Wk.12- Golf Stars, Dead Pop Music Idols, Genocidal German Leaders, Intelligence-Deficient Ex-Governors... and other news from Miami

Compared to Indian Wells, Miami has been a little "boring."



Of course, if you're a top-ranked player (and a second week fan), that's a good thing, as some truly intriguing matchups could be on tap in this farewell week for the 2010 1st Quarter. Thus, the question lingers... wither Jelena Jankovic? We shall soon see if she can thrive in the Florida serenity as well as she did in the California chaos.

NEWSFLASH!!!! The WTA just named Serena Williams the 2009 Player of the Year, over four months since that season ended and almost a quarter into the new campaign.

As it is, the singles draw is sturdy and with few surprises through to the Round of 16 (big upsets were reserved for the doubles, where both #1 Black/Huber and #2 Llagostera-Vives/MJMS failed to make it beyond the 2nd Round), with just three players who didn't receive 1st Round byes still standing.

NEWSFLASH!!! I hear Tiger Woods has had an "interesting" last few months, too. Anyone know what happened?

Still, though, the top and bottom halves of the draw are decidedly unbalanced. In the bottom, we've got a 4th Round rematch of the I.W. semifinal featuring Jankovic and Sam Stosur, an intriguing meeting between the Belgian Barbie and the Belarusian Basher, Justine Henin vs. Vera Zvonareva and I.W. runner-up Caroline Wozniacki facing off with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. This group could easily make up a pretty good SLAM QUARTERFINAL, minus the Williams Sisters. At least six or seven of those names could have been thrown out as potential Miami champions a week ago and been met with only minor resistence and raised eyebrows.

NEWSFLASH!! Did you know that Michael Jackson is dead? Wow. Who saw that coming?

In the top half, though, it's the tour's current hottest player (Venus Williams, on a 12-match winning streak and virtually playing in her backyard) and a group of players with notoriously patchy results in recent times. Yeah, Agnieszka Radwanska is always a threat, but if Venus is on her game it's hard to see A-Rad not being brushed aside. Meanwhile, Yanina Wickmayer's results have dipped a bit in recent weeks and you never know what you're going to get from the likes of Svetlana Kuznetsova and/or Marion Bartoli. In other words, Venus is the odds-on favorite to reach the final at this point.

NEWSFLASH! I think I'm going to go with the Allies in World World II. I'm willing to take the bets of anyone who wants to wager against me. Seriously, you're going to take Hitler?

So, unlike last week, there's no need to re-pick the Miami draw in an attempt to scrape some dignity off a court cluttered with no-longer-there potential champions.

Sarah Palin won't get the irony of her being hired to be the subject of a reality show on TLC, The LEARNING Channel. See, some news never gets stale, or easy to fathom.

Heehee.


RISERS: Vera Zvonareva/RUS & Marion Bartoli/FRA
...both of these players have often been bedeviled by injuries over the past year, but when they're on their game are a true danger for any player that comes up against them. Just two weeks away from the anniversary of her Charleston ankle injury, Zvonareva handled Melanie Oudin and Sara Errani to set up a 4th Round encounter with Justine Henin. Meanwhile, Bartoli's wins over Magdalena Rybarikova and Gisela Dulko put #1-seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in her crosshairs in the Round of 16.
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SURPRISES: Yaroslava Shvedova/KAZ & Timea Bacsinszky/SUI
...only Henin, Shvedova and Bacsinszky have reached the Round of 16 without the benefit of a 1st Round bye, so these two qualify as the only real "surprises" of the week. Shvedova got wins over Ajla Tomljanovic and Andrea Petkovic, and was on the receiving end of Sabine Lisicki's latest retirement. Bacsinszky upset Li Na in a 2nd Round match decided by a 3rd set tie-break, a win which was sandwiched by additional victories over Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Polona Hercog.
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COMEBACKS: Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS & Justine Henin/BEL
...Kuznetsova was the #1 seed for this event and her recent form said she might not reach the first weekend. She almost didn't, having to go three sets before escaping Peng Shuai in the 2nd Round. But a fairly swift win over Agnes Szavay has put her in position for a SF run (though Bartoli and Wickmayer might have something to say about that). Even though her serve is still a nagging issue, Henin has managed to rebound from her Indian Wells Dulko Debacle, moving past Jill Craybas, Elena Dementieva and Dominika Cibulkova in straight sets to reach the Round of 16.
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VETERANS: Venus Williams/USA & Citizen's Newest Watch Model/BEL
...Venus, who lives just ninety minutes from the Miami tournament grounds, has quite a history at this event. She's won it three times, but hasn't reached the final since 2001 (last year Serena knocked her out in the SF). With wins over Sorana Cirstea and Roberta Vinci, the oldest player in the current singles Top 40 finds herself in a favorable position in the top half of the draw, and might just be able to make her pre-tournament comments about her goals for 2010 ("win, win, win, win, win, win, win") seem quite prophetic by the close of this weekend. Meanwhile, Jada's Recently Slumping Mom seems to be on her game again in Florida, easily handling Petra Kvitova and Shahar Peer (allowing the Israeli just a single game... hmmm, I guess she knows how that feels after Oz, huh?) en route to the 4th Round. Next up is Azarenka, and then she might possibly have to defeat Jankovic and Henin just to reach the final.
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FRESH FACES: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS & Sachie Ishizu/JPN
...Pavlyuchenkova is the youngest player remaining in the Miami draw, one of just two teenagers (with Wozniacki), after reaching the 4th Round with wins over Tamira Paszek and Francesca Schiavone. 17-year old Ishizu won the $10K challenger in Kofu, Japan with a win over countrywoman Akiko Yonemura in a 1-6/6-1/6-0 final. It's her third career ITF title, one each in the past three seasons. Before the start of regular WTA tour play this year (Week 0?), the Top 10 junior from Japan won her first career Girls Grade A at the Casablanca Cup.
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DOWN: Flavia Pennetta/ITA & Li Na/CHN
...while the very top seeds survived the first week in Miami, there were a few early exits. Along with the likes of Sabine Lisicki and Zheng Jie, these two stood out as the most disappointing. Pennetta lost in the 2nd Round to Andrea Petkovic, getting bageled in the 3rd set, to drop her '10 record to x-x. Meanwhile, Li's spotty season continues to be buoyed by her one fabulous SF result in Melbourne, as she was tossed from the draw in the early rounds yet again with a three-set loss to Bacsinszky.
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ITF PLAYER: Johanna Larsson/SWE
...Larsson has been THE star of the challanger circuit so far in 2010. She won her ITF-leading third title (in four finals) of the year in the Jersey $25K in Britain, defeating home favorite Anna Smith in the final after notching previous wins over Romina Oprandi, Olivia Sanchez and Timea Babos.
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JUNIOR STAR: Irina Khromacheva/RUS
...the 14-year old Hordette, the #6 junior in the world, won the G1 International Junior event in the Philippines, defeating Tian Ran of China 6-1/6-2 in the final. It's the second straight week that the 16-year old from China went down at the hands of Khromacheva, having lost to her in the 3rd Round in Malaysia last time out.
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OF NOTE: I see Yanina Wickmayer was named "Most Improved" player for last season at that belated Awards ceremony. I wonder if this decision was made before or after she was banished from the tour for two years in the final week of the '09 campaign, then bailed out of her predicament by a favorable Belgian court decision? Between you, me and maybe Samantha Stosur, Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez and Sabine Lisicki, we'll always wonder, huh? Yeah, riiiiight.


1. Miami 2nd Rd - Wozniacki d. Pironkova
...3-6/6-3/6-4. Pironkova was Gisela Dulko before Dulko was Dulko. You know, often flashing enough talent to take down tall trees in preeminent forests, but never really showing the consistency required to put up good results throughout the course of a season. This match was a case of getting to see everything in Pironkova's bag in a single match. She went up a set and 3-1 on C-Woz, but lost her advantage. She was up 3-0 in the 3rd, too, but still ended up losing as Wozniacki pulled off one of her casual-start-turns-into-wait-'em-out victory twirls.
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2. Miami 2nd Rd - Shvedova d. Lisicki
...6-3/0-1 ret. With her Charleston defense waiting in the wings, Lisicki's inability to stay on the court is once again a frustrating and troublesome issue.
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3. Miami 2nd Rd - Henin d. Dementieva
...6-3/6-2. Elena must have a Justine magnet in her pocket. Sometimes it feels like she's single-handedly laying down the foundation for a successful Henin comeback season.
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4. Miami 3rd Rd - Wozniacki d. Kirilenko
...1-6/6-1/6-4. Ever since bumping off Kirilenko as the featured model for Stella McCartney's tennis attire on tour, C-Woz is 4-0 against her over the last ten months. Although, this WAS the first time Kirilenko took a set off her, having lost their most recent meeting in Indian Wells by a 6-0/6-3 score.
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5. Miami 2nd Rd - Vinci d. Medina-Garrigues
...6-4/7-6. AMG is 4-7 on tour for this season, 1-6 aside from her SF run in Hobart, and making me wonder whether Anna Smashnova might just remain the only WTA player with ten singles titles but zero slam QF results (the Spaniard still needs one title to reach double-digits, but hasn't looked very capable of winning it so far in '10). She's now lost four straight.
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6. Miami 1st Rd - Molik d. Harkleroad 6-1/6-1; Miami 2nd Rd - Szavay d. Molik 6-0/6-0
... Alicia welcomed Mama Ashley back with a hard lesson, which Agnes quickly made look like child's play.
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7. Miami 2nd Rd - Zvonareva d. Oudin
...6-1/6-2. The Hordettes have been getting collective revenge against Little MO ever since her Russian-tipping shenanigans in New York last summer.
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8. Miami 2nd Rd - Safarova d. Martinez-Sanchez
...4-6/7-6/6-2. Safarova saved three match points while putting away MJMS... then lost her next match against Azarenka. Figures.
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9. Miami 2nd Rd - Hercog d. Wozniak
...7-6/6-3. No Canadian Winter Olympian, A-Woz's record is now 3-6 in tour action in 2010.
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10. Miami 2nd Rd - Ivanovic d. Parmentier
...6-4/6-3. This win ended AnaIvo's career-worst four-match losing streak. Have no fear, though, she began a new one two days later when she lost 7-5/7-5 to Agnieszka Radwanska.
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HM- $10K Antalya Final - Valentyna Ivakhnenko d. Mihaela Buzarnescu
...6-3/6-0. The 16-year old Ukrainian qualifier wins her first challenger crown in yet another of the series of $10K events held in Antalya, Turkey.
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**MARCH AWARDS**
>>ITF PLAYERS<<
1. Johanna Larsson, SWE
2. Zhang Shuai, CHN
3. Anna Lapushchenkova, RUS
4. Evelyn Mayr, ITA
5. Patricia Mayr, ITA
6. Chanelle Scheepers, RSA
7. Genna Piven, UKR
8. Jarmila Groth, AUS
9. Giulia Gotto-Monticone, ITA
10. Romina Oprandi, ITA
>>JUNIOR STARS<<
1. Sloane Stephens, USA
2. Heather Watson, GBR
3. Tang Hao-Chen, CHN
4. Beatrice Capra, USA
5. Lenka Jurikova, SVK
6. Sachie Ishizu, JPN
7. Veronica Cepede Royg, PAR
8. Irina Khromacheva, RUS
9. Yulia Putintseva, RUS
10. Caroline Garcia, FRA

**2010 WTA WINNING STREAKS**
12...VENUS WILLIAMS (February-current after Miami 3rd Rd.)
11...Yanina Wickmayer (January; also had 1 win to end '09 season)

**RECENT MIAMI FINALS**
1998 Venus Williams d. Anna Kournikova
1999 Venus Williams d. Serena Williams
2000 Martina Hingis d. Lindsay Davenport
2001 Venus Williams d. Jennifer Capriati
2002 Serena Williams d. Jennifer Capriati
2003 Serena Williams d. Jennifer Capriati
2004 Serena Williams d. Elena Dementieva
2005 You-Know-Who d. Maria Sharapova
2006 Svetlana Kuznetsova d. Maria Sharapova
2007 Serena Williams d. Justine Henin
2008 Serena Williams d. Jelena Jankovic
2009 Victoria Azarenka d. Serena Williams


All for now.

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Wk.11- Smells Like Queen Chaos

Ladies and gentlemen, your WTA Smile Ambassador.



That's her over there in the fluorescent green tennis dress. I mean, you could hardly miss her. Here, use these sunglasses, if it helps. You probably remember her from that recent television commercial with the guy on the horse, or at least Jelena Jankovic's own possible version of it as she stared into the bathroom mirror each morning over the past year, psyching herself up for the long-term task that she found on her breakfast plate after having climbed to the top of the women's rankings at the end of 2008:

"Look at Queen Chaos, now back at me.
Sadly, I am not Queen Chaos.
But I could be again.
Look at Queen Chaos, now back at me.
I am no longer Queen Chaos, but I know that one day I could smell like Queen Chaos... again.
Yes, I'm still that player that that player used to smell like."

Or something like that. But, either way, that all might have changed in Indian Wells. Queen Chaos may have been reborn.

After the string of big-name upsets in the first week of the tournament threatened to give the event a "B-league" feel, the chaotic nature of the draw was a ridiculously easy invitation to insert the notion that Jankovic might ultimately rise from the ashes in the form of some sort of Serbian Phoenix dressed in "superhero" garb. I mean, come on... "let chaos reign?" Like a Belgian tennis star being made into a plastic Barbie doll (with a version of her actual child serving as an "accessory") that looked nothing like her or any other human being, it HAD to be too good to be true. Then again, ol' QC was never known to pass up an afternoon to step into the spotlight... and wouldn't you know it that she'd have that priceless green number tucked away in her closet just for such an occasion, too.

Bringing a touch of HER own "old spice" back to her game, Jankovic -- naturally, after surviving a near-upset bid, which was always the norm in QC's heyday, too -- spent much of her time on court in I.W. reminding us, and maybe even herself, just what got her to #1 in the first place. Incredible movement, clever point construction and the ability to pick her in-point spots and step into her shots as soon as her opponent gives her an opening to steal a long rally with one down-the-line winner. She surely never forget her recipe for success over the past fifteen months, but the spark that used to be behind it was lost along a rocky path that included a misguided offseason training program, designed to add power to her game, that produced so much muscle that it literally caused her to be forced to lug the additional bulk around the court, robbing her of her best athletic asset -- her quick footwork. With off-court worries with mother Snezana and her late grandmother nagging at her usual inner light, Jankovic still managed to push through to two titles in '09 even while seeing her ranking fall from #1 to #8 as many forecast that her "flash-in-the-pan" rise was destined to fade out and usher her into tennis oblivion.

That Jankovic won one of the biggest non-slam events on the calendar in Indian Wells, notching victories over the likes of the Peer's, Kleybanova's, Stosur's and Wozniacki's of the tennis world, is a fine thing. But how she did it was probably more important. She did it by returning to the roots of her game, rather than dreaming of being some souped-up version of JJ 2.0. The original might not have been perfect, nor able to knock off the likes of Henin or Serena in the crunch... but so what? THAT JJ worked for her -- and us -- and was just good enough to make one believe that on a good day she might be able to clear some of those career hurdles that she'd so far failed to leap, though hardly because of a lack of trying. Rather than try to be something she isn't, JJ learned over the past two weeks that being herself isn't so bad, and that simple tweaks can lead to small improvements in a player's game that can produce far better results. She didn't need to build the latest J-bot model from the ground up, she just needed to tighten a few bolts and update some of the software.

Just bending the ear of Chip Brooks, the Bollettieri Academy tennis director who served as JJ's part-time coach in Indian Wells, seems to have worked short-term wonders. Ricardo Sanchez was great in the good ol' days, but sometimes players just need a fresh set of eyes to help them see things right in front of their face. Hopefully, Brooks' wisdom will stick with JJ. If not... hey, at least he helped everyone catch a brief and entertaining glimpse of Queen Chaos again after too long a time away.



A smiling Jelena is a happy Jelena, and the WTA landscape just got a little bit brighter... even if (or especially because?) a certain Serb acted as if she wasn't quite up to lifting that heavy Indian Wells trophy (she eventually did). You know it's a good sign of things to come when a post-match ceremony includes one of those oh-so-JJ moments like the "I can't lift it" one that arrived right on schedule after Jankovic handily dispatched of Caroline Wozniacki in the final. With some players -- well, one -- such an attention-grabbing move might seem cloying, but with JJ it's just a case of her compelling quirkiness being allowed to roam free. She was just being herself. Thank goodness that she finally CAN be again.

And that's all we can really ask, isn't it?

[Well, then again, maybe we COULD ask for Jelena to have "QC" stitched onto the chest of that green dress... you know, just to play up the role to the hilt. Just a minor request.]

*WEEK 10/11 CHAMPIONS*

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA USA (Premier 9 $4.5m/hard outdoor)
S: Jelena Jankovic def. Caroline Wozniacki 6-2/6-4
D: Peschke/Srebotnik d. Petrova/Stosur


PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jelena Jankovic/SRB
...career title #12 comes more than seven months after #11 arrived in Cincinnati, but it proves that JJ isn't incapable of learning from her own mistakes. She need not fade away after climbing to a high altitude, only to stall out once she got there. Too many promising players tend to do such a thing, ultimately wallowing in their own underachievement, losing confidence and intensity as soon as the easy ride starts to become a little bumpy, then watching their lack of belief transform a temporary slump into a potentially career-deadening, soul-crushing, self-fulfilling prophecy. Ana, Anna and Nicole, to name a few (though that last one is techically a "former" player now after finally proving what's been pretty obvious for almost two years now -- that she really didn't care anymore), could learn a lot from watching how Jankovic has handled her latest dance with the tennis demons. Jankovic perhaps cared TOO much, and worked TOO hard to improve her lot in the sport. In Jelena's case, being a bit of a bull-headed dreamer with a flair for both dramatic entrances and exits worked. She never gave up on the belief that she could recapture what once made her such a joy to watch and, after much trial-and-error, here she is holding up (well, struggling to do so, at least) the trophy for claiming the biggest prize of her career. Through chaos comes catharsis?
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RISERS: Caroline Wozniacki/DEN & Agnieszka Radwanska/POL
...after surviving a 1st Round scare against Vania King (down 4-1 in the 3rd), a fitter C-Woz hit her stride in Indian Wells. Substituting that comeback for the decided lack of momentum she had coming into the event, she added a few additional aggressive moves (some worked, some didn't... but at least the effort was apparent) to her normal defensive-minded gameplan and rode a wave into the final after leaving the likes of Zheng Jie, Nadia Petrova and Agnieszka Radwanska in her wake. She finally met her match in Jankovic in the final, but her belated season-"starting" fortnight was enough to push her to #2 in the new rankings. A-Rad, for her part, always manages to pull great results from her racket bag while everyone's attention is diverted to nearly every other player in the Top 10 BESIDES her. She did it again in I.W., reaching the SF on the back of second week wins over Marion Bartoli and Elena Dementieva (the latter by a surprisingly quick 4 & 3 scoreline).
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SURPRISE: Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez/ESP
...MJMS's abilities in both singles and doubles are known at this point, but who'd have thought that the tall Spaniard's disappointing I.W. doubles result (QF) would be buoyed by an accompanying singles QF outcome built upon a pair of upsets over Yanina Wickmayer and Victoria Azarenka?
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COMEBACK: Katarina Srebotnik/SLO
...Srebotnik's comeback from injury began late in '09, and she managed to get a doubles title in Linz to mark her minor return. Her Indian Wells doubles win Kveta Peschke, her twenty-first career doubles title, is a bit more substantial.
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VETERANS: Samantha Stosur/AUS & Kveta Peschke/CZE
...even while she's focusing more on singles these days, Stosur remains a dual threat player. Last week was a good example. She reached the singles SF after getting wins over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, '09 I.W. champ Vera Zvonareva and MJMS, then reached the doubles final with Nadia Petrova. Today she climbed into the singles Top 10 for the first time, meaning she's now a Top 10er in both disciplines. The only other women who can currently say that? Try Venus and Serena. Sling that. Meanwhile, Peschke, who didn't win a doubles title at all in '09, won her second in the first three months of 2010. With Hobart already in her back pocket, her I.W. win with Srebotnik counts as the biggest title claimed so far in her 15-crown career.
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FRESH FACE: Alisa Kleybanova/RUS
...all right, so she already "graduated" to Riser status a few months ago. But, hey, that category was chocked-full. So, a come-from-behind win over Love Me Barbie and victory against Carla Suarez-Navarro to reach the Indian Wells QF, which have now pushed her to within earshot of the Top 20 (#22), are thus used to slide her into THIS particular slot for Week 11.
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DOWN: Belgian Barbie/BEL & Vera Zvonareva/RUS
...last Monday, the player who's now almost seven months past that slam win in New York (yes, it's already been that long) continued her 2010 downward progression in Indian Wells. After opening the year with a title, then nearly being double-bageled by Nadia Petrova in the Australian Open, barely escaping an exhibition match against the mostly-no-account AnaIvo in MSG and blowing a 4-2 3rd set lead against Venus in the final, she fumbled away a 3-0 3rd set lead against Kleybanova in the 3rd Round in California, then a 4-0 tie-break advantage. As it is, she's STILL the second-ranked Belgian... and Justine just entered the rankings at #33. With Paris just a few months away, might Jada Accessory Required be feeling La Petit Taureau's breath on her ranking neck before spring's end? Meanwhile, in a matter of hours, Zvonareva went from defending I.W. champ to 4th Round straight sets loser to Stosur, then saw her ranking officially fall from #14 to #23 today.
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ITF PLAYER: Chanelle Scheepers/RSA
...the South African won the $25K challenger in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, getting wins over Johanna Larsson, Arantxa Rus and Sophie Ferguson in a 7-5/7-5 final.
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JUNIOR STAR: Tang Hao-Chen/CHN
...the 16-year old, a surprise Australian Open semifinalist in January after notching wins over Heather Watson, Yana Buchina and Silvia Njiric in Melbourne, defeated Caroline Garcia in the final of the Sarawak Chief Minister's Cup in Kuching, Malaysia. It's her first career Grade 1 title.
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1. IW 3rd Rd - Kleybanova d. Nadia's Melbourne Roadkill
...6-4/1-6/7-6. Henin escaped the Russian's wrath in Melbourne.
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2. IW 3rd Rd - Jankovic d. Errani
...2-6/7-6/6-4. Errani led 4-2 and was up 40/love on JJ's serve in the 3rd. After saving four break points there, then nearly squandering away a 5-1 lead in the tie-break, Jankovic finally put away the match in 2:48. Ah, it's nice to have HER back.
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3. IW QF - Wozniacki d. Zheng
...6-4/4-6/6-1. Zheng made C-Woz step up her game in order to win. The same didn't happen in the final against Jankovic.
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4. IW Final - Jankovic d. Wozniacki
...6-2/6-4. Jankovic broke serve in the first game of the match, then raced to a 4-0 lead. By the time C-Woz eventually got herself into the match it was too little too late.
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5. IW 3rd Rd - Martinez-Sanchez d. Azarenka
...7-6/6-2. Maybe the most surprising result of last week. Azarenka attempts to defend her Miami title this week.
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HM- IW 4th Rd - Stosur d. Zvonareva
...6-2/7-5. Hard to believe, but this is the first time this season that a defending singles champion has actually been defeated in a WTA event. Previously, five players have defended titles, seven didn't return to the event, and Amelie Mauresmo retired as the reigning Paris Indoors champ.
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HM- $10K Antalya Final - Julia Mayr d. Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor
...6-2/6-1. The Merry Wheel of Mayr turned once again on the ITF tour. Julia won her second challenger crown of the season, tying sister Evelyn for a share of the circuit's season lead. Evelyn lost in the 2nd Round.
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**MOST TITLES - LAST 3 SEASONS**
8...Elena Dementieva (3/3/2)
8...Serena Williams (4/3/1)
7...JELENA JANKOVIC (4/2/1)
7...Dinara Safina (4/3/0)
7...Venus Williams (3/2/2)
6...Caroline Wozniacki (3/3/0)
5...Maria Sharapova (3/1/1)
5...Vera Zvonareva (2/2/1)

**TIER I & PREMIER 9 ($2m+) TITLES - ACTIVE**
10...Justine Henin
10...Serena Williams
8...Venus Williams (2010: Dubai)
7...Maria Sharapova
6...JELENA JANKOVIC (2010: I.W.)

**2010 WEEKS IN TOP 10**
[of 12 weeks, as of March 22; CAPS: current Top 10]
12...SERENA WILLIAMS
12...CAROLINE WOZNIACKI
12...DINARA SAFINA
12...SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA
12...VENUS WILLIAMS
12...ELENA DEMENTIEVA
12...VICTORIA AZARENKA
12...JELENA JANKOVIC
12...AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA
7...Li Na
4...Vera Zvonareva
1...SAMANTHA STOSUR





MIAMI, FLORIDA USA (Premier 9 $4.5m/hard outdoor)
09 Final: Azarenka d. S.Williams
10 Top Seeds: Kuznetsova/Wozniacki
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=Round of 16=
Szavay d. Bartoli
Li d. Wickmayer
V.Williams d. Petrova
A.Radwanska d. Pennetta
Jankovic d. Stosur
Azarenka d. She-Whose-Name-Is-Not-Spoken
Henin d. Kleybanova
Wozniacki d. Pavlyuchenkova
=QF=
Li d. Szavay
V.Williams d. A.Radwanska
Jankovic d. Azarenka
Henin d. Wozniacki
=SF=
V.Williams d. Li
Jankovic d. Henin
=FINAL=
V.Williams d. Jankovic

...well, for one, Ashley Harkleroad (vs. Molik in the 1st Round) is back in action after mommy duty. Somehow, though, I doubt that HER comeback will be hailed as the greatest achievement in the history of sport since the cavemen had a competion to see who could drag Xina by her tresses for the longest distance without yanking out a handful of hair. Sigh. Poor Xina.

As far as the actual contenders go, though, could chaos -- and even Chaos? -- rule again on the opposite American coast? Maybe, though one gets the sense that form might hold a least a LITTLE better in Florida than it did in California.

Serena isn't here, but Venus is... and no one has been hotter since the end of the AO than her. She reached the Miami SF a year ago, only to lose to her sister. That obstacle won't be a problem this year. JJ could surely ride a wave to another title, but the odds are probably against it. I'm not sure I really believe Henin will reach the semis, but I'm thinking maybe she's a little embarrassed about Indian Wells... and, really, I just wanted to have the chance to pick Jankovic finally getting a win over La Petit Taureau after all these years.

And if JJ does that... well, I figure she'll be so overwhelmed by the accomplishment that she'll be distracted easy pickings for Venus in a final.


All for now. I'm still on a horse.

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Wk.10- Random Musings & Dark Clouds

As I type the "I" in Indian Wells, the second half of the 3rd Round is taking place, but that doesn't mean that a semi-recap of the past week isn't possible, or necessary.

Ten random thoughts from Week 10...

1) Justine Henin lost early, but it probably means zilch.
2) Sloane Stephens outshined Melanie Oudin on home soil (a Watson/Robson-like situation?).
3) Sabine Lisicki got hurt... again. Are you kidding me? Is she made of tissue paper?
4) I'll bet Anastasiya Sevastova wishes she could play Serbian players EVERY round.
5) Svetlana Kuznetsova once again nominated herself for "biggest disappointment" honors. But...
6) It's a good thing for her that Ana Ivanovic has pull with the judges. She edges ahead since...
7) Li Na's results bob up-and-down so much that no one can safely expect anything from her.
8) I wonder if anyone realizes that Vera Zvonareva is the defending champion of this event?
9) Wasn't all the Agassi/Sampras exhibition stuff GREAT? (Their's has always been an uneasy truce.)
10) Does anyone else sense a dark cloud rising? It'd just be SO LIKE HER, you know? (See tournament re-picks below)

STAT OF THE WEEK: There were six different former Indian Wells singles champions in the draw when play began last Wednesday. With the 3rd Round only half-completed, four (Hantuchova, Henin, Ivanovic and Sharapova), are already gone, with only '09 titlist Vera Zvonareva and '03/'05 winner Belgian Barbie remaining. Of the players who've filled the last eight I.W. finalist slots from 2006-09, only Zvonareva and Elena Dementieva remain.

MAGAZINE ALERT: In the April edition of Tennis magazine, Peter Bodo has a nice article about the perplexing fall of Nicole Vaidisova. Not that he unearthred any real answers in the investigation, other than that she apparently stopped working hard and often looks like she doesn't care. Not exactly a newsflash, but still food for thought.

Naturally, though, I have to give out a few mini-awards...


RISERS: Zheng Jie/CHN & Elena Baltacha/GBR
...Zheng got a win over the mostly slumping Sorana Cirstea, but it was her upset of Maria Sharapova that will make everyone forget the forgettable results the Chinese players have had since their breakout Melbourne performances. Meanwhile, Baltacha qualified for the I.W. main draw, then got wins over Alexa Glatch and Li Na (fighting off three match points) before losing to Alicia Molik in the 3rd Round.
=============================
SURPRISE: Roberta Vinci/ITA
...the veteran always manages to sneak up on people. In Indiana Wells, it was Melanie Oudin and two-time champion Daniela Hantuchova.
=============================
COMEBACK: Alicia Molik/AUS
...while Jelena Dokic's fortunes have faded again, fellow Aussie Molik's comeback continued top pick up steam with victories last week over Tatjana Malek, Anabel Medina-Garrigues and Baltacha.
=============================
VETERAN: Nadia Petrova/RUS
...might Nadia be the dark horse remaining in this field? She's got wins over Patty Schndyer and Peng Shuai. She next faces Caroline Wozniacki in the 4th Round.
=============================
FRESH FACES: Anastasiya Sevastova/LAT & Sloane Stephens/USA
...a week after upsetting Jelena Jankovic and reaching the SF in Monterrey, Sevastsova got a win over Ana Ivanovic. She'll face defending champ Zvonareva today. Stephens qualified, then grabbed her first career WTA main draw win with a victory over Lucie Hradecka. She lost in the 2nd Round to Zvonareva.
=============================
DOWN: Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS, Ana Ivanovic/SRB & Sabine Lisicki/GER
...the beat goes on for all three. Kuznetsova fell to Carla Suarez-Navarro in the 2nd Round (after a bye). Ivanovic did the same against Sevastova, while Lisiski injured her ankle and retired (again) in her 2nd Rounder against Jill Craybas.
=============================
ITF PLAYER: Johanna Larsson/SWE
...for the second time in three weeks, Larsson claimed an ITF title. This one was in the $25K in Clearwater, Florida as she knocked out Zhang Shuai 7-6/6-0 in the final. She also notched a win over Zhou Yi-Miao.
=============================
JUNIOR STAR: Beatrice Capra/USA
...the 17-year old American, the #8 seed, won the G1 Banana Bowl in Blumenau, Brazil. Following wins over Monica Puig and Paula Ormaechea, she took out Norway's Ulrikke Eikeri in the final.
=============================


1. IW 2nd Rd - Dulko d. Henin 6-2/1-6/6-4
IW 3rd Rd - A.Radwanska d. Dulko 6-1/6-0
... Seriously, could we have gotten a better example of the enigma that is Gisela Dulko than for her to upset Henin, then turn around two days later and lose 1 & love to A-Rad? If she were Victoria Azarenka -- or behaved the way Azarenka USED TO) -- no one within racket-tossing distance of the court would be safe.
=============================
2. IW 3rd Rd - Zheng d. Sharapova
...6-3/2-6/6-3. Maybe the Supernova moniker will never again be uttered in these parts other than as a wistful reminder of glory days gone by. With her serve again playing the role of double agent, Sharapova experience fourteen double-faults and lost a 2:45 match. Could it be that MEMPHIS will be the abberation of her 2010 season?
=============================
3. IW 2nd Rd - Suarez-Navarro d. Kuznetsova
...6-4/4-6/6-1. Not really a big shocker. CSN has pulled off her share of upsets, while #1-seeded Kuznetsova looks like she's decided to take 2010 off. Hey, it worked out all right for the Belgians.
=============================
4. IW 2nd Rd - Sevastova d. Ivanovic
...6-2/6-4. What did an Indian Wells title and runner-up result the last two years get AnaIvo? A "sloppy seconds" upset by a Latvian who beat JJ a little farther south on the continent last week. Maybe Ana should try Del Monte rather than Heinz?
=============================
5. IW 1st Rd - Dushevina d. Dokic
...6-0/6-3. Dokic is 1-4 in main draw tour matches in 2010.
=============================
6. IW 2nd Rd - Baltacha d. Li
...7-6/2-6/7-6. Li held three match points. The loss, her third in a raw, drops her to 8-6 on the season. Outside of her AO semifinal run, she's 3-5.
=============================
7. IW 1st Rd - Vinci d. Oudin
...3-6/6-3/6-0. That 3rd set score speaks to everything that Oudin HASN'T been since she broke through in '09.
=============================
8. IW 3rd Rd - Wozniacki d. Kirilenko
...6-0/6-3. C-Woz hasn't exactly re-assumed her "Girl with the Curl" role again, but after two impressively quick wins in Indian Wells, it's easy to want to think she's finally started her '10 campaign.
=============================
9. Nonthaburi (THA) Jr. Final - Irina Khromacheva d. Tamara Curovic
...6-3/4-6/6-1. The 14-year old Hordette claimed the Grade 1 title with a win over the Serb.
=============================
10. $10K Antalya (TUR) Final - Michaela Pochabova d. Evelyn Mayr
...6-1/7-5. The Slovak prevented Mayr from becoming the first woman to win a third ITF crown this season. Mayr's sister Julia reached the QF.
=============================


**2010 - MOST ITF TITLES**
2...JOHANNA LARSSON, SWE
2...Evelyn Mayr, ITA
2...Olivia Sanchez, FRA

**2010 WINS OVER ACTIVE ONE-TIME WTA #1's**
2...Elena Dementieva (def. S.Williams/Safina)
2...ANASTASIJA SEVASTOVA (JANKOVIC/IVANOVIC)
1...Alona Bondarenko (Jankovic)
1...Barbie (Henin)
1...Gisela Dulko (Henin)
1...Justine Henin (Ivanovic)
1...Alisa Kleybanova (Ivanovic)
1...Svetlana Kuznetsova (Ivanovic)
1...Li Na (V.Williams)
1...Nadia Petrova (Barbie)
1...Agnes Szavay (Jankovic)
1...Serena Williams (Henin)
1...Zheng Jie (Sharapova)
1...Vera Zvonareva (Jankovic)

**RECENT INDIAN WELLS FINALS**
2001 Serena Williams d. Jada's Future Mama
2002 Daniela Hantuchova d. Martina Hingis
2003 Brian's Future Wifey d. Lindsay Davenport
2004 Justine Henin d. Lindsay Davenport
2005 Justine's Countrywoman d. Lindsay Davenport
2006 Maria Sharapova d. Elena Dementieva
2007 Daniela Hantuchova d. Svetlana Kuznetsova
2008 Ana Ivanovic d. Svetlana Kuznetsova
2009 Vera Zvonareva d. Ana Ivanovic





INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA USA (Premier $4.5m-Hard Outdoor)
=============================
=QF=
Jada's Mama d. Pennetta
Azarenka d. Zvonareva
Dementieva d. A.Radwanska
Petrova d. Zheng
=SF=
Brian's Wifey d. Azarenka
Dementieva d. Petrova
=FINAL=
Justine's Countrywoman d. Dementieva

...yep, I've gone to "the dark side." Well, at least for a few days. Plus, a "re-pick" doesn't really count, anyway.


All for now.

Read more...

All That's Well in Indian Wells

Ah, the Indian Wells draw.

Hmmm... there are four Belgians in the mix, but still no Williams Sisters after all these years. Svetlana Kuznetsova is the #1 seed... which is something of a damning indictment of the event, but who's going to argue with the rankings (or whatever the WTA is calling them this week), right? Poor Elena Dementieva might have to face her Melbourne conqueror again, only this time in the quarterfinals rather than the 2nd Round. Small favors. Meanwhile, a familiar Russian, fresh off a minor crown, comes to California a more major singles title away from officially earning back some of her supernovic credentials. And a certain Dane, seeded #2, will once again try to "start" her season after a couple of inconsequential months since New Year's Day 2010.

As for everyone else...



INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA USA (Premier $4.5m-Hard Outdoor)
09 FINAL: Zvonareva d. Ivanovic
10 Top Seeds: Kuznetsova/Wozniacki
=============================
=Round of 16=
Barbie d. Kuznetsova
Pennetta d. Cibulkova
Azarenka d. Wickmayer
Zvonareva d. Pavlyuchenkova
Henin d. Lisicki
Dementieva d. Schiavone
Sharapova d. Li
Petrova d. Wozniacki
=QF=
Jada's Mama d. Pennetta
Azarenka d. Zvonareva
Henin d. Dementieva
Sharapova d. Petrova
=SF=
Azarenka d. Brian's Wifey
Henin d. Sharapova
=FINAL=
Henin d. Azarenka

...remember how good Justine looked in Melbourne? Well, she's had a month of practice to further fine-tune LPT 2.0 and heads to Indian Wells as an unranked player for the final time this season. Azarenka has kept her head in crucial moments so far this season, but might have to knock off the three best Belgians to win this title.

All for now.

Read more...

Wk.9- .now for All (The 6th Annual Backwards Backspin)

[Helpful Hint: It might be easier to read this week's edition of Backspin from the bottom up]

The draw comes out soon, so I'll make picks then. All for now.

Of note, AnaIvo won this title in '08, and was runner-up a year ago. If her slide continues and she exits early in '10, her ranking will take an even bigger hit than it has since she won RG.

=============================
09 FINAL: Zvonareva d. Ivanovic
INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA USA (Premier $4.5m-Hard Outdoor)






2...Liezel Huber, USA (2 doubles)
2...IVETA BENESOVA, CZE (2 doubles)
3...Cara Black, ZIM (2 doubles/1 mixed)
3...BARBORA ZAHLAVOVA-STRYCOVA, CZE (3 DOUBLES)
**MOST 2010 DOUBLES TITLES**

ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA, RUS (18, MONTERREY...DEF. HANTUCHOVA)
Polona Hercog, SLO (19, Acapulco...lost to V.Williams)
Alisa Kleybanova, RUS (20, Kuala Lumpur...def. Dementieva)
Angelique Kerber, GER (22, Bogota...lost to Duque-Marino)
Mariana Duque-Marino, COL (20, Bogota...def. Kerber)
**2010 FIRST-TIME FINALISTS**

# - apparently, until further notice... I guess
* - Fernandez/Zvereva were elected to the Hall of Fame last week
--
80...GIGI FERNANDEZ *
87...Paola Suarez
111...Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario
117...Lisa Raymond
123...LIEZEL HUBER
124...NATASHA ZVEREVA *
159...CARA BLACK #
237...Martina Navratilova
**MOST CAREER WEEKS AT DOUBLES #1**

22...Maria Sharapova (Memphis)
20...Yanina Wickmayer (Auckland)
20...Alisa Kleybanova (Kuala Lumpur)
20...Mariana Duque-Marino (Bogota)
18...ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA (MONTERREY)
**YOUNGEST 2010 CHAMPIONS**


Well, apparently, Cara Black IS still ranked #1 on the doubles computer, with Liezel Huber, and always has been. In a bit of Orwellian manuevering, the WTA's web site now again lists the pair as co-#1's (including in the "previous week's ranking" column) after three weeks of having Huber in the top spot not only on the official rankings page, but also on their individiual bio pages. In fact, I now notice that early last week the site had a small item about the two which "casually" mentioned that they'd shared the top ranking since sometime in 2007. Then, days later, the rankings page reflects it, too. Isn't that sort of like a newspaper listing a correction of a front page story in a one inch by one inch area on page D18 almost a month later? So, apparently, Black never lost the ranking and is still on course to match Navratilova's ranking records. Good for her. But, seriously, if you can't take the WTA's official site's word on who the top-ranked players in the world are, whose word can you take? Maybe we should just say Venus and Serena are #1... since that's probably more accurate than the "rankings," anyway. :NOTE

=============================
Yep, more sisters. The Italian siblings met up to decide which would win her second ITF title of 2010. As it turned out, 20-year old Evelyn won out over 18-year old Julia, giving her a 2-0 challenger final record for the season and dropping little sis to 1-1. .6-2/6-2...
Evelyn Mayr d. Julia Mayr - Final $10K Antalya .7
=============================
I can't believe Barb almost lost to her. She had to save a match point. Maybe the Petrova loss in Melbourne really did get inside her head. .7-6...
Barbie d. Ivanovic - SF MSG .6
=============================
Hmmm, maybe Cibulkova hasn't usurped Hantuchova's ages-old role as the top Slovak, after all? .4-6/6-3/6-0...
Hantuchova d. Cibulkova - SF Mont .5
=============================
Vaidisova came in ranked #177. As shocking as that is, that she lost to a junior ranked #484 on the WTA computer might be even more so. But then you remember how far Vaidisova has fallen... and you just shake your head .4-7/7-6/7-6...
Watson d. Vaidisova - 1st Rd. $25K Hammond .4
=============================
She's the fifth different Russian to win a WTA crown in 2010. Outside of the Hordettes, only six other players have won tour singles titles this season. .1-6/6-1/6-0...
Pavluchenkova d. Hantuchova - Final Mont .3
=============================
Remember when QC was always on the winning side of scorelines like this? .5-7/6-4/6-4...
Sevastsova d. Jankovic - 1st Rd. Mont .2
=============================
Playing in her fourth three-setter in five days, Venus came back from a 4-2 3rd set deficit (she also erased a 2-0 lead by Svetlana Kuznetsova in their one-set SF contest) in front of a very pro-Venus crowd. I don't know if Barbie was a little unnerved by the sound of fans calling out in the middle of points to distract HER or not, but she surely didn't look the most composed of the two here. .6-4/3-6/7-5...
V.Williams d. Brian's Wife - Final MSG .1


=============================
the 18-year old from Paraguay won the G1 Asuncion Bowl in her home country, defeating Venezuela's Adriana Perez (who upset Jana Cepelova in the SF) in the final. Cepede Royg also got a win over American Beatrice Capra...
Veronica Cepede Royg/PAR :JUNIOR STAR
=============================
Zhang won the $25K Hammond challenger, defeating American Jamie Hampton (in her second ITF final of the season) in a 6-2/6-1 final. A winner over Safina in a match late last season, Zhang also defeated Watson in the QF...
Zhang Shuai/CHN :ITF PLAYER
=============================
nothing seems to be working for JJ these days. As the #1 seed in Monterrey, she went out early with a 1st Round defeat at the hands of Anastasiya Sevastova. Sadly, I don't think Orbit's "Smile Ambassador" has been flashing that winning grin too much lately...
Jelena Jankovic/SRB :DOWN
=============================
in the $25K Hammond, Louisiana challenger, 17-year old Brit Watson's QF run was highlighted by a hard-fought 1st Round victory over Nicole Vaidisova. She's currently the #4-ranked junior in the world...
Heather Watson/GBR :FRESH FACE
=============================
Venus followed up her Dubai and Acapulco crowns by heading to New York last Monday and winning the one-night Billie Jean King Cup exhibition at Madison Square Garden (where she'd lost to Serena in '09). The highlight? Her late-in-the-3rd-set "from the rafters" smash at the net against Justine's Countrywoman. It was classic Venus... with a hint of Pete Sampras' overpowering, leaping smash shot thrown in for good measure. In the $25K challenger in Minsk, Bovina reached the singles SF (losing to eventual champ Anna Lapushchenkova) and won the doubles with Irena Pavlovic...
Venus Williams/USA & Elena Bovina/RUS :VETERANS
=============================
at one time, Hantuchova was the WTA's "Wonder Girl," the chosen one who so many felt would one day be #1. Didn't happen. But, at 26, she still occasionally flashes the form that got her a great deal of attention, if not all that many tour singles titles over the years. In Monterrey, she ran off a string of wins over Lourdes Dominguez-Lino, Kaia Kanepi, Vania King and Cibulkova before finally going down in three sets against Pavlyuchenkova in the final. It was Hantuchova's first singles final since winning Linz in 2007...
Daniela Hantuchova/SVK :COMEBACK
=============================
yes, Latvians DO play tennis. At least Sevastova does. She opened the week in Monterrey by taking out #1-seed Jelena Jankovic, and then the 19-year old followed that up with victories over Benesova and Alize Cornet to reach her first career tour SF. Her previous best result was a QF in Guangzhou last season. So far in 2010, fifty-two singles semifinalist berths have been garnered by women from twenty-six different nations, a list to which Sevastova added Latvia's name this weekend...
Anastasiya Sevatsova/LAT :SURPRISE
=============================
Cibulkova was one of three semifinalists in Monterrey who were looking for their first tour singles titles. She didn't get her's, losing to countrywoman Hantuchova in three sets, but good wins over Roberta Vinci, Sara Errani and Agnes Szavay at least are a sign that the promise she showed a couple of seasons ago wasn't an illusion. Meanwhile, Czech Zahlavova-Strycova became the first women with three tour doubles titles in '10, winning the Monterrey crown with Iveta Benesova one year after the pair were the runners-up there in '09. BZS won in Acapulco last week with Polona Hercog, and teamed with Benesova earlier to take the crown in Paris...
Dominika Cibulkova/SVK & Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova/CZE :RISERS
=============================
for the second consecutive week, a Russian Hordette grabbed her first career title. After Alisa Kleybanova did it in Kuala Lumpur, Pavlyuchenkova followed suit in Monterrey this weekend. The 18-year old made often-quick work of the likes of Anna Tatishvili, Polona Hercog and Klara Zakopalova early in the week, and then was forced to play both the semifinal and final on Sunday after her match was rained out on Saturday. No matter, though, as she showed impressive closing ability against Anastasija Sevastova (6-1 in the 3rd) in the SF and Daniela Hantuchova (6-1/6-0 in sets two and three) in the final...
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS :PLAYER OF THE WEEK


=============================
Venus Williams def. Jada's Mother 6-4/3-6/7-5
BILLIE JEAN KING CUP (Exhibition - Madison Square Garden, NYC)

=============================
D: Benesova/Zahalvova-Strycova d. Groenefeld/King
S: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Daniela Hantuchova 1-6/6-1/6-0
MONTERREY, MEXICO (Int'l $220K-Red Clay)

*WEEK 9 CHAMPIONS*

ANSWER: Hmmm... we'll have to wait and see. The former dominant junior #1 has been an image in the top players' rear view mirrors for a couple of seasons now. Late last year, though, she knocked off Venus Williams twice. A few months later she has her first title. With more confidence has come greater success. With greater success comes more pressure to succeed. Is she a Vaidisova or Ivanovic in Russian clothing? Her junior success hints that she can handle the progression of her career. But, for the time being, let's just say the next hurdle to clear will be to reach the Top 20, which could very well happen in short order for the current world #25.

QUESTION: So Pavlyuchenkova's going to have a good, but not great, career then?

ANSWER: Yep. The likes of Safina, Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova all won their first titles BEFORE turning eighteen... and all went on to either become #1 or win a slam, or both in Sharapova's case. None of the other four have been consistent and/or long-term slam threats, though Myskina DID win Roland Garros in 2004.

QUESTION: Hmmm, there's been sort of a mixed bag of promising/disappointing career results from that group, huh?

ANSWER: Four. Elena Likhovtseva, Anastasia Myskina, Vera Zvonareva and Maria Kirilenko.

QUESTION: Back to what actually happened last week. How many other Russian women have won their first WTA singles title at age 18?

ANSWER: Good point, nameless Backspin reader most definitely not also named Todd. Call it the bad luck of the draw, sort of like when Dinara Safina wins a title the week before a slam and it's shrugged off by my caveman friend in his "Bare Bones" version of the weekly round-up, when he spends half the time making not-so-vague threats against me. Of course, I have nothing against... umm, should I call her "A-Pav?" Well, no, I guess I threw that one out a while back... so AP's shorthand moniker is still waiting for inspiration.. But, yes, that champion pick might end up being my best one of the season (though my predictions are already eons better than last year's -- eight correct winners in seventeen total events, as opposed to just thirteen in sixty-one in '09, plus eight-for-eight in Fed Cup picks). Of course, I've probably initiated a long losing streak by just mentioning that. Speaking of gimmicks, though, this annual edition of Backspin was scheduled before "Pavvy" (?????)) won in Monterrey, so it would have taken a monumentally odd/brilliant/mesmerizing/worrisome result at the tournament -- and, hey, the chaotically-challenged JJ lost in the 1st Round, so... -- to scuttle plans for this sixth attempt to bridge the gap between Mondays during one of the tour's slow weeks, which usually come in late February/early March, then again in April (look out, here comes another spring edition of "Scrambled Backspin," with or without eggs or bacon, but maybe toast, in a few weeks).

QUESTION: So, Todd, why are you once again using this gimmicky "Backwards Backspin" trick? Isn't it getting old? As usual when you do this, it seems as if you're not giving this week's one tour singles champion -- 18-year old Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova -- equal credit compared to the "Players of the Week" the rest of the season. Which surprises me, since you actually guessed right... err, I mean picked her to win the tournament last Monday.

2010, 8 MARCH, MONDAY

Read more...

Wk.8- Saving the February Dramas for Their Mamas (especially Jada's)

The drama that percolated throughout the two weeks of the Australian Open in January wasn't exactly carried over into February on the WTA tour.

Of course, since the likes of Serena, Barbie and the still-unranked Justine didn't play in a match that mattered during the month, while Maria and Caroline both played just one tournament, Ana had more swimsuit issue pages in Sports Illustrated devoted to her than she had tennis match wins, and Svetlana has seemed to be virtually "on strike" in everything BUT Fed Cup play in '10, such an occurrence is to be expected.

Then again, a lot of things happened in February that WERE worth talking about, too. Venus shut a few people mouths... at least until her winning streak ends or she loses in a slam, whichever comes first. Yanina Wickmayer is still the top-ranked Belgian. Liezel Huber is still atop the doubles rankings, but now she's there ALONE. Li Na remains a Top 10 player, while Shahar Peer is now a Top 20 one. And, oh yeah, there was that story about the plastic likeness of a flesh-and-blood tour player... or was it the life-like replication of a plastic tour player? Either way? Oh, such a conundrum.

Anyhoo, here's a quick snapshot of the past month:

*February Awards - Wk.5-8*
**TOP PLAYERS**
1. Venus Williams, USA
...if winning Dubai and Acapulco in back-to-back weeks a year ago was the season's most underrated accomplishment, how do you rate Venus defending BOTH titles again this year?
=============================
2. Elena Dementieva, RUS
...just like in '09, she's been in mostly top 1Q form everywhere but in the slams. It's sort of the story of her career, really.
=============================
3. Flavia Pennetta, ITA
...Madame Butterfly is still the Queen of the Fed Cup courts. And unlike the Russian who has been the other recent contender for the title, Pennetta doesn't have to be guilted into playing.
=============================
4. Alisa Kleybanova, RUS
...Russia's latest WTA star, after nearly taking out Henin in Melbourne, teamed with Kuznetsova in Russia's Fed Cup 1st Round deciding doubles match and then won her first career title in Kuala Lumpur.
=============================
5. Maria Sharapova, RUS
...quietly, Sharapova put her Melbourne debacle behind her by whipping through the field in Memphis the same week that Venus and Peer were getting headlines in Dubai.
=============================
HM- Vera Zvonareva/RUS, Llagostera-Vives & Martinez-Sanchez/ESP, Mariana Duque-Marino/COL

**RISERS**
1. Alisa Kleybanova, RUS
2. Vera Zvonareva, RUS
3. Victoria Azarenka, BLR
4. Shahar Peer, ISR
5. Yanina Wickmayer, BEL
6. Agnieszka Radwanska, POL
7. Lucie Safarova, CZE
8. Kaia Kanepi, EST
9. Petra Kvitova, CZE
10. Yaroslava Shvedova, KAZ
HM- Anastasia Rodionova/Arina Rodionova, AUS/RUS

**FRESH FACES**
1. Mariana Duque-Marino, COL
2. Regina Kulikova, RUS
3. Melanie Oudin, USA
4. Polona Hercog, SLO
5. Chang Kai-Chen, TPE
6. Arina Rodionova, RUS
7. Sharon Fichman, CAN
8. Kristina Antoniychuk, UKR
9. Ayumi Morita, JPN
10. Tatjana Malek, GER
HM- Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS

**JUNIORS**
1. Jana Cepelova, SVK
2. Agustina Sol Eskinazi, ARG
3. Grace Min, USA

**SURPRISES**
1. Lucie Hradecka, CZE
2. Angelique Kerber, GER
3. Chanelle Scheepers, RSA
4. Johanna Larsson, SWE
5. Laura Pous Tio, ESP
HM- Yurika Sema, JPN & Anna Gerasimou, GRE

**VETERANS**
1. Venus Williams, USA
2. Elena Dementieva, RUS
3. Flavia Pennetta, ITA
4. Nuria Llagostera-Vives/Marie Jose Martinez-Sanchez, ESP
5. Liezel Huber, USA
HM- Edina Gallovits, ROU & Kveta Peschke, CZE

**COMEBACKS**
1. Sesil Karatantcheva, KAZ
2. Sofia Arvidsson, SWE
3. Anne Keothavong, GBR
4. Laura Pous Tio, ESP
5. Arantxa Parra-Santonja, ESP
HM- Betthanie Mattek-Sands, USA & Meghann Shaughnessy, USA

**DOWN**
1. Chinese Fed Cup team
2. Ana Ivanovic, SRB
3. Li Na, CHN
4. Sabine Lisicki, GER
5. Zheng Jie, CHN
HM- Francesca Schiavone, ITA & Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS

**DOUBLES**
1. Nuria Llagostera-Vives/Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez, ESP
2. Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova, CZE
3. Liezel Huber, USA
4. Kveta Peschke/Katarina Srebotnik, CZE/SLO
5. Lucie Hradecka/Kveta Peschke, CZE

**ITF PLAYERS**
1. Elena Baltacha, GBR
2. Olivia Sanchez, FRA
3. Abigail Spears, USA
4. Elena Bovina, RUS
5. Andrea Hlavackova, CZE
HM- Polona Hercog, SLO & Arina Rodionova, AUS

**TOP STORY**

Shahar Peer makes her triumphant debut in the U.A.E. one year after the "Dubai Debacle," turning a potentially too-political moment into a heart-thumping SF run that included wins over the tour's hottest player (Wickmayer), the '09 runner-up (Razzano), the #1 seed (Wozniacki) and an Australian Open semifinalist (Li) before she finally went down against two-time champion Venus Williams.

**TOP PERFORMANCE**
Venus Williams wins on two surfaces and two continents in back-to-back weeks in Dubai and Acapulco... again
[Fed Cup]
Flavia Pennetta leads the '09 champions past the 2010 1st Round in Team Italia's first step toward a title defense

*TOP MATCH*
Paris SF - Dementieva def. Oudin
...4-6/6-3/6-3. The "minor match of the year," so far? It wasn't the best played, but it said a great deal of good about both players as Oudin showed that her North America/Fed Cup no-back-down personality can carry over elsewhere and Dementieva pulled out a clutch match against a grinding opponent. Maybe next time she faces Henin, she'll forget the Oz loss and remember this win?

*COMEBACKS*
Dubai 1st Rd - Peer def. Wickmayer
...3-6/6-2/7-5. Peer's Dubai storyline would have been nice, but somewhat lessened, had she not managed to dig out of the 6-3/4-2 (and a point from 5-2) hole she found herself in here against a player with a tour season's best eleven-match winning streak.
=============================
Acapulco QF - V.Williams def. Pous Tio
...4-6/6-3/7-5. If Venus had managed to display against Li in Melbourne the same steady veteran play she showed here while coming back from a 5-1 3rd set deficit a very different AO script may have been written.
=============================

*UPSET*
Dubai 3rd Rd - Kulikova def. Kuznetsova
...5-7/7-6/6-4. A whole set of Russians different from the usual suspects -- from Kulikova to Kleybanova to Kirilenko and a few others whose names don't begin with "K" -- have flashed in the opening months of 2010.

=THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO "Hmmmm..."=
I didn't predict a year-end WTA singles #1 in order to avoid yet another case of the "Kuznetsova Curse" derailing someone's season... and then Kuznetsova herself seemingly returns to her lackluster between-slam titles form. Coincidence? Maybe it all comes full circle in 2010.
=============================
After Chinese players rose up in Melbourne and filled two semifinal spots, China's star-less Fed Cup team went down and out in the opening FC weekend yet again and then Li Na and Zheng Jie -- both in the Oz final four -- stumbled badly (or were injured) in singles play on tour. Good thing the Chinese tennis federation has long-range goals.
=============================
Suddenly, Mary Joe Fernandez's Sisters-less Bannerettes aren't so "B"-teamish. Of course, that doesn't mean they'll knock off Russia in the SF this spring. Still, if Oudin can find her old Russian-pounding racket in the bottom of her tennis bag...
=============================
Martina Hingis will return in WTT play. Didn't Barbie announce such a stint before the "real thing," too? Maybe we'll get a "Spice Girls" reunion... even if the Swiss Miss and Citizen Anna are on opposite sides of the net.
=============================
More than a year back from suspension, Sesil Karatantcheva finally reached her first career WTA singles SF in Pattaya. Formerly-banned Laura Pous Tio reached her first tour QF in four years in Acapulco. Isn't Yanina Wickmayer glad she probably won't have to face a similar bright career-bludgeoning hurdle in 2012?
=============================
Of course, Kimiko Date-Krumm was gone for more than a decade but still managed to be the star of the Japanese Fed Cup team this month in her first FC action since 1996.
=============================

=THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO "Grrrr..."=
AnaIvo is a hit as a swimsuit model, but her tennis play continues to be lacking. Now it looks like one-time Steffi Graf coach Heinz Gunthardt will take a crack at changing that. Pity Ana's no Steffi in any way that matters for a tennis player.

=============================
Maybe Ricardo Sanchez will soon be able to switch Serbian pupils? Somehow, though, that match wouldn't seem to be so chaotically appropriate as the one with his recent-and-still-current-the-last-time-I-checked charge.
=============================
Sania Mirza is no longer engaged, so her tennis career isn't scheduled to end anytime soon. Of course, her body isn't doing her any favors.
=============================
So long, Cara Black's uninterrupted 31-month stay atop the doubles rankings. She might one day catch Martina Navratilova's career number for total weeks in the #1 position, but the more impressive (since the doubles rankings didn't become official until part-way through Martina's career) continuous streak no longer has legs.
=============================

Oh, and, of course...

=THE THING THAT OFFICIALLY AND IRREPARABLY SULLIED THAT PRE-SEASON "TABULA RASA"=


...I'm already getting my list together for hoped-for Christmas stocking stuffers and Barbie accessories. I really really really want the Barbie Fila Fed Cup tennis outfit (never worn by any doll), Jada-sized champagne bottle, off-hand wrist wrap, official U.S. Open squeegee, halo, "Kiss Me I'm Me (and not Justine)" homemade t-shirt kit, and a "Honk If You Love Me, Applaud Because One Day You Surely Will, If It's the Last Thing I Do" bumper sticker for the Barbie Dream Car. I'd add the Basketball Brian doll to the list, too... but I somehow think that the creation of that one is nothing but a pipe dream.

You know, maybe February wasn't so vacant of drama, after all.


*WEEK 8 CHAMPIONS*

ACAPULCO, MEXICO (Int'l $220K/red clay outdoor)
S: Venus Williams def. Polona Hercog 6-2/6-3
D: Hercog/Zahlavova-Strycova d. Errani/Vinci

KUALA LUMPUR, MAS (Int'l $220K/hard court outdoor)
S: Alisa Kleybanova def. Elena Dementieva 6-3/6-2
D: Y-J.Chan/Zheng d. Rodionova/Rodionova


PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Venus Williams/USA
...to throw in a boxing reference, Venus knows how to answer the bell in the 12th Round when everyone is doubting her (or maybe I should say she knows how to rise up in O.T. in the Gold Medal Game, to be more relevant?). It wasn't easy to pull off the double-defense of her Dubai and Acapulco titles, though. She had to go three sets in her last three matches in Mexico, coming back from a set down in the final and a 5-1 3rd set deficit in the QF. Her wins over Mathilde Johansson, Kaia Kanepi, Laura Pous Tio, Edina Gallovits and Polona Hercog paved her way to her fourth straight season with multiple tour singles titles (behind only Dementieva's five-year streak) and ran her season record to 14-1. Her ten-match winning streak is just one behind Yanina Wickmayer's season-best eleven-match run.
=============================
RISER: Alisa Kleybanova/RUS
...Kleybanova has been inching into the spotlight for a while now. A year ago, she nearly took out Jelena Dokic in the 4th Round of the Australian Open, a loss she avenged in Melbourne one year later in the 1st Round. At this year's AO, she nearly took out Justine Henin. In reaching her first career tour final this weekend in Kuala Lumpur, Kleybanova ran off wins over a Russian, former Russian-turned-Aussie and Aussie-dominated string of opponents that included the likes of Alicia Molik, Alla Kudryavtseva, Anastasia Rodionova, Ayuma Morita (JPN) and Elena Dementieva in the final. At 20, the Russian's first career title comes a few years later than the maiden crowns won by the most successful Hordettes, but a year earlier than Dementieva when she won her first in '03. Watch out, La Petit Taureau in 2011?
=============================
SURPRISE: Chanelle Scheepers/RSA
...the South African has maintained a presence on the challenger circuit for a number of years, but recently she's been making moves at the WTA level, as well. Last year, she qualified for both the Australian Open and Roland Garros. She did the same in Sydney in January. Last week in Kuala Lumpur she got good wins over Stefanie Voegele and Tatjana Malek to reach her first career tour QF.
=============================
COMEBACK: Laura Pous Tio/ESP
...before Wickmayer, there was Pous Tio... only a Belgian court didn't have her back. Back in 2008, the Spaniard was suspended after she'd tested positive in late '07 for a banned substance found in a medication she admitted to taking. After having been a Top 100 player in 2005 and '06, she was out of commission for nearly two years. By the end of '09, her ranking was #721. Now 25, she went into Acapulco with a ranking of #399 and nearly pulled off arguably the biggest upset of this young season. Wins over Patricia Mayr and Roberta Vinci got her into her first tour QF since 2006 (also in Acapulco, her WTA best result other than a pair of SF in '05), and she even led Venus Williams 5-1 in the 3rd set before the American seized the moment and pushed her aside while winning the final six games of the match. Still, Pous Tio's now #268 and has thrown her hat into the "Comeback Player of the Year Not Named Justine" ring. Ah, another boxing reference... so I guess I should keep up the alternate Olympic hockey theme and say she's tossed her puck onto the ice.
=============================
VETERANS: Elena Dementieva/RUS & Edina Gallovits/ROU
...Dementieva didn't get her third title of '10 on a third different continent (in Asia, after winning in Australia and Europe), but she reached her tour-leading third final of the season before losing in Kuala Lumpur to fellow Hordette Kleybanova. Gallovits notched Acapulco wins over Sara Errani and Sharon Fichman before extending Venus to three sets in the SF, giving her the best tour result by any of the Romanians so far this year.
=============================
FRESH FACES: Polona Hercog/SLO & Sharon Fichman/CAN
...I don't know what went on during the Week 6 final of the $75K challenger in Cali, Colombia when Hercog defeated Mariana Duque-Marino, but it must have been very inspiring. In Week 7, Duque-Marino won her first tour-level singles crown in Bogota; then in Week 8, Hercog reached her first WTA singles final in Acapulco. She lost there in three sets to Venus, but she won the doubles title with Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova. The 19-year old from Slovenia also got victories over Rossana de los Rios, Alize Cornet, Agnes Szavay and Carla Suarez-Navarro. Meanwhile, after questioning her future in the sport not that long ago, Fichman has managed to gradually improve as the months have gone by since she decided that she did indeed have the desire to play professional tennis. In Acapulco, the 19-year old Canadian defeated Sorana Cirstea and Mariya Koryttseva to reach her first career tour QF. Now ranked #115, Fichman is just fourteen ranking points away from moving into the second-highest ranked Canadian slot behind Aleksandra Wozniak (and past Valerie Tetreault & Stephanie Dubois).
=============================
DOWN: Li Na & Zheng Jie, CHN
...the two "Golden Flower" Chinese Australian Open semifinalists haven't exactly been lighting things up in the weeks since. Last week in Kuala Lumpur, Li, who retired in Dubai with back spasms, lost her 1st Round to Tatjana Malek, while Zheng went down in the 2nd Round to Chang Kai-Chen. At least Zheng DID go on to share the doubles title with Chan Yung-Jan.
=============================
ITF PLAYER: Johanna Larsson/SWE
...a week ago, Swede Sofia Arvidsson reached the Memphis final. Last week, her countrywoman Larsson, who starred in Zone Fed Cup action at the start of the month, continued her good play by winning the $50K challenger in Biberach, Germany with victories over Simona Halep, Evgeniya Rodina and Romina Oprandi in a 4-6/6-2/6-2 final.
=============================
JUNIOR STAR: Chanelle Van Nguyen/USA
...the 16-year old American defeated Argentina's Paula Ormaechea 6-1/7-5 in the final of the G2 Argentina Cup. And, hey, I do believe this marks the first time EVER that two players named Chanelle have ever been honored with awards in the same week, too.
=============================


1. Acap QF - V.Williams d. Pous Tio
...4-6/6-3/7-5. Pous Tio led 5-1 in the 3rd set, but Williams charged back and punctuated her win with an ace on match point.
=============================
2. Acap Final - V.Williams d. Hercog
...2-6/6-2/6-3. Venus' 43rd career title ties her with Martina Hingis for 10th on the all-time WTA list, ten behind #9 Monica Seles.
=============================
3. Kuala 1st Rd - Malek d. Li
...6-1/5-7/6-2. When it comes to Li and the back injury she carried into Malaysia, it was correct to assume the worst result... at least for this tournament.
=============================
4. Kuala Final - Kleybanova d. Dementieva
...6-3/6-2. This was 2010's first all-Russian final. There have been twenty-three such finals on tour since the first occurred back in 2003, and Dementieva has been a part of a Hordette-best twelve of them. With this loss, she's 6-6.
=============================
5. Acap QF - Suarez-Navarro d. Dulko
...6-1/7-6. See, a few weeks ago I was right to think that CSN might knock off Dulko if they both met. CSN's still title-less, though.
=============================
6. Kuala 2nd Rd - Chang d. Zheng
...6-2/6-3. Chang has been piling up an impressive list of upset victims over the last six months.
=============================
7. Kuala 1st Rd - Lertcheewakarn d. Pervak
...6-1/6-4. The Thai junior star, 18, got a wild card into the draw and walked off with her first career main draw tour win with this victory over the Russian qualifier.
=============================
8. Acap 1st Rd - Koryttseva d. Kerber
...5-7/7-5/6-4. Unfortunately for Kerber, first-time appearances in a WTA final are often followed up by an immediate early round loss the next time out.
=============================
HM- Monterrey Q2 - Antoniychuk d. Dokic
...6-2/6-2. Without her Australian Open points buffer keeping her afloat in '10, Dokic has now slipped outside the Top 100 to #101. Antoniychuk is up to #167.
=============================


**MOST 2010 FINALS**
3...ELENA DEMENTIEVA (2-1)
2...VENUS WILLIAMS (2-0)
2...Serena Williams (1-1)
2...Justine Henin (0-2)

**2010 TOP 10ers - WTA MATCH RECORDS**
[Week 1-8]
14-1...Venus Williams, USA
14-3...Elena Dementieva, RUS
11-3...Vera Zvonareva, RUS
11-3...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
10-1...Serena Williams, USA
8-5...Li Na, CHN
6-3...Agnieszka Radwanska, POL
4-2...Dinara Safina, RUS
4-3...Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
4-3...Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
3-3...Jelena Jankovic, SRB

**DEFEATED TOP SEED, WON TITLE**
Auckland - Yanina Wickmayer, BEL (def. Pennetta in Final)
Sydney - Elena Dementieva, RUS (def. S.Williams in Final)
Hobart - Alona Bondarenko, UKR (def. Medina-Garrigues in SF)
KUALA LUMPUR - ALISA KLEYBANOVA, RUS (def. DEMENTIEVA in Final)

**SINGLES/DOUBLES FINAL IN SAME EVENT**
Australian Open - Serena Williams (won both)
Pattaya - Tamarine Tanasugarn (won doubles)
ACAPULCO - POLONA HERCOG (won doubles)

**2010 FINALISTS BY NATION**
[24 F's = 13 nations, 5 winning nations]
6...Russia (5 wins)
4...United States (3)
4...Belgium (2)
1...Colombia (1)
1...Ukraine (1)
1...Belarus, Czech Republic, Germany, Israel, Italy, Slovenia, Sweden, Thailand (all 0)

**2010 SEMIFINALISTS BY NATION**
[48 SF's = 24 nations]
6...Russia
5...United States
4...Belgium
4...Italy
3...Israel
3...Spain
2...Belarus
2...China
2...Czech Republic
2...Germany
2...Kazakhstan
1...Argentina
1...Austria
1...Colombia
1...France
1...Great Britain
1...Japan
1...Poland
1...Romania
1...Serbia
1...Slovenia
1...Sweden
1...Thailand
1...Ukraine

**AGE AT HORDETTES' FIRST TITLES**
16...Dinara Safina (2002)
16...Maria Sharapova (2003)
17...Svetlana Kuznetsova (2002)
18...Elena Likhovtseva (1993)
18...Anastasia Myskina (1999)
18...Vera Zvonareva (2003)
18...Maria Kirilenko (2005)
19...Elena Bovina (2002)
19...Anna Chakvetadze (2006)
20...ALISA KLEYBANOVA (2010)
21...Elena Dementieva (2003)
22...Vera Dushevina (2009)
23...Nadia Petrova (2005)





MONTERREY, MEXICO (Int'l $220K/red clay outdoor)
09 Final: Bartoli d. Li
10 Top Seeds: Jankovic/Hantuchova
=============================
=SF=
Jankovic d. Pavlyuchenkova
Errani d. Kanepi
=FINAL=
Pavlyuchenkova d. Errani

...it's a battle between the notion of the #1-seeds being thoroughly dominant thus far in the 2010 season vs. the recent uprisings of first-time finalists/champions. Since neither Venus, Kevin Martin, Kim Yu-Na, Shani Davis, Marit Bjoergen, Shaun White nor either the women's or men's Canadian Olympic Ice Hockey teams are here, I'll go with an "it-has-to-happen-sometime-so-why-not-now?" Russian first-time titlist prediction.

ALSO:
MONDAY, MARCH 1:

BILLIE JEAN KING CUP; Madison Square Garden, New York (Exhibition)
09 Final Result: S.Williams d. V.Williams
=============================
=FINAL=
V.Williams d. Barbie

...come now, you didn't think Jada's mama had earned her name back quite yet, did you? Honestly, it's going to take a lot now that I've given myself permission to return to my Barbie-bending viewpoint of yore.


All for now. I'm on a horse.

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