Tennis/Racquet Sport

Posted by T. A. Niles

Unfortunately, I worked yesterday and missed the women’s final between Venus and Serena Williams, but from what I’ve heard, it was a quality affair as befitting the two women who hold more Grand Slam tennis titles (7 & 8 respectively) than any active professional tennis player. In fact, Venus and Serena hold more Grand Slam singles titles than Ana Ivanovic, Maria Sharapova, and Jelena Janovic combined.

Despite the above fact, it was the media darlings, the sensational Serbs and camera-commercial maven Sharapova, who attracted most of the pre-tourney attention. As the Williams sisters marched onward toward their historic meeting in their seventh Grand Slam final, the enthusiasm of the talking heads was considerably less than prior to the event when they gushed over Ivanovic and Sharapova. Even the aging Lindsay Davenport, a three-time Grand Slam winner, seemed to create more fanfare than the Williams sisters.

I am not surprised, but neither am I reluctant to comment on the fact that despite their incredible on-court success, the Williams sisters’ off-court benefits lag behind others who have earned far less. It is sad that America doesn’t deem the American Williams sisters as worthy of celebration and commercial bounty as the “-ic”s and the “-ova”s who populate the Sony Ericsson Tour.

Oh, I believe I forgot to mention that Venus and Serena also dominated the ladies doubles championship at Wimbledon. Never in the history of tennis, and perhaps any other professional sport, have there been siblings who have dominated their sport as the Williams sisters have professional women’s tennis.

Perhaps one day Venus and Serena will be properly recognized for the greatness they have displayed on the tennis court. Maybe it will even be this year, as they represent the very country that fails to embrace them in the Olympic Games for the second time.

Posted by T. A. Niles

Are there adequate words to fully convey the wonder of the Gentlemen’s final at Wimbledon? If there are, then my vocabulary is woefully inadequate. Although I participated on the couch and in spirit only, I am physically and emotionally spent in the aftermath of one of the most amazing men’s Grand Slam tennis finals ever played.

Discussing who won and lost seems almost trivial in light of the transcendent play displayed by both warriors (for certainly that’s what they are) throughout the match, particularly from midway through the fifth set to the penultimate point. It seems an injustice that it ended on an unforced error.

I predicted Nadal would win the match, and was pleasantly surprised that the real Roger Federer showed up from the third set on to battle Nadal to such an incredible finish. Despite rooting for Federer, like a good book, I didn’t want the match to end, and was saddened when in ended with a missed Federer forehand.

Kudos to Federer who had many opportunities to wilt under the unrelenting heat Rafa applied. Despite being two sets down, the former “King of Wimbledon” made Rafa hit incredible shot after incredible shot before passing his scepter.

And Nadal? He possesses the greatest weapon in tennis: his indomitable will, his mind metal-forged in Mallorca. There is no doubting his strength and speed or his dominating strokes. But dominating strokes are fairly common, and speed a given for top tier players.

The ability to compel your opponent to crumble when it counts most, to deliver the devastating blow when the moment demands belongs to Rafa now, as it once belonged to Roger. The new “King” has been crowned, but Roger remains royal in defeat. I’m picking Federer for the US Open. Game, set, match, I’m out.

Posted by T. A. Niles

That’s right, second-seed Jelena Jankovic fell to unseeded Tamarine Tanasugarn in straight sets, and No.14 seed, Agnieszka Radwanska downed fourth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova in three. Even given the specter of Jankovic’s bum wheel, one would expect her to pull it out against the 31-year-old veteran. Pssst, a secret: Tanasugarn won the S’Hertogenbosch tune-up less than two weeks ago, beating the red-hot Dinara Safina in the final. Apparently that win was no fluke.

Venus and Serena moved on in straight sets, and most talking heads have them playing in the final already. A note of caution before you bet the house: Even if Venus gets past Tanasugarn, which is no gimme (despite Venus’ 6-0 record against her), she is likely to face Dementieva in the semis. Given Dementieva’s play of late, she shouldn’t be a walkover either. Still, Venus has to be considered the favorite.

Serena has scrapper Radwanska next, and this 18-year-old can flat out ball-bash with the best of ‘em. They’ve played once on clay and Serena tuned up the youngster, but Radwanska may be looking for payback, and has no pressure on her. Still, Serena’s experience should carry her through.

If she gets past Radwanska, Serena will face the winner of Jie Zheng versus No.18 seed Nicole Vaidisova. Vaidisova gets the edge in this one, primarily due to her 2-0 record against Zheng. But they haven’t played since 2006 and Zheng is playing as well as she has since she reached her highest ranking of No.33 in the world in 2006.

No one would expect Serena to lose to either player though, so a Williams sisters final is a good possibility.

Posted by T. A. Niles

Rafa Nadal destroyed Mikhail Youhzny, the only player on his half of the draw that had a respectable record (4-6) against him. With Andy Murray next on his plate, Rafa should have another appetizer in the semis, before the main course in the final.



Anything can happen in tennis, but Rafa is about as dependable as…well, as Roger Federer used to be. He seldom loses to someone he is supposed to beat. Looking at the remaining players in his portion of the draw, Rafa is 9-2 against them (3-0 vs. Murray), with his last loss to any of them being to Arnaud Clement in 2006.



What about Roger’s chances of being at that final feast with Nadal? Roger’s next opponent is the resilient Mario Ancic, who was the last man to beat Roger at Wimbledon in 2002. Ancic battled back from two sets down to beat Marcos Baghdatis 13-11 in the fifth, and has repeatedly battled back from injuries to regain the form that garnered him the No.7 ATP world ranking in 2006.



Should Roger get past Ancic, he will have to face the winner of Marat Safin and Feliciano Lopez? Other than his Wilson racquet commercial Lopez has done squat this year, so some are probably asking, “Feliciano Who?” But Lopez has big game, and apparently he has found big inspiration. He out-dueled Marcos Baghdatis in a thriller of a five-setter, 8-6 in the fifth.



Do I need to say anything about Safin? Well other than Federer and Nadal, he’s the only Grand Slam winner left in the draw, and the only one who straight-setted the legendary Pete Sampras in a Grand Slam (2000 US Open). Federer has owned both Safin and Lopez, going 14-2 against them but that was a different Roger and different Lopez and Safin.

Posted by T. A. Niles

It was another day of seed planting as Mario Ancic also upset David Ferrer (5) in a high quality fracas. As projected, Bethanie Mattek’s game was too bothersome for Marion Bartoli to overcome, and the No.10 seed in the ladies’ draw was upended in straight sets. Serena Williams continues to march onward, and the prospect of a Williams-sisters final remains alive.

The bottom half of the ladies’ draw is loaded, however, and Venus will have to get past high hurdles in the persons of Jelena Jankovic (2), Dinara Safina (9), and Elena Dementieva (5) to get to baby sis in the final. Big names aside, as Ivanovic can attest, anyone left in the draw is a threat.

Roger Federer upheld his end of the bargain for all those hoping for another Federer-Nadal final, but Federer’s half of the draw appears to be a minefield fraught with danger. Should he get past Lleyton Hewitt, who is playing as well as he has in years, Federer will likely face Mario Ancic, the last player to beat him at Wimbledon.

Should he avenge his last Wimbledon loss, Federer still has the mercurial Marat Safin, who is playing as well as he has played since he won the Australian Open in 2005, in his half of the draw.

Nadal, on the other hand, appears to have a smoother ride to the final. He has never lost to Nicolas Kiefer, his next opponent, and only one other player remaining in his half of the draw, Mikhail Youzhny, has beaten him in the past two years.

We won’t know until the fuzz flies, so game, set, match, I’m out.

Posted by T. A. Niles

When it’s your time, it’s your time. With some grace from the tennis gods, and some gutsy play, World No.1, Ana Ivanovic, survived Natalie Dechy’s inspired assault to remain alive in the Ladies Singles of The Championships, Wimbledon.



At 4-5, 15-40, double matchpoint after losing the first set in a tiebreak, Ivanovic showed no fear, ripping a forehand crosscourt to deny Dechy’s first opportunity to upset the ladies’ No.1 seed. On the 2nd matchpoint, Ivanovic blasted a forehand into the net, but the ball drops into Dechy’s court anyway for deuce.

Dechy accepted the gods’ decree and battled on, impervious to fickle Fate and damning Destiny. She made Ivanovic struggle to reach a second set tiebreak, and didn’t succumb to the inevitable until the 18th game of the third set.



It isn’t often that a second round match becomes the most memorable match of a Grand Slam, but this match is a contender, and the players will be hard pressed to match the drama and excellence displayed by Ivanovic and Dechy this Wimbledon Wednesday.



Marat Safin will probably beg to differ seeing that he dispatched No.3 seed Novak Djokovic in straight sets. Anyone who knows the ATP Tour knows that Marat Safin can beat anyone if he brings his mind along with his talent to the court. Apparently he did so today. Djokovic is showing that he does not yet breathe the rarified air of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.



Serena Williams continued her unheralded march toward a potential ninth Grand Slam. Of course one would think that Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic, or perhaps Maria Sharapova, rather than defending champion Venus Williams or Eight-time Slam winner Serena are the odds on favorite to win the title. Wonder why that is? Game, set, match. I’m out.

Posted by T. A. Niles

Ok, so I have to back pedal a little on the Kiss of Death thing. It only works 50% of the time. In the semis, I picked Dinara Safina to lose and Elena Dementieva to win. Both won for 50%. I picked Novak Djokovic to win and Stanislas Wawrinka to lose. Both won for another 50% record.



So I held off on cursing anyone in the finals, and Djokovic and Safina both pulled off the wins as I suspected they would. Safina looked unstoppable this past week, as her brother Marat Safin did when he won the Australian in ’05. No matter what was thrown at her, she practically scoffed at it.



Djokovic is THE Drama King on tour, so you know his match went three sets (4-6, 6-3, 6-3). Yep, Wawrinka has plenty of game, but Djokovic has more. It took Safina a set to get used to Dementieva’s pace, but once she did, she cruised (3-6, 6-2, 6-2).



The 22-year-old Safina, who has been a pro since she was 14, claimed the biggest of her six titles in Berlin. In claiming his third championship of the year, the almost 21-year-old Djokovic solidified his lead atop the ATP Tour singles race, leading Nadal by 66 points and Federer by more than I care to count.



Oh, and while I’m at it, I claimed the Ultimate Tennis Men’s 6.0 Spring Championship, my second Ultimate Tennis championship in two years, by beating Stephen Hunt-Marriott 6-2, 6-4.



I owe Ken Wasserman a note of thanks for choosing not to play in the playoffs, because he was clearly the best player in our division. Ken went undefeated, beating both Stephen and me in straight sets. Ya gotta play to win, right?



A report and slideshow of the event are imminent. Game, set, match….

Posted by T. A. Niles

Yep, the “Kiss of Death” is still in effect. I did apologize to Serena Williams last night for picking her to win, and that apology was well warranted. Dinara Safina played as tough a set as I’ve seen her play against Serena in the third set, and I’m sure that was fueled by the “Kiss.”



Safina was reminiscent of her brother Marat Safin when he was on his game and had his mind together. She hit some incredible shots and moved better than she has ever moved. A little fitness does wonders for one’s confidence.



I should have apologized to Jelena Jankovic in advance as well, since I cursed her too with my pick. Elena Dementieva actually had fewer double faults than Jankovic, and won more point on serve than Jankovic.



Federer is likely to be a repeat victim because I just can’t pick against the guy. And Stepanek is a serve volley player, beating the Fed on clay! I can get away with that sometimes, but Stepanek against Federer? I’m guilty on Robredo as well, as he fell to Roddick in a third-set breaker.



This Kiss isn’t totally guaranteed however. I figured Blake would wilt and he did. I thought Victoria Azarenka would prevail over Alona Bondarenko and she did. Djokovic did get past Almagro.



That’s 50% on the men, and the best I can do is 50% on the women. It may take me a while to perfect the “Kiss of Death,” but when I do, it will compel players to offer me large sums of money not to pick them. I can smell the green$$$.



So, next round I’m picking Djokovic over Stepanek, and Roddick over Wawrinka in the men’s draw, Azarenka over Safina, and Dementieva over either Ivanovic or Szavay. We’ll see tomorrow. Game, set, match…

Posted by T. A. Niles

James Blake and Andy Roddick are showing me something in Rome. I’ve accused both of being more “ball bashers” than tennis players, and that’s why they are "pa-dang-thetic" on clay. But this week, they are displaying patience, that’s right, patience on the red stuff!



James Blake coming back after dropping the first set on clay? A common occurrence that isn’t. Blake barely holds his own on clay and he played a Spaniard who has a better record on clay. Pulled it off though.



Roddick has played less matches on clay than any other surface in the last 12 months and no one would accuse him of being a clay court specialist (remember Roland Garros last year?). Yet he straight-sets an Italian who is much more familiar with, and has a better record on, clay.

Blake has a fair chance against Stanislas Wawrinka if he can stay patient. Blake has bad memories of Wawrinka, having lost a five-setter to him at Roland Garros in ’05 after being up two sets. My guess is Blake will be too tired to go the distance tomorrow, after playing a tough three-setter against Verdasco and a doubles match.

Roddick will have to play his best clay court tennis to beat Robredo, even though he beat Robredo the only time they’ve played on clay (2002). They’re both different players now and their fortunes have changed since those early days. I'm putting "The Kiss" on Robredo.



Favorite Federer should eradicate Radek Stepanek, having beaten him five times running, and Djokovic should be too steady for Nico Almagro. But that could be wishful thinking since that would set up the Federer-Djokovic match-up that everyone would love to see, after Djokovic’s swoon against Federer in Monte Carlo.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s racquet roundup from Rome. Game, set, match…

Posted by T. A. Niles

The “Kiss of Death” worked on Justine Henin (1) and Svetlana Kuznetsova (3). Henin continues her freefall from grace, losing to Dinara Safina in three sets, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1. It’s strange that after such a stellar year as ‘07 Henin seems to be struggling with confidence, and showing little fight once things turn south. In three of her four losses on the year, the final sets have been 0, 0, and 1.

After cruising to a 6-1 first set, Kuznetsova didn’t put up much resistance either, bowing out a 2 and 2 in the final two sets. It’s the first time Kuzi hasn’t reached at least the semis since February.

The Serbs proved immune to the curse, although Ivanovic struggled against Sybil Bammer in a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 tester. Ivanovic (2) gets up-and-comer Agnes Szavay (10) next, and don’t be surprised if Szavay presents more of a problem than Ana can solve. Szavay has been steadily climbing the ranking ladder since her pro debut in ’04. She’s jumped from No.207 in ’06 to a current ranking of no.14.

Jankovic (4) cruised through a 6-2, 6-4 win over Maria Kirilenko, and will match-up against Elena Dementieva (7) next. Dementieva has plenty of game to hang with, and beat, Jankovic, but she also has plenty of head issues as far as her serve goes…Sounds like me these days… Anyway, that match could go either way depending on which Dementieva shows up. Gotta go with reliable Jelena though.

Serena’s got to be the favorite at this point (sorry Serena), and only the curse can stop her. She has Safina (13) next, then the winner of Alona Bondarenko (15) versus Victoria Azarenka. I’m thinking she’ll meet Azarenka, whom she beat the only time they’ve played previously. Until next…Game, set, match.