Serena's Time

After some of the matches we've seen in Melbourne this week - particularly the five hour epic Nadal/Verdasco semi-final - the total whitewash of a women's final was a bit of a letdown. Less than an hour. Complete shellacking. I don't think we're in any doubt who the #1 player in women's tennis is.

*

Dinara Safina did not play a bad match. She didn't play a good match either, because she wasn't allowed to play a match at all. She said in her speech when she accepted the runner-up trophy that she was just a ballboy on the court that day, and, horrible as it is, it was pretty true. This was a show of total domination from a player who deserves the top ranking thoroughly.

*

So what can you do?

*

I wouldn't be surprised at all if we saw a Serena Slam this year. Roland Garros will obviously be the key - and I think Dinara Safina might give her much more of a run for her money there than she did here today - but she's clearly so far ahead of the rest of the pack right now it's pretty ridiculous. She played terribly in the early rounds but got through, then hit her straps against Kuznetsova and never looked back. When she beat Dementieva in straights I guess you sort of knew she was going to win it. Safina never had a look in today. There was nothing she could do. This is Serena's time.

*

That said, I think we're going to see a lot more of Dinara. Hopefully we'll see a lot more of Dinara with a slightly better ball toss. I think she's a real shot to win Roland Garros this year and her first Slam has got to be right around the corner. She was an excellent sport about the beatdown she received today - and hopefully one day soon she can be the one doing the beating. But today is Serena's day. Congratulations to the well-deserved #1 in women's tennis!
*

*

Australian Open

*

Women's Draw

*

Serena Williams def. Dinara Safina, 6-0 6-3

Staying Power

What a shame.

*

What a shame that such a spectacular bullfight of a match had to end on a double fault.

*

This has to be one of the great all-time matches at Melbourne Park - it's certainly the longest, clocking at a massive five hours and fourteen minutes, going longer than even Andy Roddick's match against Younes el Aynaoui, which featured a two-and-a-half hour fifth set. That was the direction I thought this match was heading for a while - something like 21-19 in the fifth. It deserved it. If yesterday was 'Try it Again' by the Hives, today was 'Going the Distance' by Cake. This was an absolute war of a match. And what staying power both boys showed!

*

Who would ever have thought that Fernando Verdasco could push Rafa Nadal all the way like this? Rafa wasn't out of sorts or anything - Nando just took him on, and went toe to toe with the world number #1 for the whole match. He hit ninety-three clean winners in the course of the match - and the way Rafa defends the court, that is some achievement. He played one of the all-time great tiebreakers to take the fourth set (what if he had played that way in the third set breaker as well? The match could have been veeeery different.) He got fatigued but fought through it, finding a second (and a third and a fourth and a nine-hundredth) wind. And perhaps most impressively, he matched Rafa for intensity pretty much every point. And that is something else.

*

I've written almost wholly about Nando here - and that's because he really is the one that played the exceptional match. By his standards, this was a good match for Rafa too - but it is very, very rare that he we see someone take him on like this. Not to belittle his achievement, but his game and his strength and his concentration have become almost commonplace because we see them so often. To see Verdasco matching him - a player who, in the past, has crumbled on the big points - was amazing. Rafa may have taken the match in the end, but in the end, I think Nando's victory was the greatest. He's proved that he belongs in the top ten for sure.

*

Not to belittle the achievements of Rafa. He didn't let the pressure that Verdasco was exerting on him get to him - too much. There was a moment where he smacked himself out of sheer frustration, which is positively demonstrative for Rafa. He played a great match to hang in there against an opponent who was on fire. But I'm afraid I've fallen into the same trap with Rafa that I berate people for with Federer. His excellence is so evident in every match he plays that it becomes commonplace. Sorry, Rafa.

*

I know better than to question how he's going to pull up after this match - knowing him, he could probably have gone on for another five hours. That said, I bet Roger Federer was glad knowing that Rafa's match was about three times longer than his was. Not that Roger had an easy today physically either - there have been power outages all over Melbourne because of the extreme heat conditions, and apparently the Crown Casino precinct, where both the top boys stay, went down in the early evening... and Roger and Mirka had to walk down thirty-six flights of stairs to get to the tournament site, where they camped out and watched the match in the player restaurant. Thirty-six flights of stairs ain't easy.

*

So it's going to be a final for the ages, and I think it's fitting - even if I was gunning for the surprise finalist. The challengers have fallen away. Djokovic and Murray have both faded into the background. And now we have the two men who have dominated tennis for almost five years now, in a showdown that I think we're going to remember for some time. They've never played night tennis against each other before - so we're going to have a new look at the Hispano-Suisse tennis powerhouses. We all know who I'm pulling for. But it's going to be a good one, nonetheless.

*

Back to Fernando a minute, before I go. Apparently, before the Davis Cup final, the Spanish team gathered at a ranch just outside Mar del Plata and the team captain, Emilio Sanchez, asked each of the men what he wanted to get out of the Davis Cup final. Nando replied that he wanted to be a hero - a hero for Spain. I think he has proved here that he can be a hero for himself as well. I have a feeling his career is going to be wonderful this year.

*

Though the real hero is obviously whatever product it is he uses in his hair. Five hours - nearly five and a half - and not a strand moved. Forget tennis. That is some serious staying power.

*

*

Australian Open

*

Men's Draw

*

Rafael Nadal def. Fernando Verdasco, 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-2) 6-7 (1-7) 6-4

Out Of Your League

Channel 7 has been using this one song as one of their tennis promotional songs over their montages and whatnot which I think perfectly sums up the Federer/Roddick rivalry - 'Try It Again' by The Hives. Catchphrase? 'You're never going to pass me, 'coz I'm out of your league.'

*

And that's pretty much it, isn't it? A-Rod has improved. He's trimmed down, become much better defensively, become faster and learned to play the occasional volley (instead of his old "volleys.") His serve is MASSIVE. And still Roger Federer puts the beatdown on him.

*

I mean, sure A-Rod beat Roger last year, but that was when Roger was in the throes of glange, even if he won't admit it. He was slower and his forehand was out of sorts and just wasn't himself out there. But we're seeing the big guy back in town now, and there is just nothing Andy Roddick can do about it. No matter how much he improves, he's only got so much, and anything he can do, Federer can do twelve times better. If his first serve isn't a winner, then there's trouble. Actually, Jim Courier was saying that Agassi once said, commentating a Federer/Roddick match at the US Open, that if Roddick hadn't made a winner by the third ball of a rally, he should just hit the ball into the stands, because he'd have just as much chance of winning the point that way. And once again, that was proved to be true. Once the point went beyond three or four strokes, Federer was winning something like 70% of the time. Sometimes Roddick got aggressive or Federer made an error, but basically, Federer was owning him. Plain and simple.

*

Maybe we just need to accept that Andy Roddick is never going to have the weapons to beat Roger Federer. I think it would be a huge mistake for Andy Roddick to admit that, because that would be giving up, but as observers, the truth is becoming more and more evident. Roddick's game just matches up too well to Federer's. No matter how much he improves, until he develops a high hooking left-handed topspin forehand, Federer is pretty much going to own him. End of story. Federer is just out of his league.

*

And can I just say that it is absolutely LOVELY to see Roger Federer back in another Aussie Open final, after his semi-final exit last year. It feels like a wrong has been righted, somehow. The final ain't the final here without my man Rog in it.

*

And our women's final is going to be very interesting as well - an all out slugfest showdown between Serena Williams and Dinara Safina. I cannot tell you how much I want Dinara to win. After all the form she's gained, she deserves a Slam win. However, Serena showed some pretty sweet form in taking out the lady in form, Elena Dementieva, in a match that had approximately forty thousand deuces. She is pretty hard to stop once she gets on a roll in a Slam like this - has Dinara got the guns to do it? I reckon she can. Someone was saying that the match was on Serena's racquet, and I don't think that's true at all. Dinara's got the weapons to give Serena serious trouble - it's just a question of how she uses them and how clean her tennis is. If she makes too many errors, she'll lose, pretty much. But if she goes for the lines, plays aggressively and gets them in, then I reckon she's going to push Serena all the way to the podium - and maybe all the way past her. It's going to be a good match, anyway. Serena was looking great against Dementieva, and I loved what Dinara brought to the court against Vera Zvonareva - all out aggression, all the time. Sure, she made some mistakes, but she made some SUPER winners as well. It was really good fun to watch - and I'm sure the final will be the same!

*

Oh, and last note - I loved Andy Roddick's altercations with the umpire last night. 'I can't read your expression!' Pretty hilarious stuff - though it didn't really help Roddick's cause too much.

*

*

Today's Results

*

Australian Open

*

Men's Draw

*

Roger Federer def. Andy Roddick, 6-2 7-5 7-5

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Serena Williams def. Elena Demetieva, 6-3 6-4

Dinara Safina def. Vera Zvonareva, 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

Bullfight

That's the all-Spaniard semi-final is going to be - a bullfight. Left-handed giant-killer Nando Verdasco goes up against the biggest left-handed giant of them all, Rafa Nadal, the machine. Rafa I expect a lot of people would have picked to get to this point. Nando... not so much.

*

We have a grand old tradition at the Australian Open of a surprise finalist. Well, I say old... three years old. Marcos Baghdatis, Fernando Gonzalez, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga... could Nando be this year's surprise?

*

Well, let's not count our chickens before they're hatched. He has to get through the Raging Bull first - and as Gilles Simon will tell you, that's easier said than done.

*

Naf and I were having this conversation the other in the comments section of her great blog Tennis With Attitude (it's in my blogroll - check it out) about whether Rafa might actually be a cyborg. I have to say, it's a distinct possibility, the way he's been playing. That said, however, he showed a couple of signs of mortality last night - or maybe the heat was playing havoc with his internal workings or he rusted up a bit. Hard to tell. He still put the beatdown on the little bird in straights, but it was tougher going than he's been used to - which one would expect, because, hello, top ten player, but still... He seemed to have a total unwillingness to hit anything other than his funny-looking slice or a couple of pushes off his backhand - I think he only made one outright backhand winner the whole match. His backhand is hardly the Ultimate Power Shot his big lefty hooking forehand is, but it sure doesn't suck... so what was with that? Maybe it was just tactics against Simon, but they were weird tactics.

*

I make him sound like he's on the brink of explosion. Lies, all lies. He's a unit. Much as I'd like to see Nando be this year's Marcos, I wouldn't like his chances of getting through the Rafinator.

*

But didn't he put up a good show against Jo-Willy? He's a great player, Nando, but he doesn't have half the arsenal the big guy does - and he still managed to beat him into submission! What a run for him - beating Murray and then Tsonga in quick succession. That's a bit spesh - very Marcos, actually, when he took out Roddick then Ljubicic (then Nalbandian!) in '06. For sure he'll be in the top ten next week, and he really deserves it - Davis Cup is mad, but it doesn't get you any points. He's capitalising on that win and converting it into some WILD form.

*

It's going to be an interesting match against Rafa - though I do think Rafa will get him, I wouldn't be surprised to see Nando at least grab a set. He's a lefty too, which means that forehand-to-backhand thing Rafa usually has working for him is neutralised. So that means we'll have the big-lefty-hooking-spinny-weird-but-highly-effective-thing that Rafa works against the Verdasco forehand, which is pretty much a rocketship. Gonna be interesting... and also the hair matchup is going to be a good one too. Rafa's hair seems to be dripping with sweat the second he sets on court. Nando's hair? It never moves. IT NEVER EVER MOVES. I am not convinced that it is not a helmet.

*

Oh yeah, and some women played tennis yesterday too. Dementieva put an end to the great run of Carla Suarez Navarro, which I didn't see, due to gainful employment, but was hardly unexpected. She really could go all the way, Elena, if she can keep her serve and her head together. And then Serena thwarted an all Russian semi-final quartet by taking out Svetlana Kuznetsova, despite Sveta being a set and 5-3 up. Them's the ways of champions, and no-one's doubting Serena's credits in that department. That said, they closed the roof after the first set, and if it had stayed open, I would not have liked Serena's chances... it will be interesting to see how the heat goes today, and whether we play in or outdoor. It's not quite the same when they're playing in air-conditioned comfort. I like to see how the conditions come into play. But sometimes I guess it's just too darn hot. And it is, let me assure you - it is really, really hot in this sort of eastern part of Australia right now! REALLY, REALLY HOT.

*

*

Today's Results

*

Australian Open

*

Men's Draw

*

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

Fernando Verdasco def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 6-3 6-2

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Elena Dementieva def. Carla Suarez Navarro, 6-2 6-2

Serena Williams def. Svetlana Kuznetsova, 5-7 7-5 6-1

This Man, This Marvel, This Moment

I'm sure there are a lot of journalists out there who are very pissed off. In the round of sixteen, Roger Federer looked down and out, having to come back from two sets to love down against an opponent he's beaten easily in the past. They had pens poised, waiting for Juan Martin del Potro, up and coming Argentine star who has blazed onto the scene like a meteor, to shake up, if not take down, the champion.

*

And the scoreline? Federer wins, 6-3 6-0 6-0.

*

That's right, folks - the Roger Federer Bagel Bakery is back in business, and it's working overtime.

*

We talked about Rafa delivering 53/8 tennis the other day. Federer's stats today were 38/9 - and there would have been more winners, except for the fact he only gave up three lousy games the whole time. How's this for a stat: he won 83 points to del Potro's 36. And most of those del Potro points were in the first set. That set was Federer 33 to del Potro 22. The second set, 26 to 8. And the third, 24 to 6. That is just ridiculous.

*

But the stats do not tell us the full story of the Federer domination in this match. Del Potro, who, you know, doesn't actively suck or anything, just got made to look ridiculous. Nadal made Christophe Rochus look ridiculous in his first round match, but even he gave up more games than this. Del Potro wasn't injured. He made too many errors, sure, and didn't adjust his game plan when he should have, but no top ten player would normally ever be demolished like this. Ever. EVER. Del Potro is #6 in the world and Federer made him look like a fourteen year old junior who'd shown some cheek and asked for a whipping.

*

He played some shots that were just stupid. No one should be able to make those shots. Jim Courier actually made a really good observations in commentary: Rafa is a brute of a tennis player and the spin and the heaviness he puts on the ball is deeply unsettling to most players, but no one has more actual skill with the racquet than Roger. He had such control - and he just wasn't making mistakes. Everything was going in - ridiculous, lunatic passing shots. Whipping forehands. Down the line backhands. Chip and charge skipping shots off the line. Serve and volleys where the volleys were just crazy. It was an exhibition of pure talent. And man, was it good.

*

Oh yeah... there was another match as well tonight, which I should probably talk about... Dokic/Safina. I was glad Dokic gave Safina such a good challenge, but though I, like Australia, was cheering for Dokic all the way, I'm secretly glad Dinara won. She has such a good chance to take her first Grand Slam - and you can see that she wants it, too. Her shout out to her coach at the end was utterly adorable. Considering Zeljko seems to do nothing but yell at her and she still seems to not just keep him round but actively like him, I'd love to see his reaction if she wins... (and yes, even though he is old, short and married, I maintain that they love each other. Not changing my mind on that one.)

*

Then there was the Zvonareva/Bartoli whitewash - I mean, match. Seriously, what can you say about that one? Zvonareva took a few games to figure Bartoli out and then just owned her. She's going to be a dangerous opponent for Dinara in the semis. I think Dinara can take her, but it might go three again...

*

And then the repulsive, ugh-you-did-not moment of the day. Novak Djokovic, if you can't take the heat, get out of Australia. IT'S HOT HERE. DEAL. Seriously, Roddick was fine. Zvonareva was fine. Bartoli was getting hammered, but not because of the heat. Who can call themselves a legitimate professional athlete with that obvious lack of conditioning? And seriously, who retires once you get this deep in a Slam? Remember when Henin retired against Mauresmo and pretty much earned the enmity of the entire tennis world? Djokovic has pulled this stunt three times - the semis of Roland Garros and Wimbledon, both times against Nadal, and now here in the quarters against Roddick, when he is supposed to be undertaking a title defence.

*

Ridiculous. I was appalled - not only by the lack of conditioning which led to him getting heatstroke or whatever, but the fact that he didn't even give Roddick the victory properly. "Roger Federer doesn't retire - otherwise he doesn't step on court," Federer said once. Why don't more people have this attitude? I mean, if you actually break your leg or something, I get it, but to be this affected by the heat (and it was hot, but still a long way off the extreme heat policy needing to be brought into play) is just ridiculous. RIDICULOUS.

*

All credit to Roddick though - he's looking good. Larry Stefanki has clearly been good for him, and I'm liking his new leaner physique. But if Federer brings to the court what he brought against del Potro... well, it's going to be 2007 all over again.

*

*

Today's Results

*

Australian Open

*

Men's Draw

*

Roger Federer def. Juan Martin del Potro, 6-3 6-0 6-0

Andy Roddick def. Novak Djokovic, 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-2 2-1 retired

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Dinara Safina def. Jelena Dokic, 6-4 4-6 6-4

Vera Zvonareva def. Marion Bartoli, 6-3 6-0

Injury Woes

Well, the second day of fourth round matches didn't have quite the same classic feel as the first, but that does not mean it was lacking in upsets - or high drama. Well, that's if you call injury high drama.

*

Three retirements we had today - which is probably more than we've otherwise had in the whole tournament. First Monfils chucks in the towel against Simon - which is a great shame because that was a very entertaining match, and I would have liked to have seen Monfils pull it out, because a rematch between him and Rafa after the events of Doha would have been very interesting. Then over on Hisense, Zheng Jie pulls out against Sveta Kuznetsova - who really has been coming quietly through the draw. Don't tell me she's (shock) back in form? Then, in probably the most disappointing of them all, Victoria Azarenka pulls out against Serena, after being a set up, due to some stomach issue. Now that one was a real shame.

*

Not that I'm an Azarenka fan. I'm not - not after the way she behaved in her match against Gajdosova in Brisbane. But Serena's form (or lack thereof) is begging for an upset. Sure, she could play her way in like she did in '07, and I'm certainly not anti-that... but basically, I just want the draw to open up for whomever wins the Dokic/Safina match. And also, I'd like Dementieva to get to the final on that side of the draw, because I think she deserves it. I'm sure she'll take out Serena, if no one else does.

*

Man, that whole rant made me sound really anti-Serena. I'm not. I guess I'm just saying that with her current form, she doesn't deserve to win.

*

Rafa got through in his usual scary way - 33/11 this time, so not quite as scary as 53/8 the other day, but still pretty terrifying. Now that - dun dun dun! - Murray's out, you have to like him to make the final. There isn't really a possibility for a Marcos/Gonzo/Jo-W this year - though I suppose Nando Verdasco isn't one you'd pick, so maybe he could pull it off, but still... Rafa's been going one better here every year, quarters in '07, semis in '08 - surely that points to a final in '09?

*

Actually, surely the ability to play 53/8 tennis points to a final in '09.

*

But the big one, the upset, the massive, massive surprise - Nando Verdasco taking out Andy Murray in five sets. I guess Murray isn't going to emulate Djokovic last season - finals of the US, winner of the Aussie. Who would have picked that one? Murray didn't play especially badly, either: he just didn't capitalise on a few important chances, and in the second set especially, he just switched off. And Nando's first serve percentage is INSANE, to say the least. I read somewhere that he has the highest first serve percentage on average of anyone on tour, and that was pretty evident here - it really helped him. And it's not that his first serve is a creampuff either - it's a rocketship. Even though I've just picked Rafa to make the finals, I would LOVE to see Nando do it. This really has been a career few months for him, what with being the big Davis Cup hero and now making his first Slam quarters. Why shouldn't he be this year's finalist?

*

The one that gets beaten by Federer, obviously.

*

*

Today's Results

*

Australian Open

*

Men's Draw

*

Rafael Nadal def. Fernando Gonzalez, 6-3 6-2 6-4

Fernando Verdasco def. Andy Murray, 2-6 6-1 1-6 6-3 6-4

Gilles Simon def. Gael Monfils, 6-4 2-6 6-1 retired

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. James Blake, 6-4 6-4 7-6 (7-3)

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Serena Williams def. Victoria Azarenka, 3-6 4-2 retired

Elena Dementieva def. Dominika Cibulkova, 6-2 6-2

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Zheng Jie, 4-1 retired

Carla Suárez Navarro def. Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6-3 6-2

A Day To Remember

Now THERE is a day of tennis the likes of which we have not seen for a while.

*

There were five matches on Rod Laver Arena, and every single one of them was a classic. It's hard to know where to start, so I guess we'll have to start at the beginning, with Jankovic against Bartoli. Who would ever have picked that Marion Bartoli, who would probably serve two handed if she could (and I bet she's tried!) would bounce the world number #1 so comprehensively? Of course, Jankovic is one of those weird #1s that hasn't won a major, but you still have to accumulate a lot of wins to get into the penthouse, and Bartoli has never come close to competing for that prize. I never, ever would have picked this one. I thought Bartoli was pretty much doomed to be a bottom-feeder, lurking in the top twenty but never doing that much after her run to the final at Wimbledon. But she's proving me wrong. There is more to Marion than meets the eye, apparently.

*

True, Jankovic certainly did not play anything resembling well. She didn't even turn up, really. But the sign of a real champion, the one who has the guts and the heart and the cojones to stay at the top, is one that fights through bad play and LOOKS FOR A WAY TO WIN. I didn't see any hint of that from Jankovic at all. Sure, she picked it up a bit after dropping the first set so comprehensively (Bartoli hit seven winners, Jankovic none) but she never, ever looked like winning - unlike another top player, who was in a situation just as dire, but who somehow never quite looked like losing. But we'll come to that.

*

This part of the draw really opens up now that Jankovic is gone - and you have to like Safina to get through to the final (though you can't count out Dokic - but more on that in a mo.) But she had a real fight on her hands against Alize Cornet today - but she picked it up and sorted it out (not that you'd know that if you read her press conference.) I liked what I saw from Dinara a whole lot more than what I saw from Jankovic today. She may berate herself all she likes and criticise herself and have screaming matches with her coach - I'm still convinced that there is something very strange about the Zeljko Krajan/Dinara Safina relationship, considering all either of them seem to do is criticise her, but it obviously works - but she stepped it up and pulled it out. Jankovic is lacking the determination that Safina has in bucketloads. Of course, Cornet played a few loose points when she had match points, allowing Dinara back in, but you can't blame it all on Alize. Dinara's a fighter - and I'm glad, in a way, she had this tough match, because it's all good signs...

*

...but look who she's playing next.

*

I'm going to skip over Federer, who was the next match up, for a sec - though we'll obviously come back to him. (Come on, it's me!) Jelena Dokic. Jelena bloody Dokic. That was one of the best women's tennis matches I have seen in a long time - and has to be one of the best stories to come out of tennis in years. First she has a shaky victory over up-and-comer Tamira Paszek. Then she takes out Chakvetadze, who is admittedly sketchy but still ranked about nine million places higher than Jelena (I was there! I was there!) Then there was the massive victory over Caroline Wozniacki, which I doubt anyone in their right mind would have predicted, because Wozniacki is not only a major new talent, she's just about top #10, and it's been a while since Jelena's been anywhere near there. And now another up-and-comer, her practice partner, big-hitting Alisa Kleybanova, the conqueror of Ana Ivanovic. All this on a court which she was booed off the last time she played. But she is resilient. She is tough. She is as determined as she come. And it is so sweet to see the Bikic brothers supporting her, cheering their hearts out in her box, She's shaken off the shackles of Damir, and she is BACK.

*

Normally, I wouldn't cheer against Dinara Safina for anyone. But for this fairytale, I think I'm going to have to. Because if Jelena Dokic can come through Safina, then she can come through anyone in this tournament. And wouldn't that be something.

*

Because that match was such an epic, the match between Djokovic and Baghdatis didn't start till late - not as late as the Baghdatis/Hewitt epic last year, but late enough that it didn't finish till nearly three in the morning. Man, this was an intriguing match - and Baghdatis was never quite out of it. If he had been coming in with more matches under his belt, I would not have liked Djokovic's chances one little bit. When he was on - for example, when he went up 4-1 in the second - Marcos was very impressive. When he was off - for example, the entire first set - it wasn't pretty. It's not injuries still bothering him, I think - just a lack of matchplay. He's rusty. But give him some time and he'll sort that out. Marcos is coming back.

*

You can't deny that Djokovic played pretty well - he certainly lifted - but my personal bias aside, I'm not sure he has a big chance of defending the title. Let's say he did get to the final - which means he'd have to get through Federer, which I would doubt. But let's say the unthinkable happened and he did. He'd meet either Blake, Tsonga, Murray or Nadal. I could maybe see him taking Blake, but the other three? No way. Monfils or Simon are other possibilities, and I could definitely see him losing to them. Verdasco he could maybe take. But he'd have to take Federer in the first place, and I don't see that happening.

*

But Jodi, I hear you say, Roger nearly got bounced by Berdych yesterday! You speak the crazy speak! But listen, my friends, listen - what is it makes a champion? (What is it that Jelena Jankovic so comprehensively lacked?) Sure, it's nice when the Fed is on cruise control, but when he's between a rock and a hard place and he can play his way out - that is when he reveals his true quality. He looked for a way to win. He wore Berdych down. He said he could have played another three sets if he had to, and I believe him. I don't think this match is going to hurt him at all. I think he underestimated Berdych a bit coming into the match - who wouldn't, if you'd beaten him seven times in a row? - and that hurt him. As well as the fact that Berdych absolutely redlined his game. But he worked it out. He never gave up. And that is what makes him great.

*

And remember AO '06? Smooth sailing in the first three rounds, then boom! five sets against Tommy Haas. Two more tough matches against Davydenko and Kiefer, and a really tough final against Baghdatis. But he found a way to win. This has precedent. And this is Roger Federer we're dealing with. And in the end, that's something everyone in the draw needs to remember. One of the commentators was saying yesterday that Steffi Graf's coach told her that, if ever she was losing a match, she should remember that she was Steffi Graf. I bet you Roger Federer can do just the same thing. Because there are some things that man does not do - and one of them is give up without a fight!

*

*

Today's Results

*

Australian Open

*

Men's Draw

*

Roger Federer def. Tomas Berdych, 4-6 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-4 6-2

Novak Djokovic def. Marcos Baghdatis, 6-1 7-6 (7-1) 6-7 (5-7) 6-2

Andy Roddick def. Tommy Robredo, 7-5 6-1 6-3

Juan Martin del Potro def. Marin Cilic, 5-7 6-4 6-4 6-2

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Marion Bartoli def. Jelena Jankovic, 6-1 6-4

Dinara Safina def. Alizé Cornet, 6-2 2-6 7-5

Vera Zvonareva def. Nadia Petrova, 7-5 6-4

Jelena Dokic def. Alisa Kleybanova, 7-5 5-7 8-6

53/8 Tennis is Not Normal!

Okay, so Rafa Nadal actively frightens me. I'm a Roger girl, now and for always - he'll always be my #1 - but Rafa played so well against Tommy Haas last night it was scary.

*

I don't know whether he was trying to send a message, or whether he was just taking Haas very, very seriously, but it is not normal for someone to make 53 winners to 8 unforced errors - not Rafa, not Roger, not anyone. That is absolutely crazy. And I refuse to believe that anyone - anyone! - can keep this level of play up over seven consecutive best-of-five matches. Hell, Rafa played well in his first two matches, but not like this. This is crazy tennis.

*

So what is Rafa trying to prove? Tommy Haas is a good player, yes, but he's hardly the player he once was, what with all the shoulder concerns and also the fact that, for a tennis player, he's getting on a bit. I would have expected Rafa to step it up, but not to the 53/8 level. That's where you go when you're playing in the final, and you're playing Federer - not in the third round. If Rafa keeps this up, I will have to start classifying him as an alien, because that is just crazy. Rafa must have had some kind of agenda in this match...

*

I suppose that all this bickering over who the favourite is for the tournament has kind of left Rafa out a bit, despite him being the #1 seed - it's almost seen as a Murray/Federer battle, with hints of Djokovic. Not that people are forgetting Rafa, but he's sort of sidelined a bit. But the reality is that Murray, the supposed favourite, is in Rafa's half. They'd meet in the semis, providing they both came through, which is looking pretty likely at this stage. Murray did beat Rafa in that exo at Abu Dhabi, and in the semis at the US Open on a pretty similar surface last year. This whole Murray thing has been seen largely as a threat to Federer - a Murray/Federer rivalry - but I don't think we can rule out the Murray/Nadal rivalry either. Maybe that's what Rafa was trying to prove - that Murray can't start thinking about playing Roger in the finals yet, because he has to go through Rafa to get there. Or not. I don't really know. But what I do know is that 53/8 tennis is NOT NORMAL.

*

No real upsets on the men's side yesterday - Murray might have been sending some messages of his own, because he mauled Jurgen Melzer, and I was very pleased to see Nando Verdasco exact revenge for Brisbane and pummel Radek Stepanek into the ground. And that Gonzalez/Gasquet match was a classic, though it's not going to do much for Gasquet's headcaseness - the fact that he held match point in the third and then lost the match in an epic five is going to send him whimpering under the bed again, mark my words.

*

No major upsets on the women's side either - well, I suppose Medina Garrigues taking out Pennetta was an upset, but a pretty minor one. It was sad to see Stosur go, but hardly surprising, given the form of Elena Dementieva at the moment... though she certainly had her chances in that match, and didn't capitalise. I really hope Sam can do that next time! But still, considering she's on the comeback trail, third round ain't bad - and when was the last time we had two Aussie girls go that far? (Speaking of which, c'mon Jelena! Go go go!)

*

Sigh... I wish I was back in Melbourne. I had the most wonderful time!

*

*

Today's Results

*

Australian Open

*

Men's Draw

*

Rafael Nadal def. Tommy Haas, 6-4 6-2 6-2

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Dudi Sela, 6-2 6-2 1-6 6-1

Gael Monfils def. Nicolas Almagro, 6-4 6-3 7-5

Andy Murray def. Jurgen Melzer, 7-5 6-0 6-3

James Blake def. Igor Andreev, 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-1

Fernando Gonzalez def. Richard Gasquet, 3-6 3-6 7-6 (12-10) 6-2 12-10

Gilles Simon def. Mario Ancic, 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 6-2

Fernando Verdasco def. Radek Stepanek, 6-4 6-0 6-0

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Serena Williams def. Peng Shuai, 6-1 6-4

Elena Dementieva def. Samantha Stosur, 7-6 (8-6) 6-4

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Alona Bondarenko, 7-6 (9-7) 6-4

Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Flavia Pennetta, 6-4 6-1

Victoria Azarenka def. Amélie Mauresmo, 6-4 6-2

Dominika Cibulkova def. Virginie Razzano, 7-5 7-5

Zheng Jie def. Kateryna Bondarenko, 6-2 6-2

Carla Suárez Navarro def. María José Martínez Sánchez, 6-1 6-4

What I Did On My Holidays

Well, I'm now returned from my travels in the land of tennis, and I miss it already. I would have given just about anything to get arena seats for tonight, but no cigar, so I changed my flight to this afternoon instead of some ridiculous hour tomorrow morning so I could watch it on TV - and also get some sleep!

*

Therefore, I only got in a couple of hours at the tennis today... I got there early and watched Ferrer hit up - until Djokovic turned up to hit with him, at which point I left. I mosied around, took some atmospheric photos, then went and snagged a good seat in Margaret Court Arena, where I watched the Petrova/Voskoboeva match - which was one (one-sided) set, lasting until Voskoboeva retired. I wasn't that disappointed, because the next match up was Cilic/Ferrer, and that meant I got to see more of it. I got to see the first set, as it happens - and man, was I impressed with Cilic's form! He's got game, that boy!

*

Then I had to leave to get my plane, which was a good thing, as it happens, because I missed getting caught up in that riot (not by that long - it kind of sends shivers down my spine about how close it could have been.) As far as I know, Australia is the only country in which there have been racial riots at the tennis - we had the infamous pepper spray incident of last year, and now this chair-throwing one. For me - even though I will freely admit to cheering my lungs out for Dokic and Tomic this week - tennis is a global sport, that transcends nationality in many ways... it just makes me so sad that these things happen, and they happen here.

*

But the fact that people come out and support their countries, loudly and vocally and sometimes with chairs, is just one thing I have learned by going to the tennis. Sitting next to some screaming Serbians yelling out, 'OOO-OOO, AAH-AAH, SRBIJA, SRBIJA!' is just part and parcel of the tennis experience. People scream, people yell, and sometimes people don't shut up. I've always thought of tennis as a sport with a real etiquette - there are very specific times when you have to shut up - and though there was large amounts of respect for that, the loudness of the fans is incongruous sometimes. It's not bad - it's just not what I was expecting.

*

Another thing I learned at the tennis is that if you're going to be serious about it and get the five day ground pass and the arena night tickets, you have to be prepared to sacrifice some sleep - and you also have to be really, really fit if you're going to do it in the Melbourne heat! Because there is no shade (pretty much) at Melbourne Park, and to keep going day after day in 35+ degree heat takes some fitness. Luckily, I have some of that, but nothing can take away the heat and the amount you sweat. But it's all worth it, if you can elbow your way to the front of a Federer practice. It's worth sacrificing any amount of sleep to see the matches that I have seen this week. At night, I saw Dellacqua, Federer, Stosur, Nadal, Dokic, Tomic, Murray and that epic Venus/Suarez Navarro upset. I wouldn't change that for anything. You can bet your bottom dollar I'll be back again next year. I wish I was there now. It must have been amazing to see Dokic pull out that incredible win, and then be treated to a masterclass by the Federer Express.

*
Let's talk about those matches, because they were both great in their way. How about Jelena Dokic? There are just not words to describe what a phenomenal comeback this has been. No one seriously considered her a shot to beat Caroline Wozniacki (whom, by the way, the Aussie Open official program speculates is dating Rafa Nadal - first I've heard of that! I bet Xisca's not happy!) and when she lost the first set, I don;t think anyone would have picked it at all. Wozniacki is the eleventh seed - and then Dokic stepped it up and pulled it out. It was triumphant. It was incredible. And it really warmed the cockles of my heart to see how proud her coach and her boyfriend (who are, I believe, brothers) are of her. It's so lovely to see her with a healthy, functional support team - and it can only get better. She offered an apology to Tennis Australia for her past behaviour in her post-match speech, and if there was anything left to forgive, I think it's forgiven now.

*

And Jelena is no Casey Dellacqua, who, although she's not a bad player, kind of got to the fourth round on adrenaline and flukish form. Jelena has serious, long-proven skill. There was never any way Casey was going to beat Jankovic last year. Dokic could have beaten her prospective opponent, Ivanovic, in my opinion - but now that Ivanovic is gone (another major upset alert!) her chances of progressing might be even greater. She plays Alisa Kleybanova, the big-hitting Russian. She has nothing to lose. Who says Jelena can't go well, go deeper?

*

And then the Federer match. I am very sad Safin is out - he played some lovely tennis, and didn't deserve to be booted so easily - but to see Federer in full flight, winning his third round match with ease, never once facing a break point... after the third round near-fiasco of last year against Tipsarevic, I couldn't ask for more. Except for Marat to be in the other half of the draw, where I could happily cheer for him against anyone.

*

*

Today's Results

*

Australian Open

*

Men's Draw

*

Roger Federer def. Marat Safin, 6-3 6-2 7-6 (7-5)

Novak Djokovic def. Amer Delic, 6-2 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

Marin Cilic def. David Ferrer, 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 6-4

Andy Roddick def. Fabrice Santoro, 6-3 6-4 6-2

Juan Martin del Potro def. Gilles Muller, 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 6-3 7-5

Tomas Berdych def. Stanislas Wawrinka, 4-6 6-1 6-3 6-4

Tommy Robredo def. Yen-Hsun Lu, 6-1 6-3 6-2

Marcos Baghdatis def. Mardy Fish, 6-2 6-4 6-4

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Jelena Jankovic def. Ai Sugiyama, 6-4 6-4

Dinara Safina def. Kaia Kanepi, 6-2 6-2

Alisa Kleybanova def. Ana Ivanovic, 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 6-2

Vera Zvonareva def. Sara Errani, 6-4 6-1

Nadia Petrova def. Galina Voskoboeva, 6-1 retired

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

Alizé Cornet def. Daniela Hantuchova, 4-6 6-4 6-2

Marion Bartoli def. Lucie Safarova, 3-6 6-2 6-1

Domo and Muzza, Me Old Mates

Honestly, some people are soooooo bogan. 'Domo' and 'Muzza' are both tennis players - can you guess who they are? I'm sure if these players heard 'let's go, Domo!' or 'c'arn, Muzza!' shouted at them (which they did on Thursday at the Open!) they wouldn't recognise their own names either... it was pretty funny. But bogan. Hilariously so.

*

I started my Thursday at the Aussie Open just before eleven, having a bit of a wander round to see who was hitting up before settling in at Court 19 to watch Dominika 'Domo' Cibulkova play Chan Yung-Jan, which was the most one-sided match I have seen thus far in Melbourne - Domo won her first match in a double bagel, and the first set of this match was a bagel as well. She is really, really good. If she is not top ten by the end of the year I will eat an item of my own clothing. But good as she is, the match was so one-sided it was boring, and I could see Jelena Jankovic practicing over on Court 17, so I left after the first set.

*

I watched a bit of Jankovic, but then I heard a very familiar sounding shriek from the next court, so I mosied on over to Court 16 and caught the majority of Dinara Safina's practice - possibly the most unusual practice session I have seen yet. We've all read the stories of how Zeljko Krajan, her coach, has calmed her down and sorted her out on court, and it is my personal belief that he has done this by making her have all her temper tantrums in her practice sessions instead. Seriously, these two scream at each other like nothing else I have ever seen. I think I've commented on how much of a bitch Zeljko was to her during the oncourt coaching in the final of Sydney, and nothing was different here. Okay, so maybe they were a bit calmer, but this relationship has serious fire. If he wasn't wearing a wedding ring, wasn't five hundred years older and a foot shorter than she is, I'd think they were having some kind of clandestine love/hate relationship. But it's certainly working!

*

Safina was replaced on Court 16 by Ivanovic, so I watched her hit for a little while before swapping practice courts again to watch Baghdatis, who replaced Jankovic. (He looks so different without his hair!) Then I decided I should probably, you know, watch some actual tennis, so I headed out to Court 8 to watch a bit of Andreas Beck and Jurgen Melzer (is he still dating Domo? She seems to be swap them round a bit - she's been linked to both Monfils and Stakhovsky as well, if memory serves.) This was a good match - I watched the second set, which ended in a breaker, and it was a really tight one. Melzer levelled it at one set all, and it was well worth the watching.

*

I headed back out to the practice courts after that (yeah, I have an addiction problem, so sue me.) Djokovic was practicing, and it gave me a great deal of satisfaction to see that although there was a bit of a crowd watching him, it was absolutely NOTHING compared to the mobs that Federer draws. No one else draws that kind of mobs - not Ivanovic or Jankovic or the Williamses, not Hewitt or Murray or Djokovic or even Nadal. Is this the same worldwide? I love the notion of Federer as a universal star. There was a good match on Court 19 so I watched some of that - a very intriguing clash between Fabio Fognini and Nicolas Almagro. Almagro won easily in the end, but it was Fognini that drew my attention - he was bouncing racquets all over themselves, and he also made my favourite non-Federer shot of the tournament: he was at net, Almagro hit a volley at his toes, he dove to get it back over, fell, did a commando roll, and was back up in time to put the next one away for a winner. It was awesome. It was such a shame there are no cameras on that court, because it was a MAD shot.

*

But Djokovic was gone and the crowd was a-gathering, and that only ever means one thing - a Fed storm a-brewing! I went down and scouted myself a good spot at the fence of Court 16. At length, he did come out (unlike his Monday no show) - but he headed to Court 17! The crowd was very taken aback and swarmed after him - it was pretty funny! Being alone and also being small and quick, I got myself to an equally good position at the fence and watched the Great Man hit up for about forty-five minutes. It is such a bizarre feeling, being that close to someone that you admire so much - particularly when there is a group of teenage girls shouting propositions to him behind you! (That said, the blokes are just as bad - there was this big, burly guy next to me, and Roger came over to the fence at one point to pick up a ball, and he bellows, 'HEY ROGER! I'M HAVING A BARBIE AT MY PLACE TONIGHT - YOU'RE WELCOME TO COME!' It must be so disconcerting, trying to just have a simple hit up and to get mobbed wherever you go. I guess that's just the price you pay for being fabulous.

*

When he was done (after about a thousand years of signing autographs) I went and caught the first set breaker of Ljubicic/Tsonga on the big screen. Even though Jo-W won that match, I was glad to see Ivan putting up such a good fight. He really is one of the great gentlemen of the sport, and I feel he never gets enough respect for that. He is a very lovely man. After that breaker I went and watched some of the all-Croat showdown on Show Court 2, where Ancic and Karlovic were slugging it out. There was seriously nothing between them. Karlovic probably had the ascendancy during the part of the match I watched (mostly the third set) but Ancic ended up winning - but honestly, there was no splitting them. It was good viewing.

*

I nipped offsite to eat and then came back to Show Court 2 to wait for Ernests Gulbis, which meant I caught the second set of Shuai Peng and Sesil Karantcheva, which was another seriously one-sided affair. Karantcheva didn't play badly (though she was missing a few) but Peng was on fire. She is a weird player - two-handed on both sides, which always looks weird - but it really worked for her. Karantcheva looks physically stronger than Peng, but the two hands really seemed to lend her some extra power, and she has excellent precision. The set I saw was a bagel, so it wasn't long till Gulbis came out, and that was a much tighter affair. I didn't see very much at all - it started at about seven - but it was a close one. Apparently Andreev won in five... so this tournament won't be Ernests's big break, but watch out, world, watch out.

*

Then it was into the arena - and what a women's match it was to start out! The whole crowd got behind Carla Suarez Navarro, especially when she won the second set. The Aussie crowd usually loves an underdog, and this wasn't an exception. And man, Venus did not look happy. You could tell she expected to win that one, and it seemed like she underestimated Carla all the way to the end... it seemed like she was waiting around for Carla to crack, and when Carla didn't... disaster for the sixth seed! But it was such a special moment, being in the crowd for that victory.

*

Then there was the Murray match, which was a bit disappointing, really. There were some really good points - a lot of really long ones - but you could tell that Granollers just never, ever believed he could win. Murray was on top the whole way - and because Granollers didn't appear to be fighting that hard, the crowd didn't really get behind him at all. There was some crazy Scots cheering for their man, but on the whole, the match had no fire. However, it did produce the name 'Muzza' - by which Andy Murray will now be known to me forevermore!

*

*

Today's Results

*

Australian Open

*

Men's Draw

*

Rafael Nadal def. Roko Karanusic, 6-2 6-3 6-2

Gilles Simon def. Chris Guccione, 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-1 6-2

Andy Murray def. Marcel Granollers, 6-4 6-2 6-2

Gael Monfils def. Stefan Koubek, 6-4 6-4 3-6 6-2

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Ivan Ljubicic, 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (10-8) 7-6 (9-7) 6-2

Fernando Gonzalez def. Guillermo Canas, 7-5 6-3 6-4

James Blake def. Sebastien de Chaunac, 6-3 6-2 6-3

Mario Ancic def. Ivo Karlovic, 5-7 7-5 4-6 6-4 6-3

Igor Andreev def. Ernests Gulbis, 6-4 6-4 5-7 3-6 6-4

Tommy Haas def. Flavio Cipolla, 6-1 6-2 6-1

Richard Gasquet def. Denis Istomin, 6-3 6-4 6-4

Fernando Verdasco def. Arnaud Clement, 6-1 6-1 6-2

Jurgen Melzer def. Andreas Beck, 5-7 7-6 (9-7) 6-4 6-3

Radel Stepanek def. Michael berrer, 6-3 6-2 6-7 (3-7) 7-5

Nicolas Almagro def. Fabio Fognini, 6-2 7-5 6-0

Dudi Sela def. Victor Hanescu, 6-3 6-3 6-2

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Carla Suarez Navarro def. Venus Williams, 2-6 6-3 7-5

Samantha Stosur def. Sabine Lisicki, 6-3 6-4

Elena Dementieva def. Iveta Benesova, 6-4 6-1

Serena Williams def. Gisela Dulko, 6-3 7-5

Flavia Pennetta def. Jessica Moore, 6-4 6-1

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Tatjana Malek, 6-2 6-2

Amelie Mauresmo def. Elena Baltacha, 4-6 6-3 6-2

Shuai Peng def. Sesil Karantcheva, 6-4 6-0

Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Julie Coin, 6-1 6-4

Virginie Razzano def. Patty Schnyder, 6-3 6-1

Alona Bondarenko def. Severine Bremond, 7-6 (7-1) 1-6 6-2

Jie Zheng def. Melinda Czink, 7-6 (7-0) 5-7 6-3

Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez def. Akgul Amanmuradova, 6-2 6-4

Victoria Azarenka def. Tathiana Garbin, 4-1 retired

Dominika Cibulkova def. Yung-Jan Chan, 6-0 6-2

Kateryna Bondarenko def. Lourdes Dominguez Lino, 7-5 7-5

If You Hear Us, Clap Your Hands!

Okay, I admit it. I was SUCH a tennis patriot last night. I cheered my lungs out for the Aussies - hell, you probably heard me if you were watching! The atmosphere in Rod Laver Arena was electric! But more on that later. Let us start at the beginning.

*

I got there just before play began, and got myself a pretty decent seat on Show Court 2 to watch a bit of Cilic and Tipsarevic. One thing I had not considered in choosing this match to begin my day's viewing is that Cilic is Croatian and Tipsarevic is Serbian, and both groups of fans are very, very vocal in Australia, so there was a whoooole lot of shouting! I didn't understand most of it, not understanding either Croatian or Serbian, but it made the whole thing feel like a footy match, and it put the crowd into the match from the start - it really created a great atmosphere! Seriously, it was akin to the endless chants of 'MAR-COS - BAGH-DA-TIS!' that floated out of that same court in the afternoon. And it was a good match as well - I only watched the first set, which Cilic won, but there were some great shots made and good fun for everyone.

*

I had a bit of a wander round the back courts to see if anyone interesting was practicing, but I had determined not to spend my whole day waiting for Fedot again, so when I determined that no one especially interesting was, I went back to Margaret Court Arena and settled in for a good couple of hours - and it was lucky I went when I did, because the whole place got packed out very, very quickly! As it was, being alone, I got a pretty decent seat - right at the top, with an excellent view of the whole court. I watched the second set of Petrova/Mirza, which was good fun, but I was really there for the next match - Safin/Garcia-Lopez.

*

And when the big man came out, let me tell you, the cheers were massive. There were about three lonely Spanish fans chanting 'G - G - L! G -G - L!' and everyone else was roaring for Safin. (There were a lot of women in the audience... go figure. The queues to get into the stadium were over an hour long at one point, and the match was only an hour and a half - Marat has a whooole lot of fans in Australia! And I don't know whether the crowd lifted him or if he was just having a good day, but he played beautifully - very clean tennis, by his often erratic standards. I watched the whole match and I enjoyed every second. I'm so sad he comes up against Federer next - and sad that I don't have arena tickets for Friday night, because I'm pretty sure it's going to be then...

*

When Safin finished I went for another wander round the back... just to check if anyone was out. (Not that Federer would have been out - he was about to play. But someone else might have been there.) I caught a bit of Nieminen hitting up then sat down at Court 19 and watched a bit of Tommy Robredo pummelling Viktor Troicki into the ground. That one was almost painful to watch because Troicki was so upset with himself and playing so badly, so I left and went back round the front - just to discover that the Roger match in Rod Laver Arena was about to begin!

*

I had a lovely hour-and-a-half, sitting on the grass in Garden Square, watching the match on the big screen. Federer played beautifully and you could hear the cheers wafting out from the stadium. Also, I was in some Channel 7 footage of Garden Square. That made me glad. It wasn't as hot yesterday (probably only 32 or 33 degrees compared to the 37ish 38ish the days before) and so it was very pleasant - almost like a picnic, sans food and company. (Otherwise exactly the same.)

*

I went offsite to eat, then came back at about 6, to find a huge crowd glued to the big screen watching Lu/Nalbandian, with not a seat to spare, so I wandered round and caught the last two games of Bolelli/Fish and the second set of Santoro/Kohlschreiber, which was a totally excellent match which I would have watched more of, but the main event was starting in the arena!

*

I didn't know how the crowd was going to react to Jelena Dokic, and I don't think she did either, but they got behind her 110%. There were some folks holding up a 'Welcome Back Jelena!' banner and I think that pretty much says it all. The crowd were cheering and chanting like anything - me included. The amount of times that the 'AUSSIE FANS IN THE STANDS, IF YOU HEAR US, CLAP YOUR HANDS!' cheer went round was obscene - and it was such a great match as well. When Jelena finally pulled it out deep in the third, the whole crowd rose as one and just screamed and screamed and screamed. She started crying - and I confess I shed a tear as well. It was such a great moment.

*

And then when Tomic came out, the crowd didn't lose any momentum! There were innumerable 'AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE, OI OI OI!' chants as well as a whole host of others... it was like being at the cricket, seriously. And what a match Tomic played - especially that first set. He may not have won the match, but he sure won the hearts of the crowd. He served notice, I think - the a-Tomic bomb is here to stay!

*

*

Today's Results

*

Australian Open

*

Men's Draw

*

Roger Federer def. Evgeny Korolev, 6-2 6-2 6-1

Novak Djokovic def. Jeremy Chardy, 7-5 6-1 6-3

Gilles Muller def. Bernard Tomic, 3-6 6-1 6-4 6-2

Andy Roddick def. Xavier Malisse, 4-6 6-2 7-6 (7-1) 6-2

Yen-Hsun Lu def. David Nalbandian, 6-4 5-7 4-6 6-4 6-2

Juan Martin del Potro def. Florian Mayer, 6-1 7-5 6-2

Marat Safin def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 7-5 6-2 6-2

Marcos Baghdatis def. Robin Soderling, 3-6 7-5 6-3 6-3

Marin Cilic def. Janko Tipsarevic, 6-2 6-3 406 6-3

David Ferrer def. Dominik Hrbaty, 6-2 6-2 6-1

Stanislas Wawrinka def. Brydan Klein, 6-3 6-4 6-4

Fabrice Santoro def. Philipp Kohlschreiber, 5-7 7-5 3-6 7-5 6-3

Mardy Fish def. Simone Bolelli, 6-4 6-1 7-5

Tomas Berdych def. Brian Dabul, 6-1 6-1 6-3

Amer Delic def. Paul-Henri Mathieu, 1-6 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7-3) 9-7

Tommy Robredo def. Viktor Troicki, 6-1 6-3 6-0

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Jelena Jankovic def. Kirsten Flipkens, 6-4 7-5

Dinara Safina def. Ekaterina Makarova, 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 6-0

Ana Ivanovic def. Alberta Brianti, 6-3 6-2

Vera Zvonareva def. Edina Gallovits, 6-0 6-0

Nadia Petrova def. Sania Mirza, 6-3 6-2

Caroline Wozniacki def. Virginia Ruano Pascual, 6-3 6-3

Alizé Cornet def. Andrea Petkovic, 6-1 6-0

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

Jelena Dokic def. Anna Chakvetadze, 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 6-3

Daniela Hantuchova def. Mathilde Johansson, 6-3 4-6 6-3

Kaia Kanepi def. Patricia Mayr, 6-3 6-1

Ai Sugiyama def. Nathalie Dechy, 1-6 6-1 6-3

Alisa Kleybanova def. Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro, 6-1 3-6 6-2

Sara Errani def. Monica Niculescu, 6-2 6-3

Lucie Safarova def. Marina Erakovic, 6-1 3-6 9-7

Galina Voskoboeva def. Karin Knapp, 6-4 6-1

Waiting for Fedot

Back at that Internet cafe on Flinders St. This is Jodi reporting to you on Day 2 on the Australian Open - another day when it was UNBELIEVABLY hot. Great tennis - not so good for the skin. But the things we must sacrifice.

*

I wanted to see more matches, so I trawled around looking for good ones. I started off by watching the first set of Kei Nishikori and Jurgen Melzer on Court 6, which is a pretty decent sized court, but the stands were PACKED with Japanese fans supporting their man. He played pretty well while I was there - kid has got some serious shots! - but then he fell away a bit and Melzer ended up winning the match in straights, which sucked from a Star perspective.

*

I went and trawled the practice courts after that, hunting for the elusive Fed, but he wasn't there, so I caught the second set of Anastastia Pavlyuchenkova and Tathiana Garbin on Court 19. I really like Pavlyuchenkova, and she won that set 6-2, but then she lost the match... so maybe I am cursed or something. It certainly wasn't a match of very high quality, from what I could see... both girls were missing a lot. A LOT. But obviously someone has to win.

*

There were rumblings of a Fed practice at one, so I waited around... again, no materialisation. The TV crews said that it'd been rescheduled to four, and the crowds vanished like they'd been evaporated (which, in the heat, entirely possible.) I went and caught the last two sets of Richard Gasquet and Diego Junqueira on Show Court 3 - getting a seat in the shade, which is a rare achievement at Melbourne Park! That was a good match to watch - Gasquet is playing better than I've seen for a while. But then I got very lucky - it finished just in time for me to head over to Court 11 (a TINY back court) and grab a good seat for Ernests Gulbis against Albert Montanes. There was this adorable little Latvian family cheering for their boy - it was great! As well as a woman sitting beside me who was salivating over Gulbis, said he was 'the cutest on the ATP tour' and nearly had an aneurysm when I told her he was only twenty... but that is another story.

*

Gulbis looked totally excellent, winning in easy straights. I only caught the first set, because I had to run off to this elusive Fed practice, which, once again, did not materialise. I headed offsite for a quick very early dinner, getting back at just on five, when who decided to start practicing when I was gone? Fed. Typical. Still, I only missed a couple of minutes and managed to worm my way to the fence - my shortness paid off! He spent ages and ages signing autographs, and he was wonderful with his fans. He is such a lovely man.

*

That left me with an hour and a bit to kill before the night session started, so I went over and watched Dmitry Tursunov and Flavio Cipolla on Court 10. I caught the first set and a bit - Tursunov was clearly on top in the first, but he was down a double break in the second when I left, and I'm not sure what happened after that - I hope I'm not cursed again!
*

I was in nearly the same position in Rod Laver Arena, and as that was a good spot, I was happy. The Stosur/Zakopalova match was a good match, but the crowd seemed a bit ho-hum about Sam, which I was surprised at, given the reception Casey Dellacqua got last night. Maybe Casey is a favourite or maybe it was just a quieter crowd. Who can tell? Anyway, I was glad it was straights, because I was anticipating another long men's match, but Rafa ANNIHILATED Christophe Rochus. The whole crowd got behind Rochus and cheered like crazy people when he won a game, but it no avail. That one was a whitewash, and I was back before midnight.

*

Funny story to end on: there were these drunk old women behind me, and you know Rafa's wedgie-picking habit? So he was picking his wedgie, and one of them yells out 'PICK ME INSTEAD!' at the top of her lungs, and the whole stadium heard and cacked themselves at her. Ah, public humiliation...

*

*

Today's Results

*

Australian Open

*

Men's Draw

*

Rafael Nadal def. Christophe Rochus, 6-0 6-2 6-2

Fernando Gonzalez def. Lleyton Hewitt, 5-7 6-2 6-2 3-6 6-3

Andy Murray def. Andrei Pavel, 6-2 3-1 retired

Gilles Simon def. Pablo Andujar, 6-4 6-1 6-1

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Juan Monaco, 6-4 6-4 6-0

Chris Guccione def. Nicolas Devidler, 6-4 6-2 6-2

James Blake def. Frank Dancevic, 6-4 6-3 7-5

Tommy Haas def. Eduardo Schwank, 6-3 6-3 6-4

Gael Monfils def. Martin Vassallo Arguello, 6-1 6-3 7-5

Richard Gasdquet def. Diego Junqueira, 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 6-4

Fernando Verdasco def. Adrian Mannarino, 6-0 6-2 6-2

Densi Istomin def. Vincent Spadea, 6-2 7-5 6-4

Stefan Koubek def. Mikhail Youzhny, 6-3 6-2 6-2

Jurgen Melzer def. Kei Nishikori, 7-5 6-2 6-1

Michael Berrer def. Carsten Ball, 6-2 6-4 6-3

Andreas Beck def. Colin Ebelthite, 7-5 6-1 6-0

Igor Andreev def. Peter Polansky, 5-7 3-6 6-4 6-3 6-4

Nicolas Almagro def. Nicolas Massy, 6-4 6-4 3-6 506 6-3

Flavio Cipolla def. Dmitry Tursunov, 4-6 6-2 7-6 (9-7) 7-5

Marcel Granollers def. Teimuraz Gabashvili, 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 6-0

Sebastien de Chaunac def. Steve Darcis, 2-6 6-3 0-6 6-2 6-2

Ernests Gulbis def. Albert Montanes, 6-3 6-2 6-3

Ivo Karlovic def. Daniel Gimeno-Traver, 6-3 6-4 6-4

Ivan Ljubicic def. Igor Kunitsyn, 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (9-7) 5-7 6-3

Fabio Fognini def. Andrey Golubev, 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 6-2

Arnaud Clement def. Sergiy Stakhovsky, 6-3 2-6 4-6 6-2 6-1

Radek Stepanek def. Nicolas Lapentti, 3-6 6-3 6-4 6-4

Dudi Sela def. Rainer Schuettler, 1-6 6-2 6-4 6-4

Roko Karanusic def. Florent Serra, 6-3 1-6 6-3 3-6 6-3

Mario Ancic def. Wayne Odesnik, 7-5 6-4 4-6 6-2

Guillermo Canas def. Dieter Kindlmann, 3-6 7-5 5-7 6-0 7-5

Victor Hanescu def. Jan Hernych, 3-6 3-6 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (7-4) 8-6

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Serena Williams def. Yuan Meng, 6-3 6-2

Elena Dementieva def. Kristina Barrois, 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-1

Venus Williams def. Angelique Kerber, 6-3 6-3

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Anastasia Rodionova, 6-2 3-6 6-3

Kateryna Bondarenko def. Agnieszka Radwanska, 7-6 (9-7) 4-6 6-1

Flavia Pennetta def. Mara Santangelo, 6-2 5-7 6-2

Victoria Azarenka def. Petra Kvitova, 6-2 6-1

Patty Schnyder def. Kristina Mladenovic, 2-6 6-4 6-2

Dominika Cibulkova def. Chanelle Scheepers, 6-0 6-0

Amélie Mauresmo def. Olga Govortsova, 6-4 6-3

Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Isabella Holland, 6-1 7-5

Zheng Jie def. Camille Pin, 6-3 6-3

Peng Shuai def. Francesca Schiavone, 7-6 (7-4) 6-1

Sabine Lisicki def. Aleksandra Wozniak, 6-4 6-3

Alona Bondarenko def. Olivia Rogowska, 5-7 6-3 6-2

María José Martínez Sánchez def. Tamarine Tanasugarn, 7-5 6-3

Iveta Benesova def. Vera Dushevina, 6-4 0-6 6-2

Gisela Dulko def. Anastasiya Yakimova, 6-3 5-7 6-3

Carla Suárez Navarro def. Roberta Vinci, 7-5 6-4

Samantha Stosur def. Klara Zakopalova, 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-0)

Tathiana Garbin def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-4 2-6 7-5

Virginie Razzano def. Jarmila Gajdosova, 6-1 6-7 (2-7) 6-4

Chan Yung-Jan def. Hsieh Su-Wei, 6-3 6-3

Akgul Amanmuradova def. Melanie Oudin, 6-1 6-4

Melinda Czink def. Sorana Cirstea, 6-2 6-2

Lourdes Domínguez Lino def. Ekaterina Bychkova, 6-3 6-0

Julie Coin def. Elena Vesnina, 6-4 4-6 6-1

Severine Brémond def. Nicole Vaidisova, 6-2 6-1

Tatjana Malek def. Ayumi Morita, 7-6 (7-4) 6-2

Elena Baltacha def. Anna-Lena Groenefeld, 6-1 6-4

Sesil Karatantcheva def. Nuria Llagostera Vives, 2-6 6-1 6-2

Jessica Moore def. Christina McHale, 1-6 6-3 9-7

That Electric Feel

Here I am in an Internet cafe in Melbourne, spending my hard-earned money so I can blog about my experiences. I hope you're all grateful!

*

I got to Melbourne Park yesterday a little after eleven, so all the matches had just started. Last year I spent a lot of time hanging out round the practice courts trying to catch big names close up, so this year I promised myself I would actually watch some proper matches during the day. So when I got there, I did a quick trawl round all the courts... and, yes, I did stop at courts fifteen and sixteen and watch some practicing, because there were two big names out - Djokovic on court fifteen (whom I only paused to watch so I could take a commemorative photograph... and because Tipsarevic was on court too) and Nadal on court sixteen, whom I watched for a little while. Anyway, then I sat down in Margaret Court Arena and watched the second set of Vera Zvonareva against Magdalena Rybarikova - the set in which Vera bagelled Magdalena. So a real long set.

*

Then I got up and left, and I really wish I hadn't, because I tried to get back in to see some of the Tomic/Starace match and there was not a seat to be found! I was very sad - you know how I like ranting on about Tomic. That has to be the big surprise result of yesterday, considering the lack of other upsets - a sixteen year old kid ranked #800 odd winning big over a top #100 player. It'll be interesting to see how Bernard progresses from here... me, I feel sorry for Starace. It must be a bit embarrassing being beaten by a kid who is basically about twelve.

*

I wandered round a bit more and caught the second two sets of Stan Wawrinka against Ivo Minar out on court nineteen. This was actually a really good match - Minar played really well, so it took Stan four to beat him. There were a lot of Federer fans there (noticeable by their Fed shirts!) and they were all cheering for Stan a lot, which I thought was sweet... though I don't know if Stan appreciates having fans simply because he comes from the same country as Roger, but what gives, eh? There were also a lot of Swiss people there, and pretty much everyone, except for a devoted five in one corner, was cheering for Stan. It was really nice.

*

I wanted to catch the Cilic match after that, but I had to go back into the city and check into my hostel... stupid late check in times. When I got back, there were literally about two hundred people waiting around an empty court sixteen. The Fed Squad was out in full, so I figured they must be waiting for him. And we waited... and waited... and he didn't show. Which was sad.

*

And then being in Rod Laver Arena at night was such a special experience! The only other time I've seen an Aussie play was when I saw Guccione against Tursunov in the final of the Medibank last year, and I was pulling against the crowd then. It was really nice this time to be supporting one of our own! It was such an electric ripple that went through the crowd when they announced, 'and, representing Australia, Casey Dellacqua!' It made all the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

*

I do confess, however, that when Casey lost a HEARTBREAKING first set tiebreaker, I was kind of pulling for her to lose the second as well, because it was getting late and I wanted to see Federer before I inevitably collapsed of exhaustion. (Did I mention it was really, really hot? I have never sweated so much in my life. And looks like it's going to be worse today...) Hantuchova, thankfully, wrapped it up in two, and there was only a very short hiatus until the Man himself came out - and he was received with exactly the same warmth as Casey Dellacqua. He really is a favourite wherever he goes. He has transcended nationality, in some respects.

*

I was really nervous - who wouldn't be? - but Roger put my nerves to rest with a beautiful first set, at which he served at 73% and pulled off what has to be one of the most amazing shots of all time to conclude a very amazing rally - a down the line pass behind his back and above his head. Seppi just couldn't compete with that. The first set took about four seconds, but then Roger reeled it in a bit and the second two were much tighter. Seppi had a couple of chances - he even had a set point in the second set - but he never looked like losing. Federer was never behind in the breaker and then he broke Seppi in the last game of the match to win it.

*

It was such a privilege and an honour to see him play. I can't express it any better than that. And he handled the crowd really well - and he's really funny! His post-match interview with Jim Courier was hilarious!

*

Anyway, my time runs out - so catch you all tomorrow morning!

*

*

Today's Results

*

Australian Open

*

Men's Draw

*

Roger Federer def. Andreas Seppi, 6-1 7-6 (7-4) 7-5

Andy Roddick def. Bjorn Rehnquist, 6-0 6-2 6-2

Novak Djokovic def. Andrea Stoppini, 6-2 6-3 7-5

Juan Martin del Potro def. Mischa Zverev, 6-3 6-4 6-2

Marat Safin def. Ivan Navarro, 6-3 6-3 6-4

David Nalbandian def. Marc Gicquel, 6-1 4-6 6-2 6-3

Bernard Tomic def. Potito Starace, 7-6 (7-5) 1-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (8-6)

Marcos Baghdatis def. Julien Benneteau, 6-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-2

Evgeny Korolev def. Carlos Moya, 6-3 6-1 7-6 (9-7)

Mardy Fish def. Sam Groth, 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 7-5 6-0

Tomas Berdych def. Robby Ginepri, 6-4 6-4 6-3

Viktor Troicki def. Alberto Martin, 6-3 3-6 6-2 6-4

Janko Tipsarevic def. Oscar Hernandez, 4-6 6-1 6-3 4-6 6-0

Fabrice Santoro def. Juan Carlos Ferrero, 6-3 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-2

Brydan Klein def. Bjorn Phau, 6-4 6-3 4-6 6-3

Gilles Muller def. Feliciano Lopez, 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 4-6 16-14

Philipp Kohlscheiber def. Sam Querrey, 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 6-2

David Ferrer def. Denis Gremelmayr, 6-1 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 6-7 (4-7) 6-4

Amer Delic def. Taylor Dent, 6-4 3-6 406 6-3 6-4

Brian Dabul def. Philipp Petzschner, 6-1 6-2 6-4

Simone Bolelli def. Kristof Vliegen, 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-3) 7-5

Dominik Hrbaty def. John Isner, 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-2 7-5

Robin Soderling def. Robert Kendrick, 5-7 6-4 6-4 7-5

Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Jarkko Nieminen, 6-2 4-1 retired

Jeremy Chardy def. Marcos Daniel, 6-4 6-4 6-1

Florian Mayer def. Lamine Ouahab, 6-2 6-1 6-2

Tommy Robredo def. Bobby Reynolds, 6-2 7-5 6-1

Yen-Hsun Lu def. Thomaz Bellucci, 6-3 7-5 6-4

Marin Cilic def. Kevin Anderson, 6-3 6-2 6-7 (4-7) 6-3

Stanislas Wawrinka def. Ivo Minar, 6-1 2-6 7-5 7-6 (11-9)

Xavier Malisse def. Michael Llodra, 7-6 (10-8) 6-1 6-1

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez def. Agustin Calleri, 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 6-0

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Jelena Jankovic def. Yvonne Meusburger, 6-1 6-3

Dinara Safina def. Alla Kudryavtseva, 6-3 6-4

Ana Ivanovic def. Julia Goerges, 7-5 6-3

Vera Zvonareva def. Magdalena Rybarikova, 7-6 (7-2) 6-0

Nadia Petrova def. Yaroslava Shvedova, 6-3 7 6 (7-3)

Caroline Wozniacki def. Shahar Peer, 6-3 6-2

Alizé Cornet def. Mariya Koryttseva, 6-3 6-4

Marion Bartoli def. Melanie South, 6-2 6-4

Anna Chakvetadze def. Anne Keothavong, 6-1 6-7 (4-7) 6-1

Daniela Hantuchova def. Casey Dellacqua, 7-6 (13-11) 6-4

Galina Voskoboeva def. Agnes Szavay, 6-3 3-6 6-4

Lucie Safarova def. Sybille Bammer, 6-3 6-1

Kaia Kanepi def. Kimiko Date Krumm, 6-4 4-6 8-6

Ai Sugiyama def. Stéphanie Dubois, 6-0 7-6 (7-5)

Sara Errani def. Maria Kirilenko, 6-0 6-4

Alisa Kleybanova def. Sofia Arvidsson, 7-5 7-5

Tsvetana Pironkova def. Karolina Sprem, 6-0 6-4

Ekaterina Makarova def. Aravane Rezai, 1-6 7-5 6-4

Monica Niculescu def. Katie O'Brien, 6-4 6-4

Edina Gallovits def. Maria Elena Camerin, 6-3 2-6 6-3

Karin Knapp def. Monika Wejnert, 7-6 (8-6) 6-4

Mathilde Johansson def. Jill Craybas, 6-2 1-6 7-5

Marina Erakovic def. Petra Cetkovska, 6-4 7-5

Nathalie Dechy def. Viktoriya Kutuzova, 6-3 6-0

Virginia Ruano Pascual def. Mariana Duque Marino, 6-3 6-2

Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro def. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, 6-3 6-4

Sania Mirza def. Marta Domachowska, 6-1 6-4

Kirsten Flipkens def. Rossana de los Ríos, 6-3 6-2

Patricia Mayr def. Julia Schruff, 6-4 6-1

Andrea Petkovic def. Kathrin Woerle, 5-7 7-6 (7-0) 4-0 retired

Alberta Brianti def. Yanina Wickmayer, 6-4 6-2

Jelena Dokic def. Tamira Paszek, 6-2 3-6 6-4

Gone Fishin'

It's the day between the end of the leadup tournaments and the beginning of the main event, and I don't have a whole lot to say... save to say that I think Federer is going to win the Australian Open, and that I'd like Safina to win in the women, but I would watch out for Dementieva, providing that her last two weeks of wins have not worn her out.

*

Murray will be in the final, I think, but I would not be surprised to find that Federer has been holding out on us, like he held out on Andy Roddick two years ago. The way Roger played in Kooyong does not leave too much to the imagination - Daddy's come home, and he's going to reassert his authority. I'm a little worried about Rafa's injury woes, but I'd still give him a shot at making the semis (though I think Murray might be a bit much for him... still, you never know.) I think the random semi-finalist is going to come from the Djokovic quarter, because he is seriously playing dodgtastically at the moment.

*

And I'm going to be there, watching.

*

Which is largely the point of this post: I'm not taking my computer with me, so I'm not sure what my Internet access will be like... so I'm hanging the Gone Fishin' sign on the Tennis From The Backseat door, because I'm not sure when I'll be back - certainly by Saturday, when I return to Canberra with a host of autographs and tennis-stories! Who knows, I might not be gone at all, if I find a convenient Internet cafe... we'll see. But for now, this is Jodi, who has gone fishin'.

Swiss Misters

Anyone who was in doubt, doubt no more. Roger Federer is here in Australia, and he means business.

*

I only caught the last four games of the Kooyong final yesterday (damn gainful employment!) but that was all I needed to catch to catch the message. He played absolutely beautiful tennis against Stan Wawrinka yesterday - no quarter was asked, no quarter given - and I fail to see how anyone could doubt his ability, or call him washed up and on the way out. Has anyone ever played tennis like he has? He played some shots that were absolutely INSANE - did anyone see that hooking crosscourt forehand winner he made off a Stan serve? He put such work on the ball that it kicked up into about Row F. Stan had no hope of touching it. It was beautiful.

*

I know I'm biased - I am a massive Roger fan, after all, and I'm hardly shy about admitting it! - but seriously, he's the best that ever lived. I think people realise that as well - the very fact that they call him finished after a year in which he won four titles, reached three Grand Slam finals and a semi and won Olympic gold shows that. For anyone else, that would be a career year of insane proportions. For Roger, substandard. We are already judging him against a different yardstick than we judge anyone else of the era.

*

But we can't leave Stan out either - even though the scoreline belies it, he didn't play bad tennis. He's got some lovely shots, does Little Brother. I love the way he plays into the corners - he can get some real whip. He simply got outplayed yesterday. I very much look forward to seeing another match up between the two Swiss Misters in the fourth round at the Open! It's a bit sad that Stan (and Marat!) are in that section of the draw... normally, I'd be gunning for them to go real deep, but I never pull against the inexorable Federer!

*

The schedule of the first day of the Open just came out. Months ago, I bought my tickets - a five day ground pass for the first five days and Rod Laver Arena tickets for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. Guess who is on Rod Laver on Monday night? The opener is Casey Dellacqua against Daniela Hantuchova (which, with the way Casey is playing currently, should take about four seconds... sorry, Casey, but it's true!) followed by Andreas Seppi versus the Great Man. And I'll be there, cheering the Fed Express on!

*

Onto another final - one about which I can probably talk more sanely, due to the lack of gushing! The Medibank final was a really good match. The last time Nalbandian and Nieminen met, Dave walked all over Jarkko (2 and 1, I think.) But this one was much tighter - the breaker in the second set was positively nailbiting! Nieminen is in the best form I have seen him in for some time. He could potentially meet Djokovic a few rounds in at the Open, and I would love to see another upset!

*

And Nalbandian... look, you can what you like about his personality (though he was very effusive and quite funny in his champion's speech) but the guy is a seriously classy tennis player. You know how some tennis players are good, but not classy? (Federer probably being the epitome of class, if you want a standard to measure it against.) Nalbandian has serious class. He is very interesting to watch play, and he played some lovely balls last night... it's going to be interesting to see how he goes at the Open!

*

Oh, and Juan Martin del Potro beat Sam Querrey in Auckland. Quel surprise. And both Peter Luczak and Marija Mirkovic lost in the final round of qualifying... which is actually really sad. This is the first Open Mr Milkshake has missed in seven or eight years. We'll miss you, Pete!

*

*

Today's Results

*

AAMI Classic (Kooyong)

*

Roger Federer def. Stanislas Wawrinka, 6-1 6-3

Fernando Verdasco def. Fernando Gonzalez, 6-4 6-3

*

*

Medibank International (Sydney)

*

David Nalbandian def. Jarkko Nieminen, 6-3 6-7 (9-11) 6-2

*

*

Heineken Open (Auckland)

*

Juan Martin del Potro def. Sam Querrey, 6-4 6-4