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(AFP/Getty)
How dare you, sir. How dare you dispatch of my wonderful Gilly Simon 64 36 61 in Metz? Just because you look like a methed out raver doesn't mean you can go around and ruin all my hopes and desires. Boo on you. Boo.
Also in Metz: Nico Almagro got Schwanked and Dr. Ivo won after Baggy went down in a screaming heap after injuring his back during a serve in the second set. He was wheeled off in stretcher. Hope it's not too serious.
(AFP/Getty)
Venus came out firing today, demolishing ALG, 1 and 2. Nice solid performance by Venus. That's a statement win. And it looks like A-Rad has temporarily righted the ship, winning her first round match 3 and 2.
But generally, it was not a great day to be anyone who just played in Asia Domi, Agnes, The Cone, and Flava Flav all went down rather listlessly. Mono destroyed the wee Domi, 3 and 1, and Vika took out Agnes 75 63. Nice win for the screaming teenybopper. And watch out for the recently resurgent Nads. Something tells me she's goingt to take out a big name here, maybe Kuz in the next round.
OOP for tomorrow:
Center Court (from 13.00hrs)
1. Zvonareva vs. Hantuchova
2. Schnyder vs. Kuznetsova
3. Azarenka vs. A.Radwanska (NB 17.00hrs)
4. S.Williams vs. Li
5. Dementieva vs. Bammer (NB 20.30hrs)
(Yeah, I spit out my coffee when I saw this)
You gotta love the Chinese. They have no problem asking the tough questions. They straight up ask Ana whether she and Fernando are more the friends, and well...she blushes and kind of avoids the question. You can see the video here (you need to use Internet Explorer; click to 1:22).
Arguable whether she was avoiding the question, just saying they were good friends and really meaning that and nothing more, or just being Ana and giggling through a question about boys. But she was definitely blushing. My crack CSI team definitely deduced that one.
(Thanks to Ana's Forums for finding the video; Pic from Mens Tennis Forum)
Nevermind that Pistol Pete is a Republican, that much is weird in and of itself but for whatever reason, not all that surprising. As one of my Red State friends always says "If you're rich and you're not a Republican, you're a communist." Yeah, he's rich. And I'm actually kind of with him insofar as I could care less what athletes and celebrities say about politics.
BUT THE DUDE DOESN"T KNOW WHO TINA FEY IS??!?!? That's like saying you've never seen sunshine, puppies, and you hate America. I feel sad for you, Pete. Oh so very sad.
(I'm totally kidding folks. Pete was just messing around. This is just an excuse for me to post some T. Fey goodness.)
Is it just me or is it kinda weird that Tokyo gets a Tier II ladies' tournament and then only two weeks later, and another joint ATP/WTA tournament. It gets very confusing.
You know what's also weird? Ski Boots is the #1 seed on the ladies' side. She survived a bit of a scare from Gisela Dulko, recovering to win in three 46 60 63. Maybe that ugly petal dress does have mojo.
You know doesn't have mojo this week? Number 3 and 4 seeds Zheng Jie and MaKiri. Both had very strong runs last week at their respective tourneys and crash out this week in the first round against far less talented players, 61 62 and 46 62 75, respectively. Too bad.
The rest of the WTA results:
Yanina Wickmayer, Belgium, def. Iveta Benesova, Czech Republic, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
Camille Pin, France, def. Carla Suaraez Navarro, Spain, 6-0, 7-5.
Shahar Peer (6), Israel, def. Kimiko Date Krumm, Japan, 6-3, 6-1.
Rika Fujiwara, Japan, def. Petra Cetkovska, Czech Republic, 7-6 (6), 6-4.
Aleksandra Wozniak (8), Canada, def. Jill Craybas, United States, 7-5, 6-7 (2), 6-3.
Ryoko Fuda, Japan, def. Pauline Parmentier, France, 7-5, 6-2.
Jarmila Gajdosova, Slovakia, def. Mara Santangelo, Italy, 6-4, 7-6 (0).
Tamarine Tanasugarn (7), Thailand, def. Stephanie Dubois, Canada, 6-1, 6-3.
As for the boys, no major upsets here and the big boys won't hit the court until tomorrow (tonight U.S. time). Dudi Sela continued his quality play, beating Bjorn Phau 75 61 (unfair first round match!) and earning a second round match with Crazy Elf. Special Kei sent Robert Kendrick home and fellow American Donald Young also lost in three.
Roko Karanusic, Croatia, def. Hiroki Kondo, Japan, 6-2, 6-2.
Wayne Odesnik, United States def. Kevin Kim, United States, 6-4, 6-3.
Jesse Levine, United States, def. Danai Udomchoke, Thailand, 4-6, 6-1, 6-0.
Joseph Sirianni, Australia, def. Yuichi Ito, Japan, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Simon Stadler, Germany, def. Philipp Petzschner, Germany, 6-2, 6-4.
Yen-hsun Lu, Taiwan, def. Luka Gregorc, Slovenia, 6-4, 7-6 (5).
Flavio Cipolla, Italy, def. Ivan Navarro, Spain, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4).
Cecil Mamiit, Philippines, def. Brendan Evans, United States, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.
Bobby Reynolds, United States, def. Tatsuma Ito, Japan, 6-3, 6-1
The face of Asian tennis already has a three-year deal with Sony. Now Special Kei has signed an endorsement deal with Nissin Food Products, the maker of Cup o' Noodles, the sustenance of choice for college kids around the world.
From Tennis Week:
The 18-year-old Japanese has signed an endorsement and patch contract with Nissin Food Product Co. Nishikori will wear the "Cup Noodles" logo on his adidas shirt starting today at the AIG Open at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, Japan. Nissin manufacturers the popular Ramen instant noodle mix.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"I am glad to announce that I have signed a contract with Nissin Food Products Co., Ltd., Japan’s most famous food manufacturer," Nishikori said in a statement. "I have loved Ramen since I was a little boy. Even now that my life is based out of the United States I continue to spend a lot of time traveling around the world and often enjoy Nissin Noodles. Instant noodles is a food culture that Nissin Food Product Co., Ltd. has spread all over the world and always reminds me of Japan. Diet is a very important aspect of my life as a professional athlete and will be a key factor to my success as a tennis player. Through my relationship with Nissin Food Product Co., Ltd., I will be able to receive great nutritional advice and strong support regarding my diet."
As my college roommate would always say as she rested her notebook on top of the steaming hot styrofoam cup (you know, to create a tight seal for the lid as it steeps for the required three minutes), "It's brain food. And now I have more beer money." I argue the former point. Can't argue with the latter.
Though I will say this. If I ate a hot cup of Cup o' Noodles before hitting the court, I'd be throwing up noodles, peas, and corn almost immediately. That stuff is NOT good for you.
Project 45 did his new sponsor proud by winning his first round match at the AIG Open, beating Robert Kendrick in three sets. Go get em, Kei!
Not even a week has passed since Nanadoo made headlines and lit up the blogosphere "front page". But Masha, the marketing machine that she is, hopped into action and quickly got herself a boyfriend.
ALLEGEDLY, anyway:
That's Charlie Ebersol, Dick Ebersol's son. Dick Ebersol is the president of NBC/Universal Sports.
Uh, I don't buy it. She's a pretty private person. I don't see her doing a public unveiling like this.
I also refuse to believe that Masha would be attracted to a dude that wears THAT much gel in his hair and clearly exfoliates daily. I guess she and Baby E. DO have something in common.
UPDATED: Mainstream media is picking this up and it looks to be kinda confirmed. I'm surprised but happy for her (like she cares).
All kidding aside, it looked like a gorgeous wedding. I've always loved the black and red motif.
I agree with Diane over at Women Who Serve that Na Li might be the most dangerous floater these days. Her ranking just doesn't do her justice so she just goes into every tournament upsetting players for at least two rounds. In fact, I think you have to say that about both Na Li and Zheng Jie. The Chinese women just wreak havoc on the draw.
Na Li dispatched of the greatest young talent in all the world, Nikki V., 61 62. Not great for Nikki in her first tourney since the US Open. I just don't know what her deal is. Is she just content being a "journeywoman" tennis player and watching Radek all the time? She's strikes me as someone who gained such success without really "trying" early, and now, when things are hard, doesn't know how to deal or get out of it. That sucks because as much as I was giving Carlos Rodriguez crap, she really is a great talent. She's still young and maybe 2009 will be a fresh start for her. But for now, she's just a sorry player to follow.
As for the boys, Ernests came out on top in the battle of the young lanky cuties from Eastern Bloc countries, beating Super Mario in Metz, 76(3) 64. Aw...he's so cute!
China Open winner Andy Roddick is donating $25k of his winnings to earthquake relief in China:
"I would really like to contribute a part of my prize money to those families affected, to those who lost everything they had, suffered painful injuries or lost loved ones in the earthquake," he said.
"It's my great honor to be in Beijing to work with [the Chinese Tennis Association] to assist those kids who are in need. It is an athlete's privilege and responsibility to give back."
Obviously a very cool move by Andy, who has always put his money where is mouth is. I've never been shy about how I feel about his on-court, but I have nothing but love for the dude off-court. His charitable work through his foundation is really world class.
As an aside, the U.S. media coverage of the Sichuan earthquake has been embarrassingly non-existent. Even when it happened, other than a few days of horrible pictures, there hasn't been much else on it.
The numbers are staggering. 70,000 people died, 18,000 are still missing and at least 4.8 million people have been left homeless. 70,000. Think about that. That is insane and so ridiculously heartbreaking.
If you'd like to donate to the relief efforts there are a number of charitable organizations you can work with. I'm partial to the Red Cross, but that's just me.
I miss China already.
Men's Main Draw at the AIG Open in Tokyo.
Same top four seeds as we saw in Beijing, but this field is much deeper as the Bangkok draw seems to be here as well (except for Nole). JMDP and Jo-Willy are lurking and I have a feeling this will be an "upset" heavy tournament.
Unfortunately for Crazy Elf, he'll have to hit the ground running. He's got a second round match against he winner of the Dudi/Phau match, both of whom had very strong tournaments in Beijing. After that he'll probably have Niemenen before playing Ferrer in the quarters, if Ferrer can get there. Ferrer should get there fairly easily, with his toughest match being Bolleli in the third round.
As for Gasquet's quarter, you have to think he'll make it through to the quarterfinals, but can you really ever count on Baby Fed anymore? His quarterfinal opponent will probably be either Schuettler (who had a strong Bangkok tourney) or Bleeding Head Youzhny. I so want to book him into the semis, but I just can't.
On the other half of the draw is the tough half. In Gonzo's quarter he has Querrey California, Disco Tommy, and Big Berd. In A-Rod's quarter he's got Bangkok winner Jo-Willy, and Juergen Melzer. An A-Rod/Tsonga quarterfinal would be so fun.
I would probably put money on a JMDP/Jo final. The only question mark is whether Jo has the legs to compete at a high level at back to back tourneys. If not, then I'll say JMDP and A-Rod.
Ooh. This is gonna be fun. Serena and Elena are in the top half of the draw and the two hottest players, JJ and Dinara are in the bottom part of the draw. Serena hasn't played since the USO so everyone will be curious as to her form. And Lena took a week off after getting upset in Tokyo so we'll have to wait and see what her form is like also.
Luckily for Serena and Elena, the bottom half of the draw has all the hot players and is much much tougher than the top half. Serena has Kuzzie in her quarter, and Elena has the struggling A-Rad. As for Dinara, here's the pool of players she could potentially play: Venus, The Cone, ALG, and Flava Flav. And that's BEFORE the semis. JJ has Bepa, Domi, Dani., and Mono Bartoli in her quarter.
All this is to say, the streakers will need to play with conviction and confidence from the first match, whereas the question marks will have some time to play into the tournament.
My money is on a Dinara/Serena final.
A nice little weekend for tennis, I thought.
Let's start in China. Where it was 57 degrees at the start of the match. But JJ summoned the power of Burberry to steamroll Sveta, 63 62. Was there any doubt that JJ would win? As loyal Forty Deuce commenter CMS said, "Well since JJ can't get #1 with the title here, my money's on her." So true, CMS. So true.
There's nothing flashy about JJ's game to me, but it's just solid. Her game consists of getting balls back and not missing. She figures out how to get it done and one thing that I will always tip my cap to her for is her ability to read the game and construct points (unless under stress in which case she loses it a bit). JJ never looks like she's actually that fast but before you know it, she's on the ball. She anticipates really well in, in the way that Roger's quickness is very much tied to his anticipation.
Back to back finals for Kuzzie, so that's gotta feel good. But her finals record now goes to 1 and 11 over the past two years.
As for Andy, a really solid performance, winning 64 67 63. He was tested but he was serving well and playing his weird "power pusher" game. As for Dudi Sela, dude (hah!), you hung with the big boys this week. Good on you. Hope this win gives Andy some momentum going into the indoor season and the YECs.
Over in Thailand, revenge is sweet (though, I don't know WHAT is going on in that pic), as Jo won 76 64. Isn't it hard to believe that this is Jo's first singles title? Ever? I didn't see the match but given the scoreline, it looks like it was a really tight one that was probably decided by 2 or 3 key points.
Another tough runner-up loss for Nole, who is still working to recapture that swagger on the court that got him his first Grand Slam title. He's playing well, he just doesn't have that X-Factor that allows him to kick it up a notch. But it's always nice to see that smile (standing there with good buddy Paradorn Schiripan). Does anyone get the sense that Nole doesn't mind losing to people he likes? Maybe I'm just making it up in my head, but his recent losses to Muzzah and Jo come to mind.
Finally, in Seoul, the ugly Stella dress that hangs off Maria Kirilenko threatened to tag her with its bad mojo (though it looks great in that pic), but MaKiri recovered from dropping the first set to dominate the rest of the match, winning 26 61 64. Yay, Lil Mash!
Bonus: Ski Boots won a doubles title!
I've spent the morning watching the awesome Dirty Sexy Money marathon on Soap Network and ogling, i mean, Googling Fernando Verdasco. Here are some fast facts.
He used to not need any gel for his hair:
He has two sisters, Sara and Ana:
He's worked with Sven:
He's hit on Masha's Camilla Belle:
He likes koalas, just like Ana:
He dated Gisela Dulko (but really, who hasn't) and some hot Spanish model/actress: 
He looks like a cross between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lou Diamond Phillips:
And he's allergic to clothes:
So basically he's your typical tennis dude. I don't love him, I don't hate him. He just seems like the type of guy who knows how hot he is, which always rubs me the wrong way. But whatever. He's a hot piece of ass though that's for sure.
All power to ya, Baby E.
He looks like Ozzy Osbourne in that last one. I am super creeped out.
I like this JMDP better:
I don't like Anando or Nanando. They just don't roll off the tongue (heh, though Nando might...). So I am officially coining Nanadoo, though I doubt this little flirtation will be lasting very long.
But based on these pics from Great Tennis Photos, it looks like Nanadoo may have taken a little trip to the Great Wall:
Here's Ana (and I think that's Scott sitting down on the left and Gavin on the right, and I'm sure Moms is somewhere) and Nando hanging out in what looks like a hotel lobby. And then there's AI wearing the same outfit at the Great Wall later that day (fashion note -- love the purse).
No walls were penetrated during the trip. Heh.
It wasn't an easy day for the #1 and #3 seed, but in the end they survived their upstart challengers. JJ needed three sets to take care of the Bronzed Bepa, 64 26 64. Sveta ground out a tough two setter over Zheng Jie, 76(3) 75.
Dudi Sela continued his magnificent run to his first ATP final, beating Rainer Schuettler in straight sets, 63 63. He'll face A-Rod, who needed 3 sets to dispatch of the pesky Bjorn Phau, 62 67(4) 61.
And over in Thailand it'll be a rematch of the 2008 AO Final, as Nole and Jo kept to the script and pounded their semifinal opponents on the way to the final.
Jo handed fellow pastry, LaMonf, a bagel on his way to a 60 63 win, and Nole took out Big Berd 75 61.
Yesterday I gave the boys some Elephant belly. Today is all about the ladies. Click if you dare (NSFW).
UPDATED: Oh butt there's more (NSFWer).
I do feel bad for the guy in the same way I felt bad for Ana when those Mallorcan vacation bikini photos hit the web. But if you're a public figure you have to know this stuff is a possibility. Why do you think most professional athletes and movie stars are shut-ins?
Besides, when stalkerazzi pictures hit the web, you know you're big time.
So when are those naked JMDP photos going to hit the Argentinian wires? All they have to do is park their cars outside of gauloises' home.
Peter Bodo posted on our beloved Baby Beluga and her recent success. I'll be honest, it's kind of a confusing article. At least to me. Here's an excerpt:
And Safina has a lot - groundstrokes that are the equivalent of heavy artillery, a heavy serve, a newfound mobility that will only get better now that she's also been working on her fitness with retired Croatian world-class sprinter, Dejan Vojnovic. Although it's tricky to generalize, in my experience Croatians seem, well, very grounded, self-effacing, and realistic. Those are good qualities to bring to the mix for a girl who has been cloaked in conflicting emotions and unrealistic demands and expectations as if they were badly mismatched articles of clothing. Krajan and company have taught her an important lesson that might have been borrowed from a fashion expert: get rid of the red pumps declaring your emotional neediness and dump the sequined jean-jacket that is your ability to hit winners (and make terrible errors). Pick something that matches your complexion, trim a few pounds here and there, and dress yourself in a game that enhances your assets in a solid, simple, and tasteful way.
Um, I get what Pete's saying, but something about the way he says leaves me feeling...unsettled. Maybe it's his need to describe the pre-Berlin Dinara as basically a hooker from Jersey. Or his attempt to try and force this fashion analogy. I don't know. The ideas are fine, but the writing is just clunky. By the middle of that paragraph I was like "WTF is he talking about? Is Dinara Julia Roberts and Zeljko Richard Gere? Wait, Dinara's a hooker with a heart of gold? But who's Jason Alexander? Do I hear Roxette playing?"
I'm so confused.
Lil' Wayne is a tennis fan apparently. And he loves Rafa. From his blog at ESPN The Magazine:
Besides the Packers, my favorite teams are the Red Sox, the Lakers and the Boston Bruins. I also love tennis. I had a lot of people over to my place to watch the Wimbledon final this year, and we went crazy. I love Federer but Nadal is my favorite. He's the man. I love his motivation and his heart is big. He leaves it on the court. And when I found out he still lives with his family despite his success, that was it for me. That's unbelievable right there. That just goes to show you where his heart is at, how much love he has. So we were watching that match, and nobody thought he was gonna win. Everybody was telling me how he hadn't beat Federer on the hard court and he could only do it on clay but I never had any doubts. I knew his heart was gonna do it for him, and it did.
Is Rafa the tennis player of the people? I think there is an argument to be made that he's the Proletariat to Fed's Bourgeoisie. I know Fed fans will rail on me for saying that but I really don't mean that as a slight at all to Fed. He plays a beautiful, graceful, elegant game. I kind of feel like I should be sipping brandy and listening to Mozart when he plays. He never looks rattled, never looks like he's sweating, he's just...elegant. And to be fair, Fed has bought into this whole bourgie aura. Who wore black tuxedo shorts at the US Open, or a cashmere cardigan at Wimbly?
This is why I can see how Fed appeals to the tennis purist. He plays the game the way I think people imagine the game should be played. It's balletic, graceful, and effortless.
But it seems to me that Rafa is the "people's player". He works so damn hard and shows it through his intensity and effort. He's aesthetically a pure athlete, strong and explosive and hits the ball with brute force. I'm just talking about perception here, as obviously Fed is an incredible athlete as well. But Rafa looks like a football player who happens to play tennis. He brings that kind of fire to the court.
All this is to say, I'm really happy we have both of them. I think they appeal to different demographics and I do think that Rafa is good for the growth of the game. He makes tennis look like a physical sport, and that appeals to certain people, myself included.
Go ahead, flame me in the comments. Just my thoughts.
Seriously, was Hagsville all booked up with a Hats of the World conference? 
But check it out, Baby Baby Elephant, Laura Robson, is in the semifinals! On her way she's beat some quality opponents: Ursula Radwanska and Tzipi Obziler.
Heh. Check out the scoreboard.
You go, shrew!
According to her site, Maria and her team are officially shutting it down for the rest of the 2008 season.
Uh, yeah, we kinda guessed that, Masha.
But Masha, God bless her, takes time her blog this week to remind me why I love her: She's kinda funny and such a bitch!
The atmosphere is very united...most of the athletes here have similiar shoulder problems so we can all relate to each other even though most of them are 6'4 heavyweight muscular pitchers or quarterbacks (and I guess they're pretty darn good but since I never finished that Football For Dummies book, and the only football games I ever watch is when I mistakengly turn on a sports channel, I am so clueless to who they are and what exactly they do.)
...
Speaking of fall, I'm very ready for a few chilly evenings after being in the Phoenix heat for the last 6 weeks. You find yourself sweating profusely just getting in and out of the car. And they have these sprinklers coming out of the ceiling which I think are really unnecessary and only make the heat humid.Not to be mean or anything but because I've been taking more runs on the beach I have been blown away by the amount of people that walk around with that E.T looking stick, trying to find coins or whatever else they believe they might find in the sand. Let's be honest here...unless you're at Club 55 in St.Tropez, who in their right mind is going to be bringing expensive jewelry or lots of coins to the beach? Waste of time if you ask me. Not sure how much that stick costs but I'm assuming it would take a while before you're making any sort of profit.
...
Just a note on hospitals while we're at it...they are exhausting! Within the 30 minutes I was there visiting, about 5 different people walked in and out of his room checking charts, asking questions, making small talk. I'm all for tender-loving-care but if you're not coming in to give the person medicine and making him feel better, why bother? After all, the nurse call button is right next to his thumb if he needs any help.
Love. Her.
Get better! I really want to see Glam Slam 2.0 in Melbourne:
Over in Thailand, the top four seeds advanced, all in straight sets. Nole and Jo continued their romp through the field. Nole dispatched of Robin Soderling (Forty Deuce's most hated ATPer) 64 75, and Jo Willy took out Melzer 63 62. Big Berd and La Monf are also through.
He's pretty.
So, semifinals and order of play:
Monfils vs. Tsonag (1pm)
Nole vs. Berdych
Other than Baby E's ouster at the hands of homegirl Zheng Jie, the ladies seeds had a fairly routine day. JJ took out SuperGirl in two sets, 75 61. But you have to think that Dani has to be encouraged with her play this week. Two wins and she took the world #2 to 75 in the first.
And she forced JJ to put on some extra clothes. Now THAT is a victory in and of itself.
Kuzzi and Bepa also made through easily, Bepa handling a bagel and a chinese donut to Annabel Medina Guarrigues, 60 61.
As for the boys, it was a crazy day. Bjorn Phau, of "fastest man on tour according to Agassi" fame, took out the #3 seededGonzo, 63 46 63. This after Dudi Sela (heh, doodie) knocked out his second seed of the week, Disco Tommy, and Rainer Schuettler dispatched crazy head Reeshard 64 36 64. Nutty!
All this is to say, this yours to win Andy. He won his three setter over Juan Carlos Ferrero, 26 63 64.
So here are the semifinal matchups and order of play:
1. ATP: Sela vs. Schuettler (NB 14.00hrs)
2. Jankovic vs. Zvonareva (NB 16.00hrs)
3. ATP: Phau vs. Roddick (NB 19.00hrs)
4. Kuznetsova vs. Zheng
I'm really looking forward to a JJ/Kuzzie final, with Kuzzie finally breaking her sorry streak and actually winning a final.
Oh well. It was fun while it lasted. Zheng Jie toughed out a tight match, beating Baby E. 76(4) 26 64. It was a really tight match and Baby E had her chances, namely in the first set when she was serving for the set was broken fairly easily by Zheng. After bouncing back in the second, she gave Zheng an early break and though she kept fighting, she couldn't get the break back despite a number of chances to do so. All credit for Zheng for fighting through it because Ana did not go away. She kept the pressure on Zheng and made her hold and serve it out.
But there is a silver lining. Ana looked better than she has in the past few months. Her serve was off at times, which hurt her, but her movement looked good, her shot selection was generally spot on, and she was working her forehand pretty well. But it all came down to execution on key points and AI just couldn't shake the rust. And boy, Zheng was absolutely crushing the ball and painting the lines. Not much AI could do there.
But hey, she should still walk away feeling better about this tournament and her progression. She should also be disappointed because she had this match but just couldn't close it out when she needed to. But I think all in all, this was a positive tourney for her and she should go into Moscow with more confidence than she had going into Beijing.
Ok. I'm tired. And a wee bit drunk. So I'll stop now. I will simply leave you with this:
Tabasco was watching the match from her box. 
Insert "Nando in Ana's box" jokes here.
UPDATED: He was also watching her practice. Cree. Pee.
You're welcome, gentlemen.
Nole, still rocking that Adidas neon green (which I actually really like) won handily today in Thailand, 61 63. Unfortunately, three of the more hated players on the ATP (hated by me, mainly) also won. Big Bird beat Italian hottie, Simon Bolelli, Soderling, beat Gabashvili (no word on how sparkly Gabashvili was), and Melzer beat my boy Troicki. Boo on all of you. A curse on all your houses.
In the evening matches in Beijing, Gonzo and Reeshard advanced easily.
Lots of fun matches lined up for today: Zheng/Ivanovic, JJ/Dani, Domi/Kuzzie, Melzer/Jo, and Nole/Soderling. Juicy!
China Open OOP:
Stadium (from 12.30hrs)
1. Zheng vs. Ivanovic
2. ATP: Sela vs. Robredo (NB 14.00hrs)
3. ATP: Phau vs. González
4. Jankovic vs. Hantuchova (NB 19.00hrs)
5. ATP: Ferrero vs. Roddick (NB 21.00hrs)Court 1 (from 12.30hrs)
1. Cibulkova vs. Kuznetsova (NB 14.00hrs)Court 2 (from 12.30hrs)
1. Zvonareva vs. Medina Garrigues (NB 14.00hrs)
2. ATP: Gasquet vs. Schuettler (NB 16.00hrs)
Thailand OOP:
P Petzschner (GER) vs G Monfils (FRA) (12.00hrs)
J Melzer (AUT) vs J Tsonga (FRA)
T Berdych (CZE) vs N Mahut (FRA)
N Djokovic (SRB) vs R Soderling (SWE) (NB 7.00hrs)
Aww, what a nice player party. Players all dressed up, looking nice, mingling with important people....
Uh...is Agkul Ammandurova wearing a t-shirt???? Girl, at least put on a twin set or something. How does she not feel awkward? I really don't get it.
Ana wins. Wow. It's been a while since I've been able to say that. She took out the Cone (can we officially call her a clay court specialist, yet?)) 61 76(1), but don't let the scoreline fool you. Cornet actually served for the second set but dropped her service game to let AI back in. From all reports it sounds like a streaky win, but hey, we'll take what we can get, no? Besides, it looks like The Wee Fist Pumps of Fury are back:
Unfortunately, Ana's run (how long has it been since she's had a winning streak? Wimbledon?) will likely end tomorrow as she is set to play hometown girl Zheng Jie. Who knows, maybe Ana will be able to get her revenge, but I'm not feeling it. First of all, she's still wearing that two piece Edge outfit, so we know she's not long for this tourney (she's never won back to back matches in it). Second, Zheng is playing like a woman possessed. She beat Airon Woman, 61 62.
Sveta and Bepa also won their second round matches in straight sets. But there were a couple of upsets, though it's to the point where I don't even bother calling these upsets. Agnes' title defense ended, losing to Anabel Medina Guarrigues 62 62, and A Chak lost to Domi, 63 62.
Not a great day for Fila.
Meanwhile, on the men's side, top seed Daveeed Ferrer crashed out hard, losing easily to Dudi Sela, 63 63. Perhaps the adjustment from clay in Spain to hard courts in Beijing was a little too much for wee Daveed? Because Dudi has ZERO weapons to hurt a player like Ferrer. To lose like that is really surprising. Fellow Spaniard, and full-time Ana hitter-onner, Tabasco also crashed out to Juan Carlos Ferrero in straight sets. Tough day for the Davis Cup heroes.
The only other seed to have problems today was Querrey California, who lost to Bjorn Phau 57 63 64. Not a tremendouly surprising result though, as speedy players like Phau cause Sammy Q a lot of problems. That said, if Sam loses a match by that scoreline, you know he wasn't serving well.
Disco Tommy and A-Rod took their matches easily. Gonzo and Reeeshard still to play.
Who knew Muhammad Ali was so adorably cute? You just want to pinch his cheeks before he beats the shit out of you.
On the serious, though? Welcome back Jo-Willy. We've missed you. Imagine how amazing this year could have been if he were in the mix? Coming out of the AO, he was the most exciting, rejuvinating, "upside only" player out there. He was the original JMDP!
You made Maria Kirilenko, #1 hottie of the WTA Tour, look horrible! She looks like Courtney Love back in her Hole days. The only thing missing is a bottle of Jack and a cigarette.
To quote Rich from Down The Line: "I'm not even sponsored by adidas and I want to leave."
Disco Tommy, Rafa, and now Tabasco? At this point it's just comical. 
Hee. This collage of pictures just makes me giggle. All power to ya, Fernando. Oh, and Sveta, take a hint. Third wheel, much?
UPDATED: Seriously, Nando was spitting some SERIOUS game.
Dude! Baby Elephant's just trying to grub. Leave the girl alone!
But really, how was he supposed to resist this delicate non-asian flower?
UPDATED: Don't you love how Ana runs away from boys and JJ just strips around them?
The Serbian Sisters in a nutshell.
More pictures from the "Opening Ceremonies" of the China Open, which was decidedly less fireworky, gymnasticy, and lip syncy than the actual Opening Ceremonies. But it does look like the participants had way more fun (UPDATED with more pics):
And I normally don't post watermarked pictures on this site, but I just couldn't help it. This one just warms my heart:
The only mildly upsetting on the men's side in Beijing is Sam's weird limp-wristed hitting pose. It always cracks me up. But I guess it works because he won in a three sets over Jesse Levine, 16 62 76(4). Tabasco also won but the WTA is totally trying to keep him away from Ana. His next match is scheduled on Court 1 and will probably go at around the same time Ana's match goes on Stadium court. Wise move, Larry. Wise move.
OOP for today:
Stadium (1100)
1. Ferrer vs. Sela (NB 12.30hrs)
2. Evans vs. Roddick
3. Soeda vs. González (NB 19.00hrs)
4. Gasquet vs. Lu
Court 1 (1230)
1. Verdasco vs. Ferrero (after 3 WTA matches)
Court 2 (1230)
1. Minar vs. Robredo (after 1 WTA match)
Court 10 (1230)
1. Scherrer vs. Schuettler (after 1 WTA match)
2. Querrey vs. Phau
Over in Thailand, Jo-Willy continued his attempt to get back into the thick of things, gutting out a marathon match against Dlouhy 76(9) 36 76(1). La Monf also won.
Other results from Thailand:
J Nieminen (FIN) d. M Djokovic (SRB) 62 60 (yes, that Marco Djokovic!)
J Melzer (AUT) d D Young (USA) 63 63
V Troicki (SRB) d F Santoro (FRA) 76(4) 62
S Bolelli (ITA) d T Bellucci (BRA) 63 63
M Zverev (GER) d R Smeets (AUS) 64 64
Today's Matches:
N Djokovic (SRB) vs S Stadler (GER)
T Berdych (CZE) vs S Bolelli (ITA)
N Mahut (FRA) vs J Nieminen (FIN)
T Gabashvili (RUS) vs R Soderling (SWE)
J Melzer (AUT) vs V Troicki (SRB)
P Petzschner (GER) vs M Zverev (GER)
First of all, how frickin' cold was it in Beijing last night that the ladies were all playing in sweats and crap? Perhaps covering up did the body some good though as Dani gutted out a nice win over Touchdown Tammy, who had taken out Kata Srebotnik in the previous round. Weird scoreline: 61 06 75. Clearly Dani learned from the AO that losing a set at love means nothing. Nice to see SOMETHING positive came out of that.
I love this new fired up Dani! I've never seen her that pumped! Also, I REALLY like her visor. I don't know why. I just love that deep maroony red she's got rockin' on her noggin'.
JJ also carried on her trend of beating players she's supposed to beat, beating A-Woz 63 75.
Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) A-Rad was unable to avoid another disappointing top tier tourney, listlessly losing to homegirl Zheng Jie 62 63. With a game as varied and wily as A-Rad's, these results are particularly shocking. When the power players like Ana, Masha, Nikki V., even Dani., lose early, the results don't shock me because they have high risk games. But when A-Rad loses early, there's gotta be something wrong. She's like JJ. She shouldn't lose to players ranked below her. At least in my head she shouldn't.
OOP for today:
Stadium (from 11.00hrs)
1. Kudryavtseva vs. Kuznetsova
2. Cornet vs. Ivanovic (NB 16.00hrs)
Court 1 (from 12.30hrs)
1. Zheng vs. Sugiyama
2. Zvonareva vs. Schiavone
Court 2 (from 12.30hrs)
1. Chakvetadze vs. Cibulkova
2. Szavay vs. Medina Garrigues (following ATP match)
They're Just Like Us! They wear evening gowns and dance on tables and hang on chandeliers! That's just a another Friday night for me.
Masha has done a little spread for British Hello! magazine accompanied by an interview wherein she pretty much tells us everything we know already. See more pics and quotes from the article over at Down The Line.
Lessons learned from the feature? Rehab does the body GOOD. Take note, Amy Winehouse.
