The Radness of Rafa

Well, colour me unsurprised. Rafa Nadal has beaten Gael Monfils with supreme ease to win the title in Tokyo.

And it's time for another ode to how great Rafa is.

It's really rare that one talks in terms of poetry about Rafa. Poetry is reserved for Federer - and it's easy to see why. Federer's game is balletic, elegant, artistic. Rafa's game is a lot of things - brilliant among them - but 'balletic' is not a word that would usually get applied to it.

No, Rafa's game is pure prose. It doesn't need to be described it poetic terms because it's a prosaic game, and it should be discussed in prose.

What Rafa can do with a tennis racquet and a yellow ball is astounding. The way he moves is not godlike, it is Promethean. It is earthy and takes effort and you can feel the effort it takes. It is incredible what he can do. He has the strongest will of any player I have ever seen play, perhaps ever. He is mentally basically unbreakable.

Watching him almost makes you hurt sometimes - not because he is so good (which he is) but because watching him play looks physically painful. You wince but you can't look away. He is a warrior on court. He leaves nothing on that court.

And off the court he is one of the most humble, wonderful statesmen for the game we have ever seen.

I've said this before, but rock on, Rafa. You are awesome. Happy seventh title of 2010.

The Bitter Pill of JMDP

Oh man, Andrey Golubev retired in Beijing. I hope he's all right. Get better, Andrey.

And in another oh man moment, you know who I feel sorry for? Juan Martin del Potro.

I think JMDP is doing exactly the right things at the moment. This season is a write-off for him, but it would be totally moronic for him to come into next year stone cold, so he should play some matches here now to get his hand back in. No pressure, no one expecting him to win, ra ra ra.

Except you know what? There is someone who expects him to win - bet you anything. It's himself. And it must be a bitter pill to swallow to go from winning the US Open one year to being bagelled by Feli Lopez in Tokyo.

The best thing JMDP can do is keep on keeping on. If I'm him, I'm playing as much tennis as I can - conscious of the fact that I have to keep it easy on my wrist and stuff, of course - and just getting some matches under my belt. Training is all very well and stuff, but he needs some match toughness. And you've got to be in to win it - eventually, he's going to start winning again. It's coming.

JMDP is going to be able to put this back together again. But not right away. And that must be so incredibly frustrating for him, poor dude. Keep your chin up, Juan. I'm cheering for you.

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

All Good Things...

Well, it couldn't last forever. Both Marat and Ernests went out today to opponents who are higher ranked, and, frankly, better than they are right now. No shame in that.

I don't know if there was ever much point hoping for Marat to beat Rafa - though a Marat who played to his potential, a la Marat AO '05, would certainly be capable of it. Rafa showed why he held the #1 spot for a year and why he's been at the top end of the game for so long. I'm pulling for him to win this title now - he deserves it, after a drought of about five months.

But I'm not here to make an ode to Rafa. I thought Marat did pretty well this week and though I'm not hoping for anything major from him in his last few tournaments, it'd be nice if he'd play like this week, win a few matches and fall to worthy opponents, instead of being like his sister and losing to people ranked in the #200s. Cool with you, Maratski?

Now, over to Ernie.

He lost, but I'm definitely seeing signs of life from the Latvian kid. He's working with Hernan Gumy now, I believe, and it's made a different. For the second week in a row, he played Jo-Wilfried tight in three. I think he has a bit of a problem with fading at the ends of matches which he needs to address, but things are looking up for Ernie. It used to be the height of trendiness to be an Ernie fan and now it seems to be the opposite. But I'm still siding with you, Ernie - now go out there, end the year with a few more consecutive wins and show me that my faith in you is not misguided!


Today's Results

China Open (Beijing)

Men's Draw

Rafael Nadal def. Marat Safin, 6-3 6-1
Novak Djokovic def. Fernando Verdasco, 6-3 1-6 6-1
Marin Cilic def. Nikolay Davydenko, 6-4 6-4
Robin Soderling def. Ivan Ljubicic, 7-6 (7-3) 6-4


Women's Draw

Marion Bartoli def. Vera Zvonareva, 3-6 7-5 6-2
Agnieszka Radwanska def. Elena Dementieva, 7-5 6-3
Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-3 6-3
Nadia Petrova def. Shuai Peng, 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-2


Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships (Tokyo)

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Ernests Gulbis, 4-6 6-4 6-3
Gael Monfils def. Stanislas Wawrinka, 2-6 6-3 6-4
Mikhail Youzhny def. Tomas Berdych, 6-2 7-6 (8-6)
Lleyton Hewitt def. Edouard Roger-Vasselin, 6-4 6-0

Awesome Times Two

He did it! Oh frabjous day, calloo, callay, etc etc! Joy and celebration and a ticker tape parade!

Ernests Gulbis won two matches in a row.

It was pretty much the crappest way to win ever - on a retirement - but still, I am refusing to be downhearted. He played very well to beat Juan Monaco - even an injured Juan Monaco - and backed up his upset of Stepanek nicely. I am very, very happy.

This was after coming up through qualies, and I'm inclined to think playing the qualies was a good thing for him. It meant he had to string a couple of wins together before the tournament even started, which, sure, weren't over the bestest players EVAH, but it gave him a bit of momentum. This is obviously not something he's going to be able to rely on forever, but for now, I think it served him well. And now he's finally in reasonably deep at a tournament! Hurrah!

You know what would reeeeeeeeeeeally make my day, Ernie? If you won the next round as well. Prove it's not a fluke and you're making a late charge. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?!

And in other news, Marat Safin is totally in the third round in Beijing after opening a can of whoop-ass on seventh seed Fernando Gonzalez. I know his heart isn't in the game any more, ra ra ra, but I would dearly love to see him do well in these last few tournaments of his. End it with a bang, Marat. Do it for me.


Today's Results

China Open (Beijing)

Men's Draw

Rafael Nadal def. James Blake, 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-3
Robin Soderling def. Tommy Robredo, 6-3 6-3
Marat Safin def. Fernando Gonzalez, 6-3 6-4
Ivan Ljubicic def. Lukasz Kubot, 7-6 (8-6) 4-6 6-4


Women's Draw

Nadia Petrova def. Serena Williams, 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-5)
Vera Zvonareva def. Flavia Pennetta, 6-3 5-7 7-5
Agnieszka Radwanska def. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, 4-6 6-4 6-2
Marion Bartoli def. Zhang Shuai, 6-1 6-4


Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships (Tokyo)

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Richard Gasquet, 4-6 6-2 6-2
Mikhail Youzhny def. Gilles Simon, 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (5-7) 6-4
Tomas Berdych def. Andreas Beck, 6-4 6-1
Lleyton Hewitt def. Fabrice Santoro, 3-6 6-3 6-1
Edouard Roger-Vasselin def. Jurgen Melzer, 4-6 6-2 6-3
Ernests Gulbis def. Juan Monaco, 6-3 4-1 retired

Signs of Life

We all know it has not been a good year for the much touted Ernests Gulbis. Judging by his age and the progress of his peers - people like Marin Cilic and Juan Martin del Potro - this should have been his career year. Instead, he hasn't been able to string two wins together and people have been jumping off the Ernie bandwagon in droves.

Even me, a faithful Ernie fan, cannot deny that it's been hard to believe in him this year. But you know what? I think, at last, he might be starting to show signs of life again. He started the year with a bang by beating Djokovic, and then has fizzled ever since. However, he played Jo-Willy Tsonga unbelievably tight last week, in a match that had no breaks of serve. And now, after coming through qualifying (thus necessitating the stringing of a few wins together) he's gone and beat himself a seed.

And not just any seed either. #6 seed, the notoriously tricky Radek Stepanek.

Sure, it's not the greatest win the history of the world. Stepanek isn't exactly Federer or Nadal. But he's a tough player and to beat him in reasonably straightforward straights like Ernie did is pretty good. That, coupled with the performance he put in last week against Jo-Dub, is making me think that something might be firing up in the Ernie tank. He said he gained more muscle and it messed with his game, a la Jankovic. I'm not sure what, if anything, he's doing different now, but here's hoping, Ernie, that you're here to stay.

And please - it would make my YEAR if you'd just win your next match, so you can say you've won two tour level matches in a row this year!


Today's Results

China Open (Beijing)

Men's Draw

Novak Djokovic def. Viktor Troicki, 6-3 6-0
Nikolay Davydenko def. Philipp Kohlschreiber, 6-1 6-0
Fernando Verdasco def. Juan Carlos Ferrero, 7-5 6-4
Marin Cilic def. Julien Benneteau, 6-2 2-6 6-0


Women's Draw

Peng Shuai def. Maria Sharapova, 6-2 6-4
Elena Dementieva def. Li Na, 6-2 6-0
Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Alona Bondarenko, 6-3 4-6 6-0
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Aleksandra Wozniak, 6-4 6-4


Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships (Tokyo)

Gael Monfils def. Marco Chiudinelli, 7-6 (7-5) 6-3
Stanislas Wawrinka def. Simon Greul, 6-3 6-2
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Mischa Zverev, 6-4 6-3
Ernests Gulbis def. Radek Stepanek, 6-4 6-4
Mikhail Youzhny def. Thomaz Bellucci, 6-2 6-3
Andreas Beck def. Rainer Schuettler, 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7-3)
Juan Monaco def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 5-0 retired
Richard Gasquet def. Philipp Petzschner, 6-3 6-2

#1 Story

It is, I believe, official, or as good as - Dinara Safina is no longer going to be the world #1. Instead, that title will pass to the much-belaguered-of-late Serena Williams. This is, in my opinion, a Good Thing for Dinara. A very Good Thing indeed - and I'm sure I'm not the only person who thinks this way. The last thing Dinara needs at the moment is that kind of pressure. Maybe this will inspire her to better play. Who knows?

At any rate, I'm not giving up on Dinara just yet. I may be the last person clinging to the bandwagon, and I may only be clinging to it by a fingernail, but I'm going to keep the faith. She's never been someone that wins pretty, and she's never lost prettily either. The rest of this year has to be a write-off from her perspective - I wouldn't blame her if she skipped the end of year championships and just went off and worked with Zeljko for a while on that serve of hers. I think it would do her the world of good. And then maybe next year we can see her winning ugly again instead of losing hideously.

Speaking of #1 seeds losing, I bet Juan Martin del Potro's filthy with himself. Talk about coming back from a massive title without a bang. He went down in straights in the first round of Tokyo to qualifier Edouard Roger-Vasselin - not the kind of match he wants to be losing. I mean, I'm sure we can forgive him a stupid loss or two - he did prove himself in rather spectacular fashion by winning in the US - but I've got my eye on you, Juan. Don't keep this up.

The top seed in Beijing is one Rafael Nadal, and he did not lose today - onya, Rafa. However, he did go to three, and the man that stole the set was Marcos Baghdatis. I've missed smiley happy Marcos, and to see him back on court and pinching sets from the top blokes is very nice indeed. Keep it up, amigo!


Today's Results

China Open (Beijing)

Men's Draw

Rafael Nadal def. Marcos Baghdatis, 6-4 3-6 6-4
Lukasz Kubot def. Andy Roddick, 6-2 6-4
Nikolay Davydenko def. Igor Kunitsyn, 6-1 6-7 (6-8) 6-2
Fernando Verdasco def. Robby Ginepri, 6-7 (7-9) 6-1 6-2
Robin Soderling def. Jeremy Chardy, 6-3 4-6 6-2
Fernando Gonzalez def. David Ferrer, 7-5 6-4
Marat Safin def. Jose Acasuso, 6-4 6-2
James Blake def. Florian Mayer, 6-3 3-6 6-3
Ivan Ljubicic def. Paul-Henri Mathieu, 7-6 (10-8) 4-6 6-1
Viktor Troicki def. Fabio Fognini, 7-6 (7-5) 7-5


Women's Draw

Marion Bartoli def. Alisa Kleybanova, 6-2 6-3
Flavia Pennetta def. Kateryna Bondarenko, 3-6 7-5 6-3
Vera Zvonareva def. Francesca Schiavone, 6-3 6-0
Elena Dementieva def. Melinda Czink, 6-4 6-3
Agnieszka Radwanska def. Patty Schnyder, 6-4 6-1
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez def. Vania King, 6-4 6-4
Shuai Peng def. Jelena Jankovic, 4-6 7-5 6-2
Maria Sharapova def. Victoria Azarenka, 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 7-5
Nadia Petrova def. Daniela Hantuchova, 6-1 2-6 7-5
Serena Williams def. Ekaterina Makarova, 6-3 6-2


Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships (Tokyo)

Edouard Roger-Vasselin def. Juan Martin del Potro, 6-4 6-4
Gilles Simon def. Takao Suzuki, 6-3 6-4
Tomas Berdych def. Go Soeda, 6-2 6-4
Lleyton Hewitt def. Tatsuma Ito, 6-1 7-5
Jurgen Melzer def. Leonardo Mayer, 7-6 (7-4) 6-3
Fabrice Santoro def. Andrey Golubev, 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-2) 6-2

Ending With A Whimper

Oh, Tokyo. You redeemed yourself with a respectable final, and then the final was a sham. Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo.

How very sad that Sharapova/Jankovic - which could have been a totally excellent match - ended in a retirement. I bet the tournament organisers - and Sharapova, come to think of it - are pretty mad with Jankovic. I'm pretty sure that this wasn't the way MaSha wanted to win her first tournament back.

But win she did - and let's talk about this for a minute. It's not quite Kim Clijsters winning the US Open, but to win a big tournament like Tokyo on the comeback is pretty sweet. Though it would have been sweeter if the draw had put up slightly more of a fight... but still. Well done, MaSha.

And in Tokyo - Gilles Simon is in the final! When was the last time we saw that? He's been the top ten's non entity for so long now, the seed you could count on to be upset, and now here he is in the final. He'll face Troicki, who surprised Tsonga. And then in Kuala Lumpur, we have #1 vs #2 - Davydenko vs Verdasco. Now there's some tournament organisers who can be very content...


Today's Results

PTT Pattaya Open (Bangkok)

Viktor Troicki def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 1-6 6-2 6-3
Gilles Simon def. Jurgen Melzer, 6-4 7-6 (7-3)


Proton Malaysian Open (Kuala Lumpur)

Nikolay Davydenko def. Robin Soderling, 1-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-2
Fernando Verdasco def. Fernando Gonzalez, 6-4 7-5


Toray Pan Pacific Open (Tokyo)

Maria Sharapova def. Jelena Jankovic, 5-2 retired

Thai Dyed

Well, I did not get my Thailand wish. Neither Marat Safin nor Ernests Gulbis managed to win their next matches.

Marat I am very disappointed in. He should be able to beat Marco Chiudinelli with his eyes closed and one arm tied behind his back, instead of losing tamely like he did. Still, it's pretty obvious that the fire is gone for Marat. He doesn't have any love for tennis at all and he's just hanging out for retirement so he can lie on the beach for a while. Here's one guy I don't think will be coming back.

Though my track record is not the best with these predictions - look what I said about Justine Henin.

Ernests Gulbis, on the other hand, did quite well. Could he finally, finally being finding his feet again? He pushed top seed Jo-Willy Tsonga all the way to a third set breaker, and considering the folks Jo-Dub has beaten of late - Federer springs to mind - that's really something a bit spesh. Not as good as winning, of course, but there's hope for the young Latvian yet. I'm still on your bandwagon, Ernie.

Over to the women, and I do believe I have some words to eat. I said Azarenka had to be the favourite to take the title... yeah, she went and lost. Just like all the other seeds. Li Na took her out - there's no way I would have picked that result. But JJ is still flying the seed flag, and Aggie Rad, and MaSha is still there - so it's not exactly like the semis of the US Open, which really was a decimation!


Today's Results

PTT Pattaya Open (Bangkok)

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Ernests Gulbis, 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-2)
Gilles Simon def. Kevin Kim, 6-2 6-2
John Isner def. Mischa Zverev, 7-6 (7-5) 6-4
Andreas Beck def. Donald Young, 6-1 6-7 (3-7) 6-4
Marco Chiudinelli def. Marat Safin, 6-3 7-6 (7-4)
Evgeny Korolev def. Robby Ginepri, 6-1 6-1


Proton Malaysian Open (Kuala Lumpur)

Fernando Verdasco def. Karol Beck, 6-4 6-0
Fernando Gonzalez def. Rohan Bopanna, 6-4 3-6 6-4
Gael Monfils def. Martin Vassallo Arguello, 6-4 6-2
Tomas Berdych def. Simon Greul, 6-3 4-6 6-3
Richard Gasquet def. Joachim Johansson, 4-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-2


Toray Pan Pacific Open (Tokyo)

Jelena Jankovic def. Marion Bartoli, 6-4 6-3
Li Na def. Victoria Azarenka, 7-6 (9-7) 4-6 7-6 (7-4)
Agnieszka Radwanska def. Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-3 6-1
Maria Sharapova def. Iveta Benesova, 6-4 7-5

Godzilla

The remaining seeds in Tokyo are righting the ship a little -by which I mean none of them actually lost today - but I'm still in total awe about how one tournament could turn into such a mess. When Jelena Jankovic is the highest seed and most consistent player remaining (JJ of this year, not JJ of last year) then something's awry.

Not that I don't think JJ is capable of winning tournaments... but let's face it, this has not been her year. It hasn't really been anyone's year, except maybe Kim Clijsters, and she only played for about four seconds. Oh, WTA. What a glorious mess you are.

I think you have to like Victoria Azarenka to win this title - US Open aside, she hasn't done too bad for herself this year, and you can bet that she'll be kicking herself because Wozniacki made it to a Slam final before she did, claiming the crown of Teen Queen for the present. But you know who I want to see win this title, to be the Godzilla that claims Tokyo? Maria Sharapova.

I love that a) she's still in it and b) the MaSha serve is back! That abbreviated motion might have been good for her shoulder, but it was a total mess for her game, what with those eleventy million double faults. I hope she and her team have found a way to make the old MaSha serve not bad for her shoulder... but if that's the choice she's going to make, more power to her. I'd love to see her win this tournament. Time for Maria's comeback to go nuclear.


Today's Results

PTT Pattaya Open (Bangkok)

Viktor Troicki def. Thomaz Bellucci, 6-3 7-6 (7-4)
Jurgen Melzer def. Marsel Ilhan, 6-4 6-2
Kevin Kim def. Rainer Schuettler, 6-4 6-4
Mischa Zverev def. Leonardo Mayer, 5-7 6-3 6-3


Proton Malaysian Open (Kuala Lumpur)

Nikolay Davydenko def. Taylor Dent, 6-3 7-6 (7-4)
Robin Soderling def. Brendan Evans, 6-1 6-1
Mikhail Youzhny def. Marcos Baghdatis, 6-2 6-3
Gael Monfils def. Denis Istomin, 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2)
Richard Gasquet def. Victor Crivoi, 6-1 6-2
Simon Greul def. Christophe Rochus, 6-4 3-6 6-2


Toray Pan Pacific Open (Tokyo)

Jelena Jankovic def. Elena Vesnina, 6-1 3-0 retired
Victoria Azarenka def. Lucie Safarova, 7-5 604
Agnieszka Radwanska def. Andrea Petkovic, 6-4 3-6 6-3
Marion Bartoli def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 4-6 6-2 7-5
Li Na def. Kateryna Bondarenko, 2-6 7-5 6-3
Maria Sharapova def. Alisa Kleybanova, 2-6 6-2 6-2
Iveta Benesova def. Chang Kai-Chen, 7-5 6-2
Magdalena Rybarikova def. Aleksandra Wozniak, 1-6 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

Why People Should Play Hopman Cup

Well, looks like I'm eating my words. I didn't think Berdych had a prayer against del Potro, but I'm actully pleasantly surprised to see myself proven wrong. Berdych just has so much talent and ability, but he's such a head case, and it's been so sad to see him not doing that well. He has been in the top ten, but now he's #27. I think it would be fabulous to see him make a resurgence. He's played at Hopman Cup a time or too as well, which really endears him to me. Hopman Cup might be my favourite tournament, I think, and it gets no kudos. So kudos to Berdych for winning and for giving kudos to my favourite tournament.

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It's a bit strange, actually, thinking about it - remember when his girlfriend Lucie Safarova was all seeded at Grand Slams at stuff? Now I don't think she's even in the top fifty, and though I can recall her winning a title this year (Forest Hills) it was a Tier IV tournament. Their slides down the rankings have kind of coincided with each other. They didn't break up, did they? That might provide a modicum of an explanation. Or maybe it's just complete coincidence, and I am going all New Idea on them for nothing.

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And Dmitry Tursunov is back winning titles as well! I may have been wrong about Berdych, but I was totally right about Dima being able to beat Paulo. It was three sets, and kind of tight, but the big guy got there in the end. Like Berdych, Dima's Hopman Cup playage has endeared him to me greatly - especially that mixed doubles proset Russia and Spain played in the '07 final. I will remember that forever - I don't know if I've ever laughed so hard. Dmitry Tursunov, Nadia Petrova, Tommy Robredo and Anabel Medina Garrigues have had a special place in my heart ever since.

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Speaking of Nadia Petrova, she unfortunately did not win her final today, going down to Jelena Jankovic (another Hopman Cup aficianado) but how great is it to see her back in finals? I don't think anyone would have put money on her to reach the final of Stuttgart - so top work there, Nadia! She won a title the same week as the Olympics, I remember... maybe she's on the way back up? I certainly hope so. Next to Dinara Safina, she is my favourite Russian!

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I think the real lesson we can learn from Tomas Berdych, Dmitry Tursunov, Jelena Jankovic and Nadia Petrova is that people who play Hopman Cup win stuff. So more people should play Hopman Cup, as it is the best tournament ever. (I know there is no chance of it, but I would love to see Federer and Schnyder play for Switzerland. I think they would be a fabulous mixed doubles team.)

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And congratulations also to Caroline Wozniacki and Sorana Cirstea, who won titles this week, even if I have nothing intelligent to say about them.

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Today's Results

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Open de Moselle (Metz)

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Dmitry Tursunov def. Paul-Henri Mathieu, 7-6 (8-6) 1-6 6-4

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AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships (Tokyo)

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Men's Draw

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Tomas Berdych def. Juan Martin Del Potro, 6-1 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Caroline Wozniacki def. Kaia Kanepi, 6-2 3-6 6-1

*

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Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart)

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Jelena Jankovic def. Nadia Petrova, 6-4 6-3

*

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Tashkent Open (Tashkent)

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Sorana Cirstea def. Sabine Lisicki, 2-6 6-4 7-6 (7-4)

Berdych's Big Break?

Well, well, could Tomas Berdych be going to make something of himself at last? It's probably a stretch to say yes, but at least he's proven that he still deserves to be in the upper echelons of the ATP. He hasn't been very impressive at all this year, but if he can win this title, that might really help him out. He has so much talent and so much promise, and after beating Federer at the Olympics in Athens and winning that Masters shield in 2005, I bet a few people had him on their Stars of the Future list. Largely, he hasn't come through - and it's not like this final in Tokyo changes that. But it is a positive sign.

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That said, it was a pretty tight match. It wasn't like Berdych came out and totally flogged Roddick. It was a third set breaker. But Berdych came away with the win, which is important for him... though I don't like his chances in the final. He's playing Juan Martin del Potro, and we all know how hot that kid is running right now. I certainly wouldn't bet against him, unless he were playing Federer or Nadal or someone. I suppose the real question will be whether or not he can maintain this hot streak. I hope, for his sake, that he isn't a player that has an amazing hot streak and then effectively burns himself out, never to be seen again.

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Meanwhile, I really, really hope that Jelena Jankovic takes some serious time off sometime soon, or I think her limbs might actually start falling off. I don't know if I can remember a tennis player so constantly injured. She had to have painkillers injected to make it through today's marathon match against Venus Williams. This is what she said:

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"When I saw the needles they were going to use ten minutes before the game started, I went white - I hate needles... I was screaming when the doctor put the needle in and I had to hold onto one of the physios, but I had to do it to get through the game."

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Personally, if I was in that much pain, I wouldn't have played. If the remedy is (for Jelena, anyway) worse than the cure, then surely your body might be trying to tell you something? But she knows best, I suppose... I have absolutely no knowledge of anything to do with sports medicine.

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Oh, and davai Dmitry! Tursunov is through to the final in Metz, and I would love to see him win... though unfortunately I can't be present this time, like I was when he won the tournament in Sydney. He faces Paul-Henri Mathieu, and though Paulo is seeded higher (and very cruelly took out the wonderfully named Adrian Mannarino) I think we all know Dmitry can take him.

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And congratulations to Jarmila Gajdosova, who unfortunately couldn't get past Caroline Wozniacki today, but who did make it to the semis nonetheless - nice one!

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Today's Results

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Open de Moselle (Metz)

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Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Adrian Mannarino, 7-6 (10-8) 7-6 (7-1)

Dmitry Tursunov def. Radek Stepanek, 6-3 6-4

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AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships (Tokyo)

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Men's Draw

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Juan Martin Del Potro def. Richard Gasquet, 6-3 4-6 7-5

Tomas Berdych def. Andy Roddick, 6-7 (3-7) 7-5 7-6 (7-3)

*

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Women's Draw

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Caroline Wozniacki def. Jarmila Gajdosova, 6-4 6-3

Kaia Kanepi def. Aleksandra Wozniak, 6-4 6-4

*

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Porsche Tennis Grand Prix

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Jelena Jankovic def. Venus Williams, 6-7 (8-10) 7-5 6-2

Nadia Petrova def. Victoria Azarenka, 6-4 6-4

*

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Tashkent Open (Tashkent)

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Sabine Lisicki def. Peng Shuai, 5-7 6-3 6-4

Sorana Cirstea def. Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-3 retired

Our Jarmila

Unfortunately Sam Stosur got stopped today, but how about Jarmila Gajdosova? She's kind of Australian, and she's into the last four in Tokyo. Good on you, Jarmila! (I think I've said that about twelve times in the past couple of days!) Dinara Safina got beaten as well, and we all know she is my special favourite, so it was very nice to have a bright spot.

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So when is this Australian citizenship/playing-for-Australia going to happen for Jarmila, Tennis Australia? You can bet the whole country will be calling her 'our Jarmila' if she wins this tournament. Not that a whole heap of people in Australia would be following it, but the ones that are... and yeah, I guess I include myself in that, though I like to think that I wouldn't have to qualify it with a tournament victory.

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Over in the blokes, and, with the demise of Schwank, all my Stars are gone... except Juan Martin del Potro, but I don't know if I can in all fairness count him as one of my Stars, as that ship had already sailed by the time I jumped on. Who would have picked that? If you'd asked me in May or whatever which young player was most likely to make a huge splash over the summer (if one was going to) I would have said Gulbis or Cilic. Del Potro has been round for a little while, so that you sort of forget how young he is... he must be in a fair way for qualifying for the Tennis Masters Cup. Now no one would have picked that one at the beginning of the year. But no one could say he doesn't deserve it - he just took out David Ferrer to get to the semis, so more power to him.

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And down in Metz, we have a qualifier into the semis. Adrian Mannarino, I know nothing about you, but you have a cool last name, so kudos. I might even be cheering for you... as long as you're not playing Tursunov, because he, like Dinara Safina, is one of my special favourites. But isn't it nice when some little qualifier guy gets up and does well? I've never cheered for him since, but when Steve Darcis won his first title from #297 in the world or whatever it was last year, I was pulling for him.

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Today's Results

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Open de Moselle (Metz)

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Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Janko Tipsarevic, 7-6 (7-4) 6-3

Dmitry Tursunov def. Carlos Moya, 6-3 6-3

Radek Stepanek def. Eduardo Schwank, 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4

Adrian Mannarino def. Marc Gicquel, 6-4 7-6 (7-3)

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AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships (Tokyo)

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Men's Draw

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Juan Martin Del Potro def. David Ferrer, 6-1 7-5

Andy Roddick def. Viktor Troicki, 6-3 6-4

Tomas Berdych def. Fernando Gonzalez, 6-0 6-4

Richard Gasquet def. Rainer Schuettler, 6-3 6-2

*

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Women's Draw

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Caroline Wozniacki def. Tamarine Tanasugarn, 6-4 6-1

Kaia Kanepi def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-1)

Aleksandra Wozniak def. Samantha Stosur, 7-5 6-3

Jarmila Gajdosova def. Klara Zakopalova, 7-5 7-5

*

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Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart)

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Jelena Jankovic def. Vera Zvonareva, 7-6 (10-8) 7-6 (7-5)

Venus Williams def. Dinara Safina, 6-4 6-2

Victoria Azarenka def. Elena Dementieva, 7-6 (8-6) 3-6 6-1

Nadia Petrova def. Li Na, 6-2 6-3

*

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Tashkent Open (Tashkent)

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Peng Shuai def. Monica Niculescu, 6-7 (6-8) 6-2 6-4

Sorana Cirstea def. Michelle Larcher de Brito, 6-2 7-6 (7-5)

Sabine Lisicki def. Urszula Radwanska, 3-6 7-5 7-6 (7-4)

Magdalena Rybarikova def. Ioana Raluca Olaru, 6-1 6-2

The New Garden Square

It's great for Perth to get the Fed Cup tie for next year - the only other tennis event in WA is the Hopman Cup, which gets ignored a lot of the time - but I must admit I am a little disappointed... purely for selfish reasons. WA is much too far away to actually attend.

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I wish Fed Cup had a higher profile. With Stosur back from injury, we might have an okay team now - if she and Dellacqua played singles then Stubbs came in for the doubles, we might stand a good chance of getting back into the World Group. Speaking of Sam, she scored a great win in Tokyo against the second seed, Anabel Medina Garrigues. She made a run to the final last week, but maybe she can go all the way this time...? I'd like to see that.

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Another player to watch in Tokyo is Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. She is about six years old - well, maybe sixteen or seventeen, but very young - but she's making her presence felt. She's of the same generation as Alize Cornet, and although she hasn't made it up as high in the rankings yet, she's definitely going to be up there one day. Just another cog in the Russian tennis machine.

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Unfortunately, Kei Nishikori got unceremoniously booted out of the Tokyo tournament by Richard Gasquet. Maybe he took offence to me calling him a head case? It'd be great if he'd put those ways behind him, but excuse me if I am unconvinced. It takes more than one good win against an in form opponent to silence the doubters... ie. me. But I wouldn't mind it if Richou won a few matches and played himself back into form - although he, like Andy Roddick, should have gone to the Olympics.

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Nishikori's loss means that my only remaining active Star this week is the hanger-on, Eduardo Schwank, who beat Victor Hanescu in Metz. If he can do well this week, then he will officially be re-adopted back into the fold. I mean, I suppose he's already done well, getting this far, but one more round would not hurt anyone...

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Going back to Tokyo, it was a bit sad to see Jo-W Tsonga retire, but I suppose he's done his dues, winning that title last week... apparently he's only one of eight players to win his first title against a top ten opponent. Good on you, Jo-W.

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Actually, speaking of things that are sad, I have a bone to pick with Tennis Australia. They recently ran a competition to rename Garden Square Cafe, which is the player's cafe at Melbourne Park, where they have the Australian Open. Now, I'm sure they had all kinds of entries, and some must have been horrendous, but surely there was something better than the one they chose. The new name of Garden Square Cafe is... drumroll...

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...wait for it...

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'Player Cafe.'

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What genius came up with that one? And, moreover, what genius decided that was the best possible name? 'Player Cafe.' Real expression of creative genius, that one.

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Today's Results

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Open de Moselle (Metz)

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Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Romain Jouan, 6-3 6-3

Radek Stepanek def. Michael Llodra, 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 7-6 (7-0)

Eduardo Schwank def. Victor Hanescu, 7-6 (8-6) 6-7 (5-7) 6-3

Adrian Mannarino def. Rik de Voest, 6-4 7-5

Marc Gicquel def. Nicolas Mahut, 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

*

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AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships (Tokyo)

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Men's Draw

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David Ferrer def. Takao Suzuki, 4-6 6-3 6-2

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

Fernando Gonzalez def. Amer Delic, 6-4 7-6 (7-4)

Richard Gasquet def. Kei Nishikori, 6-1 6-2

Juan Martin Del Potro def. Jarkko Nieminen, 6-1 6-3

Viktor Troicki def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 5-7 2-1 retired

Tomas Berdych def. Tommy Robredo, 7-6 (8-6) 6-2

Rainer Schuettler def. Mikhail Youzhny, 6-3 6-7 (12-14) 6-4

*

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Women's Draw

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Caroline Wozniacki def. Ayumi Morita, 6-2 6-1

Samantha Stosur def. Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6-1 7-5

Aleksandra Wozniak def. Ryoko Fuda, 6-1 6-1

Klara Zakopalova def. Marta Domachowska, 6-3 6-0

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Rika Fujiwara, 6-2 6-4

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Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart)

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Jelena Jankovic def. Alona Bondarenko, 6-2 6-0

Dinara Safina def. Tsvetana Pironkova, 6-1 7-6 (8-6)

Venus Williams def. Kateryna Bondarenko, 6-4 6-2

Vera Zvonareva def. Marion Bartoli, 6-2 6-0

Nadia Petrova def. Patty Schnyder, 6-4 6-1

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Tashkent Open (Tashkent)

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Peng Shuai def. Arantxa Rus, 6-1 7-5

Sorana Cirstea def. Anna Lapushchenkova, 6-1 6-4

Monica Niculescu def. Yaroslava Shvedova, 6-3 3-4 retired

Michelle Larcher de Brito def. Tatiana Poutchek, 6-4 6-1

Head Case Moments

Well, it's all happening in the women's tournaments this week. How about Serena Williams's total collapse against Li Na? She had that match as wrapped up as you could get - 6-0 in the first set - and then she just imploded. It was very un-Serena - she's usually so tough in the head. That's one of the things I really respect about her game - and then it totally went away! I feel harsh for saying this, but if she's going to become a head case, then she doesn't deserve to be #1. That was not a performance worthy of a #1 player. I mean, I suppose all the players have their head case moments and take their early losses - but when was the last time you saw Roger Federer lose early because his head wasn't in it? Or Rafael Nadal? Aspects of their game might break down, but I don't think I've ever seen either player suffer a real mental collapse - not even in the final of the French Open where Rafa absolutely hammered Roger. I thought Serena was one of those players too... but obviously not.

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Wow. That was harsh. It wasn't intended to come out quite like that, but I think I stand by it. If a part of a player's game breaks down, they can compensate, but if the head isn't it, then you can kiss the match goodbye.

*

Another very interesting match was the Schnyder/Kuznetsova match. Normally you'd pick Sveta every time, but Patty came out and took it to her, and came away with the match. It wasn't because Sveta had a head case moment - Patty just comprehensively outplayed her. Schnyder isn't a player that often 'outplays' anyone - that word kind of has the connotation of 'outhit' and you wouldn't say that Patty does that to anyone, really. She plays with guile and spin. But on this occasion, even though it was tight, I think we can safely say that Patty owned Sveta. And good on her too. I love watching both these girls play, but I have a special respect for someone that relies on strategy - on, as it were, their head.

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Over to the blokes, where there were far fewer upsets - the top twelve seeds in Tokyo all progressed safely (at the expense, I am sad to say, of Joe Sirianni - but good on him for making it to the second round!) Kei Nishikori is through, and he is, I believe, my final Star remaining this week - Gulbis lost to Tipsarevic in Metz, alas. But still, I have big hopes for Kei. He took out a seed - the sixteenth seed, sure, but a seed nonetheless - and I would love him to go all the way! He plays Gasquet tomorrow - classic head case, as we're discussing it - and I think Kei can take him.

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The major upset was in Metz, where Carlos Moya took out Ivo Karlovic. More power to him, I say. I have great respect for Carlos, and he's certainly much more interesting to watch than Dr Ivo. I know his game is effective, but it's just so damn boring. Unreturnable. Ace. Unreturnable. Percentage play. Dull, dull, dull.

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Oh, and Jarmila Gajdosova, the almost-Aussie, pulled an upset in Tokyo! She took out sixth seed Shahar Peer, the villain in the comeback of Kimiko Date Krumm. Good on you, Jarmila!

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Today's Results

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Open de Moselle (Metz)

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Carlos Moya def. Ivo Karlovic, 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

Dmitry Tursunov def. Jose Acasuso, 6-2 6-2

Janko Tipsarevic def. Ernests Gulbis, 6-4 6-4

Adrian Mannarino def. Andreas Seppi, 6-4 6-2

Radek Stepanek def. Julien Benneteau, 6-3 6-3

Rik de Voest def. Arnaud Clement, 4-6 6-2 7-5

Michael Llodra def. Feliciano Lopez, 7-6 (13-11) 6-7 (6-8) 6-3

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AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships

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Men's Draw

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David Ferrer def. Jesse Levine, 6-4 4-6 6-1

Andy Roddick def. Ivo Minar, 7-6 (13-11) 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-2)

Fernando Gonzalez def. Yen-hsun Lu, 1-6 7-5 6-3

Richard Gasquet def. Martin Slanar, 6-4 6-2

Juan Martin Del Potro def. Dudi Sela, 7-5 6-0

Tommy Robredo def. Joseph Sirianni, 6-2 6-2

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Bobby Reynolds, 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4

Mikhail Youzhny def. Flavio Cipolla, 6-2 6-2

Tomas Berdych def. Roko Karanusic, 6-3 6-4

Jarkko Nieminen def. Cecil Mamiit, 7-6 (9-7) 6-4

Rainer Schuettler def. Hyung-taik Lee, 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 6-3

Amer Delic def. Sam Querrey, 7-6 (7-5) 6-3

Jurgen Melzer def. Simon Stadler, 6-2 6-3

Takao Suzuki def. Simone Bolelli, 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 7-6 (7-5)

Kei Nishikori def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 6-4 6-4

Viktor Troicki def. Wayne Odesnik, 6-2 6-1

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Women's Draw

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Kaia Kanepi def. Yanina Wickmayer, 3-6 6-1 6-0

Jarmila Gajdosova def. Shahar Peer, 5-7 6-1 7-6 (11-9)

Tamarine Tanasugarn def. Camille Pin, 6-2 6-2

Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Chan Yung-Jan, 3-6 6-3 6-3

Samantha Stosur def. Vania King, 6-2 retired

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Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart)

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Li Na def. Serena Williams, 0-6 6-1 6-4

Elena Dementieva def. Sybille Bammer, 6-1 6-4

Victoria Azarenka def. Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-1 7-5

Patty Schnyder def. Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-4 4-6 7-5

Vera Zvonareva def. Daniela Hantuchova, 6-3 6-2

*

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Tashkent Open (Tashkent)

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Sabine Lisicki def. Alexandra Panova, 7-5 6-1

Magdalena Rybarikova def. Vesna Manasieva, 6-1 7-5

Ioana Raluca Olaru def. Ksenia Palkina, 2-6 6-3 6-2

Urszula Radwanska def. Sofia Shapatava, 7-5 6-2

Arantxa Rus def. Vlada Ekshibarova, 3-6 6-2 6-1

Red Tape

Very little to report today, as nothing of interest is really happening... we had some interesting upsets in Metz, with Simon and Almagro falling to Mahut and Schwank respectively, which is news, I suppose. I'm glad to see Schwank doing well, as I was nearly ready to drop him from my Stars fold - since the claycourt season, he has done very little of note, and that is just not good enough for one of my chosen ones! This hardcourt victory gives him a little more leeway. It'll be interesting to see how far he can go. He's one of the oldest of my Stars - in his early twenties - and so I don't think his future is quite as shiny as, say, Gulbis or Cilic, who had the rest of their careers still before them. Still, he's one to keep an eye on!

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Another one of my Stars to keep an eye on this week is, obviously, Kei Nishikori. He's playing in front of a home crowd and he's clearly in killer form. Wouldn't it be great to see him go on and win the title? We know he's capable of winning ATP titles - Delray Beach, anyone - but I'd really like him to prove that wasn't a fluke. Loads of people have won one title. A lot fewer have won two. And Nishikori is such a fun player to watch as well. If he were a bigger guy, one thinks he'd play like Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, but because he's slight, his big weapon is speed... though that's not to say that he doesn't hit the ball hard!

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I was pleased to see that lucky loser Jarmila Gajdosova was able to win her first round match in Tokyo too. She's still playing for Slovakia, but she's sort of Australian, like Anastasia Rodionova... actually, what is going on with that whole thing? Both have expressed their desire to play for Australia - hell, I think both have played for Australia! - so what is the holdup? I have no idea what is going on with that whole situation there. This has been going on for about a year now. What's the deal? Is it citizenship? Visa? When are these two going to be playing for us? You'd think with everyone whinging about how Australian tennis is in a state you'd want it to be soon. Stupid red tape.

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Meanwhile, Marcos Baghdatis showed his face again, only to retire (a set up, too!) against Ivo Karlovic with a back injury. Get well soon, Marcos!

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Today's Results

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Open de Moselle (Metz)

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Ivo Karlovic def. Marcos Baghdatis, 4-6 2-1 retired

Nicolas Mahut def. Gilles Simon, 6-4 3-6 6-1

Eduardo Schwank def. Nicolas Almagro, 7-6 (7-5) 6-2

Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Nicolas Devilder, 6-0 6-2

Dmitry Tursunov def. Thierry Ascione, 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 6-4

Victor Hanescu def. Ivan Ljubicic, 6-1 7-6 (7-4)

Marc Gicquel def. Marcel Granollers, 6-3 6-2

Romain Jouan def. Agustin Calleri, 5-7 6-1 6-2

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AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships (Tokyo)

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Men's Draw

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Kei Nishikori def. Robert Kendrick, 7-6 (7-3) 6-7 (5-7) 6-2

Dudi Sela def. Bjorn Phau, 7-5 6-1

Wayne Odesnik def. Kevin Kim, 6-4 6-3

Simon Stadler def. Philipp Petzschner, 6-2 6-4

Flavio Cipolla def. Ivan Navarro, 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-4)

Bobby Reynolds def. Tatsuma Ito, 6-3 6-1

Roko Karanusic def. Hiroki Kondo, 6-2 6-2

Yen-hsun Lu def. Luka Gregorc, 6-4 7-6 (7-5)

Joseph Sirianni def. Yuichi Ito, 6-3 6-2

Jesse Levine def. Danai Udomchoke, 4-6 6-1 6-0

Martin Slanar def. Donald Young, 4-6 6-3 6-2

Cecil Mamiit def. Brendan Evans, 3-6 7-5 6-4

*

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Women's Draw

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Caroline Wozniacki def. Gisela Dulko, 4-6 6-0 6-3

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Zheng Jie, 6-1 6-2

Klara Zakopalova def. Maria Kirilenko, 4-6 6-2 7-5

Shahar Peer def. Kimiko Date Krumm, 6-3 6-1

Tamarine Tanasugarn def. Stéphanie Dubois, 6-1 6-3

Aleksandra Wozniak def. Jill Craybas, 7-5 6-7 (2-7) 6-3

Yanina Wickmayer def. Iveta Benesova, 6-4 3-6 6-3

Camille Pin def. Carla Suárez Navarro, 6-0 7-5

Rika Fujiwara def. Petra Cetkovska, 7-6 (8-6) 6-4

Ryoko Fuda def. Pauline Parmentier, 7-5 6-2

Jarmila Gajdosova def. Mara Santangelo, 6-4 7-6 (7-0)

*

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Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart)

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Venus Williams def. Anna-Lena Groenefeld, 6-1 6-2

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Sandra Zahlavova, 6-3 6-2

Marion Bartoli def. Dominika Cibulkova, 6-3 6-1

Victoria Azarenka def. Agnes Szavay, 7-5 6-3

Nadia Petrova def. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, 6-2 6-2

Tsvetana Pironkova def. Alizé Cornet, 6-2 6-1

Kateryna Bondarenko def. Flavia Pennetta, 4-6 6-2 6-1

*

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Tashkent Open (Tashkent)

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Peng Shuai def. Arina Rodionova, 6-4 6-1

Ksenia Palkina def. Olga Govortsova, 7-6 (9-7) 4-6 7-5

Sorana Cirstea def. Ekaterina Dzehalevich, 7-6 (7-4) 7-5

Monica Niculescu def. Olga Savchuk, 7-5 0-1 retired

Urszula Radwanska def. Akgul Amanmuradova, 7-6 (7-5) 6-3

Yaroslava Shvedova def. Anastasiya Yakimova, 6-1 6-1

Anna Lapushchenkova def. Nina Bratchikova, 4-6 6-1 7-6 (7-3)

Michelle Larcher de Brito def. Andreja Klepac, 6-0 6-7 (4-7) 6-2

Ioana Raluca Olaru def. Katie O'Brien, 6-2 6-1

Vesna Manasieva def. Nigina Abduraimova, 6-1 6-1

Tatiana Poutchek def. Sariya Khayrova, 6-1 6-0

Alexandra Panova def. Alisa Ogorodova, 6-4 6-0

Nothing To Sneeze At

3-2 is definitely nothing to be ashamed of. Well done, Australians. You did good. Your achievement ain't nothing to sneeze at.

*

To be fair, there was never a situation where it was 2-2 - Gonzalez beat Guccione and then the last rubber was a dead one, but the team performed much better than I thought they would, and Carsten Ball totally won that last rubber. Good on him. Meanwhile, so much for all that competition for the last spot in the team - Robert Smeets never saw any court time. But we did much better than could be expected. Next year, perhaps, we can make it back into the world group. We certainly dominated the Asia-Oceania division this year - poor Thailand. It's only a matter of time. And you just wait till Bernard Tomic grows up. You just wait.

*

My Spain/Argentina final is coming to pass, and I am quite excited about it. Finally, I might have the opportunity to find out what happens when you put Rafael Nadal and David Nalbandian on the court together! You've got to like Spain to win the tie, but when you have GoodDave and the scorching hot del Potro on your team, ain't nobody will gainsay you. It's going to be reeeeeeeally interesting.

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Nalbandian lost his first Davis Cup match of the year, going down to Davydenko. I actually thought he would pull that one out, so I was a bit surprised. What is going on with Headbandian at the moment? He has been playing well below his level all year. He must be nearly out of the running for the Tennis Masters Cup. Del Potro has a better shot than him right now. Silly LameDave.

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And how 'bout that Rafa Nadal? Your decision to skip the Olympics really helped you there, Andy Roddick. This guy won them, and the French, and Wimbledon, and about forty-seven other titles in between, and still had enough energy to kick your arse. Rafa really is... well, he's just good, isn't he? I always forget just how good he is until I watch him. He's got some game. You know, just a bit. Enough to get him to #1 in the world while the best player in the history of the game is still about.

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And then Fidgiano beat Sam Querrey, just to put the nail in the coffin. Alas, poor USA. They never really had a chance. Much like Australia.

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But someone who did have a big chance, and then made good on it, was Dinara Safina, who put an absolute beatdown on Svetlana Kuznetsova. That's three Tier I titles this year. How good is this girl? I am gunning for her bigtime in the Australian Open next year. I was at her first round match this year, where she played awfully and lost to Sabine Lisicki. That player is not the same player as the one we're seeing now. It's only a matter of time before Dinara wins a Grand Slam - and I think Australia might be a great time for it. I would love her to win in Doha this year, and who would bet against her? Who could stop her? Serena, maybe, but I can't see Ivanovic or Jankovic or Dementieva being able to do too much in the face of the Safina freight train. Davai Dinara!

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Today's Results

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Davis Cup Semi Finals

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Argentina 3, Russia 2

Nikolay Davydenko def. David Nalbandian, 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 6-0

Juan Martin del Potro def. Igor Andreev, 6-4 6-2 6-1

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Spain 4, USA 1

Rafael Nadal def. Andy Roddick, 6-4 6-0 6-4

Feliciano Lopez def. Sam Querrey, 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-4)

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Davis Cup Playoffs

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Chile 3, Australia 2

Fernando Gonzalez def. Chris Guccione, 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 6-3

Carsten Ball def. Paul Capdeville, 6-3 7-6 (7-3)

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Austria 3, Great Britain 2

Andy Murray def. Jurgen Melzer, 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-1

Alexander Peya def. Alex Bogdanovic, 2-6 6-4 6-4 6-2

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Switzerland 4, Belgium 1

Stephane Bohli def. Steve Darcis, 6-3 1-6 6-3

Xavier Malisse def. Yves Allegro, 6-3 6-2

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Croatia 4, Brazil 1

Ivo Karlovic def. Thomaz Bellucci, 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (7-4)

Roko Karanusic def. Thiago Alves, 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 7-6 (7-5)

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Israel 4, Peru 1

Dudi Sela def. Luis Horna, 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 6-1 6-2

Noam Okun def. Ivan Miranda, 6-4 5-7 6-3

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Netherlands 3, Korean Republic 2

Hyung-taik Lee def. Jesse Huta Galung, 1-6 6-1 7-6 (7-5) 6-2

Thiemo de Bakker def. Woong-jun Sun, 6-2 6-1 6-3

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Romania 4, India 1

Victor Hanescu def. Prakash Amritraj, 6-2 6-3 6-1

Victor Crivoi def. Somdev Devvarman, 4-6 7-5 6-3

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Serbia 4, Slovak Republic 1

Victor Troicki def. Lucas Lacko, 6-3 6-4

Filip Polasek def. Janko Tipsarevic, walkover

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Toray Pan Pacific Open (Tokyo)

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Dinara Safina def. Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-1 6-3

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TOE Life Ceramics Guangzhou International Women's Open (Guangzhou)

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Vera Zvonareva def. Peng Shuai, 6-7 (4-7) 6-0 6-2

Miracle Territory

We have a point! A whole one! I don't know if I've ever been so pleased by an Australian tennis result in my life. Trust me to only get behind my country when we have absolutely no chance of winning. But still! a point! A whole, entire point! Yay! Good work, Guccione and Ball!

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That said, we are still going to lose - I can envision no universe in which Gonzalez loses to Guccione. But Luczak has the capability of beating Massu if he plays well, and 3-2 ain't nothing to be ashamed of. Hell, we avoided being whitewashed 5-0 - there should be dancing in the streets anyway!

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Tennis Australia described the win as 'miraculous' and I do not disagree. We will need a miracle to win this tie - and I don't think it'll be delivered. Nonetheless, we took our first baby steps into miracle territory. Even though we're not very good, I find this Davis Cup team so exciting. Give it a few years, and we are going to rock the tennis house.

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Surprisingly few teams closed out their ties today - Switzerland and Serbia were the only ones. If Federer and Wawrinka commit to playing a full year of Davis Cup next year, I don't know who would gainsay their chances - Spain, maybe, if they played Nadal and Ferrer and it was on clay, would start favourites against them, but I can't think of anyone else.

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Meanwhile, Britain is in big trouble... it'll be sad if they don't claw back into the World Group, because they probably deserve it more than Austria, in that they have a top singles player and a top doubles player. Nonetheless, if they don't win, then they don't deserve to be there. Snaps to Austria.

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Meanwhile, what a match that was in the Argentina/Russia tie! I'm glad Russia won it and kept the tie alive, because it is such an intriguing match up! It'll be really interesting to see which way it goes tomorrow, especially in the Davydenko/Nalbandian match. Del Potro will probably close it out for Argentina, I would imagine, but anything can happen with those crazy Russians. And speaking of crazy, I was obviously a little insane to doubt the ability of Mike Bryan to pair with someone else, as he and Mardy Fish managed quite nicely in their win. Somehow I don't see Andy Roddick beating Rafa Nadal tomorrow, but, like the Aussies, at least they managed to get a point.

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And well done to my girl Dinara Safina, who is in yet another Tier I final! She plays Svetlana Kuznetsova for the Tokyo crown, and somehow I'm feeling Dinara on this one... I wonder why.

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Today's Results

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Davis Cup Semi Finals

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Argentina 2, Russia 1

Kunitsyn/Tursunov def. Canas/Nalbandian, 6-2 6-1 6-7 (9-11) 3-6 8-6

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Spain 2, USA 1

Bryan/Fish def. Lopez/Verdasco, 4-6 6-4 6-3 4-6 6-4

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Davis Cup Playoffs

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Chile 2, Australia 1

Ball/Guccione def. Gonzalez/Massu, 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (10-8) 6-3 5-7 7-5

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Austria 2, Great Britain 1

Knowle/Melzer def. Murray/Hutchins, 6-4 6-3 6-1

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Switzerland 3, Belgium 0

Federer/Wawrinka def. Malisse/Rochus, 4-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 6-3

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Croatia 2, Brazil 1

Melo/Sa def. Karlovic/Zovko, 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 6-3

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Israel 2, Peru 1

Levy/Ram def. Echazu/Silva, 6-1 6-1 6-2

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Netherlands 2, Korean Republic 1

Huta Galung/Wessels def. Jun/Lee, 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-3

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Romania 2, India 1

Bhupathi/Paes def. Cruciat/Tecau, 6-4 7-6 (7-0_ 6-4

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Serbia 3, Slovak Republic 0

Troicki/Zimonjic def. Mertinak/Polasek, 7-6 (10-8) 6-4 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (7-5)

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Toray Pan Pacific Open (Tokyo)

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Dinara Safina def. Nadia Petrova, 6-1 6-0

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Katarina Srebotnik, 7-6 (7-5) 6-2

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TOE Life Ceramics Guangzhou International Women's Open (Guangzhou)

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Vera Zvonareva def. Zheng Jie, 6-3 7-5

Peng Shuai def. Camille Pin, 6-2 6-1

Nothing's Out Of Reach If You've Got Long Arms

If you're sick of talking Davis Cup, stop reading now.

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Let's start with the Argentinians today. They are, I feel, a perpetually underestimated tennis nation, and yet they're always up here in Davis Cup. I can't remember a time they weren't in the last four... that said, my Davis Cup memory is not the best, as I don't normally follow it as closely as normal tour tennis. Nonetheless, this Davis Cup week is pretty interesting, and the performance of the Argentinians is going to be intriguing.

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Nalbandian and del Potro are the singles players, which I think is a very smart move. Argentina has tennis depth, but, unlike Spain, who are arguably the deepest nation in men's tennis at the moment, they don't have any players that are massive superstars. At the moment, that is - Nalbandian has been a superstar, but he hasn't been playing like one this year. Del Potro is well on his way to being a superstar, but he's got a way to go yet. He is only about twelve years old, we must remember.

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The outcome of this tie is going to be very much on Argentina's racquet, I feel - more particularly, on the racquet of David Nalbandian. Despite his otherwise mediocre record this year, he is flawless in Davis Cup. Both Andreev and Davydenko, the singles players for Russia, are capable of beating him. That said, he is more than capable of beating both of them. He is more talented than Davydenko and more refined than Andreev, and if he can pull out a GoodDave, as opposed to a LameDave, performance, then I would put good money on Argentina to win.

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I'd normally go for Russia every time in this equation - the Tursunov factor - but I find myself pulling for Argentina this time, just a bit. Mostly because I think a match up between them and Spain would be incredibly compelling. What happens when you put Nadal and Nalbandian on a court together? WHAT HAPPENS?

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Another tie that is going to be very interesting is Croatia vs. Brazil playoff. You'd have to go with Croatia, who are playing Karlovic, Cilic and Ancic, but Brazil's team might be a dark horse. Presumably they're playing Melo and Sa, their gun doubles team, and probably Thomaz Bellucci too... hey, we could see a Cilic/Bellucci Stars of the Future Showdown! Move over Grapple in the Apple!

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Meanwhile, Australia has finally named their team, though I suppose they are still capable of pulling a swap - we have up till an hour before we take the court, yesno? Guccione and Luczak are the singles players (Luczak has to play Gonzalez first, poor bugger) and then Smeets and Ball will play the doubles. Groth, Tomic and Klein will have to watch from the sidelines, I guess. Still, Aussie Aussie Aussie!

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There was a great quote from John Fitzgerald today - someone asked him if thought Gooch was going to be able to bear the burden of being team leader, and he said 'he's got big shoulders.' I loved that. Who knows? We'll need a miracle to win this one, but nothing's out of reach if you've got long arms.

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In other, non-Davis Cup news, the nightmare continues for Ana Ivanovic, who got beaten by Nadia Petrova in Tokyo... I thought not being #1 would settle her down a bit, but obviously not....

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Today's Results

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Toray Pan Pacific Open (Tokyo)

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Jelena Jankovic def. Flavia Pennetta, 6-2 6-1

Nadia Petrova def. Ana Ivanovic, 6-1 1-6 6-2

Elena Dementieva def. Alizé Cornet, 6-0 6-3

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Ayumi Morita, 6-1 6-1

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Marion Bartoli, 6-2 6-3

Katarina Srebotnik def. Francesca Schiavone, 6-4 6-3

Kaia Kanepi def. Virginie Razzano, 6-4 6-2

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TOE Life Ceramics Guangzhou International Women's Open

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Vera Zvonareva def. Xu Yi-Fan, 6-1 7-6 (7-4)

Zheng Jie def. Ioana Raluca Olaru, 6-4 6-0

Peng Shuai def. Lu Jingjing, 6-3 6-4

Arantxa Rus def. Gisela Dulko, 6-4 6-4

Tamira Paszek def. Pauline Parmentier, 6-2 2-6 6-3

Camille Pin def. Alla Kudryavtseva, 2-6 6-0 6-2