Roman Tribulations and Hamburg, Hold the Moya

The women are marching into the Rome quarterfinals, so far in straight sets.  Rafa notched #78 on clay in Hamburg.

Of my predictions, my Petrova pick doesn’t count – sorry, but I can’t predict injuries, though I can often pick when a player is going to claim one.  Where I goofed: I again should have bet on Daniela Hantuchova.  I have been trying to be a good Anna Chakvetadze fan, even though Russian personalities have saturated the game.  I certainly like her better than the evil Sharapov spawn.  But to my defense on this poor prediction, Hantuchova has disappointed much in the last few years and her one huge win came at the icky Indian Wells tournament.   Why icky?  Not because the Williams sisters have been boycotting it, though I don’t blame them.  It’s because it’s too hot to be playing there for ANY player’s health.  This year, more heat illnesses.  And after spending so much money on the place, could they not have angled the courts to where one side has direct sun-in-face and the other does not?  The term “creepy,” though, comes from Steve Simon, a WTA Board Member who just happens to be the tournament director for Indian Wells, AND happens to be heading up the Roadmap 2010 initiative, which happens to now include Indian Wells as a required event for all players.  In the words of the old Church Lady character … “well, isn’t that conVENient.”  Potitics anywhere make me puke.  In arts and in sports, it’s a projectile heave. 

Let’s return to Rome for a catch-up.  Serena continues to show great form, beating Shahar Peer, not always an easy feat.  She will meet Patty Schnyder next and move into the semis to take on Jelena Jankovic.  Jankovic, though, must survive Elena Dementieva, which I expect, but Elena’s really hungry for some points.  If Jankovic is tired from the constant play, she could be taken. 

On the other side of the draw, it’s a bit weaker.  Hantuchova, who at this point may very well end up in the finals, will play Medina Garrigues – or so it seems.  She’s ahead in the match as I write this.  Pity, since Nathalie Vierin is the last remaining Italian in singles play and she got here as a lucky loser.  Dinara Safina is already in the quarters.  Svetlana Kuznetsova will join her when she beats Yuliana Fedak later today.  I love scrappy Fedak, but Svetlana is growing her clay wings.  Still, I’m thinking now it could very well be Safina in the final.  Funny, because it really should be Svetlana! 

And the men?  Roger Federer is suddenly able to play tennis again.  Ivan Ljubicic and Nikolai Davydenko were surprise losers, at least to me.  Lleyton Hewitt and Novak Djokovic took three sets to move forward.  Carlos Moya took out USA’s James Blake.  Where oh where is the top 10 player he showed himself to be last year?  He’s still in it, just not in the choice event.  Blake and Mardy Fish are showing signs of future doubles gold.  They defeated Federer and his Swiss partner Round 1, to get things going.  Today, they beat one of the doubles-specialist teams of Knowles/Nestor.  I always thought Mardy Fish should find a great partner and become one of these specialist teams. 

As for the Tier IV Morocco tournament, veteran Jill Craybas crashed out of the singles as did USA’s Vania King.  Do not get me started on the woes of American women in tennis.  I’ve written enough today.  Besides, American Meghann Shaughnessy (last year’s Morocco winner) paired with Janette Husarova (Slovakia) have taken out the Super Pair of Lisa Raymond (USA) and Samantha Stosur (Australia).  At least Sammy walks away from Rome with the Mauresmo upset under her belt.

Hamburg with a Side of Rome

The men are doing their usual clay thing – being mildly unpredictable and heading out on injuries.

Rafael Nadal reached 78 consecutive wins today.  Federer was finally able to move through a round.  Andy Murray did something awful to his wrist.  And get this, Blake won!  I thought he had forgotten how.  Yes, I’ll say mean things because he has been more of a Flake than the champion Blake I know he can be.  I put up with his cowering to Federer because he always beats Nadal – though they’ve yet to dance on clay together.  And poor Tommy Robredo fell into the clay tournament law that if you won a tournament last year, you crash out early the next.

Stosur didn’t exactly stun Mauresmo in Rome – check the scores.  They slugged it out for three hours and the point difference in the three sets were minimal.  I first had Stosur as the winner but thought of how embarrassing a prediction that would be called if it didn’t happen.  Apparently, writing about tennis is making me shy with my divining.  My other wrong pics included Medina Garrigues smacking down Katerina Srebotnik.  Silly guess – it’s another Spaniard on clay – so of course, the tables turned in her favor.  Finally, forgive me the mistake of choosing Bammer over Hantuchova.  I knew better and even preferred Hantuchova winning.  I don’t know why, but I can’t seem to like Sybille Bammer even though she did my favorite thing earlier this year — went from underdog to surprising winner and even seemed to handle it gracefully.  I guess I was suspecting that Daniela would continue her clay-curse from the previous tournament.

As for the continuing drama in Rome, here’s my predictions for tomorrow.  Question marks denote my own skepticism:

Dementieva vs. PETROVA
JANKOVIC vs. A.Bondarenko
Peer vs. WILLIAMS (?)
Fedak vs. KUZNETSOVA
CHAKVETADZE vs. Hantuchova (?)
Stosur vs. SCHNYDER (?)
SAFINA vs. K.Bondarenko
Medina Garrigues vs. VIERIN

Conjuring the Daily Results

Last minute, hurried post so I can get my predictions in before it’s too late.  I’m just doing ladies’ singles at the Rome event for now.  I’ll get more daring after the clay court season.  Predicted winners are in all CAPS:

SAFINA vs. Kanepi
Santangelo vs. KUZNETSOVA
MAURESMO vs. Stosur – STOSUR
BONDARENKO vs. Garbin (NB 20.30hrs)
DEMENTIEVA vs. Castaño
JANKOVIC vs. Paszek
BAMMER vs. Hantuchova – HANTUCHOVA
Shaughnessy vs. PETROVA
Tu vs. SCHNYDER
PEER vs. Sugiyama
CHAKVETADZE vs. Yan
SREBOTNIK vs.
Medina Garrigues – GARRIGUES
FEDAK vs. Dechy
Sprem vs. BONDARENKO

Catching Up from Vacation

Took some time off for my brother’s wedding, but I’m back!

I didn’t mess up too bad with my earlier predictions … we’ll see about finding some way to track it a little better in the future.  I know I rooted for Olga as getting through most of the Estoril event.  Funny thing, she was beaten in the last round of qualifying, but then secured a lucky loser slot and still slipped through to the quarters.  As for the J&S Cup, it was predestined that Justine Henin would win.

The guys … well, it’s clay and there’s Nadal.  Nothing has changed much since last I reported on that note.  Another note, however, is beginning to grate on my ears.  The sound of the Gentleman of Tennis, Mr. Roger Federer, tumbling out of his last three events.  What up wit dat?  Guillermo Cañas did his number sure, but then last week, he got knocked out in Round 3 by Italy’s wildcard, Filippo Volandri.  Seems there are more than one way to skin a Swede!

This week the boys are in Hamburg for another in the Masters Series.  Sorries to last year’s winner Tommy Robredo of Spain, but countryman Rafael Nadal will probably win this one, too, barring any injuries.  James Blake will continue to break my heart as he continues his slide out of the top ten.  It’s killing me!

Back to the ladies who are now in either Rome, for the second half of that huge tourny, or they’re slugging it away in Morocco.  The latter is a Tier IV with Sania Mirza (India) as the top seed.  USA’s Vania King has a solid chance of taking the tournament if she keeps it in gear.

Ah, but when in Rome … For the first time in my years of staring at brackets from all the tournies, this one spoke back.  Basically, it’s divided into four sections by personality.  Yes, luck of the draw decided to group our ladies of the clay.  The top quarter, with Mauresmo, Serena and Shahar Peer, would be The Sluggers — even Schiavone is in there, but poor Patty Schnyder would have fared better anywhere else.  The next quarter are the sometimes-Cinderellas:  Dementieva, Petrova, and Jankovic, the new darling of the top 10 (even though Ana Ivanovic, just joining the elite today, is prettier if you ask me).  These girls can all win a tournament — but it’s anyone’s guess when they do.  The next gang would be Blonde Bombs:  Chakvetadze, Vaidisova, Hantuchova, Bammer.  Srebotnik and Zheng better dye there hair, or something equally as drastic, to get past the constant barrage crowd-pleasers.   The final gaggle would be The Inconsistents, up-and-down players like Kuznetosova, Li Na, Ivanovic (even though she just one).

In my crystal ball, I would guess Serena and Jankovic on one side of the semis and Vaidisova and Kuznetsova on the other.  But in my squirrelly guessing?  Peer and Petrova on one side and Chakvetadze and Ivanovic on the other. 

But we’ll just go with tomorrow:

1. (LL) Fedak vs. Oprandi – FEDAK
2. Schiavone vs. Stosur – SAMANTHA STOSUR
3. Pennetta vs. Garbin – TATIANA GARBIN
4. Krajicek vs.S.Williams (NB 20.00hrs) – SERENA

Stadio Pietrangeli (from 13.00hrs)
1. Groenefeld vs. Dechy – NEITHER, okay Dechy
2. Bardina vs. Schnyder, PATTY SCHNYDER
3. Morigami vs. Santangelo, AKIKO MORIGAMI, I forgot that when a lower-ranked player a wins low-tier tourny, they almost always crash out in the 1st round of the next
4. K.Bondarenko vs. Errani, K. BONDERENKO

Campo 6 (from 13.00hrs)
1. Bammer vs. Dulko – BAMMER (though I’d prefer Dulko)
2. Tu vs. Vinci – MEILEN TU (on a whim)
3. Medina Garrigues vs. Zheng – ZHENG JIE (I hope)

Campo 5 (from 13.00hrs)
1. Dominguez Lino vs. Kanepi – LINO, bad guess, I shoulda had this one.
2. Srebotnik vs. Muller – SREBOTNIK
3. Yan vs. Bremond – BREMOND, go Zi Yan!  On your way back again, eh?