The Unfortunate Tale of Ms S

A short post today, because what more can I say about Serena that has not been said?

I think we were all really, really looking forward to having her back. When she went out, Serena was so far above the rest of the field that I think everyone was subconsciously expecting her to return there - to immediately re-ascend her throne and command the WTA during the Slams. And it looked like Roland Garros was her comeback time, and we were all excited, and...

And now Serena's been admitted to hospital with a pulmonary embolism and a subsequent hematoma and could be out for another year. And the question is beginning to be asked - not by me yet, I would hasten to add, but the question is out there - will she ever come back?

I'm sure there's a bunch of Serena skeptics out there who, just like when she was in the boot for an extended time, thought that she was faking it and it was all a big act, ra ra ra. I hope these people have the taste and decency to bite their tongues this time, because this is serious business. According to her statement, Serena is recuperating at home under strict medical supervision and hopes to be back by early summer. (Is anyone else confused as to what 'early summer' means? Which summer?) But her main goal, if she is to come back, is to come back safely.

Which, duh.

It is terribly, terribly sad that Serena's experienced another setback on her road to recovery. What seemed like a reasonably little deal at the beginning - Serena cutting her foot on broken glass outside a restaurant - has blossomed into something very big and scary and worrying. The WTA is not the same without Serena. And I'm sure she wants to be back playing as much as we want her back.

Get well soon, Serena.

Goodbye to Super Mario

Mario Ancic is living proof that not every tennis player's story is a fairy tale.

He was a world #1 junior. He made the boys' finals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2000, losing to Andy Roddick and the marvellous Nicolas Mahut respectively. He was Croatia's heir to Goran Ivanisevic, and like Ivanisevic, it seemed that he had a destiny.

He beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon in his first ever Grand Slam match, and I bet there's a few guys out there that will tell you that that is something which is a bit hard to do. He won a Challenger in Hamburg in 2003, which seems like a little thing... until you realise that the other finalist was some dude called Rafael Nadal. He made the Wimbledon semis in 2004. He won a bronze medal in doubles with Ivan Ljubicic at the Athens Olympics.

And that's not even his career years yet. His career high ranking was #7, and he deserved it. Mario Ancic was a fantastic player. He won titles at St Petersburg and s'Hertogenbosch (twice). He was so, so close to making the Masters Cup a couple of times. He was basically made of pure awesome and the train did not seem like it was about to stop.

But then came the monster that every tennis player fears. Injury. Illness.

Glandular fever. Broken bones. An ongoing back complaint. The mind was willing but the flesh was weak. Though weak is not the right word for it - Ancic forced his way back up to about #24 in the rankings for a while there. But he was never the same again.

Yesterday, Mario Ancic announced his retirement from professional tennis. At the age of 26, he is walking away from the sport. His body can no longer take it. The monsters won in this fairy tale. In terms of tennis, there is no happy ending here.

This does not mean that a) Ancic cannot be proud of his achievements, because he did really, really well in his time on tour, and b) that there are not bright things ahead for Ancic. From 2002-2008, Ancic was studying law as well as playing tennis, and he submitted his thesis on the legal underpinnings of the tour in 2008. He's probably one of the foremost experts in the world now on tennis and law, and I think that there is definitely a very, very excellent future for Ancic there. He might be done with playing the sport, but tennis and Ancic will continued to be linked for some time yet.

It's still really sad, though. It makes you realise that injury and illness can happen to any player out there - even the bright young things who seem to have all their career still ahead of them. We might not have seen much of him for the last few years, but we're still going to miss Mario Ancic. He was a big player with a big game and a big heart, and people like him will always, always be missed.

Oh Hi, Big Guy

Oh hi, big guy! Welcome back, JMDP!

No one was expecting JMDP to do anything even resembling winning in Thailand, n'cest-ce pas? Even if they did want him to match up against Rafa Nadal (which I, for one, am glad did not happen - can you imagine the humiliation that being smacked down by Rafa would have inflicted on the poor dude?) He lost to wee Olly Rochus in straights - competitive straights, but straights. And he served sixteen aces, which coming off wrist surgery, is pretty impressive.

But basically, I think everyone's just glad he's back.

The tennis world is all right without JMDP in it. He's not one of the key personalities of tennis, even though he did have his Slam run last year. Losing JMDP hasn't been like losing the Djoker or Murray or a player of comparable level. We've managed to forget about him pretty well. But even though the tennis world is all right without him in it, it's better when he's here.

And it'll be even better when he's fully better.

That, of course, is the question. The dude's been out for a long time, and wrist surgery is a big, big thing. That is a mammoth thing to have to recover from, and I'd say that there's a big chance that he'll never be the same player. I think it wouldn't be unreasonable to say that he's a one Slam wonder, in any case.

But you know what? a dude that can smash sixteen aces in his first match back from surgery... he strikes as someone who's going to recover all right.

Breaking Glass, Breaking the Draw Open

What is it with American tennis players and freak glass related injuries? First Sam Querrey goes through a coffee table and needs some stupid amount of stitches, and now Serena is out for a good few months after treading on broken glass on a restaurant.

I can't quite understand how that happened, but I do know that there must be one terrified restaurant owner out there quivering in their boots anticipating the wrath of Serena.

Is this just bad luck for Serena? Or is it the universe's way of ensuring she doesn't win three Slams this year and make the rest of the women in the field look a little bit ridiculous?

I mean, if Serena says she'll be ready for the US Open, I believe her. But coming in on no matches is definitely not the bestest prep ever. And it's a little bit sad that even though she'll be coming in matchless and to the scene of her greatest ever humiliation, she's still the favourite.

So if Serena doesn't win in New York, who is going to step up to the plate? That is the question now. Will it be Kim Clijsters in a fairy tale repeat? Or will someone else make a dash on it? Given Serena's injury, basically any winner is going to be a surprise winner. That broken glass just broke the draw wiiiiiiiide open. It's going to be an interesting US Open indeed.

Body Count

I wrote a couple of days back about the sad story of Mario Ancic and how talent just wasn't enough for him, because his body just wouldn't hold out. Well, Roland Garros hasn't even started yet and we already have a substantial body count. And that makes me sad.

Firstly, Juan Martin del Potro. He is out for a long stretch of forever and won't be able to defend his US Open title. It's one thing to take an extended break from the game - it didn't seem to do Kimmie and JuJu any harm - but it's another altogether to have such a substantial injury and come back. Whether Juan M is still a Slam contender when he comes back... we'll just to have to wait and see. But this is not good news for him.

Then there's Kimmie - alas, poor Kimmie. She'll get better, but even two Slams in, I'm so used to seeing her there that it seems like a big loss being without her. I'm sure JuJu, broken finger aside, will manage to hold up the Belgian end of the deal very well (not to mention Yanina Wickmayer), but still, boo.

And now Caroline Wozniacki might be in doubt. Much as I find her brand of tennis incredibly boring, this is sad, because she is a genuine Slam contender these days. The women's draw is incredibly open this tournament and she might just have been able to take a stab at it. She might be fit, but then she might not be.

It's hard to imagine how big a toll tennis takes on someone's body when you watch it. We all saw how Rafa's body gave out on him last year - he who always seems so strong and indomitable was beaten by his knees. And even perenially uninjured I-walk-on-water Roger Federer has said he plays in pain 80% of the time. Which is, you know, a lot.

I don't know what there is to be done about this, apart from Federesque sensible scheduling. But it's always something to think about, when we watch these matches - this sport can really wear a person down.

Bad Luck for Belgium

For many years, Roland Garros was considered the domain of Justine Henin. It was her country. Then she went and retired and Roland Garros became anyone's Slam - Ivanovic and Kuznetsova have been the interim winners. But now she's back...

...or is she?

JuJu has a broken finger, and it seems to me like that is something which could seriously hamper her chances at Roland Garros. That is not the kind of injury you really want to be carrying. I really hope that she can get it all healed up by then, because I really want to see what kind of assault on the title JuJu can launch, but...

And then Kim Clijsters is injured too. Fed Cup has not been kind to Belgium this weekend. I understand Kim could be out for six weeks, which seriously damages, if not totally wipes out, her title challenge at the French, which she has never won. It's beginning to look like Belgium's best hope for the crown this time will not be their comeback queens but rather Yanina Wickmayer.

I don't have much to say on this subject other than this is spectacularly bad luck for Belgium and I hope they both get better. Because Roland Garros is better with these two in it.

Bandy Voodoo

Okay, so Gulbis didn't win his semi final - he got outclubbed by Sam Querrey - but this is still a very positive result for him in Memphis. Much more positive than anything he's done in the last eighteen months or so, at any rate. Hopefully it was not a big-arse fluke, because I really do not want to return to the kingdom of the eternal first round loss again, no sirree. It's been lonely on the Ernie bandwagon on all my onesies, and I do not wish for the train to turn back into the tunnel now I think I have seen the light at the end of it.

Yeah. That's right. I rock that train metaphor.

There have been other players playing this week apart from Ernie, though my blog would seem to belie it. One such of these was David Nalbandian. Yes, I know I am a few days behind here, but I have to ask the question -who exactly is it that has the Bandy voodoo doll? Because this level of injury is SO not normal.

I never really was Bandy's biggest fan, but you have to feel sorry for the guy. He has more injury problems than Rafael Nadal's knees. And he totally never used to be like this either - I can't remember any major, major injuries in his career before this whole year-off debacle. Maybe there was a wrist thing or something one time, but I never had him up there on my Captain Injury Prone list, if you know what I mean.

But now it's all gone wrong for him.

That said, he did have some positive results. He managed to get a win or two before the person with the voodoo doll realised and struck him down again. Hopefully he can keep it coming - though I have to say that if you're on the injury comeback trail, clay is probably not the surface you want to be on. Not even that's gone right for him, poor dude.

Get better, Bandy. And get someone to find that voodoo doll and deactivate it. Or whatever.

Brain Cramp

So about this new cramping rule - which I understand to mean that players can't seek treatment for cramps until the end of a game...

I love it. But if it's just the end of the game, I don't know if that's not still too soft. I'd be thinking change of ends, personally. Isn't that when most people will get that kind of thing treated?

I mean, obviously there are exceptions, otherwise this rule wouldn't have come into play. I don't actually remember the last time I saw a player come down with cramp in the middle of a game and stop play, but evidently it's happened, and consistently enough that the need for this rule was felt. So, I think I probably need to think on it more - and find out what the rule actually is, which might help. But I think this is definitely a Good Thing.

A whole new day, a whole new slew of tournaments. The bigg'un is Moscow. I don't know if he's even playing but oh! how I would love Marat Safin to win this tournament. I know he won't, but oh! how I would love it if he did! I remember him making the final in '06, but I don't know how else he's fared there in the past - surely if there's one tournament he would love to win, this would be it.

One result out of this tournament so far I thought was interesting was on the women's side, where diminutive Dominika Cibulkova went down tamely to Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. Where's Domi been? Has she been injured? She had top five potential written all over her at the beginning of the year, and now she's all... not there. Sigh. Get better, Domi.


Today's Results

Kremlin Cup (Moscow)

Men's Draw

Mikhail Youzhny def. Horacio Zeballos, 6-1 7-6 (7-5)
Pablo Cuevas def. Yen-hsun Lu, 6-4 6-2
Teimuraz Gabashvili def. Karol Beck, 3-6 6-4 6-4
Potito Starace def. Evgeny Donskoy, 6-3 6-3


Women's Draw

Nadia Petrova def. Yana Buchina, 6-2 6-0
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez def. Dominika Cibulkova, 6-2 6-2
Alona Bondarenko def. Anna Chakvetadze, 6-4 603
Lucie Safarova def. Ekaterina Makarova, 6-2 602
Olga Govortsova def. Ksenia Pervak, 6-3 4-6 6-0


If Stockholm Open (Stockholm)

Juan Monaco def. Jan Hernych, 6-2 5-7 7-5
Simon Greul def. Benjamin Becker, 2-6 6-3 7-5
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez def. Alberto Martin, 6-3 6-2
Leonardo Mayer def. Albert Montanes, 6-4 6-3
Joachim Johansson def. Peter Luczak, 7-5 6-2


BGL Luxembourg Open

Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Arantxa Parra Santonja, 7-5 6-2
Sabine Lisicki def. Iveta Benesova, 6-1 6-4
Carla Suarez Navarro def. Mandy Minella, 7-5 5-7 6-3

Adding Insult To Injury

This spate of injuries is really getting old.

We lost Stan Wawrinka and Gael Monfils today through retirement, meaning that one quarter of today's matches ended in injury and walking off the court. I know it's not exactly their fault that they're injured and I could use this to prompt a discussion on the schedule and stuff, but guys, really? If you're that injured, why are you playing?

I didn't see the matches so I don't know whether they were carrying these injuries into the match or whether they became injured in the course of a match. Injured in the course of a match I get - ain't nothing you can do about that. But if you know your body can't go the distance for the tournament, then you shouldn't play. Roger Federer (all hail) said once that he doesn't retire - if he's injured, he just doesn't walk on court. I think this is a really good way to do things - in fact, it's the way he's done things this week. He's still sore and needs rest, so he didn't play.

Let's face it - the guys in the top fifty are not the only tennis players in the world. There are people playing qualies and pre-qualies for tournaments like these that must gnash their teeth every time they see someone retire due to a carried injury. It's a waste of a spot and a waste of a match that these slightly lower-ranked guys would kill to play. And by half-heartedly committing to tournaments like this and then pulling out, the higher-ranked guys are wasting opportunities that these lower-ranked guys would kill off. It's rude to the lower-ranked guys and it's insulting to the tournament and to the sport.

If you're not prepared to play a full tournament, then don't step on the court. Because there are people who want to. Desperately.


Today's Results

Shanghai ATP Masters 1000 (Shanghai)

Rafael Nadal def. Tommy Robredo, 6-1 6-4
Novak Djokovic def. Rainer Schuettler, 6-4 6-2
Robin Soderling def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6-3 6-3
Gilles Simon def. Tomas Berdych. 6-3 6-4
Nikolay Davydenko def. Fernando Gonzalez, 6-3 7-5
Ivan Ljubicic def. Gael Monfils, 6-2 3-0 retired
Radek Stepanek def. Stanislas Wawrinka, 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 4-2 retired
Feliciano Lopez def. Jurgen Melzer, 5-7 7-6 (7-3) 6-1


Generali Ladies Linz (Linz)

Flavia Pennetta def. Anna-Lena Groenefeld, 6-3 4-6 6-2
Agnieszka Radwanska def. Alize Cornet, 6-4 7-5
Yanina Wickmayer def. Alexandra Dulgheru, 2-6 6-3 6-1
Lucie Safarova def. Urszula Radwanska, 6-4 6-4
Ioana Raluca Olaru def. Julia Goerges, 3-6 6-2 7-5


HP Open (Osaka)

Caroline Wozniacki def. Katie O'Brien, 6-0 6-1
Samantha Stosur def. Akiko Morigami, 6-1 6-2
Aleksandra Wozniak def. Chang Kai-Chen, 7-5 7-6 (7-2)
Jill Craybas def. Mathilde Johansson, 2-6 6-2 6-0

Nice Guy Finishing Last

You know who lost again in Cincinatti? James Blake. And you know who's surprised? Not me. Or anybody, I would venture.

I hate to whale on James Blake, because he really is a likeable guy, and his tennis, when he plays it, can be pretty fearsome. But I just don't know what's happened to him of late. He's been out for a bit, but even before that, he wasn't racking up the wins. So what's the go? Is he injured or what?

Blake isn't a player I expect to win allllll the time - he's solid top twenty, but he ain't no Federer or Nadal or Murray. Still, I expect him to win some of the time, and he can't even manage that at the moment. I can't remember the last time he didn't lose in the first round. It's a while. And it is such a freaking shame.

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What's wrong with James, world? Is anything wrong with James? Or has he just fallen into one of those ruts that tennis players often do that precludes them from playing well for months at a time?

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Whatever it is, I hope it's not injury. That dude's had his fair share and more of injuries. The tennis gods have not smiled on him during periods in the past - and they are clearly not smiling on him now. I'm not expecting anything from him for the rest of the season - not with this kind of lead up - but I'm hoping that we see him back next year, bigger and better than before, ready to kick some butt. Because I hate it when nice guys are down in the doldrums, and James is a nice guy.

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Today's Results

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Western and Southern Financial Group Masters (Cincinatti)

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Roger Federer def. Jose Acasuso, 6-3 7-5

Andy Murray def. Nicolas Almagro, 7-6 (7-3) 6-2

Novak Djokovic def. Ivan Ljubicic, 7-6 (7-5) 6-4

Chris Guccione def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 7-6 (14-12) 6-2

Nikolay Davydenko def. Igor Kunitsyn, 6-2 1-6 6-3

Radek Stepanek def. Marat Safin, 4-6 6-3 6-1

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez def. Mikhail Youzhny, 7-5 6-3

Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Ivo Karlovic, 7-6 (11-9) 6-4

Julien Benneteau def. Jurgen Melzer, 6-2 3-6 6-2

Tomas Berdych def. Philipp Petzschner, 7-6 (10-8) 6-7 (7-9) 6-4

Jeremy Chardy def. John Isner, 6-7 (1-7) 6-3 4-1 retired

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Rogers Cup (Toronto)

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Aravane Rezai def. Dinara Safina, 3-6 6-2 6-4

Alisa Kleybanova def. Dominika Cibulkova, 6-1 4-6 7-6 (7-4)

Kim Clijsters def. Victoria Azarenka, 7-5 4-6 6-1

Jelena Jankovic def. Patty Schnyder, 7-5 6-4

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Agnes Szavay, 6-1 6-1

Maria Sharapova def. Sybille Bammer, 6-3 7-6 (7-5)

Vera Zvonareva def. Roberta Vinci, 6-3 6-3

Virginie Razzano def. Flavia Pennetta, 6-3 6-1

Shahar Peer def. Francesca Schiavone, 7-6 (7-2) 6-4

Elena Dementieva def. Ai Sugiyama, 6-3 6-2

Jie Zheng def. Caroline Wozniacki, 7-5 6-3

Alona Bondarenko def. Alla Kudryavtseva, 6-3 6-0

Sound in Mind... and Hopefully Body

It's official - Rafa Nadal will be returning to the court at Montreal in his first match since his rather ignominious (though understandable) loss to Robin Soderling at Roland Garros. And talk about pressure - um, yeah, Rafa, you're the defending champion. Deal with that.

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So here's the question - which way is Rafa going to go?

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The way I see it, it's going to be purely physical. Either the Nadal knees are better, or they're not. Either they're fixed, or they're f*cked. The only thing that stands between Rafa and a new blaze of glory is the same thing that stands between his brain and the ground - his body.

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Well, and Roger Federer, but that's the same for everyone.

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What I'm getting at, though, is that I don't think there's a chance in hell that Rafa is going to be let down by his mind. We have seen too often and too well just how tough Rafa is in the head to ever underestimate him on that score. Mentally, Rafa is a machine - anyone who can play through the excruciating amounts of pain he was is a little superhuman. In that sense, I think we're going to see the same ol' Rafa. He's not going to be affected by losing the #1 ranking or by the streak that the great one RF is one. Rafa does his own thing and in his own mind, he is tough.

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So it all comes down to the body. Rafa Nadal has the mind of a gladiator - will his body rise to the task?

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Today's Results

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Legg Mason Tennis Classic (Washington)

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Benjamin Becker def. Robby Ginepri, 7-6 (7-3) 6-7 (1-7) 7-6 (7-4)

Rainer Schuettler def. Leonardo Mayer, 6-1 3-6 7-6 (7-5)

Sebastien de Chaunac def. Denis Istomin, 6-3 7-6 (9-7)

Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Nicolas Lapentti, 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-0

Somdev Devvarman def. Marin Cilic, 7-5 6-4

Tommy Haas def. Frank Dancevic, 6-1 4-6 6-4

Juan Martin del Potro def. Yen-hsun Lu, 4-6 6-3 6-2

Somdev Devvarman def. Marin Cilic, 7-5 6-4

Tomas Berdych def. Ernests Gulbis, 6-2 7-6 (8-6)

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LA Women's Tennis Championships (Los Angeles)

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Daniela Hantuchova def. Melanie Oudin, 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 6-2

Jie Zheng def. Olga Savchuk, 7-5 1-6 6-2

Samantha Stosur def. Monica Niculescu, 6-1 6-2

Maria Kirilenko def. Chanelle Scheepers, 4-6 6-3 6-1

Sorana Cirstea def. Michelle Larcher de Brito, 6-4 7-5

Ekaterina Makarova def. Melinda Czink, 3-6 6-4 6-1

Sabine Lisicki def. Kimiko Date Krumm, 7-6 (7-5) 2-6 7-5

Urszula Radwanska def. Julie Coin, 6-1 6-2

Aleksandra Wozniak def. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 7-5 7-5

Na Li def. Ayumi Morita, 6-0 2-0 retired

Vera Zvonareva def. Peng Shuai, 3-6 6-3 7-6 (8-6)

Ana Ivanovic def. Vania King, 6-4 4-6 6-1

Baby Talk

The tennis world is still completely gaga over Myla and Charlene Federer - as well they should be, because these are the progeny of Roger Federer, greatest of all time, and Mirka Federer, a very good player in her own right, and they definitely have the genes to grow up and single (well, double) handedly dominate the WTA and take it to another level, like their daddy has for the ATP.

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But while the careers of Charlene and Myla might be brilliant, there's a little while to go before they can, you know, learn to sit up, let alone hold a tennis racquet, and there's another career going on at the moment which is pretty brilliant which we should have a look at - that of Papa Bear, Roger Federer.

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He's scheduled to come back to the tour in Montreal, giving him approximately two weeks before he drags himself and his little family over to North America (Myla and Charlene's first international trip! Won't that be fun for all involved?) I wouldn't be surprised to see him sit out till Cincinatti, but I don't think he's going to take a huge amount of paternity leave - it's not his style, and Mirka has already proved she is an iron woman who can sit through anything... like a 16-14 Wimbledon final while eight and a half months pregnant with twins.

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I think I discussed this a little yesterday, but I'm inclined to think Charlene and Myla will be a positive, rather than a detrimental effect on his career. The question everyone's been posing has been 'what has Roger got left to play for now he's won everything?' and the answer is his two baby girls. Sure, they may give him some sleepless nights early on - I wouldn't be surprised to see some early exits in the pre-US Open tourneys, though who knows? he might be riding so high on pure joy it will overcome sleeplessness. But on the whole, Roger is going to want his girls see him win - to show them that anything is possible, and impossible is nothing.

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Then let us have a quick look at the other great champion of our sport, Rafa Nadal. His middle of the year has been... it has sucked the big one, to put it mildly. He got knocked out of his favourite tournament by Robin Soderling in the fourth round. He's got tendinitis and we don't know how badly this will effect him in the long term. He couldn't defend his Wimbledon crown. One of his best friends of the tour died randomly for no apparent reason. And his parents are getting divorced, splitting his close-knit family on Mallorca in twain.

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His professional life - crappy. His personal life - bites. Whereas Roger now has Roland Garros, Wimbledon, the #1 ranking, a lovely wife and two beautiful daughters. You have to feel sorry for Rafa. The tennis gods have not smiled on him of late, poor guy.

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But there is time yet for Rafa Nadal. He is still young. I wouldn't be surprised to see Shmafa take the court for his first few matches back - but then, just like before, maybe I am wrong. Maybe Rafa will come roaring back like a steam train and it will be game on again between the two heavyweights. One thing is for sure, though - the tour may never be quite the same again.

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Today's Results

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International German Open (Hamburg)

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Nikolay Davydenko def. David Ferrer, 7-5 7-6 (7-2)

Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Pablo Cuevas, 4-6 6-3 7-5

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Indianapolis Tennis Championships (Indianapolis)

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Sam Querrey def. Frank Dancevic, 6-4 6-4

Robby Ginepri def. John Isner, 6-4 6-3

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Banka Koper Slovenia Open (Portoroz)

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Dinara Safina def. Alberta Brianti, 6-4 6-3

Sara Errani def. Stefanie Voegele, 6-1 6-2

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Nurnberger Gastein Ladies (Bad Gastein)

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Ioana Raluca Olaru def. Alize Cornet, 3-6 7-5 6-3

Andrea Petkovic def. Yaroslava Shvedova, 6-2 6-1

The Stan Show

What’s the first thing I see when I get up this morning on quality Australian breakfast television? Mel Doyle’s irritatingly chirpy face and the news that Roger Federer is out of Dubai and the first round of the Davis Cup with a persistent back injury. I nearly cried.
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I bet half of Switzerland is crying now too, because you’ve got to think that the likelihood of them winning that tie is pretty small now. It’s all on the shoulders of Stan Wawrinka – who is very capable and who can definitely do it, but he ain’t no Roger. He’s a lifelong second banana. So he’s going to have to beat a bit of Roddick, a bit of Blake, whomever else the US throw at him… and probably play doubles, one would assume. It’s going to be the Stan Show, if Switzerland is to pull this one out.
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This back injury forced Roger out of Paris, but I had no idea it was still hanging around. I think there’s a valuable lesson to one Novak Djokovic in there. Federer was injured and NO ONE EVER KNEW ABOUT IT. Not a thing. Not one thing.
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But it’s just so sad… still, it’ll be good to have him fully fit and comfortable.
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In actual tennis overnight, a win for my man Ernests Gulbis! He took out Taylor Dent, which was sweeeeeet.

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Regions Morgan Keenan Championships (Memphis)
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Men’s Draw
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Florent Serra def. Robin Soderling, 6-4 6-7 (1-7) 6-2

Ernests Gulbis def. Taylor Dent, 6-4 3-6 6-2

Marcos Baghdatis def. Kei Nishikori, 7-5 6-3

Christophe Rochus def. Donald Young, 6-4 6-3
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Women’s Draw
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Victoria Azarenka def. Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro, 6-2 6-2

Marina Erakovic def. Melanie Oudin, 4-6 6-2 6-3

Michaella Krajicek def. Kristina Barrois, 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-0)

Severine Brémond def. Kirsten Flipkens, 6-4 6-0

Stéphanie Foretz def. Melinda Czink, 6-2 4-6 6-2

Chanelle Scheepers def. Lucie Hradecka, 6-1 5-7 7-6 (7-5)
*
*
Copa Telmex (Buenos Aires)
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Oscar Hernandez def. Nicolas Almagro, 6-2 1-6 6-3

Tommy Robredo def. Potito Starace, 5-7 6-3 6-3

Carlos Moya def. Maximo Gonzalez, 6-4 6-4

Jose Acasuso def. Daniel Munoz-De La Nava, 6-2 7-6 (7-4)

Martin Vassallo Arguello def. Albert Montanes, 6-2 6-3

Marcel Granollers def. Thomaz Bellucci, 7-5 7-5

Pablo Cuevas def. Eduardo Schwank, 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 6-0

Juan Monaco def. Sergio Roitman, 6-0 6-0

Fabio Fognini def. Pablo Andujar, 6-3 6-2

Diego Junqueira def. Nicolas Massu, 3-6 6-4 6-4

Franco Ferreiro def. Ivan Navarro, 1-6 6-4 6-2
*
*
Open 13 (Marseille)
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Gilles Simon def. Grigor Dimitrov, 4-6 6-3 7-5

Arnaud Clement def. Marat Safin, 4-6 6-3 6-2

Rainer Schuettler def. Laurent Recouderc, 6-1 6-4

Mischa Zverev def. Illya Marchenko, 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-4

Andreas Seppi def. Jerzy Janowicz, 7-6-(7-5) 5-7 7-6 (7-3)

Simone Bolelli def. Richard Bloomfield, 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-1)

Julien Benneteau def. Fabrice Santoro, 4-6 6-4 6-2
*
*
Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships (Dubai)
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Serena Williams def. Sara Errani, 4-6 6-2 6-0

Virginie Razzano def. Dinara Safina, 6-4 6-2

Jelena Jankovic def. Monica Niculescu, 6-3 6-2

Elena Dementieva def. Sybille Bammer, 7-5 6-2

Vera Zvonareva def. Vera Dushevina, 6-0 6-3

Venus Williams def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-0 6-1

Alizé Cornet def. Julia Schruff, 6-1 6-2

Marion Bartoli def. Francesca Schiavone, 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 6-3

Dominika Cibulkova def. Tsvetana Pironkova, 7-6 (7-5) 6-4

Zheng Jie def. Samantha Stosur, 3-6 7-5 7-5

Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Alona Bondarenko, 6-2 7-5

Kaia Kanepi def. Sania Mirza, 7-5 6-2

Daniela Hantuchova def. Ayumi Morita, 7-6 (7-1) 6-2

Camille Pin def. Urszula Radwanska, 6-7 (6-8) 7-5 2-0 retired
*
*
Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas (Bogota)
*
Masa Zec Peskiric def. Flavia Pennetta, 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7-4)

Carla Suárez Navarro def. Johanna Larsson, 7-6 (7-4) 6-4

Gisela Dulko def. Tamaryn Hendler, 6-2 6-4

Nuria Llagostera Vives def. Olga Savchuk, 6-2 6-0

Mathilde Johansson def. Catalina Castaño, 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 6-4

María José Martínez Sánchez def. Anastasiya Yakimova, 6-1 6-3

Ioana Raluca Olaru def. Lourdes Domínguez Lino, 5-7 6-4 7-6 (7-3)

Rossana de los Ríos def. Olivia Sanchez, 4-6 6-0 6-1

Patricia Mayr def. Tzipora Obziler, 6-2 6-3

Maret Ani def. María Emilia Salerni, 5-7 6-2 7-5

Betina Jozami def. Mariana Duque Marino, 5-7 6-0 6-1

Katalin Marosi def. Greta Arn, 7-5 3-6 7-5

Arantxa Parra Santonja def. Viky Nuñez Fuentes, 6-2 6-1

Injury Woes

Well, the second day of fourth round matches didn't have quite the same classic feel as the first, but that does not mean it was lacking in upsets - or high drama. Well, that's if you call injury high drama.

*

Three retirements we had today - which is probably more than we've otherwise had in the whole tournament. First Monfils chucks in the towel against Simon - which is a great shame because that was a very entertaining match, and I would have liked to have seen Monfils pull it out, because a rematch between him and Rafa after the events of Doha would have been very interesting. Then over on Hisense, Zheng Jie pulls out against Sveta Kuznetsova - who really has been coming quietly through the draw. Don't tell me she's (shock) back in form? Then, in probably the most disappointing of them all, Victoria Azarenka pulls out against Serena, after being a set up, due to some stomach issue. Now that one was a real shame.

*

Not that I'm an Azarenka fan. I'm not - not after the way she behaved in her match against Gajdosova in Brisbane. But Serena's form (or lack thereof) is begging for an upset. Sure, she could play her way in like she did in '07, and I'm certainly not anti-that... but basically, I just want the draw to open up for whomever wins the Dokic/Safina match. And also, I'd like Dementieva to get to the final on that side of the draw, because I think she deserves it. I'm sure she'll take out Serena, if no one else does.

*

Man, that whole rant made me sound really anti-Serena. I'm not. I guess I'm just saying that with her current form, she doesn't deserve to win.

*

Rafa got through in his usual scary way - 33/11 this time, so not quite as scary as 53/8 the other day, but still pretty terrifying. Now that - dun dun dun! - Murray's out, you have to like him to make the final. There isn't really a possibility for a Marcos/Gonzo/Jo-W this year - though I suppose Nando Verdasco isn't one you'd pick, so maybe he could pull it off, but still... Rafa's been going one better here every year, quarters in '07, semis in '08 - surely that points to a final in '09?

*

Actually, surely the ability to play 53/8 tennis points to a final in '09.

*

But the big one, the upset, the massive, massive surprise - Nando Verdasco taking out Andy Murray in five sets. I guess Murray isn't going to emulate Djokovic last season - finals of the US, winner of the Aussie. Who would have picked that one? Murray didn't play especially badly, either: he just didn't capitalise on a few important chances, and in the second set especially, he just switched off. And Nando's first serve percentage is INSANE, to say the least. I read somewhere that he has the highest first serve percentage on average of anyone on tour, and that was pretty evident here - it really helped him. And it's not that his first serve is a creampuff either - it's a rocketship. Even though I've just picked Rafa to make the finals, I would LOVE to see Nando do it. This really has been a career few months for him, what with being the big Davis Cup hero and now making his first Slam quarters. Why shouldn't he be this year's finalist?

*

The one that gets beaten by Federer, obviously.

*

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Today's Results

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Australian Open

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Men's Draw

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Rafael Nadal def. Fernando Gonzalez, 6-3 6-2 6-4

Fernando Verdasco def. Andy Murray, 2-6 6-1 1-6 6-3 6-4

Gilles Simon def. Gael Monfils, 6-4 2-6 6-1 retired

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. James Blake, 6-4 6-4 7-6 (7-3)

*

*

Women's Draw

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Serena Williams def. Victoria Azarenka, 3-6 4-2 retired

Elena Dementieva def. Dominika Cibulkova, 6-2 6-2

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Zheng Jie, 4-1 retired

Carla Suárez Navarro def. Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6-3 6-2

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.

*

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.

*

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."

*

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.

*

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.

*

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)

*

*

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

*

*

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

*

*

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

Aussie Aussie... Aussie...?

Well, Lleyton Hewitt is out of the US Open. I can't say I have too much sympathy. I mean, sure, it's his hip that's hurting and I don't really know anything about it, but surely he realises that when you play on it all day every day it's just not going to get better? Why on earth did he not go in for surgery earlier?

*

We all know I'm not a Hewitt fan, but he really is the only good Australian tennis player out there, so it is very sad to see him falling down the rankings. (Though I will say this for him - at least he has a relatively normal name - cough Kamakazi cough yes it's really spelled that way the moron cough.) Had he played the US Open, he would have been unseeded for the first time in about eighty million years. It means he would have been a Safin-like floater, but unlike Safin, I don't think Hewitt would have stood much of a chance of beating anyone. I remember when he reached the fourth round of Wimbledon and played Federer, and the Australian media was all over it, talking about the possibility/probability of an upset. But look, even if Federer is not in the best form of his life, he'd have to be playing on one leg to lose to Hewitt now. I don't like Lleyton, but I feel sorry for him. He's a dead horse that the Australian media just will not stop flogging until someone else comes along.

*

That 'someone else' will be, one thinks, Bernard Tomic, but he's so young that I doubt he'll really burst onto the scene for a few years, if indeed he does some scene-bursting. He's definitely got the talent - he won the junior Australian Open this year, despite being only fifteen, and has been the top seed in every junior event I've seen him play - but from what I hear, he has a troublesome temperament. But that can be channelled... he's young. I would really like to see Tomic do something with his talent. Australian tennis is quiet right now.

*

Meanwhile, we are now absolutely screwed for Davis Cup. Well, we were already screwed, but now we're really screwed. We're playing Chile, I think, in a World Group playoff, and unless there is some kind of miracle, we are going to get our collective arse kick. Chile will play Gonzalez and Massu, one thinks... and Gonzalez could pretty much beat the Australian team single-handedly, even with Hewitt in. So I guess we'll play Guccione... Sirianni is the next highest ranked player, then Smeets, then Luczak, who has had a rotten year... Luczak is proven at Davis Cup, but look, we are going to lose anyway. Gooch'll get played, maybe Hanley and Kerr for the doubles, and I guess Sirianni, logically - but hell, play Tomic. Blood him on the world stage. Sure, it'll be a bitchslap for Joe and Robert and Mr Milkshake, but there's no way we're going to win, unless every person in Chile instantly breaks their legs. And maybe wee Bernard can surprise them, eh?

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Before I go, a bit shout-out to world #434 Luka Gregorc, who knocked out Ivo Karlovic in New Haven today. Proof that the little guys can sometimes give the big guys a run for their money... yet another reason to play Tomic at Davis Cup!

*

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Today's Results

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Pilot Pen Tennis (New Haven)

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Men's Draw

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Fernando Verdasco def. Ivo Minar, 6-3 6-1

Luka Gregorc def. Ivo Karlovic, 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 6-2

Igor Andreev def. Victor Hanescu, 6-4 7-5

Marin Cilic def. Jurgen Melzer, 5-7 6-4 7-5

Andreas Seppi def. Fabio Fognini, 6-4 6-2

Jesse Levine def. Steve Darcis, 2-0 retired

Mischa Zverev def. Robby Ginepri, 1-6 6-3 6-1

Mardy Fish def. Wayne Odesnik, 6-1 4-6 6-1

Luka Gregorc def. Jose Acasuso, 6-4 6-4

Ivo Karlovic def. John Isner, 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-3

*

*

Women's Draw

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Agnes Szavay def. Sara Errani, 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 6-4

Anna Chakvetadze def. Casey Dellacqua, 6-4 6-4

Amélie Mauresmo def. Patty Schnyder, 6-4 3-6 7-6 (8-6)

Sorana Cirstea def. Flavia Pennetta, 3-6 6-4 6-3

Alizé Cornet def. Katarina Srebotnik, 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 6-2

Caroline Wozniacki def. Monica Niculescu, 6-3 6-3

*

*

Forest Hills Tennis Classic (Forest Hills)

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Peng Shuai def. Pauline Parmentier, 6-3 6-2

Jamea Jackson def. Marina Erakovic, 7-6 (7-4) 7-5

Carla Suárez Navarro def. Timea Bacsinszky, 6-4 7-6 (7-5)

Lucie Safarova def. Akgul Amanmuradova, 6-7 (11-13) 6-3 6-3

Psychic Tennis

For a change, I'm not going to talk about Roger's match today, and I'm going to talk about something different.

*

Okay, that's a lie. I'm going to talk about Roger's match. But not exclusively. And that's a new and exciting step!

*

Due to gainful employment, I didn't actually get to see it, but I was following the scores online. In retrospect, it was probably good for me to be following the match in an environment where I can't be too vocal about it - it kind of helps keep the stress under control. (Sort of... not entirely!) Also, there were periods where I couldn't check the score - because, being at work, I had to actually work - and when I came back, on the whole, Roger had broken and was ahead, or was at least on serve. I didn't have any nasty surprises!

*

My psychic tennis skills kicked in a little bit - man, if I actually WAS psychic, I'm sure using my skills to hone in on what was going on in a tennis match would be a spectacular waste of them! - and I had a sinking feeling during the first part of the second set... but then it was overridden with calm, because I knew, I KNEW, that Roger would fix it. I think that might be more to do with the fact that he'd won the first set, and thus had a bit of leeway... if he'd been a set and a break down, I would have panicked, psychic skills or no psychic skills! Though it was kind of weird, during the second set breaker... even when Berdych was 3-0, 3-1 ahead, and later, when he had set points, I knew Roger was going to win. I just knew.

*

So I'm starting to freak myself out a bit here. But maybe it's because I've matched so many Roger matches that I sort of get the pattern of them, if that makes sense... I don't think I want to lay claim to any sort of paranormal power!

*

But a match that I did see and would like to devote some space to was the match between Novak Djokovic and Lleyton Hewitt.

*

If we had seen the Djokovic of today playing against the Hewitt of his heyday, 2000-01, I think this would have been a really, really interesting match. As it was, it was pretty interesting. I don't know about the game, necessarily, but I think Hewitt certainly has the temperament to unsettle Djokovic. He's like a terrier. One of the things the Australian media always says about Hewitt is that he's a fighter, and I think it's certainly true. Much as I think he could use a personality transplant off the court, his doggedness on court is certainly an asset.

*

So if we'd seen that Hewitt of 2000-01, a Hewitt who'd been able to consolidate and cement those breaks of serve he had in the first two sets, I think this would have been a fabulous, fabulous match - and I think Hewitt would have come out on top.

*

Certainly Hewitt provided a sterner test for Djokovic than he's had in his first few rounds. I was gunning for Tursunov to get through - if he had, he would have met Djokovic in the third round, and that would have been very interesting - but alas, it was not to be. It will be really interesting to see how Djokovic fares in the quarters. He's playing Ferrer, who took out Ferrero in four sets. (It looked like a really good match from the stats - I wish they had shown it!) Now, Ferrer had a great year last year - a real breakthrough year, if you ask me. And in that year, Ferrer and Djokovic met four times.

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The result? They split it. Two each.

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They only met once in a Grand Slam - at the US Open, in the semis, where Djokovic won in straight sets. But at their last meeting, at the Tennis Masters Cup, Ferrer won in straight sets, 6-4 6-4.

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Now, in Djokovic's defence, he had a spectacularly awful tournament there. He lost to everyone. I think it's pretty safe to say he played too much tennis in 2007 and he was buggered by the time the Masters came around. But still, that doesnt take away from the significance of the match for Ferrer. Mentally, that should be a huge boost.

*

Confidence, for Ferrer, is really the issue, I feel. I haven't seen a great deal of his matches - he's never really made a huge impact at the Australian Open or at Wimbledon, which is basically the extent of the Australian television coverage - but, hey! maybe it's my psychic tennis skills kicking in again. Who knows? This guy once described himself as the worst top 100 player in history. He doesn't strike me as having that Djokovic/Tipsarevic brand of fearlessness. But when facing a higher-ranked player, he cannot be afraid. That is tennis suicide.

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I think Ferrer can win - and win easily - if he is not afraid. Federer once said, 'A man who wins is a man who believes he can,' and David could do worse than to take that advice!

*

So vamos, David! I would love to see him continue his great run. He made it to the semis of the US Open and the final of the Masters Cup - it'd be great to see him go through to the semis here. (There, of course, he will have to stop, due to extreme Federer presence, but I'd like to see him there!) And God, I want someone to put Djokovic in his place - or at least give him a scare. I appreciate that's he's a great tennis player, but he's just so... arrogant about it. I was so glad when he got that time violation warning last night. Nadal used to be just as bad in that area - sometimes he still is. Tennis should be about tennis, not about using the situations to your advantage. Like all those pretend injuries Djokovic has. That's not on. And if Federer comes out and says something negative about someone else - like he did about Djokovic and his injuries - then you know it's serious, because he hardly ever does anything like that.

*

But if Djokovic does get through to the semis... I hope Roger doesn't just beat him. I hope he spanks him, and spanks him good. Djokovic could be this year what Roddick was last year. Roddick's team were all like, 'yes, well, we're a huge threat,' and then Federer totally demolished him in that semi. So if Djokovic gets through, with all his big talking... I hope Roger flattens him like he did Roddick!

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Australian Open Results - Day 8

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Men's Draw

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Roger Federer def. Tomas Berdych, 6-4 7-6 (9-7) 6-3

Novak Djokovic def. Lleyton Hewitt, 7-5 6-3 6-3

David Ferrer def. Juan Carlos Ferrero, 7-5 3-6 6-4 6-1

James Blake def. Marin Cilic, 6-3 6-4 6-4

*

*

Womens Draw

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Venus Williams def. Marta Domachowska, 6-4 6-4

Ana Ivanovic def. Caroline Wozniacki, 6-1 7-6 (7-2)

Daniela Hantuchova def. Maria Kirilenko, 1-6 6-4 6-4

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Nadia Petrova, 1-6 7-5 6-0

Playing on one leg is quite tricky

Jelena Jankovic, I salute you

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I have a lot of respect for someone willing to play on one leg. Yeah, I know it's stupid on one level, because you can hurt yourself more and put yourself out for ages, but I think it shows a can-do attitude. If there's even the smallest possibility you can play, you should at least give it a try.

_

The best example of 'one leg playing' that I can think of is the Masters Cup final in 2005, that epic match between Nalbandian and Federer that went to five sets, even though Federer was effectively playing on one leg. A few weeks before? Crutches. And then he comes back from 4-0 down in the fifth set. He didn't win the match, but I reckon R-Fed probably won a lot of fans that day.

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Same deal with Jankovic today. No one expected her to come back out on the court after she had to retire in her singles match. But there she was in the mixed doubles, and she certainly held her own. She was fearsome at the net, and damn if she can't whack the ball hard... there was one moment when she lined up, took a shot at Clement at the other side of the net, and he fell over trying to get out of the way. So full cred to Jankovic today.

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That's one of the big differences between the sports and the arts, I find. Your body can get injured so easily. In arts, it's largely mental, and it's pretty hard to come down with something that renders you unable to think. It must be so frustrating for sportspeople. Their minds are fine. They can think up game plans till they're blue in the face, but their body lets them down. I can't imagine how utterly useless that could make you feel.

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Meanwhile, Hsieh Su-wei, blogging subject of a few days back, just won her match against Gisela Dulko, and I'm cheering!

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Today's Results

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Hopman Cup (Perth)

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Serbia def. France 2-1

Tatiana Golovin def. Jelena Jankovic, 0-1 ret.

Novak Djokovic def. Arnaud Clement, 6-3 6-3

Jankovic/Djokovic def. Golovin/Clement, 5-7 6-4 10-4 (match tie break)

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Chinese Taipei leads Argentina 1-0

Hsieh Su-wei def. Gisela Dulko, 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 7-5

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Mondial Australian Women's Hardcourts

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Nicole Vaidisova def. Tatjana Malek, 6-4 6-2

Dinara Safina def. Flavia Pennetta, 6-4 2-6 6-4

Patty Schnyder def. Francesca Schiavone, 2-6 6-3 6-4

Shahar Peer def. Julia Schruff, 6-0 ret.

Amélie Mauresmo def. Nathalie Dechy, 6-3 6-4

Li Na def. Monique Adamczak, 6-3 6-2

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ASB Classic (Auckland)

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Vera Zvonareva def. Sofia Arvidsson, 6-2 6-3

Maria Kirilenko def. Klara Zakopalova, 6-4 6-1

Katarina Srebotnik def. Yvonne Meusburger, 6-0 6-1

Lindsay Davenport def. Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6-1 4-6 6-0

Tamira Paszek def. Camille Pin, 6-2 6-3

Aravane Rezai def. Eleni Daniilidou, 7-5 6-4

Sara Errani def. Pauline Parmentier, 6-1 6-2

Marina Erakovic def. Ashley Harkleroad, 7-6 (7-5) 7-5

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Next Generation Adelaide International (Adelaide)

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Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Chris Guccione, 4-6 6-3 6-4

Benjamin Becker def. Michael Russell, 6-4 6-4

Michael Llodra def. Evgeny Korolev, 7-6 (7-3) 6-3

Joseph Sirianni def. Sam Querrey, 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-3

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Qatar Exxonmobil Open (Doha)

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Nikolay Davydenko def. Benedikt Dorsch, 6-3 6-0

Agustin Calleri def. Tommy Robredo, 6-4 6-4

Andy Murray def. Olivier Rochus, 6-0 6-2

Christophe Rochus def. Ivo Karlovic, 7-6 (7-2) 6-2

Dmitry Tursunov def. Albert Montanes, 6-2 7-5

Janko Tipsarevic def. Santiago Ventura, 3-6 6-3 6-4

Rainer Schuettler def. Andrei Pavel, 1-6 6-2 6-0

Stanislas Wawrinka def. Alberto Martin, 6-2 6-2

Nicholas Kiefer def. Sebastien de Chaunac, 6-4 6-3

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_

Chennai Open (Chennai)

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Rafael Nadal def. Mathieu Montcourt, 6-2 6-4

Robin Haase def. Marcos Baghdatis, 6-3 6-4

Carlos Moya def. Teimuraz Gabashvili, 6-4 6-1

Nicolas Mahut def. Denis Gremelmayr, 6-3 6-3

Werner Eschauer def. Bartolome Salva-Vidal, 7-6 (7-3) 5-7 6-4

Kristof Vliegen def. Marc Gicquel, 7-6 (7-5) 6-4

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez def. Alexander Peya, 6-4 6-4

Rajeev Ram def. Yuri Schukin, 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-2)

Lovro Zovko def. Thierry Ascione, 6-4 6-0

Alexandre Kudryavtsev def. Prakash Amritraj, 6-3 4-6 7-6 (10-8)

Marin Cilic def. Viktor Troicki, 3-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-1