Archive for the ‘Female Players’ Category
Here Come the Girls…
Four British women have now made it into the draw for the Australian Open: Elena Baltacha (118), Katie O’Brien (104), joining Anne Keothavong (53)and Melanie South (102). Not since the US Open in 1992 have four British women succeeded in the draw, so for the future of British tennis, this is exciting stuff. What with the spotlight centred squarely on Andy Murray for Britain’s Grand Slam hopes, it’s refreshing to see the women players do so well without the media attention. And as Baltacha and Keothavong have both claimed, they have nothing to lose. As well as a lot of well-earned respect to gain.
Viriginia Wade’s Wimbledon win in 1977 is an illustrious part of British women’s history, but it has constantly been blighted by other nations. Players have generally paled in comparison to the Eastern Europeans; the world rankings are dominated by players from Russia (Nadia Petrova, Dinar more »
My Quarter Final Picks
As this is a fantasy tennis website, I thought today I’d run you through who I think will progress to the quarter finals. However, you have to remember that your Grand Slam Fantasy Tennis Team must include 3 players from outside the top 16, one of whom must be unseeded.
If you want more info head over to the main site where you will find some fairly simple instructions to follow.
Men
Rafael Nadal – has a tough road ahead with Gasquest, Gonzalez, Tursonov, Hewitt and Canas in his section. I think he’ll get through, but it might make that second week very tough, with either Gael Monfils or Gilles Simon his most likely quarter final opponent.
Gael Monfils – will probably play a higher ranked Frenchman, Gilles Simon in the match to progress to the quarters. I think after the diappointement of having to withdraw last year, and his obvious form in beating Nadal in Doha earlier this month, he’s the one to watch in this section of the draw.
Andy Murray – has been gifted with a relatively easy first week and should have little trouble getting through – possibly without dropping a set if you look at his recent form.
James Blake/ Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – want to wait until the last minute for some news on Tsonga’s back before I decide on that one. I’ll take a fit Tsonga every time, carrying an injury…not so sure.
David Nalbandian – comes more »
Aus. Open Build-Up
The Russian Invasion!
A few years back a young female Russian tennis player had the world at her feet. Looks, talent and a growing rivalry with another young prodigy, Martina Hingis.
Depending on how you look at it Anna Kournikova was either a massive waste of talent, or the most over-rated female tennis player of the modern era.
Either way we should be forever grateful to her for paving the way for the parade of Russian women that have followed in her path. What would a summer of tennis be without the Russian’s.
And so it was in Friday night’s final of the Medibank international, Sydney’s major lead up event for the Aussie Open. In the red corner from Russia, world number three, Dinara Safina. And…also in the red corner from Russia, world number four Elena Dementieva.
The eventual winner of the final, (and one of my tips to take the title in Melbourne in a fortnight) – Dementieva. Last year’s Olympic champion has been in hot form this month, winning in Auckland, and doing a demolition job on an admittedly tired Serena Williams in the semi’s here.
She’s looking as fit as I’ve ever seen her, and she just seems to have her head in the right place. I think she’ll be hard to beat. The one weakness in her game is the serve – over seven rounds of a Major someone’s going to get after it at some stage. How she handles that will determine how far into the second week she survives.
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