It was a bit disappointing for Serbia, in the end. I really wanted to see them win it, but with Jankovic injured and Djokovic a tired space case, I guess it just wasn't going to happen. I only caught the first set of the mixed doubles - I fell asleep to tell the truth - and it just made me long for the Hopman Cup final of last year. Russia vs. Spain. Nadia Petrova beat Anabel Medina Garrigues and then Dmitry Tursunov beat Tommy Robredo in a great match, and then the mixed doubles was the most hysterical tennis match I've ever seen. None of that this year, as it was one rubber all... the Hopman Cup had some great players this year, but I think it was lacking a bit of personality. There was no one like Tursunov, certainly.
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But then, I have a very soft spot for Tursunov. (Who wouldn't?)
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I was cheering for Joe Sirianni in his match today against Llodra in Adelaide. He didn't win, but for a 32 year old journeyman with only one prior ATP level victory to his name, I think he acquitted himself swimmingly. He's certainly much more likeable than Princess Lleyton - who lost (embarrassingly) in the quarters to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga... speaking of Tsonga, he was meek as a pussycat in his match against Jarkko Nieminen today. I thought that one could have been a thriller, especially considering the awesome match with Spadea last night. But Nieminen spanked him. I mean, I know it's about ninety million degrees in Adelaide, but Nieminen is Finnish! Tsonga is French! Why should Tsonga fall over just because of some heat when Nieminen did really well?
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So the Adelaide final will be Nieminen vs. Llodra, and I think it's safe to say Nieminen is a big favourite. I've never really seen Llodra play, so I can't make an educated assessment, but the fact is that he's unseeded, with Nieminen seeded 3. So I'm going with Jarkko on this one. (I've always thought Nieminen looks a bit like a carrot. He's got a really triangular face, and all this spiky hair... probably more obvious in his ATP picture than anywhere else!)
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I didn't get to watch it, but the Li/Azarenka final at the Gold Coast looked like a tight one as well. Excellent comeback for Li - who has, if memory serves, been out six months with injury - and a good match for Azarenka as well, even though she lost. Perhaps Belarusian tennis can have a bit of a revival in Azarenka, after the pitiful year Max Mirnyi had last year! And speaking of comebacks, what a performance from Lindsay Davenport in Auckland! To be fair, her opponent wasn't someone I'd actually heard of (the seeds fell early in Auckland), but to come back, being over 30 (she is over 30, yeah?) after having a baby and to win her first tournament back... wow! Also a great win for Stan Wawrinka in Doha over defending champ Ljubicic.
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And in other news, I am going to both the Medibank International and the Australian Open. I've never seen tennis at Melbourne Park before, so I'm HUGELY excited! And I'll try not to get as sunburned in Sydney this year as I did last year...
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Today's Results
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Hopman Cup (Perth)
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Final - USA def. Serbia 2-1
Novak Djokovic def. Mardy Fish, 6-2 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-4)
Williams/Fish def. Jankovic/Djokovic, 7-6 (7-5) 6-2
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Mondial Australian Women's Hardcourts
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Li Na def. Victoria Azarenka, 4-6 6-3 6-4
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ASB Classic (Auckland)
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Lindsay Davenport def. Aravane Rezai, 6-2 6-2
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Next Generation Adelaide International (Adelaide)
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Michael Llodra def. Joseph Sirianni, 6-3 7-6 (10-8)
Jarkko Nieminen def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6-2 6-4
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Qatar Exxonmobil Open (Doha)
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Andy Murray def. Nikolay Davydenko, 6-4 6-3
Stanislas Wawrinka def. Ivan Ljubicic, 7-6 (7-1) 6-4
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Chennai Open (Chennai)
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Carlos Moya def. Florent Serra, 6-3 6-4
Mikhail Youzhny def. Xavier Malisse, 6-4 6-4
Marin Cilic def. Robin Haase, 4-6 6-2 6-3
Rafael Nadal def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 6-3 6-2
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