2009 Blowout: 20 Questions

It's time to play "20 Questions" with the upcoming 2009 season. Feel free to play along.



1. Which combo will win more tour titles in 2009, the two Serbs or the Williams sisters?
TS: Serbs
PC: Serbs

2. Which group will appear in the fewest slam finals in the upcoming season, the two Serbs, Williams sisters or Russians?
TS: Russians
PC: Serbs

3. Which teenager(s) currently outside the Top 20 are most likely to end the '09 season there?
TS: Nicole Vaidisova & Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
PC: Sorana Cirstea

4. Will there be any American teenagers in the year-end Top 100?
TS: yes
PC: no

5. At the end of 2009, Sania Mirza will be ranked in which range, #1-20, #21-50, #51-75, #76-100, outside the Top 100?
TS: #21-50
PC: #51-75

6. Of this list, which player(s) will play WTA singles matches in 2009?
Kim Clijsters
Lindsay Davenport
Tatiana Golovin
Ashley Harkleroad
Justine Henin
Mary Pierce

TS: Lindsay Davenport & Tatiana Golovin
PC: Lindsay Davenport & Tatiana Golovin

7. Of these players, which will have the higher-ranked "comeback?"
Anna Chakvetadze
Shahar Peer
Agnes Szavay
Nicole Vaidisova

TS: Anna Chakvetadze
PC: Anna Chakvetadze

8. Who'll be a junior slam champion in 2009?
TS: Ana Bogdan
PC: Laura Robson

9. Which nation will win the Fed Cup?
TS: Russia
PC: Russia

10. How many of the siblings in the three major pairs of sisters -- Williams, Bondarenko & Radwanska -- will win tour singles tiltes in 2009?
TS: five
PC: four

11. Who'll be two "Surprise" players this season?
TS: Carla Suarez-Navarro & Ekaterina Makarova
PC: Tamira Paszek & Sorana Cirstea

12. How many wins over a #1-ranked player will Dinara Safina have in 2009?
TS: two
PC: two

13. In order, how will the following group finish in the rankings next season?
Elena Bovina
Jelena Dokic
Anna-Lena Groenefeld
Sesil Karatantcheva

TS: Groenefeld, Karatantcheva, Dokic, Bovina
PC: Groenefeld, Dokic, Bovina, Karatantcheva

14. For two seasons running, Victoria Azarenka has been the higher-ranked player without a career WTA singles title (#30 in 2007, and #15 in 2008). Who'll be 2009's highest-ranked player without a career title?
TS: Tsvetana Pironkova
PC: Dominika Cibulkova

15. Who'll be the two youngest Top 100 players at season's end?
TS: Michelle Larcher de Brito (Jan.29, 1993) & Melanie Oudin (Sept.23, 1991)
PC: Michelle Larcher de Brito (Jan.29, 1993) & Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (July 3, 1991)

16. Who'll be first-time singles champions this season (up to a dozen possibilities)?
TS (11): Victoria Azarenka, Dominika Cibulkova, Karin Knapp, Mariya Koryttseva, Petra Kvitova, Sabine Lisicki, Bethanie Mattek, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Peng Shuai, Samantha Stosur, Yanina Wickmayer
PC (6): Victoria Azarenka, Kaia Kanepi, Petra Kvitova, Bethanie Mattek, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Peng Shuai

17. What are your early predictions for the four slam finals and SEC, along with an alternate choice?
TS:
AO: S.Williams d. Safina (Jankovic)
RG: Jankovic d. Ivanovic (Safina)
W: V.Williams d. S.Williams (Sharapova)
US: Sharapova d. Jankovic (healthiest Williams)
SEC: Sharapova d. S.Williams (Ivanovic)
PC:
AO: Sharapova d. Ivanovic
RG: Ivanovic d. Safina
W: Sharapova d. V.Williams
US: Jankovic d. S.Williams
SEC: Sharapova d. Safina

18. Who are potential "breakout" stars (SF or better) for each of the '09 slams?
TS:
AO: Wozniacki
RG: Cornet
W: A.Radwanska
US: Cibulkova or Azarenka (highest-ranked at time)
PC:
AO: Cornet
RG: Cirstea
W: Mattek
US: Larcher de Brito

19. What are your picks for the year-end ATP Top 10?
TS:
1-Roger Federer
2-Rafael Nadal
3-Andy Murray
4-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
5-Novak Djokovic
6-Gilles Simon
7-Nikolay Davydenko
8-Juan Martin del Potro
9-Stanislas Wawrinka
10-Andy Roddick
PC:
1-Roger Federer
2-Andy Murray
3-Novak Djokovic
4-Rafael Nadal
5-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
6-Juan Martin del Potro
7-Nikolay Davydenko
8-Andy Roddick
9-Gilles Simon
10-Gael Monfils

20. What are your early predictions for the four men's slam finals and Masters Cup, along with two alternate choice?
TS:
AO: Murray d. Federer (Tsonga/Simon & Djokovic)
RG: Nadal d. Djokovic (Monfils & Federer)
W: Federer d. Nadal (Murray & Djokovic)
US: Federer d. Tsonga (Djokovic & Simon)
MC: Murray d. Djokovic (Federer & Tsonga)
PC:
AO: Federer d. Djokovic
RG: Nadal (that's all)
W: Federer d. Nadal
US: Murray d. Federer
MC: Federer d. Djokovic


All for now.



2009 PREVIEW SERIES:
...All-Decade Nominations
...Most Intriguing Question
...ATP Top 10 Picks
...Prediction Blowout
...Volley #8-10
...Intriguing 75: Region-by-Region
...Volley #5-7
...Volley #1-4
...What If?
...1st Qtr. Preview
...Week 1 Picks