News

Henin-Hardenne wins third title (June 11)
From the French Open: In yet another gutsy effort from a woman who loves Court Philippe Chatrier the most, Belgium's Justine Henin-Hardenne won her third Roland Garros crown with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final on Saturday.
"Winning here for the third time means maybe more than the fifth Grand Slam for me, I mean, because it's physically and mentally very hard on clay," Henin-Hardenne said.
"I've been very calm during the whole tournament, even if I never really played my best tennis. I played very well on the crucial points, and today again. So I'm very, very happy the way it goes right now."
Unlike in her prior two finals here, Henin-Hardenne faced a severe physical test from the strong-legged Russian.
Henin-Hardenne, who held four Grand Slam titles coming into the match, appeared to be heading toward an easy victory early on in the match, as the Russian struggled with her nerves and had trouble keeping the ball in the court during long rallies.
But after falling behind 1-4, 2004 US Open champion Kuznetsova steadied herself and began to dictate much of the play off her own serve.
She broke back to 2-4 behind a muscular all court attack, dictating with her forehand, playing steady on her backhand side and frequently rushing the net.
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Aussie-American duo win doubles title (June 12)
From the French Open: In scorching Parisian heat, top-seeded Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur snatched their second Grand Slam crown on Sunday, dismantling No5 seeds Ai Sugiyama and Daniela Hantuchova 6-3 6-2 in one hour and 15 minutes. On Court Suzanne Lenglen, Raymond (from the US) and Stosur (Australia) broke in the fourth game to go up 4-1, and captured the first set in 40 minutes. The second set followed a similar pattern, the Australian and American breaking twice on the way to their first Roland Garros crown together. It was an historic win for Raymond who has now achieved a rare career doubles Grand Slam (she becomes the 13th woman in the Open Era to achieve such a feat).
"It's great. I'm just really excited at the moment," said Stosur. "To come back and get this one and after the disappointment at the Aussie, we certainly didn't want that to happen again. So I think to go out there and and win but also to win so comfortably on the scoreboard is a great feeling."
Hantuchova, from Slovakia, and Sugiyama, from Japan, were playing their first Grand Slam together. Sugiyama was the only woman to have previously captured a Roland Garros women's doubles title (alongside Kim Clijsters in 2003).
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Can Svetlana stop Queen Justine? (June 10)
From the French Open website: The 76th French Open women's final will see Justine Hénin-Hardenne - the best player in the world on clay -- face Svetlana Kuznetsova, one of this season's rising stars.
With two French Open titles already in her trophy cabinet, Justine Hénin-Hardenne is the red hot favorite for Saturday's final. The 24-year-old has defended her title in spectacular style so far, having yet to drop a set and losing an average of only five games in the six matches she has played. In fact, 'Ju', as she is known to her friends, has spent less than eight hours on court thus far. This seemingly inexorable progress to the final belies her pre-Paris preparations - the former world No1 failed to win a tournament on clay this season and came here with her confidence at an all-time low. This was also the case in 2004, when she was unsuccessful in defending her title. Last year however, when she won her second French Open title, she came to Roland Garros unbeaten on clay with three tournament wins in her pocket.
In Thursday's semifinal, Hénin-Hardenne was simply a cut above her fellow Belgian and No2 seed Kim Clijsters. Her service was particularly impressive, against an opponent who is noted for her returns. Hénin was never broken, saving three break points, and she also managed to send down four aces. Smaller (5'6"/1.67m) than a lot of her rivals on the circuit, the No5 seed is highly mobile and able to cover an enormous amount of ground along the baseline, before pouncing to move in on the counter-attack and smacking forehand and backhand winners with equal poise.
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Justine wins the Belgian battle (June 9)
From the French Open, yesterday: In another sterling performance in her favorite stadium, defending champion Justine Henin-Hardenne whipped Kim Clijsters 6-3 6-2 to move into her third Roland Garros final.
Employing a super-aggressive and ultra-confident style, Henin attacked Clijsters from the opening ball, crushing her forehand, serving big and jumping on her foe's second serve.
A two-time finalist here, Clijsters attempted to match her fellow Belgian blow for blow but after holding to 3-3 in the first set, she fell apart at the seams.
"I felt like she started to take a lot more risks on her return games and she started to really put me under pressure from the first serve already. She tried to go for her shots. I think from then on, she raised her level a bit, and from then on she was too good," said Clijsters.
While Henin moved beautifully and played some standout defensive points, it was her signal to Clijsters that she was more than willing to trade massive groundstrokes with her rather than just try to trip her up with her variety, that did her foe in.
Clijsters was never able to properly respond to Henin's steely attitude and had trouble hanging with her in rallies that lasted beyond six balls.
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Kuznetsova advances to semifinal (June 7)
From the French Tennis Open: Eighth seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova slugged her way into her second career Grand Slam semi final early Tuesday, winning the all-Russian contest against Dinara Safina 7-6(5) 6-0 on Court Philippe Chatrier.
20-year-old Kuznetsova recovered from a disastrous start - where she trailed 1-5 and was forced to save two set points - to take the match in one hour, 28 minutes and set up a meeting with Czech teenager Nicole Vaidisova.
Afterwards, Kuznetsova attributed her sluggish start to big-match nerves.
"I just couldn't move. I was not like it maybe looked like I was not awake. But, you know, when you play quarterfinals, you always awake. I just felt I wanted it badly, and I just had to breathe between the point and just to let it go somehow and just start play again. It was very tough."
Despite struggling with her serve in the initial stages of the match (she dropped her first three service games) to hand the momentum to Safina, Kuznetsova defended brilliantly in the seventh game, staving off her opponent's advances to hold serve (2-5) on her eighth game point.
That game, which lasted for over 10 minutes and featured a number of lengthy baseline exchanges, left Safina physically and mentally spent. Sensing her opponent's fragility, Kuznetsova upped the pace even more, running Safina ragged with a combination of hefty groundstrokes and crafty drop shots.
Full report

Mauresmo bows out at Roland Garros (June 5)
Amelie Mauresmo, the top seeded women’s player at Roland Garros was defeated in her fourth round match yesterday by Nicole Vaidisova (16), 6-7, 6-1, 6-2, in what proved to be the biggest upset of the 2006 French Open women’s draw thus far.
The Open continues to be full of surprises; only two top ten ranked players are heading into the quarterfinals after Mauresmo (1), Maria Sharapova (4) and Patty Schnyder (7) lost their games.
Mauresmo said she had suffered a “physical breakdown,” in a post match press conference. She went on to explain “ I felt down physically at the beginning of the second set. My shots were not long enough, nor powerful.”
Italian Open runner –up, Russian Dinara Safina’s  (14) strong victory over Sharapova, 5-7, 6-2, 5-7, is a continuation of her great year so far. She plays fellow countrywoman, Svetlana Kuznetsova tomorrow.
Martina Hingis (12), who has returned to dangerous form, takes on Kim Clijsters (2). If Hingis wins she will be a definite favourite for the Championship following her win in Rome at the Italian Open.
In the other quarterfinal matches Venus Williams (11) plays Nicole Vaidisova (16) and defending champion, Justine Henin-Hardenne, (5) meets German, Anna-Lena Groenfeld (13).
By Antonia Magee
French Open

Hénin avoids Italian job (June 3)
From the French Open: Lightning did not strike twice. In circumstances almost identical to 2004, when she came to Roland Garros as champion only to lose to Tathiana Garbin, Justine Henin-Hardenne beat her Italian nemesis this time around in straight sets 6-4 6-0 to advance to the round of 16.
In three previous battles between the second-ranked Belgian (Hénin is world No5, behind Kim Clijsters - No2) and the sixth-ranked Italian (world No72), Garbin had come out on top on two occasions, and her performance so far at this year's French Open equalled her best ever, having made it to the third round in 2000 and 2004.
This was a definite banana skin in waiting for defending champion Hénin-Hardenne, who had looked unconvincing in dealing with Maret Ani and Anastasiya Yakimova in the opening two rounds.
The Belgian therefore needed to settle her nerves early. A backhand crosscourt passing shot earned her a break point, then Garbin netted a forehand, and the 2003 and 2005 champion (the only active singles player to have won here more than once) was a break to the good after three minutes.
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Myskina too steady for Ivanovic
2004 champion Anastasia Myskina skipped into the fourth round early Saturday, making surprisingly short work of Serbian teenager Ana Ivanovic 6-2 6-3 on Court One.
Playing a much steadier baseline game than her younger opponent, the more agile Myskina used her wealth of claycourt experience to race through the first set in a swift 26 minutes.
Cheered on by former Russian leader Boris Yeltsin, the Russian tenth seed applied a multitude of pressure from the outset, drawing a spate of unforced errors (21 in the first set alone) from the nervous Serb.
After the match, Myskina said she was grateful for Yeltsin's presence, describing him as a good luck charm for the Russian women.
"Well, when he watched before, I never lose a match so far. So hope he going to stay here," a smiling Myskina said.
The Russian broke Ivanovic's serve in the first game after the teenager dunked an easy smash into the net, and again in the fifth game with a wondrous crosscourt forehand passing shot. She sealed the opening set 6-1 when an Ivanovic backhand floated long.
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Henin-Hardenne’s happy birthday (June 2)
Defending champ Justine Henin-Hardenne celebrated her 24th birthday yesterday, with a 6-2 7-5 triumph over Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Under cloudy Parisian skies, the fifth seeded Henin-Hardenne blasted 25 winners to recover from a 4-5 second set deficit en route to the triumph.
The 23-year-old pint-sized Belgian played an erratic match, making an overwhelming number of unforced errors (43) and securing just 56 per cent of her first serves during the one hour and 39 minute contest.
In the opening set, Henin raced ahead 4-1, frustrating her 19-year-old opponent with her exceptional court coverage.
Despite struggling with her serve, the stylish Henin nevertheless converted three of five break point opportunities and threaded 11 winners to seal the set in 43 minutes.
The former World No1 suffered a let down at the start of the second set, falling behind 0-2. However she recovered quickly to erase her deficit, reeling off four straight games to go up 4-2.
Her stock plummeted once again as Yakimova gained steam to reel off three straight games and take a 5-4 lead. But the Belarusian nervously squandered three set points as Henin firmed up her game to nail the triumph.
Henin, a winner on the Parisian red clay in 2003 and 2005, will square off with the winner of the Alizee Corney - Tatiana Garbin encounter.
French Open website

Safina devastates opposition (June 1)
From the French Open: Russian Dinara Safina continued her fine form on clay with a 6-0 6-2 trouncing of Hana Sromova early Wednesday on Court No3. The 14th seed is into the Roland Garros third round for the first time in her career.
Her compatriot, men's 6th-seed Nickolay Davydenko, also advanced when Brazil's Florent Serra retired because of the flu. Davydenko was leading, 6-2 4-1.
"I can say it was an easy match today," Safina admitted. "I was pretty solid today. I played aggressive."
Safina raced off with the first set in just 23 minutes, hitting 14 winners along the way. She took the opening two games of the second set, but Sromova managed to slow down Marat's younger sister by moving her around, especially with the drop shot.
But when Safina got her feet set and attacked, her power was too much for the 28-year-old Czech, ranked No99 in the world. The five-foot, 11-inch (1.82m) Safina also showed off some quickness, tracking down a number of those drop shots from Sromova.
Safina closed out the match with a blistering inside-out backhand return winner. This is her seventh win in eight matches on clay after reaching the Rome final last week. Rather quietly, she is putting together one of the better stretches of her young career.
"When I am confident, I feel more calm on the court," she explained. "I can control more what I am doing. I'm controlling the match."
French Open website

Henin-Hardenne cruises into Open (May 31)
Defending champion Justine Henin-Hardenne began her campaign for a third Roland Garros title with a sterling 6-3 6-0 first round victory over Estonia's Maret Ani.
Playing a forceful contest that featured both her standout all around offense and remarkable defense, Henin overcame a spirited effort from the inexperienced Ani in the first set and wiped the court with her in the second set.
While Ani tried to press the action with her big forehand, Henin showed much more variety than her foe and dominated her from the backhand side. The Belgian nailed 17 winners to six from her opponent and committed five fewer unforced errors, despite the fact that it was a cold and windy day in Paris. She also knocked in 71 per cent of her first serves. "It was tough for all player the today," she said. "It was pretty freezing and windy. It's not easy for first match. But it's the best match I've ever served. I was very happy because it's always tough to play the first round, you have to stay focused and be careful. I tried to be a little aggressive. I've been very focused in preparation and I just have to go play my game."

Plus…
Two-time French Open semifinalist and No3 seed Nadia Petrova became the first major casualty of the women's tournament on Tuesday, shockingly defeated by Japan's Akiko Morigami 6-2 6-2.
After winning three clay court crowns (Amelia Island, Charleston and Berlin) coming into the event, including overcoming Justine Henin-Hardenne in Berlin, Petrova was expected to make a major push for her first Grand Slam title, but a left leg injury and a quick, zoning foe did her in. Petrova injured a muscle in her left leg in practice and said she couldn't get a good push off it. She limped around the court, called upon the doctor and even stopped sitting down at the changeovers between games. The 69-ranked Japanese veteran strung her around the court and showed very quick hands. Petrova, who reached the 2005 semifinals, was devastated. "It's a new injury I've never experienced," she said. "I couldn't move and felt slow and it was affecting me in the head. Morigami played her best, but there is no excuse for me not winning the match.
"I'm disappointed because I was really looking forward to this. I've had really good results here. It was really unfortunate what happened to me. It was bad luck." Source: French Open

Triumphant return for Navratilova (May 10)
Martina Navratilova has made a triumphant return to her native country of Czechoslovakia, today winning the doubles tennis title with Czech player Barbara Strycova at the Prague Open.
Navratilova emigrated to the USA and became a citizen in 1981 and last played in Prague in 1986.

Molik returns in April (Mar 30)
From the WTA: Five months after announcing an extended break from tennis to recover from ongoing struggles with illness, Australia's Alicia Molik will take the court again, albeit not on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour just yet.
Molik, who just a year ago was ranked in the Top 10 in the world, will make her long-awaited return during the Asia / Oceania Zone Group I round robin competition in Seoul, South Korea between Wednesday, April 19 and Saturday, April 22.
Source: WTA

Mauresmo cruises into Miami semis (Mar 29)
For the second straight day, Amélie Mauresmo had to face one of the few players that has beaten her this year, and for the second straight day she prevailed in straight sets, as the first two NASDAQ-100 Open quarterfinals were contested Tuesday.
After having lost to the Russian in the final of Doha just a few weeks ago, a defeat that delayed her return to the world No.1 ranking by two weeks, the top-seeded Mauresmo cruised past No.5 seed Nadia Petrova 63 61 on Tuesday night to reach the semifinals for the second consecutive year at the $3,450,000, Tier I Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event. The Frenchwoman was the steadier of the two players, as Petrova hit four more winners but sprayed 25 more unforced errors throughout the one-hour, six-minute rout.
It was a similar scenario to Mauresmo's two set, round of 16 victory over big-hitting Serbian teenager Ana Ivanovic, who had also beaten her in their most recent encounter, in the second round of Sydney in January.
Source: WTA tour web site

Sharapnova and Mauresmo through in Miami (Mar 28)
From the Miami Tennis Open: Maria Sharapova moved into the quarterfinals, but she had a fight on her hands playing her good friend on the circuit, Maria Kirilenko. The two have known each other since they were 12.
It wasn’t one of Sharapova’s best performances in the windy conditions, but the fact that she had to find a way to win was good for her as she moved on, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
"I definitely did not play my best tennis in the first two sets, but I was playing a lot of defense and she was stepping in the court," said Sharapova. "She was hitting very deep and hard, and especially against the wind, I was just pushing everything back.
"In the second set I think it was just one or two balls that made the difference, and then in the third I stepped it up. I could see that she was getting physically a little bit tired, wasn’t getting to as many balls. I started to pick up my game."
There was disappointing news for Swiss player Patty Schnyder: the seventh seed had to withdraw because of an injury to her right ankle, which had big ice packs on it the day before. That gave Svetlana Kuznetsova a walkover into the quarterfinals. The Russian would have been happy for that, as she had a tough match the evening before when she fought off Martina Hingis and a match point to win a third-set tiebreaker.
Also advancing to the quarterfinals are Tatiana Golovin, Ai Sugiyama and Jie Zheng – they defeated Elena Dementieva 6-2, 6-1, Sofia Arvidsson 6-7, 6-3, 6-2 and Jill Craybas 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 respectively.
Yesterday Amelie Mauresmo, who is leading the WTA Tour, worked her way into the fourth round, defeating Marion Bartoli 6-4 6-0.
Second and third seeds Kim Cijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne both lost their first matches, while other high-profile players such as the Williams sisters and Lindsay Davenport have withdrawn.
Match website
WTA Tour web (pictured)

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From the WTA Tour: US Open champion Kim Clijsters received top honors Tuesday evening at "Stars For Stars," the Official Awards Party of Professional Tennis. The second annual joint ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA Awards ceremony honored tennis' finest players for their 2005 achievements.
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Techno TV to boost tennis audience (Mar 23)
From Reuters: Women's tennis will embrace a new technological era by introducing mid-match television interviews, instant TV replays to decide line calls and enhanced microphones at this week's Miami event.
The changes, which have the players' support, mean the likes of Amelie Mauresmo and Maria Sharapova will conduct television interviews moments before stepping on court and their coaches will share their thoughts with viewers during matches.
Story

Henin-Hardenne Back To Form In Dubai (Feb 27)
Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne has shown no signs of a stomach ailment which haltered her Australian Open campaign to defeat Maria Sharapova 7-5 6-2 in the Dubai Open.
Henin-Hardenne, the 2004 winner, increased her undefeated streak at the tournament to 12 after she missed last year’s event with a shoulder injury.
Commenting after the match about her performance to the Indianapolis Star, Henin-Hardenne said that she was pleased with the way her body held up in the tough conditions.
“It was a tough week with all the rain . . . but my body held up,” the Belgian said.
“I'm very tired, even if I didn't want to show it on the court,” Henin-Hardenne told The Independent, “I always try to keep these things to myself, which is sometimes a mistake because I push myself beyond my limits.”
“My body is very sore now. My shoulder, my knee, everything's hurting, but I always try to play with my fighting spirit.”
“I am very happy with the way I played this week.”
The Dubai victory gave Henin-Hardenne her second title of the year.
By Rick D’Andrea

Mauresmo and Clijsters To Meet in Antwerp Final (Feb 19)
Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo and Belgian Kim Clijsters have both progressed through to the Final of the Proximus Diamond Games being held in Antwerp, Belgium.
Mauresmo, the No. 2 seed, took care of the Russian No. 4 seed Nadia Petrova 6-4, 7-5, whilst Clijsters, the current World No.1, had to come back from being a set down to win against another Russian - this time, in the No. 5 seed, Elena Dementieva 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.
“Kim (Clijsters) in the final is of course great for the crowd, but will be extra hard for me,” Mauresmo told Reuters, “I am expecting a very tough game. Kim is a very dangerous player.”
“I hope there is still more to come. I didn't feel too good in the first two rounds, but today was much better,” Mauresmo said.
Both Mauresmo and Clijsters are the last two Grand Slam winners after Clijsters won the US Open in September and Mauresmo claimed the Australian Open title in dramatic circumstances. The two also met in last month's Australian Open semi-final, with Clijsters retiring hurt with the score in the third set in Mauresmo's favour at 3-2.
By Rick D'Andrea

Australian Open

Mauresmo wins -- Henin-Hardenne steals limelight (Jan 28)
In what can only be called an anti-climatic final, Amelie Mauresmo has won the 2006 Kia Australian Open by default. Her opponent, Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne was forced out of the match with a stomach ailment and heat exhaustion.
Leading 6-1, 2-0 and 15-love, Henin-Hardenne could not continue, and called the match over after 53 minutes.
The roof was closed for the final, and the muggy conditions did not help neither player, nor the fans, who had come out to see a competitive end to such a tough women's draw, which included eight Former World Number Ones and 12 Grand Slam winners.
Mauresmo conquered Henin-Hardenne in the first set, only letting the 2004 Champion to win five points in the opening four games. It took until the fifth game for Henin-Hardenne to get her act together, and it was her trademark stroke - a backhand down-the-line that set her alight.
But it was to no avail as the Frenchwoman took out the first set 6-1 in 33 minutes.
The second set seemed to follow the first, with Mauresmo applying pressure on the Belgian serve, and breaking it in the opening game of the second set.
Henin-Hardenne called for the trainer at Deuce, in the second game of the second set, complaining of a stomach ailment and heat exhaustion. She attempted to continue, but only lasted one point, and ended the match only minutes later.
The 26-year-old Frenchwoman did not know how to react after winning her first Grand Slam in such dramatic fashion, but after only minutes, was consoling her opponent about what had just occurred. She was lost for words, and emotions, on how to react to the situation
“It's disappointing for everybody for it to end this way,” Mauresmo said after the match, “I still don't know what to say.”
“I (hope) that you will get better and recover quickly”.
Touted as the greatest player never to win a Grand Slam after Kim Clijsters' victory at the US Open last September, the 26-year-old Frenchwoman is now relieved to have earnt her first Grand Slam victory, and is able to enjoy a 1937 wine that she has put away in a wine cellar in Geneva, to enjoy once she won her first Grand Slam.
This has been the third walkover that Mauresmo has gone through on her way to winning the title, after Kim Clijsters rolled her ankle in their semi-final clash on Thursday, and Michaella Krajicek in the fourth round defaulted of heat exhaustion.
Mauresmo has won the tour-ending WTATour Championships in Los Angeles, which is considered the unofficial fifth Grand Slam on the tour, but the 1999 Australian Open runner-up has now got a Grand Slam to her name.
By Rick D'Andrea
Aus Open

Mauresmo books a finals seat (Jan 27)
From the Aust Open web: France's Amelie Mauresmo will finally get the chance to shed her tag as the best female player yet to win a major tournament after qualifying for her first Grand Slam final in seven years.
Mauresmo, the No.3 seed, will take on No.8 seed Justine Henin-Hardenne in the women's singles final at Australian Open 2006 after taking advantage of an unfortunate injury to Belgium's Kim Clijsters during their epic semi-final on Rod Laver Arena.
Mauresmo, whose only previous appearance in a Grand Slam final came here in 1999 when she lost to Martina Hingis, had just broken Clijsters to lead 3-2 in the deciding set when the No.2 seed was forced to retire with an ankle injury.
Earlier Henin-Hardenne continued her magnificent recent record in Australia by winning her 22nd consecutive match 'Down Under' to book her place in the final by beating Russian No.4 seed Maria Sharapova 4-6 6-1 6-4 in two hours and 26 minutes of high quality tennis.
It was the second successive year Sharapova, the 2004 Wimbledon champion, had blown a one-set lead in the semi-finals at the Australian Open after last year squandering three match points in the third set in losing to eventual champion Serena Williams.
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Clijsters withdraws (Jan 26)
From the Aust Open web: Women's No.3 seed Amelie Mauresmo has been handed a passage into the final of Australian Open 2006 after Kim Clijsters withdrew in the third set of their semi-final clash on Day Eleven.
Mauresmo was up a break in the third set after the pair had split the opening two sets 5-7 6-2 when Clijsters was forced to withdraw after rolling her right ankle when facing a break-point against the Frenchwoman.
It was a disappointing end for Clijsters, while Mauresmo reached her first Grand Slam final in seven years, where she will play No.8 seed Justine Henin-Hardenne on Rod Laver Arena on Saturday.
Story link
Plus…
Samantha Stosur's dream fortnight at Melbourne Park has continued with Australia's top female player through to the mixed doubles semi-finals as well as the women's doubles final.
Stosur, who reached the fourth round in singles at Australian Open 2006 before bowing out to former world No.1 Martina Hingis in a career-best performance in singles at a Grand Slam, can now go one better than last year when she claimed the mixed doubles trophy with fellow Australian Scott Draper.
After reaching the women's final late in the evening session on Day 10 with American partner Lisa Raymond - with whom she won last year's US Open - Stosur is now in the mixed doubles semis with new partner, Australian Paul Hanley.

Henin-Hardenne stakes her claim (Jan 24)
From the Australian Open: Tiny Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne looms ominously as the woman to beat at Australia Open 2006 after fighting back from a set down to conquer world No.1 Lindsay Davenport in their quarter-final stoush on Rod Laver Arena. The uncompromising power-hitter will play Russian glam Maria Sharapova, who booked her semi-final date earlier against countrywoman Nadia Petrova.
Aust Open story
Plus
Australian junior tennis player Bridget Healy got a taste of the pressure that comes with playing in front of a home crowd at your national championships on Day Eight at Australian Open 2006.
Aust Open story

Stosur bows out to the Swiss Miss (Jan 23)
The dream run of Australian Samantha Stosur (pictured) has come to an end at the hands of the 1997 to 1999 women's singles winner, Martina Hingis 6-1, 7-6 in 92 minutes.
The Swiss Miss dominated the Australian from the get-go, breaking Stosur's serve in the fourth game of the first set, and rushed quickly through to take the set 6-1 in only 23 minutes.
Hingis was getting 82 percent of first serves in, compared to Stosur's 63, not allowing the 21-year-old Aussie to get into any returning rhythm. Not only did Stosur have to contend with the Hingis serve, but also her ability not to make mistakes and give away free points, with only six unforced errors by the former champion made in the first set compared to Stosur's 15.
The second set proved to be more entertaining for the Centre Court crowd, with Stosur putting more of a spirited performance that in the first. After holding their opening serve, both Hingis and Stosur went on to break each other's serve for four consecutive games. It took the 25-year-old Hingis until the seventh game to hold her serve.
The Australian put pressure on the Former World Number One and made Hingis serve out for the match and a quarter-final appearance against Belgian Kim Clijsters, but was unable to do so. Stosur rallied, and showed the same determination that she displayed in the second round against Ana Ivanovic when she won six straight games, but this time, the result was different with Hingis prevailing 10-8 in the second set tie-breaker in 69 minutes.
Speaking to Channel Seven immediately after the match, Hingis admitted that the Australian could one day be at the top of the women's game.
“I think she has a great future ahead of her,” Hingis said, “She's still young…a great fighter…and this amazing kick serve, and I tried to be prepared for it.”
“I knew that I couldn't give (Samantha) any momentum.”
By Rick D'Andrea

Mauresmo hits her way to quarter-finals (Jan 23)
From the Australian Open website: Women's number three seed Amelie Mauresmo is through to the final eight at Australian Open 2006 with an authoritative 6-1 6-1 win over Czech teenager Nicole Vaidisova on Rod Laver Arena on day eight.
The Frenchwoman was in devastating form, recording her second win in as many matches against Vaidisova in just 52 minutes, and continuing her imposing record of just dropping one set so far for the tournament.
Aus Open story

Stosur to face Hingis (Jan 22)
From the Australian Open web: Samantha Stosur is through to her first Grand Slam round of 16, is playing in her home tournament as the lone Australian - male or female - left in the draw and is the subject of intense media scrutiny, but she feels no pressure.
Oh, and her next opponent is winner of five Grand Slam titles, Martina Hingis.
It might seem like a lot to have on your plate, but the 21-year-old Queenslander takes a different view.
"I don't think there's really any pressure on me now, it's just exciting," she says.
"Obviously I've never been to this stage in a Grand Slam before and to be doing it here, it's just a great feeling. So every time I get another opportunity to go out on centre court, I'm just going to enjoy it as much as I can and really just go for it and give it my best shot.
"I really don't feel any pressure to win out there. I've just got to enjoy it."
Aus Open link

Sam the survivor (Jan 21)
From the Australian Open web: Samantha Stosur's Australian Open 2006 dream is alive and well, Martina Hingis's comeback continues to gain momentum and most of the seeds fared well on a scorching Day Six at Melbourne Park.
Stosur faced up to Sybille Bammer on Rod Laver Arena in the Twilight Session and managed to overcome a shaky serving performance to see off the Austrian 7-5 4-6 6-3.
The opening set saw an amazing nine breaks of serve from the two players, with Stosur able to hold hers twice to Bammer's once to take out the set.
"One of the good things was that I was able to really try and stay as patient as I could out there, I mean, she really didn't give me anything," Stosur said.
"I really had to work hard for every single point. She just didn't really give an inch, and I wasn't getting any free points off my serve like I usually do. She just made everything really tough for me."
Stosur's progression has caused a welcome dilemma for Australian tennis followers as she is slated to take on firm crowd favourite and three-time champion Hingis in the fourth-round.
Hingis faced a determined challenged from unseeded Czech Iveta Benesova, who had dispatched French No.5 seed Mary Pierce in the second-round, and was down 1-3 early in the match.
But the former world No.1 remained composed - while the hot conditions took their toll on Benesova - to win nine of the next 11 games and wrap up the match 6-4 6-1.
"Towards the end of the second set you could feel the heat, but thank God she felt it more than I did," Hingis said.
The Swiss Miss is yet to drop a set and has only conceded ten games in three rounds so far, but she denies she is one of the hot favourites for this year's title…
Aus Open link

Serena’s luck runs out (Jan 20)
From the Australian Open web: Defending champion Serena Williams was sent packing, world No.1 Lindsay Davenport advanced and the Russian dominance continued on Day Five of Australian Open 2006 with Maria Sharapova, Nadia Petrova, Elena Vesnina and Svetlana Kuznetsova all winning through to the fourth-round.
It wasn't just the tennis that was hot on a sizzling Friday in Melbourne. The temperature reached 37 degrees Celsius late in the afternoon, resulting in the implementation of the tournament's Extreme Heat Policy (EHP).
Aus Open link

Justine no longer hamstrung (Jan 20)
From the Australian Open web: Twelve months ago a knee injury ended Justine Henin-Hardenne's campaign for a second successive Australian Open title, before it even began, and the Belgian has admitted she almost had to forgo the trip for the second year in a row.
The number 8 seed at Australian Open 2006 confirmed she only made a last-minute decision to travel to Australia as she was still struggling with a right hamstring strain that had forced her out of the game since October.
"Still a few weeks ago I didn't know if I was going to be able to come here in Australia with my hamstring problem. Now it's feeling great," Henin-Hardenne said after recording a 6-4 6-1 win over Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano to advance to the fourth round.
Aus Open link

Stosur impresses against Ivanovic (Jan 19)
Australia's best and last hope of capturing the 2006 Kia Australian Open title still looked good after beating rising teenage sensation Ana Ivanovic 6-3, 7-5 in 86 minutes.
Samantha Stosur captured the first set in only 37 minutes from the Serbian 6-3, and looked impressive. But the 18-year-old teen from Belgrade came back in the second set, and broke the Australian in both the fourth and sixth games to take a commanding 5-1 lead.
Ivanovic was broken back immediately to force the score to 5-2, but the Australian did not give up, and won the next five games, which included breaking the Ivanovic serve in both the ninth and 11th games to win the second set 7-5 in 49 minutes.
“I just love playing here. I love playing in Australia,” Stosur said after her post-match interview, “I really like it when there's a lot of people around and they're all cheering for me. It really just picks me up. I'd certainly rather be playing in front of them than not.”
“(Down) 5 1 I just thought, just swing at a couple of balls and get a little bit of tension out that I had. Maybe go for a couple winners and see what happens.”
The Australian will now meet Austrian Sybille Bammer in the next round of the tournament, after the Austrian defeated Zi Yan of China, 6-3, 6-4.
By Rick D'Andrea
WTA Stosur bio

Krajicek too good for Mirza (Jan 19)
Dutch tennis player Michaella Krajicek has advanced through to the third round of the Kia Australian Open after she defeated rising Indian tennis star Sania Mirza 6-3, 7-5.
In hot and humid conditions for both players and spectators, Krajicek was able to break the Indian's serve and maintain control of the points in the first set, which the Dutchwoman eventually took 6-3.
The second set proved more of a challenge for the Dutch tennis player, as she was unable to break the Indian player's serve until the 11th game, and had to serve for the match.
Mirza was coached during the tennis off-season by Australian super coach Tony Roche. Roche is the current coach of Roger Federer, the current Men's World Number One, and has coached players such as Former World Number Ones Ivan Lendl and Patrick Rafter.
Krajicek will now face the Number Three Seed in Amelie Mauresmo after the Frenchwoman defeated fellow compatriot Emilie Loit 7-6, 6-2 in 98 minutes on Vodafone Arena earlier today.
In other results, Number 12 Seed Anastasia Myskina defeated Jamea Jackson of the USA 7-6, 0-6, 6-3. Number Two Seed Kim Clijsters was victorious against qualifier Yuan Meng of China 6-4, 6-2 and in a surprise result; Number Five Seed Mary Pierce was defeated by Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 7-5.
Clijsters suffered a reoccurrence of her hip injury that she suffered last week at the Sydney International, and called for a medical time-out once the 22-year-old Belgian had wrapped up the first set. In a post-match interview, Clijsters admitted that it actually wasn't her hip, but her lower back.
“My hip is actually pretty good. It's my lower back that's not doing too great. The problem that I had in Sydney with the fluid, I think it's with the antiinflammatories that I'm taking is reducing (the swelling) and it's helping a lot. It's just my lower back that's struggling.”
The surprise of the day was the elimination of the Number Five Seed Mary Pierce in straight sets by Iveta Benesova.
“I felt really confident. Feel good. I was playing well. (I) was hopefully looking forward to getting pretty far in the tournament. I love playing here,” Pierce said after a post-match interview, “So, you know, those things kind of happen sometimes.”
“I think we all have a bad day sometimes. It wasn't my best day today.”
By Rick D'Andrea
Australian Open bio

Mauresmo sees off Loit (Jan 19)
From the Australian Open: French No.3 seed Amelie Mauresmo has overcome countrywoman Emilie Loit in straight sets to book her spot in the third-round at Australian Open 2006.
The opening set was closely contested and went down to the wire but Mauresmo got on top in the tie-break, eventually triumphing 7-6 (7/1) 6-2.
In a match where Mauresmo was able to clinch the crucial points, the most telling statistic was the unforced errors, as Loit (38) made too may mistakes compared to Mauresmo (24).
Significantly, there wasn't a great disparity with the total number of points won (Mauresmo's 86 to Loit's 71).
In the second set, the higher-ranked Mauresmo had several break-point chances, but still only converted two of nine as she cruised to victory. Mauresmo now meets emerging Dutchwoman Michaella Krajicek in the round of 32.
Plus…
As relative unknowns in the tennis world 12 months ago, Sania Mirza and Michaella Krajicek both made big strides forward in 2005, and their clash in the second-round on Day Four of Australian Open 2006 provided an interesting contrast in the way players are introduced to the game.
The younger sister of 1996 Wimbledon men's singles champion Richard, 17-year-old Krajicek first picked up a racquet at the age of three under the guidance of father Petr - who is her coach - and mother Paulina.
And with Richard already 21 years of age and on the professional circuit by that stage, it is easy to see where the world No.43 - who began 2005 ranked 429th - drew a lot of her inspiration and aspirations for a similar career as she grew up.
But Mirza's is a different story. The 19-year-old who hails from Mumbai having taken up the game as a six-year-old with encouragement from her father Imran, who is a builder, and mother Naseema, who works at a printing company.
Mirza created Indian tennis history last year when, as a wildcard, she reached the third-round at Melbourne Park. Nirupama Vidyanathan was the only Indian woman before her to have even competed at a Grand Slam tournament.
She went on to become the first Indian women to win a singles title, at Hyderabad, lost in the final in Forest Hills and climbed into the world's top 50, earning herself the No.32 seeding at Australian Open 2006 in the process.
Australian Open

Davenport wins through to Third Round (Jan 18)
World number one and number one Seed Lindsay Davenport has won through to the trhird round of the Australian Open by defeating Croatian Karolina Sprem 7-6, 6-3 in 85 minutes.
The American was made to work hard for the win, and had to fight back after being broken in only the third game of the first set. Davenport trailed 3-1 in the tie-breaker, but was able to win six of the next seven points to take the first set.
“I knew she definitely had the ability to play really well and be dangerous, and that was the best that she's played against me,” Davenport said to the WTATour Website, “I felt like I was hitting the ball well, just not quite hitting my spots. So a really tough match to pull out. But I was able to play well when I needed to and get through a tough opponent early on.”
The 2000 Australian Open champion will meet Russian Number 25 Seed Maria Kirilenko on Friday, after she defeated fellow Russian Galina Voskoboeva 7-6, 6-4.
By Rick D’Andrea

Sharapova eases through (Jan 18)
Maria Sharapova has won through to the next round of the Kia Australian Open by overpowering American qualifier Ashley Harkleroad 6-1, 7-5 in 74 minutes.
Sharapova broke the American’s serve in only the second game of the first set and raced through the remainder to take it 6-1, barely letting her less-fancied opponent a chance to win a point.
The Number Four Seed won 92 percent of first serves and 57 percent of second serves in the first set, compared to 58 and 25 percent respectively.
The Russian called for the trainer after only the first game of the second set complaining of blister problems on her left foot. She seemed irritated, but slowly became more comfortable with the problem.
Harkleroad seemed to feel more relaxed in the second set, and it showed with more confident strokes, and was able to put more pressure on the Sharapova game. It took the Number Four Seed until the seventh game of the set to break the American’s serve, but was broken back the very next game. Sharapova broke again in the 11th game, and served out to win the set 7-5.
The American had even earnt two set points against the feisty Russian in the second set, but was denied by some Sharapova determination.
Speaking to Channel Seven after the match, Sharapova hinted that she did need a tight match to begin her 2006 Australian Open campaign.
“I thought it was good. I haven’t had any of these kind of matches in a while. It’s been two months already since I had big competition, so I think it is good to get that in the early rounds.”
The Russian called for the trainer after only the first game of the second set complaining of blister problems on her left foot. She seemed irritated, but slowly became more comfortable with the problem.
“I made some errors towards the middle of the second set, but I’ll just get on the practice court tomorrow and work on a few things to get ready for the next match.”
Sharapova will now meet Jelena Kostanic after the Croatian bet Zuzana Ondraskova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-1 earlier today.
By Rick D’Andrea

No struggle this time for Serena (Jan 18)
It was a different Serena Williams that came out to play against Camille Pin of France compared to Monday night, when the American struggled to overcome Chinese Na Li.
Williams took the match in only 49 minutes, 6-3, 6-1, and extended her winning streak to 16 matches at Melbourne Park, after her last two appearances have resulted in the Number 13 Seed holding the trophy aloft.
“I'm feeling pretty good right now," Williams told the WTATour Website. "It was a little bit of an improvement.”
“My first round match, my opponent was a different player, so it was a totally different match.”
The 24-year-old American will now play 17th seed Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova, who defeated Uzbekistani Akgul Amanmuradova 6-4, 6-1.
By Rick D’Andrea

Henin-Hardenne does it easy (Jan 18)
Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne easily overcame Czech Hana Sromova 7-6, 6-1 in sweltering conditions on Rod Laver Arena.
The Belgian did not seem her exuberant self on the court, and her game suffered in the first set, having taken it to a tie-breaker.
But it was in the second set when Henin-Hardenne, the 2004 champion, picked up her game. Not only did the Belgian pick up her game, but Sromova picked up a left ankle injury, causing her to suffer during the last few games of the match.
“She wasn't moving well after the injury, so I hope she will recover very quickly,” Henin-Hardenne told the WTATour Website. “I didn't know her at all and it took me almost a set to get used to her game. There was no rhythm in the match. I was doing the mistakes and the winners. That's not the kind of game I like. But that's the kind of match you have to win even if you're not playing good.”
The Number Eight Seed will now face either crowd favourite Conchita Martinez Granados or Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano, who defeated Australian Jelena Dokic on Monday.
By Rick D’Andrea

Australian Open First Round Wrap (Jan 17)
Starting back up at any profession after the Christmas/New Year break can be a tough ask for many people – but imagine if your first week back consisted of attempting to win one of the four major tennis titles on offer.
A daunting task, but that is what the cream of men’s and women’s tennis have to face, as they attempt to get their season off to a good start.
The campaign is already over for high-profile players such as Former World Number One Venus Williams, Russian superstars Elena Dementieva and Vera Zvonareva and Australian Jelena Dokic.
Williams was surprisingly bundled out of this year’s tournament by a little-known Bulgarian, Tszvetana Pironkova, 6-2, 0-6, 9-7 – the earliest exit of her seven appearances at Melbourne Park.
“I'm very disappointed,” 10th seeded-Williams said in a post-match interview, “I just couldn't pull my game together.”
“I had so many unforced errors, I just was struggling to keep the ball in today. Just couldn't get it right.”
The same can be said of Jelena Dokic. Making her first appearance since 2001 for her new adopted country, Dokic was expected to breeze through the first round, and had the possibility to do so with match point at 6-3, 6-5. After receiving a bad call, the match swung in her opponent’s, Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano’s, favour.
The Frenchwoman was able to get on top of Dokic, win the second set 7-6, and frustrate the Australian into handing over the third set 6-1 in 26 minutes.
“I would have to say one of the most disappointing losses probably in my career so far.” Dokic admitted.
“I was already really happy, and then half an hour later I was, you know, the most disappointed that I've ever (been).”
Current World Number One and Number One Seed Lindsay Davenport had no trouble disposing of unknown Australian Casey Dellacqua 6-2, 6-1. Number Two Seed Kim Clijsters easily accounted for Korean Yoon Jeong Cho 6-3, 6-0 and Number Four Seed Maria Sharapova defeated German Sandra Kloesel 6-2, 6-1.
World Number Three Amelie Mauresmo and last year’s winner Serena Williams struggled to get through their first round encounters, but eventually did with the Frenchwoman defeating Tiantian Sun 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. Williams almost suffered a similar fate as her older sister Venus, but was able to overcome Na Li, of China 6-3, 6-7, 6-2.
Crowd favourite and Swiss Miss, Martina Hingis blasted her way through to the second round by defeating the 30th seed, Vera Zvonareva 6-1, 6-2, and sending out an ominous warning to the rest of her competitors at the same time.
If Hingis wins her second round match against Finland’s Emma Laine, a repeat of the 1997 Australian Open final looms with the possibility of facing in-form Frenchwoman, Mary Pierce.
By Rick D’Andrea

Open disappoints high-profile players (Jan 17)
It seems the Herald Tribune may have spoken too soon (see yesterday’s tennis story). Two of the top attractions in the women’s competition at the Australian Open – Venus Williams and Jelena Dokic – have already crashed out.
According to the Open website: Playing her first-ever Grand Slam match, 18-year-old Bulgarian Tszvetana Pironkova has caused the first boilover of Australian Open 2006, with a brilliant 6-2 0-6 9-7 win over No. 10 seed American Venus Williams.
The world No.94 took 148 minutes to send five-time Grand Slam winner Williams to the earliest exit of her seven appearances at Melbourne Park.
Williams made an amazing 65 unforced errors, but fought her way back midway through the deciding set when Pironkova was serving for the match. Williams had all the momentum at that stage, but was clearly also fatigued after her preparation for the championship, which could best be described as limited. Late in the final set, she was finally overpowered by the Bulgarian's heavy groundstrokes and surprised by her nerves of steel.
Meanwhile Dokic got a warm reception for her return to playing under an Australian flag. She faced Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano in a contest witnessed by a packed 6000-seat stadium, but was defeated after two hours of play. Dokic expressed said, “I would have to say that was one of the most disappointing losses in my career.”
Plus...
More from the Australian Open website: Unfortunately for Australians Casey Dellacqua, Sophie Ferguson and Lauren Breadmore, their stay was briefer than they would have preferred.
Each was provided with an example of how hard they'll have to work in order to improve their respective games.
By any reckoning, the challenges presented to the Australian trio seemed enormous - Dellacqua, the world No.180 took on No.1 seed and three-time Grand Slam winner Lindsay Davenport, Ferguson was pitted against No.6 seed Nadia Petrova and Breadmore faced 2004 US Open winner Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Australian Open

Women the highlight for tennis opener (Jan 16)
The International Herald Tribune points out today that women are the highlight in a somewhat patchy line-up for the first tennis grand-slam of the year -- The Australian Open.
“Although a final-hour withdrawal is never out of the question in 21st-century tennis, it appears that, for the first time in the history of this Grand Slam tournament, every member of the top 20 will play. So will Martina Hingis, who is making her return to Melbourne after a three-year break from the tour she once dominated.” It says.
IHT home; Story
Meanwhile…
The Australian Open site reports: She may well be hovering three places outside the top 10 and trailing older sister Venus in the rankings, however, Australian Open defending champion Serena Williams looked every part a world No.1 on the eve of this year's event.
Despite her first non-top 10 finish in seven years, the 24-year-old declared herself fully fit and prepared for her seventh Australian Open appearance.
Wearing a bright green T-shirt, two sparkling fuschia pendants and lip gloss from her fashion-line, Williams looked, acted and exuded the confidence of the woman who held aloft the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup 12 months ago.
"I've had more time to prepare this year. I've had more time to prepare mentally and much more physically," she said at a media conference at Melbourne Park on Saturday.
"My preparation has been pretty cool … I've been here almost a week.
"As long as I don't beat myself, I'll be okay."
Australian Open story link
Plus…
Two experienced players on the women's circuit have qualified for Australian Open 2006 after comprehensive victories in the final stage of qualifying on Saturday.
Thailand's Tamarine Tanasugarn and Zimbabwean Cara Black both enjoyed the luxury of straight sets wins and failed to lose a set during the three rounds of qualifying at Melbourne Park.
It was also a straightforward progression for American No.2 qualifying seed Ashley Harkleroad, who thrashed countrywoman Vania King 6-3 6-1 to breeze through to the main draw. Harkleroad now clashes with 26-year-old German Sandra Kloesel in the first-round.
Twelve players have filled the final positions in the women's singles draw of 128 players after surviving the qualifying tournament. They are German Kathryn Woerle, China's Ting Li and Meng Yuan, Austrian Yvonne Meusburger, Slovakian Jarmila Gajdosova, Anastasiya Yakimova and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, Ukranian Olga Savchuk, Israeli Tzipora Obziler, Tanasugarn, Black and Harkleroad.
Australian Open story link

Tennis archives:
tennisarchive 2005

Features

Is there a future for Australian tennis? (Nov 7, 2005)
Mixed messages from the sport

Links

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