The Third Man

To paraphrase Harry Lime, "In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, and they had five hundred years of democracy and peace -- and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock"... and Roger Federer. But what Novak Djokovic has done might be even more impressive -- he's managed to carve out two grand slam titles for himself in the Rafa & Roger Era.



Before the season began, I remarked in this space about the ATP's seemingly-eternal search for a definitive "third," a player who would officially declare himself as the man at the head of the class of a field that has been dominated by two players for most of the last decade. Heading into this Australian Open, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal had won four straight slams, ten of the last eleven, twenty-one of twenty-three, and twenty-three of twenty-six over various stretches going all the way back to 2004. Since mid-2005, only two other men had claimed slam titles, Juan Martin del Potro (at the '09 US Open, and he's been dealing with a wrist injury almost ever since) and Djokovic ('08 Australian), while only a few more -- Andy Murray, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Robin Soderling & Tomas Berdych -- had even hinted at something greater in unsuccessful runs to slam finals. With neither Federer nor Nadal having advanced to the '11 AO final -- just the fifth time it's happened in the thirty-one slams dating back to Federer winning his first Wimbledon in '03 -- "the third man" seemed ready to step out of the shadows.

And, thus, on the final day of the 2011 Australian Open, 23-year old Serb Djokovic, playing in his second consecutive slam final, officially became that man by winning his second title in Melbourne in the last four seasons. Not that he got much opposition from his final opponent -- '10 AO runner-up Murray -- beyond a filled-with-long-rallies opening set in Djokovic's fairly matter-of-fact 6-4/6-2/6-3 victory. While the Scot said after the match that he felt he'd performed better than he did when he similarly collapsed in the final against Federer (he actually lost by a closer score, 6-3/6-4/7-6), he is perhaps the only person on earth who could really see any optimistic difference in the two outings.

Of course, considering that Djokovic defeated 16-time slam champ Federer in straight sets in the semis, giving him wins over the Swiss star in back-to-back slams, and lost just one set in the tournament (a 10-8 tie-break in the 2nd Round, leaving him just short of equaling the no-sets-lost Open era AO feats of Ken Rosewall in '71 and Federer in '07), Murray may not have ever had much of a chance on this day. But since it's Murray we're talking about, who'd entered this match having won six straight sets over his Serbian opponent, his final fate would have probably been the same even if Djokovic hadn't been waiting for him in the final.

For when the going gets tough, Murray usually gets going.

Having reached three slam finals in his career, he's still yet to win his first set. Generally, he begins the proceedings fairly well, but then his play quickly unravels into a tight, cover-your-eyes performance punctuated by slump-shouldered stalking of the baseline and a string of whiny, curse-filled outbursts directed as much at no one in particular as to as everyone within earshot. His feet appear glued to the court's surface, his head hangs down, his shots go off and his hopes of success are nil. One good game is followed by a horrid one. A winner one point is quickly neutralized by an error the next. Oh, and did I mention all the "don't-make-that-face, it-might-freeze-that-way" moments along the way? There, now I have. They're all just just par for the course in one of the Scot's now-patented grand slam collapses in which he eventually comes to resemble a jelly fish in tennis shoes.

At this point, is there really any reason to think that Murray will EVER win the slam that so many have seemed to think he was pointed toward for years? I mean, Nikolay Davydenko is a fine in-season player, too, but he's simply never possessed the mental make-up to truly compete for a slam. What makes Murray any different? Now, granted, Murray's game has always sort of put me to sleep, but its effectiveness has never been questioned over the balance of an ATP season. But in the heat of the do-it-now-or-forever-hold-your-peace battle for a slam title, Murray has so far been nothing short of a disaster. The fact is, no matter how many coaches he works with, unless the Scot changes something essential within himself he's going to end up winning precisely as many slam titles as Davydenko, as well as the previously most recent "new hope" for the first British men's slam champ since Fred Perry in 1936, Tim Henman. Murray and Djokovic might have been born only a week apart, but while the Serb positively glows with red-hot desire to succeed in the slam spotlight, his British counterpart appears to be painted head-to-toe in something akin to a boring beige.

From here, Perry's ghost has nothing to worry about. At least not for a while.

Nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to Djokovic. He seems to have fully come into his own. He's no longer quite the joker of years ago, but he's also not the somewhat-defensive individual who seemed to close down large parts of his one-man entertainment show after word got around that a few players (well, at least one from Mallorca) might not have liked his crowd-pleasing impressionist act, and then even felt a few New York crowds turning on him when he got into a verbal off-court jousting match with Andy Roddick a while back. In 2011, he's happily somewhere in the middle. Maybe now the best hard court player in the world, he's as confident as ever as the unquestioned leader of Serbia's first Davis Cup championship-winning team, and he's also back to being one of the most unique personalities in the sport. Watching him cutting a rug -- well, at least a practice court service line -- with Aussie pro dancer Kym Johnson in Melbourne, and his near-strip tease awarding of most of his clothes to fans in the stands after this AO final prove that. So did his rather sober post-match ceremony speech, in which he actually trumped the usually-on-these-things-like-a-dingo-on-a-baby women's champ Kim Clijsters' by being the only of this weekend's singles champs to make on-court mention of the victims of the massive floods that struck Australia just before the start of the tournament. It was a nice, mature touch.

With the ATP's "third man" now identified (and, hardly shocking, he turned out to be the candidate most likely to succeed all along, having been entrenched as the world #3 for the last four years), the story now evolves into one in which Djokovic attempts to up his station in the tour's hierachy, possibly even over the course of 2011. Thus, the clock officially begins now for the next adventure of the Serbian Prince Who Could One Day Be King.

Tick-tock. Tick-tock.



=DAY 14 NOTES=
Meanwhile, Katarina Srebotnik, with Daniel Nestor, won the Mixed Doubles title, defeating Chan Yung-Jan and Paul Hanley 10-7 in a Super Tie-Breaker to decide the title and splitting the first two sets. The Slovenian veteran, who recently retired from singles play, has won five career slam Mixed championships, tied with Cara Black for the most by any player active on tour.



*CAREER MIXED SLAM TITLES - ACTIVE*
5...Cara Black, ZIM
5...KATARINA SREBOTNIK,. SLO
4...Daniela Hantuchova, SVK
4...Lisa Raymond, USA
2...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2...Liezel Huber, USA
2...Samantha Stosur, AUS
2...Venus Williams, USA
2...Serena Williams, USA
2...Vera Zvonareva, RUS
--
ALSO: 2-Rennae Stubbs, AUS

*SLAM SINGLES TITLES - ACTIVE*
[active]
16...Roger Federer, SUI
9...Rafael Nadal, ESP
2...NOVAK DJOKOVIC, SRB
2...Lleyton Hewitt, AUS
1...Juan Martin del Potro, ARG
1...Juan Carlos Ferrero, ESP
1...Andy Roddick, USA
[Australian Open - active]
4...Roger Federer - 2004,06-07,10
2...NOVAK DJOKOVIC - 2008,11
1...Rafael Nadal - 2009

*MOST SLAMS PLAYED TO WIN 2nd SLAM, AFTER WINNING 1st SLAM*
[Men - Open era]
14...Marat Safin, RUS (2000 US Open / 2005 Australian Open)
12...NOVAK DJOKOVIC, SRB (2008 Australian Open / 2011 Australian Open)

*DJOKOVIC - MAJOR FINALS*
[slams]
2007 U.S. Open - lost to Roger Federer
2008 Australian Open - def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
2010 U.S. Open - lost to Rafael Nadal
2011 Australian Open - def. Andy Murray
[Tour Championships]
2008 def. Nikolay Davydenko
[Olympics]
2008 Bronze Medal Match - def. James Blake
[Davis Cup]
2010 Serbia def. France

*MEN'S SLAMS - NO RAFA or ROGER...*
[as champ...since 2005 Roland Garros]
2008 AO: Novak Djokovic
2009 US: Juan Martin del Potro
2011 AO: Novak Djokovic
[in final...since 2003 Wimbledon]
2003 U.S. Open - Andy Roddick d. Juan Carlos Ferrero
2004 Roland Garros - Gaston Gaudio d. Guillermo Coria
2005 Australian Open - Marat Safin d. Lleyton Hewitt
2008 Australian Open - Novak Djokovic d. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
2011 Australian Open - Novak Djokovic d. Andy Murray



*WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL*
#3 Kim Clijsters/BEL def. #9 Li Na/CHN 3-6/6-3/6-3

*MEN'S SINGLES FINAL*
#3 Novak Djokovic/SRB def. #5 Andy Murray/GBR 6-4/6-2/6-3

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
#1 Dulko/Pennetta (ARG/ITA) def. #12 Azarenka/Kirilenko (BLR/RUS) 2-6/7-5/6-1

*MEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
#1 Bryan/Bryan (USA/USA) def. #3 Bhupathi/Paes (IND/IND) 6-3/6-4

*MIXED DOUBLES FINAL*
#2 Srebotnik/Nestor (SLO/CAN) def. Chan/Hanley (TPE/AUS) 6-3/3-6/10-7

*GIRLS SINGLES FINAL*
#2 An-Sophie Mestach/BEL def. #5 Monica Puig/PUR 6-4/6-2

*BOYS SINGLES FINAL*
#1 Jiri Vesely/CZE def. Luke Seville/AUS 6-0/6-3

*GIRLS DOUBLES FINAL*
#6 An-Sophie Mestach/Demi Schuurs (BEL/NED) def. Eri Hozumi/Miyu Kato (JPN/JPN) 6-2/6-3

*BOYS DOUBLES FINAL*
#2 Filip Horansky/Jiri Vesely (SVK/CZE) def. #3 Ben Wagland/Andrew Whittington (AUS/AUS) 6-4/6-4




TOP QUALIFIER: Vesna Manasieva/RUS
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): #3 Kim Clijsters/BEL
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): #9 Li Na/CHN
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): #3 Kim Clijsters/BEL
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q1: Sloane Stephens/USA def. Liana-Gabriela Ungur/ROU 7-6/1-6/8-6
TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 1st Rd. - Ekaterina Makarova/RUS d. #19 Ana Ivanovic/SRB 3-6/6-4/10-8 (on 6th MP, 1:31 3rd set)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): 4th Rd. - #6 Francesca Schiavone/ITA d. #23 Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS 6-4/1-6/16-14 (Open era record 4:44, saved 6 MP)
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): SF - #9 Li Na/CHN d. #1 Caroline Wozniacki/DEN 3-6/7-5/6-3 (saved 1 MP)
TOP NIGHT MATCH:: 3rd Rd. - #25 Petra Kvitova/CZE d. #5 Samantha Stosur/AUS 7-6/6-3
=============================
FIRST WINNER: Evgeniya Rodina/RUS (1st Rd. - def. WC Olivia Rogowska/AUS)
FIRST SEED OUT: #28 Daniela Hantuchova/SVK (1st Rd. - lost to Kulikova/RUS)
UPSET QUEENS: Russians
REVELATION LADIES: Czechs
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Vesna Manasieva/RUS (3rd Rd.)
IT GIRL: #2 (jr) An-Sophie Mestach/BEL
MS. OPPORTUNITY: #9 Li Na/CHN
COMEBACK PLAYER: #12 Agnieszka Radwanska/POL
CRASH & BURN: #7 Jelena Jankovic/SRB (2nd Rd. - lost to Peng/CHN)
ZOMBIE QUEEN: #6 Francesca Schiavone/ITA (saved 6 MP vs. Kuznetsova/RUS in 4th Rd.)
LAST SHEILA STANDING: #5 Samantha Stosur/AUS (3rd Rd.)
LADY OF THE EVENING: #30 Andrea Petkovic/GER
DOUBLES STARS: Gisela Dulko & Flavia Pennetta, ARG/ITA
JUNIOR BREAKOUTS: Japanese girls




All for now. Dorothy Tour Awards and Fed Cup 1st Round picks this week.

Read more...

Kim, You Doll

Time has been good to Kim Clijsters. And after her experiences at the 2011 Australian Open, history will forever look kindly upon her, as well.



Aside from a few hiccups along the way, ever since the now 27-year old Belgian returned to the WTA tour in the summer of 2009 after her two-plus year retirement, she's managed to consistently knock down many of the historical doors that had remained closed to her during her first tennis career. She locked away a second U.S. Open title in just her third tournament back, then defended it a year later. She won a Tour Championships title, and went 3-0 against her similarly then un-retired countrywoman Justine Henin in '10. As she entered the 2011 season, staring her in the face was the opportunity to effectively put a stake through the heart of whatever lingering memory there was of her largely-underachieving 1.0 career. With two post-retirement slam titles under her belt, a third -- either in New York come September, or at another slam where she'd NEVER previously won -- would solidify Clijsters as a player who'd finally lived up to her talent. Better late than never... and maybe better now than when she might not have appreciated it quite as much.

When this Australian Open began, she was the odds-on favorite by quite a large margin against a field that was minus five-time AO champ Serena Williams. Winning in New York was one thing. She'd done that before. But doing so Down Under was yet another door that she'd failed to open earlier in her career. Without an appearance in a final there since 2004, and just one year removed from nearly being double-bageled in a defeat at the hands of Nadia Petrova, winning a fourth career slam title in Melbourne would mean that her formerly-wanting big stage history would be, in an almost Agassi-like turning of the tables, summarily shoved to the back of the mind of anyone chronicling her career as a whole.

Through six rounds, Clijsters seemed a few times to slightly wobble under the glare of the favorite's spotlight, but never long enough to drop a set en route to her eighth career slam final. Waiting there for her was a familiar figure -- Li Na, the 28-year old Chinese woman who had handed the Belgian a straight sets defeat in the Sydney final just days before the start of the AO despite Clijsters racing to a 5-0 1st set lead. It was her first loss in a final since her comeback (leaving her 6-1), and at least raised the possibility that her sometimes-streaky nature might come back to haunt her if it flaired up long enough against the wrong opponent.

If anyone could do it, it seemed as if Li was the woman who might. A 2010 semifinalist in Melbourne, the veteran burst onto the Melbourne scene anew through the two weeks of play in 2011, maintaining a consistent level of play on the court like no other woman in the field, then delighting the masses with her irresistible humor in post-match interviews in which she often recounted conversations with her family members -- including her mother back home in China, and her husband/coach Jiang Shan, a perfect and willing foil for the good-natured barbs uttered into many a microphone over the course of the fortnight -- in order to allow her own personality to shine through any language barriers that might have otherwise existed. Continuing to blaze yet another new trail for Chinese tennis, Li, the player who eschewed the (overly)guiding hand of her nation's tennis federation years ago, became the first Asian to ever reach a grand slam singles final when she came back from match point down in the semifinals against world #1 Caroline Wozniacki. Already the first Chinese player to win a tour singles title (2004), advance to a slam QF (2006) and reach the Top 30, 20, 15 and 10, Li was looking to further immortalize herself as a national tennis pioneer by becoming the first true champion from the land which promises to soon become a tennis power for generations. A whole new world awaits a WTA which will likely one day to populated by numerous potential slam winners with Chinese surnames, and the hitting-her-career-peak Li looked ready to offer up an early preview of things to come.

After the Aussie heat had relented throughout the tournament, it finally made an appearance on the final Saturday. In extremely warm conditions, the first meeting in thirty years of two married women in a grand slam singles final opened as it would eventually close, but the time in between was to be where history would be made.

Clijsters began the match with an ace, held at love, then broke Li's serve at love to grab a 2-0 lead. Li was familiar with such a predicament, having fallen behind by similar scores in both sets in a straight sets quarterfinal win against Andrea Petkovic a few days earlier. She rebounded quickly against the German, and did so against the Belgian, as well. Big groundstrokes got her a break point, and a Clijsters error closed the deficit to 2-1. After holding fairly easily for 2-2, Li saved two break points two games later, holding for 3-3 in a game in which Clijsters' errors prevented her from re-taking her early advantage. Good Li defense, and a weak Clijsters overhead attempt (one game after she'd failed to put away another overhead) that Li retrieved before Clijsters sent a volley long, put the Chinese woman in position to take her first lead in the match. Up 40/15 on the Belgian's serve, another Clijsters error led to a break and a 4-3 Li lead. After saving another break, Li held for 5-3 then, after a Clijsters error and a Li forehand winner, her passing shot over the stretching Clijsters at the net put away the set at 6-3.

It was Clijsters' first dropped set of the tournament, and history seemed to be conspiring against her getting her career indentity-altering title in Melbourne. Coming into the AO, seventeen consecutive women's slam finals had seen the winner of the 1st set claim the title (including five consecutive in Australia, and 15-of-17), sixteen times in straight sets. Clijsters herself had never had to go three sets to win any of her previous slam titles in NYC, let alone having to come back from a set down.

Her 2.0 mettle was about to be tested.

In Li's 2nd set-opening service game, Clijsters erased a 40/15 deficit to get to break point. On the second BP of the game, Li double-faulted and Clijsters jumped ahead 1-0. But the breaks would continue as, over the next few games, Clijsters' serve would be broken for a third and fourth consecutive time (echoing how Li twice broke Wozniacki's serve three straight times in back-to-back sets), while Li's was broken once more. After saving two break points, the Chinese woman finaly ended the match's string of five straight breaks by holding for 3-2.

Down a set and 3-2, after seeming to wait for Li to make mistakes after having taken the quick lead in the opening set, Clijsters reversed course. She started to be more aggressive, and it began to work wonders. She held for 3-3, and soon began to play her best tennis in the literal heat of the final battle. Continuing to get break opportunities on Li's serve -- she'd had at least one in every Li service game since she'd held for 2-2 in the 1st -- Clijsters cashed another in with a forehand winner to go up 4-3. After weathering a virtual storm of hard, physical rallies with Li, the Belgian then held for 5-3. As Li began to get testy as a result of fans calling out in the stands during points, Clijsters' game became more and more dialed-in with every game. A big backhand return and a Li error got another break of serve, and closed out the set 6-3 for Clijsters. It was the fourth break of the Chinese vet's serve in the 2nd set, one in which Li was seemingly talking to herself in frustration after every other point.

Having saved herself from a quick loss, Clijsters had still another step to take to secure her tennis legacy. After three easy U.S. Open final victories (her opponents, Mary Pierce, Wozniacki and Vera Zvonareva, all wilted under the lights in Flushing Meadows), Clijsters was now in position to show that she could put a boot on an opponent's neck and win a 3rd set to claim a major. It's precisely what she'd failed to do as a 18-year old in Paris in 2001 against Jennifer Capriati in her first-ever slam final, losing a 12-10 3rd set after four times being within two points of victory, establishing a big-match pattern that would remain intact throughout her 1.0 career. In her only previous AO final, against Henin in '04, she stood in a strikingly similar position on the scoreboard, having lost the 1st set 3-6, then winning the second 6-4. On that day, Henin won the title by claiming a 6-4 3rd.

If Clijsters 2.0 truly WAS different, she had to defeat Li. Right here. Right now. And that's just what she did.

Determined rather than tight, Clijsters struck quickly, holding at love to begin the set just as she had in the 1st. Winning seven straight points to begin the set, she grabbed another 2-0 lead (her fifth break of Li in six serve games) as her game and gait picked up speed, while her variety of shot and accuracy were lethal and pinpoint. Li turned the momentum back in her direction for a brief moment, getting a break with a big forehand shot to close to within 2-1, but it would ONLY be brief. For the tenth time in eleven service games, Li faced still more break points when her double-fault gave Clijsters a chance to grab the advantage again in Game #4. A backhand error later, it was 3-1. The race was on. Clijsters held at love for 4-1, and could now see the match's finish line.

Needing to just hold serve twice to win the title, Clijsters focused on her own serve game. Li held serve without facing a break point in her final two attempts of the match, even while continuing to be bothered by activities in the stands (in this case, flash cameras), but Clijsters never slowed long enough to allow her to harbor any thoughts of turning the tide back in her favor. Committing just five unforced errors in the 3rd set, the Belgian served for the championship at 5-3. She held at love, winning 3-6/6-3/6-3 and claiming a title that she almost certainly would have found a way to lose years ago.

It's Clijsters' fourth career slam win, but her first Australian Open (and first major title outside of New York). Since her return to the tour, she's won three of the four hard court slams that have been contested. After going 0-4 in her first four appearances in slam finals, she's now won her last four, including going 3-0 post-retirement. 27-2 in 2.0 slams, Clijsters' career turn in now complete.

She'll no longer be viewed by anyone as an undeachieving "pretender." After all these years, she is finally a true champion.

It's rare that a comeback career manages to outdistance an athlete's original run. Just ask Justine. But Clijsters has pulled off the feat, even though she'd reached #1 and won a slam in her first go-around. It was only the depth of her talent that made her results feel disappointing. More focused, and feeling less internal pressure on the big stage, she has taught herself to thrive under deep-in-a-slam circumstances by doing what some greats would deem unthinkable -- realizing that believing that losing wouldn't be the end of her world is actually the best way for her to focus on the athletic and mental task at hand. While Li rises to #7 after this match, Clijsters is the new #2, with the possibility of reclaiming the #1 spot for the first time since 2006 a distinct possibility. And in an unforeseen turn of events, it's all happening with the scent of Henin's own failed comeback still wafting through the WTA airspace.

Who knows what the future holds for Clijsters. Will 2011 be her last full year on tour, with her pointing toward playing in the London Olympics next year, but with her plans for beyond that being the subject of conflicting comments? It'll likely come down to how much she enjoys her new big-time winning ways, and how long she's willing to wait to have a second child. And even if Jada gets a younger sibling soon, does it definitively mean that Clijsters' playing days will come to a final end?

Who knows? But, really, on some level it no longer matters when it comes to Clijsters' career reputation. I said before this season that she had a chance to fully re-cast the memory of her career by continuing her 2.0 slam success in 2011. Well, she's done it. Consider her career re-cast in an entirely different light... even here.

Barbie sure knows how to make up for lost time. Really, there's nothing more that can be asked of her.



=DAY 13 NOTES=
...in the post-match ceremony, Li was once again what has now come to be her expectedly-charming and funny self, but her runner-up remarks acted almost as a warm-up act for Clijsters' brilliant "keynote speech." Seriously, the Belgian's oh-so-casual sounding address to the crowd was one of the more engaging performances I can remember following a slam final. Francesca Schiavone's post-RG comments were heartwarming, but KC performed like a "mistress of ceremonies" opening an awards show... and she pulled off the gig with the ease of someone rising from the dinner table to talk to her family.

She spoke all the usual thank-you's, of course, but also gave a promised nod to the unnamed dentist who'd done a quick fix on the tooth she'd chipped while eating at the airport after arriving in Melbourne. She also apologized to the trainer who she said she swears at all the time, gently ribbed her uncle for the ugly green pants she forced him to wear to the arena because he'd worn them before during a match she'd won earlier, said a quick hello to the in-attendance AO junior champ -- Belgium's An-Sophie Mestach, told husband Brian that she loved him (and winkingly remarked to everyone how he gets shy sometimes) and even said that she finally thought it was okay for the fans to call her "Aussie Kim" now since she'd actually won the title there.

Maybe KC should host the Golden Globes next year... or the Oscars, since there's a chance she might be otherwise engaged in mid-January 2012.

If anyone -- as I did -- wondered why she didn't mention the dentist's actual name it was because, as Clijsters noted in her press conference, she didn't remember it (he's somewhere in the Chapel Hill area, though, she said). Also, apparently, she chipped her tooth eating a rice cracker, of all things (I can understand -- I did the same thing a few years ago eating a Bugle). So, as it turned out, the only thing that was able to best the Belgian in Melbourne was a simple combination, amongst other things, of rice and water.

...speaking of KC's player's box guest Mestach, the teenager's Girls singles final win over Monica Puig allowed her to sweep both the junior singles and doubles titles at this AO. The other Belgians who've won junior slam titles were Kirsten Flipkens ('03 Wimbledon and U.S. Open) and Justine Henin ('97 Roland Garros). Clijsters never did.

Jiri Vesely (CZE) also swept the junior singles and doubles Boys titles after taking out Aussie Luke Seville in the singles final.

...considering Li's participation in the final sparking viewership levels in China, might this final have been the most watched in tennis history?

...Katarina Srebotnik will be going for her fifth career Mixed Doubles slam crown in the final with Daniel Nestor on Day 14, while Taiwan's Chan Yung-Jan (with Paul Hanley -- who I forgot was Australian, so the home nation DOES have one final shot at a title) will try to become the only Asian champ at this AO where the continent as a whole has made so many inroads.

...in the Men's Doubles final, Bob & Mike Bryan defeated Indians Mahesh Bhupathi & Leander Paes to claim their third straight AO crown, and their fifth in the last six years in Melbourne. They've now won ten career slams as a team, one behind all-time slam leaders Mark Woodforde & Todd Woodbridge's eleven. Yes, THAT Todd Woodbridge.

...quick "Triumverate" update: with Clijsters' win, either a Russian, Belgian or Williams has now won eight of the last nine slams, and thirty-two of the last thirty-six.

...and, finally, I must admit that while I opened this Australian Open by hedging my bets and picking Clijsters to win this tournament, using a deconstruction of the film satire "Dr. Strangelove" to do it, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about things it they did actually play out that way. And I surely didn't think Henin's retirement would be plunked right down in the middle of everything, to boot. But, as we are now at that point... I have to say I'm... (go on, you can do it)... umm, happy for Clijsters.

I should probably insert a parenthetical "(shivers)" here to signal my trepidation with such a comment, but I won't. Because I really mean it. Honestly. Oh, sure, I'll probably still bristle at something she says or does down the line, but it's hard to ridicule a player who has finally managed to be the best that she can be. When I get angry with some players -- and I surely have with Clijsters, who I WAS a big fan of when she first showed up on the scene in the late 1990's -- it's usually because they find a way to manage to cheat themselves and their careers by not living up to their potential.

(Caroline, you're on notice... but you've still got a great deal of probationary time before any sentences are forced to be imposed.)

That was surely the case in Clijsters' first career. But all that has changed in her second, and only highlighted even more by Henin's failure to do the same in her comeback. Of course, Henin HAD the career in 1.0 that Clijsters has only now fashioned for herself, and could still manage to build up even more the rest of the 2011 season. If THIS Kim had been around all along she not only would have been given more slack in this space, but it really wouldn't even have been necessary.

Hmmm... so, I guess that's how a Kim-Grinchian heart grows "three sizes" on this day after "learning to love Barbie" and not hating himself for it.

And, thus, a momentous page is turned in the Backspin/Barbie relationship. As I type this sentence, it's hard to see how it could ever be the same again. Of course, tomorrow IS another day.

(evil laugh)

I mean, as long as she doesn't follow through with that off-hand promise after last year's U.S. Open that she'd shave her head if she won another slam. If she did that, well, I don't even want to think what it might mean for the future.

(Uh-oh.)




*SLAM CHAMPIONS WITHOUT SERENA IN THE DRAW*
[since Williams won '99 U.S. Open]
2000 Roland Garros - Mary Pierce
2002 Australian Open - Jennifer Capriati
2003 U.S. Open -- Justine Henin-Hardenne
2004 Australian Open - Justine Henin-Hardenne
2005 Roland Garros - Justine Henin-Hardenne
2006 Roland Garros - Justine Henin-Hardenne
2006 Wimbledon - Amelie Mauresmo
2010 U.S. Open - Kim Clijsters
2011 Australian Open - KIM CLIJSTERS

*BACK-TO-BACK US/AO TITLES - since 1988*
1988-89 Steffi Graf
1989-90 Steffi Graf
1991-92 Monica Seles
1992-93 Monica Seles
1993-94 Steffi Graf
1997-98 Martina Hingis
2002-03 Serena Williams
2003-04 Justine Henin-Hardenne
2008-09 Serena Williams
2010-11 KIM CLIJSTERS

*AUSTRALIAN OPEN TITLES - ACTIVE*
5...Serena Williams, USA - 2003,2005,2007,2009,2010
1...Maria Sharapova, RUS - 2008
1...KIM CLIJSTERS, BEL - 2011

*MOST CAREER SLAM TITLES - ACTIVE*
[singles]*
13...Serena Williams
7...Venus Williams
4...KIM CLIJSTERS
3...Maria Sharapova
[singles-doubles-mixed]
27...Serena Williams [13-12-2]
21...Venus Williams [7-12-2]
10...Cara Black [0-5-5]
9...Lisa Raymond [0-5-4]
6...KIM CLIJSTERS [4-2-0]
6...Liezel Huber [0-4-2]

*AO "IT GIRL" WINNERS*
2006 Samantha Stosur, AUS
2007 Shahar Peer, ISR
2008 Casey Dellacqua, AUS
2009 Carla Suarez-Navarro, ESP
2010 Maria Kirilenko, RUS
2011 An-Sophie Mestach, BEL (jr.)

*BRYAN TWINS - ATP TITLES STANDING*
[all-time slam titles - team, AO-RG-WI-US]
11...Mark Woodforde & Todd Woodbridge, 1992-00 [2-1-6-2]
10...BOB & MIKE BRYAN, 2003-10 [4-1-1-3]
5...Jacco Eltingh & Paul Haarhuis, 1994-98 [1-2-1-1]
[all-time tour titles - team]
68...BOB & MIKE BRYAN
61...Mark Woodforde & Todd Woodbridge
57...Peter Fleming & John McEnroe
57...Bob Hewitt & Frew McMillian
[total career combined slam titles - active]
17...BOB BRYAN
16...Roger Federer
14...Leander Paes
12...MIKE BRYAN
11...Mahesh Bhupathi
9...Rafael Nadal



*WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL*
#3 Kim Clijsters/BEL def. #9 Li Na/CHN 3-6/6-3/6-3

*MEN'S SINGLES FINAL*
#5 Andy Murray/GBR vs. #3 Novak Djokovic/SRB

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
#1 Dulko/Pennetta (ARG/ITA) def. #12 Azarenka/Kirilenko (BLR/RUS) 2-6/7-5/6-1

*MEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
#1 Bryan/Bryan (USA/USA) def. #3 Bhupathi/Paes (IND/IND) 6-3/6-4

*MIXED DOUBLES FINAL*
Chan/Hanley (TPE/AUS) vs. #2 Srebotnik/Nestor (SLO/CAN)

*GIRLS SINGLES FINAL*
#2 An-Sophie Mestach/BEL def. #5 Monica Puig/PUR 6-4/6-2

*BOYS SINGLES FINAL*
#1 Jiri Vesely/CZE def. Luke Seville/AUS 6-0/6-3

*GIRLS DOUBLES FINAL*
#6 An-Sophie Mestach/Demi Schuurs (BEL/NED) def. Eri Hozumi/Miyu Kato (JPN/JPN) 6-2/6-3

*BOYS DOUBLES FINAL*
#2 Filip Horansky/Jiri Vesely (SVK/CZE) def. #3 Ben Wagland/Andrew Whittington (AUS/AUS) 6-4/6-4




TOP QUALIFIER: Vesna Manasieva/RUS
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): #3 Kim Clijsters/BEL
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): #9 Li Na/CHN
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): #3 Kim Clijsters/BEL
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q1: Sloane Stephens/USA def. Liana-Gabriela Ungur/ROU 7-6/1-6/8-6
TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 1st Rd. - Ekaterina Makarova/RUS d. #19 Ana Ivanovic/SRB 3-6/6-4/10-8 (on 6th MP, 1:31 3rd set)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): 4th Rd. - #6 Francesca Schiavone/ITA d. #23 Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS 6-4/1-6/16-14 (Open era record 4:44, saved 6 MP)
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): SF - #9 Li Na/CHN d. #1 Caroline Wozniacki/DEN 3-6/7-5/6-3 (saved 1 MP)
TOP NIGHT MATCH:: 3rd Rd. - #25 Petra Kvitova/CZE d. #5 Samantha Stosur/AUS 7-6/6-3
=============================
FIRST WINNER: Evgeniya Rodina/RUS (1st Rd. - def. WC Olivia Rogowska/AUS)
FIRST SEED OUT: #28 Daniela Hantuchova/SVK (1st Rd. - lost to Kulikova/RUS)
UPSET QUEENS: Russians
REVELATION LADIES: Czechs
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Vesna Manasieva/RUS (3rd Rd.)
IT GIRL: #2 (jr) An-Sophie Mestach/BEL
MS. OPPORTUNITY: #9 Li Na/CHN
COMEBACK PLAYER: #12 Agnieszka Radwanska/POL
CRASH & BURN: #7 Jelena Jankovic/SRB (2nd Rd. - lost to Peng/CHN)
ZOMBIE QUEEN: #6 Francesca Schiavone/ITA (saved 6 MP vs. Kuznetsova/RUS in 4th Rd.)
LAST SHEILA STANDING: #5 Samantha Stosur/AUS (3rd Rd.)
LADY OF THE EVENING: #30 Andrea Petkovic/GER
DOUBLES STARS: Gisela Dulko & Flavia Pennetta, ARG/ITA
JUNIOR BREAKOUTS: Japanese girls




All for now. More tomorrow.

Read more...

Justine Henin: Free as a Bird

"If I leave here tomorrow
Would you still remember me?
For I must be traveling on, now,
'Cause there's too many places I've got to see.
But, if I stayed here with you, now,
Things just couldn't be the same.

'Cause I'm as free as a bird now,
And this bird you can not change."

-- from "Freebird" (Lynyrd Skynrd), by Allen Collins/Ronald Vanzant

When Justine Henin announced in the fall of 2009 that she would end her nearly two-year retirement, for those of us who delighted in the joys of the Belgian's seven-slam winning career the first time around, it was cause for excitement. And hard-to-escape trepidation.

For any time an athlete thrives against perceived physical odds largely because of an intense inner drive to succeed, to prove their worth not only to themselves, but also the world at large AND the mysteriously unknown forces that push such individuals beyond the limits which many others place upon themselves, change and time to reflect can serve as the biggest tangible opponent they will ever face. Once they step out of the arena in which winning is the only thing that really matters, either by choice or by force, the environment in which they previously thrived, upon their return, is an altered one because THEY have changed. Having, even briefly, removed themselves from the single-minded pursuit to push themselves forward without thought, their former stature is "surrendered" on many levels. Most importantly of all, in their OWN MINDS, even if they are loathe to realize it. No matter how hard they try to recapture and set back into order the magical series of elements that led to their success, it is a rare bird that is able to seamlessly step back into line after all they learned and/or experienced in the interim. Inevitably, things are different.

That was certainly the case in Henin's "second career."

As a great fan of Henin, I know I was hoping for a sequel to the Belgian's ultra-succesful Hall of Fame-worthy "first time around." After a while last year, though, as uncharacteristic losses popped up that would never have occurred in the past, the hope turned to something resembling resignation that while her season-long superiority was likely a thing of the past, a "new chapter" with but a few memorable (and maybe historic) moments was now the more realistic goal. But by the time Henin injured her elbow at Wimbledon, missed six more months of action, then returned this month looking to be something even less that what she'd already proven to be in 2010 -- compared to her 1.0 form -- it was apparent that 2.0 might actually only be capable of providing a novel "epilogue" to her formerly-great career, at best, just as countrywoman Kim Clijsters was pointing toward ever-bigger and better levels of success in HER comeback, which had already dwarfed Henin's and threatened to lap it once more in short order. In the end, Henin's comeback will be but a "footnote" in the overall memory of a perfectionist who demanded excellence from herself at all costs, and usually got it. It was that very quest, born in the mind of a young girl from Belgium who'd promised her dying mother to become a tennis champion, that shaped Henin's career and made her the champion that she became in spite of a diminutive frame that often left her looking up at opponents who towered over her by more than half a foot.

As the 28-year old Henin now walks away from the sport for a second time, citing the serverity of and pain from that elbow injury she incurred in London, I know I'll miss Henin once again. But I won't miss "La Petit Taureau." In truth, Henin's alter ego, which I so often referred to in this spot over the years, never really returned to the tour along with her when she ended her first retirement. LPT ceased to exist when Henin retired on May 14, 2008. We saw brief glimpses of "her" during the comeback, but she was only a vistor who left us wishing she'd move in for a longer stay, only to be disappointed that such an arrangement simply wasn't in the cards. It's sort of why her seven months of post-retirement action felt a little like kissing your sister -- there was just something that wasn't "right" about it, and no matter how hard you tried not to, and even felt bad about yourself for thinking it, it was difficult to not wonder if it'd been best to have simply not had to experience it at all.

Ultimately, one gets the feeling that Henin, no matter what she might say now, probably could sense the same thing, for no player who demanded so much from herself before could possibly have looked back on the last year and been anywhere near satisfied with what she saw. And believing that more of the same, or worse, might be on the horizon, with a great deal more physical pain thrown in as an unhealthy reminder, was an experience that she did not want to have to live through.

"I spent the last days undergoing various medical tests and they have confirmed that my elbow has been damaged by my adventure in Australia. After my crash at Wimbledon in June, I knew it would be difficult to come back. But I had decided to keep playing and to give everything to overcome the injury. In these recent months I have rarely been spared from the pain, those last months were very hard. Time has passed, and the doubts have grown, and only return to the courts would give me answers. Not the answer I was hoping for... unfortunately. I suffered a lot the last week and every day gave me more and more pain, but I believed that my will would take the upper hand. Today, the examinations are clear and and the doctors say formally, my elbow is too fragile and hurt so that my passion and my profession at a high level cannot continue to exist." - Henin, in a statement on her website on January 26, 2011

Oh, make no mistake, Henin WAS a success story in 2010. The WTA tour named her its "Comeback Player of the Year," since any time a player sits out nearly two seasons and immediately becomes a contender upon her return, it IS reason to marvel. After her return, she went 34-9 (14-4 in slams), won two titles (Stuttgart and 's-Hertogenbosch), reached two more finals (in her first month back, in Brisbane and at the Australian Open), and five additional semifinals. She played in last year's Match of the Year (Week 1 in Brisbane, vs. Clijsters), and finished the season at #12 despite playing only the first six months of the year. They're great numbers and feats... for any player not expecting far, far, more, and knowing it was possible because she'd already done it.

As it is, things in 2.0 were never as good as they were in the first few weeks. Henin's initial adrenaline-fueled success gave reason to believe that she'd soon re-claim her previous position in the sport. But it didn't happen. Even though she twice won crowns in Europe last spring, 2.0 was pretty much all downhill after Henin left Australia. In retrospect, I guess that Brisbane loss to Clijsters, in which Henin held two match points but ultimately lost to the player she had formerly dominated in big, pressure-packed matches, should have been recognized as a sign that lightning was not going to be recaptured in a bottle. Henin ultimately went 0-3 against her countrywoman in 2.0, after having won eight of the final eleven meetings in their first careers.

One might look at that as the Tennis Gods telling Henin that she should have been content with what she HAD.

Not to belabor the point, but Clijsters' second-career success in the face of Henin's ultimate dissatisfaction, is a story of not only contrasting styles and personalities, but also an intriguing window into the pysches of two players who will forever be linked in tennis history.

In their first go-arounds, stories of Clijsters' friendliness were rampant, while Henin was consistently hounded for her perceived "black hat" unsportswomanlike actions. But it worked for Henin, as she won seven slams to Clijsters' one, and sported a 5-2 record against her in slam matches. Both retired in their mid-twenties, Clijsters while ranked #4 and Henin #1. Clijsters left and found her "bliss," got married and had a child, then buried her father before returning to the sport, suddenly no longer burdened by the prospect of her tennis career defining her life. Winning was great, but it didn't matter if she lost. Such a mindset would have been anathema to a perfectionist like Henin, but it worked wonders for Clijsters 2.0 ...it freed her up to play tennis without the self-destructive mind games that so often thwarted her efforts in the past. Henin, who'd been married and divorced while still dominating play on tour, left after having reconnected with her estranged family, including her father, and spent her sabbatical living the life of enjoyment and freedom that she'd never been able to during her hard-driven playing days, taking up skydiving and other pursuits and essentially saying that she'd needed the break to better herself emotionally. Noting that her retirement had allowed her to become "better with (her)self," Henin noted that "another Justine" would return to achieve her dreams. In a sense, she had decided to be a little more like Clijsters.

I raised an eyebrow at the notion at the time. As it turned out, her's WAS an experiment destined to fail.

Both Belgians played in slam finals in the opening weeks of their comebacks. Clijsters won. Henin lost. Since that point, Clijsters has surged to even greater success, constructing an identity-altering Third Act to her career drama. She defended her U.S. Open title, then ended '10 by claiming the Tour Championships and has entered '11 with a bead on reclaiming the #1 ranking. Henin continually faltered in the sort of tight matches that she always won, then got hurt, and has now retired again. I wondered not that long ago if both Belgians would still be playing tennis by the end of this season, but I was thinking that Clijsters would be the one to walk away first. I was wrong because I failed to take into account how their time away had changed them, and instead held firm to the notion that a leopard could not change his or her spots.

The Belgians did. In fact, in some ways, they exchanged roles in their comeback. Clijsters became the better pressure player, while Henin often times seemed adrift on the court, and one questioned who it was she was trying to convince that she still wanted to be there. Us, or her? The time away refreshed Clijsters and made her a better player, but it "diminished" Henin. And an Henin that was no longer capable of striving for perfection just would not do.

When Henin announced her comeback, she expressed a desire to do things "differently," to be a more "open" individual while continuing to win, not the more-isolated figure who'd made a habit of rubbing opponents the wrong way. Ah, but you see, that single-minded -- some would say "selfish" -- attitude is precisely WHY Henin was so successful the first time around. Like many great athletes (basketball great Michael Jordan comes immediately to mind), Henin thrived by building obstacles to climb and, without a hint of mercy, seeing opponents as dark forces trying to prevent her from attaining her goals. With that mindset, anything within (and sometimes skirting, as Serena Williams still recalls about that "wave-off" incident in Paris oh so many years ago) the rules was fair game. That, plus working harder than anyone else, made her great. The work was the reward, and the reward was the work. La Petit Taureau had no conscious, and subsisted on pure desire.

The Justine Henin that returned to the WTA in 2010 after having lived the life of a "normal" human being did not.

Her more aggressive game was different, but so was she. Neither was a natural fit, and in nearly every tight match she played you could almost see the struggle going on both on the outside, as well as inside. Her initial expectation level was just as high as before, but she never found a way to be the same tenacious tennis player without also being the same person that she only later discovered that she no longer could be. Maybe, deep in her bones, she didn't want to be THAT Justine even if it meant that her second tennis career would never measure up to her own lofty standards.

When Henin lost in the 3rd Round in Melbourne to Svetlana Kuznetsoava in what would be her final match, I know that I didn't feel the void of her early absense. Not like before. Partly, it was because it wasn't exactly unexpected. And even if she'd managed to last longer in the tournament, there was little realistic belief that she was up to claiming an eighth slam title in the event. Partially because of the injury, but just as much because she hadn't really resembled a potential slam winner since the early weeks of her comeback. Before the season, she'd made comments about her elbow likely not being 100% for another six months or more. I noted at the time that it sounded like she was actively trying to lower expectations for her season. I still believe that, but now I wonder if she might have also been testing to see if SHE could stand looking in the mirror and not believing that she could once again be the best player in the world.

I think we got our answer a few days ago.

Maybe LPT would have suffered through the pain in her elbow in order to, at all costs, attempt to become a great champion again. But not Justine. No longer. The writing was on the wall and, no matter how high her passion still was for the game, her ability to balance it with all the other "unwanted" characteristics that SHE would need to be what she had once been had failed to coexist with who she was NOW. Maybe the two ends would NEVER have met. In fact, I'd say they would not have. Thing is, she very well may have reached the same conclusion to retire even if she'd never injured her elbow.

When Henin retired from the 2006 Australian Open final against Amelie Mauresmo because of a stomach ailment, she was assailed by many as a "quitter" and "poor sport," amongst other more outrageous claims. None of them were true, but understanding why she likely made her decision five years ago might form a natural bridge between LPT and Justine, fostering an understanding of why the announcement of the end of her career now was something that's arrival was just a matter of time. She walked away from that match because she didn't feel that she was able to perform at her best, and trying to do so and failing miserably in her own eyes was a punishment that she could not bear. It went against every perfectionist bone in her body. Unwilling to fail, she set down her racket.

I think it just happened again.

It'd already become apparent that Henin ever producing anything remotely similar to her past feats was no longer a given, and the injury only further dirtied the water. Already not mentally in the same frame of mind she needed to be to succeed on her terms, now she faced the prospect of struggling physically, as well. No longer willing to do what it would take to climb her proverbial career mountain again, and being forced to do so with physical pain that would make the feat doubly difficult, I believe that on some important level this was a case of a player being unwilling to continue to fail, and deciding to walk away with her head held high, while she still could. If she'd chosen to have further corrective surgery to continue the fight, another year-long layover would have been prescribed by her doctors. Suddenly, "difficult" became "impossible." The mountain was too tall, and Justine simply didn't have the drive -- or single-minded purpose -- that LPT had in spades. And trying to continue to force herself to look for it was no longer worth it, not if the "pot at the end of the rainbow" STILL might only mean she was playing to be second-best (or, more likely, worse). In her heart, she was still the champion of old, but her mind told her differently.

If she wasn't to be the tennis player she once could be, it was more bearable to not be a tennis player at all. Competition for competion's sake just wasn't enough for her.

Such a trait, while something that a player such as the ridiculously-commendable Francesca Schiavone would probably never fully wish to comprehend, is precisely what allowed Henin to morph into La Petit Taureau all those years ago. Without that perfection-or-nothing line of thinking, Justine Henin might just have been a pretty good player. With it, she was one of the two greatest players of her generation.

In a sense, her elbow injury offers her a convenient way out. It provides an tangible explanation for her exit, even if there might be another one more deeply rooted within her psyche. Even if she'd never admit it to be so. Thus, she's able to leave the battlefield being carried off on her shield. It is an "honorable death" of a career, with the decision to accept her final fate both more complicated and easier than it might appear on the only lightly-inspected surface.

Thankfully, Henin built a reservoir of memories the first time around. Her failed 2.0 experiment will not alter that. I know that I'll remember those back-to-back night wins at Flushing Meadows in 2003, not Brisbane. And those four winning Saturdays in Paris will come to mind often, while her ultimately career-shortening fall at the All-England Club won't at all. The Gold Medal turn in Athens while battling an energy-sapping virus will continue to hold a special place in the Henin Memory Scrapbook, too, but her final bow in Melbourne will not.

LPT might not have, but I figure that Justine would say the same.

Sure, Henin's timing of her announcement was a bit off, just prior to the final weekend of a slam. And one in which Clijsters is a prominant figure, no less. It would have been nice if she'd waited until prior to next weekend's Fed Cup play where she'd been an honored courtside supporter of the Belgian team, or maybe even announced it as her final event, allowing herself one last moment on the big stage, for old time's sake (one or two more matches were likely not going to alter the elbow's health outlook). In a way, though, the "tin ear" quality of her actions speak a bit to the self-possession that once made her the champion she was.

Actually, in retrospect, I sort of like it. It serves as one final reminder of the "black hat" champion that was LPT, leaving 'em all questioning her motives to her last breath. We might not have gotten to see much of HER in 2.0, but there is something wonderful about catching one more fleeting glimpse as she silps out the back door a final time.

At least I'm assuming it is, indeed, THE final time. There IS always the chance that, like a boxer, Henin will continue to retire and un-retire until her comings-and-goings are something akin to the flipping of the calendar every January. Plus, in the era of the comeback of Kimiko Date-Krumm, nothing is impossible. But, really, why would she bother? She and we have been down that road before... and none of us really enjoyed it all that much.

Henin is finally free. Free as a bird. Free of the burden of continuing to try to live up to her promise to her mother, or her own high standards. Free to be Justine, whoever that turns out to be. Free as a bird.

Fly, Justine. Fly.



*The Best of Henin, Part Deux*
...one final look back at the "second time around." Probably.

=2002-08=
May 16 - The Best of Henin

=2008 retirement=
May 15 - Into the Good Night

=2009=
September 21 - To the Rescue, and Back Into the Light?
September 22 - Bring It On (comeback announcement)
November 22 - Decade's Best: Players #1/#2 - "Two for the Ages"

=2010=
January 11 - Act 1, Scene 1 [2010] (Brisbane Final)
January 20 - Australian Open, Day 3: A Rolling Henin 2.0 Gathers No Moss
January 22 - Australian Open, Day 5: Belgians Wobble, But Only One Falls Down
January 24 - Australian Open, Day 7: Belgian vs. Belgian... for your entertainment
January 28 - Australian Open, Day 11: A Long Time Coming
January 30 - Australian Open Final: Real Champions Wear Combat Boots
February 2 - 2010 Dorothy Tour Awards
May 3 - Sigmund, Justine & Me (Stuttgart title)
May 22 - Roland Garros Preview: The Big Bang
May 25 - Roland Garros, Day 3: A Quantum Precursor, Pt.2
May 28 - Roland Garros, Day 6: The Core Four
May 29 - Roland Garros, Day 7: Little Bangus Interruptus
May 30 - Roland Garros, Day 8: Welcome Back to Paris, LPT
May 31 - Roland Garros, Day 9: The Big Fizzle
June 20 - Bare Bones Backspin ('s-Hertogenbosch title)
June 28 - Wimbledon, Day 7: Some Nice Moments, But Nothing to Text Your Cousin About
July 2 - Wimbledon, Day 11: To Be or Not To Be LPT, That is the Question

=2011=
January 21 - Australian Open, Day 5: Down and Out Down Under
January 26 - Justine Slips Out the Back Door...again

All for now.

Read more...

AO.12- The Day After, and the Day Before

As the tournament's final act is just around the corner, there was a fairly light schedule on Day 12. But the first champions of the 2011 Australian Open were crowned.



=DAY 12 NOTES=
...in the Women's Doubles final, three of the four participants were playing for their first career grand slam title. Only Victoria Azarenka, a winner of two Mixed crowns, entered the contest without the pressure of a continued all-or-nothing situation.

For a while, it looked as if she and Maria Kirilenko, playing in their first slam as a duo, were going to run away with the championship, leading top-seeded Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta 6-2/4-1. But that's when the slam-less world's #1 doubles team decided that the time had come to finally etch their name in tennis history. The veteran pair stormed back to take the title, 2-6/7-5/6-1. It's their eleventh title as a team, and fitfully follows up their previously biggest-ever title in Doha at the Tour Championships last year (the same major title combo that Kim Clijsters will be trying to complete, along with her U.S. Open win, in the Women's Singles final).

From what I saw of the match, Azarenka's play when the match was within grasp might have began the team's slide. By the end of the match, Azarenka was visibly troubled by the course of events. Kirilenko seemed to have herself more outwardly collected, although by the tone of her voice during the trophy presentation (and hand-on-hips stance of at-least-implied impatience), it was pretty clear that she was peeved by what went on. Although, she did half-joke that after the 1st Round she'd told Azarenka that she thought they could reach the final. "Next time," she said, "I'll say I think we can WIN."

It turned to be an doubly bad Doubles day for the Russian, as she also lost in the Mixed SF with Nenad Zimonjic, to Katarina Srebotnik and Daniel Nestor. They'll face Chan Yung-Jan and Paul Hanley in the final.

...the junior Doubles titles were determined, as well. An-Sophie Mestach and Demi Schuurs defeated Eri Hozumi and Miyu Kato, while Filip Horansky and Jiri Vesely knocked off the Australian team of Ben Wagland and Andrew Whittington. Both Mestach and Vesely now have the opportunity to sweep both the junior singles and doubles titles, as they advanced to their respective singles finals on Day 12.

In the Girls draw, Mestach defeated Caroline Garcia in a 6-4 3rd set, while Monica Puig took down Eugenie Bouchard in straights. In the Boys final, it'll be top-seeded Vesely against Australia's last shot at a title at this event -- unseeded Luke Seville.

...and, finally...

=FINAL PICK=
#3 Clijsters d. #9 Li in TWO (with relative ease in the 1st, then after a battle in the 2nd)

...come on, I can't back down now. Of course, I'm not sure if "loving" Kim and "losing" Justine is a totally fair trade-off, you know. Oh, the webs we weave.




*RECENT AO DOUBLES CHAMPIONS*
2000 Lisa Raymond/Rennae Stubbs, USA/AUS
2001 Serena Williams/Venus Williams, USA
2002 Martina Hingis/Anna Kournikova, SUI/RUS
2003 Serena Williams/Venus Williams, USA
2004 Virginia Ruano Pascual/Paola Suarez, ESP/ARG
2005 Svetlana Kuznetsova/Alicia Molik, RUS/AUS
2006 Yan Zi/Zheng Jie, CHN
2007 Cara Black/Liezel Huber, ZIM/RSA
2008 Alona Bondarenko/Kateryna Bondarenko, UKR
2009 Serena Williams/Venus Williams, USA
2010 Serena Williams/Venus Williams, USA
2011 Gisela Dulko/Flavia Pennetta, ARG/ITA

*RECENT AO GIRLS SINGLES FINALS*
2001 Jelena Jankovic d. Sofia Arvidsson
2002 Barbora Strycova d. Maria Sharapova
2003 Barbora Strycova d. Victoriya Kutuzova
2004 Shahar Peer d. Nicole Vaidisova
2005 Victoria Azarenka d. Agnes Szavay
2006 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova d. Caroline Wozniacki
2007 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova d. Madison Brengle
2008 Arantxa Rus d. Jessica Moore
2009 Ksenia Pervak d. Laura Robson
2010 Karolina Pliskova d. Larua Robson
2011 An-Sophie Mestach vs. Monica Puig

*MOST WTA FINALS - 2009-11*
16...Caroline Wozniacki (9-7)
9...Venus Williams (4-5)
8...Elena Dementieva (5-3)-retired
8...KIM CLIJSTERS (6-1)
8...Dinara Safina (3-5)
8...Vera Zvonareva (3-5)

*AO "DOUBLES STAR" WINNERS*
2006 Yan Zi & Zheng Jie, CHN
2007 Liezel Huber, RSA
2008 Alona & Kateryna Bondarenko, UKR
2009 Sania Mirza, IND
2010 Cara Black, ZIM
2011 Gisela Dulko & Flavia Pennetta, ARG/ITA

*MEN'S CAREER SLAM FINALS - ACTIVE*
22...Roger Federer (16-6)
11...Rafael Nadal (9-2)
5...Andy Roddick (1-4)
4...Lleyton Hewitt (2-2)
4...NOVAK DJOKOVIC (1-2)
3...Juan Carlos Ferrero (1-2)
3...ANDY MURRAY (0-2)
2...Robin Soderling (0-2)



*WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL*
#9 Li Na/CHN vs. #3 Kim Clijsters/BEL

*MEN'S SINGLES FINAL*
#5 Andy Murray/GBR vs. #3 Novak Djokovic/SRB

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
#1 Dulko/Pennetta (ARG/ITA) def. #12 Azarenka/Kirilenko (BLR/RUS) 2-6/7-5/6-1

*MEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
#1 Bryan/Bryan (USA/USA) vs. #3 Bhupathi/Paes (IND/IND)

*MIXED DOUBLES FINAL*
Chan/Hanley (TPE/AUS) vs. #2 Srebotnik/Nestor (SLO/CAN)

*GIRLS SINGLES FINAL*
#5 Monica Puig/PUR vs. #2 An-Sophie Mestach/BEL

*BOYS SINGLES FINAL*
#1 Jiri Vesely/CZE vs. Luke Seville/AUS

*GIRLS DOUBLES FINAL*
#6 An-Sophie Mestach/Demi Schuurs (BEL/NED) def. Eri Hozumi/Miyu Kato (JPN/JPN) 6-2/6-3

*BOYS DOUBLES FINAL*
#2 Filip Horansky/Jiri Vesely (SVK/CZE) def. #3 Ben Wagland/Andrew Whittington (AUS/AUS) 6-4/6-4




TOP QUALIFIER: Vesna Manasieva/RUS
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): #3 Kim Clijsters/BEL
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): #9 Li Na/CHN
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q1: Sloane Stephens/USA def. Liana-Gabriela Ungur/ROU 7-6/1-6/8-6
TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 1st Rd. - Ekaterina Makarova/RUS d. #19 Ana Ivanovic/SRB 3-6/6-4/10-8 (on 6th MP, 1:31 3rd set)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): 4th Rd. - #6 Francesca Schiavone/ITA d. #23 Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS 6-4/1-6/16-14 (Open era record 4:44, saved 6 MP)
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
TOP NIGHT MATCH:: 3rd Rd. - #25 Petra Kvitova/CZE d. #5 Samantha Stosur/AUS 7-6/6-3
=============================
FIRST WINNER: Evgeniya Rodina/RUS (1st Rd. - def. WC Olivia Rogowska/AUS)
FIRST SEED OUT: #28 Daniela Hantuchova/SVK (1st Rd. - lost to Kulikova/RUS)
UPSET QUEENS: Russians
REVELATION LADIES: Czechs
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Vesna Manasieva/RUS (3rd Rd.)
IT GIRL: xx
MS. OPPORTUNITY: #9 Li Na/CHN
COMEBACK PLAYER: #12 Agnieszka Radwanska/POL
CRASH & BURN: #7 Jelena Jankovic/SRB (2nd Rd. - lost to Peng/CHN)
ZOMBIE QUEEN: #6 Francesca Schiavone/ITA (saved 6 MP vs. Kuznetsova/RUS in 4th Rd.)
LAST SHEILA STANDING: #5 Samantha Stosur/AUS (3rd Rd.)
LADY OF THE EVENING: #30 Andrea Petkovic/GER
DOUBLES STARS: Gisela Dulko & Flavia Pennetta, ARG/ITA
JUNIOR BREAKOUTS: Japanese girls




All for Day 12. More on Justine Henin later today, and on the Women's Final tomorrow.

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AO.11- Clijsters & Li... as it should be

Kim and Na... they shall meet again.

At the start of this Australian Open, there was a thought that the final weekend of the tournament could bring about a rematch between Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin, two Belgians with a long on and off-court history, not to mention being two of the only women in the draw with experience at winning grand slam titles. As the last two weeks have progressed, though, things have changed. What might have been the TWO Belgians' tournament quickly was reduced to one, as Henin bowed out in the 3rd Round with little fanfare (and then, days later, the sport entirely with a bit more recognition, albeit unfortunate timing), while 2010 AO semifinalist Li Na slowly but surely rose to greater and greater prominance with each passing round. Clijsters began the tournament by double-bageling an opponent, while Li moved through the draw in quieter fashion, but more consistent excellence, as the remaining Belgian experienced more than a few minor hiccups along the way.

Both married (and Clijsters a mother), the pair has projected the more adult and mature (since those two words don't ALWAYS go hand-in-hand) mindset that has come to dominate the tour in recent years as, much as ghas been the case with the men's tour for years now, teenagers have been less and less present in the latter stages of the major events that they used to overpopulate. But the "unofficial duel" between the two veterans, who met in the final of the last pre-AO event in Sydney (with Li climbing out of a 5-0 1st set hole to win the title), wasn't confined to match stats. While Clijsters made headlines by choosing Hall of Fame former doubles star-turned-TV-interviewer Todd Woodbridge as her comic foil via that "Is Kim pregnant?" text message he sent to Rennae Stubbs, Li has made quite a few fans the past week while lovingly putting down her husband/coach Jiang Shan, calling him out for wrongly believing tennis is "easy" and, after her SF match, saying he caused her to have a largely sleepless night because of his incessant snoring.

On Day 11, in back-to-back semifinal matches, Li and Clijsters took out the world's #1 and #2-ranked players, respectively, to reach the Women's final, where Li will seek to become the first-ever Asian grand slam singles champion and Clijsters looks to win her first slam title outside of New York. And the way things have worked out in Melbourne, in a rare moment in women's tennis where things play out in something resembling a coherent working order, that's exactly how it should be.

Slightly exchanging their more recent roles in Melbourne on Thursday, it was Li who experienced drama in her match with top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki. Clijsters against #2 Vera Zvonareva... not so much.

In a rematch of their uncompetitive U.S. Open final from last September (though Zvonareva DID get big stage wins over KC last year at Wimbledon and the season-ending championships), the pair traded breaks in the opening two games of the match. The Russian was the one who grabbed a 1-0 lead, and it was the only lead she'd enjoy the rest of the afternoon. After holding serve in a series of games, Clijsters broke Zvonareva for a 5-3 lead, then, served out the set at 6-3. In the 2nd set, she again grabbed and early break. She never relinquished it. Down 3-4, Zvonareva had one final chance to make a match of things, holding double break point on the Belgian's serve. But she couldn't convert. Clijsters held for 5-3, and won the match 6-3/6-3 to advance to her eighth career slam singles final.

Unlike at Flushing Meadows, this wasn't a case of Zvonareva having a frustration-fueled emotional collapse on the court. Clijsters was simply the better player, from the second game of the match until the last. Suddenly, she looked once again like the favorite for the title that nearly everyone (including me, for the first time in eight years in a slam) thought she was two weeks ago.

Li's trip to the final was far more adventurous. In fact, she had to dance with the proverbial devil in the pale moon light (or the bright Melbourne sun... you go with what you've got, I guess) in order to pull it off.

In the opening set, Li had chances to grab big points, but consistently failed to do so. She sailed errors that were somewhat shocking considering her always-keeping-her-senses play through the first five rounds, save for the back-to-back 0-2 holes in which she found herself in the 1st and 2nd sets against Andrea Petkovic in the quarterfinals. She committed six errors in the first two games alone. A Li double-fault on break point handed Wozniacki a 4-2 lead, and the Dane's error-light game coasted to a 6-3 opening set win. In the 2nd set, another Li double-fault broke her own serve, putting Wozniacki up 2-1. At 6-3/4-2, the Dane looked to have a free pass in hand to her second career slam final, and she wasn't going to have to resurrect her aggressive mindset from her QF win over Francesca Schiavone to do it, either.

That was about to change, though, as the 28-year old Li assumed the role that the 20-year old world #1 had one round earlier.

Down 3-4, love/40 on Wozniacki's serve, Li began to awake. She got the game to deuce, then hit a big unreturnable forehand winner to get a break point. She converted it to knot the score at 4-4. But she was broken in the next game and the Dane, serving at 5-4, held a match point one game later at 40/30. In the point, Wozniacki was content to allow Li to make the error, though, rather than "pull a Serena" and impose her will upon the biggest moment of the match. Hanging back and hitting tentative shots, Wozniacki saw Li take the initiative with a down-the-line forehand that went off the Dane's racket, then break her serve by running Wozniacki wide with one shot, then putting away a forehand winner behind her with the next. 5-5. In the next game, Li expanded her repertoire by sneaking to the net to swat away a crisp volley. Suddenly, she led 6-5.

Serving to stay in the set moments after she might have been celebrating a victory, Wozniacki went up 30/15, and got within one point of forcing a tie-break, only to see Li smack a decisive winner on her return of a weak second serve. As the normally error-free Wozniacki began to commit errors with still-tentative putback shots rather than tactically-sound defensive gets, the Dane double-faulted on break point to hand the set to Li at 7-5. The Chinese veteran had broken her serve three straight times to knot the match.

Wozniacki went up an early break at 2-1 in the 3rd, only to be broken back at love in the next game. Down 3-2, Wozniacki took a 30/love lead on her serve, only to double-fault and begin a slide that she never really was able to stop. Li scored on a deep-landing passing shot after bringing Wozniacki in toward the net with a short ball, then she broke her with a swinging volley winner to jump up 4-2. Wozniacki managed to break back for 4-3, but then had her own serve broken yet again to fall behind 5-3 when Li's backhand crosscourt shot forced an error. For the second straight set, Li had managed back-to-back-to-back service breaks with the match on the line. Li served out the match for an it-seemed-improbable-an-hour-earlier 3-6/7-5/6-3 win. In the final set, Wozniacki recorded zero winners (Li had 15), and notched just ten for the match.

One day, we might look back at Wozniacki and say, "Remember when?" From this point forward, it'll be up to her whether or not that phrase has good or bad connotations. Will we remember the wasn't-it-novel era when she was #1, or look back at video of this match and realize how much a different -- and better -- player she is a year or two from now? This match made it even more apparent that while the Dane can hold the #1 spot and winning numerous tour titles playing just as she does now, her game of trying to elongate points until her opponent goes for too much, thus "creating" an error with her defense, probably is only going to ever get her SO far in a slam. The QF, SF, and an occasional final.

On Tennis Channel, even Martina Navratilova said she now realized how much C-Woz "forces" mistakes because her opponents begin to believe they need to "do more" to win the point outright, and then commit an error in the process. In effect, Wozniacki has a knack for forcing opponents to beat themselves, Navratilova said, much like how Chris Evert would do to HER when she and Navratiova ruled the tour in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Of course, Navratilova was humble enough to leave out the part that once SHE became the best player she could be, and morphed into the most ultra-aggressive player in the women's game, Evert rarely ever beat her at all (except in Paris) in the back-half of their long rivalry.

So, the question remains whether or not Wozniacki will be willing to alter her approach enough to take the next logical step in her career. Players might not be as net-rushing aggressive as Navratilova, but equipment improvement and the more-athletic nature of the tour as a whole make up for that. While Navratilova and a few others stood out for their ability to seize control of games two decades ago, racket and training technology make more and more women's players potentially lethal and able to physically seize matches with their offensive groundstrokes from baseline and mid-court positions. Li isn't the most devastating hitter in the game, but even she was able to take this match from Wozniacki, forcing the Dane into uncharacteristic errors by pressuring her into going to more... only on LI's terms, not her's. In the 2010's, there are multiple types of players who can do what Li did to Wozniacki, and HAVE at some point in every slam she's played to this point in her young career. The world #1 is just 5-13 against Top 5 players (2-5 in slams), and has won only two total sets in eight meetings with Clijsters and the Williams Sisters. But they aren't the only players Wozniacki has to find a way past to lock away her first slam. Since the start of 2010, she's lost decisively (maybe excluding today) in slams to Vera Zvonareva, Francesca Schiavone, Petra Kvitova and Li (twice).

Wozniacki simply needs to be willing to do more early-in-and-throughout matches in order to win a slam, and never even allow Li a chance to get back into the match. She flashes the ability to do it, and has won matches (QF vs. Schiavone) by utilizing those skills in key moments. One thought that she might have been shaken into that reality in the last round, but no such luck. Thus, we continue to wait.

While Wozniacki's game still has a little growing up to do, it'll be the more "adult" pair of veterans who'll decide this Australian Open championship. May the best woman -- on Saturday, at least -- win.



=DAY 11 NOTES=
...hmmm, when was the last time a slam final was contested between TWO married women?

...while Li is the first Chinese woman to reach a slam singles final, the Asian influence is actually fairly widespread at this AO. There is still a chance for four Asian-based champions in Melbourne. Aside from Li, Chan Yung-Jan (TPE) is the Mixed Doubles SF, Mahesh Bhupathi & Leander Paes (IND) are in the Men's Doubles Final, while a pair of Japanese juniors (Eri Hozumi & Miyu Kato) are in the Girls Doubles Final.

And if you want to extend the thought to the "grand slam of Asia/Pacific" notion, while Anastasia Rodionova lost via a walkover in the Mixed Doubles QF, fellow Aussies Luke Seville (Boys Singles SF) and the team of Ben Wagland/Andrew Whittington (Boys Doubles Final) are still alive for titles, as well.

...some news items: U.S. Open flash Beatrice "It's a Wonderful Win" Capra has signed a letter of intent to play tennis at Duke in the fall, and Serena Williams will appear in a Mercedes Benz ad during the Super Bowl. Also, Mary Joe Fernandez said on ESPN2 yesterday that she has had contact with Serena, who told her she is making herself available for Fed Cup play in April, and hopes to have the boot removed from her foot in February. At the very least, even if she can't play FC in the fall, just making herself available is part of the process of being eligible for Olympic tennis next year in London, so one would have to think that it's a good sign that Williams is still thinking about her future in tennis.

...in junior action, #2 An-Sophie Mestach, #5 Monica Puig, #8 Caroline Garcia and #14 Eugenie Bouchard all advanced to the semifinals in straight sets. Mestach is also in the Girls Doubles final. Meanwhile, I'm still wondering if Puig -- from Puerto Rico -- would count as a "technical" American junior champ if she'd win the title... since, you know, I have to keep track of all those pre-season predictions, after all.

...meanwhile, we'll have to wait a little longer for anyone to have eat their words about Roger Federer, since we was defeated in a second straight slam by Novak Djokovic on Night 11. Thus, a rare occurrence -- a Roger/Rafa-less slam final -- will take place in Melbourne this weekend. At least one had appeared in twelve consecutive slam finals, and in 25-of-28. They'd won four straight, and 21-of-23. Of note, of the four slams finals in the last twenty-nine in which they were not finalists, three of them have been Australian Opens ('05, '08 and '11, along with the '04 Roland Garros).

...AWARDS UPDATES: Li Na wins the "Ms. Opportunity" award. It's her second straight such crown in Melbourne, having shared it with Zheng Jie last year when they both reached the semifinals. Also, the group of Japanese girls who have made some big moves in junior action collectively receive the "Junior Breakout" honor. Aside from the team of Eri Hozumi & Miyu Kato being in the Girls Doubles Final, it should be remembered that qualifier Kanami Tsuji upset #1-seeded Daria Gavrilova, and Emi Mutaguchi knocked off #10-seed Tang Hao-Chen, as well.

The winner of the Girls Singles title -- no matter who wins, she'll be a first time junior slam finalist/champion -- will get the "It Girl" award, while the "Doubles Star" race still has a few twists and turns left. The only two players alive in both the Doubles and Mixed draws -- Maria Kirilenko & Katarina Srebotnik -- drew each other in the semis in both. Kirilenko and Victoria Azarenka have beaten Srebotnik and Kveta Peschke in the Doubles SF, so if the Russian sweeps her way into the Mixed final, as well, she'll get the nod. If Srebotnik does, then there might still be some work that needs to be done, and things could open up for a team such as Dulko/Pennetta (which has never won a slam) to win.

...and, finally, I'll finally give Justine Henin a proper (second) send-off next, since there aren't any singles matches to contend with on Day 12, and tomorrow's Daily Backspin will be pretty light in content.




*AO "Ms.OPPORTUNITY" WINNERS*
2004 Fabiola Zuluaga, COL
2005 Nathalie Dechy, FRA
2006 Martina Hingis, SUI
2007 Serena Williams, USA
2008 Daniela Hantuchova, SVK
2009 Vera Zvonareva, RUS
2010 Li Na & Zheng Jie, CHN
2011 Li Na, CHN

*AO "JUNIOR BREAKOUT" WINNERS*
2007 Madison Brengle/USA
2008 Jessica Moore/AUS & Arantxa Rus/NED
2009 Ksenia Pervak/RUS
2010 Karolina & Kristyna Pliskova, CZE
2011 Japanese girls

*CAREER SLAM FINALS - ACTIVE*
16...Serena Williams (13-3)
14...Venus Williams (7-7)
8...KIM CLIJSTERS (3-4)
4...Maria Sharapova (3-1)
4...Svetlana Kuznetsova (2-2)
3...Ana Ivanovic (1-2)
3...Dinara Safina (0-3)
2...Vera Zvonareva (0-2)
1...Francesca Schiavone (1-0)
1...LI NA (0-0)
1...Marion Bartoli (0-1)
1...Jelena Jankovic (0-1)
1...Samantha Stosur (0-1)
1..Caroline Wozniacki (0-1)
--
ALSO: 12-Justine Henin (7-5)

*OLDEST FIRST-TIME SLAM WINNERS, w/ Li's potential place in history*
29y,11m - Francesca Schiavone, 2010 Roland Garros
29y,9m - Jana Novotna, 1998 Wimbledon
29y,5m - Kerry Melville-Reid, 1978 Australian Open
[ Li Na - 28y,11m ]
26y,11m - Amelie Mauresmo, 2006 Australian Open

*WOMEN'S OVERALL WON/LOST - BY NATION*
[through SF]
26-19...RUS
14-9...CZE
9-2...China (Li)
9-3...Belgium (Clijsters)
8-8...ITA
7-5...GER
5-1...DEN

*SCHEDULED LAVER NIGHT MATCH RECORDS*
[multiple matches]
3-0...Novak Djokovic, SRB
2-0...Kim Clijsters, BEL
2-0...Andrea Petkovic, GER
2-0...Stanislas Wawrinka, SUI
2-1...Rafael Nadal, ESP
1-1...Roger Federer, SUI
1-1...Samantha Stosur, AUS



*WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL*
#9 Li Na/CHN vs. #3 Kim Clijsters/BEL

*MEN'S SINGLES SEMIFINALS*
#7 David Ferrer/ESP vs. #5 Andy Murray/GBR
#3 Novak Djokovic/SRB def. #2 Roger Federer/SUI

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
#1 Dulko/Pennetta (ARG/ITA) vs #12 Azarenka/Kirilenko (BLR/RUS)

*MEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
#1 Bryan/Bryan (USA/USA) vs. #3 Bhupathi/Paes (IND/IND)

*MIXED DOUBLES SEMIFINALS*
Mattek-Sands/Tecau (USA/ROU) vs. Chan/Hanley (TPE/AUS)
#3 Kirilenko/Zimonjic (RUS/SRB) vs. #2 Srebotnik/Nestor (SLO/CAN)

*GIRLS SINGLES SEMIFINALS*
#5 Monica Puig/PUR vs. #14 Eugene Bouchard/CAN
#8 Caroline Garcia/FRA vs. #2 An-Sophie Mestach/BEL

*BOYS SINGLES SEMIFINALS*
#1 Jiri Vesely/CZE vs. #4 George Morgan/GBR
#6 Roberto Carballes/ESP vs. Luke Seville/AUS

*GIRLS DOUBLES FINAL*
#6 An-Sophie Mestach/Demi Schuurs (BEL/NED) vs. Eri Hozumi/Miyu Kato (JPN/JPN)

*BOYS DOUBLES FINAL*
#3 Ben Wagland/Andrew Whittington (AUS/AUS) vs. #2 Filip Horansky/Jiri Vesely (SVK/CZE)




TOP QUALIFIER: Vesna Manasieva/RUS
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): #3 Kim Clijsters/BEL
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): #9 Li Na/CHN
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q1: Sloane Stephens/USA def. Liana-Gabriela Ungur/ROU 7-6/1-6/8-6
TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 1st Rd. - Ekaterina Makarova/RUS d. #19 Ana Ivanovic/SRB 3-6/6-4/10-8 (on 6th MP, 1:31 3rd set)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): 4th Rd. - #6 Francesca Schiavone/ITA d. #23 Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS 6-4/1-6/16-14 (Open era record 4:44, saved 6 MP)
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
TOP NIGHT MATCH:: 3rd Rd. - #25 Petra Kvitova/CZE d. #5 Samantha Stosur/AUS 7-6/6-3
=============================
FIRST WINNER: Evgeniya Rodina/RUS (1st Rd. - def. WC Olivia Rogowska/AUS)
FIRST SEED OUT: #28 Daniela Hantuchova/SVK (1st Rd. - lost to Kulikova/RUS)
UPSET QUEENS: Russians
REVELATION LADIES: Czechs
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Vesna Manasieva/RUS (3rd Rd.)
IT GIRL: xx
MS. OPPORTUNITY: #9 Li Na/CHN
COMEBACK PLAYER: #12 Agnieszka Radwanska/POL
CRASH & BURN: #7 Jelena Jankovic/SRB (2nd Rd. - lost to Peng/CHN)
ZOMBIE QUEEN: #6 Francesca Schiavone/ITA (saved 6 MP vs. Kuznetsova/RUS in 4th Rd.)
LAST SHEILA STANDING: #5 Samantha Stosur/AUS (3rd Rd.)
LADY OF THE EVENING: #30 Andrea Petkovic/GER
DOUBLES STAR: xx
JUNIOR BREAKOUTS: Japanese girls




All for Day 11. More tomorrow.

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