Day 13: Don't Tug on Roger's Cape

So Federer/Nadal VIII wasn't exactly a repeat of their remarkable five-set final in Rome, but there was STILL a great deal on display that was thoroughly enjoyable.

We got one set of brilliance (6-0!! It was like Mike Tyson vs. Michael Spinks.) from Roger Federer, followed by a "great escape" by the world #1 when Rafael Nadal had a rare lapse and missed a huge opportunity when serving for the 2nd set at 5-4. A few double-faults there, then a couple loose points in the tie-break and King Roger was up two sets to love.

But it didn't end there, as Nadal refused to fold, grabbing the 3rd set in another tie-break (making one wonder what might have been had he been able to win the 2nd). Then, in the final Act of this play, Federer proved to be as unwilling to give up his Wimbledon throne in the 4th set as Nadal was not quite ready to take it from him... not yet, anyway. Federer is SW19 champion for a fourth straight year, but we saw enough at this tournament to think that Nadal could be ready to win this thing as early as next year.

Ah, now the U.S. Open is on the horizon, with Federer having re-established himself as the best in the world, as a player of his stature simply HAD to do today. Thing is, what happened at Centre Court on Day 13 will only give Nadal something more to inspire him to reach for. Remember, when he lost that two-set lead against Federer in Miami last year, all he followed it up with were five straight wins over him and a powerful two weeks at the All-England Club.

What will Nadal do with the memory of this near-miss? How will Federer react to finally getting the 20-year old out of his psyche, if only for one match? I know I can't wait to find out. Unlike "rivalries" such as the perpetually disappointing Venus vs. Serena, Federer/Nadal never lets us down. Even if the match ends in straight sets, the result immediately sets the conditions for the next match-up, then the one after that, and so on and so on and so on.

Federer was just kidding when he mentioned to Sue Barker that Bjorn Borg retired at age 25... the same age he'll turn in August. He's enjoying the challenge that Nadal has presented him with -- the opportunity to be the "best player who ever lived," but STILL having to strive to become even "more perfect" every year in order to maintain his lofty position (if only Steffi Graf had had such a long-term challenge). For a man who truly DOES want to be the best who ever lived, that's about as good as a career can get.

We can get REAL used to seeing this series play out for the rest of this decade... that IS as good as it gets.

==============================

**FEDERER vs. NADAL**
[Nadal leads 6-2]
04 Miami 3rd - Nadal 6-3/6-3
05 Miami F - Federer 2-6/6-7/7-6/6-3/6-1
05 RG SF - Nadal 6-3/4-6/6-4/6-3
06 Dubai F - Nadal 2-6/6-4/6-4
06 Monte Carlo F - Nadal 6-2/6-7/6-3/7-6
06 Rome F - Nadal 6-7/7-6/6-4/2-6/7-6
06 RG F - Nadal 1-6/6-1/6-4/7-6
06 Wimbledon F - Federer 6-0/7-6/6-7/6-3

**MOST WIMBLEDON TITLES**
7...Pete Sampras
7...William Renshaw
5...Bjorn Borg
5...Lawrence Doherty
4...ROGER FEDERER
4...Rod Laver
4...Tony Wilding
4...Reggie Doherty

**MOST CONSECUTIVE WIMBLEDON TITLES**
6...William Renshaw, 1881-86
5...Bjorn Borg, 1976-80
5...Lawrence Doherty, 1902-06
4...Pete Sampras, 1997-00
4...ROGER FEDERER, 2003-CURRENT
4...Tony Wilding, 1910-13
4...Reggie Doherty, 1897-00

**MOST SLAM TITLES - CAREER**
14...Pete Sampras
12...Roy Emerson
11...Bjorn Borg
11...Rod Laver
10...Bill Tilden
8....ROGER FEDERER
8....Andre Agassi
8....Jimmy Connors
8....Ivan Lendl
8....Fred Perry
8....Ken Rosewall

**MEN'S SLAM WINNERS - 2004-06**
2004
A: Roger Federer
R: Gaston Gaudio
W: Roger Federer
U: Roger Federer
2005
A: Marat Safin
R: Rafael Nadal
W: Roger Federer
U: Roger Federer
2006
A: Roger Federer
R: Rafael Nadal
W: Roger Federer

**MOST SLAM FINALS - ACTIVE**
15...Andre Agassi (8-7)
9....ROGER FEDERER (8-1)
4....Lleyton Hewitt (2-2)
4....Marat Safin (2-2)

**GRASS COURT WINNING STREAKS**
48...ROGER FEDERER, 2003-CURRENT
41...Bjorn Borg, 1976-81
23...John McEnroe, 1980-82
23...Pete Sampras, 1994-96
23...Pete Sampras, 1998-00

**MOST WEEKS AT #1**
286...Pete Sampras
270...Ivan Lendl
268...Jimmy Connors
170...John McEnroe
127...ROGER FEDERER (CURRENT)
109...Bjorn Borg
101...Andre Agassi

**MEN'S DOUBLES CAREER SLAM**
[Open Era]
Jacco Eltingh & Paul Haarhuis
Todd Woodbridge & Mark Woodforde
Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan


Love/Love...

**LATE-ROUND WOMEN'S AWARDS**
TOP PLAYER: Amelie Mauresmo, of course
RISERS: Zi Yan/Jie Zheng & Vera Zvonareva
SURPRISE: Urszula Radwanska
VETERANS: Virginia Ruano-Pascual/Paola Suarez
FRESH FACE: Caroline Wozniacki
DOWN: Maria Sharapova & Kim Clijsters

=============================
Love/15... Americans rule the men's doubles!! (For what it's worth, it IS a fact at Wimbledon.) The Bryan twins became the third team in the Open Era to complete a Men's Doubles career Grand Slam, and today the all-American duo of Kellen Damico & Nathaniel Schnugg (the Boys Doubles RU in Melbourne) won the SW19 Boys Doubles title. Wonder if that'll get them a couple of rooms at the Evert Academy in the USTA's new let's-right-this-sinking-ship setup there?
=============================
15/15... Virginia Ruano-Pascual & Paola Suarez failed in their bid to get THEIR career Doubles slam, losing to Zi Yan & Jie Zheng, who picked up a second slam title for China to go along with their Australian Open Doubles title.

**MOST 2006 WTA DOUBLES TITLES - TEAMS**
6...Lisa Raymond/Samantha Stosur
5...ZI YAN/JIE ZHENG
2...Ting Li/Tiantian Sun
2...Daniela Hantuchova/Ai Sugiyama

=============================
15/30... meanwhile, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is three quarters of the way to a junior doubles grand slam for 2006. After winning in Melbourne and Paris with Sharon Fichman, who won the Wimbledon Girls Doubles with fellow Hordette Alisa Kleybanova today.
=============================
15/40...


...yay, Jana! (That's her on the right, looking as bright-eyed as ever, I'd say.) Backspin's all-time fave, Hall of Famer, and 1998 Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna claimed her third straight crown in the Wimbledon 35-and-over competition, winning with Rosalyn Fairbank-Nideffer over Tracy Austin (who Novotna won with a year ago) and Nathalie Tauziat (the woman Jana beat in the '98 singles final). "The Woodies" -- Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde, a five-time Wimbledon Doubles champion team -- won the men's 35-and-over.
=============================
30/40...

**2006 WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONS**
MS: Roger Federer
WS: Amelie Mauresmo
MD: Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan
WD: Zi Yan & Jie Zheng
MX: Vera Zvonareva & Andy Ram
BS: Theimo de Bakker
WS: Caroline Wozniacki
BD: Kellen Damico & Nathaniel Schnuff
GD: Alisa Kleybanova & Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
35's-M: Todd Woodbridge & Mark Woodforde
35's-W: Jana Novotna & Rosalyn Fairbank-Nideffer
============================
Game, "A LITTLE TASTE."

The full Grass Court Awards will be coming soon, but here's Backspin's lists for Top Player:

[WOMEN]
1.Amelie Mauresmo
2.Justine Henin-Hardenne
3.Zi Yan & Jie Zheng
4.Kim Clijsters
5.Maria Sharapova
HM-Vera Zvonareva and Michaella Krajicek

[MEN]
1.Roger Federer
2.Rafael Nadal
3.Bob & Mike Bryan
4.Lleyton Hewitt
5.Jonas Bjorkman
HM-Mario Ancic, Marcos Baghdatis, Andy Ram & Richard Gasquet
=============================




All for Day 13. WTA Grass Court Awards tomorrow.

=============================

COMING: ATP Grass Court Awards, 2Q Backspin Quiz (Federer/Nadal), and "The Blessed and the Cursed, 2Q Edition"

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Day 12: She is Risen

We began this year's Wimbledon talking about the role that history would play in determining the 2006 champion. Who knew that it'd be Suzanne Lenglen's title in 1925, eighty-one years ago, that would end up being the historical reference point for what happened in the women's final?



You see, Lenglen was the last Frenchwoman to win Wimbledon... until Amelie Mauresmo claimed her first SW19 title in a convincing tearing down of Justine Henin-Hardenne's defenses over the course of 2-6/6-3/6-4 victory today. Eight years after her main draw debut at the All-England Club ended with a 2nd Round loss to Yayuk Basuki, Mauresmo's wait to grasp the big plate -- and earn respect that'll last from here to eternity -- ended on Saturday.

Both Mauresmo and Henin-Hardenne already had a history at Wimbledon. In 2001, JHH made her first slam final there, losing to Venus Williams. In 1996, Mauresmo won the Championships' Girls title. Henin-Hardenne wanted Centre Court to be where she completed her career Grand Slam today, but it was Mauresmo who made the fabled grounds her own, officially wiping away her Nervous Amelie rep for good. The Belgian could have cemented her tennis legacy at age 24, but it ended up being the Frenchwoman who put down a solid foundation for her own at age 27.

It didn't look as if was going to go that way early on, as Henin-Hardenne sideswiped Mauresmo from the outset, taking the world #1's rush-the-net game as her own and maintaining the aggressive demeanor throughout the 1st set while putting on a display of clever shotmaking.

Ever since her blazing start to the season, where she claimed three titles by the end of February, Mauresmo has perfected the role of "tennis drifter." She uncharacteristically dropped the ball for the French team in Fed Cup play, didn't utter a peep during the clay season and was eliminated from Roland Garros before the second week of action had barely begun. She came to London having followed up her slam-winning turn in Melbourne with more than four months of uninspiring results that made it appear as if she might be slipping back into her old patterns.

In a way, it might have been the best thing that could have happened to her to sink back into the woodwork of the women's draw. Even while being the #1-ranked player in the world and the #1 seed at SW19, she was barely a minor topic of conversation two weeks ago in spite of her three straight Wimbledon SF results. (Example: neither I nor Pierre had her reaching the SF, having Dinara Safina defeating her in the 4th Round. SI.com's Jon Wertheim didn't, either. And ESPN's Brad Gilbert thought she might lose in the 2nd Round to Michaella Krajicek.)

I know I've said for a while now that a Wimbledon title would be more likely to fall into Mauresmo's lap out of nowhere at at time when she was generally disregarded and overlooked as a contender. Without the pressure to live up to expectations, just weeks after having so many in Paris, she would be able to better take advantage of the surface that best fits her graceful groundstrokes and volley expertise. If it would come to her, it would do so quietly and unexpectedly, I figured. (Of course, I never thought it'd ACTUALLY HAPPEN.) But that didn't mean it wouldn't be an emphatic championship... and that's just what it was today, too.

Mauresmo opened the 2nd set by winning twelve of fifteen points, but Henin-Hardenne fought to keep her within arm's reach, saving two serve games (one with five deuces, another where Mauresmo held a break point) that could have blown the set apart. At 5-3, the moment of truth arrived. Mauresmo saved three break points, when losing one might have started the avalanche that ultimately resulted in one of her patented grand slam crumbles. But much like she did against Maria Sharapova in the SF, Mauresmo caught herself before she could fall on her face.

Mauresmo held to win the 2nd set, got an early break in the 3rd, then put her head down and bulled forward toward the finish line, reclaiming the net from JHH and controlling the pace of play for the remainder of the match. This time, Mauresmo didn't have the title "given" to her at the net, she took it for herself.

No if's, and's or but's... Amelie Mauresmo is the best player in the world at the moment, with her mind, body and (most importantly) nerves all working in unison. For Justine, her quest for a career Grand Slam will continue in twelve months. But for Amelie, the quest for fulfillment is over.

Now, if these two meet up again in New York in early September to complete their '06 slam trilogy, all the ancillary issues concerning this match-up will have been long since set aside by both... and won't that be a great thing?

Advantage, Amelie. To be continued.


**2006 WTA SINGLES TITLES**
4...AMELIE MAURESMO
4...Justine Henin-Hardenne
4...Nadia Petrova
3...Shahar Peer
2...Michaella Krajicek

**MOST WTA TITLES - 2005-06**
10...Kim Clijsters [9/1]
8....AMELIE MAURESMO [4/4]
8....Justine Henin-Hardenne [4/4]
6....Lindsay Davenport [6/0]
5....Nadia Petrova [1/4]
4....Maria Sharapova [3/1]
4....Nicole Vaidisova [3/1]

**2006 WINS OVER FORMER/CURRENT #1's**
8...Justine Henin-Hardenne
7...AMELIE MAURESMO
5...Svetlana Kuznetsova
3...Martina Hingis
3...Maria Sharapova

**2006 SLAM JR. GIRLS FINALS**
AO: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova(RUS) d. Caroline Wozniacki(DEN)
-----------------------------
RG: Agnieszka Radwanska(POL) d. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova(RUS)
-----------------------------
W: Caroline Wozniacki(DEN) d. Magdalena Rybarikova(SVK)
-----------------------------


Love/Love... Danish gal Caroline Wozniacki, the Girls RU in Melbourne, claimed the junior title with a win over Magdalena Rybarikova by a 3-6/6-1/6-3 score.

*LAST 5 SW19 GIRLS FINALS*
2002 Vera Dushevina d. Maria Sharapova
2003 Kirsten Flipkens d. Anna Chakvetadze
2004 Kateryna Bondarenko d. Ana Ivanovic
2005 Agnieszka Radwanska d. Tamira Paszek
2006 Caroline Wozniacki d. Magdalena Rybarikova
=============================
Love/15... top-seeded Theimo de Bakker defeated Marcin Gawron 6-2/7-6. Interestingly, of the six slam boys finalists this season, the Dutch teen was the first of them to be seeded.

*2006 BOYS SLAM FINALS*
AO: Alexandre Sidorenko d. Nick Lindahl
RG: Martin Klizan d. Philip Bester
W: Theimo de Bakker d. Marcin Gawron
=============================
15/15...

*JUNIOR DOUBLES FINALS*
[girls]
#1 Kristina Antoniychuk/Alexandra Dulgheru vs. #2 Alisa Kleybanova/Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
[boys]
#2 Martin Klizan/Andrei Martin vs. Kellen Damico/Nathaniel Schnugg

...Pavlyuchenkova is trying to win her third junior doubles slam title of the year, having claimed the girls crowns at both the Australian and Roland Garros with Canada's Sharon Fichman.
=============================
15/30... Vera Zvonareva and Andy Ram won the Mixed Doubles title. It's Zvonareva's second slam Mixed trophy, having won the 2004 U.S. Open title with Bob Bryan. Ironically, it was Bryan and Venus Williams who were on the losing side in the final. Speaking of...
=============================
15/40... Henin-Hardenne failed to get her career slam, but Bob & Mike Bryan got their's with a win in the final over Fabrice Santoro & Nenad Zimonjic. They're the first team of brothers to win the Wimbledon Doubles since Reggie & Laurie Doherty in 1905. On Sunday, Virginia Ruano-Pascual & Paola Suarez go for their career slam in the Women's Doubles.
=============================
30/40... apropos of nothing, but is there another player who's game is more perfectly built for those slow-mo TV replays than Mauresmo's? (I mean, anyone not named Federer, of course.) It's like watching a how-to video on perfect form. Actually, it's also similar to the old-time 1920's video of the balletic Suzanne Lenglen.



Hmmm... Lenglen, Mauresmo. Both French. Both Wimbledon champions eight decades apart. Coincidence?
=============================
Game, "AND NOW FOR OUR FEATURE PRESENTATION." Roger the Great is going for his 48th straight grass win and fourth Wimbledon title in a row, while Rafa Nadal is trying to become the first man in 26 years to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon back-to-back (Bjorn Borg pulled off the feat three years running from 1978-80, but that's a remarkable discussion for another day.) and the first Spanish man to win SW19 since Manuel Santana in 1966. Classic possibilities for a quickly-becoming-a-classic rivalry, but will the match be as classic as the build-up? Well, if Federer really is the all-time great champion that he's supposed to be, he MUST win this match. Lose it to Nadal on grass, and the Spaniard will be called "the best player in the world," not Federer. PICK: Winner take all, FEDERER IN FOUR SETS... and bring on Federer/Nadal IX as soon as possible.



All for Day 12. More tomorrow.

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Day 11: The Best of Both Worlds

Two weeks ago, we wouldn't have dared to dream of what awaits us in the Wimbledon finals this weekend.



On Saturday, we get a double-edged grudge match that is loaded with antagonism, even if neither participent would ever fully admit it. On Sunday, we get the latest classic chapter in the game's preeminent rivalry, a match whose result could rock the sport, no matter who emerges victorious.

Justine Henin-Hardenne vs. Mauresmo offers a rematch of the Australian Open final, and the chance for the battle that never was in Melbourne to become a reality in London. However much it was JHH's illness and/or Mauresmo's brilliance that contributed to the lopsided Aussie affair that concluded in such anticlimactic fashion we'll never know. But surely the Belgian wants to prove once again that that night was an aberration, while Mauresmo wants to beat JHH fair-and-square so that she can feel the instant jubilation that normally comes with the realization of a grand slam title dream, rather than be forever stuck with the bewildered feeling she experienced before Henin-Hardenne conceded the title in January.

Roger Federer never thought he'd get a shot at Rafael Nadal on grass. Nadal never thought he'd get one, either. But the Spaniard's grass court prowess has improved so exponentially that, twelve matches after play began at SW19, we're faced with the greatest matchup no one ever expected in their wildest dreams... at least not for a few years.

So many things are at stake and in play this weekend. Revenge. Redemption. Legacy. Delayed fulfillment. Perception of character. Perception of invincibility. An exhibition of excellence. A battle of wills. A rivalry sprouted during a series of remarkle matches over a fifteen month span. A grudge match hatched on a single night because of a single decision.

This weekend, the All-England Club will have it all.


**HENIN-HARDENNE in MAJOR FINALS**
[Junior & WTA]
1997 Roland Garros Jr. - def. Cara Black
2001 Wimbledon - lost to Venus Williams
2003 Roland Garros - def. Kim Clijsters
2003 US Open - def. Kim Clijsters
2004 Australian - def. Kim Clijsters
2004 Athens - def. Amelie Mauresmo
2005 Roland Garros - def. Mary Pierce
2006 Australian - lost to Amelie Mauresmo
2006 Roland Garros - def. Svetlana Kuznetsova
2006 Wimbledon vs. Mauresmo

**MAURESMO IN MAJOR FINALS**
[Junior & WTA]
1996 Roland Garros Jr. - def. Meghann Shaughnessy
1996 Wimbledon Jr. - def. Magui Serna
1999 Australian - lost to Martina Hingis
2003 WTA Chsp - lost to Kim Clijsters
2004 Athens - lost to Justine Henin-Hardenne
2005 WTA Chsp - def. Mary Pierce
2006 Australian - def. Justine Henin-Hardenne
2006 Wimbledon vs. Henin-Hardenne

**MAURESMO vs. HENIN-HARDENNE**
[JHH leads 5-4]
1999 US Open (H) 1st - Mauresmo 6-1/6-4
2003 Berlin (RC) SF - JHH 7-6/6-4
2003 WTA (H) SF - Mauresmo 7-6/3-6/6-3
2004 Sydney (H) F - JHH 6-4/6-4
2004 A.Island (GC) SF - Mauresmo 6-7/7-5/6-3
2004 Athens (H) F - JHH 6-3/6-3
2005 Toronto (H) SF - JHH 7-5/3-6/6-1
2006 Australian (H) F - Mauresmo 6-1/2-0 ret.
2006 Berlin (RC) SF - JHH 6-1/6-2
2006 Wimbledon (Grass) Final


...Henin-Hardenne has met every challenge set before her since the start of play at Roland Garros in late May, winning a WTA season-best seventeen straight matches and yet to drop a set in this tournament, and now finds herself on the verge of becoming the first woman since Serena Williams in 2002 to win back-to-back RG and SW19 crowns. Mauresmo's SF victory over her own worst demons (and Maria Sharapova) goes a long way toward helping her at least shed the label of "Master of Big Stage Asphyxiation" that's followed her her entire career, and started to be chipped away with her YEC and Oz titles. If the world #1 were to win Wimbledon, it'd be gone forever. But JHH is standing in her way... and, as far as we know, a healthy Le Petit Taureau, too. A win for the Belgian and she seals her legacy by becoming the tenth woman in tennis history to achieve a career grand slam. It's difficult to believe that she could ever allow that opportunity to pass her by. I still think this final will be a close one, but I'm not stupid enough to pick against Justine at this point. If she goes down in flames, I'll go down with her this time... a mantra that'll likely be a Backspin theme for the balance of this 2006 season. PICK: HENIN-HARDENNE IN THREE...and her Melbourne critics can sit and spin on it


Justine Henin-Hardenne def Amelie Mauresmo 6-2, 7-5 - Amelie certainly has the game to play with anyone but mentally, no one can top Justine right now, and the variety Amelie displayed against Sharapova will have more limited effects against the versatile "Petit Taureau".


Love/Love... today's Rafael Nadal/Marcos Baghdatis SF was far closer that the 6-1/7-5/6-3 scoreline would seem to attest. Nadal had to work against the Cypriot, and how good he looked while doing it only makes his Sunday meeting with Roger Federer all the more mysterious. Rafa is 6-1 lifetime against King Roger, but this'll be their first match-up on grass. That SHOULD favor Federer, but Nadal's serve has improved so much that he's barely been challenged on it by his opponents during the fortnight (even Agassi couldn't get a racket on a good return). Surely, Federer-Nadal VIII is a titanic event in tennis terms, but this meeting is even more enthralling than their Roland Garros "dream final" because it's so unexpected... and that if Nadal were to successfully get inside Federer's psyche once again and pull the upset it would turn on its head every perception about both of them. It's hard to see Federer losing this, but I remember saying that about Serena Williams when she faced Maria Sharapova in the '04 final, too. Over the past two weeks, Nadal has earned his grass court respect with every punishing groundstroke and ounce of heart he could muster. At this point, it'd be crazy to think he doesn't have a legit shot to rock the tennis world to its foundation all over again. This is the most intriguing men's final at Wimbledon since Borg vs. McEnroe in 1981 (but if he loses, just don't expect Federer to walk away from the game at the end of the season, at age 25, like the taciturn Swede did soon after losing to Johnny Mac.)
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15/Love... some stats on the Federer/Nadal final: it's the first time the men's Roland Garros finalists have met a month later in the Wimbledon final during the Open Era, and both players are the first since Agassi in '99 to reach the back-to-back slam finals. By the way, the last man to WIN both, as Nadal is trying to do, was Borg in 1980.
=============================
30/Love...

*JUNIOR SINGLES FINALS*
[Girls]
#4 Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) vs. #6 Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK)

[Boys]
#1 Theimo de Bakker (NED) vs. Marcin Gawron (POL)

...Wozniacki eliminated Urszula Radwanska 3-6/6-3/8-6 in the SF today, but Poland still has a shot at a junior title since unseeded Gawron reached the boys finale.
=============================
40/Love...

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
Ruano-Pascual/Suarez vs. #4 Yan/Zheng

*MEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
#1 B.Bryan/M.Bryan vs. #6 Santoro/Zimonjic

*MIXED DOUBLES FINAL*
V.Williams/B.Bryan vs. #3 C.Black/W.Black or #9 Zvonareva/Ram
=============================
Game... "EVERYONE'S INVITED TO THE PARTY... even Venus. Well, almost." Henin-Hardenne isn't the only one going for a career grand slam this weekend. Ruano-Pascual/Suarez would complete the career Women's Doubles slam with the title, and the Bryan twins (in their seventh straight slam final) would do so with a title in the Men's. Meanwhile, Mixed finalist Venus Williams will go for the third leg of a career Mixed grand slam (she won the Australian and Roland Garros in '98), something that Daniela Hantuchova pulled off a short while back.



All for Day 11. More tomorrow.

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Day 10: Lady Legacy

Get out the fine cloth napkins. Set a place for everyone at the table. We've got a date for a deliciously ironic meal at Wimbledon on Saturday.



Pardon me this moment to harp on a well-worn topic once again, but it's become quite clear that this has become THE ongoing cause-and-reaction story of the 2006 season on the WTA tour.

Retiring from the Australian Open final precipitated a vociferous attempt by her critics to hack away at Justine Henin-Hardenne's tennis legacy. Those few moments in Melbourne time, whether one disagreed with the Belgian's actions or not, were somehow deemed by many to outweigh an entire career filled with gutsy and improbable ones all over the world that should have more than compensated. What hogwash it all was.

On Saturday, JHH gets her opportunity to strike back once again at those very same caterwaulers by CEMENTING her legacy with a career grand slam courtesy of a Wimbledon title... and do it against the woman she handed the Australian title to, Amelie Mauresmo. Sure, Henin-Hardenne's already defeated Mauresmo in a Melbourne rematch, back in Berlin in May. But no one really paid attention to that one. This one they will.

If one match in Rod Laver Arena could "tarnish" JHH's career, what does three straight slam finals do to it? How about back-to-back Roland Garros and Wimbledon titles? How about not only becoming just the tenth woman to achieve a career grand slam (only Serena Williams is active from the other nine), but also becoming just the third person in tennis history with all four slam titles AND an Olympic singles Gold Medal? 2004 Athens champ Henin-Hardenne could become the only person NOT living in the Agassi-Graf household to have pulled off that feat with a victory over Mauresmo on Centre Court.

Le Petit Taureau vs. The Supernova would have been fun, but JHH vs. the world, err, I mean Mauresmo is the stuff that dreams are made of... at least it is if you're a fan of the sources of loud-mouth overreactions being force-fed their own words on the sport's grandest stage. I know I am.

Now, Justine just has to actually win the match.



Love/Love... we got more of the same from Kim Clijsters today. Oh, she didn't pull a no-show against JHH in the semifinals, but she was again outclassed under slam pressure by her fellow Waffle. It was a series of missed opportunites for Easy-Bake Kim. Clijsters got a break for a 4-3 lead in the 1st set, and served at 30/15 only to be broken by JHH for 4-4. Henin-Hardenne then broke Clijsters again (at love!) en route to winning twelve of the set's final fourteen points to claim the match's opening stanza. In the 2nd set, Clijsters served for the set at 6-5, but then JHH put some wicked spin on a shot that skidded off a line to precipitate a poor shot from Easy-Bake. Seemingly still bothered by the previous point, Clijsters pushed an easy shot down the line wide to essentially break herself, setting up the tie-break that served as her walk down the Green Mile out of Wimbledon '06. Final score: Henin-Hardenne 6-4/7-6
=============================
Love/15... and, yes, I know the dirty thoughts that were in the mind of many when JHH started coughing on the court at one point. Setting things up for her retirement on Saturday, right? Funny, but don't think Backspin doesn't know you were thinkin' it.
=============================
15/15... speaking of, excuse me for a moment.

Justine, babe. Just make sure you're up to par on Saturday, all right? We don't need to go through all that all over again.

Okay, now back to the Point-by-Point.
=============================
15/30... in the other semi, Amelie Mauresmo blinked against Maria Sharapova. But she caught herself before things got ugly. I predicted yesterday that Sharapova would win after Mauresmo blew a set and a break lead. Well, Mauresmo DID blow a set and a break lead as Sharapova pushed the match to a 3rd set. Mauresmo collected herself and took the third, winning 6-3/3-6/6-2 to advance to her first Wimbledon final after faltering three straight times in the SF. Sharapova knows all about that. She's lost in the semis of four of the last five slams, and it has to be getting real old real fast for the Supernova who won at SW19 in 2004. The thought process for the Scenario party rested on more close calls like this in '06 sparking Sharapova to the next phase of her career in '07. So far, things are right on schedule.
=============================

15/40... well, if this really was Martina Navratilova's final Wimbledon, it's likely she won't want to remember her last day of competition. She and Liezel Huber started out the day by dropping the 3rd set of their to-be-completed Doubles QF match by a 0-6 score to Zi Yan & Jie Zheng. Later, in a Mixed Doubles 3rd Rounder, she and Mark Knowles lost in straight sets to Vera Zvonareva & Andy Ram, with the final point being an unreturnable Zvonareva serve that Navratilova lunged for but barely got her racket on. So, if she holds to her word, Navratilova's Wimbledon career ends 33 years after it began in 1973... 9 singles, 7 doubles and 4 mixed titles later, still tied with Billie Jean King for the most ever at 20. To continue the theme of this day's Backspin, one day doesn't a career make, though. Martina's legacy was safe a long time ago... say, about a dozen years or so, give or take a half decade or two.
=============================
30/40...

**MEN'S DOUBLES SEMIS**
#1 Bryan/Bryan vs. #3 Knowles/Nestor
#6 Santoro/Zimonjic vs. #7 Damm/Paes

**WOMEN'S DOUBLES SEMIS**
Ruano-Pascual/Suarez vs. Fedak/Perebiynis
#2 Black/Stubbs vs. #4 Yan/Zheng

...JHH isn't the only one going for a career slam at this Wimbledon. Ruano-Pascaul and Suarez could achieve the career doubles slam with the title, joining with their one Australian, four Roland Garros and three U.S. Open crowns. Meanwhile, the Bryan twins are currently on a streak of six straight appearances in slam doubles finals (going 2-4).
=============================
Deuce... World Team Tennis play begins tonight, with Chanda Rubin making her return to competition (as well as some chick named Kournikova). On Monday, Pete Sampras will play.
=============================
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**JUNIOR BOYS SEMIS**
#1 Theimo de Bakker v. Michael Konecny
Pavel Chekhov v. Marcin Gawron

**JUNIOR GIRLS SEMIS**
#4 Caroline Wozniacki v. Urszula Radwanska
#6 Magdalena Rybarikova v. #10 Tamira Paszek

...Rybarikova outlasted the final Russian girl standing, Alisa Kleybanova, in the QF. Russia's Chekhov (no relation, I'm guessing) reached the boys SF, though. Meanwhile, Radwanska knocked out Britian's Naomi Cadavy and now proceeds on her quest of follow up her sister Agnieszka'a Roland Garros junior title last month with one of her own at Wimbledon.
=============================
Game, "10 DOWN, 2 TO GO... or MOVE OVER BOYS, WE HAVE SOME BUSINESS TO ATTEND TO." Rafael Nadal took out Jarkko Nieminen to finally set the men's SF, so...


FEDERER vs. BJORKMAN... come on, seriously? Congratulations, Jonas on your great improbable run. But even surely know it's going to come to a sudden end. PICK: FEDERER IN THREE

NADAL vs. BAGHDATIS... watch it, now. Don't underestimate Baghdatis. This IS the most excitingly unexpected slam SF between two the game's young guns in quite some time. You'd never have guess EITHER one would reach the final, but it'll be a great thing for the sport when one does. But we know which one would be BETTER for the sport if he's in the final, now don't we? These two could play for days, and just very well might. PICK: NADAL IN FOUR, with the 4th set a tie-break battle that the Cypriot nearly wins to push the match to five



All for Day 10. More tomorrow.

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Day 9: No Holds Barred

#1 vs. #4. #2 vs. #3. The Australian Open champion vs. the Supernova. The Battle of the Belgians, Pt. XXII. In the rectangular circle, it'll be a pair of no holds barred death matches.

After a week and a half of tip-toeing around the grass (and Venus), the women's side finally gets down to business on Day 10 as the winners of eight slam titles, the reigning title-holders from the other three slams and the SW19 champion one year removed will face off for a chance to play for the big plate... and talk to Sue Barker about it afterward.



...Venus' early demise has allowed Pierre to get the jump on me with our Wimbledon picks, but Justine can still help me out a great deal by winning tomorrow and taking the title on Saturday (just not as much as she would have had I taken her to win this thing from the beginning, as a I should have). Our original picks were Venus(gawhkkk!!)/JHH for me, and Sharapova/Hingis for the Tennisrulz head honcho.

**WIMBLEDON RESULTS/2006 STANDING**
4th Round: Pierre 8-6 (PC leads 39-35)
QF: Pierre 3-2 (Backspin leads 38-32)
SF: Backspin 2-1 (PC leads 27-23)
F: (tied 8-8)
W: (PC leads 2-0)

As for the semifinals...


MAURESMO vs. SHARAPOVA
...Mauresmo has been this far (and only this far, to this point) at SW19 her last four outings, while this is 2004 champ Sharapova's third straight SF-or-better result. The Supernova is 20-2 at Wimbledon (1-0 when she sees a naked guy in the backcourt), but Mauresmo has the game to beat her. She'll have to pressure the teenager to do it, and can thanks to her grass court-enhanced ability to rush the net and flash the game's best volleys. In fact, all things being equal, I'd pick her to reach her first Wimbledon final. But I can't, not after Mauresmo's mental wobble against Anastasia Myskina in the QF, and her general history of sucking in too much air at this time in a tournament. PICK: SHARAPOVA IN THREE, coming back from a set (and maybe a break) down to win

CLIJSTERS vs. HENIN-HARDENNE
...Le Petit Taureau is going for her third straight grand slam final since Clijsters won the U.S. Open last September. Clijsters should be right in the thick of this first Wimbledon match-up between the Waffles, but she should be in a lot of her matches with JHH and still ends up breaking down in the 3rd set of winnable matches. I'm looking for it to happen again here, largely because of Henin-Hardenne's recent stellar play and Clijsters' seeming lack of belief that she can top her fellow Belgian on a big stage. JHH leads this career series by just 11-10, but she's 4-2 against Clijsters in slams (and 2-0 overall this year, winning in Roland Garros and on the grass at Eastbourne just two weeks ago). Much like Mauresmo, Clijsters' one slam title has to be looked upon as an aberration at this point... until proven otherwise. PICK: HENIN-HARDENNE IN THREE SETS, with the 3rd going along the lines of 6-1 or 6-2

...hmmm, while a Melbourne rematch between Henin-Hardenne and Mauresmo would be quite tasty, maybe the most digestible Saturday meal would be Le Petit Taureau vs. the Supernova. I'm betting that's what we'll get, too. It should be fun.


SHARAPOVA vs MAURESMO: Hmmm... a while ago, I would probably have picked Amelie to win this, just because of her variety, and well the fact that she is probably an underdog in this match. But in reality, I think that even those will not be enough to face a very well rounded confident and motivated Maria Sharapova whose game is perfect for this surface, just too much power... Sharapova in 2

HENIN-HARDENNE vs CLIJSTERS: Hmm every time this battle arises it seems, I think Kim will pull the match through, and yet I've been wrong so many times... As much as I'm hoping Kim can win this, I'm going with Justine this time. She has looked amazing so far, is playing with all kinds of confidence... could be a great match... Justine in 3!



Love/Love... the doubles team of Mark Knowles & Daniel Nestor defeated Simon Aspelin & Todd Perry today in your regular ol' ordinary five-set doubles match, except that the two-day affair ended up 23-21 in the deciding set and lasted a "ya-gotta-minute, well how 'bout 369?" 6:09. It was the longest doubles match in Wimbledon history.
=============================
15/Love... it seems that only an act of God can stop Roger Federer at this year's Wimbledon. Well, even that can only slow him down a little. Today, the rain didn't even do that as he came out rolling, much to Mario Ancic's chagrin, after every break in the action to keep his perfect slate of sets won intact for this tournament. Since 2004, he's now 208-8 against the rest of the ATP field, but just 1-6 against Rafael Nadal. The rain prevented Rafa from getting one step closer to the second titanic slam matchup between the two in barely a month.
=============================
30/Love... of course, Marcos Baghdatis might end up ruining that potential Roger-Rafa match if Nadal faces and loses to him in a SF meeting, giving us a rematch of the AUSTRALIAN OPEN final rather than the one in Roland Garros. Baghdatis handled Lleyton Hewitt today, and is reminding everyone how much fun he was to watch in Melbourne. Hopefully, he'll get his due and get a couple night matches at the U.S. Open in a few months. He's earned them, and he wouldn't disappoint.
=============================
40/Love... Martina Navratilova says this is her last Wimbledon, but she's still got a while to go before she says goodbye to competition (and, hopefully, hello again to TV commentating... which she was quite good at before her most recent comeback). She's still alive with Mark Knowles in the Mixed, and tomorrow she and Liezel Huber will play the 3rd set of their Doubles QF match with Zi Yan & Jie Zheng.
=============================
Game, "NOPE, NO AMERICANS HERE, EITHER... BUT THERE IS A BRIT."

**JUNIOR QUARTERFINALS**
[Girls]
Naomi Cadavy(GBR) vs. Urszula Radwanska(POL)

#4 Caroline Wozniacki(DEN) vs. #7 Ayumi Morigami(JAP)
#6 Magdalena Rybarikova(SVK) vs. #3 Alisa Kleybanova(RUS)
#10 Tamira Paszek(AUT) vs. #16 Alexandra Dulgheru(ROM)
[Boys]
#1 Theimo de Bakker(NED) vs. #12 Artur Chernov(RUS)
#15 Robin Roshardt(SUI) vs. Michael Konecny(CZE)
#6 Luka Belic(CRO) vs. Pavel Chekhov(RUS)
Marcin Gawron(POL) vs. Nikola Mektic(CRO)

...once Donald Young lost to Robin Roshardt, it meant no Americans would reach the junior QF at Wimbledon, either.

Britain's Julia Bone didn't quite make it to the girls QF, but the locals can still root for Naomi Cadavy, who knocked out Kristina Kucova today (Kucova had upset #1 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, a junior finalist in both Oz and Paris, in the 1st Round).

Besides Cadavy, iIt's quite the interesting Final Eight for the women. It includes, amongst others, Magdalena Rybarikova, who knocked off Lucie Safarova in Prague in May, as well as Urszula Radwanska... yes, she's main draw Round of 16er Agnieszka's sister.



All for Day 9. More tomorrow.

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Day 8: A Fittingly Formful & Uneventful Day... well, almost

They came. They saw. They conquered. Just like they were supposed to. Yawwwwnnnn. Really, there was very little that occurred that was at all surprising at the All-England Club on Tuesday.

Well, unless you count the latest Centre Court streaker who made his appearance during the Sharapova-Dementieva match, of course.



In the women's quarterfinals, Severine Bremond gave a good showing against #3-seed Justine Henin-Hardenne in a tighter-than-expected (6-4/6-4) match, Na Li missed out on a late shot to push #2 Kim Clijsters to three sets (the Belgian narrowly avoided a 2nd set tie-break), Elena Dementieva's most vociferous action during her match against #4 Maria Sharapova was to complain about the Supernova's grunting, and #1 Amelie Mauresmo took a while before eventually gaining control of her three-setter against Anastasia Myskina. Other than the brief flash of nudity, it was just a work(wo)manlike day at the office for the top four seeds -- amongst the group the current title holders at the other three slams, and the Wimbledon champ from two years ago -- as the draw held to form for the fourth time in the past fifteen years.

**TOP 4 SEEDS TO WOMEN'S SF**
[since 1992]
2006 - Mauresmo, Clijsters, JHH, Sharapova
2003 - S.Williams, Clijsters, JHH, V.Williams
1995 - Graf, Sanchez Vicario, Martinez, Novotna
1992 - Seles, Graf, Sabatini, Navratilova
--
(*)-the last #1 vs. #2 final match-up was in 2002 (Williams/Williams)

Hmmm, could this have happened because of the lack of pigeons at Wimbledon? Apparently, Finnegan the Falcon is used to patrol the grounds to avoid the on-court landings that occurred in Paris a few weeks back and set off a screwy set of circumstances. Something to think about.



**WOMEN'S FINAL FOUR AT WIMBLEDON**
Amelie Mauresmo
SF - 2002,2004,2005,2006
3rd - 2001
2nd - 1998
1st - 2000
-----------------------------
Kim Clijsters
SF - 2003,2006
QF - 2001
4th - 1999,2005
2nd - 2000,2002
-----------------------------
Justine Henin-Hardenne
RU - 2001
SF - 2002,2003,2006
1st - 2000,2005
-----------------------------
Maria Sharapova
WON - 2004
SF - 2005,2006
4th - 2003
-----------------------------

**WON/LOST AT WIMBLEDON**
.909 - Maria Sharapova (20-2)
.808 - Justine Henin-Hardenne (21-5)
.793 - Amelie Mauresmo (23-6)
.778 - Kim Clijsters (21-6)

**SEMIFINALISTS - AGE/RANK**
26...Amelie Mauresmo (#1)
24...Justine Henin-Hardenne (#3)
23...Kim Clijstes (#2)
19...Maria Sharapova (#4)

**2006 WTA SF (w/ Wimbledon)**
9...JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE (6-2)
8...Svetlana Kuznetsova (3-5)
7...AMELIE MAURESMO (4-2)
7...MARIA SHARAPOVA (3-3)
6...Nadia Petrova (4-2)
6...KIM CLIJSTERS (1-4)

**2006 LONG WTA WINNING STREAKS**
16...JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNE (MAY-current)
16...Amelie Mauresmo (Jan-Feb)
15...Nadia Petrova (Apr-May)
11...Maria Sharapova (March)

**SHARAPOVA ON GRASS**
38-4...CAREER
30-2...2004-present

**MID-ROUND AWARDS**
[3rd-QF]
==TOP PLAYERS==
1.Justine Henin-Hardenne
2.Maria Sharapova
3.Amelie Mauresmo
...on course for a Le Petit Taureau vs. Supernova final? I should have know to simply honor that first coin flip's result.
-----------------------------
RISERS: Na Li & Jelena Jankovic
...Li's run and Jankovic's upset of Venus have been the biggest stories on the women's side so far
-----------------------------
SURPRISE: Severine Bremond
..."Miss Opportunity" took advantage of nearly all of her's to string together the best two-plus weeks of her career
-----------------------------
VETERANS: Virginia Ruano-Pascual/Paola Suarez & Ai Sugiyama
...the former #1 doubles team reasserted it's strength, while Sugiyama made a case that she's the best and healthiest of the thirty-somethings
-----------------------------
FRESH FACES: Shenay Perry & Agnieszka Radwanska
...Perry was the last American standing at Wimbledon. Normally, that'd be a nice calling card, but this year it's the answer to a trivia question. Might Radwanska be Poland's best hope... ever? As of yet, though Marta Domachowska has reached two finals, no Polish player has ever won a WTA singles title.
-----------------------------
DOWN: Venus Williams
...her early exit this year was just as surprising as her 2005 title. But, really, is ANY Venus result EVER a true surprise?
-----------------------------

=MATCHES=
1.3rd - Jankovic d. V.Williams
...7-6(10)/4-6/6-4. Soon Serena will return and the entire circus can begin all over again. Look out, New York.
-----------------------------
2.Doubles 3rd - Ruano-Pascual/Suarez d. Raymond/Stosur
...6-4/6-4. You'd think that the superior volleying ability of Raymond/Stosur would play in their favor on the grass courts, but VRP/Suarez were an even better team a few seasons ago than Raymond/Stosur have been in '06.
-----------------------------



All for Day 8. More tomorrow.

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Day 7: Eight Down, Four to Go

Roger Federer has been mercilessly mowing (no pun intended) through opponents on the grass, but don't think he's not fully cognizant of what's happening on the other side of the draw.

King Roger has won all twelve sets he's contested, and although Mario Ancic is the last player to defeat him at Wimbledon (in 2002) there's every reason to believe he could reach the final with a still-perfect slate after meeting Ancic, then the Radek Stepanek/Jonas Bjorkman winner in the SF. That much we know.

We can also be fairly certain that after Federer departed for Halle while Rafael Nadal pointed towards London following their Roland Garros final on Rafa's favorite clay battleground a few weeks ago, he never thought he'd get a shot at his nemesis on HIS preferred surface at SW19. If he's the champion we know he is, his mouth is now watering at the possibility... because it could very well happen.

Not even Nadal could have thought, even with his less-than-imposing early round draw, that his grass court schooling would come so far so fast that he seems a certainly to reach the SF, and will have as good a shot as his opponent at winning a SF match-up with either Lleyton Hewitt or Marcos Baghdatis. But here we are. Twelve matches needed to be won for another Federer/Nadal clash.

Eight down, four to go for the next chapter in tennis' most compelling storyline.

You know that Federer wants it. So does Nadal. But while that match would be frought with incredible excitement, it'd also be drenched in danger for the world #1. Nadal had all the pressure in Paris, but Federer would have it (exponentially so) all on his shoulders in London.

All great rivalries need an appropriate stage to reach their epic potential, and Centre Court would be as good a stage as any stage can get. Four more matches and Federer/Nadal passes through history's prism and has the chance to become something for the ages.



*2006 SLAM DESIGNATIONS*
=1st SEED OUT=
Australian: #9 Dementieva (1r-Schruff)
Roland Garros: #18 Likhovtseva (1r-Sprem)
Wimbledon: #28 Arvidsson (1r-Birnerova)

=UPSET QUEENS=
Australian: Spaniards
Roland Garros: Americans
Wimbledon: Brits

=REVELATION LADIES=
Australian: Italians
Roland Garros: French
Wimbledon: Serbs

=LAST QUALIFIER STANDING=
Australian: Olga Savchuk (3r)
Roland Garros: Julia Vakulenko/Aravane Rezai (3r)
Wimbledon: Severine Bremond

="IT" GIRL=
Australian: Samantha Stosur (4r)
Roland Garros: Nicole Vaidisova (QF)
Wimbledon: Na Li

=MISS OPPORTUNTIY=
Australian: Martina Hingis (QF)
Roland Garros: Svetlana Kuznetsova (RU)
Wimbledon: ??


Love/Love... hmmm, Maria Sharapova didn't have as easy a time against Flavia Pennetta as expected, did she? But does the 7-6/3-6/6-3 win hint at trouble down the road... say, against Amelie Mauresmo in the SF?
=============================
Love/15... looks like Daniela Hantuchova was a no-show again in a very important match. (Of course, JHH has to take at least a little of the "blame" for today."
=============================
15/15... Severine Bremond pulled another upset for her seventh straight win on the grass (three in qualifying in Roehampton, and now four in the Wimbledon main draw). "The Counselor" (her WTA bio says she attended the University of Law of Montpellier) is the first qualifier to reach the Wimbledon QF since Jelena Dokic and Alexandra Stevenson in '99.
=============================
15/30... it's always important to follow up a big upset with a solidifying next-round victory. See Nicole Vaidisova in Paris, but not Jelena Jankovic today against Anastasia Myskina.
=============================
15/40... Washington, D.C.-born Shenay Perry became the last American to lose in singles, to Elena Dementieva. This is the first time no American has reached the men's or women's QF at Wimbledon since... gulp, 1911.
=============================
30/40... in notable Doubles results, #1-seeded Raymond/Stubbs were knocked out by 2002-03 Wimbledon finalists Ruano-Pascual/Suarez. Oh, and Venus actually WON a match... in Mixed with Bob Bryan, that is.
=============================
Deuce...


Na Li dashed any possibility of a Supernova vs. Dynamova final, eliminating Nicole Vaidisova in three sets (dropping the Czech to 33-7 in career three-setters, but 0-2 in her last two). Li is the first Chinese player to ever reach a slam QF, good enough to make her this slam's "It" Girl (and maybe "Miss Opportunity, too, if things fall right in the QF).
=============================
Ad... NBC actually showed live tennis today, and put ESPN2 to shame (even with the "Grand Slam Network" doing a much better job in London than it did in Paris) as far as moving around from match-to-match and providing a nice general sense of the current goings-on around the grounds.
=============================
Game, "SHE'S NO BECKHAM, BUT MAYBE THAT'S NOT SO BAD AT THE MOMENT"... on the day that Andy Murray was bounced by Marcos Baghdatis, Britain's Julia Bone won her 1st Round junior match over Marina Erakovic 7-5/2-0 ret. As it turned out, Murray lost twice on Day 7. He and Kirsten Flipkens were eliminated in the 2nd Round of Mixed by Anna-Lena Groenefeld/Frantisek Cermak...

(Did you hear that distant shout of "Allez!"? Yep, that was Virginie Pichet.)

...thereby beginning what everyone in the country will likely soon see as the beginning of his very own Henman-esque ten-year cycle of disappointment, right?


**ELITE 8 MATCH-UPS*
...the women's Elite 8 includes five players who have combined for nine slam titles, and another who's been a two-time slam RU.

In the "Russian half" of the draw:

#1 Mauresmo v. #9 Myskina... the Czarina has shown very well on grass the last two-plus weeks, but Mauresmo's game fits so snugly on these courts. Mauresmo probably won't win SW19, but she's got at least one more round before the pressure can really get to her. PICK: MAURESMO in 2 SETS... one close, one not
-----------------------------
#4 Maria Sharapova v. #7 Elena Dementieva... was the Pennetta match a hiccup, or a bad sign? For now, it's the former. PICK: SHARAPOVA in 2 SETS... maybe 4 & 4
-----------------------------

In the "Belgian half," the Waffles seem on a collision course for another slam SF meeting:

#3 Justine Henin-Hardenne v. Severine Bremond(Q)... JHH has a 15-match winning streak and has yet to lose a set in this tournament. Bremond has won seven straight to get here. The fairy tale ends here. PICK: HENIN-HARDENNE in 2 SETS... easy
-----------------------------
#2 Kim Clijsters v. #27 Na Li... Li has defied expectations so far, and I'd love to pick her here. But as much as I hate to put any confidence in Clijsters, I'll give her very tepid support in this match. PICK: CLIJSTERS in 3 SETS... with the 3rd being a 7-5 or 8-6 nail-biter
-----------------------------

**MEN'S QF**
#1 Federer d. #7 Ancic... the Croat will give Federer his biggest test so far, and might even take a set off him. I said, MIGHT.
-----------------------------
#14 Stepanek d. Bjorkman... Martina Hingis went out earlier than expected, but her boyfriend has lasted longer than anticipated. All in all, a wash... and appropriately so since the winner here will likely be demolished in his next match.
-----------------------------
#6 Hewitt d. #18 Baghdatis... I picked Hewitt to make the final from the start, so for that reason I'll stick with him. But Baghdatis is looking awfully comfortable out there for a guy who'd never won a match on grass until recently, and we saw in Melbourne what he can do when he gets on a roll.
-----------------------------
#2 Nadal d. #22 Nieminen... reaching the SF so early in his grass court developmental stage would be quite an accomplishment, but Nadal has the eye of the tiger and the desire to meet The King himself (and I'm not talking about Royal Box guest Stefan Edberg, either).
-----------------------------



All for Day 7. More tomorrow.

Read more...

Day 6: Sweet 16 Stories, Part II

And on Day 6, the top half of the women's Round of 16 was filled out.

Amongst the lucky survivors... an Italian clay courter having a little fun on the grass, two Serbs, a Wimbledon-winning philatelist, a two-time grand slam runner-up, and an African-American NOT named Venus.




**THE SWEET 16**
(top half)
==BY AGE==
26...Amelie Mauresmo, FRANCE
24...Anastasia Myskina, RUSSIA
24...Flavia Pennetta, ITALY
24...Elena Dementieva, RUSSIA
21...Shenay Perry, USA
21...Jelena Jankovic, SERBIA & MONTENEGRO
19...Maria Sharapova, RUSSIA
18...Ana Ivanovic, SERBIA & MONTENEGRO
==BY RANKING==
#1 Amelie Mauresmo
#4 Maria Sharapova
#8 Elena Dementieva
#11 Anastasia Myskina
#19 Flavia Pennetta
#22 Ana Ivanovic
#29 Jelena Jankovic
#62 Shenay Perry

==ROUND OF 16 - BY NATION==
3...Russia (Sharapova, Dementieva, Myskina)
2...Belgium (Clijsters, Henin-H.)
2...France (Mauresmo, Bremond)
2...Serbia (Ivanovic, Jankovic)
1...China (Li)
1...Czech Republic (Vaidisova)
1...Italy (Pennetta)
1...Japan (Sugiyama)
1...Poland (Radwanska)
1...Slovak Republic (Hantuchova)
1...USA (Perry)


Their stories...



Venus-conqueror Jankovic used to be the other Serbian named Jelena. With that Aussie Jelena now back Down Under (or at least using AUS after her name in ITF qualifying draws), Jankovic is "all by herself" again. She DID seem pretty lonely for a while this year, as a coaching change and prolonged slump (if you call a ten-match losing streak a "slump," and not a crisis, that is) looked like it was going to turn her 2006 season into a disaster. She started to straighten her course on the European clay, though, and with that hard-won consistency came the biggest win of her career today as she took out the defending champion on Court Two, the "graveyard of champions," by a 7-6(10)/4-6/6-4 score. Williams found all those errors (including a Kournikova-esque twelve double-faults) she avoided in her 2nd Round escape against Lisa Raymond, fumbling away a break advantage in the deciding set. As a result, the SW19 women's final won't include a Williams for the first time since 1999, and Venus' run of five finals in six years suffers a major aberration.

Or is it really? I mean, I did pick Venus to win this tournament... so I guess this should have been expected.

Should Jankovic be unable to handle the pressure in her next match, the big beneficiary could be Anastasia Myskina. Ever since her shocking loss (though it gets a bit less shocking over time) to Agnieszka Radwanska in Warsaw a few weeks ago, the Czarina has seemed to focus her efforts and develop more consistency than she's had in ages. She made the QF at Wimbledon year ago, and now is just one win away from matching that result.

Meanwhile, #1-seed Amelie Mauresmo continues to cruise along, barely being challenged... but not really having to raise her game against a truly dangerous opponent, either. Of course, she's made the SW19 SF her last three trips to the Club and looks in good position to do it a fourth time with Venus nowhere in sight. Of course, Ana Ivanovic -- the second Serb in the Round of 16, so say hello to SW19's "Revelation Ladies" -- might have something to say about that after finally curtailing Dinara Safina's luck in the 3rd Round. She upset Mauresmo at Roland Garros in '05, and is still searching for the big slam run that so many have expected from her at some point. Nicole Vaidisova made her statement in Paris at Mauresmo's expense, and now it's time to see if AnaIvo can do the same in London.

Stamp-collecting Sharapova, too, has slipped through the draw with relative ease. The Williams exit opens up the top half of the draw a bit, and helps her avoid that potential SF clash with Venus. Hmmm... is it too soon to start to wonder if the first Sharapova/Vaidisova clash could happen down the road? (Yeah, it IS a bit too early to wonder about that.) Either way, expect Sharapova to breeze past Flavia Pennetta, who has had some ironic success on the All-England Club grass. The Italian has reached eight tour finals in her career (winning three), all but one of them on clay... yet this her second Round of 16 at Wimbledon is her best career slam result. Just making it this far is her reward. She won't be playing the role of Jankovic on Monday.

Elena Dementieva has also never advanced past the 4th Round at Wimbledon, but she HAS reached the finals of Roland Garros and the U.S. Open. Her Round of 16 opponent, Shenay Perry, has never ventured this far in ANY slam until now. And who'd have thought that it'd be Perry, not Venus or Jamea Jackson, who would be the last African-American woman standing? Or that Perry would be the last American standing, PERIOD, in either the women's OR men's draw at the end of the first week?

Speaking of...



The day that could have been a great TV viewing day for American tennis fans turned ugly with the exits of Williams, Andre Agassi AND Andy Roddick. Or, at least it would have had anyone been able to see any of them lose today in live action during ten hours of continuous coverage on two networks. As I suspected would be the case yesterday, not a second of the day's major matches was broadcast as it happened.

But the Brits had a good day, though, right? Well, at least HALF of a good day. (I've found my calling -- World Cup predictions, having picked three of the final four correct before the tournament, including Portugal's win over England today).



At least Andy Murray came through for the fans, morphing into Roger Federer in front of Roddick's eyes today in a straight sets win. The victory means Roddick is no longer a Top 10 player, no longer the #1-ranked American (that'd be James Blake), and maybe no longer the best Andy, either (remember, Murray beat him on hard courts in San Jose a few months ago, as well).

Now, things get verrry interesting in the bottom half of the men's draw. Lleyton Hewitt is still down there, but if he doesn't make it through to the final we could have one whopper of a situation facing Federer (come on, he HAS to get there, right?)... as he might actually be facing the young Scotsman and all of Great Britain, or maybe even Rafael Nadal, who seems to be becoming a better grass court player by the match if his stellar play against Agassi is any indication.

Whew! Imagine a Federer vs. Nadal match in the Wimbledon final. There wouldn't be TOO much pressure on Federer to win, now would there? And if he lost to Nadal again... on grass? Oh, my.



All for Day 6. More Monday.

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