Wk.7- Too Little Too Late

What a week.

As I said seven days ago, in time, the WTA and its players can "make right" all that did and didn't transpire in the wake of the Dubai/Peer visa mess, but the fact will never change that when the time was RIGHT the RIGHT thing was not done. The tour and players' immediate inactivity in the face of outright discrimination against one of their own says volumes, no matter what happens between now and when the Dubai event is "scheduled" to occur in 2010.

As the WTA tour faced difficult questions (though not as tricky as they were made out to be) and equally difficult answers, the entire week was a "best of times, worst of times" moment for Venus Williams, as well.

A week that ended with her defeating her sister, then winning a big tournament title, can't help but be overshadowed by what she DIDN'T do. Her lack of a concrete supportive reaction to the issue in spite of her unofficial role as the top spokeswoman for the players, was beyond disappointing on the whole. She began the week talking about not backing a player-led boycott of the event because she didn't want to hurt sponsors, then ended it maintaining that she'd taken a stand against prejudice simply because she mentioned during the trophy presentation how she wished Peer had been there.

Too little too late.

Maybe it's asking too much to expect Venus to lead a charge against ages-old prejudice, but with the Williams family history including a long-held boycott of the Indian Wells event because of racist epithets hurled the sisters' and their father's way years ago, one would have hoped that she'd make the short leap of logic in linking the two situations and act accordingly, without hedge, in supporting Peer's right to play, even if it meant that Williams HERSELF and her fellow players did not.

In a way, though, maybe Venus WAS representing the players, since their overall lack of a desire to say or do anything in true support of Peer or any other player who might find herself in a similar situation was more than striking, not to mention enlightening (especially since there was recently no end to many players' squawking outrage about the tour's new schedule policies not allowing the top women to always play when and where they like). But if Venus IS going to assume the role of a TRUE leader then her job will be to sometimes, when necessary, drag the rest of the WTA, kicking and screaming if need be, toward what is right even if it's not an easy (financially or otherwise) or always popular "solution."

When it mattered most, neither Williams nor WTA head Larry Scott slid easily into the role. When the curtain was pulled back to reveal all involved, what we got was something we'd probably rather not have had to see. And that Andy Ram, a male Israeli doubles specialist, was granted a visa to play in Dubai in the middle of this story only showed that Peer's sex might have been an issue in this whole debacle... making the WOMEN'S tour's lack of an initially strong reaction all the more embarrassing.

Quite a few days and many dollars short, the WTA ultimately fined Dubai a record $300K and awarded Peer ranking points and prize money, not to mention giving lip service about pulling the event from the schedule unless there were "assurances" a similar incident wouldn't happen again. We'll now sit back and see what happens, even though we all know what will -- Dubai will remain on the schedule, and the WTA will hope the controversy will eventually go away, which it likely will.

Over the weekend, Andy Roddick pulled out of this week's ATP event in Dubai. He would have been the defending champion, but cited the Peer situation for his decision. He then went out and won the Memphis title, proving himself to be above-board both on and off court. Apparently, sponsors and head games need not rule the day. I've often had problems with Roddick on a variety of issues, but not this one. In the end, he was the only person, place or thing that actually can hold a head high on principle, damn the consequences. That's something that even the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, both of whom have pushed for a larger role in ATP decision-making, can't do. Neither took a step to speak up about Dubai. Instead, they pulled out of the upcoming UAE ATP event, citing injuries.

In the post-final trophy ceremony, Venus mentioned Peer, calling her "brave." It was a long-overdue comment, and signals that both she (and the WTA) will probably ultimately do and say what is deemed "right" and "best" for all concerned, or at least what will be said to be the case long after the fact. That's fine and good... I just hope that the next time Venus is questioned about her dealings with the Indian Wells tournament, and rightfully defends her decision to never play there again, she also recognizes the irony of her situation and the not-so-different one that Peer faced down last week. Hopefully, one day, Williams will express heartfelt regret that she didn't do and say more when everyone would have been listening.

Once ALL the dust settles, maybe everyone involved will have learned a valuable lesson... including Venus.

*WEEK 7 CHAMPIONS*

DUBAI, UAE (Premiere $2m/HO)
S: Venus Williams def. Virginie Razzano 6-4/6-2
D: Black/Huber d. Kirilenko/A.Radwanska

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE USA (Int'l $220K/HI)
S: Victoria Azarenka def. Caroline Wozniacki 6-1/6-3
D: Azarenka/Wozniacki d. Fedak/Krajicek

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (Int'l $220K/RC)
S: Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez def. Gisela Dulko 6-3/6-2
D: Llagostera-Vives/Martinez-Sanchez d. Dulko/Pennetta


PLAYER OF THE WEEK: vacant
...no one really did themselves proud enough last week (other than maybe Roddick) to get this award. Maybe Brooklyn Decker should pick it up by proxy? Nah.
=============================
RISERS: Kaia Kanepi/EST & Elena Vesnina/RUS
...Kanepi's big move continued in Dubai, as she notched wins over Tamira Paszek, Sania Mirza, Jelena Jankovic and Vesnina en route to her first Premiere-Plus/Tier I level SF, moving into the Top 20 today for the first time in her career (as the still idling Maria Sharapova drops out). Vesnina, even with a loss to her last week has maybe been more impressive in '09 than Kanepi. Wins over Li Na, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Dominika Cibulkova to reach the QF gives her three wins over Top 20 players this season. She's now moved into the Top 60 at #57, seventeen spots behind her career-best ranking.
=============================
SURPRISES: Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez/ESP & Virginie Razzano/FRA
...one of the Spanish "initials" players won the title in Bogota, but it wasn't AMG, CSN or NLV... it was MJMS. Maybe the extra letter did the trick? Anyway, 26-year old Martinez-Sanchez, in her second career final, defeated Gisela Dulko to claim her first career tour singles title. She won the doubles with Nuria Llagostera-Vives (NLV), too. Razzano pops up with big results often enough that it's not a HUGE surprise when it happens, but I'm fitting her in here, anyway. Her appearance in the Dubai final over the weekend was her fifth career tour final, but easily her biggest yet. Left behind in her wake? Names like K.Bondarenko, Safina, Hantuchova, Zvonareva and Kanepi before she was finally stopped by Venus.
=============================
VETERANS: Venus Williams/USA & Cara Black/Liezel Huber, ZIM/USA
...Venus did her sponsors proud with her title in Dubai, her first since claiming the Tour Championships last year. Cornet, Dementieva and Serena proved to be her stepping stones to the final with Razzano as she grabbed her 40th career singles title. Black & Huber backed up last week's Paris crown with one in Dubai. It's the equivalent to the old Tier I titles, and it completes a three-peat at the event for the duo (2007-09 champs).
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FRESH FACES: Victoria Azarenka/BLR & Patricia Mayr/AUT

AP Photo / Mark Humphrey
...Azarenka, 19, has found her groove, further proving how big grabbing that first career title (which she did in Week 1 in Brisbane) can truly be. After dropping her first four tour singles finals, she's won in both of her '09 attempts. The latest came in Memphis, where she swept both the singles (defeating Caroline Wozniacki in the final) and doubles competition (winning it with C-Woz) to move within a hair of the Top 10 for the first time. Imagine if she hadn't been struck down by food poisoning in Melbourne. Austria's 22-year old Mayr made some hay on the ITF circuit a season ago (she's got eight career titles), and so far she's been able to carry it over to the big tour. In Bogota, she knocked off defending champ Llagostera-Vives and Raluca Olaru on her way to her first career SF result.
=============================
DOWN: Agnieszka Radwanska/POL & Jelena Jankovic/SRB
...A-Rad rebounded from her 1st Round Dubai loss to sister Urszula by reaching the doubles final, but it's not enough to avoid this (dis)honor. Meanwhile, in her last action before her big Madison Square Garden exposure (no, not of the Harkleroad variety -- by way of Billie Jean King's exhibition on HBO with AnaIvo and the Williams sisters), JJ went out in straights to Kanepi in the 3rd Round in Dubai. I sense the "When does Roland Garros start?" query is going to be Queen Chaos' theme for the entire opening quarter of the season.
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ITF PLAYER: Yanina Wickmayer/BEL
...a good result for the young Belgian, as she won the $25K event in Surprise, Arizona. Of course, with good news must come bad. Her opponent in the final, Julia Vakulenko, who'd qualified to run her winning streak to fourteen matches, retired from the match with Wickmayer only leading by a 6-7/6-3/4-3 score, so whatever her ailment it must have been serious enough to not want to play through it in an attempt to win back-to-back challenger titles. Poor, Julia. Can't she ever catch a break? Ooh, I probably shouldn't mention the word "break" when talking about Vakulenko's health, huh? Talk about tempting fate.
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NCAA STAR: Chelsey Gullickson/USA
...Chelsey and her sister Carly are longtime Backspin favorites, so it's nice to be able to report that University of Georgia freshman Chelsey is having a fine time of things in her first season of college tennis. Recently, she was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's National Women's Indoor Championships"Most Outstanding Player' for her play in the tournament. Amongst her wins was a victory over the NCAA's top-ranked woman, Northwestern's Moscow-born sophomore Maria Mosolova. Behind Gullickson's play, Georgia is the nation's #2-ranked team and Chelsey is the #9-ranked women's player in the NCAA (and the highest-ranked freshman).
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1. Dubai SF - V.Williams d. S.Williams
...6-1/2-6/7-6. Much like their tight Bangalore meeting early last season, this'll probably be the most ignored big match of the year. More important things were happening (or not happening) in Dubai, though. Venus now leads the series with Serena 10-9, taking her first head-to-head lead against her sister since Serena's 2002 U.S. Open victory knotted their match history at 5-5.
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2. Dubai 2nd - Razzano d. Safina
...6-4/6-2. I guess Safina was overdue for one of these.
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3. Dubai 2nd - Ivanovic d. Kleybanova 7-5/6-4
Memphis 1st - Wozniacki d. Dokic 6-1/6-2
... What happened in Melbourne stayed in Melbourne.
=============================
4. Dubai 2nd - V.Williams d. Pavlyuchenkova
...6-0/6-1. Of course, in "the future," these two will be meeting up again in a far bigger match.
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5. Dubai 3rd - Kanepi d. Jankovic
...6-2/7-5. The remodeling continues.
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6. Bogota 1st - Zec-Peskiric d. Pennetta
...6-3/4-6/7-6. An upset? Yes. Of course, anytime Pennetta is a #1 seed, as she was here, a 1st Round loss is a likely result.
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7. Memphis Final - Azarenka d. Wozniacki 6-1/6-3
Bogota Final - Martinez-Sanchez d. Dulko 6-3/6-2
Dubai Final - V.Williams d. Razzano 6-4/6-2
... Oh, yeah. There were actual FINALS this weekend, too. After losing 3 & 3 in Fed Cup play to C-Woz, Azarenka won when it counted most, passing the Dane in the WTA rankings and getting to within 42 points of #10 A-Rad. Dulko finished second twice to MJMS, also being on the losing end against the Spaniard in the doubles final. Venus' first official title of '09 gets her back into the Top 5.
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8. Dubai 2nd - Zheng d. Stosur
...3-6/7-5/7-5. Stosur is up a set, then loses two close ones to drop a match. Uh-oh, here we go again?
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9. Dubai QF - V.Williams d. Dementieva
...6-3/6-3. Maybe Punch-Sober has finally hit the early-season wall, (already) twenty-four matches in.
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10. Dubai QF - S.Williams d. Ivanovic
...6-4/6-4. #1 Serena has a 961-point lead over former #1 AnaIvo.
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HM- Memphis QF - Wozniacki d. Krajicek
...2-6/6-3/6-3. The reverberations of the vacant P.O.W. award conspired to keep Krajicek off the Awards list, but she deserves a mention for her recent upswing in results after such a woeful 2008 season. Last week she qualified in Memphis, got a main draw win over Alla Kudryavtseva, pushed C-Woz to three sets and was doubles RU with Yuliana Fedak.
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**VENUS vs. SERENA, since 2005**
2005 Miami QF - Venus 6-1/7-6
2005 US Open 4th - Venus 7-6/6-2
2008 Bangalore SF - Serena 6-3/3-6/7-6 (Venus MP)
2008 Wimbledon F - Venus 7-5/6-4
2008 US Open QF - Serena 7-6/7-6
2008 WTA Chsp RR - Venus 5-7/6-1/6-0
2009 Dubai SF - Venus 6-1/2-6/7-6
--
NOTE: Venus leads series 10-9

**VENUS vs. SERENA - THROUGH THE YEARS**
1998-2001 - Venus 5-1
2002-2003 - Serena 6-0
2005-2009 - Venus 5-2

**2009 WINS OVER #1-RANKED PLAYER**
Australian Open 4th - #17 Bartoli d. #1 Jankovic
Dubai SF - #6 V.Williams d. #1 S.Williams
ALSO:
Hong Kong SF - #7 V.Williams d. #1 Jankovic (exhibition)
Paris SF - #4 Dementieva walkover #1 S.Williams

**2009 WTA FINALS**
3...Elena Dementieva (2-1)
2...VICTORIA AZARENKA (2-0)
2...Dinara Safina (0-2)

**2009 FIRST-TIME CHAMPIONS**
Victoria Azarenka, BLR/age 19 (Brisbane)
Petra Kvitova, CZE/age 18 (Hobart)
MARIA JOSE MARTINEZ-SANCHEZ, ESP/age 26 (BOGOTA)

**2009 SINGLES/DOUBLES SWEEPS**
Serena Williams - Australian Open
VICTORIA AZARENKA - MEMPHIS
MARIA JOSE MARTINEZ-SANCHEZ - BOGOTA





ACAPULCO, MEXICO (Int'l $220K-Red Clay)
08 Final: Pennetta d. Cornet
09 Top Seeds: V.Williams/Pennetta
=============================
=SF=
V.Williams d. Suarez-Navarro
Pennetta d. Benesova
=FINAL=
Pennetta d. V.Williams

...Venus at a tiny tournament like this -- on clay in February -- days after winning a top level tournament in Dubai, a week before the Billie Jean King-sponsored exhibition in NYC? This one just doesn't pass the smell test (can you say, "early exit?"). After last week, it's sort of fitting, I guess. Ugh, I'll go with Pennetta again, even though picking her to win a title usually means she'll duck out in the 1st Round (twice so far already when I've picked her this season). But she's defending champion here (she's only the second defending champ to actually return to attempt to repeat at any event thus far in '09) and is the #2 seed, not #1. So maybe there's a chance. Venus might face CSN, her Melbourne conqueror, on a surface that's better for the Spaniard. Still, I'll stick with Venus getting some revenge... if she actually manages to get that far in the tournament, that is.


All for now.

Read more...

Wk.6- The French Way

The history of French sports is littered with athletes with flair and a sense of style whose love for the dramatic moment, while often entertaining, has tended to work to the detriment of those men and women's chances to actually WIN anything.

Henri Leconte was a wonderful tennis shotmaker in his day, but you'd never want him playing if anything IMPORTANT was on the line. Jean Van de Velde had the British Open in his golf bag a few years ago, then stubbornly refused to play safe shots on the final hole of the tournament and saw his great moment devolve into farce and bare feet.



Up until a few seasons ago, Amelie Mauresmo fit rather (un)comfortably into said group of French sports stars. While her game was elegant and graceful, her big stage collapses were threatening to paint the ultimate memory of her career into an ugly, unfortunate corner.

Then came 2006, when she won both the Australian Open and Wimbledon. She didn't finish the year at #1 (Justine Henin did, and was dubbed "Player of the Year" by some after reaching all four slam finals, though she lost two of them to Mauresmo -- but that's an award argument long since gone stale, isn't it?), but her place in the sport's history was cemented forever.

Unfortunately, the past two seasons didn't provide her with much of a victory lap. Once she'd reached her career height, then won that diamond-encrusted racket in Antwerp in February of '07, she ran head first into the perfect storm of tennis troubles: injuries, coaching changes and the resulting lack of confidence that nearly drove her into retirement before the start of the '09 season.

But in a year that has seen Jelena Dokic become a star once again in Australia, and both Sania Mirza and Shahar Peer rebound from woeful '08 campaigns, perhaps "second acts" are in vogue this season.

Last week in Paris, Mauresmo wrote her very own comeback story.


AP Photo / Christophe Ena

With her flair still intact, but with a little extra grit at the end of a long, arduous road from where she once was to where she hoped to once again be, Mauresmo took Paris by storm like she never has during the two weeks of Roland Garros. With the crowd in her corner, and with Mauresmo encouraging the support whenever she needed it most, she got quick revenge on Sara Errani for her Fed Cup throttling in a meaningless rubber a week ago, easily elbowed Top 10er Agnieszka Radwanska off the court, then outlasted #3 Jelena Jankovic and #4 Elena Dementieva in three set matches in which Mauresmo had to overcome 2nd sets that could have been so discouraging that no one would have been surprised to see her go down meekly in the 3rd.

But she didn't give up, and instead got stronger. After all these years, save for one, the Frenchwoman has finally found the internal fortitude to overcome what has often been her most difficult opponent -- one Amelie Mauresmo herself. With a 7-6/2-6/6-4 win over Dementieva in the final, Mauresmo not only got her first title in two years but she also managed to push her ranking back into the Top 20.

Maybe more importantly, though, she made all her hard work and reluctance to give up pay off. In her mind, she's back. And as far as the WTA is concerned, the landscape just got a little bit more elegant all over again.

*WEEK 6 CHAMPIONS*

PARIS, FRANCE (Premiere $700K/GSI)
S: Amelie Mauresmo def. Elena Dementieva 7-6/2-6/6-4
D: Black/Huber d. Peschke/Raymond

PATTAYA CITY, THAILAND (Int'l $220K/HO)
S: Vera Zvonareva def. Sania Mirza 7-5/6-1
D: Shvedova/Tanasugarn d. Beygelzimer/Diatchenko


PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Amelie Mauresmo/FRA
...three Top 10 wins. Two Top 4 victories. Twice allowing just two games to opponents. A new #19 ranking. Needless to say, it was her greatest week in quite some time.
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RISERS: Vera Zvonareva/RUS & Shahar Peer/ISR
...since late last summer, Zvonareva has been a safe bet to reach at least the SF in every tournament (7/9) she's played. In those nine events, she's reached the final five times, the most recent being last week in Pattaya City. She won career title #9, running off wins over the likes of Yaroslava Shvedova, Peng Shuai, Shahar Peer and a resurgent Sania Mirza. Speaking of Peer, while her week ended with a loss in the SF and a snubbing by Dubai, she proved her fine Fed Cup play wasn't confined to team competition (unlike many of the other FC stars in the "week after"). Of course, the denial of a visa to enter the UAE for a groundbreaking appearance in this week's Dubai event was the story that broke out of the sports pages and into the "regular" news. Obviously timed (as Dubai qualifying action had already started, or was about to do so) to back the WTA into a corner and make a cancellation of the event a logistical/monetary headache/near-impossibility, the emperor-has-no-clothes aspects of this story are clear, not to mention disheartening. Both Dubai & Qatar like to sell themselves as "different" from their Middle East neighbors, and sports entities have flocked there to collect the readily available money. But, apparently, at least Dubai isn't as "above" all the ages-old ill feelings as has been advertised. WTA head Larry Scott stated that Peer and her representatives backed the decision to play on, not wanting to harm so many others just because of a slight toward her... but, really, what else could Peer say under such circumstances, considering the firestorm she encountered by simply being Israeli in Melbourne during the Gaza invasion? "Promises" are made and broken, and we'll see how Scott & Co. deal with this issue in the future, even though it has been strongly hinted that this could be the end of the tour's relationship with the UAE if things do not change. Money talks, you know... especially in these cloudy economic times. If the tour truly desired to put its foot down and LEAD on this issue for every other sport/tour that deals with the UAE (including the ATP, which is scheduled to play a tournament there next week) it would have cancelled the tournament as soon as the story broke, damn the consequences, since the timing of the visa decision can't be looked at as anything other than a game of chicken that everyone involved knew was going to be lost by the WTA. Politics and tennis need not mix, most of the time. But when a government goes out of its way to exclude a particular athlete, that sport should close ranks around that player in a show of support that cannot be questioned nor broken. The WTA failed on that account this time. Things CAN be ultimately made right, but the opportunity to do the RIGHT thing at the right TIME has passed. It's a pity.
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SURPRISES: Sania Mirza/IND & Emilie Loit/FRA
...the good early signs as far as Mirza's comeback continue, as well. In Pattaya, with her ranking all the way down at #126, Mirza knocked off Tamarine Tanasugarn and Magdalena Rybarikova to reach her first tour singles final since her star-turn run to the Stanford final in 2007. The Year of the Comeback continues. Speaking of comebacks, 29-year old Loit hasn't been heard from too much of late, but that ended in Paris. After ending 2008 at #138, her first season-ending rank outside the Top 100 since 2000, Loit made it through qualifying with wins over Raluca Olaru and Camille Pin, then reached the QF with upsets of Nicole Vaidisova and Kaia Kanepi before falling to Serena Williams.
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VETERANS: Elena Dementieva/RUS & Nathalie Dechy/FRA
...Dementieva didn't win Paris (losing to Mauresmo in the final) or avenge her Oz loss to Serena (Williams pulled out of their SF match with a sore knee), but she got wins over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Nathalie Dechy and reached her third final (already) of 2009. Dechy was yet another Pastry to shine (can pastries shine?) last week in Paris. She, too, reached the QF (one of four Frenchwomen to do so) after getting victories over Sorana Cirstea and Patty Schnyder.
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FRESH FACES: Magdalena Rybarikova/SVK & Vitalia Diatchenko/RUS
...Rybarikova is quickly showing herself to be one of this season's fastest-rising players. In Pattaya, she reached her second SF of 2009, knocking off Kimiko Date-Krumm and Caroline Wozniacki along the way. Diatchenko, 18, is the latest Hordette to grad the tour's attention. In Pattaya, the world #180 made it through singles qualifying, then reached the doubles final with Yulia Beygelzimer.
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DOWN: Caroline Wozniacki/DEN & Agnes Szavay/HUN
...there wouldn't seem to be anything to worry about with C-Woz, but her results of late have shown a definite absence of what's essential for a player on the cusp of the Top 10 to have what it'll take to stay there. Before the Australian Open, she failed to convert a match point against Serena Williams in Sydney, and ever since her inconsistency has shown through. She lost that three-setter to Dokic in Melbourne, then last week barely escaped youngster Ksenia Pervak (Pervak retired in the 3rd set) before losing in straight sets to Rybarikova in Pattaya. This week, she'll face Dokic again in the 1st Round in Memphis. Another loss and a definite trend -- and not a good one -- will have been established. Meanwhile, Szavay's downfall continues. She's barely holding onto a Top 30 ranking, but if she doesn't shake out of her early-round funk soon she might find herself in triple-digits on the WTA computer before long. She lost in two sets to Li Na in Paris (not a bad loss), but then followed it up today with another 1st Round defeat at the hands of Camille Pin in Dubai despite claiming the 1st set. Over the last twelve months, she's gone 22-26.
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ITF PLAYER: Lucie Hradecka/CZE
...the Czech claimed her second ITF title on the season with a win in the $75K in Midland, Michigan. She notched victories over Stephanie Foretz, Evgeniya Rodina and Eleni Daniilidou in the final.
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JUNIOR STARS: Blanka Szavay/HUN & Paola Cos/USA
...yes, 15-year old Szavay is Agnes' little sister. She reached a Grade 2 SF in La Paz, Bolivia, losing to the ultimate champion of the event -- 16-year old American Cos.
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1. Paris Final - Mauresmo d. Dementieva
...7-6/2-6/6-4. Mauresmo failed to convert a match point at 5-2 in the 3rd, then double-faulted to give Dementieva a break point. A backhand error kept Dementieva alive in the match, and opened the door for a collapse. But Amelie wasn't going to let herself or that supportive French crowd down. Not this time.
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2. Paris SF - Mauresmo d. Jankovic
...6-2/0-6/6-1. Jelena -- and her serve -- are still a work in progress. How long until Roland Garros again?
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3. Dubai 1st - U.Radwanska d. A.Radwanska
...6-4/6-3. A-Rad is getting an early start on Week 7's "Down" award, losing in straights to her little sister today in their first-ever professional meeting. Speaking of trends, A-Rad's slow start is now something worth discussing if things don't turn around next time out.
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4. Paris QF - Jankovic d. Cornet
...5-7/6-4/6-4 Safina's Ghost is still rattling chains inside Alize's attic (aka her head).
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5. Fed Cup "Week After"
Paris 1st - Sprem d. Kvitova
Paris 2nd - Loit d. Kanepi
Dubai 1st - Schruff d. Kvitova
...Fed Cup heroines are often times shocked backed into reality soon after.
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6. Fed Cup/Sports Illustrated "Week After"
Dubai 1st - Pavlyuchenkova d. Kirilenko
Dubai 1st - Morita d. Chakvetadze
Dubai 2nd - Vesnina d. Kuznetsova
...Chakvetadze's troubles continue. Fed Cup winner Kuznetsova's, too (the Dubai RU a year ago, she lost the 3rd set here at love!). At least Kirilenko will have more time to autograph some of her S.I. swimsuit issue photos.
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7. Pattaya Final - Zvonareva d. Mirza
...7-5/6-1. That Olympic Bronze seems to have been as much of a boon to Zvonareva's career as Dementieva's Gold has been to her's.
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8. Paris 1st - Loit d. Vaidisova
...6-1/6-4 It's not even a story anymore, is it?
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9. Paris SF - Dementieva w/o S.Williams
... hmm, I wonder if Serena would have played if this was a slam SF, or not the week before an event that's essentially the current equivalent of an old Tier I?
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10. Paris Doubles F - Black/Huber d. Peschke/Raymond
...6-4/3-6/10-4 Huber's Fed Cup mojo continues, and she and Black have their first title of '09.
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HM- Mildura $25K Final - Spears d. Palkina
...5-7/6-3/6-2. The American gets her second ITF title of the season.
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**CAREER WTA SINGLES TITLES - ACTIVE**
39...Venus Williams, USA
33...Serena Williams, USA
25...AMELIE MAURESMO, FRA
19...Maria Sharapova, RUS
--
ALSO: Davenport-55

**2009 WTA SF**
4...Elena Dementieva (2-1 +W)
3...Serena Williams (1-1 +L)
2...Amelie Mauresmo (1-1)
2...Magdalena Rybarikova (0-2)
2...Dinara Safina (2-0)
2...Vera Zvonareva (1-1)





DUBAI, UAE (Premiere $2m-Hard Outdoor)
08 Final: Dementieva d. Kuznetsova
09 Top Seeds: S.Williams/Safina
=============================
=QF=
S.Williams d. Ivanovic
Dementieva d. V.Williams
Jankovic d. Cibulkova
Safina d. Zvonareva
=SF=
Dementieva d. S.Williams
Safina d. Jankovic
=FINAL=
Safina d. Dementieva

...the "show" goes on, with the "truth" bearing down over the entire event. The Williams sisters could meet in the SF, but Serena's knee is a question mark. The safer pick is to go with two Russians to once again meet in the final... but it'd be interesting to see "essential WTA spokeswoman" Venus win this thing just to see what she might say about the whole Peer incident when she's handed the microphone after what could very well -- but probably won't be -- the tour's final match in the UAE.


MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE USA (Int'l $220K-Hard Indoor)
08 Final: Davenport d. Govortsova
09 Top Seeds: Wozniacki/Azarenka
=============================
=SF=
Dokic (Q) d. Keothavong
Azarenka d. Safarova
=FINAL=
Azarenka d. Dokic (Q)

...we'll see if Dokic's great run of results can continue, as she'll open up with a 1st Round meeting against the player against whom she scored maybe her biggest win in Melbourne -- #1-seed Wozniacki.


BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (Int'l $220K-Red Clay)
08 Final: Llagostera-Vives d. Salerni
09 Top Seeds: Pennetta/Suarez-Navarro
=============================
=SF=
Pennetta d. Dulko
Suarez-Navarro d. Llagostera-Vives
=FINAL=
Pennetta d. Suarez-Navarro

...oh, no. A clay event. I haven't missed the coming migraines. I'll go with Pennetta again, even though she's the most unreliable pick there is when it comes to these things.


All for now.

Read more...

Wk.5- Cups Runneth Over and Empty

On the opening weekend of 2009 Fed Cup action, we got the usual mixed bag of results.

We saw the expected (the Hordettes advanced without dropping a set in singles), the somewhat surprising (not that the Czechs and Italians won, but how handily they did so) and the continuation of a great story (Jelena Dokic went undefeated in her first FC action for Australia since 2000). And that's not even mentioning the most riveting tie of the weekend in Surprise, Arizona, where an American team led by a first-year captain depended on a 17-year old in her FC debut to stage a come-from-behind singles win just to get to the deciding match featuring a 30-year old injury replacement making her own FC debut and the world's co-#1 doubles player, a former South African whose role as the team's most dependable performer was very nearly wasted due to the up-and-down singles results.

In the end, the Americans lived to fight another day... and hope that at least one of the Williams sisters will be around this spring to help send the band of upstarts into an unexpected Fed Cup final.

*WEEK 5*

(Group I - 1st Round)
RUS d. CHN 5-0
ITA d. FRA 5-0
USA d. ARG 3-2
CZE d. ESP 4-1


=MVPs=
Flavia Pennetta, ITA:

...the Italians were surprise FC champs in '06, then reached the final again in '07. But, still, the team tends to be underrated. With Amelie Mauresmo and Alize Cornet playing for France, one at least expected a tight battle. Oh, it WAS tight in the first two matches. But Italy won both, then essentially saw the French wave the white flag for the remainder of the weekend. Pennetta opened things by coming back from a set and a break down against Mauresmo, shot an obscene gesture toward the chair umpire at one point, then returned on Day 2 to easily take out Cornet. If there was a single Fed Cup MVP for the weekend, it'd probably be Pennetta.

Liezel Huber, USA: Debuting Captain Mary Joe Fernandez got lucky with a draw that gave the USA's "B" team a beatable opponent in Argentina. Then, when an injured Bethanie Mattek pulled out, MJF added Julie Ditty to the mix, beefing up the doubles portion of the roster but leaving the singles to Jill Craybas and a debuting Melanie Oudin. The U.S. needed two singles wins -- hardly a given -- to get to the doubles match, where Huber would give the Americans a huge advantage. Needless to say, Fernandez was operating without a net. Oudin's come-from-behind win over Betina Jozami in Match #4 made MJF's chess moves look brilliant, as Huber arrived on the scene and shepherded the underrated Ditty through the biggest match of her career in a straight sets win that puts the Americans in the SF against a Czech team that, while tough, is surely a better matchup (especially if the Williams sisters stay home) than one against the Russians or Italians would have been. Huber gets the MVP here, but maybe Fernandez should get a portion of it, as well. Perhaps she should stop off in Vegas on her way home from Arizona, since she surely pulled a royal flush out of the deck in Surprise.

Petra Kvitova, CZE: who needs Vaidisova? Facing off against 2008's FC finalist Spain, Kvitova added yet another honor to her 2009 ledger. She got her first tour title a few weeks ago, and this weekend led the Czech team to an easy 4-1 win over the Spaniards, winning both her singles matches in straights over Carla Suarez-Navarro and Nuria Llagostera-Vives.

Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS: there really wasn't a MOST valuable player for the Russians, considering the team's deep pool of talent was put on full display with all four roster players winning singles matches in straight sets against the Chinese. Kuznetsova, who got things started with a singles win in the first match, and Elena Dementieva teamed to complete the 5-0 shutout with a three-set doubles victory.

(Group II - 1st Round)
SVK d. BEL 4-1
GER d. SUI 3-2
SRB d. JPN 4-1
UKR d. ISR 3-2

Dominika Cibulkova, SVK: Cibulkova followed up her Hopman Cup title with another leading role under the flag of the Slovak Republic. She went 2-0 in singles over a Belgian team that's seeing the last remnants of La Petit Taureau's accomplishments dry up as it continues it's gradual fall back to the pre-Henin/Clijsters position in FC zone play. Of course, with both retired Waffles announcing their roles in later-in-the-season exhibitions, might a return in the future be at least something that could be legitimately discussed leading into 2010?

Anna-Lena Groenefeld, GER: things didn't start well for ALG, as she was stunned by Patty Schnyder in the first match in the GER/SUI tie. But with the Germans down 2-1 on Day 2, Groenefeld took control, winning 3 & 1 in singles over Timea Bacsinszky and teaming with Tatjana Malek in doubles to defeat Schnyder and Stephanie Voegele to squeak by the Swiss.

Jelena Jankovic, SRB: both JJ and AnaIvo were in action against the Japanese, as Serbia continues to climb the FC ladder (a win in April will send the team into the final 8 for 2010). Both defeated Ai Sugiyama and Ayumi Morita in straight sets, but JJ allowed just six games to Ivanovic's eleven.

Alona Bondarenko/Kateryna Bondarenko, UKR: while Russia's depth was used to its fullest, Ukraine relied solely on the Sisters Bondarenko against Israel. It almost wasn't enough, as Shahar Peer took out both of them in singles and it came down to the deciding doubles match. After a bad few weeks as an all-sister team, the Bondarenkos came together when it counted, defeating Peer and Tzipora Obziler to seal the 3-2 victory.

(ZONE PLAYOFFS)
EST d. BLR 2-0 (Europe/Africa I)
POL d. GBR 2-1 (Europe/Africa I)
AUS d. NZL 3-0 (Asia/Oceania I)
CAN d. PAR 3-0 (Americas I)

Kai Kanepi, EST: she got a win over Tsvetana Pironkova in Round Robin play, then upset Victoria Azarenka in the Europe/Africa playoff against Belarus.

Agnieszka Radwanska, POL: things didn't go smoothly for A-Rad. She lost to Mervana Jugic-Salkic in RR play, but managed to get Poland into the second Europe/Africa playoff. She edged Anne Keothavong 7-6/7-6 there, preventing the Brits from pulling off a big upset. In the next match, the Poles got a doubles win from Jans/Rosolska to get by Great Britain 2-1.

Samantha Stosur, AUS: Dokic was the story, but Stosur was the lead player for Australia. It was a risk, considering Dokic's recent great play and Stosur's inability to close out matches, but it worked out. Stosur got a great comeback win from 4-6/2-5 down against Tamarine Tanasugarn in RR play, and maybe used that burst of confidence to power her way past Marina Erakovic in the playoff.

Aleksandra Wozniak, CAN: A-Woz and Stephanie Dubois split up the match play for Canada, and teamed in doubles to shut out Paraguay in the playoff. Wozniak wiped out Rossana de los Rios in singles, allowing just one game to the veteran, giving her a slight edge for MVP.

(RISERS)
Jelena Dokic, AUS: her play in the Asia/Oceania group was Dokic's first FC action since 2004, and first for Australia since 2000. In the #2 singles role, she went 3-0 against lesser competition than was faced by Sam Stosur, running her career FC singles record to 14-2 (12-2 for AUS). Quick Quiz!! Name two players that a then-17 year old Dokic defeated in her last FC tie for Australia. ANSWER: Kim Clijsters and Anna Kournikova.

Shahar Peer, ISR: Peer's great singles play -- wins over both Bondarenkos -- nearly single-handedly got a win for Israel. It didn't, but it DID signal that the Corporal might finally be back on track. Of course, considering she defeated the roll-the-dice Bondarenkos... who's to REALLY know, right?

(SURPRISES)
Anne Keothavong, GBR: while the young Brits are making waves in the juniors, Keothavong is really coming into her own at age 25. She'd already gotten off to a good start in '09 before she capably led the GBR team this past week. She went 3-0 in Round Robin play, getting wins over Agnes Szavay and Arantxa Rus. In the Europe/Africa zone playoff against Poland, while attempting to complete an upset of the Poles, she came up short in two tie-breaks against A-Rad, then was part of the losing doubles team, too. Oh, well. She's still on track for a career-best season.

Mervana Jugic-Salkic, BIH: unlike Keothavong, ITF star Jugic-Salkic DID get a win over A-Rad, a 1-6/6-4/7-6 victory in a RR meeting between Poland and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

(VETERANS)
Patty Schnyder, SUI: poor, Patty. She did so much this weekend for Switzerland, but it all eventually went for nothing. She opened things with a big win over Groenefeld, then backed it up with a Day 2 victory over Sabine Lisicki to give SUI a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five affair. But when she and Voegele couldn't put away the doubles match against ALG/Malek, the Swiss ended up losing anyway.

Francesca Schiavone, ITA: Schiavone led the Italians to a FC title in 2006, and she's still putting up her best results when playing in the team environment. Her 8-6 3rd set win over Cornet gave Italy a 2-0 lead in the tie against France, and pretty much took the heart out of the Pastries' effort on Day 2.

Julie Ditty, USA: with so many USTA circuit titles under her belt, doubles almost-specialist Ditty wasn't quite the babe-in-the-woods that Tennis Channel's announcers made her out to be on Sunday, but taking part in the USA/ARG tie's deciding match, in her FC debut at age 30, surely was the biggest moment of her career. She came through with flying colors, too... and might have earned herself another future invite whenever the Williamses can't make the date.

(FRESH FACES)
Melanie Oudin, USA:

...it's early in 2009, but the young American Bannerettes are showing some definite personality -- and they all seem to be fighters. First, it was Christina McHale in Melbourne, and this weekend it was 17-year old Oudin in Surprise. In her FC debut weekend, in a match she HAD to win, Oudin clawed her way back from a set deficit against Betina Jozami, an ill-timed rain delay when she was leading 4-0 in the 2nd set, and an early 0-2 hole in the 3rd to track down a 2-6/6-1/6-2 victory that allowed Huber/Ditty to put away the victory in doubles. In 2008's FC opening weekend, it was Ashley Harkleroad who pulled the U.S. team out of the fire. This time it was Oudin. But unlike with Harkleroad, Oudin's fortunes for the rest of the season will continue to take place ON the court (and IN her clothes).

Alisa Kleybanova, RUS: after starring in Oz, Kleybanova was thrown the fourth match in Russia's tie with China. She held up her end, completing the Hordettes' all-sets sweep of the singles with her win in straights over Sun Tiantian.

(DOWN)
Team France: Mauresmo opening things by blowing a set and a break lead to Pennetta. Cornet followed up by pushing Schiavone to three sets, but losing the deciding stanza 8-6. Down 0-2 after Day 1, neither won a set in their Day 2 singles matches.

Carla Suarez-Navarro, ESP: in 2008, it was CSN's uprising that helped push Spain into the FC final. Against the Czechs, a week after her career-best run in Melbourne, she must have suffered a letdown. She didn't win a single set against either Kvitova or Lucie Safarova in Spain's 4-1 loss.

(ITF PLAYER OF THE WEEK)
Julia Vakulenko, UKR
...great news for Vakulenko backers. After pulling off so many eye-opening victories (she ended Clijsters' career, remember), but struggling even more often with injuries, Julia is on the comeback trail. She hasn't played a tour match since last September (naturally, a retirement in Bali), but she's been recently making appearances in ITF events in California. This weekend, she won one. A former world #32, the now-#349 made her way through qualifying and eventually claimed the Rancho Mirage $25K title, destroying Lauren Albanese 6-0/6-1 in the final.


1. FRA/ITA 1st Rd. - Pennetta d. Mauresmo
...2-6/7-6/6-4. When Flavia flashed that finger she was just saying, "You're #1." Well, you know.
=============================
2. FRA/ITA 1st Rd. - Schiavone d. Cornet
...6-2/2-6/8-6 Is Dinara's Ghost going to haunt Alize all season?
=============================
3. AUS/THA Asia/Oceania RR - Stosur d. Tanasugarn
...4-6/7-5/6-0. Could this match, where Stosur broke Tanasugarn and won eleven straight games to win the match, be the moment that her confidence is finally stoked and her singles results turn around?
=============================
4. USA/ARG 1st Rd. - Oudin d. Jozami
...2-6/6-1/6-2 Pint-sized Oudin's scrambling game should translate well to clay.
=============================
5. USA/ARG 1st Rd. - Huber/Ditty d. Dulko/Jozami
...6-2/6-3. Poor Jozami. She was a part of all three of Argentina's losses in the tie. Poor Dulko, too. She did all she could to get a win for Argentina, but it wasn't enough.
=============================
6. EST/BLR Europe/Africa PO - Kanepi d. Azarenka
...2-6/6-3/6-1. Is Victoria still thinking about that match with Serena?
=============================
7. POL/BIH Europe/Africa RR - Jugic-Salkic d. A.Radwanska
...1-6/6-4/7-6. An A-Rad blip, or more evidence of a slow start to her season that is going to soon begin to cause her ranking to begin a downward tumble?
=============================
8. DEN/BLR Europe/Africa RR - Wozniacki d. Azarenka
....6-3/6-3. An interesting "deep cut" FC matchup from the Round Robin zone play.
=============================


**FED CUP SF**
Russia vs. Italy
United States vs. Czech Republic

**GROUP I PLAYOFF TEAMS**
Argentina
China
France
Germany
Serbia
Slovak Republic
Spain
Ukraine

**GROUP II PLAYOFF TEAMS**
Australia
Belgium
Canada
Estonia
Israel
Japan
Poland
Switzerland





PARIS, FRANCE (Premiere $700K/Greenset Indoor)
2008 FINAL: Chakvetadze d. Szavay
2009 TOP: S.Williams/Jankovic
=============================
*SF*
S.Williams def. Dementieva
Jankovic def. Kleybanova
*FINAL*
S.Williams def. Jankovic

...a year ago, Chakvetadze and Szavay reached the final here. Not much good has happened for either since. Not that the Paris indoors final is cursed or anything... I'm just sayin'. Still, this year's finalists should take nothing for granted. I'll go with Serena, who might not really be INTO this event so soon after Melbourne. But this is the biggest tour title to come along so far in '09 other than the Australian Open, so...


PATTAYA CITY, THAILAND (Int'l/Hard Outdoor)
2008 FINAL: A.Radwanska d. Craybas
2009 TOP: Zvonareva/Wozniacki
=============================
*SF*
Zvonareva def. Peer
Wozniacki def. Cibulkova
*FINAL*
Zvonareva def. Wozniacki

...Peer and Cibulkova had great weekends, but Zvonareva had a good week's rest after reaching the Oz semifinals.


All for now.

Read more...

The Dorothy Tour Awards

One slam down. Three to go. One month down. Nine more to go. And, in a few minutes, one Backspin monthly awards presentation down, too.

**Dorothy Tour Awards - January/Wk.1-4*
**TOP PLAYERS**
1. Serena Williams, USA
...it looks like it's going to be up to her just how tight a grip she's going to have on the tour in '09.
=============================
2. Elena Dementieva, RUS
...she's made great progress over the years, but "glass ceiling" seems to keep coming in conversations about Punch-Sober.
=============================
3. Dinara Safina, RUS
...she's got the entire season to get out of her "2nd place rut." Of course, she could fall back to "3rd," as she did here.
=============================
4. Victoria Azarenka, BLR
...now she knows how close she REALLY is.
=============================
5. Marion Bartoli, FRA
...amazing what a fewer number of truffles has done for La Trufflette.
=============================
HM- Vera Zvonareva, RUS
...Dinara and Elena have been getting all the attention, but Vera might have actually made the MOST progress of all the top Russians over the last few months.
=============================

**RISERS**
1. Dinara Safina, RUS
2. Vera Zvonareva, RUS
3. Marion Bartoli, FRA
4. Carla Suarez-Navarro, ESP
5. Petra Kvitova, CZE
6. Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
7. Hsieh Su-Wei/Peng Shuai, TPE/CHN
8. Elena Vesnina, RUS
9. Sara Errani, ITA
10. Alize Cornet, FRA
HM- Zheng Jie, CHN & Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL

**FRESH FACES**
1. Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2. Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
3. Alisa Kleybanova, RUS
4. Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK
5. Jessica Moore, AUS
6. Gabriela Paz, VEN
7. Melanie Oudin, USA
8. Ekaterina Makarova, RUS
9. Christina McHale, USA
10. Urszula Radwanska, POL
HM- Sharon Fichman, CAN

**JUNIORS**
1. Ksenia Pervak, RUS
2. Laura Robson, GBR
3. Noppawan Lertcheewakarn, THA
4. Ana Bogdan, ROU
5. Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
6. Ajla Tomljanovic, CRO
7. Elena Bogdan, ROU
8. Christina McHale, USA
9. Anna Orlik, BLR
10. Heather Watson, GBR
HM- Nadiya Kichenok, UKR

**SURPRISES**
1. Anne Keothavong, GBR
2. Elena Baltacha, GBR
3. Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez, ESP
4. Melinda Czink, HUN
5. Galina Voskoboeva, KAZ
6. Alberta Brianti, ITA
7. Chanelle Scheepers, RSA
8. Katie O'Brien, GBR
9. Anna Orlik, BLR
10. Stephanie Cohen-Aloro, FRA
HM- Heather Watson, GBR

**VETERANS**
1. Serena Williams, USA
2. Elena Dementieva, RUS
3. S.Williams/V.Williams, USA
4. Nathalie Dechy, FRA
5. Ai Sugiyama, JPN
6. Nadia Petrova, RUS
7. Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
8. Iveta Benesova, CZE
9. Anabel Medina-Garrigues, ESP
10. Venus Williams, USA
HM- Julie Coin, FRA & Kimiko Date-Krumm, JPN

**COMEBACKS**
1. Jelena Dokic, AUS
2. Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
3. Sania Mirza, IND
4. Sesil Karatantcheva, BUL (KAZ)
5. Mara Santangelo, ITA
HM- Karolina Sprem, CRO

**DOWN**
1. Maria Sharapova, RUS
2. Ana Ivanovic, SRB
3. Nicole Vaidisova, CZE
4. Agnes Szavay, HUN
5. Agnieszka Radwanska, POL
HM- Cara Black/Liezel Huber, ZIM/USA & Jelena Jankovic, SRB

**ITF PLAYERS**
1. Gabriela Paz, VEN
2. Sharon Fichman, CAN
3. Emma Laine, FIN
HM- Alexa Glatch, USA

*QUOTES*
"The more you know, the worse you sleep." - Dinara Safina
"(I've been) eating too many chocolates out of depression from not being allowed to play for India." - Shikha Uberoi (IND), who used to play under the U.S.A. flag, on the decision by Indian tennis that players from other nations, even though they have Indian ancestry, will no longer be allowed to represent India in international competitions such as the Fed Cup
"I just thought, 'My eyes, my innocent eyes.'" - Serena Williams, on her thoughts when her Australian Open doubles match was interrupted by a streaker

**TOP PERFORMANCES**
[1]
Serena Williams wins the Australian Open, her tenth career slam singles title (obviously)
[2]
Elena Dementieva opens her season by winning back-to-back titles in Auckland and Sydney
[3]
Jelena Dokic blooms once more, reaching the Oz quarterfinals in front of the Australian fans

*TOP MATCH*
[singles]
Australian Open 4th Rd. - Jelena Dokic def. Alisa Kleybanova
...7-5/5-7/8-6. The Queen of the Melbourne Night's final gift to the tournament, a come-from-behind (she was down 3-1, love/30 on her own serve in the 3rd) win under the lights during the on-the-seventh-day-Laver-Arena-exploded spectacular, that solidified her out-of-nowhere-after-all-these-years run that became the tournament's best story.
[doubles]
Australian Open QF - Hantuchova/Sugiyama def. Black/Huber
...7-6/3-6/7-6(10). Hantuchova/Sugiyama didn't win the title, but their 3:00 take down of a very game world's #1 doubles team was probably the best match in Melbourne that was almost ignored by the most people.

*QUOTES*
"It's really emotional to win today. What I had to go through, it's really great to have this win. I don't think a lot of people know what it means to me. It's great to be here at a slam." - Jelena Dokic, after winning her 1st Round Australian Open match, her first main draw win at a slam since 2003
"Everybody says the third time's the charm, but for me it's the fifth." - Victoria Azarenka, after finally winning her first WTA singles title in Brisbane in her fifth career final
"I've said always my whole story with him (Damir Dokic) is finished. It would have to be an unbelievable miracle for him to change. I don't see that happening." - Jelena Dokic, on her estranged father

*MOST DRAMATIC MATCH*
Australian Open 1st Round - Jessica Moore def. Christina McHale
...1-6/6-3/9-7. What is it about players cramping during matches that is just SO dramatic? Well, whatever it is, it happened in this matchup of two wild cards. McHale seemed well on her way to victory in the 2nd set, then suddenly could barely make it around the court. She nearly pulled out the match anyway, serving for the whole ball of wax in the 3rd. But Aussie Moore eventually took control of things and put the American out of her misery.

*BREAKOUT MOMENT*
Australian Open 2nd Round - Carla Suarez-Navarro def. Venus Williams
...2-6/6-3/7-5. Venus led 4-1 in the 3rd, served for the match and even held a match point. But the 20-year old Spaniard made her first appearance in the AO main draw a memorable one, winning this match and getting her second slam QF result in just four career slams.

*BIGGEST UPSET*
Australian Open 3rd - Alisa Kleybanova def. Ana Ivanovic
...7-5/6-7/6-2. Or is it?

*BIGGEST COMEBACK*
Australian Open 4th Rd. - Dinara Safina def. Alize Cornet
...6-2/2-6/7-5 Apparently Safina didn't use up all her tennis lives in '08, after all. As has become her habit in slams, the Russian had to hover on the edge of defeat before she finally raised her game to it's most glorious level. This time, she trailed 5-2 in the 3rd and faced two match points -- one on which Cornet just narrowly missed a winner down the line -- before rebounding and reaching another slam final.

*BIGGEST COLLAPSE*
Sydney 1st Round - Serena Williams def. Samantha Stosur
...6-3/6-7/7-5. The Aussie served at 5-4, 40/love in the 3rd. She had two double-faults on match point, recalling the match she blew against Nicole Vaidisova last year at Wimbledon.

=FINALLY!=
Kimiko Date-Krumm played her first grand slam main draw match in thirteen years (darn, would you know it -- I had a dozen years in the Backspin HQ pool)
=============================
Victoria Azarenka won her first tour singles title (Petra Kvitova did, too.)
=============================
The Wimbledon Centre Court roof is scheduled to be tested for the first time in May!
=============================
Sesil Karatantcheva got her first slam main draw win since 2005
=============================
Jelena Dokic got her first Australian Open main draw win since 1999
=============================

*QUOTES*
"I feel like a grandmother out there, with so many 14 and 15-year olds playing." - 19-year old Sesil Karatantcheva (go ahead, make your own pregnancy joke -- it's very hard to pass up, though I managed to actually do it this one time)
"I love my job. I love hitting balls, running and jumping, chasing after the ball. I love what I do, so I think that's what keeps me motivated." - Venus Williams

=EVENTUALLY?=
...Olga Morozova will get Svetlana Kuznetsova's game and head right. And, hey, at the U.S. Open she won't be able to hang a winnable match that she somehow managed to lose on a closed roof, either.
=============================
...Jelena Jankovic's training in Mexico will pay off
=============================
...Maria Sharapova will be back (just don't hold your breath waiting for it to happen anytime soon)
=============================
...Queen Chaos will get those air-conditioned shoes she wants. Geez. Helicopter rides, red cars, special shoes... needless to say, JJ is a very "high-maintenance" sort of woman, huh?

And speaking of ol' QC, the reigning drama queen of 2008 had a very eventful opening to her 2009 season... only the highlights didn't take place on the court.

*JJ's EARLY-SEASON HITS-and-MISSES
"Jelena's World" is Serbia's #1 movie
=============================
She picked up a "I Went to Hong Kong and All I Got was the Flu and This Lousy T-Shirt" t-shirt during 2009's first week
=============================
JJ got a new boyfriend (see "high-maintenance" comment above)
=============================
Snezana managed to get the license of the truck that ran over Jelena in Melbourne -- I think it was "DrBsKID"
=============================
Queen Chaos signed with IMG. I hope THEY know what they signed up for.
=============================
An actual STAR was dubbed "JJ." It's located in the sc2 Hercules constellation of the North Polar region. (I'll take their word on it.)
=============================
She placed an ad in the Melbourne Tribune's "Lost & Found" for the game that seemed to have abandoned her as soon as she crossed over into Australian air space. (Hmmm, maybe that wouldn't have been a bad idea... though she might want to go on a scavenger hunt-like hike in the Mexican highlands, too.
=============================
Even though she's now #3 rather than #1, Jankovic probably won't have the need for any helicopter rides around the All-England Club this summer... well, unless someone there has a long memory, that is. At least she might get a good view-from-a-distance of the first opening-and-closing of the roof, should it come to that.
=============================

I guess there really WAS only room for one Jelena Down Under. That was good for the (Former-and-Once Again) Fair One (aka Miss Dokic), but not for Queen Chaos.

Oh well, it's only February. She's got time.





FED CUP 2009
=============================
=1st Round=
Russia def. China 4-1
France def. Italy 3-2
USA def. Argentina 3-2
Spain def. Czech Republic 3-2

...China is unlucky again. Mary Joe Fernandez and the American "B" team draw a beatable opponent (though with Bethanie Mattek on the sidelines, I fear this early prediction might now be in jeopardy). Amelie returns to Team France. And CSN tries to carry over her Oz success.

=World Group II=
Slovak Republic def. Belgium 5-0
Germany def. Switzerland 3-2
Serbia def. Japan 4-1
Ukraine def. Israel 4-1


All for now.

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"SuperRafa!!" (co-starring roger federer)

You know you're thinking it, and some people are probably saying it after the 2009 Australian Open men's final. Yes, at this point, it looks like Roger Federer might just be Rafael Nadal's female dog.

I just can't bring myself to use the "unedited" version of that sentence. It'd just be too disrespectful of a great champion and good person. But it's pretty certain that such a harsh, bush-league declaration will be made by some after Nadal's 7-5/3-6/7-6/3-6/6-2 victory, and Federer's going to have to find a way to counter and upend the notion if he's to avoid going from "The Greatest of All Time" to "Not Even the Greatest of HIS Time" in such lightning speed that it makes your head spin.


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Except for that two-set aberration against Tomas Berdych, Federer came into this final in fine form after two weeks of play in Melbourne. But maybe that bad start against the Czech was enough to plant a seed in the Swiss Mister's head that he really WASN'T the same player he was a few seasons ago. In the past, he would never have had to come back from two sets down against an opponent he's dominated. And he knew it.

Even when Federer was on top of the tennis world, he had trouble with a young Nadal whose best surface by far was clay. And while Federer was making his way to yet another slam final (the eighteenth of his career), Nadal was tearing up opponents on the hard courts of Melbourne Park. Oh, Nadal was tested once, by countryman Fernando Verdasco in the SF. But after fighting for 5:14, Nadal won that one, too.

Now, after being bested by the Spaniard on his favored grass at the All-England Club last July, the only home base left for Federer to defend was a hard court slam. So, while Federer was looking to match Pete Sampras' record fourteen slam titles with an Australian Open title here, he knew that a loss would mean all sorts of things he simply didn't want to even contemplate.

This record seventh meeting in a grand slam final wasn't so much about Federer trying to catch Sampras, it was about whether Nadal's rise in 2008 was going to turn out to be a temporary reign, or whether the Era of Federer really HAD come to a close. Federer's battle with mono last season gave him a convenient "out" to explain away his sudden difficulties. And it might do just that when it comes to his out-of-character losses to the likes of Roddick, Blake, Fish and Karlovic in '08. But Nadal? No, it's now apparent that there is nothing that washes away what has now become the Rafa's dominance over Federer -- he's simply a better, tougher and more resilient player.

End of sentence. End of era. And this time there are no questions left to answer.

Still, even though it's a role that Federer never wished for or thought he'd ever be relegated to, the former #1 is a perfect foil for Nadal (sort of like when Bjorn Borg met John McEnroe). They just can't help it. Whenever they meet on the court, thrilling tennis is a given and the final result is akin to something being carved into the granite tableau of the game's history. This final was no different. While the matchup is a dream for the sport, it's quickly becoming a nightmare for Federer. As Nadal is filling out his career resume, it's happening at the expense of Federer's -- and it's threatening to "ruin" the bio and legacy of the player everyone was dubbing the "Greatest of All-Time" just a short while ago.

As during the classic Wimbledon final last year, Federer had his chances to seize control of this match. But he simply could not do it. In the 3rd set, with Nadal seeming to tire, Federer was looking to go up two sets to one. He had six break points -- including a triple break point on Nadal's serve -- to go up 6-5 and have a chance to serve for the set. Nadal survived, then got a second wind in the 3rd set tie break, which he won to push Federer's back against the wall.

Federer fought back to send the match to a fifth set, but then collapsed under the pressure in the deciding stanza. Why did it happen to a great champion? Was it the pressure of the moment? Of history? Of his disappointment over his failure to meet his own lofty expectations? Or just of Rafa himself, and the knowledge that even after Nadal had played nine-plus hours of tennis in his last two matches, and had one less day of rest than the relatively lightly-tested Federer, that he STILL didn't have as much inner reserve as the Spaniard? Ummm, the answer is likely yes, yes, yes and yes.

Rather than wilt, Nadal got stronger down the stretch. The match was over. You might even say that Nadal intimidated Federer into capitulating in the clutch... which is what Federer used to do to everyone else.

Four years ago, Federer was brought to tears by the sight of Rod Laver at Laver Arena, handing him his championship trophy. This time around, again with Laver nearby, Federer broke up again while addressing the crowd, and had to take a break before going on. Previously, the tears were of joy and awe of his idol being there to witness his triumph. This time... who's to be sure? Maybe it was because of the failure to do what he thought he would in the match, or maybe the realization that he really ISN'T what he once was (or that if he is, it's not enough to defeat Nadal). Few players enjoyed being the best player in the world more than Federer. He loved being the King, and didn't question it when people called him the best player to ever live.

But it's difficult to be "the best ever" when you're no longer even "the best now." A week ago, Bud Collins said he'd rank Federer in the "Top 10" of all-time. A great honor, but not the one that Federer wants or, maybe more importantly, had come to expect after so many years at the top.

For all of Nadal's current greatness, and make no mistake that he now owns the men's game in both heart AND mind just as he currently hold three of the four slam titles, the odd thing is that his rise has made Federer the truly compelling character in this story. What does he do now? Does he change his approach to playing Nadal, as Brad Gilbert suggested on ESPN2 after the match? Does he re-think his close friendship with Nadal, which one could argue might have humanized him a little TOO much in Rafa's eyes and removed all chance to claim any sort of aura or hint of intimidation when they meet on the court.

Would Roger's good buddy Tiger Woods ever become close with a true rival? No, because he would be "giving up" much more than he'd get in return. "If you want to have a close friend, make it the #100 player in the world," might be Tiger's advice. When intimidation is such a part of your game -- and it certainly was for Federer for years, as opponents seemed to genuflect at his mere presence in a tight match -- losing even a little of it can prove to produce a severe shift in expectations, as far as his opponents AND the "top dog" are concerned.

Federer seems to be trapped between that rock and a hard place.

In a way, the once-dominant Steffi Graf found herself in the same position in the early 1990's as Federer does now. After ruling the sport, her power was suddenly usurped by Monica Seles. The Yugoslav was inside her head, and she couldn't find a way to beat her. The German was either going to have to change something about her game and approach, or be fated to going from possibly the "best" player to the "second-best of her era," forever altering how she would be viewed by tennis history. Of course, as things turned out, the incident in Hamburg took Seles -- literally for a few years, then in spirit if not in actual reality -- out of the equation. Without her nemesis to overcome, Graf continued doing what she'd always done, never trying to add new facets (such as a net game) to her arsenal, and simply picked up where she'd left off before Seles arrived on the scene. Without a true rival, she was the easy #1 again.

Waiting and hoping for Nadal to burn brightly and then flame out would not seem to be the recommended course of action for Federer. So, what he'll do next will be the most interesting story to follow the rest of this season.

Well, unless you count what will surely become a drumbeat of excitement about a possible "Rafa Slam" when and if Nadal wins his fifth Roland Garros crown in June, that is. After proving he can win a hard court slam, after having already done the same on grass last year, there's no reason to think anyone can prevent Nadal from winning all four slam titles in 2009.

Right now, it surely doesn't look as if Federer is capable. And, really, who else is there? We shall see.



=DAY 14 NOTES=
...after all the on and off court weeds she's had to try to make her way through over the last season or two, it's nice to see Sania Mirza start her season with something good. She and Mahesh Bhupathi defeated Nathalie Dechy and Andy Ram in the Mixed Doubles final, giving Mirza her very first grand slam title. Bhupathi has now won seven Mixed Doubles championships at all four slams, with seven different women since 1997.

...and, finally, the first leg of the '09 season is now complete, so look for Backspin's "Dorothy Tour" awards this week.




*RAFAEL NADAL SLAM TITLES*
Australian Open (1): 2009
Roland Garros (4): 2005-08
Wimbledon (1): 2008
U.S. Open (0): none

*MOST SLAM FINAL MEETINGS - MEN*
7 - ROGER FEDERER vs. RAFAEL NADAL
5 - Andre Agassi vs. Pete Sampras
5 - Ivan Lendl vs. Mats Wilander
4 - Bjorn Borg vs. Jimmy Connors
4 - Bjorn Borg vs. John McEnroe

*MOST MEETINGS IN ATP FINALS*
20 - Ivan Lendl vs. John McEnroe
16 - Andre Agassi vs. Pete Sampras
16 - Boris Becker vs. Stefan Edberg
15 - ROGER FEDERER vs. RAFAEL NADAL
15 - Jimmy Connors vs. John McEnroe
13 - Boris Becker vs. Ivan Lendl
12 - Bjorn Borg vs. Jimmy Connors



*WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL*
#2 S.Williams/USA def. #3 Safina/RUS

*MEN'S SINGLES FINAL*
#1 Nadal/ESP def. #2 Federer/SUI

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
#10 Williams/Williams (USA/USA) def. #9 Hantuchova/Sugiyama (SVK/JPN)

*MEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
#2 Bryan/Bryan (USA/USA) def. #3 Bhupathi/Knowles (IND/BAH)

*MIXED DOUBLES FINAL*
Mirza/Bhupathi (IND/IND) def. Dechy/A.Ram (FRA/ISR)

*GIRLS SINGLES FINAL*
#3 Ksenia Pervak/RUS def. #5 Laura Robson/GBR

*BOYS SINGLES FINAL*
#1 Yuki Bhambri/IND def. Alexandro-Ferdinandos Georgoudas/GER

*GIRLS DOUBLES FINAL*
#6 Christina McHale/Ajla Tomljanovic (USA/CRO) def. Alexandra Krunic/Sandra Zaniewska (SRB/POL)

*BOYS DOUBLES FINAL*
#7 Francis Casey Alcantara/Hsieh Cheng-Peng (PHI/TPE) def. Mikhal Biryukov/Yasutaka Uchiyama (RUS/JPN)




TOP QUALIFIER: Elena Baltacha/GBR
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): Dominika Cibulkova/SVK
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): Elena Dementieva/RUS
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): Serena Williams/USA
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q3: Stephanie Dubois/CAN d. Urszula Radwanska/POL 6-4/6-4
TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd: Suarez-Navarro d. V.Williams 2-6/6-3/7-5 (1 MP)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): 4th Rd: Safina d. Cornet 6-2/2-6/7-5 (2 MP)
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F): SF: Safina d. Zvonareva 6-3/7-6
=============================
FIRST SEED OUT: #23 Agnes Szavay/HUN (1st Rd.- Voskoboeva/KAZ)
UPSET QUEENS: The French
REVELATION LADIES: The Kazakhs
LAST QUALIFIERS STANDING: Elena Baltacha/GBR, Alberta Brianti/ITA, Sesil Karatantcheva/BUL-KAZ (2nd Round)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Jelena Dokic/AUS (QF)
IT GIRL: Carla Suarez-Navarro/ESP
MS. OPPORTUNITY: Vera Zvonareva/RUS
COMEBACK PLAYER: Jelena Dokic/AUS
CRASH & BURN: Venus Williams/USA (lost in 2nd Rd.)
ZOMBIE QUEEN: Dinara Safina/RUS (down 2-5 in 3rd, & 2 MP to Cornet in 4th Rd.)
LAST SHEILA STANDING: Jelena Dokic/AUS (QF)
DOUBLES STAR Sania Mirza/IND
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: Ksenia Pervak/RUS



All for now.

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