Far Away, So Close

No joy, yet again. Marat, Marat, Marat. If only he could have won the other one of those breakers. Far away, so close. All I want is for to win a title - one little title! Is that so much to ask? But no. Even though he's beaten Igor Kunitsyn three times in recent history, not this time. Not this time, when it really, you know, matters.

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Sigh. One day, Marat will come through for me. One day. And he got to the final, and he beat some quality players on the way. I guess I'll just have to be content with that.

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Igor Kunitsyn was not the only first-time winner this weekend - how 'bout Philipp Petzschner, who pulled a Darcis in Vienna? It's always good fun when a qualifier comes up through the draw and wins it. Much as I did want Safin to win in Moscow, it's nice to see the little guys doing well - sharing the love, I guess. Not that that happened everywhere this week - Nalbandian won in Stockholm, and though Soderling took a set off him, GoodDave (for 'twas he) never really looked like losing. It will be very interesting to see how he goes in Madrid this week, defending his title - are we going to get another late surge? It would certainly shake things up in Davis Cup: and we all know how keen I am to see a Nadal/Nalbandian clash!

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And it's good to see Jelena Jankovic really deserving her position as #1 - she really owned that tournament in Moscow this week. Is she going to be the one to close it out this year? It's been such a roller coaster ride over there!

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Back to the blokes, and I am two for two so far in the bracket challenge for Madrid! The opponents for Roger and Rafa have been decided - Roger will face scary Radek Stepanek, the creepy guy, but, much more interestingly for us here at Tennis From The Backseat, Rafa's playing Ernests Gulbis, who had a good win over Nicolas Kiefer. I've picked Ernests to upset Rafa, which is probably more wishful thinking than anything else: but I can dream! Swanboy is certainly going to beat him one day - so why not this week?

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Today's Results

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Kremlin Cup (Moscow)

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Men's Draw

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Igor Kunitsyn def. Marat Safin, 7-6 (8-6) 6-7 (4-7) 6-3

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Women's Draw

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Jelena Jankovic def. Vera Zvonareva, 6-2 6-4

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If Stockholm Open (Stockholm)

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David Nalbandian def. Robin Soderling, 6-2 5-7 6-3

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Bank Austria Tennis Classic (Vienna)

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Philipp Petzschner def. Gael Monfils, 6-4 6-4

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Mutua Madrilena Masters Madrid (Madrid)

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Radek Stepanek def. Juan Monaco, 6-1 6-1

Ernests Gulbis def. Nicolas Kiefer, 5-7 6-4 7-5

Praying for the Dinara Magic

Well, it's a rare tournament in which Marat Safin does better than his little sister, but he's done it this time. To be fair, he didn't have to do much - I thought he could beat Mischa Zverev as long as he didn't have a total collapse, but it turns out he didn't need to: he got handed a walkover. So it's Safin in the final - God, this must be his first final in a while - where he'll play Igor Kunitsyn. Now, he is totally capable of beating Kunitsyn. He has beaten Kunitsyn three times - and this is all in 2006 and 2007, which were definitely not Marat's best years. If he plays well, he can beat Kunitsyn with his eyes closed. Whether he does or not is another matter. We can just cross our fingers and hope some of that Dinara magic wears off.

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Not that the Dinara magic worked too well for Dinara herself this time round - she got beaten in straight sets by Vera Zvonareva. But I suppose the girl can't have all the Tier I love. She's being kind and sharing it around - and being so nervous for Marat she forgets about herself. That's my theory, anyway. I am not unduly bothered. Dinara is still my favourite female player.

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Though what a weird match the other women's semi was, Jankovic vs. Dementieva? What kind of score is 0-6 6-1 6-0? Did something happen to Dementieva - or did Jankovic just ratchet it up? If that's the case, she's got one hell of a gear shift.

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Kei Nishikori also went out today - he got pretty convincingly crushed by Robin Soderling. Oh well, can't win 'em all, I guess: and to get to the semis ain't no mean feat. It'd be nice to see Soderling actually do something and win a title, to tell the truth - he's one of those dangerous floaters in a draw, but he never actually wins anything, so he's never seeded, which is a shame, because he certainly has a lot of ability. I would like him to win the final... I certainly don't want David Nalbandian to go on one of those indoor court hot streaks again - though it would make for a very interesting Davis Cup final (now being played at Mar del Plata. Go figure.)

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And kudos also to Philipp Petzschner, the qualifer than beat top seed Stan Wawrinka in Vienna this week, and who is now in the final. He plays Gael Monfils. Personally, I'm cheering for the underdog. Go Philipp! I have never heard of you and have no idea what kind of tennis you play, but I'm cheering for you, man. Pull a Darcis!

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And big congratulations also go to the winners of the Optus under-16 Australian Championships, Elizabeth Searl and Jason Kubler. Here's hoping that we have another couple here that will make it big, when the time is right - join the Tomic revolution!

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Today's Results

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Kremlin Cup (Moscow)

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Men's Draw

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Marat Safin def. Mischa Zverev, walkover

Igor Kunitsyn def. Fabrice Santoro, 6-4 6-3

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Women's Draw

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Jelena Jankovic def. Elena Dementieva, 0-6 6-1 6-0

Vera Zvonareva def. Dinara Safina, 6-2 7-6 (7-5)

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If Stockholm Open (Stockholm)

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David Nalbandian def. Jarkko Nieminen, 6-2 6-1

Robin Soderling def. Kei Nishikori, 6-1 6-0

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Bank Austria Tennis Classic (Vienna)

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Gael Monfils def. Philipp Kohlschreiber, 6-4 5-7 7-6 (7-2)

Philipp Petzschner def. Feliciano Lopez, 3-6 6-3 6-3

Blaming LA

Tennis in America is a pain, if you ask me. The timezone is all wrong for blogging. I sit here at 9am Australian Eastern Standard Time time, hoping to recap the past day - even though I haven't actually seen any of it, I rely on my ability to deduce and basically make stuff up - but when the tennis is in America, or worse, on the west coast of America, the day has barely begun. Really, LA, catch up. You're behind - timewise, at least. You are inconveniencing me greatly.

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Because I really, really have nothing to talk about. I'm sure Odesnik/Reynolds and Stoppini/Kunitsyn were fascinating in their way, but I can tell you very little about any of those players. I don't think I've even heard of Stoppini. As I write this, Grosjean and Spadea are into a third, as are Vemic and Warburg. Much as I like Sebastien Grosjean, these are hardly world stopping matches... especially when you can't see them.

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And I am not talking about rankings. I am not even thinking about rankings. Oh no.

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Federer moved to a new apartment. Does that count as something? Today, I am afraid, I have nothing to say. I blame LA. They're as good a scapegoat as anyone else.

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Today's Results

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Countrywide Classic (Los Angeles)

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Wayne Odesnik def. Bobby Reynolds, 4-6 6-1 6-4

Andrea Stoppini def. Igor Kunitsyn, 6-1 6-3

Mardy Fish def. Alejandro Falla, 6-2 6-2