US 1.5- Venus, If You Will...

ESPN2, I christen thee a U.S. Open nighttime network.

Sure, I can do without Mary Carillo's constant yammering about the night session going too long into the evening and fans in the stands having to be somewhere tomorrow morning (hello, if you're purchasing tickets for the U.S. Open evening schedule and are hoping that things wrap up before 10:30pm, then why are you there in the first place?), but otherwise, the "worldwide leader in sports'" very first Open-at-Night worked like a charm (and Andy Roddick is only playing in the 1st set of his match as I speak).

Thank Venus Williams... or whoever that was out there for most of Night 1.

Of course, a somewhat hobbled (she called for a trainer to tend to her left knee, which dad Richard kindly told Pam Shriver had been bothering her for five or six weeks... something it was apparent she didn't authorize for public consumption, if the look on her face when Shriver asked her about it after the match was any indication) Venus spraying unforced errors and dancing with defeat is nothing new. Either she or Serena -- and sometimes both -- treat us to at least one of these moments at every grand slam, or so it seems.

As of now, the one designated for the 2009 U.S. Open came at the expense of Vera Dushevina.

With a trainer visit and a series of foot faults mucking up the works for Williams in the 1st set, Dushevina stayed with the American and served for the set at 6-5. She was broken, but in the proceeding tie-break, Williams' fourth foot fault of the set erased what would have been a point that gave her a 6-3 TB lead and three chances to claim the set. Having to serve again, she double-faulted, saw the Russian hold both her service points and then pass a net-hugging Williams with a crosscourt backhand to claim the seventy-six minute opening set 7-6.

In the 2nd, Dushevina served at 3-1. With a chance to potentially race too far ahead for Williams to catch up, she was broken again (at love). Still, she managed to get a 5-4 lead and found herself within three points of wrapping up a straight sets win for probably the biggest victory of her career. With more nighttimes Open wins than any other woman, and with not a single loss in this tournament in the first three rounds since she made her debut in 1997, a Venus opening round loss (she's only had three such defeats in her slam career -- '97 Wimbledon, '01 Roland Garros & '06 Australian Open) would surely make headlines.

But, of course, that didn't happen.

With Venus upping her in-point aggression, she broke Dushevina to take a 6-5 2nd set lead, then held at love to take the set at 7-5 and knot the match. In the 3rd, Venus got two early breaks and led 4-1. She gave one of them back, and failed on her first two match point attempts, but this story was already written once Dushevina failed to put her boot on Williams' neck when she had the chance in the 2nd. In converting her third match point, Venus won the 2:44 match 6-7/7-5/6-3, but only the heart of an experienced veteran resembled that of a champion on this night. After entering this tournament as a longshot-in-theory based on her setback-stuffed summer, and then proceeding to show that the questions were very well-founded, Venus' odds of both making it through two weeks at Flushing Meadows look like they just got a little bit longer.

Let's see... a Williams, battling an injury and poor form, slips through a tough 1st Round match in a slam after very nearly being sent packing. Everyone assumes she can't physically make it through two weeks of action or, if she can, her game's struggles certainly won't allow her to escape oblivion again on a bad day or night for too much longer. Does that sound about right? Hmmm... that sounds spookily familiar to a few other past slam scenarios.

Yeah, I guess it IS best to remember that Venus is still a Williams. Looks can be deceiving.

All for tonight.

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US.1- Of Kim Clijsters and Pesky Inner Voices

If you squinted your eyes, you could almost see Mary Pierce on Arthur Ashe Court on Day 1 of this year's U.S. Open.

Was it Pierce? No, of course not. It was Victoriya Kutuzova. But since Kim Clijsters was on the other side of the net, the mistake was an understandable one. After all, the same Clijsters who was running roughshod over the Ukrainian, going up 5-0 to start the match, was the same one who'd done the same thing to Pierce in the women's final nearly four years ago. After a wrist injury, retirement, marriage, a baby daughter and a so-far-very-successful comeback, this was Clijsters first Open match since the 2005 championship that finally gave her career tennis resume an accomplishment worthy of all the fuss.

Rarely has a player returned from a self-imposed absence from the sport with such a seemingly seamless transition. While just a few weeks ago it would have been an easy jab at the "quality" of the current women's game to aggressively bat around the "telling" notion of a player who hasn't played a competitive match in over two years being able to walk back onto the tour and be able to defeat Top 20 and Top 10 players with relative ease (as Clijsters did in Cincinati and Toronto this summer), the level of play of the Belgian over the past month has been so high that it really shouldn't be an issue (though some will probably try to make it one if Clijsters advances deep into the second week of this tournament). She's not the same player who won this title four years ago, but she can almost see her from here. While the slight possibility of a yellow-bricked path to the Australian Open final for Jelena Dokic was an unrealistic scenario back in January, a Tony Award-worthy trip to the second Saturday by Clijsters might not necessarily be a tale of fiction.

Of course, what would you expect from the most popular player in the history of tennis? In all of sports history, really, going back to the day the first cavemen challenged all his cave-dwelling buddies that he could throw HIS wooly mammoth bone farther and with more accuracy than the rest. Heck, why even beat around the bush, we ARE talking about the individual whom every person on earth would donate every organ in their body if it meant that she might be able to breathe air for an additional day, improving the atmosphere of the entire planet with her every exhale.

All right, all right. I admit, I AM going a little bit overboard in my praise of Clijsters. But listening to the breathless, awe-inspiring introduction of a short segment about her today on Tennis Channel, I could have sworn the player whose match was about to be aired had just been knighted by the Queen, given sainthood by the Pope and declared the greatest living human all in one fell swoop. Seriously, after that, I was tempted to call someone in New York and tell them to get Clijsters to a protologist, stat, because an entire television network might be squatting in a place where television networks shouldn't ever squat. Seriously, I was about to-

(cue inner voice)

"Calm down. Calm down. Kim doing well might mean Justine will be back soon, too. Remember that?"

(inner voice listens to inner question)

"Yeah, I know that Carlos Rodriguez said that he knows nothing about those rumors of a potential Henin comeback... but, come on, he could have been a secret agent in alternate life. Even water torture -- administered personally by the Dark Lord himself, Dick Cheney -- would get anything out of him. You can't let little things like that Tennis Channel thing set you off. You promised to start Clijsters II by wiping the slate clean, remember? There you go. That's the way."

(order is restored)

Now, where was I? Oh, yeah. Great match, Kim. Go get 'em.



=DAY 1 NOTES=
...well, the notion of an "upset-free" 1st Round went by the wayside on Day 1 with the exit of the first seed from the women's draw. The victim? Estonia's Kaia Kanepi, for the second time in a slam this year.

Just as she was at Roland Garros, Kanepi was the first seed sent packing when she lost to 18-year old qualifier Chang Kai-Chen of Taiwan, 6-0/2-6/6-2.

...speaking of qualifiers, Angelique Kerber (def. Andrea Petkovic) and Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova (def. fellow qualifier Marta Domachowska) also advanced to the 2nd Round. Wild cards winning on Day 1 included Clijsters and Vania King, who posted the first victory of the tournament when Anastasiya Yakimova retired with a foot injury three games into their 1st Round match.

Also, with King's win, at least one non-Williams American has reached the 2nd Round. Three, actually, since Jill Craybas knocked off countrywoman qualifer Carly Gullickson, and Bethanie Mattek-Sands got a victory today, as well. Also, as I type this, Meghann Shaughnessy is giving Daniela Hantuchova a nice workout.

...no 1st Round winner today was happier about it than Samantha Stosur, who escaped her encounter with Ai Sugiyama by a 6-4/4-6/6-4 score, breaking the Japanese vet at 5-4 in the 3rd to put away the match (after not allowing a netted volley at match point to get inside her head). Slingin' Sammy had come into this event having lost four straight U.S. Open 1st Round matches. Well, at least that long national Australian nightmare is over.

...ITF Update: youngster Richel Hogenkamp of the Netherlands won another ITF challenger event over the weekend. I don't know if she'll be in the U.S. Open Girls draw or not, but if she is, I'll once again make sure to keep an eye on her.

...the reason for the odd scheduling of the Venus Williams/Vera Dushevina match during the first night session rather than the Serena Williams/Alexa Glatch one was finally revealed today. Apparently, word got around the grounds that Cali Girl Glatch was suffering from a lower back injury, so tournament officials didn't want to risk a dud of a match. After penciling in Serena's match for Night 1, Venus' was written down in ink. Thing is, during tonight's match, Venus called for a trainer to look her left knee after just three games (and Richard Williams just told Pam Shriver the knee has been bothering her for "five or six weeks"). Never assume anything, I guess.

Still, I figure Williams will still win the match in the end. If not, if occurrences warrent it, I guess I could be forced to break out the ol' ".5" and do a "U.S. Open at Night" edition of the Daily Backspin later tonight.

...and, finally, ESPN2's first day of coverage of the U.S. Open went off mostly without a hitch. Combined with Tennis Channel's mostly non-Sainthood promoting coverage (with Martina Navratilova and Jimmy Connors covering matches together, as well as a nightly recap show featuring Lindsay Davenport), this setup might just work, after all (but ESPN needs to show score updates more often so people don't have to jump on the internet to know what's going on, something that TC at least seems to understand with the use of a score ticker at the bottom of the screen). Of course, it'd been nice if Tennis Channel hadn't been forced to go off air at 7pm in the middle of the Jelena Dokic/Kirsten Flipkens match since ESPN2's night coverage was starting. As it was, Dokic, who played an horrific serve game at 3-4 in the 1st set to virtually give away the opening stanza, was leading 3-1 in the 2nd. She eventually lost to the Belgian 6-3/6-4. Now that I think about it, I'm sorta glad I didn't have to watch that one.

Of course, any U.S. Open coverage turns on the axis of the night session coverage. We'll see how that turns out. At least John McEnroe made the jump from USA Network. It wouldn't have had a chance to work at all without him.




*RECENT FIRST SEEDS OUT*
[US OPEN]
2005: #28 Flavia Pennetta (lost to Schruff)
2006: #15 Anna-Lena Groenefeld (lost to Rezai)
2007: #29 Samantha Stosur (lost to Cornet)
2008: #24 Shahar Peer (lost to Li)
2009: #25 Kaia Kanepi (lost to Chang)
[2009]
AO: #23 Agnes Szavay (lost to Voskoboeva)
RG: #19 Kaia Kanepi (lost to Shvedova)
WI: #23 Aleksandra Wozniak (lost to Schiavone)
US: #25 Kaia Kanepi (lost to Chang)

*2009 - SLAM'S FIRST MATCH WINS*
AO: Patricia Mayr (def. Schruff)
RG: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (def. Olaru), Li Na (def. Domachowska)
WI: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (def. Cetkovska)
US: Vania King (def. Yakimova)

*RECENT QUALIFYING ROUND "TOP PLAYER" AWARD*
[2006]
AO: Ashley Harkleroad, USA
RG: Julia Vakulenko, UKR
WI: Meilen Tu, USA
US: Chan Yung-Jan, TPE
[2007]
AO: Julia Vakulenko, UKR
RG: Timea Bacsinszky, SUI & Ioana-Raluca Olaru, ROU
WI: Hsieh Su-Wei, TPE & Olga Govortsova, BLR
US: Alina Jidkova, RUS
[2008]
AO: Julia Schruff, GER
RG: Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez, ESP & Yanina Wickmayer, BEL
WI: Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez, ESP & Eva Hrdinova, CZE
US: Yaroslava Shvedova, KAZ & Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova, CZE
[2009]
AO: Elena Baltacha, GBR
RG: Yaroslava Shvedova, KAZ
WI: Victoriya Kutuzova, UKR
US: Eva Hrdinova, CZE




TOP QUALIFIER: Eva Hrdinova/CZE
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): xxx
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xxx
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xxx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q3: Eva Hrdinova/CZE def. Laura Robson/GBR 7-6/4-6/7-6
TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): xxx
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xxx
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F): xxx
=============================
FIRST SEED OUT: #25 Kaia Kanepi/EST (1st Rd.-Chang/TPE)
FIRST WIN: (WC) Vania King/USA (def. Anastasiya Yakimova/BLR)
UPSET QUEENS: xxx
REVELATION LADIES: xxx
LAST QUALIFIERS STANDING: xxx
IT GIRL: xxx
MS. OPPORTUNITY: xxx
COMEBACK PLAYER: xxx
CRASH & BURN: xxx
ZOMBIE QUEEN: xxx
LAST AMERICAN STANDING: xxx
LAST non-WILLIAMS AMERICAN STANDING: xxx
DOUBLES STAR xxx
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xxx



All for Day 1. More tomorrow (if not sooner, I guess).

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U.S. Open Preview: 2 vs. 126?

Throughout the 2000's, the U.S. Open has been a hotly contested slam. Well, at least before the final. So get your jollies while you can.

When Justine Henin won the title in 2003, her semifinal victory over Jennifer Capriati (maybe the "Match of the Decade" in women's tennis) was the classic highlight. When Serena Williams won it all last year, her quarterfinal victory over Venus was the best match. With one more tournament remaining in this decade, we've yet to see a three-set final. In fact, the last time a women's Open final went the distance was 1995, when Steffi Graf defeated Monica Seles. Twice, the final has been as close as 6-4/7-5 ('00 Venus def. Davenport, '08 Serena def. Jankovic), but so far the institution of playing the women's final under the lights has yet to produce a thriller that people will talk about for a generation.

Will things be any different in 2009? Well, there are a heap of potentially memorable matches that COULD take place BEFORE the final. Dementieva vs. Sharapova. Clijsters vs. Venus. Jankovic vs. Ivanovic. Safina vs. Jankovic. Serena vs. Venus (or Clijsters). Serena vs. Azarenka. But, really, thanks to a draw that put both Sisters in the bottom half, unless Queen Chaos maintains and improves upon her recent North American form at this tournament, there's really only one potential (and also legitimately realistic) final that has the ability to stir the echoes of classic moments of the past. But will it happen?

Here's a quick breakdown of the draw, quarter-by-quarter:

(1)SAFINA QUARTER: Safina and Jankovic could meet in the QF. As of now, I'm giving the edge to the Serb, but Safina has been in form in this year's slams in almost every round except the ones played just before or during the final weekend. So, I could easily see her advancing past JJ if they do meet. But one wonders if her lackluster pre-Open plays hints at a secret Safina ("It's my brain!") hope that she won't go down in flames on the big stage in NYC -- and that the easiest way to avoid it might be to quietly bow out, Marat-like, before the spotlight gets too harsh, and then hope for a clean slate come January in Melbourne. Just wondering. Lisicki would be a great dark horse pick to emerge here, but injuries and lack of match play have to have set her back and delayed any potential breakout U.S. Open performance by the German by one year. Hmmm, looking at the draw, if Safina did want to "stop the ride and get off," that 3rd Round against countrywoman Alisa Kleybanova, whose play may or may not have peaked in Toronto, could provide a nice "out."
RANKS: 1.Jankovic... 2.Safina... 3.Lisicki (if healthy)... 4.Kleybanova... 5.Ivanovic (on past reputation, not her recent one)

(4)DEMENTIEVA QUARTER: No player heads into Flushing Meadows in better form than U.S. Open Series winner Dementieva, but she'll have to be on her game early to reach the second week, as she'll likely see Maria Sharapova in the 3rd Round in a rematch of the Toronto final (probably under the lights, with Sharapova fresher than she was in Ontario). Though it may have been a blasphemous statement a few years ago, at the moment Dementieva's serve is probably more likely to hold up better than Sharapova's and allow Punch-Sober to survive to play another day. Kuznetsova, meanwhile, seems to have gained nothing from her Roland Garros triumph, though whatever small chance there is that she'll regain her form, would probably be the most likely to be able to claim a semifinal berth from the section. Wozniacki just won New Haven, but she's still unproven in the slams and is searching for her first QF... if she can get past Sorana Cirstea in the 3rd Round, that is. Zheng Jie could prove to be a spoiler, with a chance to catch the Dementieva/Sharapova winner one round later, quite possibly with whichever Russian won suffering a slight letdown that could prove fatal in this tournament.
RANKS: 1.Dementieva... 2.Sharapova... 3.Kuznetsova... 4t.Wozniacki/Cirstea (tie)

(3)V.WILLIAMS QUARTER: This is the section most likely to produce an eyebrow-raising/breakout potential/story of the tournament semifinalist. Venus is the semi-titular "favorite," but she's looked anything but on hard courts this summer. A few weeks ago, my gut was telling me to take a ride on the A-Train into Flushing Meadows, but Victoria Azarenka's lead-up work hasn't exactly been inspiring. Still, I'm not willing to totally forsake her chance. After all, hard court is her best surface, and she's got enough desire to pull a Serena and turn her game up a notch when it matters most. If she can resist taking a hit out on herself if things don't go well during a tight match, that is. The pink elephant in the room in this section, of course, is Clijsters, who's returning to the Open for the first time since she won the title in '05. She's playing better than anyone else in this part of the draw, and already has wins over Bartoli and Azarenka (both of whom she could meet again) in her comeback. A Venus-vs.-Kim Round of 16 match would surely make the tennis world (and maybe even a certain Ms. Henin, realizing she might stand an even better chance at winning than her countrywoman? We can only hope.) stand up and take notice. Of course, after facing no real pressure to perform thus far in Clijsters II, might Kim finally swallow hard if things get sticky over the next two weeks? We'll see.
RANKS: 1.Clijsters... 2.Azarenka... 3.V.Williams... 4.Bartoli... 5.Li (who knows?

(2)S.WILLIAMS QUARTER: This section is no pre-ordained walk for Serena, not with so many players who've beaten her (Stosur, Bammer, MJMS, Hantuchova, etc.) lurking around nearly every corner. Still, if she enters the second week with her body intact who's got the fortitude to pick against her? Sam Stosur has the ability to knock off the defending champ, and has reached a slam SF this year. Flavia Pennetta is playing better than ever. Zvonareva was one of the tour's hottest players earlier this year before her injury. But no one's a better slammer than Serena, and someone will likely have to play the match of her life to prevent her from at least reaching the semis. Williams might not make the final, but she's the only woman in the 128-count draw who is EXPECTED to do so, no matter how many matches she has (or hasn't) won since Wimbledon.
RANKS: 1.S.Williams... 2.Stosur... 3.Pennetta... 4.Zvonarva... 5.Vesnina/Mauresmo

So, if you mentally pencil into Serena in the final, who might she face? Well, Dementieva is long overdue to pick up a slam title, has her confidence brimming and, even better, doesn't have to face Williams until a potential final weekend clash. It seems like everyone who is someone is picking either Serena or Dementieva to win this title, and hardly anyone else (with a few unique exceptions). Who knows, after their classic Wimbledon SF meeting, maybe THAT final would even end the thirteen-year string of straight sets women's U.S. Open championships.

It sounds about right. 2 vs. 126. Of course, how often do grand slams play out just as everyone planned?




=QUALIFYING ROUNDS=
TOP PLAYER: Eva Hrdinova/CZE
...the Czech reached the main draw by way of winning a 3rd set tie-break against Laura Robson in the final qualifying round.
RISERS: Mariya Koryttseva/UKR & Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova/CZE
SURPRISES: Yurika Sema/JPN & Valerie Tetreault/CAN
VETERANS: Camille Pin/FRA & Yvonne Meusburger/AUT
FRESH FACES: Petra Martic/CRO & Chang Kai-Chen/TPE
DOWN: Nicole Vaidisova/CZE & Julia Vakulenko/UKR
COMEBACKS: Angelique Kerber/GER & Shenay Perry/USA
OTHER QUALIFIERS: Monique Adamczak/AUS, Marta Domachowska/POL, Carly Gullickson/USA, Vesna Manasieva/RUS, Anastasia Rodionova/AUS
WILD CARDS: Gail Brodsky/USA, Mallory Cecil/USA, Kim Clijsters/BEL, Alexa Glatch/USA, Vania King/USA, Christine McHale/USA, Kristina Mladenovic/FRA, Olivia Rogowska/AUS
OLDEST QUALIFIERS: Pin, 28 & Rodionova, 27
YOUNGEST QUALIFIERS: Martic, 18 & Chang, 18
LOW-RANKING QUALIFIERS: #212 Chang & #203 Hrdinova

=QUALIFYING MATCHES=
Q1: #6q Chan d. Vaidisova 7-6/2-6/6-2
...my head hurts.
Q1: Tetreault d. Vakulenko 6-4/7-6
...my heart hurts.
Q2: Arvidsson d. #22q Karatantcheva 6-4/7-5
...I could make a crude joke here to keep up the pattern, but I'll refrain.
Q2: Sema d. Date-Krumm 7-6/3-6/6-4
...good and bad news for Japan.
Q3: Hrdinova d. Robson 7-6/4-6/7-6
...I'm sure Robson had something cheeky to say afterward.

*2009 SLAM MULTI-QUALIFIERS*
2 - Alberta Brianti, ITA (AO/WI)
2 - Carly Gullickson, USA (RG/US)
2 - Sesil Karatantcheva, ex-BUL/KAZ (AO/WI)
2 - Victoriya Kutuzova, UKR (AO/WI)
2 - Vesna Manasieva, RUS (WI/US)
2 - Petra Martic, CRO (RG/US)
2 - Yvonne Meusburger, AUT (RG/US)
2 - Melanie Oudin, USA (AO/WI)
2 - Chanelle Scheepers, RSA (AO/RG)
2 - Anastasija Sevastova, LAT (RG/WI)

*2009 SLAM QUALIFIERS - BY NATION*
5 - USA
4 - CZE, GER, RUS
3 - CRO, ITA, JPN, UKR
2 - AUS, AUT, CAN, GBR, KAZ, LAT, POR, RSA
1 - BUL, ESP, FRA, NED, POL, SLO, TPE



=POTENTIAL FIRST SEEDS OUT?=
[TOP HALF]
#11 Ivanovic vs. K.Bondarenko
...AnaIvo is primed for another upset. K-Bond knocked off Venus the other week. She retired in New Haven, though, and, well, you know, she IS a Bondarenko Sister, so I'm not holding my breath for the upset here.
#32 Szavay vs. Peer
...Cibulkova's injury-related withdrawal put Szavay at #32 and, ultimately, in this very difficult 1st Round match-up. Lucky her.
#19 Schnyder vs. Safarova
...both players are just as likely to put on a brilliant show as have their fans pulling their hair out and wanting to throw something.
#23 Lisicki vs. Rezai
...but not if Lisicki is fully healthy, and not hindered by her lack of match play.
#30 A.Bondarenko vs. Kudryavtseva
...what are the odds that one unseeded Bondarenko could pull off a huge "upset," while the other seeded Sister could be bounced early? Hmmm, probably not as long as one might think.
#29 Sharapova vs. Pironkova
...if only because the Bulgarian has a history of pulling off stunning upsets in the early rounds of slams, and Sharapova has THAT SERVE working against her.
[BOTTOM HALF]
#28 Bammer vs. Martinez-Sanchez
...both have given Serena headaches (or, in MJMS's case, a virtual middle finger) this year. Williams lurks two rounds later.
#18 Li vs. Olaru
...when she's healthy, Li is a threat. When she's not, run for cover. Which is it?
#15 Stosur vs. Sugiyama
...if Slingin' Sammy has a letdown.
#3 V.Williams vs. Vera Dushevina
...it'd be the only justification for having this match open up the evening session on Night 1 rather than Serena vs. Glatch.

Hmmm, thing is, even with all these "potential" upsets listed, I actually think there's a decent chance that this Open COULD be a rare slam where none of the women's seeds lose in the 1st Round. But with two Bondarenkos involved, I doubt that'll be the case.

=LAST QUALIFIER STANDING?=
1. Eva Hrdinova, CZE
2. Anastasia Rodionova, AUS
3. Angelique Kerber, GER
4. Vesna Manasieva, RUS
5. Valerie Tetreault, CAN
HM- Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova, CZE
[LAST WILD CARD]
Kim Clijsters, BEL
[LAST AMERICAN]
Serena Williams, USA
[LAST NON-WILLIAMS AMERICAN]
Vania King, USA (WC)... or maybe NO American women not named Williams will win a match

=BIZARRO SEMIFINALS?=
Ivanovic vs. Sharapova, Clijsters vs. Mauresmo
...All-Comeback: Former Grand Slam Champions Edition
Jankovic vs. Petrova, Dokic vs. Vesnina
...the All-Shakespearean Drama Club
Safina vs. Peer, Larcher de Brito vs. Mirza
...Controversy 24/7
Lisicki vs. Wozniacki, Azarenka vs. S.Williams
...All-Futures (+Serena) Final 4.

=ONE DOZEN INTRIGUING EARLY-ROUND MATCHES=
1st Rd. - Pavlyuchenkova vs. Oudin
...the best 1st Round match between two unseeded players.
1st Rd. - #11 Ivanovic vs. K.Bondarenko
...ah, but will Julie Coin win HER 1st Round match this year?
1st Rd. - #3 Nadal vs. Gasquet
...obviously, no Kiss-Cam will be allowed.
1st Rd. - #2 Murray vs. Gulbis
...nahh, it couldn't happen. Right?
2nd Rd. - #14 Bartoli vs. (WC) Clijsters
...Bartoli gets the first "do-over" in Clijsters II. (I wonder if a Dallas Cowboys game will break out?)
2nd Rd. - #7 Zvonareva vs. Chakvetadze
...a very interesting early-round match that would probably get precious little attention.
2nd Rd. - #6 del Potro vs. Safin
...would Dinara be in the crowd? We know he won't likely be there when she plays.
3rd Rd. - #1 Safina vs. Kleybanova
...if things fall a certain way here, Safina might have to call on her Cat-like additional lives again.
3rd Rd. - #9 Wozniacki vs. Cirstea
...ESPN2 would probably push for a scheduled night match. Hopefully, Mary Joe Fernandez won't say C-Woz is from the Netherlands, which she did during ESPNEWS draw announcement broadcast, again.
3rd Rd. - #1 Federer vs. #31 Hewitt
...a classic night match if I've ever seen one.
3rd Rd. - #3 Dementieva vs. #29 Sharapova
...the potential highlight of the first week.
3rd Rd. - (WC) Clijsters vs. Dokic
...for old time's sake.

Of note, the Open scheduling mavens say they're going to switch up the order of the men's and women's night matches this season, with the men sometimes leading off after multiple decades of a "ladies first" policy. Oh, pray that Queen Chaos gets a scheduled second match up and brings her special brand of drama to the bewitching hour in New York.



Here's a handwritten bracket with additional comments for my 3rd Round-to-Final picks (with "apologies" to ESPN's Tony Kornheiser for "stealing" the idea from his annual notes-filled NCAA Basketball Tournnament brackets from the Washington Post):


Click for a larger version


=ROUND OF 16 PREDICTIONS=
#1 Safina d. #19 Schnyder
#5 Jankovic d. #11 Ivanovic
#4 Dementieva d. #13 Petrova
#9 Wozniacki d. #6 Kuznetsova
#8 Azarenka d. #12 A.Radwanska
(WC) Clijsters d. #3 V.Williams
#10 Pennetta d. #31 Vesnina
#2 S.Williams d. #15 Stosur

...I'm not sure I believe AnaIvo will make it this far, but it would be interesting to see an all-Serbian match that means something again. Why not Clijsters? Man, if Stosur could get on a roll, she could really act as a wrecking ball to the lower quarter of the draw.

=QUARTERFINAL PREDICTIONS=
#5 Jankovic d. #1 Safina
#4 Dementieva d. #9 Wozniacki
#8 Azarenka d. (WC) Clijsters
#2 S.Williams d. #10 Pennetta

...I'm hoping Queen Chaos can pull this one off, but if Safina is at her just-look-at-me-when-no-one's-looking best, I wonder if it'll happen. If the match-up with Azarenka actually comes off, I'd probaby give the edge to Clijsters. But the last time I didn't at least mostly stick with my early gut feeling in a slam (when I didn't pick a Safina/Kuznetsova RG final), I over-thought myself into NOT being able crow about having correctly predicted all six of this season's slam finalists so far. Five out of six isn't bad, but it's not as good as six. So, I'll stick with the A-Train, for this round.

=SEMIFINAL PREDICTIONS=
#4 Dementieva d. #5 Jankovic
#2 S.Williams d. #8 Azarenka

...the last chance for Azarenka to get some grand slam payback for that hot day Down Under that ended with her being helped off the court rather than skipping off it after upsetting Serena. JJ at least sets herself up for a good 4Q.

=FINAL PREDICTION=
#2 S.Williams d. #4 Dementieva

...Punch-Sober almost got her at Wimbledon, then did in Toronto. I wondered then whether the same result would happen if the match took place at the Open. Well, we might just find out... maybe even in three sets.




*RECENT US OPEN TOP SEEDS*
2000 Martina Hingis, SUI
2001 Martina Hingis, SUI
2002 Serena Williams, USA
2003 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2004 Justine Henin-Hardenne, BEL
2005 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2006 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
2007 Justine Henin, BEL
2008 Ana Ivanovic, SRB
2009 Dinara Safina, RUS

*RECENT US OPEN FINALS*
2004 Svetlana Kuznetsova d. Elena Dementieva
2005 Kim Clijsters d. Mary Pierce
2006 Maria Sharapova d. Justine Henin-Hardenne
2007 Justine Henin d. Svetlana Kuznetsova
2008 Serera Williams d. Jelena Jankovic

*RECENT US OPEN GIRLS FINALS*
1997 Cara Black d. Kildine Chevalier
1998 Jelena Dokic d. Katarina Srebotnik
1999 Lina Krasnoroutskaya d. Nadia Petrova
2000 Maria-Emilia Salerni d. Tatiana Perebiynis
2001 Marion Bartoli d. Svetlana Kuznetsova
2002 Maria Kirilenko d. Barbora Strycova
2003 Kirsten Flipkens d. Michaella Krajicek
2004 Michaella Krajicek d. Jessica Kirkland
2005 Victoria Azarenka d. Alexa Glatch
2006 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova d. Tamira Paszek
2007 Kristina Kucova d. Urszula Radwanska
2008 Coco Vandeweghe d. Gabriela Paz

*CAREER #1 SLAM SEEDS - ACTIVE*
5...Serena Williams
3...Maria Sharapova
3...DINARA SAFINA
3...Amelie Mauresmo
2...Ana Ivanovic
1...Kim Clijsters
1...Jelena Jankovic
1...Venus Williams

*US OPEN TITLES - ACTIVE*
3...Serena Williams (1999,02,08)
2...Venus Williams (2000-01)
1...Kim Clijsters (2005)
1...Svetlana Kuznetsova (2004)
1...Maria Sharapova (2006)

*US OPEN NIGHT MATCH RECORDS*
=MOST WINS - WOMEN=
21...VENUS WILLIAMS
18...SERENA WILLIAMS
16...Martina Navratilova
14...Chris Evert
13...Jennifer Capriati
=UNDEFEATED - 5+ MATCHES*
16-0...Martina Navratilova
14-0...Chris Evert
10-0...MARIA SHARAPOVA
7-0...Pam Shriver
6-0...Tracy Austin






All for now. Day 1 awaits.

Read more...

Wk.34- Bare Bones Backspin: Wozniacki & Pototoes Edition

The Open is nearly here, so it's time to go bare here at Backspin. Bare Bones, that is.


AP

Two-time New Haven champ Caroline Wozniacki lists "steak and potatoes" as her favorite food. Not long ago, she was asked a question about the notion that the toughest element for European players to adjust to when playing in the United States is the difference in the food. When asked what the toughest American food issue to deal with was for her, C-Woz said, "The big portions. I start eating more and that's not good."

Then, she was asked what her favorite difference was, she laughed and said, "Umm, the big portions."

There, consider that a case of putting a little meat on the bones of the pre-U.S. Open Bare Bones Backspin.

*WEEK 34 CHAMPIONS*

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT USA (Premier $600K/hard outdoor)
S: Caroline Wozniacki def. Elena Vesnina 6-2/6-4
D: Llagostera-Vives/Martinez-Sanchez d. Benesova/Hradecka


PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Caroline Wozniacki/DEN
...if only C-Woz could play in New Haven every week. Well, maybe she can buy a summer homer there after she retires, which will hopefully be a long time from now. In defending her '08 title without dropping a set all week (indoors or out), she won career title #6 and moved into a tour-leading tie for first with three this season alone.
=============================
RISERS: Elena Vesnina/RUS & Nuria Llagostera-Vives/Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez, ESP
...Vesnina, quietly moving up the "drama scale" all season with her big wins and entertaining/self-critical on-court reactions when she loses, reached her second final of the season in New Haven. Wins over Gisela Dulko, Sam Stosur, Anna Chakvetadze and Amelie Mauresmo put her squarely in the discussion of the best players on tour without a WTA singles title (along with Stosur, Dominika Cibulkova and a few others). With a second hard court title in as many weeks, the team of Llagostera-Vives & Martinez-Sanchez are hot on the heels of Black/Huber heading into NYC. This was the team's sixth title of the season, more than any other duo in '09.
=============================
SURPRISE: Anna Chakvetadze/RUS
...Chakvetadze was the runner-up in New Haven a season ago, and she held up pretty well this year, too, getting wins over Nadia Petrova and Sybille Bammer before losing a good three-setter against Vesnina in the QF. The past twenty or so months haven't been kind to the Russian Doll, but at least she has New Haven. Maybe she'll buy a place across the street from Wozniacki some day.
=============================
VETERANS: Flavia Pennetta/ITA & Amelie Mauresmo/FRA
...Pennetta gave it a good run in an attempt to win the U.S. Open Series outright. She needed to win the New Haven title, but fell short with a SF result. She still finished tied for second with Jelena Jankovic, behind Elena Dementieva, in the Series and heads to Flushing Meadows feeling pretty good about her current form. Of course, with her history of sometimes-perplexing results, I'm not sure if that'll mean anything next week. Meanwhile, Mauresmo arrived on the scene and had to surprise pretty much everyone with the her result: a SF and wins over Ai Sugiyama, Alona Bondarenko and Svetlana Kuznetsova. Go figure.
=============================
FRESH FACE: Magdalena Rybarikova/SVK
...the Slovak qualified in New Haven, then got a win over Francesca Schiavone, as well as a mid-match retirement from Marion Bartoli, to reach the QF.
=============================
DOWN: Marion Bartoli/FRA
...speaking of which. Wow, Stanford seems likes ages ago, doesn't it? Obviously, La Trufflette was NOT meant to lead the tour into NYC, after all.
=============================
ITF PLAYER: Tatjana Malek/GER
...the German won the $100K challenger in the Bronx, getting wins over Alina Jidkova, Yuan Meng, Masa Zec-Peskiric, Julia Goerges and Kristina Barrois in the final.
=============================
JUNIOR STAR: Chanel Simmonds/RSA
...the 17-year old South African, #18 in the junior rankings and #922 on the WTA computer, has played well enough in the Arezzo $10K ITF event to reach this weekend's final against Giulia Gatto-Monticone.
=============================


1. NH Final - Wozniacki d. Vesnina
...6-2/6-4. Wozniacki is now the only player this season to win titles on three different surfaces -- green clay, grass and hard court.
=============================
2t. NH SF - Wozniacki d. Pennetta
...6-4/6-1.
NH SF - Vesnina d. Mauresmo
...5-7/6-2/6-2. If you saw the "highlights" of these matches, you'd be forgiven for thinking they were glorified practice sessions. That IS what they looked like. With the rains not going away, New Haven tournament head honchos decided to play the semifinals at the Yale indoor facility on Friday evening. With no fans and few cameras, it brought to mind that proverbial question about whether or not trees falling in the woods make a sound if there's no one around to here them. You know, except in this case it's all about rackets whacking tennis balls. As we all have always known, the trees DO make a sound... and even without a crowd to attest to what happenend, these semifinals DID indeed count.
=============================


**2009 WTA TITLES**
3...Dinara Safina, RUS
3...Elena Dementieva, RUS
3...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
3...CAROLINE WOZNIACKI, DEN

**2009 WTA FINALS**
8...Dinara Safina (3-5)
7...CAROLINE WOZNIACKI (3-4)
4...Elena Dementieva (3-1)
4...Venus Williams (2-2)

**2009 WTA SEMIFINALS**
10...Dinara Safina (8-2)
10...Elena Dementieva (3-6 +W)
7...CAROLINE WOZNIACKI (7-0)
7...Serena Williams (3-3 +L)
7...FLAVIA PENNETTA (3-4)

**SUCCESSFUL 2009 TITLE DEFENSES**
Tamarine Tanasugarn - 's-Hertogenbosh 2008-09
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI - NEW HAVEN 2008-09

**SIX CAREER WTA TITLES - ACTIVE**
[last title]
Meghann Shaughnessy, USA [2007]
Ai Sugiyama, JPN [2004]
Nicole Vaidisova, CZE [2006]
CAROLINE WOZNIACKI, DEN [2009: 3]



*AUGUST AWARD WINNERS - WEEK 31-34*
=PLAYERS OF THE MONTH=
1. Elena Dementieva, RUS
2. Flavia Pennetta, ITA
3. Jelena Jankovic, SRB
4. Nuria Llagostera-Vives/Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez, ESP
5. Caroline Wozniacki, DEN

RISERS: Elena Vesnina, RUS & Samantha Stosur/AUS
SURPRISES: Vania King/USA & Heidi El Tabakh/CAN
FRESH FACES: Alisa Kleybanova/RUS & Sorana Cirstea/ROU
DOWN: Venus Williams/USA & Dinara Safina/RUS
COMEBACKS: Kim Clijsters/BEL & Maria Sharapova/RUS
JUNIORS: Ksenia Pervak/RUS & Richel Hogenkamp/NED

=DOUBLES TEAMS=
1. Llagostera-Vives/Martinez-Sanchez, ESP
2. Black/Huber, ZIM/USA
3. Stosur/Stubbs, AUS

=ITF PLAYERS OF THE MONTH=
1. Lucie Kriegsmannova, CZE
2. Yvonne Meusburger, AUT
3. Ani Mijacika, CRO
HM- Sun Sheng-Nan, CHN

TOP PERFORMANCE: Elena Dementieva wins Toronto, defeating Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova along the way toward securing the U.S. Open Series title

=QUOTES TO REMEMBER=
"I'm back." - Jelena Jankovic
"It's my brain." - Dinara Safina


All for now.

Read more...

BACKSPIN TIME CAPSULE: 2003 & 2005 U.S. Open

(eighth in a series)

No one could have ever expected it. That not one, but two women from the tiny nation of Belgium would simultaneously emerge and rise to the top of women's tennis.

Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin were very different, though, and not just because they came from quite different regions of their nation, either.

Clijsters was a flexible defensive artist known for her hustle and two-handed backhand. Henin developed into a dominating offensive force despite her diminutive size, blessed with surprising power and the most beautiful one-handed backhand in the sport. "Nice Kim" quickly became a fan favorite with her ever-present smile and friendly gestures, but for far too long won no slam titles. (Just the mention of her champagne bribe... err, I mean "gift," to fans used to raise my blood pressure to an unhealthy level.) Henin often rankled traditionalists, with her intense desire to win at nearly all costs. (Don't even get me started on those past absurd pronouncements about how her retirement from the '06 Australian Open final would "tarnish" her career forever. Oh, please, Ms. Shriver. Puh-leeze.)

The career patterns for both Belgians seemed to be set from the start. They both made their WTA tour debuts in the same Antwerp event in 1999. Clijsters lost in qualifying, then entered the main draw as a "lucky loser" and reached the quarterfinals. Henin won the title. Clijsters was the first to have a shot at a slam singles crown, reaching the 2001 Roland Garros final (after defeating Henin in the semis), losing to Jennifer Capriati in an epic 12-10 deciding 3rd set. Henin would win her first slam title in Paris two years later, then cement her place in tennis history later that summer with a classic U.S. Open nighttime semifinal win over Capriati... then go on to defeat Clijsters in the final. Henin won eight slam titles to Clijsters' one. She was 5-2 against her in slams, 3-0 in slam finals. In their final eleven match-ups, Henin went 8-3 to put her career head-to-head advantage over her countrywoman at 12-10.

"Good." "Bad." Choker. Champion. Too easily excused. Often unfairly overlooked.

At least that's an example of the no-shades-of-gray line of reasoning that I liked to employ when I was writing about the Belgians early in this decade. While Henin secured her place as one of the sport's greats, Clijsters very nearly went down as the best player to never lift a slam singles trophy. I loved the idea of the undersized Henin displaying an oversized heart to become the queen of the sport, and truly bristled at how she was too many times overshadowed by Clijsters, who was continually lauded in media circles even while she made a habit of blowing golden opportunities to win slam titles for so long, simply because she was "too nice" to be legitimately criticized for her career's shortcomings.

As I look back at how I covered Henin's 2003 U.S. Open title, and then Clijsters' belated, reputation-saving one in Flushing Meadows in '05, it's obvious that I took sides in this argument, and was ever-so-firmly in the corner of "La Petit Taureau" (maybe even to a fault). I remember how I felt then, and offer no apologies now for my anti-Clijsters stance of the era... but I guess I WAS a bit more akin to a terrier with a meat-scented plush toy than I'd realized.

Anyway, here's what I said after the Belgians took New York City... twice:



"Queen Justine" (September 8, 2003)

I think I'm in love with Justine Henin-Hardenne... well, at least the idea of her. But more on that later. I have some unfinished business to take care of.

**FIRST... KIM**

Today, I finally get to shout it from the rooftop of Tennisrulz Headquarters. Not to be childish and say "I told you so," but... I told you so.

Okay, can we now finally lay to rest all the gibberish about Kim Clijsters deserving her #1-ranking? To all the mealy-mouthed commentators of the past two weeks who walked with tender feet around the issue as if she had nothing to justify, that judging her on her checkered history of big stage chokes was somehow unfair, let me say this: You were wrong. Just because she's "a nice girl" doesn't, in turn, mean she can't be criticized. The truth is that while her attitude and personality might seem good for the game, her continual tendency to take headers off various grand slam stages is not... and the ladder is more important than whether or not the so-called #1 player is willing to squeegee Arthur Ashe Court during a rain delay.

The US Open eliminated any argument about whether or not Clijsters is the "best" player in the game. She's not even close at the moment -- she's not even the best player in Belgium. To hold that title, one must do so from head to toe. For all of Clijsters' talent, she fails that test before it even gets to eye level.

In Flushing Meadows on Saturday, Clijsters once again fumbled her every advantage. In Melbourne, it was a 5-1 3rd set lead. At Wimbledon, it was an injured opponent. In Paris, Clijsters didn't even bother to show up at all.

At the US Open, it was an odd combination of the previous three slams as Henin-Hardenne was coming off a knock-down, drag-out SF against Jennifer Capriati that lasted until 12:30am and kept her at the USTA Tennis Center until 2:30am (she was listed as "questionable" to play at all mid-day Saturday). Whether JHH was going to be able to put forth a full effort was debatable... yet she quickly had Clijsters down 0-3 in the 1st set. Clijsters rallied and held two set points at 5-4, but failed to break JHH's serve. Instead, she was broken herself in the next game and ultimately lost the set 5-7. When she was broken to start the 2nd (not once, but twice)... well, the scriptwriter was already typing "FADE OUT" at that point.

So, now the image of Clijsters virtually wetting her pants at Flushing Meadows enters the collective memory. Pardon the bathroom vulgarity, but I'm just calling a spade a spade. To paraphrase baseball legend Yogi Berra, tennis is 90% mental... and the other 50% is physical.

Thus, Henin-Hardenne currently holds two slam titles. Serena Williams holds two, as well. Clijsters holds zero... but she's ranked #1. Can there be any greater example of how fallible the WTA rankings are?

And I don't want to hear any nonsense about her "consistency," either. In the end, if a player is going to be a presence in the room when the "best player" title is debated, the argument won't settle around how many Tier II's she wins, but how many slams. Right now, Clijsters has exactly as many in her column as her little sister Elke.

So, for one final time this grand slam season, I'll say it: Chew your food, Kim. Chew your food. Just watch Justine. She'll teach you how to do it without "disrespecting" the game.

(Ah, that felt good. Now onto the person who actually deserves to talked about this week.)

**BUT, MORE IMPORTANTLY... JUSTINE **



As I said way back when (or so it seems), I'm suddenly taken by the mere existence of one Justine Henin-Hardenne. She's like a mummy come to life, a thought-extinct mammal found deep in the heart of... Belgium, of all places?

In the age of power in women's tennis, where big babes rule and Martina Hingis goes from dominant force to immediate afterthought, here's Justine. After thirteen days of fawning over the pounding play of the bubbly, personable, extroverted #1 who's never without a smile...there was Justine.

Yes, Justine Henin-Hardenne. A small woman, also from Belgium, who has taken her good time in coming out of her shell over the years. She of the more classic, varied game. She who hasn't sought the spotlight, but has managed this past summer to get under the skin of the #1 and #3-ranked players in the world with a wave and an injury timeout at a crucial moment... oh, and two important wins that her opponents weren't prepared for. Serena was brought to tears in Paris, while Clijsters charged her with faking an injury and disrepecting the game in San Diego. Showing an appreciated touch of orneriness, JHH called the Clijsters charge "stupid" and stated what many must know to at least be partly true -- that the time-worn circumstance of a past "underdog" suddenly getting the best of the "favorites" has suddenly spawned hints of resentment and jealousy.

JHH deserves her moment. She's put herself right in the middle of the fray for 2003's fight for #1 because of her complete offseason follow-through on a plan to get stronger, hoping to better offset her obvious physical disadvantages against the other top players. The plan has worked wonders. She now packs far more power behind her shots than one would expect from someone her size, and even her serve is an effective weapon that compliments her otherwise clever court tactics (and, of course, that pristine backhand).

Like Clijsters, Henin-Hardenne had her troubles in big matches last year. But, in January, ironically at the same Australian Open where Clijsters' SF collapse against Serena planted seeds of doubt that now won't go away, JHH sowed a garden of belief that exists eight months later.

The first signs that JHH's labors would pay dividends came when she developed leg cramps severe enough to send her to the ground in a prone position during a 4th Round match against Lindsay Davenport. She managed to perservere and win a 9-7 final set. Flashforward to the US Open SF, and JHH wins another 3-hour plus, 3-set, cramps-plagued marathon. Clearly, the reverberations of Oz are still being felt, as Henin-Hardenne likely wouldn't have believed she had the reserve of fortitude in New York without the experience of January having proved it to herself... just as Clijsters might not be hounded by her grand slam collapses had she avoided the Serena Choke a round later.

On the bright side, ranking sanity will likely win out. In the 4th quarter, Clijsters has to defend points from three titles (and one runner-up). Henin-Hardenne won just one singles title last Fall. With Serena maybe out until sometime in October, JHH's time to shine even brighter will soon arrive. The chances that she'll rise to #1 at some point between now and November look good (she currently trails Clijsters by just 330 points).

How things play out at the end of 2003 is an open question, but there can be no legitimate turn of fortune in Clijsters' favor until next January in Australia. That's her next TRUE proving ground. Success anywhere else will be a mirage. Maybe she'll reverse this year's Oz fate in four months time. Maybe not.

For now, though, Justine is the Queen and everyone else is her Court. Kim? For the moment, she's the court jester... happily entertaining the masses, but never leaving a lasting mark. It's a simple fact that what the computer says today is meaningless... we all saw the truth in New York.

*2003 U.S. OPEN MATCHES OF NOTE*
1.SF - JHH def. Capriati
....4-6/7-5/7-6. A classic. The match of the tournament and a sure-fire nominee for Match of the Year. Capriati served for the match at 5-3 in both the 2nd and 3rd sets, and was two points from victory on eleven different occasions. She was even up 4-1 in the 3rd, but the see-saw nature of the 3-hour, 30-minute match that lasted until 12:30am prevents me from calling this a "choke" on Capriati's part. JHH is 15-1 in 3-setters in 2003; while Capriati is 3-11.
---------------------------
2.Final - JHH def. Clijsters
....7-5/6-1. JHH should have been the one bordering on physical exhaustion after her cramp-filled SF match, but it was KC's mental fatigue that proved more daunting. Once Clijsters blew two sets points at 5-4 in the 1st, this result was a fait accompli.
---------------------------
3.4r - Schiavone def. Sugiyama
....over a 4-day match, Sugiyama served for the match in the 2nd set before the rains came. She was up 2-0 in the 3rd before rain came down again, but then lost the final 6 games once play resumed.
---------------------------
4.4r - JHH def. Dinara Safina
....Henin-Hardenne played a perfect match in gaining a 6-0,5-0 lead. So what if the final set ended up being 6-3 -- Justine's true heroics would come later.
---------------------------
5.Girls Final - Kirsten Flipkens def. Michaella Krajicek
....another Belgian?
---------------------------
HM--Doubles Final
Ruano-Pascual/Suarez def. Kuznetsova/Navratilova
...Martina didn't get another title, but she does now rise to #8 in the doubles rankings and she and Kuznetsova seem assured of a berth in the WTA Championship field.
---------------------------



"Killer Kim Slays Her Albatross" (September 10, 2005)

al*ba*tross \al-buh-tros\ n. 1: any of various large web-footed seabirds; 2a: something that causes persistent deep concern or anxiety; 2b: something that greatly hinders accomplishment; 3: the avian creature former #1 Kim Clijsters has been allowing to live on her shoulder for the past four years.

Bloods and guts were sloppily spilled on the freshly painted court of Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday night... and for once they didn't belong to Kim Clijsters. They didn't belong to Mary Pierce, either, though you'd have a hard time proving it after the Canadian-born, America-residing, French-representing 30-year old put forth her second feeble effort in a grand slam final in a matter of three short months. No, the carcass that was flopping on the ground a little before 10pm New York time was that of the albatross that's been Clijsters' constant companion ever since she failed to put away Jennifer Capriati in the Roland Garros final's 12-10 final set back in 2001. It took over four years, but on her fifth try "Nice Kim" transformed enough into "Killer Kim" to finally sew up the gaping hole in her career resume. The U.S. Open title is her's... and she has avian blood on her racquet to prove it.

"Albie" is dead. Long live "Albie."



Now we'll finally get to see what would have happened had Clijsters been able to fight off Capriati in Paris all those years ago, as she'll no longer be encumbered by undelivered-upon expectations. Her tennis legacy, aside from squeegeeing courts and running through puddles during recent rain delays, had threatened to become cemented by her inability to win "the big one." If her personality hadn't led so many to kiss her butt for so long, ignoring that major flaw in a one-time world #1, it would have come to define her long ago. If she hadn't walked away with her first slam title at this year's Flushing Meadows event, though, even her most ardent supporters in the big-time media would have finally gotten to a point where even they could no longer avoid the obvious.

So credit Clijsters for a great last minute save, not to mention a hell of a North American hardcourt season. Four titles. A 22-1 WTA record, the last sixteen wins all in a row. A 2-0 Fed Cup record. A U.S. Open crown... and the slaying of a wing-ed creature.

Sigh... "Albie" was such a nice bird, too. Thankfully, the powers-that-be managed to FedEx one of his little chicks over to Amelie Maursesmo's address. He might be able to find a nice, comfy -- and possibly permanent -- home over there.

As for Kim, Backspin admits to being at least a little disappointed at the U.S. Open's final result. Nothing against her, but sometimes it's more fun to take a contrarian viewpoint, such as rooting against the so-called "good girl" to win out in the end. Sigh... but the Open ended up giving us a slightly cliched Hollywood ending with the "heroine" triumphing in the final act. Oh, well... on to the next easy target, I guess.

Now, the big question regarding Clijsters changes from being about whether she'll ever win a slam to whether or not "Killer Kim" will soon become a "serial offender."

*2005 U.S. OPEN FINAL - NOTES*
#4 Kim Clijsters def. #12 Mary Pierce
...6-3/6-1. This time, Pierce was the squeegee. After getting whipped by Henin-Hardenne in just 1:02 in the Roland Garros final, Pierce "pushed" Clijsters to 1:05 here. In fact, the toughest, most precarious, moment for "Killer Kim" on Saturday night came during her climb up and across the Ashe Stadium railings en route to the Friends Box. For a moment there, I had visions of a very strange headline on Sunday... something like, "Clijsters Wins Open, Breaks Leg in Fall During Celebration."



*HIGHEST-RANKED RETIREES*
#1...JUSTINE HENIN, May 2008
#3...Steffi Graf, August 1999
#4...KIM CLIJSTERS, May 2007 @
--
@- returned in July 2009

*HENIN'S BEST U.S. OPEN RESULTS*
W = 2003, 2007
RU = 2006
4th = 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005

*CLIJSTERS' BEST U.S. OPEN RESULTS*
W = 2005
RU = 2003
QF = 2001
4th = 2002

*ALL-TIME WEEKS AT SINGLES #1*
377...Steffi Graf
331...Martina Navratilova
260...Chris Evert
209...Martina Hingis
178...Monica Seles
117...JUSTINE HENIN
98...Lindsay Davenport
72...Serena Williams @
39...Amelie Mauresmo @
22...Tracy Austin
20...Dinara Safina @ (weeks as of Aug.31, 2009)
19...KIM CLIJSTERS @
18...Jelena Jankovic @
17...Maria Sharapova @
17...Jennifer Capriati
12...Ana Ivanovic @
12...Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario
11...Venus Williams @
2...Evonne Goolagong
--
@-active



As quickly and surprisingly as they'd arrived, the Belgians were gone.

By mid-2008, both Clijsters and Henin had retired from tennis. The unlikely careers of the sport's leading Waffles were over... or at least that appeared to be the case.

Backspin Special: The Best of Clijsters (2007)

Backspin Special: The Best of Henin (2008)

Clijsters never won another slam title after the '05 Open, then retired in May 2007 (while ranked #4 in the world), married and became a mother. In fact, she's yet to play a U.S. Open match since she won the title, having also missed out of her '06 tournament defense attempt due to a wrist injury.

Henin rose to #1 for the first time in October '03, replacing Clijsters just two months after SHE'D become the first Belgian to hold the spot, and soon became the dominant figure in the women's game during the mid-to-early-late 2000's, claiming six more slam crowns (including three consecutive Roland Garros titles from 2005-07) while persevering through illness, divorce, the Williams Sisters and continual backbiting over her Clijsters-dwarfing desire to win that often plopped a proverbial villainess' black hat on her head (even as she ironically always donned a white one). Late in '07, Henin reunited with her estranged family and seemed to lose the steely inner drive that took her to the top of the sport. Having lost her edge, she abruptly announded her retirement in May '08 while still ranked #1 in the world (making her the only player to ever bow out on top).

Henin's exit into the good night wrapped up the short-lived "Belgian Era" of WTA history... well, until it didn't.

The story of Clijsters (and maybe Henin, too?) isn't over. Following a two-year break, after training to participate in the exhibition extravaganza associated with the christening of Wimbledon's new Centre Court roof, Clijsters decided to make a comeback. She returned to the WTA tour earlier this summer, and promptly ran off a string of wins over Top 20 and Top 10 players. She'll make her long-awaited return to the U.S. Open next week. Meanwhile, recent rumors are hinting that Henin, also in training to take part in a series of exhibition matches later this year, is contemplating a possible comeback of her own in 2010.

It was a truly sad day at Backspin HQ when Henin walked away last year (needless to say, I'd taken Clijsters' pre-announced, then earlier-than-promised, goodbye more in stride). When Clijsters recently returned, though, I found that I'd missed her presence more than I'd realized (worthy "antagonists" tend to garner their own wealth of respect over time, too, I suppose). I vowed to wipe the slate clean and start anew, letting go of my past skepticism about the "nicer than a box of sunshine" (sorry, old habits die hard) Belgian. So far, so good.

Of course, as I've come to sense that the more success that occurs in Clijsters II the more likely it could be that an Henin II might become a reality, I've discovered a whole new reason to bring myself to root for the player who for so long was Backspin's less-favored Waffle. The "uneasy truce" isn't nearly as uneasy as I secretly may have expected (wanted?) it to be. Go figure... or maybe not.

The U.S. Open is the only slam that both Clijsters and Henin managed to win (so far, at least). But might another history-making, two-headed chapter in WTA history be about to be written over the next few seasons? Maybe even another slam-winning one, or even two? From here, it doesn't seem to be that far-fetched a scenario.

Nor would it be an unwelcome one. Surely, the second time around would be just as sweet.

All for now.



PREVIOUS TIME CAPSULES: 1987 Roland Garros (Graf), 1989 Roland Garros (Sanchez/Chang), 1990 Wimbledon (Navratilova), 1990 Wimbledon (Edberg/Becker), 1991 U.S. Open (Connors), 1993 Australian Open (Seles & Courier), 1993 Wimbledon (Graf/Novotna)

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U.S. Open Men's Preview: The Joy of Six?

Here I was ready to throw Roger Federer off the Statue of Liberty (ah, another good thing about the re-opening of Lady Liberty's crown to visitors for the first time in eight years -- a whole new batch of "homicidal" metaphors).



Can you say, "stupid?"

Earlier this year, Federer left Australia with his head down and tears in his eyes, commenting about how glad he was that the hard court season was over (remember, this is the same person who once set an ATP record with 56 consecutive hard court victories during 2005-06). A year after he was dethroned as the king of men's tennis, it was yet another moment that raised eyebrows.

But I guess we should have known how dangerous it was to question the logic of a mono-free former King.

Federer found his footing on the clay, winning his first Roland Garros title to complete a career Grand Slam. Then he outlasted Andy Roddick in a 16-14 5th set to re-claim his Wimbledon throne, stepped back into the #1 ranking in place of the injured and/or absent Rafael Nadal, and passed Pete Sampras on the all-time slam title list (with #15).

But then, earlier this month, Federer returned to the hard courts and choked away a 5-1 3rd set lead over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Montreal, double-faulting on match point. He arrived in Cincinnati with new #2-ranked player Andy Murray (on a four-match winning streak over Federer, plus an exhibition match victory) looming in his path in the semifinals, and it was so easy to mentally put one's foot down and believe that Federer's five consecutive U.S. Open titles was more than likely going to be enough.

But then he defeated Murray in the SF, and Novak Djokovic in the Cincy final, in straights sets to win his second Masters title of the season and move to within one of tying Andre Agassi with seventeen career Series crowns.

Now, Federer heads to New York with his aura re-established, or at least as intact as it can be without a 100% Nadal there to challenge it, for the first time in more than a year. After a brilliant summer run of 26 victories in his last 27 matches, riding a 34-match U.S. Open winning streak, Federer is the favorite to set an Open Era men's record with a sixth consecutive title at a single grand slam (and match big Bill Tilden's U.S. Open run from 1920-25).

I didn't really want to pick Federer to win the Open yet again... but he may have left me no choice.



**ROUND OF 16**
#1 Federer d. #21 Blake
#22 Querrey d. #8 Davydenko
#4 Djokovic d. #27 Kohlschreiber
#5 Roddick d. #20 Haas
#7 Tsonga d. #17 Berdych
#3 Nadal d. Chardy
#6 del Potro d. #24 Ferrero
#2 Murray d. #19 Wawrinka

...during ESPNEWS' coverage of the unveiling of the Open draw, Patrick McEnroe called Blake's early potential match-ups a "dream draw" for the recently-injured-and-traditionally-always-prepared-to-choke American. Translation: Blake could very easily lose in the 1st Round. Anyway, I'll pick him to make it this far. But I really don't believe it'll happen. Del Potro would be a cool slightly-under-the-radar (compared to the "Big 4 or 5") pick to win this title, by the way.

**QUARTERFINALS**
#1 Federer d. #22 Querrey
#5 Roddick d. #4 Djokovic
#7 Tsonga d. #3 Nadal
#2 Murray d. #6 del Potro

...Djokovic might just have to stare down his Open nemesis Roddick, now with a whole new fan base after his near-miss at SW19 (not to mention those "fans" who latched onto him when he became "Mr. Brooklyn Decker"... of course, come to think of it, those "fans" might root against him now on principle, just for jealousy-inspired spite). Nadal did win in Melbourne, proving his hard court slam mettle. But that was many months, wear-and-tear and aching knees ago. The returning-to-action Rafa might not be prepared to go at full speed on this surface for two weeks... not yet.

**SEMIFINALS**
#1 Federer d. #5 Roddick
#2 Murray d. #7 Tsonga

...Murray has passed Nadal for #2 on the computer, but he's still yet to fulfill his potential in the clutch in a slam. Whether it's been at the Open or Wimbledon, he's been bested in the biggest matches against players he's had fine records against in the past. Still, I'll pick him to reach his second consecutive U.S. final. Roddick needs to face Federer again, just to erase that Wimbledon final from his memory banks. Ever since failing to top Federer there, he's shown a nagging inability to win close matches (twice losing tight ones to del Potro, then dropping a pair of tie-breaks against Querrey, during his U.S. Open lead-up schedule). Of course, that doesn't mean he'd succeed in given a second chance at Flushing Meadows.

**FINAL**
#2 Federer d. #2 Murray

...Federer beat Murray here a year ago, and he's not trying to "save" his season this time around. A win here would make 2009 one of his "classic" campaigns, if not his best ever.


All for now.

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Wk.33- T-Minus One Week

Okay, so this isn't my U.S. Open preview, but it is something of a PRE-preview, I guess.

Four U.S. Open Series events have been completed, and four different women have won titles. Eight different players have reached singles finals. In the 3rd Quarter's hard court events, six different women have become champions, with eleven different players filling the twelve spots in tournament finals. So what exactly is supposed to be read from that? And, more importantly for your friendly neighborhood Backspinner, how will this effect and/or shape my U.S. Open prediction?

(Yep, that's what I'm thinkin' about.)

Well, when it comes to figuring out who to pick to win the season's fourth and final grand slam, there are only a handful for whom I'd even harbor passing thoughts to put the "X" on their heads (and one of them isn't Flavia Pennetta, who COULD win the U.S. Open Series but who, with her history of weird results, I'd never pick to win the big event in a million years, no matter how well she might be playing going into the event... ditto for Stanford champ Marion Bartoli):

THE HOPED-FOR BREAKOUTS...or not: One (well, I) would have hoped that one of the two youngest players in the Top 10 would put on a headline-grabbing Open run this year, but neither Victoria Azarenka nor Caroline Wozniacki has managed to get any traction to speak of in North America that might propel them to NYC runs to glory. The A-Train is but 3-3 this quarter, while C-Woz is 6-4 (with the bulk of her wins coming on red clay in Europe in July). There is still SOME hope for Wozniacki, as she's playing in New Haven, a tournament she won a year ago, this week. No matter what happens there, though, I could still see myself taking a not-so-wild stab and sticking with my early gut feeling that Azarenka could catch fire in New York and reach her first final.

THE FLASH IN THE PAN?: Ah, remember when Ana Ivanovic (2-3) was a clever pick to win a slam title? That's no longer the case. Now, it'd only elicit chuckles... if not guffaws.

THE FLASH IN THE PAN II?: Ah, remember when Svetlana Kuznetsova (1-2), circa 2004, was thought to be the best of the Russians? And remember when she won in Paris a few months ago and everyone wondered if maybe she was FINALLY ready to reclaim her position as a consistent slam threat? It's hard to believe that was less than three months ago.

THE AFTERTHOUGHT: Venus Williams (5-3) began the U.S. Open Series by reaching the Stanford final, but has since drifted and drifted and drifted so far away that she's barely even a thought in the mind of anyone trying to pick the Open champion. In Toronto, she lost in the 2nd Round to Kateryna Bondarenko. Without a rich history of Serena-esque slam-winning runs "from nowhere" at any slam outside of Wimbledon, it'd take a mini-leap to think she'll suddenly find her game in New York City and maneuver her way through the draw without throwing in a clunker performance for two weeks running. Of course, you can't overlook her, either. Not with the expected handful of night matches probably keeping her out of the summer heat for a good portion of the time. Catch you in London next June, Venus.

AMELIE: Umm, not here. And maybe no longer on the grass, either.

KIM? REALLY? KIM?: Just on principle, I'd never do it. I mean, out of respect for La Petit Taureau. But, still, without any bad slam memories or new nagging injuries weighing her down, with a good draw, a case could be made that Clijsters' (5-2) best shot at a slam crown in KC II might be now. But maybe I'm giving her too much credit... something I never really accused myself of doing during KC I.

THE NOT-QUITE-SO-SUPERNOVA: Maria Sharapova (11-3) still has the Supernova inside her, and "she" allowed her to muster enough to battle to the Toronto final despite a serve that now routinely marks up double-digit double-faults (and threatens to --and sometimes pulls off the feat -- "lap" herself by leaping into the 20's) in a single match. She may or may not be seeded at Flushing Meadows, which means her position in the draw will be ulta-important. A deep-into-the-second-week run is more than possible in the right situation, especially with her being given the additional rest time between matches that has escaped her in regular tour stops during her comeback. Still, it's hard to envision anything "Supernovian" happening with Sharapova lugging that 500-pound gorilla of a serve on her back. Hey, at least it makes ESPN's live broadcast of the draw -- a truly great first step for the network in its first year of carrying Open coverage -- must-see viewing.

THE SNAKES IN THE GRASS: Ummm, well, I don't mean it LIKE THAT. I mean, both new Toronto champ Elena Dementieva (11-2) and Cincy titlist Jelena Jankovic (9-2) are quite possibly lurking in the weeds and ready to pounce in NYC for yet another slam final run. Unlike that Russian who shall remain nameless, while they've yet to win a slam title, neither has made a habit of escaping slam grounds with their tails between their legs, either. Both have shown well for themselves in slam finals, and are legit threats at the Open if their recent tune-ups are any indication. Currently first and second in the U.S. Open Series, both showed enough mettle in Toronto to lead one to feel quite safe-from-ridicule if they were to pick them to reach the SF, or even final. Of course, that doesn't mean I'll actually do it. But I might.

THE NO-LONGER-NAMELESS RUSSIAN: Sure, Dinara Safina is the only woman who has reached two hard court finals this quarter. Sure, she's a combined 10-3 in singles play. But unless one is to fully prescribe to the less-is-better, diminished-expectations-lead-to-better-results argument, Safina is almost off the radar as a predicted Open champion at this year's tournament. After losing to Aravane Rezai in Toronto, the world #1 said, "It's my brain. I know exactly what I have to do, but I'm not using my brain. I'm not doing the things by coach is telling me... (I'm) too disappointed in myself." Doesn't exactly instill confidence, does it?

THE TRIED AND TRUE: Sure, she hasn't played great in North America. But her SF result in Toronto was a marked improvement over her previously sorry Open tune-ups. In fact, it's probably enough to secure my original thought from a few months ago that I was going to go with Serena Williams (6-3) to defend her Open title next month. When in doubt, go with the player who's currently the reigning champ at three of the four slams, I always say. Not exactly a stretch, but sometimes you injure yourself during your pre-match stretching routine. Or is that just me?

Geez, what were the past few months FOR, anyway?

*WEEK 33 CHAMPIONS*

TORONTO, ONTARIO CAN (Premier+ $2m/hard outdoor)
S: Elena Dementieva def. Maria Sharapova 6-4/6-3
D: Llagostera-Vives/Martinez-Sanchez d. Stosur/Stubbs


PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Elena Dementieva/RUS
...after previous SF results in Stanford and Cincinnati, career title #14 came at the end of an impressive week in Toronto that will almost certainly wrap up the U.S. Open Series title for Punch-Sober. Wins over Ai Sugiyama, Shahar Peer and Sam Stosur were but a prelude to a straight sets win over Serena Williams in the SF that probably took away a TINY bit of the sting of failing to put away that match at Wimbledon last month. With final opponent Sharapova a tired adversary currently without a reliable serve to help her get by, Dementieva capably weathered the storm of a still-great competitor in another straights sets victory that was really her's for the taking from the beginning. After getting off to a great start in '09, winning two titles before the Australian Open began and quite possibly burning herself out in the short term, Dementieva has finaly claimed tour-leading #3 more than seven months later. Hey, "Player of the Year" contention is but an Open title away, right?
=============================
RISERS: Jelena Jankovic/SRB & Maria Sharapova/RUS
...there wasn't as much joy in Jelenaville last week as there was last Sunday, but it was still an encouraging Open lead-up for the J-bot. She battled past Kim Clijsters in a late night three-setter, then was extended to 3:16 in a three-set loss to Alisa Kleybanova in the QF. Maybe the lack of an extra match or two might just leave a little more gas in her tank for New York? If we're lucky. Meanwhile, Sharapova is making progress. In Toronto, she reached her first final during her comeback, her best result since winning Amelia Island in April '08. Wins over Vera Zvonareva, Sybille Bammer, Agnieszka Radwanska (in straight sets, showing she's finally gotten this Radwanska thing down pat after that big Open upset a few years back) and Alisa Kleybanova, though, were saddled with Kournikova-esque double-fault totals. Sharapova is almost back, but the "anti-Anna" Russian won't be the Supernova again until she cleans up her serve.
=============================
SURPRISE: Lucie Safarova/CZE
...everyone knows how much talent Safarova has, but she only allows the world to see it occasionally. Last week was one of those times. The '07 Australian Open quarterfinalist made it through qualifying in Toronto with wins over Mariya Koryttseva and Urszula Radwanska, then notched main draw victories over Kai Kanepi, Ana Ivanovic and Zheng Jie before finally losing in the QF to Serena Williams.
=============================
VETERANS: Nuria Llagostera-Vives & Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez, ESP/ESP
...consider Black/Huber on notice. Llagostera-Vives/MJMS are now challenging the world #1's for the "Best Doubles Team" of 2009. The duo's ("Premier-Plus") Toronto title was their biggest yet, not to mention their first on hard courts, and ties Black/Huber for the tour lead with five.
=============================
FRESH FACE: Alisa Kleybanova/RUS
...Kleybanova's second SF of the season came in Toronto with a wild string of gutsy victories, including wins over Aleksandra Wozniak, Aravane Rezai, Dominika Cibulkova (from six MP down!) and Jelena Jankovic (in 3:16).
=============================
DOWN: Nadia Petrova/RUS & Dinara Safina/RUS
...a year ago during the U.S. Open Series, Petrova won Cincinnati. In 2009, nothing has gone right. She lost in Cincy in the 2nd Round (A.Bondarenko), then was unfortunate enough to face Sharapova in the 1st Round in Toronto last week. Yesterday, she was bounced from New Haven in an early Sunday meeting with Anna Chakvetadze. Her 3Q results? Try three 1st Round exits, a 2nd and a 3rd. Ouch. For the season, she's got just one QF-or-better result (a SF in Week 14). Oh, Nadia. Meanwhile, Safina went into Toronto as the world #1, the #1-seed and the defending champ. It all came crumbling down in a DF-laden 2nd Round match with Aravane Rezai. Well, at least she's still #1 on the computer.
=============================
ITF PLAYER: Estelle Guisard/FRA
...the 20-year old Pastry won her second ITF title of the season in the $25K Westende, BEL event. After making it through qualifying, she knocked off Evgeniya Rodina, Claudine Schaul, Arantxa Rus and Eleni Daniilidiou (6-1/6-2) in the final.
=============================


1. Tor QF - Kleybanova d. Jankovic
...6-7/7-6/6-2. In a 3:16 marathon, Jankovic saved five set points in the 1st and won a 10-8 tie-break. In the 2nd, it took Kleybanova six set points to finally put away the set in a 9-7 tie-break. In the end, both were probably a little worse for wear. Kleybanova at least got to play another match, though (though, after losing in the New Haven 1st Round today to qualifier Yanina Wickmayer, she's now on a two-match losing streak).
=============================
2. Tor 2nd - Kleybanova d. Cibulkova
...6-1/4-6/7-6. It was quite a rollercoaster week for the Russian. She saved six match points in this one.
=============================
3. Tor SF - Dementieva d. S.Williams
...7-6/6-1. Ahh, but what if the two meet up yet again at the Open? Would we see the same result on a bigger stage?
=============================
4. Tor Final - Dementieva d. Sharapova
...6-4/6-3. Dementieva wasn't a rock, going up 4-1 in the 1st and serving at 5-3 in a neverending game that saw her bounce from being break point down to having set points, then ultimately double-faulting to give the game away. Against a tiring Sharapova, though, Punch-Sober prevailed in the end.
=============================
5. Tor 2nd - Rezai d. Safina
...3-6/6-2/6-4. Hmmm, is Safina playing opossum? If so, throwing in seventeen double-faults is a good way to throw everyone off the scent of her being even a "possible" champ at Flushing Meadows. Genuis... or just plain worrisome.
=============================
HM- Tor 2nd - Clijsters d. Azarenka
...7-5/4-6/6-1
Tor 3rd - Jankovic d. Clijsters
...1-6/6-3/7-5. If Clijsters can maintain this level of play next week, recapturing her U.S. Open touch in her first action in the event since she won it in 2005, she might just unravel one spine-tingling yarn. Of course, considering the Belgian served at 5-3 in the 3rd against Jankovic but ultimately let the match slip away, there's always the possibility that THAT Clijsters (you know, the pre-'05 Open KC who never met a big-time slam match she couldn't find a way to lose) could resurface, too.
=============================


**2009 WTA SINGLES TITLES**
3...Dinara Safina, RUS (Rome/Madrid/Portoroz)
3...ELENA DEMENTIEVA, RUS (Auckland/Sydney/Toronto)
3...Victoria Azarneka, BLR (Brisbane/Memphis/Miami)

**U.S. OPEN SERIES LEADERS**
[as of August 23]
170...ELENA DEMENTIEVA
140...Jelena Jankovic
115...Flavia Pennetta
110...Maria Sharapova
95...Samantha Stosur
75...Serena Williams
70...Dinara Safina
70...Marion Bartoli

**2009 PREMIER+ WINNERS**
[SINGLES]
Dubai - Venus Williams, USA
Indian Wells - Vera Zvonareva, RUS
Miami - Victoria Azarenka, BLR
Rome - Dinara Safina, RUS
Madrid - Dinara Safina, RUS
Cincinnati - Jelena Jankovic, SRB
Toronto - Elena Dementieva, RUS
Tokyo - TBD
Beijing - TBD
[DOUBLES]
Dubai - Black/Huber, ZIM/USA
Indian Wells - Azarenka/Zvonareva, BLR/RUS
Miami - Kuznetsova/Mauresmo, RUS/FRA
Rome - Hsieh/Peng, TPE/CHN
Madrid - Black/Huber, ZIM/USA
Cincinnati - Black/Huber, ZIM/USA
Toronto - Llagostera-Vives/Martinez-Sanchez, ESP/ESP
Tokyo - TBD
Beijing - TBD

**WTA SINGLES TITLES - 2008/09**
7...Dinara Safina, RUS (4/3)
6...ELENA DEMENTIEVA, RUS (3/3)
6...Serena Williams, USA (4/2)
6...Jelena Jankovic, SRB (4/2)
5...Venus Williams, USA (3/2)
5...Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (3/2)

**2009 FINALS - RUSSIANS**
8...Dinara Safina (3-5)
4...ELENA DEMENTIEVA (3-1)
3...Svetlana Kuznetsova (2-1)
2...Vera Zvonareva (2-0)
2...Ekaterina Makarova (0-2)
1...Vera Dushevina (1-0)
1...Maria Kirilenko (0-1)
1...MARIA SHARAPOVA (0-1)
1...Elena Vesnina (0-1)

**ALL-RUSSIAN FINALS**
[YEARLY]
2003: 1
2004: 5
2005: 0
2006: 4
2007: 1
2008: 5
2009: 6
[MOST BY PLAYER]
11...ELENA DEMENTIEVA (6-5)
8...Svetlana Kuznetsova (4-4)
7...Dinara Safina (3-4)
5...MARIA SHARAPOVA (3-2)
4...Anastasia Myskina (4-0)
2...Anna Chakvetadze (2-0)
2...Nadia Petrova (0-2)





NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT USA (Premier $600K/hard outdoor)
08 Final: Wozniacki d. Chakvetadze
09 Top Seeds: Kuznetsova/Wozniacki
=============================
=SF=
Stosur d. Kuznetsova
Wozniacki d. Pennetta
=FINAL=
Wozniacki d. Stosur

...Pennetta would win the U.S. Open Series with a title here, but she's played a awful lot of late and I wonder if she might flame out a round or two before this predicted semifinal run. C-Woz is in need of some North American mojo before she heads to NYC. New Haven is her last chance. So, against a "softer" field than the one that showed up in Toronto, I'll go with her to defend her '08 title.

ALSO: U.S. OPEN QUALIFYING


All for now.

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