Wk.43- "It"

Has "it" begun?



Sixteen straight match wins and three consecutive titles (around that pesky Moscow walkover), a move to #2 in the rankings with an eye on seizing #1 in Madrid. A slam title leading to a Tier I... leading to a potential YEC crown and a tidal wave of momentum to carry into 2007 and Melbourne?

Are we and Maria Sharapova in the midst of "it"... a year earlier than anticipated?

More on "it" later this week.


**WEEK 43**

LINZ, AUSTRIA (II-HI)
S: Maria Sharapova d. Nadia Petrova 7-5/6-2
D: Raymond/Stosur d. Morariu/Srebotnik
=============================


PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Maria Sharapova
...title #5 of 2006 was #15 for her career. Now she's just a win in the final in Madrid against anyone but JHH away from just what she doesn't want -- the year-end #1 ranking... or so she says.
=============================
RISERS: Nadia Petrova & Samantha Stosur

...Petrova played like a defending champ at the tournament that freed her from the shackles of being title-less one year ago, reaching her third consecutive final this fall by surging past Shahar Peer, Samantha Stosur and Nicole Vaidsova. Speaking of Stosur, she took out Russians Maria Kirilenko and Anna Chakvetadze (ending The Doll's 10-match winning streak) in reaching the Linz QF, then claimed her eighth doubles title of the season with Lisa Raymond.
=============================
SURPRISES: Marina Erakovic & Evgenia Grebenyuk

...the 18-year olds were ITF title winners this weekend. Erakovic, a New Zealander by way of Croatia, won her third title of the season at the $50K in Beijing. She's now at a career-high rank of #178. Obscure Russian Grebenyuk won the $25K in Podolsk for her first career ITF title.
=============================
VETERANS: Patty Schnyder & Lisa Raymond

...Schnyder defeated Nathalie Dechy and Vera Zvonareva to reach the Linz SF. She's #9 in the YEC Race (the Top 8 automatically qualify), and will now cross her fingers and wait for the seemingly annual withdrawal of a top player or two. Raymond, 33, and Stosur, with eight '06 titles in tow, will go to Madrid with their eyes on repeating as the YEC Doubles champions.
=============================
FRESH FACES: Nicole Vaidisova & Caroline Wozniacki

...Vaidisova showed the form she hopes to sport more consistently in '07 when she knocked off Jelena Jankovic in the Linz QF, reclaiming her Top 10 ranking. How high can she rise next season if she can fix up the 1-6 record in SF she put together this year? Meanwhile, 16-year old Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, junior champ at this year's Wimbledon (and tossed from the U.S. Open juniors for using obscene language) won her first pro title at the $25K in Istanbul. Now, the world #280 will have something good to talk about in the blog at her official website.
=============================
DOWN: Maria Kirilenko & Mary Pierce

,,,Kirilenko retired in the Linz 1st Round against Stosur with a hip injury, further securing her role as one of the very few Russians who haven't improved upon their '05 performance. After pulling out of the Hasselt draw, she's 23-26 on the season. But, oh, Kirilenko's got nothing on Pierce. After struggling to get healthy all season, she finally did it. Then, in the 2nd Round in Linz against Vera Zvonareva she ruptured ligaments in her knee and will be out at least six months (and maybe for good).
=============================


1. Linz QF - Vaidisova d. Jankovic
...5-7/7-6/6-4. Vaidisova's serve has been hit and miss at times in '06. With 20 aces, it was definitely a hit against Jankovic.
------------------------------
2. Linz 2nd - Zvonareva d. Pierce
...4-6/5-6 ret. Pierce had three match points before she planted her foot behind the baseline in the match's 22nd game and possibly saw her career end in a flash. She was carried out on a stretcher, with surgery looming. What better evidence does a player need to prove that you can't afford to blow match points? (Cruel, yes... but still true.)
------------------------------
3. Linz F - Sharapova d. Petrova
...7-5/6-2. Petrova is the second-best Russian, but she's 1-5 against the best.
------------------------------
4. Linz 1st - Vesnina d. Hantuchova
...4-3 ret. That it's no surprise that Hantuchova would have this result after reaching the Zurich final says a great deal about why she's had so much difficulty re-energizing her career after her '02 boomlet.
------------------------------
5. Linz 1st - A.Radwanska d. Anna-Lena Groenefeld
...6-4/7-5. Make that 10-16 on hard courts in' 06 for Girl Friday. At least with all the withdrawals in Hasselt, she gets a qualifier in the 1st Round.
------------------------------
HM- Bratislava $75K F - Cibulkova d. Barrois

...7-5/6-1. I picked this 17-year old Slovak (currently #156) to win her first WTA singles title in '06. That didn't happen, but her title in Bratislava also included wins over Tu, Pironkova and Poutchek... and it certainly sets her up for a similar prediction in '07.
------------------------------


**2006 WTA SINGLES TITLES**
5...MARIA SHARAPOVA
5...Justine Henin-Hardenne
5...Nadia Petrova
4...Amelie Mauresmo

**MOST 2006 WTA FINALS**
9...Justine Henin-Hardenne (5-4)
7...MARIA SHARAPOVA (5-2)
7...NADIA PETROVA (5-2)
6...Amelie Mauresmo (4-2)
5...Svetlana Kuznetsova (3-2)
4...Kim Clijsters (2-2)
4...Martina Hingis (2-2)

**MOST SINGLES TITLES - [2005-06]**
11...Kim Clijsters [9/2]
9....Justine Henin-Hardenne [4/5]
8....MARIA SHARAPOVA [3/5]
8....Amelie Mauresmo [4/4]
6....Nadia Petrova [1/5]
6....Lindsay Davenport [6/0]
4....Nicole Vaidisova [3/1]
4....Anabel Medina-Garrigues [2/2]

**MOST 2006 DOUBLES TITLES**
8...LISA RAYMOND/SAMANTHA STOSUR
6...Zi Yan/Jie Zheng
3...Virginia Ruano-Pascual/Paola Suarez
3...Kveta Peschke/Francesca Schiavone

**ALL-RUSSIAN FINALS**
-2003-
Doha - Myskina d. Likhovtseva
-2004-
Doha - Myskina d. Kuznetsova
Roland Garros - Myskina d. Dementieva
U.S. Open - Kuznetsova d. Dementieva
Hasselt - Dementieva d. Bovina
Moscow - Myskina d. Dementieva
-2005-
none
-2006-
Indian Wells - Sharapova d. Dementieva
Miami - Kuznetsova d. Sharapova
Moscow - Chakvetadze d. Petrova
Linz - Sharapova d. Petrova

===OCTOBER AWARDS (WEEK 40-43)===
*TOP PLAYERS*
1. Maria Sharapova
2. Nadia Petrova
3. Anna Chakvetadze
4. Marion Bartoli
5. Lisa Raymond & Samantha Stosur

*RISERS*
1. Nadia Petrova
2. Marion Bartoli
3. Tatiana Golovin
4. Ana Ivanovic
5. Daniela Hantuchova
6. Samantha Stosur
7. Tiantian Sun
8. Vera Zvonareva
9. Shahar Peer
10. Katarina Srebotnik
HM- Sybille Bammer

*SURPRISES*
1. Vania King
2. Tiantian Sun
3. Iroda Tulyaganova
4. Marina Erakovic
5. Chia-Jung Chuang
HM- Raquel Kops-Jones

*VETERANS*
1. Lisa Raymond
2. Cara Black & Rennae Stubbs
3. Patty Schnyder
4. Katarina Srebotnik
5. Kveta Peschke & Francesca Schiavone
HM- Tamarine Tanasugarn

*FRESH FACES*
1. Anna Chakvetadze
2. Nicole Vaidisova
3. Vania King
4. Victoria Azarenka
5. Caroline Wozniacki
6. Aiko Nakamura
7. Yung-Jan Chan
8t. Angelique Kerber & Anne Schaefer
9. Timea Baczinszky
10. Agnes Szavay
HM- Katerina Vankova

*DOWN*
1. Amelie Mauresmo
2. Anna-Lena Groenefeld
3. Mary Pierce
4. Dinara Safina
5. Maria Kirilenko
HM- Anastasia Myskina



...a few final go-rounds before the lights are turned off for '06.


HASSELT, BELGIUM (III-Deco I)
2005 FINAL: Clijsters d. Schiavone
2006 TOP: Clijsters/Schiavone
=============================

SF: Clijsters d. Zvonareva; Ivanovic d. Dechy
FINAL: Clijsters d. Ivanovic
...as long as Clijsters doesn't decide to kick a soccer ball around with her fiance while her dog scurries around under her feet.


Semis:
Clijsters def Zvonareva
Ivanovic def Sugiyama

Final:
Clijsters def Ivanovic



QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC CAN (III-HI)
2005 FINAL: Frazier d. Arvidsson
2006 TOP: Jankovic/Bartoli
=============================

SF: Jankovic d. Azarenka; Bartoli d. Arvidsson
FINAL: Bartoli d. Jankovic


Semis:
Jankovic def Azarenka
Bartoli def Harkleroad

Final:
Bartoli def Jankovic


All for now.

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

ALSO THIS WEEK: Intriguing Answers, Pt.II

Read more...

How Smart We Were... How Dumb We Were

Has the season really gone by so fast? Were Tennisrulz Head Honcho Pierre Cantin and I really that smart about how some things would play out in 2006... but just as dumb about so many others? Well, yes... and, unfortunately, yes.

First, some of the good news:



...I predicted first career titles for Anna Chakvetadze, Anna-Lena Groenefeld, Alona Bondarenko, Tiantian Sun and Sofia Arvidsson.
==============================
...I predicted a first career final appearance for Aiko Nakamura
==============================
...Daniela Hantuchova, Jelena Jankovic, Francesca Schiavone, Jelena Dokic and Vera Dushevina really DIDN'T win a tour singles title between them
==============================
...and Martina Navratilova DID win three titles, two in Doubles and a Mixed title at the U.S. Open
==============================
...while Groenefeld did manage to reach that slam QF that I was hoping for, at Roland Garros
==============================



...perseverance finally paid off, as his pick of Amelie Mauresmo claiming her first slam title came true.
=============================
...as predicted, Elena Dementieva won her first career Tier I title
=============================
...Nicole Vaidisova DID reach the Top 10 and make a big run in a slam (Roland Garros SF). She's currently #11, but still has a shot to finish 2006 in the Top 10.
=============================
...Pierre said that Marta Domachowska would reach the Top 50 (she was as high as #37 in April) and win her first title. Well, she WAS RU in Memphis to Arvidsson.
=============================
...the belief that Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters would team up to help Belgium in the Fed Cup came true in the SF.
=============================

With the good also comes a taste of the bad:


...I said that Venus Williams could defend her Wimbledon title. I really should have know better, right?
=============================
...I thought Sania Mirza would win a pair of titles. Instead, she was shut out and saw her results slide.
=============================
...thinking that the Czech Maidens would make a big leap in '06 didn't pan out. Rather than the 15 finalists and 11 titles, both up slightly from their '05 numbers, they only had 3 and 2 even with Nicole Vaidisova's great progress.
=============================
...thinking that Jennifer Capriati's shoulder would heal, I figured she'd end the year somewhere between #15-25.
=============================
...and I stood firm in the notion that Amelie Mauresmo wouldn't win a slam title. I was wrong TWICE on that one.
=============================



...though I loved the creativity of Pierre's prediction that eight different women would play in the four slam finals, he was just a "tad" off as JHH played in all four, and faced off against Mauresmo in two of them. Of course, it's been almost 30 years (1977) since the all-different-faces combination has actually happened.
=============================
...like me, he had Capriati healthy and in the Top 30.
=============================
...too bad JHH & Clijsters couldn't team up in the Fed Cup final, for then they probably would have forced a change in category for PC's pick of Belgium to win the FC title.
=============================
...he also missed on the notion that Groenefeld wouldn't reach the Top 15 during the season (she did) or win her first title (she swept both the singles and doubles in Acapulco). Obviously, I enjoyed that he missed this one.
=============================

...according to Pierre, Clijsters was going to dominate the rankings and play more matches than any player in the Top 10. Whoops.
=============================

Whew! How about a few more good ones:



...I picked Slingin' Sammy Stosur to finish the year as the doubles #1. She was the sole #1 for 22 weeks this season, and has been co-#1 with partner Lisa Raymond for the past 16.
=============================
...Clijsters DIDN'T win another slam, and only held onto the #1 ranking for a short time after reclaiming it for seven weeks from January to March.
=============================
...woo-hoo! I actually said that an American under 25 would win a singles title in 2006. Thank you, Vania King.
=============================
...some Russian hits: there were over 25 Russian finalists (33, counting the all-Russian Linz final), Dementieva won her first Tier I, and Nadia Petrova DID indeed become the top-ranked Hordette for a while during the Euro clay season.
=============================
...I was right in thinking Vaidisova would become a Top 10er, though I just missed on that grand slam final (grrrrr... Roland Garros near-miss), that Shahar Peer would become the top Israeli (she won three titles), Le Petit Taureau would win a slam and Martina Hingis would reach a slam QF (in Oz, as it turned out).
=============================



...Pierre had Hingis reaching the Top 20 (close enough), and continuing to struggle with her consistency against power players (4-10 vs. Top 10ers).
=============================
...he also picked her to win a slam doubles title, which she did in Melbourne by claiming the Mixed title with Mahesh Bhupathi.
=============================
...he had Sharapova winning four titles (she had four going into Linz), including Wimbledon (the U.S. is still slam #2).
=============================
...and he was right about four Americans being ranked in the Top 50, though I doubt he figured that none of them would be named Williams. The four as of this past week: #18 Davenport, #37 Shaughnessy, #46 Perry, #47 Jackson.
=============================

Okay, here's another small dose of medicine:



...I had Lindsay Davenport as the year-end #1, and Mary Pierce as #2. Yikes.
=============================
...I didn't have Hingis in the Top 10, either. But while Pierre had her in Top 20, I was only willing to go with Top 30.
=============================
...I thought the Spice Girls team of Hingis/Kournikova would return in doubles. Despite rumors of such a thing during the summer, it never became a reality. Oh, well... there's always 2007.
=============================
...and, of course, I had Sesil Karatantcheva reaching her first career final. More on this one in a bit.
=============================



...Pierre said Serena Williams would win four titles and a slam, and Venus would win four titles of her own. Neither won any.
=============================
...Jelena Dokic most definitely DID NOT finish her season ranked just outside the Top 100. At last glance, she was just outside the Top 600.
=============================
...Victoriya Kutuzova didn't reach the Top 40. Most recently, she was at #104. There's always next season, though.
=============================
...Pierre, too, was sucked in by the thought that Pierce would continue her late '05 upswing. She didn't get that Top 10 ranking and two titles. Instead, she tore up her knee in Linz and will miss at least six months... that is, if she EVER comes back at this point.
=============================
...and he said that Davenport would announce her retirement after the U.S. Open, then go out with a title at the YEC. Well, the latter won't be happening... though one never knows if he was just a few months off on the retirement announcement.
=============================

And what about those Top 10 predictions?

**TOP 10, as of October 22**
1.Amelie Mauresmo
2.Justine Henin-Hardenne
3.Maria Sharapova
4.Svetlana Kuznetsova
5.Nadia Petrova
6.Kim Clijsters
7.Elena Dementieva
8.Martina Hingis
9.Patty Schnyder
10.Dinara Safina

**BACKSPIN's TOP 10**
1.Lindsay Davenport
2.Mary Pierce
3.KIM CLIJSTERS
4.AMELIE MAURESMO
5.JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE
6.Serena Williams
7.MARIA SHARAPOVA
8.Nicole Vaidisova
9.NADIA PETROVA
10.Anna-Lena Groenefeld

**PIERRE's TOP 10**
1.KIM CLIJSTERS
2.MARIA SHARAPOVA
3.JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE
4.Serena Williams
5.Lindsay Davenport
6.AMELIE MAURESMO
7.Nicole Vaidisova
8.Anastasia Myskina
9.Venus Williams
10.ELENA DEMENTIEVA

...we both placed five correctly in the Top 10, with #11 Vaidisova still possibly being able to push it to six... we both had Clijsters, JHH, Mauresmo and Sharapova... neither of us had Hingis, Kuznetsova, Safina or Schnyder... incorrectly named Top 10ers were Davenport, Vaidisova (for now) and Serena... I judged Myskina pretty well at #15, while a bit biased Pierre had her at #8... but he had Dementieva there while I didn't, though I matched him with my Petrova pick (oh, Pierre of little faith... and in a Russian, to boot).

Oh, and what about that "Kuznetsova Curse?" Well, we both stayed away from the Contessova after the dual #1 picks in '05 set the stage for a step-back season for her. Without our "interference," she reached a slam final and bounced back up to #4. The Curse is reversed.

But who did it fall on in '06? Well, Pierce and Davenport are obvious choices since Venus & Serena don't exactly need any "anti-help." Also, as much as Pierre blessed Amelie & Martina, he did kind of curse Clijsters... and if she'd actually seriously hurt herself again this week (she bruised her tailbone after stumbling over her dog Diesel while kicking a soccer ball in a garden with her fiance), after injuring her wrist in PC's neighborhood in Montreal (vs. Quebec-born Stephanie Dubois, no less) she'd be the prime candidate for the 2006 booby prize... ah, but there's one more candidate.

I may have put a small blessing on Petrova & Stosur for '06, but what of Sesil? I'd say a two-year drug suspension (hmmm, wasn't there a rumor about a Kuznetsova drug test at the start of '05, too?) before the season even officially began kind of makes the Belgian teen untouchable in the "cursed" department.



Goodbye "Kuznetsova Curse"... hello "Karatantcheva Curse." Oh, it's always something, isn't it?


All for now.

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

2006 SEASON REVIEW EDITIONS OF WTA BACKSPIN:
...Revolving Doors
...Intriguing Answers: A Swiss Miss, a Near-Miss & a Big Hit

STILL TO COME:
...More Intriguing Answers: starring Amelie, Justine & Maria
...2006 Backspin Awards
...2006 Miss Backspin
...2006 WTA Yearbook

Read more...

Wk.42- The Supplemental Scenario

"Becoming #1 is a huge achievement, but I don't personally think ending the season as #1 is a huge deal. I honestly can't remember who finished last year #1. You remember who won the Grand Slams and who has been #1, not who finished the year #1."



That's what Maria Sharapova said this weekend after claiming her fourteenth career title by defeating Daniela Hantuchova in the Zurich final. The win, combined with the injury-related absences of Amelie Mauresmo and Justine Henin-Hardenne, sets her up for a potential run at the 2006 year-end #1 ranking. To do so, she'd have to win both Linz this week, and then the WTA Championships in Madrid two weeks after that (as long as JHH doesn't reach the Championships final, which she's never done in her career).

**THE RACE FOR #1**
1. Amelie Mauresmo (3741)
2. Justine Henin-Hardenne (3473)
3. Maria Sharapova (3337)

Personally, I agree with Sharapova on this matter of Slams vs. rankings/titles (detailed in any pre-slam title comments/swipes on/at Clijsters and Mauresmo)... but it's still hardly an ugly feather for a player to put in her cap at the end of a long season (though, in 2006, it might be a more important accomplishment for someone like Henin-Hardenne, who's been on the wrong side of so many situations this season)

But in the Supernova's case, setting up a target to knock down might be good practice for that "Sharapova Scenario" issue that Backspin will continue to flog until it's beaten into submission.

Of course, Sharapova saying that the year-end #1 isn't important doesn't mean she doesn't want it... and unless she pulls a disappearing act in Linz before her first scheduled match, I'd say it's a pretty good bet that she does.

Thus, the target is set up. Let's see if she can hit the bull's eye.

(Oh, and for the record, Lindsay Davenport was the 2005 year-end #1... further proving Sharapova's point, I'd guess.)


**WEEK 42**

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND (I-HI)
S: Maria Sharapova d. Daniela Hantuchova 6-1/4-6/6-3
D: Black/Stubbs d. Huber/Srebotnik


PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Maria Sharapova
...Sharapova doesn't do anything small, does she? Her four titles this season include the U.S. Open and three Tier I's. Since losing to Elena Dementieva in the Los Angeles SF, she's won twelve straight matches around that walkover against Anna Chakvetadze in the Moscow QF.
=============================
RISER: Daniela Hantuchova
...Wonder Girl should try to duplicate the apparent hit she took by falling out of the Top 20 a few weeks ago every week. Zurich arguably provided her with her best week of results in more than four years, since the last time she reached (and won her only career title) a Tier I final was in Indian Wells in March 2002. She got resurgent victories over Patty Schnyder, Ai Sugiyama and Svetlana Kuznetsova around a walkover in the QF when Mauresmo withdrew with her bum shoulder. Of course, her ability to follow this up with something good in Linz might determine whether she'll be able to carry over any momentum into 2007.
=============================
SURPRISE: Katarina Srebotnik
...the 25-year old Slovenian reached her first Tier I SF since Tokyo '00 with wins over Elena Dementieva and Maria Kirilenko. She also was RU in doubles with Liezel Huber.
=============================
VETERANS: Martina Hingis & Cara Black/Rennae Stubbs
...the Swiss Miss hadn't played in Zurich for six years, and she returned to her home country's big event with wins over Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Nathalie Dechy before falling in three sets to Kuznetsova in the QF (dropping her to 4-10 vs. Top 10 players this season). Black & Stubbs won their second Tier I of the season, adding Zurich to their San Diego crown.
=============================
FRESH FACE: Timea Bacsinszky

...the Swiss 17-year old had a nice run in Zurich, qualifiying with wins over Meghann Shaughnessy & Lisa Raymond, then reaching the main draw QF with upsets of Anastasia Myskina and Francesca Schiavone.
=============================
DOWN: Anna-Lena Groenefeld & Nicole Vaidisova
...ALG lost to Hingis in the 1st Round in Zurich. That's no great upset, but the loss drops her record to 10-15 on hard courts this season. She's 20-9 on other surfaces. This week in Linz, she opens against repeat giant killer Agnieszka Radwanska. Uh-oh. Vaidisova followed up her Moscow SF by being wiped out by Tatiana Golovin in the 1st Round in Zurich, ending her chances to qualify for the YEC (barring a rash of withdrawals), but probably not necessarily her ability to finish in the Top 10 if she has a super week in Linz.
=============================


1. Zur F - Sharapova d. Hantuchova
...6-1/4-6/6-3. Sharapova's 14th career title ties her with Jennifer Capriati. In the end, eight of the ten Tier I titles this year went to Russians, with 12 of the 20 finalists being Hordettes.
-----------------------------
2. Zur 1st - Golovin d. Vaidisova
...6-2/6-0. Obviously, the Dynamova needs to work on consistency in '07.
-----------------------------
3. Zur 1st - Bacsinszky d. Myskina
...6-3/6-3. First, the Czarina doesn't play in Moscow. Now this. Hopefully, she'll still be around in '07.
-----------------------------
4. Zur QF - Hantuchova walkover Mauresmo
...Mauresmo's shoulder, not her head or heart, might ultimately cost her the 2006 #1 ranking.
-----------------------------
5. Glasgow $25K F - Angelique Kerber d. Kirsten Flipkens

..6-4/6-2. The 18-year old German won her second straight ITF title, and her tenth consecutive match without dropping a set.
-----------------------------


**MOST 2006 TITLES**
[w/ chronological event levels]
5...Henin-Hardenne...II-II-GS-II-II
5...Petrova...II-II-I-I-II
4...Mauresmo...GS-II-II-GS
4...SHARAPOVA...I-I-GS-I

**CAREER TIER I TITLES**
[active]
16..Hingis
11..Davenport
8....Henin-Hardenne
7....S.Williams
6....Mauresmo
6....V.Williams
5....Clijsters
5....Pierce
4....SHARAPOVA

**MOST 2006 WTA SF**
13..Kuznetsova (5-8)
11..Henin-Hardenne (9-2)
11..SHARAPOVA (6-5)
9....Mauresmo (6-3)
8....Petrova (6-2)
8....Clijsters (3-5)

**2006 TIER I WINNERS - DOUBLES**
Tokyo - Lisa Raymond/Samantha Stosur
Ind.Wells - Lisa Raymond/Samantha Stosur
Miami - Lisa Raymond/Samantha Stosur
Charleston - Lisa Raymond/Samantha Stosur
Berlin - Zi Yan/Jie Zheng
Rome - Daniela Hantuchova/Ai Sugiyama
San Diego - Cara Black/Rennae Stubbs
Montreal - Martina Navratilova/Nadia Petrova
Moscow - Kveta Peschke/Francesca Schiavone
ZURICH - CARA BLACK/RENNAE STUBBS


...come on Maria, give me another.


LINZ, AUSTRIA (II-HI)
2005 FINAL: Petrova d. Schnyder
2006 TOP: Sharapova/Petrova
=============================
SF: Sharapova d. Zvonareva; Chakvetadze d. Vaidisova
FINAL: Sharapova d. Chakvetadze

...the Moscow match is finally rescheduled in Austria.


All for now.

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

THIS WEEK: "How Smart We Were, How Dumb We Were"

Read more...