Rezai, Randomness and Roland Garros

So in all that Fedal frazzling, I totally forgot about what I actually spent most of the week writing about - the women's draw in Madrid.

I wonder exactly how many people in the world put money on Aravane Rezai to win that tournament. And exactly what holiday island they're on now, which beach, which fruity cocktail they're sitting...

Seriously, Rezai has been on the rise this year - she first really popped into my field of vision when she very-nearly-almost beat Serena in the semis in Sydney, because I remember being very cross that she was going to be in the final, as I had tickets to it and hadn't exactly paid to see Aravane Rezai. And also she was wearing some hideous gold thing. But who would have thought she'd go all the way and win a Premier tournament?

Seriously, this year's Roland Garros is one OPEN tournament. Henin may be the favourite - and, indeed, the only big name player to have won one of the big clay titles - but just about anyone could win this one. Rezai aside, the last Premier event was won by Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. Now that MJMS isn't awesome, but she isn't normally what you'd think of as big title material.

But anyone is big title material right now in the WTA. Including Aravane Rezai.

Marion Bartoli better watch her back, because Aravane is skyrocketing up the rankings and may soon be French #1. Her victory over Venus - arguably the best performer of the leading women on clay this season, even though she hasn't won a title recently - was absolutely superb. She's already left perennial underperformer Alize Cornet far behind and it looks like the only way is up.

You always wonder how players are going to back up big wins like this one. However, what we have to remember that because this field is so wide open, ANYONE in the WTA draw can theoretically win Roland Garros. It might not be Rezai or MJMS, but someone random could come skyrocketing through in the same manner and claim the prize. Back it up shmack it up - they'll have a Slam!

Basel Dystopia

Yet another reason I Severely Dislike Novak Djokovic - he went and beat my beloved Roger Federer in the final of Basel, the Roginator's home tournament. I am appalled and disgusted and this is a universe gone topsy turvy and if Federer doesn't keep the year end #1 I am going to punch a wall. Or something.

I don't think there's an epic chance of him losing it, but I understand that it is within the realms of possibility, and I don't like that very much. It makes me sad that a tournament that's been so great as Basel ended with what is obviously the wrong result. Hmph. Screw you, Novak.

Yes, I am a paragon of maturity.

Everything came up Muzz in Valencia, which is really hardly surprising. Much as it would have been nice for Youzhny the Make-Himself-Bleed man to pull an upset, it was never really going to happen. Still, great run for Youzhny, and nice title from Muzz, so maybe he can climb back over Djokovic to that #3 spot. Stranger things have happened.

And then, in Bali, Aravane Rezai won the tournament... whatever the hell it was. I still don't understand the point of Bali, but I guess it's nice that she won. It was such a classic WTA match, though... Bartoli has been playing great all this week, and then bam! final! ...

...retire!

An ignominious end to what really has been a pretty ignominious year for the WTA. Kim Clijsters' US Open win aside, I don't think we've seen much amazing stuff there... and I really, really hope next year is better.


Today's Results

Valencia Open 500 (Valencia)

Andy Murray def. Mikhail Youzhny, 6-3 6-2


Davidoff Swiss Indoors Basel (Basel)

Novak Djokovic def. Roger Federer, 6-4 4-6 6-2


Commonwealth Bank Trophy of Champions (Bali)

Aravane Rezai def. Marion Bartoli, 7-5 retired

Return of the Kim

She's ba-ack!

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That's right - blonde and bouncy, with entourage and baby Jada in tow, splitstastic Kim Clijsters is back from retirement and she's back with a win!

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And it was not a bad win at all, mark my words - I just went on and on yesterday about Marion Bartoli is not at the top of the game whatever anyone might say, but hello? she won a major tennis tournament a week ago! Like, a big one! Where she beat Venus Williams! And now Kimmy's gone and climbed all over her!

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I like Kim Clijsters. I'm not going to deny it. Sure, she's probably not my favourite player to watch in the world - I wince every time she does the splits - but she's somehow compelling. And I get the sense that she's brought a little somethin' somethin' back with her from the land of retirement and responsible parenthood - joy.

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We saw Justine Henin collapse when she lost it. Kimmy left the game because, presumably, she didn't like it so much any more. Looks like she didn't realise quite how much she'd miss it, because here she is on the comeback trail, and she's back beating the creme. Tennis was routine, all she had ever known before. Now she's tried something different, but tennis still takes the cake. If you love something, let it go, and if it comes back it's yours - that's how you know - and Kimmy's come back to tennis and tennis has come back to Kimmy.

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Welcome back, Kimmy. May your smile ever be radiant, your serve ever powerful and your splits as splitstastic as ever!

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Today's Results
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Rogers Cup (Montreal)

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Andy Murray def. Jeremy Chardy, 6-4 6-2

Nikolay Davydenko def. Paul-Henri Mathieu, 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-2)

Fernando Verdasco def. Feliciano Lopez, 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-1

Tommy Robredo def. Alex Bogomolov Jr., 6-4 6-2

Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Lleyton Hewitt, 6-1 6-4

Victor Hanescu def. Jurgen Melzer, 6-4 6-3

John Isner def. Jesse Levine, 6-3 6-4

Andrey Golubev def. Radek Stepanek, 6-3 6-4

Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Tomas Berdych, 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (9-11) 6-4

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

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Dinara Safina def. Roberta Vinci, 2-6 7-5 6-4

Alona Bondarenko def. Nadia Petrova, 6-2 6-3

Flavia Pennetta def. Ayumi Morita, 6-2 6-3

Peng Shuai def. Dominika Cibulkova, 6-2 6-1

Sorana Cirstea def. Meghann Shaughnessy, 7-5 7-5

Daniela Hantuchova def. Sara Errani, 3-6 6-3 6-1

Agnes Szavay def. Urszula Radwanska, 7-5 7-5

Alisa Kleybanova def. Aravane Rezai, 6-3 6-3

Yanina Wickmayer def. Francesca Schiavone, 6-3 6-4

Maria Kirilenko def. Yaroslava Shvedova, 6-4 6-1

Creme (but not de la creme)

I know the WTA tour is basically a cesspit of despair at the moment, a land of headcases and nut jobs and total freakouts and injuries, etc. All this aside, we have had some pretty surprising winners over the past few weeks.

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Like Marion Bartoli. What was that? She plays the weirdest tennis in the history of the world and I've pretty much considered her a one-Slam wonder since Wimbledon 2007, where she didn't even win the Slam. What was with her beating Venus? That was just bizarre. I don't get it.

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And now Flavia Pennetta! No disrespect to the Flavinator, because I have epic kudos for her, but surely there are people in this draw who should have eaten her for breakfast. But no... Flavia won LA. I was very disappointed that she beat Sam Stosur in the final - I thought Sam should have pulled that one through. All credit for Flavia - and Marion - for coming through tough draws, but still...

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...this should not be happening.

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In tournaments where the creme de la creme are playing, the creme de la creme should be winning. End of story. Instead, Marion Bartoli and Flavia Pennetta, who are creme, but not de la creme, if you know what I mean, are winning and the creme de la creme are being beaten early. I don't get it... I suppose it makes things a bit interesting, but it's also very disappointing.

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So what will happen this week? There's an interesting question. Because if Marion and Flavia are winning, then I think the WTA is primed for a run like Juan Martin del Potro had last year. Who's it gonna be, ladies? Who's gonna step up and play hardball?

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Today's Results

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Rogers Cup (Montreal)

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Mikhail Youzhny def. Marin Cilic, 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-1

Frederic Niemeyer def. Igor Kunitsyn, 7-5 6-1

Rainer Schuettler def. Florent Serra, 6-4 6-0

Igor Andreev def. Dmitry Tursunov, 5-5 retired

Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 7-5 0-6 6-1

Jeremy Chardy def. Yen-hsun Lu, 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-4

Peter Polansky def. Bruno Agostinelli, 6-3 7-6 (8-6)

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

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Roberta Vinci def. Tatjana Malek, 6-4 6-1

Patty Schnyder def. Gisela Dulko, 6-4 6-0

Lucie Safarova def. Iveta Benesova, 6-3 7-6 (9-7)

Olga Govortsova def. Ekaterina Makarova, 6-1 6-3

Aleksandra Wozniak def. Carla Suarez Navarro, 6-0 6-3

Melinda Czink def. Alize Cornet, 6-3 6-2

Ana Ivanovic def. Melanie Oudin, 2-6 6-1 6-1

Anna-Lena Groenefeld def. Virginie Razzano, 6-3 3-6 6-4

Victoria Azarenka def. Kaia Kanepi, 6-3 7-6 (7-2)

Kateryna Bondarenko def. Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-2 6-2

Ball Bounced

I don't think anyone's surprised that Ball got bounced by Querrey - it had to happen sooner or later. The possibility of Carsten Ball being in an ATP final is possible in this universe, but him actually winning would catapult us into a new one where fish rode bicycles and stuff.

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That said, kudos to Carsten for taking up those miniscule odds to make the final and for playing Querrey tight. I've liked a lot of what I've seen off the Querrey racquet lately - as I'll discuss in a moment - and Ball, little Carsten Ball of whom no one has really heard, took him to three sets. Sure, the third set was a bit of a blow out, but Carsten hung tough there for quite some time. I don't think he's ever going to be a worldbeater, but onya Carsten.

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On to Querrey. Now, I used to think he was spectacularly overrated - a sort of middle ground between Karlovic and Guccione. I'm still no Samurai, but you have to have kudos for what he's brought of late... and for finally winning a final, even if it was against Carsten Ball. He says he thinks he can win the US Open... I think that might be optimistic, mate. But there's no reason he can't pull a Juan and make quarters or so before going out to a Murray or a Djokovic or, hell, a del Potro. Actually, depending on where he is in the draw, I'm calling it now. Quarters for Sam Querrey... unless he's in the Federer quarter. Or possibly the Nadal quarter, depending on the state of Rafa's knees.

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And Marion Bartoli, eh? What was she doing winning Stanford when there were the Williams sisters there? And Demetieva and other folks that are, like, all good and stuff? I do not understand...

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...more on our final weekend winner, Nikolay Davydenko, tomorrow... unless you count the winner of Istanbul, but I know nothing about her, so no counting will be done.

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Today's Results

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LA Tennis Open (Los Angeles)

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Sam Querrey def. Carsten Ball, 6-4 3-6 6-1

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Legg Mason Tennis Classic (Washington)

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Wayne Odesnik def. Paul Capdeville, 4-6 6-2 6-4

Ernests Gulbis def. Kevin Kim, 7-5 3-6 6-3

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LA Women's Tennis Championships (Los Angeles)

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Lucie Safarova def. Kaia Kanepi, 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

Alisa Kleybanova def. Alla Kudryavtseva, 6-1 6-3

Ai Sugiyama def. Carly Gullickson, 6-3 6-1

Vania King def. Sybille Bammer, 6-3 6-2

Smooth Sailing in Miami

All smooth sailing so far in Miami, it looks like. People seemed surprised at Roger Federer doing well, which surprised me - just because he lost a match to Andy Murray doesn't mean he's out of form. But that's the hysteria over Federer that's been around for years, I suppose. In any case, he had a very cruise-y win over Kevin Kim (who was part of the first ever professional tennis match I saw live - James Blake/Kevin Kim, Day 3 of the Medibank International in 2007: there's some trivia for you!) and it was all very matter-of-fact and business like. I haven't seen the match so I don't know if Roger has already done this or not, but I'd really like to see him play aggressive this week, especially when it comes to attacking the second serve. He's said himself that he has to play aggressive to beat Nadal - I'd like to see him try it out.

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Actually, I wonder if he's taken a look at David Nalbandian's match against Rafa in Indian Wells, the one where Rafa had to save five match points. Headbandian seemed to have a lot of success attacking Rafa's first serve, especially early on. This is purely judging by the stats as I didn't see the match, but it could be something to try - a sort of throwing down of the gauntlet. 'Your first serve better be pinpoint accurate, Rafa, otherwise I'm just going to smack it, and who knows what will happen then.' I'd like to see more slice instead of topspin backhands, and - but I am not a tennis coach, nor am I qualified to give this kind of advice. I place my faith in the Mighty Fed. He's reversed these massive head-to-head defecits before. He can do it again.

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When did this turn into 'how will Federer beat Nadal'? That was not my intention! Back to Miami. No major upsets in the blokes - the only seed to go down was Nicolas Almagro, the Prince of Clay, and as the name suggests, he's hardly Captain Hardcourt. A couple more seeds went down among the women, but again, no one major, unless you count Marion Bartoli. I don't like to count her out, but a lot of the time I don't really like to count her in either, if you know what I mean.

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One seed to go was Sybille Bammer, another member of the WTA mum's club that Kim Clijsters will soon be joining, and she was knocked out by Sam Stosur. It's great to see Sam playing well! She's the only Aussie hope left, since Caroline Wozniacki exacted revenge for her third round defeat at the Aussie Open at the hands of Jelena Dokic, and Gilles Simon absolutely hammered Lleyton Hewitt. I'd really like Sam to have a big run at a big tournament - quarters, maybe. The Aussie players deserve some lovin'!

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Today's Results

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Sony Ericsson Open (Miami)

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Men's Draw

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Roger Federer def. Kevin Kim, 6-3 6-2

Novak Djokovic def. Frank Dancevic, 6-3 6-2

Gael Monfils def. Michael Russell, 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-3

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Agustin Calleri, 6-1 6-1

James Blake def. Julien Benneteau, 6-4 6-4

Tommy Robredo def. Jan Hernych, 6-4 6-4

Taylor Dent def. Nicolas Almagro, 2-6 6-2 7-6 (9-7)

Tomas Berdych def. Mikhail Youzhny, 6-3 3-6 6-4

Marat Safin def. Oscar Hernandez, 6-4 2-6 6-1

Robert Kendrick def. Robin Soderling, 6-4 6-2

Dmitry Tursunov def. Mikhail Kukushkin, 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3

Nicolas Kiefer def. Fabrice Santoro, 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 6-2

Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Marcos Baghdatis, 6-3 2-6 6-2

Gilles Simon def. Lleyton Hewitt, 6-1 6-2

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Women's Draw

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Dinara Safina def. Mathilde Johansson, 6-1 6-3

Elena Dementieva def. Anastasia Pivovarova, 6-0 3-6 6-3

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Tamira Paszek, 2-6 7-5 6-1

Anastasiya Yakimova def. Marion Bartoli, 6-4 6-3

Caroline Wozniacki def. Jelena Dokic, 6-3 5-7 6-2

Flavia Pennetta def. Maria Kirilenko, 6-4 7-5

Patty Schnyder def. Lucie Safarova, 4-6 6-1 6-4

Amélie Mauresmo def. Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-3 1-6 6-2

Anna Chakvetadze def. Daniela Hantuchova, 6-3 6-1

Alisa Kleybanova def. Galina Voskoboeva, 6-2 6-4

Agnes Szavay def. Francesca Schiavone, 2-6 6-4 6-2

Samantha Stosur def. Sybille Bammer, 6-1 6-1

Nicole Vaidisova def. Alona Bondarenko, 6-1 6-0

Carla Suárez Navarro def. Nuria Llagostera Vives, 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-3)

This Man, This Marvel, This Moment

I'm sure there are a lot of journalists out there who are very pissed off. In the round of sixteen, Roger Federer looked down and out, having to come back from two sets to love down against an opponent he's beaten easily in the past. They had pens poised, waiting for Juan Martin del Potro, up and coming Argentine star who has blazed onto the scene like a meteor, to shake up, if not take down, the champion.

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And the scoreline? Federer wins, 6-3 6-0 6-0.

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That's right, folks - the Roger Federer Bagel Bakery is back in business, and it's working overtime.

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We talked about Rafa delivering 53/8 tennis the other day. Federer's stats today were 38/9 - and there would have been more winners, except for the fact he only gave up three lousy games the whole time. How's this for a stat: he won 83 points to del Potro's 36. And most of those del Potro points were in the first set. That set was Federer 33 to del Potro 22. The second set, 26 to 8. And the third, 24 to 6. That is just ridiculous.

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But the stats do not tell us the full story of the Federer domination in this match. Del Potro, who, you know, doesn't actively suck or anything, just got made to look ridiculous. Nadal made Christophe Rochus look ridiculous in his first round match, but even he gave up more games than this. Del Potro wasn't injured. He made too many errors, sure, and didn't adjust his game plan when he should have, but no top ten player would normally ever be demolished like this. Ever. EVER. Del Potro is #6 in the world and Federer made him look like a fourteen year old junior who'd shown some cheek and asked for a whipping.

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He played some shots that were just stupid. No one should be able to make those shots. Jim Courier actually made a really good observations in commentary: Rafa is a brute of a tennis player and the spin and the heaviness he puts on the ball is deeply unsettling to most players, but no one has more actual skill with the racquet than Roger. He had such control - and he just wasn't making mistakes. Everything was going in - ridiculous, lunatic passing shots. Whipping forehands. Down the line backhands. Chip and charge skipping shots off the line. Serve and volleys where the volleys were just crazy. It was an exhibition of pure talent. And man, was it good.

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Oh yeah... there was another match as well tonight, which I should probably talk about... Dokic/Safina. I was glad Dokic gave Safina such a good challenge, but though I, like Australia, was cheering for Dokic all the way, I'm secretly glad Dinara won. She has such a good chance to take her first Grand Slam - and you can see that she wants it, too. Her shout out to her coach at the end was utterly adorable. Considering Zeljko seems to do nothing but yell at her and she still seems to not just keep him round but actively like him, I'd love to see his reaction if she wins... (and yes, even though he is old, short and married, I maintain that they love each other. Not changing my mind on that one.)

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Then there was the Zvonareva/Bartoli whitewash - I mean, match. Seriously, what can you say about that one? Zvonareva took a few games to figure Bartoli out and then just owned her. She's going to be a dangerous opponent for Dinara in the semis. I think Dinara can take her, but it might go three again...

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And then the repulsive, ugh-you-did-not moment of the day. Novak Djokovic, if you can't take the heat, get out of Australia. IT'S HOT HERE. DEAL. Seriously, Roddick was fine. Zvonareva was fine. Bartoli was getting hammered, but not because of the heat. Who can call themselves a legitimate professional athlete with that obvious lack of conditioning? And seriously, who retires once you get this deep in a Slam? Remember when Henin retired against Mauresmo and pretty much earned the enmity of the entire tennis world? Djokovic has pulled this stunt three times - the semis of Roland Garros and Wimbledon, both times against Nadal, and now here in the quarters against Roddick, when he is supposed to be undertaking a title defence.

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Ridiculous. I was appalled - not only by the lack of conditioning which led to him getting heatstroke or whatever, but the fact that he didn't even give Roddick the victory properly. "Roger Federer doesn't retire - otherwise he doesn't step on court," Federer said once. Why don't more people have this attitude? I mean, if you actually break your leg or something, I get it, but to be this affected by the heat (and it was hot, but still a long way off the extreme heat policy needing to be brought into play) is just ridiculous. RIDICULOUS.

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All credit to Roddick though - he's looking good. Larry Stefanki has clearly been good for him, and I'm liking his new leaner physique. But if Federer brings to the court what he brought against del Potro... well, it's going to be 2007 all over again.

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Today's Results

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Australian Open

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Men's Draw

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Roger Federer def. Juan Martin del Potro, 6-3 6-0 6-0

Andy Roddick def. Novak Djokovic, 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-2 2-1 retired

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Women's Draw

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Dinara Safina def. Jelena Dokic, 6-4 4-6 6-4

Vera Zvonareva def. Marion Bartoli, 6-3 6-0

A Day To Remember

Now THERE is a day of tennis the likes of which we have not seen for a while.

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There were five matches on Rod Laver Arena, and every single one of them was a classic. It's hard to know where to start, so I guess we'll have to start at the beginning, with Jankovic against Bartoli. Who would ever have picked that Marion Bartoli, who would probably serve two handed if she could (and I bet she's tried!) would bounce the world number #1 so comprehensively? Of course, Jankovic is one of those weird #1s that hasn't won a major, but you still have to accumulate a lot of wins to get into the penthouse, and Bartoli has never come close to competing for that prize. I never, ever would have picked this one. I thought Bartoli was pretty much doomed to be a bottom-feeder, lurking in the top twenty but never doing that much after her run to the final at Wimbledon. But she's proving me wrong. There is more to Marion than meets the eye, apparently.

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True, Jankovic certainly did not play anything resembling well. She didn't even turn up, really. But the sign of a real champion, the one who has the guts and the heart and the cojones to stay at the top, is one that fights through bad play and LOOKS FOR A WAY TO WIN. I didn't see any hint of that from Jankovic at all. Sure, she picked it up a bit after dropping the first set so comprehensively (Bartoli hit seven winners, Jankovic none) but she never, ever looked like winning - unlike another top player, who was in a situation just as dire, but who somehow never quite looked like losing. But we'll come to that.

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This part of the draw really opens up now that Jankovic is gone - and you have to like Safina to get through to the final (though you can't count out Dokic - but more on that in a mo.) But she had a real fight on her hands against Alize Cornet today - but she picked it up and sorted it out (not that you'd know that if you read her press conference.) I liked what I saw from Dinara a whole lot more than what I saw from Jankovic today. She may berate herself all she likes and criticise herself and have screaming matches with her coach - I'm still convinced that there is something very strange about the Zeljko Krajan/Dinara Safina relationship, considering all either of them seem to do is criticise her, but it obviously works - but she stepped it up and pulled it out. Jankovic is lacking the determination that Safina has in bucketloads. Of course, Cornet played a few loose points when she had match points, allowing Dinara back in, but you can't blame it all on Alize. Dinara's a fighter - and I'm glad, in a way, she had this tough match, because it's all good signs...

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...but look who she's playing next.

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I'm going to skip over Federer, who was the next match up, for a sec - though we'll obviously come back to him. (Come on, it's me!) Jelena Dokic. Jelena bloody Dokic. That was one of the best women's tennis matches I have seen in a long time - and has to be one of the best stories to come out of tennis in years. First she has a shaky victory over up-and-comer Tamira Paszek. Then she takes out Chakvetadze, who is admittedly sketchy but still ranked about nine million places higher than Jelena (I was there! I was there!) Then there was the massive victory over Caroline Wozniacki, which I doubt anyone in their right mind would have predicted, because Wozniacki is not only a major new talent, she's just about top #10, and it's been a while since Jelena's been anywhere near there. And now another up-and-comer, her practice partner, big-hitting Alisa Kleybanova, the conqueror of Ana Ivanovic. All this on a court which she was booed off the last time she played. But she is resilient. She is tough. She is as determined as she come. And it is so sweet to see the Bikic brothers supporting her, cheering their hearts out in her box, She's shaken off the shackles of Damir, and she is BACK.

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Normally, I wouldn't cheer against Dinara Safina for anyone. But for this fairytale, I think I'm going to have to. Because if Jelena Dokic can come through Safina, then she can come through anyone in this tournament. And wouldn't that be something.

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Because that match was such an epic, the match between Djokovic and Baghdatis didn't start till late - not as late as the Baghdatis/Hewitt epic last year, but late enough that it didn't finish till nearly three in the morning. Man, this was an intriguing match - and Baghdatis was never quite out of it. If he had been coming in with more matches under his belt, I would not have liked Djokovic's chances one little bit. When he was on - for example, when he went up 4-1 in the second - Marcos was very impressive. When he was off - for example, the entire first set - it wasn't pretty. It's not injuries still bothering him, I think - just a lack of matchplay. He's rusty. But give him some time and he'll sort that out. Marcos is coming back.

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You can't deny that Djokovic played pretty well - he certainly lifted - but my personal bias aside, I'm not sure he has a big chance of defending the title. Let's say he did get to the final - which means he'd have to get through Federer, which I would doubt. But let's say the unthinkable happened and he did. He'd meet either Blake, Tsonga, Murray or Nadal. I could maybe see him taking Blake, but the other three? No way. Monfils or Simon are other possibilities, and I could definitely see him losing to them. Verdasco he could maybe take. But he'd have to take Federer in the first place, and I don't see that happening.

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But Jodi, I hear you say, Roger nearly got bounced by Berdych yesterday! You speak the crazy speak! But listen, my friends, listen - what is it makes a champion? (What is it that Jelena Jankovic so comprehensively lacked?) Sure, it's nice when the Fed is on cruise control, but when he's between a rock and a hard place and he can play his way out - that is when he reveals his true quality. He looked for a way to win. He wore Berdych down. He said he could have played another three sets if he had to, and I believe him. I don't think this match is going to hurt him at all. I think he underestimated Berdych a bit coming into the match - who wouldn't, if you'd beaten him seven times in a row? - and that hurt him. As well as the fact that Berdych absolutely redlined his game. But he worked it out. He never gave up. And that is what makes him great.

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And remember AO '06? Smooth sailing in the first three rounds, then boom! five sets against Tommy Haas. Two more tough matches against Davydenko and Kiefer, and a really tough final against Baghdatis. But he found a way to win. This has precedent. And this is Roger Federer we're dealing with. And in the end, that's something everyone in the draw needs to remember. One of the commentators was saying yesterday that Steffi Graf's coach told her that, if ever she was losing a match, she should remember that she was Steffi Graf. I bet you Roger Federer can do just the same thing. Because there are some things that man does not do - and one of them is give up without a fight!

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Today's Results

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Australian Open

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Men's Draw

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Roger Federer def. Tomas Berdych, 4-6 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-4 6-2

Novak Djokovic def. Marcos Baghdatis, 6-1 7-6 (7-1) 6-7 (5-7) 6-2

Andy Roddick def. Tommy Robredo, 7-5 6-1 6-3

Juan Martin del Potro def. Marin Cilic, 5-7 6-4 6-4 6-2

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Women's Draw

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Marion Bartoli def. Jelena Jankovic, 6-1 6-4

Dinara Safina def. Alizé Cornet, 6-2 2-6 7-5

Vera Zvonareva def. Nadia Petrova, 7-5 6-4

Jelena Dokic def. Alisa Kleybanova, 7-5 5-7 8-6

The Worm Effect

What is it about the Worm? I've watched both his quarter and semi final showings at the Brisbane tournament, and both times he's been getting his arse kicked heavily in the first set, only to somehow turn the tables in the second two sets when he really has no right to. He did it to Soderling and then he did to Gasquet. Does he only kick into action in the second set? What's with it? And why do these guys let him do it? They're both quality players - what exactly is going on? It doesn't look like he lifts his level of play that exponentially - the wheels just sort of fell off for Robin and Richard. Is this Worm Effect a documentable phenomenon? I don't get it.

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The final of this tournament is going to be interesting, though I doubt it's going to be anything resembling the cracking Djokovic/Tsonga rematch the organisers were clearly hoping for. Stepanek against Verdasco. Verdasco has been looking very very good (unlike his belaguered girlfriend) and he's in the doubles final as well... so will tiredness come into play? One would hope not - and anyone, he's Spanish, and they don't seem to ever get tired (Rafa and Ferru, anyone?) But what will happen with the Worm Effect? Nando shouldn't rest too easy if he claims the first set without breaking a sweat - beware that evil worm!

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The women's final was last night, and it was pretty anticlimactic, considering some of the awesome matches we've had this week (like Mauresmo/Coin - that was fabulous!) Victoria Azarenka absolutely pounded on Marion Bartoli. I'm still not keen on Azarenka after her behaviour in her match against Gajdosova, but you have to admire her consistency. And man, Marion Bartoli is a weird tennis player. Whenever she was at net I just wanted to pry her left hand off her racquet. Playing two-handed volleys just killed her - she had next to no reach as well as far fewer options. Two-handed backhand, sure. Two-handed forehand, weird, but if it works for you... two-handed volley was just bad. What is next? Two-handed serving? Bartoli's service action seems to change every single time I see her play. At the moment it seems to be comprised of so many elements that it's pretty bizarre just watching her prepare to throw the ball up - one of the commentators said she found it almost hypnotic, and I totally agree.

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And how about the Chennai final? Cilic versus Devvarman, the wildcard? Whoever wins there it'll be good. Sure, Devvarman got there via a Schuettler walkover, but whatever. It's always good to see a total random in the final, particularly if they're a local total random... and always good to see one of the Stars as well! We've had a reasonable week, me and my Stars - we have Cilic in a final, Nishikori in the quarters and Gulbis taking out Djokovic. Not bad, eh?

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Oh, and Dementieva beat Vesnina in the Battle of the Elenas, and Murray beat Roddick in the Battle of the Andies. I bet no one saw those wins coming. At all. Ever. I am stunned and surprised.

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Today's Results

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Brisbane International (Brisbane)

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Men's Draw

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Fernando Verdasco def. Paul-Henri Mathieu, 6-2 6-1

Radek Stepanek def. Richard Gasquet, 2-6 6-2 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Victoria Azarenka def. Marion Bartoli, 6-3 6-1

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Chennai Open (Chennai)
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Marin Cilic def. Marcel Granollers, 6-4 6-3

Somdev Devvarman def. Rainer Schuettler, walkover

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Qatar Exxonmobil Open (Doha)

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Andy Murray def. Andy Roddick, 6-4 6-2

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ASB Classic (Auckland)

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Elena Dementieva def. Elena Vesnina, 6-4 6-1

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Josh's Tennis Tips

Focus: Backhand

Today's Tip: One hand or two?

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When you start playing tennis, you need to decide if you are a two handed or one handed player for a backhand. You should try to do the one that feels best for you! Do not try to do the most stylish or best looking one.

Ladies' Day

It's very rare that I say this, so listen carefully and note down the day, my friends: the women's tennis was more interesting than the men's today.

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You may have noticed that I follow the ATP much more closely than the WTA. Sure, I know what's going on in the WTA and who the number #1 is at any given week... which didn't used to be difficult, as it was Justine Henin, but with her gone, it might be a bit more difficult to keep track of! On the whole, though, I find the men's game much more compelling, though I couldn't put my finger on it and tell you why.

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Not with today's play, though. How about that Sharapova match? Did anyone else have flashbacks to her match against Camille Pin in the Australian Open in 2007? I certainly did. I'm not a Sharapova fan (actually, perhaps it would be more correct to say that I'm not a fan of her dad - overbearing tennis parents rub me up the wrong way!) I was cheering for Rodina, and it was very disappointing that she didn't manage to get up in the end. But it was a good match, a good contest.

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I don't think it'll do Sharapova any lasting harm. She was in the final that year when she beat Camille Pin 9-7 in the third at the Australian - although she did get pounded by Serena. If anything, it'll be a wakeup call. I think she took Rodina a bit too lightly, played a bit too arrogantly, and nearly paid the price. And can you imagine how wide open that top half of the draw would have been if she'd lost? That one would have been interesting.

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I think Sharapova unquestionably deserves to be #1 at the moment - now that JuJu's gone. Even though I don't like her as a person, I think she stands a good chance of winning the tournament. If she was knocked out, I don't know who I'd tip. Jankovic, maybe? She has a good clay game... when she can manage to stay uninjured.

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And huge congratulations to Casey Dellacqua. What a great win over Marion Bartoli! Granted, Bartoli is injured, and Dellacqua did have that rain delay to help her out, but let's face it: Bartoli is the ninth seed and is playing on home territory - on one of the major arenas, no less. For Dellacqua to come out and start another giant-killing spree outside Australia and on a surface that doesn't suit her is a real achievement. I'm not normally particularly partisan when it comes to tennis - anyone who knows me knows my feelings on Lleyton Hewitt! - but when it comes to Casey, I think I might become all nationalistic. I'm a fan.

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And finally, that Nadal/Bellucci match eventuated! It was hardly a surprise that Nadal won in straights - he is Rafa, after all, and this is Roland Garros! - but I like what I see from Bellucci. He's only young, and he's won four Challengers on clay this year. Now Guga is out of the picture, Brazilian tennis really doesn't have anyone... and I wouldn't be surprised to see Bellucci doing things in the next few years! And speaking of Challengers, Eduardo Schwank took out Marcel Granollers in the second round. He is definitely a player worth keeping an eye on.

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And, funnily enough, the match that followed Nadal/Bellucci on Chatrier, Monfils/Clement, had exactly the same scoreline. Go figure.

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I was very excited that my name got mentioned on Radio Roland Garros last night. It makes me feel like part of the greater tennis world! Roland Garros is the only Slam I really follow on radio - occasionally I'll tune into Radio Wimbledon, but Wimbledon is televised in Australia, so the only time I use it is when TV is showing a boring match (ie. Hewitt) when a more interesting one (ie. Federer) is going on. But, although radio has its limitations, I always enjoy Radio Roland Garros... especially the bits of tennis gossip that get thrown around occasionally. Who knew Igor Andreev and Maria Kirilenko were a longstanding item? Or that Nadal and Soderling don't like each other? (Though after that match at Wimbledon that went for, what, five days? I'm not surprised. Though I didn't know the grudge had lasted.) Or Nadal and Berdych? (Berdych got beaten last night. So much for his crushing of Smeets.)

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If only they published a gossip magazine for tennis... I might be one of the only readers. Although what with the Ashley Harkleroad Playboy shoot, and Nuria Llagostera Vives in some Spanish magazine... maybe the tennis profile is going to get amped up. Though I don't know if I want it to get amped up that way.

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Roland Garros Results - Day #4

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Men's Draw

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Rafael Nadal def. Thomaz Bellucci, 7-5 6-3 6-1

Gael Monfils def. Arnaud Clement, 7-5 6-3 6-1

Radek Stepanek def. Gilles Simon, 6-2 6-4 6-1

Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Oscar Hernandez, 2-6 1-6 6-4 6-3 6-2

Marat Safin def. Jean-Rene Lisnard, 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 6-3 6-2

Lleyton Hewitt def. Nicolas Mahut, 6-4 6-2 6-4

Novak Djokovic def. Miguel Angel Lopez Jaen, 6-1 6-1 6-3

Marc Gicquel def. Viktor Troicki, 6-4 6-3 4-6 7-5

Michael Llodra def. Tomas Berdych, 6-3 4-6 5-7 6-3 6-4

Julien Benneteau def. Vince Spadea, 6-4 6-4 3-6 3-6 6-3

Fabrice Santoro def. Evgeny Korolev, 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 6-4

Andy Murray def. Jose Acasuso, 6-4 6-0 6-4

Diego Jungueira def. Adrian Mannarino, 6-1 6-2 6-2

Jarkko Nieminen def. Marc Lopez, 2-6 6-3 6-4 6-3

Martin Vassallo Arguello def. Feliciano Lopez, 7-6 (6-1) 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-3

Eduardo Schwank def. Marcel Granollers, 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-4 6-4

Marcos Daniel def. Juan Carlos Ferrero, 7-6 (7-5) 2-2 ret.

Wayne Odesnik def. Hyung-taik Lee, 6-2 4-6 6-3 6-2

David Ferrer def. Steve Darcis, 6-3 6-4 6-3

Bobby Reynolds def. Thierry Ascione, 7-6 (7-2) 2-6 6-3 6-3

David Marrero def. Victor Crivoi, 6-3 6-3 5-7 6-4

Luis Horna def. Scoville Jenkins, 6-4 5-7 6-3 6-0

Robby Ginepri def. Donald Young, 6-2 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-2

Dmitry Tursunov def. Daniel Brands, 6-2 6-4 7-5

Jurgen Melzer def. Peter Luczak, 6-3 6-2 6-4

Juan Ignacio Chela def. John Isner, 2-6 3-6 7-5 6-3 6-4

Simone Bolelli def. Juan Martin Del Potro, 3-6 7-6 (7-0) 7-5 6-2

Victor Hanescu def. Dudi Sela, 4-6 6-2 4-6 6-4 6-3

Marin Cilic def. Robin Haase, 7-6 (8-6) 6-2 7-6 (7-4)

Jiri Vanek def. Jesse Huta Galung, 6-3 7-5 6-2

Nicolas Almagro def. Sebastian Decoud, 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 6-1

Alejandro Falla def. Ivo Karlovic, 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (8-6) 5-7 6-4

Albert Montanes def. Kristof Vliegen, 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-3)

Igor Andreev def. Potito Starace, 6-1 6-7 (3-7) 6-1 6-4

Mardy Fish def. Agustin Calleri, 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 6-2 6-4

Ivan Ljubicic def. Eric Prodon, 7-5 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-4)

Mikhail Youzhny def. Benjamin Becker, 6-1 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

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Women's Draw

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Maria Sharapova def. Evgeniya Rodina, 6-1 3-6 8-6

Casey Dellacqua def. Marion Bartoli, 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-2

Ana Ivanovic def. Lucie Safarova, 6-1 6-2

Elena Dementieva def. Vera Dushevina, 6-7 (6-8) 6-0 6-2

Nadia Petrova def. Aravane Rezai, 7-6 (7-4) 6-3

Stephanie Cohen-Aloro def. Ioana Raluca Olaru, 7-6 (7-4) 6-3

Olga Govortsova def. Yuliana Fedak, 7-5 2-6 6-3

Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, 6-3 6-2

Marina Erakovic def. Tathiana Garbin, 6-7 (9-11) 6-3 6-3

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Jelena Pandzic, 6-2 6-0

Maria Kirilenko def. Maria Elena Camerin, 6-1 6-0

Vania King def. Violette Huck, 4-6 6-2 6-1

Shuai Peng def. Anastasia Rodionova, 6-0 2-6 6-3

Anna Chakvetadze def. Nuria Llagostera Vives, 6-3 5-7 6-1

Flavia Pennetta def. Tatiana Perebiynis, 6-3 6-2

Caroline Wozniacki def. Anastasiya Yakimova, 6-0 6-4

Vera Zvonareva def. Stephanie Foretz, 6-2 6-1

Emilie Loit def. Klara Zakapalova, 6-4 6-3

Patty Schnyder def. Timea Bacsinszky, 6-4 4-6 6-1

Jie Zheng def. Mara Santangelo, 4-6 6-3 6-0

Akgul Amanmuradova def. Yanina Wickmayer, 6-2 7-5

Sanda Mamic def. Michaella Krajicek, 6-4 6-3

Marta Domachowska def. Rossana De Los Rios, 3-6 6-3 6-1

Victoria Azarenka def. Edina Gallovits, 6-1 6-3

Aleksandra Wozniak def. Sybille Bammer, 6-0 6-2

Sorana-Mihaela Cirstea def. Anne Kremer, 6-0 3-0 ret.

Bethanie Mattek def. Madison Brengle, 6-3 2-6 6-4

Alisa Kleybanova def. Tamarine Tanasugarn, 6-3 6-0

Petra Kvitova def. Akiko Morigami, 6-4 6-3

Kaia Kanepi def. Meng Yuan, 6-2 6-2

Katarina Srebotnik def. Virginia Ruano Pascual, 6-4 6-2

Magdalena Rybarikova def. Karolina Sprem, 7-6 (7-3) 3-6 8-6

Tsvetana Pironkova def. Yung-Jan Chan, 5-7 6-2 6-0

Francesca Schiavone def. Jill Craybas, 6-3 6-2

Samantha Stosur def. Shahar Peer, 6-2 3-6 6-1