Australian Open Day Seven Preview

By Mike McIntyre

Time for fourth-round matches to get underway in Melbourne and there are some fantastic battles on deck for Sunday from the bottom-half of the men's and women's draws.

John Isner, Ivo Karlovic and Andy Roddick are proving that a big serve still goes a long way on the men's side. Karlovic leads the tournament with 93 aces through three matches, while Isner is second with 81 and Roddick in sixth position with 47. Karlovic and Isner have both played several more sets than Roddick which explains their elevated numbers. Sunday could be the day of the tie-break as it is going to be a challenge to break these serves for their opponents.

Karlovic and Isner face tough matches against Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray respectively. While Karlovic is in over his 6'10'' head in this one against Nadal, Isner has a chance to make his encounter with Murray a meaningful one. The American is playing the best tennis of his professional career and is fresh off an impressive victory over 12th seeded Gael Monfils. While I expect Murray will advance, Isner will provide him with his toughest test of the tournament thus far.

Roddick should be able to knock-off Fernando Gonzalez as the erratic Chilean just barely made it past Igor Korolev in five tight sets in the previous round. Roddick has been playing terrific tennis so far this season and is still undefeated in 2010.

The fourth round match to watch is between youngsters Juan Martin Del Potro and Marin Cilic and has the best odds for a five set match on Sunday.The two have only met twice before and both times were at Grand Slams in 2009. Each time, Del Potro dropped the opening set before prevailing in four. Cilic has yet to come into his own but expect him to remain a fixture in the top-twenty for years to come. Both are twenty one (in fact Del Potro is only five days older) and they each tower over most of their opponents at 6'6''. While Del Potro already has a Grand Slam title to his credit, nobody would have expected that from him a year ago. My point is that much can change within the frame of one year. With one title already in 2010, maybe this is Cilic's year to make a name for himself. 

On the women's side, Sunday has the all-Belgian battle between Justine Henin and Yanina Wickmayer. While it might not be the all-Belgian match-up that we looked forward to when the draw was announced, it is still going to provide some fireworks. Wickmayer is undefeated so far this year after winning the title in Auckland and going through three rounds of qualifying action in Melbourne as well. She has more match-play under her belt in 2010 than anyone else on tour and is capable of giving Henin a real push. When Henin lost the first set of her match against Alisa Kleybanova, it showed that she is still shaking off some post-retirement rust. I think Wickmayer has a great shot at taking her out.

Aside from the Belgians, we have a couple of all-Russian matches on Sunday to look forward to. Nadia Petrova meets reigning French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova while second-seeded Dinara Safina faces Maria Kirilenko.

Kuznetsova leads Petrova 5-1 in career meetings, but Petrova seems to be on a nice role in this tournament and her lopsided victory over Kim Clijsters has certainly given her a confidence booster. 

Don't expect another upset out of Maria Kirilenko. While she played terrific against Maria Sharapova in the first round, I think she is in tough against a very fit Dinara Safina who seems to be keeping the mental aspect of her game in check lately. Kirilenko has matched her career-best result in a Grand Slam, as she also made the fourth round here in Australia in 2008. I don't see her going any further at the moment.

The remaining women's match on Sunday has Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko against Jie Zheng from China. Both are ranked in the top thirty and have played each other three times before. Zheng won the first two times back in 2003, while Bondarenko came out on top 7-5, 7-5 two weeks ago in Hobart en route to her second career title. 

I have always thought that Alona's younger sister Kateryna was the one to watch between these two, however it is Alona who is on fire so far this year as evidenced by her title in Hobart and her straight-sets victory of Jelena Jankovic in the previous round. She doesn't have much power to her game, but it won't be needed against Zheng and I think she'll take her in two sets to advance to the quarter-finals.

Women's 2010 Australian Open Preview

By Mike McIntyre

When was the last time the women's game had this much depth? I'm not knocking the WTA Tour, which in fact has had more depth in recent years than the men's Federer vs. Nadal show. When I look at the Australian Open draw though, I'm just floored with the amount of talent out there. This is a fantastic way to kick-off the 2010 Grand Slam calendar.

The Favorites:

Number one ranked Serena Williams has a pretty sweet ride to the quarter-finals from the looks of it. I don't expect her to drop a set for the first week that's for sure. There's simply nobody in her section of the draw that can keep up with her power, experience and winning-attitude. If she truly did tweak something against Elena Dementieva in Sydney, this draw gives her some time before she has to bring out her 'A' game. Williams will be the favorite to add to her existing collection of four Aussie Open titles, the most recent being a year ago.

A nice third round match-up in the top-half could include Vera Zvonareva against Ana Ivanovic. Either one of these players could use a good Grand Slam showing to correct their career progress after a disappointing 2009. Zvonareva started strong in 2009 with a semi-final showing in Australia, but after missing two months in the middle of the year with injury she never returned to top form. Ivanovic's season was a total disaster and it was hard to believe she was ever the number one ranked player in the world. One of these two should still be able to push through to the quarters.

U.S. Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki has a great path to perhaps a semi-final berth in Australia. Only Daniela Hantuchova may cause her some trouble before the quarters, although Hantuchova has not had a big win in quite some time.

Wozniacki may meet the winner of an intriguing fourth round match between Americans Venus Williams and Melanie Oudin. A Williams/Oudin match would give tennis fans a nice glimpse of the past, present and future of American tennis and perhaps that future is now. Oudin has some winnable matches early on while Venus has looked mediocre since Wimbledon and as she approaches thirty, is only a huge threat on grass.  

In the bottom-half don't get your hopes up for second-seeded Dinara Safina. The mentally fragile Russian attained the number one ranking for a period of time in 2009, but will most be remembered for tanking in two Slam finals in Australia and Paris, along with a brutal defeat in the semi's at Wimbledon. A back injury hampered the last portion of her season and was acting up again at the start of 2010 to keep her out of Brisbane. Safina does not have enough match-play under her belt to be considered a major threat here in Australia nor is her mental game ready to compete in this first Slam of the season.

There are plenty of other top-level players ready to contend for the title in the bottom section of the draw however, and the Belgians are leading the charge. 

Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin and Yanina Wickmayer are all in the same quarter of the draw, which is unfortunate because they could all have easily advanced quite far given their play of late. Clijsters has the most favorable path and should get past Svetlana Kuznetsova to make the quarter-finals. A second-consecutive Slam is a distinct possibility for her.

Henin, entered as a wild card, is not going to enjoy the same Grand Slam return that Clijsters had at the U.S. Open. After a first round match with up and coming Sorana Cirstea, Henin will most definitely face fifth seeded Elena Dementieva - the same Dementieva who just won in Sydney defeating Serena in the finals. Henin leads their head-to-head battles 9-2, but will have to fight hard to beat the in-form Russian. I think Henin can beat Dementieva, but expecting her to have a similar Cinderella-run like Clijsters did in Flushing Meadows is unlikely.

The third Belgian, and the future of tennis in that country, Yanina Wickmayer, has already fought through three qualifying matches in order to secure entry into the tournament. Wickmayer was not allowed to take the 16th seeded spot that she is due because of the timing of her return from a mishandled doping violation. She may face Italian Flavia Pennetta in the second round and either Henin or Dementieva in the fourth round. Regardless of how she fares here in Australia, the twenty year old has a bright future ahead of her.

In the very last quarter of the draw we've got the unpredictable Jelena Jankovic. Fairing no better than the fourth round of any Slam in 2009, Jankovic has much to prove this year. She has a nice section of the draw and should stay untroubled until the quarter-finals. Don't expect her to move much farther than that however, as the Serbian is not the huge threat she used to be.

Do keep an eye on Maria Sharapova to have a big Aussie Open. The talented Russian has come back admirably from shoulder surgery last year and has the power game to defeat anyone on tour. If she can keep her serve consistent and free of double-digit double faults, then she is more than capable of winning this tourney. If she does come up against Safina in the round of sixteen, I see Sharapova advancing with ease. There are more Grand Slam titles within her and this could be the next one on her list. 

Anticipated First-Round Matches:

Kimiko Date-Krumm vs Yaroslava Shvedova: The 39 year old veteran Date-Krumm has been very impressive since returning to the tour in 2008 and has worked herself back into being a dangerous player to face. Her return is even more impressive given the fact she was away from the sport for twelve years. She'll face a difficult player in Shvedova, who impressed in the late stages of 2009 with victories over Daniela Hantuchova in Toronto and Jelena Jankovic at the U.S. Open.

Caroline Wozniacki vs Aleksandra Wozniak: It amazes me how often these two near-identical names get paired together in so many tournaments. Unfortunately for the Canadian Wozniak, it rarely ends up in her favor. The fourth seeded Wozniacki has won five of their six meetings although the pair have usually produced closely contested matches. Wozniak is ranked 34th in the world right now, so this is a fairly strong first rounder.

Jelena Dokic vs Alisa Kleybanova: While it was nice to watch Dokic have her fairy-tale run to the quarter-finals in last year's edition, the same fate will be difficult to duplicate. Dokic faces hard-hitting Russian Kleybanova whom she defeated here in the fourth round last year by a tight score of 7-5, 5-7, 8-6. Kleybanova's court movement is limited due to her stature, but she can really hit the ball and was able to defeat Venus Williams, Vera Zvonareva and Jelena Jankovic (twice) in 2009.

 

 

U.S. Open Recap - The Tale of Two Tournaments

By Mike McIntyre

What a contrast of tournaments this is becoming between the men and the women in New York. On the men's side so far all the top ten men have advanced to the third round with ease. Federer, Djokovic, Roddick and Del Potro are all there in the top half and have done so without even dropping a set.

The women meanwhile are a completely different story. As far as entertainment value goes, tune into the women's draw for unparalleled surprises. Already having lost seeds such as Bartoli, Ivanovic, Mauresmo, Stosur and Radwanska earlier in the week, Thursday action took things to a whole other level with the shocking departures of Elena Dementieva and Jelena Jankovic. The upsets continued today with Victoria Azarenka going out against veteran Italian Francesca Schiavone 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Azarenka has been inconsistent in the second half of the season so her loss wasn't on the same scale of upset as the Russian/Serb duo from Thursday. The Dementieva and Jankovic losses were both surprising, and while they share some similarities they overwhelmingly stem from completely different underlying reasons. Both players came up against opponents who were ready to dictate the play and take their chances. Yaroslava Shvedova and Melanie Oudin took control of their respective matches and rose to the occasion. And while both Dementieva and Jankovic have had great moments this summer, I chalk their losses up to separate factors. I feel like Dementieva simply had a bad day at the office while Jankovic's game is in a state of total crisis.

Dementieva has three titles this year and two Grand Slam semi-final appearances to look back on. While Jankovic has two titles of her own, her Grand Slam results have been atrocious. Her best results at the Slams all year was the fourth round in Australia and at Wimbledon. She seems hassled on the court and unsure of how to get herself out of tough moments like the late stages of her match against Shvedova. Jelena and her fellow serb Ana Ivanovic should think about either taking a bit of a break after the Open or somehow re-discovering their love for the game again because their current strategies and mental outlooks are not working at all.

Looking ahead it is clear that this tournament is now offering several women and excellent opportunity to make a name for themselves. In the top half of the draw, Safina has a clear path to the semis if she can play up to her number-one level. Maria Sharapova also has an excellent chance, but lookout for Caroline Wozniacki who I could also see making it through to the final four with her excellent play as of late. I'm also sticking with my darkhorse pick Kateryna Bondarenko to have her first Slam breakthrough and make an appearance in the quarters and possibly beyond.

The bottom half is much tougher, with a mouth-watering Kim Clijsters/Venus Williams match in the fourth round. Their match would have made a great final don't you think? Be sure to also check out Vera Zvonareva versus Flavia Pennetta which should also provide a great encounter. Serena Williams faces Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova whom she defeated at Wimbledon and will likely put away once again. Serena's matches will get substantially more difficult from here on through. 

Back to the men's draw and it might be another couple of rounds before we see any real fireworks. Hopefully the delay simply means that we are going to see some tight matches as the tournament progresses. Just like in Montreal I would not be surprised if the top eight seeds advanced to the quarters in New York.

One quick shout-out has to go to American Taylor Dent who defeated Ivan Navarro in the long-distance match of the men's tournament so far with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-7(1), 7-5, 7-6(9) on Friday night. It is really nice to see Dent having some solid results since he came back from a career-ending back injury late a year ago. His wins here at Flushing Meadows are his first at a Grand Slam tournament since this same tournament in 2005. His serve and volley game is a treat to watch and he is also a class act through and through. Back inside the top 200, his result here should give him a nice boost and the encouragement to stick with it.

While the men and women are choosing different paths as they progress through the tournament, hopefully we will be talking about both for weeks to come. This is a great time for tennis on both sides and it seems the sport is looking to leave a lasting impression at the last Slam of 2009. Enjoy the tennis everyone.

Safina Looking to Improve

From The Telegraph: Safina has old guard in sights

Being the sister of Marat Safin, it was perhaps understandable that Dinara Safina should believe it when everyone around her told her that success would come as a matter of course. Naturally, it didn't. There never has and never will be a substitute for hard work, no matter how good the pedigree or how great the talent, and now it's beginning to pay off, to such an extent that Martina Hingis recently predicted she could even eclipse her two-time grand slam-winning brother. Safina will take that with a pinch of salt also...

Safina Defeats Hingis in Final

From cnn.com: Safina takes title in revenge win

Dinara Safina proved she could keep a lid on her emotions when it mattered by beating Martina Hingis 6-3 3-6 7-5 in the final of the Australian women's hardcourt championships on the Gold Coast on Saturday...

The frustrated Swiss had only herself to blame as she let Safina off the hook time and again with her inability to convert the majority of the break-point opportunities she earned.

"I'd like to congratulate Dinara, what a week (you've had)," Hingis said during the presentation ceremony.

"Today she was just too good and everyone should watch her because she's gonna be maybe even better than her brother.

"Marat is such a genius. He can play unbelievable tennis. She (Safina) definitely doesn't have as much touch but she has more will and desire."

Safina Accuses Likhovtseva of Faking Injury

From The Age: Safina accuses compatriot of feigning injury in match

CONTROVERSY struck the Australian Women's Hardcourt Championships yesterday when world No. 11 Dinara Safina accused fellow Russian Elena Likhovtseva of faking a foot injury during their first-round match at Royal Pines...

"I don't think she had something, maybe she had, but I don't believe in these games," said Safina...

Safina Dealing With Fatigue Syndrome

From The Herald Sun: Safina finding stamina to take her all way

THREE months ago, Russian Dinara Safina was wondering when she would be able to again bring her power to bear on women's tennis.

Safina, the world No. 11, yesterday convinced herself she has regained the stamina to withstand an Australian summer with the best of them and also hold her young Russian compatriots at bay at the Gold Coast this week.

Safina, 20, did not play the last three weeks of last season because she was diagnosed with fatigue syndrome, which she hopes she has learnt to control...

"In October, I couldn't play for three minutes without stopping. All I could do was stand in one place and still I was getting tired, but I'm told I can take care of this problem if I stay focused on it."

Tournament Update

Henin-Hardenne wins Eastbourne in a 3rd set tiebreak over Myskina; Gasquet becomes the first man ever to defend Nottingham with a 6-4 6-3 win over Bjorkman, Michaela Krajicek straight-setted Dinara Safina at Ordina (a day after beating Dementieva! What a week.), and Ancic defended Ordina in 3 sets against Jan Hernych.

Wimbledon Draws are Out!: The Women

Here's the women's draw. Venus landed at the bottom of Mauresmo's quarter of the draw and so did 14th seed Dinara Safina. Other trouble spots: a newly brunette Tatiana Golovin and Ana Ivanovic who's already beaten Amelie this year. Michaela Krajicek, who's still having a great week in Nottingham, is a potential 2nd round match up for Mauresmo.

Sharapova's section looks pretty straightforward until Dementieva in the quarters, though Schiavone, Sania Mirza, and Danilidou, who made the semis at the Ordina Open, could add some spice.

Hingis, Hantuchova, Jamea Jackson and Patty Schnyder are in Justine Henin-Hardenne's section of the draw. Will be interesting to see if Hingis can reach the massive roadblock that is Justine.

At the bottom of the draw, there are a few threats between #5 seed Kuznetsova and #2 seed Kim Clijsters: Vaidisova, Na Li and Kirilenko.

News: Petrova's pulled out with her lingering groin injury from the French.

Update on this Week's Tournies

Nottingham: Defending champ Richard Gasquet KO'd  countryman Gilles Simon in 3 and 1; Italian Andreas Seppi beat Andy Murray in 3; Robin Soderling, who has yet to drop a set, over Tipsarevic in 2,  and Bjorkman over Lopez.  I'm gonna go with Gasquet to repeat his win.

At the Ordina Open, Men's, it'll be defending champ Mario Ancic v. Marcos Baghdatis (making his first semi since Australia) and  Jan Hernych vs. Forent Serra (who took out JC Fererro in 3). The women: Elena Demetieva, Danilidou, Dinara Safina and Michaela Krajicek. I'm going with Ancic and Safina.

Eastbourne: It'll be  Henin-Hardenne vs. Clijsters and Kuznetsova v. Myskina. I'm going with Kuznetsova over Henin-Hardenne in the final.