===============
AUSTRALIAN OPEN
(Melbourne, Australia; outdoor hard (Rebound Ace); Grand Slam)
=============== http://www.australianopen.com/
Contents
--------

This message is a Anna-filtered version of my full tournament-
preview, which you can find at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jeldani/message/3827
or
http://www.wtaworld.com/showthread.php?t=280903

1. Photos (full version only)
2. UK TV-alert
3. First-round draw (full version only)
4. Maria Sharapova preview (full version only)
5. Vera Zvonarëva preview (full version only)
6. Anna Chakvetadze preview
7. Daniela Hantuchová preview (full version only)
8. Iroda Tulyaganova preview (full version only)
9. Nicole Vaidišová preview (full version only)
10. Andrew's wishes (full version only)
11. Qualifying (full version only)
12. Order of Play for Monday (full version only)

It also incorporates /extracts/ from the following sections of my Day
1 round-up:

1. Photos
5. First-round draw: Top half
6. Second-round draw: Bottom half
8. Women's Doubles: First-round draw
9. Order of Play for Tuesday

To avoid a clash between the two Section 6's, the old Section 6 is
Section 7 of this message.

---------
1. Photos
---------

Anna Chakvetadze, Iveta Benešová, Gisela Dulko, Ana Ivanovic and
others:
http://www.tennis.info/AusOpen7.html (Practice)

--------------
2. UK TV-alert
--------------

The evening-sessions of the Australian Open will be televised on BBCi
from 08:30 GMT each day of the tournament (digital viewers press Red
or select the appropriate Freeview-channel - 301 or 302, I don't know
which yet).

My understanding is that this coverage will consist of the women's
match on the evening-session of the Rod Laver Arena (today Serena
Williams v Mara Santangelo), followed by the men's match, followed by
recorded coverage of any Andy Murray match that will have taken place
during the day-session (his matches will also be broadcast live on
BBCi during the British night, and possibly on BBC 1 or BBC 2 if he
reaches the third round - I mention this just in case they happen to
slip any women's tennis into such coverage; in 2002, they showed five
minutes of Daniela Hantuchová against Venus Williams).

Last year, the women's semi-finals took place during the day-session,
and recorded coverage was shown on BBCi following live coverage of
the evening-session that day.

The women's and men's singles-finals will be broadcast live on BBC 1
and BBC 2, respectively.

-----------------------------
5. First-round draw: Top half (to be played on Tuesday)
-----------------------------
5.1 Top quarter: Sharapova, Zvonarëva, Chakvetadze
--------------------------------------------------

* MARIA SHARAPOVA [1,EF] v Camille Pin (DAVAI MARIA!)
* Roberta Vinci v Anastassia Rodionova (ˇforza Roberta!)
* Renata Vorácová [Q] v Meghann Shaughnessy
* Emmanuelle Gagliardi v TATHIANA GARBIN [30]

* VERA ZVONARËVA [22,EF] v Tzipora Obziler (DAVAI VERA!)
* Séverine Brémond v Tamira Paszek [Q] (allez Séverine!)
* Varvara Lepchenko v Agnieszka Radwanska (davai Varvara!)
* ANA IVANOVIC [13,DF] v Vania King (ajde Ana!)

* ANNA CHAKVETADZE [12,EF] v Sybille Bammer (DAVAI ANNA!)
* Yulia Beygelzimer v Laura Granville
* Sophie Ferguson [WC] v Jelena Kostanic Tosic
* Klára Zakopalová [Q] v SAMANTHA STOSUR [24] (pojdme Klára!)

* FLAVIA PENNETTA [28,DF] v Kaia Kanepi (ˇforza Flavia!)
* Alicia Molik [WC] v Chan,Yung-Jan (go Alicia!)
* Peng,Shuai [S] v Andreja Klepac [Q] (jia you Shuai!)
* Madison Brengle [WC] v PATTY SCHNYDER [8]


5.2 Second quarter: Hantuchová
------------------------------

* Vasilisa Bardina v KIM CLIJSTERS [4] (davai Vasilisa!)
* Akiko Morigami [S] v Tsvetana Pironkova (my Reason says Akiko, but
my Passion says Tsvetana)
* Nicole Pratt v Virginie Razzano
* ALYONA BONDARENKO [29] v Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro [Q] (davai Alyona!)

* Sandra Záhlavová [Q] v ANNA-LENA GRÖNEFELD [17] (pojdme Sandra!)
* Ashley Harkleroad v Yuan,Meng (go Ashley!)
* Aravane Rezaď v Emilie Loit (allez Aravane!)
* DANIELA HANTUCHOVÁ [15,EF] v Alizé Cornet (PODME DANIELA!)

* Ekaterina Bychkova v DINARA SAFINA [9] (davai Ekaterina!)
* Youlia Fedossova [WC] v Catalina Castańo
* Ahsha Rolle v Lourdes Domínguez Lino
* Elena Bovina v LI,NA [19]

* Aiko Nakamura [S] v ELENI DANIILIDOU [32] (ganbatte Aiko!)
* Sania Mirza [DF] v Olga Savchuk (go Sania!)
* Alla Kudryavtseva [Q] v Emma Laine
* Nathalie Dechy v MARTINA HINGIS [6]

---------------------------------
6. Second-round draw: Bottom half (to be played on Wednesday)
---------------------------------

* Gisela Dulko [DF] v NADIA PETROVA [5] (ˇvamos Gisela!)
* Anne Kremer [Q] v Serena Williams (dajee Anne!)
* MARION BARTOLI [18,S] v Victoria Azarenka (allez Marion!)
* Virginia Ruano Pascual v JELENA JANKOVIC [11] (ˇvamos Virginia!)

* SHAHAR PEER [16] v Meilen Tu (kadima Shahar!)
* TATIANA GOLOVIN [20,DF] v Zuzana Ondrášková (loyalty to Tatiana)
* MARIA KIRILENKO [26,DF] v Julia Vakulenko [Q] (loyalty to Maria)
* Monique Adamczak [WC] v SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA [3] (I want Adamczak to
win this, to vindicate Iroda)

* ELENA DEMENTIEVA [7] v Martina Müller (davai Elena!)
* Maria Elena Camerin v Elena Vesnina (my loyalty is to Maria Elena)
* Iveta Benešová v KATARINA SREBOTNIK [21] (my loyalty is to Iveta)
* NICOLE VAIDIŠOVÁ [10,EF] v Milagros Sequera (POJDME NICOLE!)

* Lucie Šafárová v FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE [14] (podjme Lucie!)
* Anastasiya Yakimova v AI SUGIYAMA [23]
* Eva Birnerová v Julia Schruff (I find Birnerová more attractive)
* Olga Poutchkova v AMÉLIE MAURESMO [2] (davai Olga!)

---------------------------
7. Anna Chakvetadze preview
---------------------------
7.1 First round
---------------

I'm a bit worried about #42 Sybille Bammer, because she beat seven-
time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in the quarter-finals at
Hobart, and Williams said, "You wish these players would play like
this all the time instead of just against me. She played
unbelievable."

Usually, Williams blames her defeats on unforced errors and doesn't
give her opponent any credit, so praise like this from Williams is
kind of scary for me as an Anna-fan!

But Bammer lost 6-3 6-1 to Vasilisa Bardina in the semi-finals, so
she is indeed inconsistent.

I just pray that Anna won't have any further problems with her back
or stomach-muscle come Tuesday.


7.2 Second round
----------------

#72 Laura Granville or #107 Yulia Beygelzimer? Anna beat Beygelzimer
6-4 6-3 in qualifying for the US Open 2004, and has never played
Granville. There's nothing too scary in either of their 2006 results,
so an injury-free Anna should have no real problems here.


7.3 Third round
---------------

Samantha Stosur [24] looks like Anna's first big test of the
tournament. Anna has won three of her last four tournaments, but it
was Stosur who inflicted the one defeat in that run: 6-4 6-4 at Linz
2006.

Stosur is ranked #27, but she is co-ranked #1 in doubles, and is a
very dangerous floater. A serve & volleyer with a good serve, she
outplayed Maria Sharapova for a set at Birmingham 2005, and always
plays her best at home in Australia. She beat Vera Zvonarëva 6-1 6-4
in the first round of Sydney, losing to the on-form Jelena Jankovic
in the second round.

I'm very worried about this match.


7.4 Fourth round
----------------

Patty Schnyder is the 8th seed, but I think she's overranked, and
would fancy Anna's chances against her. Schnyder is a crafty spin-
merchant who is particularly dangerous on clay, but her loss to
Shahar Peer at Sydney doesn't exactly fill me with dread.

Schnyder beat Anna 2-6 6-2 7-5 at Moscow 2005, but that's
encouraging /now/, considering that it was the third match in a six-
match losing-streak for Anna.


7.5 Quarter-finals
------------------

I would love a quarter-final between Anna and Maria Sharapova.

Maria may be one of only three players that the media say can win the
Australian Open, but Anna is, for me, the most improved player of
2006 - now with groundstrokes of flairsome power. She won the Tier I
title at Moscow in spectacular fashion, beating players ranked #10,
#12, #7 and #5 (as well as receiving a walkover from Maria in the
quarter-finals). She also won Hobart against a much weaker field.

Some experts have predicted Anna to reach the quarter-finals instead
of Schnyder, and even suggested that she could beat Maria! She
certainly gave Maria a very tough match at Los Angeles 2005, when
both were injured. Maria won 4-6 6-4 7-5, and then pulled out of the
tournament. Maria also beat Anna 6-1 6-4 at the French Open 2005, but
Anna's game has improved beyond recognition since then.

This is as far ahead as I want to look for Anna at this stage.

------------------------------------
8. Women's Doubles: First-round draw
------------------------------------

* Anna Chakvetadze [EF]/Mara Santangelo
v (DINARA SAFINA/KATARINA SREBOTNIK)[5]

Full WD draw:
http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/scores/draws/wd/

----------------------------
9. Order of Play for Tuesday
----------------------------

Court 13 (start 11:00 AEST = 00:00 GMT)
WS 1r: ANNA CHAKVETADZE [12,EF] v Sybille Bammer
MS 1r: Paul Goldstein v JARKKO NIEMINEN [17]
WS 1r: Sandra Záhlavová [Q] v ANNA-LENA GRÖNEFELD [17]
MS 1r: ROBIN SÖDERLING [23] v Florian Mayer

Full order of play:
http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/scores/schedule/

An Australian heatwave is forecast for tomorrow, with temperatures
over 40şC. It could be very tough for Anna, as many Russians aren't
accustomed to extreme heat.

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jeldani/