Fabrice Santoro has confirmed his retirement after losing 6-4 6-3 to James Blake
in the first round of the ATP Paris Masters.

Men's tennis won't be the same without Fabrice's unique combination of Selesian
groundstrokes and crafty spins. On the women's side, there's always Monica
Niculescu.

In fact, Fabrice at #53 is currently the only known Selesian in the ATP's top
200 (with Ilija Bozoljac and Raemon Sluiter just outside at #205 and #208,
respectively). It could be a long time before we see a Selesian in the main draw
of the Men's Singles at a Major again.

Or it could be as soon as January 2010. Fabrice mentioned that he was
contemplating playing the Australian Open in order to become the first player
ever to play Majors in four different decades. He appears to have abandoned that
plan now, although with several weeks to think about playing the Australian
Open, hopefully he still will.

Selesian women's tennis, meanwhile, continues to go from strength to strength,
with the WTA's top 200 currently containing Marion Bartoli (#12), Peng,Shuai
(#45), Lucie Hradecká (#65), Ayumi Morita (#78), Monica Niculescu (#91), Arantxa
Parra Santonja (#93), Vitalia Diatchenko (#116) and Aiko Nakamura (#193).

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://abroad.sqweebs.com/tennis/seles/selesians.html


Santoro ponders last, record-breaking trick
(Reuters, Saturday 7th November 2009)
By Chrystel Boulet-Euchin (writing by Patrick Vignal; editing by Justin Palmer)
>>>
* Santoro bids farewell to French public at Paris Masters.
* Does not rule out Australian Open appearance.

Frenchman Fabrice Santoro - once nicknamed "the Magician" by Pete Sampras for
his habit of mystifying bigger, stronger opponents - could perform one final,
record-breaking trick before his remarkable career ends.

The Paris Masters, starting on Sunday, is likely to be the last tournament for
the 36-year-old, although he has not totally ruled out taking part in the
Australian Open in January.

If he does compete at Melbourne Park, Santoro - who played the first of a record
67 Major tournaments at the 1989 French Open - would be the first player to have
played Majors over four decades.

"I don't know what I'll decide," he told Reuters in an interview.
"My idea was always to finish my career at [Paris Masters venue] Bercy, but at
the same time, going to Melbourne would make me worthy of a Trivial Pursuit
question."

For the time being, his mind is set on the Paris tournament, and his last
appearance before the French public.

"I want emotions, suspense, and, if possible [a final game against] a player I
have sympathy for," he said.

That could be Russia's Marat Safin: ironically playing his last tournament this
week in the French capital.

"That would be funny," Santoro said. "The best memory of my career remains my
victory against him at the French Open, when he was the world number-one."

MEMORABLE ACHIEVEMENT

One of the few major players on the men's circuit to hit both shots
double-handed, Santoro has won many admirers over the years for his finesse and
sense of strategy.

His famous third-round match against Safin - in fact the world number-two then -
at the 2001 French Open definitely ranks among his most memorable achievements.

Santoro, leading two sets to one and understandably feeling tired, gave away the
fourth set, which the Russian won 6-0, before bouncing back in the fifth, taking
it 6-1 to seal victory.

The Tahiti-born Frenchman has plenty of other great memories - notably two Davis
Cup triumphs in 1991 and 2001 - and also a few regrets: particularly the fact
that he could never shine at Wimbledon.

"I was rarely injured in my career, but when I was, it was always at Wimbledon
where I had elbow-, foot- and then thigh-problems," he said.

"The only year I played well there was 2001, and my wife called me before my
third-round match against [Russian Mikhail] Youzhny to tell me she was having
contractions.

"I played - or rather did not play - for two sets, and then pulled out. I joined
my wife 45 minutes before she gave birth to my daughter [Djenae]."

Santoro, whose plans include working as a radio pundit, and taking over the
management of the Metz ATP tournament, said he felt quite happy to be leaving
the frantic world of competitive tennis.

"I spent 20 years of my life in a tumble dryer," he said. "I had satisfactions,
but also frustrations. Now I'll take time to live my life."
<<<

Magician Santoro produces final disappearing act
(Reuters, Sunday 8th November 2009)
By Patrick Vignal (editing by Kevin Fylan)
>>>
* Santoro bids farewell with Paris Masters defeat.
* Oldest player on men's tour loses to Blake in first round.

Frenchman Fabrice Santoro brought down the curtain on a remarkable and atypical
career by losing to American James Blake in the first round of the Paris Masters
on Sunday.

The oldest player on the men's circuit, Santoro, who will turn 37 next month,
confirmed after a 6-4 6-3 defeat that he was now retiring.

"I've had lots of fun, but now it is time to take a break," he said after his
15th and final Paris Masters appearance.

The pocket-sized Santoro, once nicknamed "the Magician" by Pete Sampras for his
habit of mystifying bigger, stronger opponents, had earlier suggested he might
play the Australian Open in January before bowing out.

Had he done so, he would have recorded the remarkable feat of competing in at
least one Major tournament during each of four decades: the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s
and 2010s.

"It was a good match played in a great atmosphere, and that's what I wanted,"
said Santoro, who traded shirts with Blake, and was hugged by the American after
match-point.

"I don't feel sad; I even feel relieved in a way," added the Frenchman, who
played a record 69 Major tournaments, won six titles in a career spanning over
20 years, and took part in France's Davis-Cup-winning campaigns in 1991 and
2001.

The Tahiti-born player, whose plans include working as a radio pundit and taking
over the management of the Metz ATP tournament, peaked at number 17 in the
rankings in 2001, and retires as world number 53.

"It's been great, but I was finding it more and more difficult to train," he
said. "What I'm really proud of is that I did the very best I could, given my
potential."

The only major player on the men's circuit to hit both shots double-handed,
Santoro has won many admirers over the years for his finesse and sense of
strategy.

"It's sad to see him go," Blake said. "He's a classy guy, a great competitor.
He's had unbelievable success, and is respected a lot by the rest of the tour.

"If my body has not fallen apart at 36, I'll be surprised," added the American,
who will turn 30 next month. "His longevity has a lot do with his style. It's
unique. He's a very smart player. For a guy his size, what he has achieved is
really impressive."
<<<

TENNIS.com - News Headlines - The Ticker (Kamakshi Tandon)
http://tennis.com/news/ticker.aspx
>>>
Fabrice Santoro calls it a career, losing 6-4 6-3 to James Blake in the Paris
Masters.

"It's a beautiful defeat," said Santoro, "with a quality-match against a good
[opponent], Blake, with a good atmosphere and lots of people in the [stadium].

"...thirty years devoted to tennis. It's also thirty years that have passed very
quickly. When you're passionate, you don't calculate the number of hours spent
training, travelling, fighting on court. Everything comes naturally. Like today,
I've always given the maximum.

"All aspects of my career will be missed: the adrenaline, the contact with the
press, the public, and the uncertainty of the profession... it must be 525
tournaments [I've played]. And I have lost 519 times - it's a lot. <smiles>

"Today, I'm content that all this stops, and I can start a new life: a normal
life."

Santoro has not ruled out playing the Australian Open to mark Major appearances
across four decades, but has said that he considers this week's Paris Masters
the official end of his career either way.
<<<

From http://tennis.com/news/ticker.aspx
>>>
Akiko Morigami plans to retire after the Japanese national championships in
November.

"I have fluid that has built up in my knee, and I am no longer able to train the
way I want to," she said.
<<<

On Saturday 11th July 2009, Monica was inducted into the International Tennis
Hall of Fame - an honour long overdue for the greatest tennis-player of all
time.

Let me explain why I chose today to post my comments.

Saturday 29th July 1995 was the greatest day in tennis-history, and the day of
the greatest achievement in tennis-history. Greater than, for example, Roger
Federer winning his record-breaking 15th Men's Singles Major at Wimbledon 2009.
For Monica beat the great Martina Navrátilová 6-3 6-2 in an exhibition-match at
Atlantic City.

Why was this match different from any other?

It was Monica's first match in public since Friday 30th April 1993, when Günther
Parche stabbed her in the back at a changeover in Hamburg, so that Steffi Graf
would regain the world #1 ranking. Technically, that vile act of terrorism
succeeded in its goal, but morally, all it achieved was to give Monica a unique
opportunity to prove herself the greatest tennis-player of all time.

By even coming back at all - let alone as the best player in the world once
again, winning her first tournament back (Toronto 1995) for the loss of just 14
games, let alone by going on to win her ninth Major at the Australian Open 1996
- Monica proved herself the greatest of all time.

----------------------------
Photos of Monica's induction
----------------------------

http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news/?c=news_photos&p=seles

--------
Articles
--------

Seles inducted into Tennis Hall of Fame (AFP, Saturday 11th July 2009)
>>>
Nine-time Major singles-champion Monica Seles and three others were inducted
into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday.

Joining the former women's world number-one in the honour-shrine were 1960s
Spanish player Andrés Gimeno, pioneer marketer Donald Dell, and the late Robert
Johnson: a junior-player developer who helped launch the careers of black
players Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe.

"What an amazing group," Seles said at the induction-ceremony.
"It's such a great honour. Standing here, I'm just a bundle of nerves.

"Growing up as a little girl, I could never dream I would be inducted into the
Hall of Fame. I have a hard time believing it now."

Seles sat atop the WTA rankings for a total of 178 weeks, and won the 1991 and
1992 US Opens, the 1990-1992 French Opens and the 1991-1993 and 1996 Australian
Opens.

"I grew up on the WTA Tour. That was my home," Seles said. "I grew up in the
media-spotlight. It can be challenging at times."

Her 15-year career was interrupted in dramatic circumstances when she was
stabbed in the back by a fanatical supporter of rival Steffi Graf during a 1993
match at Hamburg.

It would be 27 months before Seles would return to competitive tennis. She won
her comeback-event at the Canadian Open, reached the US Open final, and then
captured her final Major crown at the 1996 Australian Open.

The Yugoslavian-born American won 53 singles-titles, and more than $14 million
in prize-money. She donated many of her trophies to the honour-shrine.

"I hope it will inspire young children to pick up a racket, hit a few balls and
fall in love with the sport the way I did," Seles said.
"I look forward to watching the sport and seeing how much faster it can get."

Seles poked fun at her habit of grunting whenever she struck the ball, giving
the crowd one final edition.

"For old times' sake, here it is: ah-EE!" Seles said with a smile.
"I just had to do it."

Seles - the 2000 Olympic Bronze medallist - was the youngest champion in French
Open history at 16˝ years.

"When I won my first French Open at age 16, mom kept me from getting a big head
by saying I had to be back downstairs for dinner," Seles said.

Gimeno became the oldest French Open men's winner by taking the 1972 title at
age 34. He also reached the 1969 Australian Open final and the semi-finals of
the 1968 French Open and 1970 Wimbledon tournaments. He won seven
singles-titles, and reached a best ranking of ninth in the early days of the
Open Era.
<<<

Seles headlines class inducted into tennis Hall
(AP, Saturday 11th July 2009)
>>>
Monica Seles is comfortable talking about her on-court stabbing 16 years ago —
even on a day of celebration.

The 35-year-old Seles was enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame
during a ceremony on Newport's grass-courts on Saturday.
She was the world's No.1 women's player for 178 weeks overall, and a winner of
nine Major singles-titles.

"I talk about it openly," she said during a news-conference before being
inducted. "As you can see, there's an exhibit here [about me] at the museum.
When we were talking about me going into the Hall of Fame it was, `Should we
include the stabbing or not?' Unfortunately it's part of my career. I wish it
wasn't. It's a long, long time ago."

It was 30th April 1993. Seles was on top of tennis, the No.1 player, three-time
defending champion of the French Open, and back-to-back winner at both the US
and Australian Opens.

The attack shocked the sports-world. Seated during a changeover at a match in
Hamburg, Germany, Seles was stabbed between the shoulder blades by a crazed fan.
It would be 2˝ years before she returned to the sport.

"Coming back in Toronto after my stabbing, I viewed my career in two phases —
before stabbing and after stabbing," she said. "The reception that I got just
reinforced my decision to return."

Seles went on to win that tournament — the Canadian Open: one of 53 in her
career, including the 1996 Australian Open.

"She won eight Grand Slams [sic] before she was stabbed," said Donald Dell, also
inducted on Saturday. "Believe me, she would have won another nine."

Seles was enshrined in nearly a 90-minute ceremony along with master's player
Andrés Gimeno: the oldest player ever to win the French at 34 years, 10 months.
Dr. Robert Johnson was inducted posthumously.

"I would like to thank all my tennis-fans who were there from Day One when I was
No.1, through my stabbing, and my comeback," Seles - dressed in white slacks
with a lavender blouse - told the crowd.

Johnson, introduced by Jeanne Ashe - wife of the late Hall-of-Famer Arthur Ashe
- helped desegregate the sport. Dell - a US Davis Cup member - later helped
promote and market the sport.

Seles, playfully, gave one more grunt. "For old, good times' sakes," she said.

Gimeno brought the biggest laughter from the crowd when he recalled his only
Major title at Roland Garros. He was introduced by 1987 Hall-of-Famer Stan
Smith.

"I was going to leave the game without winning a big one," he said. "I think God
said, `Let the poor guy win one.'"
<<<

--------------------------
A profound pearl of wisdom
--------------------------

Finally, I want to leave you with a quote from Monica that was published by
Reuters on 17th June 2009:

"She should go out there and enjoy it. If she starts getting nervous, just
remember why you started playing tennis, and go back to that simplicity... that
thought has helped me so much in my tennis-career."

This was Monica's advice to junior champion Laura Robson ahead of Robson's début
in the Wimbledon Women's Singles, but I feel that many players - and not just
the young ones - would do well to take it on board.

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://tinyurl.com/andrewbroad-seles

=============
ROLAND GARROS (Paris, France; red clay; Major)
============= http://www.rolandgarros.com/
Contents
--------

1. Women's Singles: Second-round results
2. Women's Doubles
3. Girls' Doubles

----------------------------------------
1. Women's Singles: Second-round results
----------------------------------------

- MARION BARTOLI [13,DF,S] lt. Tathiana Garbin, 3-6 5-7
- Vitalia Diatchenko [Q,S] lt. DINARA SAFINA [1], 1-6 1-6
- Lucie Hradecká [S] lt. CARLA SUÁREZ NAVARRO [22], 2-6 4-6

Marion: "I was a bit tired, a bit sick as well.
I had a sore throat, and my nose is running.
It was very cold, and the court was really heavy.
The ball was stuck on the strings, and it was very slow.
It was the slowest surface on Earth, so to her advantage.
Her attitude was getting on my nerves, so I had to calm down.
When I made unforced errors, her team would shout.
It's not sportsmanlike."

------------------
2. Women's Doubles
------------------

(HSIEH,SU-WEI [S]/PENG,SHUAI [S])[9]:
1r + Liga Dekmeijere/Aleksandra Wozniak, 6-3 6-1
2r + Olga Savchuk/Sun,Tiantian, 6-3 6-0
3r + (DANIELA HANTUCHOVÁ [EF]/AI SUGIYAMA)[7], 6-3 7-5
qf + Agnieszka Radwanska/Urszula Radwanska, 2-6 6-4 7-5
sf - (VICTORIA AZARENKA [DF]/ELENA VESNINA)[12], 3-6 5-7

(YAN,ZI [S]/ZHENG,JIE)[16]:
1r + Edina Gallovits/Olga Govortsova, 6-4 6-2
2r + Klaudia Jans/Alicja Rosolska, 6-2 6-4
3r + (SAMANTHA STOSUR/RENNAE STUBBS)[4], 6-4 7-5
qf - (VICTORIA AZARENKA [DF]/ELENA VESNINA)[12], 4-6 6-4 2-6

Ayumi Morita [S]/Magdaléna Rybáriková [DF]:
1r - (BETHANIE MATTEK-SANDS/NADIA PETROVA)[10], 5-7 3-6

-----------------
3. Girls' Doubles
-----------------

(NOPPAWAN LERTCHEEWAKARN [S]/ELENA BOGDAN)[2]:
1r + Sina Haas/Magda Linette, 6-3 6-3
2r + Irina Khromacheva/An-Sophie Mestach, 6-3 5-7 [10/3]
qf + (BEATRICE CAPRA/LAUREN EMBREE)[7], 6-1 6-4
sf + (YANA BUCHINA/KSENIA PERVAK)[6], 6-1 4-6 [10/4]
_f + (TÍMEA BABOS/HEATHER WATSON)[3], 3-6 6-3 [10/8]

It's always nice to see a Selesian win, but it's even nicer to see the tall,
blonde, slim, beautiful Elena Bogdan - whom I saw in the flesh at Eastbourne
last year - holding a Major trophy!

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://tinyurl.com/andrewbroad-selesians

=============
ROLAND GARROS (Paris, France; red clay; Major)
============= http://www.rolandgarros.com/
Contents
--------

1. Photos
2. Women's Singles: Qualifying-results
3. Women's Singles: First-round results
4. First-round scoreboard mini-report: Diatchenko v Johansson
5. Men's Singles: Qualifying-results
6. Men's Singles: First-round results

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

Vitalia Diatchenko is even more beautiful than I had previously realised - her
eyes are amazing - and she's a Selesian! :hearts:

Marion Bartoli:
http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/players/overview/wta020631.html
http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news/?c=news_photos&p=bartoli

Vitalia Diatchenko:
http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news/?c=news_photos&p=diatchenko
http://www.tennis.com/features/galleries/FrenchFirstRound/

Lucie Hradecká:
http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/players/overview/wta310849.html

Irena Pavlovic:
http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/players/overview/wta312738.html

--------------------------------------
2. Women's Singles: Qualifying-results
--------------------------------------
2.1 First round
---------------

+ Vitalia Diatchenko [S] d. Estrella Cabeza Candela, 4-6 7-6 (7/4) 6-1

- Aiko Nakamura [S] lt. Chanelle Scheepers, 4-6 7-5 1-6
- Kristína Kucová [S] lt. MICHELLE LARCHER DE BRITO [20], 3-6 6-1 3-6
- HSIEH,SU-WEI [24,S] lt. Youlia Fedossova, 0-6 6-7 (5/7)


2.2 Second round
----------------

+ Vitalia Diatchenko [S] d. Simona Halep [WC], 2-6 6-1 6-3


2.3 Third round
---------------

+ Vitalia Diatchenko [S] d. Irina Begu, 2-6 6-4 6-3

---------------------------------------
3. Women's Singles: First-round results
---------------------------------------

+ MARION BARTOLI [13,DF,S] d. Pauline Parmentier, 3-6 6-1 6-3
+ Vitalia Diatchenko [Q,S] d. Mathilde Johansson, 2-6 6-2 10-8
+ Lucie Hradecká [S] d. Yvonne Meusburger [Q], 6-1 6-2

- PENG,SHUAI [31,S] lt. María José Martínez Sánchez, 6-1 2-6 4-6
- Monica Niculescu [S] lt. ALEKSANDRA WOZNIAK [24], 4-6 6-4 3-6
- Ayumi Morita [S] lt. Tathiana Garbin, 5-7 5-7
- Irena Pavlovic [WC,S] lt. Akgul Amanmuradova, 3-6 4-6

-------------------------------------------------------------
4. First-round scoreboard mini-report: Diatchenko v Johansson
(Sunday 24th May 2009)
-------------------------------------------------------------

+ Vitalia Diatchenko [Q,S] d. Mathilde Johansson, 2-6 6-2 10-8

Johansson served for the match at *7-6 in the third, and missed several
match-points before Diatchenko broke back. But at that time, I was looking at
Diatchenko's photos on Yahoo!, and changed my mind about who I wanted to win!

Diatchenko led 8-7* and 9-8*, when she broke to love to seal victory, having
saved EIGHT match-points! (four with double faults). Johansson was a tearful
wreck after the match.

Johansson: "For each match-point, I was very confident. I thought I would win
it, and I missed the first one, and I was pretty nervous on the second, and it
was more difficult for me to play. At the moment, I just feel like running away.
But we all make mistakes, and this is an experience I'll be able to use for my
future Grand Slam [sic] tournaments."

------------------------------------
5. Men's Singles: Qualifying-results
------------------------------------

ILIA BOZOLJAC [21,S]:
1q + Jonathan Dasničres de Veigy [WC], 6-4 6-2
2q + Joseph Sirianni, 7-6 (7/1) 6-4
3q + Paolo Lorenzi, 4-6 7-5 6-3

-------------------------------------
6. Men's Singles: First-round results
-------------------------------------

- Ilia Bozoljac [Q,S] lt. Nicolas Kiefer, 6-7 (4/7) 6-3 5-7 4-6
- Fabrice Santoro [S] lt. Christophe Rochus, 3-6 1-6 6-3 4-6

Fabrice was playing in his 67th Major (a new record) and 20th French Open (tying
François Jauffret's record). Sadly, it was his last French Open, as he plans to
retire at the end of the year.

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://tinyurl.com/andrewbroad-selesians

On this week: 30th April to 6th May: Seles stabbed
(Eurosport, Thursday 30th April 2009)
>>>
We look back on sporting-events that happened on this week in history, including
an act of violence that rocked the world of tennis.

1993: Monica Seles stabbed - 30th April

Günther Parche did Steffi Graf a horrible favour she never asked for on this
week in 1993, when he stabbed world number-one Monica Seles in the back. Seles
had emerged as the world's top player over the previous couple of seasons,
ending a long period of domination by Graf.

However, Parche - an obsessed fan of Graf - ran onto the court in Hamburg as
Seles took on Maggie Maleeva, and stabbed her in front of six thousand fans.
Seles was initially expected to be out for four weeks, but it was over two years
before she returned to action. Even then, she was never the same player.

Graf regained top spot, while Parche received a two-year suspended sentence and
mandatory psychological treatment for "causing grievous bodily harm". But he
escaped an attempted-murder charge, much to the distress of the Seles-family.
<<<

My comment:

It always gives me a horrible jolt to be reminded of the Stabbing, but it is
only right that we should remember it, because it changed the course of
tennis-history.

Without the Stabbing, Monica would have finished her career with more Major
titles than Graf (at the time of the stabbing, Monica had won eight Majors and
was winning three a year, while Graf had won eleven Majors but was only winning
one a year).

But by overcoming that vile act of terrorism to even come back at all, let alone
win her ninth Major at the Australian Open 1996, Monica proved herself the
greatest tennis-player of all time.

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://tinyurl.com/andrewbroad-seles

P.S. Monica's second autobiography - Getting a Grip: On My Body, My Mind, My
Self - was released on Tuesday 21st April 2009. You can read an extract at
http://preview.tinyurl.com/cqz3oq

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

1. Women's Doubles
2. Girls' Singles

------------------
1. Women's Doubles
------------------

Selesian duo Hsieh,Su-Wei and Peng,Shuai scored a humungous upset in the third
round! Here are their full results:

(HSIEH,SU-WEI [S]/PENG,SHUAI [S])[16]:
1r + Maret Ani/Renata Voracová, 6-1 2-6 6-4
2r + Lucie Hradecka [S]/Andrea Hlavacková, 6-4 6-7 (1/7) 6-3
3r + (ANABEL MEDINA GARRIGUES/VIRGINIA RUANO PASCUAL)[2], 6-0 6-1
qf - (SERENA WILLIAMS/VENUS WILLIAMS)[10], 2-6 6-4 3-6

-----------------
2. Girls' Singles
-----------------

Noppawan Lertcheewakarn is the Junior World No.1, and as such, was the top seed
at the Australian Open Girls' Singles.

NOPPAWAN LERTCHEEWAKARN [1,S]:
1r + Fernanda Faria, 6-0 6-0
2r + Quirine Lemoine, 6-3 6-2
3r + Olivia Rogowska, 6-3 6-1
qf + Anna Orlik, 6-1 6-0
sf - LAURA ROBSON [5], 4-6 3-6


2.1 Semi-final: Lertcheewakarn v Robson (Friday 30th January 2009)
---------------------------------------

Lertcheewakarn v Robson - a rematch of the Wimbledon 2008 Girls' Singles final -
was scheduled to start at 15:00 AEDT on Margaret Court Arena (which doesn't have
a roof), but was postponed until 17:00 due to the Extreme-Heat Policy as
temperatures peaked at 44°C. That favoured Robson, who had been struggling with
the heat, while Noppawan should be used to it because Thailand is very hot.

Robson: "I felt really out of energy throughout the match, so it was good to get
through it. The last few days, I've been getting more and more tired."

Noppawan led *3-0 and 4-2* in the first set.


2.1.1 Articles
--------------

Robson reaches junior-final (Eurosport)
>>>
British fifth seed Laura Robson reached the final of the junior Australian Open,
dismissing top seed Noppawan Lertcheewakarn of Thailand 6-4 6-3.

The Wimbledon junior champion will now face 17-year-old third seed Ksenia Pervak
of Russia in Saturday's final.

Robson, who also beat Lertcheewakarn in the Wimbledon-final last July, dropped
her serve early to go 2-4 down before taking four games in a row to wrap up the
first set after 44 minutes.

The 15-year-old then broke in the second and fourth games of the second set to
race out to a 4-0 lead, before suffering a small wobble when serving for the
match at 5-2.

Lertcheewakarn managed to get one of the breaks back, but could not sustain her
comeback, and Robson booked her place in the final after one hour and 17
minutes.
<<<

Robson reaches Aussie Open final (BBC Sport)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7850391.stm
>>>
Britain's Laura Robson remains on track for her second junior Major title after
beating Noppawan Lertcheewakarn to reach the Australian Open final.

The 15-year-old came through a tight first set against the top seed before
wrapping up a 6-4 6-3 win.

The match - a repeat of the 2008 Wimbledon-final, which Robson also won - was
delayed by two hours to allow the temperature to drop from a peak of 44°C.

Robson will meet Russian third seed Ksenia Pervak in Saturday's final.

Should she win that match, Robson would become the junior world number-one.

"I probably won't get another week like this for a while in terms of weather,"
said Robson.

"It's been hard dealing with it, but I got through it, so that's good. I'm just
going to prepare as well as I can [for the final].
I went in the ice-bath again tonight.

"There's not really much I can do if I'm completely out of energy, but I'll just
try to prepare as best as I can."

And of the coverage back in the UK, the Londoner said: "I don't know how many
people are interested, really.

"But, well, from how many people watched the Wimbledon-final, there might be a
couple [of] people willing to stay up.

"Then I have a feeling that the Rod Laver Arena won't be completely jam-packed
like Court One [at Wimbledon] was."

For the third day in a row, temperatures in Melbourne peaked at 44°C, and
organisers took the decision to suspend matches on the outside courts.

When play eventually began at 5pm local time, Robson made a sluggish start,
going 0-3 down before rallying to take the first set.

She carried that momentum into the second, racing to a 4-0 lead.

Lertcheewakarn twice broke Robson's serve to hold up her opponent, but Robson
served out the win at the second attempt.

"I didn't start so well," said Robson. "I felt really out of energy throughout
the whole match, really, so it was good to get through it.

"I think throughout the last couple of days, I've just been getting more and
more tired.

"Then today, I was just waiting around for so long. So I think that was the
problem really."
<<<

Laura Robson books Australian Open junior-final spot
Mark Hodgkinson in Melbourne (The Daily Telegraph - UK)
>>>
Most of the matches that Laura Robson has played during her life have been on
courts with wire-fences on the sides, not seats, but the 15-year-old Londoner
was today due to have featured on the main stage at the Australian Open: the Rod
Laver Arena.

There are plenty of seats in the stadium: 15,000 of them. Robson and Russia's
Ksenia Pervak were scheduled to have had the lunchtime gig in the stadium for
what was Robson's second appearance in a girls' Major final at what is only her
second junior Major.

Whatever the result in the final, Robson is likely to afterwards go shopping in
the boutiques of Melbourne's Chapel Street, and she has already demonstrated
that the junior-title she won at last summer's Wimbledon was no fluke.

What has made it all the more impressive is that she has done it in an
Australian heatwave. This week has seen the warmest weather in Melbourne for
more than 100 years, and that has been quite a challenge for a girl who,
although she was born in Melbourne, lives just an overhit forehand or two from
the gates of the All-England Club in south-west London: a part of the world that
is not exactly known for its sunny weather and high temperatures. Robson has
been eating jelly-snakes and energy-gels as part of her nutritional plan to beat
the heat.

Fuelled by those, Robson beat the top seed and the world junior No.1. When
Robson and Thailand's Noppawan Lertcheewakarn met in the final of last summer's
junior tournament at Wimbledon, she required three sets for her victory.

But on this occasion, there was no need for a decider as she beat her Asian
opponent 6-4 6-3, so continuing her chances of becoming the first Briton to win
the Girls' Singles title in Australia for a quarter of a century - since Annabel
Croft in 1984.

Playing in the final hasn't been the only excitement for Robson at Melbourne
Park, as she turned 15 this month and received a birthday-card from Marat Safin:
her teenage crush. When Robson went to the champions' dinner for Wimbledon, she
joked that she had wanted to have the Russian as a guest at her table.

Robson's previous matches at the junior Australian Open had been on the outside
courts, but on Friday, she was on the Margaret Court Arena - the third-largest
setting at Melbourne Park - and her contest with the Thai attracted a decent
three-figure crowd.

The girls were meant to have started their semi-final at 3pm, but the extreme
heat pushed that back. When they eventually got on court a couple of hours
later, Robson had a slow start, but soon she was striking the ball with
impressive power and poise, and she won the opening set and took command of the
second.

Most of the crowd were supporting the British junior, and although those
spectators looked a little concerned after Robson failed to serve out the match
at 5-1, the Briton completed her win two games later when the Thai pushed a
groundstroke wide.
<<<

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://tinyurl.com/andrewbroad-selesians

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

1. Photos
2. Quarter-final review: Zvonarëva v Bartoli

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

Quarter-finalists including Marion Bartoli:
http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/2/photogallery/?Event=melbourne_qf
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7852626.stm
http://preview.tinyurl.com/bpub29 (www.telegraph.co.uk)

Marion Bartoli and Elena Dementieva off court:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/yqhy5u (www.sonyericssonwtatour.com)

--------------------------------------------
2. Quarter-final review: Zvonarëva v Bartoli
(Tuesday 27th January 2009)
--------------------------------------------

Nice winner, nice loser:
+ VERA ZVONARËVA [7,EF] d. MARION BARTOLI [16,DF,S], 6-3 6-0

Another stunning performance by Vera to extend her ownership of Marion to 7:1.
Marion led 3-1*, but then lost every single game left in the match as she wilted
in the extreme heat.

Marion described Vera as follows: "She's almost like a ball-machine: she just
puts it back at you all the time with interest."

The match was second on Rod Laver Arena (following a doubles-match), so it would
have been played in the Australian mid-afternoon, while I was sleeping in
England.

Vera and Marion both agreed that Vera could go all the way here. Well, I think
Vera would have been licking her lips if she saw how badly Dinara Safina played
against an exhausted Jelena Dokic:
Vera had a golden opportunity to reach the final, but she would certainly have
had a tough opponent in the final.


3.1 Statistics
--------------

The match lasted 1h09m (first set 38m, second set 31m).

Vera had a W:UE ratio of 17:17, while Marion's was a disastrous 9:26. They were
actually very similar in the first set (Vera 7:15, Marion 6:15), but in the
second set, Vera's was 10:2 to Marion's 3:10.

Vera got only 52% of her first serves in (dipping from 59% in the first set to
40% in the second), winning 74% of the points when she did so, and a healthy 57%
on second serve (her winning-percentages improved from (65%, 50%) for the first
set to (100%, 67%) for the second).

Marion got 63% of her first serves in, but her winning-percentages were very
poor: 50% on her first serve, 25% on second serve. All three percentages were
very similar when comparing the two sets.

Vera had the bigger first serve: fastest 107-106 mph, average 100-95 mph.
Marion's second serve was slightly faster than Vera's on average: 85-83 mph.

They each served one ace; Vera served 3 double faults to Marion's 4 (all 7 of
their double faults came in the first set).

Vera broke 6 times from 13 BPs (3 from 7 in the first set, 3 from 6 in the
second), while Marion had just 4 BPs (all in the first set): converting two of
them.

Vera won 10 of 12 points at the net (83%) - including a perfect 7 of 7 in the
second set - while Marion won just 3 of 10 (30%).

In points, Vera won 61-37 (first set 33-25, second set 28-12).


3.2 Articles
------------

Zvonarëva storms into semi-finals [CEEFAX 490->492]
>>>
Seventh seed Vera Zvonarëva made short work of France's Marion Bartoli to reach
the Australian Open semi-finals.

The Russian took time to settle against the 16th seed, and was broken twice as
she trailed 1-3 in the first set.

But Bartoli's game then completely fell apart, and Zvonarëva's agility around
the court saw her reel off 11 games in a row to claim an amazing victory.

Third seed Dinara Safina takes on home-hope Jelena Dokic later on Tuesday, with
the winner meeting Zvonarëva.
<<<

Russian Zvonarëva breezes into semi [Teletext 495->497]
>>>
Zvonarëva into first semi [Teletext 497]

Vera Zvonarëva produced a superb performance as she saw off Marion Bartoli at
Melbourne Park to reach her first Major semi-final.

Bartoli started well and led the Russian 3-1 in the opening set, but the seventh
seed then won the next 11 straight games for a 6-3 6-0 victory.

The 24-year-old will meet either third seed Dinara Safina or Australian Jelena
Dokic for a place in the final.
<<<>>>
Russian: I had to improve [Teletext 497]

Vera Zvonarëva admitted she had needed to transform her display in the first set
of her quarter-final triumph over Marion Bartoli at Melbourne Park.

The Russian seventh seed was down 1-3 in the opening set, but won 11 straight
games as she recorded a 6-3 6-0 win.

She said: "I thought Marion was playing really well in the beginning. Then I was
able to cut down on my unforced errors, and it made the difference."
<<<>>>
Bartoli hails Russian [Teletext 497]

Marion Bartoli has backed Vera Zvonarëva's title-credentials after losing to the
Russian in Melbourne.

French 16th seed Bartoli, who had beaten world No.1 Jelena Jankovic in the last
round, fell to a 6-3 6-0 defeat in their quarter-final clash.

She said: "If she keeps playing like this, she can definitely win this
tournament. She's almost like a ball-machine. She played unbelievably well."
<<<

Zvonarëva first to final four
By Tom Kelly (www.australianopen.com)
>>>
World No.7 Vera Zvonarëva has powered through to the semi-finals of the
Australian Open 2009, reeling off the last 11 games of the match to dispatch
Marion Bartoli 6-3 6-0 in their quarter-final on Tuesday.

Seemingly unable to handle both the heat on court and the heat of Zvonarëva's
groundstrokes, 16th seed Bartoli looked a different player to the one who beat
world No.1 Jelena Jankovic in the fourth round.

Three breaks of serve started the match: the Frenchwoman playing safer from the
back of the court, and initially making fewer errors.

However, at 3-1 up and looking to have set up a decisive lead, Bartoli's game
began to crack as Zvonarëva tightened her own.

The 24-year-old Russian – a first-round loser here last year [she retired with
an ankle-injury] – levelled scores at 3-3, powering through the next three to
wrap up the set with a clean winner.

Bartoli's serve was broken again in the first game of the second, and her
resolve seemingly followed soon after.

As the set progressed, the Frenchwoman wilted in the heat, errors flowing off
her racquet with alarming regularity.

On the other side of the net, Zvonarëva could sense her impending maiden Major
semi-final; she moved her opponent around the court, committing just two
unforced errors for the set.

The Muscovite now awaits the winner of Jelena Dokic and Dinara Safina tonight,
and should be confident that she can make her maiden Major final after winning
her last three matches against the World No.3 and her only encounter with the
Australian.

Quick facts:

* Zvonarëva served at just 49%, but won 74% of points when her first serve was
successful.

* The Russian had 17 winners and 17 unforced errors; Bartoli had just nine
winners and made 26 unforced errors.

* Zvonarëva converted six of her 13 break-point opportunities, while Bartoli
capitalised on two of her four break-point chances.

* The second set, where Bartoli won just 12 points, lasted 30 minutes.
<<<

Business as usual for red-hot Russian
By Tom Kelly (www.australianopen.com)
>>>
Trying conditions, as Marion Bartoli learned today, are often as challenging to
overcome as the player on the other side of the net.

After surrendering meekly in her quarter-final against Vera Zvonarëva on
Tuesday, the No.16 seed was keen to make a point in her post-match
press-conference.

"It was quite, quite hot. I have to say it was definitely some tough
condition... I don't think it's really fair to have one quarter-final played at
1:00 - right in the middle of the heat - and one playing at 7:30. But I guess
that's the way it is."

The conditions, with temperatures rising to 35°C in Melbourne on Tuesday, were
less of a problem for Zvonarëva.

"I don't think there is something unfair," the Russian said. "It's a schedule. I
think I played good my match, and hopefully they [Dinara Safina and Jelena
Dokic] will have a good match tonight.

"I think it's going to be [a] very tough and a very interesting match. All
players are very tough in the quarter-finals, so you never know what's gonna
happen out there."

Business as usual – that's the line being toed by the world No.7.

Despite a 2008 in which she re-established herself in the top 10 – winning two
titles and making the final of the season-ending WTA Tour Championships –
Zvonarëva still slips under the radar.

And that's the way she likes it.

"I'm not really thinking about the scores or sets, or any statistics. I'm just
trying to concentrate on every match, and trying my best in every match," she
said.

"For me, it doesn't really matter what's happening around any other matches. I
just try to concentrate on myself as much as possible; try to improve match to
match, because I know I need it.

"That's why I'm just looking forward for the next one - not thinking about
anything else.

"If I'm in the tournament, I'm here to try to win it."

Indeed, Zvonarëva has a golden opportunity to make her first Major final, even
if she is unwilling to think that far ahead.

Importantly, the Muscovite's run to the Tour Championships final – where she
lost but took a set off champion Venus Williams – included three wins over
top-five opponents [four over top-seven opponents].

It's no surprise, then, that she has achieved her best Major showing in her very
next tournament played for ranking-points.

After starting slowly against Bartoli, Zvonarëva's all-court game kicked into
gear: the No.7 seed reeling off the last 11 games of the match.

"I was able to play [a] very clean match today. I think that's what made the
difference... in the beginning, I made a few unforced errors and I was down,
because Marion wasn't giving me any opportunities.

"It was very tough and very close. I think every point, we both were fighting as
hard as we can.

"It's just [that] today, it happened [that] I was able to be a little bit better
than her."
<<<

Zvonarëva Cruises, Makes First Major Semi-final
http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/1/newsroom/stories/?ContentID=2928
>>>
History definitely repeated itself on Tuesday, as Vera Zvonarëva continued to
dominate her head-to-head with Marion Bartoli with a runaway 6-3 6-0 win in the
quarter-finals of the Australian Open. Zvonarëva now advances to her first Major
singles semi-final.

Their respective round-of-16 matches made it seem like No.16 seed Bartoli was
perhaps in stronger form, as she hit nearly twice as many winners as unforced
errors to upset top seed and world No.1 Jelena Jankovic in straight sets: 6-1
6-4. Meanwhile, the No.7-seeded Zvonarëva was struggling past No.10 seed Nadia
Petrova, although she did edge her compatriot in two sets: 7-5 6-4.

Zvonarëva had won six of her seven career-encounters against Bartoli, however,
and in Melbourne, she improved that to seven of eight with the aforementioned
69-minute rout, losing her serve twice early in the first set, but winning 11
straight games from 1-3 down to steamroll past her bewildered French opponent.

"I don't know what happened - I thought Marion was playing really well in the
beginning, but I was able to cut down on my unforced errors and keep a good
level of play throughout the rest of the match," Zvonarëva said. "I was able to
play a very, very clean match today. That's what made the difference."

"She just played unbelievably well; she barely missed a ball after that,"
Bartoli said of the 11-game streak. "I was hitting as hard as I could, but she
was always coming back with some better shots. Even when she was scrambling, she
was putting the ball just 10 centimetres from the baseline. She was reading my
game like a book. She was just too good - just better than me today."

For a player who has spent as much time ranked inside the world's top ten as
Zvonarëva, it may come as somewhat of a shock that this was only her second
Major singles quarter-final, having reached the final eight at the French Open
once - nearly five years ago in 2003. But her form over the last year has hinted
at a major breakthrough for the 24-year-old Muscovite, as she worked her way
from outside the top twenty all the way to No.7 by year's end, winning two WTA
Tour titles and reaching another six finals, including at the season-ending Sony
Ericsson Championships. Nobody else reached eight finals in 2008.

Bartoli can only take positives away from Melbourne. She battled past tough
opponents in her early rounds - including rallying from 3-6 0-2 down against
former Australian Open quarter-finalist Lucie Šafárová in the third round - and
notched her second win over a world No.1 against Jankovic - her first also
coming at a Major, having beaten Justine Henin in the semi-finals of Wimbledon
two years ago. She had never passed the second round previously here, either.

The second semi-final was scheduled for the evening-session, pitting No.3 seed
Dinara Safina against wildcard Jelena Dokic.
<<<

Zvonarëva crushes Bartoli to reach semi-finals (Reuters)
By Julian Linden (editing by John O'Brien and Pritha Sarkar)
>>>
Vera Zvonarëva reached the semi-finals of a Major for the first time in her
career after she won 11 games in a row to demolish Marion Bartoli 6-3 6-0 at the
Australian Open on Tuesday.

Frenchwoman Bartoli made a bright enough start to open up a 3-1 lead in the
first set, but she was unable to cope with the Russian's power when she suddenly
raised her game.

Seventh seed Zvonarëva went on to register an easy victory in just 68 minutes
with a performance that even she was unable to explain.

"I don't know what happened," Zvonarëva said.

"Marion was playing really well in the beginning and I made a few unforced
errors, so that's why I think I was down 3-1.

"Then I was able to cut down on my unforced errors, and I was able to keep a
good level of play throughout the whole match."

Zvonarëva is one of four Russians still in contention for the title, and will
meet her compatriot Dinara Safina in the last four [this was a pretty arrogant
assumption at the time this article was published!], ensuring there will be at
least one Russian in the women's final for the third year running at Melbourne
Park [Maria Sharapova was runner-up in 2007 and won in 2008].

Despite being a consistent top-ten player, Zvonarëva has a modest record at the
Majors, and the only time previous time she had made it past the fourth round
was at the French Open 2003, when she made the quarter-finals.

MAJOR CONTENDER

However, the 24-year-old has been in career-best form in Melbourne this year,
winning all of her matches in straight sets, to emerge as a contender for the
first Major of the year.

"I'm pretty confident in myself. If I'm in the tournament, I'm here to try to
win it," she said.

"I think I played very good tennis. I think Marion's been playing very good as
well, but I was able to play a very clean match today. That's what made the
difference."

Bartoli - a Wimbledon-finalist two years ago - had also been in great touch this
past week, beating world number-one Jelena Jankovic in the fourth round.

The 16th seed is recognised as one of the hardest hitters in women's tennis, but
admitted she had no answer to Zvonarëva's power.

"I don't think I put in a bad performance," Bartoli said. "She was just coming
[up] every time with a better shot to my shot.

"Sometimes you have to accept [that] someone is just better than you.

"She just played unbelievably well. It seemed like she was reading my game like
a book.

"If she keeps playing like this, she can definitely win this tournament."

Like Novak Đokovic in the men's tournament, Bartoli also mentioned struggling in
the Melbourne-heat.

"I have to say it was definitely some tough conditions," she said.

"It was really hot. I don't think it's really fair to have one quarter-final
played at 1:00 - right in the middle of the heat - and one playing at 7:30pm.
But I guess that's the way it is."

Zvonarëva is one of four Russian women still in contention for the title, and
will face either countrywoman Dinara Safina or Australia's Jelena Dokic in
Thursday's semi-finals.
<<<

I can win it, says ice-cool Zvonarëva after Bartoli-blowout (AFP)
>>>
On Tuesday, Russian seventh seed Vera Zvonarëva coolly declared herself ready to
win the Australian Open after crushing France's Marion Bartoli in searing
conditions to reach the semi-finals.

The 23-year-old blew 16th seed Bartoli off court in a one-sided 6-3
6-0 drubbing, rattling off 11 straight games after going down 1-3 in the first
set, as her opponent Bartoli wilted in the hot conditions.

The Russian maintained her ominous form at this year's tournament to reach her
first Major semi-final in 25 attempts in emphatic fashion.

Far from being overawed at advancing so far, Zvonarëva immediately turned up the
heat on her rivals by declaring herself ready to join the élite group of Major
winners.

"If I'm coming for the tournament, I'm pretty confident in myself," she said.
"If I'm in the tournament, I'm here to try to win it."

Bartoli agreed that Zvonarëva could go all the way here, where she is yet to
drop a set, and has held her opponents to 6-0 in four of the ten sets she has
contested.

"She's almost like a ball-machine: she just puts it back at you all the time
with interest," the Frenchwoman said.

"There is not any weakness into her game [that] I can find. She's serving well,
moving well, hitting the ball well. Of course she can win this tournament."

The ease with which Zvonarëva handled the heat - which left Bartoli bent double
and sucking for breath - may also count in her favour as the tournament
advances, with heatwave-conditions forecast at Melbourne Park this week.

"I like it when it's warm, so it's perfect for me," she said.

The heat meant Bartoli - a Wimbledon-finalist in 2007 - could not repeat the
aggressive game-plan with which she thrashed world number-one Jelena Jankovic in
the fourth round.

Her all-out attack worked early as she scored two breaks [to one] to go up 3-1
in the first set, but proved too draining over the course of the match.

Bartoli initially succeeded in keeping the points short, taking advantage of a
Zvonarëva double fault and a rash of unforced errors from the Russian to go up a
break in the first game.

Zvonarëva broke back in the next, but Bartoli left her stranded with a lob to
regain the advantage.

By this time, Bartoli was covering her head with a towel between games to
provide some relief from the heat, and Zvonarëva began moving her around the
court.

The 23-year-old Frenchwoman surrendered the advantage three games later,
committing two double faults and allowing Zvonarëva to level the set at 3-3.

The Russian, who took a 6:1 winning-record against Bartoli into the match, never
looked back, and her penetrating groundstrokes finally began to find their mark.

She gained the upper hand with another break to go up 5-3, sending down her
first ace of the match in the next as she went on to serve out the set after 38
minutes.

The conditions took their toll on Bartoli in the second set, and Zvonarëva moved
her around the court, breaking her three times as she raced to a 6-0 win in just
30 minutes.
<<<

Safina, Zvonarëva advance to semis at Australian Open (PA SportsTicker)
>>>
The 22-year-old Safina next will face Vera Zvonarëva in the semi-finals after
her seventh-seeded compatriot cruised to a 6-3 6-0 victory over France's Marion
Bartoli - the 16th seed - earlier on Tuesday.

Zvonarëva trailed 1-3 in the first set of her match against Bartoli, but rallied
to win 11 straight games, needing just over an hour to forge the victory in
straight sets.

The result was all the more impressive after Bartoli had completely outplayed
top-seeded Jelena Jankovic in the fourth round.

Bartoli started well and broke serve in the third game of the first set, but
Zvonarëva battled back, evening the match at 3-3 after coming out on top of a
fine rally.

The 24-year-old then won the next three games to claim the first set in 38
minutes before maintaining her momentum in the second set to breeze to victory.
<<<

Dokic-dream ends (Reuters)
By Ossian Shine (editing by Pritha Sarkar)
>>>
Safina next meets fellow Russian and seventh seed Vera Zvonarëva after she eased
into the women's semi-finals with victory over Marion Bartoli.

The Frenchwoman also wilted during the 6-3 6-0 thrashing.

"I have to say it was definitely some tough conditions," she told reporters. It
was really hot."
<<<

Exhausted Đokovic out as Safina ends Dokic dream-run (AFP)
>>>
Safina will now meet seventh seeded compatriot Vera Zvonarëva for a place in the
final, after the Russian coolly disposed of France's Marion Bartoli 6-3 6-0.

Bartoli felt the effects of the searing heat in her match against Zvonarëva,
often bending double and sucking for breath.

She started strongly, but rapidly wilted in a one-sided drubbing to a player who
is now in her first Major semi-final in 25 attempts.

Zvonarëva declared herself ready to win the tournament.

"If I'm coming for the tournament, I'm pretty confident in myself," she said.
"If I'm in the tournament, I'm here to try to win it."

Bartoli agreed that Zvonarëva could go all the way here, where she is yet to
drop a set.

"She's almost like a ball-machine: she just puts it back at you all the time
with interest," the Frenchwoman said.
<<<

Zvonarëva cruises into tennis semis as Safina toughs it out (AFP)
>>>
Russian Vera Zvonarëva coolly took apart France's Marion Bartoli on Tuesday to
reach the Australian Open semi-finals, while compatriot Dinara Safina almost
imploded before overcoming wildcard Jelena Dokic.

Zvonarëva - seeded seventh - showed no sign of discomfort in searing conditions
at Melbourne Park, blowing 16th seed Bartoli off court in a one-sided 6-3 6-0
drubbing.

The 24-year-old maintained her ominous form at this year's tournament, rattling
off 11 straight games after going down 1-3 in the first set, to reach her first
Major semi-final in 25 attempts in emphatic fashion.

Far from being overawed at advancing so far, Zvonarëva immediately turned up the
heat on her rivals by declaring herself ready to join the élite group of Major
winners.

"If I'm coming for the tournament, I'm pretty confident in myself," she said.
"If I'm in the tournament, I'm here to try to win it."

Bartoli agreed that Zvonarëva could go all the way here, where she is yet to
drop a set, and has held her opponents to 6-0 in four of the 10 sets she has
contested.

"She's almost like a ball-machine: she just puts it back at you all the time
with interest," the Frenchwoman said.

The ease with which Zvonarëva handled the heat - which left Bartoli bent double
and sucking for breath - may also count in her favour as the tournament
advances, with heatwave-conditions forecast at Melbourne Park this week.

"I like it when it's warm, so it's perfect for me," she said.
<<<

Safina beats Dokic to reach semis (BBC Sport)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7852624.stm
>>>
Safina will now play her compatriot Vera Zvonarëva after the seventh seed eased
past France's Marion Bartoli 6-3 6-0.

The 24-year-old Zvonarëva took time to settle against the 16th seed, and was
broken twice as she trailed 1-3 in the first set.

But Bartoli's game then completely fell apart in the fierce heat, and Zvonarëva
reeled off 11 games in a row to claim a one-sided victory and reach her first
Major semi-final.

"I really thought Marion was playing really well in the beginning and I made a
few unforced errors, so that's why I think I was down 3-1," said Zvonarëva.

"Then I was able to cut down on my unforced errors, and I was able to keep a
good level of play throughout the whole match. I think it made the difference."

Zvonarëva has been in impressive form so far at Melbourne Park, reaching the
last four without dropping a set.

And, although she started poorly against Bartoli in a scrappy opening that saw
four breaks of serve in the opening six games, she quickly found her form.

In contrast, Bartoli - who knocked out top seed Jelena Jankovic in the fourth
round - folded. The French star looked sluggish around the court, and her
usually powerful groundstrokes lacked penetration and accuracy.

She offered little resistance as Zvonarëva broke three more times in the second
set on her way to a comfortable victory that took a little over an hour.

"I think she played just unbelievably well," said Bartoli. "I was really feeling
the heat after the end of the first set, so I really needed to cool down a
little bit before to go on in the second.

"But I didn't find I was really putting a bad performance. She was just better -
that's it."
<<<

Zvonarëva dominant in QF win against Bartoli (TENNIS.com)
>>>
The 24-year-old Russian's best performance in six previous trips to Melbourne
was the fourth round — she'd gone out in the first round at the Australian Open
three times, including last year. She also reached the quarter-finals at the
2003 French Open.

Seventh-seeded Zvonarëva rallied from an opening service-break to dominate
Bartoli in the remainder of the match.

"I'm very excited about it," said Zvonarëva, who cut her unforced errors from 15
in the first set to two in the second. "I think it was a great day for me."

She's had four 6-0 sets out of the 10 in her five straight-sets wins.

"I'm not really thinking about the scores or sets or any statistics," she said.
"I'm just trying to concentrate on every match and trying my best. And I think
I've been doing pretty good so far."

Bartoli, seeded 16th, had ousted top-ranked Jelena Jankovic in the fourth round.

"I think she played just unbelievably well," Bartoli said of the last 11 games.
"She barely missed one ball after that. I was hitting as hard as I could. She
was always coming back with some better shots."
<<<

Vera Sweeps Into Semis (Tennis Week)
>>>
Marion Bartoli crashed the Australian Open quarter-final party with a bold and
bruising baseline-attack to bounce World No.1 Jelena Jankovic out of the draw.

But the sound and fury Bartoli brought to the court in the fourth round was
strangely absent today as Vera Zvonarëva served as a tennis mute-button in
silencing the former Wimbledon-finalist with the ease of a woman pressing all
the right buttons.

Down an early break, Zvonarëva won 11 straight games to blow Bartoli away 6-3
6-0 and storm into her first career Major semi-final in her 25th career
Major-tournament appearance.

The seventh-ranked Russian is playing with the confidence of a woman who fully
believes she can reach the final and take the title, and why not? Zvonarëva is
the only player who has yet to drop a set in the women's draw, and delivered her
fourth shutout-set in five matches.

"If I'm coming for the tournament, I'm pretty confident in myself.
If I'm in the tournament, I'm here to try to win it," Zvonarëva said. "But I'm
really concentrating on every match. For me, it doesn't really matter what's
happening around any other matches.
I just try to concentrate on myself as much as possible, try to improve match to
match because I know I need it. That's why I'm just looking forward for the next
one - not thinking about anything else."

She has made a believer of Bartoli, who pronounced the Moscow-native capable of
taking home the title.

"I think if she keeps playing like this, she can definitely win this
tournament," Bartoli said. "She's really consistent out of the baseline. As I
said, she's almost like a ball-machine. She just puts it back at you all the
time, you know, with interest. There is not any weakness into her game [that] I
can find. She's serving well, moving well, hitting the ball well. Of course she
can win this tournament."

The mere sight of Zvonarëva across the net seems to vaporise Bartoli's
resistence. Zvonarëva had lost just three sets to the Frenchwoman in winning six
of their seven career-clashes. Though Bartoli won three of the first four games,
she found herself being pushed behind the baseline by the depth of Zvonarëva's
drives.

Competing with more intensity, Zvonarëva consistently caught the corners with
crisp crosscourt shots that began to elude the restricted reach of Bartoli, who
plays with two hands off both forehand and backhand.

Zvonarëva cracked an ace to reach set-point, and collected the 38-minute first
set on a Bartoli backhand error.

The match was essentially over at that point as Bartoli - who spent some time
between points leaning on her racquet as if it was a crutch keeping her upright
- increasingly withered as on-court temperatures soared higher and hotter.

"I think she's just the better player. That's it," a blunt Bartoli said. "At a
point, you have to admit when someone just plays better than you. I think she
plays better than me on today. I don't know about the whole year, but today she
just played better. I don't think I put a bad performance, but I think she was
serving better in second serve than Jelena [Jankovic] was doing two days ago. I
didn't have the same look at the same ball. I couldn't attack it the same way.
She was moving faster. She was just coming every time with a better shot to my
shot. You have to accept sometimes [that] someone is just better than you."

Zvonarëva broke to open the second set, and held at 15 to consolidate. Bending
her knees to get down to a flat drive from Bartoli, Zvonarëva turned her hips
into an inside-out forehand winner to collect her fourth consecutive
service-break.

Running to her right, Zvonarëva curled a running forehand crosscourt winner to
break for 5-0. A backhand winner down the line concluded a clinical and brutally
efficient effort from Zvonarëva, who closed with a clenched fist and quick wave
to all four corners of the court.

It's a career-milestone for the sensitive Moscow-native, but it was mild
celebration. That may be because Zvonarëva is well aware that she's got more
work to do and, more importantly, she knows she's capable of finishing off the
job.

Zvonarëva will play the winner of tonight's quarter-final between third-ranked
Dinara Safina and the resurgent Jelena Dokic. Zvonarëva has swept Safina three
times in a row — all three wins were on hard courts last season — and is 1:0
against the 187th-ranked Dokic in a match played more than five years ago.
<<<

Jelena Dokic bows out of Australian Open as Dinara Safina reaches semi-finals
(The Daily Telegraph - UK)
>>>
Dinara Safina has ended local hope Jelena Dokic's surprising run in the
Australian Open, claiming a 6-4 4-6 6-4 quarter-final victory.

The win sees Safina advance to a semi-final against fellow Russian Vera
Zvonarëva, who beat Marion Bartoli.

Seventh seed Zvonarëva produced a superb performance as the Russian saw off
Bartoli of France in straight sets to secure her place in the semis.

Zvonarëva had trailed 1-3 in the first set, but then won the next 11 straight
games for a 6-3 6-0 victory that took just over one hour at Rod Laver Arena.

The result was all the more impressive after 16th seed Bartoli had completely
outplayed top seed Jelena Jankovic in the fourth round.

Bartoli started well and broke serve in the third game of the first set, but
Zvonarëva battled back to level at 3-3 after coming out on top of a fine rally.

The 24-year-old then won the next three games to claim the first set in 38
minutes, before maintaining her momentum in the second set to breeze to victory.

"I'm very excited about it," Zvonarëva said. "I think it was a great day for me.

"I'm not really thinking about the scores or sets, or any statistics. I'm just
trying to concentrate on every match, and trying my best. And I think I've been
doing pretty good so far."

Asked about Zvonarëva winning 11 straight games, Bartoli said:
"I think she played just unbelievably well.

"She barely missed one ball. I was hitting as hard as I could.
She was always coming back with some better shots."
<<<

Safina, Zvonarëva Reach Aussie Semis (The Sports Network)
>>>
Top-ten Russians Dinara Safina and Vera Zvonarëva were a pair of quarter-final
winners on Tuesday at the Australian Open 2009: the first Major event of the
year.

The third-seeded Safina held off resurgent Aussie wild card Jelena Dokic 6-4 4-6
6-4, while a seventh-seeded Zvonarëva zipped past 16th-seeded Frenchwoman Marion
Bartoli 6-3 6-0. The Wimbledon 2007 runner-up Bartoli stunned world No.1 Jelena
Jankovic in the fourth round this past weekend.

The 22-year-old Safina - last year's French Open and Olympic runner-up - will
appear in her third career Major semi-final, while the 24-year-old Zvonarëva
will play in her first.

In the Zvonarëva v Bartoli affair, Zvonarëva fell behind 1-3 in the first set,
but promptly won the next 11 games to easily finish the match against her
overwhelmed French counterpart.

"I really thought Marion was playing really well in the beginning, and I made a
few unforced errors, so that's why I think I was down
3-1," said Zvonarëva. "Then I was able to cut down on my unforced errors, and I
was able to keep a good level of play throughout the whole match. I think it
made the difference."

Bartoli committed 26 unforced errors and won just 5 of 20 points on her second
serve in the searing heat at Melbourne Park. Temperatures climbed above 125°F on
the court.

The Olympic Bronze-medallist Zvonarëva displayed a solid forehand, and went up
5-3 in the first set when Bartoli was wide on a return. The Russian served out
the set, and then cruised in the second, ending the match with a backhand
winner.

The second set, where Bartoli won just 12 points, lasted 30 minutes.

"Even when she was scrambling, she was putting the ball just ten centimeters
from the baseline," said Bartoli. "It seems like she's reading my game like in
the book. It was just too good. She was just better than me - that's it."
<<<

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://tinyurl.com/andrewbroad-selesians

According to the BBC commentators on this week's Britain v Ukraine Davis Cup
tie, Josh Goodall played with two hands both sides until Wimbledon 2006!

Other lapsed Selesians include Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams, both of whom
would doubtlessly be ranked even higher than they are today, had they stuck with
their two-handed forehands from of old!

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://tinyurl.com/andrewbroad-selesians

Facing Fabrice (Victor Lamm, Tennis Week, Monday 2nd March 2009)
>>>
Tennis is a non-contact sport, but some of the most distinctive
stylists can transform tennis into an emotional blood-sport.

Hall of Famer Arthur Ashe once summed up the experience of facing John
McEnroe this way: "It's a nick here, a slice there, and next thing you
know, you've bled to death."

At his best, there is no tennis-tourniquet for French spin-doctor
Fabrice Santoro, who wields his racquet like a scalpel and specialises
in slices, spins and cut shots when performing his clinical surgery on
court. Santoro's dazzling array of spins, slices and soft shots can be
magical sight for fans, and pose maddening problems for opponents.

"Fabrice is the kind of guy who can destroy your game," World No.10
Gaël Monfils once said of Santoro after losing to his fellow
Frenchman. "[But I] loved this match. It was mythical. I took
fantastic pleasure being out on the court today, even though I lost."

If Santoro can masterfully mutilate even a top-ten player's game, then
who does it feel for a non-pro to face him?

I found out last July, when I practised with Fabrice at my home-club
in Paris. I played collegiate tennis for UC Irvine, and was home for
the summer when Santoro was kind enough to practise with me on grass
as part of his preparation to defend his Newport-title. I was thrilled
at the opportunity to hit with him, having grown up in Paris following
Fabrice's career.

Believe it or not, in the early years of his career, he was not
playing the extreme spin-shots - particularly the sliced forehand -
that he has become famous for in the latter stages of his entertaining
20-year pro career.

For many of us French tennis-players and fans, one of the most
thrilling moments of Fabrice's early career came in 1991, when he beat
Wally Masur on the red clay of Nimes, 6-3 6-4 4-6 6-1, to clinch
France's 3:2 Davis Cup victory over Australia. It was Santoro's first
career Davis Cup match, and it galvanised tennis-fans throughout
France. Watch the highlights of the match here
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFaJaZyfjCQ> and notice that he was
playing a more conventional baseline-game, counter-punching and
effectively using his lob. As he's gotten older and opponents have
gotten bigger and stronger (and younger), Santoro's dexterity to
impart spin, slick racquet-skills and masterful use of angles have
been his personal antidote to the power-players.

So what's it like facing Fabrice on grass: one of his best surfaces?

By the time he was finished with me, I felt like my game - not to
mention competitive psyche - had been pureed by a tennis-cuisinart.
When Santoro gets you moving, it feels like someone has strapped
rollerblades on you, shoved you out of a revolving door backwards, and
asked you to chase down a spinning superball - it can be a
disorientating experience, because he forces you to hit low shots from
uncomfortable positions on the court.

The most immediate eye-opening aspect of Santoro's game - and he was
not playing his best or most intense tennis during our practice - is
how effective his first serve is: at 5-foot-10, Fabrice is not one of
the taller players on the Tour, but I found he has very good power on
his first serve, and more importantly, he can place his first and
second serves anywhere in the box. So from the first shot, he often
had me moving.

A few other things became immediately apparent: because he plays with
two hands off both sides, it is very difficult to read the direction
of his shots, he takes the ball early to take away your time so you
always feel rushed, he has amazing accuracy on his strokes, and his
anticipation is one of his best assets.

For instance, at one stretch he was consistently - and successfully -
dropshotting me. After chasing down several dropshots, I decided to
try to get into net to take the ball out of the air before it could
spin away, but Santoro recognised this, and adjusted immediately by
increasing the depth on his shots.

I wish I could say I learned a lot from playing him, but no one plays
like Santoro, so even observing his game from across the net, you'd be
hard-pressed (or foolish) to try to duplicate it. He did add a lot of
colour to my style, though: after several falls to the turf chasing
his slices and dropshots, I left the court with my clothes streaked by
green grass-stains looking like some survivor of a paint-ball war.

Thankfully, I'm not the only one who has been bamboozled by Santoro's
shotmaking-skills. A master of misdirection, the man nicknamed "the
magician" makes clean shots disappear, and has vanquished some of the
top talents in tennis. Santoro has beaten Australian Open champion
Marat Safin seven times in nine meetings, he split six career-meetings
with Andre Agassi, and he is 3:4 lifetime against 14-time Major
champion Pete Sampras.

"Yes, it's frustrating to play him," said top-ranked Roger Federer,
who has beaten Santoro in eight of their 10 meetings. "It's got
something to do with his game, but also all the missed opportunities.
The strange thing is he's a righty, but he plays his forehand like a
lefty. When you come to net, he'll never give you an easy shot."

Santoro is a player fellow pros love watching - provided they're not
playing him.

After capturing her fifth Sony Ericsson Open championship-title at
Miami last spring, Serena Williams remarked: "I'll play anybody - with
the exception of [Rafael] Nadal, [Roger] Federer and [Fabrice]
Santoro. Other than that, I'm open for anybody."

Santoro announced this will be his final season on the ATP Tour, and
tennis will be a little flatter, a little less fun, a little less
colourful without him.

"I'm just sad because he's going to stop at the end of the year," said
Gilles Simon. "He did a great job for all the tennis-players. He's
someone who is going to be missed by the public. He was a good
tennis-player. He's still a good person, and I think we need people
like him on the Tour."

But Santoro is more than a showman: he is a skilled competitor who has
often been at his best against the best opponents.

"I was very lucky. I've been doing this for 21 years, and I feel very
lucky," Santoro told the media in Dubai last week. "When I started,
I never thought I could do it for more than ten years...I will miss
this week, I will miss Dubai. I will miss Melbourne. I will miss
actually all four Grand Slams [sic], and playing in front of the
French crowd."

Following his loss to Gilles Simon in Dubai this week, I contacted
Santoro and asked if he remembered hitting with me, and if he would
mind answering a few questions for this article, and he graciously
agreed. Asked how he prepared for this - his farewell-season - Santoro
said: "A little tennis in December, just like every year at the same
time! I only practised for 15 hours before my first tournament in
January! I still enjoy playing very much, but not more than I used
to... just about the same!"

Santoro cites Agassi as his all-time favourite opponent - "I loved
playing Agassi," he said - and said no other pro influenced his unique
style. Asked how he feels about fellow pros - ranging from Federer to
Simon - offering praise of his game, Santoro told me: "Yes, all these
players had very nice things to say, and I feel flattered."

He is planning to play his final tournament at the BNP Paribas Masters
(the Paris Indoors) in Bercy from 8th to 15th November. Santoro has
become revered and respected by French fans, who figure to give him a
heart-felt send-off. Santoro said he's looking forward to trying
something different - namely sleeping in his own bed for a sustained
stretch - and staying active in tennis.

"Doing something else means sleeping in my bed first. Something that's
normal for you, but not for me," Santoro said. "Then, I will see. I
have started to think about it. Nothing is fixed yet, but every day
I'm thinking about it. I can play one part probably in tennis, and one
part I hope outside of tennis, to keep one foot in tennis, and also to
see if I'm able to do something out of tennis - it's a good challenge
for me."

In an interview with Tennis Week in Newport last summer
<http://www.tennisweek.com/news/fullstory.sps?inewsid=6613761>, Tennis
Week asked if any player reminds him of himself.
Santoro paused for a moment to ponder the question - as if scanning
the ATP rankings in his head - before replying: "No. But you know I
would like to play against me to see what it would be like?"

For me, it was an experience I won't forget: and I've still got the
grass-stains as a reminder.
<<<

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

1. Photos
2. Fourth-round review: Bartoli v Jankovic

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

Various players from Sunday, including Marion Bartoli:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7849577.stm
http://preview.tinyurl.com/chlcag (The Daily Telegraph - UK)

Various players from Saturday, including Peng,Shuai:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7848570.stm

------------------------------------------
2. Fourth-round review: Bartoli v Jankovic (Sunday 25th January 2009)
------------------------------------------

+ MARION BARTOLI [16,DF,S] d. JELENA JANKOVIC [1], 6-1 6-4

I saw Marion's match-point on a BBC Sports News round-up (on Freeview-
channel 302): she forced a short ball from Jankovic, and hit a
beautiful, early, two-handed off-forehand winner.


2.1 Articles
------------

Marion's Melbourne Blog
http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/1/newsroom/stories/?ContentID=2896
>>>
[Friday 23rd January 2009]

It was difficult, but my match with Lucie Šafárová ended up being
really great. She was playing really, really well at the beginning,
and was even up 6-3 2-0, but I was able to come back and win. I'm so
happy about it.

It was also really exciting to have so much support in the crowd -
not just the French fans, but also Australians. When Lucie was
hitting lines, they were cheering for me, and it helped me to keep
fighting. I started playing better after the first few games of the
second set, and when I got that set in my pocket, it got even better.

It's my first time in the fourth round in Australia, which is so
exciting for me - I've never played so well here! Next match I have
Jelena Jankovic: the No.1 player in the world, so that'll be a real
challenge, obviously!

Right now, I'm so tired. I feel like I need to rest a lot before my
next match. I'm going to take tomorrow completely off. <snip>

Marion

[Sunday 25th January 2009]

As you may have heard, I beat Jelena Jankovic today. I just came from
an hour and a half of press, and I still have another interview to
go: with a French newspaper. So by the end of it all, it'll be two
hours of press, which is a record for me! It's about 3pm now, and I
haven't had anything to eat since I had breakfast at 6am! But I'm
hanging tough >:)

I've already said I never played this well in Australia, but it just
gets better and better. The other day, when I was down 6-3 2-0, I
didn't know if I would still be here today. Lucie was hitting the
lines and giving me no chance at all - she was too good. But I began
to focus even harder and fought as hard as I could, and I was able to
raise my game and win. I think I continued that today. It felt like
everything I did was going in and I hit lots of winners too. I'm even
prouder because it was the first time I ever played on Rod Laver
Arena - I'm so happy to have put on this kind of performance for the
Australian fans. I'm so, so happy.

After the match, Jelena's coach came and congratulated me, saying I
played really well and made it hard for Jelena to do anything. It was
a really nice gesture! I haven't spoken to Jelena since the match,
mainly because both of us have been doing so many interviews!
But we'll talk soon I'm sure.

<snip>

Tonight and tomorrow I'll rest again, because the matches are only
going to get tougher and tougher. I'm playing Zvonarëva or Petrova,
who are both so tough. Vera is more consistent - it feels like she
only makes one unforced error per match. Nadia's shots are probably
harder, but she can make more errors. But it doesn't matter who I
play; I'll have to put in a really good performance.

<snip>

Marion
<<<

World No.1 Jankovic Falls To Bartoli; Safina Survives
http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/1/newsroom/stories/?ContentID=2921
>>>
For just the third time in the Open Era, the top seed at the
Australian Open fell before the quarter-finals, as Jelena Jankovic
was bundled out in the fourth round by No.16 seed Marion Bartoli.

It wasn't so much Jankovic's playing that caused the 6-1 6-4 defeat -
after all, she had more winners than unforced errors in the match,
even in the lopsided first set. Bartoli was in the zone, firing 34
winners to just 20 errors, and completely dictating play from
beginning to end. Things got a bit tighter in the second set as
Jankovic pulled even at 4-4, holding several points to go ahead 5-4;
but the Frenchwoman muscled herself back into the lead with her two-
fisted returns, breaking for 5-4, then gloriously serving it out with
a series of huge serves, and a forehand down the line winner to
finish it off.

"I think I just played just a great match," Bartoli said. "I hung in
there when it was time to hang in there. I went for my shots when I
needed to go for my shots. I returned well. I was not overwhelmed by
the situation, and it felt like everything went in today. It was a
great match. I'm so happy with how everything went."

Bartoli's run at the 2009 Australian Open is reminiscent of her run
to the final of 2007 Wimbledon, not only because it is an unlikely
run on paper - she was the No.18 seed at the All-England Club that
year - but because she took out the world No.1 there too, stunning
Justine Henin in the semi-finals. Coincidentally, she beat a No.3-
ranked Jankovic in the fourth round there, albeit it was a far closer
match.

In her third round here, Bartoli was down and out against Lucie
Šafárová, rallying from 3-6 0-2 down to win 3-6 6-2 6-1. The player
that showed up against Jankovic was definitely the player who won 12
of the last 13 games against Šafárová.

"I was confident today because I played really well in my last
match," Bartoli said. "I knew I could beat Jelena on a good day - it
was just a matter of executing it, playing the right shots at the
right times and not making too many mistakes."

Jankovic, who was trying to claim her first Major singles-title, is
the third Australian Open top seed in the Open Era to fall before the
quarters, after Virginia Ruzici (who fell in the first round in 1979)
and Steffi Graf (who fell in the fourth round in 1997). It was the
Serb's fourth loss in seven meetings against Bartoli.

"All the credit to her - it was her day," a gracious Jankovic
said. "It's obviously disappointing. Nobody likes to lose. I had a
lot of opportunities in the second set to come back, but just didn't
do what I was supposed to. I had some chances in the first set even,
but let my opponent get on top of me and play her game. She played
really well and went for her shots. She even played first and second
serves the same. She hit whatever she could. She knew what she had to
do."

Bartoli will next face No.7 seed Vera Zvonarëva, who edged No.10 seed
Nadia Petrova, 7-5 6-4. Zvonarëva had been 1:5 against Petrova going
in, including losing their last four meetings in straight sets.
Zvonarëva will have a different outlook going in this time, having a
6:1 head-to-head edge against Bartoli.

"The last time I played her, I lost 6-0 6-1, so I hope to do better
this time!" Bartoli told the Rod Laver Arena crowd during an on-court
interview after her win.
<<<

Top-seeded Jankovic beaten in 4th round (AP)
>>>
Top-seeded Jelena Jankovic is out of the Australian Open, beaten in
straight sets by 2007 Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli of France.

Bartoli beat the Serbian star 6-1 6-4 in the opening match on Sunday
at Rod Laver Arena. Jankovic lost last year's US Open final to Serena
Williams, and has never won a Major title.

In the second set, Bartoli went ahead 5-4 on a service-break, then
held to win the match with a forehand winner.

The 24-year-old Bartoli lost to Venus Williams at Wimbledon two years
ago, and has never advanced past the second round in seven previous
trips to Melbourne Park.

"I tried to not think about it for the whole match," Bartoli said of
a possible upset of the No.1-ranked player.

"This is my first time playing in Rod Laver Arena. I think I just
played amazingly today, and I'm so glad to put on a good performance."
<<<

Jankovic bundled out of Open by Bartoli (Reuters)
By Greg Stutchbury (editing by Alastair Himmer)
>>>
Top seed Jelena Jankovic was knocked out of the Australian Open by an
inspired Marion Bartoli in the fourth round on Sunday.

The Frenchwoman capitalised on the Serbian's shaky serve, blasting
winners at every opportunity before ending the world number-one's
misery 6-1 6-4 in just 82 minutes.

The unconventional Bartoli, who, despite being right-handed, plays
two-handed off both sides, had not advanced beyond the Australian
Open second round in seven previous attempts.

The 16th seed set up a quarter-final against Russian Vera Zvonarëva.

"I was really confident, because I played really well my last match
against [Lucie] Šafárová," the 24-year-old Bartoli told reporters.

"I knew I could beat Jelena on a good day, it was just a matter of
executing, you know: play the right shot at the right time, and don't
make too many mistakes.

"But I was not overwhelmed by the situation, and I just went for my
shots, and everything went in today. It was just a great match."

DELICATE DROP

Bartoli, hitting winners from both sides off the baseline, won the
first five games of the match, clinching the first set with a
delicate drop-push that left Jankovic wafting at thin air.

The Serb won just 13 points on her own serve in the first set, but
losing the set seemed to wake Jankovic up, although both players
struggled with their serve in the second: each breaking the other
twice in the first eight games.

Bartoli hung tough, however, securing her fifth break of the match,
and booking her place in the quarter-finals after rifling a
crosscourt backhand winner past a deflated Jankovic.

"It's obviously disappointing. Nobody likes to lose," said
Jankovic. "Today was a tough day for me. I let my opponent completely
come on top of me and play her game.

"I had a slow start. I gave her a lot of confidence throughout the
match, and then in the second set, I also had a lot of opportunities
to come back and try to get in the game somehow.

"She was the better one, and all the credit. She went for all her
shots and hit whatever she could. She knew that she had to do that in
order to win, and it was her day."
<<<

Jankovic blames loss on lack of preparation (Reuters)
By Greg Stutchbury (Editing by Alastair Himmer)
>>>
World number-one Jelena Jankovic lamented her lack of preparation as
a factor in her Australian Open fourth-round loss to Marion Bartoli
on Sunday.

The 6-1 6-4 defeat cemented the worst performance by a women's top
seed at the year's first Major since Germany's Steffi Graf lost at
the same stage to South Africa's Amanda Coetzer in 1997.

"I haven't played for a while. For two months, I didn't compete.
I was supposed to play an exhibition in Hong Kong," the 23-year-old
Jankovic told reporters.

"Unfortunately, me and my mother, we got sick, so it was very hard
when I couldn't play some matches over there, which I wanted: just to
feel the atmosphere, get the rhythm on the court.

"I'm this kind of a player who needs a little bit of time to get used
to it, to get the routine playing matches and get the confidence.

"Then I feel that I can do whatever I want on the court. At the
moment, I'm still not there."

Jankovic added: "I'm still finding my range, to get that confidence
when I'm playing. Today, I just couldn't find it."

An aggressive Bartoli capitalised on the Serbian's inconsistent
serve, blasting winners at every opportunity.

"My opponent was really on fire today, and she was hitting everything
and really went for her shots," said Jankovic. "Most of those were
going in. It was tough.

"I couldn't do my own thing. I just couldn't do what I needed to do.
My shots were not where I wanted to be."

Jankovic, who has yet to win a Major, will lose the world's top
ranking at the end of the tournament if Serena Williams or Elena
Dementieva make the final.

"I really enjoy being the number-one, and I proved that at the end of
last year when I won three tournaments in a row," she said.

"You know, it doesn't matter, because it's just the beginning of the
year, and there are many more tournaments to play.

"So maybe it will change - the number-one ranking - but it's not
important what you do now; it's the whole year ahead of us.

"[There are] a lot of tournaments, a lot of battles out there. You
know, the best one will finish it. I think, at least for me, the most
important thing is how you finish - not how you begin."
<<<

Revitalised Bartoli delighted with victory over Jankovic (Reuters)
By Greg Stutchbury (editing by John O'Brien)
>>>
Marion Bartoli vanquished the memories of last year's debilitating
illness with a comprehensive demolition of world number-one Jelena
Jankovic in the Australian Open on Sunday.

The 24-year-old Frenchwoman blasted winners from the baseline, and
chased down everything the Serbian top seed threw at her to advance
to the quarter-finals with the 6-1 6-4 victory.

"I was struggling with my health for the first six months of the
year. I was just not able to practise as I should to be ready to play
some tennis at the pro level," Bartoli told reporters.

"Some days, I was staying three days in a row inside my room at home,
or even in the hotel-room when I was on the Tour.

"There is no way - even if I'm tough mentally - to win some matches
like that.

"I think I had a great run to finish inside the top 20, which [in]
half of the season was quite an achievement."

The victory for Bartoli - who had not advanced beyond the Australian
Open second round in seven previous attempts - came two weeks after
she made the final at the Brisbane International, and she said an off-
season training-programme was paying dividends.

"At the end of last year, I was playing well, but having this little
problem to win some tough matches in a row, and be able to go day in
and day out and be strong physically," the 16th seed said.

"I was fit, but not strong enough. I really put in hard work during
the off-season, and today it showed."

Bartoli had won her last three matches against Jankovic to amass a
3:3 career record against the Serb, and the surprise Wimbledon 2007
finalist said she had nothing to fear.

"When I step on the court, no matter who is my opponent on the other
side of the net, I really feel I have some chances to win.

"I was not overwhelmed by the situation, and I just went for my shots
and everything went in."

Bartoli who modelled her two-handed shotmaking off both sides after
Monica Seles, said the victory against Jankovic meant little other
than advancing to the quarter-final against Russia's Vera Zvonarëva.

"[It] doesn't mean I'm going to win the tournament.

"It's not working like that. There are some really tough players left
into the draw, and I just hope to be able to achieve the same kind of
matches in the quarter-final, and maybe I will go all the way."
<<<

Relieved Federer through, Jankovic falls at Open (Reuters)
By Ossian Shine (editing by Alan Baldwin)
>>>
A roar of relief marked Roger Federer's comeback from two sets down
at the Australian Open on Sunday, while women's world number-one
Jelena Jankovic was mute and ineffectual in a fourth-round defeat.

There were no good signs for Jankovic, who was blown off court by
French typhoon Marion Bartoli: 6-1 6-4.

"When I'm on the top of my game, it's very hard to beat me, because
you really have to kind of spill blood if you want to win the match,"
Jankovic mused afterwards.

"But at the moment, I'm not there yet. I still need to get better, to
improve, be much, much tougher out there. Nobody likes to lose.
Today was a tough day for me."

Jankovic's tough day was a jubilant one for Bartoli.

"I knew I could beat Jelena on a good day - it was just a matter of
executing," she told reporters.

Bartoli next plays Vera Zvonarëva, after the seventh seed beat her
10th-seeded fellow Russian Nadia Petrova 7-5 6-4.
<<<

Bartoli bounces top-seeded Jankovic in straight sets (PA SportsTicker)
>>>
Top seed and world No.1 Jelena Jankovic was knocked out of the
Australian Open after Marion Bartoli won their fourth-round encounter
in straight sets: 6-1 6-4 on Sunday.

Jankovic's exit paves the way for the three players ranked
immediately below her to take the coveted top spot.

If one of Serena Williams, Dinara Safina or Elena Dementieva wins the
tournament, she will take the top spot. But with Safina having fewer
ranking-points to defend, she has a chance to claim the top ranking
even if she only reaches the semi-finals. Williams and Dementieva
must reach the final in order to stand a chance of becoming world
number-one.

But Jankovic is unconcerned.

"It doesn't matter, because it's just the beginning of the year and
there are many more tournaments to play," the Serb said.

"Maybe it will change, but it's not important what you do now;
there's the whole year ahead of us - a lot of tournaments, a lot of
battles, so the best one will finish top. For me, the most important
thing is how you finish - not how you begin."

Jankovic certainly didn't begin her match in the Rod Laver Arena
well, going 0-5 down before she survived two set-points to finally
get on the board.

It was a temporary reprieve, however, as Bartoli, the 16th seed,
closed out the set in just 31 minutes.

The world No.1 improved in the second set, holding her serve in the
first game, but she was broken again when she double-faulted in the
third.

Bartoli broke her again in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead, and
although Jankovic broke back, she could not hold her own serve.

Bartoli then had the chance to serve for the match, which she did.

"Nobody likes to lose; today was a tough day for me," admitted
Jankovic. "I had a slow start, and I let my opponent completely get
on top of me and play her game.

"But she was the better one, and all credit to her. She played really
well, went for all her shots."

Bartoli has now beaten Jankovic in their last three encounters for a
4-3 lead in head-to-head meetings.

"I was really confident, because I played really well in my last
match against [Lucie] Šafárová," Bartoli said. "I knew I could beat
Jelena on a good day - it was just a matter of executing it: play the
right shot at the right time, and not make too many mistakes.

"But I was not overwhelmed by the situation, and I just went for my
shots, and everything went in today. It was just a great match."

Seventh seed Vera Zvonarëva will play Bartoli in the quarter-finals
after defeating fellow Russian Nadia Petrova 7-5 6-4.
<<<

Top seed Jankovic crashes out of Australian Open (AFP)
>>>
World number-one Jelena Jankovic has crashed out of the Australian
Open with a humiliating 6-1 6-4 loss to French 16th seed Marion
Bartoli for the biggest upset of the tournament so far. [I consider
Carla Suárez Navarro's victory over Venus Williams to be a much
bigger upset.]

The top seed made a dismal start in her fourth-round match against
the fired-up Frenchwoman, finally calling on her renowned fighting
qualities too late into the match.

The loss extends Jankovic's Major drought, and marked Bartoli's best
performance at a Major since she reached the Wimbledon-final in 2007.

"I knew Jelena would fight. The last set was really hard for me, but
I tried to hang tough and play my game," Bartoli said.

"I played my shots and served so well. I'm just so happy."

Bartoli broke Jankovic in the second game, then prevented the Serb
breaking back twice in the next to race to a 3-0 lead.

The statistics in the first 10 minutes demonstrated Bartoli's
dominance: she hit seven winners while Jankovic could not manage one,
and committed a single unforced error to the Serb's four.

Jankovic looked lethargic as she tried to play her way into the
match, constantly casting frustrated glances towards coach Ricardo
Sánchez in the player's box.

In contrast, Bartoli was bouncing on her toes between points, and
chased down everything Jankovic sent her way, returning the world
number-one's groundstrokes with interest.

The Frenchwomen treated Jankovic's serve with distain, going up
another break in the fourth.

Only some desperate scrambling prevented Bartoli from completing a
humiliating clean sweep of the first set, with Jankovic finally
getting on the board after 27 minutes.

It was a temporary reprieve, and Bartoli outfoxed her opponent with a
delicately-hit dropshot four minutes later to take the first set.

The Serb's fightback did not begin until the fourth game of the
second set, when she broke Bartoli's serve for the first time in the
match.

Her opponent cancelled out the advantage in the next, with the pair
again exchanging breaks in the seven and eighth games.

Bartoli maintained the pressure, and the ninth game went to deuce six
times as she pressed for a decisive break to complete the rout.

She achieved it when Jankovic netted a backhand return, earning the
chance to serve out the match.

The Frenchwoman double-faulted on her first match-point, but sealed
the win with a crosscourt volley, raising her arms in victory.
<<<

Jankovic crashes out as tournament blown wide open (AFP)
>>>
The Australian Open was blown wide open when top seed Jelena Jankovic
crashed out, joining Ana Ivanovic and Venus Williams as high-profile
early-round casualties.

They were nearly joined by Russian third seed Dinara Safina, who
survived two match-points to claw back and beat France's Alizé Cornet
6-2 2-6 7-5.

Jankovic was crushed by French 16th seed Marion Bartoli 6-1 6-4,
giving more ammunition to critics who believe she doesn't deserve the
world number-one ranking having never won a Major.

With Ivanovic and Williams already gone, the first Major of the
season has become one of the most open ever, with Bartoli into a
quarter-final against either Russia's Nadia Petrova or Vera Zvonarëva.

"It's obviously disappointing. Nobody likes to lose," said Jankovic,
who looked lethargic as she tried to play her way into the match.

"It was a tough day for me. You know, I had a slow start. I let my
opponent completely come on top of me and play her game."

She is now likely to lose her top ranking, but insisted it was not
important.

"It doesn't matter, because it's just the beginning of the year, and
there is [sic] many more tournaments to play," she said.

"So, you know, maybe it will change - the number-one ranking - but
it's not important what you do now - it's the whole year ahead of us."

Bartoli was ecstatic at the upset, but said she always felt she could
win.

"I was really confident, because I played really well in my last
match against Lucie Šafárová," said the Frenchwoman, who made the
Wimbledon-final in 2007, where she was beaten by Venus Williams.

"I knew I could beat Jelena on a good day. It was just a matter of
executing it, you know: playing the right shot at the right time, and
not making too many mistakes.

"I'm just pleased about everything."
<<<

Superb Bartoli dumps out Jankovic (BBC Sport)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7849574.stm
>>>
Top seed Jelena Jankovic crashed out of the Australian Open after a
stunning performance from French 16th seed Marion Bartoli, who won
6-1 6-4.

Bartoli took the first five games of the match to leave the Serbian
reeling.

Jankovic looked dismally out of sorts despite a brief resurgence in
the second set, and Bartoli reached the quarter-finals with
surprising ease.

Bartoli showed incredible movement and determination to destroy
Jankovic's chances of a second appearance in the Australian Open's
last eight.

The French 24-year-old has never previously made it past the second
round of the tournament, but she feasted on Jankovic's uncertain
second serve in a one-sided encounter on the Rod Laver Arena.

Bartoli broke five times as the Serbian, 23, battled both her own
inconsistency and the glare of the Melbourne-sun.

Jankovic's second set was a vast improvement on the first, but her
game continued to exhibit unforgivable unforced errors.

When Bartoli eventually broke again in a testing ninth game of the
second set, the last vestiges of Jankovic's resistance crumbled.

"I tried not to think about Jelena being the world number-one for the
whole match," said Bartoli.

"I think I just played amazingly today, and I'm so happy to put on a
good performance.

"I knew Jelena would fight, and the last set was really tough for me,
but I tried to play my game, and I served so well in the last game."

Jankovic, meanwhile, said she had become "lost in the match" and
allowed Bartoli to dominate.

"I let her hit all the shots that she wanted to. I let her play her
game," said Jankovic.

"I didn't do what I was supposed to do, and I couldn't get my rhythm
out there.

"She hit whatever she could. Her goal was just to get the first
strike and go for it, because she knew [that] if I got in the point,
she'd be in trouble."
<<<

Top seed Jelena Jankovic knocked out of Australian Open by Marion
Bartoli
By Mark Hodgkinson in Melbourne (The Daily Telegraph - UK)
>>>
Top seed and world No 1 Jelena Jankovic has been knocked out of the
Australian Open after Marion Bartoli won their fourth-round encounter
in straight sets: 6-1 6-4.

There are few players on the women's circuit who are as quirky or as
kooky as Bartoli: the Frenchwoman whose groundstrokes and service-
action are never going to earn her any style-points at Melbourne
Park. But Bartoli's unconventional tennis can be wonderfully
effective, and her defeat of Jankovic was a result that demonstrated
that players don't have to be slaves to the coaching-manual orthodoxy.

Many of the competitors in the women's game seem to have come off an
Eastern-Bloc-and-Nick-Bollettieri production-line: all with the same,
honed groundstrokes. Bartoli is refreshingly different, playing with
a style that you are unlikely to find in a coaching-textbook near
you: her serve is jerky and just plain weird, and her arms look
cramped when she hits her double-handed forehands and backhands.

This wasn't even the first time that Mademoiselle Bizarre had
embarrassed a world No.1 at a Major tournament, as she beat Justine
Henin of Belgium in the semi-finals of the 2007 Wimbledon
Championships, going on to finish as the runner-up that summer to
Venus Williams. Here she was again, taking centre-stage at Melbourne
Park.

"I'm just happy to be on the Rod Laver Arena, because I usually play
so badly at the Australian Open that I'm on Court 21," Bartoli said
after a 6-1 6-4 victory that took her into the quarter-finals of the
Australian Open for the first time.

Jankovic had wanted to show at Melbourne Park that she deserved to
have the top ranking by winning her first Major title, and she had
prepared during the close-season by scrambling over rocks on
endurance-runs in the Mexican mountains. She believed that, after the
altitude-training and a new sense of purpose off the court, she was
in the best shape of her tennis-life.

However, she had to withdraw from a semi-serious exhibition-
tournament in Hong Kong because of illness, and so came into
Melbourne Park without any form to go on. Jankovic has always tended
to take a while to find her range and her rhythm at the start of the
year, so she was vulnerable to defeat against Bartoli, especially
when the Frenchwoman decided to go for her shots.

It was the earliest defeat for a women's top seed at Melbourne Park
since Steffi Graf lost in the fourth round of the 1997 tournament to
South Africa's Amanda Coetzer.
<<<

Bartoli Blasts Jankovic Out Of Oz (Tennis Week)
>>>
Jelena Jankovic buried her face in her hands as if seeking shelter
from the break-point barrage she faced, but her palms proved to be
only a temporary reprieve.

The top-seeded Serbian arrived in Melbourne seeking her first Major
title, but an ambitious two-handed terror named Marion Bartoli
blasted Jankovic right out of Rod Laver Arena with today's 6-1 6-4
Australian Open fourth-round victory.

"It was my first time in Rod Laver Arena, and I just played
amazingly," Bartoli said. "I'm so happy to put on a good performance."

The 24-year-old Bartoli had not surpassed the second round in seven
previous appearances at the Melbourne Major; now she is one win
removed from the final four. Bartoli will play either seventh-seeded
Vera Zvonarëva or 10th-seeded Nadia Petrova in the quarter-finals.

Cracking crosscourt shots off her compact swings, Bartoli's sharp
timing and ability to take the ball early were evident in the first
set as she whipped 15 winners compared to five for Jankovic to roll
to a 5-0 lead and eventually seize the opening set in 31 minutes.

The 16th-seeded Frenchwoman kept creeping inside the baseline to rip
returns on the rise with such depth and accuracy, Jankovic was
sometimes just completing her service-motion only to see the reply
speed by.

Jankovic, who had trouble reading the shots off Bartoli's racquet,
faced a series of break-points in the ninth game of the second set.

Stepping into the court to attack Jankovic's second serve, Bartoli
broke for a 5-4 lead when a Jankovic backhand caught the top of the
tape.

The former Wimbledon-finalist smacked a service-winner down the
middle to earn triple match-point. She double-faulted going for an
ace on a second serve on her first break-point before firing a
forehand winner down the line to seal the victory.

It was Bartoli's third straight win over Jankovic, and it marked the
second time Bartoli has beaten Jankovic in the fourth round of a
Major: she scored a 3-6 7-5 6-3 victory en route to the 2007
Wimbledon-final.
<<<

Jelena Jankovic bundled out of Australian Open by Marion Bartoli
(Fox Sports / AAP)
>>>
Top seed Jelena Jankovic has been knocked out in the fourth round of
the Australian Open in straight sets by Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli.

World No.1 Jankovic - a losing semi-finalist at Melbourne Park last
year, who is still chasing her first Major title - was beaten 6-1 6-4
in one hour and 22 minutes by the No.16 seed.

Bartoli's career-highlight to date was reaching the final of
Wimbledon in 2007, before eventually going down to Venus Williams.

She dominated the first set of the encounter on Rod Laver Arena, and
held her nerve in the second.

The crucial moment came in the ninth game of the second set, which
Bartoli eventually won on her fourth break-point.

She then served out the match for one of the biggest wins of her
career.

Bartoli hit an an impressive tally of 34 winners in the two-set
match, compared to just 17 from Jankovic.

"It's obviously disappointing. Nobody likes to lose," said Jankovic,
who looked lethargic as she tried to play her way into the match.

"It was a tough day for me. You know, I had a slow start. I let my
opponent completely come on top of me and play her game."

She is now likely to lose her top ranking, but insisted it was not
important.

"It doesn't matter, because it's just the beginning of the year, and
there is many more tournaments to play," she said.

"So, you know, maybe it will change - the No.1 ranking - but it's not
important what you do now - it's the whole year ahead of us."

With Ana Ivanovic and Venus Williams already gone, the first Major of
the season has become one of the most open ever, with Bartoli into a
quarter-final against Russia's Vera Zvonarëva.

Seventh seed Zvonarëva advanced to quarter-finals after winning an
all-Russian clash with 10th seed Nadia Petrova: 7-5 6-4.
<<<

Jankovic's lofty ranking fails to compute (Leo Schlink, Fox Sports)
>>>
The WTA Tour's computer never lies.

Jelena Jankovic is No.1 in the world for a reason - but it's patently
clear that it's not because the haughty Serb is the best player on
the planet.

Her deflating 6-1 6-4 Australian Open defeat was the 22nd Major that
Jankovic has contested and failed to win. The closest she has come to
sealing acclaim as a genuine topliner was during a tight US Open
final in September.

Jankovic won a swag of matches - 65 - last season, but none were in a
Major final.

By the end of this tournament, Jankovic's grip on the No.1 ranking
will be seriously weakened - or completely loosened - depending on
other results.

For all her theatrics, Jankovic is a fine player.

But she does not deserve to be at No.1, even though the computer-
machinations make perfectly good arithmetic sense. Everybody -
possibly even Jankovic - knows that if Serena and Venus Williams or
Maria Sharapova had been able to dodge injury last season, Jankovic
would not have risen to No.1.

As it was, the right-hander closed the year in superb fashion,
winning three late-season tournaments. Voilŕ: Jankovic fulfils a
career dream.

"I think - at least for me - the most important thing is how you
finish - not how you begin," Jankovic said.

Fair enough. Amélie Mauresmo took 32 Major tournaments before she
broke through.

She was 26 when she triumphed at Melbourne Park in 2006.

Jankovic is 24 next month.

There is still plenty of time, but questions are mounting over her
mental toughness - or lack thereof.

Jankovic has a 31:32 record against fellow top-ten players. That's
not nearly good enough.

World No.2 Serena Williams has a 39:20 record against the same group.

Jankovic described the Bartoli-surrender as "a bad day of tennis, bad
day at the tennis."

"I want to be the No.1," she said.

"I don't want to be No.2 so that I don't have any pressure."

Even in defeat, Jankovic talked herself up.

"When I'm on the top of my game, it's very hard to beat me, because
you really have to kind of spill blood if you want to win the match,"
she said.

Time to reboot the computer; time for a reality-check.
<<<

Thumped (Tom Perrotta, TENNIS.com)
>>>
I remember this Jelena Jankovic. The one who whines on court when the
ball doesn't bounce her way. The one who uses instant-replay
challenges as if they were as abundant as oxygen. The one who
stubbornly refuses to think.

It's been a while since /this/ Jankovic showed up at a Major
tournament, however. Through all of last year, there was a sense that
Jankovic was on the upswing - an upswing confirmed by her fine
performance at the US Open, where she pushed Serena Williams to her
limit in the final. When Jankovic later took over the No.1 ranking,
she showed no satisfaction with her accomplishment. Instead, she
trained harder than ever over the off-season with the intention of
arriving in Melbourne as the favourite to win her first Major title.

The wait continues. Jankovic's plans were derailed on Sunday by one
of the WTA Tour's most dangerous and unpredictable players: Marion
Bartoli of France. This wasn't quite like Bartoli's performance at
Wimbledon 2007, when she ran roughshod over Justine Henin on her way
to the final. It's safe to say, though, that Bartoli is on her game
in Melbourne this year. She has lost weight (and suppressed her
obsession for chocolate), and recovered from a virus that left her
tired and unable to train for about three months in the early part of
2008. One of the worst moments came at the Indian Wells tournament,
where she felt she could not move from her bed. She didn't win three
matches in a row until late July.

"Some days, I was staying three days in a row inside my room at home,
or even in the hotel-room when I was on the Tour," Bartoli said.
"I couldn't practise at all for three days in a row."

Before most fans had filed into Rod Laver Arena on Sunday, Bartoli
held a 5-0 lead. She polished off the match 6-1 6-4 in an hour and 22
minutes. Match-ups matter in tennis: Just ask Tommy Robredo, who
dropped his 10th straight match to Andy Roddick yesterday. Robredo
doesn't return serve well; Roddick serves harder than anyone. Bartoli
and Jankovic are equally at odds. I wouldn't expect Bartoli to
outrank Jankovic anytime soon, but I wouldn't be surprised if she
wins the next time they meet, too. The Frenchwoman, who hits with two
hands on her forehand and backhand, doesn't think much of topspin,
and clobbers her service-returns (like the Williams-sisters, she
takes three or four steps inside the baseline). Jankovic, on the
other hand, can't serve. In this match, she won a mere 47% of the
points on her serve - including only 29% on her second serve.

Jankovic had not looked terribly strong leading up to the match.
She suffered a setback when she took ill in Hong Kong earlier this
year, and didn't play enough matches before this tournament began.
Still, she rightfully gave herself an "F" for her tactical
performance on Sunday. It's not wise to trade hard groundstrokes with
a hot Bartoli. When Jankovic used more spin (and less pace) and hit
more severe angles, Bartoli was forced to move up and back (she
doesn't excel at it) as well as side to side (her lateral movement is
underrated). Jankovic neglected this strategy all too often.

"When I'm on the top of my game, you know, it's very hard to beat me,
because you really have to kind of spill blood if you want to win the
match," Jankovic said. "But at the moment, I'm not there yet. I still
need to get better, to improve, be much, much tougher out there."

Though Jankovic said she wouldn't forget this loss for "months," she
couldn't bottle up her bubbly side.

"Was it you there in the match, or was it somebody else talking to me
during the match?" she asked a reporter. "When I was getting a towel,
there was a man just like you. To be honest, it's for real. Maybe
it's your clone or something."

At last, the real Jelena Jankovic arrives in Melbourne. Too bad she
sent her clone onto court.
<<<

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://tinyurl.com/andrewbroad-selesians

(Transworld Sport may be televised in other countries, but the details
in this message are specific to the UK.)


There is a 4-minute feature on the recent China v Russia Fed Cup tie
in this week's Transworld Sport, which is repeated with sign-language
at 02:30 GMT on Friday night (technically the morning of Saturday 21st
February 2009) on Channel 4.

The tennis was 1 minute into Sunday's broadcast of Transworld Sport,
and finished 5 minutes in, so I recommend 02:30 as a safe start-time
for timer-record, and 02:40 as a safe stop-time (Transworld Sport has
been known to start up to 5 minutes late).

The feature includes two points from the first rubber, in which
Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated Selesian player Yan,Zi 6-2 6-4.

The feature also includes two points from the third rubber, in which
Anna Chakvetadze gave Russia an unassailable 3:0 lead with a 6-1 6-2
victory over Yan:

* Yan serving 0-2 (ad Anna): Anna hit a crosscourt backhand deep into
the corner - a couple of inches from both the sideline and the
baseline - forcing Yan to bunt back a defensive backhand that sat up
nicely for Anna to hit a deep forehand down the line, behind which she
went to the net; Yan responded well with a dipping crosscourt
backhand, but Anna responded even better with a delectable
off-backhand half-volley dropshot that landed very short and close to
the sideline; Yan ran it down well to hit a one-handed forehand
attempted pass down the line, but Anna cut it off with a crosscourt
backhand volley-winner into the wide-open court.

* Yan serving 1-6 2-5 (15/40): Serve out wide: crosscourt forehand
return; Yan crosscourt forehand; Anna hit a deep forehand down the
line; Yan hit a short crosscourt backhand; Anna hit a penetrating
off-backhand deep into the corner, forcing Yan to scramble back a
short, defensive forehand; Anna hit a pinpoint off-backhand deep into
the corner, and moved inside the service-line to cut off Yan's
attempted crosscourt forehand pass; Anna hit a delectable off-forehand
drop-volley winner, which Yan - run as she did - couldn't get up.

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://tinyurl.com/andrewbroad-selesians

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

1. Photos
2. Women's Singles: Third-round results
3. Third-round review: Šafárová v Bartoli
4. Men's Singles: Third-round result/articles

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

Various players including Marion Bartoli:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7846259.stm

---------------------------------------
2. Women's Singles: Third-round results
---------------------------------------

+ MARION BARTOLI [16,DF,S] d. Lucie Šafárová [EF], 3-6 6-2 6-1
- Peng,Shuai [S] lt. SERENA WILLIAMS [2], 1-6 4-6

-----------------------------------------
3. Third-round review: Bartoli v Šafárová (Friday 23rd January 2009)
-----------------------------------------

+ MARION BARTOLI [16,DF,S] d. Lucie Šafárová [EF], 3-6 6-2 6-1

The match was third on Margaret Court arena, so it would have taken
place in the Australian Open late afternoon, while I was sleeping in
England.

Lucie led 6-3 *2-0, then lost 12 of the last 13 games.


3.1 Statistics
--------------

Lucie dominated the match with winners and unforced errors, compiling
a mildly negative W:UE ratio of 32:36 (16:8 for the first set, and
16:28 for the second and third combined). Marion's W:UE ratio was
16:17 (5:9 + 9:6 + 2:2).

Lucie got 63% of her first serves in, winning 57% of the points when
she did so, and 28% on second serve - those are disappointing winning-
percentages, and her second-serve winning-percentage in particular
dipped alarmingly from set to set: from 45% to 20% to 13%.

The corresponding percentages for Marion were 59%, 67% and 44%.
After winning a disastrous 10% of points on second serve in the first
set, it was in the 60s in the next two, while her percentages of
first serves in and points won troughed at (44%, 55%) for the second
set, and peaked at (80%, 83%) for the third.

While Lucie pipped Marion to the fastest serve (107-106 mph),
Marion's serves were considerably faster than Lucie's on average:
first serve 101-95 mph, second serve 83-80 mph.

Lucie served 10 double faults and just one ace, while Marion served
two of each.

Lucie broke 4 times from 5 BPs, but gave Marion too many BPs on her
own serve: Marion converted 7 of 13. Lucie won the first set by three
breaks to one, but lost the second by three breaks to one, and the
third by three breaks to none. Lucie only had one BP after the first
set: the one she converted in the second.

Lucie won 9 of 17 points at the net (53%), Marion 6 of 9 (67%). After
winning 6 of 8 points at the net in the first set, Lucie won just
2 of 7 in the second set, and just 1 of 2 in the third.

In points, Marion won 80-64 (first set 24-34, second set 32-21,
third set 24-9).


3.2 Articles
------------

Bartoli advances to meet Jankovic
By Bronwen Largier (www.australianopen.com)
>>>
Marion Bartoli is set to make her first fourth-round appearance at
the Australian Open after overpowering Lucie Šafárová in three sets
on Friday.

The Frenchwoman won the match 3-6 6-2 6-1 in an hour and 42 minutes.

Šafárová started the match well, breaking Bartoli's serve in the
first game, and displaying a powerful crosscourt backhand and good
ball-placement.

Bartoli got a break at 3-2, but Šafárová returned the favour in the
next game to lead 4-3. Šafárová broke a third time as Bartoli served
to stay in the set.

Šafárová's good form looked to continue when she broke Bartoli a
fourth time early in the second set, but her game began to fall apart
as her number of unforced errors sky-rocketed and her winners dried
up.

Šafárová's unfortunate habit of double-faulting at crucial points in
the match, combined with the Frenchwoman's consistency, gave Bartoli
the opportunity to take control. After dropping her first service-
game in the second set, Bartoli won the next eight games straight to
take the second set and shoot a 2-0 lead in the third.

The Czech rediscovered the form that won her the first set, winning
her serve at 2-0 in the third without dropping a point, but her
resurgence was brief.

Bartoli ran away with the rest of the set, taking her sixth and
seventh breaks off Šafárová to close out the final set in just 27
minutes.

Bartoli will play Jelena Jankovic in the round of 16, after the
Serbian top seed defeated Ai Sugiyama of Japan 6-4 6-4 on Friday
afternoon.

Quick facts:

* Šafárová served 10 costly double faults to Bartoli's two.

* The Czech had 36 unforced errors, while Bartoli recorded just 17.

* Šafárová had double the number of winners: 32-16.

* Bartoli converted seven of her 13 break-point chances (54%), while
Šafárová was 4 for 5 (80%).
<<<

Lucie out in singles (Janine, www.lucie-safarova.com)
>>>
Lucie lost her singles-match today against Marion Bartoli:
6-3 2-6 1-6. Lucka started really good until 6-3 2-0, but then she
started to do a few more unforced errors, and Marion got stronger.

Comments:
* Sean: "I saw the match. Lucie played incredible to go up 6-3 *2-0,
and then Lucie couldn't get a ball in the court."
<<<

---------------------------------------------
4. Men's Singles: Third-round result/articles
---------------------------------------------

- Fabrice Santoro [S] lt. ANDY RODDICK [7], 3-6 4-6 2-6

Roddick ends Santoro's last dance in Melbourne (Reuters)
>>>
Seventh seed Andy Roddick brought Fabrice Santoro's last Australian
Open appearance to an end with a 6-3 6-4 6-2 victory in the third
round on Friday.

The 36-year-old Frenchman, who was the oldest man in the main draw,
has said that 2009 would be his final year on the ATP Tour.

Roddick had no sentimentality for the wily French player, who was
appearing in his 66th Major tournament, blasting him off court in 98
minutes, slamming down 22 aces in the process. Santoro was loudly
cheered by a small contingent of French fans, and given a special
presentation by tournament-director Craig Tiley after the match on
the secondary show-court on Hisense Arena.

"I have been coming here since 1991, which is a long time," Santoro
said in a televised courtside interview. "This is one of my favourite
places, and I have very special memories of Melbourne Park."

Santoro also lost in the first round of the Men's Doubles.
<<<

Veteran Santoro no match for Roddick (AFP)
>>>
American Andy Roddick powered past outgunned French veteran Fabrice
Santoro 6-3 6-4 6-2 to move into the fourth round of the Australian
Open.

The seventh seeded Roddick was ruthless against 36-year-old Santoro,
closing out the match in 98 minutes.

Roddick was never in any danger, and looked the likely winner from
the moment he broke Santoro's first service-game.

The crafty Santoro was playing his 66th Major - a record for tennis
in the Open Era - and was presented with a bottle of c******** by
tournament-director Craig Tiley after the match to mark the occasion.

He confirmed that it was his last singles-appearance at Melbourne
Park after a remarkable 17-year run stretching back to 1991.

"Today was very special for me, because it was my last match here,"
he said.

Roddick also paid tribute to the Frenchman.

"Saying I respect him is an understatement," Roddick said.

"His longevity is amazing, as is the way he has constantly made
adjustments to his game to keep up with the younger guys."

There was no sentiment on court, however, as Roddick fired down 22
aces and blasted 50 winners past Santoro.

He broke Santoro four times throughout the match while not losing his
serve once.

"I'm playing really well — I'm happy with the way I served and
moved," he said.

"I'm also happy to be through to the fourth round."
<<<

Magician Santoro exits stage left from Melbourne Park (Reuters)
By Greg Stutchbury (editing by Pritha Sarkar)
>>>
The Magician - otherwise known as Fabrice Santoro - took his final
bow, and exited the Melbourne Park stage on Friday when he was
knocked out of the Australian Open by Andy Roddick.

Santoro, who holds the men's professional tennis-record for having
made 66 Major main draws, had already said he would retire at the end
of 2009 before Roddick beat him 6-3 6-4 6-2 in their third-round
clash.

The 36-year-old Santoro, who was the oldest man in the men's draw,
was loudly cheered by a small contingent of French fans, and given a
presentation by tournament-director Craig Tiley after the match.

"It was a great feeling, even though I lost the match," Santoro told
reporters.

"It was a chance for me to finish here at Melbourne Park against him
[Roddick] on a big court, instead of losing first round on an outside
court against another player.

"So it was a good way of leaving the tournament and leaving
Melbourne."

Santoro's best Major performance has been at Melbourne Park, where he
made the quarter-finals in 2006, and he said he would miss the venue.

"Probably five of my best 10 memories in 20 years of my career [are
at Melbourne Park].

"With the Davis Cup final here in 2001, three doubles-finals, and one
quarter-final in 2006. Those five memories will stay forever.

"This year, I lost third round. But at my age, being 36 and going to
the third round, without a good draw because I beat [Juan Carlos]
Ferrero and [Philipp] Kohlschreiber, who are top-class players, it's
a great achievement for me."

While Santoro was bidding farewell to his Australian fans, he said he
found it hard not to get too emotional during the on-court
presentation.

"I have to stay focused. I have ten more months to play," he said.

"I was not expecting the ceremony on the court. It was something very
emotional for me because we are so far from France, one of the
biggest tournaments in the world, and on the other side of the net,
a top-class player.

"Being on the court with a microphone and talking to the crowd,
probably live TV in France, I was not ready for that."

"This city will always have a special place in my heart."
<<<

Santoro takes final bow at Australian Open (AP)
By Dennis Passa: AP Sports Writer
>>>
Fabrice Santoro made his Australian Open swansong on Friday, losing
in the third round to Andy Roddick.

Santoro said he's making his last appearance at the Major, which he
first played in 1991.

The 36-year-old Frenchman made his 18th appearance in Melbourne.
At the end of the match, Tennis Australia presented him with a bottle
of c******** and a certificate for a free dinner.

"This has always been one of my favourite places," said Santoro,
whose 2006 quarter-final appearance was his best.

Roddick congratulated Santoro as the pair walked off the court after
the 6-3 6-4 6-2 victory.

"Respect is an understatement," Roddick said. "The longevity he has
had is an accomplishment in itself."

Santoro was dubbed "The Magician" by Pete Sampras after losing to him
in three sets in 2002. Sampras won a record 14 Major singles-titles.

Santoro, who plays a two-handed forehand and backhand, and is a
master of spin, has never gone past the singles quarter-finals in 66
Major events.
<<<

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://tinyurl.com/andrewbroad-selesians

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

1. Photos
2. Women's Singles: Qualifying-results
3. Women's Singles: First-round results
4. Women's Singles: Second-round results
5. Men's Singles: Qualifying-result
6. Men's Singles: First-round result
7. Men's Singles: Second-round result

I'll post third round through quarter-finals on the next three
Selebbaths, as I have some detailed reports to post for these rounds.

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

Various players including Marion Bartoli:
http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/2/photogallery/

--------------------------------------
2. Women's Singles: Qualifying-results
--------------------------------------
2.1 First qualifying-round
--------------------------

+ YAN,ZI [8,S] d. Sally Peers [WC], 6-3 7-5
- AIKO NAKAMURA [23,S] lt. Katalin Marosi, 6-7(5) 3-6
- LUCIE HRADECKÁ [4,S] lt. Ekaterina Ivanova, 7-5 1-6 3-6
- Kumiko Iijima [S] lt. Zuzana Kucová, 6-7(5) 3-6

Zuzana is not to be confused with Kristína Kucová: the Selesian who
won the Girls' Singles at the US Open 2007!


2.2 Second qualifying-round
---------------------------

- YAN,ZI [8,S] lt. Alexandra Panova, 6-7(2) 6-2 7-9

---------------------------------------
3. Women's Singles: First-round results
---------------------------------------

+ MARION BARTOLI [16,DF,S] d. Melanie South, 6-2 6-4
+ Peng,Shuai [S] d. FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE [28], 7-6 (7/4) 6-1
+ Monica Niculescu [S] d. Katie O'Brien [Q], 6-4 6-4
- Hsieh,Su-Wei [S] lt. Chan,Yung-Jan, 3-6 3-6
- Ayumi Morita [S] lt. Tatjana Malek, 6-7 (4/7) 2-6

----------------------------------------
4. Women's Singles: Second-round results
----------------------------------------

+ MARION BARTOLI [16,DF,S] d. Tsvetana Pironkova [DF], 7-5 6-2
+ Peng,Shuai [S] d. Sesil Karatantcheva [Q], 6-4 6-0
- Monica Niculescu [S] lt. Sara Errani, 2-6 3-6

-----------------------------------
5. Men's Singles: Qualifying-result
-----------------------------------
5.1 First qualifying-round
--------------------------

- ILIA BOZOLJAC [17,S] lt. Blaž Kavcic, 1-6 3-6

------------------------------------
6. Men's Singles: First-round result
------------------------------------

+ Fabrice Santoro [S] d. Juan Carlos Ferrero, 6-3 6-2 6-7 (5/7) 6-2

-------------------------------------
7. Men's Singles: Second-round result
-------------------------------------

+ Fabrice Santoro [S] d. PHILIPP KOHLSCHREIBER [32],
5-7 7-5 3-6 7-5 6-3

Fabrice was competing in his 66th Major - a record for the Open Era!

Sadly, he plans to retire this year, which will be a crushing blow to
men's tennis as he is the only known Selesian that we still see in
the main draws of Majors, and has such a unique and unorthodox game -
even for a Selesian!

Monica Niculescu plays his game in women's tennis, however.

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://tinyurl.com/andrewbroad-selesians

I am delighted to report that Monica has been elected to the
prestigious International Tennis Hall of Fame - to be inducted on
Saturday 11th July 2009. It is an honour long overdue for the
greatest tennis-player of all time!

Another important event for Selesians to look forward to this year is
the publication of Monica's second autobiography - Getting a Grip:
On My Body, My Mind, My Self - on 21st April 2009.

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://tinyurl.com/andrewbroad-seles

------
Photos
------

Photos of Monica (followed by many other players):
http://www.tennis.com/photogallery/photogallery.aspx?pgid=1

Just Monica:
http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news/?c=news_photos&p=seles

--------
Articles (15th January 2009)
--------

Class of 2009 Announced!
International Tennis Hall of Fame
http://www.tennisfame.com/tennisfame.aspx?
pgID=889&newsID=143&exCompID=56
>>>
(Newport, Rhode Island, USA) Established in 1954, the International
Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum is a non-profit organisation dedicated
to preserving the history and heritage of tennis and its champions.

Christopher Clouser (Chairman of the International Tennis Hall of
Fame & Museum) and Tony Trabert (Hall of Fame President) have
announced the names of the newly-elected members to the International
Tennis Hall of Fame.

Leading the Induction Class of 2009 is nine-time Major champion and
former world No.1 Monica Seles.

Joining Seles for Hall-of-Fame induction is one of Spain's most
prominent tennis-players of the 1960s - Andrés Gimeno - who has been
elected in the Master Player category. In addition, elected in the
Contributor category are Donald L. Dell - an industry pioneer and
leader in sports-marketing, professional sports management and sports-
television, and founder of ProServ - and the late Dr. Robert
"Whirlwind" Johnson: founder and director of the American Tennis
Association (ATA) Junior Development Program, who worked tirelessly
for decades assisting in the development of young African-American
tennis-players while helping to break the barriers of racial
segregation.

"It is our great pleasure to welcome the newest members into the
International Tennis Hall of Fame, and to honour them for their
brilliant careers and significant achievements in the sport of
tennis," said Clouser.

The Hall of Fame's Class of 2009 Induction Ceremony is slated for
Saturday 11th July in Newport, Rhode Island, during the final weekend
of the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships (6th-12th July):
an ATP World Tour event.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame, inclusive of the Class of
2009, now honours 211 champions of tennis representing 18 different
countries.

Monica Seles, now 35, held the World No.1 ranking for 178
nonconsecutive weeks, and captured nine Major singles-titles:
four Australian Opens (1991-1993, 1996), three at Roland Garros (1990-
1992), and two US Opens (1991-1992). Her win-loss record at the
Majors was a staggering 43:4 at the Australian Open, 54:8 at Roland
Garros, 30:9 at Wimbledon, and 53:10 at the US Open.

In a career spanning 15 years, she captured 53 singles-titles and six
doubles-titles, and collected well over $14 million in prize-money.
She won three consecutive year-end WTA Championships (1990-1992), and
finished as the world's No.1 ranked player in both 1991 and 1992.

A natural lefty, wielding double-handed forehands and backhands, she
was a determined competitor. Her footwork was impeccable, her
groundstrokes powerful and aggressive, and she constantly attacked
her opponents with an arsenal of remarkable weapons.

At age 19, Seles had already won eight of her nine singles Majors,
and was at the top of her game. Then in April 1993, during a
changeover of her quarter-final match against Magdalena Maleeva in
Hamburg, a fanatical fan of Steffi Graf came out of nowhere and
stabbed her in the back: just below her left shoulder blade.

The horror of this event sent shockwaves through the tennis-
community, and 27 months would pass before Seles played competitively
again. When she returned to the courts, she was granted a co-No.1
ranking (shared with Graf), and won her comeback-event at the
Canadian Open, reached the US Open final, and followed up with her
ninth Major singles-championship at the Australian Open 1996.

Born on 2nd December 1973 in Novi Sad - in what was then Yugoslavia -
she moved with her family to the United States in 1987 at the age of
13 to train at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy.

On 16th March 1994, she became a US citizen. Seles would play on the
United States Fed Cup team for five years (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000,
2002) posting a career 15:2 singles-record and a 2:0 doubles-record
while helping the Americans capture the Cup in 1996, 1999 and 2000.

Seles remains the youngest champion in history to win at Roland
Garros (16 years, 6 months), and was the youngest winner of the Tour
Championships (16 years, 11 months), beating Gabriela Sabatini in the
first women's match to extend to five sets since the 1901 US National
final. In addition, Seles won the Olympic Bronze Medal in 2000.

Throughout her career, Seles won numerous awards, multiple Player and
Athlete of the Year awards, and humanitarian awards. She is currently
on the board of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and ICL
(Institution for Civil Leadership).

A panel of International Tennis Media voted on the Recent Player
selectee, where a 75% favourable vote is required for induction.
The International Masters Panel, which consists of Hall-of-Fame
inductees and individuals who are highly knowledgeable of the sport
and its history, voted on the Master Player and Contributor
selectees. To be inducted as a Master Player or a Contributor,
an affirmative vote of 75% is required.

HALL OF FAME ELIGIBILITY-CRITERIA

Recent Player: Monica Seles

Active as a competitor in the sport within the last 20 years prior to
consideration; not a significant factor on the ATP World Tour or WTA
Tour within five years prior to induction; a distinguished record of
competitive achievement at the highest international level, with
consideration given to integrity, sportsmanship and character.

Master Player: Andrés Gimeno

Competitor in the sport who has been retired for at least 20 years
prior to consideration; a distinguished record of competitive
achievement at the highest international level, with consideration
given to integrity, sportsmanship and character.

Contributors: Donald L. Dell and Dr. Robert Johnson (posthumously)

Exceptional contributions that have furthered the growth, reputation
and character of the sport, in categories such as administration,
media, coaching and officiating. Contributor-candidates do not need
to be retired from their activities related to the sport to be
considered.
<<<

Seles to be inducted into Tennis Hall of Fame (AP)
>>>
Monica Seles was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame on
Thursday - honoured for a career in which she won nine Major singles-
titles, and returned to the Tour after being stabbed while playing a
match.

Seles and the other members of the 2009 class announced on Thursday
will be inducted on 11th July.

"It was just a lot of highs and a lot of lows," Seles said during a
conference-call. "One of the things that always kept me going was my
love of the game."

Also elected were 1972 French Open champion Andrés Gimeno, ATP co-
founder Donald Dell, and the late Robert Johnson, who pioneered the
integration of tennis.

Known for her two-tone grunts and two-handed swings off both wings,
Seles won 53 singles-titles, including four at the Australian Open,
three at the French Open, and two at the US Open.

When she first rose to No.1 in 1991, she was 17 - at the time, the
youngest woman to have topped the rankings. By the time she was 19,
Seles already had won eight Major championships.

But in April 1993, at the height of her success, she was attacked by
a man who climbed out of the stands at a tournament in Hamburg,
Germany.

Seles returned to the game 27 months later, and immediately reached
the 1995 US Open final. Her last Major title then came at the 1996
Australian Open; she would go on to reach two more Major finals.

Seles said she does not dwell on how her career might have fared had
the stabbing not happened.

"I try not to ask myself those questions, because there are really no
answers to it," she said.

Hampered by a left-foot injury, she played her last match at the 2003
French Open at the age of 29. Thinking she might try to come back at
some point, Seles waited until last year to officially announce her
retirement.

Born in what was then Yugoslavia, Seles moved to the United States
when she was 13 to work at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy.
She became a US citizen in 1994, and helped the United States win
three Fed Cup titles.

Seles also won an Olympic Bronze Medal in 2000, and in 1990, at the
age of 16, became the youngest French Open champion in history.
She called her first Major victory the greatest of her career.

"As a 16-year-old, everybody says, 'Oh, you're going to be great,
blah, blah, blah,'" she said. "Until you actually do it, you don't
believe it."
<<<

Monica Heads Hall Of Fame's Class Of 2009
By Richard Pagliaro (Tennis Week)
>>>
From the very first time she recalls swinging at a tennis-ball,
Monica Seles held her racquet with both hands as if embracing a long-
lost family-member she never wanted to let go. The hug from the heart
for the sport that symbolises family-support remains within her.

She learned to play tennis in a parking-lot: belting balls bearing
the image of the cartoon-characters her cartoonist father, Karolj,
drew on the felt-sphere to make the game fun for her, and she grew
into one of the greatest players the sport has ever seen.

Seles always said nothing gave her greater joy than the simply
striking the ball. Today, Seles's coronation as a champion for the
ages became official as the International Tennis Hall of Fame
announced that Seles will lead the historic Hall's Class of 2009,
which will be inducted on Saturday 11th July at Newport, Rhode Island.

The nine-time Major singles-champion and former world No.1 was
elected to the Hall in the Recent Player category. Joining her in the
Master Player category is Andrés Gimeno. Gimeno was one of Spain's
most prominent tennis-players of the 1960s, who remains Roland
Garros' oldest singles-champion, winning the coveted clay-court title
in 1972. Elected in the Contributor category are: Donald L. Dell - a
former US Davis Cup player and an industry-pioneer and leader in
sports-marketing, professional sports management and sports-
television, and founder of ProServ - and Dr. Robert "Whirlwind"
Johnson, inducted posthumously: founder and director of the American
Tennis Association (ATA) Junior Development Program, who worked
tirelessly for decades assisting young African-American players (most
notably Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe) in gaining admittance into
previously segregated tournaments.

"I'm so excited and so honoured to be inducted into the Hall of Fame
alongside Andrés Gimeno, Donald Dell and Dr. Johnson," Seles told the
media in a conference-call today. "What a way for me to remember the
amazing tennis-career I had, and hopefully inspire young girls around
the world that dreams do come true. When I picked up the racquet for
the first time, I could never imagine where that racquet will take
you. And for me at age 35, with my tennis-career behind me, I can't
really put it into words what it means [to be inducted into the Hall
of Fame]."

Singles is a solitary sport, but Seles was never alone on the court —
she always felt accompanied by the father and family that introduced
her to tennis and nurtured her love for the game.

"I will get very emotional when I talk about him in July, because
really without him, I would have never nurtured my tennis," Seles
said of her dad. "Without my dad's love for the game and really just
making it fun for me... He never made it like it was something I had
to do. He just made it fun — that helped me stay in the game so long,
and to keep my sanity. When you see a player out on centre court, you
just see that person, but there are a lot of people behind them who
took them there, and in my case it was my family - especially my
father."

The two-handed titan captured nine Major championships and won 53
singles- and six doubles-tournaments, collecting $14,891,762 in
career prize-money in a professional career that began on 13th
February 1989. She first became No.1 in the world in March, 1991. She
was No.1 for 178 weeks during the next two years — the youngest No.1
ever at the time — until tragedy struck in April 1993, when she was
stabbed in the back during a match in Hamburg, Germany by a madman -
Günther Parche - who emerged from the crowd and plunged the blade
into her back just below her left shoulder-blade. Parche never served
prison-time for a vicious attack, while Seles was left to pick up the
pieces after a horrific attack that sidelined her for 27 months.

The attack literally cut her career as it approached its apex, and
while Seles said she tries not to wonder "what if" the stabbing never
occurred, the attack can still haunt her head.

"I thought of that probably the day after my stabbing; [now] it comes
and goes, and there are days I don't think about it," Seles said.
"Obviously now that I'm not playing, I don't think about it.
It is one of those things. Unfortunately it really changed the career
of mine and definitely Stefanie's [Graf's] career, and that was out
of my control, and it was really up to me to take control, and
I decided to play. What could have been? Nobody knows. What could
have been if I didn't pick up a tennis-racquet at seven? I try not to
ask myself those questions, because really there are no answers."

She was not able to play again for more than two years. When she did
return, she won even more hearts with her comeback-win at the
Canadian Open, then reached the US Open final the following month.
Remarkably, she then won her ninth Major title at the Australian Open
in January 1996.

The owner of a 595:122 record, Seles concluded 1991 and 1992 as World
No.1. In a sustained span of dominance, she won eight of the eleven
Major tournaments she entered from 1989 to 1993. Seles was also a
force in Fed Cup competition, posting a 17:2 record, including a 15:2
mark in singles-matches. She inspired a legion of top players,
including Venus Williams and Serena Williams, Ana Ivanovic and
Jelena Jankovic.

In a past interview with Tennis Week, Hall of Famer Jimmy Connors
said Seles's fighting spirit, willingness to play even closer to the
lines on pivotal points, and her aggressive baseline-style, made her
the player that most reminded him of himself.

"Who reminds me of me? Monica Seles is the player I think who played
the game the way I tried to play it." Connors told Tennis Week in a
past interview. "She always played as hard as she could every single-
match, and left it all on the court. I have tremendous respect for
Seles."

In her younger years, Seles revolutionised women's tennis by playing
a bold baseline-game, and producing power and short angles seldom
seen in women's tennis. The woman who took the ball so early it
looked like she was hitting half-volleys from the baseline, possessed
perhaps the most lethal return of serve in the history of women's
tennis, and a stirring shriek that accompanied her stunning shots.

"The ball is being hit harder and harder, and the girls are much more
complete players than they used to be - physically stronger," Seles
told Tennis Week in a past interview. "I think I probably was one of
the earliest to start it. I brought in power with two hands from both
sides. I was one of a few players that brought on this power-game,
and they've taken it to a new level. Then the grunting part:
everybody is now doing it. It's like normal now. Seeing women play
such aggressive tennis is really great."

Though Seles has limited her competitive appearances to World
TeamTennis and exhibition-matches in recent years, she still plans to
pursue her favourite tennis past-time with a passion: hitting.
The simple act of hitting the ball over the net over and over again
still brings genuine joy to one of the sharpest ball-strikers in the
sport's history.

"I had a very unusual career, to say the least," Seles told Tennis
Week. "I had some highs and lows. But at the end of the day, I got to
do something I loved to do. As a little girl, how I started playing
tennis was very simple. That part, I'm proud to say, has never
changed. To me, I get a great joy just hitting the ball."

Technically, Seles's trademark two-handed strokes were
unconventional. Mentally, she was one of the strongest players to
ever pick up a racquet, competing with fierce focus.

"You know, when you saw Monica Seles at 12 years old, you know I told
my friends I thought Monica would be the best player in the world,"
Nick Bollettieri, who worked with Seles early in her career, told
Tennis Week. "But when you looked at her natural physical ability as
a strong athlete able to push the weights and all that, you know she
didn't have that. But what she had was hitting the ball early, great
focus and determination, and always competed well. And I thought she
would be No.1, but to look at her physically, then you said: 'Well,
you know, I don't think this girl has it to make it physically.'
But mentally, she was just off the charts."

A stress-fracture in her foot forced Seles to step away from the WTA
Tour five years ago. She had not played a match since limping out of
the French Open in a 6-4 6-0 loss to Nadia Petrova in May 2003.
It was the first time in her storied career that Seles suffered a
first-round loss in a Major.

Adjusting to life after tennis was not a smooth transition, as she
slipped into an emotional void. Seles gained nearly 25 pounds at the
end of her career, and stuggled to lose the weight and find her self-
worth, and come to terms with her own identity as a person rather
than simply live with the label of being a life-long player. When the
ball stopped bouncing, the woman capable of digging so deep down on
the court had to work on herself and find her inner value away from
the game.

"Leaving my home at a very early age on, [you're] giving up something
for that, yet on the other end, getting so many great things: the
fame, financial freedom," Seles said. "There were the tragedies, and
really at the end of the day, it was discovering who Monica is, and
all the things that happened were outside of my hands. And during my
last three or four years [on the WTA Tour], you could definitely see
that in my weight. I look back at pictures, and I can tell you I just
was not a happy person inside. After I stopped playing tennis, I had
to give time to Monica and figure out what I wanted and who I was.
I had to deal with certain things I really didn't want to. My dad
always said, 'Put one step in front of you,' but at the end of the
day, you realise how fragile life was. My self-worth was in tennis,
my weight was very high, and I wasn't the happiest person - let's put
it that way."

That inner journey to self-discovery has prompted Seles to write a
book, which is scheduled for release this year.

"[The book is about] getting a grip on my body, my mind and myself:
my journey from tennis, fame, the tragedy, my self-discovery, and it
will be a lot written toward women about the weight," Seles said.
"I lost a lot of weight since I stopped playing tennis, which is a
big irony, since in tennis you exercise so much. I work with
preschoolers on fitness; [obesity] is one of my pet peeves, because
kids today are more sedentary."

Though she seemed to play with a ruthlessness on court, Seles was the
personification of graciousness off court.

"I was a normal person in some extraordinary circumstances," Seles
said. "I became No.1 as a teenager, I battled rebellion in my own
way, yet it was on a world-stage, so if I cut my hair short, it was
big news. At 19, to get stabbed by Parche on a tennis-court
definitely was unusual — something that never happened before or
since — and totally changed the course of my tennis-career. Coming
back to tennis at 21 was a big decision, and a year later [sic]
losing my father... it was lot of highs and a lot of lows.

"One thing that kept me going was I loved the game. Whenever I talk
to kids today, I tell them, 'You gotta love the game.' If you don't
love the game, then in the long run it's just not worth it. That love
really kept me through the good times and the bad times. I loved
playing tennis at my house in my backyard just as much as I did
playing on the centre court at the French Open or Wimbledon."
<<<

==========================
BEIJING 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES (Beijing, China; hard (Decoturf II))
========================== http://www.itftennis.com/olympics/
Contents
--------

1. Photos
2. Women's Singles: First-round results
3. Women's Singles: Second-round results
4. First-round scoreboard-report: Zvonarëva v Yan
5. Second-round TV-report: Cornet v Peng
6. Women's Doubles: Bronze-medal match

--------
1. Photo
--------

Peng,Shuai:
http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/sports/headlines/tennis/n214528746.shtml

---------------------------------------
2. Women's Singles: First-round results
---------------------------------------

+ Peng,Shuai [S] d. Carla Suárez Navarro, 7-5 7-6 (7/2)
+ Ayumi Morita [WC,S] d. Marina Erakovic, 5-7 7-6 (9/7) 6-4
- Yan,Zi [S] lt. VERA ZVONARËVA [9,EF], 2-6 0-6

----------------------------------------
3. Women's Singles: Second-round results
----------------------------------------

- Peng,Shuai [S] lt. ALIZÉ CORNET [15], 2-6 2-6
- Ayumi Morita [WC,S] lt. Li,Na, 2-6 5-7

-------------------------------------------------
4. First-round scoreboard-report: Zvonarëva v Yan (Monday 11th August)
-------------------------------------------------

+ VERA ZVONARËVA [9,EF] d. Yan,Zi [S], 6-2 6-0

An easy win for Vera: Yan's backhand wasn't working, so Vera put
pressure on that side, and Yan made 42 unforced errors.

The match started on Court 1 at 10:43 China-time. I followed live
scores at:
http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/Schedule/TE.shtml (Live Result
gives live scores, while Match Statistics tells you the sequence of
games and who was serving - the wrong way round)


First set
---------
ZVO * *@*@ @ 6
YAN _*____@_ 2

First blood to Vera, then a double break as Yan struggled with high
bounces <ASP0315 at
http://www.tennisforum.com/showthread.php?t=352898&page=6>.

Vera couldn't serve it out at *5-1, but broke to win the first set 6-2
at 11:14 (31 minutes).


Second set
----------
ZVO *@*@*@ 6
YAN ______ 0

Yan was broken from 0-1 (40/15), and her backhand was killing herself
according to adrygf
<http://www.tennisforum.com/showthread.php?t=352898&page=7>.

Vera won 6-2 6-0 at 11:45 (second set 32 minutes, match 1h03m).

----------------------------------------
5. Second-round TV-report: Cornet v Peng (Tuesday 12th August)
----------------------------------------

+ ALIZÉ CORNET [15] d. Peng,Shuai [S], 6-2 6-2

Not the greatest match in my eternal video-collection (at least until
that horrible white mould I've read about sets in), with both girls
nervous and making a lot of errors. The BBC commentators certainly
didn't like it, but for me it was a delightful combination of cuteness
and Selesianity, so when I'm at the Pearly Gates, this will be on my
video-tape.

Cornet made a very impressive start, playing more aggressively than
I've seen her play before. But she got nervous at 5-0*, and her weak
second serve doesn't bode well for her third-round match against
Serena Williams.


First set
---------
CORN *@*@*__@ 6
PENG _____*@_ 2

The match started on Centre Court at 10:41 China-time, and I saw it
all on BBCi.

Cornet serving 0-0: Peng forehand just long. 15/0. Cornet hit a
pinpoint backhand winner down the line: on the sideline. 30/0.
Ace down the middle. 40/0. Cornet hit an easy forehand winner.

So far, this looks like a more aggressive Cornet than I'm used to seeing!

Peng serving 0-1: Peng netted a forehand on the third stroke. There
was a big roar from the crowd. 0/15. Peng's depth forced Cornet to net
a forehand. Huge cheer. 15/15. In the first extended rally, Peng hit a
forehand just long. 15/30. Peng went for a backhand down the line, but
it was wild and wide. 15/40. Cornet opened up the court beautifully
and hit a crosscourt backhand winner.

Cornet serving 2-0: Short-angled ace out wide. 15/0. Peng blasted a
nervous backhand return into the net. 30/0. Peng hit a hard, early
forehand return whose depth and pace forced Cornet into error. 30/15.
Peng came to the net, but Cornet hit a dipping crosscourt forehand at
her feet, forcing her into error. 40/15. Peng hit a deep, aggressive,
error-forcing crosscourt forehand. 40/30. Cornet hit a defensive
backhand lob just long. 40/40. Service-winner out wide. Ad Cornet. She
forced Peng to hit a forehand long.

Peng is very aggressive when she's allowed to be, but Cornet moves
much better than Peng, is very aggressive herself today, and is
threatening to run away with this even 6-0 6-0 at the moment. :-o

Peng serving 0-3: Peng lined up a pinpoint backhand winner down the
line. 15/0. Peng netted a forehand. 15/15. Peng went for a
short-angled crosscourt backhand dropshot, but it was just wide.
15/30. Peng opened up the court with a crosscourt backhand, hit a
backhand winner down the line, on the baseline... it was called long,
but she challenged it, and Hawk-Eye showed that it clipped less than
1% of the baseline!! A big smile from Cornet. 30/30. Peng forehand
long. 30/40. Double fault (second serve clipped the netcord and fell
wide).

David Garrido: "Very tight out there. Very tight, and that second
serve leaves a lot to be desired."

Cornet serving 4-0: Peng pounced on a shaky second serve with a deep,
error-forcing crosscourt forehand return just inside the baseline.
15/0. A deep, early forehand return forced Cornet on her heels into
error. 30/0. Body-jamming serve out wide - sloppy footwork from Peng.
15/30. Peng came to the net and hit a nice forehand volley-winner down
the line. 15/40 (BP #1). First serve out wide: crosscourt forehand
return just wide. 30/40 (BP #2). A long rally ended with Cornet
hitting a deep, low-bouncing backhand down the line, forcing Peng to
earth a forehand. 40/40. Peng blasted a forehand long.
Ad Cornet. Peng netted a forehand off another awkward, low-bouncing
ball from Cornet.

A break-point not taken, and we're still on for a bagel or two...

The crowd are making a lot of noise during points - in China, they're
not used to watching tennis, so they don't get the etiquette that's
expected of spectators around the world.

Peng serving 0-5: Peng came to the net and hit a forehand smash
netcord-winner!! Cornet smiled again. 15/0. Cornet pounced on a short
return and hit a forehand winner down the line onto the baseline - so
fluid movement up to that. 15/15. Cornet forehand just long. 30/15.
Deep serve out wide + crosscourt forehand forced Cornet to hit a
crosscourt forehand wide. 40/15. Peng came to the net, but blasted a
nervous forehand very long. 40/30. Cornet's deep return rocked Peng
back on her heels, forcing her to net a forehand. 40/40. Peng forced a
short return and hit a forehand smash-winner off the bounce.
Ad Peng. Cornet's deep crosscourt backhand return forced Peng into
error. Deuce #2. Second serve: Cornet forehand return long. Ad Peng. A
deep return induced Peng to blast a short-angled crosscourt backhand
wide. Deuce #3. Cornet forehand return long. Ad Peng.
She got away with a short second serve as Cornet on the fourth stroke
bunted a backhand long.

A huge roar from the crowd as Peng gets on the board despite
squandering four game-points.

Cornet serving 5-1: Peng missed a return off a weak second serve.
15/0. Another weak second serve allowed Peng to hit a deep,
aggressive, error-forcing forehand return down the line. 15/15. Double
fault (second serve into the net). 15/30. Cornet backhand long. 15/40
(BP #1). Peng came to the net, but her volley sat up, and Cornet ran
it down to hit a crosscourt forehand pass-winner into the corner: just
inside the sideline - the point of the match so far. 30/40 (BP #2).
Service-winner. 40/40. Second serve: Peng netted a forehand return. Ad
Cornet (SP #1). Double fault (second serve into the net). Deuce #2. A
deep forehand return forced Cornet to net a forehand. Ad Peng (BP #3).
A lovely, flairsome baseline-rally ended unfortunately with Peng
hitting a backhand long. Deuce #3.
First serve: Peng slapped a forehand return into the net.
Ad Cornet (SP #2). She netted a backhand, and screamed in frustration.
Deuce #4. Cornet on the third stroke hit a forehand long. Ad Peng (BP
#4). Peng blasted a forehand into the net.
Deuce #5. Peng came to the net, but poked an off-forehand long.
Ad Cornet (SP #3). Cornet backhand down the line just wide. Deuce #6.
Peng forehand just long. Ad Cornet (SP #4). Double fault (second serve
just long). Deuce #7. Peng's depth induced Cornet to hit a forehand
just wide. Ad Peng (BP #5). Peng hit an off-forehand winner just
inside the sideline - the first winner of that long game, and she
breaks back!

A very nervous game from Cornet (and from Peng). Now she's got the
baggage of four missed set-points, she's letting the crowd get to her
I think, and that second serve is the one glaring weakness in her game.

Peng serving 2-5: Peng on the third stroke hit a backhand wide. 0/15.
Double fault (second serve clipped the netcord and fell wide). 0/30.
Peng pounced on a short, mishit ball to hit a crosscourt backhand
winner. 15/30. Peng showed some good defence in a long rally, but
Cornet hit an off-forehand winner just inside the sideline.
15/40 (SP #5). Cornet forehand just long. 30/40 (SP #6).
Cornet blasted a forehand return into the net. 40/40. Ace down the
middle. Ad Peng. Cornet forehand netcord-winner - much as Peng tried
to run it down. Deuce #2. Peng backhand just long. Ad Cornet (SP #7).
Peng forehand long.
Cornet won the first set 6-2 at 11:27 (46 minutes).

David Garrido: "Cornet doesn't have that killer-instinct. Can't finish
her off."

It will be interesting to see if Peng can keep it this close in the
second set, now that Cornet has got nervous and lost the great
momentum she got from her excellent start to this match.


Second set
----------
CORN *@* * *@ 6
PENG ___* *__ 2

Cornet serving 0-0: Peng forehand long. 15/0. Cornet forehand
smash-winner. 30/0. Ace down the middle. 40/0. Peng punished a short
second serve with a deep backhand return just inside the baseline,
forcing Cornet to bunt a defensive forehand lob into the tramlines.
40/15. Peng forehand winner down the line. 40/30. Peng off-backhand
wide - you need great footwork for that shot, and Peng didn't show it
there.

Peng serving 0-1: Peng netted a backhand off a deep groundstroke from
Cornet. 0/15. Cornet netted a forehand return. 15/15. Peng's depth
forced Cornet way behind the baseline to slice a backhand into the
net. 30/15. Cornet forehand winner down Peng's forehand-sideline.
30/30. Peng came to the net and hit a backhand half-volley
dropshot-winner of lovely touch. 40/30. Short second serve: Cornet
blasted a backhand return-winner down the line. 40/40. Cornet punished
a short second serve with a deep forehand return just inside the
baseline, forcing Peng to backstep and bunt a backhand lob wide. Ad
Cornet (BP). Peng attempted a half-volley forehand dropshot from the
baseline, but netted it.

Cornet serving 2-0: First serve out wide forced Peng into the
tramlines to net a crosscourt forehand return. 15/0. Cornet forehand
just long. 15/15. A wide crosscourt forehand return forced Cornetto
hit a forehand wide. 15/30. Peng netted a forehand. 30/30.
Body-jamming serve forced Peng to hit a forehand return long. 40/30.
Peng blasted a backhand return into the net.

Peng serving 0-3: Cornet netted a forehand. 15/0. Service-winner down
the middle. 30/0. Cornet forehand just long. 40/0. Cornet came to the
net and hit a nice off-backhand drop-volley winner. 40/15. Peng
backhand long. 40/30. Peng nailed a down-the-line backhand winner
behind Cornet.

Cornet serving 3-1: Peng pounced on a short ball to hit an
off-backhand just inside the sideline - much better than her previous
attempt at an off-backhand. 0/15. Peng forehand return long. 15/15.
And again. 30/15. Peng backhand return long. 40/15. Cornet almost hit
an ace down the middle onto the centre-line, but it was just wide.
Second serve: Peng netted a forehand return.

Really cheap return-errors from Peng in that game.

Peng serving 1-4: Peng pounced on a short return to hit an easy
crosscourt backhand winner. 15/0. Forehand return just long. 30/0.
Serve out wide - just inside the sideline - forced Cornet to hit a
crosscourt forehand return wide. 40/0. Cornet netted a forehand return.

Cornet serving 4-2: Peng hit a crosscourt forehand return just wide,
and wiped her eyes. David Garrido: "Peng beginning to feel the
strain." 15/0. Second serve: Peng missed another return. 30/0.
Cornet's depth forced Peng to hit a forehand long. 40/0.
Service-winner out wide, and the first fist-pump I've noticed from Cornet.

Peng serving 2-5: Double fault (second serve into the net). 0/15. Peng
hit a crosscourt forehand smash-winner off a short, high-bouncing ball
from Cornet. 15/15. Short second serve: Cornet forehand return-winner
down the line. 15/30. Peng went for a short-angled crosscourt
backhand, but it was just wide. 15/40 (MP #1). Double fault (both
serves just long).
Cornet won 6-2 6-2 at 11:55 (second set 28m, match 1h14m).

Cornet showed off her lovely smile again. She was talking to someone
at the side of the court just after the match - coach?

--------------------------------------
6. Women's Doubles: Bronze-medal match (Sunday 17th August)
--------------------------------------

+ (YAN,ZI [S]/ZHENG,JIE)[8]
d. (ALYONA BONDARENKO/KATERYNA BONDARENKO)[6], 6-2 6-2

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

=================
THE CHAMPIONSHIPS (Wimbledon, England; grass; Grand Slam)
================= http://championships.wimbledon.org/
Contents
--------

1. Photos
2. Girls' Singles: First-round result
3. Girls' Singles: Second-round result
4. Girls' Singles: Third-round result
5. Girls' Singles: Quarter-final result & article
6. Girls' Singles: Semi-final result
7. Girls' Singles final: Lertcheewakarn v Robson TV-report

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

Noppawan Lertcheewakarn [S]:
http://championships.wimbledon.org/en_GB/players/wta314684.html

-------------------------------------
2. Girls' Singles: First-round result (Monday 30th June)
-------------------------------------

+ NOPPAWAN LERTCHEEWAKARN [3,S] d. Zuzana Linhová, 4-6 6-0 6-1

--------------------------------------
3. Girls' Singles: Second-round result (Tuesday 1st July)
--------------------------------------

+ NOPPAWAN LERTCHEEWAKARN [3,S] d. Richel Hogenkamp, 6-3 6-1

-------------------------------------
4. Girls' Singles: Third-round result (Wednesday 2nd July)
-------------------------------------

+ NOPPAWAN LERTCHEEWAKARN [3,S] d. Tyra Calderwood, 6-2 6-2

-------------------------------------------------
5. Girls' Singles: Quarter-final result & article
(Thursday 3rd July)
-------------------------------------------------

Nice winner, nice loser:
+ NOPPAWAN LERTCHEEWAKARN [3,S] d. Naomi Broady, 6-7 (6/8) 6-3 6-4

Naomi may be British, but since she was playing out on Court 19, the
BBC didn't televise her except for an out-of-focus glimpse during a
round-up. Sadly she'll be too old for juniors next year, so unless
she keeps up her recent encouraging progress and translates it to the
women's game, I may never get to see her play.


Article
-------

Robson reaches girls' semi-finals
By Chris Bevan (BBC Sport)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7488169.stm
>>>
Britain's Laura Robson continued her stunning progress in the girls'
singles at Wimbledon, beating Serbia's Bojana Jovanovski to reach the
semi-finals.

The 14-year-old from London plays Slovakia's Romana Tabaková next.

But fellow Briton Naomi Broady was beaten 6-7 (6/8) 6-3 6-4 by
Noppawan Lertcheewakarn in her quarter-final.

Robson will return on Friday to play Tabaková, 17, from Bratislava.

But Broady will not join her despite a battling display against
Lertcheewakarn: the third seed.

Broady, 18, was far more powerful than her Thai opponent, and her
athleticism and big serve gave her the edge at times.

Too often, though, the British Under-18 champion from Stockport was
guilty of sloppiness at key moments, and one such lapse saw her serve
fall apart when she served for the first set.

She recovered to take it in a tiebreak - saving two set-points in the
process - but more mistakes cost her in the second set, and she could
not play her way out of trouble.

The pattern continued in the decider, and it was the Thai's
steadiness that eventually gave her victory.
<<<

------------------------------------
6. Girls' Singles: Semi-final result (Friday 4th July)
------------------------------------

+ NOPPAWAN LERTCHEEWAKARN [3,S] d. Tamaryn Hendler, 7-6 (7/2) 6-3

I saw Lertcheewakarn's match-point on BBCi: she dominated the rally
with her Selesian groundstrokes, then came to the net on a floater
and hit a right-handed forehand volley-winner.

----------------------------------------------------------
7. Girls' Singles final: Lertcheewakarn v Robson TV-report
(Saturday 5th July)
----------------------------------------------------------

- NOPPAWAN LERTCHEEWAKARN [3,S] lt. Laura Robson, 3-6 6-3 1-6

Robson completed an unbelievable tournament for a 14-year-old, and
for a British girl (the last one to win Wimbledon was Annabel Croft
in 1984).

Robson is not (yet) a big, strong girl, but she certainly packs a
punch with her well-timed, well-placed left-handed groundstrokes
of "easy power", and is very strong mentally - I think because at 14,
there are no scars on her psyche yet. That could change for the worse
after she's been 'Safina'd a few times, and we shall see how she will
be affected by the immense hype that has only just begun...

I wanted Noppawan to win because she is a Selesian, but her defeat
doesn't hurt me like when Romana Tabaková lost to Robson in the semi-
finals, because I have Passion for Romana but only Reason for
Noppawan.

Robson led 3-0* in the first set, but Noppawan ground her way back
for *3-3.

Robson won four games in a row to lead 6-3 *1-0, was broken back
immediately, also led *3-2 in the second set, but Noppawan fought
back with four games in a row herself to take the second set 6-3.

Noppawan certainly had the momentum by the end of the second set, as
Robson was getting nervous and frustrated, and Noppawan was robbing
Robson of time with her flat, early, Selesian groundstrokes.

Robson set the tone for the third set with a brilliant forehand
winner down the line - right in the corner from outside the
tramlines - and broke for *2-0.

Although Robson looked upset when Noppawan broke back immediately,
she pulled off the match's third 4-game winning-streak to cruise to
victory faster than you could say "Noppawan Lertcheewakarn" (i.e.
quite fast, but there were a couple of deuce-games in that home
straight).

So Britain will have a 15-year-old wild card in the Women's Singles
at Wimbledon 2009, and perhaps within five years, the BBC might start
referring to Aorangi Terrace as "Robson's Ridge" rather than "Henman
Hill".


First set
---------
LERTCH ___*@*___ 3
ROBSON *@*___*@* 6

The first five games were televised only on BBCi, while the Women's
Singles final was in progress on BBC 1, so I watched them recorded:

Robson serving 0-0: I missed the first couple of points, and couldn't
be bothered rewinding my video to find out what happened. 30/0.
Robson hit a deep, error-forcing forehand. 40/0. Double fault (second
serve into the net). 40/15. Noppawan hit a sweet, short-angled
crosscourt forehand onto the sideline. 40/30. Service-winner.

Noppawan serving 0-1: Robson netted a forehand return. 15/0. Double
fault (second serve into the net). 15/15. Serve out wide + low, hard,
flat backhand winner down the line. 30/15. Robson forehand winner
down the line. 30/30. Robson hit a deep, error-forcing backhand
return just inside the baseline. 30/40. A deep backhand return forced
Noppawan to net a forehand.

Sam Smith: "Low, hard and flat - that's how Lertcheewakarn plays her
tennis."

Robson serving 2-0: Robson forehand just long. 0/15. Robson forced a
short ball and picked off a well-controlled crosscourt forehand
winner. 15/15. Noppawan forehand down the line + crosscourt forehand
winner. 15/30. Double fault (second serve into the net). 15/40.
Robson's deep forehand forced Noppawan to net a forehand. 30/40.
Noppawan netted a backhand return. 40/40. Noppawan netted a forehand.
Ad Robson. A low bounce induced her to hit a forehand halfway up the
net. Deuce #2. Noppawan netted a forehand off a 92mph second serve.
Ad Robson. She hit an off-forehand winner onto the baseline, which
was called long but overruled by the umpire.

Chris Bailey said Robson had "easy power".

Noppawan serving 0-3: Noppawan forced a short ball and hit a
crosscourt forehand winner. 15/0. Robson backhand long. 30/0.
Noppawan pounced on a high-bouncing ball with a crosscourt forehand
winner. 40/0. Noppawan crosscourt forehand winner.

Sam Smith said they were playing at the level of the first round of a
WTA Tour tournament or the final of an ITF Women's Circuit tournament.

Robson serving 3-1: Noppawan crosscourt backhand wide. 15/0. A good
serve forced a short return, which Robson dispatched with a
crosscourt forehand winner. 30/0. Robson sprayed a backhand long.
30/15. Noppawan hit a searing crosscourt backhand return, forcing
Robson into error. 30/30. Robson went for a forehand down the line,
but it was just wide. Robson challenged it, and Hawk-Eye confirmed it
was wide. 30/40. Robson netted a forehand, and reacted with a cute
little squeak.

The following was televised live on BBC 1 following the Women's
Singles final:

Noppawan serving 2-3: Backhand winner down the line. 0/15. Double
fault (second serve into the net). 0/30. Service-winner out wide.
15/30. Serve out wide + error-forcing crosscourt forehand into the
corner. 30/30. Noppawan came to the net, forcing Robson to hit a
forehand lob long. 40/30. Robson netted a forehand return.

Sam Smith: "Lertcheewakarn has holes in her game, but she looks like
a girl who has to be beaten. She's not giving it away."

Robson has gone from 3-0* to *3-3. Perhaps she's intimidated by
playing in a packed Court One - completely different from the courts
she's used to playing on.

Robson serving 3-3: Robson earthed a forehand. 0/15. Ace out wide.
Loud cheer from the crowd. 15/15. Noppawan forehand long. 30/15.
Backhand return long. 40/15. Noppawan forehand wide off a deep ball
from Robson.

Noppawan serving 3-4: Robson netted a forehand on the third stroke.
0/15. Robson hit a stunning forehand winner down the line. 0/30.
Robson netted a forehand. 15/30. Double fault (second serve long).
15/40. Noppawan hit a backhand long off a deep return.

Sam Smith: "Lertcheewakarn has a junior's serve."
Chris Bailey: "Very robotic."

Robson serving 5-3: Noppawan swung and missed with her two-handed
forehand! Bad bounce? 15/0. Robson hit an error-forcing crosscourt
forehand just inside the sideline. 30/0. Robson backhand wide. 30/15.
Robson forehand winner down the line. 40/15. Service-winner out wide.
Robson won the first set 6-3 at 16:27.


Second set
----------
LERTCH _@*__@*@* 6
ROBSON @__*@____ 3

Noppawan serving 0-0: Robson netted a forehand. 15/0. Robson hit an
acute off-backhand return-winner. 15/15. Noppawan earthed a forehand
off a deep ball from Robson. 15/30. Robson hit an off-forehand winner
just inside the sideline. 30/30. Serve out wide + crosscourt backhand
winner. 30/40 (BP). Robson forehand just long. 40/40. Double fault #4
(69mph second serve into the net). Ad Robson (BP). Noppawan backhand
wide.

Sam Smith (re. Robson's forehand): "It's aggressive but safe. Just a
covering of topspin. Lertcheewakarn doesn't have that safety built
in, but when she lands one, it's very impressive."

Robson serving 1-0: Double fault (second serve into the net). 0/15.
Short-angled ace out wide: just inside the sideline. 15/15. Noppawan
forehand pass-winner down the line. 15/30. Noppawan came to the net
and hit an off-backhand volley-winner. 30/30. Robson played a nice
spreading rally with a forehand winner down the line. 30/40. Robson
netted a forehand.

Sam Smith: "This is not junior-tennis as we know it, where the girls
are looking to make as many balls as possible. This is almost mini-
pro tennis, only without so much power."

Noppawan serving 1-1: Robson sprayed a backhand very wide, and
emitted a cute, high-pitched squeal. 15/0. Ace down the middle. 30/0.
Noppawan forehand long off a deep ball from Robson. 30/15. Noppawan
crosscourt forehand winner on the baseline. 40/15. Robson's
penetrating backhand return forced Noppawan to hit a forehand long.
40/30. Robson backhand long.

Would you believe it? BBC 1 is actually STAYING with this match while
the Men's Doubles final is relegated to BBCi!! I never expected the
BBC's jingoism to overcome its sexism - I thought they'd switch over
to the Men's Doubles the moment the players walked out onto Centre
Court!

Robson serving 1-2: Noppawan netted a forehand. 15/0. Noppawan
forehand wide. 30/0. Noppawan to hit a one-handed backhand lob long.
40/0. Noppawan hit a sweet crosscourt forehand winner just inside the
sideline. 40/15. Ace down the middle.

Noppawan serving 2-2: Robson off-forehand winner. 0/15. Double fault
(second serve into the net). 0/30. Service-winner. 15/30. Noppawan
sprayed a backhand wide. 15/40. Serve out wide + crosscourt backhand
winner. 30/40. Noppawan crosscourt backhand wide.

Robson serving 3-2: Service-winner down the middle. 15/0. Robson
netted a backhand off a deep return. 15/15. Double fault #4 (second
serve into the net - would also have been wide). 15/30. Robson,
driven wide, hit a forehand very long. 15/40 (BP). Robson forced
Noppawan to hit a forehand just wide. 30/40 (BP #2). Serve + off-
forehand winner. 40/40. Noppawan backhand long. Ad Robson. Noppawan
hit a pinpoint backhand down the line + well-held crosscourt backhand
winner. Deuce #2. Backhand return long. Ad Robson. Noppawan hit a
forehand down the line + backhand down the line, forcing Robson to
hit a forehand that clipped the netcord and fell back on her side.
Deuce #3. Noppawan came to the net behind a crosscourt forehand, and
Robson netted a makeable crosscourt backhand pass.
Ad Noppawan (BP #3). Double fault (second serve into the net).

Noppawan serving 3-3: Noppawan ran down a dropshot and hit a forehand
winner up the line. 15/0. Robson netted a cheap forehand return.
30/0. Robson went for a forehand down the line, low over the net, but
it was just long. 40/0. Robson sprayed a wild forehand long.

Noppawan has certainly achieved a momentum-shift in the last couple
of games. Robson's getting nervous and frustrated, while Noppawan is
robbing Robson of time with her early, flat hitting.

Robson serving 3-4: Double fault (second serve into the net). Robson
emitted a high-pitched squeal. 0/15. Noppawan came to the net and hit
a nice backhand volley-winner. 0/30. Second-serve service-winner.
15/30. Robson backhand long. 15/40. Noppawan backhand long. 30/40.
Robson netted a backhand on the third stroke.

Noppawan serving 5-3: Noppawan challenged a ball that was long, and
Hawk-Eye showed that it was long by 1mm. 15/0. Robson hit a forehand
return long, and squealed. 30/0. Robson hit a crisp backhand return-
winner down the line. 30/15. Double fault (second serve into the
net). 30/30. Robson backhand return long. 40/30 (SP #1). Noppawan
backhand just long, but she used Hawk-Eye to overrule it as good.
Replay: Robson played a dynamic point, advancing up the court to
force Noppawan to hit a lob long. 40/40. Noppawan backhand winner
down the line. Ad Noppawan (SP #2). Robson, driven wide, netted a
forehand. Noppawan won the second set 6-3 at 17:03.


Third set
---------
LERTCH __@____ 1
ROBSON *@ @*@* 6

Robson serving 0-0: Noppawan off-backhand wide off a deep ball down
the middle from Robson. 15/0. Robson, driven outside the sidelines,
hit a "remarkable" forehand winner down the line, right in the
corner!! 30/0. A deep return forced Robson to hit a forehand long.
30/15. Robson handcuffed Noppawan with a deep shot down the middle,
forcing Noppawan to hit a forehand wide. 40/15. Noppawan forehand
long.

Loud cheer from the crowd. Sam Smith suggested that Aorangi Terrace
might be known as "Robson's Ridge" in a few years' time.

Noppawan serving 0-1: Robson's cap fell off, so they played a let.
Robson hit a deep backhand just inside the baseline, forcing Noppawan
into error. 0/15. Noppawan netted a forehand. 0/30. Noppawan netted a
forehand. 0/40. A great rally ended with Noppawan running down a drop-
volley (which the crowd were already celebrating) to hit a forehand
pass-winner down the line. 15/40. Robson backhand return wide. 30/40.
Noppawan earthed a backhand off a low-bouncing ball that was also
blown to her side by the wind.

Robson serving 2-0: Noppawan netted a backhand return. 15/0. Noppawan
opened up the court and hit a crosscourt backhand winner. 15/15.
Double fault (second serve long). 15/30. Noppawan backhand wide.
30/30. Noppawan hit crosscourt backhand onto the sideline, forcing
Robson to hit a crosscourt forehand wide. 30/40. Double fault (second
serve just long).

Robson looks pretty upset walking to her chair.

Sam Smith said Robson was about the standard that Arantxa Sánchez,
Conchita Martínez and Kim Clijsters were at 14, but below the
standard of She Who Must Not Be Named.

Noppawan serving 1-2: Robson forehand long. 15/0. Double fault.
15/15. Noppawan came to the net, but her approach was too weak, and
Robson hit a forehand winner down the line. But she didn't hear the
call of "out". However, she challenged it, and Hawk-Eye showed that
it caught about 1% of the sideline! 15/30. Robson hit a short-angled
off-forehand winner. 15/40. Noppawan ran down a dropshot but hit a
forehand long.

Robson serving 3-1: Noppawan forehand wide. 15/0. Noppawan hit a
short-angled crosscourt forehand winner - good scrambling. 15/15.
Ace out wide: right in the corner. 30/15. Robson forehand long.
30/30. Robson hit a forehand long, and squealed. 30/40. Robson ran
down a short return and hit a searing crosscourt forehand winner.
40/40. Noppawan played a great spreading rally, but pushed back on
her heels by a deep shot from Robson, netted a short-angled
crosscourt forehand would-be winner. Ad Robson. Noppawan backhand
long.

Noppawan serving 1-4: Noppawan hit a deep backhand down the line,
forcing Robson to hit a forehand lob long. 15/0. A deep shot into the
corner from Noppawan forced Robson to net a running forehand. 30/0.
Noppawan hit a good serve but netted a cheap crosscourt backhand.
30/15. Noppawan backhand long. 30/30. Noppawan sprayed a backhand
wide. 30/40 (BP). Robson netted a forehand. 40/40. Robson forced a
short ball and hit a forehand winner down the line.
Ad Robson (BP #2). Noppawan crosscourt forehand just wide.

Robson serving 5-1: Service-winner down the middle. 15/0. A good
serve forced a short return, which Robson dispatched with a
crosscourt backhand winner. 30/0. Noppawan crosscourt forehand just
wide. 40/0 (CP #1). Double fault (first serve just long, second serve
a bit longer). 40/15 (CP #2). Service-winner down the middle.
Robson won 6-3 3-6 6-1 at 17:32.

Some of the crowd thought Robson hit a service-winner at 40/0 (it
looked like it was on the service-line). They think it's all over,
but it is now.


Robson: "I thought I was gonna be sick when I walked on court,
because there were so many people watching! In the second set, I went
a bit mad, but I got it back together, I think."

Robson also described the "nice" rejection-letter she got from Marat
Safin, whom she wanted to take to the Champions' Ball.

And when the interviewer asked Robson how she would like to draw
Venus Williams in the Women's Singles next year (the Girls' Singles
champion automatically gets a wild card), she said: "I'll take her
DOWN!"

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

Raemon Sluiter, who announced his retirement at the Rotterdam event in
February, says he plans to resume his career. "I could not resist the
itch," he said.

http://tennis.com/news/ticker.aspx

Dutch tennis player Raemon Sluiter anounces during a press conference
in Rotterdam on November 26, 2008 that he will return to international
tennis in 2009. Sluiter, who resigned in February of 2008, reached his
highest world ranking, 46th, in 2003. His black eye is due to an
accident during a tennis clinic.

http://sports.yahoo.com/ten/gallery

=================
THE CHAMPIONSHIPS (Wimbledon, England; grass; Grand Slam)
================= http://www.wimbledon.org/
Contents
--------

1. Women's Singles: Third-round results
2. Third-round TV-report: Bartoli v Mattek

---------------------------------------
1. Women's Singles: Third-round results
---------------------------------------

- MARION BARTOLI [11,DF,S] lt. Bethanie Mattek, 4-6 1-6
- Peng,Shuai [S] lt. Alla Kudryavtseva, 3-6 6-1 4-6

------------------------------------------
2. Third-round TV-report: Bartoli v Mattek (Friday 27th June)
------------------------------------------

- MARION BARTOLI [11,DF,S] lt. Bethanie Mattek, 4-6 1-6

The first set was an intriguing contest. Marion was looking to spread
Mattek and overpower her with Selesian groundstrokes, while Mattek was
looking to take the initiative away from Marion, vary the spins and
angles, and exploit Marion's poor mobility with plenty of dropshots.

Marion led 4-2* after Mattek made too many unforced errors for her
game-plan to succeed, but Marion fell apart badly after that, winning
only one more game in the match.

Marion took a lengthy injury-break at *4-5, for both her right
shoulder and her left leg.

After that, Marion's on-court demeanour was very poor: she looked
fed up, irritated and tetchy, and kept looking at her father in the
stands. With a ton of ranking-points to defend from reaching the final
last year - when tennis was such a joy for her - she looked like she
didn't want to be on court at all.

Marion needs to take a long break from tennis to sort herself out -
particularly mentally.


First set
---------
BARTOL @ @* *____ 4
MATTEK _@__* *@*@ 6

The match was second on Court 11, started at 15:33 BST, and I saw it
all on BBCi.

Mattek serving 0-0: Double fault (second serve long). 0/15.
Mattek netted a "tame" forehand on the third stroke. 0/30.
Marion crosscourt forehand return + "rifled" crosscourt forehand
winner. 0/40. Marion went for a backhand return-winner down the line,
but it was just wide. 15/40. Marion hit a deep crosscourt backhand,
but Mattek stood her ground and pulled off an amazing backhand winner
down the line. 30/40. Mattek dumped a backhand into the net to hand
Marion the first break.

Marion serving 1-0: Marion netted a backhand off an awkward mishit
lob-return. 0/15. Marion advanced up the court and hit a down-the-line
backhand drive-volley winner off a short floater. 15/15. Mattek
forehand long. 30/15. Mattek came to the net and hit a short
crosscourt forehand volley-winner. 30/30. Mattek netted a backhand.
40/30. Mattek came to the net and hit a low crosscourt backhand
drive-volley winner. 40/40. Marion backhand winner down the line died
away on Mattek. Ad Marion. Mattek hit a short-angled crosscourt
forehand winner. Deuce #2. Marion came to the net, but Mattek cut off
her down-the-line backhand with a crosscourt forehand volley-winner.
Ad Mattek (BP). Mattek came to the net, forcing Marion to hit a
crosscourt backhand pass just wide.

Marion's looking upset with herself, and over at her father.
The commentators said they have a very close relationship, and she's
only playing for him.

Mattek serving 1-1: Mattek netted a forehand. 0/15. Mattek forced
Marion to hit a backhand lob wide. 15/15. Mattek forehand just long.
15/30. Marion netted a backhand. 30/30. Mattek netted a wild backhand
off a deep crosscourt backhand from Marion. 30/40. Marion backhand
long. 40/40. Marion's crosscourt backhand forced Mattek to net a
backhand. Ad Marion (BP #2). Marion came to the net, but Mattek hit a
perfect lob-winner just inside the baseline. Deuce #2.
Mattek forehand long. Ad Mattek (BP #3). Mattek on the third stroke
netted a backhand.

Marion serving 2-1: Double fault (second serve just long). 15/0.
Mattek backhand return long. 15/15. Mattek netted a forehand return.
30/15. Marion crosscourt forehand just wide - awkward footwork, maybe
blame the wind. 30/30. Mattek backhand dropshot-winner from the
baseline. 30/40. Mattek drew Marion to the net with a dropshot, but
pushed a forehand lob wide. 40/40. Marion hit a scorching off-backhand
winner back behind Mattek. Ad Marion. She came to the net and hit a
two-handed backhand volley-winner crosscourt to score the first hold
of the match.

Mattek serving 1-3: Marion netted a forehand return. 15/0. Marion hit
a powerful, clean off-backhand winner. 15/15. Marion forehand long.
30/15. Marion netted a backhand return off a good kick serve. 40/15.
Ace down the middle: just inside the service-line.

Marion serving 3-2: Mattek exploited Marion's mobility with an
error-forcing crosscourt backhand. 0/15. Marion came to the net and
hit a backhand drop-volley winner. 15/15. Marion came to the net and
hit a crosscourt forehand drive-volley winner - off an awkward dipping
ball, too! 30/15. Mattek hit a down-the-line backhand winner back
behind Marion. 30/30. Mattek backhand very long. 40/30. Mattek
backhand return-winner down the line: just inside the baseline. 40/40.
Mattek backhand long. Ad Marion. Mattek backhand long.

Mattek is trying to take the initiative to stop Marion spreading her,
but is making too many errors. Mattek is also varying her spin and angles.

Mattek serving 2-4: Service-winner. 15/0. Mattek hit an easy backhand
winner down the line off a "horrible" high dropshot. 30/0. Double
fault (second serve long). 30/15. Marion blasted a crosscourt forehand
would-be winner just wide. 40/15. Mattek forced a short return and hit
a forehand winner down the line.

Marion serving 4-3: Mattek pounced on a short ball with a crosscourt
forehand winner. 0/15. Marion forehand very long. 0/30. Serve out wide
+ crosscourt backhand winner. 15/30. Mattek netted a forehand. 30/30.
Mattek ran down a dropshot and hit a crosscourt forehand winner just
inside the sideline. 30/40. Mattek backhand wide. 40/40. Mattek
backhand dropshot-winner - poor forward-movement from Marion. Ad
Mattek. Marion forehand winner down the line. Deuce #2.
Service-winner out wide. Ad Marion. She netted a forehand - slow
movement again. Deuce #3. Marion backhand winner down the line. Mattek
had a nasty slip, and limped to her chair to towel down.
Ad Marion. Mattek crosscourt forehand winner just inside the baseline.
Deuce #4. Mattek forehand return-winner down the line.
Ad Mattek. Marion netted a forehand.

I have to say: Mattek is a much better and more graceful mover than
Marion. Mattek glides effortlessly around the court, while Marion
struggles to get up to dropshots.

Mattek serving 4-4: Marion backhand return long. 15/0. Marion dumped a
backhand return into the net. 30/0. Marion hit a backhand
return-winner down Mattek's backhand-sideline. 30/15. Mattek forced a
short ball and hit a forehand winner down - and just inside - Marion's
forehand-sideline. 40/15. Marion backhand drive-volley long.

Marion called for the trainer, and the match was paused pending her
arrival. Marion touched her right shoulder, then the trainer did two
different evaluations: one where she tested Marion's shoulder by
moving her right arm around, and another where she rubbed Marion's
left calf. Mattek used the time to give herself a foot-massage.

Marion serving 4-5: Mattek sliced backhand netcord-winner. 0/15.
Marion blasted a crosscourt forehand just wide. Marion whacked her leg
with her racket. 0/30. Marion netted a forehand and threw her racket.
0/40 (SP #1). Service-winner down the middle. Marion backhand long.
Mattek won the first set 6-4 at 16:35 (1h02m).

Marion has collapsed badly: after leading 4-2*, she lost the last four
games of the first set. She looks fed up and irritated - opposite to
Mattek's body-language - and keeps looking at her father.


Second set
----------
BARTOL _*_____ 1
MATTEK * *@*@* 6

Mattek serving 0-0: Marion came to the net, but Mattek painted the
sideline with a crosscourt backhand pass-winner. 15/0. Mattek forehand
long. 15/15. A deep forehand return onto the baseline forced Mattek to
hit a crosscourt backhand wide. 15/30. Mattek came to the net and hit
a "lovely" crosscourt backhand half-volley dropshot-winner. 30/30.
Marion backhand long. 40/30. Marion crosscourt backhand wide.

Marion's focus is not on the court right now, and she looked quite
tetchy changing ends - almost as if she just wants to get off court
and never mind the ton of ranking-points she's defending from reaching
last year's final.

Marion serving 0-1: Mattek forehand long. 15/0. Mattek came to the net
behind a deep forehand, forcing Marion to net a forehand. 15/15.
Marion came to the net and netted a backhand volley. 15/30. Marion
came to the net and hit a two-handed crosscourt forehand drive-volley
winner. 30/30. Service-winner out wide. 40/30. Mattek crosscourt
forehand winner. 40/40. Marion opened up the court with a great angle,
and hit a backhand drive-volley winner down the line: just inside the
sideline. Ad Marion. Mattek netted a forehand.

Mattek serving 1-1: Marion forehand return-winner onto the baseline -
Mattek left it. 0/15. Mattek forced a short return but hit a
down-the-line forehand wide. 0/30. Marion netted a forehand. 15/30.
Marion backhand lob long. 30/30. Mattek crosscourt forehand wide.
30/40. Mattek backhand winner down the line. 40/40. Marion came to the
net, but netted a forehand volley after an inadequate first volley. Ad
Mattek. Marion hit a screaming backhand winner down the line. Deuce
#2. Mattek drew Marion to the net with a dropshot, but hit an
off-forehand pass wide - why not crosscourt into space?
Ad Marion (BP). A great rally ended with Mattek hitting an
off-backhand winner back behind Marion. Deuce #3. Marion netted a
forehand. Ad Mattek. Marion crosscourt backhand return-winner.
Deuce #4. Serve out wide + crosscourt backhand winner right on the
junction of baseline and sideline. Ad Mattek. Marion came to the net
behind an error-forcing forehand down Mattek's forehand-sideline.
Deuce #5. Mattek crosscourt forehand winner into the corner.
Ad Mattek. She hit a backhand just long. Deuce #6. Mattek netted a
backhand. Ad Marion (BP #3). After a long rally, Mattek turned defence
into attack and hit an error-forcing crosscourt backhand. Deuce #7.
Marion crosscourt backhand just wide. Ad Mattek. She came to the net
but netted a forehand off a dropshot at her feet.
Deuce #8. She netted a forehand dropshot. Ad Marion (BP #4).
She netted a forehand. Deuce #9. Mattek came to the net and hit an
off-forehand volley-winner. Ad Mattek. Marion backhand very long.

Marion serving 1-2: Serve down the middle + backhand winner down the
line off a short lob-return on the sideline. 15/0. An off-forehand
return just inside the sideline forced Marion to hit a down-the-line
backhand wide. 15/15. Service-winner out wide? No, it /was/ wide.
15/30. Marion played a good spreading rally and hit a forehand
smash-winner off a lob she let bounce. 30/30. Mattek forehand virtual
winner down the line. 30/40. Mattek backhand winner down the line: on
the baseline (called long but overruled as good for a clear winner).

And that just might be the final nail in the coffin for Marion's
Wimbledon 2008 campaign.

Mattek serving 3-1: Marion netted a backhand return. 15/0. Mattek's
crosscourt backhand winner - didn't even bounce. 30/0. Marion blasted
an off-backhand return wide. 40/0. Marion netted a cheap forehand return.

Marion serving 1-4: Mattek forehand drive-volley just long. 15/0.
Mattek opened up the court and hit an off-forehand winner just inside
the sideline. 15/15. Marion came to the net, but Mattek hit a
crosscourt forehand pass-winner. 15/30. Mattek came to the net and hit
a crisp forehand volley-winner down the line. 15/40. Marion came to
the net and hit a horrendous backhand volley very long & wide.

Mattek serving 5-1: Marion crosscourt forehand return wide. 15/0.
Mattek backhand dropshot wide. 30/0. Marion hit a backhand wide off a
deep ball from Mattek. 40/0 (MP #1). Mattek came to the net behind a
crosscourt forehand that forced Marion to hit a forehand wide.
Mattek won 6-4 6-1 at 17:13 (second set 38m, match 1h40m).

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

=================
THE CHAMPIONSHIPS (Wimbledon, England; grass; Grand Slam)
================= http://championships.wimbledon.org/
Contents
--------

1. Photos
2. Women's Singles: Second-round results
3. Men's Singles: Second-round result

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

Marion Bartoli:
http://championships.wimbledon.org/en_GB/players/wta020631.html

Hsieh,Su-Wei:
http://championships.wimbledon.org/en_GB/players/wta310053.html

Aiko Nakamura:
http://championships.wimbledon.org/en_GB/players/wta140219.html

Peng,Shuai:
http://championships.wimbledon.org/en_GB/players/wta160471.html

----------------------------------------
2. Women's Singles: Second-round results
----------------------------------------

+ MARION BARTOLI [11,DF,S] d. Tatiana Perebiynis, 6-2 7-5
+ Peng,Shuai [S] d. SYBILLE BAMMER [26], 7-6 (9/7) 4-6 6-3

- Monica Niculescu [S] lt. ÁGNES SZÁVAY [15], 7-5 5-7 2-6
- Hsieh,Su-Wei [S] lt. DINARA SAFINA [9], 3-6 2-6

-------------------------------------
3. Men's Singles: Second-round result
-------------------------------------

- Ilia Bozoljac [Q,S] lt. Marc Gicquel,
6-4 7-5 6-7 (1/7) 6-7 (0/7) 3-6

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

=================
THE CHAMPIONSHIPS (Wimbledon, England; grass; Grand Slam)
================= http://championships.wimbledon.org/
Contents
--------

1. Women's Singles: First-round results
2. Men's Singles: First-round results
3. First-round scoreboard-report: Zvonarëva v Nakamura
4. First-round TV-report: Santoro v Murray

---------------------------------------
1. Women's Singles: First-round results
---------------------------------------

Nice winners, nice losers:
+ VERA ZVONARËVA [13,EF] d. Aiko Nakamura [S], 6-1 6-7 (3/7) 6-1
+ MARION BARTOLI [11,DF,S] d. Sabine Katharin Lisicki, 6-2 6-4
+ Monica Niculescu [S] d. Magdaléna Rybáriková [Q,DF], 1-6 6-3 6-4
+ Peng,Shuai [S] d. Viktoriya Kutuzova [Q], 6-3 6-4

A real shame that one of Marion and Sabine had to lose in the first
round - and without televisation on Freeview BBCi.

Poor Magda! She led *4-2 in the third when play was suspended on
Monday night, but lost the last four games on the resumption on
Tuesday.

Not so nice:
- Yan,Zi [S] lt. Anabel Medina Garrigues, 3-6 0-6

-------------------------------------
2. Men's Singles: First-round results
-------------------------------------

+ Ilia Bozoljac [Q,S] d. Chris Guccione, 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-3
- Fabrice Santoro [S] lt. ANDY MURRAY [12], 3-6 4-6 6-7 (5/7)

How Ilia qualified for Wimbledon:
1q + Nicholas Monroe, 6-0 6-2
2q + Robert Smeets, 3-6 7-6 (7/2) 6-3
3q + Stefano Galvani, 6-3 0-6 1-6 6-2 6-4

------------------------------------------------------
3. First-round scoreboard-report: Zvonarëva v Nakamura
(Tuesday 24th June)
------------------------------------------------------

+ VERA ZVONARËVA [13,EF] d. Aiko Nakamura [S], 6-1 6-7 (3/7) 6-1

Vera made short work of the first set, but struggled through the
second, which Aiko served for at 5-3. Vera fought back to 5-5*, but
wasted a 0/30 opening in that game, and lost the last six points of
the set after leading 3/1* in the tiebreak.

But Vera breezed through the third set with a no-nonsense approach to
complete an emotional victory on her return to Wimbledon after
missing last year's Championships with a serious wrist-injury.


The match started much later than I expected, as they inserted the
resumption of Paszek v Schiavone before this match on Court 3.
I'm grateful to Tamira Paszek for extending Schiavone to 10-8 in the
third (having resumed at 3-6 4-4), because it meant I didn't have to
follow live scores of this match at the same time as watching Maria
Sharapova's match on TV!

So the match was third on Court 3, started at 17:02 BST, and I
followed live scores at www.wimbledon.org.


First set
---------
ZVONARËV *@*@ @* 6
NAKAMURA ____@__ 1

Vera serving 0-0: 30/15. 40/30. Held.
Aiko serving 0-1: 15/0. 15/40. 30/40. Broken.
Vera serving 2-0: 15/15. 15/30. 40/30. 40/40. Ad Vera. Held.

A dicy last game for Vera, but she pulls clear in this first set.

Aiko serving 0-3: 0/40. Broken.

Okay, try not to lose 6-0 6-0.

Vera serving 4-0: 15/30. 15/40. Broken.

Good for Aiko, but I don't like that Vera lost her serve - that's
like a personal affront.

Aiko serving 1-4: 0/15. 15/15. 15/40. Broken.
Vera serving 5-1: 0/15. 15/15. 40/15 (SP #1). Vera won the first set
6-1 at 17:24 (22 minutes).

Looks like a great start for Vera - where was that form when I
watched her at Eastbourne last week?


Second set
----------
ZVONARËV __@* *__@* *_ 6(3)
NAKAMURA *@__* *@__* T 7(7)

Aiko serving 0-0: 30/0 to 30/30. 40/30. Held.

Aiko's first hold of the match.

Vera serving 0-1: 15/0. 15/15. 15/30... broken.

And the first time Vera's been in any real trouble.

Aiko serving 2-0: 30/0. 30/15. 40/30. 40/40. Ad Aiko. Deuce #2.
Ad Aiko. Deuce #3. Ad Vera (BP). Broken.

Vera had to fight hard to avoid a *0-3 deficit!

Vera serving 1-2: 0/15. 30/15... held.
Aiko serving 2-2: 15/0. 30/15... held.

The scoreboard keeps freezing at 30/15!

Vera serving 2-3: 30/0. 30/15. 40/15. Held.
Aiko serving 3-3: 15/15. 40/15 to 40/40. Ad Aiko. Held.

Well pegged back, but now the pressure's on Vera; she doesn't want to
see Aiko serving for the second set at 5-3.

Vera serving 3-4: 15/30. 30/40. Broken.

Aiko serving 5-3: 15/0. 15/15. 30/15. 30/30. 30/40. Broken.
Vera serving 4-5: 40/0. Held.

Good fightback from Vera. I don't fancy a third set, with the risk of
losing Vera in the first round.

Aiko serving 5-5: 0/30 to 40/30. 40/40. Ad Aiko. Held.

If Vera goes on to lose this, that's the game she will look back on -
really let Aiko off the hook from 0/30.

Vera serving 5-6: 15/0... held.

6-6 tiebreak (all scores Zvonarëva/Nakamura): 0/0*. *1/0. *1/1. 2/1*.
3/1*. *3/2. *3/3. 3/4*. 3/5*. *3/6. Aiko won the second set 7-6 (7/3)
at 18:17 (second set 53m, match so far 1h15m).


Third set
---------
ZVONARËV *@* *@* 6
NAKAMURA ___*___ 1

Vera serving 0-0: 15/0. 15/15. 30/15... held.
Aiko serving 0-1: 0/40. 15/40.
Vera serving 2-0: 15/0. 30/30. 30/40. 40/40. Ad Vera. Held.

Aiko serving 0-3: 15/0. 15/15. 30/15. 30/40. 40/40. Ad Aiko.
Deuce #2. Ad Aiko. Held.
Vera serving 3-1: 0/15. 15/30. 40/30. 40/40. Ad Vera. Held.

Aiko serving 1-4: 15/15. 15/30. 30/30. I saw this point in a BBCi
court-circular: a big serve forced a defensive lob-return, which Aiko
dispatched with a high forehand drive-volley winner down the line.
40/30. Aiko tried to serve & volley, but netted a high forehand drive-
volley. 40/40. Ad Vera (BP). Broken.

Vera serving 5-1: 40/0 (MP #1). 40/15 (MP #2).
Vera won 6-1 6-7 (3/7) 6-1 at 18:50 (third set 33m, match 1h48m).

I saw the last point on BBC 2: Vera hit a shallow forehand down the
line; Aiko hit a penetrating backhand down the line, forcing a short,
weak forehand from Vera, but Aiko hit an off-forehand wide & just
long. Vera clenched her left fist: there was a plaster on her thumb.
Her face looked quite emotional: almost a little teary!

------------------------------------------
4. First-round TV-report: Santoro v Murray (Tuesday 24th June)
------------------------------------------

- Fabrice Santoro [S] lt. ANDY MURRAY [12], 3-6 4-6 6-7 (5/7)

I couldn't watch this match properly at the time, because I was busy
following live scores for members of my Eternal Fanship - three at a
time during the second set! But I look forward to watching it when I
reach it in my video-archives in early 2010 or whenever!

I already picked up that it was a flairsome match with some amazing
rallies, featuring Fabrice's Selesian groundstrokes, slices and junk-
shots against the more conventional but very resourceful Murray.

John McEnroe said Murray should just play Fabrice like a lefty,
because Fabrice slices every forehand, and comes over the backhand.

Andrew Castle claimed there was just one other Selesian in this
year's Men's Singles at Wimbledon: Ilia Bozoljac. I know of no
others, so either they're a dying breed, or I'm losing touch with
men's tennis more than I realise.

35-year-old Fabrice actually wrote to the All-England Club, asking
them if he could finally play a singles-match on Centre Court after
all these years, so he was very pleased to draw Murray!

This could well be Fabrice's final year before retirement, although
he wouldn't confirm it. He told BBC Sport's Garry Richardson he would
love to carry on playing tennis, but it will be very tough after this
year. [Edit: Fabrice has since announced that he will retire in 2009 -
  see Message 266.]


First set
---------

I watched the match on BBC 1 - only casually at first, as I was
following live scores of Zvonarëva v Nakamura at the same time.

They started with comfortable holds for 1-1. Fabrice's game-plan
seems to include dropshots and forays to the net.

Fabrice serving 1-1: After a long, deucy game, Murray broke for *2-1
with a terrific down-the-line forehand lob-winner that Fabrice - try
as he did - couldn't run down. Also in that game, Murray hit a down-
the-line backhand passing-shot that made Fabrice's cap fall off as he
ran for it.

Fabrice serving 1-3: He held by running down a dropshot and flicking
a ONE-HANDED forehand winner crosscourt.

Fabrice broke back - I was distracted not only by the Zvonarëva v
Nakamura scores, but also by the ten-minute transition from BBC 1 to
BBC 2 (17:50 to 18:00), and then it was 3-3.

Murray broke for 4-3 (with the help of a backhand volley-winner down
the line at 3-3: 40/40), and held to love for 5-3 as they continued
to play some delightful flairsome rallies. Murray smashed Fabrice off
the court to break for the first set: 6-3.


Second set
----------

My distractions tripled in the second set, as Zvonarëva v Nakamura
went to a third set, and Daniela Hantuchová and Lucie Šafárová's
matches both started, so I could barely raise my eyes from the online
scoreboard on my laptop to my TV.

Fabrice broke in the opening game, and led 3-1*. Murray broke back,
and at 4-4*, there was an amazing rally in which Fabrice hit a
skyscraper-lob onto the baseline, only for Murray to run around it
and hit a dipping pass at Fabrice's feet.


Third set
---------

Murray, serving at 4-4 (15/30), hit a very short forehand dropshot-
winner.

Murray had match-point at 6-6 (*6/5): Fabrice chipped & charged with
a deep sliced backhand just inside the baseline, picked off Murray's
pass with a forehand drop-volley, but Murray ran it down and hit a
pinpoint off-backhand pass-winner onto the sideline.

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

==========================
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S OPEN (Eastbourne, England; grass; WTA Tier II)
========================== http://eastbourne.lta.org.uk/
Contents
--------

1. Semi-final TV-report: Bartoli v Radwanska
2. Articles

Master-reports for Eastbourne 2008:
http://www.tennisforum.com/showthread.php?t=356695

--------------------------------------------
1. Semi-final TV-report: Bartoli v Radwanska (Friday 20th June)
--------------------------------------------

- MARION BARTOLI [2,DF,S] lt. AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA [4], 5-7 3-6

The match started at 15:04 BST, and I saw it on BBCi up to the rain-
delay at 3-3* (Deuce #3 after Marion squandered four break-points) in
the first set.


First set
---------
BARTOLI _* * * 3
RADWANS * * *_ 3

Radwanska serving 0-0: Marion forehand long. 15/0. Marion crosscourt
backhand return-winner. 15/15. Service-winner out wide. 30/15.
Crosscourt backhand return just wide. 40/15. Radwanska sprayed a wild
crosscourt backhand wide on the third stroke. 40/30. Radwanska off-
backhand winner into the corner.

No invincible start for Marion today.

Marion serving 0-1: Service-winner. 15/0. Backhand return long. 30/0.
Radwanska netted a forehand. 40/0. Marion on the third stroke netted
a crosscourt backhand. 40/15. Radwanska forehand return-winner down
the line. 40/30. Serve + error-forcing crosscourt forehand.

Marion says she does well on grass because she hits the ball flatter
and earlier than most of her opponents, and low over the net.

Radwanska serving 1-1: Radwanska's deep approach forced Marion to net
a backhand. 15/0. Marion's deep return down the middle forced
Radwanska to net a backhand. 15/15. Marion netted a forehand. 30/15.
Radwanska forehand netcord-winner. 40/15. Marion crosscourt forehand
wide off a deep ball from Radwanska.

Marion serving 1-2: Service-winner. 15/0. Double fault (second serve
just long). 15/15. Marion came to the net and after a couple of
volleys, hit an off-forehand volley-winner. 30/15. Double fault #2
(second serve just long). 30/30. Marion backhand winner down the
line, back behind Radwanska. 40/30. In a crowd-pleasing rally, Marion
ran down a dropshot and hit a short-angled crosscourt backhand
winner - amazing angles from both.

Radwanska serving 2-2: Marion ran down a dropshot but hit a
crosscourt backhand wide. 15/0. Marion dumped a forehand into the net
off a short ball. 30/0. Ace #1: down the middle. 40/0. An intriguing
rally ended with Radwanska hitting a short-angled crosscourt forehand
winner onto the sideline, but Marion did really well to retrieve a
good serve down the middle with a lob-return onto the baseline, and
also hit a pinpoint backhand down the line onto the sideline in that
rally.

Marion serving 2-3: Marion crosscourt forehand volley-winner.
Virginia Wade: "Really logical tennis - real construction." 15/0.
Marion high forehand drive-volley winner crosscourt. 30/0. Serve +
forehand volley-winner down the line. 40/0. Radwanska off-forehand
just wide.

Radwanska serving 3-3: Marion cleaned the sideline with a short-
angled crosscourt backhand winner. 0/15. Radwanska crosscourt
backhand wide. 0/30. Radwanska, stretched wide by a crosscourt
forehand return just inside the sideline, chopped a forehand into the
net. 0/40 (BP). Marion netted a crosscourt backhand return.
15/40 (BP #2). Marion down-the-line backhand wide. 30/40 (BP #3).
Marion netted a crosscourt backhand off a low ball from Radwanska.
40/40. Marion backhand just long. Ad Radwanska. She hit a forehand
long. David Mercer: "It's as if she thought, 'Okay, I'm fine now.'"
Deuce #2. Marion crosscourt backhand winner just inside the sideline.
Ad Marion (BP #4). Radwanska saved it with a backhand winner down the
line. Deuce #3. It started to rain again (the first semi-final had
suffered two rain-delays), the umpire checked the court at 15:28, and
the players sat down by the uncovered court. After a few minutes,
play was officially suspended and the court was covered.

BBCi switched to showing football-highlights, and continued to do so
when play resumed and the match was completed! :-||

-----------
2. Articles
-----------

Petrova and Radwanska reach Eastbourne final (AP)
>>>
Nadia Petrova defeated Samantha Stosur 6-3 6-3 on Friday to reach the
final of the Eastbourne International Women's Open.

The eighth-seeded Russian will face fourth-seeded Agnieszka
Radwanska, who upset No.2 Marion Bartoli 7-5 6-3.

Radwanska benefitted from Bartoli's seven double faults, but had to
withstand some early pressure.

The Pole faced four break-points at 3-3 before rain forced the
players off court for 70 minutes. Bartoli then held two set-points at
5-4 before Radwanska earned the only break when Bartoli double-
faulted.

In the second set, Bartoli broke to go up 1-0, but Radwanska swept
the next four games. Although Bartoli claimed another break in the
sixth game, she dropped her serve with a seventh double fault to
leave Radwanska serving for victory.

Radwanska will be bidding for her third title of the year after
winning in Pattaya and Istanbul.
<<<

Radwanska to play Petrova in Eastbourne-final (Reuters)
By Clare Fallon (editing by Pritha Sarkar)
>>>
Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska beat second seed Marion Bartoli 7-5 6-3
in a hard-fought match to join Nadia Petrova in the final of the
Eastbourne International tournament on Friday.

France's Bartoli was Wimbledon runner-up last year, but has been
struggling with tendinitis in her wrist in recent weeks, and had
problems with her first serve on Friday.

At the end of a first set interrupted for just over an hour by rain
on a chilly day at the English seaside, she double-faulted on
Radwanska's fourth set-point. Ever the fighter, Bartoli broke her
opponent at the start of the second set, but was broken back straight
away.

After another exchange of breaks, she again double-faulted on the
third break-point of the eighth game. Though Bartoli saved one match-
point in the following game with a crosscourt winner, Radwanska took
victory with a winning volley.

Radwanska, 19, said Bartoli's flat, low shots made her a difficult
opponent. "I was playing on my knees all the time, so it was very
hard," she told a news-conference.

Bartoli said she had failed to make the most of her chances, but was
happy with her game. "Even when you play well, sometimes you lose,"
she said.
<<<

Radwanska sets up Petrova Eastbourne title-clash (AFP)
>>>
Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska denied 2007 Wimbledon finalist Marion
Bartoli a second career-final on grass with a 7-5 6-3 victory at the
Eastbourne Championships on Friday.

Second-seeded Frenchwoman Bartoli, beaten in last summer's title-
match at the All-England club by Venus Williams, failed in her bid to
fine-tune for the season's third Grand Slam starting on Monday.

Radwanska, who won the Pattaya- and Istanbul-titles this year, will
aim to complete a 2008 hat-trick when she faces Russian eighth seed
Nadia Petrova, who defeated Samantha Stosur 6-3 6-3.

"She played tough at the Australian Open," Radwanska said of her
fourth-round win in January over the Russian after rallying from
6-2 3-0 love down to turn the tide for victory.

"I don't know how she's playing on this surface, but I'm sure it will
be a difficult final. I'm just glad to be in my first final on grass.

"I thought that I would play just one match here and then go to
Wimbledon. This is a great warm-up, and I want to keep doing well."

Bartoli was felled by seven double faults and five breaks of serve.
All but one of the 13 break-points she faced came in the second set.
<<<

Radwanska, Petrova Move Into Eastbourne-Final
http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/1/newsroom/stories/?ContentID=2360
>>>
Four players with a penchant for grass made the semi-finals of the
International Women's Open this week, and on Friday, two of them
moved into the final, with Agnieszka Radwanska and Nadia Petrova
squaring off on Saturday for the Tier II WTA Tour title.

Eighth seed Petrova was the first to advance to the title-match,
stopping the surprise-run of Samantha Stosur with a 6-3 6-3 victory.
Both sets began with the two players holding serve through 3-3, but
each time it was Petrova who broke away, reeling off three games in a
row at each critical juncture en route to the one-hour, 19-minute
victory: her third win in the pair's three career-meetings (she won
their first two by similar scorelines: 6-2 6-2 at the 2004 US Open
and 6-1 6-3 at 2006 Linz).

Fourth seed Radwanska earned a tougher 7-5 6-3 victory over No.2 seed
Marion Bartoli in the second semi-final of the day. Radwanska
snatched the first break of the match in the last game of the first
set, and raced out to a 4-1 lead in the second set; it looked as
though Bartoli was building something of a comeback as she closed the
gap to 4-3 and was two points away from tying it at 4-4, but the
Polish No.1 held on for a one-hour, 33-minute victory.
<<<

Petrova and Radwanska face off in Eastbourne-final
http://www.lta.org.uk/News/All-news-items/WC16-06-08/Petrova-and-
Radwanska-face-off-in-Eastbourne-final/
>>>
Tennis-fans were treated to a serve-volley spectacle on Day 5 of the
International Women's Open, both semi-finals decided with thrilling
displays of traditional grass-court tennis.

The net isn't Nadia Petrova's natural habitat, but the tall Russian
looked completely at home there in her semi-final against Australian
Sam Stosur, claiming their contest 6-3 6-3.

World No.22 and tournament No.8 seed, Petrova, will face Agnieszka
Radwanska in Saturday's final, the 19-year-old Polish woman defeating
No.2 seed Marion Bartoli in a net-charging extravaganza that lasted
one hour and 33 minutes, 7-5 6-3.

Radwanska coped brilliantly with Bartoli's net-rushing game-plan,
even taking a step back on serve as the Frenchwoman returned serve
closer and closer to the service-line.

"It's her game, whether she plays on grass or somewhere else, so I
concentrated on serving into her body - not to her racquet - and it
worked today," said Radwanska, who wasn't afraid to come to the net,
and demonstrated her own impressive volleying-skills when the
situation called for it.

"She's very powerful and very flexible and hits every ball low, so I
was hitting my volleys on my knees, but I expected that from her
game, so I just adapted to it," said the No.4 seed.

Despite heavy, rain-delayed conditions, there was no sign of the
wrist-injury that hampered Bartoli last week in Birmingham, and the
23-year-old was positive about next week's All-England Club campaign.

"Even if you play well, you can sometimes lose," she said after the
match. "I'm confident about my game, and I am sure I will do well at
Wimbledon if I keep playing like I have here this week."

Radwanska, who will be playing her first WTA Tour Tier II final on
Saturday, said she is ready to go one better in Eastbourne this week.

"I only expected to play one match here and then go to Wimbledon, so
I am very happy to have won three matches, and I feel ready to win
this title," said the world No.14, who holds a 1:0 win-loss record
over Petrova, having claimed victory in their fourth-round encounter
at the Australian Open in January: 1-6 7-5 6-0.
<<<

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

==========================
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S OPEN (Eastbourne, England; grass; WTA Tier II)
========================== http://eastbourne.lta.org.uk/
Contents
--------

1. Quarter-final TV-report: Bartoli v Kleybanova
2. Articles

------------------------------------------------
1. Quarter-final TV-report: Bartoli v Kleybanova (Thursday 19th June)
------------------------------------------------

+ MARION BARTOLI [2,DF,S] d. Alisa Kleybanova [Q], 6-3 6-3

The match started at 15:57 BST, and I saw the whole thing on BBCi.


First set
---------
BARTOLI *@*@*___* 6
KLEYBAN _____*@*_ 3

Marion serving 0-0: Kleybanova forehand wide. 15/0. Kleybanova
forehand return just long. 30/0. Service-winner. 40/0. Ace out wide.

Kleybanova serving 0-1: Backhand return winner down Kleybanova's
backhand-sideline. 0/15. Kleybanova dropshot + forehand lob long.
0/30. Kleybanova netted a forehand return. 0/40. Kleybanova on the
third stroke dumped a backhand into the net.

Marion won the first 8 points!

Marion serving 2-0: Marion crosscourt forehand just long & just wide.
0/15. Marion hit a short-angled crosscourt backhand winner. 15/15.
Serve out wide + crosscourt backhand winner back behind Kleybanova.
30/15. Kleybanova forehand return just wide. 40/15. Kleybanova
dominated the point, and a netcord from her induced Marion to mishit
a backhand wide. 40/30. Kleybanova netted a backhand return.

Virginia Wade: "She anticipates so brilliantly, and can redirect the
ball so easily. Always inside the baseline, and staying down well for
the ball - hitting it so early."

Kleybanova serving 0-3: Body-jamming serve + crosscourt backhand
winner. 15/0. Kleybanova on the third stroke hit a backhand long.
15/15. Kleybanova on the third stroke netted a forehand. 15/30.
Double fault (second serve into the net). 15/40. Marion cracked an
early backhand return just inside the baseline, forcing Kleybanova to
earth a backhand.

Marion serving 4-0: Service-winner out wide. 15/0. Kleybanova opened
up the court and hit a crosscourt forehand winner. 15/15. Kleybanova
sprayed a forehand long off a weak dropshot from Marion. 30/15.
Service-winner out wide. 40/15. Off a body-jamming serve, Kleybanova
squeezed a backhand return-winner into the corner - Marion was
surprised it was in. 40/30. Kleybanova pinned Marion back and then
hit a crosscourt backhand dropshot-winner. 40/40. Kleybanova dumped a
backhand into the net. Ad Marion. Kleybanova off-backhand winner just
inside the sideline. Deuce #2. Kleybanova backhand return long.
Ad Marion. Kleybanova forehand long.

Virginia Wade: "She's very much at the mercy of Marion Bartoli's
razor-like shots."

Kleybanova serving 0-5: Marion netcord off-backhand return-winner.
0/15. Serve out wide + crosscourt forehand winner. 15/15.
Marion netted a crosscourt forehand return. 30/15. Double fault #2
(second serve down the middle wide). 30/30. Serve out wide +
crosscourt backhand winner just inside the baseline. 40/30.
Kleybanova's short-angled crosscourt forehand forced Marion to
stretch low & wide and earth a crosscourt forehand.

Marion serving 5-1: Double fault #1 (second serve just long). 0/15.
Kleybanova netted a backhand. 15/15. Kleybanova ran down a dropshot
and hit a deep crosscourt forehand winner just inside the baseline.
15/30. A deep forehand return onto the baseline forced Marion to net
a backhand. 15/40. A deep backhand return onto the baseline forced
Marion to net a forehand.

Kleybanova serving 2-5: Ace out wide: just inside the sideline. 15/0.
Kleybanova forehand just wide. 15/15. Double fault #3 (second serve
long). 15/30. Kleybanova on the third stroke dumped a backhand into
the bottom of the net. 15/40 (SP #1). First serve almost hit Marion
on the full - would have been Kleybanova's point! Kleybanova forehand
volley-winner down the line: right in the corner. 30/40 (SP #2).
Marion netted a forehand return. 40/40. Service-winner out wide.
Ad Kleybanova. Ace out wide.

Marion serving 5-3: Virtual ace out wide. 15/0. Kleybanova hit an
error-forcing backhand return down the line. 15/15. Kleybanova
crosscourt forehand pass-winner. 15/30. Service-winner. 30/30.
Kleybanova dumped a backhand return into the net. 40/30. Service-
winner out wide. Marion won the first set 6-3 at 16:33 (36 minutes).

David Mercer: "Enough at the end of that set to suggest that the
second set could be quite close."


Second set
----------
BARTOLI _* *@* *@ 6
KLEYBAN * *___*__ 3

Kleybanova serving 0-0 (new balls): Marion dumped a forehand return
into the bottom of the net. 15/0. Marion netted a forehand. 30/0.
Marion's depth forced Kleybanova crosscourt forehand just wide.
30/15. Marion hit a couple of excellent lobs: one to neuter
Kleybanova's early initiative, and another for a winner after drawing
Kleybanova to the net with a dropshot. 30/30. Double fault #4 (wild
second serve long). 30/40 (BP). Serve + crosscourt forehand winner
into the corner. 40/40. Marion played a great spreading rally, with a
pinpoint forehand down the line forcing Kleybanova into error.
Ad Marion (BP #2). She netted a cheap backhand. Deuce #2. Marion
crosscourt forehand return long. Ad Kleybanova. Wild first serve
almost to the baseline! But Kleybanova made up for it with an off-
backhand winner just inside the sideline - I don't think that she
meant it, though.

Marion serving 0-1: Marion hit a deep, error-forcing crosscourt
forehand. 15/0. Marion came to the net behind a very short ball from
Kleybanova, and hit a two-handed backhand volley-winner. 30/0.
Ace #2: out wide. 40/0. Ace #3: out wide, just inside the sideline.

Kleybanova serving 1-1: Ace out wide: just inside the sideline. 15/0.
Kleybanova, stretched wide & low, mishit a crosscourt forehand lob
wide. 15/15. Marion netted a forehand that would also have been wide,
off a deep ball from Kleybanova. 30/15. Kleybanova sprayed a forehand
very long. 30/30. Serve out wide + forehand winner down the line.
40/30. Kleybanova on the third stroke hit a crosscourt backhand
dropshot-winner, though I'm not sure that she meant it.

Marion serving 1-2: Kleybanova forehand long. 15/0. Kleybanova
crosscourt forehand return + forehand winner down the line. 15/15.
Kleybanova crosscourt backhand return, but down-the-line forehand
long. 30/15. Kleybanova chopped a forehand return into the net.
40/15. Double fault #2 (second serve long). 40/30. Kleybanova hit an
error-forcing crosscourt backhand. 40/40. Forehand return long.
Ad Marion. Double fault #3 (second serve into the net). Deuce #2.
Kleybanova mishit a forehand long, with a little scream. Ad Marion.
Kleybanova hit a great return off an excellent serve, but hit a
forehand long.

Kleybanova serving 2-2: A good first serve out wide, right in the
corner, forced Marion to net a forehand return. 15/0. Kleybanova
thought she served an ace, but it was just long/wide. Marion netted a
forehand. 30/0. Kleybanova mishit a forehand into the net. 30/15.
Kleybanova on the third stroke netted a forehand. 30/30. A deep
forehand return down the middle induced Kleybanova to dump a backhand
into the net. 30/40. Kleybanova on the third stroke netted a forehand
to put Marion a set and a break up.

Bartoli serving 3-2: Service-winner. 15/0. Double fault (second serve
into the net - the wind messed up her toss). 15/15. Kleybanova
forehand return wide. 30/15. Kleybanova dumped a forehand return into
the net off a penetrating shot into the corner from Marion. 40/15.
Marion crosscourt backhand wide. 40/30. Kleybanova crosscourt
backhand dropshot-winner off a deep ball from Marion. 40/40.
Body-jamming serve: Kleybanova off-backhand return wide. Ad Marion.
Kleybanova sprayed a forehand return wide.

Kleybanova serving 2-4: Kleybanova sprayed a crosscourt backhand wide
off a poor dropshot from Marion. 0/15. Double fault #5 (second serve
into the net). 0/30. Marion's crosscourt forehand was called wide,
but overruled as good, so they replayed the point: serve + deep off-
forehand winner just inside the baseline. 15/30. Kleybanova forehand
long off a deep ball just inside the baseline from Marion. 15/40.
Serve out wide + off-backhand winner back behind Marion. 30/40.
Serve out wide + crosscourt forehand winner just inside the sideline.
40/40. Serve out wide + deep, error-forcing backhand down the middle.
Ad Kleybanova. Marion forehand return long.

Marion serving 4-3: Ace out wide: on the sideline. 15/0. Kleybanova
netted a forehand. 30/0. Ace out wide: on the sideline. 40/0.
Ace out wide: right in the corner.

Kleybanova serving 3-5: Marion hit an early crosscourt backhand
return-winner. 0/15. Kleybanova on the third stroke hit a backhand
long. 0/30. Double fault (wild second serve very long). 0/40 (MP #1).
Kleybanova on the third stroke hit a forehand just long.
Marion won 6-3 6-3 at 17:16 (second set 43m, match 1h19m).

Marion won the first 8 points of the match, and the last 8 points!


Marion's on-court interview
---------------------------

MATT CHILTON: Marion Bartoli, another very /efficient/ win. What is
it about your game that makes you so effective on grass?

MARION BARTOLI: Yeah, thank you very much. Well, it was very tough
today: it was very windy, but er, I guess that that ??radio ball-
sound?? helped me to control the ball, and I'm really happy to be in
the semi-final again.

MATT CHILTON: This time last year, just on the cusp of Wimbledon, and
then you had that fantastic run all the way to the final. Are you
feeling similarly confident this year?

MARION BARTOLI: Yeah, you know, I'm playing really well, er,
specially those two matches. And I'm very happy to be back in
Eastbourne, I really do love this tournament, and er, hopefully I
will be able to play the same way at Wimbledon.

MATT CHILTON: So, you were a semi-finalist here a year ago. You're in
the semi-finals again this year. What do you think you can achieve
tomorrow?

MARION BARTOLI: Well, I will try my best, and hopefully I can be in
the final, and er, why not win the tournament?

MATT CHILTON: Okay, well, we wish you the very best of luck.
Ladies and gentlemen: Marion Bartoli!

-----------
2. Articles
-----------

Bartoli into Eastbourne semi-finals (AP)
>>>
Wimbledon-finalist Marion Bartoli beat Russian qualifier Alisa
Kleybanova 6-3 6-3 on Thursday to reach the semi-finals of the
Eastbourne International Women's Open.

The second-seeded Bartoli had won just eight matches in 14 events
coming into Eastbourne, and her run to the semi-finals this week is
only her second since Wimbledon a year ago.

She began strongly, surrendering just three points in the first four
games, but Kleybanova eventually settled. Bartoli failed to serve out
the first set at 5-1 or convert two set-points on Kleybanova's serve
at 5-2 before taking the set in the next game.

Bartoli broke for a 3-2 lead in the second set, and she closed out
the match by winning the last eight points.

"I had a tough time because I was not healthy to play tennis, but now
I'm feeling really well and really happy to be back on track,"
Bartoli said. "I arrived here and kept trying to practise, and one
day my energy came back and I felt it was the same like last year."

Bartoli next plays fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, who first
completed a 3-6 6-3 6-4 second-round win over Virginie Razzano that
was suspended at one set each overnight, and then beat Gisela Dulko
7-5 7-5 in the quarter-finals.
<<<

Bartoli has easy ride to Eastbourne last four (Reuters)
By Clare Fallon (editing by Miles Evans and Pritha Sarkar)
>>>
Marion Bartoli, on the mend after a wrist-injury, reached the semi-
finals of the Eastbourne International on Thursday by making short
work of Russian qualifier Alisa Kleybanova.

Second seed Bartoli, the Wimbledon runner-up last year, will play
fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in Friday's semi-finals
after her 6-3 6-3 win.

Frenchwoman Bartoli, ranked 11th in the world and the top surviving
seed after Svetlana Kuznetsova was beaten in the second round, raced
to a 5-0 lead before Kleybanova began to fight back, winning three
games in a row and saving two set-points.

Bartoli, though, wrapped up the set in the ninth game, and
immediately went on the attack at the start of the second set, when
Kleybanova had to save two break-points.

By the end of the set, the French player - who lost in her first
match in Birmingham last week after aggravating a wrist-injury - was
in imperious form, hitting three aces in the eighth game, and winning
the ninth on a break to love.

"I am feeling really well, and I am really happy to be back on track
and to feel healthy again," Bartoli told a news-conference.
<<<

Bartoli reaches Eastbourne semis (PA SportsTicker)
>>>
Marion Bartoli appears to be regaining her form just in time for
Wimbledon.

The second-seeded Frenchwoman advanced to the semi-finals of the
International Women's Open on Thursday with a 6-3 6-3 triumph over
Russian qualifier Alisa Kleybanova.

Bartoli also was a semi-finalist at this grasscourt-event last
season, and went on to make a surprising run at Wimbledon, where she
stunned former world No.1 Justine Henin before falling to Venus
Williams in the championship.

Ranked 11th in the world, Bartoli has struggled since that remarkable
effort however. The 23-year-old has not played in a final since, and
has been dealing with various injuries, including the wrist-
tendinitis which has hindered her play lately.

She has shown no signs of weakness here, dropping just nine games in
two matches following a first-round bye.

Bartoli can expect a challenge in the semis from No.4 Agnieszka
Radwanska, who won two matches on Thursday to reach the final four.

The Pole completed the final set of her suspended second-round match
earlier in the day, downing Virginie Razzano 3-6 6-3 6-4, and later
moved through the quarter-finals with a 7-5 7-5 win over Gisela Dulko.
<<<

Bartoli takes aim at Wimbledon with semi-final spot (AFP)
>>>
The 2007 Wimbledon-finalist Marion Bartoli moved closer to another
shot at success on grass as she reached the semi-final of the
Eastbourne Championships here on Thursday.

The Geneva-based Bartoli dominated Russian qualifier Alisa Kleybanova
6-3 6-3 as a run of poor form this season faded away for the
Frenchwoman this week.

"I'm feeling like I did last year," said the delighted second
seed. "I've suddenly been energised; I'm able to play my game.
I think I'm on the right way again."

Bartoli, who has had repeated injury, hard luck and poor results this
season after playing the All-England club final against Venus
Williams, snapped a four-match loss-streak at Devonshire Park.

The 23-year-old, competing here for the fifth time, has suddenly
found her game, and aims to advance as she faces off on Friday
against Agnieszka Radwanska after the Polish fourth seed beat
Argentine Gisela Dulko 7-5 7-5.

The pre-Wimbledon event on the south coast could be just the lift
Bartoli needs as she makes improvements to a 10:14 record this
season. The winner of three WTA titles lifted them all in 2006, and
feels ready for a return to success.

She said the the trademark wind at Eastbourne made victory a
challenge. "It's always windy here, but it's the same for both; you
just have to find a way to win.

"You won't play well anyway, but you find a way. I led 5-0 and she
came back to 5-3; I had to keep fighting."
<<<

Semis Set in Eastbourne
http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/1/newsroom/stories/?ContentID=2357
>>>
While No.1 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova and No.3 seed Vera Zvonarëva may
have been sent to the sidelines in their opening matches, No.2 seed
Marion Bartoli and No.4 seed Agnieszka Radwanska continued to fly the
flag for the favourites at the International Women's Open on
Thursday, not dropping a set to their challengers, and setting up an
intriguing semi-final match-up.

Bartoli was the first of the two to advance to the semi-finals,
notching a 6-3 6-3 win over qualifier Alisa Kleybanova in an hour and
18 minutes. While she did give up her serve once late in the first
set, Bartoli broke the young Russian a total of four times in the
match with her pinpoint two-fisted groundstrokes, which seem to be
finding their best range for the first time since her run to the
Wimbledon-final almost a year ago.

Radwanska won her only previous meeting with Bartoli: at Stuttgart
last fall. She had to fight back from a first-set blowout to prevail,
though, winning 0-6 6-2 6-1.

"The match against Marion will be very difficult. I won the last time
we played - a couple of months ago - but it was on hard court, and
she has shown this week and last year at Wimbledon that she plays
really well on grass. So it will be difficult."
<<<

No sign of injury as Bartoli reaches semi-final
http://www.lta.org.uk/News/All-news-items/WC16-06-08/No-sign-of-
injury-as-Bartoli-reaches-semi-final/
>>>
On a sunny Thursday at Eastbourne's Devonshire Park, the No.2 seed,
Marion Bartoli, stormed into the International Women's Open semi-
final with a dominating display of power and precision from the back
of the court. The world No.11, who was the 2007 runner-up at The
Championships, Wimbledon, defeated qualifier Alisa Kleybanova 6-3 6-3
in 78 minutes.

Played on a wind-swept Centre Court in front of a near-capacity
crowd, Bartoli never looked in trouble as she faced just one break-
point and notched six aces against her Russian opponent. The 23-year-
old Frenchwoman, who is double-handed on both sides, will be vying to
improve on last year's performance, when she lost against Justine
Henin in the final four.

Bartoli said: "My game is well-suited to grass, because I take the
ball early and hit it flatter than most players, which gives me a
better chance of putting it away. I've been practising every day, and
I feel like my energy has come back. If I keep going and playing like
this, then I think I'll have a great chance of making the final."

In Friday's semi-final, Bartoli will meet the Polish No.4 seed,
Agnieszka Radwanska, who defeated Argentinean Gisela Dulko 6-3 6-4 in
the last quarter-final of the day. Ranked No.14 in the world, the 19-
year-old right-hander is chasing her third WTA Tour title of 2008,
having already claimed victories in Pattaya City and Istanbul.

Radwanska said: "The match tomorrow against Marion will be very
difficult. I won the last time we played a couple of months ago, but
that was on a hard court, and she has shown this week and last year
at Wimbledon that she plays really well on grass. So it will be
difficult... but let's see."
<<<

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

==========================
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S OPEN (Eastbourne, England; grass; WTA Tier II)
========================== http://eastbourne.lta.org.uk/
Contents
--------

1. My photos
2. Second-round eyewitness report: Bartoli v Bammer
3. Articles
4. International Junior Event

Master-reports for Eastbourne 2008:
http://www.tennisforum.com/showthread.php?t=356695

------------
1. My photos
------------

Permission to copy my Eastbourne photos is granted provided that:
(a) no money is exchanged;
(b) they are labelled as "Copyright 2008 Andrew Broad".
Please let me know if you do use them on another website.


Tuesday's photos
----------------

I have uploaded all my photos for Tuesday 17th June 2008, in one big
zip-file, to:
http://www.divshare.com/download/5374043-c27

Tsvetana Pironkova (66 photos)
Nicole Vaidišová (62)
Anna Orlik (45)
Shahar Pe'er (36)
Olga Govortsova (36)
Virginia Ruano Pascual (35)
Caroline Wozniacki (34)
Elena Bogdan (24)
Nadia Lalami (21)
Jade Curtis (13)
Ekaterina Makarova (11)
Alizé Cornet (10)
Anna Kournikova posters (5)
Marion Bartoli (4) <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (4) <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Monica Seles posters (3) <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Maria Sharapova posters (3)
Vera Dushevina (3)
Heather Watson (3)
Chanda Rubin posters (2)
Daniela Hantuchová poster (1)
Maria Kirilenko poster (1)
Ana Ivanovic poster (1)
Jana Novotná poster (1)
Amanda Coetzer poster (1)
Séverine Brémond poster (1)
Viktoriya Kutuzova poster (1)
Ashley Harkleroad poster (1)
Jennifer Capriati poster (1)
Elena Dementieva poster (1)
Jelena Jankovic poster (1)
Carling Bassett poster (1)
Virginia Wade poster (1)
Martina Hingis poster (1)
Mary Joe Fernández poster (1)
Ai Sugiyama poster (1)
Bethanie Mattek poster (1)
Alexandra Stevenson poster (1)
Venus Williams poster (1)
Mirjana Lucic poster (1)
Rennae Stubbs (1)
Kveta Peschke (1)
Stephanie Cornish (1)
Kim Clijsters poster (1)


Wednesday's photos
------------------

I have uploaded all my photos for Wednesday 18th June 2008, in one
big zip-file, to:
http://www.divshare.com/download/5412913-5b7

Wednesday's players:

Vera Zvonarëva (52 photos)
Gisela Dulko (39)
Marion Bartoli (39) <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Alizé Cornet (31)
Olga Govortsova (25)
Ioana Raluca Olaru (19)
Ekaterina Makarova (19)
Elena Bogdan (18)
Anna Orlik (16)
Vera Dushevina (10)
Urszula Radwanska (9)
Sybille Bammer (7)
Caroline Wozniacki (3)
Nadia Lalami (1)
Svetlana Kuznetsova (1)
Heather Watson (1)

---------------------------------------------------
2. Second-round eyewitness report: Bartoli v Bammer
(Wednesday 18th June)
---------------------------------------------------

+ MARION BARTOLI [2,DF,S] d. Sybille Bammer, 6-3 6-0

After Marion's poor results since reaching the Wimbledon 2007 final,
and her wrist-injury-induced capitulation at Birmingham the previous
week, she was back with a vengeance here, hitting her Selesian
groundstrokes as sweetly as I've ever seen her hit them.

Marion's brilliant form and a strong wind were too much for the left-
handed Bammer to handle; I thought she did well to win even 3 games
in these circumstances (she saved a set-point at *2-5 (30/40)).
It doesn't help that Bammer has a high service-toss, which swirls
around in the wind, and she struggled particularly when hitting into
the wind, when her high toss kept blowing back on her.


First set
---------
BARTOL *@* * * * 6
BAMMER ___* * *_ 3

The match was first on Centre Court, and started at 11:37 BST.

Marion serving 0-0: Bammer forehand wide. 15/0. Marion painted the
sideline with a short-angled crosscourt backhand winner. 30/0. Marion
on the third stroke hit a backhand long. 30/15. There was a big gust
of wind, and Bammer hit a crosscourt forehand return wide. 40/15.
Marion's deep crosscourt backhand forced Bammer to net a backhand.

Bammer serving 0-1 (into the wind): Bammer went to the net, but
Marion's crosscourt backhand forced her to hit a backhand volley
long. 0/15. Marion crosscourt backhand winner. 0/30. The wind made
Bammer's backhand short, giving Marion a crosscourt backhand winner.
0/40 (BP #1). Marion netted a crosscourt backhand return.
15/40 (BP #2). Marion's depth forced Bammer to net a forehand, giving
Marion the first break.

The balls from Bammer are sitting up nicely for Marion in the wind.

Marion serving 2-0: Marion crosscourt backhand winner. 15/0. Bammer
netted a forehand return. 30/0. Marion went to the net, forcing
Bammer on the fourth stroke to hit a crosscourt backhand wide. 40/0.
Ace out wide.

Bammer serving 0-3: Off-forehand return wide. 15/0. Bammer netted a
forehand. 15/15. Bammer crosscourt backhand winner. 30/15. Marion on
the fourth stroke hit a backhand winner down the line. 30/30. Marion
mishit an off-forehand return wide. 40/30. Marion hit a forehand
winner down Bammer's backhand-sideline. 40/40. Bammer crosscourt
backhand winner. Ad Bammer. Marion hit a short-angled crosscourt
forehand winner. Deuce #2. Marion netted a backhand return.
Ad Bammer. Marion netted a forehand volley.

Marion serving 3-1: Service-winner. 15/0. Marion forced a short ball
from Bammer, and hit a backhand winner down the line. 30/0. Bammer
ran down a dropshot, and hit a forehand winner down the line. 30/15.
Marion's crosscourt forehand clipped the netcord and fell wide.
30/30. Marion hit a deep, hard crosscourt backhand into the corner,
forcing Bammer to net a forehand. 40/30. Serve out wide forced a
short return, which Marion dispatched with a crosscourt forehand
winner.

Bammer serving 1-4: Service-winner. 15/0. Bammer mishit a crosscourt
forehand wide. 15/15. Bammer crosscourt forehand drop-volley winner.
30/15. Bammer off-forehand winner. 40/15. Bammer backhand long.
40/30. Bammer netcord + down-the-line forehand pass-winner.

Marion serving 4-2: A meaty rally ended with Bammer hitting a
crosscourt forehand winner just inside the sideline. 0/15. A bad
bounce forced Marion to earth a forehand. 15/15. Bammer went to the
net, and hit a crosscourt forehand winner. 15/30. Marion's hard
crosscourt backhand forced Bammer to net a forehand. 30/30.
Bammer forehand wide. 40/30. Bammer down-the-line forehand just long.

Bammer serving 2-5: Marion hit a crosscourt backhand pass-winner low
over the net. 0/15. Marion forehand long. 0/30. Ace down the middle.
15/30. Marion crosscourt backhand wide. 30/30. Marion crosscourt
forehand netcord return-winner. 30/40 (SP #1). Marion mishit a
backhand return into the net. 40/40. Service-winner. Ad Bammer.
Marion netted a forehand.

Marion serving 5-3: Marion netted a backhand. 0/15. Bammer's depth
forced Marion to net a forehand. 0/30. A gust of wind was soon
followed by a service-winner (Bammer mishit a lob-return straight
up). 15/30. Serve + down-the-line backhand winner. 30/30. Marion hit
a scorching backhand winner down the line. 40/30 (SP #2). Marion
dominated the rally, but Bammer got lucky with a forehand netcord-
winner. 40/40. Marion's depth forced Bammer to net a forehand. Ad
Marion (SP #3). There was a gust of wind, and Bammer hit a forehand
just long. Marion won the first set 6-3 at 12:12 (35 minutes).


Second set
----------
BARTOL @*@*@* 6
BAMMER ______ 0

Bammer serving 0-0: Marion hit a deceptive backhand dropshot-winner.
0/15. Bammer on the third stroke went for a down-the-line forehand
winner, but it was just long. 0/30. Bammer again hit a forehand long
on the third stroke. 0/40. The wind got hold of Marion's crosscourt
backhand return, dropping it short for a winner.

Marion serving 1-0: Bammer's deep return forced Marion to net a
forehand. 0/15. Marion on the third stroke hit a down-the-line
backhand wide. 0/30. Marion hit a short-angled crosscourt backhand
winner. 15/30. Bammer slapped a forehand return into the net. 30/30.
Marion hit a crosscourt forehand winner off a short return. 40/30.
Bammer forehand long.

Bammer serving 0-2: Marion's backhand return clipped the netcord and
fell back on her side. 15/0. Marion crosscourt backhand return-
winner. 15/15. Marion forehand long. 30/15. Marion's deep ball on the
baseline forced Bammer to net a forehand. 30/30. A gust of wind, and
Bammer on the third stroke netted a backhand. 30/40. Double fault
(second serve just long).

Marion serving 3-0: It was very windy, and Bammer netted a backhand
return. 15/0. Bammer painted the sideline with a crosscourt forehand
return-winner. 15/15. Serve + off-backhand winner. 30/15. Serve +
crosscourt forehand winner off a very short return. 40/15.
Bammer blasted a backhand return long.

Bammer serving 0-4: Bammer sliced a backhand long. 0/15. Marion's
depth and the wind forced Bammer to net a forehand. 0/30. Bammer hit
an error-forcing forehand down the line. 15/30. Bammer on the third
stroke mishit a forehand long. 15/40. Bammer backhand long.

Marion serving 5-0: Bammer's deep return forced Marion to net a
backhand. 0/15. Service-winner out wide. 15/15. Backhand return long.
30/15. Double fault (second serve into the net). Marion picked up
something that had blown onto court. 30/30. Bammer dumped a forehand
halfway up the net. 40/30 (MP #1). Marion on the third stroke hit a
forehand just inside the baseline, forcing Bammer to hit a forehand
lob just long. Marion won 6-3 6-0 at 12:36 (second set 24m, match
59m).

Marion: "Maybe it's the thought of going back again to Wimbledon next
week that has inspired me. I played really great."

I found Marion hitting on a practice-court just eight minutes after
she walked off Centre Court!

-----------
3. Articles
-----------

Bartoli Back On Track
http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/1/newsroom/stories/?ContentID=2353
>>>
The top four seeds made their first appearances of the week at the
International Women's Open on Wednesday. One won, two lost, and
another didn't even finish as the second round nearly came to
completion at the key Wimbledon warm-up event on the lawns of
Devonshire Park in Eastbourne.

Given their recent results, if any of the top three seeds weren't
going to advance, most would have picked No.2 seed Bartoli, who came
in on a four-match losing-streak, and has won barely more than a
third of her matches this season. But her powerful, flat
groundstrokes certainly found their range just a week before she
defends her final-run at Wimbledon, as she beat Sybille Bammer
6-3 6-0.
<<<

Former champions Kuznetsova, Mauresmo exit at Eastbourne (AFP)
>>>
Second seed Marion Bartoli, the 2007 Wimbledon-finalist, rediscovered
the joy of tennis with a 6-3 6-0 defeat of Sybille Bammer for a last-
eight place.

A month after declaring her desire to take a long break from the
game, the Frenchwoman is now eager to try and repeat her best career-
showing at a Major.

"Suddenly I feel great: I'm healthy and eager," said the 23-year-old
with three career-titles. "Losing in the first round at Roland
Garros - in your home country, at your home Grand Slam - is tough.

"I was the first French player to lose, and it didn't feel good."

Added former Eastbourne semi-finalist Bartoli: "I was frustrated;
I've had so many injuries: my wrist, my knee, my leg, my Achilles
tendon.

"When you can't train at 100%, it's tough. It was heartbreaking to
lose so early in Paris. But I feel that the bad things that have
happened in the first part of the year will help me out later.

"This is the first week of the year that I've felt this good," said
Bartoli, who said she felt no pain from her latest wrist-injury.
<<<

Seeds swept out of Eastbourne second round
http://www.lta.org.uk/News/All-news-items/WC16-06-08/Seeds-swept-out-
of-Eastbourne-second-round-/
>>>
No.2 seed Marion Bartoli cruised into the third round at the expense
of Sybille Bammer of Austria: 6-3 6-0. After the match, a rejuvenated
Bartoli was encouraged by her performance.

"I was very aggressive, and feeling the ball really well," said the
world No.11. "I made all the shots I wanted to play, and I feel at
the top of my game. When I'm playing like that, it's very difficult
for my opponents."

And she said the wrist-injury that felled her in Birmingham last week
was behind her. "I'm feeling healthy and I have a lot of energy.
Maybe it's the feeling of Wimbledon approaching; I'm feeling really
well, my wrist feels good, and I don't feel tired at all."
<<<

-----------------------------
4. International Junior Event (in new tennis we trust)
-----------------------------

After Nicole Vaidišová's loss, the order of play for Tuesday was
pretty boring as far as the WTA tournament was concerned, so I turned
my attention to the junior-tournament being played on Courts 3, 4 and
5, and was pleasantly surprised: junior-tennis had become very
anonymous to me due to the high turnover of players in the last
couple of years, but on that Tuesday, I discovered three real cuties
(Nadia Lalami, Elena Bogdan and Anna Orlik) and an unlisted Selesian!
(Noppawan Lertcheewakarn).

The International Junior Event was structured as two round-robin
groups, each consisting of six players:
Group 1: Noppawan Lertcheewakarn, Anna Orlik, Stephanie Cornish, Coco
Vandeweghe, Heather Watson, Jade Curtis
Group 2: Elena Bogdan, Jade Windley, Nadia Lalami, Laura Robson,
Vicky Brook, Jessy Rompies


Group 1: Lertcheewakarn v Cornish
---------------------------------

- Noppawan Lertcheewakarn [S] lt. Stephanie Cornish, 4-6 3-6

I only saw the last game of this match, but it was enough to notice
that Lertcheewakarn is a Selesian! (two hands both sides).

Of course, I got to see a lot more of Lertcheewakarn in the Wimbledon
Girls' Singles final (which she lost to Laura Robson).

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

http://tennis.com/news/ticker.aspx
>>>
Fabrice Santoro confirms that he will retire after next season. He
plans to play a limited schedule, consisting of the Australian Open,
the French Open, Newport (where he is the defending champion) and
about seven other events.
<<<

Men's tennis will lose something unique when Fabrice retires.
He's the only Selesian we see regularly in Men's Singles draws these
days (to the best of my knowledge).

There are many more Selesians active in the women's game, however -
including Monica Niculescu, whose game is modelled on Fabrice's.

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

===========
DFS CLASSIC (Edgbaston, Birmingham, England; grass; WTA Tier III)
=========== http://birmingham.lta.org.uk/
Contents
--------

Since I accidentally left Nakamura v South (third round) in my
Wednesday report [Message 264], all that remains to wrap up
Birmingham is to post my Friday photos, which include two of Selesian
player Monica Niculescu.

Master-reports for Birmingham 2008:
http://www.tennisforum.com/showthread.php?t=352747

---------
My photos
---------

Permission to copy my Birmingham photos is granted provided that:
(a) no money is exchanged;
(b) they are labelled as "Copyright 2008 Andrew Broad".
Please let me know if you do use them on another website.

I have uploaded all my photos for Friday 13th June 2008, in one big
zip-file, to:
http://www.divshare.com/download/5276164-5fe

Friday's players:

Alyona Bondarenko (41 photos)
Kateryna Bondarenko (37)
Nicole Vaidišová (31)
Bethanie Mattek (25)
Petra Cetkovská (24)
Marina Erakovic (23)
unidentified player (23)
MC Vicki Stone (11)
Yanina Wickmayer (6)
Michaëlla Krajícek (5)
Melanie South (3)
Monica Niculescu (2)
Tamira Paszek (1)

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

===========
DFS CLASSIC (Edgbaston, Birmingham, England; grass; WTA Tier III)
=========== http://birmingham.lta.org.uk/
Contents
--------

1. My photos
2. Second round: Nakamura v Cîrstea
3. Second round: Bartoli v Cetkovská
4. Articles

------------
1. My photos
------------

Permission to copy my Birmingham photos is granted provided that:
(a) no money is exchanged;
(b) they are labelled as "Copyright 2008 Andrew Broad".
Please let me know if you do use them on another website.

I have uploaded all my photos for Wednesday 11th June 2008, in one
big zip-file, to:
http://www.divshare.com/download/5232315-595

Wednesday's players:

Nicole Vaidišová (61)
Sania Mirza (30)
Yaroslava Shvedova (30)
Petra Cetkovská (28)
Marion Bartoli (21)
Katie O'Brien (16)
Sorana Cîrstea (14)
Marta Domachowska (13)
Marina Erakovic (13)
Aiko Nakamura (10)
Michaëlla Krajícek (7)
Nathalie Dechy (6)
Ioana Raluca Olaru (4)
MC Vicki Stone (4)
Maria Sharapova poster (1)
Monica Niculescu (1)
Tatiana Poutchek (1)

There's also one photo of Marion Bartoli in my Tuesday photos:
http://www.divshare.com/download/5229165-ae6

-----------------------------------
2. Second round: Nakamura v Cîrstea (Wednesday 11th June)
-----------------------------------

+ AIKO NAKAMURA [17,S] d. Sorana Cîrstea, 6-4 4-6 6-4

I watched the first five games of Nakamura v Cîrstea on Court 2, but
it was pretty boring to be honest, so I went to Centre Court to watch
Shvedova v O'Brien instead.

------------------------------------
3. Second round: Bartoli v Cetkovská (Wednesday 11th June)
------------------------------------

- MARION BARTOLI [1,DF,S] lt. Petra Cetkovská, 7-5 4-6 0-6

This was a good match for the first two sets, with an intriguing
contrast of styles between Marion's heavier, Selesian groundstrokes,
and Cetkovská's lightweight, elegant game that included a lot of
slices on the backhand and some on the forehand too, and a lot of
dropshots. Cetkovská even served for the first set with a set-point
at *5-4 (40/30).

But Marion faded badly in the third set; by *0-4, she was just trying
to hit a winner on every stroke, and she didn't even sit down at the
0-5* changeover. It could not have been plainer that she wanted to
get off court as quickly as possible; what wasn't so obvious from
watching it live was that she was in fact injured.

Since Marion didn't show any obvious signs of injury or take a
medical time-out, I just assumed she had checked out mentally (having
said she needed a break from tennis after her first-round loss at the
French Open), but afterwards, she revealed that her bad wrist had
flared up in the second set.

Marion has simplified her service-action from the 2007 grass-court
season, when she would wrap her fingers very deliberately around the
racket-handle and cock her wrist - those features are gone now, along
with the energy-bounce before each serve.


First set
---------
BARTOLI *@__*@___@*@ 7
CETKOVS __@*__@*@___ 5

The match was third on Centre Court, in cold, windy conditions.
Cetkovská won the toss and chose to receive, and play started at
14:52 BST.

Marion serving 0-0: Service-winner down the middle. 15/0.
Double fault (second serve into the net). 15/15. Marion backhand
long. 15/30. Cetkovská forehand long. 30/30. Cetkovská forehand
return wide. 40/30. Cetkovská forehand long.

Cetkovská serving 0-1: Cetkovská netted a forehand on the third
stroke. 0/15. Cetkovská tried a forehand dropshot, but it gave Marion
a crosscourt forehand pass-winner. 15/15. Cetkovská netted a forehand
on the third stroke. 15/30. Marion netted a forehand return. 30/30.
Double fault (second serve long). 30/40. Cetkovská netted a forehand
on the third stroke.

Marion serving 2-0: Marion crosscourt forehand wide. 0/15.
Cetkovská's deep return forced Marion to hit a backhand wide. 0/30.
Cetkovská backhand dropshot + crosscourt backhand pass-winner. 0/40.
Marion backhand long.

Just as I was about to put my camera away, Cetkovská took her overtop
off! She has wonderful smooth shoulders as well as a pretty face.

Cetkovská serving 1-2: Double fault (second serve into the net).
0/15. Marion forehand wide. 15/15. Marion dumped a forehand halfway
up the net. 30/15. Service-winner out wide. 40/15. Marion hit a
backhand return-winner down Cetkovská's backhand-sideline. 40/30.
Marion down-the-line forehand wide.

Marion serving 2-2: Marion netted a forehand. 0/15. In a long rally,
Marion hit a two-handed forehand volley but retreated from the net,
and eventually hit a crosscourt backhand dropshot-winner. 15/15.
Marion came to the net and hit a forehand smash-winner. 30/15.
Serve out wide + backhand drive-volley winner down the line. 40/15.
Double fault (second serve wide). 40/30. Serve + crosscourt forehand
+ forehand volley-winner down the line.

A serve-and-volley game by Marion!

Cetkovská serving 2-3: Marion hit a down-the-line backhand winner
back behind Cetkovská. 0/15. Cetkovská dumped a forehand halfway up
the net. 0/30. Double fault (second serve into the net). 0/40 (BP).
Cetkovská sliced backhand down the line + off-forehand winner.
15/40 (BP #2). Serve out wide + forehand winner down the line.
30/40 (BP #3). Marion forehand wide. 40/40. Service-winner down the
middle. Ad Cetkovská. She netted a forehand on the third stroke.
Deuce #2. Marion hit a low-bouncing backhand winner down the line.
Ad Marion (BP #4). Marion forehand long. Deuce #3. Marion forehand
return-winner down the line. Ad Marion (BP #5). Cetkovská backhand
dropshot + crosscourt forehand pass-winner. Deuce #4. Marion worked
her way to the net, forcing Cetkovská to net a backhand.
Ad Marion (BP #6). Cetkovská sliced backhand wide.

Marion serving 4-2: Double fault (second serve into the net). 0/15.
Marion hit an error-forcing backhand dropshot. 15/15. Cetkovská
forehand wide. 30/15. Double fault (second serve into the net).
30/30. Serve out wide + off-backhand winner back behind Cetkovská.
40/30. Double fault (second serve into the net). 40/40. Marion hit a
deep crosscourt backhand winner. Ad Marion. Cetkovská hit a forehand
winner down Marion's forehand-sideline. Deuce #2. A close-range
exchange ended with Cetkovská hitting a crosscourt forehand pass-
winner. Ad Cetkovská (BP). Service-winner down the middle. Deuce #3.
A deep return with a bad bounce forced Marion to earth a backhand.
Ad Cetkovská (BP #2). Serve out wide + no-bounce crosscourt backhand
winner. Deuce #4. Marion netted a deep forehand volley, but Cetkovská
hit a crosscourt backhand pass-winner. Ad Cetkovská (BP #3).
Marion opened up the court and went for an off-backhand winner, but
it was just wide.

Cetkovská serving 3-4: Ace out wide. 15/0. Serve out wide +
crosscourt backhand winner back behind Marion. 30/0. A low bounce
forced Marion to net a backhand. 40/0. Ace down the middle.

Marion serving 4-4: Cetkovská forehand long. 15/0. Cetkovská ran down
a dropshot and hit a crosscourt backhand winner. 15/15. Marion came
to the net, but Cetkovská hit an error-forcing crosscourt backhand
pass. 15/30. Cetkovská sliced a backhand pass into the bottom of the
net, and moaned. 30/30. Cetkovská forced Marion to hit a forehand lob
long. 30/40. Cetkovská spread Marion vertically: her dropshot + lob +
dropshot combination forcing Marion to hit a forehand wide.

Marion had a coaching-session with her father: Dr. Walter Bartoli.

Cetkovská serving 5-4: Service-winner out wide. 15/0. Cetkovská's
forehand down the line clipped the netcord and fell wide. 15/15.
Cetkovská netted a running backhand. 30/15. Marion netted a forehand.
30/30. Marion forehand long. 40/30 (SP). Cetkovská sliced a backhand
just wide - it would have been a winner - off a low ball from Marion.
40/40. Cetkovská forehand wide on the third stroke. Ad Marion (BP).
With the wind rising, Cetkovská's deep crosscourt forehand forced
Marion to net a forehand. Deuce #2. Marion spread Cetkovská, forcing
her to net a forehand. Ad Marion (BP #2). Double fault (second serve
into the net).

Marion serving 5-5: Double fault (second serve clipped the netcord,
and was just long). 0/15. Marion forehand netcord-winner. 15/15.
Marion spread Cetkovská, forcing her to slice a forehand wide. 30/15.
Cetkovská netted a forehand return. 40/15. Cetkovská netted a
backhand return.

Cetkovská serving 5-6: Marion's defensive lob induced Cetkovská to
hit a forehand long. 0/15. Cetkovská forehand long. 0/30. Cetkovská
netted a forehand on the third stroke. 0/40. Cetkovská slapped a
forehand into the net to lose the first set 7-5 at 15:41 (49m).

Cetkovská's turn to see her coach.


Second set
----------
BARTOLI __*@*__@__ 4
CETKOVS @*___*@ @* 6

Marion serving 0-0: Marion ran down a dropshot and hit a forehand
winner down the line. 15/0. Marion netted a forehand. 15/15.
Cetkovská forced Marion to earth a forehand. 15/30. Serve out wide +
backhand winner down the line. 30/30. Marion forehand wide. 30/40.
Marion did her only energy-bounce of the match, but it didn't help:
she served a double fault (second serve into the net).

Cetkovská serving 1-0: Marion opened up the court with a crosscourt
forehand, and hit a forehand winner down the line. 0/15. Cetkovská
forehand volley-winner. 15/15. Marion's return forced Cetkovská to
earth a backhand. 15/30. Cetkovská backhand volley-winner. 30/30.
Forehand return wide. 40/30. Marion crosscourt forehand return-
winner. 40/40. Marion spread Cetkovská, forcing her to hit a forehand
lob wide (Marion hit a forehand smash anyway!). Ad Marion (BP).
A meaty rally ended with Cetkovská hitting a backhand dropshot-
winner. Deuce #2. Cetkovská dropshot + forehand pass-winner down the
line: on the baseline. Ad Cetkovská. Marion punished a second serve
with a blazing crosscourt backhand return-winner. Deuce #3.
Marion took the initiative, but netted a backhand volley.
Ad Cetkovská. Marion backhand dropshot-winner. Deuce #4. Crosscourt
backhand return wide. Ad Cetkovská. Marion netted a running forehand.

Marion serving 0-2: Marion hit a deep, error-forcing backhand. 15/0.
Marion backhand long. 15/15. Forehand return long. 30/15. Marion
netted a backhand. 30/30. Double fault (second serve into the net).
30/40 (BP). Marion opened up the court, and hit a crosscourt backhand
winner. 40/40. Cetkovská forced a short ball from Marion, and hit a
forehand winner down Marion's forehand-sideline.
Ad Cetkovská (BP #2). Serve + deep error-forcing crosscourt forehand.
Cetkovská yelled and muttered. Deuce #2. Ace out wide. Ad Marion.
Cetkovská netted a backhand.

More coaching for Marion.

Cetkovská serving 2-1: She netted a backhand on the third stroke.
0/15. Cetkovská played a spreading rally, ending with a crosscourt
backhand volley-winner. 15/15. Service-winner out wide. 30/15.
Cetkovská netted a backhand. 30/30. Marion hit a crosscourt backhand
winner back behind Cetkovská. 30/40. Cetkovská netted a sliced
backhand.

Marion serving 2-2: Ace out wide: on the sideline. 15/0. Cetkovská
sliced backhand long. 30/0. A deep, low-bouncing crosscourt forehand
return forced Marion to hit a forehand long. 30/15. Cetkovská
forehand winner down the line. 30/30. Marion pounced on a high,
floating sliced backhand to hit a backhand volley-winner down the
line. 40/30. Double fault (second serve into the net). 40/40.
Service-winner down the middle. Ad Marion. Cetkovská forehand long.

Cetkovská serving 2-3: Marion backhand wide. 15/0. Cetkovská's low-
bouncing sliced backhand forced Marion to net a backhand. 30/0.
Marion hit an error-forcing crosscourt backhand. 30/15. Cetkovská got
down well to a low ball, hitting a pinpoint forehand winner down the
line: on the sideline. 40/15. Service-winner.

Marion serving 3-3: Cetkovská forced a lob, let it bounce, and hit a
forehand smash-winner. 0/15. Double fault (second serve into the
net). 0/30. Cetkovská worked her way to the net and hit a crosscourt
forehand volley-winner. 0/40. Marion backhand long.

Cetkovská saw her coach at the changeover.

Cetkovská serving 4-3: Cetkovská netted a backhand. 0/15.
Double fault (second serve into the net). 0/30. Cetkovská worked her
way to the net, forcing Marion to hit a crosscourt pass wide. 15/30.
Marion's low-bouncing return forced Cetkovská to net a forehand.
15/40. Cetkovská sliced a backhand wide.

Marion serving 4-4: Cetkovská forehand return just wide. 15/0.
Double fault (second serve wide). 15/15. Cetkovská forehand long.
30/15. Cetkovská netted a sliced backhand. 40/15. Double fault
(second serve wide). 40/30. Marion backhand just long. 40/40.
Cetkovská crosscourt sliced backhand + crosscourt forehand winner.
Ad Cetkovská (BP). She netted a forehand return, and muttered.
Deuce #2. Marion netted a backhand. Ad Cetkovská (BP #2).
Cetkovská off-forehand + crosscourt forehand virtual winner.

Cetkovská serving 5-4: Marion hit a crosscourt backhand drive-volley
winner from no-man's-land. 0/15. Service-winner. 15/15. Cetkovská
crosscourt backhand winner onto the baseline. 30/15. Marion backhand
return very long. 40/15 (SP #1). Service-winner out wide. Cetkovská
won the second set 6-4 at 16:28 (second set 47m, match so far 1h36m).


Third set
---------
BARTOLI ______ 0
CETKOVS @*@*@* 6

Marion serving 0-0: Cetkovská hit a crosscourt forehand pass-winner
that clipped the netcord. 0/15. Marion netted a backhand. 0/30.
Double fault (second serve into the net). 0/40. Marion crosscourt
forehand wide.

Cetkovská serving 1-0: Marion forehand long. 15/0. Serve + crosscourt
forehand winner. 30/0. Cetkovská on the third stroke hit a backhand
dropshot wide from the baseline. 30/15. Serve out wide + well-held
crosscourt forehand winner. 40/15. Ace out wide.

Marion serving 0-2: Serve + crosscourt forehand winner. 15/0. Marion
crosscourt backhand winner. 30/0. Cetkovská forehand pass-winner down
the line. 30/15. Marion crosscourt backhand wide. 30/30. Cetkovská
netted a backhand return. 40/30. Double fault (second serve long).
40/40. Ace down the middle. Ad Cetkovská (BP). She hit a crosscourt
backhand winner off a short ball from Marion.

Cetkovská serving 3-0: Marion netted a backhand volley. 15/0.
Ace down the middle. 40/0. Service-winner.

Marion serving 0-4: Serve + crosscourt forehand winner. 15/0.
Double fault (second serve into the net). 15/15. Double fault (second
serve long). 15/30. Marion on the third stroke hit a forehand very
long. 15/40. Service-winner down the middle. 30/40 (BP). Serve out
wide + crosscourt forehand winner. 40/40. Service-winner down the
middle. Ad Marion. On the third stroke, Marion hit a backhand very
long. Deuce #2. Marion on the third stroke hit a backhand very long.
Ad Cetkovská (BP #2). A low return forced Marion to hit a backhand
wide.

Marion was just trying to hit a winner on every stroke of that game.
She didn't even sit down at the changeover; just walked straight down
to the other end and stood there waiting.

Cetkovská serving 5-0: Ace down the middle: on the service-line.
15/0. Good off-forehand return + off-forehand winner back behind
Cetkovská. 15/15. Marion netted a forehand return. 30/15. Marion
netted a backhand. 40/15 (MP #1). Marion netted a forehand return.
Cetkovská won 5-7 6-4 6-0 at 16:46 (third set 18m, match 1h54m).
Marion didn't shake the umpire's hand.

Cetkovská's on-court interview: "I'm very, very happy. Yeah, I was
not feeling very well at the beginning, but very good at the end."

-----------
4. Articles
-----------

Bartoli a major doubt for Wimbledon [Teletext 495->497]
>>>
Bartoli an injury-doubt [Teletext 497]

Top seed Marion Bartoli is an injury-doubt for Wimbledon after
crashing out of the DFS Classic at Birmingham.

The world No.10, who was runner-up at Wimbledon last year, aggravated
a wrist-injury during the second set of her 5-7 6-4 6-0 defeat to
Petra Cetkovská.

Bartoli said: "My wrist has bothered me since the French Open.
It's really painful, and it's really not a situation where I want to
stay on court."
<<<

Marion Bartoli Questionable for Wimbledon After Losing in Birmingham
Posted by Aaress Lawless
http://www.onthebaseline.com/2008/06/11/marion-bartoli-questionable-
for-wimbledon-after-losing-in-birmingham/
>>>
Last year's Wimbledon-finalist Marion Bartoli may skip the 2008
Championships because of a wrist-injury.

Bartoli was upset in the second round of the DFS Classic on Wednesday
before hinting that she may miss the next Grand Slam.

"It's been bothering me since before the French Open," said Bartoli
in comments published by the AP.

"I've been having treatment, but it's tendinitis, and there is only
so much you can do for that. It seems like 2008 doesn't want me to be
in great shape. I am always having something: some illness or injury."

It has been a disappointing 2008 season for Bartoli, who said that
she will skip Wimbledon "if it's not getting better."

"Missing a Grand Slam, especially Wimbledon, is a huge
disappointment," added the top seed in Birmingham.

After losing to Petra Cetkovská in her opening match 5-7 6-4 6-0,
Bartoli's 2008 match-record fell to 8:14.
<<<

Bartoli loses at Birmingham, may miss Wimbledon (AP)
>>>
Top-seeded Marion Bartoli lost her opening match of the DFS Classic
on Wednesday, and may miss Wimbledon because of a wrist-injury.

Bartoli, the Wimbledon runner-up last year, was upset 5-7 6-4 6-0 by
the 52-ranked Petra Cetkovská. Bartoli, ranked 10th, said her wrist-
injury has hampered her play.

"It's been bothering me since before the French Open," Bartoli
said. "I've been having treatment, but it's tendinitis, and there is
only so much you can do for that. It seems like 2008 doesn't want me
to be in great shape. I am always having something: some illness or
injury."

Bartoli, who also lost to Casey Dell'Acqua of Australia in the first
round of the French Open, said she may miss Wimbledon "if it's not
getting better."

"Missing a Grand Slam, especially Wimbledon, is a huge
disappointment," she said.

Bartoli came from a break down to win the first set 7-5, and was
close to victory at 4-4 in the second. But she appeared to give up
after going down 4-5, dropping the last eight games quickly.

Bartoli sent groundstrokes long or wide, and served four double
faults in her last two service-games.

Asked why she did not retire, Bartoli said: "I always try to be fair
with everyone, and by retiring it becomes like, 'Why can't you find a
solution?' For the crowd, it is better to go on in the match, and for
my opponent, she doesn't feel she has beaten me if I pull out."
<<<

Brits battle but bow out in Birmingham
http://www.lta.org.uk/News/All-news-items/Brits-battle-but-bow-out-in-
Birmingham/
>>>
Melanie South remains to fly the British flag, taking on No.17 seed
Aiko Nakamura in the second match on Centre Court on Thursday. She is
the first British woman since Julie Pullin in 2002 to reach the third
round of the DFS Classic.

No.1 seed Marion Bartoli crashed out in the second round to Petra
Cetkovská 7-5 4-6 0-6, scarcely winning a point in the third set
after inflaming a wrist-injury she sustained in Strasbourg.

Bartoli, who gallantly played on although visibly incapacitated in
the third set, said: "I don't like to retire during the match unless
I really have to; I like to be fair to my opponent. [I feel] quite
sad; last year I was able to play more, but it was hard on my body."
<<<

http://tennis.com/news/ticker.aspx
>>>
Bartoli loses 5-7 6-4 6-0 to Cetkovská at Birmingham, and says wrist-
tendinitis may cause her to miss Wimbledon, where she is the
defending finalist. "I've been having treatment, but it's tendinitis,
and there is only so much you can do for that. It seems like 2008
doesn't want me to be in great shape. I am always having something:
some illness or injury," she said. "Missing a Grand Slam, especially
Wimbledon, [would be] a huge disappointment."
<<<

--------------------------------
2. Third round: Nakamura v South (Thursday 12th June)
--------------------------------

- AIKO NAKAMURA [17,S] lt. Melanie South [WC], 6-2 4-6 4-6

I didn't catch this match, but here are the articles:

Vaidišová, Bondarenko reach Birmingham quarters (PA SportsTicker)
>>>
Among the other seeded players in action, eighth-seeded Michaëlla
Krajícek and No.17 Aiko Nakamura were both upset.

Krajícek was dispatched by Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer 6-3 6-4, while
Nakamura fell to British wild card Melanie South 2-6 6-4 6-4.

With the victory, South became only the third Brit to reach the
quarter-finals here.

"I started off a little bit nervous, but I had belief in myself,"
South said. "Nakamura is very experienced, but I kept serving well.
I have a very aggressive game and it paid off. When it got to match-
point and Nakamura was serving, I decided to go for it. I'll learn
from it in the future, and hopefully I'll even be able to close the
match out a game earlier."
<<<

Vaidišová and South battle into DFS Classic quarters
http://www.lta.org.uk/News/All-news-items/South-and-Vaidisova-battle-
into-to-DFS-Classic-quarter-finals/
>>>
Nicole Vaidišová had to fight hard to overcome Elena Makarova of
Russia in their third-round match, while Melanie South delighted
Edgbaston Priory crowds, reaching the quarter-finals of the DFS
Classic in Birmingham.

Before Vaidišová took to the court, South, from Surrey, became the
first British woman since Jo Durie in 1992 to reach the quarter-
finals of the WTA Tour event with a 2-6 6-4 6-4 victory over world
No.78 Aiko Nakamura of Japan.

The 22-year-old was understandably delighted with her result.
"I started off a little nervous, but after I lost the first set,
I still had the belief that I could turn it around," she said.

"She was hitting a lot of lines in the first set, but I've got an
aggressive game and I knew I should be the one attacking.

"This means everything to me - I've worked hard all year with my
coach and my fitness-coach. It's amazing; I'm really pleased.
I came in here believing I could do well here on grass."
<<<

Down To Three Seeds as Quarter-final Line-Up Set
http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/1/newsroom/stories/?ContentID=2331
>>>
Other seeds in action were No.12 seed Kateryna Bondarenko - a 4-6 6-4
7-5 winner over lucky loser Melinda Czink - and No.17-seeded Aiko
Nakamura, who fell to British wildcard Melanie South 2-6 6-4 6-4.

"I started off a little bit nervous, but I had belief in myself,"
said South, who reached her first ever Tour quarter-final.
"Nakamura is very experienced, but I kept serving well. I have a very
aggressive game and it paid off. When it got to match-point and
Nakamura was serving, I decided to go for it. I'll learn from it in
the future, and hopefully I'll even be able to close the match out a
game earlier."
<<<

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

When she does herself up nicely, Monica is still a beautiful woman.

andrewbroad <no_reply@yahoogroups.com>  wrote:                           
There's also a stunning photo of Monica from the US Open 2008 Opening Ceremony:
http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/2/photogallery/?Event=usopen_oc



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Well, it's certainly high time Monica was inducted into the Hall of
Fame, but her induction is subject to a vote:

Nishikori makes name for himself at US Open (Associated Press,
28th August)
By Ben Walker: AP National Writer
>>>
MONICA MANIA

Nine-time Grand Slam champion Monica Seles heads the list of five
candidates for the next class in the International Tennis Hall of
Fame.

Former French Open winner Andres Gimeno and tennis-leaders Donald
Dell, Dr. Robert Johnson and Eiichi Kawatei also were put on the
ballot on Thursday.

Voting will be held for the next few months, and results will be
announced in January. The induction is set for 11th July in Newport,
R.I.

The 34-year-old Seles won four Australian Opens, three French Opens
and twice at the US Open. Known for shrieking when she made shots,
Seles finished as the world's No.1 player in 1991 and 1992.

She was 19 when a man came from the stands during a 1993 match in
Germany and stabbed her in the back. Seles was out of action for more
than two years, and later won the Australian Open.
<<<

There's also a stunning photo of Monica from the US Open 2008 Opening
Ceremony:
http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/2/photogallery/?Event=usopen_oc
- of which a larger, less cropped, but watermarked variant can be
found on Getty Images.

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