Forty Deuce

"I give up."

Pavs and Nails...nail it.

Pic This: When In Rome...

The C-Listers (Pavs, Rybar, Petkovic, and Nails) got together and made some sushi rolls that are the size of your face.  Seriously, I'm pretty sure those rolls are bigger than most people in Japan.  They look fuckin' good though.

Hilariously, of all the promo pics coming out of Tokyo, this one actually has a collection of players who are still in the tournament.

Love that Pavs is rocking the sushi chef sweatband.  She's conscientious like that.

Mom On A Mission

Bring. It.

Kim demolishes Nails 62 64 and books her spot in the semis. 

Week 2 should be interesting, folks.

For Real.

Ok.  You got me Kim.

Fantastic win for Kimmy today, as she bageled Venus in the first and then rebounded from getting bageled in the second to take the match 64 in the third.  So America is denied its chance to see another glorious Williams v. Williams "real final" match.  Boo hoo.

It would be awesome if Kim could take out the Williams clan.  But she's gotta deal with Nails first, who took out Viko Killer Tranny in straights..  And that is never an easy task.

Bepa's Madonna Arms Get It Done

Nice win for CanWoz at the expense of Momo.  64 60?  What happened, Amelie?

 

Nails did what she does, bitchslapping the ever annoying Burrito, 61 63.  Nice to see Nails back in form after her injury.  Keep it up, China!

 

And finally, in Badassery news, Flavia double-bageled Sania and Bepa came back from dropping the first set to Chakky to double 'sticking her.  Kudos, ladies.

Clearly All That Fashion Was Weighing Her Down

Gotta love it.  MaKiri actually wins a match but now that she's no longer wearing Stella there are no pictures of it anywhere.  But at least she won.  Bethanie, Cone, and Chak all crashed out *and* there are no pics of them. 

But now let's not wallow in the negative.  Let's give some love to some of my favorite B-Listers:

Melanie Oudin notched a three set win over #29 seed Sybille Bammer.  Well done, kid.

Wimbledon frontrunner, Slammin' Sammy Stosur, needed three sets to take out Bethanie.  Sad that B-Matt had to take one for the team here but, "Sammy Sammy Sammy, Oi Oi Oi!"

And Nails kept it classy in covering up her tat and tossed a bagel Voskoboeva's way. 

Go China!

Bizarro Week Flummoxes Carrie: WTA Edition

Okay, so, it has to be done.  We all know it.  Think of it as ripping a Band-Aid off.  Do it fast and don't think about it anymore.  So, as fair warning, I will cover the matches in the following order, in what I think is the order that FDers would prefer to read about them.  This way, you can see the least offensive one first, and then if you want to comment, just click and scroll to the comment box without even looking at the other ones.  At least... that's how I'd do it.  So: Dina/Aravane, Masha/Nails, Domi/Agnes, and then... well, you know.  Just up front, I only saw Dina/Aravane and That Other One.

(I'm trying, y'all.  I am.  I don't know what to say about any of it either.)

Dinara d. Aravane: Yeah, this one still fits into Bizarro Week, IMO, because I still am not convinced that (Pavs match aside) Dinara's been playing all that well.  Today her serve percentage dipped and she had a negative winners/UE ratio.  Still, it's obviously impressive that she can play at maybe 70-80% and absolutely demolish people; it's been a good show and points to some real mental maturity on Dina's part.  Aravane tried to whack the ball around, but Dinara seemed content to put the ball in play and draw the errors from her, showing a patience that she didn't previously possess.  She said in her presser that she knows she can play better, and she thinks she will once she is really pushed by an opponent; she's an experienced (if inconsistent) competitor and seems quietly confident at this point.  Still, the possibility is out there that not having been challenged thus far will hurt her when she needs to step up-- presumably in the quarters against Azarenka, who's been plenty tested and come through.

Masha d. Nails: From the stats, this match looked kind of messy, and no wonder: the "Cow on Ice" who's still not really in match shape, vs. Nails, who is not exactly a clay court specialist herself.  But all credit to Maria-- even not being a fan, it's impossible not to admire her for gritting her way through this tournament.  It's not been easy, and it's not been pretty, but there it is.  Every time I think that she'll surely lose her next match, there she is, so I'm sure she could not possibly be happier with how her first Slam back has gone.

Speaking of not easy and not pretty... (Yes, people, I am handing you the "not easy" joke.  I know people need coping mechanisms.)

Domi d. Agnes: If Masha/Nails looked messy from the stats, this one looked like an absolute disaster.  A combined total of 66 UE and only 17 winners?  Ouch.  Without seeing it, all there is to be said is that they both must have been nervous wrecks.  And of course Agnes having a post-big match letdown is nothing new.  Anyway, not a trainwreck anyone wants to stare at for long.  Moving on...

Yeah.  Sorry.

Vika d. Ana: Vika played well, especially in the first set and a half.  Her serve percentage was somewhere in the low 80s, which is obviously excellent.  But the major story was that Ana looked terrified.  Despite her impressive play in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, today she looked as if-- once matched against an opponent who was a real threat-- she had absolutely no belief that she could control the match.  She had some spots of good play, particularly in the first half of the first set and the last half of the second, and there were some excellent rallies in those portions of the match.  But mostly, she looked scared.  Tentative shotmaking, overhitting, that toss... it's heartbreaking to watch an athlete who's obviously battling herself as much or more than she's battling her opponent, and that's what Ana looked like today.  As for the reports of neck pain and dizzyness, hopefully it's nothing serious and can be taken care of relatively quickly.  

See?  Not so bad.  I hope.  And now it's done.  Move along, everyone.

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'...

I really kind of meant it in a "lookit all those straight set wins" kind of way, but then I found this...

... and this...

Ha.

That, of course, is the pride of Great Britain, taking a dive on his way to a tough 4-set victory over Potito Starace.  It's a good sign that he could tough out a win on a surface he's clearly uncomfortable on, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that RG 2009 is not where Muzz is going to have his Grand Slam breakthrough.  His next match, where he'll face either F-Lo or Tipsy, could be a real struggle for him.

Back to all those straight setters... Nando, Gilly, Marin, Gonzo and Victor Hanescu (okay...) are all through to the third round in straight sets.  Nando, Gilly, Gonzo and Marin had almost absurdly easy times of it out there, with Gilly in particular picking up speed as the match progressed.  Good for him, it would be great for him to be able to turn around his season a little at his home Slam.  Arnaud Clement, C-Roch and Nico Almagro are through in 4, the latter meaning that-- of course-- we must say goodbye to Ernie.  Oh Ernie.

On the women's side, Kristina Barrois is gunning for my personal "least favourite person" award for failing to take out Vika, even after being up two breaks in the first.  Oh well.  Agnes had an impressive 0 and 2 win over Lena V and Nails also had a competent win (1 and 4) over Timea Bacsinszky (known to me as the only player who wears more makeup than JJ).  The Cone managed to finish off her match from yesterday in 2, so good for her.  Pavs is also through, headband and all, in two sets over Julie Coin.

(Sorry for the rushed, picture-free quality of this post; I've got my goddaughter the rest of the day and somehow her mother didn't think "watch TV with Aunt Carrie" was the best idea for an activity.  Bummer.)

Survival Is The Name Of The Game

Was it pretty?  No.  Does any Ana fan really care?  Nope.

A win's a win these days and though Errani had her chances, in the end Ana's bigger weapons (namely her forehand) brought her through.  Iffy serving, a nervy backhand that fell short, and some poor decision making on key points made the match closer than it should have been.  But all credit to Errani.  She played well.

My take?  Her forehand's in good shape and with that weapon alone she should be able to get to the fourth round.  I really expected her to spray that thing all over the place but she's got a good measure of it.

In non-elephant related news, Bad Ass Nails was the first woman into the second round with a 4 and 2 win over Marta Domachowska. 

And Pavs wiped the floor with Olaru, 3 and 2, and TImmy gutted out a three setter to beat Loit, 64 46 61.

As for the men, nothing too notable quite yet, though Rendy Lu retired in the first set of his match.  Maratski and Marin seem on their way, Lleyton is coming back against a tired Dr. Ivo, and Fer just took the court against Serra.

Grumpiest Opening Ceremonies Ever

Come on, Ladies.  You don't even have the jet lag excuse. 

And don't get me started on what Viko is trying to work there.  I know you're really excited to wear non-Dri-Fit clothes but that's not an excuse to wear every single piece of non-workout clothes you have.  That's at least 14 pages of InStyle crammed into one look. 


Heh.  Caption it in the comments.

Someone Got A New Phone For Getting #1...

Dina rocks the pink and shows off her awesome new phone in Munich while preparing for Stuttgart.  I sure hope she's not reading FD.  Talk about potential for enduring psychological drama.


All was well and there was much smiling.  So nice to see.


But what's this?  She was hitting with sworn enemy Na Li?  Has the new tennis #1 gone diplomatic?
Who does she think she is,  Bepa?


Me thinks Nails ain't having any of it.

Good luck to Dina in Stuttgart.  It sure would be nice if she won her first tournament at #1. 

Which of course means it won't happen. 

Don't Even Bother, Chinese Government. She Owns.

Nails speaks out against the Chinese system:

Li, China's second highest ranked player at 31 in the world with career earnings of over $1.6 million, said she would never have even pursued tennis if sports chiefs had not forced her to.

"If I had an opportunity to choose what I wanted to do in childhood, I wouldn't have gone for tennis," Li told the China Daily newspaper.

"It is a sport that I was always pushed to do, first by my parents, then provincial and national sports administrators."

China's leading female tennis players broke ground last year by escaping from the administrators that had previously governed their careers, and Li called for athletes in other sports to enjoy similar freedoms.

"I love what it is right now. In the past, national or the provincial sports administrators arranged everything for you and you had no options but to follow their arrangements," said Li, aged 27.

"It is very important for us to have the right to choose. I really mean it."

China's top-ranked female tennis players only won the right to manage their own careers and keep a greater share of their prize money after repeated protests.

Peng Shuai, ranked 35, had threatened to quit the national team unless their demands were met.

Since abandoning the state-supported system, Li has returned from a knee injury and climbed back into the world's top 50 while compatriot Zheng Jie has achieved a career-high ranking of 16.

Nails rules.  There's never been any question about that.  To have the balls to speak out against the system and against your communist government, especially as a woman, is courageous stuff.  You have to wonder what she's got on the government that prevents them from coming after her. 

Guess #1: The real birth certificates of the ridiculously underaged Chinese gymanasts.

Guess #2: Proof that Yao Ming is a robot.

Guess #3: The Chinese handbook entitled "Shit we have to cover up before the westerners get here for the Olympics but don't worry we'll revert back to it as soon as they leave."

Tougher Than Nails

Augh.  Is Miami done yet?  Can we get away from all these dorktastic hats please?

Serena did her not-so-BFF a favor by finally getting it together in the end to outlast a valiant effort by Nails.  Serena's clearly concerned about her slow starting this week, but as we all know when the Crazy Re gets on her head on straight she's darn near unstoppable.  She singlehandedly took care of the Chinese Fed Cup team this week, but not before the little China girls landed some body blows and gave her a bit of a scare. 

On to face Venus, assuming that Venus can get past Benesova.  Oh and don't get me started on the fact that Serena knew Iveta's name, but Dina's just "that other girl."  God, between her dog twittering during changeovers and her weird/awkward/awesome/unfortunate pressers, she's...something.

This is my favorite bit from her presser:

How would you grade your play in the first set?

SERENA WILLIAMS: If I was in school and I was like the professor and I had to give myself a grade, I would give myself like an 8% out of 100, which is failing.

Cheeky Monkey

Nails spends the day at the zoo.  Hilarity ensues.  I was laughing for a good 5 minutes.

Pic This: Nails Is Bad Ass. That Is All.

I mean, who gets a tattoo *there*?

Na Li.  That's who.  She scoffs at your western tattoo conventions.

Pic This: It's Friday, I'm In Love

 

Pic This: Na Li Is Hardcore.

"Headband? Check. Racquet? Check. My Game? Oh, Shit."

(AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle)
Wow.  What a weird match.  Serena force feeds Na Li a bagel in the first set, Li beats ReRe back with a breadstick in the second, and then that's when it got wild.  Li broke Serena in the third and actually had 3 match points against ReRe's serve at 3-5.  Serena ends up holding.  Then, with Li serving for the match, Serena has triple break point to even it up.  But she goes on to lose five straight points, giving Li the win.

(TennisForums)
Part of the craziness?  This ace which was successfully challenged by Li in the decisive game and ultimately helped her dig out of that 0-40 hole.  It was in by barely a millimeter.

(AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle)

Huge win for Na Li who has now beaten both Williamses this year.  And I have to say, that was quite the steely performance.  To fail to convert three match points, then immediately face 0-40 on your serve, and come back to win?  That is gut check stuff.

And so with this loss, JJ will "ascend" to the #1 ranking once again without yet playing match.  I mean really, would there be any other way?  The Glitter Queen just finds the weirdest backdoor ways to get that sucker, doesn't she?

It hasn't been a good day to be a seed in Stuttgart so far.  Play is continuing but Peppermint Patty beat Sveta and Vika beat A-Rad.  The only seed to survive today was Bepa.

Nikki Goes Down, Ernests Beats Super Mario.

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!

Li Na Withdraws From Bali Due to Injury

She withdrew citing a knee injury.  Apparently it's the same knee that sidelined her for much of last year.  Too bad.  She had a solid few months and was working on getting her ranking up.

Na Li bears the wrath of billions for trying to teach them the rules of the game.

Ok, I'll give you a mulligan on this one, China.

Na Li is apparently getting crap from Chinese bloggers for yelling "Shut up!" at the Chinese crowd during her semifinal loss to Dinara Safina.

"The yell came as Li lost a critical set point shortly before losing the match to Russia’s Dinara Safina 6-7 (3), 5-7, ending China’s hope to win a silver or gold medal in singles tennis play. The incident, now dubbed as “Shut-up Gate” in online chat rooms, provoked wide accusations of Li trying to distance herself from her Chinese identity.

“Can’t she just speak Chinese? She thinks she’s so Westernized just because she plays a bourgeois sport,” is typical of the barbs bouncing around cyberspace in the last few days.

Although Li has admitted that the shout came from her frustration over losing control of the game, some angry netizens remained skeptical and skewered her for failing to accept the audience’s good will.

“You can’t expect everyone to understand the rules of watching a tennis game,” one sports blogger wrote. “What we can do as Chinese is to cheer as much as we can whenever we see our players competing. What’s wrong with that?”

I watched the match and yes, the crowd was rowdy.  But no more than a typical Fed Cup match.  Was it classy?  No.  Did it show they weren't he savviest of tennis crowds?  Yes.  But I don't think it portrayed Chinese fans as being disrespectful.  If anything, throughout the tennis tournament, they seemed so excited and enamored by the quality of tennis they were seeing.  I thought it was great.

But behavior like this is only acceptable when you're first learning about the game.  The Chinese crowd now do have a responsibility to learn the game and the traditions and respect them.  Because the game is bigger than them and it is universal.  Cheering when someone misses a first serve is bush league.  Booing the supporters of another player, no matter how partisan or patriotic the crowd, is not sporting. 

So I guess my point is that there comes a point where innocence turns into ignorance and the latter is much uglier.  I hope the Chinese were able to see something awesome at the Olympic Green Tennis Center last week and that it encourages them even more to get into the sport of tennis and become more knowledgeable.