AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2008: Women's Final Preview

Maria Sharapova RUS (5) versus Ana Ivanovic SRB (4).

After being humiliated by Serena Williams at the 2007 Australian Open women's final and failing to win more than a single title all year (Acura Classic) Maria Sharapova clearly showed up in Melbourne with a mission to win her first Australian Open title. Despite having a relatively difficult draw (dangerous floater Lindsay Davenport in round 2, #11 seed Elena Dementieva, #3 seed Jelena Jankovic and World #1 and #1 seed Justine Henin) Sharapova has reached the final for the second consecutive year without losing a set. Ana Ivanovic confirmed her status as the (higher ranked and) superior of the "Serbian sisters" by achieving her second Grand Slam final before her compatriot Jankovic has been in a single one. Even in their interesting quarterfinal match-ups of the Williams sisters versus Serbia, Ivanovic won her match more convincingly over much stiffer resistance. And then came Ivanovic's disastrous start of her semifinal match against Daniela Hantuchova where she lost the first 8 games in 45 minutes but somehow managed to reverse the momentum and win the match 0-6 6-3 6-4.

However, Ivanovic will need to not only be better than Jankovic, she will need to be playing at the level to beat a Williams sister in order to deny Maria Sharapova's her 3rd major title. It's unlikely, but not unthinkable that this coulld happen, but at least it would make for some delightful tennis to watch, which is what I really expect to see happen.

PREDICTION: Sharapova, in 3 sets.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2008: Women's Semifinals

The 2008 Australian Open Women's semifinals are now set. Unfortunately, Mad Professah incorrectly predicted 3 of the 4 women's quarterfinal match results. This was mainly due to two shockingly disappointing performances by Venus and Serena Williams. The following post serves as both a Women's Quarterfinal review and Women's Semifinals preview.

Maria Sharapova RUS (5) vs. Jelena Jankovic SRB (3) Serena Williams USA (7). Although I did not predict this result I am not disappointed to see it. You can put me in the "Anybody but Henin" crowd. However, I hope that Jankovic doesn't think that it was defending champion Serena Williams that she beat in the quarterfinal on Tuesday. The imposter who called herself Serena couldn't get her serve over 100 mph for most of the match, was clearly limping and not reacting to the ball's location or movement. Regardless, she did well to win the match and possesses formidable skills of her own. Sharapova's dismantling of the current World #1 player in the world, which included a bagel stuffed down the throat of the powerful, diminutive Belgian was a delight to behold. Only an in-form Williams Sister could have handled and probably overcome that onslaught, but sadly noe of those are left in the tournament, and it'sdoubtful any of themshowed up to play in Melbourne this year. Interestingly, Sharapova and Jankovic have only played four times in their career, but only once in 2007, which is the only match of the four that Jankovic has won, a close 3-setter on grass. Instead of the fourth consecutive grudgefest at major tournament between Justine Henin and Serena Williams that I predicted would occur, this top half of the draw produces a sparkling opportunity for an excellent match-up between power and finesse. Typically, in such a match-up I tend to go with power (which is why I am a fan of and predict wins for, the Williams Sisters). However, Jankovic is a great mover and thinker on the court; she will not be overwhelmed by her second major Grand Slam semifinal. Jankovic has the game and the weapons to make it close, but if the Sharapova who beat Henin shows up to play then the results will not be in Jelena's hands, but Maria's. PREDICTION: Sharapova in 3 sets.

Venus Williams USA (12) Ana Ivanovic SRB (4) vs. Daniela Hantuchova SVK (9). The bottom half of the draw was left tantalizingly wide-open with the early exit of the mentally fragile Svetlana Kuznetsova. Especially since she was playing someone who she had never lost to in her quartfinal, Venus Williams looked like a shoo-in to her second Australian Open final. Unfortunately, the Ana Ivanovic she met was not the same player Venus beat in two consecutive Grand Slam tournaments last year. This Ivanovic had no fear of the net, was blasting winners from every part of the court, deep into the corner and with extreme pace. And she demonstrated excellent defensive retrieving skills. There was really not much Venus could have done, even if she had been playing at 100%, which she clearly wasn't. Hantuchova easily dispatched Aggie Radwanska and will be playing in her first Grand Slam semifinal. Last year Hantuchova and Ivanovic played 3 times last year on 3 different surfaces, with the Slovak winning on grass, while the Serbian won the next two matches on carpet and indoor hardcourts. Ivanovic has clearly now reached the top of Womens' Tennis and is comfortable with her position.

Hantuchova on the other hand took 5 years to win her second WTA Tour title after winning her first as a precocious teenager over Hingis in 2002. She is well-known as an excellent ball-striker and part of the vanguard of "Big Babe" tennis so famously coined by ESPN commentator Mary Carillo. Although, it's really hard to describe Hantuchova as "big" she's mostly lanky. She is also known as an extremely emotional, nervous player. It is very likely she will be overwhelmed by the occasion of finally reaching her first major semifinal and if the new Ana Ivanovic is here to stay, then there will be at least one Serbian in the Australian Open final on Saturday. PREDICTION: Ivanovic in 2 sets.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2008: Women's Quarterfinals Preview

The 2008 Australian Open Women's Quarterfinals are now set. While I missed most of the first two rounds due to my trip to Northern Italy I have seen many of the important matches since.

Justine Henin BEL (1) vs. Maria Sharapova RUS (5). This marquee quarter-final match-up is a reprise of the final match of the WTA Tour last year, which I regarded as one of the best women's tennis matches of 2007. That the last two U.S. Open champions and Australian Open finalists are meeting in a quarter-final is a testament to the depth of the field in the women's game at the first grand slam of the year. Henin has won seven major titles to Sharapova's two and leads their lifetime head-to-head rivalry 6-2. But, Sharapova hates to lose and will not go down without a fight. Henin has every shot in the book and better mobility. Hopefully this match-up will live up to the hype none of the much heralded Grand Slam showdowns between Serena Williams and Henin failed to do on three separate occasions last year. Frankly, I don't like either of these players but I would like to see someone start beating Henin with regularity. Unfortunately, I think I'll have to keep on waiting. PREDICTION: Henin in 3 sets.

Jelena Jankovic SRB (3) vs. Serena Williams USA (7). Surprisingly, Serena and Jelena have only played each other four times in the past four years and they have a split score of 2 wins each. However, last year Serena was able to beat the Serbian player when the American was still playing her way into her best tennis and Jankovic was higher ranked and playing better tennis than she has shown so far in 2008. With the American's ranking now back in the top 10 and Jankovic's falling, Serena will have no problem booking her semifinal berth against her nemesis, Justine Henin. PREDICTION: S. Williams in 2 sets.



Venus Williams USA (8) vs. Ana Ivanovic SRB (4). This matchup is a repeat of the 2007 U.S. Open quarterfinal where Venus played her best tennis of the event and demolished the 2007 French open finalist and brand new #3 player in the world in two short, scintillating sets. It is doubtful that Ivanovic will be dominated so easily again but the fact remains that Venus has never lost to the pulchritudinous heir apparent to Sharapova's "It Girl" tiara in four meetings and it is doubtful that trend will be reversed in Melbourne this year. However, the fifth time may be the charm for Ivanovic to get her first win over the reigning Wimbledon champion. PREDICTION: V. Williams in 3 sets.

Daniela Hantuchova SVK (9) vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS (2) Agnieszka Radwanska POL (29).
For the second slam in a row, Polish youngster Aggie Radwanska knocked out the #2 seed in the third round (Sharapova at the 2007 US Open, Kuznetsova at the 2008 Australian Open). This was always the weakest quarter of the draw and it was a dream path for Sveta to make her first big splash in Melbourne. Unfortunately for her, she made a huge splash crashing out to the wily counterpuncher in straight sets. Taking advantage of her opportunity is the hard-hitting Slovak waif who is now a tour veteran at age 24. Hantuchova has been to three Grand Slam quarter-finals about five years ago but never won any. Radwanska's never been remotely this far in a slam. Although widely considered mentally fragile, it is very likely Hntuchova will be the one more mentally prepared to take advantage of Kuznetsova's early exit to earn a major semifinal slot. PREDICTION: Hantuchova in 2 sets.

Venus and Serena Both Qualify for Year End Championships

Savannah over at Savannah's World has the details of the final 8 qualifiers for the lucrative and prestigious Year End Championships in Madrid which start November 6.

Updated Race List: 10/28/2007

1 HENIN, JUSTINE BEL 4975.00
2 JANKOVIC, JELENA SRB 4096.00
3 KUZNETSOVA, SVETLANA RUS 3581.00
4 IVANOVIC, ANA SRB 3162.00
5 WILLIAMS, SERENA USA 2767.00
6 CHAKVETADZE, ANNA RUS 2628.00
--WILLIAMS, VENUS USA 2470.00 (Withdrawn!)
7 HANTUCHOVA, DANIELA SVK 2431.00
8 SHARAPOVA, MARIA RUS 2431.00
----------------------------------
----------------------------------
9 BARTOLI, MARION FRA 2224.00
10 DEMENTIEVA, ELENA RUS 2023.00
11 VAIDISOVA, NICOLE CZE 1886.00 (Quebec R1 +1) 140=2026

Both Venus and Serena Williams made the "Elite Eight" who qualified for the Year End Championship despite their erratic playing schedule in 2007. After all, they each did win a Grand Slam tournament this year (although Justine Henin won the other two).

With Daniela Hantuchova winning her first WTA tour title apart from Indian Wells (2002 and 2007) at Linz today, she was able to tie Maria Sharapova for the 8th spot, so only one of them would have made it, and according to the rules, Hantuchova would have been chosen for the spot because she played more tournaments (26) than Sharapova (12).

However, Venus released a statement withdrawing from the Madrid tournament:

"This year has been a great one for many reasons," said the Wimbledon
winner. "I am pleased that I finished the year in the top eight and in recent
weeks I have remained optimistic about participating in the season-ending Sony
Ericsson Championships. Nevertheless, the accumulation of matches has taken its
toll and I have received several medical opinions to delay my return to
competitive tennis. As a result, I will miss the Sony Ericsson Championships. I
look forward to playing in the New Year for what will hopefully be an even
better 2008."

Though it's not clear that Sharapova will use her spot, since she has withdrawn from the last two tournaments she has entered, which would put Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli back in the mix. She looked injured during her loss to Patty Schnyder in the Linz semifinals yesterday so perhaps Nicole Vaidisova can sneak in to the Elite Eight. Stay tuned!

Davenport Wins Bali Title After 1 Year Off Tour

Lindsay Davenport with Bali trophy

and son Jagger Jonathan

Lindsay Davenport, former World #1 and 3-time Slam champion won her 53rd carrer title by defeating Daniela Hantuchova 6-4, 3-6, 6-2. Welcome back, Lindsay! Craig Hickman has more details.

Wimbledon 2007: 5 Most Memorable Matches

Now that Wimbledon 2007 is history, I want to follow in the footsteps of Mary Carillo and John McEnroe and provide a list of Mad Professah's Most Memorable Moments at Wimbledon 2007 (with apologies to On The Baseline news):


1. R. Federer SUI (1) d. R. Nadal ESP (2), 7-6(7) 4-6 7-6(3) 2-6 6-2, Final.

Regardless of who won this match, history would be made in that something would have been done for the first time since 1980: Either Federer would be the first person since Bjorn Borg to win 5 consecutive Wimbledon titles or Nadal would be the first to win the French Open and Wimbledon double in the same year.


This match is the most memorable of the tournament for me because of the closeness of the match with the stakes so high. In addition, both Federer and Nadal both played well, with Nadal arguably playing better in the first three sets but unfortunately losing two of the three in tiebreakers, mostly thanks to Federer's more effective serve (24 aces and 38 unreturnables).

It was clear to me (and probably most people who watched the match) that Nadal can win this tournament, that he does have the game which can defeat Federer on just about any surface and that he probably will defeat Federer at a Grand Slam other than Roland Garros, sooner rather than later.


2. V. Williams USA (23) d. M. Sharapova RUS (2), 6-1 6-3, 4th Round.

To me this was an even more memorable match than Venus' win over Marion Bartoli in the final for her fourth Wimbledon title a few days later, because just a few days before she had been staring defeat in the face at the hands of Akiko Morigami when the Japanese player served for the match at 5-3 in the third set. By winning the last four games of that match, Venus was able to set up a rematch with the reigning U.S. Open champion and current World #2 who had beaten her in a heartbreakingly close match ni Miami earlier this year. She made ample use of the opportunity, turning her game around and for the first time in the tournament (and possibly the year) she played a match with more winners than errors (22 to 14). Sharapova for the third time this year had absolutely no chance against a Williams sister. This time she only lost 6-3, 6-1. But by showing that she could easily dispatch Sharapova, Venus sent the signal that other high ranked players, #5 Svetlana Kuznetsova and #6 Ana Ivanovic and possibly even #1 Justine Henin would have fared no differently.

3. S. Williams USA (7) d. D. Hantuchova SVK (10), 6-2 6-7(2) 6-2, 4th Round.

The most dramatic moment of the tournament occurred during this unsurprising matchup between the hard-hitting Slovak Daniela Hantuchova and the most powerful female player on the planet after Serena was cruising along at 6-1, 5-5, 15-15 when suddenly she experienced a massive cramp in her left calf muscle which caused her to collapse to the ground.

Despite what Serena-haters have been saying ("She faked the injury!" "She was over-dramatic! She used gamesmanship!") there's no question in my mind Serena was in extreme pain. It took incredible guts to play on despite very limited mobility and force a tiebreaker until the rains came down and granted a 2-hour reprieve which she could use to regroup. In the third set, despite injuring herself again (which no-one saw!) she was still able to overpower a rather good grasscourt opponent.

4. N. Djokovic SRB (4) d. M. Baghdatis CYP (10), 7-6(4) 7-6(9) 6-7(3) 4-6 7-5, Quarterfinal.

To me this was the best men's match of the fortnight. A five-hour classic of high quality tennis from two extremely talented and emotive combatants. The 20-year-old Serbian phenom, the heir apparent to Federer and Nadal who is currently the third best player in the world versus the flashy Cypriot shotmaker who is two years older and has already been two Grand Slam semifinals and a Grand Slam final and is attempting to return to the top of the game after the emotional rollercoaster such early heady success landed him on.n In the end Baghdatis had more winners 74 to 58 but also more errors, 60 to 50, than Djokovic who had 17 breakpoints to Baghdatis' 8 but they both converted just 5 times. At 4-4 in the final set, the total number of points won was tied, but the Serbian ended up winning 7 more, and thus the match.

5. M. Bartoli FRA (18) d. J. Henin BEL (1), 1-6 7-5 6-1, Semifinal.


The upset of the year, and possibly the decade. The completely unheralded French player, who is shunned by the French Tennis Federation and managed and coached by her father in a completely unorthodox manner, knocked out the World's #1 player, after previously beating the World's #3 player two rounds before--both times coming back from a set and break down! Bartoli plays with two hands on both sides and takes the ball early. She's also a tenacious fighter which compensates for her less than stellar fitness, although she is faster around the court than she looks thanks to heightened "ball awareness." Henin had been even-odds or better to win her first grass court championship, especially after the defending champion Mauresmo was dismissed in the 4th round, but Bartoli was a 100-to-1 shot. Absolutely no one thought that after Henin had won the first set easily at 6-1, and come back in the second set to lead 4-3 that she would lose the match but Bartoli won 10 of the last twelve games from that point. An incredible win and a devastating loss for the Belgian.

UPDATE 07/11/2007
Craig has added pictures to the version of this article I posted to his Tennis Blog, which also includes bonus "honorable mentions."

Hantuchova and Nadal win Pacific Life Open titles

Craig Hickman has pictures of the 2007 Pacific Life Open champions Daniela Hantuchova (d. Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3 6-4) and Rafael Nadal (d. Novak Djokovic 6-2 7-5).

Pacific Life Open Women's Final Preview

This post is cross-posted to Craig Hickman's Tennis Blog:

[2]S Kuznetsova (RUS) vs	[14]D Hantuchova (SVK)

And then there were two. As I predicted yesterday, the last three letters of the name of the 2007 Pacific Life Open women's champion will be the same as the last three letters of the 2006 Pacific Life Open women's champion: O-V-A. Last year it was Russian Maria Sharapova but she went out to fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva with a severe case of the service yips (25 double faults in two rounds of tennis!) which seem to be getting worse, not better. This year a new champion will be crowned, and it will be one of the two women pictured above in their official Sony Ericsson WTA Tour photos.

Svetlana Kuznetsova has already won a Grand Slam tournament and been to the final of another and holds 8 WTA Tour titles. After a severe let down in 2005 following her 2004 US Open win she spent 2006 steadying her game and rebuilding her ranking to its current lofty height of #4 in the World, a career best to date. Daniela Hantuchova has been ranked in the Top 5 in the world before, but has never been past the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam. She has won exactly one WTA Tour title before, but happily for her, it is the one that she is competing for tomorrow: the Pacific Life Open.

On paper one would have to give this to the Russian in an easy two sets but something tells me that Hantuchova will come out with an intense desire to win. When she is on, she can hit the ball as hard and paint the lines as any of the best ball strikers out there, ever. Hantuchova has much more to prove but I just don't believe that deep in the third set that her confidence will remain strong enough to take her past the woman Martina Navratilova called "the most talented of the Russians."

Mad Professah's pick: Kuznetsova (in 3 sets).