OF THE MONTH: Memphis 1st Rd. - Azarenka d. Vaidisova
...7-5/2-6/6-4. The Belarussian teen wasn't the #1 junior a short time ago for nothing.
------------------------
UPSET OF THE MONTH: Tokyo SF - Hingis d. Sharapova
...6-3/6-1. This is the match that Hingis was looking forward to during all those months when she was preparing for a return to the tour.
------------------------
BIGGEST WIN (SINGLES): Tokyo F - Dementieva d. Hingis
...6-2/6-0. This is the one Punch-Sober was dreaming about, her first Tier I title -- and she wins it against her "favorite" player.
------------------------
BIGGEST WIN (DOUBLES): Pattaya Doubles F - T.Li/Sun d. Yan/Zheng
...3-6/6-1/7-6. That Battle of China... in Thailand.
------------------------
ODDS & ENDS:
...Samantha Stosur became new doubles #1
...Martina Navratilova announced that she'll play a full doubles schedule
...there were four (Peer, Santangelo, Arvidsson & Dominguez-Lino) first-time WTA Champions
...the Williams sisters continued to be M.I.A.
...Kim Clijsters bought a whole bunch of champagne
...and Maria Sharapova got about as close to naked in public as she's ever likely to get.



(Okay, I admit that last one was just a way to include a gratuitous Supernova-in-a-bikini shot.)

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

**WTA LISTS**

**HENIN-HARDENNE vs. SHARAPOVA**
05 Miami QF - Sharapova 6-1/6-7/6-2
05 Berlin QF - JHH 6-2/6-4
05 Roland Garros QF - JHH 6-4/6-2
06 Australian SF - JHH 4-6/6-1/6-4
06 Dubai F - JHH 7-5/6-2

**SHARAPOVA vs. DAVENPORT**
04 Wimbledon SF - Sharapova 2-6/7-6/6-2
05 Tokyo F - Sharapova 6-1/3-6/7-6
05 I.W. SF - Davenport 6-0/6-0
05 WTA Chsp RR - Sharapova 3-6/7-5/6-4
06 Dubai SF - Sharapova 3-6/6-1/6-3

**MULTIPLE 2006 WTA FINALS**
3...Mauresmo (3-0)
3...Henin-Hardenne (2-1)
2...Pennetta (0-2)
2...Kostanic (0-2)

**FINALISTS BY NATION**
5...France (4 titles)
4...Belgium (3)
4...Italy (1)
3...Russia (1)

**SEMIFINALISTS BY NATION**
12..Russia
5...Belgium
5...France
5...Italy
5...Spain

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

**WEEK 9 PICKS**

DOHA, QATAR (II-Hard Outdoor)
05 F: Sharapova d. Molik
06 TOP: Mauresmo/Petrova
----------------------------
SF: Mauresmo d. Hingis; Myskina d. Petrova
FINAL: Mauresmo d. Myskina

...the potential QF matchup between Hingis & Kuznetsova could be one to keep an eye on, what with the Russian's power and evidence of her return to form (she's 12-3 overall this year, and got one of her biggest wins in a while over Mauresmo last week).


ACAPULCO, MEXICO (III-Red Clay)
05 F: Pennetta d. Cervanova
06 TOP: Pennetta/Groenefeld
----------------------------
SF: Pennetta d. Sanchez-Lorenzo; Castano d. Dulko
FINAL: Pennetta d. Castano

...a year ago, Pennetta took both the Bogota and Acapulco titles in back-to-back weeks. She was RU in Bogota last week, so she's trying to at least defend half her haul. Interestingly, assuming LDL plays and wins after claiming her first title over the weekend, Pennetta could get a quick shot at revenge against her Bogota conqueror in the 2nd Round in Acapulco.


All for now.

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

COMING UP SOON IN BACKSPIN: "The Blessed & the Cursed (& the great unwashed)" & "Non-Sequitur Jubilee"

Read more...

Wk.7-Woman of a Thousand Faces

Take a second to study this picture taken after Sunday's final in Antwerp. Look at the woman on the right. I think she might be a cleverly disguised impostor.



Or, at the very least, this person who's currently calling herself "Amelie Mauresmo" has mastered the art of the "quick-change."

Through the years, the "real" Mauresmo has been a choke artist... but also an artiste. She's been a young player who generated controversy for being "too manly" on the court... but also a maturing, and disarmingly charming, personality off it. At one time, she was a former #1-player without a slam title to her credit... but now she's a #2-ranked player with an Austalian Open championship. And she's currently eyeing Kim Clijsters and the seemingly inevitable "changing of the guard" that could take place at the top of the rankings before the end of the 1st Quarter.

Make no mistake, for all the headlines grabbed by a certain Miss Hingis, and all the internet hits generated by Maria you-know-who, 2006 has most assuredly been Mauresmo's personal playground.

Who knew a November win over Ai Sugiyama in the 2nd Round in Philadelphia would unleash the string a performances we've seen even since? Five titles in six events. A 23-2 record, and current 15-match winning streak. A WTA Championships crown. The Aussie Open. And, soon, the #1 ranking since Clijsters (probably, at least) can't be expected to repeat her Indian Wells/Miami double-Tier I title performance that kicked off her comeback a year ago come March. Either Mauresmo has made one whopper of a deal with the tennis gods (if so, I hope she checked the fine print on that contract), or we might be looking at an impostor. This just can't be the same Mauresmo, right?

(Has anyone seen the TV Show "Invasion"? Maybe she's one of those hybrids... though that's just a wild theory, I admit.)

Maybe we'll find out if... umm, "Mauresmo"... really is superhuman this week in Dubai when she goes for her FOURTH -- already! -- title on the season. (And looky-looky at who she could face in the semifinals... hint, hint... it could be a Pepto Bismal Moment Redux, if you get my drift.)

Good luck, "Amelie"... if that IS your REAL name. But, remember, Backspin's keeping a sharp eye out for any "clues" to this WTA mystery. Stay tuned.


==WEEK 7 CHAMPIONS==

ANTWERP, BELGIUM (II-GSI)
S: Amelie Mauresmo d. Kim Clijsters 3-6/6-3/6-3
D: Safina/Srebotnik d. Foretz/Krajicek
-------------------------

BANGALORE, INDIA (III-HO)
S: Mara Santangelo d. Jelena Kostanic 3-6/7-6(5)/6-3
D: Huber/Mirza d. Rodionova/Vesnina
-------------------------

==PLAYER AWARDS==
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Amelie Mauresmo
...the hits keep coming. Three titles in 2006 to run her career total to 22. And again, no one retired -- not Benesova, Schnyder, Petrova nor Clijsters -- en route to the championship, either.
------------------------
RISER: Shuai Peng
...no, she didn't play last week. But her desire for some independence from the Chinese Tennis Federation, and the right to set her own training regimen and schedule, as well as split her prize money so she can pay her own way, is a revolutionary -- but not unexpected -- act. Peng has re-stated that she remains a part of the nation's squad, and will join it in the goal of striving for Olympic success in Beijing in two years. The Chinese will likely try to make it look like they aren't bending (hence, Peng's loyalty statement), but they will. A little, at least. They aren't stupid. 2008 is getting close, and they have to recognize that, right now, Peng is the best of the Cookies, the one with the biggest game, and the one with the most potential to grab a BIG title down the line... something hinted at with Peng's upset of Clijsters in San Diego before last year's U.S. Open. Trying to fit a square peg into a round hole doesn't exactly foster the most success, so expect the hole to undergo a little restructuring behind the scenes over time. Transitions of Communist systems, even within the sports establishment, take time, and are always undertaken in a way so that there is as little public egg on the Federation's face as possible. At the start of last season, in an Intriguing Question column, I wondered who'd be the "Chinese Natasha Zvereva" who would seek to break free of the Soviet-styled Chinese system. Looks like it might be Peng (though it should be noted that Na Li has echoed at least some of the same sentiments). Consider it a first step toward greater Chinese tennis success down the line.
------------------------
SURPRISES: Mara Santangelo & Maria Elena Camerin

...there was some big Italian news last week, and it had nothing to do with cross country skiing. Yes, the Noodles are becoming more and more delicious all the time. Italian 24-year old Santangelo won her first career WTA title with a comeback win in the Bangalore final against Jelena Kostanic. Meanwhile, countrywoman Camerin handled Pattaya City champ Shahar Peer a quick loss in India en route to a QF finish.
------------------------
VETERAN: Eleni Daniilidou
...maybe Eleni the Greek thought the Athens games were back on last week. She's been decidedly unspectacular since her hometown Olympics, but did manage a doubles SF in Antwerp, as well as a win over Klara Koukalova (and QF result, before losing to Elena Dementieva), in Antwerp.
------------------------
FRESH FACE: Vania King

...American tennis ingenues have been as difficult to find as Bode Miller Olympic medals lately, but maybe 17-year old King is ready to move into the void (along with junior doubles partner Alexa Glatch?). Her SF run in Bangalore was the best finish by ANY American woman so far in 2006 (thought I'd get that in before Davenport plays this week), and she's poised to enter the Top 100 (she's #107). Just ask Nicole Pratt if the kid's any good. She beat the Aussie vet 6-0/6-1 last week.
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DOWN: Sania Mirza
...when you're part of the tournament logo (or at least you were... funny how that changed on the event website after the tournament began, isn't it?), you'll not supposed to lose in the 2nd Round, as Princess Sania did in Bangalore to Camille Pin. To her credit, and no doubt the tournament organizer's great relief, she did rally to take the doubles title with Liezel Huber... Mirza's first since sweeping the Hyderabad singles & doubles a year ago.
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==MATCHES==
1.Ant F - Mauresmo d. Clijsters
...3-6/6-3/6-3. Clijsters said it's "a miracle" that she's as healthy as she is considering her Melbourne ankle injury. The bigger miracle might have been that the projected #1 vs. #2 matchup actually happened. It's only the fourth time the top two ranked players have met in a non-exhibition situation over the last three seasons.
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2.Bang F - Santangelo d. Kostanic
...3-6/7-6/6-3. Jelena Kostanic is NOT Janica Kostelic, apparently. The Croatian's now lost back-to-back finals. But, still, she's made twice as many WTA singles finals in the last ten days than she'd made in her entire career beforehand.
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3.Bang 2nd - Pin d. Mirza
...1-6/7-5/6-2. Mirza's now #36, but she's going to have to pick things up if she's to avoid some serious ranking hit soon. She plays Hingis in the 1st Round in Dubai, so...
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4.Bang Doub.F - Huber/Mirza d. Rodionova/Vesnina
...6-3/6-3. And the consolation prize goes to Sania. Oh, and Liezel, too.
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5.Ant 2nd - Clijsters d. Golovin
...4-6/7-6/7-5. After this match, Clijsters' bribe... err, I mean gift... of 11,000 bottles of champagne were distributed to the fans in attendence. They should have given them out before the match if they really wanted everyone to have a good time at the Diamond Games facility.
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HM- Bang 1st - A.Bondarenko d. K.Bondarenko
...6-4/7-5. With the Williams sisters disappearing like a drawing on an Etch-a-Sketch, this is as good a Sister vs. Sister match as the WTA has to offer. Not sure if that's a good thing, or a bad one.
------------------------


==WTA LISTS==

**#1 vs. #2 - 2003-06**
-2003-
Aust.Open F - #1 S.Williams d. #2 V.Williams
Filderstadt F - #1 Clijsters d. #2 Henin-Hardenne
-2004-
Aust.Open F - #1 Henin-Hardenne d. #2 Clijsters
Filderstadt F - #2 Davenport d. #1 Mauresmo
Athens Olympic F - #1 Henin-Hardenne d. #2 Mauresmo
-2005-
NONE
-2006-
ANTWERP F - #2 MAURESMO d. #1 CLIJSTERS

**MOST SINGLES TITLES - 2005/06**
9...Clijsters (9/0)
7...MAURESMO (4/3)
6...Davenport (6/0)
5...Henin-Hardenne (5/1)

**2006 FIRST-TIME CHAMPIONS**
Marion Bartoli (21, France) - Auckland
Shahar Peer (18, Israel) - Pattaya
MARA SANTANGELO (24, ITALY) - BANGALORE

**MOST 2006 FINALS - NATIONS**
5...France (4 titles)
3...Belgium (1)
3...Italy (1)
2...Czech Republic (1)
2...Russia (1)
2...Croatia (0)

**MOST 2006 WINS OVER FORMER/CURRENT #1's**
3...MAURESMO (Clijsters-2,Henin-Hardenne)
3...Henin-Hardenne (Hingis,Davenport,Sharapova)

**TOP 10 - WTA WON/LOSS**
15-1...Amelie Mauresmo
11-4...Nadia Petrova
10-1...Justine Henin-Hardenne
9-2....Kim Clijsters
9-3....Elena Dementieva
9-5....Patty Schnyder
7-2....Maria Sharapova
4-1....Lindsay Davenport
4-2....Mary Pierce
0-1....Venus Williams


==WEEK 8 PICKS==

DUBAI, UAE (II-HO)
05 F: Davenport d. Jankovic
06 TOP: Mauresmo/Davenport
===========================
SF: Mauresmo d. JHH; Davenport d. Sharapova
FINAL: Davenport d. Mauresmo

...Mauresmo has to lose sometime, and maybe it'll be in her potential SF rematch with Henin-Hardenne (hmmm... I wonder what Backspin's mood will be next week if is IS?). Of course, I'm picking against it to leave open the possibility of talking about underestimating Queen Justine, blahblahblah. You know the drill.


MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE USA (III-HI)
05 F: Zvonareva d. Shaughnessy
06 TOP: Vaidisova/Groenefeld
============================
SF: Vaidisova d. Domachowska; Frazier d. Arvidsson
FINAL: Vaidisova d. Frazier

...Zvonareva's actually won this title the last two years, but she's in Dubai this week (yeah, as if she'd three-peat if she was in Tennessee instead). I was ready to try to will Stosur into another final, but then she went and lost to Ashley Harkleroad on Monday (oh, Sammmmmy).


BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (III-RCO)
05 F: Pennetta d. Dominguez-Lino
06 TOP: Pennetta/Dulko
==========================
SF: Castano d. Pennetta; Loit d. Dulko
FINAL: Castano d. Loit

...oh, no. The first clay event of '06. Cover your eyes on these predictions. I know I'll be doing it... probably by Thursday. Interesting logo, by the way.


All for now.

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

Oh, it's been suggested that an occasional picture of a skimpy bikini-clad Sharapova -- even for no apparent reason -- wouldn't be a bad thing. So... I offer this as a parting shot:

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Just For the Heck of It...

You know, because the place needed "sprucing up" a bit.

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Wk.6-Amelie and the Belgian Offensive

Time for a little fun with facts and opinions.

OPINION: Mary Pierce should have retired in the Paris Indoors final against Amelie Mauresmo on Sunday (apparently, she IS at least somewhat hobbled by yet another nagging injury at the moment)... you know, just to screw with the minds (and I use that word reservedly) of all the people who capriciously decide that one complaint of a stomach ache wipes out years of tooth-and-nail on-court battling. But maybe that's just a passive-aggressive idea that, if everyone cooperated, could turn ALL tennis aficionados against EVERY PLAYER on tour. Yippee! It shouldn't be too difficult to accomplish, since so many are so easily transformed into the hating public, anyway, as we've learned with such crystal-clear comprehension so far in 2006.

Speaking of passive-aggressive actions...

FACT: This week in Antwerp, Kim Clijsters is providing attending fans with 20,000 bottles of champagne, at $36 each (guess we now know where all that money went that should have gone to her coach, huh?). Pardon me while I kneel to kiss the feet of Nice Kim (welcome back, ol' Insincere Nickname Hall of Fame charter inductee)... after all, that IS the purpose of this opportunistic -- err, I mean "magnanimous" -- act, isn't it? To perpetuate the ever-present existence of that halo hovering just above Nice Kim's dome cap. Hmmm, and she does it in light of that "other" Belgian's crucifixion scenario in Australia. Coincidence? Not likely.

Okaaaaay, Kim. We get it. You're supposed to be "the nice one," while mean ol' Justine will spit in your eye and steal your dog (and who knows what she'd do to your drink) if you don't keep an eye on her. Does anyone have a bucket I can puke in?

Oh, well. Backspin can revel in the knowledge that at least this space will remain a sensible voice amongst the cacophony (emphasis on the "phony") of tennis opinions out there so far in '06.


**WEEK 6**

PARIS, FRANCE (II-GSI)
S: Amelie Mauresmo d. Mary Pierce 6-1/7-6
D: Loit/Peschke d. Black/Stubbs
=========================

PATTAYA CITY, THAILAND (IV-HO)
S: Shahar Peer d. Jelena Kostanic 6-3/6-1
D: T.Li/Sun d. Yan/Zheng
=========================


==WEEK 6 PLAYER AWARDS==
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Amelie Mauresmo
...don't look now, but Overlooked Amelie has won four of her last five tournaments going back to Philadelphia last year. Her second win at the Paris Indoors was her 21st career WTA crown, and brings her to within just 43 points of Kil... err, I mean Nice Kim. Even better, the combo of French & Russian dressing -- Vera Dushevina, Dinara Safina, Tatiana Golovin and Mary Pierce -- DIDN'T include any menu entries that remotely resembled retirements... no matter how delicious another one would have been.
------------------------
RISERS: Ting Li/Tiantian Sun & Tatiana Golovin
...Li/Sun knocked off Oz titlists Yan/Zheng in the all-Chinese Pattaya City doubles final. Meanwhile, the Frussian Pastry looks like she might have put her disappointing 2005 season behind her. Golovin reached the Paris SF, gaining wins over Sania Mirza and Nadia Petrova before pushing Mauresmo to the edge of defeat.
------------------------
SURPRISES: Jelena Kostanic & Aleksandra Wozniak

...Kostanic hadn't made a WTA singles final since 2003 in Helsinki, until Pattaya City. A win over Noodle Maria Elena Camerin, and another in the SF against Emma Laine, put her in position for a RU finish against Shahar Peer. 18-year old Canadian teen Wozniak qualified in Pattaya, then the Canuck struck again with a main draw upset of Na Li.
------------------------
VETERAN: Mary Pierce
...Pierce didn't reach her first of five 2005 finals until Roland Garros, so at least she's ahead of the pace so far in '06. She lost in the Paris final to Mauresmo, and might be facing another series of "injury watches," but last week still has to be considered a positive development.
------------------------
FRESH FACES: Shahar Peer & Tszvetana Pironkova
...Israeli Peer, 18, reached her first WTA final in Pattaya City, and wasted no time grabbing her first title (well, she did have to endure a 90-minute rain delay) with a win over Kostanic. Pironkova's Melbourne exploits weren't a fluke, and she's now going about the rest of 2006 trying to prove it. In Paris, she qualified and took out Lucie Safarova by a 6-2/2-6/6-0 score. So far so good.
------------------------
DOWN: Vera Zvonareva & Anna-Lena Groenefeld
...Zvonareva won four straight matches to reach the Auckland final in Week 1, and has gone 0-4 ever since. Last week, she lost in the Pattaya 1st Round to Paola Suarez. It's a good thing Groenefeld has her doubles to get her some match play, because it isn't working out in singles. After getting smoked by Stephanie Foretz in Paris last week, she's 1-4 in WTA/ITF matches (and 1-7 overall).
------------------------

==MATCHES==
1.Patt.Doubles F - T.Li/Sun d. Yan/Zheng
...3-6/6-1/7-6. Whether or not the Cookies will ever produce a slam singles contender is a question mark, but (not surprisingly, when you think about it) China has already proven adept at outnumbering the field in doubles, as this all-Chinese final attests.
------------------------
2.Paris F - Mauresmo d. Pierce
...6-1/7-6. All French all the time. Mauresmo is winning easy ones as well as close ones now.
------------------------
3.Patt F - Peer d. Kostanic

...6-3/6-1. So, has Peer surpassed Smashnova as the top player from Israel yet?
------------------------
4.Paris SF - Mauresmo d. Golovin
...6-7/7-5/6-2. Not sure whether it says more about Golovin that she nearly took out Mauresmo in straights, or that Mauresmo toughened up and prevented it from happening.
------------------------
5.Paris 1st - Foretz d. Groenefeld
...6-1/1-6/6-0. Altogether now... C-U-R-S-E!! Sorry, Anna-Lena.
------------------------
HM-Paris QF - Schnyder d. Dementieva
...6-3/6-3. Obviously, Patty caught Dementieva on one of those bad days she talked about in Tokyo.
------------------------


**WTA LISTS**

**2006 WTA SF**
2...MAURESMO (2-0)
2...Henin-Hardenne (2-0)
2...PEER (1-1)
2...Hingis (1-1)
2...KOSTANIC (1-1)
2...Sharapova (0-2)

**TEEN CHAMPIONS**
17...Michaella Krajicek (Hobart)
18...SHAHAR PEER (PATTAYA CITY)
18...Lucie Safarova (Gold Coast)

**FIRST-TIME CHAMPIONS**
Marion Bartoli (21, Auckland)
SHAHAR PEER (18, PATTAYA CITY)

**2006 LONG WTA WINNING STREAKS**
11...MAURESMO (JANUARY-current)
10...Henin-Hardenne (January)

**ALL-TIME WTA DOUBLES #1's**
[in chronological order]
Martina Navratilova
Pam Shriver
Helena Sukova
Jana Novotna
Gigi Fernandez
Natasha Zvereva
Larisa Neiland
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
Lindsay Davenport
Martina Hingis
Anna Kournikova
Corina Morariu
Lisa Raymond
Rennae Stubbs
Julie Halard-Decugis
Ai Sugiyama
Paola Suarez
Kim Clijsters
Virginia Ruano-Pascual
Cara Black
SAMANTHA STOSUR


==WEEK 7 PREDICTIONS==

ANTWERP, BELGIUM (II-GSI)
05 F: Mauresmo d. V.Williams
06 TOP: Clijsters/Mauresmo
============================
SF: Clijsters d. Pierce; Mauresmo d. Petrova
FINAL: Mauresmo d. Clijsters

...gee, those two months out went awfully fast for Clijsters, didn't they? What a weird event to forecast. Clijsters is back early, but is it too early? Will Pierce play, or pull out at the last minute? Venus already withdrew after the draw was made. And is Mauresmo tired yet? Meanwhile, lurking in the draw, if all those others aren't prepared, is Dementieva.


BANGALORE, INDIA (III-HO)
=new event=
06 TOP: Mirza/Peer
=======================
SF: Mirza d. Laine; Peer d. A.Bondarenko
FINAL: Mirza d. Peer

...rather than this month's stop in India being in Mirza's hometown of Hyderabad (where she won the title in' 05), it's in Bangalore. Will it make a difference? Sania hasn't exactly been on point so far this season, but I'm hardly going to pick against her here no matter the pressure (and there's bound to be a good bit of it when your image is in the tournament logo) she'll likely feel to "repeat."

(NOTE: the original logo for the Bangalore tournament featured an image of Mirza, but it was replaced with a more "unbiased" one without the Indian Princess after play began)


All for now.

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Wk.5-Punch-Sober Also Rises

In the land of the rising sun, the one who bays at the moon is king... or, in this case, queen.



For most of last week in Tokyo, Martina Hingis was (again) the big story as she ripped through the draw by decimating the likes of Maria Kirilenko and (yes, even) Maria Sharapova in straight sets while barely blinking an eye. In the end, though, the third Russian the Swiss Miss faced -- "one too many," in Hingis' own words -- did a fairly good impression of a brick wall in the final.

In doing away with her "favorite player," Elena Dementieva won her first Tier I title and helped to answer one of the burning questions that existed coming out of Melbourne that didn't have to do with either Hingis or Justine Henin-Hardenne's retirement in the final: Who is the best player without a slam title now that Amelie Mauresmo has crossed her name off the top of the list?

Punch-Sober was the likely choice, anyway, since she's the only active player who's reached a slam final without winning one. But Tokyo DID confirm Dementieva's role as the chief "bay at the slam moon" gal left on the WTA Tour.

Bring on Roland Garros?

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

TOKYO, JAPAN (I-CI)
S: Elena Dementieva def. Martina Hingis 6-2/6-0
D: Raymond/Stosur d. Black/Stubbs
=========================


**WEEK 5 PLAYER AWARDS**
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Elena Dementieva
...said Dementieva after her dominating performance in the final, "I only have one good day every week -- otherwise I would be #1 already." Another big win and Punch-Sober's got #1 thoughts dancing in her head again, just like after she knocked off Kim Clijsters late last season. With injuries and inconsistency predominant stories amongst the Top 10 players, might Dementieva just be a "few days" away from being a real contender for the top spot?
------------------------
RISER: Samantha Stosur
...Sammy ran through the draw again -- knocking off Aiko Nakamura and Daniela Hantuchova -- before running into Sharapova in the QF. She did pick up the doubles title (with Lisa Raymond) that eluded her in Melbourne, and today became the twenty-first woman to hold the #1 doubles ranking in the world (way to go!). This week, she was supposed to finally participate in an event that counted and didn't include any blonde teenage phenoms or former #1's in the draw. Could have been a big week... then she pulled out. Oh, Sammy.
------------------------
SURPRISE: Brenda Schultz-McCarthy
...the performance of the 35-year old vet from the Netherlands didn't put her in this category (she went 1-1 in qualifying, getting a victory over Cara Black), it was simply the fact that she showed up in Tokyo at all for her first WTA tour action since 1999.
------------------------
VETERANS: Martina Hingis & Lisa Raymond
...Hingis bageled Yoon-Jung Cho (RU in Canberra in Week 2), and wiped out Kirilenko and Sharapova (her first win over a Top 10 player during her comeback) to reach the seventh Tokyo final of her career. Her ranking's already up to around #50 after just five weeks of action in 2006. Raymond made it through qualifying in singles, and won the Tokyo doubles title with Stosur.
------------------------
FRESH FACE: Virginie Pichet
...the 23-year old Pastry's ranking is in the mid-200's, but her back-to-back $10K titles in Tipton & Grenoble made her the first two-time ITF title winner in 2006.
------------------------
DOWN: Yoon-Jung Cho & Maria Sharapova
...Cho's returns continue to diminish since her Week 2 appearance in the Canberra final. In Tokyo, she lost in qualifying, got into the draw as a "lucky loser," then got baged by Hingis for her troubles. Sharapova came into Japan looking to defend her only career Tier I title, and left it with another SF loss and as the first Top 10 victim of Hingis II.
------------------------

**MATCHES**
1.SF - Hingis d. Sharapova
...6-3/6-1. Hingis never faced a break point on her serve. Anyone want to re-think (again) what Hingis' year-end ranking will be?
------------------------
2.Final - Dementieva d. Hingis
...6-2/6-0. Hmm... then again. As far as Dementieva is concerned, this was her fifth career title, but her first since October'04 in Hasselt.
------------------------
3.2nd - Stosur d. Hantuchova
...7-6/6-2. Sammy has to be getting close to something big pretty soon, right? And I'm not talking about the #1 doubles ranking, either. By the way, Stosur's the second Aussie woman to reach doubles #1, as Rennae Stubbs co-held the spot with Raymond for three weeks in 2000.
------------------------
4.QF - Dementieva d. Vaidisova
...3-6/6-1/6-2. At least Nicole showed up this time. Too bad it was only for one set.
------------------------
5.SF - Dementieva d. Myskina
...6-4/3-6/6-4. Looks like Punch-Sober had two or three good days last week.
------------------------
HM - Ortisei $75K 1st - Rezai d. Groenefeld
...7-6/2-6/6-3. Girl Friday shouldn't be losing on Mondays or Tuesdays in a challenger.
------------------------


**WTA LISTS**

**TIER I TITLES - ACTIVE**
15...Martina Hingis
11...Lindsay Davenport
9....Conchita Martinez
8....Justine Henin-Hardenne
7....Serena Williams
6....Venus Williams
6....Amelie Mauresmo
5....Kim Clijsters
5....Mary Pierce
2....Anastasia Myskina
2....Jennifer Capriati
2....Jelena Dokic
1....Maria Sharapova
1....ELENA DEMENTIEVA
1....Patty Schnyder
1....Daniela Hantuchova
1....Alicia Molik

**MOST 2006 WTA SF**
2...Henin-Hardenne (2-0)
2...HINGIS (1-1)
2...SHARAPOVA (0-2)

**2006 WTA SEMIFINALISTS**
[by nation]
8...RUSSIA
3...Belgium
3...Czech Republic
3...Italy
2...Spain
2...SWITZERLAND

**MOST CAREER TITLES - RUSSIANS**
10...Sharapova (2003-05)
10...Myskina (1999-05)
9....Morozova (1969-75)
5....DEMENTIEVA (2003-06)
5....Kuznetsova (2002-04)
4....Safina (2002-05)


==WEEK 6 PREDICTION CORNER==


PARIS, FRANCE (II-GSI)
05 F: Safina d. Mauresmo
06 TOP: Mauresmo/Pierce
========================
SF: Mauresmo d. Petrova; Pierce d. Dementieva
FINAL: Mauresmo d. Pierce

...unlike at Roland Garros, Mauresmo has been able to win in Paris at this tournament. She won it in 2001, and has reached the final four of the past six years.


PATTAYA CITY, THAILAND (IV-HO)
05 F: Martinez d. Groenefeld
06 TOP: Zvonareva/Asagoe
=========================
SF: Bychkova d. Nakamura; N.Li d. Santangelo
FINAL: Bychkova d. N.Li

...This was supposed to be Sammy's golden opportunity to win her first WTA title, but yet another chance slips away. So, I'll go with Bychkova to (hopefully) fulfill one of those pre-season predictions.


All for now.

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