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

1. Photos
2. Third round: Chakvetadze v Kirilenko scoreboard-report

Apologies for the delay.
This was due to Maria Sharapova going all the way!

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

Anna and her wasps:
http://sports.yahoo.com/ten/players/1082/photos
http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news/?c=news_photos&p=chakvetadze
search Getty Images for "chakvetadze"

Many players:
http://sports.yahoo.com/ten/gallery?pg=1&cap=1

---------------------------------------------------------
2. Third round: Chakvetadze v Kirilenko scoreboard-report
(Saturday 19th January)
---------------------------------------------------------

Nice winner, nice loser:
+ MARIA KIRILENKO [27,DF] d. ANNA CHAKVETADZE [6,EF],
6-7 (6/8) 6-1 6-2

Quote of the day comes from Maria Kirilenko: "There are two big
screens on the court, and I was watching them and I saw Anna's face,
and she seemed really tired. And of course, when you see someone
dying on the other side, you feel more energy."

Three or even two years ago, I would have approved of this result -
and even as an Anna-fan, I'm happy for Maria that she has reached the
fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time, six days ahead of
her 21st birthday.

Maria "She's So Lovely" Kirilenko is one of my favourite players
outside my Eternal Fanship. But then the equally ultracute Anna came
along, and developed such a game of flairsome power and spreading
rallies that I inducted her into my Eternal Fanship, whilst remaining
a demi-fan of Maria.

Maria, who is just 6 weeks older than Anna, made her mark first,
winning the doubles at Birmingham 2004 with Maria Sharapova, while
Anna made her mark by knocking reigning French Open champion
Anastasia Myskina out of the US Open 2004.

In 2005, their careers progressed in parallel, although Maria won her
first WTA singles-title at Beijing, while Anna had to wait until
Guangzhou 2006 for hers. After that, Anna went from strength to
strength, winning Moscow 2006, persuading me to induct her into my
Eternal Fanship, winning four more titles in 2007, rising to a career-
high ranking of #5, and seeming to have pulled clear of Maria with a
3:1 head-to-head.

But Anna's preparations for the Australian Open were shattered when
burglars broke into her house on 18th December, beat her father up,
and tied Anna up so tightly that she couldn't feel the fingers of her
left hand for days. Three exhibition-matches, a first-round exit at
Sydney, and Andrea Petkovic's retirement in the first game of her
first match here, left Anna desperately short of match-play, while
Maria hit top form with a 6-1 6-1 thrashing of Akiko Morigami in the
previous round. So I knew this was going to be a danger-match for
Anna, and so it proved.

When Anna won the first set on a tiebreak, I thought it would be
tough for Maria to come back and Anna would roll through the second,
but instead it was Anna who got tired, while Maria played a brilliant
second set according to those lucky enough to see it (or unlucky if
you only like Anna). The third set was closer than the scoreline
implies, but with Maria serving first, a single break left Anna in a
*2-5 hole, and she sank after saving four match-points in that game.


Because this match was something special, I decided to burn the
midnight-oil in England and follow live scores. After a brief rain-
delay while they closed the roof on Rod Laver Arena, the match
started at 11:18 AEDT.

I also used the live-scores thread at
http://www.wtaworld.com/showthread.php?t=329429


First set
---------
CHAKVETAD _* * * * * *T 7(8)
KIRILENKO * * * * * *__ 6(6)

Maria serving 0-0: Double fault. 0/15. 30/15. 30/30. 40/30. Held.
Anna serving 0-1: 30/0 -> 30/30. 40/30. 40/40. Ad Anna. Held.

Tough so far! And they're having long rallies according to
TheBoiledEgg - unlike Kuznetsova v Radwanska (*0-3) on Vodafone,
which is the only other court with a roof.

Maria serving 1-1: 30/0. 30/15. Maria hit a "great dropshot". 40/15.
40/30. Held.
Anna serving 1-2: 15/0. 15/15. 40/15. Held.

I'm actually feeling equal passion for these girls, even though Anna
is a member of my Eternal Fanship while Maria's tennis isn't up to my
EF-standards. My Passion just wants this match to go on and on
without a loser, even though it's eating into my sleep (it's gone
00:30 GMT, and I have to be up in time for the evening-session at
08:30).

I think Anna and Maria are the two cutest girls in tennis, and as
cute as each other. Maria is prettier and has a lovely smile, while
Anna is so expressive, and has all these cute on-court habits (as
documented on my website).

Maria serving 2-2: 30/0. 30/15. 40/15. 40/30. Held.
Anna serving 2-3: 0/15. 0/30 -> 30/30. 30/40 (BP). Maria had a "rough
miss" with a forehand down the line. 40/40. Ad Anna. Held.

Now Maria has the baggage of a missed break-point to deal with.

Maria serving 3-3: 0/15. 15/15. 15/30. 30/30. 40/30. Held.
Anna serving 3-4: Held to love.

I can sense the momentum shifting ever so slightly in Anna's favour,
along with my loyalty.

Maria serving 4-4: 30/0. 30/15. 40/15. 40/30. Held.

Now we come to the sharp end of the set, where Maria's advantage of
serving first comes into play as she can break for the set in any of
Anna's remaining service-games, whereas Anna has to either break or
serve it out, or win it on a tiebreak.

Anna serving 4-5: 40/0. 40/30. Held.

Now it's fascinating, as Maria has the material advantage but Anna
has the momentum.

Maria serving 5-5: 0/30. 40/30. 40/40. Ad Maria. Held.

Now Maria has both the lead and the momentum, as Anna failed to push
home her 0/30 opening. Come on Anna!

Anna serving 5-6: Held to love.

What a response!

6-6 tiebreak: Maria *0/0;
Anna *1/0, *1/1, 2/1*, 3/1*, *3/2, *4/2, 4/3*. Would have been 5/3*,
but Maria made a successful challenge.
Maria *4/4;
Anna *5/4. Double fault. *5/5. Lucky netcord for Anna. 6/5* (SP #1).
Maria saved it with great retrieving.
Maria 6/6*;
Anna *7/6 (SP #2), *7/7.
Anna won the first set 7-6 (8/6) at 12:22 (1h04m).

A most intriguing set, with no breaks but subtle momentum-shifts. But
I could do with Anna finishing this in two, or I'm going to end up
with about four hours' sleep!

Wintermute: "Match is not great quality though, most points ending on
errors."


Second set
----------
CHAKVETAD *______ 1
KIRILENKO _*@*@*@ 6

Anna serving 0-0: Held to love.

Wintermute: "Masha tried to do a Radwanska on return of serve by
stepping in and failed quite badly. Anna wasn't very impressed and
complained to the umpire."

Maria serving 0-1: 30/0. 30/15. 40/15 -> 40/40. Ad Maria. Held.
Anna serving 1-1: 0/30. 15/30. 15/40 (2 BPs). Broken.

Aargh! Anna has yet to break Maria this match. What am I gonna do if
this goes to a third set and it's past 2am in England? (it's 01:35
right now).

Agnieszka Radwanska just got rid of Kuznetsova 6-3 6-4 - that was
pretty sweet. Right now Rod Laver Arena is the only court playing.

DownTheLine21: "Maria looks extremely fired up."

Maria serving 2-1: 0/30 -> 40/30. Held.

The momentum's firmly in Maria's favour now, as Anna wastes another
0/30 opening. It's times like these that Anna's burglary-ordeal comes
flooding back into my head if not hers.

2moretogo: "Finally Makiri playing with some aggression. It only took
her a set to get settled. Anna C, moonballing"
DownTheLine21: "Maria is playing fearlessly at the moment."

Anna serving 1-3: 0/40 (3 BPs). 15/40. Broken.

2moretogo: "Anna hits a lot of angles but she goes for a lot (and I
am being kind here) room over the net. If Makiri can continue to
flatten the ball out she can run away with this match."
saniapower: "Makiri playing brilliant tennis in the 2nd"
DownTheLine21: "Maria was p***ed that she lost that tiebreak.
She channeled her aggression into great playing."

Well, if it's gonna go to a third set, the sooner the better in terms
of my sleep, though Anna needs to stem this momentum before Maria
takes control of the third set too!

Maria serving 4-1: 30/0. 30/15. 40/15. Held.
Anna serving 1-5: 0/30. 15/40 (2 SPs). Double fault. Maria won the
second set 6-1 at 12:50 AEDT.

Now it's beginning to resemble - in scoreline at least - that
horrible US Open semi-final when Anna lost 3-6 6-1 6-1.

And Anna hasn't had a single break-point the entire match.


Third set
---------
CHAKVETAD @__*____ 2
KIRILENKO _@* *@*@ 6

Maria serving 0-0: 0/40 (3 BPs) -> 30/40. Broken.

First break-points of the match for Anna, and she converts! I'm a
strong believer that a new set is a new beginning, and can easily
reset the momentum of the player who won the second.

Anna's had matches before where she's lost the second set 6-0 and got
her act together in the third, e.g. 4r French Open 2007 v Lucie
Šafárová and rr Sony Ericsson Championships v Jelena Jankovic. Maybe
she's learned the art of tactical tanking.

And Maria has had plenty of third-set let-downs in her career - in
fact she's 0:8 in third sets against top-ten players! Well, no. She
did beat #3 Jankovic 6-2 3-6 7-5 at San Diego 2007.

Anna serving 1-0: 0/15. 15/15. 15/40 (2 BPs). 30/40. Broken.
Maria serving 1-1: Held to love.

Not good! My loyalty is firmly to Anna now, as my vows of Eternal
Fanship are separate from how attractive I find Maria.

Anna serving 1-2: 40/0. 40/15. Held.
Maria serving 2-2: 0/15. 15/15. 40/15. Held.
Anna serving 2-3: 30/0 -> 30/30. 40/30. 40/40. Ad Maria (BP). Deuce
#2. Ad Maria (BP #2). Broken.

Could that be the final nail in Anna's coffin - broken after 30/0 and
40/30? She's going to need all her grit and fighting-qualities to
come through this one now.

DownTheLine21: "It seems Chakvetadze is playing ace or die tennis."

Maria serving 4-2: 40/0. 40/15. Held.

This is a terrible hole for Anna to dig herself out of, even though
it's just one break. Maria would have to choke horribly.

2moretogo: "Usually she's [Anna] more demonstrative, winning or
losing. Tonight she's just 'whateva' I got someplace else to be."

Anna serving 2-5: 0/30. 15/30. 15/40 (2 MPs) -> 40/40. Ad Anna.
Double fault #9. Deuce #2. Ad Maria (MP #3). Deuce #3.
Ad Maria (MP #4). Deuce #4. Ad Anna. Deuce #5. Ad Maria (MP #5).
"For Russia, Maria?" "No, for me." Maria won 6-7 (6/8) 6-1 6-2 at
13:31 - the first in a series of long matches that led to the latest-
ever finish to a day's play at a Grand Slam: 4:33am!


2.1 Statistics
--------------

Anna racked up a woeful W:UE ratio of 28:54, while Maria's looks just
as bad, though less aggressive, at 17:30.

A big difference between the two was the quality of their second
serves. Maria won 59% of the points on her second serve, while Anna
won only 42% on her own second serve (it deteriorated from set to
set: 67%, 30%, 23%) and served a monstrous 9 double faults. Maria's
second serve was a bit faster than Anna's too.

With the first set going completely with serve until the tiebreak,
Maria broke Anna 6 times from 15 break-points (only one of which was
in the first set), while the only break-points Anna had were the
three at 0/40 in the first game of the third, when she scored her
only break of the match.

Maria is renowned for her returns of serve. Having studied Anna's
game closely, I can't say the same about her.


2.2 Articles
------------

Kuznetsova makes shock early exit [CEEFAX 491]
>>>
And sixth seed Anna Chakvetadze lost 6-7 (6/8) 6-1 6-2 to Maria
Kirilenko.
<<<

Chakvetadze dumped out [Teletext 498]
>>>
Maria Kirilenko won an all-Russian third-round battle to end sixth
seed Anna Chakvetadze's title-hopes.

Chakvetadze, who reached the semi-finals of the US Open last autumn,
looked on the way to victory when she edged the opener 8/6 on a
tiebreak.

But Kirilenko, 20, came storming back to win the next two sets for a
6-7 6-1 6-2 victory to seal a fourth-round spot in a Grand Slam for
the first time.
<<<

Kirilenko thanks coach [Teletext 498]
>>>
Maria Kirilenko paid tribute to coach Eric van Harpen after her
victory over Anna Chakvetadze in Melbourne.

The 20-year-old Russian recovered from losing the third set to see
off sixth seed Chakvetadze 6-7 6-1 6-2.

Kirilenko said: "I understand him, and he's speaking to me about
things I haven't considered before. We have been working on more
positive things. He's helped me a lot."
<<<

Kirilenko storms past sixth seed
By Adam Lucius <www.australianopen.com>
>>>
Another top-10 seed has bitten the dust at the Australian Open, with
Russian Anna Chakvetadze bounced out of the tournament by compatriot
Maria Kirilenko.

Kirilenko dropped the first set, but came back to win the next two
and claim a surprise 6-7 (6/8) 6-1 6-2 win over the sixth seed.

The first set went to serve, forcing it into a thrilling tiebreak,
which Chakvetadze won 8/6.

It was supposed to be an uphill battle for Kirilenko from there, with
Chakvetadze boasting a 28:1 win/loss record in Grand Slams after
taking the first set.

But the No.27 seed ignored the trend, breaking Chakvetadze on three
occasions en route to securing the second set in under half an hour.

Kirilenko broke Chakvetadze at 3-2 and 5-2 in the deciding set to
complete her first victory over her fellow Russian in three years.

The loss was too much to bear for Chakvetadze's father, who fled Rod
Laver Arena as his daughter slid towards defeat.
<<<

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7197439.stm
>>>
Russians Chakvetadze and Kirilenko played out a tense encounter, with
Chakvetadze edging the opening set on a tiebreak after neither player
managed a break of serve.

But Kirilenko, trying to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for
the first time, dominated the second set, and recovered from dropping
serve at the start of the decider.

There were plenty of nerves from the 27th seed as four match-points
went begging on Chakvetadze's serve in game eight, but Kirilenko
converted her fifth chance for a huge win.

"It was a really tough match," said Kirilenko.

"In the first set, I was a little bit unlucky, and I decided to tell
myself, 'Maria, come on, keep working, fight for every point,' and I
did it and I'm so happy."
<<<

Sixth seed Chakvetadze sunk by Kirilenko (Reuters)
By Greg Stutchbury (eeporting by Greg Stutchbury; editing by Ed
Osmond)
>>>
Sixth seed Anna Chakvetadze was knocked out of the Australian Open
6-7 6-1 6-2 by her former clubmate and fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko
on Saturday.

Chakvetadze was the second top-10-ranked women's player to lose
within the space of an hour at a wet Melbourne Park early on Saturday
after second seed Svetlana Kuznetsova was bundled out in the third
round by Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska.

Kirilenko, who used to train at the same club as Chakvetadze in
Moscow, had not beaten her compatriot since 2005, and the three-match
losing-streak had started to annoy the 27th seed.

"The last few times I lost [to] her, both in Indian Wells, I got
really p***ed, you know," Kirilenko told reporters. "Oh, my God,
I beat her every time and now I'm losing.

"I was always the best... when I was small, in juniors. Then the last
two years she has [been] very successful, wins everything, so she
became a top-10 player."

The match was evenly poised in the first set, with the 20-year-old
Chakvetadze prevailing in the tiebreak 8/6, and Kirilenko admitted
she had begun to ponder another loss.

"The first set was really tough," said Kirilenko.

"I thought, 'Oh, my God: if it's going to be like [this] all game,
it's going to be really difficult'".

Kirilenko, however, said she noticed from watching the television-
screens above Rod Laver Arena that Chakvetadze was beginning to look
fatigued.

"I saw that she was a little bit tired, because there's two big
screens on the court," she said. "When you see like someone is dying
on that side, you feel more energy."

Chakvetadze saved four match-points, but she was unable to halt the
momentum of Kirilenko, who won the match at her fifth opportunity
when her opponent sent a forehand wide.
<<<

Seeds tumble out of Australian Open tennis
by Martin Parry (AFP)
>>>
World number two Svetlana Kuznetsova became a shock-casualty on day
six of the Australian Open on Saturday, with sixth seed Anna
Chakvetadze and men's seventh seed Fernando González also skidding
out.

With rain delaying play on the outside courts at Melbourne Park, the
early action was restricted to the Rod Laver and Vodafone Arenas,
which have retractable roofs.

At the Rod Laver Arena, Chakvetadze let slip a one-set lead against
27th-seeded Russian Maria Kirilenko, a childhood-friend, crashing
6-7 (6/8) 6-1 6-2.

"It was a really tough match; in the first set I was a little bit
unlucky, and I decided to tell myself, 'Maria, come on, keep working,
fight for every point,' and I did it and I'm so happy," said
Kirilenko.

"Usually I'm losing my third match in a Grand Slam, so I'm happy the
tradition is broken and I'm in the fouth round."

She now plays either the Slovak Republic's Daniela Hantuchová or
Spain's Virginia Ruano Pascual.
<<<

Radwanska stuns second-seeded Kuznetsova (PA SportsTicker)
>>>
Another top-seeded Russian fell on Saturday, as No. 27 Maria
Kirilenko upset sixth-seeded Anna Chakvetadze 6-7 (6/8) 6-1 6-2.

Quite naturally, Kirilenko was thrilled with her accomplishment.

"I think it's quite good to win for me. And before, of course, I beat
a couple good players, like top 10. Usually, I'm losing like every
time first round in the Grand Slam," Kirilenko said. "Really, it's
good I broke this tradition in the first round already, so I'm quite
happy."
<<<

The other Maria dares to dream
By Adam Lucius <www.australianopen.com>
>>>
Maria Kirilenko has hailed her shock third-round Australian Open win
over compatriot Anna Chakvetadze as a career-breakthrough following
years of misery at Grand Slam tournaments.

The No. 27 seed, a regular first- or second-round loser at Slams,
powered past her highly-rated opponent 6-7 (6/8) 6-1 6-2 in one of
the real surprises on day six at Melbourne Park.

It sets up a fourth-round clash with either Daniela Hantuchová or
Virginia Ruano Pascual - a rarefied position for a player who lists
classical music as one of her great loves.

"I think it's quite a good win for me," Kirilenko said.

"I have beaten a couple of good players in the top 10 [in other
tournaments], but usually I'm losing every time in the first round in
Grand Slams. It's good I broke this tradition here, so I'm quite
happy."

"I'm working really hard, and now everything's coming together and
I'm starting to play better."

Chakvetadze had a hold over Kirilenko leading into the Australian
Open, boasting a 4:1 career-record against her childhood-friend from
juniors.

But despite the losing-trend and dropping the first set, Kirilenko's
confidence soared as Chakvetadze tired and began making a series of
unforced errors.

"There's always competition between us to see who would be better,
and the last few times I lost to her, I got really p***ed off,"
Kirilenko revealed.

"It's not really easy to play against her, because she plays quite
deep and she has good hands.

"But today I felt like I was running well, and I felt strong, like I
can play the ball how I want."

Kirilenko, who turns 21 on Friday, will now play in the fourth round
of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.

So is she daring to dream?

"I wish I can keep going like this. If I can keep playing a good game
then I'm going to go far," she said.

"But I want to think about each game, each opponent.

"It's better step by step."
<<<

Kirilenko closes game with junior rival Chakvetadze (AP)
>>>
Maria Kirilenko is slowly closing the gap on childhood-opponent Anna
Chakvetadze.

"Actually, I was always the best when I was small," Kirilenko said
after rallying to beat No. 6 Chakvetadze 6-7(6) 6-1 6-2 and advancing
to the fourth round. "Then the last two years she is very successful,
wins everything, so she became a top-10 player."

"To be honest, like I was little bit surprised, because from the
small age I never thought that she could play as good as she's
playing."

The 20-year-old Kirilenko broke her fellow Russian in the second game
of the second set. Chakvetadze conceded two double faults to hand
Kirilenko the win on her fifth match-point.

"Usually I'm losing like every time in the first round in a Grand
Slam," No. 27 Kirilenko said. "So I'm happy the tradition is broken."

Kirilenko is 2:4 against Chakvetadze, who is a little more than a
month younger than Kirilenko.
<<<

Bottom Quarter Rocked as Svetlana, Anna Ousted
http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/3/newsroom/stories/?ContentID=1985
>>>
The bottom quarter of the Australian Open draw was rocked on
Saturday, as its two highest seeds - Svetlana Kuznetsova and Anna
Chakvetadze - were bundled out of the tournament, as the third round
continued Down Under.

While Kuznetsova went down on Vodafone Arena, Chakvetadze was
succumbing as well across the way at Rod Laver Arena. The No.6 seed
was defeated in three sets by No.27-seeded countrywoman Maria
Kirilenko: 6-7(6) 6-1 6-2.

"It's quite a good win for me," Kirilenko said. "I've beaten some top-
10 players before, but usually I'm losing in the first week of a
Grand Slam, and so it's really good I could break this tradition
here. I'm really quite happy."

Both women displayed erratic form throughout the one-hour, five-
minute opening set, Chakvetadze compiling a -10 differential and
Kirilenko a -15 differential, and a gritty Chakvetadze managed to
close it out in the tiebreak. But while Kirilenko tidied up her game
in the next two sets (hitting 11 winners to nine errors), the No.6
seed's game seemed to crumble (16 winners, 32 errors).

"The first set was so tough; I thought, 'If it's like this the whole
match, it's going to be really tough," Kirilenko said. "But in the
second and third sets, she looked a little tired; there are two big
screens on the court and I was watching them and I saw Anna's face,
and she seemed really tired. And I wasn't tired. And of course, when
you see someone dying on the other side, you feel more energy."

The win over Chakvetadze was Kirilenko's third career top-10 win and
second-best, having beaten a No.3-ranked Jelena Jankovic last summer
in San Diego. It propels the Russian into her career-first Grand Slam
second week.
<<<

Maria's third-round press-conference:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/3xwk9j

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