Who Needs Steffi?

Today marks the third day in a row that I've talked about women's tennis here. IS THIS THE REAL LIFE? IS THIS JUST FANTASY?

I wouldn't expect it to become a regular thing (unless the WTA suddenly becomes extraordinarily interesting), but the WTA really is a little more happening than dudeworld this week. Except for Juan Carlos Ferrero, who is rocking the kasbah. Welcome back, mosquito.

But yes. Ladies.

By my calculations, we have four German ladies in the quarters of Stuttgart. Sure, it may be a home tournament and the home ground advantage may be in play, but that is one hell of a result. And also one hell of a Fed Cup team. Where have Germany been? Seriously, it's all 'Steffi Graf, we miss her, if she came back she'd be in the top five BOOM like that', but Germany are doing pretty well all on their lonesome.

We've got Petkovic. Goerges. Lisicki. Barrois. And she's not in this tournament as far as I can tell, but there's also Groenefeld. That is not a line up to be sneezing at. And the fact that these four are in the quarters of Stuttgart is not sneezeworthy either, because although it's not exactly the fifth Slam, this is not a Mickey Mouse field. The other four people in the quarters are Zvonareva, Stosur, Radwanska... oh yeah, the world #1 Wozniacki. Germany is holding its own. (It's also worth noting that between them, these four German ladies beat Jankovic, Bartoli, Azarenka and Li. If this is not quality, then I do not know what is.)

It doesn't really matter whether or not one of these German ladies wins Stuttgart - although if my beloved Sabine Lisicki were to do it, I would be super happy. Whatever happens from here - whether all four of them make the semis or none of them do - this is a fantastic result. Germany has suddenly, seemingly from nowhere, become the dark horse powerhouse of women's tennis. Russia aside, it's hard to pick out who has a stronger ensemble act - and a better choice of ladies to pick from for Hopman Cup.

They may not be in the finals this year, but look out for this German squad in years to come. If they can all stay uninjured and keep playing this way... well, who needs Steffi?

The Other Fed

So. Fed Cup.

I suspect a lot of us would rather not talk about it, especially those of us who are Australian or American. It was not a good time, shall we say. I mean, there were moments, moments where things were great, people who played their hearts out. But in the end... oh dear. Oh dear, dear, dear.

Australia were playing Ukraine, and we managed to embarrass ourselves a lot less than the Americans, so go us. We had match point in the doubles...! We could have taken it...! And Anastasia Rodionova could totally have won that singles match...! And... if wishes were horses, etc.

The Australian press (what little of it there is that covers Fed Cup, anyway) has been pretty mean to Anastasia Rodionova about the whole "losing three rubbers" business... and it certainly is a weekend to forget for her. Not her finest hour. But in reality, she wouldn't normally be the lady that takes the court anyway, so well done to her for stepping up. And a super well done to Jarka Groth, who won both her singles rubbers and was generally awesome all weekend.

But no, on the whole, Australia suffered from a case of Fed Cup malaise. Fed Cup is just not that important to people, in the long run. Ukraine had the same thing - they were sans Bondarenkos. We had no Stosur, no Dokic, and Groth and Rodionova were essentially left as a two woman team. Kudos to them that they did as well as they did...

...and didn't, oh, lose 5-0, like a certain American team I could name.

You have to feel sorry for them. People believe, I think, that the American Fed Cup team is a lot better than it actually is, on account of there have been some Williamses on it before. But to throw McHale, Oudin, King and Huber up against Lisicki, Petkovic, Goerges and Groenefeld? Ouch.

The Germans have an awesome Fed Cup team and I will not be surprised if they win the whole thing in coming years. What they did to the American girls is only the beginning, I think. Let's hope somebody actually notices how awesome these girls are... because if you thought people didn't care about Davis Cup, it's ten times worse for Fed Cup.

Not A F%^&ing Tourist

It is no secret that I am not exactly the biggest tennis patriot ever. However, I was/am genuinely interested in the Fed Cup tie between Australia and Italy going on in Hobart, and I am totally devo that they are only showing it on pay TV, which I do not have.

The live scoreboard is good, though. Why don't they use it at all the tournaments?

It's also no secret that I currently find men's tennis more interesting than women's tennis, but the Italy/Australia tie is as good a match up as you will ever hope to see and kicks the arse of a lot of Davis Cup ties. In the Italian corner, we have Francesca Schiavone and Flavia Pennetta. In the Aussie corner, we have Samantha Stosur and Jarmila Groth. Let the games begin.

It's one of those ties in which no result is surprising. I wouldn't have been surprised to find either team 2-0 up after the first day, and so 1-1 is, I guess, kind of an expression of that. And yet it was still surprising. The one point for Australia comes from Groth, who upset Schiavone. Stosur went down to Pennetta.

And yet, even though Stosur is ranked way higher than Pennetta at the mo, I am somehow not surprised. Because all four singles players playing this tie are 100% absolute quality.

I couldn't tell you how Stosur lost or why Pennetta won or anything like that, because of the whole not having TV problem. What I can say is this: this is one of the best results of Jarmila Groth's career. Beating a Grand Slam champion and defending Fed Cup champion... wow. That is something else.

Particularly after coming back from one set to love down as well. That is an awesome result. When I saw Groth play Wickmayer at the Aussie Open, my immediate impression was of a player with heaps of talent and all the shots, but who could go AWOL mentally at any second. She could light up (ie. second set) but also come crashing down to earth without any notice (third set).

What Jarka showed me here in Fed Cup was that she can grit her teeth and get it done. And if she keeps gritting her teeth and getting it done... well, I could see her definitely making top twenty. Because she is majorly talented. And she is, in her own words, not a fucking tourist.

Reverse singles today (and doubles), with Groth taking on Pennetta and Stosur taking on Schiavone. I'm going with another split result here - I say Groth and Schiavone coming out on top. I don't see Frankie losing two days in a row, and I think Jarka might be on a roll. So this fascinating tie could come down to the doubles...

This is the kind of tie Fed Cup needs. I often talk about how maligned Davis Cup is, but Fed Cup is worse. Probably also because it has such a boring name. But with awesomeness like the awesomeness in this tie... Fed Cup could be on its way up.

(Also, Nicolas Mahut is into the final in Courmayeur! He'll play Gilles Muller. And also, he and Gicquel won the doubles. And I think making the final will send him into the top hundred! Mahuberfans unite!)

Let The Sun Shine In

I bitched a lot about the state of Australian tennis yesterday. Today, let's talk about something lovely. Like Jarmila Groth winning her first WTA title in Guangzhou!

Groth isn't the most talented player out there, and she's never going to be Sam Stosur mk 2 or anything, but she has a lovely game and damn can she play. She has had an absolute breakthrough year this year - there are a lot of players ranked a lot higher than her than would be really super happy with making two fourth rounds at the Slams. Given the level of consistency in the WTA, that is a really excellent result.

Jarka might be a bit of a late bloomer, but she definitely brings a lot to the Australian stable - and, moreover, the Fed Cup team. Between Stosur and Groth - with players like Rodionova and Dokic lurking around as well - we have one hell of a Fed Cup team. The Guangzhou tournament might not be a huge tournament - Jarka was top seed - but winning a title, any title, is a huge achievement for any player.

I could be more analytical and make predictions for Groth, grand where to from here statements... but I don't really want to. Instead, let's just focus on the fact that Jarka won a title. She won it in style. And that, my friends, is awesome. Let the sun shine in, Jarka. You deserve it.

Under the Carpet

Guess what time it is! Here is a blog post you have read before - many times before - but which I still find myself writing every single damn time this thing comes around.

Davis Cup, honey, if you want people to take you seriously, your scheduling has to change.

I know there are definitely players that take the Davis Cup seriously. Everyone loves playing for their country, right? But Davis Cup is the only time players (well, male players) get to play in a team in this sport, yesno? It's special. It needs more prestige. You want your big guys playing it - and moreover, you want them thinking that it's important enough to play.

This is why you don't schedule it the week after a Slam when those players have just been in the finals and semi-finals and are absolutely exhausted and want to sleep for a hundred years. It is just not clever.

I'm not the only one to put this proposal forward and I won't be the last - set aside two weeks for Davis Cup, well away from any of the Slams. Hold it in a different venue each year if you like - maybe it could be held in the country that won the tournament the year before? And play it like a Slam - teams playing every two days, getting knocked out as they lost.

Maybe there would not then be the need for five rubbers. Maybe it would be best of three rubbers. And yes, maybe that would be controversial. But at least you'd get people playing those three rubbers. And you could do it with a squad of players - maybe as many as six - and you could deploy whoever you wanted. The two highest-ranked nominated singles players of each squad would play each other, then the two lower-ranked ones, and then there would be doubles. And it would be awesome. You could even make it best of three sets if you were that way inclined, but I think you could stay with best of five.

And obviously the same model could apply to Fed Cup. Davis and Fed Cups would then become events, real spectator sports, and would feel a lot more like a competition. Because at the moment, they're both being swept under the carpet.

Bad Luck for Belgium

For many years, Roland Garros was considered the domain of Justine Henin. It was her country. Then she went and retired and Roland Garros became anyone's Slam - Ivanovic and Kuznetsova have been the interim winners. But now she's back...

...or is she?

JuJu has a broken finger, and it seems to me like that is something which could seriously hamper her chances at Roland Garros. That is not the kind of injury you really want to be carrying. I really hope that she can get it all healed up by then, because I really want to see what kind of assault on the title JuJu can launch, but...

And then Kim Clijsters is injured too. Fed Cup has not been kind to Belgium this weekend. I understand Kim could be out for six weeks, which seriously damages, if not totally wipes out, her title challenge at the French, which she has never won. It's beginning to look like Belgium's best hope for the crown this time will not be their comeback queens but rather Yanina Wickmayer.

I don't have much to say on this subject other than this is spectacularly bad luck for Belgium and I hope they both get better. Because Roland Garros is better with these two in it.

(Back) On Top of the World

It's official: Australia is back in the World Group of Fed Cup.

I know no one really gets excited about Fed Cup any more (or Davis Cup, really - but Fed Cup is worse) but I am really excited that Australia is back in the World Group. We might not look it, but our team is seriously good - and it's only going to get better.

Stosur is, and will continue to be, the lynchpin - she's the one that clinched the deciding victory today and sent Australia through over Ukraine. (And, I would like to point out, Ukraine is not a nation to be sniffed at tennis-wise - I have one word and that word is Bondarenko). But there are a number of others in the squad who have valuable contributions to make. Rodionova was the other star on the weekend - and on debut no less - but we've got some depth going on.

We have Molik, who is on the way back up. The erratically brilliant Dokic. The on-the-comeback Dellacqua. Jarka Groth. And then a number of very promising up and comers like Olivia Rogowska, Isabella Holland, Sally Peers and Monika Wejnert.

Everyone seems to pin all their hopes on Bernard Tomic for the future of Australian tennis. I think it's right here in this Fed Cup team. Aussie girls are on the rise!

Anastasia and Sam On Top

Australia has a damn good Fed Cup team. I don't think anyone can gainsay this now.

I think everyone was expecting Stosur to do well - the win she had in Charleston can only buoy her confidence, and even though she traditionally doesn't do quite as well when everyone's watching her. However, she's really come through big and scored a sweet win for Australia. Yay for Sam.

But the real star and story has to be Anastasia Rodionova. I don't think anyone thought that she'd come through Bondarenko - either of the Bondarenkos. They're both ranked higher than Rodionova and both are very used to having the weight of their nation resting on their shoulders - they're all Ukraine has, really. Whereas Rodionova is on debut.

So this was a really, really great win from Anastasia. I really wish I had had the opportunity to see it - and the Stosur match as well, for that matter - but Australian TV is very lax about televising these things. Which is a whole other issue.

...but back to the point. If the Aussies can come through in doubles tomorrow - which is a reasonable bet - then we're back in the World Group. And in the World Group in 2011, I think Australia can do real damage.

Bad Luck for Lady J

So if I were Jelena Jankovic, I would be in a massive snit right now.

I've been pretty critical of JJ in the past, but she really brought it all to the table in Fed Cup at the weekend. She played some stellar matches to beat first Alisa Kleybanova and then, more tellingly, Svetlana Kuznetsova. And, if we are to believe her website, she came within a hair's breadth of pulling out injured and yet she played and won anyway. Quality work for Lady J.

Ana Ivanovic, on the other hand, has no such excuse. She isn't exactly match tired, given as she managed to win a grand total of a set at this year's Australian Open. She isn't injured, as far as anyone's aware. All she seems to do is lope around on golf courses with Adam Scott, though I presume, she, like, trains and stuff. And she contributed absolutely nothing to the Serbian team on the weekend. She got steamrolled by both Kuznetsova and Kleybanova before dragging Jankovic down with her in the doubles. Who else is on the Serbian team? Couldn't Jankovic have played with a different partner?

It is such a shame, because the Serbian Fed Cup team should be, by all rights, awesome. How did the Ana who won Roland Garros in 2008 and reached the final year before turn into this pale shadow of what she was? What exactly went wrong?

Sigh. Alas for them.

You know who I was impressed with, though? (Apart from Lady J, obviously?) Yanina Wickmayer. Belgium could be such a force in Fed Cup this year if they get Kim and Justine back in the side - or even just one of them, because Yanina is seriously awesome. I really like her chances of breaking into the top ten this year. She has some moves. That match she played against Agnesizka Radwanska has to be the match of the weekend. And Kirsten Flipkens definitely did not disappoint either. Imagine Kim, Justine, Yanina and Flipper making up a Fed Cup team. Now that would be sweet.

Something else that could also be sweet is the Russia/USA match up in the next round. What we should be seeing is some combination of Safina/Dementieva/Kuznetsova/Zvonareva/Sharapova taking on the Williams sisters. What I suspect we'll see is Melanie Oudin vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, but I can hope...

Not So Bad At All

You know, considering the amount of time I spend whinging about Australian tennis (which is very little compared to the Australian media, who seem to view our lack of awesome tennis players as some kind of national tragedy) it often comes as a surprise to me that our Fed Cup team is not so bad.

Think about it. We have Sam Stosur, who, while she has her sketchy days, has one of the best serves on the women's tour, an all-round great gam as well as stellar doubles credentials. Rennae Stubbs, ditto on the doubles credentials. We have Casey Dellacqua, who is not sub-par herself, and Alicia Molik, who is not bad, and Jelena Dokic, she of the sketchy brilliance. And then we have players like Olivia Rogwoska and Shannon Golds and Jess Moore and Monika Wejnert coming up... we are really okay when it comes to the ladies.

The Australian girls are currently one-all against the Spaniards, after Sam Stosur won her singles rubber but Casey Dellacqua lost hers. Apparently David Taylor agonised over who to put in as the second singles player, but I think Dellacqua was as good a choice as any, considering she was the second best performer of the Aussie girls at the Open. She's still not back to where she was but she did okay...

...but I digress. Stosur and Stubbs are looking the goods to take out the doubles and if Stosur can win her singles tomorrow then Australia will take out the tie. The Spanish women aren't exactly the powerhouse that the Spanish men are, but they're tough, and if the Aussie girls can get 'em that will be a real victory.

I know this doesn't say a lot, this here post, but really, I think we spend enough time bitching about the state of Australian tennis. There is my equivalent of fluff and celebration. This is my 'Australian tennis is not so bad' feel good post. Smiley face.

...and the Australians just totally won. Made of awesome!

The Other Fed in Tennis

I really wish Fed Cup was more awesome. I also wish Davis Cup was more awesome, but it's not struggling with quite the same level of not-awesome as Fed Cup is. It's not that the tennis is any less good (within the normal ATP/WTA parameters anyway, considering that men's tennis is in a golden age and women's tennis is not) but hardly any of the top players seem to have a desire to play Fed Cup, and that is not good.

The Davis Cup is one of those accessories that players like to have, a good trophy to have on the shelf. It's not a Slam or anything, but it is a rare opportunity for players to represent their nations and play as a team, not an individual. Even Federer, a pathological non-player of Davis Cup, has said he would like to win it one day... though this may be because it is the only trophy his decorated mantlepiece is missing. It's played at stupid times and is not well organised, but Davis Cup has prestige.

Whereas Fed Cup... not so much.

Look at Russia, powerhouse of women's tennis. They have Safina, Sharapova, Dementieva, Kuznetsova, Zvonareva... a virtually inexhaustible stream of top women. Yet who is playing? Sveta, sure, after she declared herself available at the last minute, and Alisa Kleybanova, who, while not crappy, is not exactly top ten. They're playing Serbia, who do have two former #1s in Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic, but with the form of these two players at the moment, Russia should be crushing them. Instead, it's one-all.

And Belgium! Clijsters and Henin, hello? But no, it's Wickmayer and Flipkens stepping up to the plate. USA? Should be Williams and Williams. But no, it's Oudin and Mattek-Sands. The top women just don't play Fed Cup.

But you know the very first step to making Fed Cup more appetising for these top players? Do not schedule it the week after a Slam. This is not rocket science. Davis Cup is also guilty of this. If you want your top players in there, you have to schedule it at a time wherein they haven't, say, played seven five set matches in a row.

This is not a new rant. But that does not make it any less true. If Davis and Fed Cups are going to become truly awesome, then they need to schedule it better.

Heroes and Heroines

Okay, Rafael Nadal. He's not real, yeah?

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Five consecutive Monte Carlo titles. Now five consecutive Barcelona titles. All signs are pointing to five consecutive Roland Garros titles. He isn't real. He can't be real. He's a machine.

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It's going to be interesting to see how he goes at Rome this week - he's played pretty much every day for the last two weeks. Last year, he went out in the opening round to Juan Carlos Ferrero, but he was covered in blisters and could barely move. This year... I can't remember exactly who it is, but he's not facing anyone of the calibre of Ferrero in the opening round. How far can Rafa take this ride? I, for one, don't see anyone beating him soon.

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But I have been wrong before - I certainly did not see Italy beating Russia in the semis of the Fed Cup! To some extent, Russia was the victim of Shamil Tarpischev - personally, I think he could have made some better choices in who to deploy when (seriously - Chakvetadze over Petrova? WTF?) but all credit to the Italian girls, who did fabulously. Francesca Schiavone in particular is the heroine - she had that great win over Svetlana Kuznetsova on Day One, and then fought hard to take out Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (who did fight gamely).

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It's going to be an interesting final - I certainly wouldn't have picked Italy/USA! Full credit to the American girls as well, because the Czech Republic is a powerhouse in women's tennis, with Benesova, Kvitova and Safarova on their team. The word here has to go out to Alexa Glatch, who was absolutely exceptional - I'll be interested to see more of her in the future!

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And Australia, down in the World Group II playoff, had a great win over Switzerland - with Stosur and Dokic on our side, I think we have a pretty sweet chance in the future! If Pennetta and Schiavone can do it, and Glatch and Mattek-Sands... why not Sam and Jelena?

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Today's Results

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Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell (Barcelona)

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Rafael Nadal def. David Ferrer, 6-2 7-5

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Fed Cup

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Italy 4, Russia 1

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

Francesca Schiavone def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 7-6 (9-7) 4-6 6-2

Errani/Vinci def. Petrova/Pavlyuchenkova, 1-6 6-3 6-4

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USA 3, Czech Republic 2

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Lucie Safarova def. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 6-3 6-1

Alexa Glatch def. Petra Kvitova, 6-2 6-1

Mattek-Sands/Huber def. Peschke/Benesova, 2-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-1

The Real Loser

All Spanish final in Barcelona. Big surprise. I bet the organisers are happy. Yay Rafa, yay Ferru.

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Okay, enough of that. Now - Fed Cup!

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Well, well, well, Italy. Talk about the little Fed Cup team that could. I would never, ever have picked this one - though I believe Van, of Tennis Talk, Anyone? and VANtage Point fame did, so kudos to him! One upset match is something, but to take a 2-0 lead over a country that is undoubtedly the powerhouse of women's tennis? That is something else.

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To be fair, Russia doesn't have its top, top players - neither Safina nor Dementieva are on the squad - but I don't know what Shamil Tarpischev was thinking, playing Chakvetadze instead of Petrova or even Pavlyuchenkova, who both are on the team and have both played better than Anna has this year. It'll be interesting to see the new moves Russia pulls out today, because you'd want to hope they'd fight back with a vengeance.

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Australia's doing well in Fed Cup too - we're up 2-0 in our tie against Switzerland - but that isn't the real tennis news here right now. Tennis Australia has announced that the Australian Davis Cup team will not go to Chennai to play our tie, due to security concerns - which, given the current Indian political climate, is fair enough. TA has petitioned the ITF to get the tie moved, but this was rejected, which means that Australia forfeits the tie.

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Naturally, there is some anger - both Geoff Pollard (CEO of Tennis Australia) and John Fitzgerald (the team captain) have spoken out against the ITF's decision. I can't say I know enough about the particular circumstances to make a real comment - I studied Indian politics at university, but that about three years back now - but the appeal for the move is not without precedent: the IPL (the cricket league, for those of you unfamiliar) has moved to South Africa because of unrest in India. This was ruled irrelevant in the Davis Cup case, much to the ire of the aforementioned Pollard and Fitzgerald.

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Whether or not the tie should be moved or the team should go or whatever, you have to feel for the players here. After that nailbiter over Thailand, they really deserved the opportunity to play this tie. I love following the Davis Cup team, even though the likelihood we'll win anytime in the near future is minute. Fitzgerald said the following:

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"We have worked so hard to get back in to World Group contention, to have it snatched away like this is gut wrenching."

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Could not agree more. Whatever the political situation, the real loser here is sport.

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Today's Results

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Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell (Barcelona)

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Rafael Nadal def. Nikolay Davydenko, 6-3 6-2

David Ferrer def. Fernando Gonzalez, 2-6 6-2 7-6 (7-5)

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Fed Cup

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Italy 2, Russia 0

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Flavia Pennetta def. Anna Chakvetadze, 6-4 6-0

Francesca Schiavone def. Svetlana Kuznetsova, 1-6 6-2 6-3

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USA 1, Czech Republic 1

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Petra Kvitova def. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 6-3 7-6 (7-2)

Alexa Glatch def. Iveta Benesova, 6-1 6-2

On The Shoulder

Some sad news for Aussie tennis this morning - Casey Dellacqua is out till the middle of the year with a shoulder injury. She's having surgery on Monday and will be out for the French Open, hoping to be back by Wimbledon.

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What that means is that she's out of the Fed Cup playoff in April against Switzerland, and that is very, very sad, because I was gunning for her to get played against Patty Schnyder, because I think their games match up really well, what with the whole lefty thing and whatnot. But obviously it's important for her to get better. It's been pretty clear that she hasn't been playing as well at the moment as she did in her breakout season last year, particularly early on, and so if she can get it fixed, she should. Sad to see you out, Casey - get better soon.

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Not a whole lot more to report today - other than that I really would have liked to see the match between Azarenka and Lisicki in Memphis. Azarenka won it - but it was in a third set breaker, and she got pushed all the way by Sabine, who is, as we know, the first inductee into my Stars of the Future club from the women's side. It's going to be very interesting to watch how her career progresses... she was seeded #6 at the tournament (where she made it to the semis) and I think it's only a matter of time before she gets higher. Nice one, Sabine!

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And I just realised who popped his head up in Marseille, losing in the quarterfinal to Michael Llodra. That would be the scary Russian, Mikhail Youzhny. I wrote a bit last week wondering where he'd been - could this be the beginning of a mini-resurgence?

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And what is with the Worm beating everyone? He just took out big Juan Martin del Potro. Not pleased.

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Today's Results

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Regions Morgan Keenan Championships (Memphis)

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Men's Draw
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Dudi Sela def. Igor Kunitsyn, 4-6 6-4 6-2

Radek Stepanek def. Juan Martin del Potro, 7-6 (9-7) 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Victoria Azarenka def. Sabine Lisicki, 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-1)

Caroline Wozniacki def. Anne Keothavong, 6-1 6-0

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Copa Telmex (Buenos Aires)

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Jose Acasuso def. Oscar Hernandez, 6-1 6-2

Tommy Robredo def. Franco Ferreiro, 6-4 7-6 (7-4)

Juan Monaco def. Maximo Gonzalez, 6-2 6-3

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Open 13 (Marseille)

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Novak Djokovic def. Mischa Zverev, 6-3 6-3

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Feliciano Lopez, 6-2 6-7 (1-7) 6-4

Michael Llodra def. Mikhail Youzhny, 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-3)

Gilles Simon def. Julien Benneteau, 6-2 6-4

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Barclay Dubai Tennis Championships (Dubai)

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Venus Williams def. Serena Williams, 6-1 2-6 7-6 (7-3)

Virginie Razzano def. Kaia Kanepi, 6-1 6-2

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Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas (Bogota)

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Gisela Dulko def. Mathilde Johansson, 6-1 6-2

María José Martínez Sánchez def. Betina Jozami, 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-4

Edina Gallovits def. Masa Zec Peskiric, 6-3 6-0

Patricia Mayr def. Ioana Raluca Olaru, 6-1 6-2

The Boss

Was just reading Tennis Australia's little 'Off the Court' article, and at the bottom, there was a little story about how Rafa is planning to play Davis Cup in the first round - to effectively get straight back on the horse after his disappointment about not playing the final last year. All fine and dandy - nice one, Rafa - but what I found very intriguing (aka. what I did not realise) was that Spain are taking on Serbia.

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Now that is going to be a good tie.

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We haven't seen Rafa play Djokovic for a while now, and I really hope we get the opportunity to see it here, because I feel, and have long felt, that Novak sort of forgets about Rafa, even now when he's #1. Sure, there was that battle they had last year where the winner of the match got the #2 spot (Rafa won) but you always feel that Djokovic is focused wholly on overtaking Federer. When Federer was #1, he was all about toppling the king. Now Federer is #2, it's all about sticking it to him. And Rafa? Well... um... hfhweirfhj.

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I hope Rafa sticks it to him. I think he needs to show him who's boss. And that's all I have to say about that.

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Meanwhile, in Fed Cup action, looks like Jelena, Sam, Casey and Stubbsy will be taking on Switzerland for a spot in World Group II. This could be an interesting one. The highest ranked player out there will be Switzerland's Patty Schnyder, with Timea Bacsinszky presumably playing the other singles rubbers. The match up I would really love to see? I want David Taylor and Nicole Bradtke to take a punt and put Casey Dellacqua out there against Schnyder. Dellacqua beat her at the Aussie Open last year, and I think it's primarily because they're both lefties - Schnyder, who relies so heavily on placement, has a lot of advantage taken away. The Swiss girls lost 3-2 to Germany last week, with Schnyder being the 2 and the rest of the team being the everything else, so if the Aussie girls can negate Schnyder...

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Ugh. Look at me talking about tennis like a team sport - especially since I practically am Swiss when it comes to tennis. Shame on me.

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(Oh, and since my post of a couple of days ago, Mikhail Youzhny seems to have found a bit of form, taking out Ferru in Rotterdam. This is all obviously due to me.)

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Today's Results

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ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament (Rotterdam)

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Mikhail Youzhny def. David Ferrer, 6-2 3-6 6-2

Rafael Nadal def. Simone Bolelli, 4-6 6-2 7-5

Gilles Simon def. Philipp Kohlschreiber, 7-5 7-6 (7-1)

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Jesse Huta Galung, 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-4)

Mario Ancic def. Rainer Schuettler, 7-5 6-2

Michael Llodra def. Ivo Karlovic, 4-6 6-3 6-4

Marc Gicquel def. Evgeny Korolev, 3-6 6-3 6-2

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Brasil Open (Costa do Sauipe)

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Tommy Robredo def. Thiago Alves, 6-4 6-2

Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Albert Montanes, 6-7 (4-7) 6-2 6-2

Jose Acasuso def. Juan Monaco, 7-6 (7-3) 6-4

Nicolas Devilder def. Daniel Silva, 7-6 (7-5) 6-2

Thomaz Bellucci def. Potito Starace, 6-3 6-4

Brian Dabul def. Paul Capdeville, 6-1 retired

Pablo Cuevas def. Oscar Hernandez, 4-6 6-4 6-1

Rui Machado def. Ivan Navarro, 6-4 6-1

Frederico Gil def. Pablo Andujar, 3-6 6-4 6-3

Fabio Fognini def. Caio Zampieri, 0-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-2

Lukasz Kubot def. Daniel Gimeno-Traver, 7-6 (9-7) 1-6 6-3

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SAP Open (San Jose)

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Radek Stepanek def. Chris Guccione, 6-2 7-6 (7-1)

John Isner def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 7-6 (11-9) 6-4

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Open GDF SUEZ (Paris)

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Emilie Loit def. Kaia Kanepi, 2-6 6-3 6-1

Serena Williams def. Iveta Benesova, 6-1 6-4

Jelena Jankovic def. Francesca Schiavone, 7-5 7-6 (7-2)

Elena Dementieva def. Aravane Rezai, 6-4 6-3

Patty Schnyder def. Alona Bondarenko, 6-4 7-6 (7-3)

Amélie Mauresmo def. Sara Errani, 6-2 6-0

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PTT Pattaya Open (Pattaya City)

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Vera Dushevina def. Sybille Bammer, 6-4 7-5

Peng Shuai def. Galina Voskoboeva, 7-6 (7-4) 6-0

Tamarine Tanasugarn def. Akgul Amanmuradova, 6-2 7-6 (7-4)

Shahar Peer def. Noppawan Lertcheewakarn, 6-1 6-0

Magdalena Rybarikova def. Kimiko Date Krumm, 6-2 4-6 6-4

Vitalia Diatchenko def. Ryoko Fuda, 6-3 1-6 6-3

Big Kev Said It Best...

I have to say it - I'm excited about our Fed Cup team. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Australian women's tennis has got a spring in its step again. I think Sam Stosur puts it best:

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"Right from when we first got here we thought we had a good team ... three of us in the top 100 and Rennae in the doubles and Casey or myself able to play with Stubbsy in the doubles matches. It's a really good combination. Obviously the next tie is going to be tough depending who it's against and where it is, but I think we've got a great chance."

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And she's pretty much right. Three women in the top hundred - when did that happen? Actually, come to think of it, we did have that before, but - well, it's all about Jelena Dokic, really. I think it would be fair to say that this clean sweepage that's been going on this week has been her triumph. I mean, it belongs to Stosur and Dellacqua and Stubbs, but this whole resurgence, this newfound confidence in women's tennis in Oz can almost wholly be credited to Dokic, I think, and that amazing showing she put in at the Aussie Open.

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Now, I don't want to leave Sam Stosur out of this. She has had a fabulous week all week - and she certainly defeated the better player on the New Zealand squad today when she took out Marina Erakovic easily, while Dokic had more of a struggle against unranked Dianne Hollands. And she had that amazing comeback victory against Tamarine Tanasugarn, and she's just come back from that bizarre disease she had last year, and... yeah, this belongs to Sam too. But I think just as far as actual confidence goes, the notion that Australia actually has some real quality strength in women's tennis - I think that one's all Dokic.

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It's not that we weren't strong before. Stosur and Dellacqua are both world class players. But just the injection of the energy that Dokic has brought... it's something special. Dokic mk. 1 was a fabulous player - she got to #4 in the world, the semis of Wimbledon, all kinds of things. But Dokic mk. 2 is a better model, methinks. I don't know whether she'll get to #4 in the world again, but as a tennis player and as a person, I think she is more complete now. And her meteoric rise out of nowhere... that is really, really good for Australian tennis. To use the immortal words of Big Kev, I'm excited!

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Today's Results

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SA Tennis Open (Johannesburg)

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Frederico Gil, 6-3 6-4

Jeremy Chardy def. David Ferrer, 1-6 7-6 (11-9) 7-6 (7-4)

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Movistar Open (Vina del Mar)

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Fernando Gonzalez def. Juan Monaco, 6-0 6-2

Jose Acasuso def. Tommy Robredo, 5-7 6-2 6-4

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PBZ Zagreb Indoors (Zagreb)

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Marin Cilic def. Viktor Troicki, 6-2 7-5

Mario Ancic def. Jan Hernych, 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 7-6 (11-9)

A Word To Channel 7

Why is Davis Cup so absolutely frickin' massive when Fed Cup is forgotten about totally?

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I don't get it. I really don't get it. There was this big fanfare and pomp and ceremony over Davis Cup last year, and it really made the career of Fernando Verdasco, who seems to have learned a lot about himself and how to play tennis and stuff from the experience. It's right at the end of the season, when the players can't possibly have any other commitments, and even plays who played Shanghai (London now, I suppose) have got a little time to recover. But Fed Cup? No. I can tell you that Russia won last year, but I couldn't tell you who they beat... but I can tell you that pretty much none of their top women played. No Safina, no Sharapova, no Dementieva - I don't even think Kuznetsova was there, though I can't really remember. It just doesn't seem to be such a big deal?

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WHY NOT?

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Seriously, Fed Cup is exciting! I know I go on and on about how tennis is an individual sport and how nation doesn't come into it - but that's what makes competitions like Davis Cup and Fed Cup and the Olympics all the more intense! It's the only time that players do get the opportunity to play for their countries, adding that extra little bit of intensity. You have to be the best in your country to get onto the team, and each country is different in their level of skilled players. Nando Verdasco's motivation in Mar del Plata was wanting to be a hero for Spain. Look what that did for him. Lleyton Hewitt used to light up in Davis Cup matches too. But can you think of a single player whose career has been made by Fed Cup?

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Maybe it just needs better marketing or something. But the fact of the matter remains that Channel 7 will televise Australian Davis Cup ties, but Fed Cup? What's Fed Cup? I mean, sure, men's tennis has been a darn sight more interesting than women's tennis for the last little while, but let's look at Australia's teams here, comparatively. Our Davis Cup squad is spearheaded by the on-the-way-out Lleyton Hewitt, with Chris Guccione, Carsten Ball and assorted others singing backup. Looming ominously in the background is Bernard Tomic, but I think we need to give him a little while before he really becomes a superstar. So, on the whole, it's Lleyton, Gooch and a bunch of 'sorry, who?' players.

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Fed Cup! Dokic! Dellacqua! Stosur! Names, names, names. Should one of them be injured, Gajdosova/Groth/whatever-she-is-now and Rodionova are there, and Jess Moore isn't far behind. Now, wouldn't you rather watch that? I rest my case.

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Our girls did fabulously well yesterday, incidentally - Dokic had the day off to get over that bug that's been troubling her, but it didn't even matter. Dellacqua had a massive win, then Stosur backed it up - between them, they lost five games. Then Stosur and Stubbs teamed up in doubles and hammered the point home. Another 3-0 sweep. Bye bye, Chinese Taipei. Now we're playing New Zealand in the group final - and you've got to think that Marina Erakovic is really the only one who could cause issues there. I think we're on the way, Australia. Maybe next time, you should think about televising the tie.

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Today's Results

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SA Tennis Open (Johannesburg)

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Kristof Vliegen, 6-4 6-1

David Ferrer def. Marcos Baghdatis, 7-5 6-2

Frederico Gil def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 7-6 (8-6) 6-3

Jeremy Chardy def. Sebastien de Chaunac, 7-6 (7-4) 6-3

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Movistar Open (Vina del Mar)

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Tommy Robredo def. Juan Ignacio Chela, 0-6 6-3 6-4

Jose Acasuso def. Sebastian Decoud, 6-4 6-2

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PBZ Zagreb Indoors (Zagreb)

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Marin Cilic def. Antonio Veic, 6-2 7-6 (8-6)

Jan Hernych def. Mischa Zverev, 5-4 retired

Viktor Troicki def. Sergiy Stakhovsky, 6-3 6-2

To 2011 And Beyond!

Well, well, well, Australian women's tennis. Maybe you are not as hopeless as you have been made out to be in the past. After sweeping Korea on the first day on competition, the girls have just made another clean one of Thailand, with Dokic and Stosur winning the singles and then Dellacqua and Stubbs finishing it off in the doubles. How 'bout that, eh? How 'bout that?

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I mean, of course, Australia is in a really low group right now - the Asia/Oceania group - and we have to win the final to have a chance to get into World Group 2, the group below the World Group proper. The earliest we could compete for the actual Fed Cup is 2011, when one has to think Dokic and Stosur will be a leeeeeetle past their prime. But I suppose we do have players like Isabella Holland, Monica Wejnert and Olivia Rogowska coming up...

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It's just really nice to see the girls doing well. Jelena cruised in her match, winning it 6-1 6-2, but the day belonged to Stosur, who came back from a set and 5-2 down to beat Tamarine Tanasugarn (who is actually ranked higher than she is) to win the tie. She won eleven straight games. Now that's pretty sweet.

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And then, in other Australian tennis news, I think Jarmila Gajdosova is 100% definitely an Australian citizen now - she just got married to Sam Groth. The new Mrs. Groth (who is going by Groth now) really troubled Victoria Azarenka in Brisbane - and actually could be another good addition to the Fed Cup squad one day. And we all know how Scary Sam played Davis Cup for Oz last year against Chile... and I didn't even know they were dating. Guess you learn something new every day.

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Today's Results

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SA Tennis Open (Johannesburg)

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Denis Istomin, 6-1 6-4

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez def. Leonardo Mayer, 6-4 7-5

Jeremy Chardy def. Marco Chiudinelli. 6-4 6-4

Kristof Vliegen def. Ivo Minar, 6-4 6-1

Frederico Gil def. Rik de Voest, 4-6 7-5 6-4

Sebastien de Chaunac def. Izak Van Der Merwe, 6-7 (3-7) 7-5 7-6 (7-5)

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Movistar Open (Vina del Mar)

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Tommy Robredo def. Brian Dabul, 6-3 7-6 (7-5)

Sebastian Decoud def. Agustin Calleri, 7-6 (7-3) 7-5

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PBZ Zagreb Indoors (Zagreb)

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Sergiy Stakhovsky def. Ivo Karlovic, 6-4 3-6 6-3

Jan Hernych def. Paul-Henri Mathieu, 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 6-2

Mario Ancic def. Teimuraz Gabashvili, 6-1 6-1

Ivan Dodig def. Ernests Gulbis, 7-6 (7-3) 6-4

Mischa Zverev def. Victor Hanescu, 6-4 5-7 7-6 (9-7)

The Casey Case

I'd almost forgotten what it was like to have very little to write about. I mean, I could write about Roger Federer and how wonderful I think he is and how he'll get that fourteenth Slam for days on ends, but I doubt it would make particularly interesting reading. No, no, it is back to the week by week grind of the ATP tour - though I suppose when Fed Cup starts for the women at the end of the week that'll provide some subject matter. But for now...

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Blogging the tennis year kind of makes you realise that the tennis players have a point when they claim about the insanity of their scheduling. We, as serious fans, are obviously a little more educated in this area than your average 'oh, love, the tennis is on but so is the cricket what do we do?' type fan, but even then, we forget that the tennis played in the little tournaments is still tennis, just as gruelling as in the Slams. I mean, sure, it's not five sets, but it ain't no walk in the park.

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Now, I lied. I do have something to talk about. Fed Cup, because I just realised that it has in fact started, contrary to belief - and Australia have totally owned their tie against Korea! Go us! Sam Stosur did pretty well in her match, taking out Lee Ye-Ra 6-2 6-4, but Dokic had to be the real star, totally demolishing Lee Jin-A 6-0 6-3. Don't tell me we're going to see - shock - a resurgence in Australian women's tennis? Mon dieu!

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But tell you what - I feel really sorry for Casey Dellacqua. She would have been growing up when Dokic was in the news all the time with Damir and stuff - a junior, probably. Then, last year, she suddenly became the nation's golden girl with that fourth round run in the Australian Open, which also made her the nation's top singles player. Then what happens over the course of the year? Stosur gets better, overtakes her in the rankings. Dellacqua makes some reasonable showings at Slams but not THAT great. She totally falls to bits at Hopman Cup. Then her Fed Cup singles spot gets given to Dokic, previously one of the nation's most hated sportspeople, who has now usurped that role as tennis's golden girl, because she went one round better at the Open this year than Casey did last year. And Casey? Demoted to doubles duty. Presumably only because Stosur was playing singles.

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So, yeah, you've got to feel for her. Not that Dokic hasn't deserved any of this - or Stosur either - but it must be a bit depressing for our Case.

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Today's Results

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SA Tennis Open

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Sebastien de Chaunac def. Marcel Granollers, 7-5 7-6 (7-3)

Izak Van Der Merwe def. Benjamin Becker, 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-3)

Marcos Baghdatis def. Raven Klaasen, 6-3 7-5

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Movistar Open (Vina del Mar)

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Pablo Cuevas def. Albert Montanes, 7-6 (7-2) 6-4

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PBZ Zagreb Indoors (Zagreb)

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Marin Cilic def. Florent Serra, 6-2 7-5

Antonio Veic def. Evgeny Korolev, 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4

Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Roko Karanusic, 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 7-6 (7-3)

Victor Hanescu def. Lovro Zovko, 6-3 7-5

Where is the Respect?

I don't know what I was expecting from Doha, but it wasn't Dinara Safina going 0-3. Oh well. Here's hoping his sister's poor performance here convinces Marat that yes, he can keep up and he doesn't have to retire, and that Dinara comes back bigger and better next year. I am hanging out for that Hopman Cup. Actually, didn't Marat say he'd give Paul McNamee a decision re Hopman Cup by the first week of November... which is now? I'll just go and check...

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...okay, so there's nothing that says he's confirmed anything, but they've just released the schedule, and Marat and Dinara (listed by name) are scheduled to play the Italians on Tennis West Family Day (whenever that may be.) So that's a good sign, yeah? I am determined to find a way to attend the Hopman Cup - it is totally my favourite tournament in the whole year. And it's so disappointing that it gets totally shafted. Davis Cup has all this prestige, and Fed Cup has a bit too (though not nearly as much as it should have) but everyone totally forgets about Hopman Cup. It's not even counted as part of the Australian Open series. I mean, I understand why you don't accrue points from playing it, just like you don't accrue points from playing Davis and Fed Cups, but it's so awesome! It's one of the few tournaments where players can play for their country as well as themselves (and isn't that a big thing for a lot of athletes) and the only one where mixed doubles - which is totally fabulous - is as important as singles. It's so rare that men and women get to play together, and it's such a shame. I mean, Marat and Dinara have never, ever, ever, EVER played together before. Can you even begin to imagine how fabulous it's going to be?

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Maybe Hopman Cup will be Marat's tournament! I know he's won Davis Cup since the slump, but Hopman Cup is a bit different. It's individual as well as a team thing... and it's just so great! Where is the respect? WHERE?

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Oh yeah. Doha. Which is happening now. Dinara is presumably out after losing to Dementieva, Venus is presumably through after beating Serena (who'd have thought Venus'd go 3-0? ...actually, I guess it's not that surprising) and Serena and Elena will fight it out for the remaining berth in the maroon group. I don't think they've played yet, so that'll be the deciding match. (Or have they played? I can't remember.)

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In the white group, I'm guessing it's going to be Jelena Jankovic and Vera Zvonareva, because they both have two wins now. And my tip for the eventual winner... hmmm, Jankovic. She really deserves one of the big titles, and if you can't have a Slam, I guess Doha is the one you'd want.

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Today's Results

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Sony Ericsson Championships 2008 (Doha)

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White Group

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Jelena Jankovic def. Svetlana Kuznetsova, 7-6 (8-6) 6-4

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Maroon Group

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Venus Williams def. Serena Williams, 5-7 6-1 6-0

Elena Dementieva def. Dinara Safina, 6-2 6-4