Who Needs Steffi?

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

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

But yes. Ladies.

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

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

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

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

Fightings and Blessings

I haven't talked about the WTA on this blog since about, oh, 1875. Primarily because nothing that interesting was going on, and if there was, then, oops, I missed it.

But something interesting DID happen today, so let's WTA it away. That interesting thing? Sabine Lisicki, my favourite of all the ladies on the WTA tour. She's been out with injury, she wasn't given a wildcard into the Australian Open (even though, like Nicolas Mahut, she desperately deserved one), and she's been clawing her way back up the ladder for some months now. And today, she had a great, great victory over Dominika Cibulkova in Stuttgart.

There's obviously still a long way to go for Sabine. Beating Cibulkova is obviously not beating the world. It's not going to send you rocketing to #1. But quite apart from the fact that Cibulkova is a quality opponent - which she is - it's the way that Lisicki won this match that was so impressive. She was presented with about 678 opportunities to choke. It would have been so easy for her to lose the second set and then roll over in the third.

But she didn't.

Lisicki can be erratic and wild - she's one of those hyper-talented players who is almost too talented for their own good - but the scrappiness and fight she showed today will go a long, long way in her fight back to the top. I don't want to go and call her the Lady with the Iron Mind or anything like that right now, but if she can keep up this level of fightingness, the only way is up. I follow her on both Twitter and Facebook and what's really come through for me is her desire to win. She's emotionally involved in her tennis, and while I think this hinders some people, in her case, it's a blessing.

There is room for Sabine Lisicki in the top ten. There is a place for her there if only she can scrape together the points. And if she continues with this attitude, she is going right there. Maybe not tomorrow, but it's calling. And she'll make it.

Things Get Weird For Kim

Rally For Relief at the Australian Open sold out in a matter of hours. That is about 15,000 tickets, gone like that. And one of them is mine!

I am seriously so proud of the tennis community for this. Hit For Haiti last year was absolutely extraordinary and Rally For Relief sounds like it will be exactly the same. And the support that it's receiving... well, it's a testament to the generosity of both tennis players and fans. The community has pulled together incredibly. Well done, everyone!

It feels like I've talked more about wildcards and rallies than actual tennis in the last couple of days, so probably I should do something about that. Though one brief wildcard note before I do start talking about tennis actually happening in this actual week - Sabine Lisicki is playing qualifying. WHAT. IS. UP. WITH THAT.

It's people like Sabine Lisicki and Nicolas Mahut that illustrate SO CLEARLY why we need a Wildcard For Awesome. As a tennis fan, I feel like it's a serious injustice on both of them. Here's hoping they both qualify - I will be at their matches for sure!

Now. Onto Sydney.

That match between Clijsters and Kleybanova was... well. Whenever people start talking about how excellent Kimmie's looking - including me - it always seems to me like she pulls out a match like this one. The shoulders slump, she gets dejected, and no matter how invincible she's been looking, weird things start to happen.

The classic example is, of course, that loss in Melbourne last year to Nadia Petrova, where she got totally hammered. She managed to pull out the win over Kleybanova - she did wake up enough to play an excellent tiebreaker - but it is concerning.

The only tournament where this doesn't seem to happen is the US Open, where Kim is charmed. I think Kim has a really good shot at being #1 if she makes a good run in Australia, so here's hoping that she's got her weirdnesses out in this match and brings it in Melbourne. With Serena out, the Australian Open genuinely is anyone's tournament - and why not Kim's? (Though I must confess that, in my heart, I am pulling for the other Belgian lady. Justine Henin for the win!)

Dreaming Anastasia

Now, here is something I completely forgot to write about last week, what with all the shenanigans of Davis Cup... and also because the women's tour is not so interesting right now. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, a personal favourite of mine, won a tour title - a tour title which I am pretty sure is her first - in Monterrey.

Coming right on the heels of Ernests Gulbis' first tour title, this makes me feel very vindicated. Pavlyuchenkova was an extraordinarily talented junior - I think she won a good half dozen junior Slams - but she came up at the same time as Alize Cornet, who obviously bloomed a little earlier. However, you'd be excused for saying 'who?' about Cornet at the moment - seriously, when is the last time she won a match? whereas Pavlyuchenkova has made some good steady progress.

I'm pretty sure it was Indian Wells last year where she made the semis - either there or Miami, anyway. That was her really big coming out party, the first really epic result she had on tour. However, she's been making good progress for a while now - she's very much a slow and steady wins the race sort of player in that sense.

But I was super glad to see her win this title in Monterrey because she really is incredibly awesome. In my mind, she really will be the next successor to that uber-Russian crown that Sharapova and Dementieva and Safina and Kuznetsova and Zvonareva and all those kids toss around among themselves. She's mentally steadier than more than a few of the players on that list and if she keeps progressing the way she is, she can do pretty much anything. And it's not as if she beat a whole crowd of nobodies in Monterrey - she ran up against Daniela Hantuchova in the final and lost the first set badly before gritting it out in three. That's some toughness right there.

Considering Indian Wells (I think) was her first breakout last year, I'll be interested to see how she backs that up - that can often be a test. But let us just say this - Jodi's picks are starting to come good. Now if only Sabine Lisicki could get her arse into the top ten and Gulbis could keep winning stuff, I could legitimately be a super genius.

The Good, The Bad and the Frankly Ugly

So, um, the tennis that's going on this week is incredibly, incredibly boring. The one result that interested me (even just the tiniest bit) was in Zagreb, where inked up Austrian bad boy Daniel Koellerer beat cutie-patootie Andrey Golubev in three sets. Andrey had some great wins in the Australian summer and I hope his mojo wasn't as fleeting as tennis down under. Because he was rocking some great stuff down here.

Though what's going on in men's tennis right now is certainly more interesting than women's tennis. It's Fed Cup this week, and it hasn't started yet. Cue yawnfest.

So... guess what we're going to talk about. I do believe that yes, once more, it will be the Australian Open.

I discussed what we had learned yesterday - which was basically that Serena aside, the women's tour was weak, and that Roger Federer was still light years ahead of the men's pack, despite there being some very good boys in there. But let's go in a bit more depth and look at some individuals.

Winners out of this tournament? Roger and Serena, obviously. They totally justified their #1 spots. I've talked about them a heap over the past few days, so for now I'll keep it brief: thumsb up.

Major winners also include Justine Henin, comeback queen, and Marin Cilic, who is proving his worth. Look for both JuJu and Red Hot Cilic Peppers to go deep at tournaments (probably Slams this year). Other winners include, in my opinion, Andy Murray, who may not have gone the distance, but he made the final and played some excellent stuff; Ivo Karlovic and John Isner, who proved they had games beyond massive serves; Nicolas Almagro, for match entertainment value; and Li Na and Zheng Jie, because hello, awesome for Chinese tennis right there. Also epic win - Hit For Haiti. The whole thing.

But now the juicy stuff. Disappointments.

Novak Djokovic. For somehow having an excuse every time he loses a major match. He didn't retire this time, but seriously, he has the constitution of a delicate flower.

Ernests Gulbis: I've been on your bandwagon a long time, dude, and you're giving me nothing here.

Sabine Lisicki: You're so talented, girl - and you went out to Alberta Brianti? What was going on there?

Russian women's tennis: Lena D has been the only one of any consistency in the girls lately, and she ran into the redhot JuJu in round two. Safina was injured, but when the Russian going furthest in the tournament is Maria Kirilenko, something is up.

Maria Sharapova: See above.

Serbian women's tennis: Not even touching this one.

Robin Soderling: Dude, if you throw away your awesome year last year for a string of badnesses, I will be very, very cross. You hear me?

Bernard Tomic: You can play tennis, kid, but SHUT THE HELL UP. And while you're at it...

Bernard Tomic's dad: SHUT THE HELL UP ALSO.

I'm sure there are more - but I have to have something to talk about over the next few days! So fill me in, guys - who were your winners and losers of the Australian summer?

Jodi's Epic Tennis Adventure 2.7 - Fedgasm

It struck me, as I was walking back to my hotel from Melbourne Park tonight, how very sad the week I spend each year at the Australian Open makes me. It makes me sad that every week of my life is not this great. Is there any felicity in the world superior to being at the heart, feeling the pulse, of one of the things one loves most?

No, I didn't think so.

I think I've become so introspective because I got to witness a Federer match tonight, a match where he was in full flight and it was so incredibly beautiful it was almost painful. Yes, I know I am waxing poetic about a second round match where the opponent wasn't that great, but there is something incredibly special about being there, seeing that ball come off his racquet and knowing that he knows he's going to win.

He was absolutely sublime tonight - fifty two winners to seventeen unforced errors. He made the point himself that his opponent's style - this was Victor Hanescu, for those of you who are unaware - allowed him to play this way, but it didn't make it any less beautiful. After the nerviness of the Andreev match, this was a total breath of fresh air.

And it is always an honour to watch this man play. Even Prince William thought so. (Kudos to the prince, by the way - he was great with the crowd tonight. Though I suppose he's had some practice with crowds).

His post match interview with Jim Courier was also good fun - and Mirka was a very good sport about it as well. And it was just SUCH A FESGASMIC MATCH.

Okay. Federer drooling over now.

There was actually another match in the night session... it just wasn't very interesting. Seriously, the sesh started out with the sublime and ended up with the so-boring-it-was-ridiculous. Seriously, whose fool idea was it to put Dellacqua/Sprem on Rod Laver Arena. That match belongs on Court 11. Or something. Margaret Court Arena, max. But Laver? When there are Williamses and all other kinds of interesting women?

I did stay for the whole match, I confess, but it was more nostalgia than anything else, as it was my last night on Rod Laver Arena. I'll be wandering the grounds again tomorrow, but the night sesh will be viewed from the comfort of my hotel room. If only Kuznetsova were on tonight instead of them! Seriously, Dellacqua/Sprem was the most boring match I have ever witnessed. It was dull in the first half and then WTA-typical (read: no one could hold serve) in the second. Dellacqua won in two tiebreakers. I think. I might have fallen asleep.

I did catch some good tennis around the grounds during the day, however... though I was very, very disappointed in my WTA fave Sabine Lisicki, who I saw crash out in the second round to Alberta Brianti. Seriously, Sabine? I expected so much more of you. I want to take you and Ernests Gulbis and put you on a tennis court with Larry Stefanki and not let you both out again until you stop doing stupid things, like making 3028402834 errors per match.

So that was disappointing - as was Yaroslava Shvedova's loss to Tathiana Garbin. I caught the first set of this, which Shvedova won, but evidently there was a bit of a crashing and burning incident when I left. Iveta Benesova was also disappointing - I expected her to lose to Vera Zvonareva, but I caught some of this match, and Benesova added a lot of losing to Vera's winning.

Oh. Ana Ivanovic. It's impossible for her to disappoint me any more, because I have no expectations. But she did even worse than last year. Yeesh.

In the 'not disappointing' camp, I saw the first two sets of Nikolay Davydenko versus Illya Marchenko, and JMDP was not lying when he said that Kolya plays like Playstation. Seriously, he got so many balls back it was just not funny. And he's developed a really excellent sliding serve which I haven't seen from him before - Marchenko got no play on it at all. I think there's a possible Verdasco/Davydenko fourth round clash, and I would be really interested to see how this turns out. Nando is in pretty decent nick himself, but this is a different Kolya to the one we've seen before...

But match of the day on the outside grounds for me definitely went to Almagro/Becker on Court 8, which Almagro took in five. This was a real battle of different styles (and fans!) and I was sad to see Becker-no-relation lose it, to tell the truth. Almagro on hard courts doesn't really do it for me, and he was no good at all last year. But it was an extraordinarily entertaining match - and that is what tennis is all about!

Oh, and addendum - only interesting thing to come out of the Dellacqua match. Marcos Baghdatis was in Karolina Sprem's box. THEY ARE SO DATING.

Jodi's Epic Tennis Adventure 2.1 - Look At Me, I'm Lena D

It seems that I've been chasing Elena Dementieva across the country for the past two weeks, and you know what? there are worst players to chase. After a bad bad start at the Hopman Cup where she got whaled on by Sabine Lisicki ('bad bad' said, Lisicki can whale on anyone if she has her day) she played some lovely stuff - including the match I saw her play against Laura Robson - and she followed it up tonight.

I was at the Medibank International tonight watching the women's final. I only just got there in time for the 7.30 start and worried I was going to miss the beginning, but the men's semis ran long, so all was well. (Gasquet/Baghdatis will be the final in the men's draw, which I will see tomorrow. There are worse finals - and I was expecting a lot worse!) Considering Serena/Elena at Wimbledon was the women's match of the year, but both are capable of fizzling spectacularly, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I had a hunch in the Dementieva direction, but Lisicki was at the back of my mind...

It certainly wasn't an Epic Clash OMG. It was more towards the fizzle end of the spectrum, but I don't think it was true fizzle. Serena looked out of sorts, especially as the match went on - but I don't think it's because she wasn't trying. There's just something about Dementieva's game that troubles her. Sometimes she can steamroll over it (Australian Open semis last year, for example) but sometimes it just sort of gets to her.

This is, I think, why that Wimbledon semi was so epic tonight, and why Lena D won tonight. If I had to say exactly what it was that irks Serena, I think it's the fact that Dementieva is extraordinarily aggressive off the return of serve. She certainly was tonight, that's for sure - she was hitting the ball hard and flat right back at Serena a lot, and it was fast fast fast. This, coupled with Dementieva's speed, meant it was really hard for Serena to get cheap points off the serve and one-two punches... and when Serena started dumping serves into the middle of the net, you knew she wasn't exactly on the 'I Am Extraordinarily Invested In This Match And You Will Have To Shoot Me To Win' Bandwagon.

This has been a pretty confused rambling - sorry, I'll try and be more concise. Let's start with Serena. In this match, she didn't play great and Dementieva did. Because Lena D is a good player with the capacity to trouble Serena a lot and this tournament is not a Slam, Serena lost the match. When it comes to the Australian Open, I don't think this damages Serena's chances one bit. However, it's not an odd numbered year...

For Lena D... she is looking as good as I have ever seen her, is steelier than usual with few, if any, signs of the mental fragility that has been her downfall in the past. This does not mean, however, that they will not come out at the Open, but that remains to be seen. She's moving well, returning very very well and the serve... is not the creampuff it used to be. It's still not great, but she hit some service winners off it.

However. However however however.

The reason, in my opinion, that Lena folded so badly against Serena in Australia last year was that she had just played too much tennis. She'd won Auckland and Sydney and then through to the semis of Oz, which was something like fifteen matches. That is a lot lot lot, and more than I think she would have expected to play.

This year, she played Hopman Cup. No points or anything, but a good warm up. Three singles matches, three mixed doubles matches. Plus a tournament win in Sydney. Hopman Cup is low key, but she's still played a lot of tennis coming in. And then...

...she's probably going to play Justine Henin in the second round in Melbourne. And if I had to pick someone to get through that match, it would be JuJu. Sorry, Lena.

That said, I think Lena is a good investment bet for the Open - if you were the gambling type and wanted to back a dark horse that might pay out big. She's certainly capable of beating anyone, I think - like I said, she's playing as well as I've ever seen her. But will she? Time will tell. She's got all the elements in her game to win a Slam (even though that serve will never be great). But her draw is most emphatically not a cakewalk, and if she wants to lift that first Slam trophy, she's going to have to go through a pint-sized-in-reality-but-huge-in-mentality Belgian.

As to the actual experience of the tennis on this first night - Ken Rosewall Arena is a nice arena, but it's not as atmospheric as either of the venues I was in last week, I feel. It's too big to be intimate, too small to be spectacular, in a way. That said, I still had a great time and look forward to going back there for the men's final tomorrow!

Just When You Thought It Was Safe...

Just when you thought it was safe to say nice things about the WTA...

...Sydney happens.

Honestly. It's a new year, new decade, and we've just seen one of the greatest women's matches of the latest five years. You'd think that this might be enough to restore some semblance of order to the permanent misrule that is women's tennis. But no, in the first couple of days of Sydney we've lost three of the eight seeds and come so close to losing another one it's just not funny.

Sigh, WTA. No wonder players like Clijsters and Henin can come back and pummel you into submission. If JuJu had played this tournament, I would have backed her for sure.

We lost Vera Zvonareva to injury - seriously, is this girl ever going to sort her injury woes out? That makes it sound like it's her fault, which it's obviously not, but she retires hurt so often it makes one think she's coming on court hurt to begin with. The mummy bandages don't exactly belie that assumption either. Maybe she needs to sit out for a while until she's completely healed - though who knows how long that could be?

Then Jelena Jankovic lost to Agnes Szavay, a qualifier. I used to think that Szavay would be a real big thing one day. I've since changed my mind, and this match doesn't really alter that at all. Szavay played some great stuff, sure, but JJ really lost it. I'd like to blame this one on first-match-of-the-season yips, but it's too much of the same to do so. Pull yourself together, JJ.

And then Caroline Wozniacki lost a match she never should have lost to Li Na. I know Li Na is one of the girls who pulls upsets, like, every four seconds, but Wozniacki was all over her in the first set. And then... watch that tumbleweed go past. Caro needs to get herself some grit, stat. That's all I'm saying about that.

Victoria Azarenka went through, but she came OH SO VERY CLOSE to going out to Sabine Lisicki. As I'm pretty sure Lisicki will be top ten soon (if she can keep her error count down - that's her Achilles heel) this isn't quite so bad, but still... oh, and Nadia Petrova lost to Kimiko Date Krumm, making it two first round exits in two weeks (even if the first one was to JuJu). Come on, WTA. Pull yourself together.

We have Dinara Safina and Serena Williams in action today. Let's just say I won't hold my breath.

Queen Justine, Where Have You Been?

I never used to think of myself as an Henin fan. I liked her game, sure, but I think it had something to do with the day she retired in the final of the Aussie Open against Mauresmo. Henin the player was great, but I was never a fan of Henin the sportswoman.

This extended to me not believing she was going to come back right up until the day before her press conference, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Why? I just didn't think she had it in her.

So you can imagine that I watched her comeback with some trepidation - mixed in with excitement, because, hello, the women's game needs whatever it can get right now. I was at work, so I didn't see the first part of the match. I arrived home midway through the first set. I had groceries with me, including ice cream, but they would have to wait until a convenient change of ends. I needed to see how this would play out.

I turned on the TV. And there was a different Justine Henin waiting there.

Sure, at this point it was even stevens with Nadia Petrova - Justine didn't pull out the big break until the end of the set. But her game was there, not especially rusty. The backhand was back, and the speed, and some new serve I'm not too sure about but which I'm sure will work itself out.

But something else was back too. For the first time in a long time, it looked like Justine was enjoying herself on the court. Finally, after years and years and years, I found myself able to like Justine the sportswoman.

Apparently in Belgium they're already talking about the possibility of an all Belgian final for Brisbane. I am certainly right behind that in wishing, if not in believing, being as I will be there, and I can think of few things I would like better than to see the two Belgian comeback queens battle it out. This could be a reignition of the Clijsters/Henin rivalry - and heaven knows women's tennis needs it!

In other news, big props go out to John Millman and Peter Luczak, who put up fighting efforts against their higher ranked opponents in Brisbane last night. Luczak looked better than I've seen him for a LONG time, and Millman just seems like a really cool dude with a pretty solid game which I would like to see more of. Yay for these two.

Yay also for my favourite WTA player, Sabine Lisicki, for a fantastic win over Elena Dementieva at the Hopman Cup. Russia went on to win the tie, but this win is an individual serving-of-notice from Sabine. This girl is going to be huge.


Today's Results

Hopman Cup (Perth)

Russia 2, Germany 1

Sabine Lisicki def. Elena Dementieva, 6-4 6-1
Igor Andreev def. Philipp Kohlschreiber, 3-6 6-7 (3-7) 6-3
Dementieva/Andreev def. Lisicki/Kohlschreiber, 6-4 7-6 (9-7)


Great Britain 2, Kazakhstan 1

Yaroslava Shvedova def. Laura Robson, 4-6 6-3 6-0
Andy Murray def. Andrey Golubev, 6-2 6-2
Robson/Murray def. Shvedova/Golubev, 6-3 5-7 12-10 (match tie break)


Brisbane International (Brisbane)

Men's Draw

Andy Roddick def. Peter Luczak, 7-6 (7-5) 6-2
Richard Gasquet def. Jarkko Nieminen, 6-3 4-6 6-3
Harel Levy def. Michael Llodra, 6-2 6-0
Thomaz Bellucci def. Juan Ignacio Chela, 6-3 3-6 6-1
Marc Gicquel def. Philipp Petzschner, 6-3 6-1
Alejandro Falla def. Jeremy Chardy, 6-4 6-4
Wayne Odesnik def. Arnaud Clement, 6-4 7-6 (7-2)
Radek Stepanek def. John Millman, 6-4 6-0


Women's Draw

Lucie Safarova def. Anna-Lena Groenefeld, 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-1
Aleksandra Wozniak def. Galina Voskoboeva, 6-2 6-2
Daniela Hantuchova def. Ekaterina Ivanova, 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-1
Agnes Szavay def. Shuai Peng, 5-7 6-4 6-2
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Alisa Kleybanova, 6-4 2-6 6-2
Roberta Vinci def. Sara Errani, 6-4 2-6 6-2
Timea Bacsinszky def. Alla Kudryavtseva, 6-4 7-6 (7-3)
Ana Ivanovic def. Jelena Dokic, 7-5 1-6 6-3
Sesil Karantcheva def. Casey Dellacqua, 6-2 0-6 7-6 (7-1)
Justine Henin def. Nadia Petrova, 7-5 7-5


Qatar ExxonMobil Open (Doha)

Ernests Gulbis def. Albert Montanes, 6-2 7-5
Marco Chiudineilli def. Paolo Lorenzi, 7-5 6-3
Ivo Karlovic def. Fabio Fognini, 6-4 6-4
Viktor Troicki def. Daniel Gimeno-Traver, 6-1 7-5
Oliver Rochus def. Abdulla Hajji, 6-1 6-0
Sergiy Stakhovsky def. Mikhail Youzhny, 7-6 (13-11) 6-2
Potito Starace def. Frederico Gil, 6-2 6-0


Chennai Open (Chennai)

Thiemo de Bakker def. Rajeev Ram, 6-1 6-1
Janko Tipsarevic def. Carlos Moya, 6-3 7-6 (7-2)
Jan Hajek def. Simon Greul, 3-6 6-2 6-4
Santiago Giraldo def. Bjorn Phau, 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-3
Marin Cilic def. Igor Kunitsyn, 6-2 6-4


ASB Auckland Classic (Auckland)

Flavia Pennetta def. Jill Craybas, 6-2 6-4
Dominika Cibulkova def. Alexandra Dulgheru, 6-0 6-3
Kimiko Date Krumm def. Anna Chakvetadze, 6-1 6-2
Yanina Wickmayer def. Julia Goerges, 6-3 7-5
Magdalena Rybarikova def. Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6-2 6-3

Coming Home Strong

Wow. We all know that Sabine Lisicki is my homegirl, but congratulations, Timea Bacsinszky! What a great win!

I haven't seen a lot of Timmy playing, to be honest, but I've read a few interviews with her and she seems cute as a button and sweet as pie. This is, I believe, her first career title - the first of several, I hope. I love girls that look genuinely joyful on the tennis court - which is why I'm such a big Sabine fan, among other reasons - and Timmy's one of them. So allez Timea! Looking forward to seeing more of you next year!

And speaking of the WTA, Francesca Schiavone also managed a title, finishing the year very very strongly. She couldn't quite bring home the bacon last week in Osaka, but she defeated Olga Govortsova to come away with the Kremlin Cup. Any woman with a one handed backhand has me as a fan, so awesome work, Francesca!

(One question - Doha starts tomorrow, yeah? Why is the women's year ending championships so much earlier than the men's? That doesn't seem especially fair.)

The male Kremlin Cup winner was Mikhail Youzhny, who produced a blistering second set to level things up against Janko Tipsarevic and then brought it home in the third. It's always nice to see a hometown hero win his local tournament (cough Roger cough Basel cough please cough) and it wouldn't be right, really, to see a non-Russian hold up that cup. It was Kunitsyn last year, and Davydenko and Safin have both been in the mix in the past, and... I feel a bit bad for Janko, because I think he's a really good player and he never seems to get the pay off. But Youzhny's come blazing back after a very slow start to the year, and I love me some of that...

...which is why Marcos Baghdatis's victory in Sweden made me happiest of all. I've talked a lot about my Marcos love this week already so I won't harp on about it, but Marcos, I'm looking forward to cheering for you in Australia (even though the likelihood of me being heard over Melbourne's Greek community = less than zero).


Today's Results

Kremlin Cup (Moscow)

Men's Draw

Mikhail Youzhny def. Janko Tipsarevic, 6-7 (5-7) 6-0 6-4


Women's Draw

Francesca Schiavone def. Olga Govortsova, 6-3 6-0


If Stockholm Open (Stockholm)

Marcos Baghdatis def. Olivier Rochus, 6-1 7-5


BGL Luxembourg Open

Timea Bacsinszky def. Sabine Lisicki, 6-2 7-5

Girls Made of Awesome

I'm guessing that the Yoker's year ending championships dream might be at an end, which is a shame that is THIS BIG. He didn't walk out on court for his semi-final, giving Marcos Baghdatis a walkover into the final. It's an elbow injury, I think - and I really hope it's not too serious. If Soderling doesn't continue on his run of awesomeness next year I'll be very disappointed. He's been so totally awesome this year. And much as Nando Verdasco has had an awesome year - that semi against Rafa at the Aussie has to be one of the matches of 2009 - I can't help feeling that the Yoker belongs in London at those championships. That French Open run alone warrants it.

(Much like Kim Clijsters belongs in Doha, but that's a whole other kettle of fish).

Baghdatis will meet Rochus in the final after wee Olivier beat Thomaz Bellucci in the other semi in three. No secret I'm pulling for Marcos. I want that smiley happy Cypriot to get his ranking back up there and have a decent run in Australia. There's really no sight like when you see the Greek crowds screaming for him as you're wandering round Melbourne Park. It's really something else. I don't know if he can get anywhere seeding level, but it would be awesome if he could. Marcos Baghdatis belongs in the second week in Australia. It's just the way it is.

And we have a lovely final over in Luxembourg - we have my special favourite and Girl Who Might Just Save The WTA Yet Sabine Lisicki playing young Swiss girl Timea Bacsinszky, who I think is pretty awesome too. I'm pulling for Sabine, what with her being my special favourite and all, but I wouldn't be devastated if Timmy pulled it out. Just getting to the final alone is pretty huge for her - it's her first, I think...? Anyway, that tournament is so win-win. I hearby declare Luxembourg, as a tournament, Made Of Awesome.

And a shoutout has to go to Francesca Schiavone in Moscow - back to back finals in two weeks = made of awesome! She lost to Sam Stosur (also made of awesome) last week - here's hoping she can come away with the title this week. Vive la one-handed backhand!


Today's Results

Kremlin Cup (Moscow)

Men's Draw

Mikhail Youzhny def. Mikhail Kukushkin, 6-2 6-1
Janko Tipsarevic def. Illya Marchenko, 6-1 6-4


Women's Draw

Francesca Schiavone def. Alona Bondarenko, 6-4 6-0
Olga Govortsova def. Alisa Kleybanova, 6-2 6-1


If Stockholm Open (Stockholm)

Marcos Baghdatis def. Robin Soderling, walkover
Olivier Rochus def. Thomaz Bellucci, 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 6-3


BGL Luxembourg Open (Luxembourg)

Timea Bacsinszky def. Yanina Wickmayer, 3-6 6-2 7-5
Sabine Lisicki def. Shahar Peer, 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7-5)

One Day More, One More Day

So one of the old veterans who had planned on retiring at the end of the year. No, it's not Marat Safin, but who really expects that train to suddenly un-derail itself? It's Nicolas Lapentti, former top ten player, and he says that the reason he's staying on is because his country, Ecuador, has been elevated to the world group in Davis Cup for the first time in approximately twelve centuries, courtesy of the effort Nico and his brother Giovanni put in.

I can't claim to know much about either of the Lapentti brothers, but I thought this was sort of nice. It made me go awwwwwwwwwww, anyway.

So, back to tennis.

In Moscow, Janko Tipsarevic is in his first semi in a few years - I so would not have picked this, by the way, the fact that he's been semi-less for a long time. I pick him a lot to win in bracket challenges and the like... but this may be because the one match of his I really remember well is his epic third round against Federer in Australia last year where he went down 10-8 in the fifth and where he was playing lights out. So I might have a slightly inflated view of his playing style. But he's in the semis in Moscow, and more power to him. I'm picking Youzhny to win the title, but if anyone can shake it up, I think it'll be Janko.

Moscow for the ladies has been the typical seed bloodbath. Second seed Jelena Jankovic went out - which is probably good, because she has to get to Doha. I'm not talking any more about that. It'll depress me...

...but Sabine Lisicki, playing in Luxembourg, is enough to make me like the WTA pretty much single-handedly. She took out Clijsters-conquering Patty Schnyder in style - kudos. And she's just so happy and fearless on court and she never leaves anything out there... really, the WTA needs a few more like Sabine Lisicki. I'm hoping for big things from her next year.

And back to Stockholm, which looks like the most interesting tournament going on this week. We've got an interesting, albeit motley, bunch of semi finalists - the Yoker, tiny Olivier Rochus, Star of the Future Thomaz Bellucci and the Smiling Cypriot. I'm kind of ambivalent on Rochus - though I do like him for his shortness - but I would be pretty happy for any of the other three to win this tournament. Fond of all of them. I might have a slight preference towards Soderling because of year ending championships purposes, but this tournament really seems like a win-win situation from my fan perspective. Looking forward to it!


Today's Results

Kremlin Cup (Moscow)

Men's Draw

Mikhail Youzhny def. Sergiy Stakhovsky, 6-3 6-3
Mikhail Kukushkin def. Pablo Cuevas, 4-6 6-1 6-4
Janko Tipsarevic def. Robby Ginepri, 6-3 6-3
Illya Marchenko def. Evgeny Korolev, 0-6 6-2 6-3


Women's Draw

Alisa Kleybanova def. Jelena Jankovic, 6-4 6-3
Francesca Schiavone def. Maria Kirilenko, 6-3 6-2
Alona Bondarenko def. Tsvetana Pironkova, 6-3 6-3
Olga Govortsova def. Vera Dushevina, 6-3 6-0


If Stockholm Open (Stockholm)

Robin Soderling def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 7-6 (7-4) 6-4
Olivier Rochus def. Jarkko Nieminen, 6-3 2-6 6-1
Thomaz Bellucci def. Joachim Johansson, 7-6 (7-4) 6-3
Marcos Baghdatis def. Arnaud Clement, 6-4 6-4


BGL Luxembourg Open (Luxembourg)

Shahar Peer def. Daniela Hantuchova, 6-2 7-6 (7-4)
Yanina Wickmayer def. Kirsten Flipkens, 7-6 (7-1) 4-6 6-1
Sabine Lisicki def. Patty Schnyder, 6-4 6-2
Timea Bacsinszky def. Katarina Srebotnik, 6-7 (3-7) 6-1 6-4

Safina Subordinates Stubborn Sabine

Welcome to today's post, Safina Subordinates Stubborn Sabine; or, Jodi plays with alliteration and assonance.

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I seriously didn't know who to pull for in this match. I'm a huge fan of both these girls - in fact, they're probably my top two. I love the total sense of joie de vivre that Lisicki brings to the court, and I love the grit and determination that Safina has taught herself over the past two years or so. It was confusing - I'd be cheering for Lisicki when she had break points and then praying Safina would save them. I would find myself doing a fistpump on a Safina double fault when it benefited Lisicki. It was bizarre - I've never been able to pick between two players before. I always have a sense of who I want to win - even when Federer plays Safin, because although I love Marat very much, my heart belongs to Roger.

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But with these two, I just could not pick.

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I think I'm glad Dinara pulled through in the end though, I think. Lisicki is an up and comer in her first Slam quarter final - and I think you'd have to be a fool to think that she won't reach any more. She has some serious, serious game. But Dinara is supposed to have well and truly arrived, and while a quarter final is a great result for Sabine, it's not so much for Dinara. She really dug her heels into this match and for that I applaud her.

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But she must do something about the appalling amount of double faults she serves. That's just whacked out.

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She'll face Venus, and sorry Dinara, but I think the steamroller will be roaring in your direction. Venus demolished Radwanska today - even though Radwanska put up a lot more of a fight than the scoreline suggests. I felt sorry for poor A-Rad... she has a nice game, but there ain't nothing you can do when Venus gets in demolition mode.

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Serena also did a demolition job and I was glad of it, because we all know how I feel about Victoria Azarenka, the Novak Djokovic of women's tennis, spit spit. That girl has a serious attitude problem and I am incapable of appreciating her tennis until she does something about her behaviour. She behaves like a petulant child on court and she deserves everything Serena dished out to her, in my humble opinion. Good on you, Serena.

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Serena will face Elena Dementieva, who has had an absolute cakewalk of a draw so far. Cake. Walk. Seriously, Francesca Schiavone in the quarters? What on earth was Schiavone doing in the quarters? The ante is about to get upped majorly for Elegant Elena, and if I foresee a steamrolling for Safina at the hands of Venus, I'm foreseeing a potential double bagel here. This one could be nassssssssty.

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Today's Results

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The Championships (Wimbledon)

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Women's Draw

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Dinara Safina def. Sabine Lisicki, 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-1

Venus Williams def. Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-1 6-2

Serena Williams def. Victoria Azarenka, 6-2 6-3

Elena Dementieva def. Francesca Schiavone, 6-2 6-2

Just Another Manic Monday

Back to writing in the light of day. This feels much more normal. Apologies for the lack of rhythm!

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So Middle Sunday happened, followed up by possibly the most exciting day of the tournament, Manic Monday. And we had some cracking matches today - and I would just like to point out that although my strike rate for the women is pretty bad, all four of my men's semi-finalists are still in contention. Federer/Haas and a battle of the Andies. You heard it here first.

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But all four of these dudes had to come through the fourth round today, and there were a couple of interesting matches in there.

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Let's start with Federer/Soderling so I can get all my gushing out of the way. This was a very interesting match, and I think a good preperation for Federer's quarter final against Ivo Karlovic, because Soderling served brilliantly. There was only one break of serve in the entire match, which came in the first set - and the two tiebreaks were close affairs, the one in the third set in particular. If Soderling hadn't shot himself in the foot with that double fault at 5-all, who knows what might have happened? He played some great tennis and he was unlucky not to come up with at least a set.

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But anything anyone can do Roger Federer can probably do better, and he stayed cool and delivered the goods. He just looks so eminently comfortable on grass it's almost scary... actually, you know what's almost scary? Federer matches usually make me really nervous. My nerves throughout this tournament have been slight to non-existent. And that makes me nervous, because I'm sure it's some kind of jinx.

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Anyone, tough luck to the Yoker. I bet he was cursing his luck when his trajectory emerged and it was a round of sixteen clash with the big dude. And I bet he was cursing making that quip about eleven in a row in the Roland Garros presentation ceremony, because everyone remembered it.

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Another straight sets victory was that of Tommy Haas, and how about this guy? He's got the worst tennis luck in universal history and here he is in the quarter finals - and you really feel he deserves a good run after that titanic effort he put in against Roger in Roland Garros. He plays Novak Djokovic in the quarters, and if Djokovic isn't on his game, I reckon Tommy could get him. Djokovic has been coming through pretty quietly and efficiently, however... it's going to be interesting if nothing else. I'll be cheering for the big T-Haas, though!

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Andy Roddick looked simply lethal over Tomas Berdych. 'Nuff said. He'll face Lleyton Hewitt, who came back from two sets to love down against Stepanek, because he just doesn't know how to give up. You never want to count Lleyton out, but I'm smelling a quarter final crushing. Sorry Lleyton.

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And then in the match of the day, Andy Murray just edged out Stan Wawrinka in a five set epic. He's getting known for these Wimbledon R16 epics - remember the one against Gasquet last year? He was never quite as behind in this one as he was in that, but it was a near run thing. Great match from Stan Wawrinka - I was pulling for him, I have to admit, and I'm sad he couldn't pull it off. His backhand is totally divine. I loved it.

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Andy will now face Juan Carlos Ferrero, and you have to like him to win that one... it's going to be interesting!

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Over in the ladies' tennis... my heart breaks for Ana Ivanovic, poor girl. Injuries galore, and she was all crying, and it was sad, and... well, Venus was going to beat her anyway, but it's sad it had to happen like that. Serena also came through, taking approximately four seconds to win her match in order to get off the frankly insulting Court 2 - I don't know why they put her out there, but that is seriously whack. Safina through after a struggle. Dementieva through, in a sudden burst of form. A few others, and...

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...and my special favourite, Sabine Lisicki. I love love LOVE this girl. She just looks so happy and ebullient playing tennis, and she's damn good too. Her quarter final match against Safina is going to be a hard one for me - I like them both!

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Today's Results

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The Championships (Wimbledon)

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Men's Draw

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Roger Federer def. Robin Soderling, 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5)

Andy Murray def. Stanislas Wawrinka, 2-6 6-3 6-3 5-7 6-3

Andy Roddick def. Tomas Berdych, 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 6-3

Ivo Karlovic def. Fernando Verdasco, 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 7-6 (11-9)

Lleyton Hewitt def. Radek Stepanek, 4-6 2-6 6-1 6-2 6-2

Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Gilles Simon, 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 6-2

Novak Djokovic def. Dudi Sela, 6-2 6-4 6-1

Tommy Haas def. Igor Andreev, 7-6 (10-8) 6-4 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Venus Williams def. Ana Ivanovic, 6-1 0-1 retired

Dinara Safina def. Amelie Mauresmo, 4-6 6-3 6-4

Elena Dementieva def. Elena Vesnina, 6-1 6-3

Serena Williams def. Daniela Hantuchova, 6-3 6-1

Victoria Azarenka def. Nadia Petrova, 7-6 (7-5) 2-6 6-3

Sabine Lisicki def. Caroline Wozniacki, 6-4 6-4

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Melanie Oudin, 6-4 7-5

Francesca Schiavone def. Virginie Razzano, 6-2 7-6 (7-1)

Humility and Respect (or lack thereof)

I am totally out of my writing rhythm. I need to start writing in the mornings again instead of the evening. This is totally weird.

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Another good win for Lleyton Hewitt last night - thought I'd put this out there now before I forget to talk about it, because he's not my main topic of conversation today. He took out Philipp Petzschner in three pretty decent sets - it was an entertaining match. Most entertaining match award of the day has to go to the end of Haas/Cilic, which finished 10-8 in the fifth - you have to feel for Cilic but if this hasn't tired Haas out I can totally see him making the semis. He has such a good shot.

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Also impressive in five was Radek Stepanek, who beat David Ferrer despite suffering some bizarre injury. If it actually is a badness, then Lleyton Hewitt is NOT the player he wants to be facing in the next round, considering the amount of balls the little guy gets back. This'll be an interesting one to see, that's for sure.

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But on the subject of injury, this brings to me to my main subject today - Jelena Jankovic, who had approximately fourteen thousand injuries in her match today, and who always seems to carrying a few. I don't have an issue with that - players get injured and some get injured more than others. This happens, I'm all right with that.

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But what I am NOT cool with is what she said about her opponent.

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JJ, when you lose, there ain't no one can take the blame but you. YOU lost. There might be extenuating circumstances, but at the end of the day, YOU LOST. Deal with it. You DO NOT come out and say that your opponent 'has no weapons' and 'can't really hurt you'. That is absolutely not cool. That is totally disrespectful of Melanie Oudin, and if she holds a grudge against you for the rest of eternity, I totally do not blame her. She beat you, JJ. You lost. Deal with it.

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I know that JJ isn't exactly enamoured of my man Roger Federer due to some comments he made about the WTA rankings when she was #1 (I think we all agree that the rankings are totally f*cked), but she needs to take a lesson from him. When was the last time you heard him go 'yeah, my opponent had nothing and I was sick'? The man kept glange secret for months! Sure, that's a bit extreme, but you must ALWAYS give credit to an opponent. To do otherwise demonstrates a total lack of sportsmanship.

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So JJ is in my bad books. And if she doesn't improve her attitude, she's staying there. I'm glad Oudin beat her. I hope Oudin beats her again. JJ needs to learn that humility and respect is one of the most important parts of sport. And I hope Oudin makes her eat her words.

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Two lovely girls that played off against each other were Kuznetsova and Lisicki, and much as I like Sveta, I'm glad Lisicki won that one. I'd be happy to see her go deep in this tournament. She is such an ebullient, lovely sportswoman - and Sveta gave her fair credit. That is the way to do things.

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Shape up or ship out, JJ.

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Today's Results

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The Championships (Wimbledon)

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Men's Draw

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Andy Roddick def. Jurgen Melzer, 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-2) 4-6 6-3

Andy Murray def. Viktor Troicki, 6-2 6-3 6-4

Tomas Berdych def. Nikolay Davydenko, 6-2 6-3 6-2

Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Fernando Gonzalez, 4-6 7-5 6-4 4-6 6-4

Tommy Haas def. Marin Cilic, 7-5 7-5 1-6 6-7 (3-7) 10-8

Lleyton Hewitt def. Philipp Petzschner, 7-5 7-6 (7-3) 6-3

Igor Andreev def. Andreas Seppi, 6-1 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 7-6 (7-5)

Gilles Simon def. Victor Hanescu, 6-2 7-5 6-2

Stanislas Wawrinka def. Jesse Levine, 5-7 7-5 6-3 6-3

Radek Stepanek def. David Ferrer, 7-5 7-5 3-6 4-6 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Venus Williams def. Carla Suarez Navarro, 6-0 6-4

Sabine Lisicki def. Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-2 7-5

Dinara Safina def. Kirsten Flipkens, 7-5 6-1

Ana Ivanovic def. Samantha Stosur, 7-5 6-2

Amelie Mauresmo def. Flavia Pennetta, 7-5 6-3

Melanie Oudin def. Jelena Jankovic, 6-7 (8-10) 7-5 6-2

Caroline Wozniacki def. Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6-2 6-2

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Na Li, 6-4 7-5

All Dinara, All The Way

I've promised a preview of the women's draw and I intend to deliver, but first up - whoa, whoa, whoa, Alexandra Dulgheru! Where did you come from? What are you doing, going and winning titles while ranked #201 in the world? The little blurb on the WTA website said that she nearly lost in the first round of qualifying, and here she is winning the whole tournament! Good on you, girl - may your rise up the rankings be speedy!

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Now, over to the women's draw at the biggest, reddest event of the year - Roland Garros. In the top quarter of the draw we have Dinara Safina, who has to go into Roland Garros - the favourite - I don't think anone would gainsay me on that one. She's won two whatever-you-now-call-Tier-I tournaments in a row and is looking as determined as I've ever seen her: while Serena 'the real #1' Williams hasn't won a match on the red stuff all year. (More on Serena later). Dinara is both my sentimental and actual pick for Roland Garros, but let's check out her competition in this quarter.

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Ana Ivanovic is in there - she and Dinara could potentially meet in the quarters - but I wouldn't put any money on seeing a rematch of last year's final, what with Ana being injured and, you know, a headcase. Much more likely, in my opinion, is Victoria Azarenka, though she hasn't been extremely impressive on clay thus far. Or there is last year's surprise package, Carla Suarez Navarro, who also came good at the Aussie Open. Her back hand has been compared to Henin, who triumped so much and so often at Roland Garros - could Carla do the same? Maybe. But in reality, I don't think any of the girls are going past the quarters. All Dinara, all the way here, if you ask me.

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The second quarter is spear-headed by #3 seed Venus Williams who, if you ask me, stands a much better chance of winning the title than her sister does, even though she'd definitely have to go through Safina to get there. A Dinara/Venus semi could well turn out to be the match of the tournament, just like that slugfest they had a few weeks back. But Venus is not the only big name in this section - an absolute dark horse pick could be Sabine Lisicki, who has a tough opener against Lucie Safarova. Zvonareva is in there, and the eternally unlucky-in-Paris Amelie Mauresmo. Oh, and Sharapova, but I don't think we're quite at Slam-winning level yet with ol' Maria. But I've got to be conventional and pick Venus to come through this section, I think - even if it's just for the hope of seeing that throwdown semi.

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The third quarter, by my reckoning, might be the weakest - the two major seeds are Jankovic and Dementieva, and if Jankovic can't come through this quarter, then I absolutely despair of her. Sure, Elegant Elena might give her a run for it, but she's been pretty unremarkable on clay thus far. I'm not picking either of them to come through, though - this is Caroline Wozniacki's chance to make a big splash, and I reckon she's got the game to do it.

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And then we have the fourth quarter, and the problem of Serena. Any sane person would pick against her, because, hello, hasn't won a match on clay all year, lost in the third round to Katarina Srebotnik last year, yada yada yada. But it goes against the grain to pick an early exit for Serena, because... well, because she's Serena. Can you imagine anyone else claiming to be the real #1, then not winning a match while the actual #1 wins a couple of big tournaments... and still being disposed to believe her? She's a strange phenomenon.

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Kuznetsova is in this quarter as well, and Flavia Pennetta, who could be a real chance, but I'm going to go out on a limb and pick Patty Schnyder. I like what I've seen out of her lately, and she has a recent win over Serena in her hand of cards... and I think she can do it.

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My finals pick? Safina vs. Wozniacki. I'm fully prepared to be wrong on the Wozniacki front, but not on the Safina one. My girl Dinara is going all the way!

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Today's Results

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ARAG ATP World Team Championships (Dusseldorf)

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Viktor Troicki def. Rainer Schuettler, 6-4 7-6 (7-5)

Janko Tipsarevic def. Philipp Kohlschreiber, 6-2 6-4

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Interwetten Austrian Open Kitzbuhel (Kitzbuhel)

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Guillermo Garcia-Lopez def. Julien Benneteau, 3-7 7-6 (7-1) 6-3

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Warsaw Open (Warsaw)

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Alexandra Dulgheru def. Alona Bondarenko, 7-6 (7-3) 3-6 6-0

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Internationaux de Strasbourg (Strasbourg)

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Aravane Rezai def. Lucie Hradecka, 7-6 (7-2) 6-1

Surprise Party

I said yesterday that I wasn't especially surprised at any of the results in Rome. Today... well, today I am, and that's the truth.

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We have the usual suspects through - Nadal, Federer and Djokovic all came through in style, especially Nadal, who totally crushed Robin Soderling. I remember hearing that there is no love lost between this pair... I bet Rafa's feeling pretty sweet about that right now! It was all pretty cruise-y for this trio, all three coming through in straights, Federer and Djokovic eliminating Stepanek and Robredo respectively.

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Fernando Verdasco and Juan Martin del Potro both came through as well, though they had to work a little harder, and Fernando Gonzalez as well, none of which are really surprising, but then we do have a couple of unusual faces. I talked a little about Juan Monaco yesterday, and though I wasn't terribly surprised to see him beat Murray - everyone's got an upset in them somewhere - he then backed it up against Marin Cilic, about which I was surprised. I've never really had much time for Monaco - probably because I can't ever really recall seeing him play, to tell the truth - but he certainly seems to be on a bit of a hot streak. Quarters in a Masters. That's something.

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And then Mischa Zverev - I don't even remember him being in the draw, let alone in the quarter finals! He's certainly come through quietly but lethally. He took Gilles Simon in easy straights - and, sure, Simon is in a bit of a funk at the moment, but still, that's a big victory for a qualifier. I have seen Zverev play before - I saw him play Tommy Robredo at the Australian Open in the first round last year. He won the first two sets before Tommy came roaring back to win in five. I only saw the first two sets, so maybe my perspective of Zverev is skewed, but I've always wondered why we haven't seen more of him. He has some sweet, sweet game.

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Over to the women's, and though she may not have strictly deserved it, I think #1 is suiting Dinara Safina well. She's had some excellent wins in Stuttgart, cruising past Daniela Hantuchova today. I'd love her to start her reign with a title - and then back it up with a Slam. That would be sweet.

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Oh, and I have to throw a word out to Sabine Lisicki. She might have lost to Jelena Jankovic today, but she fought hard all the way - and honestly, isn't she just the best thing about the WTA at the moment? She's so refreshing and happy and full of potential - this is what is needed more than anything!

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Today's Results

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Internazionali BNL d'Italia (Rome)

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Rafael Nadal def. Robin Soderling, 6-1 6-0

Roger Federer def. Radek Stepanek, 6-4 6-1

Novak Djokovic def. Tommy Robredo, 6-1 6-1

Juan Martin Del Potro def. Stanislas Wawrinka, 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-3

Fernando Verdasco def. Richard Gasquet, 7-5 6-4

Mischa Zverev def. Gilles Simon, 6-4 6-1

Fernando Gonzalez def. Jurgem Melzer, 3-6 6-3 7-5

Juan Monaco def. Marin Cilic, 6-4 6-4

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Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart)

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Dinara Safina def. Daniela Hantuchova, 6-4 6-2

Elena Dementieva def. Agnes Szavay, 7-6 (7-4) 6-1

Jelena Jankovic def. Sabine Lisicki, 7-5 5-7 6-3

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Li Na, 4-6 6-4 7-5

Flavia Pennetta def. Nadia Petrova, 6-2 6-2

Marion Bartoli def. Caroline Wozniacki, 7-6 (8-6) 6-4

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Tsvetana Pironkova, 6-3 6-3

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Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem (Fes)

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Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Lourdes Domínguez Lino, 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5)

Alisa Kleybanova def. Polona Hercog, 6-3 6-4

Ekaterina Makarova def. Marta Domachowska, 6-4 6-4

Melinda Czink def. Lucie Hradecka, 6-4 6-2

Potential

Looks like I won't be eating my couch - as predicted, Rafa Nadal took out Novak Djokovic, though Djokovic gave him a tougher time than I would have expected. As usual, I didn't see the match - stupid crappy television in Australia and stupid Canberra not being a metropolitan area - but it looks like Djokovic gave Rafa a bit of a tougher time than I would have expected. Or maybe he just played out of his skin for a set. Or maybe Shmafa turned up. Who can tell these things?

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This is insane. We talk about the pressure people put on Federer (which is also insane) - but how about the pressure people put on Nadal, especially on clay? He loses one set and I'm all like, 'oh no! what happened?' and I bet I'm not the only one. Is Nadal too going to become the victim of his own successes one day, when his knees give on him or he loses a bit of an edge and he starts to come back to the field one day? People have started to talk about the unrealised potential of Federer (personally, I think thirteen Grand Slam titles and four years of domination is a pretty decent realisation, but whatever) - will we one day talk about Nadal the same way?

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I guess that one we'll only ever get the answer to in time.

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Though speaking of potential, one girl brimming with it is Sabine Lisicki, and I am claiming a big Star victory here - she is the first of my female Stars to win a title! This allows her to join Marin Cilic in the exclusive Stars-who-have-won-titles club... yeah, I know it sounds lame, but I'm proud. I picked her out when she was a wee slip of a thing (she first caught my notice when I saw her beat Dinara Safina in the first round of the Australian Open in 2008) and now she's all winning a title. She beat Caroline Wozniacki pretty comprehensively in Charleston... and that isn't just some tiny schlep tournament either. I'm not sure how the new system of tournament rankings works for the women, but I'm pretty sure it was Tier II in the old system, and that is a pretty massive victory for someone winning their first title!

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Our last weekend winner was Roberta Vinci, whom I have only seen play once and so about whom I can make little comment... other than this. She was quite flamboyant but nothing extraordinary when I saw her play. She was unseeded, her opponent in the final, Maria Kirilenko, was the #6 seed. In fact, this holds in Charleston as well - Lisicki was the #16 seed, Wozniacki the #5 seed. The top seeds are not coming through in the WTA. They're just not winning any more. And yet they're at the top of the rankings. What does it take to dislodge a member of the top ten who is not performing?

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Today's Results

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Monte Carlo Rolex Masters (Monte Carlo)

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Rafael Nadal def. Novak Djokovic, 6-3 2-6 6-1

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Family Circle Cup (Charleston)

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Sabine Lisicki def. Caroline Wozniacki, 6-2 6-4

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Barcelona Ladies Open (Barcelona)

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Roberta Vinci def. Maria Kirilenko, 6-0 6-4

As Good As It Gets... In The WTA

Well, well, well... she's my only Star still in it this week and she's kind of been flying under the radar a bit, but how 'bout that Sabine Lisicki? I am very impressed indeed!

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She just took out Marion Bartoli, the #6 seed, to reach the final in Charleston, where she'll face teen queen Caroline Wozniacki (who, incidentally, was very impressive in her takedown of top seed Elena Dementieva.) This is, unless I am very much mistaken, her first WTA-level final, and I would love, love, love for her to win it. She's got so much promise and talent and just - sass. I think that was why I originally liked her so much when I saw her at the Hopman Cup - she's got so much personality as a player. I'm pretty much over-the-moon - as much as one can be with the WTA in its current state - about her making this final.

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Actually, it's a pretty ideal set up, this final. You have Lisicki, who is a youngster brimming with promise who should make the top twenty sometime within the next year or so by my reckoning, and Wozniacki, who is one of those poised to take over now that the WTA is in its current state of demise. These two are not the type that are making the WTA so frickin' annoying at the moment. These are two of the ones that are making it worthwhile. So... yeah. Go Sabine. Go Caroline. It'll be a good one.

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We have a Rafa/Djokovic final over in Monte Carlo. Rafa took out Murray with reasonable ease (kudos to Murray, though, for making it that deep on his least favourite surface) and Djokovic had a bit more of a struggle against Stan W, but came through in the end. I'm not even going to bother tipping the final, it is so obvious who will win.

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Today's Results

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Monte Carlo Rolex Masters (Monte Carlo)

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Rafael Nadal def. Andy Murray, 6-2 7-6 (7-4)

Novak Djokovic def. Stanislas Wawrinka, 4-6 6-1 6-3

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Family Circle Cup (Charleston)

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Caroline Wozniacki def. Elena Dementieva, 6-4 5-7 7-5

Sabine Lisicki def. Marion Bartoli, 6-3 6-1

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Barcelona Ladies Open (Barcelona)

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Maria Kirilenko def. Carla Suárez Navarro, 4-6 6-1 6-2

Roberta Vinci def. Francesca Schiavone, 0-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-4

Carla Suárez Navarro def. Tatjana Malek, 6-4 6-0

Maria Kirilenko def. María José Martínez Sánchez, 6-1 3-6 6-0

Whaaaaaaaat?

What? Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

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This is exactly what I said this morning when I woke up and saw the results. I'm sorry - I love Stan Wawrinka - but he is not supposed to beat Roger Federer. That's not the way it goes. And he is especially not supposed to beat Roger Federer in straights. That's just not the way it's supposed to happen! Not happy, Jan!

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More time for honeymooning, I suppose. But this is not what I would like to be seeing from Roger at the moment. If he doesn't pick the basket back up and go deep in Rome, then I am going to start to be very seriously concerned. I already am very seriously concerned, but considering he's a newlywed, I'm willing to forgive this one. And I suppose Stan deserved one win. But... whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

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I bet everyone is saying whaaaaaaaat? about Andreas Beck's results as well - probably even Andreas Beck. Now there's a quarter-final pick I bet nearly no one made. I remember seeing him play once - maybe Wimbledon last year? - and quite enjoying it, but I don't think I ever would have expected this one. He'll face Stan in the next round. This is a good chance for Stan, I suppose - it was about now that he made his big run last year that got him into the top ten. So that will be an interesting one to watch.

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But still... whaaaaaaaaaat?

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And someone else saying whaaaaaaaaaaat? will be Venus Williams, who lost to Sabine Lisicki - one of my Stars! I thought all was looking bleak on the Star front this week, but she's doing me proud!

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Today's Results

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Monte Carlo Rolex Masters (Monte Carlo)

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Stanislas Wawrinka def. Roger Federer, 6-4 7-5

Novak Djokovic def. Albert Montanes, 6-1 6-7 (4-7) 6-0

Fernando Verdasco def. David Ferrer, 6-2 6-1

Andreas Beck def. Juan Monaco, 3-6 6-2 7-5

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Family Circle Cup (Charleston)

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Elena Dementieva def. Varvara Lepchenko, 6-1 6-1

Sabine Lisicki def. Venus Williams, 6-4 7-6 (7-5)

Caroline Wozniacki def. Peng Shuai, 6-3 6-4

Marion Bartoli def. Melanie Oudin, 6-4 6-1

Dominika Cibulkova def. Anastasia Rodionova, 6-7 (6-8) 6-2 6-3

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Barcelona Ladies Open (Barcelona)

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Carla Suárez Navarro def. Emilie Loit, 6-2 7-5

Lucie Safarova def. Sara Errani, 6-3 6-3

Francesca Schiavone def. Nicole Vaidisova, 6-2 6-3

Tatjana Malek def. Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro, 5-0 retired