Surprise Party

Wow. WOW. I did not expect this coming - and neither, I think, did anyone ekse vaguely interested in the December Showdown for the AO Wildcard. Olivia Rogowska and Marinko Matosevic have won the wildcards, leaving their higher ranked and better known opponents to hope and pray for a discretionary one.

Let's start with Olivia. What a stellar effort. It would have had something of the fairy tale about it to see Dokic win, but can a spirited comeback like the one Rogowska pulled off be denied? She came back from a crushing in the first set and two match points down to win the second and then the third sets of this match. And she has served notice now - she will take on anyone.

I think Rogowska is best known for the time that she took on then-#1 Dinara Safina in the first round of the US Open and very nearly won. Although she's had some good results - like that one - she never seems to have really captured the imagination of the Australian public. For her sake, I hope she manages to go a few rounds at the Open, because as Casey Dellacqua and Jelena Dokic have shown us, there is no surer way to become a national darling than a win a couple of matches in Melbourne in January.

As for the defeated Dokic? She'll be okay. You'd get long odds if you bet she wouldn't get a discretionary wildcard. (Double neg for the win!)

Now. Dudes. Marinko Matosevic, how about you? Five set long haul and you came out on top, beating Peter Luczak (who is no slouch). This is a big, big win, and will see Matosevic going straight into the main draw. My hopes for him are pretty much identical to my hopes for Rogowska - win a match or two, raise your profile. Profile can almost be as important a weapon as a forehand sometimes - if you can get a crowd behind you, create a little fear in an opponent's mind... that can work wonders. Matosevic doesn't have that yet - but, as Luczak would surely know, he's well on his way to earning it.

The Jelena Smackdown

It does not take a stretch of the imagination to see that Jelena Dokic is looking dangerous.

Oh, I don't mean that she's going to make some fairy tale comeback and win the Australian Open or anything, but... well, we all remember 2009. You just never know what is possible with Jelena - she's out injured or sick or whatever so often that there is no real sense of what she can do. We just haven't seen it yet.

I don't think anyone was expecting Dokic to steamroll Molik the way she did - least of all Molik. I saw a little of this match on the livestream - not much, but enough to tell that Molik was looking seriously shellshocked. Dokic took her and smacked her down like the hand of God, and there was absolutely nothing Molik could do about it.

She'll face Olivia Rogowska, who overcame a vaguely injured seeming Sophie Ferguson, and you have to put your money on Dokic here. Sure, she might suffer a bit of a slump, but what we do know about Jelena is that she is determined like whoa. You'd have to wake up very early in the morning to out grit Ms Dokic.

Over in the dudes, Peter Luczak overcame Matt Ebden and Marinko Matosevic beat Adam Feeney, and now these two will final it up. I really like Luczak - he seems like a nice bloke - and I don't know very much about Matosevic... which is why, I think, I'm going for him. Luczak has an awesome shot at a wildcard. Matosevic could get swept under the rug pretty easily.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

Wow! Suddenly it's the semis of the December Showdown! That happened with a speed I was not prepared for!

The blockbuster semi is, of course, Dokic vs Molik. It's a shame that they're not on opposite sides of the draw, or this could be a final, but sadly it hasn't played out that way. Nonetheless, this match should be an awesome one. I can't remember the last time these two girls played, and I think it's going to be very interesting to see which one comes out on top. I fully expect them both to get carded into the Open anyway, but that does not make this match any less interesting.

This is not to say, though, that whoever wins this match wins the wildcard. Both Dokic and Molik went three sets in their last matches, so clearly neither is in OMG DOMINATION mode right now... though those cylinders could fire up at any moment! Whichever one gets to the final will have their work cut out against Sophie Ferguson or Olivia Rogowska.

In the dudes, James Duckworth is out, which makes me sad, because he's a bit cool. He was knocked out by Marinko Matosevic, who will face Ball-conquering Adam Feeney. You'd like Matosevic to win this one - he is the second seed - but you never know. This said, Matosevic has been coming through the tournament quietly... I kind of really hope he gets the card here, actually, because he doesn't seem to have made the name for himself that some of the other players have. Peter Luczak and Matt Ebden will face off in the other semi. You can pretty much bet Luczak will get carded in, and Ebden will have a pretty good shot, but Matosevic seems to be under-the-radar man. This could be his best shot.

(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!

Sydney Also Gets Wild

More wildcard news - from Sydney this time, where Casey Dellacqua has been given a wildcard into the Medibank International. She's the second card recipient to be announced after Justine Henin, and it's not exactly surprising - much as I would wish that some of the younger kids would be given opportunities, their time will come. This is a good leg up for Casey on her comeback - and I guess she's lucky coming back around the Australian swing, because she'd find it tough to get this wealth of cards otherwise.

You just wait. You can bet your bottom dollar that the other women's card for Sydney will go to Alicia Molik, the second she expresses any desire to play the event... though she's playing Hobart, now that I think of it, so we'll see someone a little different. You've got to think it will be Olivia Rogowska - though she might get pipped at the post by Yanina Wickmayer, if the tournament director in Sydney is a big softie. Though if I were Rogowska and that was the case, I'd be pissed off. Rogowska definitely deserves a card somewhere, and with Justine Henin sucking up all these wildcards, a lot of her opportunities have disappeared.

But now that I think of it, Rogowska might have been carded into Hobart as well, which means she's out of Sydney, being as they are on the same week. That opens the door for someone like Monika Wejnert or Shannon Golds. That could be fun.

It's the last day before tennis starts - it's New Year's Day here, though not quite in Abu Dhabi yet, where things will kick off with the annual cashcow exo. Bring it on! I am totally sick of the off season.

Wild About the Wildcards

Discretionary wildcards for the Australian Open have just been announced! I held off writing for today until they had been, due to having not much else to say.

There aren't any epically huge surprises. As we know, the playoff winners were Casey Dellacqua and Nick Lindahl, so they're in. Discretionaries in the women go to Alicia Molik and Olivia Rogowska. Gee, I am surprised there. There's still one more to be announced - presumably closer to the date - which I am really hoping goes to Monika Wejnert. But I don't think it will surprise anyone that Molik and Rogowska get these cards. Rogowska is definitely the player that deserves it most, based on her play over the last year. And if Tennis Australia is going to refuse a name like Molik...

Over to the men, and we have cards for Bernard Tomic (my brother saw me write this, and said 'yeah! he rules!' then told me I had to write it down, so I did), Carsten Ball and Jason Kubler. I had completely forgotten about the existence of Carsten Ball, but he did do pretty well on the ATP tour - he made a final at tour level and must have been pretty close to making main draw anyway. (But why didn't he play the playoff? Lame.)

I would have thought for sure that the remaining wildcard would go to Brydan Klein, but I am totally delighted about the fact that it went to Jason Kubler. Kubler is sixteen and one of the nation's brightest stars - I understand he was a bit of a junior Davis Cup hero. Great work on this one, Craig Tiley - really awesome choice! I think this'll probably be Kubler's first tour level match, and what better place for it to come than at the Open.

There is also one more male wildcard to be handed out closer to the date. I think it'll probably go to Brydan Klein, but I would love to see it go to Greg Jones. His play at the December Showdown totally merits it.

At Your Discretion

So... um...

The December Showdown is over. Lindahl and Dellacqua are through to the main draw of the Australian Open.

So what am I going to talk about now? December is a useless month, honestly. Do the players reeeeeeeally need an off season? Doesn't anyone ever think of the bloggers?

I shall have to do the best I can with what little I have, I suppose (less than two weeks until Abu Dhabi! THANK GOD.) So let's talk discretionary wildcards. The playoff may be over, but Tennis Australia has still got a few cards left to give out. I don't know how many are reserved for the reciprocal arrangements we have with the US and France, but I think (read: I read somewhere) that Tennis Oz has three wildcards leftover for the girls and four for the men. Or maybe the other way round.

So who do you card in?

Let's start with the boys. Tomic is a gimme, if you ask me. He played a night match on Rod Laver Arena last year and he's one of Australia's best hopes for the future. There is a wildcard with Bernard's name on it somewhere, mark my word. Peter Luczak will, I think, make it in my virtue of his ranking, so we don't need to worry about him. Chris Guccione is a possibility, but if he didn't play the play off, then maybe he's injured or something. Same with Marinko Matosevic.

That's a good criterion, actually - if you didn't play the play off, you obviously don't care. This leaves us with Tomic and two others. I think Tennis Australia will probably give on to Brydan Klein, though I don't think I would (mostly on the grounds that there was that sledging thing that one time and I'm not down with that). And maybe Greg Jones. Though I would give one to James Duckworth, because I think he's awesome.

Over to the girls, and you've got to pick Rogowska and Molik straight off. I'd be very surprised if they didn't carded in - Molik especially. If I were Craig Tiley, I'd also be giving a card to Yanina Wickmayer, even though she isn't Australian, but it looks like he's already said no. So if we;re just going off girls that played the playoff, I'd be looking in the direction of Wejnert and Peers. They definitely have something to offer.

The actual Open aside, I'll be looking to see who gets carded into the subsidiary events - your Brisbanes and Hobarts and Sydneys. We could get a good view of some interesting young talent...

Nick and Casey Win Their Way In

We have our winners! After some epic matches at Melbourne Park, Casey Dellacqua and Nick Lindahl are through to the main draw at the Australian Open.

Casey Dellacqua was no surprise, really - but after she went down so hard in the first set to Olivia Rogowska, I thought she was in serious trouble. This is the second time in two days she's gone down and gone down bad in the first set - 2-6 against Peers, 1-6 against Rogowska - and it's something she might want to keep on an eye on. Nonetheless, she is through, and well-deserving - she hasn't lost a match all week and she's looking great. Jelena Dokic won this playoff last year and we all know how that turned out. Here's hoping Casey can do similarly well.

I was a bit disappointed in Bernard Tomic's performance - I really thought he had the cojones to beat Nick Lindahl - but I was equally impressed by Lindahl. This match went five sets, which is no mean feat in and of itself, and when you consider that Lindahl was two sets to one down at one point, that's pretty awesome. There was probably more on the line here for Lindahl than Tomic - Tomic will, I think, get carded in anyway, while I don't think Lindahl is enough of a name to have earned it, even though he was seeded above Tomic in this tournament.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this will be Lindahl's first time in a Slam main draw...? I've never seen him there before, but I might have blinked and missed him. It'll be interesting to see how he performs on the big stage. He's obviously got a little somethin' somethin' going on upstairs, considering his match against the terribly talented Tomic today. So I don't think he's the type to break down under the pressure. I'll be in Melbourne for the first round of the Australian Open (and second and third!!!!) so I'm going to make a point to see some of his match, whosoe'er it may be against. I may have to reevaluate my opinion of him.

Now... there are a whole bunch of discretionary wildcards. Who will get them, I wonder...

Praising Peers

So I sooooooooo was not fair to Sally Peers. I thought she was going to get pulverised by Casey Dellacqua, but at the beginning of the match it was Peers doing the pulverising. When I checked in with the score, Peers was leading 5-0 in the first set. Against Dellacqua, that is something - even for top players.

Peers ended up winning the first set but fading badly in the second two - nevertheless, even with the fade, I am very impressed. I've never had extraordinarily amounts of cred for her before, but I've changed my mind on her now. I'll be keeping an eye on her, that's for sure.

Dellacqua is through, however, and she'll face Rogowska in the final. Rogowska is resurgent for sure after her slow start, but I still don't think she's going to come through Dellacqua. Good on Casey - it's been a hard road back for her, and I'm glad. And if Olivia wins too, good on her. We're going to have a strong wildcard contender in the ladies no matter who wins.

In the blokes, we're having Lindahl and Tomic facing off. (Side note - what happened to Colin Ebelthite, who won here last year? He wasn't even in the draw, as far as I saw). It's no secret that I'm pulling for Tomic here - I think he'll get carded in anyway, but it'd be good for him to really fight for it, really earn it, as it were. The matchplay will make him all tough and stuff and the feeling that he earned it will be really good, I think.

I'll be interested to see what Lindahl brings to the court. Every time I've seen him he's been spectacularly unimpressive, but he must be doing something right...

More of the December Daze

So I was wrong about Monika Wejnert pulling an upset - Olivia Rogowska defeated her in two close, but straight, sets. That said, Wejnert is going to be one to look out for, and I really hope that she gets wildcarded into a few events here and there throughout the Australian summer. By winning the 18s title she got a wildcard in here, so she's been prepared to play a lot of tennis lately. I'll be looking out for her.

I was right, however, about Jess Moore being able to pull an upset - even though she was the third seed and Alicia Molik was fourth, I don't think anyone seriously expected Molik to lose. I think Molik is a pretty safe bet to get carded into the Aussie Open anyway, so I doubt she's too worried, but this is a really good win for Jess Moore. I saw her play briefly at the Australian Open in 2008, where she made it to the second round by defeating Julie Ditty (I think), and she's seriously crafty. I'll be interested to see how she goes from here. She'll be playing Rogowska in her semi and that'll be a good match to watch.

You'd have to think that whoever wins will face Dellacqua - I can't see Sally Peers coming through her (though she had a very tidy win against Marija Mirkovic, while Dellacqua had a scare against Shannon Golds). It'll be interesting.

Over to the boys, and Tomic is through to the semis after a tidy win over Greg Jones, the third seed. I guess Jones couldn't keep up the winning streak he had going, which for him is a shame, but for my predictions, not so much. Tomic will face Kaden Hensel in his semi after Hensel beat Matt Reid. You'd be pretty foolish to pick against Tomic there, I think.

My dark horse, James Duckworth, went out against Nick Lindahl, but considering the scoreline was 6-0 2-0 retired, I think it's pretty safe to say that that wasn't exactly indicative of the overall level of his game. He's going to be pretty good in time - I'll be watching out for him. Lindahl will face John Millman in the semis, after Millman put out Tomic-beater Matt Ebden. I've never seen Millman play so I can't really make any comment, but I've never been especially impressed by Lindahl - why is the second seed here? Is he really ranked that high?

Marquee Matches in Melbourne

At any other time of the year, I'm sure I would find the wildcard playoff for the Australian Open terribly, terribly dull and hardly worth paying attention to. It is a mark of how bored I am that I find it as fascinating as I do.

But fascinating I do find it, and there are some pretty intriguing match ups in there. The marquee match on the women's side would obviously have to be Alicia Molik and Jess Moore - if anyone, barring Casey Dellacqua, is going to topple Molik, I think Moore has got a good shot. I'll be watching keenly to see how that one goes. Dellacqua should, I think, have a slightly easier time of it with Shannon Golds, even though Golds is seeded above Moore. But then I haven't seen Golds play that much, so I'm basing it on pretty much nothing.

Sally Peers and Marija Mirkovic will also face off, but the match I'm really keen to see is Olivia Rogowska and Monika Wejnert. Wejnert - whom, as we all know, I think is pretty awesome - managed to topple Jelena Dokic here last year, and won the nation under-18s title last week. And Rogowska, top-seeded though she is, hasn't exactly been playing great guns... so there is some serious upset potential there, mark my words.

Over on the blokes side, the marquee match is Bernard Tomic and Greg Jones, no question. I like Tomic to win this tournament, but Jones has been playing awesomely this week - he hasn't dropped a match yet. And he's seeded above Tomic, and... yeah. If anyone's going to be Tomic, Jones is a good shot.

There's a match of pro tour stars in Matthew Ebden and John Millman (Ebden was the guy that took a match off Tomic); Kaden Hensel will play Matt Reid and second seed Nick Lindahl will face off against surprise package James Duckworth. The more I see of this kid (Duckworth, that is) the more I like him. He's only seventeen but he's got game - he's kind of a miniature Murray, in some ways. But awesome, and not annoying, like the Muzz. I look forward to seeing a lot more of him in the future...

Liv Scrapes In

I don't know how Olivia Rogowska got through to the quarters of the December showdown playing the way she did - she lost two matches, for heavens' sakes! - but she did. The rules of roubd robin have always been completely inscrutable to me. But I'm glad she did - actually, let me qualify that. If she lifts her game, I'll be glad she did. I don't think I'd like it if someone got through to the Aussie Open by playing not so well.

But even though she's the top seed, Liv is definitely not the favourite here. Whether it's Molik or Dellacqua I don't know, but you have to think that one of those two will take the wildcard for the girls. They've got the weight of experience, if nothing else.

...but I do admit to a preference to Monika Wejnert. She'll face Rogowska tomorrow and I think she has a real chance at winning. I would love to see her surprise everyone and make it through to the main draw. She has serious game.

The other top seed, Brydan Klein, has been eliminated. How Rogowska got through losing two matches and Klein didn't with the same win/loss record... yeah, it doesn't really make sense to me either. I suppose it must be some kind of game countback. But he's out, even though he did manage to win his last match. Bernard Tomic is through, however, seemingly back on his game after a weird loss yesterday, and he'll take on Greg Jones. That will be, I think, a pretty interesting match...

And James Duckworth made the cut as well. I'll be watching his progress keenly - he could be a dark horse and surprise everyone!

It's a rest day at the December showdown tomorrow (probably appropriate, given as it was forty-something degrees there yesterday). What on earth am I going to write about?

Coming Clean on Klein

I think it's safe to say that Brydan Klein will not be winning the play-off wildcard from the December showdown - not only has he now been beaten by James Duckworth, Kaden Hensel (of whom I have never heard) owned him today. A lot of things will need to go his way if he wants to progress through...

Klein is a player that I think is a bit overhyped. He's very talented, yes, and he did win the AO juniors a couple of years back, but I think that was more of a fluke than anything else, to tell the truth. He's served on Davis Cup occasionally, but I've seen him play a couple of times now and I haven't really been impressed with what I saw... and that whole sledging incident didn't really endear him to me, either. So if Klein is one of the bright stars of the future of Australian tennis, I think we're in trouble.

Someone who is a bright star, Bernard Tomic, also got beaten, which surprised me, I confess. He went down to Matthew Ebden, who isn't a slouch, but he isn't a star, either. I hope Tomic progresses through to the next round, I really do... it would be a big shame to see him fizzle in this intranational playoff.

I am, however, on the James Duckworth bandwagon. That kid is great.

In the women, Olivia Rogowska looks out for the count as well - which is a shame. Dellacqua and Molik are still all a-g-go, though, as is my little favourite Monika Wejnert... I'm cheering for you, Monika!

Slamming Down in December

The annual December showdown has started again at Melbourne Park. Nominally, this is the playoff for wildcards for the Australian Open, but I personally like to think of it as 'the thing that keeps Jodi amused in December'. There's precious little else going on and it's always kind of cool to see the up and coming Australian kids...

...though not so up-and-coming in some cases, especially in the women's draw, where we have Alicia Molik and Casey Dellacqua vying for spots. Molik played to her seed today and made short work of Victoria's Jade Hopper, but Dellacqua - who is, somehow, unseeded... colour me WTFed - pulled an upset and beat the top seed, Olivia Rogowska. Now, I think very highly of Rogowska, but I wasn't exactly shocked. There is something serious whack with the seeding system for this tournament if former top 100 player Dellacqua is unseeded.

It'll be interesting to see who comes away with the wildcard out of the girls... I think it's round robin, so Olivia Rogowska is in there, and I'd seriously be keeping my eye on her. When you consider that Jelena Dokic won this playoff last year and then went on to win through to the quarters, this isn't a crapulent tournament by any means. If Molik and Dellacqua ever play, that is also going to be a hell of a battle. Sally Peers, Marija Mirkovic and Isabella Holland are all players to keep your eye on - same with Jess Moore - but the one I'm really looking out for is Monika Wejnert. That girl has game with a capital G.

The women provide more intrigue this year, I think, but the boys are pretty cool too - if Bernard Tomic doesn't win the wildcard, I'll be a bit surprised, but there's going to be some competition. He won his match easily today, but top seed Brydan Klein had no such luck - he lost to handy-dandy up-and-comer James Duckworth, who is definitely one to keep your eye on. Other players to watch include Greg Jones and Matthew Ebden - Tomic is only the fourth seed, wow. How did that happen? He's preceded by Klein, Nick Lindahl and Jones - but if he doesn't win, colour me shocked.

Why Do We Need An Off Season Again?

So now we've entered the toughest time of year for any tennis blogger - the time when hey! guess what?! there's no tennis.

Well, this isn't strictly true. We do have London coming up in a few days, and that will be totally exciting. But for this week, and after that, it's the barren wasteland known as the off season, when we all twiddle our thumbs, look awkwardly at each other and say, 'what now?'

For now, we can talk about London. After that - I remember last year that I talked a lot about Australian tennis and young up and coming players, and that seemed to work out pretty well. I became a total connoisseur of people I'd never really seen play, which was pretty sweet - and that's where I first encountered Olivia Rogowska, who is, as we know, a young Aussie girl coming up through the ranks and who has got a pretty neat game. She's currently best known for very-nearly-almost defeating Dinara Safina in the first round of the US Open this year... but I really hope and really believe that this will not be her biggest claim to fame in the future, because she's got game, and women's tennis in Australia is in better shape right now than it has been for a while and...

...yeah. Can't use up all my best material before December's even started! What would that look like?

But one last parting shot for today - Jason Kubler. There seems to be a lot of buzz around him in Australian tennis at the moment. Who is he? I have no friggin' clue. But I'm going to find out. And I bet your interest is piqued now, hmmm? Don't you want to keep reading just to find out who he is?

...please?

The Girl From Oz

Let me first say this - I am very glad Dinara Safina is through to the second round. I would really like to see her do well in this tournament and rebuild the pieces of her shattered confidence.

But how about Olivia Rogowska?

This kid is something a little special, I feel. To come out in her first ever US Open match on Arthur Ashe stadium, the biggest, noisiest stadium in tennis, as a total no one, expected to roll over and lose - and to play the world number #1 that close and that tight for so long - this is something she is going to remember for a very, very long time. And it's something I hope the nation of Australia takes notice of, because she is going to be very, very good.

Women's tennis is actually in a pretty good place right now in Australia. People always bemoan the state of the game, but we have had a really, really good year this year. We have Sam Stosur leading the way, dear old unlucky Jelena Dokic and her princess run at the Aussie Open, we have Alicia Molik and Casey Dellacqua on the comeback trail, Jarmila Groth and Anastasia Rodionova playing solidly and then Olivia Rogowska, leading a pack of really excellent young guns like Isabella Holland, Sally Peers and Monika Wejnert. We're good now - in a couple of years I think we're going to be amazing.

And you can damn well quote me on that.

Back to Dinara for a moment - I think it might actually do her good to have had a bit of a struggle in the first round. She was down a break in that third set and fought her way out of it. One of the things that made her most remarkable when she first started her run in May of 2008 was her determination and her fight. At Roland Garros, where she lost in the final - in the lead up, she was crushing opponents, apart from a bit of a battle with Victoria Azarenka. So, I could be wrong, but if she has to fight her way through the whole tournament, she might be a bit more battle-hardened when she gets to the crunch (if she gets to the crunch). She's been rolling over and dying in finals... maybe this can help her out a bit.


Today's Results

US Open (Flushing Meadows)

Men's Draw

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Chase Buchanan, 6-0 6-2 6-1
Fernando Verdasco def. Benjamin Becker, 7-5 6-4 7-5
Fernando Gonzalez def. Nicolas Massu, 6-3 6-3 6-3
Marin Cilic def. Ryan Sweeting, 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 7-6 (7-4)
Tomas Berdych def. Wayne Odesnik, 7-5 6-4 6-4
Jesse Witten def. Igor Andreev, 6-4 6-0 6-2
Viktor Troicki def. Peter Luczak, 6-3 6-3 1-6 2-6 6-1
Jarkko Nieminen def. Fabio Fognini, 7-5 7-6 (8-6) 6-4
Maximo Gonzalez def. Karol Beck, 2-6 1-6 6-1 6-4 6-3
Julien Benneteau def. Flavio Cipolla, 4-6 6-1 6-3 6-3
Horacio Zeballos def. Michael Berrer, 6-3 7-6 (9-7) 3-6 6-0
Denis Istomin def. Brendan Evans, 6-4 6-4 7-6 (7-3)
Josselin Ouanna def. Rajeev Ram, 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 3-6 6-3
Jesse Levine def. Teimuraz Gabashvili, 7-5 6-1 6-2
Paul Capdeville def. Viktor Crivoi, 6-3 6-0 7-6 (7-2)
Novak Djokovic def. Ivan Ljubicic, 6-3 6-1 6-3
Florent Serra def. Janko Tipsarevic, 7-6 (10-8) 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5)


Women's Draw

Dinara Safina def. Olivia Rogowska, 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-4
Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Julia Goerges, 6-3 6-2
Caroline Wozniacki def. Galina Voskoboeva, 6-4 6-0
Nadia Petrova def. Katarina Srebotnik, 6-3 6-3
Yanina Wickmayer def. Virginie Razzano, 6-4 6-3
Patty Schnyder def. Lucie Safarova, 4-6 6-3 7-6 (8-6)
Sabine Lisicki def. Aravane Rezai, 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (4-7) 6-1
Sorana Cirstea def. Ayumi Morita, 6-1 6-3
Petra Kvitova def. Alisa Kleybanova, 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-2
Alona Bondarenko def. Alla Kudryavtseva, 3-6 6-3 6-2
Gisela Dulko def. Ekaterina Makarova, 6-3 5-7 6-4
Sara Errani def. Arantxa Rus, 6-0 6-3
Peng Shuai def. Jarmila Groth, 6-2 6-3
Tathiana Garbin def. Mallory Cecil, 6-0 6-1
Julie Coin def. Eva Hrdinova, 6-3 6-3
Kristina Barrois def. Urszula Radwanska, 6-4 6-4
Melanie Oudin def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-1 6-2
Anastasija Sevastova def. Tamarine Tanasugarn, 6-3 7-5
Stephanie Dubois def. Kristina Mladenovic, 6-0 6-4
Petra Martin def. Severine Bremond Beltrame, 6-4 6-2
Anastasia Rodionova def. Lourdes Dominguez Lino, 6-0 4-6 6-1

Acasuso's Gallery of Disappointments

Whoa, whoa, whoa, Roger Federer! You owe me a manicure, monsieur! I am not really cool with this being-a-set-and-a-double-break-down-to-some-random lark you seem to think is so much fun. What was this, some kind of bet with Andy Murray about who could dig themselves a deeper hole in the third set and then still come back to win in four? I've got no nails left, I was biting them so much.

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Of course, after putting himself in this most unadmirable of positions, Federer did the admirable thing and dug himself out of it handily - after being down 5-1 in the third set, he reeled off five straight games and ended up winning the set in a breaker. It's an object lesson that anything can happen in tennis and you should never let your guard down when one of the great champions of sport is playing, because when Roger had a double break in the fourth, you knew there was no way Acasuso was coming back from that. So the comeback itself = good. The hole itself - I wasn't a fan.

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All credit to Jose Acasuso - he played out of skin well. But he did choke majorly on a few huge occasions - the breaker in the first, where he had four set points, springs to mind, as well as, oh yeah, the double break he gave back. Sure, Federer lifted his level, but he should have won that third set. I guess this will be another one to add to his gallery of disappointments with those two Davis Cup rubbers he lost in finals.

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But we all know I care much more about Federer than Acasuso. What effect will this have on him? None, I hope - and if it is an effect, I hope it will be positive. It certainly won't wear him out, that's for sure - he's fitter than that. I'm hoping it will give him some mental toughness here at Roland Garros - he proved himself capable of digging himself out of a position where he was losing badly, and he did it with style.

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Other exciting matches included Safarova and Venus Williams - both had match points, though Williams pulled it out in the end - and Jeremy Chardy and Simone Bolelli, which went the full distance, with Chardy coming out the victor there (score one for the Stars!) Heartbreaking matches... well, the cake here goes to Dokic/Dementieva. Dokic was looking like she was going to win - she won the first set 6-2 - and then she had to retire. I was very sad for her.

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Of the Aussies, Olivia Rogowska also went out in a tough three setter to Kateryna Bondarenko - she has a lot to be proud of there! - but Sam Stosur and Jarmila Groth are both through. With Hewitt, that means we have three Aussies in the third round. That isn't too shabby at all - it still means one sixteenth of the women's draw is Australian!

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Today's Results

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French Open (Roland Garros)

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Men's Draw

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Roger Federer def. Jose Acasuso, 7-6 (10-8) 5-7 7-6 (7-2) 6-2

Gael Monfils def. Victor Crivoi, 6-4 6-3 6-3

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Juan Monaco, 7-5 2-6 6-1 7-6 (10-8)

Nikolay Davydenko def. Diego Junqueira, 4-6 6-3 6-0 6-2

Jeremy Chardy def. Simone Bolelli, 6-2 6-3 4-6 4-6 6-1

Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Pablo Andujar, 6-2 6-3 6-4

Christophe Rochus def. Arnaud Clement, 6-1 7-5 4-6 6-3

Andy Roddick def. Ivo Minar, 6-2 6-2 7-6 (7-2)

Tommy Robredo def. Daniel Gimeno-Traver, 6-4 6-4 6-3

Jurgen Melzer def. Guillaume Rufin, 6-2 7-5 6-4

Igor Andreev def. Martin Vassallo Arguello, 1-6 7-5 5-7 6-3 6-4

Maximo Gonzalez def. Andreas Seppi, 7-6 (10-8) 6-3 6-3

Tommy Haas def. Leonardo Mayer, 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 4-6 6-4

Juan Martin del Potro def. Viktor Troicki, 6-3 7-5 6-0

Marc Gicquel def. Andreas Beck, 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (7-3) 7-5

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Women's Draw

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Tathiana Garbin def. Marion Bartoli, 6-3 7-5

Serena Williams def. Virginia Ruano Pascual, 6-2 6-0

Venus Williams def. Lucie Safarova, 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 7-5

Jelena Jankovic def. Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-1 6-2

Sorana Cirstea def. Alize Cornet, 6-3 6-2

Virginie Razzano def. Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6-2 6-2

Elena Dementieva def. Jelena Dokic, 2-6 4-3 retired

Caroline Wozniacki def. Jill Craybas, 6-1 6-4

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Galina Voskoboeva, 6-0 6-2

Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez def. Viktoriya Kutuzova, 3-6 6-3 6-3

Jarmila Groth def. Mariana Duque Marino, 6-2 7-6 (11-9)

Samantha Stosur def. Yanina Wickmayer, 6-3 4-6 6-4

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Mariya Koryttseva, 6-1 6-4

Lourdes Dominguez Lino def. Alexa Glatch, 7-6 (7-0) 7-5

Melinda Czink def. Sybille Bammer, 4-6 6-3 10-8

Kateryna Bondarenko def. Olivia Rogowska, 4-6 7-5 7-5

Aleksandra Wozniak def. Petra Martic, 6-3 6-3

Dangerwoman

So, um, Dinara. I bet Anne Keothavong is not so keen on you right now. This isn't a bakery. You don't need to go round hanging out bagels to everyone.
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...though it was very nice that you did.

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Seriously, here's looking at you, kid. If anyone doubted Dinara Safina - including me, because I had some serious reservations about her without the oncourt coaching facility in play - I think she just delivered the smackdown. Unfortunately poor ol' Anne Keothavong got in the way. This is dangerous looking form. The only worry I have for her now is that she's peaked too soon. If she keeps on this way... I can't see anyone beating her.

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Speaking of dangerous, Rafa Nadal looked quite nice in his first round match - though his shirt is dreadful. Fuschia, Rafa? What were you thinking? But the real story of the match for me was his opponent - you have to applaud the effort that Marcos Daniel put in. He broke Rafa a couple of times. That's a small victory in and of itself.

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But we all know where my focus was today, and it was firmly on the Federer match. I was listening to it via Radio Roland Garros, where one of the commentators said that Martin made the perfect first round opponent for Federer, and I have to degree. He's little and scrappy and got a lot of balls back... which Federer duly hit for winners. This is what I like to see and although the match didn't exactly start off to my taste, with the Mighty Fed losing his opening service game, he pulled the lead back quickly and set about the business of winning pretty methodically. Nice one, Roger man!

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We saw no major upsets on the male side - though Stan Wawrinka came close! He was in a huge hole there against Nicolas Devilder, being two sets and a double break down in the fourth. Luckily he seemed to pull himself together, but that Houdini act isn't going to work against the big guys, so he should have a stern talking to himself. Tomas Berdych did go out to wily Italian Simone Bolelli, making he and Karlovic the biggest seeds to fall.

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On the women's side, though, my semi final pick Schnyder crashed out to Bondarenko, so I'm what's colloquially known as 'wrong' there - and my finals pick Wozniacki is at one set apiece with play suspended, so I could be on my way there as well. At least Dinara's looking good...

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...and how about Alexa Glatch putting an absolute beatdown on Flavia Pennetta? I certainly didn't see that one coming. Bet Flavia didn't either! But my favourite women's result of today was Olivia Rogowska beating Maria Kirilenko. That is some excellent Aussie action right there! And Jarmila Groth won as well - so excellent work, girls!

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Today's Results

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Men's Draw

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Rafael Nadal def. Marcos Daniel, 7-5 6-4 6-4

Roger Federer def. Alberto Martin, 6-4 6-3 6-2

Andy Roddicl def. Romain Jouan, 6-2 6-4 6-2
Nikolay Davydenko def. Stefan Koubek, 6-2 6-1 6-4

Stanislas Wawrinka def. Nicolas Devilder, 6-3 5-7 2-6 6-4 6-4
Guillaume Rufin def. Eduardo Schwank, 6-1 6-3 6-3
Jeremy Chardy def. Thiago Alves, 6-2 7-6 (12-10) 6-3

Igor Andreev def. Fabio Fognini, 1-6 6-3 6-1 3-6 7-5
Feliciano Lopez def. Franco Ferreiro, 6-7 (3-7) 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 6-2

Potito Starace def. Mischa Zverev, 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 1-0 retired

Fernando Gonzalez def. Jiri Vanek, 6-3 6-2 6-3
Nicolas Massu def. Daniel Koellerer, 6-3 6-4 1-6 2-6 6-3
Janko Tipsarevic def. Albert Montanes, 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-5) 6-4
Robin Soderling def. Kevin Kim, 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-4) 6-2

Rui Machado def. Kristof Vliegen, 6-2 6-4 4-6 2-6 6-3
Mikhail Youzhny def. Gilles Muller, 7-6 (7-2) 6-1 6-4

Pablo Andujar def. Robby Ginepri, 6-4 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (7-3)
Nicolas Kiefer def. Ilia Bozoljac, 7-6 (7-4) 3-6 7-5 6-4

Simone Bolelli def. Tomas Berdych, 6-4 6-4 5-7 4-6 6-2
Victor Hanescu def. Steve Darcis, 7-6 (10-8) 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-3)

Diego Junqueira def. Paul Capdeville, 3-6 7-5 6-1 6-3
Denis Istomin def. Santiago Giraldo, 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

Ivo Minar def. Oscar Hernandez, 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-3
Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Laurent Recourderc, 6-4 6-4 6-1

Teimuraz Gabashvili def. Igor Kunitsyn, 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 6-1

Martin Vassallo Arguello def. Thomaz Bellucci, 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 5-5 retired

Jose Acasuso def. Santiago Ventura, 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-0 6-3

Jurgen Melzer def. Sergio Roitman

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Women's Draw

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Dinara Safina def. Anne Keothavong, 6-0 6-0

Venus Williams def. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 6-1 4-6 6-2
Marion Bartoli def. Pauline Parmentier, 3-6 6-1 6-3
Aravane Rezai def. Ai Sugiyama, 6-3 6-2

Lucie Safarova def. Sabine Lisicki, 6-2 1-6 6-1

Maria Sharapova def. Anastasiya Yakimova, 3-6 6-1 6-2

Kateryna Bondarenko def. Patty Schnyder, 6-4 6-3
Jie Zheng def. Stephanie Cohen-Aloro, 6-1 6-3

Alexa Glatch def. Flavia Pennetta, 6-1 6-1

Polona Hercog def. Alisa Kleybanova, 6-2 4-6 6-1

Lucie Hradecka def. Yvonne Meusberger, 6-1 6-2
Michelle Larcher de Brito def. Melanie South, 0-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-5
Agnieszka Radwanska def. Rossana de los Rios, 6-3 6-1
Kirsten Flipkens def. Stephanie Foretz, 6-1 4-6 6-4

Carla Suarez Navarro def. Edina Gallovits, 6-1 6-4
Jill Craybas def. Tsvetana Pironkova, 7-5 6-2
Agnes Szavay def. Corinna Dentoni, 6-3 6-4

Mariya Koryttseva def. Patricia Mayr, 6-1 6-1
Jie Zheng def. Stephanie Cohen-Aloro, 6-1 6-3

Jarmila Groth def. Kinnie Laisne, 6-4 6-3
Tamarine Tanasugarn def. Camille Pin, 6-3 5-7 7-5

Tathiana Garbin def. Ayumi Morita, 7-5 7-5

Akgul Amanmuradova def. Irena Pavlovic, 6-3 6-4

Lourdes Dominquez Lino def. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, 6-1 4-6 8-7

Olivia Rogowska def. Maria Kirilenko, 6-4 6-4

Olga Govortsova def. Katie O'Brien, 6-1 6-1

Mariana Dugue Marino def. Anna Chakvetadze, 3-6 6-4 6-4

Dominika Cibulkova def. Alona Bondarenko, 6-4 2-6 6-4

Not Even Close

I spoke too soon. I knew using the words 'run of form' when it was only one win was asking for trouble. Guess who was one of only two seeded players to go out in Rome - which is pretty rare, given the current precarious state of the top players in the WTA. That's right, it was Alize Cornet.

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I can't stop myself liking Cornet's game - any fool that saw her play at the Hopman Cup and even at the Australian Open this year knows she's got style - but honestly, honestly. One round? One measly round? Is that all she can do at a tournament where she is seeded? She went out to Kateryna Bondarenko, who isn't exactly a schlep, but you'd doubt that she'll ever break into the top ten. However, if it were just this lone loss to Bondarenko, it would be fine. But she is losing to players ranked squillions of places below her on an almost everyday basis.

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This has got to stop. Alize, something needs to happen. Your coach needs to smack you silly for performances of this calibre. It is just not good enough. Not even close.

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Speaking of people who are good enough, Bernard Tomic and Olivia Rogowska were good enough to be given wildcards into the main draw of the French Open - good on you, kids! It was always going to be Tomic from the men - who else were they going to pick, really? I suppose there's Brydan Klein, maybe, but I think Tomic is a good choice. Then from the girls you've Isabella Holland and Monika Wejnert and a couple of others, but I think Rogowska is a good choice. Do us proud, guys!

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Today's Results

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Estoril Open (Estoril)

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Men's Draw

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Nikolay Davydenko def. Andrey Golubev, 6-1 7-6 (7-4)

David Ferrer def. Daniel Gimeno-Traver, 6-4 6-1

Albert Montanes def. Ryan Sweeting, 6-1 7-6 (7-4)

Florent Serra def. Diego Junqueira, 6-4 2-6 6-3

Simon Greul def. Ricardo Hocevar, 6-1 6-4

Ivan Navarro def. Alberto Martin, 7-5 6-4

Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Mikhail Kukushkin, 7-6 (7-4) 6-3

Juan Monaco def. Pablo Cuevas, 6-2 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Maria Kirilenko def. Sharon Fichman, 6-7 (8-10) 6-4 6-3

Sorana Cirstea def. Kimiko Date Krumm, 6-2 1-6 6-2

Sabine Lisicki def. Kirsten Flipkens, 6-2 6-2

Yanina Wickmayer def. Petra Kvitova, 6-2 6-4

Ekaterina Makarova def. Petra Cetkovska, 6-4 6-3

Shahar Peer def. Michelle Larcher de Brito, 4-6 6-0 6-0

Melinda Czink def. Eva Fernández-Brugues, 7-5 7-5

Olga Govortsova def. Ekaterina Ivanova, 6-1 6-2

Barbora Zahlavova Strycova def. Sílvia Soler Espinosa, 7-5 6-4

Maret Ani def. Frederica Piedade, 6-0 7-6 (7-4)

María Emilia Salerni def. Julie Coin, 6-4 6-4

Elena Bovina def. Alla Kudryavtseva, 6-1 6-3

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BMW Open (Munich)

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Marin Cilic def. Dieter Kindlmann, 6-3 6-2

Tomas Berdych def. Sascha Kloer, 7-6 (7-0) 6-4

Thiemo de Bakker def. Rainer Schuettler, 6-3 6-3

Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Lamine Ouahab, 6-3 6-2

Potito Starace def. Igor Kunitsyn, 7-5 5-7 6-3

Denis Gremelmayr def. Martin Vassallo Arguello, 5-1 retired

Daniel Brands def. Stefan Koubek, 6-3 7-6 (7-2)

Julien Benneteau def. Alexander Peya, 2-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-5

Simone Bolelli def. Stephane Bohli, 3-6 6-2 6-3

Lleyton Hewitt def. Philipp Petzschner, 6-2 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (10-8)

Andreas Beck def. Mischa Zverev, 6-3 6-4

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Serbia Open (Belgrade)
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Viktor Troicki def. Sam Querrey, 4-6 6-4 6-3

Ivan Ljubicic def. Victor Crivoi, 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 6-4

Arnaud Clement def. Steve Darcis, 6-1 6-4

Christophe Rochus def. Nicolas Devilder, 6-3 6-7 (7-9) 7-5

Marcel Granollers def. Filip Krajinovic, 6-0 2-6 6-2

Marcos Daniel def. Guillermo Canas, 3-6 6-1 6-4

Kristof Vliegen def. Dominik Hrbaty, 2-6 6-2 6-2

Lukasz Kubot def. Arsenije Zlatanovic, 6-3 7-5

Janko Tipsarevic def. Sergio Roitman, 7-5 6-2

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Internazionali BNL d'Italia (Rome)

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Dinara Safina def. Virginie Razzano, 7-6 (7-1) 6-1

Jelena Jankovic def. Gisela Dulko, 6-3 7-6 (8-6)

Ana Ivanovic def. Francesca Schiavone, 6-3 6-4

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Daniela Hantuchova, 6-3 6-3

Nadia Petrova def. Carla Suárez Navarro, 6-2 3-6 6-3

Caroline Wozniacki def. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 6-1 7-5

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Aravane Rezai, 4-6 6-2 7-6 (9-7)

María José Martínez Sánchez def. Marion Bartoli, 6-1 7-5

Flavia Pennetta def. Yaroslava Shvedova, 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-1

Kateryna Bondarenko def. Alizé Cornet, 6-4 6-1

Zheng Jie def. Elena Vesnina, 6-2 6-7 (3-7) 6-2

Kaia Kanepi def. Sybille Bammer, 7-5 6-3

Anna Chakvetadze def. Aleksandra Wozniak, 5-7 7-6 (7-2) 6-3

Wild Wild Cards

The wildcard action continues apace, with two more wildcards being awarded to Aussie girls for tournaments this summer: we have Casey Dellacqua carded into Sydney (which is hardly a surprise - actually, I'm surprised that she didn't make it in on her own recognisance. The field must be mighty.) And then we have little-known but recently-impressive Olivia Rogowska making her WTA debut in the Moorilla Hobart International.

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I've said enough about Casey over the last year for her to need no introduction, and doubtlessly I'll say more over the course of the Hopman Cup (which starts on Saturday! Finally, tennis!) but she's a beautiful little player, and I'd love to see her make a big run in Sydney. 'Nough said.

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But Olivia Rogowska... I've never seen her play, but I like the sound of her a lot. She won the very competitive Sorrento International - that was a Pro circuit tournament, yeah, but it was worth $25,000! Man, if you're good at tennis, you must make some pretty sweet dollars. Anyway, she's hardly going to win the Hobart tournament, but it's just so nice to see we have some good female players coming up. Rogowska and Jess Moore both should do well at Hobart - again, my goal is for one of them to win a match. And then with Isabella Holland and Monica Wejnert in Brisbane, I think we can be pretty proud of our girls. It'd be nice if we could have a good run in the juniors at the Aussie Open. The world better watch out for them - perhaps Monica Wejnert especially.

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And today, on Tennis From The Backseat, we are debuting a new segment. I went and played tennis with my brother Josh yesterday, who is twelve and an excellent player, and he smashed me with his topspin (his words, not mine.) He also spent a long time correcting my technique (and lack thereof) and his advice was so sound I thought it deserved a little segment of its own. So here today, I present the first of Jumping 'J-Mac' Josh's Tennis Tips:

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Josh's Tennis Tips

Focus: Forehand

Today's Tip: Gripping A Racquet

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To grip a tennis racquet you will need to create a 'V' shape with your thumb and pointer finger on the top side of the grip. You place your hand at the 'butt' (bottom of the grip) to get the most power in your shots and to reach the ball quicker. This is to prevent any injury in your wrists, forearm, biceps and triceps.