Reflections on the Final That Wasn't

I never realised before today how anticlimactic a Slam final without Federer can feel.

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I know I shouldn't complain about it. I love tennis outside of Federer, even if he really is the reason I got into it in the first place. As Erin frequently tells me, I am spoiled. Before now, Roger had been in the previous ten Slam finals. Which, you know, was nice. And he won eight of them. Which was, you know, nicer.

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Maybe it's good for tennis to have someone different in the final for a change. I'm pretty fixed in my position of not liking Djokovic, but he was always going to break through sometime, and really, when it comes down to it, I am glad it was here and not at Wimbledon. The Australian Open is important but Wimbledon really is the most important tournament of the year, from a sentimental perspective anyway.

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Normally, in a tennis final, I am on the edge of my seat. My heart is in my mouth, and with every ball that flies long or careens into the tape I wince; with every winner I clap. But this match left me cold, really. I like Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and I like the way he plays, but I haven't seen enough of him yet to induct him into my hall of favourites. And we all know where I stand on Djokovic. So, yeah, I watched it, and yeah, I enjoyed it, but my heart wasn't in it. I was cheering for Tsonga, but let's just say I shed no tears over this match... which makes it the first Slam final I have not cried over since the US Open '05, which was before I really became a hardcore Federer fan.

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I make no pretences at being unbiased. If Roger Federer won every match he played in straight sets, that would be fine with me, though I'm sure the greater tennis world would find it boring. It was hard to see Novak Djokovic hoisting up the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup, when it has such deep emotional connections for me - the Australian Open '06, the famous Open of the crying Roger, was when I fell in love with tennis. I am a tennis fan. But I am a fan because of Federer. I mean, sure, there are other players I like and like a lot - Tursunov, Safin, Moya, Gasquet, etc, etc - but when it comes down to it, it's all about Roger, really. I love what he brings to tennis. I love the way he plays tennis. And I love his attitude to tennis. 'You can never be bigger than the game,' he once said, 'and you have to remember that.'

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That's the mistake I make, I think. In many ways, for me, Federer is bigger than the game. Hell, he is the freaking game. Basically, he is my hero, and it is very difficult for me to see my hero not at the top of his game.

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So, for a blog that's supposed to be about tennis in general, I talk an awful lot about Federer, hey?

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This was meant to be a blog purely for the Australian tennis summer, which would make this the last post. However, thirty-odd posts in, I still have a lot to say (probably because I've spent most of my time writing about what a great guy Roger Federer is instead of, you know, actual tennis.) I'm not going to write it daily any more - mainly because I have no way of watching tennis now that the tour has moved onto the South American swing - but I'll write a weekly roundup of the week's tournaments... and see where that takes us!

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Next week is Vina del Mar, a claycourt IS event in Chile. The top seed is Fernando Gonzalez, but this tournament also marks the comeback of Guillermo Coria, former French Open finalist, so it could be very interesting! Also, Peter Luczak (Milkshake) is playing, so it'll be fun to see how he goes on clay!

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And also Roger isn't playing, so I might make some actual observations about tennis, which could be fun...

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Australian Open Results - Day #14

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Men's Draw

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Novak Djokovic def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 4-6 6-4 6-3 7-6 (7-2)

Penultimate

I don't actually have very much to say today, but I've been blogging every day of the Australian tennis summer, so I'm not going to stop two days from the finish line. If I didn't have a job, maybe I could blog about the women's final, but unfortunately, for those of us in retail, Saturday afternoon is money time.

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So surprise, surprise. Sharapova beat Ivanovic. Colour me stunned.

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I know Ivanovic was seeded higher than Sharapova, but there was no way Sharapova wasn't going to win that match. When you compare the form Sharapova is in - ain't just anyone can bagel Justine Henin - to the form Ivanovic was in - bageled by Hantuchova in the semis before coming back.... foregone conclusion, really. I thought Ivanovic won in the dress stakes, but in the tennis stakes, Sharapova, throughout the tournament, was playing lightyears better.

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I suppose I could talk about the men's final coming up tonight, but it's still a bit of a sore point for me. A final without Federer seems strange and unusual. All I can say is this: Jo-Wilfried, please, please, please pound Djokovic into the ground. Go Schwarzenegger on him again. Please. I mean, who does Djokovic think he is, saying that 'this is the Slam final everyone wanted to see?'

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I mean, sure. It's nice to see young players coming up. But this is certainly not the Slam final I wanted to see. I want to see Roger Federer make history.

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Well, I suppose I can't complain. By Roger's own admission, he didn't play his best tennis, even though he tried as hard as he could. But I'm just so sad for him. This year's chance at the Slam gone before it even began...

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But I'm trying to be optimistic about it. Maybe this will be good for Roger. It might lift some pressure off him coming into the French. Last year, he said he felt pressure in Indian Wells and Miami because expectation was so great. Maybe a little less expectation will be a good thing. And because he won't be trying for four Slams in a row at the French, maybe that will make it a bit easier as well.

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And maybe it will help him reevaluate a bit as well. I don't know what was up with him, but he didn't seem quite himself this tournament. He was a bit... well, stroppy, really. Somewhere between the Santoro match and the Tipsarevic match - I don't know if something happened, but it was like the off-switch got flicked and he wasn't quite all there. He has a break coming up now before the US hardcourt tournaments start. Maybe it will be good.

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Because I have no doubt - no doubt WHATSOEVER - that Roger Federer will come back, bigger and better than ever. Because that is who he is.

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Australian Open Results - Day 13

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Women's Draw

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Maria Sharapova def. Ana Ivanovic, 7-5 6-3

Tribute to a Fallen Hero

I am destroyed.

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I am sitting with my laptop on my lap as I write this, and I had to retype the previous sentence about seven times because I am shaking with sobs. I'm trying hard not to cry onto the keyboard, but I can't help it. I am destroyed. I am destroyed.

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Of all the people to lose to, why Djokovic? Why Novak Djokovic? When Federer loses to Nadal, it's hard to take, but Rafa is lovely, so I can come to terms with it in the end. When he loses to randoms like Volandri and Canas, it's hard, but I can get over it.

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But not Djokovic. Not Djokovic.

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Novak Djokovic rubs me up the wrong way. There's an arrogance about him that makes me grit my teeth. This was supposed to be a beating, like the fourth round of the Open last year, when Djokovic was shooting off his mouth and Federer put him in his place. I don't know what happened.

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Well, I do know what happened. Djokovic beat Federer, fair and square. There is no question that Djokovic was the better player tonight. I don't want to make excuses for Federer, since he never does for himself, but that was not the Federer of Grand Slams past out there. That was the Federer that has walked out to face Rafael Nadal in the final of Roland Garros for the past two years, the Federer with fear. Or at least so it seemed to me. Because Federer, even if he was trying his best (which he will undoubtedly say in his interviews) did not play his best out there. He was inhibited, playing within himself, letting Djokovic pin him to the baseline, rarely coming in, not mixing it up, and worst of all (for him) his forehand, the best shot ever in men's tennis, failed him. He made a ridiculous amount of unforced errors compared to his usual. And he was not Federer the frontrunner. When he was frontrunning, he dropped back. He... wasn't there.

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Or maybe he was. But he... this was Roger, but it was not the normal Roger.

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I noted a while back that he was over-vocalising in some of his matches, against Blake especially. He was almost under-vocalising in this one. For the first two and a half sets, he was silent. And Djokovic played crazy-good. He's really been the form player in this tournament - even though I dislike him immensely, I cannot deny it - and he came out all guns blazing. Much as I hate him, I have to say it: Djokovic deserved to win this match.

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Though that doesn't mean I won't be gunning for Tsonga with every inch of my being come Sunday night. Or that I'll stop crying anytime soon.

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It's easy to hitch yourself to a star. To pick a player and follow them because they win, and so you're rarely disappointed. To be, essentially, a fairweather fan. I'm sure, through no fault of his own, Roger has lost a fan or two tonight. Likewise, I'm sure Djokovic has gained some. Everyone loses sometimes. Everyone wins sometimes. And I'm sure this isn't the beginning of some massive downward slump for Federer or anything like that. Djokovic or no, he is still the greatest player in history. He has won twelve Slam titles and countless other accolades, and no one can take that away.

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But watching Federer lose brings back into sharp focus, for me, why I admire him so much. It is not because he wins, but because he is such a great ambassador for the sport. Watching him play - though not tonight, obviously - is like watching poetry in motion. But that is not why he is so wonderful.

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Can you imagine a better man to be a spokesperson for tennis - or, indeed, anything? He is charming, clever, a polyglot, and above all, really, really nice. This is a man who represents sportsmanship in its purest forms: he never denigrates an opponent, whether he wins or loses. He will never take away an opponent's triumph. He resists his beatification as a virtual tennis saint. He is, by his own admission, 'just Roger' and what he brings is 'all he's got.' He is humble. He is real. And yes, I love it when he wins, and it destroys me when he doesn't. But that doesn't change anything.

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This man is still the greatest tennis player to have ever played. And, more importantly, he is possibly the most wonderful man ever to pick up a racquet, in all aspects of his life. Win, lose, retire, that will never change. You can take a victory away from Federer, but nothing will ever take away what Federer is. He is the greatest. He is the most tremendous athlete of our age. He is the model to which all sportspeople should aspire. And moreover, he is an excellent example of humility and fair play - qualities which are relevant not only in tennis but in life.

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Erin suggested to me that I write an article about life lessons I have learned from Roger Federer. The first lesson? Winning isn't everything. And when you lose, you have to take it on the chin, and then move on.

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Djokovic will get his dues. And if he wins the Open, congratulations. But at this point in his career, he is not half the man Roger Federer is. And until he has proved to me that he has these qualities, this inner strength... Roger has still won.

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This is one fan Roger Federer has not lost, and will never lose, because he is, quite simply, a champion, on and off the court, in tennis and in life.

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Australian Open Results - Day 12

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Men's Draw

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Novak Djokovic def. Roger Federer, 7-5 6-3 7-6 (7-5)

Demolition Man

Okay, so I'm actively afraid of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

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I have never seen anyone who could dismantle Rafael Nadal like that. I mean, sure, hard courts aren't Rafa's favourite surface, but you don't get to be the most dominant #2 in world tennis history just by being awesome on clay. Jo-W DESTROYED Rafa. It was almost painful to watch. From a Federite standpoint, I suppose I'm supposed to dislike Rafa, given as he's a threat and all, with the whole French Open deal, but I'm quite fond of him, really. He seems like a nice boy. And now that Federer's secured the #1 ranking, I can be fond of him with impunity. During that Tsonga match, I wanted nothing so much as to go and give him a hug.

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Who would have believed that Tsonga could come out of the blue like that? I heard about his demolition of Hewitt in Adelaide, but the only match I saw him play was his semi-final against Nieminen, and he was very flat and listless. I haven't seen too many of his matches at the Open - last night against Nadal, the Youzhny match and a bit of the Gasquet match - but he seems like a different player.

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If he keeps playing like this, he'll be in the top 5 in a few weeks, knocking on Djokovic's door. But the question is - can he keep it up?

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The Australian Open is notorious for the random finalist, who often does not go on on to make another Slam final. In previous years, we've had Baghdatis, Gonzalez. Before that Johansson, Clement, Schuettler. If you look at these finalists, only Johansson actually won... in the past two years, people have run up against Federer - which will hopefully happen this year as well! But I think Tsonga is the random with the best game we've had in a long time!

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So what will happen in the final with Tsonga? Will he tank like he did against Nieminen in Adelaide? Or will he play like he did against Rafa?

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And where the hell has Tsonga BEEN? I've heard his name here and there - I remember that breaker in the Open last year against Roddick, which he won 20-18 - but he's never really made a mark. This is his first ATP final. He's never been further than the semis. The same thing happened with Baghdatis a few years back. He'd never done anything... and then he was demolishing people, left right and centre, including the #2 seed. He was ranked fifty-something. Tsonga is thirty-something. One thing's for sure: the final will be an interesting match. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: this year's Marcos.

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And today's semi-final will be interesting as well! I don't want to say too much for fear of jinxing it, but oh! am I hoping that Roger lays the two-hoof beatdown on Djokovic!

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Australian Open Results - Day #11

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Men's Draw

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Rafael Nadal, 6-2 6-3 6-2

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Women's Draw

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Maria Sharapova def. Jelena Jankovic, 6-3 6-1

Ana Ivanovic def. Daniela Hantuchova, 0-6 6-3 6-4

Office Relationships

I'm a pretty avid Federer fan, and I consider myself pretty attuned to the way he plays his matches. So is it just me, or did he seem a bit... angry tonight?

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Maybe angry isn't the right word. Frustrated? Maybe just pissed off. He certainly seemed more annoyed than usual. I mean, it's not like he suddenly metamorphosed into Safin or anything like that. He just seemed a bit more... vocal than usual. He doesn't give a lot away, normally, but he was yelling and berating himself like no one's business. He does this in his matches anyway, but usually only once or twice a match. He was over-yelling. And he's normally so polite to officials. He was a bit snippy with one when HawkEye was taking its sweet time. 'How long is it gonna take?' he snapped. Not un-Roger, but not exactly Roger.

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Jim Courier raised a good point in the commentating, and I think it was corroborated by the post-match interview. Federer came into this tournament with his #1 ranking under threat. If he crashed out before the semis and Rafa won the Open, then he would lose the top spot. Now that he's through and beaten Blake, he's secure, but if he had lost against Tipsarevic... I don't even want to think about it.

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But there's so much added pressure on Federer. No wonder he's been playing a bit patchy. Last year, he won three Slams and the Masters Cup, got to the final in the fourth slam and won two Masters Series trophies, and still his #1 spot in under threat? Rafa had a great season, but he won one Slam and three Masters Series trophies, and was beaten in the semis at the Masters Cup. How does than even compare?

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Like Courier said, how does that seem fair? Roger apparently wasn't aware of it, and I can see how that would piss you off big time and put so much added pressure on you, especially as a surprise. In the interview, he asked Courier how much longer he'd secured the top spot for, and Courier said a few weeks, and Roger said he thought it'd be way longer than that. The #1 spot means so much to him especially with his record - I would love to see him take out Sampras's record of 286 weeks, particularly if he could do it consecutively!

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But I seriously don't get how that ranking system works. I mean, I get how it works, but how does that happen? One guy has this amazing year, and another has a pretty good year, but nowhere near as good, and yet the ranking is so close? I mean, it's not close... there's still a good thousand points between them, but because Roger can't gain any points because he's defending the title, and Rafa can because he lost in the quarters last year... It's Federer 7180 to Nadal 5780 at the moment. Federer's untouchable now he's in the semis... but how can one tournament close a gap that big?

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Because the gap is that big. That's one thing I hope Novak Djokovic realises. I really hope Federer issues a beatdown on him. Djokovic has been playing well - I can't deny it - but he really needs a thrashing!

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Speaking of Djokovic... what was with the sudden fatigue at the end of his match today? Because getting tired at the end of what was a pretty comprehensive straight sets victory... what is that? Djokovic is the only man to ever retire from a Wimbledon semi-final. His reason? Fatigue. Sure, on that occasion he'd had two long grinding five setters against Hewitt and Baghdatis, which he'd backed up on because of the rain. But since when is this an acceptable excuse for a tennis player? I'd hardly like to accuse the #3 player in the world of being unfit, but that is just not good enough. Wimbledon, sure. But today? Three sets. Three easy sets. And Ferrer was really not playing so well. If Djokovic pulls that against Federer, he'd get pounded into the ground.

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Djokovic has faced Nadal in two semis in Slams in his career, one of which was that Wimbledon semi where Djokovic retired. The other was at the French, and as if Nadal is going to lose there. I hope that, this year, they play in the semis of the US Open. Because I would love to see a balls to the wall five setter between those two. Not at the Australian Open, because that would mean it was the final and Federer MUST beat Djokovic - I won't have that upstart winning! - but at the US, or on some hardcourt. Anywhere. Because before Djokovic talks about tumbling Federer, I'd worry about Nadal. Just because he's a claycourt specialist doesn't mean you can leave him out of the equation.

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I'd be interested to know what Nadal and Djokovic think of each other as people. Federer is lovely, but I get the feeling he doesn't really like Novak, while he and Rafa get along fine. But Djokovic and Nadal are closer in age, and in points... if I were Rafa, I would get really annoyed at Djokovic basically overlooking me. I don't know how much Rafa lets this affect him - he and Novak don't have a common language, I think, so I don't know how well they understand each other. But surely he must know. I'm curious. Do they eyeball each other with loathing? Do they blank each other? Or do they say hi in the corridor and then do their own things?

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Or, hell, do they go out for dinner together and paint each others' toenails?

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I'd love to know what goes on behind the scenes with tennis players. Federer seems to be pretty well liked - he refers to some of his close friends on the tour being Tim Henman and Stefan Koubek in his blog from Tokyo 2006 - and Dmitry and Marat seem to have some friendship going on, and Carlos Moya and Rafa have their whole mentor thing, and then there's the matey deal with Rafa and Feliciano Lopez... but then you get the Sharapovas of this world. Does anyone else get the feeling that she hates everyone and everyone hates her? Like, she refuses to associate with them so she can hate them with impunity on court?

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It could be really unhealthy. This people basically travel together 11 months of the year, year in, year out. Surely they must have friends?

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I know they all have their girlfriends and teams or whatever - Roger travels with Mirka Vavrinec, his girlfriend, wherever he goes, for example - but surely they must make friends? I hope they do. It would be sad to think of their locker room, 128 players at the beginning of the tour, none of them speaking to each other.

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From what I've read, that's not the case. They're playing jokes and throwing tennis balls at each other and hiding each others' bags... well, Dmitry Tursunov does! But I hope they have recreation together as well. Jim Courier has asked both Roger and Rafa about playing videogames... they like playing tennis games and occasionally playing as each other (as in, Roger likes playing with the Rafa avatar and vice versa.) I'd like to think that, every once in a while, Roger and Rafa sit down to their video games together.

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Australian Open Results - Day 10

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Men's Draw

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Roger Federer def. James Blake, 7-5 7-6 (7-5) 6-4

Novak Djokovic def. David Ferrer, 6-0 6-3 7-5

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Women's Draw

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Ana Ivanovic def. Venus Williams, 7-6 (7-3) 6-4

Daniela Hantuchova def. Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-2 6-2

The Kitchen Revisited

I don't follow women's tennis anywhere near as closely as I follow men's tennis, but the two matches yesterday were profoundly interesting.

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Firstly, Jelena Jankovic vs. Serena Williams yesterday. That was a weird match. There is really no other way to describe it. It was just... strange. There were about eighty-four breaks of serve, and Serena just wasn't there. I'm not really a Williams fan, but as a tennis fan, it was concerning to see such a major player in the women's game playing so listlessly. I don't know if she was injured or if it was psychological or what, but she clearly wasn't all there. And even though Serena is a great player even when she's off the boil, I don't feel like Jankovic really played that well either. There's nothing I can put my finger on and say, well, obviously, that's where she fell down, but I think that, on the whole, Jelena can play much better than that. It was a weird match in that sense, I suppose... it was a quarter-final, and they were both in it, but it wasn't especially good, I suppose.

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On the contrary, that match between Henin and Sharapova was fabulous. I don't really like either of them, so I wasn't involved in it at all... I couldn't even decide who I was sort of going for. I was totally neutral. And the standard was very, very high! Henin, to tell the truth, probably did not play her best, but Sharapova was on fire. I can't say I was especially pleased with the way she conducted herself in her post-match interview - has anyone else noticed how she gives interviewers the brush off? It's kind of rude - but she played amazing tennis. She's everyone's new tip for the title now that Henin is gone... and I can see why! I'm liking a Sharapova/Ivanovic final this year, with a Sharapova victory. Actually, I'd like to see a Jankovic/Ivanovic final, but I don't think Jankovic will stand up to Sharapova if they both keep playing at their current standards.

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And the contest for this year's Marcos is over. I think it's become pretty clear that it's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. I don't know if he's captured the Australian imagination quite the way Marcos did - though considering Marcos had the entire Greek community on his side that would be pretty difficult - but he's definitely got the giant-killing downpat. Baghdatis, when he came through, knocked off Roddick, Ljubicic and Nalbandian. Tsonga has taken out Murray, Gasquet and Youzhny. Next up is Rafa. Roddick was the 2 seed back in '06 and Rafa is the 2 seed here, so can Tsonga do it?

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Only time will tell. But I think a lot of it is in Tsonga's head. Or his kitchen, as Roger Rasheed would say. (I thought the first time he brought out the kitchen metaphor it was a sort of verbal accident. But he said it again a few days ago, and my jaw dropped in awe at his stupidity.) It's like Ferrer. If he believes he can, he will. Rafa is a big giant to kill, but Tsonga's game is great - his footwork especially. If he comes out firing, then I think he'll do just fine. The first set is the key against Rafa, I feel. He's been down set points in at least two or three of his first sets thus far - including against Nieminen in the quarters - and got out of it every time, and then the opponent has sort of gone away. If Tsonga can get that first set... then we're in for a match, baby!

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Australian Open Results - Day 9

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Men's Draw

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Rafael Nadal def. Jarkko Nieminen, 7-5 6-3 6-1

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Mikhail Youzhny, 7-5 6-0 7-6 (8-6)

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Women's Draw

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Maria Sharapova def. Justine Henin, 6-4 6-0

Jelena Jankovic def. Serena Williams, 6-3 6-4

Psychic Tennis

For a change, I'm not going to talk about Roger's match today, and I'm going to talk about something different.

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Okay, that's a lie. I'm going to talk about Roger's match. But not exclusively. And that's a new and exciting step!

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Due to gainful employment, I didn't actually get to see it, but I was following the scores online. In retrospect, it was probably good for me to be following the match in an environment where I can't be too vocal about it - it kind of helps keep the stress under control. (Sort of... not entirely!) Also, there were periods where I couldn't check the score - because, being at work, I had to actually work - and when I came back, on the whole, Roger had broken and was ahead, or was at least on serve. I didn't have any nasty surprises!

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My psychic tennis skills kicked in a little bit - man, if I actually WAS psychic, I'm sure using my skills to hone in on what was going on in a tennis match would be a spectacular waste of them! - and I had a sinking feeling during the first part of the second set... but then it was overridden with calm, because I knew, I KNEW, that Roger would fix it. I think that might be more to do with the fact that he'd won the first set, and thus had a bit of leeway... if he'd been a set and a break down, I would have panicked, psychic skills or no psychic skills! Though it was kind of weird, during the second set breaker... even when Berdych was 3-0, 3-1 ahead, and later, when he had set points, I knew Roger was going to win. I just knew.

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So I'm starting to freak myself out a bit here. But maybe it's because I've matched so many Roger matches that I sort of get the pattern of them, if that makes sense... I don't think I want to lay claim to any sort of paranormal power!

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But a match that I did see and would like to devote some space to was the match between Novak Djokovic and Lleyton Hewitt.

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If we had seen the Djokovic of today playing against the Hewitt of his heyday, 2000-01, I think this would have been a really, really interesting match. As it was, it was pretty interesting. I don't know about the game, necessarily, but I think Hewitt certainly has the temperament to unsettle Djokovic. He's like a terrier. One of the things the Australian media always says about Hewitt is that he's a fighter, and I think it's certainly true. Much as I think he could use a personality transplant off the court, his doggedness on court is certainly an asset.

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So if we'd seen that Hewitt of 2000-01, a Hewitt who'd been able to consolidate and cement those breaks of serve he had in the first two sets, I think this would have been a fabulous, fabulous match - and I think Hewitt would have come out on top.

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Certainly Hewitt provided a sterner test for Djokovic than he's had in his first few rounds. I was gunning for Tursunov to get through - if he had, he would have met Djokovic in the third round, and that would have been very interesting - but alas, it was not to be. It will be really interesting to see how Djokovic fares in the quarters. He's playing Ferrer, who took out Ferrero in four sets. (It looked like a really good match from the stats - I wish they had shown it!) Now, Ferrer had a great year last year - a real breakthrough year, if you ask me. And in that year, Ferrer and Djokovic met four times.

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The result? They split it. Two each.

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They only met once in a Grand Slam - at the US Open, in the semis, where Djokovic won in straight sets. But at their last meeting, at the Tennis Masters Cup, Ferrer won in straight sets, 6-4 6-4.

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Now, in Djokovic's defence, he had a spectacularly awful tournament there. He lost to everyone. I think it's pretty safe to say he played too much tennis in 2007 and he was buggered by the time the Masters came around. But still, that doesnt take away from the significance of the match for Ferrer. Mentally, that should be a huge boost.

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Confidence, for Ferrer, is really the issue, I feel. I haven't seen a great deal of his matches - he's never really made a huge impact at the Australian Open or at Wimbledon, which is basically the extent of the Australian television coverage - but, hey! maybe it's my psychic tennis skills kicking in again. Who knows? This guy once described himself as the worst top 100 player in history. He doesn't strike me as having that Djokovic/Tipsarevic brand of fearlessness. But when facing a higher-ranked player, he cannot be afraid. That is tennis suicide.

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I think Ferrer can win - and win easily - if he is not afraid. Federer once said, 'A man who wins is a man who believes he can,' and David could do worse than to take that advice!

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So vamos, David! I would love to see him continue his great run. He made it to the semis of the US Open and the final of the Masters Cup - it'd be great to see him go through to the semis here. (There, of course, he will have to stop, due to extreme Federer presence, but I'd like to see him there!) And God, I want someone to put Djokovic in his place - or at least give him a scare. I appreciate that's he's a great tennis player, but he's just so... arrogant about it. I was so glad when he got that time violation warning last night. Nadal used to be just as bad in that area - sometimes he still is. Tennis should be about tennis, not about using the situations to your advantage. Like all those pretend injuries Djokovic has. That's not on. And if Federer comes out and says something negative about someone else - like he did about Djokovic and his injuries - then you know it's serious, because he hardly ever does anything like that.

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But if Djokovic does get through to the semis... I hope Roger doesn't just beat him. I hope he spanks him, and spanks him good. Djokovic could be this year what Roddick was last year. Roddick's team were all like, 'yes, well, we're a huge threat,' and then Federer totally demolished him in that semi. So if Djokovic gets through, with all his big talking... I hope Roger flattens him like he did Roddick!

*

*

Australian Open Results - Day 8

*

Men's Draw

*

Roger Federer def. Tomas Berdych, 6-4 7-6 (9-7) 6-3

Novak Djokovic def. Lleyton Hewitt, 7-5 6-3 6-3

David Ferrer def. Juan Carlos Ferrero, 7-5 3-6 6-4 6-1

James Blake def. Marin Cilic, 6-3 6-4 6-4

*

*

Womens Draw

*

Venus Williams def. Marta Domachowska, 6-4 6-4

Ana Ivanovic def. Caroline Wozniacki, 6-1 7-6 (7-2)

Daniela Hantuchova def. Maria Kirilenko, 1-6 6-4 6-4

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Nadia Petrova, 1-6 7-5 6-0

Midnight Madness

So I can't devote an entire post to that epic five-set match between Roger and Janko Tipsarevic without talking a little bit about the other great match that day - the match between Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis. Technically, it was a day six match and this is my day seven post, but considering it started at about midnight and finished at four thirty I think that puts it in the grey zone.

*

It is so much easier to watch and appreciate a good five set match when you're not emotionally involved! I was going for smiley happy Marcos, but I wasn't devastated that Lleyton won or anything - whereas if Roger had lost I would have been weeping for days! (Because I'm just that lame...) This one was a real struggle, a real tussle, a real battle of minds, and it was so good to watch that I sacrificed a whole lotta sleep for it!

*

(That said, I did doze off in the second and third sets. But they were the boring sets.)

*

The fourth set, I think, was the most emblematic of the match. Even though Marcos won that set - he lost the match - I think it was a microcosm of the whole. Hewitt was up a double break. Baghdatis fought back to take the match in a breaker. That was it, really - the constant shifting of advantage in the match. You couldn't tell who was going to win until that crucial fifth... and even then, you knew there was the possibility of a Baghdatis comeback.

*

I think it came down to legs, really. Not that Hewitt is fitter than Baghdatis (though one could maybe make a case for it) but Hewitt's second round against Istomin was much easier than Baghdatis's against Safin... see 'Brilliance and Tragedy' from a few days ago! I think the fatigue maybe got to Marcos in the end, after the adrenaline comedown from the fourth set breaker. But I could be doing him a huge disservice. I was, after all, half asleep by this point.

*

Looking ahead to the fourth round, I think is the one time in the tournament I'm going to be genuinely going for Lleyton. I don't like him, as I've said many a time, but I really, really, really want someone to knock Djokovic down a few notches. Roger's had his scare. I thought maybe Rafa was going to get his scare against Mathieu last night, but Mathieu retired, so I was proved wrong... but Novak needs a scare. His arrogance is most unappealing. And I was very glad Nalbandian got knocked off yesterday. Not that I'm happy when Roger's problem players get knocked out. Not at all.

*

And how about Jo-Wilfried Tsonga? The unseeded giant-killer? Knocking off Murray and now Gasquet? Now Dellacqua and Kohlschreiber are both gone, I think Jo-W is my new candidate for this year's Marcos... because obviously, there has to be one!

*

*

Australian Open Results - Day Seven

*

Men's Singles

*

Juan Carlos Ferrero def. David Nalbandian, 6-1 6-2 6-3

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Richard Gasquet, 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (8-6) 6-3

Rafael Nadal def. Paul-Henri Mathieu, 6-4 3-0 ret.

David Ferrer def. Vince Spadea, 6-3 6-3 6-2

Mikhail Youzhny def. Nikolay Davydenko, 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 6-1

Jarkko Nieminen def. Philipp Kohlschreiber, 3-6 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (11-9) 6-3

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Jelena Jankovic def. Casey Dellacqua, 7-6 (7-3) 6-1

Serena Williams def. Nicole Vaidisova, 6-3 6-4

Justine Henin def. Hsieh Su-wei, 6-2 6-2

Maria Sharapova def. Elena Dementieva, 6-2 6-0

Daniela Hantuchova def. Virginia Ruano Pascual, 6-2 6-3

Nadia Petrova def. Ekaterina Makarova, 6-1 7-6 (10-8)

Marta Domachowska def. Li Na, 6-2 2-6 6-4

Caroline Wozniacki def. Sabine Lisicki, 4-6 6-4 6-4

Born to Shine

What a match. WHAT A MATCH.

*

It's almost a pity I couldn't bring myself to watch most of it, actually.

*

I will always be a Federer fan, no matter what he's ranked or if he loses in the first round of every tournament he plays for the rest of his life. Federer the man is my hero - Federer the tennis player is obviously a large part of Federer the man, but it is the man who says, "It's nice to be important, but it's important to be nice," that is the object of my idolatry. But the fact that I like him for him and not because he wins everything doesn't mean that I don't get nervous as hell for him.

*

I think I said in my post 'Why I Love Tennis' that the most nervous I have ever been in a tennis match was when Roger played Tommy Haas in the fourth round of the Australian Open two years ago. Wimbledon against Rafa last year probably ran a close second. But they've both been usurped, because I have never, ever, EVER been so nervous.

*

I'm an actor. No matter how many times I go onstage, I still get stage fright. I used to do eisteddfods for speech and drama, and sometimes the nerves could be almost crippling. I would walk up and down the corridors backstage, my fingers in my ears, reciting my lines over and over again. There was this strange feeling like your legs weren't connected to your head, your heart would race, and every year I used to wonder why I put myself through it, when it caused me so much anxiety.

*

I know why I put myself through Roger matches. The man is my hero. Not only is he amazing to watch, with his fluid strokes and incredible angles and ability to do just about anything, he's a lovely person to boot. Justin Gimelstob once described him as 'the perfect human being.' So Roger is the reason - but the nerves are, if anything, worse.

*

I started gnawing my nails during the first set breaker, and I let out an ungodly shriek when Tipsarevic won it with that lob that Roger let go. The second set was painful, though I got a brief reprieve when Roger won it. Also, Channel 7 stopped covering the match and went to the news, so I was following the scores on the internet. Somehow, when you're not watching, you're not quite as involved.

*

Not quite.

*

And then the third set happened, and that is when the agony really began for me.

*

Roger lost that set 7-5. It was on serve, and then he must have had a loss of concentration - Channel 7 picked up coverage at this point, but it was slightly delayed, and because I knew what was going to happen I couldn't bring myself to watch it. During the set, before the break, I went running. I figured if I went away, when I came back, Roger might have won the match and spared me a lot of pain. But almost as soon as I got back, the break happened. And the set was gone, and suddenly Roger was down two sets to one.

*

Roger has not been down two sets to one in a Grand Slam match for longer than I can remember. Even that match against Tommy Haas, he was two sets to love up, then two to one, then two all. He was never actually down.

*

I couldn't even bear to watch the scores for the fourth set. I had to get out. My backyard is pretty overgrown, and we've been intended to get someone in to mow and spray the weeds for ages. And these are serious weeds. We're talking big, spiky thorn-beast weeds, crosses between trifids and Audrey II. So what did I do?

*

I went out and weeded. With my bare hands.

*

I was out there for maybe twenty minutes. I didn't check the scores. I tried to distance myself from the tennis. Slowly, I became less and less nervous. I sort of had the sense that Roger was doing okay. I mean, I'm not claiming to have some massive psychic power here, but you know how you sometimes get feelings? Like you know the phone is going to ring and who it's going to be just before it happens? I had a feeling like that. But I kept pulling up the damn spiky weeds, just in case. If Roger was losing, if Roger had lost, I couldn't bear to know. Not yet. Not yet.

*

So, with scratched and bleeding hands, I came back inside. And the Australian Open scores page says, 'No current matches in progress."

*

My heart froze. I had been out there a while, but nowhere near long enough for two sets. One, yes, but two, definitely not. It couldn't be a rain timeout, because the roof was closed. Unless one of them was badly injured and retired, that meant that the match had only gone four sets.

*

That meant Tipsarevic had won.

*

My eyes filled with tears. "No," I said. "No." This wasn't possible. This was 2008. This was Roger's lucky year! (He's said often his lucky number is 8, because his birthday is the 8th of August.) He couldn't have lost!

*

I was devastated. I was - I was almost angry.

*

There was one big weed in the backyard that I had left. A weed that had grown to gargantuan heights (for a weed) that seemed to be composed entirely of thorns. You couldn't touch it without nearly cutting your hand off. But what did I do, in my rage, in my devastation?

*

I took a garden stake and I whacked at that giant spiky weed, and I smashed the damn thing to bits. And then I dug up the roots (bare-handed) and threw it against the fence. I was too - I don't know what I was. Angry? Distraught? even to cry. I was destroyed.

*

Eventually, I went back in. If Roger had lost, I had to at least know what the score was. I owed him that much.

*

But his match wasn't in the completed matches list.

*

Hope blossomed.

*

I clicked back to the 'matches in progress' in page. And there it was.

*

Roger had won the fourth, 6-1. It was 2 all in the fifth, on serve. He hadn't lost. He was still in it. He had risen above it. He had levelled the match.

*

My hero lived again.

*

And there I was, looking at my computer screen with my dirty, bleeding hands, and I was laughing, and I was crying, and... oh God, I still couldn't bear to watch the scores ticking over. I knew Channel 7 was showing it on a delay, but I sure as hell couldn't stand to turn it on until I was sure that Roger had won. Otherwise, I think I just might have given myself heart failure.

*

I went back out into the backyard. I had pulled up all the scary spiky weeds I could find, but there was still grass growing in the garden beds where it didn't belong. I didn't care that my hands were bleeding. (Before anyone freaks out, it wasn't that bad. Just scratches.) I couldn't watch. My heart was in my throat. I was waiting for another feeling like I had had before, when I somehow knew that Roger was doing okay. (I had been right the first time, even though my computer had so cruelly betrayed me!)

*

It didn't come.

*

It was dark by now, and I had pulled up just about everything I could see. "Right," I said to myself. "Be sensible. It must be over by now. Roger's a champion. He must have pulled it out and won. And if he hasn't, that's not the end of the world. Your life will go on fine if Roger does not win this tennis match."

*

But I still had this sick feeling in my stomach. I forced myself to look at the scores, even though I didn't want to.

*

Six all.

*

I had been banking on Tipsarevic fading after being totally shellacked in the fourth. But the man's got heart. (All cred to him, even though I'm always on Roger's side.) It was tight. So tight.

*

There was still the possibility that Roger might lose.

*

I still couldn't watch, though it was now too dark to take my frustrated, nervous energy out on the garden. I had this crappy chicklit book I've been reading, so I decided that I would read two chapters then check again.

*

I read two chapters. That sick feeling hadn't gone away, but I made myself check. 8-7, Roger serving, looking like he was going to hold.

*

Because I know many useless facts about Roger, I knew that the last time he had won an extended fifth set was that famous match with Sampras at Wimbledon in 2001, where he won 9-7. This, clearly, didn't help my nerves in any way.

*

I decided to read another chapter.

*

When I next checked, it was 8 all, Tipsarevic serving, 40-15.

*

Another chapter it was.

*

But I had barely read two pages when I had the feeling. It was like a little voice was whispering in my ear, 'Go, Jodi. Look now. Look NOW.' And obviously I was frazzled enough at this point to listen to all my little voices, and so I checked.

*

8 all. Deuce. Tipsarevic serving. Advantage Federer.

*

Wait... advantage Federer?!

*

It was like my eyes were locked to that damn live scoring page. That little A next to Roger's name seemed to grow bigger and bigger, and then...

*

It was a 40 again. Tipsarevic had brought it back to deuce. But I still couldn't move. I knew, without knowing how I knew, that this was it.

*

And then the A came back! Advantage Roger! Break point!

*

AND THEN HE WON THE GAME!

*

9-8. Roger was serving for the match.

*

I couldn't move. I was afraid that, if I moved, I would jinx it somehow.

*

That final game, even though it was a pretty routine service game for Roger, seemed to take about nine hundred years. And when he won...

*

I'm an actor. (As I've said...) I have very, very melodramatic tendencies. I fell to my knees... and really hurt myself, so I decided not to try that again. But it was like a great weight had been lifted from me. He won. He won. He won.

*

He won.

*

Channel 7 was still showing the match on a delay, and I watched it from 7 all through tears. God, I felt like an idiot. "It's only tennis," I told myself. But for me, it was more than that.

*

Have you ever had a hero? Someone who you just worshipped, and wished you could make yourself over in their image? Roger Federer is that for me. I wish I could be a person like he is a person - he is a great, great champion, but he is humble, he is gracious, he is real. He is a lovely person. He has an incredible attitude to tennis and to life.

*

And I so, so desperately wanted him to succeed. And when he did... I was overcome.

*

It's lame, but I have a song that is my Roger song. 'Shimmer' by Shawn Mullins - "He's born to shimmer, born to shine, born to radiate." I made the mistake of listening to this song after the match and burst into loud, noisy tears.

*

This man, this wonderful champion, is born to shine.

*

And, in the end, I think this match will be good for Roger. Much as it was lovely to see him winning so easily over Hartfield and Santoro, I was a little concerned that he was peaking too early. Let people say he has no matchplay now. This match went for four and a half hours. Roger on fire is amazing, but knowing he can pull it out even when the hammer is down and he's down is even more amazing... even if I can't bear to watch it.

*

What a great champion. He was serving second in that fifth set as well. If Tipsarevic had broken him, Tipsarevic would have won. Roger had to break THEN hold. And Tipsarevic has no pressure. No expectations. If Roger lost, that would have been the greatest upset of the tournament - which is saying something, in a 24 hours so peppered with upsets. Roddick, Chakvetadze, Gonzalez and Kuznetsova were among the seeds that lost. Grosjean nearly knocked off Blake. But Roger made it. He won.

*

What was strange about the match is that, if you look at it on paper, Federer won easily. He had 96 winners to 64 errors, which is a great ratio. Tipsarevic was 52 to 47. Federer was serving better, he won 202 points to Tipsarevic's 173... and yet Tipsarevic somehow managed to hang on. It is a rare day that someone can serve at 64% winning 89% of points on that first serve and go to five, but it happened.

*

I think this shows the quality of Tipsarevic's scrambling and his mentality. He won the points that he needed to. Federer obviously got more points on the Tipsarevic serve than vice versa, but Tipsarevic fended him off. A 24% break point conversion rate for Federer tells that story. So congratulations to Janko Tipsarevic, because that is an awesome effort.

*

And congratulations to Roger Federer, more than anyone else, because it would have been so easy to let the pressure crush him, to tank, to let the weight of expectations beat him into the ground. But he is a true champion. He fights. Even though the chips are down, and he's sure not used to them being down, still he fights. He can adapt. He is prepared. He can go the distance, even where he is so rarely asked to.

*

This man is a great tennis player. He is a great man. And after this match, this titanic struggle, I admire him even more than I did before.

*

*

Australian Open Results - Day 6

*

Men's Draw

*

Roger Federer def. Janko Tipsarevic, 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-1) 5-7 6-1 10-8

Marin Cilic def. Fernando Gonzalez, 6-2 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-1

Tomas Berdych def. Juan Monaco, 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7-5) 6-2

James Blake def. Sebastien Grosjean, 4-6 2-6 6-0 7-6 (7-5) 6-2

Novak Djokovic def. Sam Querrey, 6-3 6-1 6-3

Lleyton Hewitt def. Marcos Baghdatis, 4-6 7-5 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-3

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Venus Williams def. Sania Mirza, 7-6 (7-0) 6-4

Maria Kirilenko def. Anna Chakvetadze, 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 6-2

Ana Ivanovic def. Katarina Srebotnik, 6-3 6-4

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-3 6-4

This Year's Marcos

Like I've said about four billion times, I'm not very nationalistic when it comes to tennis. I go for the personalities, not the Aussies. But damn if I wasn't cheering my lungs out for Casey Dellacqua last night!

*

I love a good underdog. Maybe Casey is this tournament's Marcos...? (Though I have another contender for the position, who I'll talk about later.) She played a fabulous match last night against Amelie Mauresmo - really, really fabulous. One of the things people say about Federer (and I'd imagine they say it about Justine Henin as well) is that he often defeats opponents before they come onto the court, because they're afraid of him. I think that might be one of the keys to his game, actually - he's said before that he respects everyone, but fears no one.

*

Well, Casey Dellacqua played with no fear last night, and that's what won her the match. It must be a bit overwhelming, when you know your opponent is expected to pound you into the ground, but at the same time, I can see how it gives you a certain level of freedom. No pressure. No expectations. You can just give it your all and see how you go.

*

I really like her game, especially when she goes for the lines. She hit some sweet shots last night, some awesome winners. But her real strength was that she just didn't go away mentally. A lot of low-ranked players, coming up against a Mauresmo and losing the first set, might give up. But she didn't. Maybe it was the strength of her first two matches that kept her going - they both went three sets, and both times she won 8-6 in the third. The match against Schnyder must have been especially heartening - she lost the first set, but won the match.

*

What I really like about her is that she has an 'I can do it' mentality. You could see it - she steeled herself, went for her shots, and came up with the goods.

*

She plays Jelena Jankovic next. Jankovic is one of the best players in the world, but she is carrying that hamstring injury from the Hopman Cup and she hasn't been playing spectacularly well here - her first round match against Paszek went to 12-10 in the third. So can Casey do it again? We'll see...

*

Meanwhile, what a great match from Philipp Kohlschreiber! He is my other contender for the role of Marcos this year. It wasn't necessarily a poor match from Roddick - not one of his best, but not awful - but Kohlschreiber played awesomely. He's started off this year great, with that win in Auckland, and I think he might shoot up the rankings a bit this year. Top twenty for sure, if not top ten. His backhand is gorgeous. It's not the driving weapon that Safin's is - which is probably my favourite backhand in the game after Federer's - but he places it so well, and knows how to spread out the court... at this rate, he's scheduled to meet Rafa in the quarters, and if Kohlschreiber keeps playing like this, I think he's a real chance of taking him out - which I confess I would like to see! I have a soft spot for Rafa, but it's nothing compared to my one for Federer, and I don't want him gaining any more ranking points here, thank you very much!

*

And go Hsieh Su-wei! A qualifier, into the round of sixteen! Didn't I pick her weeks ago? Didn't I? How good am I?

*

*

Australian Open Results - Day 5

*

Men's Draw

*

Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Andy Roddick, 6-4 3-6 7-6 (11-9) 6-7 (3-7) 8-6

Rafael Nadal def. Gilles Simon, 7-5 6-2 6-3

Richard Gasquet def. Igor Andreev, 6-3 6-2 4-6 6-4

Nikolay Davydenko def. Marc Gicquel, 6-3 6-2 6-3

Jarkko Nieminen def. Mardy Fish, 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 6-1

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 6-3 6-4 6-2

Mikhail Youzhny def. Ivo Karlovic, 6-2 6-4 6-2

Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Stefan Koubek, 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 6-2 5-7 8-6

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Justine Henin def. Francesca Schiavone, 7-5 6-4

Jelena Jankovic def. Virginie Razzano, 6-2 4-6 6-1

Maria Sharapova def. Elena Vesnina, 6-3 6-0

Serena Williams def. Victoria Azarenka, 6-3 6-4

Elena Dementieva def. Shahar Peer, 6-2 6-0

Nicole Vaidisova def. Ai Sugiyama, 6-3 6-4

Casey Dellacqua def. Amélie Mauresmo, 3-6 6-4 6-4

Hsieh Su-Wei def. Aravane Rezai, 6-2 6-7 (3-7) 6-4

Brilliance and Tragedy

I don't know if there'll ever be a second round match as brilliant or as devastating as the match between Marat Safin and Marcos Baghdatis. Five sets. Impossible to pick a winner, right to the end. An awesome match, between two awesome competitors. A tragic match, because one of them had to lose.

*

I am very fond of both Marat and Marcos... perhaps a little more partial to Marat, but I didn't want to see Marcos lose either! What a tragedy that they had to face each other in the second round - but what an incredible, incredible match!

*

It seems amazing to me that two men that are so different physically and emotionally can play such similar tennis. Marat Safin is big, strong, fiery and moody. Marcos Baghdatis is small, quick, happy and smiley. And yet their tennis games are so similar! It was almost painful to watch at time - they both hit so flat that you think every shot is going to hit the net. They hardly ever approached the net - neither is a particularly confident volleyer - but slogged it out from the baseline. Marcos did his best to absorb Marat's sheer power, and Marat did his best to match Marcos's speed. Their games were almost perfectly matched. It was great to watch.

*

I miss the old Marat - the pre-injury Marat, who was a giant but so fleet around the court, getting down to every ball. We may never get that Marat again - he's said a couple of times it's unlikely he'll be able to play without some pain in his knee - but for the third and fourth sets last night, he was almost there. When Marat is switched on, he is awesome. Federer once said that when Marat is playing well, he can't just beat a player, he can kill them. Well, Marat killed Marcos in those two sets. It's just a shame that he couldn't keep it up in the fifth.

*

Lots of aspersions have been cast against the fitness of both men - Marcos in particular - but I don't think it's in doubt that they both went the distance physically. Marat lost concentration and hence lost the match. If he had kept his game up, with Baghdatis playing like he did in the fifth, it's difficult to say who would have won! It would have been a marathon - probably something like 27-25 in the fifth! But tennis is not a game of what-ifs, I suppose... and all credit to Marcos. He played beautifully - and oh! how I will be gunning for him against Lleyton Hewitt! Go Marcos!

*

One thing I did notice is that Marat wanted to smash his racquet several times, but restrained himself... until he finally gave out in the fifth set, and totally destroyed it. I wonder if this is a new mental regime...? Maybe he's sick of being fined, who knows? Maybe he's trying to be more Federesque... though somehow I think that's not the case. Marat likes who he is, and he's happy being a hippo! But my interest was piqued...

*

Speaking of Federer, he was awesome yesterday against Santoro... and all cred to Santoro for being such a good sport about it! I love watching the master at work... and it seems to me that he, Nadal and Djokovic are having some sort of unspoken competition over who can give up the least games. Federer's winning! Six games in two matches... Djokovic is second with thirteen. And oh, how I am cheering for Roger!

*

...how unusual...

*

*

Australian Open Results - Day Four

*

Men's Draw

*

Roger Federer def. Fabrice Santoro, 6-1 6-2 6-0

Marcos Baghdatis def. Marat Safin, 6-4 6-4 2-6 3-6 6-2

Lleyton Hewitt def. Denis Istomin, 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 5-7 6-1

Novak Djokovic def. Simone Bolelli, 6-1 6-2 6-2

David Nalbandian def. Peter Luczak, 4-6 7-5 6-4 6-1

James Blake def. Michael Russell, 6-3 6-2 6-2

Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Alun Jones, 6-4 6-4 6-2

David Ferrer def. Juan Martin del Potro, 6-4 6-3 ret.

Janko Tipsarevic def. Fernando Verdasco, 7-5 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-3)

Fernando Gonzalez def. Hyung-taik Lee, 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-4

Tomas Berdych def. Oscar Hernandez, 6-1 6-2 6-3

Sam Querrey def. Dmitry Tursunov, 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-4 6-2

Sebastien Grosjean def. Robin Haase, 4-6 6-4 6-0 6-7 (4-7) 6-4

Vince Spadea def. Denis Gremelmayr, 4-6 6-2 6-3 2-6 9-7

Juan Monaco def. Amer Delic, 6-3 7-6 (8-6) 5-7 6-7 (8-10) 8-6

Marin Cilic def. Jurgen Melzer, 6-4 6-3 6-4

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Ana Ivanovic def. Tathiana Garbin, 6-0 6-3

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Tsvetana Pironkova, 7-6 (7-0) 6-2

Venus Williams def. Camille Pin, 7-5 6-4

Daniela Hantuchova def. Alize Cornet, 6-2 7-5

Anna Chakvetadze def. Alisa Kleybanova, 6-3 6-4

Nadia Petrova def. Anne Kremer, 7-5 7-5

Sania Mirza def. Timea Bacsinszky, 6-1 4-6 7-5

Li Na def. Maria Elena Camerin, 6-4 6-3

Katarina Srebotnik def. Anastasia Rodionova, 6-4 6-1

Maria Kirilenko def. Akiko Morigami, 6-1 6-1

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Pauline Parmentier, 7-5 6-4

Marta Domachowska def. Sofia Arvidsson, 7-5 1-6 6-1

Virginia Ruano Pascual def. Catalina Castano, 6-2 6-4

Ekaterina Makarova def. Yvonne Meusberger, 6-3 6-1

Sabine Lisicki def. Mariya Koryttseva, 6-1 7-5

Caroline Wozniacki def. Alona Bondarenko, 7-6 (7-4) 6-1

Hoping for Interesting Times

I love tennis. Have I mentioned that? I really, really love tennis.
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Sometimes it’s almost better to watch a match with two players you don’t care about very much – tonight’s match between Roddick and Berrer, for instance – because then you can sit back and be impartial and appreciate the struggle, which is something I certainly can’t do when Federer or Tursunov are playing!
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Actually, that’s what I was hoping for in that match between Sharapova and Davenport. I am partial to Davenport, but not so much that I’d be devastated if she lost, so I was all settled in for a potboiler… and then Shazzapov had to go and win 1 and 3. Typical of her, raining on my parade!
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The Roddick-Berrer match was much more watchable – though it would have been better if Berrer hadn’t been making so many fricking unforced errors! I’ve never seen him (Berrer, obviously) play before, and he’s a real talent… though he needs to clean up his game big time. He takes risks, and when they pay off his shots are great, but probably two out of three times he misses. He’s twenty-seven, so I don’t know how much time he’s got to tidy up his act, but if he could he’d be top fifty for sure, if not top twenty.
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Roddick won that match pretty easily, but honestly, he’s another Guccione for me. I quite like him as a person – he’s funny, and his interviews are always good value, and he knows how to take a Federer beatdown like a man – but I find his tennis a bit boring, really. He’s better now than he was when he started out, when he was all serve and nothing else – his backhand in particular has improved greatly – but he’s still just a bit nggh for my taste. I like the artistry of Federer, his easy, fluid strokes, the way he makes something incredibly difficult look so simple. Roddick doesn’t have that at all, really.
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That said, we all know my number two is Dmitry – who is a baseliner with a monstrous forehand, but, if we’re honest, nothing like Federer’s artistry. He can pull off some great shots, but he’s no Roger. And then we look at my number three – Safin, who is fiery and temperamental and pretty much the anti-Fed… though there is clearly a lot of respect between them and they’re mates and stuff. But when it comes to mentality, Safin has none of that implacable calm that I admire so much in Federer. But I suppose that calm is right for Roger, and it would be strange on Safin – can you imagine a calm Marat? To quote him (possibly paraphrased), ‘I am who I am, and I’m happy being a hippo.’
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Day Four action looks like it’ll be, on the whole, much more interesting than Day Three. The draw is just so lopsided, especially for the men. On Day Three, there was Nadal, Roddick and Gasquet, and not much else. But Day Four? Federer, Safin, Baghdatis, Nalbandian, Djokovic, Tursunov… everyone’s there. It’s strange, how the draw ended up like that. Not that Day Three was uninteresting, but there’s just so much more on offer on Day Four. Channel 7 had to resort to repeating that Dellacqua match after Roddick and Berrer finished. I mean, I appreciate it was a good win over Schnyder and that she’s Australian and all, but really… was there nothing else? Out of a whole day of tennis?
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If I catch Channel 7 repeating Hewitt tonight… I won’t do anything, but I might grit my teeth in annoyance.

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Australian Open Results - Day 3

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Men's Draw

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Andy Roddick def. Michael Berrer, 6-2 6-2 6-4

Rafael Nadal def. Florent Serra, 6-0 6-2 6-2

Nikolay Davydenko def. Nicolas Mahut, 6-4 6-0 6-3

Mardy Fish def. Tommy Robredo, 6-1 6-2 6-3

Richard Gasquet def. Feliciano Lopez, 6-2 6-1 6-3

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Sam Warburg, 6-4 7-6 (7-4) 6-2

Mikhail Youzhny def. Andreas Seppi, 6-4 5-7 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Evgeny Korolev, 6-4 6-2 0-1 ret.

Jarkko Nieminen def. Jesse Levine, 6-2 7-5 7-6 (7-2)

Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Paul Capdeville, 6-7 (5-7) 6-0 6-4 6-4

Igor Andreev def. Kristof Vliegen, 7-5 7-5 6-2

Stefan Koubek def. Agustin Calleri, 6-3 7-6 (8-6) 7-5 (7-5)

Marc Gicquel def. Stanislas Wawrinka, 6-2 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 2-1 ret.

Ivo Karlovic def. Dudi Sela, 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-3 6-1

Gilles Simon def. Rainer Schuettler, 6-2 6-2 6-1

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez def. Alejandro Falla, 6-4 5-7 6-4 7-6 (8-6)

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Women's Draw

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Justine Henin def. Olga Poutchkova, 6-1 7-5

Jelena Jankovic def. Edina Gallovits, 6-2 7-5

Maria Sharapova def. Lindsay Davenport, 6-1 6-3

Serena Williams def. Yuan Meng, 6-3 6-1

Elena Dementieva def. Anabel Medina Garrigues, 5-7 6-2 6-3

Nicole Vaidisova def. Alicia Molik, 6-2 6-3

Aravane Rezai def. Tatiana Golovin, 6-3 3-6 6-3

Casey Dellacqua def. Patty Schnyder, 4-6 7-5 8-6

Shahar Peer def. Jessica Moore, 6-0 7-5

Amélie Mauresmo def. Yaroslava Shvedova, 6-4 7-6 (7-5)

Hsieh Su-Wei def. Sybille Bammer, 6-2 6-0

Francesca Schiavone def. Angelique Kerber, 6-2 6-3

Victoria Azarenka def. Sandra Kloesel, 6-1 6-1

Virginie Razzano def. Flavia Pennetta, 6-2 5-7 6-3

Ai Sugiyama def. Tatiana Perebiynis, 6-4 6-4

Elena Vesnina def. Jill Craybas, 6-2 6-4

The Roger Federer Bagel Bakery

How good is Roger Federer?

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I don't think there are enough superlatives to describe it. That was a phenomenal performance against Diego Hartfield last night. Phenomenal. I mean, Hartfield is not exactly the greatest player in the whole world, but you have to be pretty darn good to get into a Slam, and Federer spanked him like a recalcitrant schoolboy.

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My theory? Roger is trying to make his claim to the 2008 Golden Bagel Award totally uncontestable as early in the year as possible. I love it when Roger bagels people. It makes me smile.

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It was an emphatic performance last night. It was a complete demolition. Sometimes you can tell in matches when Roger really wants to make a point, and this was one of them. Last year, when he played Djokovic in the fourth round of the Australian, and Djokovic was making all that noise about how he was going to pull Federer down, Roger came out with steel in his eyes and destroyed him. Likewise with Roddick in the semis, especially after Roddick had beaten him in Kooyong the week before, Roger had something to prove... and we all know how I felt about that 6-4 6-0 6-2 victory. Now, everyone's been questioning his health after that stomach flu, and I think our Rog is a bit sick of it.

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He's not ill. He's oh so very healthy. Ain't no one can doubt it now.

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I love that he can just ratchet it up. He's got gears. He knows what level he has to play and when. And he's just so great, all round! Jim Courier referred to him as a 'highlights package' last night, and I certainly know what he means!

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And he's just so nice. I was talking in my last post about my 'Life Lessons I Learned From Roger Federer' article, and one thing he said a few years back has always stuck with me. 'It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.' I wish I could live by that rule more than I do - it would be nice to be nicer! - but it just blows me away that someone in his position can believe that. Despite fame, fortune and undoubtedly numerous offers of wine, women and song, he's still Roger. He's grounded. He's real. He thinks that being nice is better than being important.

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There are a lot of celebrities - and people - that could learn a lot from Roger Federer.

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Australian Open Day 2 Results

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Men's Draw

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Roger Federer def. Diego Hartfield, 6-0 6-3 6-0

Novak Djokovic def. Benjamin Becker, 6-0 6-2 7-6 (7-5)

Lleyton Hewitt def. Steve Darcis, 6-0 6-3 6-0

James Blake def. Nicolas Massu, 6-3 6-2 6-2

Marcos Baghdatis def. Thomas Johansson, 7-6 (7-0) 6-2 3-6 6-3

Hyung-taik Lee def. Chris Guccione, 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 6-4

Fernando Gonzalez def. Konstantinos Economidis, 6-4 7-6 (7-2) 6-1

Peter Luczak def. Mariano Zabaleta, 6-1 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 6-4

Janko Tipsarevic def. Joseph Sirianni, 7-5 6-2 6-7 (6-8) 0-6 6-0

Marat Safin def. Ernests Gulbis, 6-0 6-4 7-6 (7-2)

David Nalbandian def. Robert Smeets, 6-1 6-1 7-6 (7-3)

David Ferrer def. Edouard Roger-Vasselin, 6-2 6-2 6-1

Sam Querrey def. Olivier Rochus, 6-3 6-2 7-5

Juan Monaco def. Carlos Berlocq, 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 6-1

Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Nicolas Kiefer, 6-4 6-3 6-1

Tomas Berdych def. Werner Eschauer, 6-4 6-4 6-4

Alun Jones def. Albert Montanes, 6-4 6-3 3-6 6-2

Amer Delic def. Robert Kendrick, 6-4 7-5 6-2

Michael Russell def. Fabio Fognini, 6-1 4-6 6-2 3-6 6-3

Oscar Hernandez def. Ivo Minar, 1-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 6-1

Denis Istomin def. Lukas Lacko, 6-3 6-7 (1-7) 7-6 (7-4) 6-1

Jurgen Melzer def. Jiri Vanek, 6-3 6-4 6-4

Simone Bolelli def. Rajeev Ram, 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 2-6 6-3

Fabrice Santoro def. John Isner, 6-2 6-2 6-4

Fernando Verdasco def. Thierry Ascione, 6-4 6-0 6-3

Denis Gremelmayr def. Sergio Roitman, 6-1 0-6 6-4 7-5

Robin Haase def. Ivan Ljubicic, 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 6-0 7-6 (7-1)

Dmitry Tursunov def. Xavier Malisse, 6-7 (1-7) 5-7 6-2 6-1 6-3

Marin Cilic def. Nicolas Almagro, 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 6-2

Vince Spadea def. Radek Stepanek, 2-6 2-6 7-5 6-2 6-3

Sebastien Grosjean def. Filippo Volandri, 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 7-6 (7-0)

Juan Martin del Potro def. Santiago Ventura, 6-3 6-1 6-3

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Women's Draw

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Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Nathalie Dechy, 6-3 6-1

Ana Ivanovic def. Sorana Cirstea, 7-5 6-3

Anna Chakvetadze def. Andrea Petkovic, walkover

Venus Williams def. Yan Zi, 6-2 7-5

Daniela Hantuchova def. Vania King, 6-3 7-5

Sofia Arvidsson def. Marion Bartoli, 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-3

Nadia Petrova def. Nicole Pratt, 6-1 6-3

Sabine Lisicki def. Dinara Safina, 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 6-2

Ekaterina Makarova def. Agnes Szavay, 3-6 6-4 7-5

Alona Bondarenko def. Alla Kudryavtseva, 6-4 7-6 (7-4)

Catalina Castaño def. Lucie Safarova, 6-1 6-4

Li Na def. Severine Brémond, 6-2 4-6 6-4

Maria Kirilenko def. Meilen Tu, 6-4 4-6 6-3

Katarina Srebotnik def. Lourdes Domínguez Lino, 4-6 6-0 9-7

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Olga Savchuk, 6-0 6-1

Sania Mirza def. Iroda Tulyaganova, 6-4 6-2

Tathiana Garbin def. Eleni Daniilidou, 6-2 6-2

Akiko Morigami def. Michaella Krajicek, 6-2 6-2

Pauline Parmentier def. Martina Müller, 7-5 6-3

Alizé Cornet def. Clarisa Fernández, 6-3 6-3

Caroline Wozniacki def. Gisela Dulko, 6-1 6-1

Yvonne Meusburger def. Laura Granville, 6-1 6-4

Anastasia Rodionova def. Angelika Bachmann, 7-6 (7-3) 6-4

Virginia Ruano Pascual def. Roberta Vinci, 6-4 6-4

Anne Kremer def. Evgenia Linetskaya, 7-6 (10-8) 6-0

Camille Pin def. Monica Niculescu, 5-7 6-1 6-1

Tsvetana Pironkova def. Olga Govortsova, 6-1 6-1

Maria Elena Camerin def. Christina Wheeler, 6-1 6-2

Mariya Koryttseva def. María Emilia Salerni, 6-2 6-3

Timea Bacsinszky def. Sophie Ferguson, 6-4 6-3

Marta Domachowska def. Mathilde Johansson, 6-1 6-1

Alisa Kleybanova def. Peng Shuai, 7-5 4-6 9-7

The World Comes To Play; or, The World's Best Buffet

So now I'm back, after what was easily one of the best trips in my life. A short trip, yes - I flew out very early Monday morning and flew back Tuesday evening. But what a two days it was!

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What they don't tell you about the Australian Open is that the back courts is where all the action is - the practice courts. Of all the tennis I watched, probably 75% of it was practice. It seems funny, when there is all this actual tennis going on around you. But the practice courts... that's where you see the big names. The heroes of the game.

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I saw Dmitry Tursunov practice. I saw Marat Safin. I saw Rafael Nadal and Carlos Moya practice together. I saw Justine Henin, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic. I saw David Ferrer, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Jarkko Nieminen, Andy Roddick, James Blake, Fernando Gonzalez... the list goes on and on.

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And yes, I saw Roger Federer.

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I had just finished watching Tursunov's practice on Court 22. I was walking back down towards Rod Laver Arena when I saw the crowd round Court 16. 'Hello,' thought I, 'it must be someone famous.' I'm small, so I managed to squeeze my way through to the fence. And there he was, hitting forehand after forehand - that Roger Federer forehand, the most feared shot in the modern game.

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I couldn't help it. My eyes filled with tears. There he was - this man, who has meant so much to me - there he was, barely three metres away from me.

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(Needless to say, I felt fully ashamed of how lame I was. But it was Roger - and if there's any man who can bring tears to my eyes just by being there, it's Roger!)

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I was talking to my friend Erin (she who gave me the idea for this blog) about my Roger encounter, and she gave me another idea for an article: 'Life Lessons I Learned From Roger Federer.' Because I certainly have learned a few lessons, watching his career develop! But more on that in my next post - I'm going to devote one to his match against Hartfield last night so I don't spend this entire post (which is supposed to be about my trip!) rabbiting on about how much I love Roger!

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Another thing they don't tell you about going to the tennis is how uneducated most of the people are. I don't mean to sound like a snob, but surely, if you're going to go to something like the Australian Open, you should at least know who some of the players are. From what I saw, people know Hewitt (duh), Federer and generally Nadal. In the women, they know Henin, Sharapova and the Williams sisters, and maybe Davenport. Anyone else, they're lost. There are a few incidents that stick out in my mind. I was watching Juan Carlos Ferrero practice, and someone asked me who he was, and I told them that it was Juan Carlos Ferrero, because, you know, it was, and then five seconds later some other woman tells this person, 'She's wrong, you know. It's Rafael Nadal.' (Which they pronounced 'rafayl nadal'- all short a's.)

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Excuse me, but you're wrong! I wanted to turn around and smack her. (Luckily I didn't, or, who knows? maybe I would have ended up pepper sprayed.)

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Watching Lleyton Hewitt practice, I heard people behind me trying to work out who his practice partner was. 'It must be his brother!' one said. 'Maybe it's someone that won a competition,' another said.

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It was Nathan Healey - one of Australia's better tennis players. Honestly, people don't even know their own countrymen!

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Likewise, watching Nadal practice, I heard this priceless exchange. 'Who's that Nadal's practicing with?' 'Oh, it must be his dad.'

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It was Carlos Moya. Carlos Moya, who is a French Open champion and former world Number One, veteran and formidable tennis statesman. Why on earth would you come to the tennis when you don't know someone as famous as Carlos Moya?

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I think it was summed up for me when, watching Safin practice, I heard this. 'Oh, who's this? They should put up signs to tell you who they are!'

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I thought everyone in the world knew who Marat Safin was (and was a little in love with him into the bargain.) Apparently I was naively optimistic!

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But this was the only vaguely negative thing that I got out of the tennis (except sore feet!) And, really, it had a bright side. I got to be all smug about how educated I was and feel like I got more out of the experience than everyone else.

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Because it was incredible. It was like a buffet, but with tennis. Oh, Nieminen's just finished his match? No worries! Here's Roddick practicing two courts over. And the atmosphere in Rod Laver Arena is amazing. It was much more friendly than at Olympic Park on Saturday. People cheering for Kaia Kanepi (there were not many!) were not looked at like freaks. (I could be wrong, not personally being part of the minority squad this time, but there was a Kanepi supporter two seats away, who seemed to be doing fine!) And I think I might have done a 180 on my attitude to the court. 'Why does it have to be so blue?' Safin moaned, but Federer brought up a point - it's much easier to see the ball, so it's better for both player and viewer.

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And no, I'm not just agreeing because Roger said it.

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But where else in the world can a Kuznetsova practice seem so passe? I clearly remember thinking, 'oh, it's just Kuznetsova. I'll see if anyone more interesting is around.' And this is the Number 2 player in the women's game! Normally, I'd be glued to it. But at the Open... spoiled for choice. And two courts away, there's Dmitry Tursunov, my personal Number 2.

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To conclude - Grand Slam tennis. It's the place to be.

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Australian Open Day 1 Results

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Men's Draw

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Jo Wilfried-Tsonga def. Andy Murray, 7-5 6-4 0-6 7-6 (7-5)

Rafael Nadal def. Victor Troicki, 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 6-1

Richard Gasquet def. Nick Lindahl, 6-0 6-1 3-6 6-2

Andy Roddick def. Lukas Dlouhy, 6-3 6-4 7-5

Nikolay Davydenko def. Michael Llodra, 7-5 7-5 6-3

Stefan Koubek def. Carlos Moya, 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 6-4

Paul Capdeville def. Brydan Klein, 6-4 7-5 6-4

Mikhail Youzhny def. Mathieu Montcourt, 6-0 6-2 7-6(7-3)

Tommy Robredo def. Mischa Zverev, 4-6 2-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 7-5

Stanislas Wawrinka def. Julien Benneteau, 6-3 6-3 6-3

Rainer Schuettler def. Arnaud Clement, 6-4 6-2 6-7 (3-7) 6-4

Kristof Vliegen def. Olivier Patience, 6-0 6-1 7-6 (7-3)

Evgeny Korolev def. Marcel Granollers-Pujol, 7-5 6-2 6-0

Michael Berrer def. Donald Young, 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 7-6 (7-5)

Ivo Karlovic def. Jamie Baker, 6-4 6-4 6-7 (1-7) 6-4

Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Roko Karanusic, 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 6-1

Gilles Simon def. Bobby Reynolds, 4-6 6-4 6-2 6-7 (3-7) 6-4

Sam Warburg def. Juan Pablo Brzezicki, 2-6 6-2 6-3 2-6 6-4

Jesse Levine def. Martin Vassallo Arguello, 6-1 7-5 6-1

Andreas Seppi def. Harel Levy, 6-4 6-2 6-1

Marc Gicquel def. Yen-hsun Lu, 3-6 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 6-2

Florent Serra def. Florian Mayer, 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-5)

Nicolas Mahut def. Jose Acasuso, 7-6 (7-2) 5-7 6-2 3-6 7-5

Jarkko Nieminen def. Frank Dancevic, 6-3 6-1 5-7 2-6 6-1

Igor Andreev def. Andrei Pavel, 5-7 6-2 7-6 (7-4) 6-3

Agustin Calleri def. Luis Horna, 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 6-4

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez def. Juan Ignacio Chela, 6-4 6-2 1-6 6-2

Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Victor Hanescu, 6-1 7-6 (7-4) 6-2

Feliciano Lopez. def. Wayne Odesnik, 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 6-4

Mardy Fish def. Boris Pashanski, 6-2 6-3 3-6 6-3

Alejandro Falla def. Kevin Anderson, 5-7 7-5 6-7 (8-10) 6-2 7-5

Dudi Sela def. Martin Slanar, 6-2 6-4 6-2

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Women's Draw

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Justine Henin def. Aiko Nakamura, 6-2 6-2

Alicia Molik def. Kaia Kanepi, 7-6 (7-4) 7-5

Serena Williams def. Jarmila Gajdosova, 6-3 6-3

Maria Sharapova def. Jelena Kostanic Tosic, 6-4 6-3

Jelena Jankovic def. Tamira Paszek, 2-6 6-2 12-10

Lindsay Davenport def. Sara Errani, 6-2 3-6 7-5

Amelie Mauresmo def. Tatiana Poutchek, 6-7 (6-8) 6-0 6-0

Nicole Vaidisova def. Ioana Raluca Olaru, 6-3 6-0

Elena Dementieva def. Tzipora Obziler, 6-2 6-2

Casey Dellacqua def. Karin Knapp, 4-6 6-3 8-6

Hsieh Su-wei def. Klara Zakopalova, 2-6 6-4 8-6

Edina Gallovits def. Stephanie du Bois, 7-6 (9-7) 6-3

Jessica Moore def. Julie Ditty, 6-3 6-2

Ai Sugiyama def. Vera Zvonareva, 6-3 1-1 ret.

Meng Yuan def. Ekaterina Ivanova, 4-6 6-4 6-2

Olga Poutchkova def. Monique Adamczak, 6-4 6-0

Patty Schnyder def. Lilia Osterloh, 6-3 6-3

Elena Vesnina def. Julia Vakulenko, 6-4 1-6 6-4

Sandra Kloesel def. Julia Schruff, 6-1 6-7 (1-7) 6-4

Angelique Kerber def. Maret Ani, 0-6 6-3 6-2

Tatiana Perebiynis def. Madison Brengle, 7-5 6-2

Yaroslava Shvedova def. Tatjana Malek, 6-2 6-2

Jill Craybas def. Yung-Jan Chan, 6-4 6-2

Sybille Bammer def. Tamarine Tanasugarn, 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 6-2

Aravane Rezai def. Kateryna Bondarenko, 7-6 (7-4) 6-2

Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Petra Cetcovska, 7-6 (7-1) 6-0

Francesca Schiavone def. Emilie Loit, 6-3 7-6 (7-5)

Tatiana Golovin def. Stephanie Cohen-Aloro, 6-1 4-6 6-3

Shahar Peer def. Renata Voracova, 6-2 2-6 6-0

Flavia Pennetta def. Dominika Cibulkova, 6-4 5-7 6-4

Virginie Razzano def. Ashley Harkleroad, 6-3 7-5

Victoria Azarenka def. Akgul Amanmuradova, 6-2 7-5