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How's this for a performance. The Burrito took out Sophia Arvidsson 62 60 in 39 minutes in Memphis. Wow.
Dinara can get #1 if she wins Dubai and Serena loses before the quarterfinals (Thursday).
A very cool Q&A with Billie Jean King about the progress and prospects of and for gay athletes in professional tennis.
I'm so with her about needing the straights to get on board, be vocal, and help lead the fight. I have this very cool picture in my office of a bunch of people from my company during a Prop 8 demonstration in October. Gays and straights standing together holding a bunch of signs for equality. I have close friends and family who are gay and they can tell you that nothing gets me more heated in discussion than when I hear or see straight folks refuse to get into the fight and support our loved ones.
Ok that's a lie. I also get really heated when talking about I hate Robin Soderling. It's a close second.
Well a top seed fell in her first match and it wasn't the seed you'd think it was. Sveta. Wha? 6-0 in the third to Vezzy? Girl, you need to get right. Of course, we've all been saying that for years now I suppose.
Hard not to be happy for Vez, though. The 5th Wheel of the Russian Fed Cup team is really having a totally out of nowhere resurgence. As far as I know she didn't change coaches during the off-season or anything. It must be the Lacoste.
In the AO rematch, Ana got her revenge over the Kleyb, 75 64. It wasn't a pretty match, but Ana showed more than a few flashes of her old form. Her toss is still a bit wonky but she somehow served 13 aces, though from what I could see it was more fro Kleyb's inability to read her serve more than anything else. But it was a tremendously encouraging performance. She served her way out of trouble, her groundstrokes looked more solid, she moved well, and she was really aggressive at the net. And more importantly this was the first time in a while that I've seen her remain calm and confident in the face of adversity. She was up 3-0 in the first before Kleybs came back to level it. But I never sensed there was any panic and she just kept grinding away. Nice to see.
Two other seeds suffered surprising upsets. A-Rad lost to U-Rad 64 63 and Chakky lost to lucky loser Morita, 75 62. Sheesh. What is going on with those two?
In the super weird match of the day, Mono came out and bageled Ai, only to drop the second 46 and have to grind out the third, finally winning 8-6 in the tiebreaker. So she lives to fight another day.
Singles - Second Round
(Q) Elena Vesnina (RUS) d. (7) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 64 36 60
(8) Ana Ivanovic (SRB) d. Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) 75 64
Singles - First Round
(Q) Urszula Radwanska (POL) d. (9) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) 64 63
(10) Alizé Cornet (FRA) d. Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER) 64 61
(11) Marion Bartoli (FRA) d. Ai Sugiyama (JPN) 60 46 76(6)
(12) Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) d. Sorana Cirstea (ROU) 64 62
(14) Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) d. Andreja Klepac (SLO) 63 61
(LL) Ayumi Morita (JPN) d. (15) Anna Chakvetadze (RUS) 75 62
Monica Niculescu (ROU) d. Peng Shuai (CHN) 36 75 62
Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) d. (WC) Stefanie Voegele (SUI) 75 62
Virginie Razzano (FRA) d. Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) 75 62
Alona Bondarenko (UKR) d. Olga Govortsova (BLR) 64 63
Francesca Schiavone (ITA) d. Casey Dellacqua (AUS) 61 61
Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) 64 63
(LL) Camille Pin d. Agnes Szavay (HUN) 26 62 63
Hehe.
Congrats to Crazy Eyez Bepa, who held off a resurgent Sania to take her first title of the year, 75 61. Sania had her chances to get the break needed to win the first set but Bepa held her off. Very encouraging result for Sania though. That forehand is off the hook. Still inconsistent though.
Ugh. Can we please move to clay now?
Muzz took the Rotterdam trophy, beating a gimpy Rafa 6-3, 4-6, 6-0. From what I've read it wasn't a very fun match to watch, as both players were gimpy and cautious. Rafa called the trainer in the second set but decided to carry on, which of course wins him points in many people's books.
But still, a nice win for Muzz. Afterwards, he was very complimentary of Rafa, "It just
shows how he good he is that he can beat me on one leg." And Rafa was, well, Rafa: "I had a problem with the injury but I don't want to talk about that. Andy played very well today and he deserved to win the tournament. I am
very happy with my performance this week. I came here without the best
preparation after Australia, so it was a great result for me to get to the
final here and I am very happy with that."
The win gets Muzz even closer to the #3 spot. He's a little over 1000 points behind Nole, with Nole having to defend Indian Wells next month. Could we see Andy at #3 by the time RG or Wimbly come around? I don't think so, but it'll be an exciting race to watch.
"I have learnt a lot in the past six months. It was tough and frustrating, but now I have been enjoying my tennis once again. The injury after Wimbledon was frustrating. I couldn't practice for one month, and now as an after-thought I think I went to the US Open a bit too early and played there with just five days of practice. I've come to realise now that it doesn't work like that. After the French Open, I was not patient with myself. I wanted to get to the top again and immediately. But it's not like that. One needs to be patient and give oneself time to make lost ground. The win at Linz really helped. All the top players go through this cycle and I now realise that it is not about falling, but about rising from that fall. The past six months have been educative and I feel much stronger and confident now."
-- Ana Ivanovic during her pre-tourney presser in Dubai. For whatever reason, her use of "one" cracks me up.
God, what is it with the French and the drama?
Well Momo, you brought a lot of joie and smiles to the hearts and faces of many a tennis fan today. I dare say even Lena fans can't be all that mad at you. You fought it out, you weathered the storms, and in the end your talent overtook your headcasiness. Much deserved, woman. Welcome back to the top 20. This is her first title since 2007 and what a way to win it. Wins over JJ (#3), Lena (#4), and A-Rad (#10) on her way.
As for Lena, what was up with her weirdness today? She was acting way more exasperated and emotional than compare to her entire stint in Australia. Was the it the presence of Mama Vera? Was it her frustration because she thought this was an easily winnable match? I mean, you blew a 4-2 lead in the first set, had match set point in the tie-breaker, and after battling Amelie back in the second set, you still couldn't close it out. Lena just could not deal with the variety off Amelie's racquet. Heck, this might not have been as close a match if Momo didn't muff a bunch of easy backhand volleys.
Anyway, Lena will look for redemption in Dubai. Momo on the other hand has withdrawn. She would have had to hop on a plane and be prepared to play tomorrow.
With Muzz's withdrawal due to a foot injury, the draw is anchored by Nole and Gilly.
Nole's got the tougher road. He has an easy run to the quarters where, hopefully, he'll play Marat. Cross your fingers and cross your toes, people. Then he'll probably have to go through Jo in the semis. Not an easy task.
The other half of the draw is a complete crapshoot filled with eight Frenchmen (methinks that's not a coincidence). Gilly has a tough first round match with Dimitrov, who pushed Rafa to three sets last week. He's also got four Frenchmen in his quarter alone, including Reeshie. The other quarter is completely wide open, with La Monf and Big Berd leading that group. Anyone could come out of this half.
Well this is a whole lot of bullshit. All the hoopla surrounding Shahar Peer possibly playing Dubai is all for not. The UAE has denied her Visa request:
"We are deeply disappointed by the decision of the UAE denying Shahar Peer a Visa that would permit her to enter the country to play in the Dubai Tennis Championships," WTA chairman and CEO Larry Scott said in a statement. "Ms. Peer has earned the right to play in the tournament and it is regrettable that the UAE is denying her this right."
"The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour believes very strongly, and has a clear rule and policy, that no host country should deny a player the right to compete at a tournament for which she has qualified by ranking," Scott said. "The Tour is reviewing appropriate remedies for Ms. Peer and also will review appropriate future actions with regard to the future of the Dubai tournament."
Kinda odd considering, oh I don't know, the fact that SHE WAS GRANTED A VISA TO PLAY THERE LAST YEAR. Hmmm...I wonder what's changed since then?
I would love to hear what the UAE's defense is. It wouldn't shock if me they claimed that she was a security risk, insofar as they were "worried" as to what would happen if she played there and that denying her a visa "is for her own protection." Or will they own up to it and admit that it's political? Who knows.
Apparently under the rules the WTA could cancel the tournament based on the tournament director's "failure" to secure a visa for all the players. But the WTA has, not surprisingly, chosen not to do so. And I have no doubt that the tourney directors knew the WTA wouldn't take it out on them anyway. I mean really, what repurcussions, other than canceling the tourney, would hurt them?
You stay classy, UAE.
19 aces
1 Double fault
78% first serve
81% first serve points won
103 to 101 total points won
And you lose? Oh wait...
1 of 11 break points converted.
Ah, there it is.
Worms and Fishes tomorrow in San Jose. Enjoy.
So Ski Boots draws Snot Rocket in the first round. That's just harsh. Word is that The Rocket was offered a main draw wild card but refused it, opting to qualify instead so she could get a few matches under belt. Hard core, yo.
Speaking of Boots, is she the new A-Rad? Avoiding all the big tournaments and playing the tiny ones? She played Auckland instead of Brisbane, Pattaya instead of Paris, and now Memphis instead of Dubai. Odd, no? And heck, if she gets booted (heh) in the first round by Dokic she'll have earned fewer points than she probably would have had she just played Dubai.
Hilariously they've got the US Fed Cup team in one quarter, with Melanie Oudin opening up against Jill Craybas. The Burrito is also in this quarter, which is anchored by Brit #1 AKO. Could be fun.
The other half of the draw is anchored by Vika and Sabine. Could it be that in 2-3 years Vika and Caro will be anchoring Premier draws? These two are bound to keep bumping into each other and they both have the potential to win Slams. That could be fun.
And what's this? Alexandra Stevenson got a WC into this tournament? Have fun, crazy girl!
Both Muzz and Rafa had fairly straightforward wins today, setting up an opportunity for Rafa to exact his final revenge in the final. The odds are heavily in his favor too, as Muzz has withdrawn from Marseille due to a minor right foot injury. That said, he dispatched of Average Mario 1 and 2 in a little over an hour.
Muzz. Always the entertainer.
Rafa on the other hand needed about two hours to take out an ill Monfils, 64 64. Then again, if you factor in how long Rafa takes between points, that's really a 45 minute match. Monfils had some sort of virus and apparently threw up in the middle of his match yesterday.
Feel the love, Amelie. Feel it.
It's Valentine's Day. Momo's wearing red. And she's in the City of Love.
Was there any way this wasn't going to happen?
62 06 61. That was the scoreline of Momo's quasi-demolishing of JJ in Paris this morning. She was (second set notwithstanding) effervescent. Amazing movement and just flawless play. I thought my eyes were deceiving me. As for JJ, she wasn't playing horribly, but she's definitely missing more shots these days, which her game can't afford.
She'll face Lena in the final, who won in a walkover when Serena withdrew with a bum knee that she claims got tight during her match with Loit. WTF? Serena. Withdrawing to protect herself for Dubai? To protect ego? Cuz she just didn't feel like playing Elena? What's going on here? Muzz has a bum foot an has withdrawn from next week's tourney in Marseille. Doesn't mean he's withdrawn from the final in Rotterdam.
Whatever. It's no use trying to get in that girl's head.
Look who else had a nice run this week. Welcome to the finals, Sania! She beat Rybarikova 64 57 61 and will face Bepa in the final.
First Gonzo at AO, now Jo. It seems Rafa's going all Kill Bill on the ATP, taking hard court revenge left and right. Rafa gutted out a tough three set win over Jo, 64 67(5) 64, to reach the semis in Rotterdam. Next up, La Monf and a chance to avenge his loss in Doha earlier this year.
Perhaps avenging his loss to Muzz at the USO is on the agenda too? You might want to put some padding around your heart area, Muzz. Rafa's a comin'.
The other semi sees Better Than Average Mario against Muzz, who has quietly made his way through this tournament. For some reason he was tested today by Gicquel, eventually winning due to the a left groin injury sustained by Gicquel in the third. This was tough one that really could have gone against Andy, but he found his way through, winning 76(2) 46 30.
OOP for Saturday:
1. Mario vs. Muzz (2:00pm)
2. Rafa vs. La Monf (7:30pm)
Momes! Where you been, dude?
It brings a smile to my face to see her into the semis of a Premier tournament. And she's not really scrapping her way through. By all accounts she's been fairly spectacular and the beautiful all court game is back. I mean, she just beat A-Rad 2 and 0. Jigga what?
But does she have enough to beat a semi-struggling JJ? Yet another three setter, this time against The Cone, who seriously should be considering some seppuku with the way her year has gone so far. She took the first set off JJ 75 and went on to drop the next two 64 64. That is rough. But maybe she took just enough out of JJ to even up the match with Momo tomorrow. Those Frenchies. Loyal to no one but each other. And even then, not so much.
Just a quick thought on JJ. Wasn't all that strength and conditioning work she did over the off-season supposed to amp up her game so that she wasn't playing these ridiculous three setters? Much like Rafa, she's such a grinder that she really needs to get off the court in the early rounds to save her body over the long haul. Tourneys like this one aren't good for her. Not that she cares. It's not like this is a European tournament.
Oh wait.
The other semifinal will see BFFs together again. These two just can't get enough of each other. They've both been rolling through their draws but I'm going to give the edge to Lena. Why? Because she has the game to frustrate Serena and this isn't a Slam so she won't get all nervy and wuss out.
But we gonna see.
Scores:
(1) Serena Williams (USA) d. (Q) Emilie Loit (FRA) 64 61
(2/WC) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. (5) Alizé Cornet (FRA) 57 64 64
(3) Elena Dementieva (RUS) d. (WC) Nathalie Dechy (FRA) 63 62
(8) Amélie Mauresmo (FRA) d. (4) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) 62 60
One of the more embarrassing things that I have to admit to (and that's saying a lot) is that I have seen James Blunt in concert. Not just once, people. Twice. And was in the vicinity of his concert at Coachella. Mind you, I was sitting under the tent next to his tent and making fun of all the people who were crammed in there to sing "You're Beautiful". In my defense, I went to see The Blunt in SF because Boy Least Likely To opened for him (yes, I'm THAT twee). And not even The Blunt will stop me from getting my BLLT fix.
Where was I? Ah yes.
So apparently The Blunt, who has the retarded habit of hooking up with hot women, really wants to meet our Baby E. So much so that he specifically requested/asked/put on his rider that she attend his concert in Belgrade on February 23rd.
No, dude. Just...no. Leave her alone. Why am I so infuriated by this? Because you know she would TOTALLY melt if he crooned that stupid ass song to her. I bet you he speaks some Serbian too, what with his time in Kosovo and all (though he's going to have do a hell of a lot of convincing seeing as how he was there doing recon on Serbian targets for the NATO bombing campaign -- though, if you thought people were pissed at her dating a Spanish dude, imagine the uproar if she actually were to date this guy). Oh yeah, he lives in Ibiza, which ain't all that far from Mallorca. Damn you, Blunt! Well played.
Then again, what am I really worried about? He is neither tanned, swarthy, or Spanish. So good luck, weird looking, pasty, almost 15 years older than her wee English dude.
Well, there will be no Boots/Bepa final in Pattaya. Caro got dusted by Rybarikova 4 and 1.
Huh? Sad.
Meanwhile, Bepa is into the semis with an easy 2 and 3 win over Peng.
Fun times at the SAP Open last night. Of course, it could have been a lot more fun if Ernie didn't serve like a moron, but whatever.
Love All and I sat third row courtside, right by the player's entrance. The row in front of us was empty and a number of players came out to watch and sat right in front of us.
We were right behind Canas and Ginepri, and Haas and Querrey also hung around. That was kinda cool.
The matches were drama filled for stupid reasons, primarily related to the poor line calling. Elf went a little nuts on the umpire in the second set, slamming his racquet into the padding by the umpire's chair. He then went off to sulk at the back of the court. Sensing this as my moment, I yelled "Vamos!" pretty loudly (there weren't that many JMDP fans in the arena) . All of a sudden Elf started spouting off in Spanish for a good 15-20 seconds. I have no idea what he said but I'd like to believe that my well-timed "Vamos!" instigated it.
Elf is damn impressive to watch live. The kid is tall and not as lanky as he seems on TV. He's seems sturdier. And boy can he cover the court. I have no idea how he doesn't trip over those legs of his, but it's impressive.
As for Ernie/Andy, it really came down to Ernie just serving like crap. Couldn't get a first serve in to save his life in the first set, and he couldn't get a second serve in a few times, throwing in back to back double faults eary in the first set. Twas a real shame he couldn't make more of a match of it. There were about 4 of us in the crowd rooting for him. Again, I got a lot of weird looks from the people sitting around us whenever I cheered for Ernie.
Andy was Andy. His serve is ridiculous when you're sitting that close. Seriously, you can't see the ball.
The Andy/Ernie match ended on a weird note. Andy served an ace that Ernie thought was out. They had some words at the net and kept glaring at each other while they were packing up their things. During his post-match interview Andy was asked what was said, to which he replied "Pleasantries. You know it's Valentine's Day" or something to that effect. Charming to some I'm sure. Not to me.
You're not as funny as you think you are, Andy. Just sayin'.
Capped off the night with a nice In 'n Out run. Fun times. Hopefully, depending on who makes the semis and final, I'll make it down there again this weekend.
Here are links to the rest of the pics:
http://tinyurl.com/am5fny
http://tinyurl.com/d3vkre
http://tinyurl.com/ajkjdr
I hope they work. Let me know if they don't.
Here were the scores out of San Jose:
[1] A Roddick (USA) d E Gulbis (LAT) 63 76(3)
[2] J Del Potro (ARG) d K Nishikori (JPN) 62 62
[3] J Blake (USA) d F Serra (FRA) 64 63
[5] M Fish (USA) d [WC] J Isner (USA) 62 67(4) 75
[6] S Querrey (USA) d D Gremelmayr (GER) 63 62
[Q] T Widom (USA) d T Dent (USA) 67(5) 63 62
That's a lot of red, white and blue.
What's up with JJ? Three sets to beat a super rusty Na Li? I mean, I know the Chinese are Serbian Kryptonite but this is getting a bit ridiculous. I'm glad she won and everything (I really want a match with ReRe) and snapped her 5 match losing streak to Li, but is something up with her form? She has yet to look particularly impressive this year. Then again, I'm not sure I've ever seen a match where JJ looked "impressive". Maybe just solid and consistent. *Shrug* Anyway, she'll face The Cone tomorrow.
Over in the other side of the bracket, a certain #1 is destroying the field. Today's victim, Karolina Sprem, who lost 1 and 2.
At some poing I'm sure I'll start to initiate some sort of French backlash. But for now it's nice to see them winning on both tours. The Cone may have gotten herself back on track with a comeback win over Dani, who is starting to develop a nasty habit of dropping matches wherein she dominates in the first set. And how about the Frenchy old-timers? Dechy beat Patty in three and Momo DESTROYED Niculsecu 1 and 2. How can that not warm even this Francophobic heart?
(1) Serena Williams (USA) d. (Q) Karolina Sprem (CRO) 61 62
(2/WC) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. Li Na (CHN) 60 36 62
(3) Elena Dementieva (RUS) d. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) 64 62
(5) Alizé Cornet (FRA) d. (WC) Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 16 64 62
(WC) Nathalie Dechy (FRA) d. (6) Patty Schnyder (SUI) 36 64 63
(8) Amélie Mauresmo (FRA) d. Monica Niculescu (ROU) 61 62
Well helllooooooooo, nurse.
Grigor Dimitrov, a teenage wild card cutie from Bulgaria, pushed Rafa to three sets and really impressed until he started to run out of steam and start cramping. Apparently Grigor is part of the Adidas Player Development Program. At least, I assume so because Sven was watching him in Rotterdam.
Nice that he put on a good show. Even nicer that Rafa was able to pull it out. From all reports it sounds like Rafa's not keeping the best form in Rotterdam. I still think he'll make it to the finals though. The boy just doesn't quit.
No no no, Mario. The cape goes on your back. No...like, you tie it...oh nevermind.
Super Mario made a rare appearance today, upsetting #4 seed Gilly in three sets, 64 36 63. It's ok, Gilly. You're still fun to look at, especially with your new bed head look. Cat sound.
Here are the rest of your scores:
[1] R Nadal (ESP) d [WC] G Dimitrov (BUL) 75 36 62
[2] A Murray (GBR) d A Seppi (ITA) 76(4) 75
M Ancic (CRO) d [4] G Simon (FRA) 64 36 63
[5] G Monfils (FRA) d M Llodra (FRA) 64 64
[7]J Tsonga (FRA) d D Tursunov (RUS) 76(6) 62
[LL] M Gicquel (FRA) d P Mathieu (FRA) 64 63
