McIntyre Tennis

Monday at the Rogers Cup in Pictures

By Mike McIntyre

The stars of the WTA Tour got into the action on Monday in Toronto as round one of the Rogers Cup began. Here are a few shots from around the grounds of the Rexall Centre.

You'd think it was 1999 walking in and seeing giant banners of Martina Hingis and Monica Seles hanging from the outside of Centre Court.

Your 2013 Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli was all smiles while practicing but does not quite look as conditioned as she could as the U.S. Open approaches.

Four Canadian women are in the draw this year, led by Eugenie Bouchard who at the age of 19 is already ranked 62nd in the world. Stephanie Dubois and Sharon Fichman play each other in the first round on Tuesday guaranteeing at least one Canuck moving on.

Number three seed Agnieszka Radwanska was all business during her practice session.

Jelena Jankovic, ranked 14th in the world, working some of the kinks out of her backhand.

A new look on Centre Court this year as the upper level bleachers have been removed to allow for a more intimate feel. I guess they're not quite selling as many tickets as they had hoped.

Flavia Pennetta takes out the younger Radwanska in the first match completed on Centre Court. Take a look at the first serve percentage by the Italian though...wow. Something tells me the statistician was sleeping on the job!

This kind of fashion statement could only be made by Bethanie Mattek-Sands who was called into action at the last minute when Laura Robson pulled out with a wrist injury.

Mattek-Sands would fall to Yanina Wickmayer (pictured above) 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.

A little insight into the media requirements that the top players have to adhere to on opening day.

Marion Bartoli explaining where she displays her Wimbledon trophy to ESPN's Kamakshi Tandon

Genie Bouchard signing for fans after losing in doubles with partner Kirsten Flipkens.

Lucie Safarova receiving some on-court coaching in a losing effort to fellow Czech Klara Zakopalova.

Monica Seles, Eugenie Bouchard, Venus and Serena Williams before their doubles exo that was won 8-5 by the Williams sisters.

Serena seemed enthralled as the question period rolled along!

Check back with us throughout the week for updates on all Rogers Cup action and be sure to follow us on Twitter as well for timely updates.

 

Rogers Cup WTA Draw Analysis

By Mike McIntyre

The Rogers Cup is ready to begin in Toronto on Monday where Petra Kvitova is the defending champion and Serena Williams is the number one seed. With both Vika Azarenka and Maria Sharapova having to withdraw due to injuries, many will be expecting a Serena victory by the time Sunday comes around.

As one of the top eight seeds in the tournament, Williams received a first round bye and will play the winner between qualifier Chanele Scheepers and Francesca Schiavone. Schiavone won the French Open in 2010 and then lost there in the finals in 2011, the same year she reached her career high ranking of 4th in the world. Clearly stronger on clay, the Italian is now ranked 55th in the world but still represents a quality opponent should she face Serena in round two.

This quarter of the draw has not just one, by two Williams sisters in it. Venus makes her first tournament appearance since the French Open and could face Serena in the third round. The two will play in a doubles exhibition on Monday night against former world number one Monica Seles and Canadian sensation Genie Bouchard. They are not however entered in the office Rogers Cup doubles draw.

Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli will bring her two-handed forehand and backhand to Toronto and is also in this section of the draw as the 7th seed. She will face the winner between qualifier Lauren Davis and former Grand Slam champion and lucky loser Svetlana Kuznetsova. Oddly enough, Davis defeated Kuznetsova on Sunday in the final round of qualifying, but as the Russian was the highest ranked player in the qualifying draw, she takes a spot that was vacated in the main draw by Vika Azarenka's last minute withdrawal. Look for the veteran to make the necessary adjustments to earn the victory over Davis this time.

First Quarter Prediction: Serena Williams d. Bartoli

In the next quadrant of the draw, Agnieszka Radwanska will look to get her confidence going as she aims for her first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open later this month. The third seed will have a tough opening match as she will face the winner between Yanina Wickmayer and Laura Robson. Wickmayer was once ranked as high as 12th in the world and has three career titles to her name. The 23 year old has still not reached her peak and while currently only ranked 57th in the world I feel that she is due for a breakthrough at some point. Robson for her part represents the future of British tennis on the WTA Tour and at only 19 years of age is the 32nd ranked player in the world. Wickmayer defeated Robson in their only career meeting back in 2010 on grass and should expect a much tougher match this time around. This match-up is one I would recommend to anyone attending on Monday and has three sets written all over it.

Up and coming American Sloan Stephens is the 14th seed and also in the second quarter of the tournament. Lookout as well for the future Mrs. Alexander Ovechkin - Maria Kirilenko that is, along with 5th seeded Sara Errani who will threaten Radwanska for a spot in the semi-finals.

The 26 year old Errani is one spot below her career best ranking in singles and has made the finals of two clay court and two hard court tournaments proving she can play well on either surface. She got to the semi finals of the French Open where she was humbled by Serena Williams 6-0, 6-1. Her record at the Rogers Cup is a mediocre 1-5, so I'm not sure if playing in Canada agrees with her too much. Still, given her 5-1 record against Kirilenko I would expect her to make her way to the quarter-finals to face Radwanska against whom she has struggled with a 2-6 head-to-head.

Second Quarter Prediction: Radwanska d. Errani

In the third quarter of play Li Na of China is the 4th seed and made the finals of the event a year ago while Angelique Kerber of Germany is the 8th seed. Kerber has had a solid but not spectacular season and is 1-6 lifetime vs Na. Former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic is also in this section and the 16th seed could also put together a good run here in Canada where she won the event all the way back in 2006 in Montreal. 

I'd look a little bit beyond the top seedings in this part of the draw to 11th ranked Italian Roberta Vinci to have a strong outing here. She has made the quarter-finals the past two years and knocked off some quality players while on Canadian soil. Her last tournament appearance was nearly a month ago but she won that event in Palermo on clay.

Don't overlook Dominika Cibulkova as well who could face Kerber in the second round and is currently ranked 21st in the world. The Slovak just won the event in Stanford last week where she knocked-off Radwanska in the final. The win was particularly meaningful to Cibulkova as she was double "bageled" earlier in the year by Radwanska 6-0, 6-0 in the finals in Sydney. Her confidence levels should be enough to carry her through a few rounds.

Third Quarter Prediction: Vinci d. Ivanovic

In the last part of the draw, Caroline Wozniacki replaced 2nd seed Azarenka late Sunday night and will receive a bye even though she is the 9th seed in the event. Azarenka lost for the first time in nine career meetings on Sunday to Sam Stosur in the finals of Carlsbad, California. Her official reason for withdrawing in Toronto was due to a lower back injury. 

The 23 year old Wozniacki is still the youngest player in the top ten in the rankings even though it seems she has been there for quite some time now. She brings a modest 21-16 record on the WTA Tour into this event and has been struggling to find consistency all season long. The Dane was 3-6 during the clay court season and then fell in the second round of Wimbledon. Getting back onto hard courts is probably the best thing for her at this point.

Wozniacki, who won here in 2010, could face Jelena Jankovic in the third round and then either defending champion Kvitova or Sam Stosur in the quarter-finals. Jankovic is 29-12 on the season but has lost in the first round of the Rogers Cup in each of the past three years. Stosur made the finals in Toronto two years ago but has also been inconsistent since her U.S. Open victory that same summer. Kvitova meanwhile has won a hard court event in Dubai earlier this year and made the quarter-finals of Wimbledon.

This section of the draw is extremely tough, with rising Canadian sensation Genie Bouchard also present. Bouchard opens with a tough match against Russian Alisa Kleybanova who was once ranked as high as 20th in the world before Hodgkin's Lymphoma forced her to withdraw from the game. Kleybanova played in only one event in 2012 and has only played in three this year that have all been challenger type events. Currently ranked 602nd in the world, it will be a real test for her to get back up in the rankings but something we'd all love to see given the difficulties she has faced.

Fourth Quarter Prediction: Kvitova d. Jankovic

Semi-final predictions:

Serena Williams d. Radwanska

Kvitova d. Vinci

Final Prediction:

Williams d. Kvitova

Serena will be hungry to reclaim the Rogers Cup title and show that her loss at Wimbledon a month ago was just a small blip on the screen in her otherwise stellar 2013 season.

Check back with us often throughout the week as we will be covering the tournament live from the Rexall Centre in Toronto. Follow us on Twitter as well for timely updates on all of the action both here and in Montreal.

Drug Problem in Tennis Continues - Odesnik Busted for HGH

By Mike McIntyre

Professional tennis has been smeared once again in the media for doping offenses.

Ranked 98th in the world, American Wayne Odesnik pleaded guilty last week to importing Human Growth Hormone (HGH) into Australia in January of this year. The 24 year old journeyman was stopped by customs with eight vials containing 6 milligrams of the substance.

My first question upon hearing this story was what exactly is HGH? It is a substance that has been used by (some) athletes since the 1970s and was banned in 1989 by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Testing for HGH is very difficult and has only become effective during the past decade. It is impervious to urine tests and can only be detected through blood testing that can distinguish between the natural and artificial versions of the substance. Unlike anabolic steroids that build muscle mass, HGH reduces the amount of body fat a person carries as well as providing them with resistance to injury and fatigue. You can see why a tennis player might be tempted to use such a substance, especially one like Odesnik who has been struggling to find his place on tour for years.

My second question in the Odesnik situation was how much HGH was Odesnik carrying on him at the time of his encounter with customs officials? From the research I have done it appears that typical users will take 1-2 International Units (IUs) of the stuff each day. Each milligram of HGH contains 3 IUs. Therefore if Odesnik was stopped with 6 milligrams of HGH, he had 18 IUs with him which would translate into about 9-18 days worth of doses. That would be consistent with the amount of time Odesnik was likely going to be staying in Australia between the tournament in Brisbane and the Australian Open. From this calculation, it is obvious that Odesnik was only carrying enough of the substance for personal use and not to traffic or share with other players.

Now that we have determined the answers to those two preliminary questions, let's see what the reaction was like from Odesnik's co-workers. Fellow American tennis players have been quick to react to the situation and rightly so.

"There's nothing worse than that," Roddick said at the Sony Ericsson Open. "That's just plain cheating, and they should throw him out of tennis. There's just no room for it."

James Blake also weighed in by saying, ""It's the same thing you hear about the criminal next door — he seemed like a nice guy until they found something going on. People look for a way to get ahead, and that's unfortunate. It's something that's frustrating. You want to feel like you're playing on a fair playing field. I'm glad they caught him."

Sam Querrey, offered this reaction, "[Odesnik] messed up there, and he's got to take the consequences,'' he said. "Hopefully he'll learn his lesson. … It's pretty easy to not cheat. I don't know why some guys do. It's pretty easy to put food and water into your body and not inject things.''

In a cut-and-paste statement, the ATP Tour commented by saying, "We are extremely disappointed in the behavior of this individual, which is in no way representative of the sport of tennis."

While most players say that there is not a drug problem within the sport I would have to disagree based on the string of players caught offending within recent memory.

Martina Hingis (cocaine), Guillermo Canas (a dope-masking agent called hydrochlorothiazide), Karol Beck (anabolic steroids), Richard Gasquet (cocaine), Yanina Wickmayer (missed testing), Xavier Malisse (missing testing) have all come under fire for drug-related offenses in recent memory while Andre Agassi admitted to regularly using Crystal Meth during the late 1990s. This list covers Grand Slam winners, child prodigies, journeymen, rising stars - the entire gamut of the men's and women's games.

I still firmly believe that a very high percentage of players are clean, yet these stories happen with enough regularity that they are starting to taint our sport and the perception that the public has towards it.

Even more tarnishing is the amateur-hour manner in which many of these players are dealt with. Agassi's story of accidentally sipping from a friend's spiked soda was accepted at face value. Gasquet's far-fetched fairytale of ingesting a small amount of cocaine from kissing a mystery woman at a Miami night-club is even more preposterous.

The notion that a drug problem has been plaguing the sport is not a new one. During her last appearance at Wimbledon prior to retirement in 2001, France's Nathalie Tauziat had plenty to say about how she viewed the problem.

"I won't name individuals," she said, "but it's clear that doping exists in tennis and needs to be stopped. I have no hard evidence, but all I will say is that you don't have to have a degree in medicine to see that some of the players have transformed themselves almost overnight. It's time people stopped taking us for a bunch of fools. I don't care how much training or gym work you do, there is no way anyone can suddenly become stronger and faster in the space of a couple of months. How is it that some girls disappear for a few weeks, and then return looking totally different?"

So how does the sport of tennis respond adequately to this seemingly growing threat - or are we destined to be constantly dealing with these frequent abuse issues just as cycling and track and field do? That's the tough question that ATP and WTA Tour CEO'S Adam Helfant and Stacy Allastair need to answer.

Certainly the timing of the drug tests needs to be taken into account. Testing for several banned substances, including HGH, need to be done within days of use. Instead of relying on tests taken during the Grand Slam events the International Tennis Federation (ITF) should focus on peak training periods when these drugs are likely being used.

Better co-operation between the ITF and the Court of Arbitration of Sport is also a necessity. While the ITF is responsible for policing the drug policies of the ATP and WTA Tours, the Court of Arbitration of Sport has overturned these decisions on several occasions. These over-rulings only serve (pardon the pun) to make the ITF look unprofessional in their earlier decisions. Let's get both organizations on the same page in terms of their conclusions in order to streamline this process and put an end to the inevitable head-scratching that we are left with when one supersedes the other.

The bottom line here is that professional tennis has hundreds of excellent athletes and officials who are getting their reputation dragged through the mud because of the seemingly growing number of instances of the few players who get caught (and often exonerated). It is time to crack down severely, ridding the sport of these supposed athletes that are tarnishing its reputation and at the same instance make the correct decision the first time around. If players like Canas and Gasquet are innocent, then don't raise suspicions with hasty accusations. If they are guilty then kick them out for good.

I agree with Andy Roddick's assessment of the most recent incident with Odesnik. Send a message and kick this guy out for good. Forget the current two year ban that this blatant cheater faces. Turn the corner and put the doubts and half-way measures aside so that tennis can move forward knowing they are truly doing all that can be done to combat this serious issue.

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The euphoric effects of cocaine have drawn a lot of people to the drug, particularly celebrities and even professional athletes, who can well afford the rather steep street cocaine prices.

Sony Ericsson Round Two Update

By Mike McIntyre

The second round of play came to a conclusion at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami on Saturday and while the women's draw seems to be unfolding according to plan, the upsets continued on the men's side.

A day after second seeded Novak Djokovic went down in defeat, the third seed, Andy Murray followed suit. Murray was dropped in straight sets by American veteran Mardy Fish, 6-4, 6-4. Since reaching the Aussie Open finals in January, Murray has looked listless on court failing to advance past the quarter-finals of any event he has played. While I'm sure that this is just a blip on the screen for Murray, it has to be concerning for his camp as the hard court swing is coming to an end - a time where Murray usually shines. As we progress to the red clay of Europe it will only become harder for the Scot to find his rhythm.

The men's draw now opens up considerably and gives the Roger and Rafa show a great chance to re-assert itself on the stage in Miami. The greatest tennis rivalry of the 21st Century has yet to hit the court in 2010 and is due for another riveting installment. Federer won their last encounter, in May 2009, at the Masters event in Madrid while Nadal had won the five battles prior to that.

Federer's draw looks like smooth sailing for the world number one player, with little opposition expected from Florent Serra in the third round. Tomas Berdych and a potential rematch with Marcos Baghdatis (who defeated Roger in Indian Wells last week) are on the horizon. Federer should have shaken off all of the post-Aussie Open rust by that point.

For Rafa, a tough third round tussle with David Nalbandian is on deck which should be a real treat to watch. Nalbandian has historically done well against Nadal - a feat that few players on tour can boast. The Argentine owns a 2-1 head-to-head advantage over Rafa, all on hard courts. I give the edge to Nadal in this one due to the fact Nalbandian has only recently returned from a lengthy injury layoff. It should still make for great tennis, so catch it if you can.

American Andy Roddick has a favorable draw with the 18th seeded Tommy Robredo his highest ranked potential opponent between here and the semi-finals. Sweden's Robin Soderling also has a nice path now that Andy Murray has been taken out of the equation in his section.

As for the WTA Tour, number one seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova is defending her lead position in the draw and advanced to the fourth round with a victory over Agnes Szavay. I must admit that seeing Kuznetsova hold the top seed in a tournament of this depth is somewhat surprising. While she did win the French Open a year ago, her play in 2010 has been abysmal. A fourth round loss at the Aussie Open and first or second round losses in each of her other appearances does not bode well for her season. Of course now that I've said that look for Kuznetsova to make a real run in Miami. My Murray vs Djokovic final prediction has already blown up in my face.

One player I've got a great feeling about at this tournament and for her career in general is Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer. Since bursting onto the scene with her U.S. Open semi-final appearance in 2009 this kid has been on a real tear. She won her first tournament of 2010 and then had a strong run at the Aussie Open where she endured three tough qualifying matches and made it to the round of sixteen before bowing out in three tight sets against returning country-woman Justine Henin. She's had a bit of a tough go since then, but has a nice draw here to turn things around. At only twenty years old she represents a very bright future for women's tennis in Belgium - already brimming with talent due to the returns of Henin and Kim Clijsters.

Other notable results of late include Henin knocking off 5th seed Elena Dementieva while Vera Zvonareva schooled American youngster Melanie Oudin 6-1, 6-2. I sure hope that kid is taking this all in stride because in the long haul I think she's going to be a great player.

Hope you're all enjoying the tennis if you have television access or are lucky enough to be in Miami for this great tournament. Keep checking back for more updates.

Shahar Peer Wins Opening Match in Dubai

By Mike McIntyre

Shahar Peer of Israel made the most of her first opportunity to play tennis in the United Arab Emirates, by defeating 13th seeded Yanina Wickmayer 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 in the opening round of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships. It was her first career victory over Wickmayer - one of the hottest players on tour so far in 2010.

Despite a slow start, Peer rebounded to win the final two sets and advance to the second round where she will face last year's finalist, Virginie Razzano of France.

"There are a lot of emotions coming after this win. It's more than beating Yanina, it's more of me handling all the stuff around and able to put everything on the side and just play tennis, and just concentrate on the (match) and not the politics," Peer said.

This is a big step forward for Peer, as well as the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and the tournament itself. A year ago Peer was denied entry to the country due to supposed safety concerns. The real reason was the fact that Peer was from Israel and the Emirates does not allow Israeli's to acquire a visa to visit the country.

Monday's match against Wickmayer featured heavy security that included metal detectors for all spectators and several plain-clothes policemen in the crowd.

While this is certainly a sign of progress, Peer's coach, Pablo Giacopelli, has told the media that Peer is only allowed to travel between her hotel and the tournament venue. Not exactly being welcomed with open arms, is it? 

Still, Peer has handled the situation with nothing but a positive attitude. She was clearly very pleased with the outcome on day one.

"I really wanted to win this match, not only because of tennis, but because I want to make a statement that politics and sport should not be involved."

The statement has been heard loud and clear. Bravo Shahar.

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.

 

 

Australian Open - Women's Qualifying Draw

By Mike McIntyre

The women's qualifying draw packs more heat than on the men's side for one main reason: Yanina Wickmayer. Despite being ranked 16th in the world, the Belgian is being forced to grind it out through three qualifying matches in order to secure a spot in the main draw.

Wickmayer was suspended by the Flemish Anti-Doping Tribunal in her home country in early November for apparently failing to report her whereabouts at certain times during the season.

The twenty year old rising star appealed the decision and had it overturned by a civil court in Belgium. Unfortunately for Wickmayer the new ruling came after the December 7th cut-off date for entries into the Australian Open.

That left Wickmayer with the option of applying for a wild-card from the tournament, but when it was not extended, it left her with no other option but going through the qualifying draw.

It's disappointing that such a talented player is being forced to jump through hoops in order to qualify for the main draw. While I certainly feel that Wickmayer will make it through the qualies, it will place a greater physical strain on her body ahead of an already grueling Grand Slam schedule. Hopefully it will instead serve as a motivator for her and help her gain some momentum for a memorable tournament. She is obviously seeded number one in the qualifying draw and won a tough opening match on Thursday by a score of 4-6, 6-0, 7-5.

Aside from Wickmayer, the qualifying draw has a few other players worth following.

Alexandra Stevenson will best be remembered for her surprising run to the semi-finals at Wimbledon as a qualifier in 1999. That was a long time ago and Stevenson never built upon that success. Several injuries would creep up in 2002 and slow her progress and then a right-shoulder injury would derail her career at the end of 2004 and cause her ranking to plummet. Stevenson has been back to playing a full schedule for a couple of years now, but has not been able to regularly make it past qualifying draws and challenger-level tournaments.

Fifteen year old Laura Robson teamed up with Andy Murray at the Hopman Cup earlier this month and acquitted herself quite well. Born in Australia (Melbourne in fact) but playing for Great Britain, Robson lost to Daniela Hantuchova in three sets in the first round of Wimbledon last year, her first appearance at a Grand Slam. The youngster will turn sixteen during the Aussie Open and represents the future of female tennis in the U.K.

Canadians: I have to give a shout-out to the numerous Canadian women who are represented in the qualifying draw in Melbourne this year including, Valerie Tetreault, Heidi El Tabakh, Rebecca Marino and Sharon Fichman. Our country does not have much representation in the upper rankings of the tennis world, but these ladies are showing that Tennis Canada does have some talent in the mix just below the surface.

Clijsters vs Henin On Deck

By Mike McIntyre

How excited is the tennis world at the realization of a Kim Clijsters/Justine Henin final so early in the season? It's very rare that I will wake up in the early hours of the morning to watch a non-Grand Slam event, but I'm seriously considering doing that on Saturday just to watch these two face-off in the finals of the Brisbane International.

The pair last met at Wimbledon on grass in 2006 with Henin prevailing 6-4, 7-6(4). Clijsters won their last hard court encounter in Toronto in 2005 by a score of 7-5, 6-1. Henin narrowly leads their career head-to-head by a margin of 12-10. Good luck predicting a winner in this one folks.

Clijsters has an edge in recent match-play by virtue of her comeback in the summer of 2009 that included a U.S. Open title. Henin is looking incredibly sharp however in just her first tournament back since retirement with solid victories over second-seeded Nadia Petrova, and third-seeded Ana Ivanovic.

Both players appear to be greatly anticipating the match and had complimentary comments for each other ahead of their encounter on Saturday.

"I don't think anybody, anywhere around the world, especially Belgium, even our own groups and teams … ever expected to see this again," Clijsters said. "It's real exciting. It's going to be an interesting one again. It's, you know, back to the old days."

"It's always special when I play Kim. It's a day I like a lot," Henin said. "That's what a lot of people hoped for and expected. We've had a lot of great fights over the years. But a lot of things happened to her, a lot of things happen to me. It's going to be a different situation."

It has been a great week for tennis fans and sports enthusiasts in Belgium, as Yanina Wickmayer has already captured the ASB Classic in Auckland where she defeated top-seeded Flavia Pennetta for the title.

I think I have a feeling of what nation to keep an eye on in 2010 Fed Cup play!