Day 5: The Tide Rolls In

The final 32 are in place (well, 31 plus two players who'll have to play their 2nd Round match tomorrow to become #32), and there are a few surprises.

Just call it the "official" rise of the next wave of women's tennis stars.



Oh, you've got the Justine's, Serena's and Maria's, but you also have an Alla, a Dominika and an Ioana-Raluca. They're all teenagers, and they've all strung together five straight wins to make it through qualifying and into the 3rd Round of the Roland Garros main draw.

*THREE QUALIFIERS REMAIN*
Dominika Cibulkova, 18 (SVK)
Alla Kudrayvtseva, 19 (RUS)
Ioana-Raluca Olaru, 18 (ROU)

It's great to see one of the Romanians, who I tried to peg before the season as the new group of tennis revolutionaries to keep tabs on, making strides in a slam. And so soon after Olaru reached her first two tour semifinals in recent months, and fellow Romanian Sorana Cirstea reached the final in Budapest. Six different Romanians have won ITF tour titles in '07, and soon Olaru might just prove to be the best singles player from her country since Irina Spirlea pushed and shoved her way onto the scene in the 1990's. The Russians may end up with more early round upsets than the Romanians, but my heart's soft spot for this group practically forces me to name them (Olaru, a winner over #30 Julia Vakulenko and Tatiana Poutchek, and Edina Gallovits, who defeated Vasilisa Bardina) the Roland Garros "Upset Queens."

Since the old Czechoslovakia split up, the Czech tennis machine has made great strides in building a foundation that hopes to one day rival it's storied one during the days of Communism. But Slovakia, aside from Daniela Hantuchova, has lagged behind. Finally, though, there are a few complementary players to Wonder Girl. Jarmila Gajdosova suffered a disappointing 1st Round loss at Roland Garros, but Cibulkova is still alive and kicking.



And, though they really don't need another teenager to join their ranks, the Russians have another Hordette to worry about in Kudryavtseva, who'll next face... yep, the Supernova herself. (Grrr, why didn't I go ahead and predict her to pull an upset of Sharapova when I did my Roland Garros preview? I ALMOST did... not that that means anything on Day 5.)



The tide stops for no man, nor for women's tennis.




Love-Love...


=THE FINAL 32=
*BY NATION*
Russia (6)
...Chakvtadze,Dementieva,Kudryavtseva,
Kuznetsova,Safina,Sharapova
Italy (4)
...Garbin,Knapp,Santangelo,Schiavone
France (3)
...Bartoli,Cohen Aloro,Mauresmo
=THE REST=
2...Czech Republic (Vaidisova,Safarova)
2...Serbia (Ivanovic,Jankovic)
2...USA (Williams,Williams)
1...Australia (Stosur)
1...Austria (Bammer)
1...Belgium (Henin)
1...China (N.Li)
1...Israel (Peer)
1...Japan (Sugiyama)
1...Netherlands (Krajicek)
1...Romania (Olaru)
1...Slovakia (Cibulkova)
1...Slovenia (Srebotnik)
1...Spain (Medina-Garrigues)
1...Switzerland (Schnyder)
[still to play]
Hantuchova(SVK) vs. Poutchkova(RUS)

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Love-15...talk about star power! In doubles action today, the team of Ivanovic & Kirilenko faced off against Jankovic & Na Li. Jankovic/Li were victorious by a 6-1/6-2 scoreline, but the real winners were the fans (and all the photographers who'll probably be able to sell a few shots from this session).
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Love-30...

=EARLY ROUND (1st-2nd) AWARDS=
TOP PLAYER: Justine Henin
RISERS: Michaella Krajicek & Karin Knapp
SURPRISES: Alla Kudryavtseva & Stephanie Cohen Aloro
VETERANS: Francesca Schiavone & Tathiana Garbin
FRESH FACES Iona-Raluca Olaru & Dominika Cibulkova
DOWN: Nadia Petrova & Zi Yan/Jie Zheng
MATCH: 2nd - V.Williams d. Harkleroad 6-1/7-6(8)... and Venus hit a slam record 128 mph serve, too
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15-30...it should really be no surprise that Lleyton Hewitt came back from two sets down to defeat '04 RG champ Gaston Gaudio today, considering he's never seemed to think he'd ever repeat his feat of three years ago. In 2005, he returned to Paris to "defend" his title, saying he had no chance whatsoever to do it again. Ever since, it's been a self-fulfilling prophecy for the Argentine. He hasn't advanced past the Round of 16 in any of the ten slams he's played since winning that title... just like he hadn't in the twenty slams he played before he was crowned champion. Hmmm, maybe Gaston just knows Gaston better than anyone else, huh?
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30-30...while there are three qualifiers standing in the women's draw, there's only one in the men's: Juan Pablo Brzezicki of Argentina.
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40-30...

*RECENT "UPSET QUEEN" NATIONS*
06 Australian Open: Spain
06 Roland Garros: United States
06 Wimbledon: Great Britain
06 US Open: France
07 Australian Open: Czech Republic
07 Roland Garros: Romania

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Deuce...

SCORELINE #1: Doubles 1st Round - Krajicek/A.Radwanska def. Groenefeld/Suarez 6-2/6-0

...oh, Anna-Lena.

SCORELINE #2: Doubles 1st Round - Llagostera-Vives/Martinez Sanchez def. #3 Yan/Zheng 6-4/6-4

...something just isn't right with these two in '07.
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Ad...two key 3rd Round matchups are coming up, as Jelena Jankovic does battle with Venus Williams and Amelie Mauresmo gets her slam rematch with Melbourne conqueror Lucie Safarova. Ironically, while Jankovic must fight against having peaked too soon coming into Paris, Mauresmo might just have a shot to peak at just the right time after her return from appendicitus... in the half of the draw where Sharapova, who's never reached a clay final on tour, is the highest seed. Hmmm...
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MATCH, "And Venus and Serena will carry the flag of sisterhood for all the world"...maybe it was the prospect of possibly playing each other in the 3rd Round, or maybe it was Patty Schnyder (who beat Kateryna) and Karin Knapp (who upset #22-seed Alona). Either way, the Bondarenkos are no longer a part of this year's singles draw at Roland Garros. Of all the sibling pairs who came to Paris, only the Williams sisters remain intact. Boy, NO ONE would have predicted THEY'D be the last two, huh? Sometimes, predictability is good.
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TOP QUALIFIERS: Timea Bacsinszky & Ioana-Raluca Olaru
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): Justine Henin
TOP MID-ROUND (3r-QF): (vacant)
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): (vacant)
=============================
FIRST SEED OUT: #31 Severine Bremond (1r- M.Krajicek)
UPSET QUEENS: Romanians
REVELATION LADIES: (vacant)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: (vacant)
IT GIRL: (vacant)
MISS OPPORTUNITY: (vacant)
COMEBACK PLAYER: (vacant)
DOUBLES STAR: (vacant)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: (vacant)




All for Day 5.

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Day 4: Is THAT What You're Wearing?

Sometimes you just need someone to ask, "Is THAT what you're wearing?" Clearly, the people who were supposed to do that for Maria Sharapova and Ashley Harkleroad before they walked onto the court on Day 4 were out picking up a croissant or something.



I mean, how else do you explain their decision to play in those spandex leotards-under-tennis-skirt outfits today in any way that would make it seem to be an intelligent fashion choice by two players who aren't babes in the woods when it comes to being the focus of courtside photographers? Surely, Wimbledon is tightening its on-court apparel rules for the All England Club as we speak.

Sure, they were likely functional (I mean, they weren't something like, say, Bethanie Mattek might wear) on an overcast, damp day where the danger of pulling muscles could be an issue (hence, Andre Agassi's introduction of the bicycle shorts under denim look twenty years ago), but was there any way for the outfits to NOT look incredibly tacky?

No, I didn't think so. But at least Maria had the sense to match the color of her leggings to that of her skirt, unlike Ashley.



Ah, the Supernova... always one step ahead of the pack.




Love-Love...just to tie up one loose end from Day 3. It arrived late last night. A message from Tennisrulz Head Honcho Pierre Cantin concerning Nadia Petrova's loss on Day 3:

From: Pierre Cantin
Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2007 11:19 PM
To: Todd Spiker
Subject: The email you were waiting for:)

Well what can I say...if I truly did not like Nadia, I would be thrilled, now I'm just thrilled because I'm becoming more and more right:)

Finally, closure. Now, Nadia, don't let this have to happen again at Wimbledon... and by that I DON'T mean don't play SW19 at all, either.
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Love-15...of course, hours after sending that message, Pierre learned that Anastasia Myskina had returned to action for the first time since January... and lost to Meghann Shaughnessy 6-1/6-0. Ouch. Does anyone know a good grief counselor? I've got a feeling both Pierre and the Czarina might be needing one right about now.
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Love-30...oh, just to touch on what actually happened to Sharapova and Harkleroad on the court on Day 4, it should be noted that the Supernova defeated Emilie Loit 6-3/7-6 in a better performance against a potentially dangerous 1st Round opponent than anyone had the right to expect considering her mediocre career results on clay and lack of match play coming into Paris.

Meanwhile, Harkleroad saw her brief '07 Roland Garros participation about to end when she was down 6-1/5-1 to Venus Williams on Wednesday. But then she stared down four match points, raised the level of her game, and suddenly found herself leading 6-5. She failed to close out the set, but soon led 6-3 in the 2nd set tie-break. But after seizing survival from the jaws of defeat, Ashley then re-seized defeat from the jaws of survival. Venus won the tie-break by a 10-8 score.

I guess that's another one in Sharapova's column, huh? Of course, she's not going to win Roland Garros, either.
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Love-40...speaking of falling on your sword and spilling your guts all over the red clay, Robby Ginepri's Day 4 loss to Diego Hartfield wiped out the entire field of American men in men's singles. Nine players. Nine losses. Ah, perfection.

At least Mardy Fish had the intelligence to injure his foot trying to kick a field goal at a Rhein Fire football game last week and pulled out of Roland Garros. No suffering of indignities for him, no sir... and that that statement could be made while only PARTIALLY having my tongue planted firmly in my cheek says all you need to know about American men and clay court tennis.
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15-40...rarely have the women's qualifiers been more successful in the 1st Round. Wins by Dominika Cibulkova, Alla Kudryavtseva, Ioana-Raluca Olaru and Agnes Szavay means that nine of the twelve qualifiers won their opening matches. In 2nd Round action, the list of nine qualifiers standing was reduced to five thanks to losses by Timea Bacsinszky, Kveta Peschke, Andrea Petkovic and Olga Savchuk.
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30-40...the early round "Upset Queens" have yet to be crowned, but the ladies from France and Romania (with the Russians, as usual, a contender, as well) appear to have the best shot at emerging with this particular Backspin award.
=============================
Deuce...while the qualifiers are playing well, so are the top seeds. With the 1st Round complete along with nearly half of the 2nd (Serena must still play Sequera), only one (#11 Petrova) of the Top 29 women's seeds has lost.
=============================
Ad...seriously, did 16-year old Tamira Paszek look like a future star in her 2nd Round match against Justine Henin or what? Sure, she fell behind 5-0 in the 1st, and lost the 2nd set 6-1. But during the period where the Austrian (a 2005 Wimbledon and 2006 U.S. Open Girls RU, then tour champion in Portoroz last year -- the seventh youngest and third-lowest ranked ever in WTA history) battled back to knot the first set at 5-5 and get to within a point of a tie-break, she gave every indication of being an exciting, excitable crowd-pleaser to keep an eye on.
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Deuce...unless your name is Williams or Bondarenko, it's not wise to plan family reunions in Paris. Marat Safin nose-dived out of the draw on Day 4, but both Bondarenko sisters -- Alona and Kateryna -- joined Venus and Serena as the only pair of siblings remaining in the draw. Alona next plays Karin Knapp, while Kateryna faces Patty Schnyder. If they both win their matches, they'll face each other in the 3rd Round.
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Ad...Nicole Vaidisova is 6-feet tall, but she had to look up to her opponent today, 6-foot-3 Akgul Amanmuradova, a qualifer from Uzbekistan and the tallest woman on tour. The Dynamova won... pushing her ever-closer to a potential QF matchup with the winner of the Jelena Jankovic/Venus Williams battle in the 3rd Round. Well, unless Punch-Sober continues her resurrection and SHE makes it that far, of course.
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MATCH, "Boy, that Roger was something today, wasn't he?"...no, not THAT Roger. Though Mr. Federer did indeed win today over Thierry Ascione. I'm talking about 23-year old Frenchman Eduoard Roger-Vasselin. He came back from two sets to one down to knock out Radek Stepanak in the 2nd Round, possibly showing that the Martina Curse DOES still linger around Radek. Hmmm, Martina is Swiss. Federer is Swiss. Her fiance Stepanek lost to a guy named Roger. Coincidence? I think not.
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All for Day 4.

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Day 3: The Slings and Arrows of Nadia's Outrageous Fortune

It's sad to say, but Roland Garros has become Nadia Petrova's House of Horrors.

Clay has tradionally been the Backspin favorite's best surface, as her two semifinal results in Paris in 2003 and 2005 attest, and her dominate pre-RG clay court results a year ago proved only so well. A year ago in Berlin, even the Queen of Clay, Justine Henin, fell under Petrova's spell in what was likely the "Match of the Year."

Ever since then, though, she's suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that have seen her fall from #3 in the world last May (and a stint as the top-ranked Hordette) to injured, out of the Top 10, and for the second straight year facing a stretch drive to her season that will be key in determining whether 2007 will be considered a successful campaign for a soon-to-be 25-year old whose chances to ever grab an elusive spot in a grand slam final (let alone an actual title) dwindle just a little bit with the passing of every major.

A pre-Paris hip injury a year ago relegated her Roland Garros participation to a cameo, and this year a back injury limited her effectiveness coming into the year's second slam once again. On Day 3, she fell to qualifying vet Kveta Peschke 5-7/7-5/0-6 in the 1st Round.

After a long, lonely summer in '06, Petrova managed to turn her game and confidence (not necessarily in that order) around in time to put together a strong finish and cap a career-best season with a #6 year-end ranking. She's going to have to do it again, with the immediate task to get healthy enough to be a factor at Wimbledon (where she reached the QF in' 05), the event she missed entirely because of that poorly-timed hip injury a year ago. If her season's recent trajectory continues for much longer, Petrova will soon be in danger of becoming an afterthought for '07 and will have to focus on being "Comeback Player of the Year" in 2008. Hopefully, it won't come to that. It's only May, after all.

Nadia, Nadia, Nadia. Backspin weeps for you... well, at least a little, considering your prospects in Paris didn't look all that good just a few days ago anyway.

I've often compared Petrova's plight to that of Jana Novotna's long, rocky march to her one career-defining moment at Wimbledon in 1998. THAT moment was such a thunderous one for the Czech because of all the trials and tribulations she had to endure at slams before she finally climbed the proverbial mountain at age 29. Petrova still has a few more years to make the string of disappointments worthwhile in retrospect... but, let's face it, it ain't going to be easy.

But Backspin will keep a candle lit four times every year until Petrova officially snuffs out her career flame. Thus, the vigil continues.

Indefinitely.




Love-Love...hmmm, I'm sure that email from Pierre should be arriving any moment now. Of course, with the Czarina returning to action on Day 4, maybe he's sitting in the lotus position somewhere, chanting for good things. Just kidding, of course... well, sort of. (wink)
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15-Love..."luckily" for Petrova, while she WAS the only women's seed to fall, as #11 she was hardly the highest seed to be sent packing. Men's #3 Andy Roddick (not really a surprise) was ousted from the RG 1st Round yet again (he's only advanced past the 2nd Round once), this time by Igor Andreev, who was the last person to defeat Rafael Nadal on clay before Roger Federer ended his 81-match streak in Hamburg. Oz runner-up and #5-seed Fernando Gonzalez (for whom there was at least a LITTLE hope his recently improved play would kick in at another slam) fell to Hingis fiance Radek Stepanek, who was obviously Martina Curse-free since the Swiss Soon-to-be-Mrs. isn't in the women's draw.
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15-15...as usual, Anna Smashnova lost in the 1st Round of a slam, to Nuria Llagostera-Vives. It's the 27th time in 47 career slams in which she's done so, maintaining her dubious niche in tennis lore as the only player in WTA history with ten or more tour singles titles but zero appearances in slam quarterfinals.
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15-30...Maria Kirilenko did not morph into Novotna on Day 3, winning the necessary one game she needed to finished off Maria Elena Camerin 6-0 in the 2nd set.
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15-40...it's been a good tournament so far for the Williams sisters and Safin family, but not for the other siblings in the draw. Both Rochus boys, Olivier and Christophe, exited Roland Garros today. Agnieszka Radwanska did, as well. Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko take their chances tomorrow.
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30-40...the first men's seed to fall? #30 Julien Benneteau of France, to Carlos Berlocq.
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Deuce...

*DAY 3 QUALIFIER WINNERS*
[women]
Akgul Amanmuradova (def. Vania King)
Timea Bacsinszky (def. Jie Zheng)
Kveta Peschke (def. #11 Nadia Petrova)
Andrea Petkovic (def. Jarmila Gajdosova)
Olga Savchuk (def. Yaroslava Shvedova)
[men]
Juan Pablo Brzezicki (def. Robert Kendrick)
Konstantinos Economidi (def. Chris Guccione)
Ivan Navarro-Pastor (def. Boris Pashanski)
Laurent Recouderc (def. Sam Querrey)
Bohdan Ulihrach (def. #24 Dominik Hrbaty)
*DAY 3 "LUCKY LOSER" WINNERS*
[men]
Mariano Zabaleta (def. #26 Agustin Calleri)

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Ad...on Day 4, the Supernova makes her first appearance. A year ago, she nearly lost to Mashona Washington in the 1st Round. This year, she has an even tougher opponent in French vet Emilie Loit. Sharapova hasn't lost in the 1st Round in her last fifteen grand slams (going back to her first two majors in 2003). Could that streak be about to end? If so, then at least she can finally get to her "real" season in England and North America.
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MATCH, "it wasn't a good day for Backspin's Dream Team"...on the same day Petrova was bounced rather unceremoniously from Paris, so was Girl Friday Anna-Lena Groenefeld. Again. This time by French wild card Mathilde Johansson. Is it time yet to flip on the air raid sirens yet? I think it is. Well past time, actually.
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All for Day 3.

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Day 2: Pigeons 2, Roland Garros 0

You know it's not a good sign when the pigeons are doing victory laps.



For the second straight day, the pigeons won as rain again squelched the majority of action on Day 2 of Roland Garros. After only seven matches were completed on Sunday, only seven more were ended on a match point by the close of play on Monday.

Aren't there such things as Pigeon Hawks?




TOP QUALIFIERS: Timea Bacsinszky & Ioana-Raluca Olaru
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): (vacant)
TOP MID-ROUND (3r-QF): (vacant)
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): (vacant)
=============================
FIRST SEED OUT: #31 Severine Bremond (1r- M.Krajicek)
UPSET QUEENS: (vacant)
REVELATION LADIES: (vacant)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: (vacant)
IT GIRL: (vacant)
MISS OPPORTUNITY: (vacant)
COMEBACK PLAYER: (vacant)
DOUBLES STAR: (vacant)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: (vacant)




Love-Love...not much was accomplished on Day 2, but the first seed was officially bounced from the tournament when Michaella Krajicek completed a 6-3/6-3 victory over #31-seeded Frenchwoman Severine Bremond.
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15-Love...

*RECENT FIRST SEEDS OUT*
06 AO: #9 Dementieva (1r-Schruff)
06 RG: #18 Likhovtseva (1r-Sprem)
06 W: #28 Arvidsson (1r-Birnerova)
06 US: #15 Groenefeld (1r-Rezai)
07 AO: #25 Medina-Garrigues (1r-Vesnina)
07 RG: #31 Bremond (1r-Krajicek)

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30-Love...the schedule is working out rather well for the Williams sisters, though. Serena faced a game Tsvetana Pironkova on Sunday and wrapped up the victory in three sets. Today, Venus faced a game Alize Cornet (for about a set, at least, when Venus was kind enough to take her foot off the gas enough to keep the French teenager in contention) and took care of business in straight sets. Meanwhile, most every other big name on the women's side is now facing the prospect of having their matches bunched together because of the rain-altered schedule. Well, everyone except for Justine Henin... the only player in the draw with three Roland Garros singles cups in the trophy case.
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40-Love...did Serena think she was fooling anyone in that "incognito" get-up today during Venus' match? Of course not, but it did get people's attention.
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40-15...no ESPN2 coverage was hoisted on the American tennis fans today on Memorial Day in the U.S.. Of course, with all the rain, The Tennis Channel didn't get to cover much live tennis, either (but when there was action, TTC proved that it IS indeed possible to show parts of several matches rather than thinking the audience is too ignorant to be able to follow more than a single match at a time). Then again, we did get a nice discussion between Martina Navratilova and a somewhat wildly gesticulating John McEnroe about the tactics in Mixed Doubles. Hey, it was more interesting than it sounds.
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40-30...other lucky women's winners on Monday included Na Li, Tathiana Garbin, Sam Stosur and Ashley Harkleroad (over "Canadian cousin" A-Woz).
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MATCH, "essentially, there were EIGHT matches completed today unless Maria Kirilenko is about to suffer a collapse of Novotna-esque proportions"...considering the Russian led Maria Elena Camerin 6-3/5-0 when play was suspended. Of course, Jana Novotna proved it is possible to lose a match when having a match point at 5-0, 40-love... so who knows? Now that'd be one time Maria wouldn't enjoy seeing her picture in newspapers and magazines the world over. Well, maybe unless it was a particularly flattering shot.
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All for Day 2.

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Day 1: Serena Shrugs

Last year on Day 1, it was the pigeons. This year, it was the rain.

Of course, the birds had nothing to do with that, so there are no new conspiracy theories to weave about the imminent overthrow of several world governments by our so-called fine-feathered "friends" this time around. I mean, it's not like they seeded the clouds or anything, right?

Hmmm...



Come to think of it, pigeons CAN fly. So, conceivably they could get pretty high in the sky, huh? Oh. My. God.

Naaaah, those are the lunatic worries of a crazy man.

(eerie -- but telling? -- silence)



Love-Love...a year ago, it was Maria Sharapova surviving a frightful scare against Mashona Washington on Day 1. This year it was Serena Williams starting slowly, using a long rain delay that came when she was down 5-6 in the 1st set to get her head right, then proceeding to trip the light fantastic in a 5-7/6-1/6-1 1st Round win over Tsvetana Pironkova, who knocked off seeds Venus Williams and Anna-Lena Groenefeld in the 1st Round in Melbourne and Wimbledon, respectively, a season ago. Who knows what might have happened had the rain not come when it did, but one figures that Serena would have found a way to shrug off the Bulgarian over the course of the match. Serena rarely ever flames out in a big event, and NEVER does so when she's got her heart and body in it as she seems to in 2007.
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15-Love...only seven men's and women's matches were completed today, with Marat Safin managing to become the only player to close out a win before the rain suspended play. Later in the day, sister Dinara advanced, too.
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30-Love...Justine Henin opened her title defense by dispatching Elena Vesnina in straight sets, joining her next opponent, Tamira Paszek, in the 2nd Round.
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40-Love...in American television coverage, The Tennis Channel debuted its Roland Garros coverage with some nice work, for as long as it lasted, at least. In other words, before everyone was subjected to hour after hour of replays of last year's singles finals, it was quite fine to hear the dulcet sound of Martina Navratilova's voice as she returned to the broadcast booth. Maybe the pigeons will have some mercy on Day 2 and TTC will have more than a couple of hours of live tennis in the seven consecutive hours of coverage from 5 a.m. to 12 noon.
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40-Love...of course, proving that ESPN2 can still screw over its tennis viewers even while being the SECONDARY cable provider of RG action, the rain delay brought on one of those horrid flashbacks of all the other seasons that "the worldwide leader" has desecrated, err, I mean "covered," the event. Just as TTC's coverage ended, the courts were being readied to resume action. Thus, while Serena and Henin completed and started their matches as ESPN2 was on the air, the "network" showed no live tennis. Not a surprise, of course. I mean, why would anyone think that fans who'd sat through seven hours of what was to be live tennis coverage would want to actually see live tennis once play resumed just because it was on a different channel? People who think ridiculous things like that are imbeciles, right?
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MATCH, "since there really wasn't much tennis to talk about, I have a question for Dish Network"...while it's been great that Dish Network has carried The Tennis Channel for quite a while now, how smart is it to have an on-screen guide that breaks the 5 a.m.-12 noon coverage into two 5-6 a.m. and 6 a.m.-12 noon blocks, then prevents someone who tries to pre-set his DVR to tape all the coverage from doing so because the blocks are considered "duplicate recordings" and only one of the two segments of coverage can be pre-set to tape? Sorry for the tangent, but a needless headache is a needless headache is a needless headache. Damn pigeons!
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All for Day 1.

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RG Preview: Thar She Blows?

Call her Ishmael?

"Come, Ahab’s compliments to ye; come and see if ye can swerve me. Swerve me? ye cannot swerve me, else ye swerve yourselves! man has ye there. Swerve me? The path to my fixed purpose is laid with iron rails, whereon my soul is grooved to run. Over unsounded gorges, through the rifled hearts of mountains, under torrents’ beds, unerringly I rush! Naught’s an obstacle, naught’s an angle to the iron way!" - Moby Dick (1948), by Herman Melville

It is said that it is futile and often fatal to try to interpret the White Whale's moves and motives. One can only chase, and hope to survive.



The same can rightly be said about those who choose to take up the mission of hunting down Justine Henin at Roland Garros. Le Petit Taureau comes to Paris as the two-time defending RG champion, the trophy-holder three of the last four years, the #1 seed and the #1-ranked played in the world by a fairly wide margin at the moment (considering the clay-averse and confident serve-deprived jigsaw puzzle that is the '07 version of the Supernova currently stands at #2).



Of course, the driving story of this Roland Garros before the start of play is whether the seemingly destined meeting of the world's best clay courter, Henin, and the star of the '07 clay court season, Jelena Jankovic, will actually become a reality. The perfect structure of this tournament would have allowed for an Henin-Jankovic final, but in keeping with the Serb's Ahab-like existence when it comes to the Queen, even if she does indeed meet and defeat her own personal White Whale it will come in the semifinals... and she'd still need to win ANOTHER pressure-filled match to claim her first grand slam crown.

Poor Ahab, err, I mean Jelena. She just can't win for winning. Not that she will do THAT if the Jankovic-captained Pequod gets the face-to-face battle with her own version of Moby Dick, the Belgian who she's never been able to find a way to defeat in five career meetings. Even when she recently won in Rome, Jankovic still had Henin on her mind... probably only half-jokingly saying she was only able to win because the Queen didn't show up that week.

I wonder if Jelena sees Justine in her dreams?

Still, after being the star of the pre-Paris clay season (of course, go ask Nadia Petova how much that'll buy her in a sidewalk cafe on her off-day), Jankovic WILL pursue Henin to that possible semifinal battleground. What happens then is anyone's guess.

Hey, what's that sound? Is it Queequeg carving out his own coffin? Ahh, no... it's just Jelena with a box of tools.

Does she know something that we don't?





=QUALIFYING ROUNDS=
TOP PLAYERS: Timea Bacsinszky & Ioana-Raluca Olaru
RISERS: Andrea Petkovic & Olga Savchuk
SURPRISES: Mariya Koryttseva & Alla Kudryavtseva
VETERANS: Kveta Peschke & Rossana De Los Rios
FRESH FACES Agnes Szavay & Dominika Cibulkova
DOWN: Klara Zakopalova & Virginia Ruano-Pascual


=THE QUALIFIERS=

*BY AGE*
17...Timea Bacsinszky (SUI)
18...Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)
18...Ioana-Raluca Olaru (ROU)
18...Agnes Szavay (HUN)
19...Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS)
19...Andrea Petkovic (GER)
19...Olga Savchuk (UKR)
21...Su-Wei Hsieh (TPE)
22...Mariya Koryttseva (UKR)
22...Akgul Amanmuradova (UZB)
31...Rossana De Los Rios (POR)
31...Kveta Peschke (CZE)
(lucky losers)
21...Emma Laine (FIN)
23...Sofia Arvidsson (SWE)

*BY RANKING*
#101...Agnes Szavay
#104...Alla Kudryavtseva
#117...Timea Bacsinszky
#122...Ioana-Raluca Olaru
#124...Dominika Cibulkova
#125...Su-Wei Hsieh
#136...Olga Savchuk
#151...Andrea Petkovic
#181...Kveta Peschke
#206...Akgul Amanmuradova
#210...Rossana De Los Rios
#255...Mariya Koryttseva
(lucky losers)
#121...Sofia Arvidsson
#141...Emma Laine


Love-Love...for the second time, singles play begins on Sunday this year. Remember last year's big match on Day 1? Maria Sharapova looked to be ready to be ridden out of town on a rail by Mashona Washington, only to see a party of pigeons land on the Russian's side of the court just as the American was about to serve for the match at 5-3 in the 3rd set. The pigeons flew off with Washington's mojo, she failed to convert three match points, and the Supernova survived... but only for a few more rounds. What will be this year's big story?
=============================
Love-15...potential first seeds out? How about:

#2 Sharapova (vs. Emilie Loit)
#12 Daniela Hantuchova (vs. Jelena Kostanic-Tosic)
#18 Marion Bartoli (vs. Aravane Rezai)
#26 Venus Williams (vs. Alize Cornet)
#23 Francesca Schiavone (vs. Yvonne Meusburger)
#28 Mara Santangelo (vs. Agnieszka Radwanska)
=============================
Love-30...potential last qualifer standing? Well, since Julia Vakulenko actually got a seed this time around, how about:

Timea Bacsinszky
Dominika Cibulkova
Alla Kudryavtseva
=============================
Love-40...potential 3rd Round grudge (re)match: Amelie Mauresmo vs. Lucie Safarova, who upset the Frenchwoman en route to a QF in Melbourne in January.
=============================
MATCH, "if she can do it again, she'll earn a spot in Backspin's heart forever"...Julia Vakulenko, a long-time fave of the ol' Backspinner, ended Kim Clijsters' career and upset Amelie Mauresmo in the weeks preceding Roland Garros. If she's over her litany of recent injuries, the #30-seed could get a shot at Berlin champ Ana Ivanovic in the 3rd Round. Can she continue her upward climb, and actually complete a tournament without a "ret." at the end of a scoreline?
=============================



=ROUND OF 16=
#1 Henin d. #16 Li
#10 Safina d. #8 S.Williams
#4 Jankovic d. #13 Dementieva
#11 Petrova d. #6 Vaidisova
#12 Hantuchova d. #30 Vakulenko
#3 Kuznetsova d. #15 Peer
#9 Chakvetadze d. #3 Mauresmo
Azarenka d. #2 Sharapova

...question Serena at your own peril. Question Maria at Roland Garros and feel pretty good about it.

=QUARTERFINALS=
#1 Henin d. #10 Safina
#4 Jankovic d. #11 Petrova
#3 Kuznetsova d. #12 Hantuchova
#9 Chakvetadze d. Azarenka

...here's where Pierre sends me an e-mail "casually" noting how Nadia Petrova lost. I can't hear him laughing as he does so, but I think I can sense a giggle in his typing fingers. Meanwhile, Jankovic jokes about how difficult it will be for her to take down the world #1, hardening herself for the possibility of going 0-6. As a perusal of the current Tennis Magazine article might attest, Henin may be trying to be more of a likable "dolphin" now rather than the extreme "White Whale" she's been up till now. Will the idea make her soft?

=SEMIFINALS=
#1 Henin d. #4 Jankovic
#3 Kuznetsova d. #9 Chakvetadze

...no, it won't. Not yet, anyway. If Jankovic is going to upend Justine, look for it to happen in North America, not Paris. The Pequod is sinking, and Jelena disappears below the sea's surface, attached to her White Whale by the harpoon she had hidden in her racket bag. Justine heads to the area of the ocean where only she can breathe. Meanwhile, Serena, Venus and Maria catch a ride on the Rachel to England.

=FINAL=
#1 Henin d. #3 Kuznetsova

...hmmm, could it be that Justine is both the White Whale to Jankovic, AND Ahab in her own mind? Single-minded, driven to maniacal lengths to achieve her goals no matter the price? She's not evil, she's just drawn that way. While a nice Kim might have worked for Clijsters, Backspin fears that a Justine who wants to be perceived as "nice" might cause the entire house to come tumbling down around her, opening her up to all the demons of mental fragility that her well-built walls have previously kept at bay in moments of crisis. "Le Petit Justine" may not have the edge of "Le Petit Taureau." Thus, maybe this title, should it come, may need to be savored...it could signal the end of an era.

But maybe I'm just being cynical.

"Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee. Sink all coffins and all hearses to one common pool! and since neither can be mine, let me then tow to pieces, while still chasing thee, though tied to thee, thou damned whale! Thus, I give up the spear!" Moby Dick (1948), by Herman Melville

Here's a second opinion from Tennisrulz Head Honcho Pierre Cantin:

=Round of 16=
Justine Henin(1) def Sybille Bammer(20)
Serena Williams(8) def Dinara Safina(10)
Jelena Jankovic(4) def Marion Bartoli(18)
Nicole Vaidisova(6) def Nadia Petrova(11)
A. Medina-Guarrigues(24) def Julia Vakulenko(30)
Svetlana Kuznetsova(3) def Shahar Peer(15)
Amelie Mauresmo(5) def Anna Chakvetadze(9)
Maria Sharapova(2) def Alona Bondarenko(22)

=QUARTERFINALS=
Justine Henin(1) def Serena Williams(8)
Jelena Jankovic(4) def Nicole Vaidisova(6)
Svetlana Kuznetsova(3) def A. Medina-Guarrigues(24)
Amelie Mauresmo(5) def Maria Sharapova(2)

=SEMIFINALS=
Justine Henin(1) def Jelena Jankovic(4)
Svetlana Kuznetsova(3) def Amelie Mauresmo(5)

=FINAL=
Justine Henin(1) def Svetlana Kuznetsova(3)



Hmmm, looks like we'll be linked either by our combined brilliance... or our ignorance. Considering how these things have gone in the past, I have to say I don't like our odds.




All for now.

Read more...

Wk.21-Bare Bones Backspin

Little time to contemplate one's navel for Week 21, what with the ultra-early Sunday start at Roland Garros.

Good for tennis... bad for your friendly neighborhood Backspinner. (Pierre and my Roland Garros previews are soon to follow.)

So, this past week's particulars, without the usual fanfare:


*WEEK 21 CHAMPIONS*

STRASBOURG, FRANCE (III-RCO)
S: Anabel Medina-Garrigues d. Amelie Mauresmo 6-4/4-6/6-4
D: Yan/Zheng d. Molik/T.Sun

ISTANBUL, TURKEY (III-RCO)
S: Elena Dementieva d. Aravane Rezai 7-6/3-0 ret.
D: A.Radwanska/U.Radwanska d. Chan/Mirza


PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Elena Dementieva
...after winning in Istanbul, Punch-Sober is in good form as she heads off to Paris to try to convince everyone who thinks she's on the downside of her career that she might just have one big surprise left in her. Career title #7 tied the 25-year old with Nadia Petrova on the career Russian singles titles list, and Dementieva became the fifth different Hordette to claim a title on tour this season.
=============================
RISERS: Marion Bartoli & Zi Yan/Jie Zheng
...Bartoli defeated Elena Vesina in the QF, then pushed countrywoman Amelie Mauresmo to three sets in the Strasbourg SF. Apparently, reports of their demise were greatly exaggerated, as the Chinese pair of Yan & Zheng won the Strasbourg title to give themselves a companion to that Charleston title from a short while back.
=============================
SURPRISE: Aravane Rezai
...before arriving in Istanbul, the 20-year old Frenchwoman was just 3-12 in WTA matches this season. In Turkey, she knocked off Tzipora Obziler and Meghann Shaughnessy... as well as two players named Venus and Maria (yes, THAT Maria) as she reached her first career tour final.
=============================
VETERANS: Elena Dementieva & Anabel Medina-Garrigues
...aside from Rezai in the Istanbul final, Dementieva also defeated Jelena Kostanic-Tosic, Catalina Castano and Alona Bondarenko to run her record in her last three events to 9-2. Medina-Garrigues defeated Alicia Molik and Na Li in Strasbourg, saw Jelena Jankovic give her a walkover in the SF, and then outlasted Amelie Mauresmo in three sets in the final. It's the 24-year old's seventh career title, and makes '07 her fourth straight season with at least one tournament victory.
=============================
FRESH FACES: Agnieszka Radwanska & Urszula Radwanska
...A-Rad & U-Rad joined forces to give Poland an all-sister, tour-winning doubles team in Istanbul. Agnieszka also got main draw wins over Ekaterina Bychkova and Romina Oprandi.
=============================
DOWN: Vera Zvonareva & Tatiana Golovin
...neither played last week, and neither will be playing in Paris either. A hugely disappointing development for Zvonareva, whose clay season was essentially nonexistent. At least Golovin did win that title at Amelia Island.
=============================


1. Ist SF - Rezai d. Sharapova
...6-2/6-4. Rezai called this win, and her week, "the fruit of my work."
=============================
2. Ist 2nd - Rezai d. V.Williams
...6-4/6-4. A gentle reminder just days before Roland Garros that Venus has only reached that particular grand slam final once in her career, and never won the title.
=============================
3. Stras Final - Medina-Garrigues d. Mauresmo
...6-4/4-6/6-4. AMG usually doesn't notch big wins over top players en route to winning WTA singles titles. Could she finally use this win to propel her to a nice slam performance? She's only reached the Round of 16 at a slam once, and that was five years ago.
=============================
4. Ist Final - Dementieva d. Rezai
...7-6/3-0 ret. A disappointing end to a career week.
=============================
5. Ist Doubles F - A.Radwanska/U.Radwanska d. Chan/Mirza
...6-1/6-3. Two Poles beat one Indian and her Tainwanese partner in this game of chance.
=============================
HM- Ist Doubles 1st - A.Radwanska/U.Radwanska d. A.Bondarenko/K/Bondarenko
...6-4/6-1. "They're sisters... they're two of a kind." All four of them.
=============================


**MAY AWARD WINNERS (Week 18-21)**

=PLAYER OF THE MONTH=
1. Jelena Jankovic
2. Ana Ivanovic
3. Justine Henin
4. Svetlana Kuznetsova
5. Lisa Raymond & Samantha Stosur

=RISERS=
1. Jelena Jankovic & Ana Ivanovic
2. Julia Vakulenko
3. Alona Bondarenko
4. Samantha Stosur
5. Marion Bartoli
6. Daniela Hantuchova
7. Klara Zakopalova
8. Mara Santangelo
9. Maria Fernanda Alves
10. Zuzana Ondraskova
HM- Angelique Kerber

=FRESH FACES=
1. Victoria Azarenka
2. Yung-Jan Chan
3. Aravane Rezai
4. Lucie Safarova
5. Aleksandra Wozniak
6. Kateryna Bondarenko
7. Ioana-Raluca Olaru
8. Agnieszka Radwanska
9. Shuai Zhang
10. Anastasia Pivovarova
HM- Polona Hercog

=SURPRISES=
1. Julia Vakulenko
2t. Greta Arn
2t. Milagros Sequera
4. Maria-Emilia Salerni
5. Maria Elena Camerin
6. Edina Gallovits
7. Yuliana Fedak
8. Andreea Ehritt-Vanc
9. Talaja Malek
10. Nika Ozegovic
HM- Simona Halep

=VETERANS=
1. Lisa Raymond
2. Elena Dementieva
3. Patty Schnyder
4. Anabel Medina-Garrigues
5. Greta Arn & Milagros Sequera
HM- Akiko Morigami

=COMEBACK=
1. Patty Schnyder
2. Elena Dementieva
3. Greta Arn
4. Milagros Sequera
5. Karolina Sprem
HM- Zi Yan & Jie Zheng

=DOWN=
1. Martina Hingis & Vera Zvonareva
2. Anna-Lena Groenefeld
3. Maria Kirilenko
4. Nicole Vaidisova
5. Tatiana Golovin
HM- Kim Clijsters



**MOST WTA TITLES -- RUSSIANS**
15...Maria Sharapova (2003-06)
10...Anastasia Myskina (1999-05)
9....Olga Morozova (1969-75)
8....Svetlana Kuznetsova (2002-06)
7....ELENA DEMENTIEVA (2003-07)
7....Nadia Petrova (2005-07)
5....Dinara Safina (2002-07)
5....Vera Zvonareva (2003-06)

**CONSECUTIVE YEARS WITH SINGLES TITLE**
[streaks extended in '07]
9...Kim Clijsters (1999-07)
9...Amelie Mauresmo (1999-07)
7...Justine Henin (2001-07)
4...ANABEL MEDINA-GARRIGUES (2004-07)
3...Nadia Petrova (2005-07)
3...Ana Ivanovic (2005-07)

**MULTIPLE 2007 SINGLES CHAMPIONS**
5...RUSSIA
3...France
2...Belgium
2...Serbia
2...United States


All for now.

Read more...

Wk.20- There's Something About Jelena

"There's Something About Mary," but there's something about Jelena, too.

With the Top 10-ranked Serbs surging to new and more impressive heights seemingly each and every week of late, it appears that a pecking order has developed. Jelena Jankovic made sure of that. A week after Ana Ivanovic took a big step by matching Jankovic's own 2Q Tier I title in Charleston with one of her own in Berlin, Jankovic took it upon herself to add another to her '07 ledger in Rome.



It's quite the competition these two are putting on. A miniature version of the you-top-me, I'll-top-you battle amongst the Russians in recent seasons.

Jankovic was "The Other Jelena" when Jelena Dokic (whom JJ just matched with her second Tier I win and career-best #4 ranking) was making her brief run near the top of the women's game, but it's difficult to relegate her to the backseat against hardly anyone (well, thre IS one person... but more on that in a moment) in '07, including the other half of the two-headed, one-nation tennis monster known as the Rakija Girls.

While there are still some niggling wonders about whether or not AnaIvo is ready to become a star on the grand slam stage, the same might not be said for Jankovic. It's a good thing, too, since her moment might be about to arrive in Paris.

But can she grab it?

Roland Garros has played host to a litany of grand slam coming out parties over the years, with first-time slam champs cropping up there more often than in the other three major tournaments. But RG has been a fickle mistress, as well, since just as many who've come to Paris fully expecting their "moment" to be within reach, or who suddenly found themselves presented with an unexpected opportunity, have failed to emerge victorious.

Remember Martina Hingis in 1997 against Iva Majoli? The Swiss Miss' loss prevented a true Grand Slam, and she's never won in Paris. How about Kim Clijsters against Jennifer Capriati in '01? 12-10 3rd set. Of course, she never had a better opportunity. Even more recently, Nicole Vaidisova looked ready to explode in all her glory as she road her big game into the SF a year ago. But one bad shot selection doomed her run to the final, and this 2Q she's prepared for Paris by mostly pulling out of tournaments with nagging injuries.

Jankovic may never be in a better position to seize her moment in the dirt. Rome was her third title of the season, tying her for tops on tour. She's played more matches and chalked up more wins in '07 than any other player (she's 41-10 with her undefeated Fed Cup action factored in). Her two clay court titles this quarter make her this year's clay court star, as well.

Of course, Jankovic has seemingly been on the edge of immense stardom at the last two slams. At the U.S. Open, she reached the SF before she met up with Justine Henin. She even led 6-4/4-2 and served at 40/30. But her argument with the chair umpire over a call caused her to lose her concentration, then Henin jumped into the breach and walked off with the final ten games of the match. It was an opportunity fumbled, and even while Jankovic talked about Henin faking an injury after the match the blame for losing it couldn't rightly be placed at the feet of anyone but Jelena herself.

In January, she came to Melbourne as the hottest player on tour. She played well in the Australian Open, but you got the sense that she peaked too soon and petered out in the 4th Round against Serena Williams (who could write a book on seizing the big-stage moment, couldn't she?). Hmmm, it seems that Jankovic is again scheduled to play in the Strasbourg Tier III this week... a week after winning a Tier I, and a week before the start of a slam. Might we be seeing a repeat of Melbourne, with Jankovic playing one week too many BEFORE a slam and then suffering the effects of the decision over the following two weeks? Whether Jankovic's decision turns out to be of the I-told-you-so variety will be something to keep an eye on in Paris, that's for sure.

Still, so much will be in her favor in Paris. Her Rome title pushed her into a Top 4 seed position, and might allow her to avoid defending Roland Garros champ Henin until a possible meeting in the final (or at least another slam SF, eh?). Of course, Henin is more than just a career nemesis for Jankovic... she's her white whale to Jelena's peg-legged Captain Ahab. Henin is 5-0 against the Serbian in her career, even with ol' Peggy winning the opening set in four of the five matchups. The most recent loss was the week before last in Berlin, when Jankovic led 6-3/4-4 before rain halted the match, as well as Rakija Girl #1's chances of slaying her personal version of Moby Dick. Even while she's managed to chip away at the Belgian, she's yet to find a way to take her down (and, no, the WTA won't let her stash a harpoon in with her extra rackets next time, either).

**JANKOVIC vs. HENIN**
2005 Charleston - JHH 5-7/6-4/6-3
2006 US Open - JHH 4-6/6-4/6-0
2007 Doha - Henin 6-7/6-2/6-4
2007 Warsaw - Henin 7-5/2-6/6-4
2007 Berlin - Henin 3-6/6-4/6-4

Not that Henin's presence (or absence) is on Jankovic's mind or anything. After winning in Rome on Sunday, she said, "You know why I won? Because Henin didn't come."

Now, Jankovic has been known to sport a quick smile and sharp wit, but even in every lighthearted crack there lies some truth... no matter how much Jelena wants to avoid the overhanging pressure of being a favorite in Paris, she's going to be one of them. How she handles that will either lead her directly into the spotlight, or directly into the face of the sun.

"I'm not putting any pressure on myself. I'm just playing and improving. Every week I'm getting better," she said on Sunday.

But can she do it for three more weeks? And not just ANY three weeks, but the NEXT three weeks? The timing has to be perfect. How much has she learned since that day in New York last September? Is her never-take-a-break schedule smart or shortsighted?

We're about to find out.

Surely, I expect to be picking Henin to win Roland Garros again this year (she's the world #1, three-time RG champ and, well, Backspin is sort of built to back the Queen at times such as this, you know?), but the tournament's top storyline heading into Paris isn't centered on the only remaining Waffle, it's going to be about whether or not Jankovic will be able to seize her moment on the red clay.

One way or the other, it should be fun watching her try... when it comes to Jelena, it usually is.

There's just something about her.


*WEEK 20 CHAMPIONS*

ROME, ITALY (I-RCO)
S: Jelena Jankovic d. Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5/6-1
D: Dechy/Santangelo d. Garbin/Vinci

FES, MOROCCO (IV-RCO)
S: Milagros Sequera d. Aleksandra Wozniak 6-1/6-3
D: King/Mirza d. Ehritt-Vanc/Rodinova


PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jelena Jankovic
...Jankovic's second Tier I title of the 2Q means the Serbs have pushed aside the Russians as the Tier I aces, having won three in a row while the Horde has lost four of the six Tier I events played in '07. Aside from beating the Contessova in the final, Jankovic also notched Rome wins over A.Bondarenko, Dementieva and Schnyder. But is she primed for Paris?
=============================
RISERS: Daniela Hantuchova & Maria Fernanda Alves
...Wonder Girl finally emerged from her post-Indian Wells fog in Rome, getting wins over Rezai, Bammer, Chakvetadze and Medina-Garrigues en route to the SF. 24-year old Brazilian Alves is only ranked #284, so maybe it's a bit of a cheat to say she's "rising." But since she's only made a few spare appearances over the years in Backspin, I thought she deserved a mention for winning her third straight ITF title (including 15 consecutive matches) this weekend at a $10K in Irapuato, giving her sixteen ITF singles titles in her career.
=============================
SURPRISES: Milagros Sequera & Maria-Emilia Salerni
...the onslaught of first-time singles champions continued in the 2Q with 26-year old Venezuelan vet Sequera securing her first title in Fes with a victory over first-time WTA finaliast Aleksandra Wozniak. Sequera, who reached a high of #29 in 2005, hadn't reached a WTA singles final since Quebec City in 2003, also knocked off Razzano, Pin and Olaru in Morocco. Meanwhile, Argentine qualifier Salerni -- who turned 24 last Monday -- reached her third career tour SF with Fes wins over Mirza, Fedossova and Kloesel. She hadn't reached a tour SF since 2004.
=============================
VETERANS: Patty Schnyder & Elena Dementieva
...it was like old home week in Rome, as vets Schnyder & Dementieva continued to rebound from their slow-to-nonexistent starts to '07. Sneaky Patty reached the SF with nice wins over Bardina, Tu and Stosur, as well as a huge one over Serena Williams. Since (and including) her Fed Cup play last month, Schnyder has gone 10-3. Punch-Sober reached the QF with wins over Camerin, Castano and Petrova. If she can escape Strasbourg without an injury, she'll safely head to Roland Garros -- where she was the RU in '04 -- with her form better than it's been all season.
=============================
FRESH FACES: Aleksandra Wozniak & Ioana-Raluca Olaru

...the 2Q has been witness to the early stages of the Canadian and Romanian tennis renaissances. 19-year old Canuck Wozniak advanced to her first tour singles final in Fes. A-Woz surged past fellow teenager Alize Cornet in the QF and Salerni in the SF. 18-year old Olaru reached her second SF of the season in Fes, qualifying and then knocking off teens Vania King and Caroline "C-Woz" Wozniacki and came within a 3rd set tie-break against Sequera from reaching her first career WTA final.
=============================
DOWN: Martina Hingis
...not only did her hip injury prevent Hingis from defending her '06 title in Rome, but it'll prevent her from playing next week in Roland Garros, too.
=============================


1. Rome F - Jankovic d. Kuznetsova
...7-5/6-1. Kuznetsova is 2007's hard-luck finalist. This was her fourth final of the season, three of them Tier I's (including back-to-back finals in Berlin & Rome). She's yet to win one, though.
=============================
2. Rome 2nd - Stosur d. Mauresmo
...7-5/6-7/7-6. The trip back Appendectomy Road has been a long and winding one so far for Amelie.
=============================
3. Rome QF - Schnyder d. S.Williams
...6-3/2-6/7-6. Serena isn't really back in form yet after her recent layover. Hmmm, when was the last time we heard that? Yeah... before Melbourne, of course.
=============================
4. Fes F - Sequera d. Wozniak

...6-1/6-3. Before this final, the last Canadian to win a WTA tour singles title was Helen Kelesi in Taranto, Italy in April 1988. After this match, that was still the case. The drought might not last much longer, though.
=============================
5. Rome 1st - Dechy d. Groenefeld
...6-0/6-4. One can't expect ALG to climb out of her slump by going coachless, ala Federer, but maybe it's time to strip down the game with a set of new eyes?
=============================
6. Rome 3rd - Dementieva d. Petrova
...4-3, ret.. With Roland Garros coming up, a year after an injury scuttled her plans for Paris, Petrova has to be having a severe case of deja vu after this one.
=============================
7. Fes 1st - Salerni d. Mirza
...6-2/7-5.
Fes 1st - Sequera d. Razzano
...3-6/7-6/ret.. Mirza was the #1 seed, and Razzano the #2. Oh, to try to forecast the results of a Tier IV event on red clay.
=============================
8. Rome 1st - Paszek d. Pratt
...6-7/6-0/6-2. It's not often that the youngest player in the draw (16-year old Paszek) faces off against the oldest (34-year old Pratt) and the sport isn't taking place at a family reunion.
=============================
9. Rome 3rd - S.Williams d. Peer
...6-3/6-3. The Corporal should get battle pay for all these matchups she has with Serena.
=============================
10. Rome 1st - Santangelo d. Morigami
...6-2/6-0. What a difference a few days makes for Prague champ Akiko. On Monday, she lost in Strasbourg to Caroline Maes, too.
=============================
HM- Rome 1st - Medina-Garrigues d. Zheng
...6-2/6-2. A week after Jie Zheng and Na Li both went down at the hands of Maria Elena Camerin on the same day, Zheng lost and Li pulled out of Rome singles with a gastrointestinal problem.
=============================


**2007 SINGLES TITLES**
3...Justine Henin
3...JELENA JANKOVIC
2...Serena Williams

**2007 WTA FINALS**
4...Justine Henin (3-1)
4...JELENA JANKOVIC (3-1)
4...SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA (0-4)

**2007 SEMIFINALISTS BY NATION**
20...RUSSIA
10...SERBIA
9....Belgium
8....France
8....Italy
6....United States
5....Czech Republic

**2007 TIER I FINALS**
Tokyo - #6 Hingis d. #16 Ivanovic
I.W. - #18 Hantuchova d. #4 Kuznetsova
Miami - #18 S.Williams d. #1 Henin
Charleston - #9 Jankovic d. #12 Safina
Berlin - #16 Ivanovic d. #4 Kuznetsova
ROME - #5 JANKOVIC DEF. #3 KUZNETSOVA

**CAREER TIER I TITLES - ACTIVE**
17...Martina Hingis
8....Justine Henin
8....Serena Williams
6....Amelie Mauresmo
6....Venus Williams
5....Mary Pierce
4....Maria Sharapova
2....Jelena Dokic
2....Daniela Hantuchova
2....Ana Ivanovic
2....JELENA JANKOVIC
2....Anastasia Myskina
2....Nadia Petrova
1....Anna Chakvetadze
1....Elena Dementieva
1....Svetlana Kuznetsova
1....Alicia Molik
1....Patty Schnyder

**2Q FIRST-TIME CHAMPIONS**
Tatiana Golovin (19/FRA) - A.Island
Gisela Dulko (22/ARG) - Budapest
Greta Arn (28/GER) - Estoril
Akiko Morigami (27/JPN) - Prague
MILAGROS SEQUERA (26/VEN) - FES

**LOW-RANKED FINALISTS**
#325 Sorana Cirstea - Budapest (L)
#176 Greta Arn - Estoril (W)
#143 Yaroslava Shvedova - Bangalore (W)
#114 ALEKSANDRA WOZNIAK - FES (L)
#104 MILAGROS SEQUERA - FES (W)

**2007 DOUBLES TITLES**
4...Lisa Raymond
4...Samantha Stosur
4...Cara Black
4...Liezel Huber
3...MARA SANTANGELO


ROUND OF 16: Backspin 59-50
QUARTERFINALS: Pierre 29-25
SEMIFINALS: Pierre 30-26
FINALISTS: Backspin 12-10
CHAMPIONS: Backspin 3-2


STRASBOURG, FRANCE (III-RCO)
2006 FINAL: Vaidisova d. Peng
2007 TOP: Mauresmo/Jankovic
=============================


=SF=
Mauresmo d. Bartoli
Jankovic d. Li
=FINAL=
Jankovic d. Mauresmo


SF:
Mauresmo def Vesnina
Jankovic def Medina-Garrigues
FINAL:
Mauresmo def Jankovic



ISTANBUL, TURKEY (III-RCO)
2006 FINAL: Peer d. Myskina
2007 TOP: Sharapova/Dementieva
=============================


=SF=
V.Williams d. Sharapova
Schnyder d. Dementieva
=FINAL=
Schnyder d. V.Williams


SF:
A.Radwanska d. V.Williams
Schnyder d. Dementieva
FINAL:
Schnyder d. A.Radwanska


ALSO: ROLAND GARROS QUALIFYING



All for now.

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