The Pakistan-India cricket test had consumed my attention the last few days..did not even realize the Australian Open has started...
Well.. here is what the people that follow tennis more regularly than I do think..
Six young players to watch for & Seed Reports: Men / Women
Roger Federer, arguably establishing himself as one of the great players of tennis (though his coach thinks he needs to win the French before he gets counted amongst the best!), recently equalled Pete Sampras’ mark of 102 weeks as world number 1 in the ATP rankings. (He still has some way to go though before reaching Jimmy Connors, who had 160 weeks at the top, and Ivan Lendl with 157). Like in many recent Grand Slams, he starts as the favorite again on the mens side. Andy Roddick, seeded second and winner of the Kooyong exhibition tournament last Saturday, is probably the next best shot...as he has been for the past few Grand Slams and I suspect Leyton Hewitt might have some chance, given that he has a home-court advantage, if there is some such thing in tennis...
On the women's side, it is a tossup between a number of players .... could be Davenport, who has always been in contention but not won recently....could be the 8th seeded Justin Henin, who won the Sydney International on Friday, albeit in a toughly-fought marathon match where she beat Francesca Schiavone 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, or could be Kim Clijsters...or Maria Sharpova or.....any one of the top-10 seeds..!!
First Round:
Oh..just catching up on scores so far and I notice that Venus Williams has lost in the first round, losing 2-6, 6-0, 9-7 to a 18-year-old Bulgarian, Tszvetana Pironkova, while her sister, Serena, the defending champion struggled to beat China's Li-Na - getting steamrolled in a shaky second-set breaker before triumphing 6-3, 6-7(1), 6-2.
And a star from the past is back after a 3-year hiatus with this tournament - Martina Hingis, now ranked 349, needed slightly more than an hour to defeat 30th-seeded Vera Zvonareva 6-1, 6-2 in a first-round match. 'It was beautiful to walk in there,' she said about her return. Zvonareva, on the other hand, was 'red-eyed and frequently slamed her racquet to the court and engaged herself in negative dialogue. '
On the men's side, Lleyton Hewitt almost blew his opening match in Melbourne Tuesday, before rallying to beat the Czech Republic's Robin Vik 6-4, 2-6, 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-3 in 3 hours, 45 minutes. England's Grand Slam woes continued as Tim Henman lost his first-round match in four sets to Dmitry Tursunov of Russia and rookie 18-year-old Andy Murray of Scotland, touted as the future of British tennis, took a quick exit after three sets, losing Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina. The English papers were brutal on Henman after this disappointment, with the Telegraph saying, 'Tiger Tim is now an elderly tabby ready for a trip to the vet'. Henman himself is disappointed and has said he will quit by the end of the year if he cannot regain his form! (In 43 Grand Slams tournaments since 1994, Henman has never made it past the fourth round in Melbourne. He has one semifinal appearance at the French and U.S. Open. With five semifinal appearances at Wimbledon, he remains Britain's main hope to win the first men's singles crown since Fred Perry in 1936.)
And ofcourse, I cannot end this without mentioning the Indian sensation..hype...call her what you will... Sania Mirza, who as a wild-card entry at the Australian Open last year, became the first Indian woman to reach the third round of a Grand Slam and lost to eventual winner Serena Williams, although it was the beginning of what she's described as a phenomenal year. The former Wimbledon junior doubles champion reached the fourth round of the U.S. Open, and more recently won a tournament in her hometown of Hyderabad. She's started this year well, beating Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 7-6 (8), 6-2. And if an Indian is doing well, can the Chinese be far behind... China has one of the fastest rising stars in tennis (as in many other fields where they were not even playing some years back!) and according to some is shaping up as WTA's next big thing! itself, losting to Bulgaria’s Tszvetana Pironkova 2-6, 6-0, 9-7, while her sister, the defending champion Serena, had to fight hard to beat 52nd-ranked Li Na of China. Serena was broken as she served for the match at 5-4 in the second set double-faulting twice at 15-30 and won only one point in the tiebreak before she pulled herself back together and finished off a 6-3, 6-7 (1), 6-2 victory. Also, a
Well.. here is what the people that follow tennis more regularly than I do think..
Six young players to watch for & Seed Reports: Men / Women
Roger Federer, arguably establishing himself as one of the great players of tennis (though his coach thinks he needs to win the French before he gets counted amongst the best!), recently equalled Pete Sampras’ mark of 102 weeks as world number 1 in the ATP rankings. (He still has some way to go though before reaching Jimmy Connors, who had 160 weeks at the top, and Ivan Lendl with 157). Like in many recent Grand Slams, he starts as the favorite again on the mens side. Andy Roddick, seeded second and winner of the Kooyong exhibition tournament last Saturday, is probably the next best shot...as he has been for the past few Grand Slams and I suspect Leyton Hewitt might have some chance, given that he has a home-court advantage, if there is some such thing in tennis...
On the women's side, it is a tossup between a number of players .... could be Davenport, who has always been in contention but not won recently....could be the 8th seeded Justin Henin, who won the Sydney International on Friday, albeit in a toughly-fought marathon match where she beat Francesca Schiavone 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, or could be Kim Clijsters...or Maria Sharpova or.....any one of the top-10 seeds..!!
First Round:
Oh..just catching up on scores so far and I notice that Venus Williams has lost in the first round, losing 2-6, 6-0, 9-7 to a 18-year-old Bulgarian, Tszvetana Pironkova, while her sister, Serena, the defending champion struggled to beat China's Li-Na - getting steamrolled in a shaky second-set breaker before triumphing 6-3, 6-7(1), 6-2.
And a star from the past is back after a 3-year hiatus with this tournament - Martina Hingis, now ranked 349, needed slightly more than an hour to defeat 30th-seeded Vera Zvonareva 6-1, 6-2 in a first-round match. 'It was beautiful to walk in there,' she said about her return. Zvonareva, on the other hand, was 'red-eyed and frequently slamed her racquet to the court and engaged herself in negative dialogue. '
On the men's side, Lleyton Hewitt almost blew his opening match in Melbourne Tuesday, before rallying to beat the Czech Republic's Robin Vik 6-4, 2-6, 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-3 in 3 hours, 45 minutes. England's Grand Slam woes continued as Tim Henman lost his first-round match in four sets to Dmitry Tursunov of Russia and rookie 18-year-old Andy Murray of Scotland, touted as the future of British tennis, took a quick exit after three sets, losing Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina. The English papers were brutal on Henman after this disappointment, with the Telegraph saying, 'Tiger Tim is now an elderly tabby ready for a trip to the vet'. Henman himself is disappointed and has said he will quit by the end of the year if he cannot regain his form! (In 43 Grand Slams tournaments since 1994, Henman has never made it past the fourth round in Melbourne. He has one semifinal appearance at the French and U.S. Open. With five semifinal appearances at Wimbledon, he remains Britain's main hope to win the first men's singles crown since Fred Perry in 1936.)
And ofcourse, I cannot end this without mentioning the Indian sensation..hype...call her what you will... Sania Mirza, who as a wild-card entry at the Australian Open last year, became the first Indian woman to reach the third round of a Grand Slam and lost to eventual winner Serena Williams, although it was the beginning of what she's described as a phenomenal year. The former Wimbledon junior doubles champion reached the fourth round of the U.S. Open, and more recently won a tournament in her hometown of Hyderabad. She's started this year well, beating Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 7-6 (8), 6-2. And if an Indian is doing well, can the Chinese be far behind... China has one of the fastest rising stars in tennis (as in many other fields where they were not even playing some years back!) and according to some is shaping up as WTA's next big thing! itself, losting to Bulgaria’s Tszvetana Pironkova 2-6, 6-0, 9-7, while her sister, the defending champion Serena, had to fight hard to beat 52nd-ranked Li Na of China. Serena was broken as she served for the match at 5-4 in the second set double-faulting twice at 15-30 and won only one point in the tiebreak before she pulled herself back together and finished off a 6-3, 6-7 (1), 6-2 victory. Also, a
Second Round:
Hewitt, Pierce stunned on Thursday at Australian Open - Third seeded Hewitt, who had rallied from a two-sets-to-one deficit to beat Czech Robin Vik in the first round on Tuesday, fell to the Argentine, Juan Ignacio Chela 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (8-10), 6-2. On the women's side, fifth seed Mary Pierce dropped the final four games in a stunning loss to Czech Iveta Benesova, 6-3, 7-5.
And India's big hope disappoints... as Sania Mirza (32) loses to Michaella Krajicek, 6-3, 7-5. She would have faced one of the tournament favorites, Amelie Mauresemo in the next round and most likely lost... but its still a disappointment to lose in the 2nd round itself!
Third Round:
Defending champion Serena Williams loses to Daniela Hanuchova, who has lost all 3 previous matches between the two without winning a set....Christopher Clarey writes in the IHT - "The fifth day of the Australian Open began with Maria Sharapova talking about the possibility of taking her revenge against Serena Williams, but by the time the day had given way to night Friday and the roof over Rod Laver Arena had gone from open to closed, Daniela Hantuchova had deprived Sharapova of that chance. There will be no replay of last year's sensational women's semifinal in which Williams saved three match points and went on to win the title. Hantuchova erased that possibility by defeating Williams, 6-1, 7-6 (7-5), in the third round............ Seeded 13th here, her ranking is expected to plummet into the 40s after this defeat."
Hantuchova next plays Sharapova, who won easily today, beating Jelena Kostanic 6-0, 6-1. Andy Roddick also had a relatively easy game, with 17 aces in a 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 win over French qualifier Julien Benneteau. Lindsay Davenport had a tougher day, on a day when temperature exceeded 35 Celsius (96 Fahrenheit), holding off Maria Kirilenko 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, despite 42 unforced errors. French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne had a 6-4, 6-1 win over Virginie Razzano.
Another funny snippet from the above IHT article: Marcos 'Baghdatis, a flashy 20-year-old who also reached the fourth round here last year, beat German qualifier Denis Gremelmayr 6-2, 6-1, 6-2. Baghdatis will face Roddick in what will not only be a battle of extroverts but a battle of exuberant cheering sections. Baghdatis, has had a solid block of support in every match in a city with a large Greek community. Roddick, who is popular in Australia, has been attracting a group of bare-chested men and bikini-topped women prone to writing his name on their skin. Asked to compare the support groups, Roddick raised an eyebrow and made it clear he preferred his own. 'I have half naked women, and he has a bunch of men,' Roddick said.'
For a second day in a row, the tournament invoked the extreme heat policy that calls for play to be suspended on outside courts after matches already under way were completed. Third-seeded Amelie Mauresmo was leading Michaella Krajicek 6-2, who had earlier beaten Sania Mirza, when the 17-year-old Dutch player withdrew because of heat stress. "I felt like I was going to throw up. ... I couldn't even see the ball because my eyes were burning," Krajicek said after having an ice bath to cool down.
Meanwhile, Hingis is having a dream return... with some onlookers whispering whether she has a chance to even reach the finals! For now, she joins top seeds like Mauresmo, Davenport, Sharpova, Clijsters, and Justin-Henin Hadenne and fellow-Swiss Patty Schnyder in the final 16!
Also, in the doubles, an interesting matchup for India - Bhupathi and Wesley Moodie of South Africa 'came back from the brink to prevail 4-6, 7-6 (10/8), 7-5 over Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra of France in a marathon second-round encounter that lasted a shade over three hours. The 11th seeded Indian-South African pair are drawn to play seventh seeds Leander Paes and the Czech Republic's Martin Damm in the third round.'
Update: Paes-Damm defeat Bhupath-Moodie at Aus Open
Semifinals
Update: Paes-Damm defeat Bhupath-Moodie at Aus Open
Semifinals
Roger Federer advanced to the Australian Open final Friday by beating Nicolas Kiefer 6-3, 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 while unseeded Marcos Baghdatis extended his remarkable run at the Australian Open, rallying to beat number 4 David Nalbandian 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Now, for a fairy-tale ending, the Cypriot must slay a giant.
In a great semi-finals matchup, Henin-Hardenne continued her magnificent recent record in Australia by winning her 22nd consecutive match to book her place in the final by beating Russian No.4 seed Maria Sharapova 4-6 6-1 6-4 in two hours and 26 minutes of high quality tennis.
In the other women's semi finals, "Mauresmo was leading 5-7, 6-2, 3-2 and 15-love when Clijsters hobbled to the net and withdrew. That ended the prospect of an all-Belgian final with Henin-Hardenne, who is seeking a fifth Grand Slam singles title. Henin-Hardenne beat Clijsters in the final here in 2004 but was sidelined by injuries last year. She won the Sydney International on Jan. 13, coming back after two months out with a hamstring injury, and is 10-0 this season. Mauresmo has not returned to a Grand Slam final since Martina Hingis beat her here in 1999."
And so, although Mauresmo is the No.3 seed, the No.8 seed Justine Henin-Hardenne probably starts as a favorite in many people's minds...
Men's No.1 seeds Bob and Mike Bryan will play the No.7 seeded pairing of Czech Martin Damm and Indian veteran Leander Paes, who beat unseeded Polish pair Mariusz Frystenberg and Marcin Matkowski 6-2, 6-4, in the final of men's double after a 6-3 6-4 win over Australian Paul Hanley and Zimbabwean Kevin Ullyett.
In the mixed-doubles, Martina Hingis and India's Mahesh Bhupathi enter the finals with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over the fifth seeds, Paul Hanley and Samantha Stosur of Australia. Hingis and Bhupathi, who are a wildcard entry and not seeded, will play sixth seeds Daniel Nestor of Canada and Russia's Elena Likhovtseva, who after a tough-fought match defeated Nathalie Dechy from France and Leander Paes from India 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10-4).
Finals:
Mauresmo wins a Grand Slam at last...but what an anti-climax as for the 3rd time this tournament, her opponent quit... this has happened now both in the semi-finals (Clijsters) as well as the finals (Justin Henin-Hardenne)! (In an earlier round, she had won a match after Michaella Krajicek defaulted after tiring in the extreme heat!). Her nay-sayers will say she won her Grand Slam finally..but only by default..but it should be said that she was well on her way to a well-deserved win against in the finals..
The Chinese announced their arrival on the tennis scene known at the Athens Olympics, when Tian Tian Sun and Ting Li stunned the world by winning the gold in the womens doubles finals. Today, Yan Zi (L) and Zheng Jie made history by winning the first ever Grand Slam event for the Chinese, by winning the Aussie Women's doubles title.
Bhupathi-Hingis won the mixed-doubles final - an amazing comeback tournament for Hingis, who Maria Sharapova thinks will soon be in the top 10. (Interview with Martina Hingis and Mahesh Bhupathi)
Bhupathi-Hingis won the mixed-doubles final - an amazing comeback tournament for Hingis, who Maria Sharapova thinks will soon be in the top 10. (Interview with Martina Hingis and Mahesh Bhupathi)
No.1 seeds Mike and Bob Bryan, finally claim the crown at the Australian open. They lost in the finals the last two years - beaten by Frenchmen Fabrice Santoro and Michael Llodra in 2004 and by Zimbabweans Wayne Black and Kevin Ullyett in 2005. The third time was a charm however, as they beat the 7th seeded duo of India's Leander Paes and Czech Martin Damm 4-6 6-3 6-4 in the final. (Interview with the Bryan brothers)
Giant leap for in ratings for Hingis
Clijsters jumps to no. 1 ahead of Lindsay Davenport, while Mauresmo is now seeded #2. (India's Sania Mirza slips from 32nd to 34th, which is great I suppose considering ast year’s champion Serena Williams dropped 24 places to 39th after losing in the third round in Melbourne. Former world number one Martina Hingis of Switzerland, making a comeback after 3 years, climbed 232 places to number 117 after reaching the quarter-finals in her first Grand Slam event since her retirement in 2002.
Clijsters jumps to no. 1 ahead of Lindsay Davenport, while Mauresmo is now seeded #2. (India's Sania Mirza slips from 32nd to 34th, which is great I suppose considering ast year’s champion Serena Williams dropped 24 places to 39th after losing in the third round in Melbourne. Former world number one Martina Hingis of Switzerland, making a comeback after 3 years, climbed 232 places to number 117 after reaching the quarter-finals in her first Grand Slam event since her retirement in 2002.
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