Just So We're Clear

by Savannah



The picture of the gif shown above is the only visible proof of what fans felt about the actions of WTA #1 Victoria Azarenka. I watched the match and that banner never appeared once on the feed I was watching. Of course the picture on the side is obviously a photo manipulation. I found it on a WTA fan site.

It seems I wasn't clear enough about reactions to Azarenka's taking advantage of the rules to calm herself down after blowing five match points to close out her match against American Sloane Stephens. I'm going to go a bit off topic here to mention that Stephens should beware of taking victory tours when she hasn't really won a "victory" yet. The USTA is desperate to have someone, especially an African American woman, to point to with pride and say "we did that". The American tennis establishment has never accepted Venus Williams or Serena Williams as one of their own since their parents had the sense to keep them out of the clutches of the people who wanted to claim the Williams success as their own. And let's not forget the media riot surrounding the USTA's treatment of Taylor Townsend this past summer. That the USTA wants to celebrate Stephens victory over an injured Serena Williams speaks volumes about how they feel about Serena.

It's interesting how Azarenka's fans have reacted to the furor. Their defense of their favorite boils down to the following:

1. Victoria misunderstood the question.
2. She was really injured.
3. Sloane wasn't going to win anyway.
4. Everybody does it.

Three and four can be dismissed out of hand. No one expected Stephens to win - she'd played a long hard match against a player who even while injured was playing to win and still had a chance to do so. A day's rest would've made a hell of a lot of difference in Stephens ability to play toe to toe with Azarenka who had struggled all tournament. I'm not saying she would've won but it would've been a more competitive match.

I think this is said to divert attention from Azarenka blowing those five match points which led to the MTO and the controversy.

Everybody does it is pure bull. Usually people drag out references to Rafael Nadal's alleged sketchy MTO's. There is one that I remember and Toni told him to cut the shit. If you want to go into phony MTO's the person who should be cited is Novak Djokovic but ironically the people using this argument never do so. I wonder why.

The first point, the one that was used AFTER the furor arose, is also fiction. Azarenka has lived in the United States for years and speaks English quite well, well enough to understand nuance.

The second point, that she was really injured, is wishful thinking. As Randy Burgess points out in his response to someone making that argument Azarenka herself said that she almost committed the "choke of the century" and that she felt "overwhelmed" and that she "had to win". She understood the question and answered truthfully.



By the time she was interviewed after leaving the court there's no doubt that her PR people had been hard at work. Unfortunately there were lots of people in RLA and millions watching. And lets not forget social media. The bought and paid for tennis media couldn't hide what had happened as they would've done in the past. That is why the four points of view have been floating around trying to explain the unexplainable and indefensible.

Finally I want to address the issue of sexism in both fan and press reaction to Victoria Azarenka as a player.

I watched tennis during the era of John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. Their antics were met with a wink and nod from the then mostly male sports writers and used to prove how masculine tennis was. They routinely exploded on court causing both cringing and cheering among tennis fans. Even today everyone knows McEnroe's "you can not be serious" line whether you're a tennis fan or not.

It should be pointed out that

Such behavior has never been condoned in a female tennis player. This article in Yahoo Eurosport mentions the long standing antipathy to Azarenka down under.

I guess it gets down to whether the behavior of McEnroe and Connors would be tolerated in any player, male or female, today. I don't think it would. Today's fans want good competition and eruptions of emotion or bad sportsmanship don't sit go over well today. Celebrate a well crafted point, a good rally, argue with the chair but throwing things at on court officials (See THIS ) is not a way to get the fans behind you.



After a run of Slamless #1's women's tennis has a #1 who can win Slams. This doesn't mean that everything she does is protected by The Almighty. Azarenka is deserving of the top ranking at this point. She plays a relatively full schedule and makes Grand Slam semi finals and finals. Her behavior is not what she, or the WTA want for the sport at this time. The era of prim ladies in long white skirts has gone the way of the dinosaur. The fans accept women who play in your face tennis with a side order of grace, and good sportsmanship.


End Notes

Davis Cup play starts today. The only member of the Top 4 playing is Novak Djokovic.

Bernard Tomic was caught going 78 KM/H in a 60 KM/H zone. Driving a bright yellow Ferrari with 'SINCITY' plates. The police officer didn't want his autograph. His license has been suspended. Good thing young Aussies made a good showing in Melbourne.

WTA players are out and about - in pictures


Daniela Hantuchova and Maria Kirilenko


Berry Gordy, Victoria Azarenka and Stefan Gordy



Serena Williams and Patrick Mouratoglou out and about in Melbourne. Loving the Air Jordan trainers and the short red dress.

But for some of us all of the legs shown above don't make us as happy as the sight of these legs do.



Welcome back Rafa!

Cheatergate and the 2013 Australian Open

by Savannah

No one but die hard fans are accepting the okey doke.



After admitting on court that she took a ten minute MTO because she was "overwhelmed" Victoria Azarenka changed her tune and said she "misunderstood" the question Sam Smith asked her on court.

The Economist , hardly known for sports commentary, has a major story about the event itself and the aftermath. Below is a summary.

In the wake of Ms Azarenka’s semifinal Pam Shriver, a retired American player, suggested that timeouts should be limited to game breaks directly before the service games of players claiming they are hurt. Since players usually feel greater pressure serving than receiving, the argument goes, timeouts are more likely to disadvantage the next server, which would discourage players from requesting them on spurious grounds. This might indeed reduce the strategic potential of timeouts slightly, but it falls far short of solving the problem. Players feeling nervous may still feel they have a better chance of holding their serves after a timeout, while a player in a dominant position can lose rhythm and momentum following a delay even when scheduled to receive.

Another proposal is to eliminate timeouts for non-acute injuries, and instead allow players access to unlimited assistance during the normal breaks that occur in matches, at change of ends and between sets. However, timeouts were instituted because sometimes players need treatment for periods longer than the normal breaks. This option risks the same adverse consequences as scrapping on-court medical treatment altogether.

Perhaps the most effective solution would be a point-docking system. If players forfeited just a single point per timeout, that would probably eliminate the temptation to cheat the system, since in tight matches, each point is immensely valuable. The ability to remain fit throughout a match is as just much a skill as having a good backhand. Playing poorly loses you points—so why shouldn’t, in a modest way, getting injured?

No athlete competes to come in second. In tennis players learn to smile and accept the plate while someone else gets the cup but natural competitors are never content with second place. The other comments Azarenka made during the Sam Smith interview was "I couldn't lose. I had to win." I'm paraphrasing but that is what she said.

Anyone who reads this blog consistently knows I've never been a fan of Azarenka and have always said she doesn't have the temperament to be a top player. She's moved herself up the rankings and has managed to keep herself at number one for a number of reasons but a leopard can't change it's spots.



There were milestones at this Australian Open: Novak Djokovic winning his third straight Oz Open, young Ana Konjuh of Croatia assuming the mantle of top junior girl, and Nick Krygios of Australia making a strong showing winning the Junior Boys title.



With the ongoing train wreck that is Bernard Tomic and Lleyton Hewitt in the twilight of his career I'm sure the people at Tennis Australia are glad to have not only Krygios but Thanasi Kokkanakis on the horizon.



Jarmila Gajdosova and Matthew Ebden won the Mixed Doubles crown, another feather in Tennis Australia's cap.



Italy could still hold it's head high as the team of Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci won the women's doubles crown.



Going back to the Juniors for a minute Australian Junior Boys team Jay Andrijic and Bradley Mousley won the title giving TA another feather in its cap.



As for Junior Girls doubles Canadian Carol Zhao teamed with Ana Konjuh to win.



There was Li Na not only twisting her untaped ankle but then falling on the court and the sickening vision of her head bouncing off the court and being grateful that her pony tail protected her from really serious injury.



Li was visibly dazed afterwards but went on to complete her match.
The other injury news was of course Serena Williams not only injuring her ankle during her first match but playing an ill advised doubles match against the eventual champions and who ended up hurting her back and crashing out of the tournament earlier than everyone expected.

Maria Sharapova once again had an easy path to the Quarterfinals beating up on people she should have and once again crashed out at the first sign of resistance from a seed.

There was the spectacle of Roger Federer cursing at a bemused Andy Murray who had to know at that point that he had the match won.

Tennis fans always associate the word "headcase" with WTA players. How else would you describe how Petra Kvitova has performed since her Grand Slam win? The Czech tennis federation has a lot of questions to answer about Petra's off court regimen including not scheduling time to practice in heat and humidity during the "off season" and keeping her in the Czech Republic playing indoor exhibitions. But isn't it time to start applying the word to players like Tomas Berdych, also of the Czech Republic? What about Juan Martin del Potro the Argentine who showed he has the game to beat the top players but rarely does?



A full list of Wheelchair and Quad winners is posted at the end.

But these are not the things casual fans know about the 2013 Australian Open. Yes Serena smashed her racquet to smithereens and Tweeted a picture of her monstrously swollen ankle making the conversation at my hair dresser quite lively especially when the ladies of the CBS gab fest "The View" talked about it. When a magazine like "The Economist" uses a lot of ink (real not virtual) to talk about Medical Time Outs in Tennis the first Major of the year did not achieve it's objective. When the number one ranked player of the WTA gets booed by the tennis savvy Australian fans every time she makes a mistake the WTA isn't being well represented by it's top player.

When I told Haruka that Azarenka had gotten herself in trouble again the first words out of her mouth were "That woman has no filter".

I'm as susceptible as the next person to being seduced by a charm offensive on behalf of a player. The image makers know how valuable it is for a top athlete to have a positive image not only with the press but with fans. Look at what's been done on LeBron James behalf. There are fans like me who appreciate the work that has to be done not only by the PR people but the athletes themselves to help change the public perception of them. But the athlete has to be aware that as soon as the game or the match is over they have to put the talking points they've been drilled on first in their minds.


There is also this question: If Victoria Azarenka was a man would her naked ambition be treated differently? John McEnroe was an obnoxious boor. So was Jimmy Connors. But they're revered. I ask this question even though I don't think I'll ever be a fan of Azarenka. It needs to be asked even though the criticism she's received is justified.

Was this a memorable Australian Open? The surface is still a problem that will have to be looked at yet again. The difference between the US Open and the Australian Open is that TA, unlike the USTA, accepts that there are always things that can be corrected and works on doing just that.

As I noted there were a lot of positive and memorable things that happened for tennis at Melbourne. The impact these events will have on the upcoming year won't be known for some time. Neither tour came out smelling like roses again lets wait and see what's going on in November.

Wheelchair and Quad winners

Wheelchair Men's Singles

Shingo Kunieda

Wheelchair Women's Singles

Aniek van Koot

Wheelchair Quad Singles

David Wagner

Wheelchair Men's Doubles

Michael Jeremiasz / Shingo Kunieda

Wheelchair Women's Doubles

Jiske Griffioen / Aniek van Koot

Wheelchair Quad Doubles

David Wagner / Nicholas Taylor

Australian Open

YAWWWWNNNNNNN!

by Savannah



I'm starting this post with a shout out to one Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Why? Yes I'm being bad. I'm sure you know by now that Monsieur Tsonga stretched the FedGod to five sets in their quarterfinal match before losing 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3, 3-6.

You see this is what Roger Federer fans were afraid of. In my opinion Tsonga could've won - in theory since I haven't stayed up to see any of the ATP night matches which means I haven't seen Federer play - but he doesn't believe that he can win but he can play hard enough to push Federer and that is what he did. He's not going to roll over and play dead but the head to head is now 9-3 in Federer's favor.

So the big deal of that loss by Tsonga is that Federer had to play five sets and then play again the next day. That is a big deal for a man of Federer's age. All the cosseting, all the favorable treatment given by the TD's in the end meant nothing when Federer faced Andy Murray who had a much easier time against a nervous Jeremy Chardy winning his day match in three sets 6-4, 6-1, 6-2. And Andy Murray despite being treated like the proverbial red haired step child by the tournament was physically ready for a long match. It's amusing to read about the meltdown Federer had cursing and carrying on while Murray (!) just played tennis.

Once again I'm having a "Bitch Stole My Look" moment. All together now " A soft draw does not a champion make". I know Federer fans think his draw was difficult but there was never any doubt in my mind that he had a clear road to the quarter finals. Tomic? Raonic? Davydenko? Paire? Yeah those players were going to give him a hard time. They've been conditioned to think they can't beat him. Tsonga was the first real threat he faced and right behind him came Murray. He wasn't going to survive both.

As for Murray it seems his work in the heat of South Florida has paid off.

Any long time readers know I don't care for Novak Djokovic as a player since the Gael Monfils incident at the US Open. Still I never doubted that he was going to make the Final. Sure some will say I should get over that incident and that he has made himself into a better person. Sorry. As Maya Angelou said "When someone shows you who they are believe them." Roger Federer dropped the mask a bit in last night's match and Djokovic dropped his long ago.

Who do I think is going to win? No idea. I'm not even going to try and stay up or record the match. I'm sure there will be plenty of the players fans doing that. I hope they get a good match.

And Then There Were Four...

by Savannah



There are four women left standing. We started with 128 and are now down to four. Each woman has her own story.
One seems to delight in the companionship of her friend. To make the Final Four of her draw she has had to play women who were determined to beat her but who in the end didn't have the skill set to get past her. Soft draw? She hasn't played anyone in the top 30. Being ranked #1 has its perks.


You think our first semifinalist had it easy? You haven't seen the biggest cakewalk of them all. This woman has played no one who could threaten her. There was a lot of hype about her third round match but it was just that, hype. Seasoned tennis observers knew her opponent isn't what she was and after that it's been smooth sailing. She hasn't really been tested either.



Our next semifinalist had a different road. She was cruising right along but it was clear her biggest obstacle would be her round of 16 match with the Sorceress, the player who weaves a spell of deflection and passivity while ensnaring you in her web. When you look up balls are whizzing past you and you're on your way back to the locker room having no idea what just happened. That didn't happen to this woman. She let her opponent know that she was on to her and that she wasn't falling for her tricks.



And then there's the Kid. She entered the tournament as an up and comer, someone of whom good things were expected further down the road. She was passed over for an award that by rights should've been hers but as they say revenge is a dish best served cold. She stared down the most powerful, and the best female player of them all and didn't blink or wonder what to do when her opponent began to break down physically. She did what she had to do and won. Oh and the one who got the Newcomer award? Long gone.

So the Kid will play the woman ranked Number 1 after beating the woman considered Number 1. The Siberian Bansidhe will play the Realist. Who do I think will win? The only one who has really been tested is the Kid. Readers here know my motto: A soft draw does not a champion make. I don't know who will play the Final let alone who will win. There are two semifinalists who were hardly tested. One made her life difficult but the other one was content to beat up on lesser beings. Maybe I'll be proven wrong this time no?

End Note

Andy Murray just keeps right on making friends and influencing people doesn't he? Anyone who has been paying attention knows that one male player gets soft draws, whatever schedule he wants, and dictates who the next head of his tennis association will be. He routinely skips Davis Cup but is praised for doing so. I'm tired of the whole thing really and wouldn't even mention the fact that he's played exactly one match in the heat of the Australian sun except that Mr. Murray's "camp" has made it an issue.

As many know this special player has never liked playing at night but suddenly he's playing night matches without a word of protest.

So it was with a wry grin that I read in the Daily Mail , a British newspaper, that Murray's "camp" complained about the situation.

Maybe I should say that they brought attention to the fact that one player was being favored over all the others in terms of scheduling and court assignment. It's always amusing to read the excuses the man's Worshippers come up with to explain away these things. Of course they're saying he's the biggest draw and that's why he's playing at night. Every match at night. No broiling summer sun. It's just like that "tough" draw the Worshippers keep talking about. When their deity plays someone he has a 17 and 2 won/loss record against that's tough? Maybe they're hyperventilating or breathing in too much of their own hot air.

The thing is this has been going on for a few years now. I'm glad Andy's team pointed out how unfair the favoritism is to other players. But it's not going to change anything. What is it they say about revenge again?

The Days of Living Backwards Begin

by Savannah



Usually I'm able to ease into living on the other side of the International Date Line. A match here, a match there, maybe break night and stay up for a night match. Sadly that didn't happen this year.

Despite doing all I was supposed to do including getting a flu shot I got sick. Mind you I haven't been sick in ages so I was a totally miserable person. Dragging myself around, moaning, nose leaking, sore throat, the whole nine. Shit if you're going to be sick why not wallow in it? Indulge the illness. Let it take you over, make you into what it wants you to be.

Fortunately the fever broke yesterday just in time for the folks at Tennis Australia to release the Main Draws for the summer/winter Slam in Melbourne, the season depending on where you are located on the planet.

While waiting for TA to post the draws on their website (there was great coverage of Qualifying play there by the way) I decided to peruse Twitter and see what was being said about the draw.

The vast majority of Tweets I read were from outraged - OUTRAGED!!!! - Roger Federer fans. Tough Draw!!! Hard Draw!!! The obligatory O.M.G. I'm sure there was rending of clothes and gnashing of teeth but fortunately no one can see you when you Tweet so I was spared that visual. (I'm still trying to find enough brain bleach to get the image of Tim Smyczek's junk flopping in the breeze out of my head. A tennishead felt it was his/her duty to report this.)

Let's see what all the wailing was about.

Novak Djokovic (SRB) [1] v Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA)

Ryan Harrison (USA v Santiago Giraldo (COL)

Qualifier v Feliciano Lopez (ESP)

Viktor Troicki (SRB) v Radek Stepanek (CZE) [31]

Sam Querrey (USA) [20] v Unknown

Qualifier v Brian Baker (USA)

Tobias Kamke (GER) v Flavio Cipolla (ITA)

Qualifier v Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) [15]

Juan Monaco (ARG) [11] v Andrey Kuznetsov (RUS)

Kevin Anderson (RSA) v Paolo Lorenzi (ITA)

Xavier Malisse (BEL) v Pablo Andujar (ESP)

David Goffin (BEL) v Fernando Verdasco (ESP) [22]

Jurgen Melzer (AUT) [26] v Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ)

Fabio Fognini (ITA) v Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP)

Qualifier v Guillaume Rufin (FRA)

Michael Russell (USA) v Tomas Berdych (CZE) [5]

David Ferrer (ESP) [4] v Olivier Rochus (BEL)

Ivo Karlovic (CRO) v Qualifier

John Millman (AUS) v Tatsuma Ito (JPN)

Albert Ramos (ESP) v Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) [28]

Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) [23] v Matthew Ebden (AUS)

Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) v Adrian Ungur (ROU)

Qualifier v Carlos Berlocq (ARG)

Victor Hanescu (ROU) v Kei Nishikori (JPN) [16]

Nicolas Almagro (ESP) [10] v Qualifier

Daniel Gimeno-Traver (ESP) v Lukasz Kubot (POL)

Bjorn Phau (GER) v Somdev Devvarman (IND)

Simone Bolelli (ITA) v Jerzy Janowicz (POL) [24]

Julien Benneteau (FRA) [32] v Grigor Dimitrov (BUL)

Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) v Qualifier

Lukas Lacko (SVK) v Gilles Muller (LUX)

Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) v Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) [8]

Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) [6] v Qualifier

Aljaz Bedene (SLO) v Benjamin Becker (GER)

Jeremy Chardy (FRA) v Qualifier

Grega Zemlja (SLO) v Marcel Granollers (ESP) [30]

Andreas Seppi (ITA) [21] v Horacio Zeballos (ARG)

Igor Sijsling (NED) v Denis Istomin (UZB)

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) v Qualifier

Marinko Matosevic (AUS) v Marin Cilic (CRO) [12]

Gilles Simon (FRA) [14] v Filippo Volandri (ITA)

Tommy Robredo (ESP) v Jesse Levine (CAN)

Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE) v Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (ESP)

Gael Monfils (FRA) v Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) [18]

Florian Mayer (GER) [25] v Rhyne Williams (USA)

Qualifier v Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR)

Joao Sousa (POR) v John-Patrick Smith (AUS)

Robin Haase (NED) v Andy Murray (GBR) [3]

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) [7] v Michael Llodra (FRA)

Go Soeda (JPN) v Luke Saville (AUS)

James Duckworth (AUS) v Benjamin Mitchell (AUS)

Blaz Kavcic (SLO) v Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) [29]

Tommy Haas (GER) [19] v Jarkko Nieminen (FIN)

Ivan Dodig (CRO) v Di Wu (CHN)

Josselin Ouanna (FRA) v Alejandro Falla (COL)

Albert Montanes (ESP) v Richard Gasquet (FRA) [9]

Milos Raonic (CAN) [13] v Jan Hajek (CZE)

Qualifier v Lukas Rosol (CZE)

Qualifier v Guido Pella (ARG)

Steve Darcis (BEL) v Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) [17]

Martin Klizan (SVK) [27] v Qualifier

Bernard Tomic (AUS) v Leonardo Mayer (ARG)

Qualifier v Nikolay Davydenko (RUS)

Benoit Paire (FRA) v Roger Federer (SUI) [2]

I'm sure you're outraged now too. I mean Roger Federer is actually going to have to compete to make it to the Final!!! The indignity of it all!!! I mean sure he gets Benoit Paire first round and Nikolay Davydenko if he makes it past Paire but really how can he be asked to have to potentially get past those guys who will not play him scared, who will come out and force His Nibs to play? If I applaud TA for nothing else it's making Federer's potential draw competitive. No thirty year olds who were fed the myth of the FedGod by coaches and Federations for years.

So where did all the Qualifiers and mentally submissive players go? Do you see it? Novak Djokovic has to face them. He is the top seed and the ranking ATP #1 so I guess he's due to be cut some slack right? Whatever. His fans were pretty happy.

And what about one Mr. Andy Murray, OBE? You could say he should breeze through but it's never that simple with Murray is it? Anyone of the seeds in his section, and some who are not, could get it into their head that they have a pretty good chance and do some damage. Lendl is going to have to work hard to keep his charge focused and stop him from looking past some of the players he'll be facing.

And what of Senor David Ferrer? He's not flying under the radar anymore.
He's also got guys in his section who can cause him a lot of problems. His issue is not only concentration and believing in himself. He has to work on conserving his strength. Two long matches back to back could take him out of contention sooner than later.

It always amazes me how some #1 players get relatively easy draws and other #1's get to play murderers row. I'll let that slide for now though.

There wasn't too much sturm und drang about the Women's draw. Why should there be?

Victoria Azarenka (BLR) [1] v Monica Niculescu (ROU)

Eleni Daniilidou (GRE) v Karolina Pliskova (CZE)

Qualifier v Sofia Arvidsson (SWE)

Jamie Hampton (USA) v Urszula Radwanska (POL) [31]

Varvara Lepchenko (USA) [21] v Polona Hercog (SLO)

Caroline Garcia (FRA) v Elena Vesnina (RUS)

Mathilde Johansson (FRA) v Qualifier

Silvia Soler-Espinosa (ESP) v Roberta Vinci (ITA) [16]

Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) [10] v Sabine Lisicki (GER)

Andrea Hlavackova (CZE) v Donna Vekic (CRO)

Qualifier v Lauren Davis (USA)

Qualifier v Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) [24]

Su-Wei Hsieh (TPE) [26] v Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino (ESP)

Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) v Lourdes Dominguez Lino (ESP)

Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) v Christina McHale (USA)

Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) v Sara Errani (ITA) [7]

Serena Williams (USA) [3] v Edina Gallovits-Hall (ROU)

Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) v Garbine Muguruza (ESP)

Ayumi Morita (JPN) v Anna Tatishvili (GEO)

Annika Beck (GER) v Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) [28]

Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) [20] v Jarmila Gajdosova (AUS)

Qualifier v Jana Cepelova (SVK)

Rebecca Marino (CAN) v Shuai Peng (CHN)

Vania King (USA) v Maria Kirilenko (RUS) [14]

Nadia Petrova (RUS) [12] v Kimiko Date-Krumm (JPN)

Shahar Peer (ISR) v Alexandra Panova (RUS)

Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor (ESP) v Bojana Jovanovski (SRB)

Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) v Lucie Safarova (CZE) [17]

Sloane Stephens (USA) [29] v Simona Halep (ROU)

Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) v Timea Babos (HUN)

Melanie Oudin (USA) v Laura Robson (GBR)

Francesca Schiavone (ITA) v Petra Kvitova (CZE) [8]

Na Li (CHN) [6] v Sesil Karatantcheva (KAZ)

Pauline Parmentier (FRA) v Olga Govortsova (BLR)

Kristyna Pliskova (CZE) v Sacha Jones (AUS)

Coco Vandeweghe (USA) v Sorana Cirstea (ROU) [27]

Julia Goerges (GER) [18] v Qualifier

Romina Oprandi (SUI) v Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL)

Yuxuan Zhang (CHN) v Jie Zheng (CHN)

Kai-Chen Chang (TPE) v Samantha Stosur (AUS) [9]

Ana Ivanovic (SRB) [13] v Melinda Czink (HUN)

Qualifier v Daniela Hantuchova (SVK)

Qualifier v Qualifier

Johanna Larsson (SWE) v Jelena Jankovic (SRB) [22]

Mona Barthel (GER) [32] v Ksenia Pervak (KAZ)

Heather Watson (GBR) v Alexandra Cadantu (ROU)

Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU) v Arantxa Rus (NED)

Bojana Bobusic (AUS) v Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) [4]

Angelique Kerber (GER) [5] v Elina Svitolina (UKR)

Lucie Hradecka (CZE) v Kiki Bertens (NED)

Casey Dellacqua (AUS) v Madison Keys (USA)

Stefanie Voegele (SUI) v Tamira Paszek (AUT) [30]

Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) [19] v Qualifier

Camila Giorgi (ITA) v Stephanie Foretz Gacon (FRA)

Qualifier v Olivia Rogowska (AUS)

Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) v Marion Bartoli (FRA) [11]

Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) [15] v Ashleigh Barty (AUS)

Mandy Minella (LUX) v Qualifier

Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) v Nina Bratchikova (RUS)

Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) v Klara Zakopalova (CZE) [23]

Venus Williams (USA) [25] v Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ)

Alize Cornet (FRA) v Marina Erakovic (NZL)

Petra Martic (CRO)v Misaki Doi (JPN)

Olga Puchkova (RUS) v Maria Sharapova (RUS) [2]

I'll be frank. I don't think there is anything wrong with Maria Sharapova. For whatever reason she wasn't allowed to pull a Federer and just not play any tournaments leading up to Melbourne so she entered, withdrew, and got the rest she feels she needs. The only potential threat to her is Venus Williams who has been visible all over the grounds, sitting in on one of Sloane Stephens hits. A good tournament for Venus would be to get past her early round opponents who will consider a victory against her important for their self esteem.

If there is to be a Serena vs Victoria Azarenka it will not be in the Final. The good people at TA would prefer a Sharapova vs Serena Williams Final. The powers that be want Maria to redeem herself for that beat down in London. ::Shrug::

Lets get through the first week before predicting finals.

There are some very interesting matches that while they shouldn't have any bearing on who plays in the final are important because they feature the future of women's tennis.

Take the section that features Sloane Stephens (seed), Simona Halep, Kristina Mladenovic, Timea Babos, Melanie Oudin, Laura Robson, Francesca Schiavone, and Petra Kvitova(seed). Sloane gave Serena what for before losing to her in Brisbane. Kristina Mladenovic and Timea Babos are garnering interest among the cognoscenti. Laura Robson is going to be out for blood proving she deserved that best newcomer of 2012 over the higher ranked Stephens. Melanie Oudin may be the one to suffer. And then there is French Open Champion Francesca Schiavone vs Wimbledon Champion Petra Kvitova.

To say both Schiavo and Petra have been disappointments is putting it mildly. Most of the top players barely get mentioned for tanking in the run up tournaments but Petra got beaten by Dominika Cibulkova so badly (1&1) at Sydney questions that were whispered in the Czech press were now being asked openly. Is her training appropriate? How does her asthma affect her performance? Is her asthma the cause of her being less than fit? Is she ready for the pressure cooker that top athletes live in? As for Fran I don't think she's stopped celebrating her French Open victory. Fran reached a life long goal in winning the French Open it can be said that was the cap of her career.

Petra's win should've been the start of her reign in the top five. Too much pressure? What is that expression about heat and the kitchen? We know how she can play. If she's able to put her personal demons aside and win in early rounds her name may merit more than a wry grin and a shrug of the shoulders about what could have been.