...well, maybe not ballerina exactly, but one thing I was quite amazed by when watching this match was the level of movement from these two girls. Neither of them are exactly little, but they're both tremendous athletes. I noticed it from Safina especially - she's what, 6'2"? and she was getting down so low to some of these balls it was quite incredible. She certainly wouldn't have been able to do that a year ago. So kudos to her for working hard on that.
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Though the match didn't go the way I wanted, I still enjoyed watching it a great deal. It wasn't the highest quality match ever, but it was the conditions that really made it so, and it was a real test of who dealt with it better. I think all that experience really helped Serena over the line. She's not always the steadiest player - but compared with the Good Ship Dinara, she was like a rock. It would actually be really interesting to see these two play indoors, where the conditions are pretty much irrelevant. Safina was going for her shots, and if a few more of those had gone in... I would not have bet against her.
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This may not have been Dinara's Slam winning year, but I think she will win the US Open one day - or the Australian, or maybe both. She's just so impressive on hard courts, and she's beginning to get that business-end experience under her belt. This has been her career year - and we have to remember that she's only twenty-two. She's got a bit of tennis left in her yet, does Dinara! I don't think she really did anything wrong today, except for, you know, missing. She went for it. She tried to play her own game and she didn't let Serena dictate to her. Even though she got broken herself a lot, she also broke Serena pretty consistently, and that's not the easiest thing in the world to do. Even though she lost, I think Dinara can take a lot away from this match - and watch her come out swinging at the Australian Open! Actually, watch her come out swinging at Doha - surely she must have qualified by now? She's going to be a force.
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For now, I think she needs to have a rest. She must have a case of Rafa Syndrome something severe. Put your feet up for a week and have some chocolate, Dinara. You've earned it.
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Jankovic triumphed over Dementieva in the other semi - actually, that's not the best way to put it. If ever there was an example of a match being on someone's racquet, there was it. All Jankovic had to do was hang about and wait for Dementieva to make a mistake. I mean, kudos to her for playing such a great defensive game and also for coming back from being down in both sets, but if she pulls that against Serena, she'll get eaten for breakfast. Actually, I'd put money on her getting eaten for breakfast anyway, but she might need to revise her game plan a bit. The Djokovic 'I am a wall' game might work for a while, but if Serena can't hit through Jankovic, she'll make angles and do crafty things and suchlike. Either that, or she'll just blast Jelena off the court with pure power. Jankovic is no sissy, but if you put them against each other in a test of pure strength, I'd be backing Team Serena.
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So that's my call. I wouldn't mind seeing Jankovic win, so when she flits in and out of that #1 positon she actually has a little something to back it up, but this one is Serena's to win or lose - and I'm betting she won't falter. When it comes down to it, I think Serena probably deserves #1 more than Jelena - they're both still in the running, yesno? I'd think she deserved more if she played more tennis, but on the whole this year, she's been up there in the big time a bit more than Jelena has.
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Now let's sit back, relax, and wait for Novak Djokovic to retire tomorrow. What excuse will it be this time? I'm going with stomach problems - but I think he's used that one before against Federer. Wait, no, it was breathing problems in Rome. Maybe it'll be a knee - I don't think he's injured those yet. Or a migraine. Or a sudden urge to sneeze.
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Today's Results
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US Open (Flushing Meadows)
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Women's Draw
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Serena Williams def. Dinara Safina, 6-3 6-2
Jelena Jankovic def. Elena Dementieva, 6-4 6-4
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