Day of 'Upsets'?

Maria Sharapova put an emphatic end to Justine Henin's 33-match winning streak with a 6-4 6-0 overwhelming of the top seed in the women's quarterfinals.

Notice how uncomfortable, annoyed and frustrated Henin looks in this clip. Embarrassment was something Henin probably felt in her first straight-set loss at a grand slam since the same player beat her in the 2006 US Open final.



Earlier in the day, Jelena Jankovic took advantage of poor serving and a barrage of unforced errors from defending champion Serena Williams on her way to a surprising 6-3 6-4 win.



It's hard for me to distinguish which is more surprising: that Serena lost, or that Jankovic won. At 4-5 serving in the second, Williams had a 40-15 lead to even things. But it wasn't to be as she netted a backhand and then felt the punish of one of Jankovic's trademark backhands down-the-line to send the game to deuce. From there, the match belonged to the Serb.

So now a Sharapova-Jankovic semi is set, a match few thought would occur. It's hard to call this one... Sharapova is playing hot, but as Jankovic showed against Serena, she really is the best retriever in the game. I'm going to give it to Sharapova in three: 3-6 6-2 6-4.

On the men's side, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga continued his baffling run by beating Mikhail Youzhny in straight sets while everyone's favorite fist pumper Rafael Nadal mirrored Tsonga's performance with a three-and-out win over Fin Jarkko Niemenen. Rafa should have his hands full with Tsonga in the semis, the winner to advance to his first-ever AO final.

TGIF: Tennis Chatter

Justine Henin just keeps winning tennis matches. The world no. 1 beat Ana Ivanovic in a hotly contested three-set match in the semifinals at Sydney to extend her winning streak to 27 matches. The last player to beat Henin? WTA resident cafeteria expert Marion Bartoli.

Chris Guccione is the Marina Erakovic of the week at Sydney. Man, I love these Cinderella stories. Hopefully, we'll see a few at the big show in Melbourne next week.

Did you expect anything different from the DUD?

The men's draw is up for the Aussie. Federer has Verdasco, Isner and Tipsarevic early - is he ready for that?

Meanwhile, the women are all drawn up, too. All eyes are on: a Sharapova-Davenport second-round showdown. Winner gets Justine in the quarters.

Speaking of that match-up, here's Davenport's frighteningly bad finish to the Wimbledon 2004 semifinals.

The Women: A 2008 Preview (Top Ten)

It's hard to believe, but if you include the Hopman Cup, the 2008 professional tennis season has already begun. For the women, the calendar officially begins on Monday with events at the Gold Coast, Australia and in Auckland, New Zealand. An impressive eight out of the top 20 women will compete at the Gold Coast, including a rested Amelie Mauresmo. Top seed in Auckland is Vera Zvonareva; Lindsay Davenport is also competing there.

My predictions for '08:
Justine Henin
World rank: 1 '07 record: 63-4 Highlight: Breaking out of her shell.
Had a spectacular 2007 season, where she won two out of three grand slams she played and captured ten WTA titles overall. To me, however, the bigger story was Justine coming out of her shell and showing the world that the girl with game also has a bit of personality, too.

So what does all that mean for Justine in 2008? Well, no doubt will she be back with her normal drive and fire, but will it be as intense as last year? She had lots to prove following her no-show at the Australian and did quite a pretty good job at winning a few matches. I think Justine's number one goal this year should be to win Wimbledon, the one major that has alluded her thus far in her career.

Prediction: Henin will hold on to No. 1 ranking while winning Wimbledon and garnering the silver in Beijing. She'll make the semifinals at the Aussie, fall early at the French and lose in the quarters at the USO.

Svetlana Kuznetsova
World rank: 2 '07 record: 55-20 Highlight: Reaching a third GS final.
The newest player in my "I Can't Stand Watching This Player She's So Boring!" category. The category was originated by Kim Clijsters and Daniela Hantuchova, but after her lackluster grand slam final appearance in New York this fall, I just can't help but be constantly frustrated by Svetlana and her inability to control her emotions.

And that's what I think it all comes down to for Sveta: she's just doesn't have a complete grasp on herself as an individual to maintain a certain control over her tennis game. Yes, she can play some good tennis, but I'm still baffled that she is the No. 2 player in the world, and that she ever even won a grand slam.

Prediction: She'll win lots of short, boring matches and lose a few that look more like train wrecks than tennis matches. She'll slip to No. 6 in the rankings with an early loss at the USO, but will go far at the French and Beijing.

Jelena Jankovic
World rank: 3 '07 record: 72-25 Highlight: Learned (hopefully) how to schedule herself properly.
The Serb is hands down my favorite player on tour right now. Her game, her personality, her looks: she is the complete player, and she adds a spice to the WTA line-up that can sometimes lack depth (see Hantuchova, Daniela).

As far as schedule management goes, Janky will have to tone it down this year after playing 28 tournaments in 2007. (That's as many as Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova played, combined!) Jankovic's fitness, strong baseline game and battle-tested toughness will no doubt keep her in the top five, but the true tests will come only in a handful of occassions during the year. Last year Jankovic was rather unimpressive in tight situations, something she'll have to work hard on this year.

Predicition: As soon as she wins the big one (and I mean a tight, late-round grand slam match against a top player) she'll flourish. The sooner this happens, the more we'll see Jelena Jankovic on the second weekend of majors.

Ana Ivanovic
World rank: 4 '07 record: 51-18 Highlight: French Open semifinal dismantling of Sharapova.
Ivanovic is slow, and as soon as opponents realize that, the Serbian might be in trouble. But Ivanovic proved in '07 that depth and pace can keep her out of a foot race, something she'll want to do consistently this year.

Prediction: I think that Ivanovic can only continue to mature, both mentally and tennis wise. Like Jankovic, this girl has a stupendous personality in her and she no doubt brings that on to the court as motivation. Clay is her best surface, but she proved last year that she can play well on both hardcourts and grass, too. I think Ivanovic will go far in most majors in '08 and keep her top 10 billing, but this (still) isn't her year for a slam.

Maria Sharapova
World rank: 5 '07 record: 40-11 Highlight: Playing the match of the year at the SEC against Henin.
Played one of the best matches of her career in the Season Ending Championships against Justine Henin. The match was by far Sharapova's best performance in 2007, following a frighteningly bad grand slam season, where she made just one final and lost a flurry of one-sided matches against supposed rivals.

If Maria has matured the way that I believe she has, '07 will only serve as a motivation and ground for growth. Her serve was nothing short of bipolar, but the Russian seemed to have solved that riddle (see the SEC final for proof) and her hunger for a third major (she hasn't won one since the USO in '06).

Prediction: If she stays healthy, Maria will capture at least one major and perhaps be crowned Queen of Beijing, too.

Anna Chakvetadze
World rank: 6 '07 record: 59-20 Highlight: USO semifinal appearance.
Joins Kuznetsova, Hantuchova and Clijsters on the ICSWTPSSB list. Yes, the Russian's rise up the rankings from No. 756 in 2002 to No. 6 last year was catastrophic, and her baseline game can be lethal, but Chakvetadze lacks any sort of major weapons that give me reason to think she's a threat to win any major titles. The Russian may have peaked, as well, seeing she finished the year 4-6 after making the semis at the US Open.

Prediction: She'll keep playing, and playing, and playing (and playing). Chakvetadze is 2008's Jelena Jankovic.

Serena Williams
World rank: 7 '07 record: 35-10 Highlight: Her ferocious Aussie Open run.
The younger Williams gets injured a lot, which couldn't be more frustrating for Serena, her fans, the media or the WTA institution itself. But where there's a will, there's a way, and this Williams has plenty of will.

Prediction: She'll take the cake at the French (gasp!), but will have a hard time with her two biggest opponents: staying healthy and Justine Henin.

Venus Williams
World rank: 8 '07 record: 50-10 Highlight: An inspiring fourth Wimbledon title.
Is probably the hardest tennis player - male or female - to give a prediction on in today's game. The V had a solid 2007, winning Wimbledon while re-entering the top 10 and playing nearly flawless tennis in her first five matches at the US Open. But that's just the thing about Venus: she's streaky. Her forehand can go and boy, can it go! She reminds me of Kim Clijsters in that way; her forehand can be traumatic to her opponent, or it can be their best friend - it just depends.

Prediction: Well, it's hard to say. But each year the Williams sisters claim that tennis has their fullest attention. However, this season I'm going to say Venus will be in and out, up and down. Perhaps a US Open crown to end the year? That would be fun.

Daniela Hantuchova.
World rank: 9 '07 record: 52-28 Highlight: Winning somewhere other than Indian Wells (in Linz, in October).
I think I just fell asleep typing her name.

Prediction: She'll keep whining, and losing matches she should've won (do you even have to guess where this link leads you?) and keep playing semi-decent tennis. Blah, blah, blah.

Marion Bartoli
World rank: 10 '07 record: 47-31 Highlight: Stunning Justine (and the world) at the semis of Wimbledon.
Who know that the "Girl Who Could Eat" could also be the "Girl Who Could Play Tennis"? Bartoli, with her Seles-esque two handed strokes on both sides, showed the tennis world that 2007 wasn't just about the Serbs. Though Marion has a tough time moving around the court, her mobility can surprise, as can the pace and punch of her shots. Like Ivanovic, Bartoli has to hone all the strengths of her game - her serve, groundstrokes, depth - and make sure that her weaknesses are kept at bay.

Prediction: There will be no Wimby repeat for Bartoli, but she'll stay inside the top 15 and wreak havoc now and then with those big strokes of hers.

Setbacks and Sugarplums

It's Christmas in Montana. The high today was 27 degrees, and tonight calls for a low of 11 - with the windchill probably dipping below zero. Whether we'll get a white Christmas or not is still up in the air, as some meteorologists call for mere flurries and others saying that we'll get inches over the next few days.

When I was younger, I used to play winter tennis on my favorite surface: snow-packed ice. It sounds crazy, but it was during my wall-hitting days, when I would go out to the alley behind our house and bang the tennis ball against a plaster wall of an old barn that our neighbors had.

The bounce was slicker and lower than any off of a grass court (so I would assume) and in my always-adventurous imagination, I was a professional playing at the "Denver Ice Open", held at Mile High Stadium. The alley had many surfaces: hard (no improv needed), clay (I would use our giant broom to spread the dirt out and sidewalk chalk to draw lines) and classics like snow-packed ice and muddy-puddle court that forced me to avoid the potholes in the alley with every stroke.

The off-season can be as slippery for professional tennis players as my snow-packed icy court was for me, especially for players who are trying to find their footing again. Mark Philippoussis and Jelena Dokic are two players that attempted in this last week to find their stride again, only to face setbacks much worse than any winter wind.

It's been a long and frustrating run for both Aussies. Philippoussis had his brief fling with fame this past year during the showing of NBC's reality show "Age of Love" while Dokic continues to be a tennis tabloid favorite by making grand claims and having a family life more problematic than those Spears folks from Louisiana.

Both Philippousis and Dokic came up limping at an AO wild card tournament in Australia this past week, and while Dokic will seek an entry through qualifying instead of a wild card, this might be the end of the line for the Big Scud, who's seen more setbacks and delays than JFK on a holiday travel weekend.

And then there are those who dance through the off-season with ease, like sugarplums in a dream. Though Roger Federer and Justine Henin each fell short of being named Associated Press athlete of the year, they still garnered accolades from TENNIS Magazine and from their respective tours.

To say that either current world number one shouldn't expect a great year would be preposterous. Federer won three slams in 2007, and showed ruthless resolve in beating his likely challengers (minus a resurgent David Nalbandian) late in the year. As is the case for Henin, who won two of four slams (the Williams family grabbed the other two) and won the "Match of the Year" over a faltering Maria Sharapova at the Season Ending Championships.

And what about so many of those other tennis names with all the talent in the world and the chance to challenge such mighty champions? Venus and Serena. Andy Roddick and James Blake fresh off their Davis Cup win. And what about Rafael Nadal? Such a cast of tennis secondaries could certainly make 2008 an interesting year, but only if they've used their break more for tennis and training rather than setbacks and sugarplums.

So while I'm eating peppermint ice cream and crossing my fingers for a bit of that white stuff to re-create my favorite alley-court surface, the tennis world is gearing up for another year. And while controversy will leave some players to find lumps of coal in their Christmas stockings, other shall feast big and train hard for a year that won't feature the Denver Ice Open, but hopefully will feature some high-quality tennis elsewhere.

Flawless Federer

Well, Roger Federer won today in Shanghai. No surprise that the Mighty Fed ended his year the way he started (and continued through) it. The question now is, who had the better year: Justine Henin or Roger Federer?

While Federer has been much more of a fan and media favorite, there is no denying that Henin has been as or more dominant than her No. 1 counterpart.

Federer took the title in Australia while Henin settled personal issues after divorcing husband Pierre Yves. Henin caught up at one slam a piece when she won at the French. The Fed would win the next two of the year, while Justine ran into a large-and-in-charge Marion Bartoli to fall short of her maiden title at Wimbledon.

While that one hiccup may have robbed Henin of claiming a better season, the petite Belgium did go 25-0 following that loss, while Federer went a decent 30-4 in the same span.

For me, the verdict is still out. If Henin remains healthy, she may become one of the most dominant player in the sport - male or female - ever. Federer, too, is etching himself into the stone of history with each passing year, as he will be sure to do in 2008, as well.

So, who do you think is better? I'm still undecided.

Tennis Chatter: Serbian Slump and More

Novak Djokovic is pulling a Jelena Jankovic in Shanghai this week. Jankovic tanked at the WTA Championships, losing every one of her matches and pulling out due to illness. The Djoker might being feeling a bit of the same fatigue after such an active year for him, as well.

Justine Henin beats Maria Sharapova in a long final at Madrid. Highlights are below.


Meanwhile, the men's No. 1 couldn't quite pull it off against his challenger.


Martina Hingis is waiting to see if the WTA will get involved in her drug case. Miss Hingis is most interested in clearing her name, and hopes that the WTA can help her do so.

If the WTA does clear Hingis' name, I have a question: will she un-retire? After realizing that she won't be remembered with the all-time greats, Hingis looks to have set her eyes on a new prize: the player who retired the most times. Current count is two, and I'm hoping that she retires at least four times!

Thought band-aids were out? You were so wrong.

Justine is Queen; Maria on Upswing

Justine Henin crowned herself the Queen of Tennis this weekend, but Maria Sharapova isn't too disappointed to take the title of Princess.

Henin, the world No. 1 and undisputed Roger Federer of women's tennis proved this weekend that she may not need the aforementioned title comparing her to Federer - perhaps the Swiss is the Justine Henin of men's tennis?

Nonetheless, Henin ended the year 63-4, including winning her last 25 straight matches. Her last loss came at the hands of baby-eater Marion Bartoli at Wimbledon. Henin took revenge upon Bartoli this week while on her way to the Madrid title by double-donuting the Frenchwomen 6-0 6-0 in round robin play.

Yet it was the brilliance of Maria Sharapova that shocked both the crowd and the resurgent Russian this week. After a dismal season in Sharapova terms (she was 36-10 prior to Madrid and had four dismal losses at the majors), Sharapova rolled through her round robin matches and then dispatched Serbian Ana Ivanovic in the semifinals in straight sets.

The final, in which Henin won in 3 hours and 24 minutes after a 5-7 7-5 6-3 battle, was nothing short of epic. Henin's sheer resilience and consistency in the tight second set and her ability to close out the title in the third proved again to everyone how dominant the Belgian is in this global women's sport.

No doubt 2008 will bring more great tennis from both of these women after such an incredible end to the season. With the prospect of a healthy Serena Williams, a resurgent Jelena Jankovic and the returns of Lindsay Davenport and Amelie Mauresmo (remember her?), the tennis season should be a competitive.

The Ghost of Madrid

So this post is part Tennis Chatter, part gossip, part rant and part promotion.

First off, the whole "Ghost of Madrid" title is because of this: I can't find ANY videos on YouTube. I've put in every player's name, including Madrid, tennis and every possible tagging word I can think of. So, are they really playing tennis across the Atlantic? Or is it all just a ploy?

A few weeks ago, I purchased a T-shirt from an adorable online clothing company called Stick It Wear. I had discovered the company from Erwin, and had decided to check out the site for myself. Upon browsing their awesome tennis-inspired tees, I just had to have one. After ordering the "Clay Warrior" a few weeks ago, I was curious to why I hadn't received a package wrapping my stick-figured goodness yet. After a few email exchanges, a kind SIW employee named Joe informed that they had run out of the Warrior and were a little back logged. He promised me that the shirt was on its way, and that a second, complimentary shirt was included for my patience. So, in part, this is to tell you about an awesome T-shirt company...but it's also a bit of a pay-it-forward gesture. So check them out.

Jelena Jankovic is blogging this week from Madrid, while Serena Williams has just announced her withdrawal from the tournament.

No doubt Serena is hugely disappointed for having to leave the YEC without a title in her hand. I do, however, believe that this will be extremely motivating for Serena to make 2008 her year. 2007 was the year we saw Serena return to her championship form, but her "rivalry" with Justine Henin has taken a Federer-Roddick turn. JH owns Serena, winning their last three matches (all at majors) and losing just one set along the way. Sure, this is a sad departure for Serena, but I have no doubt that she'll be back to prove her "critics" wrong and make a charge for the No. 1 ranking in the world.

Meanwhile, looking ahead to next week, the groups have been laid out for the ATP Championships. Check them out.

Halloween, A Week Late

While play is already under way in Madrid (Hey! That rhymes!), there's something still Halloween-esque in the air.

Troy and I spent quite the summer at TENNIS Magazine. While in title, we were just lowly interns sent on various tasks (like fetching manikin legs), we certainly were professionals in other realms.

Those realms included (but were not limited to):
1. Banter.
2. Fighting about who got to marry Akgul first.
3. Arguing over whether Daniela had eaten 3 or 2 crackers during the year.
4. Lunch breaks in the park (Shakey! Shakey! FRIDAY!)
5. Troy knowing how to do everything and me knowing how to...well, do nothing.

One of those things that Troy was so well-versed on was photoshop. One afternoon I hunkered down next to him in his cubicle and he enlightened me on the world or re-sizing and cutting and pasting. While the words were coming out of his mouth at a slow and intentional pace (so as not to lose me), I felt like Charlie Brown in the fourth row. "Wah wah, wah wah, waaah."

So all of this chatter is leading somewhere, I promise. A few weeks ago, I emailed Troy and told him that I needed his mastery photoshop skills for a blog project (bloject?). Halloween was fast approaching, and I knew that the same hand that crafted FederBear, Mirkadeer and Holy Mother Mary would craft something grand and ghostly for the fall's best holiday.

Alas, Troy delivered. And though I'm a few days late in putting these up, I think that they're well worth the gander.

First, we have Serendaleezza Rice. After a strong 2007, Serena decided to give up tennis - and acting - and go into politics. Currently, she's lobbying for the Bush Administration to make Aneres, her clothing line, the official wear of all government officials.


Second (and last, for now), we have Justine Spears. Justine, too, was so over tennis. Instead of going the way of the law, Justine decided to try her luck in music. Her first hit, "Hand in The Air" was a flop though. Good try JuJu! At least she looks bomb on stage, right?


Troy Venechanos illustrations.

WTA Championships

The draw is up.

Serena is smiling.

Play begins Tuesday.

Henin-Golovin Highlights

In case you missed it, Justine Henin just won her 20th match in a row this last weekend by defeating Tatiana Golovin in the final of Zurich.

Here's a great highlight reel of the Belgium in her 6-4 6-4 victory.

Tennis Chatter: It's Monday!

As usual, Ed McGrogan posts an entertaining and intriguing "Monday Net Post" over at Tennis World.

While I couldn't find any video of the Henin/Golovin final, there was plenty of footage of the Nalbandian upset over Federer. This one is full of match highlights.


Anna Chakvetadze is the top seed in Linz this week at the Generali Open. Tatiana Golovin is on the bottom half of the draw along with Daniela Hantuchova. (Link opens PDF file.)

Meanwhile, the men are in Basel this week and Tennis Planet is wondering if it's a good or bad thing that Mr. Nalbandian happens to be in the draw.

I'm loving the photo gallery over at TENNIS.com this week. From racquet throwing, to award presenting to ball girl hitting...it's full of the week's best tennis moments.

Justine Henin is officially on a roll, according to Aasim Shaffi over at Sportingo. 20 matches in a row.

David Beats Goliath

David Nalbandian stunned Roger Federer in the finals of Madrid today, winning 1-6 6-3 6-3.

We'll have a re-cap later on from Troy about this shocking development.

Meanwhile, Justine Henin continued her dominance of the women's tour by knocking out Tatiana Golovin 6-4 6-4 in the finals at Zurich.

A great day of quality tennis!

Tennis Chatter

The Tennis Channel's Steve Fink takes a look at Justine Henin's recent domination of the WTA Tour and if her "rivalry" with Jelena Jankovic will ever become just that: a real rivalry.

Anna Kournikova still isn't playing tennis. But for some reason, people are still taking her picture.

Andy Roddick was spotted toting racquets in NYC today. Fashion shoot? Practice in the Indian Summer?

The match-fixing scandal continues to eat up the news. Are we going to have a Marion Jones-esque, tearful confession from some WTA star in the near future? I sure hope not.

Seattle University, the place that educates me so, is planning a move to NCAA Division I next year. With that, an added varsity tennis program. (So, to get that straight, I went to SU four out of the five years the school did not have tennis in the last 50 or so years. Awesome...)

Jon Wertheim weighs in on who's up and who's down this week in tennis.

The Scariest One of All

Yesterday I meant to do a Tennis Chatter post of all the goings on around the tennis world, but school got the best of me, so look for that later today or tomorrow.

One of my favorite things about TENNIS Magazine was the flexibility we had as interns. Troy and I got to work for FRAMED, do writing for SMASH and all sorts of other tasks that help put together both magazines and TENNIS.com.

For one of my FRAMED posts, I did a compilation of what I thought were the Top 5 best tennis commercials of the recent past. While researching this, I came across A LOT of tennis commercials, including some that were funny, and others that were just bizarre.

Another category, owned solely by this European commercial featuring Justine Henin, was 'scary'. Sometimes I'm just confused on what advertisers and PR people think will sell, especially in this case.

Check this one out for yourself and see what you think.

Tennis Chatter

Lindsay Davenport is undefeated in her singles career as a mother. She next takes on Julie Ditty, an American journeywoman.

Roger Federer looked pretty good for his US Open trophy photo shoot. Justine Henin, on the other hand, did not.

The TENNIS WEEK Web site still looks like it was designed (and has never been chance since) the late 90s. Aren't they supposed to have a new, cutting-edge image in tennis?

Svetlana Kuznetsova is the number two player in the world?!? Whhhhhhattt? This girl just got a tag on my blog two days ago. Man, the WTA really is struggling...

Sorry Slams

15.

That's how many games the four runners up could muster this year in women Grand Slam finals.

First there was Serena Williams' drubbing of Maria Sharapova. Then Ana Ivanovic's nerve-fest against Justine Henin at the French. Venus followed that up by humbling a bouncy Marion Bartoli on the grass before Henin capped off the year by destroying Svetlana Kuznetsova.

The future of women's tennis can find solice in the fact that it had seven marquee players in four finals, Henin being the only to make two appearances. The lack of quality play late in Slams has to worry insiders and fans alike. In fact, Bartoli's win over Henin at Wimbledon and Kuznetsova's defeat of Chakvetadze just this past week were the only two three-set semifinals out of eight this year. 2 of 8? That's not exciting tennis.

I don't want to take away from the brilliance of Serena's comeback at the Aussie, or the fact that Henin won both the French and the US Open without dropping a set, or the sheer dominance that Venus captured the All England Club with this year, but it's the lack of competitive women's tennis in the late stages of said tournaments that worries me.

Where's the classic Seles-Graf or Navratilova-Evert battles? No two women will stand out of this generation with the distinction that those past champion do; they do, however, have the chance to be known for competitive and inspiring tennis. To watch such white washes is discouraging, especially knowing that the talent in the women's game has only improved over the last decade.

Ten years ago a bright-eyed Martina Hingis defeated a beaded Venus Williams 6-0, 6-4 in the finals of the Open. Though that wasn't a particularly compelling match, Venus had just come out of a nail-biting semifinal win over Irina Spirlea. Including that final, absolutely NONE of the last eleven US Open women's finals have gone three sets. Last year's title bought between Henin and Maria Sharapova was one of the more closely fought matches.

Such Grand Slam finals as Wimbledon 2006 between Henin and Amelie Mauresmo or the '05 Championships featuring Venus and Lindsay Davenport certainly can't happen every time, but it would certainly be nice to watch some competitive tennis, especially when the biggest titles of the tour are on the line.

Perhaps the LOSER at the Australian Open next January could win 15 games in one match? Now I'd love to see that.

Justine, Warrior Princes

Justine Henin proves time and time again that she's the best player in women's tennis. Hands down.

I'm sick of all the TV commentators talking about Venus and Serena and how they'll determine the outcome of each match they play with Henin. I'm pretty sure both Williams sisters played some pretty good tennis in their four matches in majors against Henin this year. And guess what? They didn't win any.

Though I'm not the biggest Henin fan, I'm a huge fan of a competitor - actually, a warrior - who can play with the big guns and use tiny ammunition and be so effective. Justine weathered Venus' brilliant streak late in the first set, then did the same in the second when Williams had broken back and was serving to stay in the match. It was again Justine's time.

I'm guessing tomorrow night (Sat.) that Justine will do much the same against Svetlana Kuznetsova. In all honesty, she deserves it.

LIVE Blog: US Open Night Session

Welcome to the live blog of the US Open. It's week two of the year's last Major and not only has the day session extended itself into the night, but dreamy Novak Djokovic is on Arthur Ashe for our viewing pleasure.

7:00 -- I turn on the TV to watch Juan Monaco force Djokovic into a third-set tie breaker. Monaco goes up 5-3 before a ball falls out of his pocket, forcing him to lose the point due to the fact he was warned for the same infraction earlier. Monaco still fights off a match point to force a fourth set.

7:05 -- I run upstairs to shower following an afternoon of tennis and working out.

7:15 -- Djokovic is up 3-1 in the fourth. He's just got to hold out from here and he's in the quarters.

7:18 -- The ING monster commercial comes on. That's number one. (My guess is at least 19 times tonight; plus the McEnroe AmEx commercial I'm sure I'll be seeing at least a dozen times. Though this is fun from the AmEx Website.)

7:34 -- Djokovic closes out Monaco 6-1 in the fourth and gives an angry "I'm so frustrated with how I played but so relieved that I won" look to his box. He's into the quarters. I was hoping for a celebratory shirt removal, but no luck.

7:49 -- USA runs a Serena-Justine preview sequence with only Justine voiceovers. No Serena? Maybe she was busy making her PC commercial. Lackluster preview to say the least.

7:51 -- The McEnroe AmEx commercial runs for a second time this hour (or maybe I missed a couple). I think they had a great idea in the Dispute Resolution ads, I just wish they would've done three or four different takes with McEnroe, so it doesn't have the Genworth Financial effect.

8:00 -- Federer is interviewed in the USA studios. Roger is boring/candid as usual. His answers are always just so predictable. He did say maybe stake or Italian for dinner...I'm sure Mirka will make that decision, though.

8:09 -- Serena is interviewed in the tunnel and looks cool, calm and collected. Justine comes around the corner and is surprisingly talkative. Plus, she smiles - TWICE!

8:23 -- Serena is down a break early, 2-0.

8:30 -- The camera pans the stars in the crowd: Tony Bennett, Monica Seles, Martina Navratilova and Mayor Dinkins.

8:38 -- Marie Callendar puts together the most frightening commercial EVER featuring chicken pot pies.

8:43 -- Serena misses another swinging volley to go down 2-4.

8:53 -- Serena holds for 4-5.

9:00 -- Serena breaks for 5-all.

9:14 -- Justine plays a superior tiebreak after saving a set point at 5-6 to win the first set, 7-6.

9:23 -- Michael Barkamp interviews Monica Seles, who hints she might be back on the pro tour in the near future.

9:24 to 9:50 -- Justine Henin kicks Serena's butt. Over and over again.

9:53 -- USA shows clip after clip of Carlos Rodriguez coaching Justine from throughout the match. Bananagate anyone?

9:58 -- Justine is your victor, 7-6, 6-1.

And while I want to stick around for Michael Barkamp's always-compelling interviews, I have clicked the TV off and am ready for a Tuesday night milkshake. Venus or Janky everyone? I'm hoping for the V-factor.

WOB: Wide-Open Bottom (Half of the Draw)

When the draw came out for this year's US Open, the powerhouses of women's tennis were stacked were stacked on the top half of the draw: both the Williams sisters, Justine Henin, Serbs Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic. It seemed as though the champion of the year's final Slam would come from said half of the draw, and few could have any say about it.

Yet looming at the bottom were a few familiar ladies. Maria Sharapova for one, the defending champion and one of the tour's biggest hitters. Sharapova had just played one event all summer, but she had come away from it victorious and had every right to believe the strokes that garnered her a title here in '06 would do the same trick this year as well.

Martina Hingis resided on the bottom side too. Though her comeback has been less than she had hoped it would be, the five-time Major winner is always a threat, no matter what her recent track record shows.

But as this year's Open has progressed, Hingis and Sharapova have fallen, as has Nicole Vaidisova (a two-time Slam semifinalist). So leaves first-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist Agnes Svazay along with Svetlana Kuznetsova (the '04 Open champ) and Shahar Peer - Vaidisova's victor.

And while the Williams sisters will battle time-tested foes in Henin and Jankovic, Kuznetsova will deal with lower-ranked opponents. It's always the case at the slams, that anything can happen. With the surprising draw and the stunning upsets that have followed it, what can we expect in the second week of the open? If anything, hopefully some good tennis to round it out.