I honestly didn't think when I posted that 2004 Zurich match yesterday that it would be foreshadowing things to come. It didn't even cross my mind. But here we are.
Baby vs. Venus tomorrow. Venus will have revenge on her mind for her Australian Open loss to Baby E. And Baby E will have revenge on her mind for her loss to Venus in Zurich four years ago. Should be saucy.
Here's what I find really intriguing about tomorrow's match. This will be the first time AI plays someone who at least mentally, she'll get "up" to play against. Her matches these past few months have all been against qualifiers and players she's supposed to beat. But tomorrow will be the first time she'll feel like she has something to prove and pride to play for.
Ana "gets up" to play against certain players. JJ comes immediately to mind obviously. But I do think Venus is another one. Her intensity and excitement during their AO 08 quarterfinal was palpable. It should be an intense affair.
And as CMS observed in prior comments, Venus is already giving Ana some bulletin board material:
Watch out, Venus. The last player to say they didn't remember playing Ana was JJ. And we know how that's turned out...
The other semfinal will be Flava Flav and AMG, who benefitted from a retirement from Vika in the second set. Looks like she strained a chest muscle.
Looks like both matches will be aired on Tennis Channel in the States, though they won't be live. They'll be airing at 1pm (Flav/AMG) and 3pm (AI/Venus) EST.
