Stuck on 399

Marat, Marat, Marat. What am I going to do with you?

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Every time I see him entered in this little schlep tournament, I get excited. Ah-ha! think I. There is next to no competition! Maybe this will be the tournament where Marat wins again for the first time since 2005! Maybe this will get him back on track!
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...and then he goes and loses to someone like Philipp 'who?' Petzschner, and we're back to square one again.

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So, Mr. Safin, answer me this. What is going on with you? I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but why can't you be more like your sister? I don't want to accuse Marat of not trying, but the reason Dinara has been so smokin' hot this season - she's #3 in the world now! - is because you pretty much have to shoot her to get through her. The only vaguely strange loss I can think of that she's taken since Berlin was to Shahar Peer in the third round of Wimbledon, and even that went to 8-6 or something in the third.

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I'm not asking much, Marat. Just a little more commitment. Focus, perhaps. Because I want to see you winning again. You're one of my favourite players, and I don't like to see you losing to schleps in schlep tournaments when you are so much better than that. Had you won this, this would have been your 400th career win - and no one wants to see you stuck on 399.

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Meanwhile, back to my new favourite subject - Davis Cup. The first round ties for next year have come out and there are some mighty interesting draws. Switzerland vs. USA, for example. I don't know about you, but I think the USA might find themselves playing relegation rounds this time next year... let's look at this. On Team USA, you have Roddick and Blake - two solid singles players - as well as the Bryans, who are one of the best doubles teams ever. So far so good, right? But then look at Team Suisse. You have the greatest player that's ever lived in Roger Federer - and sure, he's lost to both Roddick and Blake in the past, but would you really bet against him? Then you have Stan Wawrinka, also a top ten player. Oh, and in the doubles... guess who knocked the Bryans out in the Olympics and went on to win the gold medal.

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It does seem a little like the Swiss have a two man team while the Americans have four, but when those two men are Federer and Wawrinka, do you really need more?

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The other reeeeeally intriguing tie is Spain/Serbia... I'd pay good money to see Nadal take on Djokovic in a Davis Cup match. Especially since it's presumably going to be on clay. I love it when Djokovic gets his arse kicked.

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Today's Results

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Thailand Open (Bangkok)

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Robin Soderling def. Aisam ul-Haq Qureshi, 6-2 6-4

Philipp Petzschner def, Marat Safin, 6-4 7-6 (7-4)

Teimuraz Gabashvili def. Michael Berrer, 6-4 6-3

Nicolas Mahut def. Danai Udomchoke, 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-2

Robert Kendrick def. George Bastl, 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

Simon Stadler def. Julien Benneteau, 7-5 6-1

Lukas Dlouhy def. Benjamin Becker, 6-4 7-6 (7-4)

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China Open (Beijing)

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Men's Draw

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Tommy Robredo def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 6-4 7-5

Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Alexandre Kudryavtsev, 6-4 6-3

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Women's Draw

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Anna Chakvetadze def. Iveta Benesova, 6-4 7-5

Alizé Cornet def. Zhang Shuai, 6-1 3-6 7-6 (9-7)

Francesca Schiavone def. Li Na, 6-1 7-6 (7-4)

Agnes Szavay def. Yaroslava Shvedova, 6-4 6-3

Ai Sugiyama def. Yan Zi, 6-3 6-4

Tamarine Tanasugarn def. Katarina Srebotnik, 6-4 7-5

Aleksandra Wozniak def. Virginie Razzano, 6-7 (3-7) 7-5 6-4

Alla Kudryavtseva def. Peng Shuai, 7-5 6-4

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Hansol Korea Open (Seoul)

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Maria Kirilenko def. Lenka Wienerova, 6-2 6-0

Kaia Kanepi def. Rika Fujiwara, 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-0

Klara Zakopalova def. Carla Suárez Navarro, 6-1 6-7 (3-7) 6-4

Samantha Stosur def. Marina Erakovic, 6-2 6-0

Chan Yung-Jan def. Mara Santangelo, 1-6 6-3 6-4

Ekaterina Makarova def. Tamira Paszek, 6-1 6-2

Jill Craybas def. Yuan Meng, 6-0 6-0

Lucie Safarova def. Melanie South, 6-1 3-0 retired

Stéphanie Dubois def. Camille Pin, 6-4 3-6 7-5

Ayumi Morita def. Arantxa Rus, 6-4 6-1

Anastasia Pivovarova def. Lee Ye-Ra, 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 5-3 retired

A Spandau Ballet Moment

Let's face it. This has not been Roger Federer's bestest year ever. 2008 is not going to be the one he looks back on (tennis-wise, anyway) and go 'man... that was sweet.'

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Except for this one moment. (And hopefully the final of the US Open!)

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Roger Federer is now an Olympic gold medallist. If nothing else happens this year, if he suffers disappointment at the US Open, if he doesn't get the year-end #1, it doesn't matter - because he has this. He is an Olympic gold medallist, and that is something else. Like Spandau Ballet says, he is GOLD!

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I don't expect that Roger and Stan will go on and play a huge doubles schedule or anything, but it'd be nice to see them play a few more tournaments here and there. They've obviously got a little something-something going on - did I mention they were Olympic gold medallists? I bet the Bryans have a real sour taste in their mouth right now. They were favourites, and rightfully so. They are a brilliant doubles team. And then these two singles players come in and steal their glory. I mean, a bronze medal is still very special - and believe me, I feel SO sorry for Clement and Llodra, because they deserve to be somewhere on that podium too - but it's not gold. For those who don't expect a medal, bronze is, like, awesome, but when you're the favourite, bronze must seem like such a bitchslap.

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Because gold, this time, is all Roger, all Stan. Team Fedrinka are the MEN! Actually, one thing I thought was really funny was that Roger was all clean-shaven and pretty-looking, whereas Stan looked like he'd overslept and barely made it to the courts on time, hair all rumpled and with a morning-after shadow. I wonder if that's a testament to the kind of men they are? I like Stan. He's a fun guy - and he and Roger are clearly such good mates. I visited Stan's website the other day -stanwawrinka.com - and while I didn't understand any of it as it was all in French, I thought the little intro was cute. 'Stan Wawrinka - the power and the passion.' Cliche, perhaps, but cute. Maybe that's what made Team Fedrinka such a force. They've got the power and the passion. And the mad tennis skills - sorry, skillz.

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I suppose we should talk about the singles, even if it is devoid in Swiss boys. My prediction for the gold medal match has not changed - Rafa over Gonzo. The bronze medal match was played just before the Doubles Match of Awesomeness, and Djokovic beat Blake. We all know I don't like Djokovic, but it really would have been a bit sad for him if he hadn't won it. I feel terrible for saying this, but with Federer out, Nadal/Djokovic was really the real final. All credit to Fernando Gonzalez, because he's fab, but the big three really are in a league of their own. They are at the top, and even if I may take issue with the personality of one of them, you don't get there without deserving it. You can say a lot of things about the tennis ranking system, but when it comes down to it, if you put in the hard yards and grind out the matches, you are rewarded.

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Oh! Girl tennis! Go Dinara! She is in the final, and even though Dementieva is seeded above her, I think you have to say she's the favourite. She is playing like the #1 at the moment, and this one belongs to her. I think it will be another silver in the cabinet for Elegant Elena and her fairy floss serve. I'd like to see Zvonareva win the bronze, because it's such an achievement for her to get here at all - she was Sharapova's last minute replacement, yesno? - but I think Li will edge her out. And maybe that's the way it should be... but honestly, do China really need any more medals?

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I read that Safina's victory over Jankovic means that Jankovic will no longer be #1 next week. I have no problems with this - Jankovic is a good player, but she doesn't really deserve to be #1 - but does that mean Ivanovic gets it back? Who is #1 now? I know Sveta could have taken it, but she lost in the first round, so it's obviously not her, and I doubt very much it's Sharapova. It must be Ana - but I have no idea how that works. Women's tennis is CONFUSING. Or did that article lie? Did I imagine it? Will it still be Jelena next week? Any answers welcome!

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Oh, and a shout out to Juan Martin del Potro, who is playing insanely well in Washington! If Federer doesn't win the US Open, I'm going for Safin - but if Safin doesn't win, then man, I'm going for del Potro! And also kudos to Viktor Troicki, who I saw play Nadal in the first round of the Australian Open this year in Rod Laver Arena, for knocking out Andy Roddick! No kudos to Andy Roddick. He should be at the Olympics.

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Today's Results

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Games of the XXIX Olympiad (Beijing)

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Men's Draw - Singles

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Novak Djokovic def. James Blake, 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

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Women's Draw - Singles

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Elena Dementieva def. Vera Zvonareva, 6-3 7-6 (7-3)

Dinara Safina def. Li Na, 7-6 (7-3) 7-5

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Men's Draw - Doubles

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Federer/Wawrinka def. Aspelin/Johansson, 6-3 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 6-3

Bryan/Bryan def. Clement/Llodra, 3-6 6-3 6-4

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Women's Draw - Doubles

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Williams/Williams def. Bondarenko/Bondarenko, 4-6 6-4 6-1

Medina Garrigues/Ruano Pascual def. Yan/Zheng, 6-4 7-6 (7-5)

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Legg Mason Tennis Classic (Washington)

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Juan Martin del Potro def. Tommy Haas, 6-2 6-1

Viktor Troicki def. Igor Kunitsyn, 6-4 6-2

Viktor Troicki def. Andy Roddick, 0-6 6-2 6-4

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

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

Doubles Rules!

Singles shmingles. Doubles rules!

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So Rafa Nadal and Fernando Gonzalez are facing off for an Olympic gold medal. Good for them - but so what? The doubles action is where it's AT!

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Not that I am in any way prejudiced by who is in the doubles final, or anything.

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I know I said yesterday that it's more important to be a fan of the game than the player, etc, etc, et al, op cit, but seriously, is there anyone that deserves an Olympic medal more than Roger Federer? He may be the outgoing #1, but he's going to be #1 in the public mind for quite some mind, and though Rafa is a lovely boy and excellent for the sport and stuff, I don't think he's going to be quite the tennis statesman that Federer was and is. One of the real reasons for this - and it is totally not Rafa's fault, it's just a fact of life - is that Federer speaks better English. With the USA at the centre of the world's sporting press, Federer's English has made him more marketable. Simple as that.

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Though I do love Rafa's English... the gems he comes up with can be awesome. I love reading his press conferences. Not in a mocking way - because though I love Roger more, I really am quite fond of Rafa - but there are some awesome ones. Then there is the 'famous ass' quote... yeah, I don't know if Rafa's ever going to live that one down.

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I suppose we should talk about Rafa some, because he's going to be on that dais for sure - and to tell the truth, I'd like to see him win the gold medal now that Federer is out of the singles. If Roger had been in the final and Rafa had beaten him, I think that might have been a bit of a disaster, but because Roger didn't lose to Rafa, then I have no problems with Rafa winning. I would love to see him win. Of all the players this year - and I include Roger in this - Rafa really deserves it most. He's been playing like someone worthy of a gold medal. This is his career year -it's going to be really, really hard for him to improve on this! So Rafa for gold. Fernando silver. And though I think Djokovic is probably going to beat it, I'd like to see Blake win bronze. It's going to be interesting to see who is the Di Pasquale-esque spoiler there.

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But - doubles! How awesome is Team Fedrinka? I would love to see them team up at a few other events, because though singles will always be my true love, doubles is just so much fun! And not only did they take out the newly reconciled Indian pair, Bhupathi and Paes, who have multiple doubles Slam titles between them, they took out the Bryans - the fricking Bryans - in straights! Now that is something else. I've seen the Bryans play live, and they totally have this kind of psychic radar - they just know where the other is going to be. I don't whether this is a twin thing or because they play together all the time and never switch partners, but it's quite incredible. You just don't appreciate it when you see it on TV.

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That said, in that match, BryanBryan lost to Gasquet and Tsonga in a total thriller, so they are beatable. But who would have thought Team Fedrinka, who had won all of one match coming into the Olympics, could take them out? I know they're both excellent singles players, but that doesn't necessarily translate into good team player - in fact, it rarely does. I had, I admit, resigned myself to a bronze medal match for Roger and Stan - so I am absolutely over the moon! I would love to see them win gold - because after all that Roger has done over the years, as well as all that Martina Hingis did before him, Switzerland deserves a tennis gold medal! - but just knowing they'll be on the dais is awesome. A silver medal is no mean feat. Finally, Roger can add that elusive medal to his trophy cabinet - and I hope it's gold!

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Oh yeah, and that other doubles match? The Swedes against the French, that went to 19-17 in the third? AWESOME MATCH! DOUBLES RULES!

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And over to the girls for a second - DAVAI DINARA! I told you she could and would take out Jelena Jankovic! She may be out in the doubles - sorry Sveta - but she totally owns this gold medal now. Safina, Zvonareva, Dementieva and Li. Anyone else smelling a very Russian podium?

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Today's Results

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Games of the XXIX Olympiad (Beijing)

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Men's Draw - Singles

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Rafael Nadal def. Novak Djokovic, 6-4 1-6 6-4

Fernando Gonzalez def. James Blake, 4-6 7-5 11-9

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Women's Draw

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Dinara Safina def. Jelena Jankovic, 6-2 5-7 6-3

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Men's Draw - Doubles

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Federer/Wawrinka def. Bryan/Bryan, 7-6 (8-6) 6-4

Aspelin/Johansson def. Clement/Llodra, 7-6 (8-6) 1-6 19-17

Federer/Wawrinka def. Bhupathi/Paes, 6-2 6-4

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Women's Draw - Doubles

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Yan/Zheng def. Kuznetsova/Safina, 6-3 5-7 10-8

Williams/Williams def. Vesnina/Zvonareva, 6-4 6-0

Medina Garrigues/Ruano Pascual def. Davenport/Huber, 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 8 6

Bondarenko/Bondarenko def. Pennetta/Schiavone, 6-1 3-6 7-5

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Legg Mason Tennis Classic (Washington)

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Juan Martin del Potro def. John Isner, 6-4 6-4

Tommy Haas def. Alejandro Falla, 7-5 6-1

Somdev Devvarman def. Robert Kendrick, 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 7-5

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

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Nadia Petrova def. Lilia Osterloh, 6-2 6-3

Maria Kirilenko def. Sabine Lisicki, 6-2 1-6 6-1

Nathalie Dechy def. Aleksandra Wozniak, 7-6 (7-4) 7-5

Double Speed

Well, I guess we all know where I'm going to start, because Federer was in action yesterday. He and Stan Wawrinka look like they're getting their groove on with the doubles - they made pretty light work of Julien Benneteau and Frederic Niemeyer. That said, Benneteau and Niemeyer aren't exactly the Bryans... but this is Roger and Stan's first team win! Obviously it is cause for bigtime celebration!

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It will be interesting to see how they go against a 'proper' doubles team - they meet Paes and Dlouhy in the next round. But I have faith in the Rog/Stan combo. They will be AWESOME!

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Oh yeah. Roddick and Fish won too. Against Clement and Llodra. I think Clement and Llodra are awesome, so I was sad.

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I don't know if you'd call Clement and Llodra a specialist doubles team, as they both have pretty successful singles careers, but they've won a Slam and they're pretty decent. And Roddick and Fish beat them in straight sets. Would the realm of doubles be a lot different if the top guys played more often? I'm not sure if singles success always translates onto the doubles court - I mean, tennis is tennis, but there are different skills involved. Like sharing. And knowing when to let something go for your partner. The really good doubles teams you see develop a sort of psychic connection. That's part of why the Bryans are so good - quite apart from being twins, they have played together so long that they know exactly what the other one is doing.

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But I like doubles, even if I don't usually give it the kudos it deserves. I saw the men's doubles final at the Medibank International in Sydney, where Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated the Bryans - henceforth known as BryanBryan, because that is what the umpire called them.It was a great match - went the whole distance in the match tiebreak. I probably have a post about it somewhere back in January - but knowing me, I probably focused on the singles match... not least because Tursunov won. But the doubles was awesome fun. There's something about it that's not quite as serious as singles. I know I'm always like, 'yeah, tennis is great because it's so gladiatorial, ra ra ra, mental struggle, one on one, no one to blame but yourself, etc etc' but doubles isn't like that. It's a little more light hearted. I mean, sure, when it's a Slam final and you have the Bryans against Bhupathi and Knowles or something, it's serious then, but on the whole, you just get the feeling the guys are having a total blast.

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Which is why it's so much fun when the top guys play. Seven of the top ten are playing this week - one team which I thought was interesting which I didn't talk about yesterday was David Ferrer and Jarkko Nieminen. I'm not quite sure WHY they're playing together - it can't be for Olympic reasons, why with the one being Spanish and the other Finnish - but I think it will be a really fun team nonetheless. It's always interesting to see who plays together... because you'd want to play with your mates, wouldn't you? And it's interesting to see who's friends with who.

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And, oh yeah, there were some singles matches yesterday too. I picked a few... which apparently places me 9439th in the bracket challenge. So looks like I'm not going to be doing too well... again. But it might pick up. Gasquet won - I predicted he would lose, but that's a good sign for Richou. I also picked Benneteau over Gonzalez... yeah, I don't know what I was thinking either. And then Dancevic had to go and beat Ancic... I thought Super Mario would win that easy, but I suppose Dancevic has home town advantage, for what that's worth. And Ginepri beat Mathieu, and Mahut beat Tipsarevic, and Acasuso beat Gulbis... but Kiefer won! And Wawrinka! And Youzhny! I got those ones right!

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Yeah, so I suck at the bracket challenge. So sue me.

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Today's Results

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Rogers Cup (Toronto)

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Stanislas Wawrinka def. Simone Bolelli, 6-4 7-6 (7-4)

Richard Gasquet def. Michael Llodra, 6-2 4-6 6-3

Tommy Robredo def. Frederic Niemeyer, 7-6 (7-4) 6-1

Fernando Gonzalez def. Julien Benneteau, 6-2 6-1

Mikhail Youzhny def. Andreas Seppi, 7-6 (7-1) 6-2

Nicolas Kiefer def. Mardy Fish, 7-5 7-6 (7-4)

Robby Ginepri def. Paul-Henri Mathieu, 6-3 4-6 6-4

Nicolas Mahut def. Janko Tipsarevic, 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-2

Frank Dancevic def. Mario Ancic, 6-3 6-4

Jose Acasuso def. Ernests Gulbis, 6-7 (1-7) 6-3 7-5

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East West Bank Classic (Los Angeles)

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Sybille Bammer def. Ahsha Rolle, 6-0 6-4

Chan Yung-Jan def. Aravane Rezai, 6-1 6-4

Tamira Paszek def. Aiko Nakamura, 6-4 6-2

Olga Savchuk def. Gisela Dulko, 6-4 6-3

Jill Craybas def. Anne Keothavong, 6-3 6-2

Olga Govortsova def. Darya Kustova, 6-3 6-4

Marta Domachowska def. Coco Vandeweghe, 6-3 6-3

Petra Kvitova def. Alisa Kleybanova, 6-4 1-6 7-5

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Banka Koper Slovenia Open (Portoroz)

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Caroline Wozniacki def. Andreja Klepac, 7-5 6-0

Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Ekaterina Makarova, 6-1 6-3

Katie O'Brien def. Tsvetana Pironkova, 7-6 (8-6) 4-6 6-2

Klara Zakopalova def. Carla Suárez Navarro, 6-4 6-4

Vera Dushevina def. Virginia Ruano Pascual, 6-3 6-3

Julia Vakulenko def. Polona Hercog, 5-7 6-4 6-4

Petra Martic def. Angelique Kerber, 7-5 6-2

Bethanie Mattek def. Abigail Spears (USA) 62 64