Anticlimax

Today was the last day of Doha (thank God) and the first day of Shanghai (hoping for a better showing than we got from the girls.) Let's start with Doha and get it out of the way, because it really has been spectacularly anticlimactic. It could have been so awesome, and it just wasn't.

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I don't think anyone was really surprised to see Venus take it over Vera - Vera's luck had to run out sometime, I guess (not that I'm attributing all her wins to luck, because she deserved them, but you get what I mean.) It did go three sets, which was good for the tournament, but it certainly had nothing on that titantic Henin/Sharapova clash last year, which has to be one of the best women's matches in recent history. Though the Vera story was great, and kudos to Venus as well, this really hasn't been a very telling tournament, in my opinion. Last year, you knew Henin was the champion. She was the one that dominated the year. You get that in Shanghai as well - just look at Federer's domination there. The season-ending championships is the sort of cherry on the cake tournament, confirming a player at the top. While Venus has been good this year, winning Wimbledon and all, if you asked me who was the dominant, hot player on the WTA circuit this year, I wouldn't pick her. Jankovic, maybe, or Safina, or even Serena, but not Venus. Doha just has not been demonstrative of this year in tennis. It should be like a microcosm of the year, and it hasn't been. The year certainly hasn't been a battle between Venus Williams and Vera Zvonareva for supremacy, that's for sure.

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Over to Shanghai now, where we will hopefully have a much less depressing tournament - though both my opening picks have been wrong. Djokovic beat del Potro (his first ever victory at the Masters Cup) and Davydenko beat Tsonga. Juan M and Jo-W can still go through, but Novak and Kolya will need to do some serious losing. I wouldn't mind Kolya going through - he seems to have picked up his act since the whole 'I hate tennis' incident - but I would love to see Djokovic stuck in round robin again. Because I am mean like that.

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We have Federer/Simon and Roddick/Murray together. I'm picking Federer, obviously - even though Simon did win their last match, I think Roger's in a much better place now, and also he won't like losing twice in a row to the same guy. In the battle of the Andys, you have to go with Murray. I would be very surprised to see Roddick pull it out. And remember, it's China - he will be haunted by the Olympics he never went to. HAUNTED!

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Today's Results

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Tennis Masters Cup (Shanghai)

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Gold Group

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Novak Djokovic def. Juan Martin del Potro, 7-5 6-3

Nikolay Davydenko def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 7-6 (7-0)

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Sony Ericsson Championships 2008 (Doha)

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Venus Williams def. Vera Zvonareva, 6-7 (5-7) 6-0 6-2