Ireland, NYT and Boxing, Oh My!

Just a week before Wimbledon and I find myself on the correct side of the pond for the start of the game's greatest Grand Slam. I touched down yesterday morning in Dublin, and have joined my two brothers, dad, uncle and a cousin for 10 days of site-seeing, golf playing and Guinness drinking.

So far, so good in Ireland, as we managed to drive cross country in just about three hours and find a nice little bed and breakfast to catch up on our jet-lagged inspired sleep. We golfed this morning at Adare Manor, a charming course outside of Limerick. There was some Irish-inspired danger to a few of the holes, but for the most part, Adare was tame and the weather held out beautifully for us.

A few weeks ago I got in touch with the powers-that-be with the newly-created Straight Sets blog on the New York Times' web site. I told them that I would be at Wimbledon for the first four days of main draw play, and asked if they wanted an experienced tennis writer to contribute from the grounds. They obliged, and I've been doing some posts for them in lead up to The Championships.

The first was about French-to-Wimbledon trends, specifically on the women's side of the game. The second, published yesterday, was a celebration of Steffi Graf's 40th birthday (today) and an ode to a player that for most of my childhood I loathed (I was a Seles wannabe), but have come to love and appreciate in my adult years.

Meanwhile, back in my hometown, a boxer that I interviewed in December for a feature article just won one of the nation's most prestigious amateur boxing championships in Denver. Normally with this kind of stuff I would smile to myself and maybe shoot the guy an email, but Duran Caferro isn't your average athlete - or person for that matter.

Check out my post about him from January, and watch out for this guy to become a rather well-known lightweight boxer in the professional circuit.

Blogging the BJK

I'm headed outside in scary conditions to brave a night of (indoor) tennis at the Billie Jean King Cup at the Madison Square Garden.

I'll have a post up later this week about my experience there!

The Williams Way

Watching Venus take out Serena this morning was quite enjoyable. It was tennis' ultimate stage hosting the game's ultimate women competitors of the last decade in a battle that may have only been two sets, but was all the makings of a Wimbledon classic.

When I wrote yesterday about being plain excited for this weekend, my focus was on the personalities featured over these two days, but this morning Venus and Serena reminded me: it's all about the tennis.

The two women produced tremendous tennis this morning, especially Venus, who belted away and capitalized on her opportunities to win the match 7-5 6-4.

While Mary Carillo blabbed away during the match, what transpired on my TV screen was a high-quality game of grass court tennis that featured strong serving, incredible baseline exchanges, terrific net play and tremendous movement. Venus proved - surprisingly - to be the more consistent sister and to capitalize on her chances. That stat, break point conversions, proved to be the title clincher.

On the girl's side of things, it was no epic sister battle, but instead, a bright 14-year-old British girl winning the title. Laura Robson beat Thailand's Noppawan Lertcheewakarn 6-3 3-6 6-1. Robson, unseeded and ranked 36th, beat the girl's number one seed in the second round of this tournament, hadn't played a junior grand slam draw ever, as far as I can tell.

More on that story as it develops. But England may have just found its counterpart to Andy Murray in the next generation of British tennis.

Dream Finals

It's hard to imagine that tournament referree Andrew Jarrett could be more happy than to enforce the rules upon these four finalists at this year's Championships.

As wacky as week one was in London, the tournament mostly followed form in week two, and we're into the final weekend with four storied champions looking to add a Wimbledon title to his or her resume.

I'll have a video post up later today, but I'm enjoying family time in Glasgow (yes, Glasgow), Montana right now, so it might be a bit later!

Predictions:
Women: Venus 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
Men: Nadal 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(9), 6-3

LIVE BLOG: Quarterfinal Day

8:30 AM - Well, folks, my ESPN2 coverage has cut out and NBC will run tape delay starting in 90 minutes. Dementieva and Petrova are still fighting each other on who can lose to whom. I'll be back later tonight with a video post on all today's action!

7:48 AM - Williams defeats Tanasugarn 6-4, 6-3. I really wanted to see Venus serve it out, but she's through to the semifinals without facing a Top 50 player on her way. Has this ever happened before? This tournament has had a lot of firsts, so I'll have to do a little digging on this one. Meanwhile, Dementieva lost the second in the breaker, but leads 2-0, 30-0 in the third.

7:41 AM - Venus just hit an abysmal forehand long (or, as Pam Shriver called it, a "fearhand") to keep Tanasugarn in this set, 4-3. Meanwhile, Elena is pulling the ultimate choke job after leaded 6-1, 5-1 and is now at 5-6 in the second set against Petrova.

7:25 AM - Venus has continued to play mediocre tennis in this second set. She's 8-0 on service points, but her groundstrokes continue to spray long. Elena Dementieva is crawling toward the finish line against Nadia Petrova. The two winners will meet in the semis.

7:08 AM - First set to V, 6-4. Some quality and exciting tennis to close the first set. It will be interesting to see if Tanasugarn keeps fighting in set two the way she did in the first or she go away rather silently, as she has in the past.

6:55 AM - Great point at 3-5, 30-all for Tammy. Venus' backhand has been more problematic in this first set than I would have thought, showing that her first four matches against lower-ranked players don't have her playing at her best level. Two backhand errors give Tsquared - who has struggled to close out games - the game for 4-5.

6:46 AM - This match has been more of a seesaw battle since Venus broke. V has certainly struggled on her serve, but so has Tsquared. Williams saved six break points in her last service games, which may become a stat that tells the story of this match. After a few hiccups for both players, they each hold to go to 4-3, first set.

6:24 AM - Venus holds and then breaks for 2-1. As James Martin talked about a few days ago over at TENNIS.com, these commentators really are running their mouths. But it's good to be in front of the tube watching some live tennis, I haven't done that in who knows how long. And for Tsquared, it feels good for her to be here, too.

6:14 AM - Good morning, everyone! Already Venus and Tamarine Tanasugarn are on the court and Tanasugarn has taken the first game of the match and leads, 1-0. Tanasugarn started the match out well before two straight double faults. It's windy down there, too. Advantage Tsquared?

School and Semis and Sickness! Oh My!

Well, the three things consuming most of my time right now in life are listed in the title of this post, but sadly I'll get to them in that order. School comes first (as usual), while the sickness just lingers in all that I do, making it nearly impossible to find any time for those precious semifinals.

But, alas, this is a tennis blog - so let's talk semis! As my good friend Troy pointed out, Serbia is SO the new Belgium. With the Serbian sweep of the Williams sisters, we have an interesting three matches remaining to determine who will walk away the women's title.

Semifinal one:
(5) Maria Sharapova versus (3) Jelena Jankovic Head-to-head: Sharapova leads 3-1.

Though Maria holds a 3-1 edge in their head-to-head record, the two have played just once in the last 30 months. That affair was won by Jankovic on grass 7-5 in the third. Needless to say, Maria has been rather on fire as of late. She brushed off Davenport in the second round like she was some desperate housewife, not a comeback player on a tear. From there on out it's been sheer brilliance, highlighted by her straight-set drubbing of Justine Henin.

If there was ever a model for tournament progression, however, Jelena Jankovic would be it. She struggled early, including her epic win over Tamira Paszek and then a rough-tumble-affair with Virginie Razzano. But the last three rounds have looked good from Janky, and her win over Serena will boost her confidence to new-found levels.

Prediction: I'm still sticking with Maria here, who will win her third slam and first Aussie after dispatching Jankovic 3-6 6-2 6-4 in the semifinals.

Semifinal two:
(4) Ana Ivanovic versus (9) Daniela Hantuchova Head to head: Ivanovic leads 2-1.

Could Daniela Hantuchova really make a grand slam final?

It's certainly a possibility, but the way Ivanovic is playing, it's a small one. I give Hantuchova a miniature chance for these two reasons: Ivanovic's nerves and Hantuchova's grit. Dani might be one of my least favorite players, but she can play out when she needs to. Therefore, if nerves sneak into Ivanovic's repertoire and she starts to spray, watch out for the Slovak.

Check out Ivanovic's power and precision (at the net, too!) against Venus in the quarters:


If you haven't noticed yet, I follow the women's tour a little more than the men's. It's nothing against the boys, I just think the girls play a more interesting game.

The semifinal match-up between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic will be beyond interesting, however. Both men have been playing incredibly, with Fed overcoming Janko Tipsarevic in the third round before steam-rolling Tomas Berdych and James Blake on his way to the semis (See Blake clip below).

As much as I'd love to see the Djoker breakthrough here and win his maiden slam, it's extremely difficult to forecast a win for the Serb over the brilliance that is Federer. My prediction: Federer in four.



As far as Rafael Nadal is concerned, he has a hard-hitting Frenchman awaiting him in the semifinals. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga started this tournament with a bang and really hasn't stopped his drumbeat, beating three seeds in five matches while dropping just two sets while doing so.

Fairytale runs often see reality once again once the semifinals are set, and for Tsonga, his story ends here, against Nadal. Here's looking forward to a Fed-Nadal final and four great semifinal matches to come!

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.

TGIF: Tennis Chatter

The keyword "tennis" brings up 86,200 videos on YouTube. It's incredible to think of all those videos added by users that include pro tennis matches, commercials, player appearances, etc., along with homemade videos of individuals playing tennis, watching tennis or whatever. A lot of the videos are table tennis related, as well, and some have nothing to do with tennis at all! ...They just happen to have a "tennis" tag.

The top few videos (most watched) fall under the table tennis category. So I wanted to find out what was the most watched pro tennis video. After a little digging I found that this video, featuring Mr. Novak Djokovic, is the top tennis vid with over 1.3 million views. Check it out:



Defending Bangkok champion Vania King won a nail-biter over Dominika Cibulkova 6-7, 7-6, 7-6. If King wants to salvage her mediocre season, getting to the semis or finals of the tournament she won last year (featuring a much tougher draw this year) would be quite the accomplishment.

Sybille Bammer isn't the WTA's favorite mama anymore. Lindsay Davenport has stolen that title, and, it seems, #1 Mama as well. Bonnie Ford writes about Davenport's success since her comeback.

Scroll to the bottom of this news brief to see what Venus had to say after her loss to Virginie Razzano last week in Tokyo.

Paul Henri-Mathieu and Janko Tipsarevic continued their successful seasons with wins in Moscow on Friday to advance to the semifinals.

Vote on TENNIS.com on whether you think Sharapova will win a major next year or not. You might be surprised by the results once you vote.

Razzano Rallies for Title

Virginie Razzano pulled off a rousing rally in the second-set ti-breaker, saving three championship points and beating Venus Williams 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-4 for the Tokyo title.

The Frenchwoman led 5-2 in the second set before Venus charged ahead 6-5. In the breaker, Williams led 6-3, but wasn't able to close out the match.

Razzano now how back-to-back titles after winning Guangzhou last week.

See a full article on Razzano's recent rise and whether or not the Frenchwoman will be able to maintain the form that has brought her such success.

Tennis Chatter: TGIF!

The good news is it's Friday, the bad news has saved itself for tennis...well, the ATP:

Mercedes Benz is pulling its sponsorship from the ATP at the end of next year after a long and substantial relationship with the Tour. Who will Rafael Nadal get his free cars from now?

Maybe Ana Ivanovic can loan him a Verano?

Dmitry Tursonov is the new poster boy for ATP players who have received match-fixing offers. Is this just the tip of the iceberg?

Venus Williams is playing well in Korea this week and looking good too, writes Erwin on Tennis Served Fresh.

Roger Federer joins Maria Sharapova and Andy Roddick on the sidelines.

Venus Williams is playing well in Korea this week. And looking good, too, writes Erwin on Tennis Served Fresh.

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.

The Bump, Revisited

Perhaps Irina Spirlea would like to re-think her changeover tactics from her famous 1997 US Open semifinal with Venus Williams. The Romanian was the higher-ranked player with a more consistent game and the experience to boot. So why did she feel the need to physically run into Williams just to get noticed?



It was a bizarre move in a bizarre match, which went 7-6 in the third set to Miss Williams, giving the 66th-ranked American her first shot at a Major title. Back in '97 Venus Williams wasn't Venus Williams yet. She, instead, was a gangly teenager with beaded hair attempting to live up to the hype that her father had been brewing for years.

So when The Bump occurred, it was Spirlea's desperate attempt to get noticed, as she would say later. Spirlea's act of desperation would only buy her the second set before she fell in the third-set breaker to Williams. And, of course, controversy followed in the form of a war of words between Spirlea and Richard Williams. She called Venus "the fucking Venus Williams" and Williams retorted by calling Spirlea a "big white turkey."

Racism aside, it was an ugly moment for women's tennis, but one that few can forget. It would be our first glimpse at America's new tennis family and, in a lot of ways, our last look at Irina Spirlea, a player with plenty of capability but - as she proved on Ashe that day - little maturity and resolve. Her career fizzled over the next three years, and at the tender age of 26 in 2000, she retired.

First The Bump, then The Hand. I wonder what the Williams sisters can involve themselves in during this Grand Slam...?

In case you're interested, here's the third-set breaker:

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.

Ten Days: Ten Topics

Being gone from the tennis world - from the entire world, for that matter - for 10 days feels like a lifetime. Four delayed flights, five days at the cabin and one late-delivered bag later, I'm back in the TENNIS Magazine offices this morning. But, to my utmost shock and surprise, the tennis world continued while I was away. Here's what I missed the most.

1. Jennifer Capriati was on court at the Acura Classic after the women's final to help bid farewell to one of the WTA's most beloved tournaments. I hope it wasn't a pseudo farewell for J-Cap too...

2. Lindsay Davenport officially took the Hingis Train for her comeback transportation. From WTT to doubles to singles. Let's see if the new mama can make some waves on her return to the tour.

3. Sam Querrey and John Isner announced their arrivals on the tour. Is anyone else seeing a taller-than-6'3-trend here?

4. Troy blogged on the Road Trip commercial and the fans loved it! How could they not though, really?

5. The ATP is the next NBA? Yikes.

6. Luke Jensen came to Montana and I totally missed it. Damn, and he could have yelled loudly into my face instead of the TV screen, I'm so sorry I didn't get that real-life experience.

7. Venus supposedly hits the hardest ball in women's tennis - well, at least at last week's Acura. But what I don't understand is that if you're taking the hardest hit shot from a category of six or so, how does that warrant the hardest average? I smell system flaw.

8. Kim Clijsters hasn't updated her web site in two weeks! Someone call the authorities! Well, she could be trying to get pregnant...or saving puppies from the streets of Belgium. No worries, Kim fans, her book is still slated for publishing.

9. The ATP is getting so awkward that they hosted a fashion show to kick off Canada this week.

10. Madison Brengle won her first match in LA as a wild card. Up next? Dementieva or Makarova. Hmmm...

Tennis Chatter: Friday Afternoon Laziness

I arrived this morning at the TENNIS office to find myself nearly completely alone on our floor. Three sales guys were there, along with Troy, the other intern, and one of the graphic editors. Needless to say, Troy and I were out of there by lunch time - TGIF! The open afternoon has allowed me to go on my run, catch up on emails and - most importantly - get the latest Tennis Chatter from around the tour:

Venus Williams has committed to the Acura Classic in San Diego, which begins July 28th. Barring the CincinnatiStanfordLastMinuteWithdrawalBug, the Acura could be one of the best fields of women minus the slams this year.

I mean really. The field at the Western & Southern looks like a Challenger event. And Stanford more like the US Open Qualies bracket. The WTA needs to figure out how to get its players to, well - play.

Every morning Troy and I enjoy perusing through a number of tennis web sites. One of our favorites has to be Corned Beef Hash Marks, a blog by my West Coast buddy Erwin. Witty writing and seriously serious tennis topics found here. Love it!

Feliciano Lopez, long an ATP underachiever, looks fierce in his win over Juan Carlos Ferrero today in Stuttgart. He's in the semis against another Spaniard. Yeah, that one named Nadal.

A Brief History of Bad Umpires

It seems as though the Sharapova-Schnyder match up yesterday has brought about a couple days worth of history lessons. Not only did the girls continue the 9-7 trend, but so too did the chair umpire continue a trend in the women's game for making poor decisions at key moments in tense moments. All which came at respective majors.

Case One
Maria Sharapova versus Patty Schnyder
4th Round - 2007 French Open
At 7-all in the third, Sharapova led 30-0 serving and vaulted a first serve onto Schnyder's side when the Swiss put her hand up mid-motion, letting her opponent know she was not ready because of crowd noise. But Sharapova would have nothing of it, and neither would the chair judge, Kader Nouni of France, awarding the point to the Russian, and - seemingly - the match.


Case Two
Venus Williams versus Karolina Sprem
2nd Round - 2004 Wimbledon
You all remember 2004, when Venus Williams struggled with Karolina Sprem in the 2nd round of Wimbledon. Sprem had taken the first set and the second was in a tie-break when Ted Watts, chair umpire for the match, called the score 2-2, ignoring a lines woman's call and mistakenly giving Sprem an extra point. The mistake was no doubt embarrassing, but would give Sprem an extra chance to fight back, and, eventually beat Venus 8-6 in the breaker.


Case Three
Jennifer Capriati versus Serena Williams
Quarterfinals - 2004 US Open
It was a couple months later when a weary Serena, remembering the Venus incident, argued with the chair umpire, Sandra de Jenkin, about a ball she overruled on the opposite sideline. Capriati would win the match later in the third, 6-4.


Oh, and I never made the connection that it was indeed Ms. de Jenkin who also made the infamous Henin-pressured overrule during the 2004 Aussie Open final. Jeez Sandra, 0 for 2.

Early Encounter

What a third-round match up.

Venus Williams, arguably one of the most talented women players of all time, takes on up-and-comer Jelena Jankovic, the Serb seeded fourth, who seems poised to make her first bold statement at a major.

Such a match-up could mean both things for these two women: a chance at re-claiming glory for Venus and the opportunity to strike Grand Slam gold for Jankovic.

The last time these two met in the third-round of a slam was just last year, when Jankovic de-throned Ms. Williams as defending Wimbledon champion. This time around? I'm sticking with J-squared here, she's my pick to win the whole thing.

The reason I like Jankovic over Venus at this point is not only her relentless consistency, but her ability to play the entire court so well. She weathered an incredible Venus storm in Charleston. If anything, fast forward to the last two minutes of this video, it's great women's tennis:



They're up first on Chatrier. Hopefully the French will arrive early to see such a show.

A Walk in the Park

Venus and Serena: check.

Kim and Justine: not this time.

The Williams sisters are set to save the day this year for Zina Garrison's squad, taking on a Henin and Clijsters-less Belguim team.

The match-up couldn't be more lopsided.

Meanwhile, the defending champs, Italy, are without Francesca Schiavone as they take on a tough Chinese team in the opening round...this could be interesting.

Ties take place this weekend.

American Miss

The American clay court swing almost ended with the perfect scenarios, almost.

James Blake fell to Mariano Zabaleta in Houston while Venus Williams was outlasted by Jelena Jankovic in the semifinals of their respective green clay tourneys.

And while tournament organizers had originally dreamed of a Blake-Roddick final in Houston (that was spoiled by an injured Roddick withdrawal prior to the start of the week), Charleston saw its top four seeds bow out before the start of their event and then Serena, Vaidisova and Schnyder all crashed out in the opening two days.

Ouch.

Perhaps everyone in the game of tennis - Americans included - is playing their cards correctly. The French Open is a mere five weeks away, and while the WTA still has Charleston underneath the "Tier I" title, players are making decisions that are more geared to the majors these days, and for these two American tournaments, that meant less than impressive fields.

Though dreamy American finals at not-so-dreamy American tournaments would've capped off a solid North American swing, there is much to look forward to in the weeks leading up to the dirty red at Roland Garros. And at least from here, it can only get better.

Clip of the Week: The Bump, Revisited

A couple weeks ago while playing around on YouTube I set off on a previously unsuccessful adventure: find the Spirlea-Williams bump video. You know, the CLASSIC match between Venus and Irina Spirlea in the 1997 US Open semifinals where Spirlea purposely cuts into Venus' path during a changeover. It's still one of the most talked-about incidents in professional tennis and is this week's Clip of the Week.

Of course, a few weeks later, Richard Williams got involved in the whole scuffle. Surprise, surprise.

Enjoy!