Beijing Preview: The Power of 8?

With most of the top players having been absent from the pre-Olympic North American circuit, the tournament in Beijing will have to serve as something of a "dry run" for the U.S. Open, which will begin a week after the Gold Medal is awarded in China.

As has come to be the norm in this La Petit Taureau-less season, everything is up for grabs once again.

So far in 2008, by the end of the Olympic event, we'll have seen four different players hold the #1 ranking and three claim grand slam crowns. Only two of those top-ranked women are in Beijing, along with just two of the slam winners. In fact, with Lindsay Davenport's late withdrawal from singles, only three former Olympic Medalists in singles (Venus Williams, Elena Dementieva & Alicia Molik) will be back for another run at success in the Games.

We've seen quite a few historical moments at the Olympics since tennis was reinstated as a medal sport twenty years ago, from Steffi Graf's Golden spoke in her "Golden Slam" (1988) to Jennifer Capriati's first major victory ('92) and Justine Henin's most remarkable performance ('04), with Golden wins from a pair of Americans (Davenport '06 & Venus '00) in between. There are certainly multiple opportunitues for similar memorable moments at these Games, from all corners of the draw.

Here are just a few of the most interesting angles of possible polarity:

=THE SERBS=
Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic find themselves at opposite ends of the draw. AnaIvo will start play as the top-ranked player in the world, will lose the #1 spot to Jankovic just a few days in, but could possibly make JJ's "reign" a short-lived one if she can put together a medal run. Meanwhile, the tired and injured Jankovic will be looking to put a little teeth in a ranking that she'll have back-doored without having ever reached a slam final. An Olympic Gold, Silver or Bronze for Serbia would certainly do much to solidify her new standing, at least in the mind of everyone's favorite tennis oddity.

Ivanovic has the easier-looking draw, but she hasn't exactly resembled the "best player in the world" since she won at Roland Garros. Then again, neither has Jankovic, who could face the same player who defeated her last week (Dominika Cibulkova) in the 3rd Round, and/or the tour's hottest player in Dinara Safina in the QF. Additionally, for a player who's experienced breathing problems on the court in the past, the prospect of making her way through the draw while playing in the much-talked-about heat and polluted air of Beijing might be one (or more) too many things for Jankovic to focus on and still be successful. (Would a typically Jankovician comment along the lines of, "I'd play with a mask on if I could, but I'd probably pass out," really be a shocker coming from Jelena's mouth over the next week?) Add to that her comments this weekend about her knee injury, lack of training and the like possibly causing her to pull out of the event on Sunday if she doesn't think she's up to playing her 1st Round match against Cara Black (in other words, it'll come down to one of those "early morning epiphanies" I talked about a week or so ago) and Jankovic is, once again, the source of the most drama in the women's draw.

It's easy to think that the tennis Gods might be teasing everyone with the prospect of an unexpected, Henin '04-like Jankovic run to a title in Beijing. After all, the Games started on 8-8-08, just as Jankovic was set to become the 18th women's #1, in the eighth month of 2008, by eight points over Ivanovic in the rankings.

Hmmm... Cibulkova is the #16 seed this week. 8+8 = 16. Could the Gods really be THAT sneaky? Then again, maybe Jankovic will just officially pull out of the event at 8 a.m. Beijing time.

=THE SISTERS=
When Davenport pulled out of the singles, Venus Williams became the only former Gold Medal winner in the women's draw. She'll be looking to become the first two-time Olympic singles Gold winner, and could even boost her career total to four Golds by claiming a second Olympic doubles championship with sister Serena.

Coming into the last two Olympic tournaments, as is the case again this year, three different women have shared the preceding grand slam singles titles during the season. In 2000, after Davenport, Pierce and Venus won the Australian, French and Wimbledon titles, Venus picked up a Gold in Sydney and then went on to New York to win the U.S. Open and complete an epic "Summer of Venus."

Serena, meanwhile, will be looking for her first Olympic singles medal, and could make the Gold Medal Match an all-Williams affair since the sisters are positioned on different sides of the draw. But, with Venus having not played since Wimbledon, and Serena having experienced more difficulty with her knee in the one North American tournament in which she played, their singles prospects have to still be considered somewhat tentative... or, at least, as "tentative" as the sisters' chances of winner important tournaments ever are, which could turn out to be not at all.

=THE CHINESE=
"Jia you!" (jah you)

That's the Chinese colloquial phrase that means, "Come on! Step it up!" And after years of preparation, the time has come for the Cookies to come through with medals in Beijing. But can they?

In 2004, Li Ting & Sun Tiantian won the doubles Gold in Athens. Sun is back for more, this time teaming with Peng Shuai in the doubles. But the biggest Chinese medal threat is the pair of Yan Zi & Zheng Jie, the #8 seeds in doubles. In recent seasons, the duo has been one of the top doubles teams in the world, but as the Games approached their results have often been hit or miss due to injuries and/or inconsistency. They're on the opposite side of the draw from the Williams sisters, though, so even if the don't claim another Gold for the home country they would seem to be in prime position to play for a medal of some color.

In singles, things are far more dicey. It's actually quite possible, though not likely considering the pressure to succeed, that none of the four Cookies in the draw will get a 1st Round win. Li Na plays #3 Svetlana Kuznetsova, Yan faces #9 Vera Zvonareva, Wimbledon singles semifinalist Zheng goes up against #11 Agnes Szavay, while Peng will meet Carla Suarez-Navarro. None of the opponents are easy outs, and most will be favored to defeat the home crowd favorites. But with the support of the Chinese contingent, it wouldn't be a surprise if any pulls off an upset. Lasting long enough to get into medal contention, though, is another matter entirely.

=THE RUSSIANS=
Maria Sharapova's Olympic hopes were dashed thanks to that seemingly near-chronic bad shoulder, but Russians still take up three of the top six singles seeds, and four of the top nine.

Elena Dementieva reached the Gold Medal Match in Sydney, while Dinara Safina enters having won ten straight matches and back-to-back tournaments in North America. Either or both could end up on the medal stand in Beijing, too. Kuznetsova has the ability, and has played well in Asia in the past, but hasn't been able to put together a great FULL tournament for quite some time now even as she's not far away from climbing into the #1-ranked position on the computer.

=THE SIBLINGS=
No fewer than four pairs of siblings are scheduled to compete in the men's and women's doubles: Serena & Venus Williams (USA), Alona & Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR), Bob & Mike Bryan (USA) and Andy & Jamie Murray (GBR).

=THE MEN=
Defending '04 singles & doubles Gold Medalist Nicolas Massu needed a wild card to just get into the draw four years later, so don't expect a repeat (though maybe fellow Chilean doubles Gold/singles Bronze winner Fernando Gonzalez -- who was the nation's flag bearer during opening ceremonies -- could emerge once again).

The bigger news, of course, will surely be Roger Federer's attempt to capture his first career Olympic medal just as he's about to be overtaken by Rafael Nadal for the #1 spot after continually holding the position for over four years. In 2000, Federer lost in the Bronze Match to Arnaud Di Pasquale, then was ousted in the 2nd Round by Tomas Berdych in 2004. If he doesn't watch himself, he could do even worse this time around as he faces the you-never-know-what-you're-going-to-get Dmitry Tursunov in the 1st Round. If he escapes that one, he might face Berdych again in the 3rd Round. There remains a possibility that we could see a rematch of the Wimbledon final against Nadal in either the Gold or Bronze Medal match.

Nadal and Djokovic are in the bottom half of the draw, and a rematch of the Cincinnati SF won by the Serb could come in another semifinal. Nadal was talking about being tired after attending the long opening ceremonies, and has played more this North American hard court season than he has in years past. So whether he'll be at his best in Beijing is a legit question.

Even if Federer doesn't claim a medal this time around, expect him (and likely Venus, as well) to stick around for another attempt in the 2012 Olympics. Then, you see, a 31-year old Federer would be trying to win a medal at the All-England Club, as London is the host of the next Games.



**ATHENS 2004 WOMEN'S SINGLES**
=GOLD MATCH=
Justine Henin-Hardenne, BEL def. Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
=BRONZE MATCH=
Alicia Molik, AUS def. Anastasia Myskina, RUS
=QUARTERFINALISTS=
Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
Mary Pierce, FRA
Francesca Schiavone, ITA
Ai Sugiyama, JPN
=ROUND of 16=
Eleni Daniilidou, GRE
Nicole Pratt, AUS
Lisa Raymond, USA
Chanda Rubin, USA
Patty Schnyder, SUI
Karolina Sprem, CRO
Venus Williams, USA
Fabiola Zuluaga, COL

**RETURNING MEDALISTS**
(year/singles-doubles/medal-GSB)
=WOMEN=
2...Venus Williams (00 SG, 00 DG)
1...Lindsay Davenport (96 SG)
1...Elena Dementieva (00 SS)
1..Alicia Molik (04 SB)
1...Virginia Ruano Pascual (04 DS)
1...Sun Tiantian (04 DG)
1...Serena Williams (00 DG)
=MEN=
2...Nicolas Massu (04 SG, 04 DG)
2...Fernando Gonzalez (04 SB, 04 DG)
1...Nicolas Kiefer (04 DS)
1...Ivan Ljubicic (04 DB)
1...Daniel Nestor (00 DG)
1...Leander Paes (96 SB)
1...Rainer Schuettler (04 DS)




=WOMEN'S SINGLES=
=ROUND of 16=
#1 Ivanovic d. #13 Schnyder
#8 A.Radwanska d. Peer
#4 S.Williams d. Peng
#5 Dementieva d. Sugiyama
#7 V.Williams d. #12 Azarenka
#3 Kuznetsova d. #14 Pennetta
#6 Safina d. Zheng
#16 Cibulkova d. #2 Jankovic
=QF=
#1 Ivanovic d. #8 A.Radwanska
#5 Dementieva d. #4 S.Williams
#3 Kuznetsova d. #7 V.Williams
#6 Safina d. #16 Cibulkova
=SF=
#5 Dementieva d. #1 Ivanovic
#6 Safina d #3 Kuznetsova
=BRONZE MATCH=
Ivanovic d. Kuznetsova
=GOLD MATCH=
Safina d. Dementieva
...who needs a Supernova? Of course, the threat of the sisters and the whirling dervish that is Jankovic could make things VERY different under the right circumstances (not the mention whims).

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES=
=QF=
#8 Yan/Zheng d. #1 Kuznetsova/Safina
Stosur/Stubbs d. #5 Davenport/Huber
#3 Chan/Chuang d. Peng/Sun
#2 Williams/Williams d. Llagostera-Vives/Martinez-Sanchez
=SF=
#8 Yan/Zheng d. Stosur/Stubbs
#2 Williams/Williams d. #3 Chan/Chuang
=BRONZE MATCH=
Chang/Chuang d. Stosur/Stubbs
=GOLD MATCH=
Williams/Williams d. Yan/Zheng

=MEN'S SINGLES=
=ROUND of 16=
#1 Federer d. Berdych
#10 Simon d. Guccione
#4 Davydenko d. #15 Kiefer
#12 Gonzalez d. #5 Ferrer
#7 Nalbandian d. Hanescu
#3 Djokovic d. #13 Youzhny
#6 Murray d. #9 Wawrinka
#2 Nadal d. #16 Stepanek
=QF=
#1 Federer d. #10 Simon
#4 Davydenko d. #12 Gonzalez
#3 Djokovic d. #7 Nalbandian
#2 Nadal d. #6 Murray
=SF=
#4 Davydenko d. #1 Federer
#3 Djokovic d. #2 Nadal
=BRONZE MATCH=
Nadal d. Federer
=GOLD MATCH=
Djokovic d. Davydenko
...talk about a Bronze Medal Match upstaging the Gold Medal Match, huh?

=MEN'S DOUBLES=
=QF=
#1 Bryan/Bryan d. Bjorkman/Soderling
#7 Bhupathi/Paes d. #6 Federer/Wawrinka
#3 Erlich/Ram d. #8 Andreev/Davydenko
#2 Djokovic/Zimonjic d. Aspelin/Johansson
=SF=
#7 Bhupathi/Paes d. #1 Bryan/Bryan
#3 Erlich/Ram d. #2 Djokovic/Zimonjic
=BRONZE MATCH=
Bryan/Bryan d. Djokovic/Zimonjic
=GOLD MATCH=
Erlich/Ram d. Bhupathi/Paes



**PREDICTIONS FROM OTHERS**

=PIERRE CANTIN=
=WOMEN'S SINGLES=
=ROUND of 16=
Ivanovic def Schnyder
Radwanska def Zvonareva
SWilliams def Cornet
Wozniacki def Dementieva
VWilliams def Azarenka
Kuznetsova def Pennetta
Safina def Szavay
Cibulkova def Jankovic
=QF=
Ivanovic def Radwanska
SWilliams def Wozniacki
VWilliams def Kuznetsova
Safina def Cibulkova
=SF=
SWilliams def Ivanovic
Safina def VWilliams
=BRONZE MATCH=
VWilliams def Ivanovic
=GOLD MATCH=
Safina def SWilliams

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES=
=QF=
Yan/Zheng def Kuznetsova/Safina
Davenport/Huber def Stosur/Stubbs
Chan/Chuang def Bondarenko/Bondarenko
Williams/Williams def Zvonareva/Vesnina
=SF=
Yan/Zheng def Davenport/Huber
Williams/Williams def Chan/Chuang
=BRONZE MATCH=
Davenport/Huber def Chan/Chuang
=GOLD MATCH=
Williams/Williams def Yan/Zheng

=MEN'S SINGLES=
=ROUND of 16=
Federer def Berdych
Simon def Blake
Kiefer def Gulbis
Ferrer def Gonzalez
Almagro def Nalbandian
Djokovic def Youzhny
Murray def Wawrinka
Nadal def Andreev
=QF=
Federer def Simon
Ferrer def Kiefer
Djokovic def Almagro
Nadal def Murray
=SF=
Federer def Ferrer
Djokovic def Nadal
=BRONZE MATCH=
Nadal def Ferrer
=GOLD MATCH=
Federer def Djokovic

=MEN'S DOUBLES=
=QF=
Bryan/Bryan def Nadal/Robredo
Bhupathi/Paes def Federer/Wawrinka
Murray/Murray def Andreev/Davydenko
Djokovic/Zimonjic def Almagro/Ferrer
=SF=
Bryan/Bryan def Bhupathi/Paes
Djokovic/Zimonjic def Murray/Murray
=BRONZE MATCH=
Bhupathi/Paes def Murray/Murray
=GOLD MATCH=
Bryan/Bryan def Djokovic/Zimonjic

=SPORTS ILLUSTRATED (pre-draws)=
WOMEN'S GOLD: Venus Williams, USA
WOMEN'S SILVER: (Sharapova w/d)
WOMEN'S BRONZE: Ana Ivanovic, SRB
DOUBLES GOLD: Williams/Williams, USA
DOUBLES SILVER: Yan/Zheng, CHN
DOUBLES BRONZE: Stosur/Stubbs, AUS
-
MEN'S GOLD: Roger Federer, SUI
MEN'S SILVER: Rafael Nadal, ESP
MEN'S BRONZE: Novak Djokovic, SRB
DOUBLES GOLD: Bryan/Bryan, USA
DOUBLES SILVER: Clement/Llodra, FRA
DOUBLES BRONZE: Federer/Wawrinka, SUI

=WASHINGTON POST (pre-draws)=
WOMEN'S GOLD: Serena Williams, USA
WOMEN'S SILVER: Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
WOMEN'S BRONZE: Li Na, CHN
DOUBLES GOLD: Williams/Williams, USA
DOUBLES SILVER: Yan/Zheng, CHN
DOUBLES BRONZE: Davenport/Huber, USA
-
MEN'S GOLD: Roger Federer, SUI
MEN'S SILVER: Novak Djokovic, SRB
MEN'S BRONZE: Nikolay Davydenko, RUS
DOUBLES GOLD: Bryan/Bryan, USA
DOUBLES SILVER: Clement/Llodra, FRA
DOUBLES BRONZE: Erlich/Ram, ISR

=USA TODAY (pre-draws)=
WOMEN'S GOLD: Ana Ivanovic, SRB
WOMEN'S SILVER: Dinara Safina, RUS
WOMEN'S BRONZE: Jelena Jankovic, SRB
DOUBLES GOLD: Yan/Zheng, CHN
DOUBLES SILVER: Williams/Williams, USA
DOUBLES BRONZE: Bondarenko/Bondarenko, UKR
-
MEN'S GOLD: Roger Federer, SUI
MEN'S SILVER: Rafael Nadal, ESP
MEN'S BRONZE: Novak Djokovic, SRB
DOUBLES GOLD: Erlich/Ram, ISR
DOUBLES SILVER: Bryan/Bryan, USA
DOUBLES BRONZE: Bhupathi/Paes, IND


All for now.



ON MONDAY: ITF update & Backspin Picks for Cincinnati