Hawk-Eye is een belangrijk onderdeel van de tennisarbitrage geworden

“Hawk-Eye is het meest geavanceerde systeem ter ondersteuning van officials, in elke sport.” Dat zegt het bedrijf Hawk-Eye Innovations zelf op haar website. De site zelf is echter minder geavanceerd. De pagina over tennis stamt uit 2007 en is sindsdien niet meer bijgewerkt.

Het Hawk-Eye systeem werd oorspronkelijk ontwikkeld voor televisie, maar in 2006 werd het ook als arbitrair hulpmiddel in gebruik genomen op de professionele tennistour. Hawk-Eye had daarmee niet de primeur, want al sinds de jaren ‘80 kende de sport het Cyclops-systeem, dat werd ingezet op de servicelijn, en een luide piep gaf wanneer een opslag uit was.

Diepgaande analyses
Cyclops was echter lang niet zo geavanceerd als zijn opvolger. Hawk-Eye registreert elke geslagen bal tijdens een rally, en niet alleen helpt het spelers met de mogelijkheid om een call te ‘challengen’, commentatoren gebruiken het systeem om diepgaande analyses op wedstrijden toe te passen.

Hawk-Eye kan precies weergeven hoe vaak een speler bijvoorbeeld naar de backhandhoek van zijn tegenstander slaat, of hoe ver deze achter de baseline staat tijdens een rally, of bij het ontvangen van de service. Dit kan worden gespecificeerd naar bijvoorbeeld set 1 en set 2, waardoor verschillen in tactiek in beeld kunnen worden gebracht. Hawk-Eye biedt televisiekijkers dus een diepere blik in de patronen die zich ontwikkelen in wedstrijden.

Novak Djokovic is de beste 'challenger' op de ATP Tour

Maar nog belangrijker is dat het systeem soms letterlijk wedstrijden beslist. Toen Lleyton Hewitt tijdens het ABN AMRO-toernooi in Rotterdam vorig jaar dacht een ace geslagen te hebben op matchpoint, vroeg zijn tegenstander Andreas Seppi een challenge aan. De bal bleek uit te zijn en de Italiaan zou uiteindelijk de wedstrijd nog winnen. Zonder Hawk-Eye had Hewitt de partij gewonnen.

Meerdere camera’s
Het Hawk-Eye systeem is inmiddels van toepassing bij vrijwel alle grote toernooien ter wereld. Tijdens het gravelseizoen wordt Hawk-Eye alleen gebruikt als hulpmiddel voor de televisie, aangezien van de balafdrukken op de baan direct valt af te lezen of een bal in of uit was.

Voor gebruik van het Hawk-Eye systeem staan er meerdere camera’s gepositioneerd rond de tennisbaan. Soms zijn dit er wel acht. Wanneer een speler een challenge aanvraagt, maken Hawk-Eye medewerkers ter plaatse een 3D-animatie op de computer van de balbaan en deze wordt vervolgens geprojecteerd op de grote schermen in het stadion.

Paniek
Toch is niet iedereen een fan van het systeem. Roger Federer vindt het allemaal maar niks. Hij twijfelt aan de betrouwbaarheid van de projecties en ziet liever een lijnrechter een extra fout maken dan dat zijn lot in de handen van een computer terechtkomt. In de Wimbledon-finale van 2007 raakte Federer bijna in paniek vanwege het systeem, toen een geslagen bal van Rafael Nadal volgens Hawk-Eye 1 milimeter in was.

“Hoe kan die bal in hemelsnaam in zijn? Kunnen we het systeem niet uitzetten? It’s killing me!“, beklaagde Federer zich bij de umpire. Kijk zelf naar het filmpje. 

Aanleiding
Iemand die drie jaar geleden wel erg blij was met de komst van Hawk-Eye, was Serena Williams. Een wedstrijd van de Amerikaanse op de US Open van 2004 tegen Jennifer Capriati vormde een belangrijke aanleiding voor de introductie van het systeem. De beelden spreken voor zich. Kijkt u vooral het hele filmpje af.

Schoonheidsfoutjes
Hoewel Hawk-Eye een doorslaand succes is geworden, is het systeem niet geheel onfeilbaar gebleken. In de ruim drie jaar tijd dat de technologie nu wordt gebruikt, zijn er ook enkele schoonheidsfoutjes geweest. Deze zijn echter op de vingers van één hand te tellen.

In de wedstrijd van Amélie Mauresmo tegen Olga Poutchkova op de Australian Open van 2007 was het voor de umpire van dienst even schrikken.Mauresmo vroeg aan het eind van de eerste set een challenge aan, maar Hawk-Eye geeft de bal zowel in als uit. De afbeelding liet een afdruk áchter de baseline zien, terwijl het onderschrift keurig las “IN”. Mauresmo kon er om lachen. Wat volgde was een let. Zie hier het filmpje.

Later dat jaar op de US Open gebeurde er iets vergelijkbaars in de wedstrijd tussen Nicole Vaidisova en Alla Kudryavtseva.

En dan was er nog de menselijke fout eerder dit jaar, waarbij een Hawk-Eye operator – naar later bleek – per ongeluk de verkeerde stuit van de bal afspeelde op het scherm in het duel tussen Andy Murray en Ivan Ljubicic in Indian Wells.

10.000 challenges
Sinds Hawk-Eye voor het eerst werd gebruikt als technologisch hulpmiddel voor officials bij de Sony Ericsson Open in Miami ruim drie jaar geleden, zijn er in totaal meer dan 10.000 challenges aangevraagd door spelers. Een onderzoek van USA Today eerder dit jaar, leerde dat de mannen veel vaker het systeem inschakelden dan de vrouwen.

Ruim 6.300 van de totale hoeveelheid challenges kwam van de heren. En mochten de spelers denken dat ze het allemaal beter zien dan de lijnrechters, dan zitten ze er flink naast. Slechts 35% van de aangevraagde challenges leverde een positief resultaat op voor de tennisprof.

De dames doen het met hun zuinigere beleid wat dat betreft net wat beter. In 36% van de gevallen zaten de speelsters bij het juiste eind.

De ATP Tour stelde voor het onderzoek van de Amerikaanse krant ook een lijst beschikbaar van spelers die ten minste 50 challenges aan hebben gevraagd. Van de 39 spelers was er slechts één die in meer dan 50% van de gevallen het gelijk aan zijn zijde had: Novak Djokovic. De Serviër had op het moment van publicatie een hitrate van 55%.

En wie was de grote clown van het geheel? Niemand minder dan Andy Murray, die van zijn totaal van 224 challenges slechts 56 keer met een blij gezicht naar het videoscherm kon kijken. Daarmee had hij het in 25% van de gevallen goed gezien. De Schot heeft wél een verklaring voor zijn lage score. “Ik weet vaak wel dat als ik challenge ik het verkeerd heb, maar ik wil dan gewoon zien hoe ver mijn geslagen bal uit was.”

Foto’s © Niels de Water

Transformer. moduler, Photographier… La beauté d’un geste, un physique avantageux, des formes sublimes… C’est un peu le tour de la question de ce matin. Vous l’aurez peut-être remarqué mais en ce moment, toutes les stars de tennis se plaisent à dévoiler leur physique avantageux. Les magazines sont très souvent alléchés par ces pages là qui permettent d’augmenter les tirages…

Voilà donc quelques uns des clichés les plus stunning ! J’en suis restée complètement sur le c..l !

Il y a ces beautés naturelles qui ne peuvent qu’embellir une publication. Héléna Dementieva fait partie de celles-là…

Mais il y a des surprises vraiment surprenantes… En anglais, j”aurais dit :” unbelievable” à la Ivanovitch…

Vous connaissez tous la petite sœur de Marat Safin, comme cela :

Oui c’est pas terrible, terrible

Ben, la miss “je tape fort dans la balle” s’est revêtue d’un pouvoir attractif magique sur une série mode du Harper’s Bazaar :

On aurait presque du mal à la reconnaître…. Mais si, c’est bien elle !

Métamorphosée, Safina hein ?

C’est ce que j’aime dans ces séries mode car cela est nullement leur job de prendre des poses et pourtant le résultat est vraiment étourdissant !

Il y a aussi Amélie qui s’est lâchée… Celle que les médias et l’opinion publique en ont vite usé de raccourcis vis-à-vis d’un physique pas assez féminin à leur goût, s’est transformée :

On la connaît joueuse… Elle est bien entourée, là. Non ?

Pose suggestive mais franchement elle est pas canon, notre Amélie nationale ?

Et puis, il y a Serena Williams… Alors comment dire, c’est un peu le Grimmlysss du tennis…Et pourtant, en usant de charme, elle a réalisé une série de photos assez amusantes !

Coquine, va !

Comme quoi, avec un bon retoucheur photo, on peut faire n’importe quoi…

Photos : droits réservés

]]> http://adjustingthenet.com/2009/11/11/wta-crystal-ball-for-2010/ Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:02:41 +0000 theslyguy http://adjustingthenet.com/2009/11/11/wta-crystal-ball-for-2010/

Now that the WTA season is over and the ladies are resting up for Australia, I thought it was time to look ahead and give my predictions for 2010. 2009 was a drama filled year and I expect even more next year. Players will be “ranked” according to what I think their year-end ranking will be for 2010.

1. Serena Williams – Even with the return of Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters, I don’t expect anyone to take over the top spot from Serena and expect her to win at least two Slams for 2010.

2. Caroline Wozniacki - “Sunshine” as she’s known on the tour will have another consistent year and will find herself in another Slam final. If she can win a big one remains to be seen but it will be hard to bet against her next year. Conditioning and her excessive match play may hurt her down the road.

3. Dinara Safina – A lot depends on Safina’s current back injury and her mental toughness for 2010. I can see her in a Slam final but she will have to dismiss whatever demons she has in order to make it back to the top spot.

4. Svetlana Kuznetsova – Despite her mental flaws, “Sveta” will always be a factor in 2010 and will probably make it to another Slam final. If she wins a Slam next year is entirely up to her. Watch out for her at the Australian Open as she finished 2010 in good shape healthwise.

5. Venus Williams – 2010 will be the last chance at glory for Venus as she turns 30 this year. Aside from Wimbledon, she’s not been a factor for a while at the other Slams and her knee could be a big issue. Plus the fact that no one tour is afraid of playing her could may next year very tough.

6-9. These slots will change depending on the names, i.e. Jelena Jankovic, Victoria Azarenka, Elena Dementieva, etc. They could breakthrough and win a Slam, but let’s face it, shouldn’t they have done so already?

10. Kim Clijsters – Everybody keeps salivating over Henin’s return but Clijsters, who played lights out tennis at the U.S. Open, will still go into every tournament with nothing to lose and thus no pressure. I expect Kimmie to be a factor in Australia and a heavy favorite at the U.S. Open again.

Wildcards – Justine Henin will be the story at the Australian Open win or lose. It will all depend on her draws and I actually think the clay court season is where she will find the most success. She has more to lose than Kim Clijsters in her comeback so a Slam victory in 2010 is paramount.

Sam Stosur – Stosur finally won a WTA event in ‘09 and will probably break into the top 10 next year. She’s got the game to win a big one, maybe even Wimbledon, but does she believe she can win is the question.

Maria Sharapova – Sharapova is finally getting back on track after a rocky 2009. If her serve starts clicking again, she could be a factor but probably not until Wimbledon.

Ana Ivanovic – 2010 will define Ivanovic’s entire career. If she can get over her mental and physical fatigue, she could work her way back into the top ten again. If she can’t, I could see her retiring early. Hope I’m wrong.

Melanie Oudin - Next year will be the real test for the feisty American to prove the U.S. Open run was no fluke. I definitely see her in the top 20 before too long. Perhaps the French Open will be her next surprise Slam as she says she likes the clay?

Amelie Mauresmo - There’s been no word yet on Mauresmo’s potential retirement but even if she decides to stick it out, 2010 will probably be her last year. Maybe she will finally go for broke and play with nothing to lose? If so, we could be in for a real treat.

Let me know what you think!

McEnroe – Borg. Het was misschien wel de grootste rivaliteit in de geschiedenis van de tennissport. Niet alleen qua persoonlijkheden waren de brutale Mac en de koele Zweed elkaars tegenpolen, ook in hun speelstijlen botsten zij met elkaar. De aanvaller McEnroe versus de verdediger Borg. Servicevolley tegen baselinespel. Maar waar aanvallende spelers in de jaren van McEnroe en Borg eerder regel dan uitzondering waren, is het servicevolley-spel anno 2009 vrijwel uitgestorven. Is er nog een toekomst voor de netspecialist?

Zelfs Andy Roddick speelt met zijn verwoestende opslag nauwelijks servicevolley

Als we kijken naar de huidige ranglijsten, dan komen we bij de mannen in de Top-30 één servicevolleyspeler tegen, te weten Radek Stepanek op plaats 12. In de Top-50 staan verder Ivo Karlovic (38e), John Isner (40e) en Feliciano Lopez (46e). 

Hiermee komen we op een schamel totaal van 4 spelers, waarbij ook nog aangetekend moet worden dat geen van hen over een natuurlijk talent aan het net beschikt als bijvoorbeeld een Pat Rafter of Pete Sampras vroeger.

Sombere toekomst
De situatie bij de dames is nog een stuk schrijnender. Venus Williams is de enige speelster van naam die met enige regelmaat servicevolley speelt, maar ook zij brengt toch de meeste tijd door op de baseline, net als de jonge generatie hardhitters onder leiding van Maria Sharapova.

Amelie Mauresmo houdt ook wel van het netspel, maar het is nog maar de vraag of de Française volgend jaar überhaupt nog speelt op de tour. Misschien dat de technisch begaafde Justine Henin in haar comeback het servicevolley tennis weer wat meer aandacht zal geven.

Michael Llodra, toernooiwinnaar in Auckland en Rotterdam in 2008 met constant servicevolleytennis, ziet de toekomst somber in. “Toen ik jong was, was het mijn droom om servicevolley te spelen,” zegt de Fransman. “Maar tegenwoordig zijn de ballen niet meer zo snel en worden er nieuwe banen aangelegd om het baselinespel te bevorderen. Niemand wil tegenwoordig meer servicevolley spelen. Zelfs Tim Henman kwam in de laatste twee jaar dat hij speelde lang niet meer zo vaak naar het net.”

Betere tijden voor het servicevolleytennis: John McEnroe en Stefan Edberg in actie in de halve finale van Wimbledon 1989.

Opleving
Henman, wiens aanvallende spel hem vier halve finales op Wimbledon heeft opgeleverd, speelde aan het slot van zijn loopbaan inderdaad meer vanaf de baseline. Maar de nieuwe generatie spelers begint het volleren weer wat meer te waarderen.

Zo nam Novak Djokovic gedurende enkele maandan in 2007 voormalig dubbelspecialist Mark Woodforde in dienst, puur om aan zijn netspel te werken. De Serviër, wiens volleys voorheen een duidelijke zwakte waren, is zich inmiddels een stuk beter thuis gaan voelen aan het net.

“Kijk naar Federer,” zegt Djokovic. “Hij kan alles. Servicevolley, spelen vanuit het achterveld, aanvallen, verdedigen. Dat is het spel waarmee momenteel goede resultaten worden behaald en dat zal ook in de toekomst zo zijn.”

Maar zijn er nog mogelijkheden voor pure servicevolley-spelers om succesvol te zijn aan de absolute top?

“Ik denk zeker dat het mogelijk is,” zegt Federer, die ondanks het feit dat hij zelf een van de beste volleerders is in het circuit, alleen het net op zoekt als hij zijn tegenstander hiermee kan verrassen. “De omstandigheden zijn een stuk moeilijker nu de ballen en de banen veel langzamer zijn, maar ik denk dat als je erg goed volleert, zoals Edberg, Sampras, Rafter of Becker vroeger deden, je een enorme druk kunt zetten op de baselinespelers van tegenwoordig. Maar het is moeilijk, want we retourneren in deze tijd beter en slaan makkelijker passeerballen vanwege de tragere omstandigheden. Toch ben ik benieuwd op welke positie ik het jaar af zou sluiten op de ranglijst, als ik gewoon na elke eerste en tweede service zou oplopen naar het net.”

Pete Sampras en Pat Rafter zijn twee van de laatste succesvolle servicevolleyers.

Trage speelomstandigheden
Andy Roddick, de man met de hardste service uit de geschiedenis van de sport, heeft de laatste jaren veel getraind op zijn volleys. Maar hoewel de Amerikaan opslagen van boven de 230 km/h afvuurt, komt hij slechts zelden naar het net.

“Zelfs op Wimbledon is het niet meer te doen om servicevolley te spelen,” zegt Roddick. “En het probleem is niet dat we het niet willen, het is doorgaans gewoon geen optie met de zware ballen en langzame banen, en de manier waarop er tegenwoordig geretourneerd wordt. Als er op meer snelle indoorbanen gespeeld zou worden, zou je veel meer servicevolley zien, omdat het dan wel een goede tactiek is.”

Ook Mario Ancic – die in het begin van zijn loopbaan furore maakte met servicevolleytennis, maar tegenwoordig ook voornamelijk een baselinespeler is geworden – ziet weinig toekomst voor het servicevolley als er niets verandert aan de speelomstandigheden.

“Ik heb een paar keer met Stefan Edberg getraind en hij zei ook dat de banen tegenwoordig zó langzaam zijn, dat zelfs hij onder deze omstandigheden waarschijnlijk niet zoveel servicevolley zou hebben gespeeld”, aldus de Kroaat. ”De sport is op dit moment erg één-dimensionaal. Je hebt Federer, mijzelf en nog een aantal spelers die wat agressiever spelen, maar dat gaat dan nog steeds vanuit het achterveld.”

Bewijs
“Je ziet tegenwoordig meer baselinespelers winnen op Wimbledon,” zegt Djokovic. “De Spanjaarden, die altijd liever op andere ondergronden spelen, kunnen er nu ook goed presteren. Nadal is geen servicevolley-speler, hij speelt met enorm veel spin op zijn forehand, en toch bereikt hij drie jaar op rij de finale. Dat is het bewijs dat de banen een stuk langzamer zijn en dat de bal hoger opstuit.”

Met speelomstandigheden die op de diverse ondergronden steeds langzamer en gelijkwaardiger worden, lijkt er weinig plaats meer voor servicevolley-specialisten. De breed ontwikkelde tennisser is de toekomst van het proftennis. Vandaar de trend onder de jonge spelers om meer te trainen op de volleys, want het netspel is de laatste jaren altijd een ondergeschoven kindje geweest. Alleskunner Roger Federer was bij zijn opkomst een ongeëvenaard fenomeen, nu is hij de maatstaf voor de nieuwe generatie.

Een aangepaste versie van dit artikel verscheen eerder in Tennis Magazine.

Foto © Niels de Water

La célèbre joueuse de tennis française, Amélie Mauresmo, a annonçé qu’elle ne jourait plus durant quelques temps au tennis. Se sentant fatiguée et sans doute déçue par ses dernières performances, la joueuse a décidé de faire une pause pour se ressourcer.                                                                                                                                                                                                        En effet, ces derniers temps, Amélie Mauresmo a essuyé plusieurs défaites: une au troisième tour  en Australie, une autre autre au deuxième tour à l’US Open et une autre encore, cette fois-ci, lors du premier tour à Roland-Garros. Il se peut, en effet, que la joueuse, devant ces défaites, alors qu’elle fut la numéro 1 du tennis (tennis français ou mondial?) pendant plusieurs moments, s’est se soit senti frustré voire déprimé devant ses échecs. Echecs qui auraient entraîné sa perte d’envie de jouer selon ses dires: “Depuis mon retour de l’US Open, j’ai essayé de m’entraîner, mais je n’ai pas retrouvé l’envie de reprendre la compétition. Je ne souhaite pas me précipiter ni forcer les choses”, explique-t-elle, avant de laisser planer le doute quant à son avenir sur le circuit : “Je me laisse encore le temps de la réflexion avant de prendre une décision pour la suite de ma carrière.” Coupure définitive ou vacances, nous verrons bien!

Sources: http://www.lemonde.fr/sport/article/2009/10/08/tennis-amelie-mauresmo-pourrait-mettre-un-terme-a-sa-carriere_1251415_3242.html   Daté du 09/10/2009 – 08h58

http://sports.nouvelobs.com/cmc/tennis/200941/mauresmo-pause-ou-retraite-_248819.html                                             Daté du 08/10/2009- 18h35

Créateur/ Gido0907

Correcteur : Gido0908

Amelie Mauresmo has withdrawn from the remaining tournaments she was planning to play in 2009 – Linz and Luxembourg – and is seriously contemplating retirement. Sad face.

According to a brief statement on her official website:

Since my return from the US Open, I tried to practice, but I haven’t found the thirst to compete. I won’t rush into things or force the issue. I’ll give myself time to think, in order to make a decision as for the rest of my career.

I feel like I’ve barely seen her since Wimbledon, and now she’s thinking about quitting?

One more year, Momo. Please.

Amelie Mauresmo, has ended her season as of today and is mulling retirement according to her website.

Mauresmo, currently ranked 20th, has not played or practiced since her second round loss to Aleksandra Wozniack in the U.S. Open.

I remember watching that match and thinking how blase Mauresmo looked throughout it. She did play well in New Haven the week before but since the U.S. Open she pulled out of all the Asian tournaments which is never a good sign.

And if you go on the WTA’s site and try to look up Mauresmo on their “featured players” area, she doesn’t show up. You have to type in her name to pull up her profile. Does the WTA know something we don’t?

Of course the word “retirement” as we all know can mean many things. But Amelie has always been one of those mercurial players that never quite lived up to her potential despite winning Wimbledon and Australia and being number one. If she were to retire, I can’t see her coming back ala Henin.

However I do think she should try and stick it out for one more year and see how it goes. Mauresmo’s style of play is refreshing in a sea of grunting two-handed backhands and would be missed.

Bon Chance Amelie!

Kim Clijsters

Day 3 had a few more upsets then previous days. One of them was only an upset in ranking though and one I was very happy about. Kim Clijsters beat French woman Marion Bartoli. I watched this match, point to point on the US Open website and I got a little nervous after the first set went to Bartoli 5-7. Kim quickly started playing much better though winning the second and third set easy 6-1 6-2. Bartoli of course had to prove again why all the other french girls dislike her by pulling out all the stops in bad behavior. Fake injuries, toilet-breaks, ridiculous challenges, but luckily Kim did not let this get to her. Another upset (not happy about this one) was seeing Amelie Mauresmo lose against Aleksandra Wozniak, 4-6 0-6. Wozniak can play great and beat almost anyone on a good day but this… Maybe time for Amelie to think about retiring, this is not worthy of her status. Other seeds falling were Samantha Stosur against american Vania King,( as I predicted Stosur played too much and was burned out during the Open) and Agnieska Radwanska against one of the hottest ladies on tour Maria Kirilenko.

Wailing and gnashing of teeth in Momodom. She lost – slightly unbelievably – to Aleksandra Wozniak 64 60.

What happened, you ask? I don’t know. I was watching and I still don’t know. Momo started great and then gradually fell apart throughout the first set, finally dissolving into a sea of unforced errors in the second. It frankly sucked. I am not happy.

Great win for Wozniak, etc.

This means there will be no Momo-Flavia third round match. I was looking forward to that so much. Wozniak vs. Flavia will not be the same.

Today’s OOP (from 11.00)
Arthur Ashe Stadium
(6) S Kuznetsova d. J Goerges 63 62
(1) D Safina d. O Rogowskia 67(5) 62 64
(4) N Djokovic vs. I Ljubicic
T Pironkova vs. (29) M Sharapova (NB 19.00)
E Gulbis vs. (2) A Murray

Louis Armstrong Stadium
(9) C Wozniacki d. G Voskoboeva 64 60
(17) T Berdych d. W Odesnik 75 64 64
R Vinci vs. (5) J Jankovic
M Yani vs. (22) S Querrey
(11) A Ivanovic vs. K Bondarenko (NB 18.00)

Grandstand
(7) J Tsonga d. C Buchanan 60 62 61
M Oudin d. A Pavlyuchenkova 61 62
(16) M Cilic vs. R Sweeting
(4) E Dementieva vs. C Pin (NB 15.30 – may be moved to Ashe Stadium)

Court 4
(19) P Schnyder d. L Safarova 46 63 76(6)
P Kvitova d. (27) A Kleybanova67(4) 63 62
K Kim vs. D Sela
(27) I Karlovic vs. I Navarro

Court 5
P Martic d. S Beltrame 64 62
J Benneteau d. F Cipolla 46 61 63 63
Beck/Greul vs. (2) Nestor/Zimonjic
Gicquel/Santoro vs. Skoch/Zelenay

Court 6
(30) A Bondarenko d. A Kudryavtseva 36 63 62
D Istomin d. B Evans 64 64 76(3)
N Lapentti vs. (19) S Wawrinka
A Cornet vs. M Adamczak

Court 7
J Witten d. (29) I Andreev 64 60 62
(13) N Petrova d. K Srebotnik63 63
J Ouanna vs. R Ram
S Perry vs. M Niculescu

Court 8
J Nieminen d. F Fognini 75 76(6) 64
T Garbin d. M Cecil 60 61
F Serra vs. J Tipsarevic
Hernandez/Montanes vs. Ginepri/Jenkins

Court 10
S Peng d. J Groth 62 63
G Dulko d. E Makarova63 57 64
T Gabashvili vs. J Levine
P Hercog vs. C McHale
(4) Dlouhy/Paes vs. Hanescu/Trifu
(24) S Cirstea d. A Morita 61 63
(23) S Lisicki d. A Rezai 76(4) 67(4) 61
N Massu vs. (11) F Gonzalez
F Lopez vs. T Dent

Court 12
Y Wickmayer d. (16) V Razzano 64 63
(10) F Verdasco d. B Becker75 64 75
(32) A Szavay vs. S Peer
J Brzezicki vs. C Ball
(21) J Zheng vs. A Groenefeld (NB 17.00)

Court 14
S Errani d. A Rus 60 63
H Zeballos d. M Berrer 63 76(7) 36 60
Y Shvedova vs. M Peskiric
Bolelli/Seppi vs. Peya/Stakhovsky

Court 15
S Dubois d. K Mladenovic 60 64
A Rodionova d. L Lino 60 46 61
J Coin d. E Hrdinova 63 63
P Capdeville vs. V Crivoi
Garcia-Lopez/Rochus vs. (15) Huss/Hutchins

Court 16
M Gonzalez d. K Beck26 16 61 64 63
U Radwanska vs. K Barrois
Kas/Petzscher vs. Granollers/Robredo
Ker/Mayer vs. Chela/Cuevas

So I realize this update is ridiculously late.  I don’t  really have a legitimate excuse.  I’ve been moving, but nothing is more important than tennis.  Or very few things.   This update is going to be long as a result.

There’s something about him and tennis.

Yeah, you blew it.

And you very nearly blew it.

Bad sign.

Look at his upper body.  Now look at his shorts.

You look angrier playing tennis than I do like… ever.

That’s cute.  Are you guys BFFLs?

Dude.  If I had actually filled out my draw on time, you would have completely ruined it.

“I am Youzhny, badass draw killer.”

Um, Momo?  You won.

Awww.  I love Preppy Robredo Playing Tennis.

You’ll excuse the face.  He’s not used to playing day matches yet.

You almost lost.  You had me so excited for nothing.

Hon, your outfit.  It’s really making me reconsider cheering for you.

Rafa, fleeing an over-eager fan.

Yesterday’s scores after the cut.

Yesterday’s Results
(1) R Federer d. D Britton 61 63 75
(5) A Roddick d. B Phau 61 64 62
(21) J Blake d. R Hidalgo 61 64 75
J Isner d. (28) V Hanescu 61 76(14) 76(5)
(31) L Hewitt d. T Alves 60 63 64
M Youzhny d. (26) P Mathieu 26 75 60 62
(8) N Davydenko d. D Kindlmann 63 64 75
(15) R Stepanek d. S Bolelli 64 64 64
R Kendrick d. M Arguello 63 62 62
L Mayer d. A Golubev 64 46 75 63
M Ilhan d. C Rochus 36 63 36 75 75
(14) T Robredo d. D Young64 36 62 63
M Gicquel d. D Tursunov 62 57 63 63
O Rochus d. I Kunitsyn 63 60 62
M Chiudinelli d. P Starace 76(3) 76(2) 60
M Granollers d. M Zverev 26 75 36 64 60
(12) R Soderling d. A Montanes 61 36 61 64
(20) T Haas d. A Falla 75 46 76(7) 62
J Hernych d. R Schuettler 16 76(5) 64 26 63
(23) P Kohlschreiber d. A Seppi 60 64 64
J Chela d. O Hernandez 64 64 62
G Garcia-Lopez d. P POlansky 64 64 57 36 61
S Devvarman d. F Hil63 64 63
S Greul d. G Lapentti 63 46 36 60 76(9)
K Clijsters d. V Kutuzova 61 61
(3) V Williams d. V Dushevina 67(5) 75 63
(2) S Williams d. A Glatch 64 61
(8) V Azarenka d. A Dulgheru 61 61
(17) A Mauresmo d. T Malek 63 64
(22) D Hantuchova d. M Shaughnessy 62 46 61
(7) V Zvonareva d. N Vives60 64
(10) F Pennetta d. E Gallovits 60 64
B Mattek-Sands d. I Benesova 63 64
V King d. A Yakimova 21 ret.
M Kirilenko d. M Koryttseva62 61
(20) A Garrigues d. G Brodsky 64 64
(26) F Schiavone d. Y Meusburger 61 62
J Crabas d. C Gullickson 63 76(5)
(31) E Vesnina d. L Hradecka 64 76(5)
A Wozniak d. L Granville 61 76(7)
K Chang d. (25) K Kanepi 60 26 62
A Chakvetadze d. Y Sema 46 61 62
M Martinez Sanchez d. (28) S Bammer64 16 76(5)
(18) N Li d. I Olaru 76(4) 63
(12) A Radwanska d. P Mayr 61 62
T Bacsinszky d. V Manasieva 63 64
(14) M Bartoli d. R De Los Rios 61 60
S Mirza d. O Govortsova 62 36 63
(15) S Stosur d. A Sugiyama 64 46 64
B Strycova d. M Domachowska 26 62 63
S Voegele d. A Brianti 67(10) 61 63
A Kerber d. A Petkovic 64 57 63
M Larcher De Brito d. M Johansson 16 76 61
M Czink d. M Camerin 63 64

The top laydeez opened their accounts in New York today in fairly crushing style. First up, Kim Clijsters destroyed Viktoriya Kutuzova 61 61, while Victoria Azarenka did the same thing to Warsaw champion Alexandra Dulgheru and Agnieszka Radwanska only allowed Patricia Mayr one more game. You’d think they were racing to be the first to knock someone out of the tournament, had not Anastasia Yakimova stolen the show by retiring after just three games, sending Vania King through to the second round.

Also in the mood for baked products? Marion Bartoli, singlehandedly ending Paraguay’s interest in the ladies’ singles by defeating Rosana de los Rios 61 60. Vera Zvonareva and Flavia Pennetta continued the identical scorelines trend of the day, beating Nuria Llagostera Vives and Edina Gallovits respectively 60 64.

Can’t decide whether I love or hate Vera’s outfit. The colours are a tad ’shades of diarrhoea’ for my liking, perhaps. Anyhow, Momo (unsurprisingly) made almost the heaviest weather of the top ladies, giving away a whole seven games to Tatjana Malek.

That honour in the end must go to Samantha Stosur, who squeaked by wily veteran Ai Sugiyama 64 46 64. And looked good in her outfit, if not tennistically speaking.

All in all only one women’s seed fell today, that being Kaia ‘how am I still seeded’ Kanepi, who was knocked out by Taipei’s Kai-Chen Chang in three sets. Maria Kirilenko, Aleksandra Wozniack and Anna Chakvetadze both progressed, albeit with a slight hiccup in Chakvetadze’s case (dropping a set to Yurika Sema). And how about Sania Mirza, beating Olga Govortsova 62 36 63?

I live for the day when she and Querrey set up a tennis academy and the tour is populated by their freaky off-hand offspring.

Today’s OOP
Stadium (from 12.00hrs)
F Pennetta vs. C Wozniacki
I Andreev vs. F Verdasco
S Querrey vs. J Acasuso (NB 15.00)
A Mauresmo vs. E Vesnina (NB 19.00)
Damm/Lindstedt vs. Soares/Ullyett

Grandstand (from 12.00hrs)
Llagostera Vives/Martínez Sánchez vs. Craybas/Raymond
Knowle/Melzer vs. Melo/Sa (NB 13.00hrs)

Ouch, Davy.  Even I don’t think Querry is that ugly.

Your victory yesterday is all well and good, Frankenstein, but what will you do in the US Open?

I can’t even comment on these pictures anymore.

Prayer did not help.

And neither did casting spells on the ball.  It’s okay, Razzano.  CWoz is just a better player.

Good work Vesi.

Picture Caption: Buy Reebok.

I got nothing.

It was hardly surprising that Momo beat Kuz last night – she was playing good tennis and we all know that you never know which Kuz you’ll see on any given day – but Davydenko going down to Querrey was a bit surprising.  Fer has been having a nice little tournmanet.  I’m really hoping he’ll carry the confidence into the US Open.  Congrats to Vesnina on her quarterfinal appearance.

Yesterday’s Results
(6) S Querrey d. (1) N Davydenko 63 36 64
J Acasuso d. F Serra 75 64
(7) I Andreev d. L Mayer 64 67(4) 63
(2) F Verdasco d. (11) J Melzer 63 61
(8) A Mauresmo d. (1) S Kuznetsova 76(9) 26 63
E Vesnina d. A Chakvetadze 61 75
(3) F Pennetta d. M Rybarikova 62 62
(2) C Wozniacki d. V Razzano 64 63
Hanley/Kerr d. Martin/Ram 62 63
Melo/Sa d. (3) Cermak/Mertinak 63 64
Damm/Lindstedt d. Hanley/Kerr 62 36 10-6
Benesova/Hradecka d. (4) Bondarenko/Bondarenko 64 20 ret.

You have to hand it to Sam Querrey. While everyone was still milling around going, “Really? Sam Querrey won the US Open series? … Huh,” he went out and scored what was probably the second biggest win of his career, coming from behind (heh) to beat Nikolay Davydenko in three sets. Nice.

Is success making him more attractive, or is it just me? Serious q.

Verdasco trampled over Jurgen Melzer and Andreev overcame Horseface in three sets for the win.

Sadly the best photo I could find to recognise a true NB hero. Also the only one.

But all is not lost! Everybody’s least favourite-ish Argy, Chucho, took out Florent Serra 75 64 to book his spot in the semis. All you people who have in the past called him a useless sack of crap should be ashamed of yourselves. *wags finger*

Has his uses.

And on the vaginal side, Caroline Wozniacki and Flavia Pennetta progressed in straight sets to set up a nice semi-final clash. The other semi-final will be between Elena Vesnina, who dismissed translucent fish Anna Chakvetadze, and one Momo, who may or may not have been awesome in a three-set win over Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Yep, she was definitely awesome.

I didn’t see almost all the first set (turned it on just in time to see Momo awesomely save a set point and then go on to take the tiebreak), but it’s safe to say that throughout the match Kuznetsova had her chances to win it. I just never felt like she would, though. It’s odd, but even after Momo lost her way in the second set, I was certain she’d win in the end.

Maybe it’s just that her notoriously fragile mind is in fact a steel trap compared to Sveta’s, I don’t know. Still it’s so good to see her win a tough match, as always.

Marry me, Momo.

Results

Singles – Quarter-finals
[6] S Querrey (USA) d [1] N Davydenko (RUS) 63 36 64
[2] [WC] F Verdasco (ESP) d [11] J Melzer (AUT) 63 61
[7] I Andreev (RUS) d L Mayer (ARG) 64 67(4) 63
J Acasuso (ARG) d F Serra (FRA) 75 64

Doubles – Quarter-finals
M Melo (BRA) / A Sa (BRA) d [3] F Cermak (CZE) / M Mertinak (SVK) 63 64
[4] M Damm (CZE) / R Lindstedt (SWE) d P Hanley (AUS) / J Kerr (AUS) 62 36 10-6

Doubles – First Round
P Hanley (AUS) / J Kerr (AUS) d [WC] D Martin (USA) / R Ram (USA) 62 63

Singles – Quarterfinals
(8) Amélie Mauresmo (FRA) d. (1/WC) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 76(9) 26 63
(2) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) d. Virginie Razzano (FRA) 64 63
(3) Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. (Q) Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) 62 62
Elena Vesnina (RUS) d. Anna Chakvetadze (RUS) 61 75

Doubles – Semifinals
Benesova/Hradecka (CZE/CZE) d. (4) Bondarenko/Bondarenko (UKR/UKR) 64 20 ret. (K.Bondarenko: left thigh strain)

OOP:

Stadium (from 12.00hrs)
1. Flavia Pennetta vs. Caroline Wozniacki
2. ATP: Andreev vs. Verdasco
3. Querrey vs. Acasuso (NB 15.00hrs)
4. Amélie Mauresmo vs. Elena Vesnina (NB 19.00hrs)
5. ATP: Damm/Lindstedt vs. Soares/Ullyett

Grandstand (from 12.00hrs)
1. Llagostera Vives/Martínez Sánchez vs. Craybas/Raymond
2. Knowle/Melzer vs. Melo/Sa (NB 13.00hrs)

Today’s OOP
Stadium (from 10.00hrs)
S Kuznetsova vs. Y Wickmayer
N Davydenko vs. F Santoro
A Pavlyuchenkova vs. C Wozniacki (NB 13.00)
B Phau vs. S Querrey
A Seppi vs. F Verdasco (NB 19.00)
M Bartoli vs. M Rybarikova

Grandstand (from 10.00hrs)
V Hanescu vs. J Melzer
A Radwanska vs. V Razzano
I Benesova vs. F Pennetta (NB 13.00)
F Serra vs. R Ram
Hanley/Kerr vs. Martin/Ram (after suitable rest)

Court 1 (from 10.00hrs)
I Andreev vs. F Gil
E Vesnina vs. S Stosur
Kendrick/Lipsky vs. Damm/Lindstedt
Craybas/Raymond vs. Borwell/Kops-Jones
Llagostera Vives/Martínez Sánchez vs. Senoglu/Shvedova

Court 2 (from 10.00hrs)
S Bolleli vs. L Mayer
J Acasuso vs. I Kunitsyn
Huss/Hutchins vs. Melo/Sa
Kaz/Petzschner vs. Knowle/Melzer (after suitable rest)
Chardy/Santoro vs. Santoro/Ullyett (after suitable rest)

Court 3 (from 12.00hrs)
Cermak/Mertinak vs. Moodie/Tecau
Cornet/Gallovits vs. Bondarenko/Bondarenko

Aww… did you lose?  Too bad.  Maybe if you learned some manners, you’d have more success on the tennis courts.  Then again, maybe not.

Momo, killing again but apparently working hard to do it.  Either that or it’s hot in the Have.

Why did you have such a dreadful draw?  Erg this makes me hate Stosur even more.

Courtside ticket to Pilot Pen?  Probably like $25.  Pictures capturing CWoz’s facial expressions?  Priceless.

Of course I’ve been waiting for a LONG time to post pictures of Fer.  It’s true he doesn’t look super great (what’s going on with the long hair and the hat?) but I’ll take something over nothing.  And I always think he looks good.

Yesterday’s Results
(1) N Davydenko d. R Kendrick 76(10) 63
(15) F Santoro d. P Starace 75 60
B Phau d. (9) N Almagro 26 63 75
J Acasuso d. (3) T Robredo 36 75 76(5)
(14) I Kunitsyn d. T Dent63 64
F Serra d. (10) J Chardy 67(8) 76(4) 61
R Ram d. (5) M Fish 63 63
(7) I Andreev d. K Kim 63 61
F Gil d. (12) P Petzschner 67(2) 76(8) 63
S Bolelli d. (13) A Beck 64 64
L Mayer d. O Rochus 60 64
(8) V Hanescu d. J Tipsarevic 64 67(8) 63
(11) J Melzer d. P Cuevas 62 30 ret.
(16) A Seppi d. Y Lu 67(5) 63 75
(2) F Verdasco d. P Capdeville 60 63
(9) S Stosur d. A Cornet 67(8) 62 64
(6) M Bartoli d. M Martinez Sanchez 46 63 61
(3) F Pennetta d. I Olaru 61 62
(2) C Wozniacki d. E Gallovits 60 60
(8) A Mauresmo d. A Bondarenko 61 61
A Chakvetadze d. S Bammer 46 64 75
Knowle/Melzer d. Marach/Skoch 63 64
(2) Soares/Ullyett d. Butorac/Coetzee 63 63
(1) Llagostera Vives/Martinez Sanchez d. Molik/Shaugl
(3) Craybas/Raymond d. Jans/Rosolska 63 62
Benesova/Hradecka d. Dekmeijere/Radwanska 36 62 10-7

My new power rangers.

First of all, Momo double-breadsticked Alona Bondarenko. Which makes me smile.

Serious business. Also, can we bring back the red if she’s going to wear that kit? She looked fearsome in that.

Chakvetadze, Wozniacki, Pennetta, Bartoli and Stosur also advanced. But at least Alize managed to take Stosur to three wonky sets.

Baby steps, Alize. Baby steps.

ATP-wise, Chucho definitely scored the upset of the day when he knocked off Robredo. ARGENTINA EXISTE!  He’ll be joined in the next round by one Horseface, who beat Olivier Rochus. Bjorn Phau and Florent Serra also had good wins, taking out Nicolas Almagro and Jeremy Chardy (sadface) respectively. Oh, and Rajeev “I came from nowhere and I’ve not quite gone back there yet” Ram beat Mardy Fish. I sniggered.

Results

Singles – Second Round
(8) Amélie Mauresmo (FRA) d. Alona Bondarenko (UKR) 61 61
Anna Chakvetadze (RUS) d. Sybille Bammer (AUT) 46 64 75

Singles – First Round
(2) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) d. (LL) Edina Gallovits (ROU) 60 60
(3) Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. (Q) Ioana Raluca Olaru (ROU) 61 62
(6) Marion Bartoli (FRA) d. María José Martínez Sánchez (ESP) 46 63 61
(9) Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. Alizé Cornet (FRA) 67(8) 62 64

Doubles – Quarterfinals
Benesova/Hradecka (CZE/CZE) d. Dekmeijere/U.Radwanska (LAT/POL) 36 62 107

Doubles – First Round
(1) Llagostera Vives/Martínez Sánchez (ESP/ESP) d. (WC) Molik/Shaughnessy (AUS/USA) 61 61
(3) Craybas/Raymond (USA/USA) d. Jans/Rosolska (POL/POL) 63 62

Singles – Second Round
[1] N Davydenko (RUS) d R Kendrick (USA) 76(10) 63
[2] [WC] F Verdasco (ESP) d P Capdeville (CHI) 60 63
J Acasuso (ARG) d [3] T Robredo (ESP) 36 75 76(5)
[WC] R Ram (USA) d [5] M Fish (USA) 63 63
[7] I Andreev (RUS) d K Kim (USA) 63 61
[8] V Hanescu (ROU) d J Tipsarevic (SRB) 64 67(8) 63
B Phau (GER) d [9] N Almagro (ESP) 26 63 75
F Serra (FRA) d [10] J Chardy (FRA) 67(8) 76(4) 61
[11] J Melzer (AUT) d [Q] P Cuevas (URU) 62 30 ret. (shoulder)
[Q] F Gil (POR) d [12] P Petzschner (GER) 67(2) 76(8) 63
S Bolelli (ITA) d [13] A Beck (GER) 64 64
[14] I Kunitsyn (RUS) d [WC] T Dent (USA) 63 64
[15] F Santoro (FRA) d P Starace (ITA) 75 60
[16] A Seppi (ITA) d Y Lu (TPE) 67(5) 63 75
L Mayer (ARG) d [LL] O Rochus (BEL) 60 64

Doubles – First Round
[2] B Soares (BRA) / K Ullyett (ZIM) d E Butorac (USA) / J Coetzee (RSA) 63 63
J Knowle (AUT) / J Melzer (AUT) d O Marach (AUT) / D Skoch (CZE) 63 64

OOP:

Stadium (from 10.00hrs)
1. Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Yanina Wickmayer
2. ATP: Davydenko vs. Santoro
3. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs. Caroline Wozniacki (NB 13.00hrs)
4. ATP: Phau vs. Querrey
5. ATP: Seppi vs. Verdasco (NB 19.00hrs)
6. Marion Bartoli vs. Magdalena Rybarikova

Grandstand (from 10.00hrs)
1. ATP: Hanescu vs. Melzer
2. Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Virginie Razzano
3. Iveta Benesova vs. Flavia Pennetta (NB 13.00hrs)
4. ATP: Serra vs. Ram
5. ATP: Hanley/Kerr vs. Martin/Ram (after suitable rest)

Court 1 (from 10.00hrs)
1. ATP: Andreev vs. Gil
2. Elena Vesnina vs. Samantha Stosur
3. ATP: Kendrick/Lipsky vs. Damm/Lindstedt
4. Craybas/Raymond vs. Borwell/Kops-Jones
5. Llagostera Vives/Martínez Sánchez vs. Senoglu/Shvedova

Court 2 (from 10.00hrs)
1. ATP: Bolleli vs. Mayer
2. ATP: Acasuso vs. Kunitsyn
3. ATP: Huss/Hutchins vs. Melo/Sa
4. ATP: Kaz/Petzschner vs. Knowle/Melzer (after suitable rest)
5. ATP: Chardy/Santoro vs. Santoro/Ullyett (after suitable rest)

Court 3 (from 12.00hrs)
1. ATP: Cermak/Mertinak vs. Moodie/Tecau
2. Cornet/Gallovits vs. Bondarenko/Bondarenko

NEW HAVEN, CT – AUGUST 25: Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine returns to Amelie Mauresmo of France at the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Pilot Pen tournament on August 25, 2009 in New Haven, Connecticut. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

MDA Reviews’ latest entry is now available to read at your heart’s content. This time MDA looks at the second sequel in the successful Tennis franchise Virtua Tennis 3. To read the review, follow the link. Enjoy!

It is the worst movie I’ve ever seen in my life (except possibly Cheaper By The Dozen).  I hated it so much that I couldn’t bring myself to blog last night – I was too busy being in the worst mood of my life.  All over a stupid movie.  Anyway…

Today’s OOP
Stadium (from 10.00hrs)
A Cornet vs. S Stosur
N Davydenko vs. R Kendrick
P Capdeville vs. F Verdasco
A Bondarenko vs. A Mauresmo
E Gallovits vs. C Wozniacki (NB 19.00)
A Ram vs. M Fish

Grandstand (from 10.00hrs)
T Dent vs. I Kunitsyn
M Bartoli vs. M Martinez Sanchez
I Olaru vs. F Pennetta
T Robredo vs. J Acasuso
Craybas/Raymond vs. Jans/Rosolska

Court 1 (from 10.00hrs)
N Almagro vs. B Phau
V Hanescu vs. J Tipsarevic
A Chakvetadze vs. S Bammer
J Chardy vs. F Serra
Llagostera Vives/Martínez Sánchez vs. Molik/Shaughnessy

Court 2 (from 10.00hrs)
I Andreev vs. K Kim
P Cuevas vs. J Melzer
F Gil vs. P Petzschner
A Seppi vs. Y Lu
Benesova/Hradecka vs. Dekmeijere/U.Radwanska

Court 3 (from 10.00hrs)
L Mayer vs. O Rochus
A Beck vs. S Bolelli
P Starace vs. F Santoro
Marach/Skoch vs. Knowle/Melzer
Butorac/Coetzee vs. Soares/Ullyett

I’m not gonna lie and say I watched these matches, so…  No commentary outside of picture captions.

Does anybody like him?  No?  Okay, I won’t post any more pics of the dude.

I still haven’t forgiven you for beating Roddick.

No, Momo, you can’t hide from the ball behind your racquet.

Tennis Rule #0: do not close your eyes when you’re trying to hit the ball.

Yay you for winning!

Yesterday’s Results
R Kendrick d. F Nielsen 63 75
P Starace d. M Zverev 63 26 63
B Phau d. B Becker26 62 63
J Acasuso d. M Gonzalez 61 67(7) 62
R Ram d. N Lapentti 75 16 76(3)
K Kim d. T Gabashvili 64 57 63
F Gil d. M Baghdatis 64 63
S Bolelli d. C Rochus 63 64
P Cuevas d. A Golubec 63 64
Y Lu d. G Garcia-Lopez 62 62
(6) S Querrey d. M Gicquel 64 67(3) 62
(1) S Kuznetsova d. J Zheng 61 67(5)64
Y Wickmayer d. A Kleybanova 36 61 64
(8) A Mauresmo d. A Sugiyama 64 61
E Vesnina d. G Dulko 76(6) 62
M Rybarikova d. F Schiavone 64 64
I Benesova d. V Lepchenko 46 62 61
(5) A Radwanska d. R Vinci 26 62 76(5)
V Razzano d. P Schnyder 63 36 63
A Pavlyuchenkova d. E Makarova 63 63
Kas/Petzschner d. (1) Fyrstenberg/Matkowski 75 63
Chardy/Santoro d. Parrott/Polasek 64 36 10-7
Borwell/Kops-Jones d. Niculescu/Olaru 62 36 10-8
(4) Bondarenko/Bondarenko d. Garbin/Garrigues 62 36 10-7
Dekmeijere/Radwanska d. (2) Chuang/Zan 75 46 10-8

Momo beat Ai Sugiyama in straight sets to advance at the Pilot Pen. This is the only result I really care about.

Elsewise, Kuznetsova survived a tough three-set battle with Zheng Jie, Vesnina beat Dulko, and two qualifiers I quite like – Magdalena Rybarikova and Yanina Wickmayer – upset Francesca Schiavone and Alisa Kleybanova respectively.

Man-wise, same old, same old. Querrey and his foetal T-rex offhand of awesomeness advanced. As did pretty much everyone else you would expect.

Results:

Singles – First Round
(1/WC) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) d. Zheng Jie (CHN) 61 67(5) 64
(5) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) d. (Q) Roberta Vinci (ITA) 26 62 76(5)
(8) Amélie Mauresmo (FRA) d. Ai Sugiyama (JPN) 64 61
Virginie Razzano (FRA) d. Patty Schnyder (SUI) 63 36 63
Elena Vesnina (RUS) d. Gisela Dulko (ARG) 76(6) 62
Iveta Benesova (CZE) d. (LL) Varvara Lepchenko (USA) 46 62 61
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) d. Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 63 63
(Q) Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) d. Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 64 64
(Q) Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) d. Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) 36 61 64

Doubles – First Round
Dekmeijere/U.Radwanska (LAT/POL) d. (2) Chuang/Yan (TPE/CHN) 75 46 108
(4) Bondarenko/Bondarenko (UKR/UKR) d. Garbin/Medina Garrigues (ITA/ESP) 62 36 107
Borwell/Kops-Jones (GBR/USA) d. Niculescu/Olaru (ROU/ROU) 62 36 108

Singles – Second Round
[6] S Querrey (USA) d M Gicquel (FRA) 64 67(3) 62

Singles – First Round
S Bolelli (ITA) d C Rochus (BEL) 63 64
P Starace (ITA) d M Zverev (GER) 63 26 63
[Q] P Cuevas (URU) d A Golubev (KAZ) 63 64
K Kim (USA) d T Gabashvili (RUS) 64 57 63
B Phau (GER) d B Becker (GER) 26 62 63
R Kendrick (USA) d [Q] F Nielsen (DEN) 63 75
[Q] F Gil (POR) d [WC] M Baghdatis (CYP) 64 63
Y Lu (TPE) d G Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 62 62
J Acasuso (ARG) d M Gonzalez (ARG) 61 67(7) 62
[WC] R Ram (USA) d [Q] N Lapentti (ECU) 75 16 76(3)

Doubles – First Round
C Kas (GER) / P Petzschner (GER) d [1] M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) 75 63
J Chardy (FRA) / F Santoro (FRA) d T Parrott (USA) / F Polasek (SVK) 64 36 10-7

Tuesday’s OOP (sorry for lateness):

Stadium (from 10.00hrs)
1. Alizé Cornet vs. Samantha Stosur
2. ATP: Davydenko vs. Kendrick
3. ATP: Capdeville vs. Verdasco
4. Alona Bondarenko vs. Amélie Mauresmo
5. Edina Gallovits vs. Caroline Wozniacki (NB 19.00hrs)
6. ATP: Ram vs. Fish

Grandstand (from 10.00hrs)
1. ATP: Dent vs. Kunitsyn
2. Marion Bartoli vs. María José Martínez Sánchez
3. Ioana Raluca Olaru vs. Flavia Pennetta
4. ATP: Robredo vs. Acasuso
5. Craybas/Raymond vs. Jans/Rosolska

Court 1 (from 10.00hrs)
1. ATP: Almagro vs. Phau
2. ATP: Hanescu vs. Tipsarevic
3. Anna Chakvetadze vs. Sybille Bammer
4. ATP: Chardy vs. Serra
5. Llagostera Vives/Martínez Sánchez vs. Molik/Shaughnessy

Court 2 (from 10.00hrs)
1. ATP: Andreev vs. Kim
2. ATP: Cuevas vs. Melzer
3. ATP: Gil vs. Petzschner
4. ATP: Seppi vs. Lu
5. Benesova/Hradecka vs. Dekmeijere/U.Radwanska

Court 3 (from 10.00hrs)
1. ATP: Mayer vs. Rochus
2. ATP: Beck vs. Bolelli
3. ATP: Starace vs. Santoro
4. ATP: Marach/Skoch vs. Knowle/Melzer
5. ATP: Butorac/Coetzee vs. Soares/Ullyett

With the Pilot Pen event in New Haven being the last tune-up event before the U.S. Open, it’s important to note who is playing there and what they hope to gain.

Less is not always more
Svetlana Kuznetsova is the number one seed on the women’s side after she was given a last minute wildcard entry into the field. “Sveta” has not played much this summer, losing early in Cincinnati and Toronto and also had to pull out of L.A. due to injury. She’s hoping for a strong showing this week to prove she’s still in the mix for the Open next week.

Second in line to the “crown”
Flavia Pennetta and Sam Querrey are in New Haven this week hoping they can win the top post on the U.S. Open Olympus Series. Pennetta currently trails Elena Dementieva by seventy points, but could take it if she wins the whole event. Querrey, on the men’s side, only trails current leader Andy Murray by fifteen points and probably could take the spot just by getting to the semis alone. I actually think Querrey deserves to win just because he has played in every tournament this summer starting in Newport. The series should reward players more for playing frequently as opposed to just showing up for the Master events only.
Check out the complete standings here.

Remember me?
Two ladies looking for some last minute redemption are #2 seed Caroline Wozniacki and #8 seed Amelie Mauresmo. Wozniacki, long touted as the next likely Grand Slam winner, has failed to live up to expectations. Mauresmo, despite a nice win in Paris earlier this year, seems on the last legs of her career. A good showing this week would boost her confidence.

And James Blake? He’s not even playing in his “hometown” tournament as he is preferring to rest before the Open. Blake has had a disappointing year results wise and has faded from view a bit in the wake of Roddick’s resurgence and Querrey’s great summer. In fact the only real news from Blake this week was the launch of his new clothing line from Fila that will bear his father’s name.

Do you think Blake can ever return to the top ranks? Let me know in the comments.

For more about the event, click here.

Since her return, Maria has only lost one match to a top 10 player.  She has beaten several.  By my logic, this makes her a top 10 player.  Unfortunately, my logic doesn’t determine the rankings.

Order of Play
Stadium (from 11.00)
M Rybarikova vs. A Ivanovic
V Williams vs. K Bondarenko (NB 13.00)
A Kleybanova vs. A Wozniak
E Baltacha vs. K Clijsters (NB 19.30)
S Kuznetsova vs. S Stosur

Grandstand (from 11.00)
S Peer vs. M Niculescu
Y Shvedova vs. D Hantuchova
M Kirilenko vs. F Pennetta
V Azarenka vs. P Shuai
Jans/Rosolska vs. Fichman/Wozniak

Court 1 (from 11.00)
L Safarova vs. K Kanepi
S Errani vs. D Cibulkova
Vives/Sanchez vs. King/Niculescu
Yan/Zheng vs. Radwanska/Wozniacki

Court 3 (from 11.00)
A Kudryavtseva vs. J Coin
V Razzano vs. E Makarova
Dushevina/Rodionova vs. Groenefeld/Schnyder
Sands/Petrova vs. Kleybanova/Makarova

Court 4 (from 12.30)
E Vesnina vs. Z Jie

Fingers crossed for Kuz, who is really awesome – way too awesome for the terrible draw she was given. And  I mean TERRIBLE.  Good luck, girl.

Mmm… I’d probably look as annoyed as the guy in the background too, if I had to be that close to Safina.

Whoa.  The hair, Venus, the hair.  Very unexpected.  Just about as expected as the shirt.

Demented was not mentioned once in the US Open section of this month’s Tennis Mag.  That is a damn shame.  I respect you.

The TSN reporter has a crush, but Serena’s not having any of  it.

Hello Fishy.

Don’t know what’s going on with the nails, but if you played anyone else other than Maria, I’d feel sorry for ya.

Win.  On so many levels.  The hair, the leg in the air.  I could go on.

Why, Momo?  Why?!

Serena, now so addicted to Twitter that she’s Tweeting during the match.  Or would that be Twittering?

Results
M Sharapova d. (10) N Petrova 63 64
A Bondarenko d. (13) M Bartoli 64 63
(14) A Radwanska d. C Navarro 63 63
F Schiavone d. (15) A Mauresmo 62 36 61
S Stosur d. H Tabakh 76(2) 76(4)
P Schnyder d. A Garrigues62 61
S Bammer d. A Chakvetadze 36 64 62
A Szavay d. V Tetreault 62 64
A Rezai d. A Cornet 64 75
A Sugiyama d. I Benesova 63 64
R Vinci d. S Dubois 61 62
K Bondarenko d. Y Wickmayer 76(4) 62
Hsieh/Peng d. Azarenka/Zvonareva 46 60 10-6
Senoglu/Shvedova d. Chuang/Pelletier 64 64
Kirilenko/Vesnina d. Dubois/Marino 62 67(5) 10-6
Amanmuradova/Kudryavtseva d. Koryttseva/Poutchek 76(10) 62
Kuznetsova/Mauresmo d. Husarova/Parra Santonja 60 64

You wait ages for her and then she gets ridden by Francesca Schiavone.

Momo lost to the Italian in Toronto, 62 36 61.

In keeping with today’s theme of nostalgia, I’m going to bring you back to the 90s again. It was a magical time when Fresh Prince and Saved By the Bell were still on and awesome and the world had never heard of High School Musical.

this is embarrassing

Martina Hingis (SUI)
Age: 28 (9/30/1980)
Residence: Hürden, Switzerland
Height: 5′7″ (170 cm)
Weight: 130 lbs (59 kg)
Plays: Right-handed (2-handed backhand)
Turned Pro/Retired: 1994/2007
Coach: Melanie Moliter
Boyfriend: Too many to count; probably dating and ruining the career of some professional athlete
What Her ATP Profile Picture Makes Her Look Like: N/A because the wta website is a being a little b and won’t let me save the profile pic. Instead, have a snapshot of Martina with Radek Stepanek where she looks like Mother Theresa. You know, because of all the charity she’s doing. Because the charity is dating him. Zing.
Current Ranking (as of 8/11/09): lol
Career High (3/31/97): 1

Personal Information That the WTA Thought Necessary to Include
Enjoys musicals (favorites are Miss Saigon and Lion King) and shopping (favorite designers are Gucci, D, Roberto Cavalli)

Claim to Fame
Youngest this, youngest that. Basically, she pwned the WTA at 15 by winning a Slam and then pulled some Dragonball-Z pwnage when she became No. 1 at 16. She was also one match away from a calendar Grand Slam losing to Iva Majoli in 1997. Also started the trend of returning to tour after retiring (We see you, Kim Clijsters)

Real Claim to Fame
Oh, where to begin with Martina. She was a ~speshul~ one. Seriously, look at all this stuff, just from her wiki page!

Well, I guess I’ll start with…quotent quotables

In reference to Amélie Mauresmo’s lesbianism before their 1999 Australian Open Final

She’s here with her girlfriend. She’s half a man already.

*
In response to the Williams Sisters’ claims that they had been discriminated against

Being black only helps them. Many times they get sponsors because they are black. And they have had a lot of advantages because they can always say, “It’s racism.”‘ They can always come back and say, “Because we are this color, things happen.”

*
Then there was this little gem when Martina and Serena had a “War of Words.”

*
Why she terminated her doubles partnership with Jana Novotná

She’s old and slow.

*
On Maria Sharapova

She’s as mean as a snake. She reminds me of me.

*
To Lindsay Davenport after a coin toss

Do you want me to serve or break you?

*
On the merits of women’s tennis

I’m glad you’re doing this story on us and not on the WNBA. We’re so much prettier than all the other women in sports.

*

Anastasia Myskina on Martina’s return to tour in 2006

Very few people in our circle like her. Mostly, because of her mean talk. For instance, she once greeted Sveta Kuznetsova with words like “How are you doing, Terminator?” And that, given that they almost never met before, because when Hingis retired, Sveta had been only starting.. It was said just out of spite.. And you know what she said about me when we played for the first time? She won – not that easy, by the way – and said “This one won’t achieve anything”.. And I, by the way, avenged that loss the next time we played. And now too I’d gladly play against her..

On her rivalry with doubles partner Anna Kournikova

What rivalry? I win all the matches.

*
Which brings me to my next point. Marti’s partnership with Anna. Their alternating bff-ness and cattiness was such an inspiration to girls across the world. ♥

Awn, happy days. Of course, she was also famuz for her tennis. I know, right? Totally unexpected. There was of course, the infamous incident against Steffi Graf in the 1999 Roland Garros Final.

*
It’s kind of a long video, but worth it. Hingis was, once again, up a set and a break (3 points away from victory) when she completely collapsed. She resorted to serving underhand and was booed by the French crowd. At the end of the match, she ran off the court in tears and had to be brought back for the trophy ceremony by her mother, Melanie.

*
What made matters worse was that one year earlier, Hingis had said this:

Steffi has had some results in the past, but it’s a faster, more athletic game now than when she played. She is old now. Her time has passed.

*
Unfortunately, our girl Martina is also famuz for her second retirement when she tested positive for cocaine during Wimbledon 2007. Both “A” and “B” samples tested positive for cocaine. However, it is noteworthy to mention that she passed a private drug test done on her hair. Also, the amount of cocaine in her system was a tiny amount, much smaller than the amount of cocaine found in Richard Gasquet’s system during the 2009 Miami tournament (he was later cleared by a tribunal court by ~”Pamela’s” kisses~ although the ITF is currently appealing the decision). It can be argued that Martina unknowingly ingested the cocaine (hey, the ITF bought Gasquet’s kisses story), but was unwilling to fight because of injury and lackluster results.

Comparisons
The disturbing Chucky. (Comparison made by Mary Carillo.) Also, Miranda Priestley from The Devil Wears Prada in my mind because even though Martina isn’t that old, she was definitely the HBIC of the WTA.
*

Why We Love Her
Even though she was a raging b in her younger years, she had an appealing charm and charisma. She brought personality to the tour that it was strongly lacking. Her tennis was some of the most intelligent and beautiful ever showcased on a court and she is a true legend of our time. I don’t know if we’ll ever get another Martina Hingis. It’s safe to say that she was an awfully spoiled brat during her teenage years who was used to speaking her mind and didn’t ever suffer the consequences of anything. But at the end of the day, her antics always made us smile because she was just that awesome. And fierce. And hilarious.