The Rules Around Second Chances

So an interesting thing happened in Doha the other day. I'm a couple of days behind the pace, but... oh well. Mario Ancic's retirement was worth it.

Cautionary note: today I am writing about the WTA. I know I don't do this a lot, so proceed at your own peril. The likelihood of me saying a number of things which are wrong is high.

Okay. So this interesting thing that happened in Doha. Lucie Safarova beat Agnieszka Radwanska in straight sets. This was an upset (technically), but is not the interesting thing. No, I'm being all tennis-nerdy and referring to one weird call in particular.

Let me set the scene. The players! Radwanska and Safarova! The umpire! Kader Nouni! The stadium! Mostly empty, because it is Doha! And what happened is this.

Aga and Lucie are rallying, valiantly hitting the ball each to each. Safarova hits the ball to Radwanska. Radwanska has a play on the ball, but does not hit it, on account of the linesperson yelling OUT! Unfortunately for Aga, that linesperson also yelled CORRECTION! a split second later.

No matter, it seems. Aga challenges, hoping that the ball will be out and the point will thus be hers. But the ball is good. A let, it seems, should be played. But no! Kader Nouni awards the point to Safarova. And Aga gets maaaaaaaaaaaaaaad.

This one ended up with the tournament referee coming out to clarify the ruling, something which I think I've only seen once before (and hey, Nico, if you ever read this, do you want to explain the ruling in that match against Troicki to me? because I didn't understand it). The ref came down on Kader's side, which Aga obviously didn't like. And I don't blame her, because I totally understand her point of view.

The situation, as I understand it, was this: because Radwanska challenged the call, she thus forfeited her chance at playing a let, because she couldn't have two chances to win the point. I don't think Kader Nouni explained this particularly well to her - it took me a while to even begin to understand what he was saying. I totally see Aga's perspective on this - she was there, she had a play on the ball, the out call was interference, so it should be a let. And it would have been a let - had she not challenged. But no, because she challenged, the point had to be decided one way or another.

I certainly wasn't aware of this rule, and it doesn't seem like Aga was either. I've heard several criticisms of the interactions of HawkEye with actual umpiring, and it seems like this was one. This is clearly a pretty obscure rule, which doesn't have much call to be used... or does it? It seems like this situation would happen a lot, now that I think about it. Was Kader Nouni upholding the letter of the law where most umpires do not? I've never seen this ruling before and it seems like it would be pretty common - surely players challenge things all the time and lets are played? I can't put my finger on any particular instances of it at the moment, but it must happen. And I don't remember any players being particularly upset at their opponent being given Nouni's 'two chances' to win the point.

Aga clearly wasn't aware of this rule, otherwise it seems unlikely that she would challenge. It seems like a lot of players would be more reticent to challenge if this rule were employed more commonly. So does there need to be a clear delineation of the rules around HawkEye? Should Kader have told Aga before she challenged that if she was wrong she was forfeiting the point? Or should this rule - which obviously exists, because the tournament referee upheld it - be changed, so that Aga would get her let?

Thoughts?

Dolgopolove

Alexandr Dolgopolov is going to be a top ten player. Maybe even top five. And it is going to happen soon.

Robin Soderling did not know what hit him when he walked out on Rod Laver Arena. At first, I'm pretty sure he thought it was fat nothing, when he walked all over his opponent 6-1 in the first set. And even when he was broken in the second set - hell, even when he lost the second set - I'm pretty sure he was still feeling all right.

We were all applauding. 'Wow, Sasha got a set!' we cheered. 'A set from Soderling! He really is going to be something special one of these days!'

But Sasha was not content with 'one of these days'. No, Sasha wanted today.

And that is what he got.

When Soderling lost the third set... he knew he was in a match. And even after Soderling won the fourth set, and when he went up a break in the fifth... this was somehow Sasha's match. After he won the third set, there was not a moment in this match when Dolgopolov was going to lose.

Andy Roddick called him 'aggressive to the point of psychosis'. Sasha Dolgopolov has all the shots. He can rip winners from anywhere in the court - like, ANYWHERE, in that manner that only Federer and Nadal can do on a consistent basis. I can see how, on an off day, it could all go horribly wrong, and I suppose that's why he isn't higher ranked right at this second, but (first set aside), it was all going right for Sasha against Soderling. And if he can play like this on a consistent level, it is hard to imagine too many people who could stop him.

He has a huge forehand. He has a scintillating backhand. He can volley and slice and has a nice serve too. He can hit with spin, he can hit flat. I saw his match against Becker the other day live and after his match against Soderling, I haven't seen a shot he can't hit and hit with panache.

He plays the type of tennis which is most watchable when it's on and agonisingly painful when it's off. His mission, should he choose to accept it, is to make sure he can keep his level up week in, week out. Because if he can play like he played against Soderling all the time, he will be into the top ten with a rocket.

In other news, Nadal seems to have recovered from his illness woes - he really played a good match against Cilic, who couldn't really hurt him too much. Murray absolutely mauled Melzer in a terrifying way - that will be a really tough match for Sasha next. And a Murray/Nadal semi - that could be an absolute cracker. (Or totally anticlimactic, depending on how well both dudes play.)

In the ladies, the Kim Clijsters train rolls on - she put out Ekaterina Makarova, whom I really liked the look of and hope we see more of in the future. Vera Zvonareva continued to slice through the draw quietly (hot knife, butter, etc) and Agnieszka Radwanska had a very good win as well and Petra Kvitova is looking very nice as well...

Hey Roland Garros, I Meant It - Get A Roof

Welcome to another odyssey in the adventures of Roland Garros and how much they need a roof. It is SO IRRITATING waiting till 4pm Paris time for play to start when you're in Australia and that means it's midnight. Yes, I'm whinging like a spoiled bratty little fangirl, but that is exactly what I am, so come on, Roland Garros. Get with the program and get a roof so I don't have to put everyone whose second round singles match got canned into the losers column. Remember Wimbledon in '07 when there were matches that took, like, five days? (Rafa, Yoker, I'm looking at you). YOU DO NOT WANT THIS.

Okay. Let's go.

The winners: Fabio Fognini. I know he only squeaked in by the skin of his very teeth and I should be putting him in this column, but this was such a spectacular victory, after all those shenanigans with the light and whatnot. Well done that Fog.

Also, Australian women's tennis in general. Sophie Ferguson may have lost, but both Jarmila Groth and Anastasia Rodionova won and won relatively easily as well. And if (fingers crossed) Sam Stosur gets through, that is three Aussie ladies in Round 3. And that is quite something.

I'd also like to mention Elena Dementieva. No one is talking about her, and I think this is a good thing. She is always over hyped in Australia and it never amounts to anything. I personally think she does much better with under hype... which is why it gets nasty when the last few rounds come around and everyone is hyped.

The losers: Well, Gael Monfils, obviously. Sucks to be you. 'Nuff on that.

We have to talk Ana Ivanovic here. I wrote a positively cheery series of posts about her a few weeks back, and yes, it was a blip. It is rare that a player has a blip of positivity rather than negativity, but it looks like what that was. I didn't expect her to beat Alisa Kleybanova but I expected her to do a little better than three games, which was, frankly, pathetic. Nothing more to say.

The disappointments: Agnieszka Radwanska. I honestly don't understand why she is seeded #8, because she never seems to be around when things get all second weekish in Slams. This said, I really like her game and I wish she, you know, won more. Very disappointing result. Yaroslava Shvedova is an excellent player - I saw her play at Hopman Cup, and was impressed - but Radwanska should certainly not be losing this tamely.

And much as I am parochially glad Anastasia Rodionova came through, I'm a bit disappointed in Vera Zvonareva as well. Is she still injured? She seems always to be injured. I didn't see the match, but this is really not a good result for her.

Oh, and Monfils. He should have been able to win that one.

The scraped-in-by-the-skin-of-teeth: The obvious choice is Fognini, but let's talk about those big seeds going four - specifically, the Andies. Andy Murray went four against the frankly over Juan Ignacio Chela and Andy Roddick went four against Blaz 'my name is awesome but no one knows who I am' Kavcic. Neither of them should really have gone four here.

And it wasn't really skin of teeth stuff, but I thought Jelena Jankovic was going to have a slightly easier time of it. Maybe her shiny yellow dress has made me a little over optimistic about her chances...?

One to watch: The selfsame Blaz Kavcic. I have no idea who this dude is, but if you can get through a round in a Slam and take a set off a top ten player, you've got a little something something going on. And also his name is totally awesome.

One Step Away From The Worst

How, I ask you, how, is it possible to stage an epic comeback from 5-0 down when you are playing as badly as Dinara Safina was today?

I've made no secret of the fact that I just can't quit my Dinara fanhood. But she deserved to lose that match today with the way she was playing, especially in the first set. If you're 5-0 down then you pretty much deserve to lose a set. This is not troll logic.

I guess it only happens if your opponent suddenly starts playing worse than you do. Which Agnieszka Radwanska did.

Honestly, it was completely embarrassing for the WTA - especially coming a day after the match where Li Na beat Caroline Wozniacki, #4 in the world, by hitting 70-odd errors. She shouldn't be allowed to make that many errors. She should be beaten before she's had the opportunity. Just like Dinara really should have been beaten today - though Aggie Rad obviously deserved the loss more. It's one thing to come back from 5-0 down, it's entirely another to be serving for a bagel and end up losing a set 7-5.

I think everything I don't like about the WTA has been crystallised in Sydney this week, especially coming on the heels of that amazing Clijsters/Henin match (I WAS THERE! I WAS THERE!) It shouldn't be possible to win matches playing that badly. Half of the seeds should not be out of the tournament within the first three days. (Seriously, we've only got Serena, Dinara, Elena and Vika left now - and only Serena has looked anything like convincing). The Belgians would never have tolerated this in their former heyday and I sure as hell hope they don't tolerate it now.

I can't imagine what the ATP would look like if its top ten were all such headcases. Berdych, Grosjean and Gasquet would probably be the top three. (Who else is a notorious tennis headcase? I'm sure I've left out a few). The strength of the ATP also shows up the poor form of the WTA - we're definitely in a Golden Age in the men, but there's only assorted Belgians and Williamses saving us from the official Worst Era Ever in the women.

Sigh.

On a happier note, how great was Peter Luczak's win tonight? He really turned the screws on Jose Acasuso, who's ranked a good twenty places above him. Mr Milkshake has a career high ranking right now and I reckon he can get higher, if he keeps playing like this...

Thai Dyed

Well, I did not get my Thailand wish. Neither Marat Safin nor Ernests Gulbis managed to win their next matches.

Marat I am very disappointed in. He should be able to beat Marco Chiudinelli with his eyes closed and one arm tied behind his back, instead of losing tamely like he did. Still, it's pretty obvious that the fire is gone for Marat. He doesn't have any love for tennis at all and he's just hanging out for retirement so he can lie on the beach for a while. Here's one guy I don't think will be coming back.

Though my track record is not the best with these predictions - look what I said about Justine Henin.

Ernests Gulbis, on the other hand, did quite well. Could he finally, finally being finding his feet again? He pushed top seed Jo-Willy Tsonga all the way to a third set breaker, and considering the folks Jo-Dub has beaten of late - Federer springs to mind - that's really something a bit spesh. Not as good as winning, of course, but there's hope for the young Latvian yet. I'm still on your bandwagon, Ernie.

Over to the women, and I do believe I have some words to eat. I said Azarenka had to be the favourite to take the title... yeah, she went and lost. Just like all the other seeds. Li Na took her out - there's no way I would have picked that result. But JJ is still flying the seed flag, and Aggie Rad, and MaSha is still there - so it's not exactly like the semis of the US Open, which really was a decimation!


Today's Results

PTT Pattaya Open (Bangkok)

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Ernests Gulbis, 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-2)
Gilles Simon def. Kevin Kim, 6-2 6-2
John Isner def. Mischa Zverev, 7-6 (7-5) 6-4
Andreas Beck def. Donald Young, 6-1 6-7 (3-7) 6-4
Marco Chiudinelli def. Marat Safin, 6-3 7-6 (7-4)
Evgeny Korolev def. Robby Ginepri, 6-1 6-1


Proton Malaysian Open (Kuala Lumpur)

Fernando Verdasco def. Karol Beck, 6-4 6-0
Fernando Gonzalez def. Rohan Bopanna, 6-4 3-6 6-4
Gael Monfils def. Martin Vassallo Arguello, 6-4 6-2
Tomas Berdych def. Simon Greul, 6-3 4-6 6-3
Richard Gasquet def. Joachim Johansson, 4-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-2


Toray Pan Pacific Open (Tokyo)

Jelena Jankovic def. Marion Bartoli, 6-4 6-3
Li Na def. Victoria Azarenka, 7-6 (9-7) 4-6 7-6 (7-4)
Agnieszka Radwanska def. Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-3 6-1
Maria Sharapova def. Iveta Benesova, 6-4 7-5

Safina Subordinates Stubborn Sabine

Welcome to today's post, Safina Subordinates Stubborn Sabine; or, Jodi plays with alliteration and assonance.

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I seriously didn't know who to pull for in this match. I'm a huge fan of both these girls - in fact, they're probably my top two. I love the total sense of joie de vivre that Lisicki brings to the court, and I love the grit and determination that Safina has taught herself over the past two years or so. It was confusing - I'd be cheering for Lisicki when she had break points and then praying Safina would save them. I would find myself doing a fistpump on a Safina double fault when it benefited Lisicki. It was bizarre - I've never been able to pick between two players before. I always have a sense of who I want to win - even when Federer plays Safin, because although I love Marat very much, my heart belongs to Roger.

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But with these two, I just could not pick.

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I think I'm glad Dinara pulled through in the end though, I think. Lisicki is an up and comer in her first Slam quarter final - and I think you'd have to be a fool to think that she won't reach any more. She has some serious, serious game. But Dinara is supposed to have well and truly arrived, and while a quarter final is a great result for Sabine, it's not so much for Dinara. She really dug her heels into this match and for that I applaud her.

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But she must do something about the appalling amount of double faults she serves. That's just whacked out.

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She'll face Venus, and sorry Dinara, but I think the steamroller will be roaring in your direction. Venus demolished Radwanska today - even though Radwanska put up a lot more of a fight than the scoreline suggests. I felt sorry for poor A-Rad... she has a nice game, but there ain't nothing you can do when Venus gets in demolition mode.

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Serena also did a demolition job and I was glad of it, because we all know how I feel about Victoria Azarenka, the Novak Djokovic of women's tennis, spit spit. That girl has a serious attitude problem and I am incapable of appreciating her tennis until she does something about her behaviour. She behaves like a petulant child on court and she deserves everything Serena dished out to her, in my humble opinion. Good on you, Serena.

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Serena will face Elena Dementieva, who has had an absolute cakewalk of a draw so far. Cake. Walk. Seriously, Francesca Schiavone in the quarters? What on earth was Schiavone doing in the quarters? The ante is about to get upped majorly for Elegant Elena, and if I foresee a steamrolling for Safina at the hands of Venus, I'm foreseeing a potential double bagel here. This one could be nassssssssty.

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Today's Results

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The Championships (Wimbledon)

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Women's Draw

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Dinara Safina def. Sabine Lisicki, 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-1

Venus Williams def. Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-1 6-2

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

Elena Dementieva def. Francesca Schiavone, 6-2 6-2

The Mantle Falls

The big story of the weekend is, obviously, Richard Gasquet testing positive for cocaine. This is a bit of a shock, and rightly so - drug scandals in the tennis world are ridiculously rare (Guillermo Canas and Mariano Puerta are the only two I can recall) and... why Richard?

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That's a silly question to ask, I suppose. 'Why Richard'? Because Richard chose to. I've seen a lot of people saying that he 'allegedly' tested positive, but I find it hard to believe that a drug testing system as rigorous as the one put in place by the ITF is going to be wrong. This one is squarely on Richard... and sad as it is, if he gets a suspension, he's going to be a victim of his own actions.

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I read somewhere else that enforced time off might not be the worst thing in the world for Gasquet, and I think I agree - to an extent. The full two year ban I think would be career-ending for him - it must be hideously difficult to come back from that. But a year... well, I suppose it would give him time to get his head together - something which is clearly isn't at the moment, if he's doing cocaine.

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But the whole thing is just such a shame. What a waste. Richard was the front of a French tennis magazine at the age of nine with the headline 'The Future of French Tennis'. Somehow, I think that that mantle has fallen from his shoulders and slithered to the ground. It is terribly, terribly sad - but Gasquet has no one to blame but himself.

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(Oh, and Alize Cornet and Agnieszka Radwanska both lost their first round matches in Madrid. Go figure.)

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Today's Results

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Estoril Open (Estoril)

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Albert Montanes def. James Blake, 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 6-0

James Blake def. Nikolay Davydenko, 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-2) 6-3

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BMW Open (Munich)

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Tomas Berdych def. Mikhail Youzhny, 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7-5)

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Serbia Open (Belgrade)

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Novak Djokovic def. Lukasz Kubot, 6-3 7-6 (7-0)

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Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open (Madrid)

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Men's Draw

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Sam Querrey def. Radek Stepanek, 7-6 (7-2) 5-2 retired

Tommy Robredo def. Nicolas Kiefer, 3-6 6-2 6-2

Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Igor Kunitsyn, 6-3 4-6 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Jelena Jankovic def. Nuria Llagostera Vives, 6-2 6-1

Samantha Stosur def. Agnieszka Radwanska, 7-6 (7-4) 6-1

Agnes Szavay def. Flavia Pennetta, 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-2

Elena Vesnina def. Alizé Cornet, 7-5 6-1

Vera Dushevina def. Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6-3 6-4

Lucie Safarova def. Kaia Kanepi, 6-2 2-3 retired

Patty Schnyder def. Sara Errani, 6-2 6-3

Li Na def. Carla Suárez Navarro, 5-7 6-1 7-5

Alona Bondarenko def. Sorana Cirstea, 6-2 6-2

Petra Kvitova def. Sybille Bammer, 4-1 retired

Anne Keothavong def. Mariana Duque Marino, 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

Anna-Lena Groenefeld def. Monica Niculescu, 6-1 6-0

Aravane Rezai def. Tsvetana Pironkova, 6-3 6-4

Lourdes Domínguez Lino def. Akgul Amanmuradova, 7-6 (7-5) 6-4

Result and a Half

First thing is first: this is the 400th post on Tennis From The Backseat! What a nice round number.

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Second thing: Jarmila Groth! How about you, girl?!

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The WTA still has her listed as playing for the Slovak Republic, but I'm pretty sure she plays for Australia now. She's been trying to get citizenship for about a thousand years now, and then she married Sam Groth, one of our Davis Cup team, a couple of months ago (she used to be called Jarmila Gajdosova). Jarmila is listed as third on the Tennis Australia list of top Australian female tennis players, so they clearly think she's Australian, and... I get away from the point.

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Jarmila Groth, our dear Australian, took out the top seed, Iveta Benesova - with whom I have certainly not been unimpressed - in Estoril. In straight sets, no less. How about that? That is a pretty good result, if I do say so myself! I haven't seen huge amounts of Jarmila playing, but she's always impressed me when I have - she put up a very good showing against Victoria Azarenka in Brisbane.

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Speaking of seeds tumbling, Ana Ivanovic went out in Rome to Agnieszka Radwanska, who clearly heard me beating on her last week and tried to do better. On you, Agnieszka. And how about Patty Schnyder taking out Serena? That's a result and a half!

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Today's Results

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Estoril Open (Estoril)

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Men's Draw

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Nikolay Davydenko def. Juan Carlos Ferrero, 7-5 6-2

Oscar Hernandez def. David Ferrer, 6-2 6-4

Mardy Fish def. Ivan Navarro, 2-6 6-1 6-4

Paul Capdeville def. Maximo Gonzalez, 2-6 6-2 6-3

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Women's Draw

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Jarmila Groth def. Iveta Benesova, 7-5 6-4

Maria Kirilenko def. María Emilia Salerni, 6-3 6-0

Sorana Cirstea def. Maret Ani, 7-5 6-2

Sabine Lisicki def. Elena Bovina, 6-4 7-5

Ekaterina Makarova def. Melinda Czink, 5-7 7-5 7-5

Shahar Peer def. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, 6-4 6-1

Anna-Lena Groenefeld def. Kristina Barrois, 6-4 6-4

Yanina Wickmayer def. Olga Govortsova, 0-6 6-2 6-2

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BMW Open (Munich)

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Marin Cilic def. Philipp Kohlschreiber, 6-0 6-4

Mikhail Youzhny def. Nicolas Almagro, 7-6 (7-2) 6-4

Jeremy Chardy def. Nicolas Kiefer, 6-4 7-6 (10-8)

Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Denis Gremelmayr, 6-1 6-4

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Serbia Open (Belgrade)

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Novak Djokovic def. Janko Tipsarevic, 6-2 4-6 6-0

Viktor Troicki def. Marcel Granollers, 6-3 6-4

Lukasz Kubot def. Igor Andreev, 3-2 retired

Kristof Vliegen def. Christophe Rochus, 3-6 6-4 6-3

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Internazionali BNL d'Italia (Rome)

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Dinara Safina def. Zheng Jie, 5-7 6-1 7-6 (7-3)

Jelena Jankovic def. Kateryna Bondarenko, 6-1 1-0 retired

Venus Williams def. Anna Chakvetadze, 6-0 6-7 (8-10) 6-4

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Ana Ivanovic, 6-1 3-6 6-4

Victoria Azarenka def. Caroline Wozniacki, 6-2 6-2

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Flavia Pennetta, 6-3 3-6 6-0

María José Martínez Sánchez def. Nadia Petrova, 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-4

Kaia Kanepi def. Patty Schnyder, 6-3 6-0

Dinara! The Musical

No real surprises in Rome today - the surprise party is over. We have the three usual suspects through - Nadal, Federer and Djokovic all came through in straights again - and filling the spot left vacant by Murray is Fernando Gonzalez, who is pretty good at dirtballin', so not really surprising either. They're going to be good semis, I think - you'd bet on Rafa to come through for sure, but the other one is up in the air... but yeah. I hope it's Roger. I know it can be Roger. I think it'd be great to have a Roger/Rafa final before Roland Garros.

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That's pretty much all that can be said for Rome today... over to the girls. I said it yesterday and I'll say it again. Being #1 in the world really suits Dinara Safina. She pulverised Agnieszka Radwanska in Stuttgart today, and the war machine just looks like it'll keep on rolling. Please, please let this moment where she snaps out of her funk. That final in Australia really hurt her, I think - she played pretty well to get to that point. But we're around the same time last year that Dinara really burst onto the stage - it was so dramatic that you could probably write a musical about it: 'Dinara! The Musical!' (with supporting role of Marat Safin)... actually, that would be a fun idea. Am tempting myself now.

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Going back to Dinara's opponent, where has Agnieszka Radwanska been this year? Last year she was being touted as a future top-fiver and she made a couple of Slam quarter finals and generally showed promise - she was last year's Azarenka. But this year? She's another member of the Club of Lost Souls, with James Blake, Tomas Berdych, Lucie Safarova and Alize Cornet. I can't remember a single thing she's done this year. I mean, I suppose quarters in Stuttgart aren't bad, but she is capable of doing so much better.

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Speaking of people capable of more than the quarter finals in Stuttgart - Jelena Jankovic belongs to that club. I'm prepared to forgive this one, because she has showed some positive signs lately and Flavia Pennetta, to whom she lost, is wily and wise, especially on clay, but if this trend continues... she really should be looking at claiming her first Slam soon. And though there's been some improvement of late, I don't know if we're quite there yet.

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Today's Results

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Internazionali BNL d'Italia (Rome)

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Rafael Nadal def. Fernando Verdasco, 6-3 6-3

Roger Federer def. Mischa Zverev, 7-6 (7-3) 6-2

Novak Djokovic def. Juan Martin Del Potro, 6-3 6-4

Fernando Gonzalez def. Juan Monaco, 2-6 6-3 6-4

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Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart)

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Dinara Safina def. Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-4 6-2

Elena Dementieva def. Marion Bartoli, 6-2 4-6 6-3

Flavia Pennetta def. Jelena Jankovic, 2-6 6-4 6-4

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Gisela Dulko, 6-3 6-2

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Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem (Fes)

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Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Melinda Czink, 6-0 retired

Ekaterina Makarova def. Alisa Kleybanova, 6-2 6-1

Kiwi Does Shanghai

And so the first player to the semi-finals is Novak Djokovic. You can imagine how thrilled I am about that one. Overjoyed. I'm sure my ecstasy is transcending the bounds of the screen, so overwhelming is it.

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That was sarcastic, in case no one picked up on it.

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Yes, Djokovic is through after beating Kolya Davydenko, who will fight it out with Juan Martin del Potro for the final berth in the Gold Group. What a disappointing showing from Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - I felt sure he was going to step it up and go through. Oh well. He still has to play Djokovic in the final round robin match, and Djokovic has been Jo-Dub's bunny of late, so hopefully he can smash him like a guitar. Again. Just because it would be funny, and something needs to go right at these year-end championships, damn it!

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I think I'm picking del Potro over Davydenko. He's just been in better form, and even though Kolya seems to have screwed his head on to a degree after his reprehensible spat earlier this year, he's just - and always has been - a terribly uninspiring tennis player. Then tomorrow I'm going with Roger over Roddick (hopefully without the match-points that Roddick had last year which could have turned into a fiasco) and Murray over Simon. Murray really is the one to beat, I think - he's the form player. However, I thought Tsonga was the form player of the Gold Group, and look how that turned out.

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One thing I found really interesting about the Masters Cup - did you know Nicolas Kiefer is one of the alternates? Apparently none of the twenty-five or so players ranked above him wanted to schlep to China, so he got the call up. I found this very bizarre. Look at Doha last week - you had the #9 and #10 players in the race (if you discount the injured Maria Sharapova) more than willing to go. Radwanska and Petrova both got a match too. I can understand not wanting to go all the way to China if you're not going to play, but seriously... when you have to go to the twenty-sixth player on your list, that's a bit dodgy. Why is it so different for the blokes?

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I bet Kiwi will be a very happy guy if someone pulls out... I can just picture him dancing about saying, 'I told you so!'

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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. Nikolay Davydenko, 7-6 (7-3) 0-6 7-5

Juan Martin del Potro def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5)

Truth, Justice & A Really Big Trophy

I never thought I'd be glad to see Andy Murray win anything, but I was very glad to see him win the title at Cincinatti. Pretty much the only person I dislike more than him is Novak Djokovic, and guess who he was playing...? To be fair, though, Andy isn't as rubbish as he used to be - personality wise, I mean. He was never a rubbish tennis player! But he used to be an arrogant little bastard. He still is, but less so. I hope he continues improving.

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Actually, does this mean he's leading the US Open series now? It'd either be him or Rafa - I think they both made a semi and won a title. Maybe they're even. If it is Murray, who would have picked that? Maybe he's going to be one to watch out for at the US Open - and is he playing at the Olympics? Though I don't know if playing a full week of tennis in Cincinatti is really conducive to excellent Olympic performance - in which case I totally revise my position. This was the ideal final. Clearly.

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Ahem.

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Meanwhile, men's tennis may be a little black for me at the moment, but how 'bout that Dinara Safina? This is her second Tier I tournament victory this year, and that is really something else - her second tournament on the trot as well, after she won the Tier II in LA last week. She is really taking care of business like a real pro. She is looking so dangerous - and surely she must be close to qualifying for Doha? Actually, let me check... she's in sixth spot, but I don't know if it's been updated to take into account this victory yet. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this would be her first year-ending championships... wouldn't it be great if she won it?

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Ivanovic and Jankovic are the only players to have qualified at this point - hey, I wonder if that means that Sharapova won't qualify? That injury means that she's out for the Olympics and the US Open. If she doesn't play for that long... she might not make the cut. Depends how well everyone else plays, I guess. There are some girls just outside the top eight who would love a spot... Agnieszka Radwanska, for example. Though I am not impressed with A-Rad at the moment, what with playing that Tier IV instead of the Tier I. And she didn't even win. Why would you do that? What is the rationale there?

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Oh, I don't know. And can I just say I really like the campaign the WTA has to promote Doha? 'They're fighting for truth, justice and a really big trophy.' I'm not sure why, but it just really appeals to me.

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Today's Results

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Western and Southern Financial Group Masters (Cincinatti)

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Andy Murray def. Novak Djokovic, 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5)

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Rogers Cup (Montreal)

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Dinara Safina def. Dominika Cibulkova, 6-2 6-1

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Nordea Nordic Light Open (Stockholm)

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Caroline Wozniacki def. Vera Dushevina, 6-0 6-2

Caroline Wozniacki def. Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-4 6-1

Vera Dushevina def. Katarina Srebotnik, 6-1 6-2