The Blessed and the Cursed (1Q Edition)

At the start of the 2005 season, Backspin witnessed the dubious dual prediction of Tennisrulz head honcho Pierre Cantin and myself that '04 U.S. Open champ Svetlana Kuznetsova would follow up her career year with an even better one...and finish the season at #1. As the Contessova's fortunes took a severe dip rather than an even grander upswing, the official birth announcement of the "Kuznetsova Curse" was but a mere formality.

It was a stark reality not to be overlooked nor forgotten anytime soon... and certainly not at the beginning of this season as Pierre and I, with no malice of our own, set out in January to inexplicably doom (and to be fair, also surprisingly bless) still more unwitting WTA players. Why such occurrences are seemingly unavoidable is unknown, but one learns not to question the motives of the tennis gods... and only to strive to stay on their good side. Myself and Pierre's role in this equation remains a mystery.

So, as the season's 1st Quarter comes to a close this weekend in Key Biscayne, it's time to lift the pre-season prediction rock to see which players might be this year's "victims" and/or "cherished wards."

**THE BLESSED**

First, to soften the blow a bit, let's examine a few of the players who've (so far) avoided the thundering power of "The Curse" by amazingly accomplishing some of the things we predicted they would.

On the Backspin side of the ledger, "blessed" players I expected big (some more so than others, of course) things from who've so far managed to achieve in spite of it all have been:

Sofia Arvidsson...she won her first WTA title in Memphis
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Viktoria Azarenka...making the expected progress as she jumps from the juniors to the big tour
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Nadia Petrova...she claimed her second career singles title in Doha
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Samantha Stosur...the Aussie DID become the doubles #1
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Ai Sugiyama...on the comeback trail after being injured in '05, she IS a "surging veteran"
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Pierre's "safe" players appear to be:

Elena Dementieva...he predicted she'd win her first Tier I title, which she did in Tokyo
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Marta Domachowska...a Top 50 ranking is looking good, and she almost won her first title -- losing to Arvidsson in the final -- in Memphis
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Martina Hingis...she's looking mighty fine for that Top 20 -- or better -- ranking, and won a slam doubles title
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Amelie Mauresmo...sticking with her until the end of days finally produced some dividends for Pierre, as Mauresmo actually won her first slam title
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**THE CURSED??**

And what of the players who didn't know what awaited them in 2006, having been possibly doomed from the start by our overly optimistic expectations? Well, here are some of the ladies who could be destined for failure:

Backspin:

Lindsay Davenport & Mary Pierce...I had them finishing the year #1 and #2, but they've both either been disappointing and injured (Davenport) or largely absent (Pierce) for most of the 1st Quarter. Still, Pierce didn't really catch fire in '05 until Roland Garros, and Davenport's hardcourt and/or indoor season will largely determine whether what could be her final season on tour will be deemed a successful one.
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Venus Williams...I picked Venus to finish at #6 and win a slam. So far, she's holding onto the #10 spot and still MIGHT be able to get herself together for a Wimbledon or US Open run... but, uhhh, she's got a lot of work to do if that's going to happen, considering she's yet to notch a single win in '06.
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As for Pierre...

Jelena Dokic...remaining loyal, he thought the Debutante would finally right herself enough to slowly progress and finish in the Top 100. She's been AWOL (again) since Melbourne, and is currently closer to #500.
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Serena Williams...hmmm, BOTH Williams sisters are candidates for "curse-dom." Another slam doesn't look to be in the cards in '06, as Serena's ranking is languishing in the #60's and no less than Chris Evert is practically begging/challenging her to rededicate herself to the game.
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Vera Zvonareva...Pierre predicted a return to the Top 20. Her results HAVE improved a bit in 2006, but her consistency is still lost somewhere in 2004.
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**THE DISPUTED ONE**

Anna-Lena Groenefeld's 2006 possibilities were a point of contention in my and Pierre's preseason predictions.

Needless to say, with ALG being dubbed Backspin's "Girl Friday" I took the optimistic view on the young German, saying she'd reach the Top 10 and win multiple singles titles. While Pierre said she wouldn't end the year in the Top 15 and would fail to win her first career singles title.

ALG, after a shudderingly slow start, won title #1 in Acapulco in February, and is currently #18 (a career high).

So, the jury is still out... but I like my chances.


**"THE CLIJSTERS CURSE?"**

Hmmm, but which player seems to have been royally jinxed by BOTH of us? Maybe it's Kim Clijsters.

I didn't pick the Belgian to win a slam in '06, but I did have her finishing the season at #3; while Pierre had Clijsters dominating the season en route to the year-end #1 ranking.

So far, Clijsters had been injury-plagued again this season and has yet to win a title of any kind, falling from her #1 ranking after skipping her Indian Wells title defense and losing her opening match in attempting to defend in Miami.

Something to keep an eye on.


**BUT WHAT OF...?**

...Svetlana Kuznetsova?

Well, after dooming the Contessova a year ago, we both "conveniently" avoided any BIG predictions for her in 2006 (tempting fate, though, I DID say she'd reach the US Open semis). To her credit, Kuznetsova HAS rebounded rather nicely this season, getting a win over Amelie Mauresmo and (this week in Miami) taking out Martina Hingis.

So, Kim -- or whichever player ultimately is this year's "lucky gal" -- shouldn't worry... being the unwilling victim of 2006's "Curse" needn't be a permanant condition.

But, for SOMEONE, it will likely be a reality.


All for now.

Read more...

Wk.10/11-A Breeze in the Desert

Like a cool breeze, Maria Sharapova swept into Indian Wells lugging along in her tennis bag a good, but not great (by her standards, anyway), nearly-one quarter of a season. After three events, she'd chalked up two SF and a RU result, but she'd failed to claim a title of any kind. And, you know, when you're the Supernova people start to whisper about "what have you done lately."

Two weeks later, Sharapova was hoisting a humpback whale-shaped trophy, and her season had a new direction and, dare it be said, vigor?


== "Maria, what you gon' do with all that junk? All that junk inside your trunk? Your hump, your hump..." (sorry, I couldn't resist) ==


A year ago, a post-wrist injury Kim Clijsters re-entered the WTA fray in Indian Wells. She walked off with a surprise title (and another two weeks later in Miami), as her newly-strengthened wrist built a foundation for a finally-strong backbone come Flushing Meadows six months later. This year, Clijsters missed the desert event (she returns this week in Miami) while nursing that ankle she turned in Melbourne. The absence caused her to lose her #1 ranking to Amelie Mauresmo, and it provided another player with the opportunity to provide a clue about the remainder of HER '06 season. Hoping that the crowning of this year's version of the Indian Wells champion would be an event that will foretell the future as well as a year ago, Sharapova stepped into the spotlight.

The Supernova hasn't had a poor season, but until Indian Wells she hadn't given any indication of being ready to kick-start the type of momentum she'll need to claim a second slam title before the end of 2006. In Cali, though, she mastered the Hingis Conundrum in the SF, and barely broke a sweat in the final against Elena Dementieva, proving once again that it's best to bet on Sharapova in most all-Russian matchups. Sure, it'd been a bigger statement-making week if in gaining her second career Tier I title she'd had to face the likes of Justine Henin-Hardenne or Lindsay Davenport, but she could only knock down the obstacles put in front of her. And that she did with the ease of a breeze turned suddenly warmer by it's sojourn through the desert. Now, if only she could find a way to carry this spark into the upcoming clay season (a surface on which she's yet to make a tour final) she could be on to something big (and less odd-looking -- and slightly phallic -- than that trophy).

Could Sharapova match Clijsters' Indian Wells-Miami combo? Stay tuned.


**WEEK 10/11 CHAMPIONS**

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA USA (I-HO)
S: Maria Sharapova d. Elena Dementieva 6-1/6-2
D: Raymond/Stosur d. Ruano-Pascual/Shaughnessy
===========================

**PLAYER AWARDS**
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Maria Sharapova
...while everyone else (as you'll see in a moment) was involved in all the drama, Sharapova just won. And won big. Her eleventh career singles title makes her the winningest Russian woman ever.
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RISERS: Elena Dementieva & Na Li
...the Russian who grabbed the most headlines last week wasn't Sharapova, it was Dementieva, who reached her second Tier I final of '06. Her serve was often off. Her error count was often incredibly high. Her consistency was often all over the map. But, as is often the case with Dementieva, it didn't really matter. She outlasted both Sania Mirza and Ana Ivanovic in two very losable matches, then in the SF showed once again why she transformed from the lead-squandering "Punch-Drunk" into the never-say-die "Punch-Sober" a few years ago, escaping a two-breaks down 6-2/5-2 hole against Henin-Hardenne, then cleaning up her game in the deciding third set to notch one of the biggest come-from-behind wins of her career. As for Li, she's one of the few Chinese women putting up any singles results to be proud of in '06. In Indian Wells, she blew away Iveta Benesova (6-0/6-1!!) and took out upstart American Vania King, as well.
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SURPRISES: Sybille Bammer & Maret Ani

...Austrian Bammer, 25, a semifinalist in Pattaya City earlier this season, reached the IW 3rd Round after wins over Jie Zheng and Jelena Jankovic before losing to Martina Hingis. Estonia's Ani, 24, followed up her Acapulco SF with wins over Nathalie Dechy and Marion Bartoli in IW. (Of course, then she loss to Carly Gullickson in the first round of qualifying in Miami on Monday.)
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VETERAN: Martina Hingis
...after upsetting the Supernova in Tokyo, Hingis looks like she might be in the Russian's pocket now, going down 3-and-3 (though the match was closer than the score would make it appear) in the IW semifinals. Still, Hingis handled Dinara Safina and Lindsay Davenport (more on her in a moment) to give her week a nice little glow, nonetheless.
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FRESH FACES: Vania King & Meng Yuan
...again, King made enough noise to mark herself as one of the few young American hopes for the future. Wins over Klara Koukalova and Anastassia Rodionova moved her into the Top 100 for the first time. Yuan might turn out be this year's version of Zi Yan as the most improved Cookie of the year. She qualified in IW, then knocked off Akiko Morigami and Catalina Castano. She's already moved from #153 to #100 this season.
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DOWN: Lindsay Davenport & Justine Henin-Hardenne
...while some players had nice times in California, others didn't. Oh, Davenport and JHH flying high for a while (just ask Ashley Harkleroad, who was bageled by ol' LD), but when they landed... boy, they landed hard. Davenport is looking more and more like a veteran player finishing up her career, as she wilted (again) in a 3rd set against a good player (Hingis) then pulled out of Miami with a bulging disc in her back. If 2006 is to be her curtain call, and it's starting to look like that'll be the case, she might have one (and only one) run left in her body... so the late summer hardcourt season is now even more of a priority than it was going to be anyway. As for Justine... oh, Justine. It's clear that JHH is back, but Le Petit Taureau is still lagging behind. LPT would never have failed to close out Dementieva in the 2nd set, and Henin-Hardenne's less-muscled body is showing signs it won't be able to hold up all season (first it was a shoulder in Australia, and now maybe a knee). The less-demanding-on-the-her-joints clay season (where she was 24-0 a year ago) can't get here fast enough.
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**MATCHES**
1.IW SF - Dementieva d. JHH
...2-6/7-5/7-5. Henin-Hardenne lost her grip on a "certain" win, then Dementieva settled her game. JHH never regained control, and the Russian once again proved to be a dangerous third-set mistress. This match is precisely the type of occurrence that made "Punch-Sober" a reality.
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2.IW 4th - Hingis d. Davenport
...6-3/1-6/6-2. This was their first meeting since October '01. If their matchups went like this more often, maybe Martina would have never left.
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3.IW Final - Sharapova d. Dementieva

...6-1/6-2. A bit of an anticlimax, for sure... but look at Maria "working it" after she won. Hey, Sharapova's now tied with Anna with eleven career titles. I'm talking about Anna Smashnova, of course.
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4.IW SF - Sharapova d. Hingis
...6-3/6-3. Advantage Sharapova. 2-1.
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5.IW Doub.Final - Raymond/Stosur d. Ruano-Pascual/Shaughnessy
...the #1 & #2 doubles players in the world claimed their third title of '06, and second Tier I. They were also RU in Melbourne.
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6.IW 3rd - Dulko d. Golovin
...6-1/5-7/7-6. Golovin lost a 5-1 lead in the deciding tie-break.
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7.IW 3rd - Dementieva d. Mirza
...5-7/6-4/6-4. Sania decides to play doubles with Israel's Shahar Peer -- in the type of in-your-face act of indvidualism we came to love a season ago -- and (not surprisingly?) her game looked better, too. Hmmm. On another note, Mirza's first "major" American ad campaign was spotted during the commercial breaks of ESPN's Indian Wells coverage.
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8.IW QF - Sharapova d. Groenefeld
...6-1/6-3. Indian Wells wasn't Moscow. That was both good for ALG, and bad. "Payback" will have to wait. (And I'm not talking about the Mel Gibson movie.)
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9.Canberra (ITF) Final - Gajdosova d. Adamczak
...7-6/6-2. The 18-year old Slovak won her third straight challenger to run her ITF winning streak to fifteen matches.
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==WTA LISTS==

*2006 TIER I EVENT FINALS*
Tokyo - Dementieva d. Hingis
Indian Wells - Sharapova d. Dementieva

*WEEKS AS SINGLES #1 in 2006*
7...Kim Clijsters
3...Lindsay Davenport
1...Amelie Mauresmo (current #1)

*CONSECUTIVE 2006 WTA FINALS*
3...Mauresmo (AO-Paris-Antwerp, 3-0)
3...Henin-H. (Sydney-AO-Dubai, 2-1)
2...Sharapova (Dubai-IW, 1-1)
2...Pennetta (Bogota-Acapulco, 0-2)
2...Kostanic (Pattaya-Bangalore, 0-2)

*2006 FINALISTS BY NATION*
6...France (4 titles)
6...Russia (3)
5...Italy (1)
4...Belgium (2)

*MOST CAREER WTA TITLES - RUSSIANS*
11...Maria Sharapova (2003-06)
10...Anastasia Myskina (1999-05)
9....Olga Morozova (1969-75)
5....Elena Dementieva (2003-06)
5....Svetlana Kuznetsova (2002-04)
4....Dinara Safina (2002-05)

*SHARAPOVA vs. HINGIS*
06 Tokyo SF - Hingis 6-3/6-1
06 Dubai QF - Sharapova 6-3/6-4
06 Indian Wells SF - Sharapova 6-3/6-3

*HINGIS vs. TOP 10 PLAYERS*
CAREER....92-65
2006........2-6


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

"BATTLE ROYALE '06"

...a mixed bag in Part I of BR/06, as Henin-Hardenne's SF collapse cost both Pierre Cantin and me a chance to say we picked the Indian Wells winner.

4th ROUNDERS: Backspin 11-9
QUARTERFINALISTS: Backspin 4-3
SEMIFINALISTS: Pierre 3-2
FINALISTS: 0-0
CHAMPIONS: 0-0


MIAMI, FLORIDA USA (I-HO)
05 F: Clijsters d. Sharapova
06 TOP: Mauresmo/Clijsters
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BACKSPIN's picks:

-4th Round-
Mauresmo d. Ivanovic
Petrova d. Safina
Henin-Hardenne d. Sugiyama
Hingis d. Schnyder
Myskina d. Peer
Sharapova d. King
Dementieva d. Schiavone
Clijsters d. Groenefeld
-QF-
Petrova d. Mauresmo
Henin-Hardenne d. Hingis
Sharapova d. Myskina
Clijsters d. Dementieva
-SF-
Henin-Hardenne d. Petrova
Sharapova d. Clijsters
-FINAL-
Sharapova d. Henin-Hardenne


=PIERRE'S PICKS=

4th round:
Mauresmo def Ivanovic
Safina def Petrova
Henin-Hardenne def Likhovtseva
Hingis def Schnyder (wow...good match here)
Myskina def Chakvetadze
Sharapova def Kirilenko
Dementieva def Golovin
Clijsters def Groenefeld

QF:
Mauresmo def Safina
Henin-Hardenne def Hingis
Sharapova def Myskina
Clijsters def Dementieva

SF:
Mauresmo def Henin-Hardenne
Sharapova def Clijsters

FINAL:
Sharapova def Mauresmo (wow...another big title for Maria??? Better believe it!)



All for now.

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NEXT WEEK: another Special Edition of Backspin

Read more...

Non-Sequitur Jubilee

With Indian Wells in full swing, it's as good a time as any to clean away a few of the off-the-cuff thoughts that populate the crevices of my mind:

...Are Venus & Serena on anyone's radar at the moment, or has 2006 pretty much been written off for both of them?...

...Maria Sharapova pulled off her stint as a Sports Illustrated swimsuit quite well, far better than I would have thought. For all her previous photoshoots and position at or near the top of so many internet search lists, I never really thought she'd be as, um, well, you can think of your own appropriately descriptive adjective-noun combination, as she managed to be in, say, this shot:



...Hmmm, why do I find it so easy to dislike the Belgian "Miss Nice," yet so easy to defend the Belgian "Devil Lady?"...

...Justine's not bad. She's just drawn that way...

...If Martina Hingis wins 80% of her matches against players outside the Top 10 (and she's currently far ahead of that pace), and 25% vs. the Top 10, she's a virtual lock for the Top 10 herself at the end of the year...

...That Dokic comeback is going pretty well so far, huh?...

...Seriously, how cool was that indoor snow slope & tennis court combo in Dubai?:



...Is Daniela Hantuchova now past the point of no return as far as ever rediscovering her past potential? Settling in as a #11-#20 player for the rest of her career is still good, but the disappointment of it all will be hard to shake...

...Once again, congratulations Anna-Lena!...

...The Czech Maidens, after Lucie Safarova grabbed a title in Week 1, have slowed down a bit since. Meanwhile, the Italian Noodles (Noodlettes?) are surpassing all expectations...

...Might Nadia Petrova REALLY beat out Sharapova as the top Russian in 2006? A few stats: both are 1-2 in semifinals this season, with Petrova having won one title to Sharapova's zero. As of this weekend, Sharapova was 12-3 on the season, with a win over Lindsay Davenport, while Petrova was 15-5, with a win over Amelie Mauresmo...

...I'm coming to the conclusion that Jelena Dokic should just retire and get it over with. At the very least, an "official" sabbatical might be in order. Maybe in a year's time she'll truly WANT to come back, AND have the fortitude to withstand one stinking loss (her loss in Melbourne was the "worst" of her career...really?) and try to improve upon it rather than disappear from sight all over again. If not, so be it. If she has to be coaxed into reclaiming her tennis career, then there isn't a career to reclaim. She should just do the right thing and walk away...

...A Johnny Mac-Martina doubles combo at Wimbledon might not be a realistic dream. But how about Johnny Mac-Martina (as in Hingis, not Navratilova)? The two DID team in WTT action last year...

...Is anyone kept on a shorter leash now than Sania Mirza? Hard to believe her results aren't suffering as a result, too...

...Sesil? Oh, Sesil?...

...Jie Zheng and Shuai Peng, the two top-ranked Chinese players in 2005, are a combined 0-9 in WTA singles action in 2006...

...Lindsay Davenport recently got her 700th career match victory. Might she be the last woman to do it? Is there another elite talent out there who'll have the longevity/excellence to add her name to "The 700 Club?"...

...I actually picked Venus to have a fine season back in January. I should have known, I guess. But since we ARE talking about Venus here, don't think there's any curse involved...

...Replay is here (at least in North America)! How long before a player uses the replay challenge rule cunningly enough, ala Mary Pierce and the injury timeout rules, to be called onto the carpet for gamesmanship? Stay tuned...


Okay, I think my head is somewhat clearer. The regular Backspin column returns next week.

All for now.

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Wk.9-Backspin's Girls Make Good

Ah, the sun shines on "The Girls of Backspin" today (pardon me while I bask in their magnificence)... isn't it great?

Without question, Le Petit Taureau has established herself as this space's pre-eminent "#1 gal," as the skies are never brighter than when the diminutive one emerges with a victory to wag under the noses of her detractors. But scrawled right under JHH's name on the Backspin dinner party invitee list are most assuredly "Girl Friday," Anna-Lena Groenefeld, and the "most cherished Russian" herself, Nadia "Scarlett" Petrova.

Needless to say, it was an exciting week. So good, in fact, that I got off my butt enough to post this week's column on Sunday rather than Monday.




Let's see... my tennis week that was: it started with finally being able to recieve The Tennis Channel (hoo-rah!), then ended with both -- count 'em, BOTH! -- Petrova and Groenefeld winning singles titles. Petrova knocked off the tour's hottest player in Doha to take her second career WTA crown, then ALG finally got on top of what had been an atrocious start to her season by gaining her maiden title in Acapulco.

The 20-year old German entered the week just outside the Top 20... and if she turned the corner on the Mexican red clay then 2006 still might just be her big breakout year. Aha! Maybe Anna-Lena isn't cursed, after all. (Whew! Backspin heaves a big sigh of relief.)

As for Petrova, she was never cursed. She just needed a shot a confidence, and got it courtesy of a title-winning turn in Linz last October. The shortened learning curve that's resulted (she noted after her win in the final over Amelie Mauresmo that she now not only realizes that she must be more aggressive when a big match is in the balance, but she's also learned how to follow through with the thought) is already paying dividends.

Hmmm, could a stint as the top-ranked Russian in the world be far behind?

Yes or no... if things get much better around here than Week 9, Tennisrulz Head Honcho Pierre Cantin might find me huddled up in a corner, laughing uncontrollably, and unable to post the latest edition of Backspin.

But what are the chances of it getting any better than this? (Hopefully, for the sake of "Backspin's Best Gals," it's more likely than anyone would ever imagine.)

**WEEK 9 CHAMPIONS**

DOHA, QATAR (II-Hard/Outdoor)
S: Nadia Petrova def. Amelie Mauresmo 6-3/7-5
D: Hantuchova/Sugiyama d. T.Li/Sun


ACAPULCO, MEXICO (III-Red Clay)
S: Anna-Lena Groenefeld d. Flavia Pennetta 6-1/4-6/6-2
D: Groenefeld/Shaughnessy d. Asagoe/Loit

==PLAYER AWARDS==
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Nadia Petrova
...could Petrova finally see her potential becoming reality? Shrugging off last week's early loss in Dubai and following it up with a Tier II crown and a win over the world #2 (who would have been #1 if she'd won the match) is certainly a good sign.
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RISERS: Anna-Lena Groenefeld & Flavia Pennetta
...not only did ALG win her first title (hey, that checks off another of those pre-season predictions!), but she won the Acapulco doubles with Meghann Shaughnessy, too. As it turned out, Girl Friday had more singles victories (5) last week than she'd had in her previous five 2006 outings combined. Meanwhile, Pennetta pulled off back-to-back Bogota/Acapulco finals appearances for the second straight year. Thing is, last year she won both matches. This time around, she went 0-2 (making her 0-3 in finals this season). It's still a nice accomplishment, though.
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SURPRISES: Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez & Maret Ani

...MJMS, a 23-year old Spaniard ranked #334 took out Zuzana Ondraskova and Iveta Benesova in Acapulco, then nearly upset Pennetta (winning the 1st set, then taking the 2nd into a tie-break -- which she dropped, then was bageled in the 3rd) in the QF. Estonian Ani, 24, reached her first career SF in Acapulco with wins over Laura Pous Tio and Anna Smashnova.
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VETERAN: Ai Sugiyama
...the 30-year old Japanese vet took out Anastasia Myskina in three tough sets en route to the Doha SF, and won the doubles title with Daniela Hantuchova.
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FRESH FACE: Jarmila Gajdosova

...the 18-year old Slovak (ranked #121) gets the nod for her recent back-to-back ITF titles in Australia (in Sydney & Gosford). The wins continued a 2006 surge that's already included successful qualifying turns in Gold Coast (where she pushed eventual champ Lucie Safarova to three tight sets) and Melbourne.
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DOWN: Jie Zheng
...after being bageled in the 1st Round in Doha by Svetlana Kuznetsova, the Cookie is still looking for her first WTA singles win in 2006.
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==MATCHES==
1.Doha F - Petrova d. Mauresmo

...6-3/7-5. Mauresmo finally ran out of gas, one match short (again) of the #1 ranking that she continues to maintain doesn't really mean that much too her. By the way, she's right -- in a sense, slam titles ARE more important.
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2.Acap F - Groenefeld d. Pennetta
...6-1/4-6/6-2. Pennetta's third straight trip to the Acapulco final was a letdown for the second time. Groenefeld, who finally won her first WTA title on her fourth trip to a final, is already the sixth first-time champion (in sixteen events) in 2006. At this time last year, there'd been just three, and there were only ten all season long.
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3.Doha QF - Hingis d. Kuznetsova
...7-6/6-2. The Swiss Miss is 15-1 vs. players outside the Top 10.
========================
4.Doha SF - Mauresmo d. Hingis
...6-2/6-2. And 1-5 against Top 10ers.
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5.Doha 1st - Na Li d. Zvonareva
...6-4/6-4. Six consecutive losses for Vera Z.
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6.Doha 1st - Kuznetsova d. Zheng
...6-0/6-1. A glimpse of the "old" Kuznetsova. But, to touch on something I neglected to mention last week... really, Contessova, you should make an effort to dress up a LITTLE at post-event trophy celebrations. In Dubai, while partner Petrova (the two were RU's to Schiavone/Peschke) walked out onto the court in a crisp-looking warmup jacket, you come out in ratty-looking blue jeans and a sweat-stained gray t-shirt to greet all the Dubai royals? It wouldn't exactly be a social faux paus to look reasonably presentable under such circumstances. Just a thought.
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7.Doha 2nd - Na Li d. Hantuchova
...4-6/7-6/6-1. A squandered 2nd set lead spelled doom for Wonder Girl. Nice week for Li, though.
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8.Doha 2nd - Hingis d. Schiavone
...6-1/6-2. Obviously, Schiavone isn't Top 10 material yet.
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9.Acap 1st - Garbin d. Dominguez-Lino
...6-3/6-4. Oh, the week after your first WTA title can be quite a letdown. Right, Lourdes?
========================
10.Las Vegas $75K F - Shenay Perry d. Emma Laine
...6-1/6-4. The Tennis Channel actually provided some coverage of this match. Well, that is, when they weren't showing Gael Monfils playing paddle tennis (????) on an outside court.
========================

==WTA LISTS==

**DEFEATED TOP SEED & DEFENDING CHAMP, WON TITLE - 2006**
Gold Coast - Lucie Safarova (Schnyder)
Bogota - Lourdes Dominguez-Lino (Pennetta)
ACAPULCO - ANNA-LENA GROENEFELD (PENNETTA)

**MOST WTA FINALS**
4...Amelie Mauresmo (3-1)
3...Justine Henin-Hardenne (2-1)
3...FLAVIA PENNETTA (0-3)

**2006 SEMIFINALISTS BY NATION**
13...Russia
7....France
6....Italy

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

**WEEK 10/11 - BATTLE ROYALE...is on!**

...the time has come. The time for the first 2006 "Battle Royale" with Tennisrulz Head Honcho Pierre Cantin. Last year, we split out two face-offs, with the combined stats looking like this:

4th ROUNDERS: Cantin 31-22
QUARTERFINALISTS: Backspin 23-22
SEMIFINALISTS: Cantin 49-42
FINALISTS: Backspin 21-17
CHAMPIONS: Backspin 10-8

"Battle Royale I, 2006 Edition" will include both the Indian Wells and Miami events that take place in March.


INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA USA (I-HO)
05 F: Clijsters d. Davenport
06 TOP: Henin-Hardenne/Davenport
================================

BACKSPIN's PICKS:
=4th Round=
Henin-Hardenne d. Sugiyama
Golovin d. Laine
Dementieva d. N.Li
Frazier d. Kirilenko
Groenefeld d. Bartoli
Sharapova d. Medina-Garrigues
Myskina d. Safina
Davenport d. Hingis
=QF=
Henin-Hardenne d. Golovin
Dementieva d. Frazier
Groenefeld d. Sharapova (ah, revenge for last year's "near-miss" retirement loss in Moscow)
Davenport d. Myskina
=SF=
Henin-Hardenne d. Dementieva
Davenport d. Groenefeld
=FINAL=
Henin-Hardenne d. Davenport

...Backspin's good times continue?


PIERRE's PICKS:
4th round:
Henin-Hardenne def Sugiyama
Golovin def Pennetta
Benesova def Dementieva
Kirilenko def Ondraskova
Smashnova def Dechy
Sharapova def Peer
Myskina def Safina
Hingis def Davenport

Quarters:
Henin-Hardenne def Golovin
Kirilenko def Benesova
Sharapova def Smashnova
Hingis def Myskina

Semis:
Henin-Hardenne def Kirilenko
Hingis def Sharapova

Final:
Henin-Hardenne def Hingis



All for now.

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NEXT WEEK: with Indian Wells at it's mid-way point, the regular Backspin takes a hiatus. But it'll be substituted with a special edition. Come on back to see what it's about!

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