Headline Round-Up: Fish, Zvonareva, and Safina Win
After some exceptional American success last week, a string of big headlines are signaling the start of another busy seven days on the ATP and WTA tours. Here’s a round-up of the current events around the sport this week.
- Mardy Fish continues his winning streak, notching match number 11 over Viktor Troicki. The American has swept the field since a second round loss at Wimbledon. He won two titles in Newport and Atlanta and looks primed to continue his success after dropping 30 pounds.
- Wimbledon finalist Vera Zvonareva beat Dominika Cibulkova in a tough 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 to get her first win since losing to Serena Williams. Zvonareva seems to have recovered from the mysterious ankle injury that forced her to retire from the Bank of the West Classic last week.
- Dinara Safina’s free-fall in the rankings and with her form finally picked up a little after she won a match — her first win in seven tries. The former world number one and three-time major finalist beat Alyona Bondarenko 6-1, 7-6 (2) in San Diego.
- Serena Williams and John Isner are set to take part in the Hopman Cup, an international tournament that serves as a warm-up for the Australian Open. As an Associated Press article writes, “Williams and Isner will join the Serbian pair of Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic, Belgium’s Justine Henin, Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt and France’s Gael Monfils in the mixed teams tournament which runs Jan. 1-8.” Time will tell if the big-name players keep their commitments to this progressive event.
- James Blake continues his poor form, this time losing to the qualifier Ryan Sweeting 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Blake is now ranked 105th. At the same event, David Nalbandian is back after a hamstring injury, winning over Rajeev Ram 6-4, 6-0.
- Speaking of players recovering from injury, US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro is back on the courts. Although he probably won’t make it back in time to defend his title, or at least be a threat to win the event, it’s good to see he’s back. Click here to see the picture he posted on his Twitter account, apparently proving his return.
- Back for more: Ivan Lendl will debut on the ATP Champions seniors’ tour in Paris this October.
- Ones to watch, maybe: 22-year old Alexandra Mueller, ranked 447th, received a wild card into the US Open qualifying after defeating Alina Jidkova in the USTA playoffs. She handily beat Jidkova 6-0, 6-3. The last time Mueller played at the qualifying, she was 16. Jelena Dokic also made news for winning her second straight title on the ITF tour.
Clijsters Collapses in Two Sets; Upsets Ensue in Round of 32
Photo Credit:Clive Brunskills/Getty Images
Marion Bartoli, Alisa Kleybanova, Gael Monfils, and… Kim Clijsters? What does this eclectic group of names have in common? They all surrendered to defeat in the round of 32 at the Australian Open in outlandish fashion. The biggest upset of the round being none other than the Belgian comeback queen and recent US Open champion, Clijsters. Let’s take a look at this round of disastrous disappointment at the Slam that never fails to surprise.
First upset highlight: Bartoli, the eleventh-seed succumbed to Jie Zheng of China in a lopsided 5-7, 6-3, 6-0 match. Look to the current French number one to fall out of the top twenty over the course of this year; she’s already losing points for not making good on her quarterfinal run at the Slam last year.
Who can blame the Alisa Kleybanova for her three-set defeat at the hands of Justine Henin? It was a good effort from the 27th-seed to test the Belgian champion. The Russian had her chances up a set and a break in the second, but the sun and high fitness level required to secure the win got to her. I guess it wasn’t much of an upset after all.
Gael Monfils was another big name in the cast of third round defeats. The showy Frenchman was out-served by the gentle giant, and number two American, John Isner. Monfils, who typically shines under the athletic pressure and blazing conditions, was bombarded in the first set 6-1 before getting his head back in it. However, Isner stayed steady, improving his tiebreak records in the process, by acing the Monfils twenty-three times to clinch the match, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(5). Next up for Isner, Andy Murray, who has been cruising so far.
Finally, the most stunning upset for last. Clijsters’ comeback at the Australian Open came to a screeching halt when Nadia Petrova, who was looking for some sweet revenge after her loss to Henin in the first round of the Sydney tournament, blitzed the Belgian in a 6-0, 6-1 win. With no obvious answers to describe Clijsters’ poor play, I’ll count the loss as a blip on the radar, not a question mark for the next three Slams. Kudos to Petrova for securing the upset, and making her mark in the tournament. Here’s a video of Clijster’s press conference after her loss.
Summary and Predictions for the Winners:
Zheng Jie won’t keep up the level of play, and will lose to Alyona Bondarenko, the player that upset Jelena Jankovic, in two close sets. Justine Henin will into the second week ready for a fight, shaking off her aches and pains in the process. She takes on Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer, and can only be thankful that her more well-known compatriot, Kim Clijsters, isn’t there for a fight in the quarterfinals. John Isner’s huge serve won’t be a match for Andy Murray’s superb return game. I see the American’s run coming to a close in three close sets. Finally, Clijsers’ slayer, Nadia Petrova, will roll over Svetlana Kuznetsova in the fourth round, but lose in a rematch to Henin in the quarters.
Williams Sisters Secure Wins Easily; Serbians Suffer in the Sun
Photo Credit: Lionel Cironneau/AP
Serena Williams and Venus Williams handily fended off two difficult second round opponents to advance. Serena looked particularly sharp against the powerful 20-year-old, Petra Kvitova, while Venus dispatched the mother, Sybille Bammer after a tough test in the second set.
The results are telling of what’s to come in the tournament’s future for the sisters. Serena’s intensity certainly is not the question. When is it ever? Then again, Venus, who was impressive in the first set against Bammer lost concentration as she so often does. This focus issue does not bode well in the second week of a Slam, especially one in which heat and fitness are key to winning.
That said, I’m sticking by my guns and predicting that Serena keeps her composure into the finals. However, it does not look like a sister semifinal will occur. Venus can get through the next round against Australia’s Casey Dellacqua, who’s been having a nice repeat of her 2008 Sunny Slam success, along with a probably fourth round match against the tenth-seeded lightweight, Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland. Venus leads their head-to-head 4-1, including a 6-1, 6-2 win over the tricky counter puncher in the quarterfinals of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships. The run will most probably end at the racquet of Caroline Wozniacki, the recent US Open finalist, whose focused is almost always assured. Wozniacki is ready to shine under the big stage, and prove to the tennis world that she’s confident enough to snap her four straight defeats at the hands of Venus, all of which ended in two sets.
Now for news on the Serbians. There were big hopes for Ana Ivanovic coming into this Slam, while Jelena Jankovic continued to fly under the radar. Both former number ones failed, continuing their streaky success after topping the ranking charts. Ivanovic bowed out in an epic 6-7(6), 7-5, 6-4 loss to Gisela Dulko in the second round, and her compatriot’s run came to a close in the third round against the Ukranian Alyona Bondarenko, 6-2, 6-3.
In terms of the Australian Open, Ivanovic’s loss opens the draw up nicely for Victoria Azarenka, securing an anticipated quarterfinal match against Serena. In Jankovic’s quarter, meanwhile, the surprise Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli might have the potential to make some noise. Dinara Safina and Maria Sharapova’s slayer, Maria Kirilenko, loom in the background in the bottom of the draw, too.
The question is: Can the Serbs get back to a competitive level at the Slams? While I don’t see either hoisting up a trophy, especially in the next three events, there’s a long year ahead of the two for better or for worse.
Noteworthy News Links:
“Ivanovic out; Williamses, Djokovic win in Melbourne” by the Associated Press
“No big deal, says Jankovic after Aussie Open loss” by Agence France-Presse
