Anna Chakvetadze

Coby · Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:54 pm Post subject:

Tuesday 1 April 2008

Singles - Quarterfinals

[8] Serena Williams (USA) d. [1] Justine Henin (BEL) 62 60

[3] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) d. [6] Venus Williams (USA) 64 64

Wednesday's Schedule

Stadium: 11:00 AM Start

1. Women's Doubles: Quarterfinals
Lindsay Davenport (USA)/Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) WC vs. Katarina Srebotnik (SLO)/Ai Sugiyama (JPN) [2]

Not Before 1:00 PM
2. Women's Singles: Quarterfinals
Elena Dementieva (RUS) [10] vs. Jelena Jankovic (SRB) [4]

Not Before 3:00 PM
3. Men's Singles: Quarterfinals
James Blake (USA) [9] vs. Rafael Nadal (ESP) [2]

4. Men's Doubles: Quarterfinals
Bob Bryan (USA)/Mike Bryan (USA) [1] vs. Simon Aspelin (SWE)/Julian Knowle (AUT) [5]

Stadium: 7:00 PM Start

1. Women's Singles: Quarterfinals
Vera Zvonareva (RUS) [19] vs. Dinara Safina (RUS) [13]

Not Before 9:00 PM
2. Men's Singles: Quarterfinals
Tomas Berdych (CZE) [10] vs. Igor Andreev (RUS) [31]

Grandstand: 12:00 PM Start

1. Men's Doubles: Quarterfinals
Paul Hanley (AUS)/Leander Paes (IND) [8] vs. Mahesh Bhupathi (IND)/Mark Knowles (BAH) [4]

Not Before 2:00 PM
2. Women's Doubles: Quarterfinals
Victoria Azarenka (BLR)/Shahar Peer (ISR) [7] vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)/Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) WC

3. Men's Doubles: Quarterfinals
Martin Damm (CZE)/Pavel Vizner (CZE) [6] vs. Richard Gasquet (FRA)/Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)

Court 1: 12:00 PM Start

1. Women's Doubles: Quarterfinals
Kveta Peschke (CZE) Rennae Stubbs (AUS) [3] vs. Elena Likhovtseva RUS)/Lisa Raymond (USA) [8]

2. Men's Doubles: Quarterfinals
Jeff Coetzee (RSA)/Wesley Moodie (RSA) vs. Arnaud Clement (FRA)/Michael Llodra (FRA) [7]

Coby · Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 12:44 am Post subject:

Williams Powers Past Henin

By: Reuters
1 April 2008

Holder Serena Williams thrashed world number one Justine Henin 6-2 6-0 to reach the semi-finals of the Sony Ericsson Open.

The eighth seed repeated her success over Henin in last year's final but this time the American totally dominated the Belgian, having battled to a three-set win in 2007.

The top seed struggled with her service game throughout the 79-minute encounter and double-faulted five times - winning only five of 20 second serve points.

Asked if she had expected to win so easily, Williams said: "Not over the number one player in the world who was clearly in the best form last year. Everything worked well for me.

"I'm feeling better and I've keeping working hard. Being aggressive and not being 12 feet behind the baseline works."

Henin, who came into the match with a 15-2 record for the year, had no answers and looked flat-footed against the barrage of shots and powerful serves Williams brought to the court.

The world number eight was broken just once when she double faulted and hit a backhand long from deuce in the fifth game leading 3-1, but she then won all nine remaining games.

Williams, whose record is now 12-1 for the season, kept her errors to a minimum at 15 whereas Henin posted 32.

The American was also far more effective at the net, winning 12 of 16 points, while Henin barely ventured forward and won only five of nine points when attacking the net.

Henin had won the last three meetings with Williams in the quarter-finals of the 2007 French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open.

Coby · Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 3:28 am Post subject:

Justine And Serena (And Youzhny's Bloody Mess)

By: Tom Perrotta, Tennis Magazine
1 April 2008

When they met in the final here last year, Justine Henin and Serena Williams hadn't played each other since Wimbledon 2003. Since then they've been making up for lost time.

This afternoon Henin and Williams will do battle for the fifth time in a year (including that Miami final, which Williams won 0-6, 7-5, 6-3 after Henin held two match points). The loss could have crushed Henin's confidence; instead, it propelled her for the rest of the year. Since then, she has beaten Serena three times--on clay (the French Open), on grass (Wimbledon), and on a hard court (the U.S. Open). As you might have noticed, those were some pretty big tournaments. For Williams, repeated failure against one woman, on every surface in the most prestigious events of the year, is unheard of. No one else has strung together so many important victories against her.

Henin and Williams have played a dozen times since 2001 and each won six. Today they break the tie. If you're unable to watch on television--or even if you are--or you just can't bear to do work during this match, slack off with me as I call the match live, or at least for as long as my computer's battery will last. The match starts at 1:00 p.m.; I'll add to this post as it progresses.

***

Williams and Henin have taken the court and are warming up. It's sunny with a slight wind inside the stadium and, sadly, the seats are mostly empty. The crowds have been arriving late all week, but I expected to see more people in the stands from the start for this one.

Nonetheless, should be a wonderful match. But could it possibly top the bloody mess Mikhail Youzhny made of himself against Nicolas Almagro?

[EDIT: Youzhny, after missing a shot, hits himself with the strings of his racquet on the upper part of his forehead as hard as he can three times, until blood is pouring down his face.]

Serena is erratic at the start and faces a break point. And another. And now a third after a double fault. Important for her to hold that game, which she eventually did after a Henin backhand error.

Henin's serve has been fantastic so far this tournament, but it wasn't in her opening game. She missed half her first serves and didn't win a point on her second serve. In her three previous matches, Henin hit 23 aces, but her first serve percentage was around 50%, a bit low. Serena returns better than anyone in the game; she's taken a 3-0 lead rather easily.

Serena stands at the baseline on Henin's first serves and three feet inside it on her second serves. It's like she's playing a junior (she does this to everyone and I don't see anyone else on the tour, save her sister, positioning herself that aggressively on return after return. She pummels a swinging forehand volley for deuce.

So far, nothing is coming easily to Henin. Every point either ends quickly in Serena's favor or goes on for five or six shots (with Henin scrambling to retrieve more than her share of them). She's serving at deuce and missed another first serve. Serena thumps a forehand down the middle and Henin sails a forehand long for another break point chance.

Serena starts to grunt--Henin wins the point with a forehand crosscourt winner. Still searching for her first game...

And there it is after 26 minutes. And in less than 20 seconds, she has an opening: Serena double faulted for 0-30.

After Henin dumps a slice backhand into the net, her coach, Carlos Rodriguez, emphatically shakes his head "No!" in the stands. No slice, or don't miss? Henin responds by playing a fine rally for break point.

Serena with a smart play. Henin cranked a backhand return winner, but Serena's second serve (barely) ticked the tape for a let. Serena changed her tactic and served the next ball to Henin's forehand. Henin fired it into the net. Serena can't keep the momentum; she double faulted for another break point to Henin.

Serena misfires on a backhand and we are on serve again. Now the match begins.

It's 30-30 after a Henin double fault and I'll say this: If Henin wins this set, she'll have gotten away with a small bank robbery (not murder; she's not playing that badly). Serena dictated the match early and Henin hasn't done much to prevent Serena from continuing that, but she isn't continuing to do it. Another Henin double fault for deuce.

Another double fault, this one to lose the game. Poor quality so far, especially from Henin. She can't hope to win if she continues to serve like this...unless Serena dumps a few more half volleys into the net.

Serena holds for 5-2. Sloppy game from both players. I'm guessing many of you were on PB's blog earlier; remember that bit about marquee matches not living up to the hype? That's what we have right now.

Serena seems to be settling into this one. She hit a backhand crosscourt passing shot for 0-30; Henin missed for 0-40. Triple set point. Fault...

And Serena takes it. She won it with touch, too--a backhand crosscourt angle with lots of spin (Henin tried to steer it up the line and missed long).

First Set Stats: Only one relevant stat in this match so far. Serena has won 13 of 17 points (76%) on Henin's second serve. Yikes.

Second Set:

Serena has most of her shots working in the first game. She hit a perfect topspin lob at 30-30; Henin could only flick it over the net and watch Serena hit a winner. Henin double faults (her fourth) for 30-15.

Two more errors from Henin, another break for Serena.

I was present the last three times Henin and Serena played and in each match I left with the same impression: Serena was too passive (little emotion). She's doing that again today, but it's working. Proves me wrong...

Are you kidding? Serena just hit a defensive backhand lob with the flick of her wrist, one-handed. It went up a mile and bounced near where the service line and sideline intersect. Henin went for a winner and missed. That's at least the third defensive lob Serena has used to good effect in this match. She held on a forehand winner and leads 3-0.

Will Henin every win a service game without having to exert herself? Not by the looks of that backhand passing shot Serena just hit for another break point chance. Fault...

Actually, "Let." Henin challenged the call and won. She missed her second first serve. Serena uses the moonball to great effect (nice play on the not-too-tall Henin). Henin tries a drop shot but Serena is there easily for a forehand winner and a 4-0 lead. If she blows this one--well, it would be similar to what Henin did against her last year. I don't see it happening.

Serena is rolling along. Henin can't do much to hurt her; when she does have openings, she misses. 5-0.

Serena pummels three backhands, then throws in a slice, then hits a backhand winner down the line. Henin misses. 0-30. Bagel on the horizon...

A bagel it is, after another double fault. From bad to worse for Henin, from decent to very good for Serena.

Finals thoughts:

An impressive showing from Serena, who remains the Queen of Miami. Disappointing display from Henin (32 errors--that's 2.3 a game--and five double faults). When is the last time the no. 1 woman in the world lost two sets at love in the span of three months (Henin v. Sharapova in Australia)? I don't know the answer, but I'll try to find out. Hope you will too. Let me know if you uncover anything interesting (perhaps it wasn't that long ago).

Coby · Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 3:34 am Post subject:

Serena Humbles Justine; Svetlana Edges Past Venus

By: www.sonyericssonwtatour.com
1 April 2008

MIAMI, FL, USA - Serena Williams conjured up a mercurial performance on Tuesday afternoon to ruthlessly dismantle the challenge of world No.1 Justine Henin in the quarterfinals of the Sony Ericsson Open. Meeting the defending champion in the semifinals will be Svetlana Kuznetsova, after the Russian overcame Venus Williams in a tight two set battle at the $3.77-million, Tier I event.

The clash between Serena and Henin was a rematch of last year's final, in which the American recovered from a first set whitewash and two set points down in the second set to prevail in a classic encounter. However, this time there was to be no such drama as Serena dominated from the outset with a near-flawless display of all-court tennis.

© Getty Images

In the opening game Henin spurned three break points and it was all downhill from this point onwards, with the Belgian committing 32 unforced errors as she slumped to a 62 60 loss. The crushing victory provided Serena with sweet revenge for the defeats incurred at the hands of her Belgian foe in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open in 2007.

"I didn't make as many errors as I usually do, and, you know, I've been practicing like a champ," Serena said. "Today I finally started playing a little bit the way I've been practicing. I stayed positive no matter what happened and I think that was a good turnaround. But I think probably the most crucial aspect was not making stupid errors and coming up with the right shots at the right times."

After Henin's exit, No.3 seed Kuznetsova is now the highest-ranked player left in the draw. The 22-year-old Russian has endured several difficult encounters during the opening week at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park and was pushed hard once more by three-time champion Venus. A solitary service break proved to be enough to give Kuznetsova the opening set and an errant service display from her American rival in the second - which included five double faults - saw her advance with a hard-fought 64 64 triumph.

"It was a pretty up and down sort of match for me and for her," Kuznetsova said. "I guess I was more consistent and I played better overall though. I think I served more consistently than she did and while I didn't have so many aces I was more steady and placed it really well. It's going to be tough match in the semis against Serena. She's definitely going to have the crowd on her side, as Venus did today, but I'm looking forward to playing her."

The line-up for the doubles quarterfinals at the Sony Ericsson Open was also decided on Day 7. Among those advancing were the Top 2 seeds, Cara Black and Liezel Huber and Kveta Peschke and Rennae Stubbs, who recorded straight set victories over America's Bethanie Mattek and Mashona Washington and the all-Czech pairing of Lucie Hradecka and Renata Voracova.

Coby · Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 1:33 am Post subject:

Wednesday 2 April 2008

Singles - Quarterfinals

(4) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. (10) Elena Dementieva (RUS) 61 31 ret. (mid back injury)
(19) Vera Zvonareva (RUS) d. (13) Dinara Safina (RUS) 75 64

Thursday's Scheule

Stadium: 11:00 AM Start

1. Men's Doubles: Semifinals
Mahesh Bhupathi (IND)/Mark Knowles (BAH) [4] vs. Martin Damm (CZE)/Pavel Vizner (CZE) [6]

[Not Before 1:00 PM]
2. Women's Singles: Semifinals
Serena Williams (USA) [8] vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) [3]

[Not Before 3:00 PM]
3. Men's Singles: Quarterfinals
Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) [4] vs. Janko Tipsarevic (SRB)

4. Men's Doubles: Semifinals
Bob Bryan (USA)/Mike Bryan (USA) [1] vs. Jeff Coetzee (RSA)/Wesley Moodie (RSA)

Stadium: 7:00 PM Start

1. Men's Singles: Quarterfinals
Roger Federer (SUI) [1] vs. Andy Roddick (USA) [6]

[Not Before 9:00 PM]
2. Women's Singles: Semifinals
Jelena Jankovic (SRB) [4] vs. Vera Zvonareva (RUS) [19]

Court 1: 12:00 PM Start

1. Women's Doubles: Quarterfinals
Cara Black (ZIM)/Liezel Huber (USA) [1] vs. Shuai Peng (CHN)/Tiantian Sun (CHN)

Coby · Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 1:49 am Post subject:

Singles - Semifinal Matchups

[3] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) vs [8] Serena Williams (USA)

[4] Jelena Jankovic (SRB) vs [19] Vera Zvonareva (RUS)

Coby · Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 3:13 am Post subject:

Zvonareva Holds Nerve To Secure Jankovic Semifinal

By: www.sonyericssonwtatour.com
2 April 2008

MIAMI, FL, USA - Jelena Jankovic advanced to her maiden Sony Ericsson Open semifinal on Wednesday when Elena Dementieva was forced to retire from their last eight clash with a back injury. Facing the Serb for a place in the final of the $3.77-million, Tier I event will be Vera Zvonareva, who emerged triumphant from her all-Russian battle with Dinara Safina.

After being pushed all the way in her opening match of the tournament - saving five match points against Sofia Arvidsson - Jankovic has cruised through her following three matches at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park without dropping a set. The No.4 seed from Serbia's latest triumph came at he expense of the in-form Dementieva who was forced to retire midway through the second set on account of a back injury.

No.10 seed Dementieva struggled from the outset, committing 26 unforced errors before deciding she was unable to continue whilst trailing 61 31. Jankovic had been struggling with illness herself and was understandably delighted to have only been kept on court 59 minutes.

"I'm fighting. I'm sick," Jankovic said. "I cannot play, I cannot breathe on the court, I don't want to go on to the court, but I'm hanging in there and trying to be strong. I think I played pretty good tennis, especially in the first set. I was really dictating the points. It was my game overall that was out there on the court, and I was really happy with that."

Day 8's evening match proved to be a far closer affair, but after two tight sets it was Zvonareva who prevailed against Safina. After a flurry of early service breaks it was Zvonareva who held her nerve at the decisive moments to capture the opening set and, despite a brave late fightback from Safina, wrapped up a 75 64 victory after one hour, 39 minutes on court.

"It's always tough to play against Dinara, she's a great player," Zvonareva said. "She has a good serve. So I had to hang in there, had to fight for every point, and I think I did it well and I was able to win key points."

The other semifinal in Florida will see Zvonareva's compatriot and 2006 title winner, Svetlana Kuznetsova, take on reigning champion Serena Williams.

The identity of three of the four the doubles semifinalists at the Sony Ericsson Open was confirmed on Wednesday after three exciting encounters in the Magic City. The first team through were Katarina Srebotnik and Ai Sugiyama, after the No.2 seeds saw off Lindsay Davenport and Daniela Hantuchova, 64 36 10-4. Also advancing were the No.3 seeds, Kveta Peschke and Rennae Stubbs and the No.7, Victoria Azarenka and Shahar Peer, both of whom advanced courtesy of match tie-breaks.

Coby · Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 4:30 am Post subject:

Thursday 3 April 2008

Singles - Semifinals

[8] Serena Williams (USA) d. [3] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 36 75 63

[4] Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. [19] Vera Zvonareva (RUS) 61 64

Saturday's Final

[4] Jelena Jankovic (SRB) vs [8] Serena Williams (USA)

Friday's Schedule

Stadium: 1:00 PM Start

1. Men's Singles: Semifinals
Tomas Berdych (CZE) [10] vs. Rafael Nadal (ESP) [2]

2. Women's Doubles: Semifinals
Cara Black (ZIM)/Liezel Huber (USA) [1] vs. Kveta Peschke (CZE)/Rennae Stubbs (AUS) [3]

Stadium: 7:00 PM Start

1. Men's Singles: Semifinals
Andy Roddick (USA) [6] vs. Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) [4]

2. Women's Doubles: Semifinals
Victoria Azarenka (BLR)/Shahar Peer (ISR) [7] vs. Katarina Srebotnik (SLO)/Ai Sugiyama (JPN) [2]

Coby · Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 4:45 am Post subject:

Jelena Stands Between Serena And Record Fifth Title

By: www.sonyericssonwtatour.com
3 April 2008

MIAMI, FL, USA - The final of this year's Sony Ericsson Open will see defending champion Serena Williams take on Jelena Jankovic after two contrasting semifinals. Williams was forced to come from one set down to defeat the in-form Svetlana Kuznetsova, while Jankovic breezed into her first final of the season at the $3.77-million, Tier I event with a comfortable win against Vera Zvonareva.

After a near-flawless destruction of Justine Henin in the quarterfinals, Williams entered her clash with Kuznetsova brimming with confidence. However, it was the 22-year-old Russian who made the brighter start, racing into a 4-1 lead, before serving the set out four games later. The stifling Miami heat made conditions difficult in the second, but it was Kuznetsova who was playing the more assured tennis and it came as something of a surprise when she dumped a routine overhead into the net at 5-6 down to allow her opponent to level matters up at one set apiece.

The deciding set opened up with four consecutive breaks of serve as the conditions began to take their toll on the players. Yet once again it was Williams who held her nerve at this crucial juncture, claiming the decisive break in the eight game before serving out a hard-fought 36 75 63 win moments later.

"I felt I made a lot of errors compared to the quarterfinal," Williams said. "Svetlana played an entirely different game than I expected her to play, but once I got used to it I was okay. It's always nice to come out on top and although I was a little disappointed with how I played, hopefully I can improve for the final."

Williams will be bidding for a record-equaling fifth Miami singles crown when she takes on Jankovic on Saturday and if she wishes to join Steffi Graf at the top of the honor roll she will have to be at her very best. Jankovic was forced to come from 5-1 down and fend off five match points in her opening round victory over Sofia Arividsson, but since this early scare the young Serb has been in inspired form - the semifinal win over Zvonareva was her fourth successive straight set triumph.

No.4 seed Jankovic raced out of the blocks and rattled through the first set for the loss of just one game. When Zvonareva found herself two break points down in the opening game of the second, a humiliating defeat looked on the cards for the world No.20, but she displayed tremendous character to fend these off and hold serve. The 23-year-old Serb was not to be denied though, and in the fifth game secured what contrived to be the decisive service break and after just one hour 14 minutes one court served the match out for a 61 64 victory.

Coby · Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 6:16 am Post subject:

Say Cheese

By: Peter Bodo, Tennis Magazine
3 April 2008

Leave it to Svetlana Kuznetsova to reach into the bottomless bag of animal similes and come up comparing herself to. . . a mouse. After Serena Williams snatched a semifinal match away from her here at the Sony Ericsson Open, Kuzzie groped for the analogy that best described the events of the day and came up with this:

"Yeah, I think this game I had so many chances. It was amazing. Every time I felt like I had it, but I could not take it, you know?" She paused and raised her right arm, pretending to hold some imaginary object aloft, and concluded, "Like you have cheese here. . . and you cannot just eat it."

Still, how often does the mouse get to scale the counter and actually get to hold that indescribably savory and aromatic wad of Limburger in its tiny trembling paws - and with the rolling on its back on the sunny spot on the floor no less?

Not very.

So Kuznetsova was surprisingly upbeat about the way Williams suddenly rolled over onto her belly and sprang up on the counter to take the cheese for herself. Mice do best when they're reconciled to their place in the food chain; they also know they can grow pretty fat and sassy feasting on breadcrumbs instead of Limburger.

Describing a match between 'Rena and Sveta as a grand drama on the order of, oh, an episode of Tom and Jerry (shall we say the incomparable Puss Gets the Boot?) isn't just an exercise in mere whimsy. Kuznetsova is built on a mouse platform, with a thick body and no appreciable waist, as well as strong legs that she puts to good use scurrying energetically around the court. 'Rena has a seemingly enormous advantage in her long limbs and the lax, limber muscles that enable her to pounce in surprise. Watching her, you often get the feeling that she's not all that interested in running; her specialty is the short burst and the kinetic explosion.

True to the mouse spirit, Kuzzie is a worker; if you've ever spent time in the country and heard mice racing along the rafters on a cold, still night, you know what I mean. And at the start of the match, Sveta was all industry. She's fleet but not at all leggy; she just churns along, and then puts her remarkable eye-hand co-ordination to work in an effort to probe and open up the court with a slice here, a flat drive there, a topspin lob somewhere else. It worked perfectly in the early going, because Williams looked sluggish and out of sorts. You know trouble is afoot when the you can hear the murmuring of the crowd and know they're asking: What's wrong with Serena?

Kuznetsova won the first set, 6-3, and, as this was my first live view of the "new" Serena, I was baffled. I could see that she was fit - perhaps the fittest she's been since her best years on tour. But when Serena isn't moving well (or showing no inclination to move, well or badly), it's hard to envision her at her best and most feline. That may just be because a little bit of moving carries Serena a long way - in this case, a long way being just that extra second or 18 inches she needed to position herself to crack those heavy, bold groundstrokes in a way that might enable her to turn the tables.

Williams seemed in big trouble when she fell behind, 15-40, in the first game of the second set, but she saved the game. Soon she began to find her groove and the set was blissfully free of service breaks (the point of the game is to hold serve, right?) until Kuzzie crumbled in the 12th game.

Part of Kuznetsova's game plan was to play from further inside the court than usual, and for a while it worked. But as Williams applied steady pressure, driving Kuznetsova back with penetrating service returns and precise placements, Kuznetsova's best shots began to seem less like forceful statements than attempts to remain in the conversation. And we all know how hard it is to say something interesting when you feel pressured to do so. The greater the silence, the more daunting a task it is to fill it with something notable. And the silence when you're serving at 5-6 against a dangerous, go-for-broke returner like Williams is pretty profound.

On balance, though, this was not an unusual position for Kuznetsova; relying on her inventiveness may be her ultimate comfort zone. For all of her assets and skills, Kuznetsova is basically a reactive player. In the endless game of cat and mouse, she's always the mouse.

Every player goes into a match with a game plan. But some players are far better than others at implementing and even adjusting that plan during the flow of play. Kuznetsova is an oddity; she often hits a great shot and you sense that she, like you, is wondering; So what's going to happen next? This occurs at a very subtle level - after all, you don't get to be no. 3 in the world standing around watching your shots like some high school kid. And while it's undeniably a good thing for a tennis player to, as they say, "be in the moment", there is also too much of a good thing. It amounts to the sense that instead of building points with a inter-connected series shots, she's taking it one stroke at a time.

I think of this as Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario disease. All counter-punchers are susceptible to it, no matter how flashy or well-rounded.I don't know if there's a cure for this essential stop-start feature in Kuznetsova's game. In some matches, it's probably an asset, because it certainly opens frontiers of surprise and all manner of options against someone who enjoys playing set pieces. But you just can't survive rallies and counter punch your way to success, taking all your cues from an opponent - not against a player of Williams's caliber. She has too much power, too much range, and she's willing to take charge if you won't - physically as well as psychologically.

This was a good day for Kuznetsova (if only you could score a tennis match on a curve in which all points are equally meaningful!), and a perfect portrait of an original game in all its idiosyncrasy. She broke Williams in the first game of the third set, but was broken right back. Ditto the next two games. The women remained on serve for the next three games, until Williams got the killing break for 6-5. That game was well-played game by both women, and while it was great to see Kuzzie playing keep-up instead of catch -up (she hit two forehands with such uncanny timing and force that both her feet ended up a good two feet off the ground), Serena closed her out, then served it out.

In her presser, Kuznetsova rued her inability to take control of the match: "When I was on the top, I was playing too careful. When she was on top, I was playing better, you know. I couldn't find the right balance there. I think that was my main mistake for the match. . . I would like to see next time me be a bit more aggressive and play better when I'm on the top."

Serena was opaque in her own meeting with the media. But like the Cheshire cat, her smile spoke volumes.

Coby · Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 12:27 am Post subject:

Jankovic Scouting Hampered By TV Coverage

By: Bill Scott, The Earth Times
4 April 2008

Positive recent memories of their last meeting will be the key for Jelena Jankovic when she faces four-time winner Serena Williams for the women's title at the Miami Masters on Saturday.

The Serb was unable to scout her opponent from the comfort of her hotel room due to the massive limitations of American TV coverage of the 11-day event.

"For some reason, in my hotel, they don't show Fox Sports," said Jankovic, referring to a scaled-down broadcast contract which the tournament has been saddled with.

But Jankovic, who has a chance to move to second in the world behind Justine Henin should she win the event, is unworried by the lack of a look at her American opponent.

Little more than two months ago, the Serb rolled holder Williams in straight sets in an Australian Open quarter-final.

"I have to play my game, and it's not like I have never seen her play. I have played against her many times (five on the WTA).

"I know how to play against her and know what to expect from her. But I also know that I really have to play good tennis in order to win, because she's a great champion and a tough opponent to beat."

Jankovic stands 3-2 against Williams in their series which began in San Diego four years ago with a three-set Williams win.

The fourth-seeded Jankovic has been battling a cold all month in the US, but has managed to play her way into the final, earning the spot by crushing Russian Vera Zvonareva in the semi-finals.

While Williams may have slimmed down considerably and lost only two sets on her run to a sixth title match in Miami, none of that bothers Jankovic.

"I'm also getting fitter and I'm also getting stronger," was her response. "It's not just that one person is getting and doing all this work. We are all working very hard, and we are all trying to be in better shape."

Jankovic said her game plan will be simple: "I have to really go out there and really play aggressive tennis. It's very important to return well against her, and as well, to serve, to hold serves, because it's very difficult to break her.

"I just have to go for my shots and it will be a good fight, hopefully a good match."

Meanwhile, the Florida-based Williams seems as concerned with satisfying the ticket demands of her expanding posse of friends as she is on getting onto the court.

"This is one of my favorite tournaments, I love playing here. All my friends come out. I promised tickets for Saturday, so I was, like, 'I can't lose. I have got to stay in there a little bit longer.' It was mainly my motivation."

Williams, never short of confidence, added: "I have played a great tournament, and I'm just happy to be still in it and doing the best I can do.

"As long as I'm doing the right thing on the court, I feel like I can come out on top."

Coby · Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 3:23 pm Post subject:

Pitting Serena's Power Against Jelena's Defense

By: ESPN.com
5 April 2008

Despite being seeded four spots lower than her opponent, No. 8 Serena Williams will be a decisive favorite in Saturday's Sony Ericsson Open final. Williams surrendered only two games in a lopsided affair versus world No. 1 Justine Henin in the quarters, and after a sluggish first set against Svetlana Kuztesova in the semis, cruised the rest of the way.

[EDIT: Cruised?? A little overstated there, it was much closer than that.]

But fourth-seeded Jelena Jankovic has had a seamless route to the final. [EDIT: Again, did the person who wrote this intro really watch the whole tournament?? I was in the stands when Jelena had to make a miraculous recovery just to win her first match . . . . full credit to Jelena for never giving up, but she was very lucky to win that one.] Her semifinal opponent, Vera Zvonareva, didn't put up much of a struggle, and in the previous round, Elena Dementieval retired midway into the second set.

Still confused as to who the 2008 Key Biscayne champ will be? Tennis.com's Peter Bodo and Tom Perrotta are here to settle the score and make arguments for each player.

JELENA JANKOVIC

The way Serena Williams demolished world No. 1 Justine Henin earlier this week at the Sony Ericsson Open, and then blasted and slashed her way back into yesterday's semifinal with Svetlana Kuznetsova, it's tempting to concede her the title. We all know Serena has the biggest game in town, and she's not afraid to use it.

But hold your horses. I'm picking Jelena Jankovic to spoil the party. Williams may have the street cred among knowledgeable tennis fans, and she's become renowned for her ability to turn up, sometimes out of the blue, to roll a strike that knocks down all the pins. But the reality is that Jankovic is ranked No. 4 and on the rise, while Williams is No. 8 and, despite being in great shape fitness-wise, she's not playing like an unstoppable force.

In the third round, Williams was down a set and 3-0 to Flavia Pennetta before she pulled her game together. In the semifinals, Svetlana Kuznetsova was up a set on Williams and had two break points in her first service opportunity of the second. Kuznetsova let those slip away. Jankovic will go into the final knowing that a strong start and consistent, aggressive play on big points could pay off.

Jankovic has won three of her last four meetings with Williams (including their most recent battle at the Australian Open), and all of those matches were on outdoor hard courts, much like the ones here at Key Biscayne. This girl has great wheels, and the key to keeping Serena in check is to retrieve well and to move her around the court, denying her the time she needs to load up on her groundstrokes. She's also playing with house money, having come back from a horror-show first-round match in which she was down 1-5 and five match points before she righted her ship.

Players who come back from death's door like that are always dangerous. I also have the sense that after living in her Serbian countrywoman Ana Ivanovic's shadow for about a year, Jankovic's stars are coming into line. Her consistency and an aggressive willingness to challenge Williams will carry the day.

- Peter Bodo

SERENA WILLIAMS

Remember last year's Australian Open? Well, Serena Williams looks better now than she did then. A lot better. She's more fit. She's moving as well as she has in years. That's bad news for Jelena Jankovic. You want worse news? Williams has won this tournament four times and loves playing here. The crowd is behind her. Jankovic beat Williams at the Australian Open this year, avenging Williams' easy victory from a year before. Williams remembers. It all adds up to title No. 5 for Williams, likely in straight sets.

Williams has played through some rough patches this week. Her forehand has been erratic at times. Other times her serve has failed her. After she defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova in Thursday's semifinal, she didn't sound particularly pleased with her play. But on important points, she's delivered her best stuff. Jankovic is not the sort of player who dominates a powerful opponent -- she'll do all she can to stay in there, but she'll give you chances to win. When presented with chances, Williams is going to take them.

Jankovic has won three of her five matches against Williams, but one ended when Williams withdrew and another came in 2006, when Williams was very far from her best. Essentially, this is a matchup of weapons (Williams) against defense and speed (Jankovic). Defense often beats offense in tennis, but not when it has a serve as bad as Jankovic's. Williams returns serves better than anyone in the women's game -- earlier this week, she made Justine Henin's very good serve look like a lollipop. Williams should be able to break Jankovic early and often. If she serves reasonably well and doesn't hit too many short balls to Jankovic's backhand (the Serbian's stronger stroke), she'll cruise.

Before she played Williams in Australia earlier this year, Jankovic jokingly described herself as a very small David to Williams' Goliath. "She's stronger than me twice -- twice my size," Jankovic said. "Sometimes I feel like she's going to blow me off the court." Saturday is going to be one of those times.

- Tom Perrotta

Coby · Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 7:08 pm Post subject:

Saturday 5 April 2008

Singles - Championship

[8] Serena Williams (USA) d [4] Jelena Jankovic (SRB) 61 57 63

Sunday's Doubles Championship

[1] Cara Black (ZIM)/Liezel Huber (USA) vs [2] Katarina Srebotnik (SLO)/Ai Sugiyama (JPN)

Coby · Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 7:17 pm Post subject:

Serena's 30th career title and 5th at Key Biscayne . . . . the "5th Slam."

Coby · Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 10:02 pm Post subject:

Serena Edges Jelena For Fifth Sony Ericsson Open Crown

By: www.sonyericssonwtatour.com
5 April 2008

MIAMI, FL, USA - She came back from behind to win last year's title but this year she effectively came back from ahead. Serena Williams built giant leads against Jelena Jankovic and kept watching her draw closer and closer; in the end Williams hung on to prevail however, taking home her fifth Sony Ericsson Open title, tying Steffi Graf's record at the lucrative Tier I tournament.

In winning her fourth Miami crown last year, Williams picked herself up from a first set blowout and two match points in the second to beat Justine Henin, but this year was a different story with the same ending.

After three holds of serve to start the match, the No.8-seeded Williams plowed through seven straight games, pounding winners off the forehand and backhand alike en route to a 61 30 lead. Although Jankovic got one of those breaks back, Williams served for the match at 61 54 - a similar scenario to Henin's 60 54 lead from a year earlier. And history repeated itself at the end of that set, as Jankovic pulled off an unlikely string of games to take the match to a third set.

That was almost where the similarities ended, however. Williams regrouped in an impressive way in the deciding set, surging ahead 5-0, and although she had an abundance of chances to put the match to rest even earlier - one match point at 5-0, one at 5-1 and three at 5-2 - she topped the No.4-seeded Jankovic on her eighth match point, slamming an overhead and releasing a resonant battle cry after overcoming the impressive comeback from her feisty opponent.

"I was definitely up and on my way to glory within an hour," Williams said. "But I started making a lot of mistakes and Jelena obviously started playing better too. Players who have nothing to lose are the most dangerous people in life on court. I thought I had like 15 match points; I'm glad to know it wasn't. It was weird."

Williams first shone at Key Biscayne in 1999, going all the way to the final before falling to sister Venus in three sets. Since then she has earned five titles, in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007 and now 2008. Graf is the only other woman to have won five titles here, in 1987, 1988, 1994, 1995 and 1996. Williams trails the German in two other departments still, in matches won in Miami (Graf has 59, Williams has 47) and finals reached (Graf reached seven, Williams has six now).

Jankovic leaves Miami having shown the world what a fighter she is, and that she still values every point and game even when she's down a set and 3-0, or 5-0 in the third; she even stole a victory in a similar situation earlier in the tournament, fending off a 5-1 third set deficit and five match points in the winner-take-all tie-break to beat Sofia Arvidsson in her opening match, 67(7) 62 76(9).

"5-1 is a huge gap to catch, and it's a lot of games, but I wasn't scared at 5-1, because the girl needs to win four points, which is not easy," Jankovic said. "But I was scared when I was down 6-3 in the tie-break, because you only need one point and you can be lucky and hit some good shot and the match is over.

"It was a good thing for my confidence to get through that one, and reaching the final was just amazing. I just hope to continue playing like this."

Jankovic was not only gunning for her third career Tier I title, following a pair of 2007 crowns at Charleston and Rome; she was also within reach of the No.2 ranking, having to beat Williams to overtake countrywoman Ana Ivanovic for it.

"I tried to come back. I tried to fight. I thought Serena really had trouble closing out the match," Jankovic said. "But she was very strong. When she's playing her best tennis, when she's serving well, it's just tough to match up against her. Even though I work hard physically, I can never in my life be as strong as her. She was the better one today, and she's the winner of this tournament."

Instead it was Williams who tasted Tier I glory (for the ninth time in her career) and left with her 30th Sony Ericsson Tour singles title. She won her 29th just a few weeks ago in Bangalore and is now on a 10-match win streak.

"I feel like all I want to do is play tennis, be the best and win," Williams added. "My whole life is dedicated to nothing but tennis. I've been working really hard. Sometimes when it doesn't come together I get frustrated. And the fact I got tight today is definitely a reflection of my desire and dedication now."

More players making noise in Miami included Russians Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva, who made it to the semifinals before falling to Williams and Jankovic; Venus Williams, another of this tournament's most successful stars, who fell to Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals; and wunderkind Michelle Larcher de Brito, who notched her first Top 20 win over Agnieszka Radwanska en route to a third round finish. The world's Top 2 players, Henin and Ivanovic, both fell earlier than expected, with Henin dropping a 62 60 decision to eventual champ Williams in the quarters (the worst loss a No.1 has had since 1999) and Ivanovic losing to Lindsay Davenport in the third round, 64 62 (the best win of Davenport's comeback to the Tour in terms of ranking).

In Sunday's doubles final, top seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber will attempt to avenge their final loss from 2007 as they face No.2 seeds Katarina Srebotnik and Ai Sugiyama. In last year's final, Black and Huber - now co-No.1s - fell to Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur. Stosur was unable to compete here or at any tournaments over the last several months due to a viral illness.