Into The Ravine

It has taken a long, long time for this to happen, but I have fallen off the Ernests Gulbis bandwagon. Ker-plunk. I am off. And the bandwagon is merrily wheeling away into the distance... actually, no. It's bouncing and jolting across interminable potholes and I'm pretty sure it's about to fall into a ravine. Hence the jumping off. I'm not going down with it.

If there has ever been a tennis player who lacked mental fortitude more than Ernests Gulbis, I bet I've never heard on them, on account of of they never would have won anything ever. Gulbis is very, very talented - ain't no one denying that. But he's also clearly lazy and extremely mentally volatile, and there is only so far talent can take you. He is the least disciplined player in all aspects of his game I have ever seen. And it is such a waste, because those crazy-talented players are the best kind to watch. In his way, he is like a skittish Svetlana Kuznetsova - and when Sveta is your benchmark for consistency, problems: you has them.

It's a little odd to write this article when Gulbis has just pulled what is technically an upset victory over also-skittish Alexandr Dolgopolov. But there is a difference between Dolgopolov's brand of crazy and Gulbis's, and that difference means that, in the long run, Sascha is going to be the more successful one. Bet you any money.

Sascha can go hot and cold in huge extremes - look at his match against Soderling in Australia. He got pummelled to pieces in the first set - 6-1 - and then suddenly he was on FREAKING FIRE and Robin Soderling was walking off the court in defeat, wondering what the hell happened, where the kid had come from and who he thought he was anyway. No one will ever call Dolgopolov the model of consistency. He's almost Safinesque that way - though far less explosive. He seems like a pretty chill guy, despite his massive swings. But he's taken his massive talent and, with his coach Jack, applied some discipline (albeit of the long-haired boho variety). And this year has shown that that works.

Gulbis, on the other hand? Anyone who saw the semis in Sydney knows just how much he can do and just how lazily he can throw it away. He has a huge talent but he seems too lazy to do anything with it. I wrote a few years back, when I was on that bandwagon, that I expected him to be top ten in a year - two, max. And he hasn't even come close. Not because he doesn't have the talent - he does - but because he doesn't seem to have the desire to do that much with it.

Gulbis may have won against Dolgopolov today. These things happen. But in the long run, Sascha is the one with the will to win, and if one of them is going into the top ten, it's Sascha all the way. Ernie may have won this battle, but Sascha will win the war.

Fighters. History. Tennis.

There were a lot of matches yesterday. Wozniacki won. Wawrinka won. Federer won. Petkovic won.

But it was really only about one match.

Francesca Schiavone and Svetlana Kuznetsvoa played an instant classic. It was somehow more instant than an instant classic - it was a classic while it was still being played. Three long sets - well, two normal sets and an epic. The longest women's Grand Slam match ever, clocking in at four hours and forty-four minutes. A testament to these two wonderful players and to two fighting spirits.

There is a lot to be said for people who simply refuse to lose.

Schiavone, in the end, came away the victor... but even though Kuznetsova lost, this match was a wonderful one for her. It's like Isner/Mahut - any victory in a match this long is Pyrrhic. The W next to one's name becomes inconsequential, even though it's the prize being fought over. A match like this transcends a tournament. A match like this is a match for history.

Not that that would be particularly easy for either player to come to terms with right at this second. Frankie must be elated (and exhausted). Sveta must be crushed (and also exhausted). But later on, when they look back at this tournament, the wins before this one will not be what is remembered. It will be this match - a match that was more than a victory, much more than a loss. A match that was a celebration of tennis.

Unless Frankie goes on and wins the tournament. That memory might be a little sweeter.

Much as I would like Frankie to go on and win the tournament, I think that this match will do to her exactly what it did to Isner, and she will go into her next match super-tired. I know five-odd hours is not quite eleven hours, but it's hours enough. However, if she does pull out the win over Wozniacki, I will CHEER MY FREAKING LUNGS OUT. Because someone who played in a match like that deserves to win a(nother) Slam.

And the same goes for you, Sveta. You're not going to win Australian Open 2011, but there are three other Slams this year. May one of them be yours.

Brief sidebar - Wawrinka played TERRIFYINGLY well against Roddick. When did he suddenly get so awesome? As a Federer fan, I am officially scared. Glad that his friend Stanley has come through, but SCARED.

Sam She Is

I just realised that Sveta is not in Doha. I know she didn't have a good enough year to come anywhere close to making it, but it still makes me sad.

You know who is in Doha, though? And doing awesomely? That would be one Sam Stosur, who is kicking arse and taking names. She played the only competitive match of the day yesterday when she beat Francesca Schiavone, and today she pulled a really big coup by beating Caro Wozniacki.

Caro Wozniacki may be the #1 player in the world, but she is completely vulnerable to a zoning player. Well, anyone is vulnerable to a zoning player, I suppose, but she is super-vulnerable. Her game is all based around the fact that everyone else's game is based on risk - if she can keep the ball in play, eventually the coin will comes heads instead of tails, so to speak. But when her opponent is taking the risks and the majority of them are paying off... hello, trouble.

That's what happened today. This isn't the best I've seen Stosur play, but it was pretty damn good. Nearly everything she hit went in and she hit through Caro basically at will. She had the ol' serve forehand combo working like a dream. It was great stuff. And now she has total control over the Maroon Group with only one match left to play... and when you consider that that match is against the emphatically out of form Elena Dementieva, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to see Sammy's path straight into the semis.

Vera Zvonareva is on top of the White Group for now, but Kim Clijsters is also undefeated - you'd have to think that it'll be the winner of that match who wins the group. Jankovic definitely isn't going through and I'm not so hot on Vika's chances either, so you have to think that it'll be Clijsters and Zvonareva going through here. Stosur and Wozniacki have to be the picks in the other group, unless Schiavone pulls out something a bit spesh.

I just realised something. Did Venus not qualify this year? or is she just not playing? What's the deal there? This must be the first Williams-less final in some time!

A List of Unrelated Facts

Let's see if I can string together a blog post that doesn't rhyme for the first time in what? four days? Maybe this week will be more interesting. I have to believe it.

Let's do a list of things I think are noteworthy or interesting instead of a poem. And I'll try very hard to make sure it doesn't rhyme. I will, however, be extremely cryptic and not explain what I mean.

1) I used to really like Viktor Troicki. Now I think he is a bit disappointing.

2) Jack Sock is kicking Ryler de Heart's arse when it comes to the best name in American tennis.

3) I really need to watch some of this Thiemo de Bakker dude. Everyone seems to think he's awesome. I've missed it totally. I hate missing bandwagons. It makes me sad.

4) I am on the Yuki Bhambri bandwagon. Mostly because he has a cool name.

5) Being a Svetlana Kuznetsova fan is like repeatedly banging your head into a wall. Sometimes you're so dazed you forget the wall's there, but mostly you're in agony.

6) I'm really glad I'm not a Vika fan. That seems like it would be worse.

7) It would be awesome if Bepa became #1 in the world, even if it was just for a week.

8) Is Kevin Anderson awesome or something now? He seems to be everywhere.

9) Andrey Golubev is definitely awesome.

10) What are your random inane comments?

The Capslock of WTA RAGE

Today, I am spectacularly impressed by the main men in tennis and spectacularly unimpressed with the ladies' side of things. We had EPIC WINNAGE and then EPIC FAILAGE.

Let me elaborate.

First, the good news. Basically, the good news = the dudes. It's very unusual that you'll ever find me putting a Novak Djokovic win in among my good things, but it seems like everyone and his dog was expecting him to lose to Mardy 'Farty Dish' Fish today. Fish was the hot tip, the big pick... and instead, Djokovic coolly dispatched him in straights.

Everyone knows that I'm not Djokovic's biggest fan, but he proved why he is still near the top of the game after all these years. Kudos to you, Novak. Good job.

And then the Sod won, which fills me with frazzly terror but which is good because, hey, I like that Yoker, and Monfils won, which is cool, because I picked him to reach the semis and it makes me look a bit insightful.

Oh, and some Swissie won. Some Swissie looked pretty freaking brilliant as he put Melzer to bet in straights. And I'd like to give full credit to Melzer here, because he played some excellent tennis and never went away in the match. Federer was just awesome. And a 50% break point conversion rate? Given his usual standards, that is made of pure solid gold.

But then there were the women.

This does apply to all. Vera Zvonareva, you get an A+. You are my new favourite on this side of the draw, because you are really cool, Bepa, and you played some sweet sweet stuff against Petkovic today. You played like someone who has made the final of a Slam before and is looking to make their second one should play, and that really impresses me. You've played to your seed and no one can ask more of you than that.

...but I'm going to, because if it comes to it, I'm gonna need you to take out Caro for me. (You're cute, Domi, but I don't see you doing it.)

Caro, you're a sweet kid. You're the #1 seed and you're playing like it. BUT YOU PLAY THE MOST BORING TENNIS IN THE WORLD EVER WHY DID YOU NOT BEAT HER MASHA WHY WHY WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!

Kudos to Caro and all, but I was really disappointed Sharapova did not make more of this. I was hoping of something of the level of Stosur/Dementieva, and I definitely didn't get it. This match was billed so highly it was always going to be a letdown, but it should have been better than that.

Oh, and then there was bit where Wickmayer lost to Kanepi, and, oh yeah, SVETA LOST. Sveta, I wanted you to win so badly I PICKED you to win, and I NEVER pick you. But could you oblige me? NO. You went down in flames to tiny Domi C, and I'mma havin' a hard time forgiving you. Less brainfarts, please?! PLEASE?!

...I'm going to stop writing before the capslock gets stuck on. But come on, Bepa. Win this half for me. I know you have it in you!

Low Upsettage, Big Winnage

There really has not been much in the way of upsettage this tournament. We lost our highest profile seed today in Jelena Jankovic, and I think we all knew JJ wasn't getting too far, not with the way she's been playing lately.

People might say that this takes the fun and the surprise out of the tournament, but I really like it. Sure, some early exits can be totally exciting, particularly if you get big profile seeds in tough tough matches (whether they win or not), but when you get to the second week, you really appreciate the lack of upsets.

Let's look at some of the tantalising match ups we have ahead of us. I have to say that this is the first time in my life I've been actively excited about a Wozniacki match, because I think her match against Sharapova has got to be an absolute barnburner. I think Caro will come out of it - though I would like it if MaSha did, because I appreciate her tennis MUCH more - but no matter what happens, this has the potential to be a titanic struggle. So, I am shocked to find myself saying, does Ivanovic against Clijsters, if Ivanovic can bring her best level.

Yes, I am aware that this is a big, BIG if. But still. It's possible.

And then whoever wins that Woz/Shaz match will probably face Sveta... man, that top quarter is made of win! And then there's Stosur/Dementieva - it could be the worst match ever, but it could also be intensely awesome.

And then over in the dudes, we have most of our main guys intact - with the exception of Davydenko and Berdych, we are reasonably unscathed. Certainly, the big four are all there, alive and kicking, and it is not unthinkable that all four will reach the semis. Wouldn't that be something?

But as it is, we already have some awesome matches coming up. Nalbandian/Verdasco should be great. So should Murray/Wawrinka - I really like that match up. And Fish/Djokovic! Don't even get me started on how badly I want both of those dudes to be knocked out... and we know for sure at least one of them is going.

And I could not close this blog post without noting that the awesome Mr Roger Federer straight setted Paul-Henri Mathieu. Stay cool, Rog. You da man.

There Is No Mention Of The Word Blood In This Title

Okay, so I think I'm about done with the whole blood thing. That is sooooo first round.

First thing is first - Roger Federer is through, and in style. I could ask for nothing more (though if he wants to throw in a few more tweeners, then I'm not going to complain, you know?) I didn't see any of his match against Andreas Beck, but I'm pretty sure I'd enjoy most of it. Viva la Rog!

My fangushing is over now. Let us talk about everyone else.

Match of the day, I thought, had to go to Richard Gasquet and Nikolay Davydenko. Well, maybe not match of the day per se, but superlative performance of the day - Richou absolutely massacred Kolya. If I were more derivative, I would have titled this blog post something about Kolya's blood being spilled.

This is the kind of player Gasquet had the potential to be. If he played this awesome all the time, no one would be able to stop him. He'd be a second Federer - he'd be damn near unbeatable most of the time. But alas, he hasn't realised that potential. I doubt there is a Slam in Gasquet's future. He's going to be one of those woulda shoulda coulda kind of guys. But hot damn, this was some performance today. I'm going to be reeeeeeally interested to see how he fares in the next round, because if he shows up with this kind of form.... yeesh.

Soderling and Djokovic both had much easier times of it, which was nice for both of them. Djokovic seems to be trying to set a tradition of making an inappropriate joke in all of his post match press conferences. Um... whatever, Bert.

There was one major upset on the men's side today, and that was Kei Nishikori triumphing over Marin Cilic in an absolute epic. I love Nishikori's game, so I hope he can go far - this was quite some match for him!

Now. Ladies.

1) Caroline Wozniacki is looking more and more like she might win the title. This scares me.

2) Jelena Jankovic is definitely not going to win it. This is a bit saddening.

3) Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova are both big contenders and whoever wins that top quarter is going to win the tournament.

4) Andrea Petkovic and Bethanie Mattek-Sands played one of the most compelling women's matches I have seen a long, long time.

Any questions?

Prescript

Final words before the US Open!

#1: Yes, Roger Federer and Svetlana Kuznetsova are still my picks to win the US Open. Though I'm not entirely confident with either, as I never am. (Roger because I always pick him to win, and Sveta because I never know who to pick with the ladies, even when Serena is playing).

#2: Will the US Open start already? New Haven seems like it's gone for a thousand years. A thousand BORING years.

#3: Players council hijinks! We already knew that Roger and Rafa got re-elected and Bert got booted, but hey, would you look at that? Would that be a unanimous re-electment to the offices of president and vice-pres for Rog and Rafa respectively? Why yes, I think it would be.

I've said this a thousand times, but I will say it again - we are so, so lucky to have statesmen like these at the top of our game. They are both incredible for the game individually - together, they blow my mind. They have the power to make real changes, and I am confident we are going to see more of their off court awesomeness over the next term of the council.

Congrats, Roger and Rafa! I know I picked Muzz to make the final, but may the Fedal Grapple in the Apple finally become reality!

US Open Predictions - The Ladies

It's Slammin' time again! Moreover, it is Slam prediction time again, giving us all something to write about that is not New Haven (thank God.) So here we are - Slam predictions for the laydeez.

Caro's quarter: Oh, how it galls me to write 'Caro's quarter'. If I had my way, she would never have a quarter. But she is the #1 seed and I guess we have to suck it up and deal. And if the talent in her quarter holds true, she is not getting out of this quarter alive.

The two big names in this quarter are Kuznetsova and Sharapova, and I can seriously see either of them coming through here. I have quite a good feeling about Kuznetsova, actually - it's all contingent on her not going off to la la land in the middle of a match, but then, this is always going to be true of Sveta. And who is ever going to count Sharapova out in a Slam? Not me, that is for sure.

Also keep an eye on Li Na. We all know from experience that she can sneak her way into the semis without you even noticing!

Winner: Svetlana Kuznetsova
If not her, then: Maria Sharapova
Dark horse(s): Li Na (really dark horse = Aravane Rezai)
First round matches to watch: Groth/Sharapova, Kuznetsova/Date Krumm, Cibulkova/Voegele, Li/Bondarenko

JJ's quarter: I can't quite remember how JJ came to be ranked #4, but I'm glad she is, because this is the best chance she has had to come through in a long time. If she can get through her first round over the difficult youngster Simona Halep.

You have to consider Vera Zvonareva, because hello, Wimbledon final, but I'm not quite sure if she has the repeat in her - you know how she always gets injured. That said, don't count her out, because we all know how much game Bepa has. She's in a little section with Agnieszka Radwanska, who has been playing quite well, and that would be a very fun match to watch. (A-Rad is also an outside chance, I think.) And another you can't count out is Yanina Wickmayer. She made the semis here last year. Why couldn't she do it again?

But my pick is Nadia Petrova. She is playing well and the Russians are after revenge. If she keeps her game up, she can win this quarter easily.

Winner: Nadia Petrova
If not her, then: Vera Zvonareva or Jelena Jankovic
Dark horse(s): Yanina Wickmayer and Agnieszka Radwanska
First round matches to watch: Jankovic/Halep, Lisicki/Vandeweghe, Petkovic/Petrova

Venus's quarter: I would like to begin this by saying in no way am I picking Melanie Oudin to do anything in this section. Just so you know.

This is a tough one, because I'm not entirely sure who to pick. I think, based on current form, I have to go with Azarenka, but this seems to be the weakest quarter of the bunch. I don't see Venus doing too much. The other big seed is Schiavone, and somehow, I don't see her as a multiple Slam champion (sorry, Frankie). That leaves Azarenka, and she really is the only choice here.

That said, this is the quarter which might be the most exciting in terms of someone breaking through. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, I am looking right at you. This is the best opportunity you are going to see in quite some time. And you too, Flavia Pennetta. I know you are awesome. BE AWESOME.

Winner: Victoria Azarenka
If not her, then: Flavia Pennetta
Dark horse(s): Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (or, at a push, Tsvetana Pironkova)
First round matches to watch: Bondarenko/Dushevina, Vinci/Williams

Kimmie's quarter: Oh, how I would love Kim to repeat here. I would love that SO MUCH. That image of her and Jada and the trophy last year was too gorgeous not to be repeated. And she definitely has the chops to do it, too.

The other big seed in this section is Stosur, but I'm hesitant to pick her due to the fact she's coming back off injury. I'll be happy if she gets through her first round, to tell the truth - Vesnina is the kind of player who could pull an upset.

There are lots of names and not a lot of form in this section. Safina and Ivanovic are both in here, as is Dementieva and Hantuchova and a whole bunch of other people with famous names but not big results. (I am maybe a little unfair to Hantuchova here, but still.) This gives these people a golden opportunity to find their form and play themselves deep. Who will do it? Who knows? But I can't wait to find out. This quarter looks like the most interesting one of the draw.

Winner: Kim Clijsters
If not her, then: Daniela Hantuchova
Dark horse(s): Petra Kvitova and Zheng Jie
First round matches to watch: Hantuchova/Safina, Ivanovic/Makarova, Stosur/Vesnina

That leaves us with:

Kuznetsova vs Petrova
Azarenka vs Clijsters

These are hard matches to pick, but I'm going to say that leaves us with a final of:

Kuznetsova vs Azarenka

Who to pick there? It's tough. But I am going to go with Svetlana Kuznetsova on this one. I just have a feeling. So you heard it here first - Jodi's pick for the US Open is Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Weekend Flashbacks

At the risk of sounding totally hackneyed and cliched, the winners this weekend really have been a blast from the past.

On the subject of blasting, that was exactly what did David Nalbandian did to his opponents in Washington. It was merciless mass murder - and that is not an exaggeration. Maybe it's because del Potro is out and due to lose a buttload of points and Nalbandian wants to regain that coveted Argentinian number #1 spot, or maybe he's just enjoying being on the tennis court, but Nalby is on FIRE out there. This is like that tear he went on during the indoor season a while back. I really hope he can keep this up, because he could be fierce during the US Open, and we could see some MATCHES.

(Here's hoping he's seeded by then. Imagine drawing Nalby first round!)

And then there's Sveta, who took out Aga Radwanska. She almost choked it away, but then she, you know, didn't, and I really hope she can keep up this level of confidence because I freaking LOVE SVETA. It's a trial, being a Sveta fan, but when she's on she can beat just about anyone. And I love it when she does, because I think she's awesome.

And then last but by no means least, hidden but not forgotten, Jelena Dokic is on an absolute tear. She's just won three ITF titles on the trot and is on about a fifteen match winning streak. She's definitely in a position to be in the main draw at the US Open and maybe, finally, something good can happen for Jelena. God knows it's her turn!

Slaughterhouse

Whoa, whoa, whoa - so Marin Cilic hasn't been in the best form this year, but he was absolutely massacred by David Nalbandian in Washington. Not just beaten. Slaughtered.

Daveed is back, and he's here to bring pain. Pain and blood and brimstone and people are scared, yo.

One of my favourite matchups in tennis is Nadal/Nalbandian, when both guys are reasonably in form, and if the chips fall right, we might get this some time in the next few weeks. Rafa is coming off a big Wimbledon win, but I'm calling it early - Daveed has the potential to be this year's Juan Martin del Potro and go on an absolute tear of winningness. He is in a ferocious mood, and he is massacring opponents that he has no right to massacre.

It is ON, amigos. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

And the same thing (to a lesser extent) goes for Sveta Kuznetsova. She absolutely pounded Flavia Pennetta in San Diego, and I'd rate her a really good chance for the final... if she keeps it together. Nalbandian is notoriously sketchy - hence the GoodDave/LameDave dichotomy - but Sveta takes headcase to another level. Keep it together, Sveta, because you have the game to beat anyone, anytime, if your head's in the game.

Wending Through Week One

So. Week One. What's gone down?

Well, the ATP has gone all WTA and the WTA has gone all ATP. Without too much exception, the major contenders in the women's draw are still alive - by which I suppose I mean the Williams sisters, the Belgians and Sharapova. Outside those five, I'm not really seeing too many major contenders for the title. All five of these women have got through with relative ease - I don't recall any of them dropping a set, though I could be wrong.

In the ATP, on the other hand, we've had a festival of very-nearly-almost but no major, major upsets. Federer and Djokovic have survived one major scare each, Nadal two. Only Andy Murray has come through relatively unscathed... but Robin Soderling has been cutting his way through the draw so ominously you can practically hear the Jaws soundtrack. You have to like his chances against Rafa if they both get that far.

Because it's been a festival of very-nearly-almost, we've had some guys who have come away with very hard losses - harder to bear, I suspect, because they were so very close. Alejandro Falla, Olivier Rochus, Robin Haase and Philipp Petzschner will probably be engaging in some solid self-flagellation, if I am right. They all put up great fights but couldn't quite get it done.

We had some bad behaviour - Victor Hanescu springs to mind, in one of the most bizarre cases of tanking and crowd abuse ever. He got fined the big bucks, and I'm pretty sure no one knows what went down. That was weird. We also have Sveta Kuznetsova refusing to shake Anastasia Rodionova's hand. She said she had her reasons, but I don't know what they are. Also weird.

Surprise packet of the week has to be Jarmila Groth. She hasn't had a super tough draw or anything, but she has come through to the fourth round for two Slams in a row. That is something which is most definitely not nothing.

The Queen turned up. I don't think anyone really cared.

And then the story of the week - John Isner and Nicolas Mahut put on the match of a lifetime on Court 18. An absolute gladiatorial epic, I am pretty sure this match will be remembered long after we have forgotten who won this tournament. Absolutely outstanding. 70-68. Can't imagine this ever being matched.

What are your Week One memories?

Lessons

Okay, kiddies. Roland Garros and the claycourt season are over for the year (well, apart from that weird post-Wimbledon fake-claycourt season, but no one who is anyone really plays that.) We're off the red and onto the green - off the dirt and onto the lawn. But before we depart Paris altogether, let us take a moment and think of what we have learned.

1. Rafa Nadal is the greatest clay court player. Ever. I don't think this is particularly contentious - however, when you consider all the hoops that Federer had to jump through to prove he was the greatest of all time, I think this bears some thinking about. Rafa has long since beaten that streak of most consecutive clay court wins (I think Vilas had it before, and I think Rafa's streak ended up at 81 or something crazy, which beat the record by about 30.) However, the one stat Rafa has yet to chase is the Bjorn Borg feat of six Roland Garroses.

Let's be fair on the kid. He is 24. I think he has more than one title in Paris left in him yet. And if you put today's Rafa up against Borg in his prime, my money is on Rafa. So I'm handing over the greatest claycourter ever crown... now. Actually, I handed it over about three years ago, but let's make it official here.

2. Some streaks can only be appreciated when they're broken. 23 Slam semis. That's about five years of being in the semis in every Slam. Well done, Roger Federer. It may have ended, but I think we can safely that this is one stat that is safe for a while. For five years, at least.

And you still have your quarter final streak. 24 and counting. Is that a record?

3. You don't have to be a baby to make massive career strides. Much as I was being all nationalistic and pulling for Stosur, Francesca Schiavone's win was massive, and she's nearly 30. This was a huge achievement for her, and I think it really is the icing on the cake for this story in women's tennis. When you've got players who are not young in tennis years achieving greatness, I think that is special. This is a win for the Kimiko Date Krumms of the world. But most of all, it's a win for a lovely player who deserves it.

And on that note...

4. Francesca Schiavone has one of the best smiles in tennis. She and Marcos Baghdatis. Gotta give it to them.

Any arguments?

5. Robin Soderling was not a one final wonder. I don't know if anyone expected Soderling to come close to replicating what he did last year. He may not have played the best final ever, but let us not denigrate his journey to the final. He played some truly excellent tennis. And considering he was the one that a) beat Nadal here last year and b) broke the Federer Slam semi streak... can you deny that the Yoker seriously has something, particularly here in Paris?

Now, what else have you got in your bag of tricks, Soddy my friend?

6. Sam Stosur is a force to be reckoned with. Like Soderling, she did not exactly play the final to end all finals. But you can't fluke beating Henin, Serena and Jankovic in a row. Sam Stosur is going places. She is this year's Soderling (well, Soderling is this year's Soderling, but she's the other one.) She backed up and bettered her performance of last year despite being in the most obscenely difficult quarter I have ever seen. This can only give her confidence and things are only looking up.

7. Don't trust the Russians. Sveta. Dinara. I am looking at YOU.

Much as I don't like it when I don't get my Fed-in-the-final fix, I thoroughly enjoyed this year's Roland Garros - and, unusually, I enjoyed the women's side more than the men's. Maybe it's because I am, at this stage of my life, more emotionally invested in men's tennis, but I really enjoyed the openness of the women's draw. It was a real anybody-can-win thing, and hell, anybody did. I would be upset about this with the boys (I like Fedal on top) but in the women, I dig it.

Wimbledon, over to you.

However Many Ice Baths...

So we're finally all caught up on second round matches, and it's third round all the way. What is going to be interesting is how this disruption in play affects people. I definitely think it could come into play in the WTA. The ATP... I think it will be more pronounced, purely because it will affect some people and not others. I don't think Rafa, for example, will be bothered at all - if he can come through that match with Verdasco at the AO last year and still win the final, then he'll be OK. Your Andy Murrays, however...? As many ice baths as he takes, I think it's going to be a dicey thing. Opinions?

But without further ado...

The winners: Roger Federer. He had the funhouse open for business against Julian Reister. That second set, which took eighteen minutes... can anyone remember a quicker set? I can't.

Rafa Nadal also. Obviously.

Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr. Not just because he beat last year's semi finalist Fernando Gonzalez, but because he has one of the best names ever, no exception.

And over in the ladies, you have to go with Serena, who pulverised Julia Goerges. MariKiri, as well, who beat last year's champion Sveta. But I think my fave might beat Chanelle Scheepers, who beat Akgul Amanmuradova. She's into the third round and she has an awesome surname. What more do I need?

The losers: Sveta. Big time. I won't pretend I didn't expect her to lose early on (actually, first round, which is why she's not in the disappointments column) but it's always sad when a defending champ goes out early. I know she hasn't been in form, but I freaking love Sveta when she plays awesome, and I was sort of hoping that she had played herself back into form against Petkovic. But no such luck. And there's a reason MariKiri is in the winners column. I think she just beat Dulko for Upset Queen of the Year.

And it may be a little unfair, but for lack of someone else, I have to mention Fernando Gonzalez. I know he hasn't played in, like, forever, but who is Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr? (Apart from someone with an awesome name?) He can do better.

The disappointments: I'm not going to go with actual losers here, because there were precious few major upsets yesterday (maybe due to rain), but I have to go with people who went the distance unnecessarily. Yanina Wickmayer, for one - I thought she should be able to put away Sybille Bammer relatively easily, but it was not the case. I have big hopes for Yanina, so hopefully she will do better in future.

And I did not think I would be mentioning his name here, but Robin Soderling. He set himself an impossibly high bar in his first two matches by absolutely annihilating his opponents, so I'm raising my eyebrows at the lack of annihilation. Four sets, Yoker? Really? (Yeah, I know, it's not major. But I'm struggling here.)

The scraped-in-by-skin-of-teeth: So maybe it wasn't really skin of teeth, but I want to talk about it, so I will. I never expected Sam Stosur to have so much first set trouble with Rossana de los Rios. She cleaned her up good in the final two sets, but I was scared there for a bit. Well done, Sam, but don't scare me like that again, please. You are my special favourite, after all.

One to watch: Julian Reister. I don't think he's going to be anything epic, but he played some great forehands against the Federmeister, and I think he really might be a bit of something on the Challenger circuit. There, he could really make some waves.

Get A Roof!

If there was one thing to take away from Day 4 at Roland Garros, it was this - GET A ROOF. Seriously, why is it that Australia, the Slam where it hardly ever rains, has two (soon to be three) of the things, and Roland Garros has none? When Wimbledon is ahead of the times you know something's a little interesting.

I know there's a lot of talk about Roland Garros moving sites - personally, I hope that doesn't happen, because this site is great, but how about a bit of the ol' upgrade? Melbourne Park is currently undergoing an AUD$363 million upgrade - surely Roland Garros can spring for a roof for Philippe Chatrier. I'm sure Wimbledon will give them the name of the guy they used.

But despite all this rain, there was actually some tennis - so without further ado...

The winners: The Yoker is coming through the draw like a hot knife through butter and I'm surprised people aren't talking about it more. He was on and off court in something like 71 minutes, which is obscenely quick. I will be very much surprised if he does not make it to the quarters (where I am hoping he will be stopped by Federer), because he is looking very, very good. He might have peaked a touch too soon, but we shall see, we shall see...

Speaking of winners, after a slow first set, Roger Federer is also in this column. Definitely a much better match than that four set nailbiter he played with Jose Acasuso last year.

Over with the ladies, I'm very surprised I'm saying this, but I am super impressed with Caro Wozniacki. She's not normally the type of player who closes out matches quickly, but she's had two quick matches now. Maybe this injury cloud hanging over her head has been good in a way, because it's forcing her to pull the trigger a little earlier and be more aggressive.

And also, no one's talking about her, but Nadia Petrova. Watch out for her!

The losers: Andrea Petkovic. Anyone that holds four match points (or, indeed, any match points) and then loses the match has got to be absolutely kicking themselves, and I'm sure this is exactly the case with Petkovic. It would have been an upset if she beat Kuznetsova, but she had her in the palm of her hand and still couldn't close it out.

Also, Lucie Safarova. I thought she was going to go a long, long way and then she went and lost to Polona Hercog in straights. This is a big time loss, because Safarova had the draw to go a long way. It's going to be really interesting to see who comes out of that side of the draw, because I just cannot pick it at all.

The disappointments:I have to put Gisela Dulko here. To go from beating Azarenka to losing to Chanelle Scheepers (yeah, I don't know who she is either) is fiercely disappointing.

I also have to put Taylor Dent here, because as brilliantly as Robin Soderling played, Dent played horrifically awfully. Seriously, dude, with your serve, you should be able to win more than two games in a best of five set match, even when your opponent is top ten. Really disappointing showing here.

The scraped-in-by-the-skin-of-teeth: As if I would go past Sveta on this one. She clawed this victory by the skin of her teeth, and I'm still not quite sure how she did it. Kudos to her, though. I love watching Sveta when she's playing well, and I'm really hoping she has sort of played herself into form. I would love it if she could come anywhere close to defending her title. Am not in any way expecting this to happen, but it would be awesome.

Story of the day: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga going apesh*t at tournament organisers about scheduling. I have to admit I don't have a lot of time for these kinds of temper tantrums - sure, it might put you out to have to play on Sunday, but suck it up, dude! But I am not a tennis player, so maybe I don't understand how difficult it is... and in any case, the tantrums are always mildly amusing, in a watching-a-train-wreck kind of way.

And the other story of the day is LightGate with Monfils and Fognini. Monfils nearly made the worst decision ever when he asked to push on at 4-all in the fifth... it will be interesting to see who comes out of this. I expect to be Monfils, but I would not be surprised if Fabio Fognini surprised him...

Hotel California

Svetlana Kuznetsova and Venus Williams are locked at 4-all in the final set as I write this, in what looks like a really awesome match. Serena's already qualified for the finals, I would imagine, by virtue of her perfect score - I'm pretty sure Venus can't qualify, having taken two losses, but Sveta is still in the running if she wins this one. So I have my pom poms out and I'm cheering for her. In other Doha results, Serena beat Elena and Caro beat Zvonareva (surely Caro will qualify from this group?)

Now. Let's talk boys.

Specifically let's go YAAAAAAAAAAAY! Marat Safin is in the quarter finals of St Petersburg.

Sure, he made it there courtesy of Igor Andreev's retirement, but a quarter is a quarter and it is not to be sneezed at. I'm not even going to say that it would be nice if Marat won the tournament, because that goes without saying. All I'm going to say is GO MARAT! - I want to see some crazy Safin brilliance before this career is through.

Speaking of people on the verge of retirement, it was nice to see Dominik Hrbaty playing in Vienna. He lost today to Jurgen Melzer, but he did win a match before that, so good on him. He's always fun to watch (and, may I remind you, he and his partner Dominika Cibulkova won the Hopman Cup this year, so he's still got some game) and it'll be sad when he is no longer a part of our great sport.

Though tennis is a bit like Hotel California - you can check out but you never leave. Even after your retirement, everyone still cares about what you did and what you're doing now... as evidenced by the Agassi crystal meth scandal, which I haven't talked about yet, but I will, when I work out what I want to say.

So yes. Hrbaty. Safin. Yay. Basically.

And Venus just totally beat Sveta. Sigh. So what happens if Sveta beats Dementieva? Everyone except Serena will have taken one win and two losses. Who qualifies then?


Today's Results

Sony Ericsson Championships (Doha)

Caroline Wozniacki def. Vera Zvonareva, 6-0 6-7 (3-7) 6-4
Serena Williams def. Elena Dementieva, 6-2 6-4
Venus Williams def. Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-2 6-7 (3-7) 6-4


St Petersburg Open (St Petersburg)

Denis Istomin def. Mikhail Youzhny, 6-2 2-1 retired
Marat Safin def. Igor Andreev, 6-3 0-1 retired
Igor Kunitsyn def. Michail Elgin, 6-2 6-3
Sergiy Stakhovsky def. Andrey Kuznetsov, 6-1 6-4


Bank Austria Tennis Trophy (Vienna)

Marin Cilic def. Daniel Brands, 7-6 (9-7) 6-4
Gael Monfils def. Jan Hajek, 6-1 2-6 6-4
Feliciano Lopez def. Daniel Koellerer, 6-3 6-3
Jurgen Melzer def. Dominik Hrbaty, 6-4 7-5
Janko Tipsarevic def. Michael Berrer, 7-6 (7-3) 6-1


Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon (Lyon)

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Olivier Rochus, 6-3 6-2
Gilles Simon def. David Guez, 6-1 6-2
Ivan Ljubicic def. Nicolas Kiefer, 6-3 3-6 6-3
Michael Llodra def. Juan Monaco, 6-3 6-4
Marc Gicquel def. Paul-Henri Mathieu, 6-4 6-0
Arnaud Clement def. Benjamin Becker, 6-4 6-3

Anyone-Can-Win (Because Everyone-Can-Lose)

We've had our first three matches in Doha. In a tournament which is anyone-could-win because everyone is certainly capable of losing, any result is, by nature, interesting. But there was one I thought was especially interesting, and that was Venus being beaten by Dementieva.

In terms of ability, this is hardly surprising. Both Venus and Elena are exceptionally talented, and Elena, when she's firing, can take just about anyone. Look how much trouble Serena - an in-form Serena - had taking her out in Wimbledon: far more trouble than she had taking out Venus, that's for sure. But one always associates the Williams fire with Venus, the desire to win the big ones, plus the fact that she's the defending champion, and Elena is usually classed among the headcases. Because, you know, she is one.

But Elena didn't go all headcase on us today - and, I would like to point out, she fought her way back from the brink of defeat. From one set down, she won the second set breaker eight points to six and then roared away in the third. That shows admirable grit and, given that Elena isn't usually a player one associates with grit, a nice surprise. Well done.

In the other matches, Serena triumphed over Sveta in two close sets and Azarenka pummelled Jankovic into submission. I was really hoping Sveta could pull her match out but I guess Serena probably had a wee score to settle after Roland Garros which might have fired her up a bit. Azarenka making mincemeat of Jankovic is not surprising to me. I really don't think Jankovic belongs here this year. It should be Clijsters, man, it should be Clijsters. (Not that Azarenka has been especially impressive of late either, but she looked good today... all the compliment I'm prepared to pay her).

I'm going to be very interested to see who brings the goods to the table and qualifies for the semis in both groups. Like I said, it's anyone-can-win because everyone-can-lose, so no matter who wins, I think it's going to be a little surprising. What I do hope is that someone, you know, wins the tournament, instead of just not losing. Let's end the WTA year on a high!


Today's Results

Sony Ericsson Championships (Doha)

Victoria Azarenka def. Jelena Jankovic, 6-2 6-3
Serena Williams def. Svetlana Kuznetsova, 7-6 (8-6) 7-5
Elena Dementieva def. Venus Williams, 3-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-2


St Petersburg Open (St Petersburg)

Jeremy Chardy def. Petru-Alexandru Luncanu, 6-2 6-2
Igor Andreev def. Potito Starace, 6-4 6-2
Sergiy Stakhovsky def. Evgeny Korolev, 6-4 6-3
Horacio Zeballos def. Yuri Schukin, 7-6 (11-9) 6-3
Illya Marchenko def. Fabio Fognini, 6-4 6-1
Michail Elgin def. Mikhail Kukushkin, 6-3 6-3
Andrey Kuznetsov def. Marcel Granollers, 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (8-6) 6-4
Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr. def. Robby Ginepri , 6-2 1-0 retired


Bank Austria Tennis Trophy (Vienna)

Radek Stepanek def. Lukasz Kubot, 6-4 6-1
Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Dieter Kindlmann, 6-1 6-3
Feliciano Lopez def. Andreas Haider-Maurer, 6-4 6-4
Jurgen Melzer def. Marco Chiudinelli, 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (12-10)
Michael Berrer def. Steve Darcis, 6-3 6-2
Jan Hajek def. Andreas Seppi, 7-6 (7-4) 5-7 6-3
Marin Cilic def. Alejandro Falla, 6-2 6-3


Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon (Lyon)

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Kevin Kim, 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5)
Ivan Ljubicic def. Martin Vassallo Arguello, 6-3 6-4
Benjamin Becker def. Paolo Lorenzi, 6-2 6-3
Albert Montanes def. Fabrice Santoro, 6-4 6-4
Michael Llodra def. Lamine Ouahab, 6-1 6-2
Marc Gicquel def. Jerome Haehnel, 6-1 6-4
Kevin Anderson def. Simon Greul, 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7-3)
David Guez def. Rajeev Ram, 6-2 6-4

Doha And Other Thorny Puzzles

So Doha has not yet started, but can I just say - Dinara Safina may not have been in spectacular form lately, but she was rocking that dress she was wearing at the draw ceremony. She looked gorgeous. I'd dearly love to see her do well - ideally, win - in this tournament, to at least make some of these catcalls of 'worst #1 ever' go away, because despite everything, I still believe in Dinara. So here's looking at you, Dina, in your rockin' dress and awesome shoes - cheering for you!

One group does seem to be a lot stronger than the other - though it might just be because it contains both Williams sisters. We have Dinara, C-Woz, Jankovic and Vika in the White Group, and Serena, Venus, Sveta and Elena D in the Maroon Group. I don't want to go making predictions, and it's mostly because I genuinely don't know who to pick. I wouldn't say any of these ladies has shown especially amazing form lately - Sveta is the only one coming in off a win, and much as I think she's awesome, her headcaseness cannot be denied - and for every good point I can think of for all of them, I can think of a few bad points as well.

For starters, Dinara: she's got the game, she's got the grit, but she's been all over the place since Wimbledon, if not earlier. I certainly believe she can win this tournament, but whether I believe she will or not is another story.

Serena: Hasn't played much lately. Hasn't done much of anything since the infamous semi against Clijsters in New York. This tournament isn't a Slam, and I don't know how much she's going to bring to the table.

Venus: Same deal as Serena when it comes to the tournament not being a Slam - but she did win it last year, and I'm sure she'd be eager to defend. But same as Serena again in not having much done much of anything since New York, though at least she doesn't come in with a monkey on her back like her sister does.

Dementieva: She played awesome at the beginning of the year. She played an awesome match against Serena in Wimbledon, where something resembling a serve was sighted. Unfortunately, it hasn't been seen since, and the odds on it showing up here...?

Wozniacki: I could say something about her being vanilla and boring, but she did make it to the US Open final, an achievement which cannot be discounted, even in a weakened field. However, she retired hurt last week, and injury lurks around her.

Azarenka: I don't like her attitude. And while she started off the year strongly, with that Miami title, she crashed out early in New York and I can't remember her doing a lot before that either. And I don't like her. So there.

Kuznetsova: If she's on song, I would just hand her the trophy now. She can beat anyone when she has her day, and she won a Slam this year, and she's coming in off her win. However, will it be her day, or will Captain Headcase rear his ugly head?

Jankovic: Really shouldn't be here, in my opinion. Hasn't won enough stuff to merit it - crashed out immediately after qualifying for here last week. I don't see her suddenly becoming awesome again and destroying the field. Would have given the spot to Clijsters.

So who's going to win?

...you got me.

I'd like to say Dinara. I think this might give her some confidence and a bit of validation for being back in that #1 spot. However, I'm going to go out on a limb and pick Kuznetsova this time. She is capable of roundly thrashing every player here, if she plays to the best of her ability. So it's not a question of her ability, but whether she can bring it to play. And you know what? I think she can.


Today's Results

St Petersburg Open (St Petersburg)

Karol Beck def. Viktor Troicki, 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 6-4
Bjorn Phau def. Stanislav Vovk, 6-3 6-2
Denis Istomin def. Rainer Schuettler, 6-4 6-4


Bank Austria Tennis Trophy (Vienna)

Nicolas Almagro def. Peter Luczak, 5-7 7-6 (7-3) 6-1
Daniel Brands def. Robert Kendrick, 7-6 (7-5) 7-5
Victor Crivoi def. Jan Hernych, 6-3 6-3
Wayne Odesnik def. Lukas Rosol, 6-2 5-7 7-6 (8-6)
Frederico Gil def. Stefan Koubek, 4-6 6-4 6-4


Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon (Lyon)

Juan Monaco def. Josselin Ouanna, 6-3 6-2
Julien Benneteau def. Alberto Martin, 7-6 (7-1) 6-1
Florent Serra def. Christophe Rochus, 6-3 6-3

Lukewarm

So Marin didn't exactly roll over, but I think we saw in the final in Beijing exactly what's holding him back - he can't back up a hot performance like the one against Nadal with an equally hot one. So unless his hot performance comes in the final, he's sort of on his own.

I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe he just had a better game plan against Rafa or was able to impose his game better - because that's certainly what happened there: Cilic totally imposed his game on Rafa and Rafa was unable to respond. I guess Novak was just not so vulnerable...

...and one cannot get around the fact that Cilic just didn't play as well.

He didn't play badly - I mean, he got that second set to a breaker after a very limp first set - but he needs to step it up if he wants to mix it with the big guys.

Speaking of the big guys, Novak Djokovic is now back at #3 in the world. I can't remember a year where we saw this much shuffling among the top echelons - in the best of the rest spots, sure, but among the big guys? Not so much. For ages, it was just Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, bam, done - now the introduction of Murray has really shaken things around. He's fallen from #2 to #4 in the last few weeks, and I can't imagine he'll be too happy about that... but with that wrist injury, how well is he going to be able to respond?

Shout outs also go to our other weekend winners, Tsonga and Kuznetsova. I might write more on these guys later, but for now - congrats.


Today's Results

China Open (Beijing)

Men's Draw

Novak Djokovic def. Marin Cilic, 6-2 7-6 (7-4)


Women's Draw

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-2 6-4


Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships (Tokyo)

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Mikhail Youzhny, 6-3 6-3

Alas, Poor Tokyo

So I bet the organisers of Tokyo are weeping softly in a corner right about now. What a massacre. What a total massacre.

Safina. Kuznetsova. Venus. I think the highest seed to win yesterday was Agnieszka Radwanska, at #11. What an unqualified disaster for those poor tournament organisers.

I guess the post-US Open season is the place to collapse, if you're into that kind of thing. But I'm heavily displeased with all of them. Venus should do better, no excuses. Kuznetsova won Roland Garros and then fizzled. And Safina... Dinara, I have supported you. I have been behind you. I have continued to believe in you. And you're not making it easy, girl.

Poor Tokyo.

Of course, what this means is that we'll probably have a totally surprising winner, which is, you know, pretty awesome. I love a surprise winner. I'd really like it to be Sam Stosur who, despite carrying the black mark of seeding which seems to be a death sentence in this tournament, is still in it. And surely her time has come. Surely it has come!

Oh, and Ivanovic lost also. That was yesterday. I almost forgot. Probably because she is just so easy to forget about these days.


Today's Results

PTT Thailand Open (Bangkok)

John Isner def. Kittipong Wachiramanowong, 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-5)
Thomaz Bellucci def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 6-4 7-6 (9-7)


Proton Malaysia Open (Kuala Lumpur)

Brendan Evans def. Michael Yani, 6-3 6-4
Taylor Dent def. Andrey Golubev, 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-4)
Marcos Baghdatis def. Yen-hsun Lu, 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-5)


Toray Pan Pacific Open (Tokyo)

Iveta Benesova def. Virginie Razzano, 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-0
Samantha Stosur def. Alexa Glatch, 7-5 6-0
Maria Sharapova def. Francesca Schiavone, 4-6 7-5 6-1
Aleksandra Wozniak def. Kimiko Date Krumm, 5-7 7-6 (7-2) 6-4
Magdalena Rybarikova def. Urszula Radwanska, 6-4 6-4
Nadia Petrova def. Ai Sugiyama, 6-0 2-1 retired
Agnieszka Radwanska def. Ekaterina Makarova, 7-5 6-3
Daniela Hantuchova def. Jill Craybas, 6-3 6-3
Jie Zheng def. Sania Mira, 5-7 6-2 6-3
Shuai Peng def. Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6-3 6-3
Vera Dushevina def. Alona Bondarenko, 1-6 7-5 6-1
Kateryna Bondarenko def. Anna-Lena Groenefeld, 6-3 6-1
Marion Bartoli def. Sorana Cirstea, 6-3 6-0
Kai-Chen Chang def. Dinara Safina, 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 7-5
Andrea Petkovic def. Svetlana Kuznetsova, 7-5 4-6 6-3
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Venus Williams, 7-6 (8-6) 7-5