This Weeks Final Results

Lleyton Hewitt defeated Roger Federer 3-6, 7-6, 6-4.

Sam Querrey defeated Mardy Fish 7-6, 7-5.

Na Li defeated Maria Sharapova 7-5, 6-1.

Preview of Matches on Saturday, June 12

Semifinal Round

(#1 seed) Roger Federer  vs.  Philipp Petzschner
Petzschner is at home on the German soil, but I can pretty much guarantee the fans will be behind the great Roger Federer.  Federer will destroy Petzschner and look towards the final on Sunday.
Pick-  Federer
Result-

(#8 seed) Lleyton Hewitt  vs.  Benjamin Becker
This will be the upset of the day.  Becker is a solid grass court player that does well in his home country.  Hewitt will probably be looking forward to wimbledon, and believing he has had a good tuneup for the next Grand Slam in less than 2 weeks.  He is looking to get out of Germany, while Becker really wants to win....edge Becker.
Pick- Becker
Result-

All the mighty have fallen out of this tournament:  Nadal, Gone.  Cilic, Gone.  Djokovic, Gone.Roddick, GONE!!  Now we have 4 turds left.

(#8 seed) Feliciano Lopez  vs.  Mardy Fish 
I wouldn't pick Mardy Fish to bean anyone.  I'm shocked he even won one match, let alone 4 so far.  Lopez and Fish are both flakey in the way that they have talent, but just never play like it.  Lopez does have the big serve and has made it far at wimbledon (quarterfinals, a couple years ago I do believe.)  So he does have good results on grass.  Lopez will win this one....unless he has a modeling gig lined up, then his mind may be elsewhere.
Pick- Lopez
Result-

Rainer Schuettler  vs.  (#7 seed) Sam Querrey     
Rainer Shuettler?  Are you kidding me?  He is in the semifinals?  Yes, veteran Rainer Schuettler probably made a deal with the devil to get to the semifinals, because there is no way in hell his talent alone could get him this far... Sam Querrey on the other hand is a little bitch.  Whining and crying his way out of Roland Garros.  Go back home douche.
Pick- Schuettler
Result-

  And now the semifinals for the women.

(#1 seed) Na Li  vs.  (#4 seed) Aravane Rezai
For some reason the Chinese seem to do really well on grass.  Rezai's game is more suited for clay or hardcourts, so I have to lean towards Li scrapping through to the final in 3 sets.
Pick- Li
Result-

Alison Riske  vs.  (#2 seed) Maria Sharapova
Lets start this by saying that I do not know anything about this Riske girl.  I know she got into this tournament as a qualifier, and that she hails from the United States.... Maria Sharapova is a former Wimbledon winner and knows how to play on grass.  This will a grass ass kicking.  Sharapova to dominate.
Pick- Sharapova
Result-   

Preview and Updates of this weeks tournaments. (June 7-13)

The grass court season, albeit a short one starts this week with a few tune up tournaments.

What:  Gerry Weber Open
Where:  Halle, Germany
Surface:  Grass
Event Type:  ATP 250
Defending Champion:  Tommy Haas
Prize Money:  113,600 Euros to the winner

Top 4 seeds and World Ranking:
1. Roger Federer (#1)  *** note the rankings for tournaments is taken the week before the tournament begins
2. Nikolay Davydenko (#5)
3. Mikhail Youzhny (#14)
4. Juan Carlos Ferrero (#18)

Other notables in the field:  Jurgen Melzer, Marcos Baghdatis, Lleyton Hewitt, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Viktor Troicki.

Juan Carlos Ferrero, Mikhail Youzhny, and Marcos Baghdatis were all knocked out in the first round.  This looks like Federer's tournament to lose.  One thing to watch is the form of Nikolay Davydenko since coming back from his injury.

 What:  AEGON Championships
Where:  London, England
Surface:  Grass
Event Type:  ATP 250
Defending Champion:  Andy Murray
Prize Money:  79,260 Euros to the winner

Top 4 seeds and world rankings:
1. Rafael Nadal (#2)
2. Novak Djokovic (#3)
3. Andy Murray (#4)
4. Andy Roddick (#8)

Other notables in the field:  Marin Cilic, Gael Monfils, Sam Querrey, Feliciano Lopez, Janko Tipsarevic, and Richard Gasquet.

Will be interesting to see how Murray's game is, now that he is off the clay and at home on grass.  Gael Monfils lost his 2nd round match to Rainer Schuettler, and is now out... By the looks of the draw, it looks like a Nadal - Roddick final.

 What:  AEGON Classic
Where:  Birmingham, England
Surface:  Grass
Event Type:  WTA International
Defending Champion:  Magdalena Rybarikova
Prize Money:  $37,000 to the winner

Top 4 seeds and world rankings:
1. Na Li (#12)
2. Maria Sharapova (#13)
3. Yanina Wickmayer (#16)
4. Aravane Rezai (#19)

Other notables in the field:  Sara Errani, Yaroslava Shvedova, Olga Govortsova, Andrea Petkovic, Aleksandra Wozniak, Magdalena Rybarikova, Melinda Czink, and Angelique Kerber.

Midland "jobbers" in the field:  Anne Keothavong, Elena Baltacha, Lucie Hradecka, Lilia Osterloh, Katie O'Brien, Vania King, and Heather Watson.

The top half of the bracket is wide open with #1 seed Na Li leading the way.  The Chinese players seem to do well on grass, so she may be the favorite to make it to the final.  The bottom half features Yanina Wickmayer and Maria Sharapova.  The winner between them two will meet and beat Li in the final.

Laura Robson calls out the "sluts" of the WTA tour.

In a recent interview with Vogue magazine, young British up and coming tennis star, Laura Robson said that "some of the tennis girls, they're sluts."

After her comments went to print, it seemed she backpeddled on what she said, issuing a an apology statement.

The British teen said the reprinted comments were taken out of context but nevertheless apologized in a statement on Thursday.

 

"I would just like to say a big sorry to anyone that I may have offended in an interview published recently," she said. "I made a totally inappropriate, throwaway comment without considering the consequences. I still have a lot to learn both on and off the court, and clearly I need to be a lot more careful about how silly remarks may come across when taken out of context.

 

“I live for tennis, I have many good friends in the game and I would never want to do anything that could hurt the reputation of a game I love. I will learn a lot from this and now just want to focus on my tennis."

Stefan Koubek tries to "choke out" Daniel Koellerer.

During a changeover in their match Stefan Koubek tried to choke Daniel Koellerer by grabbing his throat.  Koubek was disqualified from the match and tournament for his actions.  Koubek said,  Koellerer who has a history of gamesmanship and using tactics to get guys off their games, insulted him during play.  "I'm man enough not to let myself be insulted, esepcially not by him," Koubek was reported as saying by the Austrian Times.

Here is the incident:

Wanna see my poll.....Again?

The French Open is now complete, so that means its time to update the rankings.  My rankings unlike the ATP official rankings start over at the beginning of the season.  Everyone starts at zero and accumulates points throughout the year.  How do you get points you ask. 

This is how players get points in my rankings:

GRAND SLAM EVENTS

3 points are earned for every win at a grand slam tournament up until the final.
5 points is earned by the player who wins in the final.

example: Juan Martin Del Potro won 7 matches to win the U.S. Open.
1st round defeated Juan Monaco = 3 pts
2nd round defeated Jurgen Melzer = 3 pts
3rd round defeated Daniel Koellerer = 3 pts
4th round defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero = 3pts
Quarterfinals defeated Marin Cilic = 3 pts
Semifinals defeated Rafael Nadal = 3pts
Final defeated Roger Federer = 5 pts

For a total of 23 points for winning a major.

Masters Series Events
There are about 8 Masters Series tournaments a year and they normally have a field of 64 players. Which means you must win 6 matches to be the champion.

Rounds 1st to Semifinals = 2pts each
Final = 3 pts to the winner.

For a total of 13 points for winning a Masters Series tournament.

All Other Tournaments
Most other smaller tournaments have 32 player fields, so 5 matches are needed to win.
Rounds 1-4 = 1pt
Final = 2 pts to the winner.
For a total of winning 6 points for winning any smaller tournament.

So with my system the bigger the tournament the more points there are to be earned. Kind of makes sense to me. Also the same system is used for both the men and women.


My Women's Top 10 After the French Open
1. Jelena Jankovic (SRB)  72
1. Samantha Stosur (AUS)  72
3. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) 69
4. Venus Williams (USA) 68
5. Shahar Peer (ISR) 60
6. Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 58
7. Serena Williams (USA) 55
8. Justine Henin (BEL) 54
9. Elena Dementieva (RUS) 53
10. Nadia Petrova (RUS) 52

The Official WTA Top 10 after the French Open
1. Serena Williams (USA)
2. Venus Williams (USA)
3. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)
4. Jelena Jankovic (SRB)
5. Elena Dementieva (RUS)
6. Francesca Schiavone (ITA)
7. Samantha Stosur (AUS)
8. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)
9. Kim Clijsters (BEL)
10. Flavia Pennetta (ITA)


My MENS Top 10 after the French Open
1. Rafael Nadal (ESP)                        98
2. Fernando Verdasco (ESP)                    71
3. Roger Federer (SUI)                    61
4. David Ferrer (ESP)                        58
5. Andy Roddick (USA)                    57
6. Marin Cilic (CRO)                        56
7. Novak Djokovic (SRB)                    55
7. Robin Soderling (SWE)                    55
7. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)                    55
10. Nicolas Almagro (ESP)                    53
10. Tomas Berdych (CZE)                    53

The Official ATP Top 10 after the French Open
1. Rafael Nadal (ESP)
2. Roger Federer (SUI)
3. Novak Djokovic (SRB)
4. Andy Murray (GBR)
5. Nikolay Davydenko (RUS)
6. Robin Soderling (SWE)
7. Andy Roddick (USA)
8. Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG)
9. Fernando Verdasco (ESP)
10. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) 

Nadal gets revenge on Robin Soderling to win his 5th French Open title.

In anti-climactic fashion Rafael Nadal destroyed Robin Soderling in straight sets 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 to win his 5th French Open title in 6 years.

In the final Nadal played probably his finest match of the two weeks, while Soderling struggled and looked tired for most of the match.  Soderling's movement wasn't there, and Rafa just kept returning whatever firepower Soderling could throw at him, and leaving the big Swede off balance the entire match.

Soderling had his chances to make it a match, but was 0 for 8 on break points, which probably got to him mentally.

Nadal played fantastic, Soderling couldn't do dogshit, and when he did have a chance to do something he would make an unforced error.  That is the story of the match.

Francesca Schiavone becomes first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam title.

In an upset victory Francesca Schiavone became Italy's first ever woman Grand Slam Champion, by defeating the heavily favored Aussie, Samantha Stosur 6-4, 7-6.

 Schiavone used different tactics to keep Stosur off balance and control a lot of the points.  Schiavone refused to sit at the baseline and trade blows with the stronger Stosur.  So she implemented a chip backhand and would come to net and volley as much as possible.  She always pushed forward, and that strategy is what was the difference in the match.  Stosur could not find a rhythm on her ground strokes so she could overpower the smaller Italian.

After the match Schiavone looked like a homeless dude who hit the lotto.  The joy and elation of someone who came from out of nowhere to fulfill a lifelong dream is something that cannot be duplicated, say if someone like Serena Williams won this event.  Chances are great that the soon to be 30 year old Italian will never have success like this again.  By tennis standards she is supposed to be well past her prime, and even when she was in her "prime", Schiavone was a solid player and not much more.  With the victory today she will be ranked in the top 10 for the first time in her career.

French Open Mens semifinals preview.

The first semifinal of the day will begin at 1p.m. Paris time.

(#5 seed) Robin Soderling  vs.  (#15 seed) Tomas Berdych
Robin Soderling, last years runnerup is looking to make it back the final, but standing in his way is a Czech that is playing some of the best tennis of his life.  Soderling has went through some top competition to get thus far.  First he had to defeat a clay court specialist Albert Montanes, then the always tough, Marin Cilic.  But his biggest win was when he knocked off the defending champion and world number one Roger Federer.  So Soderling is rolling right now and has some momentum going into Friday's match....Tomas Berdych has been just crushing his opponents.  He defeated Mikhail Youzhny, Andy Murray, and John Isner with ease and made these top 20 players look like amateurs.  I'm really hoping for a rematch of Soderling and Nadal.  Them two guys hate eachother and could make for some good fireworks in the final, but I don't think that is going to happen.  I really like a Tomas Berdych upset in this match.  Berdych normally isn't the strongest mentally, and has been known to fold up and die when things get tough or aren't going his way.  Well his consistency this tournament has shown that he is ready to make the step to the finals in a very close match.  I think this one will go 5, with Berdych squeaking out the win.
Pick- Berdych
RESULT-  Robin Soderling 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.


(#22 seed) Jurgen Melzer  vs.  (#2 seed) Rafael Nadal
Melzer has had the tournament of his life, pulling out upset victories over David Ferrer and Novak Djokovic, but he has no chance, absolutely none, of beating Rafael Nadal.  Nadal will take this match in 3 easy sets.  The types of player that give Nadal trouble on clay are the ones that can overpower him (such as Robin Soderling) but that is not Melzer's game.  He is a grinder and plays a similar game as Nadal.  But Nadal plays it about 5 notches better.
Pick - Nadal
RESULT-  Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-3, 7-6.
 

Schiavone and Stosur to meet in the womens French Open final.

In the first womens semifinal match, Francesca Schiavone became the first Italian woman to ever reach a Grand Slam final when she beat Elena Dementieva 7-6 (ret.).  The ending of the match came as a shock to Schiavone, as Dementieva after losing the first set tiebreaker decided to retire from the match. 

In her post-match interview, Dementieva sighted a torn calf muscle as the main reason for her not continuing in the match.  The odd thing about this is that going into Thursday's semifinal, Dementieva had no wrapping on her calf, and when it became bothersome, she didn't even attempt to have a trainer look at it.  She could of received some medical assistance and treatment during an injury timeout, but chose to just call it a day and hand over the victory to Schiavone.

It almost seemed as if Elena did not want to be out there.  I'm sure she was injured, but the question is just how injured was she?  It looked like she could of continued, but chose to just give up.  Dementieva pointed out that she has been bothered by the injured calf since her 2nd round match, so supposedly she has been dealing with it for over a week.

When it comes down to it, Elena Dementieva just doesn't have the mental toughness to push herself to a Grand Slam championship.  She may go down as probably the most talented player whether man or woman to never win a Grand Slam title.


The second semifinal was an absolute beatdown.  Samantha Stosur used a huge serve, and an even bigger forehand to just push and pummel Jelena Jankovic from start to finish.  Jankovic didn't know what hit her in the 6-1, 6-2 route.  After the match Jankovic said "It was like playing a man", not that Sam Stosur is manly, but her game with the spin she creates on her shots and her kick serve is reminiscent of a mens player.

Come Saturday, either Sam Stosur or Francesca Schiavone will put their name in the record books as becoming a Grand Slam Champion for the first time.

French Open Womens Semifinals Preview

#17 seed Francesca Schiavone  vs.  #5 seed Elena Dementieva
Going into this tournament, Elena Dementieva was having a terrible year, by her standards.  Nobody, including myself expected her to do a lot at Roland Garros.  But with the luck of a few upsets in her half of the draw and playing herself into form she has reached the semifinals.  A little luck was involved in that Nadia Petrova (#19)  was the only seeded player she had to defeat to make it this far.  Dementieva's serve still isn't that good, but her ground strokes and movement are her strengths, which she will rely on heavily against a more powerful Schiavone.

Francesca Schiavone is about to turn 30 years old and this is her first ever Grand Slam semifinal.  Schiavone has had a tougher road than Dementieva, to get to the semifinals.  Scheeeever had to defeat 3 seeded players in Na Li, Maria Kirilenko, and #3 Caroline Wozniacki.  So she is tournament tested and ready for a player of Dementieva's pedigree.  She'll have to work through the nerves of being in her first ever semifinal, which could be a disadvantage to her, but Dementieva isn't the most calm and collected player either.  Dementieva isn't above getting nervous in big matches causing her to crash and burn.

I'll be rooting for Dementieva to win this match, because I think she is probably one of the classiest and nicest players playing.  But I have this vibe that Schiavone, who has been in better playing form the past few months will pull the upset.  Dementieva's lack of matches and previous poor play will come back to bite her, as Schiavone wins in 3 sets.

My Pick- SCHIAVONE
RESULT-  Francesca Schiavone 7-6 (ret.)


#7 seed Samantha Stosur  vs.  #4 seed Jelena Jankovic. 
Samantha Stosur has been on fire during the clay season.  She has the most wins on clay during this year's clay court season.  Being in top form put her in the position to take out Justine Henin and Serena Williams in back-to-back matches.  Stosur reached the semifinals of the French Open last year, so nerves shouldn't be a big issue with her.  If she can keep her head against both Henin and Serena in pivotal 3rd sets, her mental toughness is right were it should be.

Jelena Jankovic is the definition of steady.  She keeps plugging along winning matches.  She isn't the flashiest (well other than her bright yellow dress) player around.  She is a defensive grinder who is quick and will run down anything you throw at her.  Jankovic has been blessed with a kind draw only having to beat 2 seeds to reach the semifinal round.  Them 2 seeds were Alona Bondarenka and Daniela Hantuchova.  Bondarenko has been terrible and injury ridden all year, and Hantuchova is a solid player, but she doesn't strike fear in anyone anymore.  For Jankovic to have a chance in this match, she'll have to remain focused, which can be hard for her.  She seems to let her mind wander and let the smallest of issues bother her.

Stosur has been on a roll, and I don't think she is about to stop.  Jankovic's movement and experience will be a tough test for her, but Sam Stosur's amazing stretch of beating Henin and Serena will add another player in Jankovic.  Samantha Stosur will advance with a straight set win.

My Pick- STOSUR
RESULT-   Samantha Stosur 6-1, 6-2.

French Open update.

Sorry about the delay in a update.  Had some computer issues to work out, along with some holiday laziness.

Since my last blog there has been some happenings going on, both good and bad.  So lets get back up to speed.

On the womens, the top 2 seeds went down in flames.  Venus Williams lost to Nadia Petrova in the 4th round while Serena Williams lost today in the quarterfinals to Aussie, Samantha Stosur.   Also defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova fell to Maria Kirilenko in the 3rd round... Justine Henin who I picked to win this tournament stumbled in the 4th round losing to Samantha Stosur.  Stosur has taken out the top 2 favorites in the past few days, and is looking impressive in her run to the semifinals.

So through the upsets and the rain, the womens semifinals are set.  Samantha Stosur, Jelena Jankovic, Francesca Schiavone, and Elena Dementieva, all women who have never won a Grand Slam championship, will be seeking to put their name in the record books.

Roger Federer losing to Robin Soderling was the big story of the mens tournament.  Soderling used a big serve and a huge forehand to push Federer around the court.  This was the first time I actually saw fear in Roger Federer.  He was playing "bigger" and trying to finish points early, because the big Swede, Soderling was just blistering ground strokes by him.  "The Rog" had no answers for Soderling in their quarterfinal match.  After the match in typical Roger Federer fashion he managed to find a reason why an inferior player beat him.  It couldn't be that someone played better than him that day, he chose to blame the rain and wet court, along with the wet balls....Rog, maybe you should blame taking all that time off, and not being in good form for the tournament.  Instead of pointing your finger at everything but yourself, you should look in the mirror and then place that finger in your ass.

Darkhorse and a favorite of mine David Ferrer once again came up short in a major.  He was in top form and was probably the 2nd best clay court player this year, fell to Jurgen Melzer in the 3rd round.  Little did I know that Jurgen Melzer was on a roll and would reach the semifinals with a upset win over Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals.

Tomas Berdych is playing well, beating both Andy Murray and Mikhail Youzhny to reach the semifinals.  Murray still isn't "back" but he is showing improvements in his game, and possibly reaching the form he was in last year.

Rafael Nadal continues to steamroll opponents and has not lost a set during the tournament.  This is his championship to lose.

The mens semifinals will be Robin Soderling  vs.  Tomas Berdych and Rafael Nadal  vs.  Jurgen Melzer.