U.S. OPEN WOMEN’s PREVIEW

The women’s game has been suffering from a credibility and identity crisis for some time now, with most of the top stars being injured or running through a confidence crisis and the rankings being dominated by players playing week-in and week-out without having major titles on their resumes.

But Serena Williams’ return has brought back the buzz around the women in time for the US Open, which begins in New York on August 29. After falling to Marion Bartoli in the fourth round of Wimbledon (which was just her second event after a 11-month lay-off due to injuries and health issues), Williams rebounded with back-to-back titles in Stanford and Toronto.

After winning her 12th consecutive match in Cincinnati (tying the longest winning streak on tour this year), Williams withdrew from the event with a right toe injury. This seems to be a minor setback and perhaps a way to keep herself fresh for the Open where Serena will be the overwhelming favourite. Seeded 28th, Serena might encounter one of the top seeds as early as the third round but that should not be much of a concern for the American, who has made a habit of beating higher-ranked players when returns from long lay-offs.

Serena’s sister Venus Williams is still entered as the time of writing this article but even if she were to play in New York, Venus is unlikely to have a legitimate shot at another title in New York. Venus has played only 5 events in the last 14 months and has not played since Wimbledon – a viral illness forcing her to withdraw from her scheduled US Open warm-up events.

One player who is already out is the two-time defending champion Kim Clijsters. The Belgian has been plagued by injuries for the last 6 months – the latest, a stomach muscle injury, forcing her to miss her second consecutive Slam and ending her hopes of a three-peat in New York.



Another superstar trying to get back to the status of Grand Slam champion is Maria Sharapova. The former world no. 1 reached the semis at Roland Garros and the finals at Wimbledon - both times beaten by opponents who had too much game for the Russian handicapped by an unreliable serve. Sharapova will be hoping to one better in New York and after some early losses on the summer hardcourt stretch (including one to Serena in Stanford), Sharapova won the Cincinnati event, beating Vera Zvonareva and Jelena Jankovic en route to that title.

Now up to no. 4 in the world and with #3 Clijsters out and #2 Zvonareva defending runners-up points, Sharapova, who only reached the fourth round last year, could likely end the tournament as world no. 2. But if she wants to win her second US Open title, the Russian will need to rely once again on her serve; for there are far too many women with a good return game who will break her unreliable serve and wavering confidence.




Caroline Wozniacki is the first player since Martina Hingis (1997-2001) to be named top seed at back-to-back Opens on the basis of her world no. 1 ranking. But the Dane comes into Flushing Meadows with a new yet-to-be-revealed coach, waning confidence and increasing media scrutiny. After suffering early losses at the French and Wimbledon, Wozniacki fell early in her hardcourt events in the US losing to Roberta Vinci and Christina McHale, ranked no. 21 and 66 respectively. Wozniacki's new coach is unlikely to have a magic potion to work on the parts of her game she needs to beef up to compete against the bigger babes on tour and it might be 2012 before the Dane is back in a Slam final.

The two women in the New York draw who have won Slams this year - Li Na and Petra Kvitova - have failed to gain momentum on the summer hardcourt stretch but their experience of winning a Slam will hold them in good stead.

Ana Ivanovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Francesca Schiavone are former Slam champions in the draw. Kuznetsova is a perplexing player prone to losing to players not half as talented or athletcially gifted as her; Ivanovic comes to New York with a new coach in Nigel Sears but also with her old nerves in tow; and Schiavone returns to delight a New York crowd where she has a loyal fan following - the Italian is the only one of the trio likely to be around in the second week.

The tennis world has been waiting for Victoria Azarenka to breakthrough for a couple of years now. But the Belarusian, who has withdrawn from matches more than a dozen times since 2010 due to an assortment of injuries, is unlikely to turn Grand Slam champion in New York. And world no. 2 Vera Zvonareva may have missed her best chance, going back to her mediocre form after reaching back-to-back Slam finals in 2010.



Other seeded women likely to make the second week include Sam Stosur, on the back of a good summer after a disastrous first half of 2011, Poland's Agniezska Radwanska, who won the Carlsbad title, quirky Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli, Cincinnati finalist Jelena Jakovic and Germans Andrea Petkovic and Sabine Lisicki - with the big-serving Lisicki earning my vote for the dark horse in the women's draw.

Unseeded women who will be hoping to make a splash in New York include 19 year old American Christina McHale, 18 year old American Sloane Stephens, Canadian Rebecca Marino and 40 year old Kimkio Date-Krumm.

I'm going with Serena for the women's title. Time to pick yours.

Week Gone By - 22nd August

The last major tune-up event ahead of the US Open is complete with the men and women playing the first combined Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Andy Murray won the men's title taking down an injured and exhausted Novak Djokovic in the final. The Serb hurt his shoulder and looked physically spent, pulling out of the final when he was down 4-6, 0-3 - marking only his second defeat in 59 matches in 2011.

The morale boosting win for Murray puts him back into the conversation for the US Open title, especially if Djokovic fails to recover sufficiently from his injury. The Serb seems on his way to building the best tennis season since Johnny Mac's 1984 run where the American went 82-3 but will need to be in top physical shape if he wants to win his third Grand Slam title of the year.

The two other US Open contenders, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, both lost in the quarter-finals. Federer suffered another loss to another big-hitter - this time to Thomas Berdych while Nadal burnt his fingers on his right hand in a restaurant which troubled him on his serve and backhand as he went down to American Mardy Fish, also in the quarters.

Fish, who lost a tense straight setter to Murray in the semis, will be hoping his good form extends into New York where he will be the leading American by a mile. Torch-bearer of American men's tennis for over a decade, Andy Roddick dropped out of the top 20 this week after losing his temper and his first round match in Cincinnati.



Maria Sharapova won the women's title, coming from a set and a break down to defeat another former world no. 1 Jelena Jankovic in a marathon final. The win moves Sharapova up to no. 4 in the world rankings and also to the top of the WTA Championships Race.

Sharapova scored her first win over a top 5 player since January 2008 when she took down world no. 2 Vera Zvonareva in the semis and will now be hoping to go one step better than her Wimbledon runners-up position in New York. The Russian's game and confidence hinges on her serve, which will need to be working in order to add to her Grand Slam tally.

Jankovic, also in a prolonged slump of her own due to fitness, injury and poor form, will be disappointed with letting a winning position vanish in Cincinnati but happy with her performance this week - her best result this year.

The big news early on was Serena Williams' withdrawal in the second round, due to an aggravated right toe - the same toe that she injured last year. Serena had won her last two events and is expected to be fit and the favourite in New York.

Other Slam champions in the draw - Petra Kvitova, Li Na, Francesca Schiavone, Ana Ivanovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova - all lost early while world no.1 Caroline Wozniacki suffered another early loss - this time to the American teen Christina McHale. Wozniacki also announced that she will no longer be coached by her father and will be joined by a new coach in New York - an interesting turn of events for the Dane who seemed to be on top of the world earlier this year.



For Indian tennis fans, the good news was the Indian Express' triumph in Cincinnati for their third title of the year - beating the top ranked Bryan brothers and Llodra/ Zimonjic on the way. The duo will be hoping they can re-create the magic in New York as will the rest of their fans. The US Open gets underway on August 29.

PAPA DON'T TEACH!!

It's hard being a father to any teenager or a young woman, let alone one who is trying to succeed in a high-profile glamorous professional sport. It's even harder for the father to play dual role of coach to that same daughter as she goes from an innocent teenager to an independent woman.

Switching roles between father and coach has never been easy. That's why many a times, its necessary to sacrifice one for another.

Women's tennis has a long history of fathers who have coached their daughters to superstardom. But sooner or later, there is a price to pay and a heavy one at that.

Jelena Dokic, Mary Peirce, Mirjana Lucic and Aravane Rezai have suffered physically and emotionally thanks to their "Dads from Hell" - but its tough to say if they would have achieved more or less success on the tennis court without their fathers. At many times, it is the parent who chooses a sporting profession for their child. The fame, success and glory may never have come their way if they weren't forced to dedicate themselves to the sport by their parent early enough in life.

But that success and fame certainly exacted a huge price. Both Dokic and Lucic had to run away from their fathers and spent years away from the tennis court fighting depression. Jennifer Capriati rebelled and resorted to shoplifting and drugs to escape the tennis court - having been pushed into turning pro at the age of 14 by her father, Stefano. It was years before she managed to lay her ghosts to rest and win Grand Slams.



But not all tennis dads are from hell. Richard Williams has been the guiding force, influence and coach behind Venus and Serena Williams, who are still playing when many of their contemporaries have already hung up their rackets, and the sisters continue to pursue and succeed in interests beyond the tennis court.



Steffi Graf was coached by her father, Peter, before he realised there was nothing more he could help his daughter with on court. Graf moved on to have successful partnerships with Pavel Slozil and Heinz Gunthardt. More recently, Maria Sharapova's father Yuri decided that he had dedicated enough of his life travelling with his daughter and told her he wanted to do something else in life. Maria was happy to oblige but still talks to him nearly everyday about tennis, inspite of having a full time coach in Thmoas Hogstedt.



So yesterday's news that world no. 1 Caroline Wozniacki has decided to split with her father, Piotr, as her coach and hire a former touring pro is interesting. Piotr is a former soccer player and has been instrumental in shaping his daughter's ascent to the top of the rankings at the age of 20. (Caroline has also briefly worked with Adidas Player Development coach Sven Groeneveld at various points in the past).

Many have said for a long time that Caroline should look for another coach - the Wozniackis have been criticised for playing a relentless schedule, playing too defensive and reaching the top of the rankings without winning a Grand Slam.

If Caroline and Piotr honestly feel that the Dane needs a new coach to help her achieve her tennis goals, the split could have a positive effect. But if the split was a reaction to the bad press, it might point to more troubling times ahead for the Dane.

Wozniacki lost early at the French Open and Wimbledon, and then suffered back-to-back losses in US Open tune up events in Toronto and Cincinnati to Roberta Vinci and Christna McHale - neither of them being power hitters, like the Williams sisters and Clijsters, who have been the Dane's Achilles heel earlier.

Wozniacki is still young and has handled the pressure and the relentless media barrage pretty well so far. Her greatest mistake might have been to get to the no. 1 ranking without a Slam title - something she had little control over. Her greatest move maybe the cutting of the umbilical cord from her father. We'll know soon enough in New York when the US Open gets underway.

Week Gone By - 15th August

The first of the major tune-up events for the US Open is complete and two players have set themselves apart from the field as favourites for the year's final Grand Slam.

On the men's side, Novak Djokovic continued his hard-to-find-words-to-describe season with a three set win over American Mardy Fish in the finals of the ATP Rogers Cup in Montreal. The win was the Serb's ninth title this year, his 5th Masters series event (an all-time record for most Masters series on one single season) and takes his record to 53-1, bested only by John McEnroe's 1984 season which at the same point in that year ran to 59-1.

Fish reached his third consecutive final on the American summer hardcourt stretch and pushed Djokovic all the way. The soon-to-be 30 year old avenged his loss two weeks ago to Ernests Gulbis and also beat Thomas Berdych and Stanislas Wawrinka to reach his first Masters final and move to no. 7 in the rankings. Outside the top 4, Fish has a good chance of making a deep run in New York - something he will be hoping to - having never made the semi-finals of a Slam yet.

It was a strange week for the other top men - Rafael Nadal let go of a winning lead against Croatian Ivan Dodig and lost in a third set tie-breaker; Roger Federer lost for the second consecutive time to Jo-Wilfred Tsonga; and Andy Murray, winner of the last 2 titles in Canada, was beaten by big-serving South African Kevin Anderson.

Tsonga and Janko Tipsarevic both made the semi-finals in Montreal. The Frenchman had to retire in his semi-final against Djokovic but earned enough ranking points to move six place to no. 10 in the rankings while 27 year old Tipsarevic moved four spots to a career-best no. 20 - making him the third Serb inside the world's top 20.

The men move on to Cincinnati for the combined Western & Southern Union Masters with an even stronger field. David Ferrer and Andy Roddick return form their injury lay-offs to join the Montreal field - setting up another exciting week of big tennis ahead.




On the WTA Tour, a woman who was written off a few months ago has turned conventional wisdom on its head once again. 13 time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams won her second consecutive title in Toronto, beating Samantha Stosur, Victoria Azarenka and Julia Georges on the way - extending her winning streak to 11 matches.

Williams has now moved more than 150 places in the rankings in the span of three weeks and is now up to no. 31 in the new rankings - almost ensuring herself of a seeding at the Open.

The 29 year old still feels she is not playing her best tennis and the manner in which she has been able to beat the rest of the women maybe a harbinger of things to come in the next 12 months.

Asutralia's Sam Stosur had a badly-needed runner-up finish, trying to salvage some of her sophomore breakthrough season - also moving back into the top 10 rankings. Agneizska Radwanska, winner in Carlsbad last weekend, and Victoria Azarenka were the semi-finalists.

For some of the other women, Toronto was one week to forget. Venus Williams pulled out before her first round match due to a viral illness while Kim Clijsters pulled out after one set of her first match with an abdominal injury. Both have withdrawn from Cincinnati this week meaning they will go into the US Open with none or very little match play if they choose to play the New Haven event next week.

World no. 1 Caroline Woznaicki did nothing to solidify her status as world no. 1 with an early loss to the veterna Italian Roberta Vinci; Maria Sharapova felt "rusty" in her loss to 135th ranked Kazakh Glaina Voskoboeva.

French Open winner Li Na, Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, world no. 3 Vera Zvonareva, Francecsa Schiavone, Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Marion Bartoli all lost early - none being able to make the quarter-finals.

With the exception of Clijsters, who drops to no. 3 in the new rankings behind Wozniacki and Zvonareva, the rest of the women will also be in Cincinnati where Serena and Stosur could have a repeat of their final match in Toronto as early as the second round.

The US Open is only two weeks away; and Djokovic and Serena will be the players that everyone will be attempting to stop in New York

Rastogi wins ITF title; Contrasting fortunes for Somdev, Sania

India's Somdev Devvarman did not survive the opening qualifying round of the combined ATP WTA Western & Southern Financial Group Masters while Sania Mirza managed to barely survive.

Devvarman was beaten by Turkey's Marsel Ilhan 6-4, 7-6 on Saturday, taking his hardcourt record this summer to 3-4. Meanwhile, Mirza sneaked out a 7-6, 2-6, 7-6 win over American Vania King.

King received what she thought was a poor line call at 5-5 in the deciding tie-break to go down 5-6, giving the Indian a matchpoint. After Mirza closed out the win, King refused to shake hands with the chair umpire.

Sania will take on American wild card Alexa Glatch for a place in the main draw of the event, who she leads 2-0 in career head-to-head. The Indian has struggled in singles in the last couple of months after a successful first half of 2011 which saw her ranking leapfrog from no. 160 to no. 63. She is currently ranked 65th in the latest rankings.

Also, India's Karan Rastogi won the $15,000 ITF Futures in Kazakhstan with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Mohamed Safwat. The Indian, currently ranked no. 355, was playing only his third event since returning from injury in April. The lack of play saw his ranking from from his peak of no. 284 in February.

This was 24 year old Rastogi's second ITF title of the year and should see him move back into the top 330 in the world rankings. The Indian will now move to Uzbekistan for the $50,000 ATP Challenger event which starts on Monday.

Week Gone by - 8th August

With three weeks to go for the US Open, the excitement is palpable as the top players make their first appearance on the summer hardcourts at this week's Rogers Cup.

Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Murray lead the top men at the Montreal venue with only world no. 5 Robin Soderling and American Andy Roddick missing from the roster due to injuries.




Wozniacki, Clijsters, Sharapova and Serena Williams headline the women's event in Toronto where all of the top 24 ranked women will complete. The only marquee name missing is Venus Williams, who pulled out of event at the nth hour due to a viral illness.

You know its been a slow week on the courts when the biggest tennis stories came from off the court. Djokovic prepared himself for Toronto by competing on the American talk show circuit; Nadal made his Twitter debut and within a few hours had 100,000 followers; and Roger Federer celebrated his 30th birthday on Monday - still looking fresh and young in tennis years but at the same time, growing weary of questions on his ability to stay in the mix with younger rivals.

Radek Stepanek is two years older than Federer but that did not stop the Czech from putting together a perfect week in Washington to win the Legg Mason Classic. Stepanek, who once dated Martina Hingis and is now married to Nicole Vaidisova, beat top seed Gael Monfils in straight sets for his first title in over 2 years and ensured himself a US Open seeding.

Another player making the headlines in Washington was Donald Young - the oldest 22 year old in the history of tennis. Young reached his first ever ATP semi-final with wins over Jurgen Melzer and Marcos Bagdhatis and returns to the top 100. Meanwhile, in Kitzbuhel, Dutchman Robin Haase won his first career title, beating Albert Montanes in straight sets.

On the women's side, Poland's Agniezska Radwanska won her first title in 3 years - putting on a virtuoso performance in the Mercury Insurance Open final to beat world no. 3 Vera Zvonareva. The Polish player, the least accomplished of the best friends troika of Azarenka-Wozniacki-and herself, recently relieved her father of coaching duties after several clashes with him, the most recent one at the French Open when her father told the media that his daughter may need a psychiatrist to help her become mentally stronger.

Ana Ivanovic also had a good week - making the semi-finals and three American youngsters reached the last 16, including teenager Sloane Stephens who went one ahead and made the quarter-finals.

From India's perspective, Somdev Devvarman won a round in Washington before losing to Baghdatis in 7-5 in the third while Sania Mirza was a first round loser again.

The others have had their day in the spotlight; its now the turn of the stars to shine this week in Canada.

Week Gone by - 1st August 2011

The US Open, which gets underway in 4 weeks time, will be a good barometer to judge if American tennis is really dying. Many American youngsters and juniors will make their way to Flushing Meadows with the hopes of having a breakthrough run at their home Grand Slam.

On the men’s side, there will be plenty of attention on Ryan Harrison, only 19 but already ranked no. 82 in the world after reaching his second semi-final in as many weeks in the US Open series, and Jack Sock, the 2010 junior US Open champion who only turned pro a week back. From the ladies, teenager Christina McHale and 21 year old Irina Falconi, both ranked at career-highs inside the top 100, will be hoping to have the kind of run that Melanie Oudin had 2 years ago.

But the Americans’ best hopes of coming away with a title in New York might come from a pair of 29 year old veterans – Serena Williams and Mardy Fish. Serena put herself as one of the favourites for the women’s singles title after a stunning run to the Bank of the West Classic title in Stanford on Sunday.

Playing in only her 3rd tournament after a 11 month injury lay-off that had many questioning if she would ever return to competitive tennis, Williams breezed through a trio of in-form players to capture her 38th career title. Serena dispatched world no. 5 Maria Sharapova and Wimbledon semi-finalist Sabine Lisicki for a combined loss of only 7 games; and then avenged her Wimbledon loss to Marion Bartoli – the 7-5, 6-1 win in the final sending Serena from no. 169 to no. 79 in the rankings.

With only 3 weeks to go before the seedings are announced, Serena may still end up unseeded in New York – making her the most dangerous floater in recent history. Serena has spoken openly about how she missed the game during her long lay-off. Combine that with her steely resolve and superior shot-making ability, and we could witnessing Serena inch closer to the Navratilova-Evert league of 18 Slam titles.

Also on the women’s tour, Russian Nadia Petrova, seeded 2nd, upset top seed Shahar Peer for the CIti Open title – her first in three years and 10th overall. At the same event, Sania Mirza, a first round singles loser, won her 3rd doubles title of the year and 12th overall as she and Yaroslava Shvedova (both their regular partners, Elena Vesnina and Vania King respectively, were taking a break this week) combined to beat Olga Govortsova / Alla Kudryavtseva in the final.

Mirza is back with Vesnina for this week’s stop in San Deigo where the duo are seeded 4th. The singles draw is headlined by world no. 3 Vera Zvonareva, Ana Ivanovic, Dominika Cibulkova, Daniela Hantuchova, and the rising German trio of Lisicki, Julia Georges and Andrea Petkovic.

On the men’s side, 29 year old Mardy Fish reached his second consecutive final in the US Open series but came up short in his attempt to win back-to-back titles, losing 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to the mercurial Latvian Ernests Gulbis. Fish moves to no. 8 in the world rankings and is quietly building on his status as the leading American. Fish will be hoping to replicate his success at the bigger stages – having never won an ATP 500 or Masters Series title and never been in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam event; and he knows that his time might be running out as he approaches 30 in December.

Gulbis’ win over Fish capped an impressive week which also saw him beat Juan Martin del Potro. The Latvian has been known to have one of the most potent games on tour but his lack of motivation and desire have restricted his success on court. Gulbis, the son of a wealthy Latvian investment banker, entered the tournament on a five-match losing streak, is better known for breaking rackets, partying and spending a night in jail.

His victory moves him from no. 87 to no. 55 in the rankings but it is unlikely that this is the beginning of a major run. Gulbis was hailed as the next big thing when he finally won his first title in Delray Beach last year – but he is more likely to be a case of unlimited potential but very limited success (aka Marcos Bagdhatis) rather than a case of Grand Slam winning headcase (aka Marat Safin).

In Umag, Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov became the 6th first-time winner on the ATP Tour in 2011 when he beat home favourite Marin Cilic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the final of the Studena Croatia Open. Dolgopolov moves 5 spots to no. 21 in the rankings while Cilic climbs seven to no. 24.

And in Gstaad, Marcel Granollers capped a dream week - winning the Crédit Agricole Suisse Open title. The Spaniard beat countryman Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 3-6,6-3 for his second career title which sees him move up to no. 33 in the world. 25-year-old Granollers also beat Stanislas Wawrinka and Mikhail Youzhny, to become the 7th different Spanish winner on the men’s tour this season.

Granollers will move to Kitzbuhel for the ATP clay event this week where he will battle with Juan Igancio Chela, Feliciano Lopez and Ivan Ljubicic for the title. Meanwhile, Mardy Fish will hope to continue his purple patch in Washington where he will face stiff competition from the likes of Gael Monfils, Verdasco, Bagdhatis, David Nalbandian and John Isner for the Legg Mason Classic title.

India’s Somdev Devvarman will also be in the singles draw. The Indian lost in the first round of the singles last week in Los Angeles but managed to reach his first ATP doubles final partnering with Philipino Treat Huey. The Asian duo went down to Mark Knowles and Xavier Malisse in the title match.

That's all for this week.. See you again next week!!