Hot Chilli Cilic

What a match that was between Djokovic and Cilic! It may have not gone the full, full distance - it was four sets instead of five - but damn if it wasn't tight! There wasn't much you could split them on - how good was that first set with the insane tiebreaker at the end? Even though Djokovic came out on top, which was definitely not my preferred outcome, I enjoyed every second of it. It was a FABULOUS match!

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I am so proud of Marin Cilic. He's so young, and he was clearly having problems with his knees, but he played Djokovic like an equal. He was smokin' hot for a lot of this match. This wasn't an up-and-comer playing a current superstar. This was two guys playing on basically level pegging. Djokovic might have had a little bit of experience which helped him out when the going got tough, but he had his choke moments as well, and Marin pounced. I roared myself hoarse when Djokovic was serving for the match in the fourth, 5-4, 40-15 up - and Cilic came back! Marin may not be in the top ten yet, but can anybody gainsay him? I challenge anyone to tell me that Marin Cilic will not one day be a top ten player. Croatia, you can be damn proud of this boy. Ljubicic and Ancic were and still are excellent players, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Cilic eclipse them both in the fullness of time.

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Djokovic didn't play especially badly, either - I wouldn't say it was the best match I have ever seen him play, but he didn't suck. This wasn't a match that he almost lost, it was a match that Cilic almost won. Once Djokovic got his nose in front, he stayed there, but Cilic was hot on his tail the whole time. The tiebreak in that fourth set was heartbreaking, really... Cilic had worked so hard to get that break back, and then to lose the breaker 7-0 was very sad. But still, even the match maybe ended on a bit of a downer, he has a lot he can be proud of. Considering that he lost in qualies for the US Open last year, to come into it seeded this year and play at such a high level is an awesome achievement. And you just wait till next year. Cilic in the final is not unthinkable. This kid is going to be awesome. And I spotted him when he was all young and wet behind the ears. Go me. Oh, and go him. And stuff.

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Onto other people I like a lot, how awesome was Roger's win over Stepanek? That was some sweet shot-making - and his netplay was just awesome. I love that he wasn't afraid to come in, and he played beautifully when he was there. Stepanek may be weird-looking, but he's a crafty player, coming off a win against the Fed in Rome, and Roger just crushed him dead. He did a great impression of a human backboard, and that forehand was firing on all four cylinders, which is something we haven't seen for a while. Oh yes, I was very satisfied. I am very, very happy with Roger's form right now.

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Going back to Djokovic for a minute, I noticed that he is setting himself up for a retirement in the future, if one is, ahem, necessary. There was that ankle injury in the first round - which I'm sure is genuine - and now there's reports of some stomach thing going round. I refuse to believe that anyone is sick as often as Djokovic claims he is - and if he finds himself down in the semi against Federer and does a runner, then I will be all smug and go AHAHAHAHAHA! CAUGHT YOU, NOVAK!

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Not that I am cynical when it comes to Djokovic, or anything.

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It was bit sad to see human chainsaw Jo-W Tsonga go out to Tommy Robredo, but for his first tournament back, this was a pretty good showing. He played to his seed, which is something that is not nothing, and I think the only way is up. If he can remain uninjured and doesn't contract a case of Safin Knee, then Jo-W is going to become a force again. I would love to see him do well in Australia again next year, because he is just so much fun to watch.

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Speaking of fun guys, I still haven't solved the mystery of the whereabouts of smiley happy Marcos. Anyone know where he's got to? It would be very tragic if he were badly injured.

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Meanwhile, according to Tennis Australia, there are currently five players in contention for #1 in the women, though I'm not sure who has to do what. There were six, but Sveta is obviously gone. Ivanovic can keep it, though one imagines that would be hard. Safina, Dementieva and Serena can all take it, though I would imagine they'd have to win. Jankovic has to reach the semis, but I don't know if that's dependent on how everyone else performs or what. Le mystery.

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Oh, and today's shoutout goes to the Arevalo family of El Salvador. Remember Rafael Arevalo from the Olympics, who fought bravely, considering his ranking? I noticed in the juniors that there is another player from El Salvador - a Marcelo Arevalo. Brother, perhaps? In any case, vamos!

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Today's Results

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US Open (Flushing Meadows)

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Men's Draw

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Roger Federer def. Radek Stepanek, 6-3 6-3 6-2

Novak Djokovic def. Marin Cilic, 6-7 (7-9) 7-5 6-4 7-6 (7-0)

Andy Roddick def. Andreas Seppi, 6-2 7-5 7-6 (7-4)

Fernando Gonzalez def. Jarkko Nieminen, 7-5 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 6-1

Tommy Robredo def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 6-3

Nikolay Davydenko def. Dmitry Tursunov, 6-2 7-6 (7-3) 6-3

Gilles Muller def. Nicolas Almagro, 6-7 (3-7) 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (8-6) 7-5

Igor Andreev def. Fernando Verdasco, 6-2 6-4 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Elena Dementieva def. Li Na, 6-4 6-1

Jelena Jankovic def. Caroline Wozniacki, 3-6 6-2 6-1

Sybille Bammer def. Marion Bartoli, 7-6 (7-3) 0-6 6-4

Patty Schnyder def. Katarina Srebotnik, 4-6 6-3 6-3

Kei: Here to Stay

Yesterday I asked Kei Nishikori to fill out an application form for my Stars of the Future program. He did so by beating David Ferrer, in an absolute thriller. Deliberation over. Welcome to the club, Mr. Nishikori. Move over, Ernests - stop shoving, Marin! Kei is here to stay!

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I thought that, for once, the random semi-finalist might be the fourth seed. What kind of attitude is that? How ludicrous! Sorry, Ferru, but being the fourth seed dooms you to losing. There are only four contenders left for the spot of random semi-finalist - and why, indeed, could Kei Nishikori not be the next Jo-Wilfried Tsonga? Of the four players remaining, you'd have to say Nishikori is the least likely to get through - but who would have thought Jo-W could make it through Rafa Nadal to make the final of the Australian? Who would have thought Rainer Schuettler would be a Wimbledon semi-finalist at the age of 32? I think Kei has as good a chance as any. If he can beat Ferru, he can beat nearly anyone on hard courts. Hell, maybe he could even lop Rafa off at the legs like Jo-W did. I'm excited.

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Actually, whichever one of these four makes it to the semis, it's going to be interesting. Both fourth round matches in this quarter are absolute blockbusters. We have a match of two Stars - our newest inductee Nishikori against man of the moment Juan Martin del Potro. You'd have to favour del Potro, but Nishikori has proved is not a man to be taken lightly. This one could go the distance. And then we have two top ten guys in the other match - Murray against Wawrinka. Murray would surely start favourite, but Federer isn't the only man riding high on the aftermath of Olympic gold. Stan the Man could quite possibly get him. And any of these four players stands a chance of taking out the big man, Rafa, in the semis - if Rafa gets that far.

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That said, Rafa's roadblock Nalbandian went out today - and we all know Ferrer, who knocked him out last year, is also gone. I can't see Querrey, Fish or Monfils giving him too much difficulty - though I suppose you never know with Monfils, and it never pays to underestimate the hometown boys. But in the semis, whichever one of those four men is the random semi-finalist... ooh, watch out Rafa. They're a-coming to get ya.

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On the women's side, Dinara's route is looking nice. She had a bit of a near miss today, but she righted the ship and steadied herself, which was good for her and shows admirable mental toughness. I don't think Anna-Lena Groenefeld will be much of a match for her, and though I like what I've been seeing from Amelie Mauresmo, I think Dinara will eat her (or Pennetta, whicever gets through) in the quarters. The semi, however, could be a corker - you'd have to imagine it'd be a Williams. Aggie Rad might have something to say about it, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say it'll definitely be a Williams. That would be a blockbuster match - a Williams, in the US, against the hottest player on tour. I'd start calling the fire engines now, 'cause this one will burn down the house.

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Despite the presence of a lot of seeds, the other side of the draw is not quite so fun. But I will say this - would it not be rad to see Patty Schnyder in the semis? She always seems to hang out the round of sixteen and the quarters, but rarely the semis and never the final. I think that'd be awesome. And it might be nice to see Jankovic make it too. If she's going to be #1, she might as well deserve it.

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Today's Results

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US Open (Flushing Meadows)

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Men's Draw

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Rafael Nadal def. Viktor Troicki, 6-4 6-3 6-0

Mardy Fish def. James Blake, 6-3 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

Sam Querrey def. Ivo Karlovic, 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5) 6-2

Gael Monfils def. David Nalbandian, 6-3 6-4 6-2

Kei Nishikori def. David Ferrer, 6-4 6-4 3-6 2-6 7-5

Juan Martin del Potro def. Gilles Simon, 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 3-6 6-3

Andy Murray def. Jurgen Melzer, 6-7 (5-7) 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 6-3

Stanislas Wawrinka def. Flavio Cipolla, 5-7 6-7 (4=7) 6-4 6-0 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Dinara Safina def. Timea Bansinszky, 3-6 7-5 6-2

Serena Williams def. Ai Sugiyama, 6-2 6-1

Venus Williams def. Alona Bondarenko, 6-2 6-1

Amelie Mauresmo def. Julie Coin, 6-4 6-4

Severine Bremond def. Tathiana Garbin, 7-5 3-6 6-4

Agineszka Radwanska def. Dominika Cibulkova, 6-0 6-3

Flavia Pennetta def. Nadia Petrova, 4-6 6-4 6-3

Anna-Lena Groenefeld def. Alize Cornet, 6-4 7-5

Concerning Rankings

All in all, a solid day at the US Open - on the whole, the favourites getting through, but with a bit of drama along the way. The one exception was, of course, Svetlana Kuznetsova, who crashed out pretty violently. Ivanovic yesterday, Kuznetsova today... all of the top players on the women's draw are crashing out like flies. Jelena Jankovic got through, but she didn't look especially solid doing it - she played Jie Zheng, who upset Ivanovic at Wimbledon and ended up making the semis, and while she did it in straights, it was not a comfortable win at all.

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Let us reassess this women's quest for #1. Ivanovic and Kuznetsova are gone. Ivanovic, presumably, has very little hope of holding onto #1, unless everyone else loses very, very soon. Serena has quarter final points from last year's US Open to defend, so if she does better than that, and/or wins the tournament, she's a real shot. I read somewhere that Elena Dementieva has a shot as well - she only has third round points to defend, so she's a shot. Sharapova, obviously, cannot gain any points. And hey, maybe Dinara Safina can get it after all - she has fourth round points to defend, but who knows what could happen if she wins the thing - which I think she will?

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The one to beat, however, is obviously Jelena Jankovic. She has a quarter final to defend, but if she gets past that, one imagines that she'd be pretty hard to catch, as far as the race for #1 is concerned. I'm not a mathematician, but she must have already overtaken Ivanovic - Ana had fourth round points to defend, so she's got to drop for sure. I suppose it depends on how well Jelena does - because if she doesn't make the quarters, then she'll drop points too, and it will be a whole big thing.

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So who knows? maybe Ana will still be #1 after this tournament. I'm sure I could sit down and work it out if I had the inclination, but what the WTA really needs is a Greg Sharko-type to do all the breakdowns and so forth. If everyone crashes out like, now, then maybe Ana can keep it. And maybe Julie Coin will win the US Open.

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Federer won today in fine style, which I was pleased with. He didn't play ninja tennis, but he didn't really need to. As he said in his presser, he was never really in danger from Alves, and it looked like he enjoyed the challenge in the second set. I personally was very glad to see he was wearing red and not that awful beige number he wore when he played Gonzalez. We all know how much I love Roger, but even I have limits.

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But still, I was very pleased with what I saw from the Roginator. Played well when he needed to, got the job done quickly, etc, etc. I'm not particularly happy with his next round opponent - Stepanek is not only dangerous, he's scary and weird and freaks me out. With any luck, Roger will put him in his place soon enough. I'll not have Stepanek anywhere near the fourth round, thank you very much.

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It was sad to see Safin lose - I think that inclement weather thing really wrecked his concentration, because he was doing really well up till there. Still, if you're going to be that mentally fragile, then you don't deserve to do well. So sorry, Marat, but back to the drawing board with you. I still hold out hopes for a bit of a Marat renaissance - Wimbledon's not going to be his last hurrah, not by any means.

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I was also sad to see my beloved Ernests Gulbis lose, but he certainly didn't disgrace himself. He took it to Andy Roddick, and if only he'd been able to hang onto to that second set, I think he would have destroyed Roddick's will. But this is why, I suppose, he is still a Star of the Future and not one of the present yet. He's had a lot of these very-nearly-almosts, especially at Slam level. When he starts converting those consistently, that is when the world is going to have to look out for Ernests Gulbis. There's a lot he can work on - he's still very raw and unsophisticated as a player - but the potential is just enormous. Be fabulous, Ernests. I believe in you. (By the way, I think it's his twentieth birthday tomorrow - the whole team from Tennis From The Backseat... ie. me... wishes you a happy birthday!)

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Marin Cilic had a nice win as well - yay Marin! - which I think might throw him into the path of Novak Djokovic in the next round. Now THERE will be a match. Djokovic's game is great on hard court, but he hasn't been THAT impressive of late - even his bronze medal was a bit mediocre - and I wouldn't be surprised if Cilic snuck in there and pulled the upset. I mean, if I were betting, I'd put money on Djokovic, but Marin Cilic is not someone you count out. He'll push Djokovic for sure - I'm thinking at least four sets - and he might just come away with the win, if he plays his cards right. Who knows? Maybe Djokovic will mysteriously become 'injured' again. Cough cough.

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The other really interesting third round match is going to be Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - who mowed down Carlos Moya - against Safin-slaying Tommy Robredo. Robredo is the higher seed, but if Jo-W finds some of that Australian form, Robredo will be running scared. Wouldn't it have been great to have seen Tsonga against Safin? Now that would have been a match of hard hitting. But Robredo/Tsonga will also be pretty good.

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Another player I'm keeping my eye on is Kei Nishikori, who plays Ferrer. I don't think he'll get through Ferrer, but he's an intriguing young guy... and if I were him, I might just start filling out an application form for the Tennis From The Backseat Stars of the Future program, where all young tennis guns hang out!

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Today's Results

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US Open (Flushing Meadows)

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Men's Draw

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Roger Federer def. Thiago Alves, 6-3 7-5 6-4

Andy Roddick def. Ernests Gulbis, 3-6 7-5 6-2 7-5

Novak Djokovic def. Robert Kendrick, 7-6 (10-8) 6-4 6-4

Fernando Gonzalez def. Bobby Reynolds, 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 6-4

Tommy Robredo def. Marat Safin, 4-6 7-6 7-4) 6-4 6-0

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Carlos Moya, 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-4

Marin Cilic def. Robby Ginepri, 6-2 2-6 6-2 7-5

Nikolay Davydenko def. Agustin Calleri, 6-4 6-4 7-6 (7-2)

Jarkko Nieminen def. Ivo Minar, 6-7 (2-7) 3-6 6-4 6-3 6-2

Igor Andreev def. Jeremy Chardy, 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 6-3

Andreas Seppi def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 6-2 4-6 6-2 6-2

Dmitry Tursunov def. Victor Hanescu, 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 6-4 6-2

Gilles Muller def. Tommy Haas, 2-6 2-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 6-3

Fernando Verdasco def. Rui Machado, 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-0

Nicolas Almagro def. Sam Warburg, 6-3 6-4 6-4

Radek Stepanek def. Chris Guccione, 6-4 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 6-2

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Women's Draw

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Marion Bartoli def. Lindsay Davenport, 6-1 7-6 (7-3)

Jelena Jankovic def. Jie Zheng, 7-5 7-5

Elena Dementieva def. Anne Keothavong, 6-3 6-4

Katarina Srebotnik def. Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-3 6-7 (1-7) 6-3

Caroline Wozniacki def. Victoria Azarenka, 6-4 6-4

Sybille Bammer def. Tatiana Perebiynis, 6-3 6-0

Patty Schnyder def. Magdalena Rybarikova, 7-6 (7-4) 6-4

Li Na def. Ekaterina Makarova, 6-1 4-6 6-2

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PS. Does anyone know where Marcos Baghdatis is these days? He's certainly not playing this tournament and I haven't seen him about for a while, now I think of it. Is he injured or what?

Coin Toss

I believe I said yesterday that Ana Ivanovic was shaky-looking or something to that effect, and would not make the final. I was right. But I had no idea she'd go crashing out to a French nobody in the second round.

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Something is clearly up with Ana. She's had two early Slam exits now since winning the French and becoming #1. I don't whether it's the thumb injury or what - but even if the injury is a factor, it isn't just that. Something is up with Ana Ivanovic. She is not playing like someone of her calibre should.

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I suppose this will mean she loses #1 again - I'm not sure what she did here last year, but it certainly was better than the second round, yesno? So how many have we got in contention to take it this time? Actually, who was in the final last year? Henin, yes - she won - but who did she play? Let me have a look... Henin defeated Kuznetsova. Wow, I have no recollection of that at all! But what it does mean is that Sveta has a hell of a lot of points to defend - one would imagine she would pretty much have to win the title to take #1.

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The real danger is Jelena Jankovic, but really, if she is going to be #1, it would nice if she'd do it by winning the tournament. I know she's reasonably consistent, but can you really be #1 without a Slam? Mathematically you can, sure, but really? It just seems sort of suss to me.

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Sharapova obviously can't take it what with being injured and all... I would dearly love to see Dinara take it, but I think she's too far back in the rankings to even have a shot. Likewise Dementieva. Could Serena do it? I don't know how she went last year. How far behind is she...? Let's look. A long way, really. Possible at the outside, perhaps, but not very likely. She'd have to win the tournament, and even then I don't know if she'd make it. Maths is not my strong suit.

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But what we haven't talked about is the underdog that did the upsetting, and that is very remiss of me. How about Julie Coin? What a great victory for her! Everyone was really disappointed here in Australia when she beat Casey Dellacqua in the first round, but now she's beaten Ivanovic, perhaps poor Casey will be forgiven a bit. She (back on Coin now) is ranked something like #188 in the world, and I think this is her first Slam tournament. How's that for your first memories of Slam tennis? A victory over Dellacqua, ranked, what about 150 places higher than her? is good enough, but to beat the #1 player in the world...? That's something special.

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I'm not going to go on to predict that Julie Coin will be the next #1 or anything, or even that she'll be top 10, but I would love to see her go a few rounds here. As long as they're not playing Federer, I love a good underdog. I don't think she could pull an Edmondson or anything, but maybe she could be a second Carla Suarez Navarro. Eventually she would run into Safina and there she would swiftly be terminated, but I'd like to see her make at least another round. Just to prove that yes, she can back it up.

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Look at me, talking about women's tennis when there is all this men's tennis as well! No major upsets there today - although Rafa is still playing! Though I don't think he's going to pull an Ana - he's 5-0 up in the first set right now. Actually, he could be more, but I can't tell - the US Open website is being all crap and non-accessible. Bastards. But still, it looks like Rafa took my advice about getting off the court quickly to heart. This one doesn't look like it'll go three hours. (Hell, it doesn't look like it'll go one hour at this rate.) Maybe he and Federer are having a competition for the number of bagels served up... though look! A game! Ryler de Heart won a whole game! I guess that set will just be a breadstick then. (Just.)

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And I do believe I said yesterday that the match between del Potro and Bellucci would be one to watch, and although del Potro would win, Bellucci would challenge him. I was right. I am just so good. Yay me.

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Today's Results

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US Open (Flushing Meadows)

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Men's Draw

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James Blake def. Steve Darcis, 4-6 6-3 1-0 retired
Rafael Nadal def. Ryler de Heart, 6-1 6-2 6-4

Mardy Fish def. Paul-Henri Mathieu, 6-2 3-6 6-2 6-4
Gael Monfils def. Evgeny Korolev, 6-2 6-3 3-6 6-4
Stanislas Wawrinka def. Wayne Odesnik, 6-4 7-6 (8-6) 6-2
Sam Querrey def. Nicolas Devilder, 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 4-6 6-3
Andy Murray def. Michael Llodra, 6-4 1-6 7-5 7-6 (9-7)
Ivo Karlovic def. Florent Serra, 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 6-2
Flavio Cipolla def. Yen-hsun Lu, 6-1 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-4
Gilles Simon def. Jose Acasuso, 6-4 6-1 6-4
David Ferrer def. Andreas Beck, 4-6 7-5 6-3 7-6 (7-5)
Jurgen Melzer def. Jiri Vanek, 6-0 6-2 6-2
David Nalbandian def. Andrey Golubev, 6-2 6-4 6-2
Juan Martin del Potro def. Thomaz Bellucci, 4-6 6-1 7-5 6-3
Viktor Troicki def. Philipp Kohlschreiber, 2-6 6-3 6-4 3-0 retired
Kei Nishikori def. Roko Karanusic, 6-1 7-5 retired
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Women's Draw
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Julie Coin def. Ana Ivanovic, 6-3 4-6 6-3
Dinara Safina def. Roberta Vinci, 6-4 6-3
Serena Williams def. Elenade los Rios, 6-1 6-1
Venus Williams def. Rossana de los Rios, 6-0 6-3
Amelie Mauresmo def. Kaia Kanepi, 2-6 6-4 6-0
Alize Cornet def. Bethanie Mattek, 7-6 (7-5) 6-1
Alona Bondarenko def. Sabine Lisicki, 6-4 1-6 6-4
Timea Bacsinszky def. Yung-Jan Chan, 6-3 6-2
Tathiana Garbin def. Agnes Szavay, 5-7 6-2 6-3
Severine Bremond def. Nicole Vaidisova, 7-5 6-3
Nadia Petrova def. Hsieh Su-wei, 6-4 6-2
Dominika Cibulkova def. Ioana Raluca Olaru, 6-2 6-2
Flavia Pennetta def. Shuai Peng, 6-2 6-7 (8-10) 6-1
Agnieszka Radwanska def. Mariana Duque Marino, 6-0 7-6 (7-3)
Anna-Lena Groenefeld def. Jessica Moore, 6-1 6-3
Ai Sugiyama def. Olga Govortsova, 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-1

Starlight, Starbright

I must admit, I was very disappointed that Fabrice Santoro couldn't do a bit more in the beating-Andy-Roddick sort of way. I like watching him play (the Harry Potter of men's tennis) and we all know how disenchanted I am with A-Rod right now. But I suppose we can't have it all our own way. If I had my druthers, Clement would have taken out Djokovic as well. But it was not to be. I will have to be satisfied with that crushing Roger victory from yesterday - which was AMAZINGLY satisfactory!

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I caught absolutely no tennis today, so I don't have that much to discuss that doesn't come directly from the scores. One thing I was very satisfied with was the performance of Ernests Gulbis, who took out ever-wily Olympic silver medallist and former Slam champion Thomas Johansson. What really surprised me was that the match was played on Armstrong - surely neither player is high-profile enough for that? I wonder why it was put there - on whose recognisance, I mean. I know Gulbis is good, and he's going to be great, but surely he doesn't have that kind of pulling power yet - and surely Johansson is no longer that high-profile? Nevertheless, it is a match I would have loved to watch, and maybe it's good that the US Open organisers put them there, so more people can start waving little Latvian flags and joining Team Gulbis.

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And another star performer was Mr. Marin Cilic - even though, unlike Ernests, it took him five sets to get past his opponent, one Julien Benneteau. Great as it was to see Marin win that tournament this week, I hope it hasn't worn him out too terribly - five tough sets can hardly be helping! Here's hoping he gets a little time to recover, because I really would like to see him do well. Gulbis has made it to the quarters before - and perhaps can do so again. I'd like to see Marin match him. Indeed, wasn't Ernests vs. Marin one of my quarter final picks? Wouldn't that be a fabulous match to see?! I'd willingly walk dozens of kilometres on the treadmill at the gym if it meant I could watch that one!

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Eduardo Schwank, on the other hand, lost. I'm afraid he might be one of those Stars who only does well on clay. It does occur to me that he is probably the oldest Star in my fold - not that he's past it or anything, but if one of my Stars does make the bigtime, it probably won't be him. Nevertheless, he didn't seem to leave much in the locker room against Tursunov - four tight sets. So nice try, Eduardo. Better luck next time... aka better draw!

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It was a bit sad to see Tipsarevic retire, but nonetheless I found myself breathing a guilty sigh of relief... I would prefer he didn't meet Roger in Slam tennis for a little while, not after what happened in Australia! And speaking of the ol' homeland, there was a good win for Chris Guccione. I completely forgot he was in the draw and thought Jessica Moore was our last hope... not that either of them are great chances of making it to the third round, but still, it's nice to have one or two still there, even if the second week is completely unheard of for Australians these days.

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Oh, and good work to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for winning his first match back. And Kolya Davydenko also won, but I can't say that brought me much pleasure. Stupid Kolya.

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Over in the women's, Jelena Jankovic is not looking so hot. I know she's been #1 and is seeded #2 and all, but I really don't like her chances of making it to her first Slam final. Same goes for her countrywoman Ana Ivanovic, actually. At least one, and maybe both of them is at some point going to run into the chainsaw that is Dinara Safina, and they'll be decimated. Even if everyone else wasn't playing rubbish, I'd still be backing Dinara, and everyone really sort of is. The Serbian girls are shaky. Kuznetsova is a bit unsteady too. Sharapova isn't even there. Dementieva is doing all right, but do you think Dinara's going to let her beat her twice in a row? No, no, I love Dinara's chances - and if she's not the odds on favourite, she should be.

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Oh, and before I go, one match people should keep an eye on tomorrow, if they possibly can - Juan Martin del Potro against Thomaz Bellucci. That would be two of my Stars, and though you'd probably pick del Potro to win it what with his current record, I wouldn't be surprised if Bellucci gave him a little trouble...

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Today's Results

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US Open (Flushing Meadows)

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Men's Draw

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Andy Roddick def. Fabrice Santoro, 6-2 6-2 6-2

Novak Djokovic def. Arnaud Clement, 6-3 6-3 6-4

Ernests Gulbis def. Thomas Johansson, 7-5 6-1 7-6 (7-3)

Robby Ginepri def. Amer Delic, 6-1 6-2 7-6 (7-5)

Nikolay Davydenko def. Dudi Sela, 6-3 6-3 6-3

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Santiago Ventura, 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-2 6-3

Robert Kendrick def. Nicolas Mahut, 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 5-7 7-5

Marin Cilic def. Julien Benneteau, 4-6 7-5 6-3 6-7 (7-9) 6-2

Agustin Calleri def. Austin Krajicek, 6-2 6-2 6-1

Nicolas Almagro def. Frank Dancevic, 5-3 6-4 7-5

Carlos Moya def. Aisam Ul-Haq Qureshi, 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-2) 6-2

Victor Hanescu def. Albert Montanes, 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 2-6 6-3

Radek Stepanek def. Potito Starace, 7-5 6-3 6-1

Sam Warburg def. Janko Tipsarevic, 6-2 1-0 retired

Chris Guccione def. Jesse Levine, 6-3 3-6 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (8-6)

Dmitry Tursunov def. Eduardo Schwank, 7-5 4-6 7-5 7-6 (7-5)

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Women's Draw

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Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Sorana Cirstea, 7-6 (7-3) 6-1

Lindsay Davenport def. Alisa Kleybanova, 7-5 6-3

Jelena Jankovic def. Sofia Arvidsson, 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 7-5

Elena Dementieva def. Pauline Parmentier, 6-2 6-1

Patty Schnyder def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-3 6-3

Caroline Wozniacki def. Maria Elena Camerin, 6-1 6-2

Katarina Srebotnik def. Yvonne Meusburger, 6-1 6-3

Victoria Azarenka def. Iveta Benesova, 6-2 6-3

Anne Keothavong def. Francesca Schiavone, 6-2 306 6-4

Magdalena Rybarikova def. Tamira Paszek, 6-1 6-2

Ekaterina Makarova def. Ekaterina Bychkova, 3-6 7-5 6-3

Tatiana Perrebiynis def. Vera Zvonareva, 6-3 6-3

Jie Zheng def. Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6-1 6-4

Li Na def. Sara Errani, 4-6 6-2 6-0

Sybille Bammer def. Aravane Rezai, 6-1 7-5

Marion Bartoli def. Virginia Ruano Pascual, 6-4 6-2

Under The Influence Of Gold

I had my day all planned out. I was working in the morning, but as soon as I finished, I was going to go to the gym and catch the last set or two of the Federer match on television, because they have Foxtel there and I don't - and also I would, like, get fit and stuff. So I get there, I'm walking along on my treadmill, and - they're shaking hands. I got there at the very instant of the Federer victory.

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Much as I would have liked to watch him play, I couldn't help but smile. I love to watch Federer play - it's one of the numerous reasons he is far and away my favourite player - but sometimes seeing him walk off the court after a demolition job is just as satisfying. The Roger Federer bagel bakery is open for business.

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I'm trying to be wary of being overconfident, because a similar thing happened in the first round of the Australian Open this year - Federer cruised past Diego Hartfield and Fabrice Santoro - only to run into a roadblock in the third round, and don't we all remember that five set classic against Janko Tipsarevic. But that was Federer under the influence of glandular fever. This is Federer under the influence of a gold medal, and I think the two are just a bit different. All indicators point to one thing: Roger is enjoying himself on court. He's experimenting, making stuff up. He's PLAYING tennis - he's playing. And when Roger Federer is enjoying himself - I mean, really enjoying himself - on court, then there's trouble. Then you get matches like the semi of the Australian Open in 2007. That was a Federer who had something to prove, and who, in the course of it, had a blast. They had to peel pieces of Andy Roddick off the court afterwards. There is no player more dangerous in tennis than the fun-having Federer.

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I'm always criticising commentators and the like who over-hype players, and yes, I am aware that I am a giant hypocrite. But I'm just so excited about the way Federer is playing now. Has there even been a player more beautiful to watch than the Fed at the height of his powers? And his tennis is lethal as well as beautiful. He spent half the time that Rafa Nadal spent on court - half! Now, Rafa matches are nearly always longer than Roger ones, sometimes purely because he takes 900,000 years between points, but that is a significant statistic. There can be no doubt in anyone's mind that in the first round, Federer was the better player.

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Not that the first round has much bearing on anything. They both got through, and that's all that matters. But I take my small victories where I can. And to quote that infamous Australian icon Kath Day-Knight, 'I like what I see!'

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The quick end to the Roger match meant that instead of seeing that, I got to see some of the Dechy/Mauresmo match while treading the treadmill mile. It was clearly a tight match - I came in early in the third - but I was very impressed with what I saw from Mauresmo. She's never been one of my favourite players - her total lack of confidence in herself really annoys me - but she strung together some beautiful plays. She made, what, like twelve straight points to win the match? And Nathalie Dechy ain't no pushover. She's been around forever and she's really wily, with that backhand of death. That third set was interesting - Mauresmo broke to 3-0, Dechy broke Mauresmo to get it back to 3-2, and then Amelie just took off, and Nathalie didn't win another point in the match. And it wasn't Dechy making errors - it was Mauresmo making winners. Those last few points were beautiful, to say the least - and if she can keep that level of play up, she'll go deep. I was extremely impressed.

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Rough day for the Australian contingent - Dellacqua and Stosur both crashed out - but how about Jessica Moore? She's about seven years old, (well... maybe eight, or nine, or sixteenish) and she beat another junior to make it to the second round. She may well be the only Aussie to make it to the second round, so more power to her, I say! Oh, and also power to the Safin(a) siblings, who both had wins!

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Today's Results

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US Open (Flushing Meadows)

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Men's Draw

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Roger Federer def. Maximo Gonzalez, 6-3 6-0 6-3

Marat Safin def. Vince Spadea, 3-6 6-2 6-3 4-6 6-4

Mardy Fish def. Robert Smeets, 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 6-4

Tommy Haas def. Richard Gasquet, 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 5-7 7-5 6-2

Sam Querrey def. Tomas Berdych, 6-3 6-1 6-2

Tommy Robredo def. Mischa Zverev, 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 6-1

Yen-hsun Lu def. Nicolas Lapentti, 6-4 1-6 4-6 6-4 6-3

Bobby Reynolds def. Tomas Zib, 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 2-6 6-4 7-6 (7-4)

Ivo Karlovic def. Jan Minar, 7-5 6-1 6-4

Igor Andreev def. Marc Gicquel, 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 6-4

Florent Serra def. Rainer Schuettler, 7-6 (10-8) 6-0 2-0 retired

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez def. Dominik Hrbaty, 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-4

Jarkko Nieminen def. Scoville Jenkins, 6-3 6-3 7-5

Thiago Alves def. Paul Capdeville, 46 1-6 6-1 7-6 (7-2) 6-4

Nicolas Devilder def. Pablo Andujar, 6-4 6-2 6-2

Rui Machado def. Rik de Voest, 6-4 7-6 (9-7) 6-1

Jeremy Chardy def. Frederico Gil, 3-6 6-3 6-2 6-3

Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Sebastien Grosjean, 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 6-2

Flavio Cipolla def. Jan Hernych, 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7-0) 7-6 (7-4)

Fernando Gonzalez def. Ivan Navarro, 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7-5)

Andreas Seppi def. Hyung-taik Lee, 6-3 7-5 3-6 3-6 6-3

Ivo Minar def. Nicolas Kiefer, 4-6 6-1 6-4 4-1 retired

Fernando Verdasco def. Igor Kunitsyn, 6-3 6-4 6-1

Gilles Muller def. Laurent Recouderc, 6-4 6-0 4-6 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Ana Ivanovic def. Vera Dushevina, 6-1 4-6 6-4

Serena Williams def. Kateryna Bondarenko, 6-1 6-4

Venus Williams def. Samantha Stosur, 6-2 6-3

Amelie Mauresmo def. Nathalie Dechy, 4-6 6-3 6-2

Dinara Safina def. Kristie Ahn, 6-3 6-4

Anna-Lena Groenefeld def. Daniela Hantuchova, 6-4 6-2

Bethanie Mattek def. Marta Domachowska, 6-7 (7-9) 7-5 6-4

Nadia Petrova def. Olivia Sanchez, 6-2 6-4

Julie Coin def. Casey Dellacqua, 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-4)

Severine Bremond def. Julia Goerges, 7-6 (7-0) 6-4

Yung-Jan Chan def. Alla Kudryavtseva, 4-6 7-5 6-3

Elena Vesnina def. Julia Vakulenko, 4-6 6-1 6-2

Agnes Szavay def. Gail Brodsky, 7-5 6-3

Dominika Cibulkova def. Jill Craybas, 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

Flavia Pennetta def. Stefanie Vogele, 2-6 6-2 6-2

Timea Bacsinszky def. Virginie Razzano, 6-4 6-1

Sabine Lisicki def. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, 6-3 6-4

Kaia Kanepi def. Monica Niculescu, 6-0 6-3

Nicole Vaidisova def. Petra Cetkovska, 6-1 6-2

Mariana Dugue Marino def. Tamarine Tanasugarn, 0-6 6-3 6-2

Jessica Moore def. Melanie Oudin, 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5)

Shuai Peng def. Eleni Daniilidou, 6-1 6-0

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Yaroslava Shvedova, 6-4 6-2

Alona Bondarenko def. Jamea Jackson, 2-6 6-3 6-2

Alize Cornet def. Camille Pin, 7-5 6-0

Ai Sugiyama def. Andreja Klepac, 4-6 6-3 4-2 retired

Hsieh Su-wei def. Evgeniya Rodina, 6-2 6-4

Olga Govortsova def. Sandra Zahlavova, 6-3 6-1

Ioana Raluca Olaru def. Edina Gallovits, 6-0 6-2

Roberta Vinci def. Stephanie Cohen-Aloro, 6-1 6-4

Tathiana Garbin def. Maret Ani, 6-0 7-6 (7-5)

Rossana de los Rios def. Hana Sromova, 6-3 2-6 6-3

Ka-Phau

How about Bjorn Phau? He's what, five hundred years old in tennis terms, a real journeyman, and though the score might not quite reflect it, he gave Rafa a bit of a run for his money. I bet that Rafa wasn't really very pleased about spending three hours on court in the first round, not with the amount of tennis he's played of late. If Rafa's going to win this tournament, he really is going to have to get the job done quicker than that, or he's just going to burn out. I know he's, like, the God of Fitness, but no one can play that much tennis and not feel it. He said he was tired going into Beijing, which is why he dropped that set to Potito Starace - so even though he's had a week off, imagine how he must feel now. Poor guy must be buggered.

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That's the price of being good, I guess. You win lots of tournaments in a row = you play many, many matches. You can't win by not playing. If Rafa insists on going on these hots streaks, he'll just have to pay the price.

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Both Rafa and Roger have come out and talked about the sheer insanity of the schedule. I mean, they have no control over the Olympics and that schedule, but really, it's pretty tough to have a one week turn around from such a huge tournament. It's worse than the turnaround between Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and that's pretty crazy too. Both Roger and Rafa played a hell of a lot of matches in the Olympic week, what with both going deep in singles and doubles, so I hope it isn't too hectic for them. Roger will be all right, I think - never thought I'd count those early losses in the Masters Series events as a sort of blessing! - but Rafa has played pretty much non stop since April. So, moral of the story is, Rafa, get the job done fast as you can. I know you did it in straights, but it still took you three hours, and that is just a bit crazy.

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But all credit to Bjorn Phau. Rafa was making uncharacteristic errors, sure, but Phau exploited them. He got in there and had a go. He didn't get intimidated by the situation or the opponent, and he gave it his all - and damn can he hit hard! 'Phau' (Pow) is right. (And I apologise, once again, for the terrible tennis pun which is the title of today's blog. I am helpless in the face of puns.)

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There were no major upsets - at least, not yet. The day isn't quite finished yet! Rafa won, Murray won, so did Ferru and Stan and Headbandian. The only male seed to lose was Juan Monaco, who lost to fast-rising Nishikori from Japan. I've never been particularly impressed with Monaco, so I wasn't especially surprised. Oh, and Lopez lost as well, which was a bit sad... but Wimbledon is his place for success, I think.

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In the women, we did have one that was sort of big - Anna Chakvetadze lost to Ekaterina Makarova, one of the other Russians. The only other seed to fall was Shahar Peer, who went out to Li Na. Li seems to win all the time - how is she not seeded? One of those mysteries of the women's game that I will never understand. Oh, and Kirilenko went out to Paszek. Otherwise, everything seems to be going to plan - Jankovic is on court right now putting the beatdown on Coco Vanderweghe, and sentimental favourite Davenport won as well.

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So no major upset stories so far... which is not necessarily a bad thing! But an intriguing beginning nonetheless.

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Today's Results

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US Open (Flushing Meadows)

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Men's Draw

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Rafael Nadal def. Bjorn Phau, 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

David Ferrer def. Martin Vassallo Arguello, 7-6 (7-1) 6-2 6-2

Andy Murray def. Sergio Roitman, 6-3 6-4 6-0

Gael Monfils def. Pablo Cuevas, 6-4 6-4 6-1

Andreas Beck def. John Isner, 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 7-6 (7-3)

Stanislas Wawrinka def. Simone Bolelli, 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 6-3

Jiri Vanek def. Stephane Bohli, 3-6 6-3 6-2 7-5

Ryler de Heart def. Olivier Rochus, 7-6 (7-4) 5-7 6-4 3-6 6-4

Roko Karanusic def. Ryan Sweeting, 7-5 7-5 3-6 6-2

Wayne Odesnik def. Fabio Fognini, 2-6 6-0 4-6 6-3 6-4

Jurgen Melzer def. Feliciano Lopez, 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 2-6 6-4

Evgeny Korolev def. Robin Soderling, 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 7-6 (11-9)

Michael Llodra def. Teimuraz Gabashvili, 6-3 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-4)

Andrey Golubev def. Brendan Evans, 6-4 6-3 6-2

Gilles Simon def. Marcel Granollers, 6-4 6-3 5-7 6-2

Viktor Troicki def. Carsten Ball, 7-6 (7-3) 6-0 6-1

David Nalbandian def. Marcos Daniel, 6-1 6-2 6-4

Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Luis Horna, 6-2 6-3 6-2

Kei Nishikori def. Juan Monaco, 6-2 6-2 5-7 6-2

Jose Acasuso def. Michael Berrer, 6-4 6-2 6-2

Juan Martin del Potro def. Guillermo Canas, 4-6 7-6 (7-0) 6-4 6-1

Thomaz Bellucci def. Oscar Hernandez, 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 7-5

James Blake def. Donald Young, 6-1 3-6 6-1 4-6 6-4

Steve Darcis def. Denis Gremelmayr, 6-1 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (7-4) 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Elena Dementieva def. Akgul Amanmuradova, 6-4 7-5

Lindsay Davenport def. Aleksandra Wozniak, 6-4 6-2

Jelena Jankovic def. Coco Vandeweghe, 6-3 6-1

Ekaterina Makarova def. Anna Chakvetadze, 1-6 6-2 6-3

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Shuai Zhang, 6-4 6-2

Li Na def. Shahar Peer, 2-6 6-0 6-1

Caroline Wozniacki def. Ahsha Rolle, 6-2 6-1

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Vania King, 6-2 4-6 6-2

Virginia Ruano Pascula def. Petra Kvitova, 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-2

Francesca Schiavone def. Nuria Llagostera Vives, 7-5 7-5

Yvonne Meusburger def. Lourdes Dominguez Lino, 6-1 6-2

Maria Elena Camerin def. Emilie Loit, 6-0 6-2

Katarina Srebotnik def. Yanina Wickmayer, 3-6 6-0 6-3

Patty Schnyder def. Anastasia Pivovarova, 6-3 3-6 6-3

Jie Zheng def. Shenay Perry, 6-2 6-3

Tatiana Perebiynis def. Mariya Koryttseva, 6-1 6-4

Victoria Azarenka def. Klara Zakopalova, 6-2 6-1

Iveta Benesova def. Karin Knapp, 6-0 6-3

Sofia Arvidsson def. Yan Zi, 6-2 6-4

Pauline Parmentier def. Marina Erakovic, 6-3 7-6 (7-2)

Sara Errani def. Jelena Kostanic Tosic, 6-4 6-2

Magdalena Rybarikova def. Gisela Dulko, 6-4 6-0

Anne Keothavong def. Alexa Glatch, 6-2 6-2

Tamira Paszek def. Maria Kirilenko, 6-3 3-6 6-4

Aravane Rezai def. Asia Muhammad, 6-2 6-4

Marion Bartoli def. Galina Voskoboeva, 6-2 6-3

Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Tsvetana Pironkova, 6-4 7-5

Vera Zvonareva def. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, 6-4 6-3

Sybille Bammer def. Aiko Nakamura, 6-4 6-2

Ekaterina Bychkova def. Anastastia Rodionova, 6-1 6-3

Sorana Cirstea def. Lucie Safarova, 6-4 4-6 6-2

Alisa Kleybanova def. Carla Suarez Navarro, 6-2 7-5

Grapple in the Apple

I promised, I will deliver. US Open draw preview coming right up.

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Let's start at the top, in the Nadal quarter. (Oh! how it hurts to say that!) I think you'd be a fool not to pick Rafa in this quarter to make the semis, with the way he's playing at the moment - though for his sake, I hope that playing all those tournaments hasn't worn him out! One potential quarter-final match that could be very interesting, however, is Rafa vs. LameDave Headbandian - on the proviso that GoodDave, and not LameDave, shows up. Rafa has never beaten Nalbandian - there's something about the Headbandian game that gives him trouble. I think they've only played twice or something though, so I don't know how indicative is of anything... and Rafa is THE form player at the moment, and LameDave doesn't even make the list - he's been very underwhelming this year. Rafa is the quintessential anti-headcase, so I don't know how much effect that record would have on him either... but still. Could be interesting. If Nalbandian makes the quarters, which I personally wouldn't bet on.

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I certainly don't see anyone stopping Rafa on the way to the quarters - the only people with even an outside chance are probably Berdych and maybe Querrey, or, if Rafa breaks his leg, Kohlschreiber. But really, you'd be a moron to bet against Rafa there. In the Nalbandian section, however, there are a couple of potentials. Blake is one. Fish is another. And Monfils, if he isn't injured. I'd like to see Nalbandian make it, because I want to see how Rafa fares against him, but if I were gambling, I think I'd go with Blake.

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Now, the second quarter. This is the really interesting quarter, because it's the one from whence comes the random semi-finalist. Randoms so far this year include Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gael Monfils and Rainer Schuettler - so who is it to be this time? The seed is Ferrer, and he plays well at the US Open traditionally, so he well could fulfil his seed. I'd like that, actually... and a Rafa/Ferru semi could be interesting, because Ferru has knocked Rafa out of this tournament before. However, there are some other challengers - not least among them being Juan Martin del Potro. There are some good names in this quarter, actually - despite the lack of a member of the Big Three, it's got a lot of really good players. Murray is one, Stan W another. There's the ever-dangerous Canas, Youzhny, Lopez, Monaco and even Star of the Future Bellucci. My quarter final pick is probably Ferrer against Wawrinka - though it could just as easily be del Potro against Murray. It will be between those four that the quarter will be decided, methinks. However, I'm going to stick with the seed and say Ferrer will come through - though not with any conviction.

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Now we come to the Djokovic quarter - ominous music. Personally, I would prefer that Djokovic won the quarter to Roddick winning it, so unimpressed am I with Roddick right now. He should have gone to the Olympics, instead of playing schlep tournaments. In fact, I hope he gets knocked out in the first round. And he's playing Fabrice Santoro, who you should never underestimate, so maybe he will. Allez Fabrice.

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If I were to pick a sentimental semi-finalist here, I would say Safin - and we all know he's capable of it, though whether or not he does it is a whole other story. Jo-Wilfried is back, but because it's his first tournament since, like, twelve years ago, I wouldn't put any money on him to repeat his Australian Open performance. One match that is going to be very interesting is the potential third round of Djokovic versus Cilic - and we all know who I'll be going for. In fact, I'm going to be bold and say Cilic will win it! Go Marin! And should Djokovic come through, he might face Marat... and that will be a real test of his strength of character. A headcase would lose. A not-headcase would not. Simple as that.

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I'm going to stick to my guns and pick Cilic as my quarter finalist here - though Marat would be ideal. And in the other section (the Roddick section) I'm going with my boy Ernests Gulbis. I think Roddick is going to crash and burn - if he doesn't lose to Santoro, Gulbis will get him, mark my words. Kiefer and especially Gonzalez are also possibilities, but I really like Gulbis here. Gulbis versus Cilic quarter final, I say - and though it will be long and hard-fought, I'm going with Gulbis to win it. Go Ernests! (And Marin too... I'm cheering for my Stars!)

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And then the bestest quarter - the Federer quarter. We all know who I'm picking to win. The Fed Express has a pretty decent draw - Stepanek in the third round could be a bit interesting, but I don't see him taking three sets off Roger. Best of five suits the Federer game so much more - I feel like he can sort of relax into it more. Andreev could potentially win a set, and maybe Nando Verdasco, but otherwise, I think Rog has a reasonably smooth ride to the quarters. There, I think he might face Tursunov. Or possibly Haas. This is really not the strongest section ever. Davydenko is the seed, but with his attitude right now, I wouldn't pick him to beat anyone. Even me. Tipsarevic is another possibility, but I wouldn't give Gasquet and Almagro much in the way of a chance - or even Star of the Future Schwank. I'm going to go with Tursunov - mostly for sentimental reasons - but whoever it is, I think Federer will beat them. It'll be pretty disastrous if he loses before then - but he's keyed up for Slams. And I think doubles at the Olympics taught him to love tennis again - he was just having such a blast! Hopefully he can just chill out and play his game.

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Let's revise those picks for the quarter finals. We have:

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Nadal vs. Blake

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Ferrer vs. Wawrinka

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Cilic vs. Gulbis

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Federer vs. Tursunov

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This would translate to the following semis:

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Nadal vs. Ferrer

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Federer vs. Gulbis

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And to the following final:

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Nadal vs. Federer

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And we all know who I think will win the Grapple in the Apple. Hopp Suisse!

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I haven't really looked at the women's draw, but I can tell you this - Dinara Safina is going to win. No doubt.

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No results today!

Cilic Serves Fish

I'm following the live scores as I write this, and right now my boy Marin Cilic is up 5-2 in the third set against Mardy Fish and is serving for it. I'm very proud. Boy, do I know how to pick 'em!

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I was doing a bit of hunting through the Challenger archives for this year, and I found out what Jeremy Chardy has been up to - well, for a week, anyway. He won a Challenger in Graz in late July, so maybe I'm being a bit unfair when I say he's the worst performer of my little Stars fold. He hasn't been splashing about on the ATP circuit like my boy Marin, maybe, but he's working hard. Good boy, Jeremy. (Condescending, me?)

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Speaking of Marin, he just won! One day, I'm going to be able to say that I picked him out before he was famous. I don't know if he's ever going to be #1, but top ten for sure, I think - and he's one of mine. I don't think I can really claim that I jumped on the del Potro bandwagon before he became all good and stuff, but I sure picked Marin early. Go me. And go Marin! Now all I need is for Ernests Gulbis to win a tour title and I'll be extraordinarily pleased with myself.

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Going back to the Challengers, another star performer was Thomaz Bellucci, who has won four of the things this year. I'd love to see him make a splash on the ATP circuit - but we might have to wait till next year, as I think he's a bit of a claycourter. Still, claycourters can sometimes do other stuff... look at Rafa.

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I promised a US Open preview, I do believe, but I might save that for tomorrow, when I will have nothing at all to talk about, as there will be no tennis. It's the US Open's version of Boring Sunday - but I suppose two weeks of awesome tennis after that might make up for it!

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Oh, and today's shout out goes to Lucie Safarova (aka Madame Berdych.) After a stellar run a while back - I remember her beating Mauresmo (I think) at the Australian and really doing well - she lost form, so much so as to be unseeded at a Tier IV tournament. I think she's ranked about #80 or something now. Anyway, she won that selfsame Tier IV tournament in Forest Hills pretty handily. She's really a lovely player - very watchable - so I'm quite pleased. Nice one, Lucie!

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Oh, and I apologise for the title of today's post. Really, I do.

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Today's Results

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Pilot Pen Tennis (New Haven)

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Men's Draw

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Marin Cilic def. Mardy Fish, 6-4 4-6 6-2

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Women's Draw

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Caroline Wozniacki def. Anna Chakvetadze, 3-6 6-4 6-1

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Forest Hills Tennis Classic (Forest Hills)

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Lucie Safarova def. Peng Shuai, 6-4 6-2

Stars, In Your Multitudes

I do believe I said yesterday that one day in the future Ivan Ljubicic would make a fine ATP chairman. Lo and behold! he's been elected to the ATP board as the official representative of Europe. I like to think this is proof that the ATP listen to what I say. Next thing you know, they'll be knocking on my door, asking me to be the next Etienne. You just wait.

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Meanwhile, I really should preview the US Open draw, but I'm going to save that for tomorrow. I have to save up my topics of conversation and ration them out carefully before the US Open, when things get all interesting. I think that today I am going to gloat some more about how good the kids in my Stars of the Future fold are. Especially Marin Cilic.

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When I first added Cilic to my Stars fold, I wasn't expecting him to be quite so spectacular. I thought he'd be one of my secondary stars. But he has had a real career year this year, and I am just counting down the seconds until he's in the top ten. He's seeded at the US Open, which makes him one of my best-performing Stars so far. Go Marin! And he has just made his first career final in New Haven, where he will play Mardy Fish for the title. Can Cilic take Fish? I think that he can - hook, line and sinker.

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I apologise profoundly for that pun. But if your last name is Fish, then I'm sure you'd be used to it. Go Marin!

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I think I better clarify who is actually in my Stars of the Future fold, because otherwise I'm going to end up adopting every stray young 'un that comes along and claiming the glory. Currently, the fold includes the following: Juan Martin del Potro (recent addition - very quickly becoming a Star of the Present!), Marin Cilic, Ernests Gulbis (my favourite!), Eduardo Schwank, Jeremy Chardy and Thomaz Bellucci. And I'm sure there's another one, but I can't remember who right now. But they're my picks. They're the ones that are going to make it big. Except maybe Chardy. I'm not so sold on him any more.

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My special favourite is, of course, Ernests Gulbis, who is one of the most insanely talented young players we have seen in a very long time. I don't know if he's quite at Federer/Safin talent level, but he's pretty damn good. He is officially the only person I have ever seen blow Rafa off the court. (Rafa still came back and won the match, but Swanboy got a set off him. Which is something.) A bit of experience, and he's going to be wonderful. Just give him a while. I think last time I talked about him, I said to give him a year. I might extend that to two, but he is going to be up there, mark my words.

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But my boy Marin... he's the star of his class right now, nonwithstanding new kid Juan Martin del Potro. He is the first of my original stars to reach a final, and I am very proud. Yay Marin!

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Today's Results

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Pilot Pen Tennis (New Haven)

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Men's Draw

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Marin Cilic def. Luka Gregorc, 6-3 6-3

Mardy Fish def. Fernando Verdasco, 6-0 1-6 6-3

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Women's Draw

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Anna Chakvetadze def. Amélie Mauresmo, 6-3 3-6 6-1

Caroline Wozniacki def. Alizé Cornet, 7-5 6-4

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Forest Hills Tennis Classic (Forest Hills)

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Lucie Safarova def. Iveta Benesova, 6-2 6-4

Peng Shuai def. Carla Suárez Navarro, 6-1 6-2

Everybody Hates Etienne

Etienne de Villers is retiring. I bet there's a lot of people that are really, really sad about that. Weeping, wailing, gnashing their teeth, etc, etc. Except not.

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I am right, aren't I? Everybody hates Etienne, yesno? That has certainly been the impression I've had. He seems to have changed everything round really fast, and I don't think people have liked that very much at all... especially the Hamburg tournament. I do like the fact he added an Asian swing, as I think that was lacking - but I think the players know best.

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I know there's a players council, and that Federer, Nadal and Djokovic all sit on it - does anyone know how much attention people pay to them? I would like to think it's a lot, but I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't. Important as I think it should be, something like that has token written all over it. Actually, wasn't it why the three big boys decided to run for office? To give it a higher profile? I think Ivan Ljubicic and James Blake used to sit on it, and while they're very important and lovely men, they don't quite have the clout that the Big Three do. And even though I have personal objections to certain members (well, member) of the Big Three, I think they're all good choices. Roger is the ultimate tennis statesman. Rafa is dogged. And Novak could just annoy people till they did what he wanted.

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I remember reading somewhere that a few years back, when they were planning a major overhaul of the schedule - was it 2005? Maybe 2004? - that four of the players sat down with the ATP guys in a hotel room and nutted it out. Federer was there, and Safin, and I think Rafa, but I can't remember who else. I wonder how much of that there was under the Age of Etienne? (I'm pretty sure that was pre-Etienne.) I have a feeling the council got marginalised. I know there was a lot of unrest. So kudos to the Big Three, who might well be partially responsible for the decision of de Villiers. I would like to think so, anyway.

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This means there'll be looking for a new guy, and while I don't know who they should pick this time, I know someone who would make an excellent Etienne in future. Can you go past Ivan Ljubicic?

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And another shoutout to my boy Luka Gregorc, who is in the semis in New Haven, despite coming through qualies and being ranked #434 or something in the world. He has taken out several big names this week, including Ivo Karlovic, and his next victim was Andreas Seppi, who he took out in the quarters. Wouldn't it be awesome to see him win? I love a good underdog (except when the underdog is playing Federer.) I confess I am going for Cilic, but should he lose, then Luka all the way!

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Today's Results

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Pilot Pen Tennis (New Haven)

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Men's Draw

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Fernando Verdasco def. Mischa Zverev, 6-2 7-6 (7-4)

Luka Gregorc def. Andreas Seppi, 4-6 6-4 7-5

Mardy Fish def. Jesse Levine, 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

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Women's Draw

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Anna Chakvetadze def. Sorana Cirstea, 6-3 6-3

Alizé Cornet def. Daniela Hantuchova, 3-6 6-4 6-4

Caroline Wozniacki def. Marion Bartoli, 6-4 6-0

Amélie Mauresmo def. Agnes Szavay, 6-4 7-5

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Forest Hills Tennis Classic (Forest Hills)

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Iveta Benesova def. Ekaterina Makarova, 2-6 6-2 6-4

Carla Suárez Navarro def. Martina Müller, 6-2 6-0

Peng Shuai def. Vera Dushevina, 6-4 7-5

Lucie Safarova def. Jamea Jackson, 3-6 6-3 6-0

Aussie Aussie... Aussie...?

Well, Lleyton Hewitt is out of the US Open. I can't say I have too much sympathy. I mean, sure, it's his hip that's hurting and I don't really know anything about it, but surely he realises that when you play on it all day every day it's just not going to get better? Why on earth did he not go in for surgery earlier?

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We all know I'm not a Hewitt fan, but he really is the only good Australian tennis player out there, so it is very sad to see him falling down the rankings. (Though I will say this for him - at least he has a relatively normal name - cough Kamakazi cough yes it's really spelled that way the moron cough.) Had he played the US Open, he would have been unseeded for the first time in about eighty million years. It means he would have been a Safin-like floater, but unlike Safin, I don't think Hewitt would have stood much of a chance of beating anyone. I remember when he reached the fourth round of Wimbledon and played Federer, and the Australian media was all over it, talking about the possibility/probability of an upset. But look, even if Federer is not in the best form of his life, he'd have to be playing on one leg to lose to Hewitt now. I don't like Lleyton, but I feel sorry for him. He's a dead horse that the Australian media just will not stop flogging until someone else comes along.

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That 'someone else' will be, one thinks, Bernard Tomic, but he's so young that I doubt he'll really burst onto the scene for a few years, if indeed he does some scene-bursting. He's definitely got the talent - he won the junior Australian Open this year, despite being only fifteen, and has been the top seed in every junior event I've seen him play - but from what I hear, he has a troublesome temperament. But that can be channelled... he's young. I would really like to see Tomic do something with his talent. Australian tennis is quiet right now.

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Meanwhile, we are now absolutely screwed for Davis Cup. Well, we were already screwed, but now we're really screwed. We're playing Chile, I think, in a World Group playoff, and unless there is some kind of miracle, we are going to get our collective arse kick. Chile will play Gonzalez and Massu, one thinks... and Gonzalez could pretty much beat the Australian team single-handedly, even with Hewitt in. So I guess we'll play Guccione... Sirianni is the next highest ranked player, then Smeets, then Luczak, who has had a rotten year... Luczak is proven at Davis Cup, but look, we are going to lose anyway. Gooch'll get played, maybe Hanley and Kerr for the doubles, and I guess Sirianni, logically - but hell, play Tomic. Blood him on the world stage. Sure, it'll be a bitchslap for Joe and Robert and Mr Milkshake, but there's no way we're going to win, unless every person in Chile instantly breaks their legs. And maybe wee Bernard can surprise them, eh?

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Before I go, a bit shout-out to world #434 Luka Gregorc, who knocked out Ivo Karlovic in New Haven today. Proof that the little guys can sometimes give the big guys a run for their money... yet another reason to play Tomic at Davis Cup!

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Today's Results

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Pilot Pen Tennis (New Haven)

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Men's Draw

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Fernando Verdasco def. Ivo Minar, 6-3 6-1

Luka Gregorc def. Ivo Karlovic, 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 6-2

Igor Andreev def. Victor Hanescu, 6-4 7-5

Marin Cilic def. Jurgen Melzer, 5-7 6-4 7-5

Andreas Seppi def. Fabio Fognini, 6-4 6-2

Jesse Levine def. Steve Darcis, 2-0 retired

Mischa Zverev def. Robby Ginepri, 1-6 6-3 6-1

Mardy Fish def. Wayne Odesnik, 6-1 4-6 6-1

Luka Gregorc def. Jose Acasuso, 6-4 6-4

Ivo Karlovic def. John Isner, 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-3

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Women's Draw

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Agnes Szavay def. Sara Errani, 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 6-4

Anna Chakvetadze def. Casey Dellacqua, 6-4 6-4

Amélie Mauresmo def. Patty Schnyder, 6-4 3-6 7-6 (8-6)

Sorana Cirstea def. Flavia Pennetta, 3-6 6-4 6-3

Alizé Cornet def. Katarina Srebotnik, 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 6-2

Caroline Wozniacki def. Monica Niculescu, 6-3 6-3

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Forest Hills Tennis Classic (Forest Hills)

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Peng Shuai def. Pauline Parmentier, 6-3 6-2

Jamea Jackson def. Marina Erakovic, 7-6 (7-4) 7-5

Carla Suárez Navarro def. Timea Bacsinszky, 6-4 7-6 (7-5)

Lucie Safarova def. Akgul Amanmuradova, 6-7 (11-13) 6-3 6-3

The French Question

And the big story of today is... nothing. It's one of those uniquely boring weeks before a big tournament, where everyone is waiting round with bated breath for it to start. The schleps are playing little schlep tournaments, but that's about it.

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Normally, I might rabbit on about one of my Stars of the Future, but even they've been pretty quiet. Marin Cilic had a win, but it was a retirement after three games, so that's not so exciting. Eduardo Schwank lost to Ivo Minar. I've gone off Eduardo a bit, actually. He has yet to prove himself to me outside the clay arena. Though I suppose there was that tight match with Roddick the other day... if he won, then we'd be talking. But alas - match points, and couldn't convert. He's not being dropped from the fold or anything, but he's certainly not up there with my favourites right now.

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Another player I touted as a Star of the Future was Jeremy Chardy, but I haven't seen him about at all for a few months. Is he injured? Playing Challengers? What's the story? French tennis, Clement and Llodra aside, put up a very poor account of itself at the Olympics. Gasquet whimpering under the bed somewhere, Tsonga injured - actually, is he going to be better soon? I thought I heard US Open as his likely return date. No medals, which for a country with that many great players is a bit of a shame.

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And where were the French women? I know Golovin was injured, but why wasn't Bartoli there? Mauresmo? Did Parmentier play? Women's tennis doesn't have quite the same level of depth for the French, but surely they could have fielded a few. I don't remember seeing any. That is thoroughly disappointing.

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A little bit like today's blog, I guess...!

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Today's Results

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Pilot Pen Tennis (New Haven)

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Men's Draw

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Igor Andreev def. Olivier Rochus, 6-3 6-4

Mischa Zverev def. Juan Monaco, 6-3 6-3

Marin Cilic def. Viktor Troicki, 2-1 retired

Andreas Seppi def. Potito Starace, 4-6 6-4 6-4

Marc Gicquel def. Albert Montanes, 7-5 6-3

Fabio Fognini def. Simone Bolelli, 6-2 5-7 6-4

Jurgen Melzer def. Arnaud Clement, 7-6 (7-1) 7-5

Robby Ginepri def. Agustin Calleri, 6-2 4-6 6-2

Steve Darcis def. Marcel Granollers, 6-2 6-2

Luka Gregorc def. Jose Acasuso, 6-4 6-4

Ivo Minar def. Eduardo Schwank, 7-5 6-3

Victor Hanescu def. Denis Gremelmayr, 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-3) 6-2

Jesse Levine def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 6-0 6-3

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Women's Draw

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Flavia Pennetta def. Gisela Dulko, 6-3 6-1

Amélie Mauresmo def. Kaia Kanepi, 6-2 6-7 (3-7) 6-2

Monica Niculescu def. Maria Kirilenko, 6-7 (7-9) 6-2 6-1

Marion Bartoli def. Tsvetana Pironkova, 2-6 6-4 7-5

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Forest Hills Tennis Classic (Forest Hills)

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Iveta Benesova def. Elena Vesnina, 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 7-5

Ekaterina Makarova def. Gail Brodsky, 7-5 6-2

Vera Dushevina def. Sofia Arvidsson, 6-2 6-2

Martina Müller def. Petra Cetkovska, 6-2 6-3

Weaving A Tangled Web

It occurs to me that I never once mentioned that major controversy that happened a couple of days before the end of the tennis event in the Olympics. I got so caught up in the Swiss doubles victory that I forgot about it entirely. So let's talk about it today.

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The story: Fernando Gonzalez and James Blake are facing off in a match. The winner of the match is guaranteed a medal, the loser will have to play off for the bronze. It's getting tight. Third set, the drama, the drama. Blake hits a shot that goes out. Gonzalez is at the net, shies away. The ball goes out. Blake swears it ricocheted off Gonzalez's racquet, Gonzalez said it didn't. The match continues. Blake, unsettled, loses. The drama, the drama.

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Now, I haven't seen the replays or anything, so I have no opinion on whether or not Gonzalez touched the ball. In fact, I might have even described the situation wrong, but it's roughly correct at least. So what do you do in a situation like this?

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Let's put ourselves in Blake's shoes. You want this match, yeah, you want it bad, and you could swear it came off the other guy's racquet. I wouldn't even consider the option that Blake lied - that would just be terrible sportsmanship, and I don't think James Blake is that kind of guy. Could your eyes deceive you? Possibly. But does it happen too quick for you to able to tell? Probably.

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But you might hear it, you might see the ball change direction. I have no idea what level of perception tennis players have out there. How much do they listen, how much do they rely on their eyes? What feasible chance does Blake have to be sure?

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Now, let's consider Fernando Gonzalez. He definitely doesn't want the ball to have hit his racquet. Again, I doubt he would have lied - though his post match comments were certainly a bit dodgier than Blake's, if that makes sense. He said something along the lines of not being 100% sure of what had happened. Now, I'm sure it would be hard to see or hear the ball, with the speed and maybe the crowd and stuff, but surely you'd be able to feel it? Those guys hit the balls like a rocket. How can you be not sure?

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But I'm not fully acquainted with the circumstances, and if Gonzalez says he's not sure, then I'm sure he's not sure. There aren't many players - or any, really - on the circuit that I would ever think capable of full-out lying. I wonder if the fact it was Gonzalez on the other side of the net influenced Blake at all...? I'm not aware of any dislike or anything between them, but imagine if this had happened when Blake had been playing Federer. Blake has come out and talked about his respect for Federer on numerous times. If Roger said he didn't hit the ball, I'm pretty sure Blake would believe that Roger didn't hit the ball. But it was Gonzalez. So was this an influence?

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The upshot of all this is that I have no idea, and in fact, no opinion about what happened. I'd be prepared to take both guys at their word, and I would severely doubt that either one is deliberately lying. But it's interesting. I'm generally impressed with the high level of sportsmanship and lack of gamesmanship on the ATP tour, but they can't all be perfect. Could you live with yourself if you won something under false pretences? A lot of people would go a long way for an Olympic medal. Maybe I'm idealistic, but I just can't believe that either of these guys would deliberately lie about this.

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There is today's tangled moral issue. I am taking my position firmly on the fence. What does everyone else think?

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It's one of those dull weeks of tennis before a major tournament again. The US Open starts next week, which will be big fun and very interesting and stuff, but this week is pretty dull. The only real tournament is New Haven (men and women), and due to the Olympics, none of the big guns is playing. The top seed is Nando Verdasco, and while he's a good player, he's not a world-changer. For the women, it's Anna Chakvetadze (is she not ranked higher than Zvonareva? Why wasn't she at the Olympics? Or did she genuinely not qualify?) So this might be one of those uninspired blog weeks, unless we have some more interesting issues. I suppose I could always talk about McEnroe's exclusion at some point... putting me about a week behind the news!

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Juan Martin del Potro is not playing, although he was originally scheduled to... but I think that's a smart move. You don't want to come into a Slam having played two solid weeks of tennis - because if he was here, he would stand a great chance of winning. And if you had a streak like that, you'd want to take it in to the US Open. If he's in the right part of the draw, he stands a good chance of being the random semi finalist. Actually, I'd like him to be in Djokovic's quarter, so he can pull a Safin. He's currently at #17, so he could potentially meet one of the big guns in the third round... wouldn't that be interesting?

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It occurs to me that del Potro is only twenty, and is totally only at the beginning of his career, though he seems to have been round for a while. I am now officially adopting him into the Tennis From The Backseat Stars of the Future program. Currently, he's my star performer - so Ernests and Marin might need to move over! Or, alternatively, they need to do some serious shining!

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Today's Results

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Pilot Pen Tennis (New Haven)

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Men's Draw

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Fernando Verdasco def. Dudi Sela, 6-4 6-4

Potito Starace def. Jiri Vanek, 6-2 7-6 (9-7)

Denis Gremelmayr def. Marcos Daniel, 3-6 6-3 6-3

Olivier Rochus def. Evgeny Korolev, 6-4 6-4

Steve Darcis def. Vince Spadea, 7-5 5-0 retired

Fabio Fognini def. Nicolas Lapentti, 6-4 4-4 retired

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez def. Chris Guccione, 7-5 6-3

John Isner def. Igor Kunitsyn, 6-4 6-4

Wayne Odesnik def. Sebastien Grosjean, 7-5 6-4

Luka Gregorc def. Ramon Delgado, 6-2 3-6 6-0

Robby Ginepri def. Luis Horna, 7-6 (7-4) 6-2

Arnaud Clement def. Thomaz Bellucci, 6-4 6-4

Viktor Troicki def. Alex Bogomolov Jr., 7-5 2-6 6-1

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Women's Draw

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Patty Schnyder def. Jill Craybas, 6-4 7-6 (7-2)

Alizé Cornet def. Nicole Vaidisova, 6-3 7-6 (10-8)

Caroline Wozniacki def. Dominika Cibulkova, 7-6 (9-7) retired

Katarina Srebotnik def. María José Martínez Sánchez, 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-2

Casey Dellacqua def. Virginie Razzano, 6-3 6-1

Sorana Cirstea def. Alla Kudryavtseva, 4-6 6-3 7-5

Sara Errani def. Mallory Cecil, 6-2 4-6 7-6 (7-1)

Mixed Feelings

There is no denying that today belongs to Rafael Nadal. I wanted Federer to win singles gold to mark the end of his golden age (the first of them, anyway!) but perhaps it is more appropriate for Rafa to open his reign with gold. He deserved it, thoroughly. He is playing amazing tennis right now. Welcome to the top, Rafa. You belong here.

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Not that Roger isn't going to get it back. He is. I have no doubt. I think that doubles gold has kindled something in him. He was having such a blast playing with Stan, just relaxing into his game. He may not have been 'back' yet, per se, but he is coming. He will be back. Because even if Rafa is #1 now, he has a while to go before he becomes Federesque. It must be so hard for Rafa, having someone like Roger to look up to - but wonderful too. Who could be a better example?

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(Someone Djokovic should think about looking up to, methinks.)

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It was a bit disappointing to see Safina win silver in Beijing - but she's beaten Dementieva so much this year that maybe it was just Elena's turn! Silver is still a wonderful achievement, so go Dinara! An all-Russian podium - that's something else! And that's not including Sharapova or Kuznetsova. Safina is arguably playing better than anyone else this year, and she's still the #4 Russian. And look at Cincy - Petrova won there, another Russian. What does that say about Russian tennis for women? And why hasn't it quite worked for the men?

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Not that there aren't excellent male Russian players - there are! - but they seem sketchier than the girls, less steady. There is no greater head case in the men's game than Marat Safin. And look at Tursunov, and even Youzhny and Andreev. There is so much talent there, but the men don't seem to have their heads in the game. I used to use Davydenko as my example of a steady Russian male tennis player, but I can't any more - now that he's all sick of tennis and stuff (disgust!) Still, his lack of steadiness isn't due to him being a head case, just having a rubbish temperament. Le sigh.

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Going back to women's tennis, they have also had a change of #1 - it's Ivanovic that's gone back up. I don't pretend to understand - I don't follow women's tennis enough to know who's gaining and losing points at specific times. She and Jankovic have both already qualified for Doha at the end of the year - hey, that's a thought. If Sharapova is out for the US Open, etc, does that mean that she won't qualify? I mean, that's working on the assumption that she'll be better by Doha, but she stands a real chance of missing out. I know in doubles there is or has been a clause that if you win a Slam you get to go, but that certainly doesn't happen in men's singles, and so I assume it doesn't happen for women. I don't like Sharapova, but it would be a crying shame if she missed out, because she's such an excellent player. And that final last year with her and Henin was fabulous. It would be very sad if she didn't have the opportunity to defend that.

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Meanwhile, I have a new proposition for Olympic tennis in London. What do they use the tennis venue for after the tennis is done? Nada. Therefore, they should stretch the tennis over two weeks - singles one week and doubles the next. I think doubles hurt some of the singles players in Beijing - watch me carefully not mention Federer's name - and that would solve that problem. And also, they could play mixed doubles in that doubles week! If mixed doubles is in Slams, it should be in the Olympics - and tennis needs more medal opportunities. The Federers and Nadals of this world are never going to be able to equal Phelps's eight gold medal record, simply because there aren't enough medals available in tennis. I'm not suggesting changing the standard rules or format or anything so you could win eight gold medals in tennis, but surely mixed doubles is a legitimate Olympic sport. Besides, it would be rad to see men and women playing together. I personally would love to see Federer playing mixed for Switzerland with Patty Schnyder. I think they'd be a fabulous team. And how about Rafa and Anabel Medina Garrigues? Djokovic and Ivanovic, Tipsarevic and Jankovic? The Bryans brothers with the Williams sisters? I think there are some awesome possibilities. Stan and Timea? They would be really cute.

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And how about Juan Martin del Potro? Four titles and counting. That is an achievement Federer would have been proud of at the height of his glorious reign. He is going to be the serious challenger for the US Open that no one saw coming!

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Today's Results

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Games of the XXIX Olympiad (Beijing)

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Men's Draw - Singles

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Rafael Nadal def. Fernando Gonzalez, 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 6-3

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Women's Draw - Singles

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Elena Dementieva def. Dinara Safina, 3-6 7-5 6-3

Vera Zvonareva def. Li Na, 6-0 7-5

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Women's Draw - Doubles

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Williams/Williams def. Medina Garrigues/Ruano Pascual, 6-2 6-0

Yan/Zheng def. Bondarenko/Bondarenko, 6-2 6-2

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Legg Mason Tennis Classic (Washington)

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Juan Martin del Potro def. Viktor Troicki, 6-3 6-3

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Western and Southern Financial Group Women's Open (Cincinatti)

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Nadia Petrova def. Nathalie Dechy, 6-2 6-1

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Pilot Pen Tennis (New Haven)

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Men's Draw

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Mischa Zverev def. Florent Serra, 6-2 7-6 (8-6)

Ivo Minar def. Nicolas Mahut, 5-7 6-3 6-3

Albert Montanes def. Nicolas Devilder, 7-6 (7-5) 7-5

Dudi Sela def. Donald Young, 6-4 6-2

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Women's Draw

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Tsvetana Pironkova def. Bethanie Mattek, 7-6 (7-4) 0-6 6-0

Olga Govortsova def. Alisa Kleybanova, 6-0 6-2