Where's the Follow Through?

Here in the U.S., with veteran champions like the Williams sisters and Andy Roddick crossing, or about to cross, the thirty-year mark, and transition players like John Isner and Sam Querrey having their biggest successes so far at the mid-tier tournaments, we've been aching to identify our next generation of big tennis stars. We get some glimpses of hope here and there, but have yet to find the next athlete who promises to deliver again and again.

At last week's U.S. events, a couple American youngsters got a chance to shine. College stars like Nicole Gibbs and Mallory Brudette got their first Tour wins in Stanford and young Coco Vandeweghe chopped her ranking nearly in half by making the final. In Newport, 2009 champion Rajeev Ram put together his most successful singles run in a while on his way to the semis, and soon-to-be Olympian Ryan Harrison put up a solid fight himself in the final four. But all these guys fell in their first rounds this week, understandable given their efforts, but disheartening for those hoping to see them back up their recent success.

That's not to say all hope is lost. The draw in Carlsbad features plenty of Americans, many wildcards, and more than a couple have so far survived early rounds. Christina McHale, long touted as the premier talent in the generation has lived up to her seeding and Melanie Oudin, finally backing up her 2009 U.S. Open run with a title in Birmingham last month, pulled off a solid win over fellow(-ish) up-and-comer Sloane Stephens in her first round. But perhaps the most potential lies with twenty-six year old Varvara Lepchenko. The surprise fourth-rounder in Paris has only lost a handful of games so far this week. With a quarterfinal meeting against often-spotty Nadia Petrova next, she has the real potential to pull off another upset, and that could bode well for her even beyond this tournament -- a first-time Olympian in a few weeks, there might not be a better time for her to prove how well she can fight for her country.

There's no Olympic gold on the line for some of the standouts in Atlanta, but that's no excuse for them to not put up a fight. While veterans like Roddick and top seeded John Isner, twice a runner-up here, are getting in some good practice for London, those a little further down the rankings may be the ones to watch this week. Wildcard Steve Johnson had only played one Tour-level match this year, but he hung tough against one-time U.S. Open Cinderella Donald Young in his first round. He'll meet another young star in Jack Sock next -- the 2010 U.S. Open Juniors champ defeated seventh-seeded Alex Bogomolov in his opener and could put on an entertaining show for a spot in the semis. For the man who survives, it could be a great opportunity to make a real splash on a Tour-level stage.

It's going to be difficult for any of these guys to make a real and immediate impact at a Slam -- with the top players in the sport right now proving they're not going anywhere soon, they might have to slog it out for several more months or years. But it's important that they bring the momentum they capture from wins this week into their next few events -- if they can prove themselves to be constant threats in the draws, it might not be long until they're no longer considered the underdog.

The Weirdest Day in Tennis

It's just after noon in New York, and I'm already overwhelmed by the stuff that's gone on today. Rain-delayed battles, amazing triumphs, stellar upsets, and one particularly strange display that brings up more questions than it does answers.

You'd be forgiven if you don't remember Alize Cornet. The twenty-two year old peaked during the 2008 clay court season, making the semis in Charleston and Amelia Island, the finals in Acapulco and Rome, and finally earning a title in Budapest. She's been a little quiet since, watching her ranking drop from nearly top-ten territory to triple-digits just a few months ago. She hasn't even won an ITF title in over four years. But she may be turning things around now -- the Frenchwoman beat four higher-ranked players to make the final in Strasbourg, and this week picked right back up post-Roland Garros to play for the trophy in Bad Gastein. In a surprisingly tight match against second-seeded Yanina Wickmayer, Cornet was able to capitalize on her break opportunities and out-lasted the favorite after more than two hours of play. For a woman who's been a bit of a non-entity in the sport the last several years, it was quite an accomplishment -- she might not be quite ready to take the grass court season by storm yet, but if she keeps up her confidence, it might not be long before she does.

Meanwhile in Birmingham, the rain played tricks with the players all week long. With play almost completely washed out on Friday, players were forced to endure one double-header after another over the weekend, with some athletes losing leads and others hanging tougher to get the win. Perhaps the greatest victories, though, came from world #208 Melanie Oudin, whose once-bright star has become a little tarnished since 2009. She looked good in her opening rounds in England, but it wasn't until her later matches that she really brought up her game. After her quarterfinal against compatriot Irina Falconi was delayed on Saturday, she got back on court to finish it up. She then went another three sets against eighth seeded Ekaterina Makarova, a more-than-solid player herself, to reach her first-ever Tour final. For the title she'll face Jelena Jankovic who, you might remember, she beat during that first breakout Wimbledon a few years ago. If she can pull it off again -- let's face it, JJ is not the player she was back then -- it could put Melanie way back on the radar over the next few months.

Tommy Haas has been on the radar before, but it's been a long time since. The thirty-four year old was the #2 player in the world a full decade ago, but shoulder surgery, hip surgery, illness and, well, age, pushed him out of the top fifty, hundred, three hundred and five hundred by this time last year. He didn't have the most successful return in 2011, winning just a handful of matches in his first five months back, but finally put together a few back-to-back wins to make the quarters in Vienna. He did even better this season, upsetting Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on the way to the Munich semis and even got in a couple main draw wins at Roland Garros as a qualifier. But his true comeback was sealed this week when, as a wildcard in Halle, the 2009 champion stunned third-seed Tomas Berdych, overpowered eventual Munich champ Philipp Kohlschreiber, and earlier today pulled off an epic straight-set victory over Roger Federer, a man he hadn't beaten since the Sydney Olympics -- that was back in 2000, for those who forgot. Ten losses and twelve years later, Haas was again victor over King Fed, winning his first title in three years and pulling off probably the most surprising win of the day.

Things didn't stop there, however. In what might have been the strangest -- and most disappointing -- end to a tournament, David Nalbandian, seeded tenth at Queen's Club, was leading Croatia's Marin Cilic by a tiebreak, but had just lost serve when this happened:



The linesman was left with a bloody calf, and though the Argentine apologized for his outburst, tournament officials chose to disqualify him from the tournament, handing Cilic the win. It's a tough way to claim a title, certainly not the way true athletes want a competition to end. But with his first trophy on grass, Cilic may have at least proven to himself he can triumph on the surface. As for Nalbandian, it'll be interesting to see how the veteran pulls himself together after this latest outburst. Sadly, it wasn't the first -- and won't be the last -- instance of tennis players losing their cool, and hopefully the sport won't lose anything from it.

With all the unpredictable things that happened on the tennis courts today, it's a bit of a shame we'll probably most remember what went down in London. But there's so much more that's worth celebrating this weekend, and with just a week left until Wimbledon, those players should take all that good with them over the next few weeks. And they're recent successes -- and even their failures -- could prove invaluable as they look to put together even bigger triumphs in the matches ahead.

Seize the Opportunity

It's been a rough couple days for the favorites at the post-French Open events being played this week -- the top seeds failed to win even one match at three of the four tournaments, and a couple more just slightly further down the rankings did no better. It certainly opens the door for some of the lower seeds, with the fiercest competition out of the way, but perhaps some of the biggest beneficiaries are even further off the radar.

The seeds in Bad Gastein spanned a wide range, from world #25 Julia Goerges, who won her first career title here two years ago, to barely double-digit Johanna Larsson -- still, you might have expected a little more fight from the higher-ranked players. Goerges fell in a quick ninety minute match to Dutch qualifier Richel Hogenkamp and fourth-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro dropped earlier today to Luxembourg's Mandy Minella, who just cracked the top hundred earlier this year.

With two clay-courters out of the picture, Alize Cornet might have a chance to shine again. The Frenchwoman, who peaked at #11 more than three years ago, has been struggling since, but a run to the final in Strasbourg may have gotten her back on track. She hasn't faced a big challenge yet in Austria, and with her quarterfinal meeting with Goerges thwarted early, she could be in a good place to shake down the rest of the draw.

The casualties ran a little deeper in a rain-soaked Birmingham where the ladies made a switch to grass in preparation for Wimbledon. Seeds one through three were all bumped in their opening rounds -- Francesca Schiavone, out of the top twenty after failing to defend Roland Garros points, was stunned by unknown Misaki Doi, Sabine Lisicki, dogged by injury the last few months, was upset by Urszula Radwanska, positioned sixty spots lower than her #3-ranked sister, and Daniela Hantuchova, who skipped the French with a stress fracture, couldn't get past veteran Melinda Czink.

All that might be good news for one-time U.S. Open darling Melanie Oudin, who only won two Grand Slam matches in the two years after her breakthrough. Now out of the top two hundred, she's been working her way through the ITF circuit, even having to qualify for the second-tier tournaments, but finally won a Major match in Paris before losing to eventual finalist Sara Errani in the second round. So far at the AEGON Classic, though, she's already ousted fellow-comeback Sorana Cirstea and run over doubles specialist Elena Vesnina. It's the first time she's won three main-draw matches at a Tour-level event since Charleston in 2010, and as she preps for the All England Club, where she has gone as far as the fourth round, there's no better time to remind us all she's still relevant.

The men in London have not fared too much better so far. Andy Murray was stunned in his opener by co-marathon man Nicolas Mahut, who's having his own rebirth of sorts this year, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who managed to pull off one win, wasn't able to come back today against Ivan Dodig and in the process may have sustained a broken finger, putting him in doubt for Wimbledon at all. With both exiting so early, we'll be denied a repeat of last year's final, which Murray won in three long sets.

And with top players out of contention -- fifth seed and usual grass court staple Feliciano Lopez also lost today -- rebounding Sam Querrey could make a statement himself. The 2010 champion here has struggled post-elbow surgery, putting together a few stretches of first-round losses and falling out of the top one hundred late last year. He's starting to turn things around though, winning a Challenger event in Sarasota and even taking a set from Janko Tipsarevic in Paris. This week at Queen's Club he's already beaten a tough Denis Istomin and eighth seeded Julien Benneteau. With a quarterfinal meeting against Dodig instead of the more-intimidating Tsonga, he might be able to make a much needed run at a Tour event again.

It's not that these guys aren't able to beat the top-ranked players -- they've done so plenty of times throughout their careers -- but as they look to launch a meaningful comeback this season, it might be a while before they get another such chance. And if they can capitalize, it might mean we'll see a lot more of them in the months to come.

Memphis Belles

There's an interesting phenomenon that occurs at tournaments where the top seed is ranked outside the top fifty -- with even the most favored players so spotty in their day-to-day performances, virtually anyone can turn her run into a Cinderella story.

And that's exactly what's been happening this week at the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, where neither of the two top seeds, Barbora Zahlavova Strycova or Sofia Arvidsson, made it out of the first round. That leaves one-time U.S. Open darling Melanie Oudin as the top-ranked player and while it certainly does give her a monster opportunity to shine, the bigger imact might be felt by those even more under-the-radar.

Qualifier Alexa Glatch has a handful of ITF titles to her name, but has only made a minor dent on Tour. She made the quarters in Quebec City last year, but maybe more impressively defeated both Iveta Benesova and a just-emerging Petra Kvitova in Fed Cup back in 2009. But this week she barreled through Beatrice Capra in her opener, and survived a close call against Michaella Krajicek. With no seeds left in her half of the draw, it might be smooth sailing for the twenty-one year old to finally break through.

Another player to watch is former Junior champ Coco Vandeweghe, one of the ladies I had my eye on back at her first U.S. Open in 2008. She's played well against in the big leagues before, beating Vera Zvonareva last year in San Diego, but now just a smidge off a double-digit ranking, this could be her best chance. Coco notched a solid win over Alexandra Stevenson on Wednesday, avenging a first round loss to the one-time Wimbledon semifinalist from just last week. With some streaky players in her path, she could make a good case for changing the meaning of "Team Coco".

Of course no one can rise to the top of the sport without consistently beating the best players out there. But with the path in Memphis relatively clear for these potential Cinderellas, it looks like they have a good chance to dance at the ball when all is done.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

With only two days of play in the books for the 2011 Australian Open, we've already gotten a glimpse of what we might expect for the rest of the tournament and -- dare I say? -- at least the next few months of the year. Some of it is encouraging, some less so -- and the rest, well, I'll be generous and hold off my final judgment for now.

The Good

Let's start with the highlights -- the top seeds all had an easy time with their first rounds. Among the top ten men, only one lost a set, and the women were similarly impressive with Kim Clijsters and Marion Bartoli both serving up double bagels.

But we saw some inspired play from others as well. More than a couple seeds -- Mardy Fish, Gael Monfils, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga -- dug themselves out of two set deficits when they were all but out of contention. And 2009 U.S. Open champ Juan Martin Del Potro made a winning start in his return to the Slams, while fellow Argentine David Nalbandian survived probably the toughest first round opponent in Lleyton Hewitt in a nearly five-hour, early morning slugfest.

For the ladies Yanina Wickmayer, stuck with a tough opener against Hobart champion Jarmila Groth, survived her first test, while Aggie Radwanska, playing uber-veteran Kimiko Date Krumm stayed strong even when the crowd, her body and her racket all seemed to be against her. And Sorana Cirstea, once ranked in the top twenty-five, won her first main draw match since Copenhagen in August by beating a tough Mirjana Lucic in straight sets.

And if you want some bright signs for the future of the sport, check out Australian wildcard Bernard Tomic, and eighteen year old who took advantage of a spotty Jeremy Chardy to make the second round. Or qualifier Simona Halep, making her main draw debut in Melbourne -- she hung in for three sets and almost two hours against veteran Anne Kremer of Luxembourg. The young Romanian may rival Serbian #3 Bojana Jovanovski for the Newcomer of the Year award.

The Bad

Of course, for every good there is a not-so-good. Ana Ivanovic didn't make it out of her first round, but it wasn't for lack of trying. She pulled out a stellar performance against a simply more aggressive, more lethal Ekaterina Makarova on Tuesday, marking her earliest exit from the Australian Open. Sure, it's tough luck for the rebuilding Ivanovic, but we shouldn't take credit away from Makarova, who earned the win on her own merit.

Marcos Baghdatis was slightly more lucky than his counterpart, but it still took him five sets to take care of world #141 Grega Zemlja. He allowed the qualifier to break him four times and barely got half of his first serves in. I know the 2006 runner-up is injured, but the way he played, and especially facing Del Potro in the next round, I'm not sure he'll make another run in Australia this year.

The Ugly

Though their performances may not have been the strongest, I'm not ready to write off Ivanovic or Baghdatis yet. I'm a little more wary of the prospects for some others, though.

I came into this Open watching Aravane Rezai closely -- the Frenchwoman kicked off 2010 with a bang, having won the Bali championships the prior season and stunning Venus Williams in the Madrid finals, but hasn't made the third round of a tournament since July. She clung to a seventeenth seed in Melbourne, but fell in the first day to Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, getting blanked in the opening set. Now with only one fourth round Major appearance in the last four years, she'll be hard-pressed to stay among the sport's elite.

And Sam Querrey may also be riding a career-high ranking, but he won only one match since the U.S. Open. He took a two-set-to-one lead on world #72 Lukasz Kubot, but failed to close out his match. After more than three hours of play, he earned the dubious honor of being the first seed to get booted, and has now lost his Melbourne opener for three straight years. It's not the best record for a man I once called the future of American tennis.

Speaking of the country's next-generation stars, Melanie Oudin has only won two Major matches since that glorious run in New York over a year ago. On Tuesday she notched her second loss in as many weeks to the Czech Republic's Klara Zakopalova. She dropped serve nine times in this most recent match, and won a measly thirty percent of her second serve points. Of course, at nineteen years of age she has plenty of time to climb back out of the hole -- but it sure would be a shame for her to have peaked so early.

---

With any tournament it's a given that we'll see some upsets and a couple standouts. But it sure feels like the early matches in Australia have given us a few extras to talk about this time around. We'll see if we if the top champions can fare as well in the later rounds, or if the nascent talent can keep its momentum going.

And it sure looks like it's only getting more exciting from here.

A New Era

A quick look at the record books in Fed Cup history shows a slew of American power. The U.S. leads all in number of titles (seventeen), most consecutive titles (seven, from 1976 to 1982), tie wins, rubber wins, and on and on. But if you look at what's happened the past couple years, things are a little different.

Italy has played in the championships for five straight years and won three of those titles, including successfully defending this past weekend in the finals held in San Diego. The ladies from Europe took on the United States for a second year in a row and, though they ceded one rubber this time, they came away victorious yet again.

Of course you could argue that the Americans didn't send their A-team to California -- both Serena and Venus Williams had to bow out and Melanie Oudin, once considered the country's greatest prospect for the future, has since fallen out of the top fifty and wasn't even the highest ranked singles player on this year's squad.

But you still can't ignore how much the Italians have improved. Francesca Schiavone made a huge mark for the country, of course, when she became the first woman from the peninsula to not only make a Grand Slam final, but to also win one back in Paris. And though Flavia Pennetta beat her countrywoman into the top ten of the sport last year, her bigger accomplishment might have been her ascent to become half of the top-ranked doubles team in the world -- she and Argentine Gisela Dulko have won seven titles this year, including the year-end championships in Doha. Flavia and Francesca each took wins in their first two singles rubbers this past weekend, and Pennetta sealed the victory when she defeated CoCo Vandeweghe in the fourth. With a 3-1 lead -- Oudin was able to defeat Schiavone on Sunday -- the doubles round was skipped, and the Italian ladies hoisted the Fed Cup trophy again.



It might be hard to count the four women who played this weekend -- Schiavone and Pennetta were joined by Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci -- as the most consistent threats on Tour, but with the highest ranks of women's tennis so diverse it's hard to pick any other country that could possibly have won this prize. And though we may not have officially entered a period of total Italian domination on the tennis courts, it sure looks like the tide is turning in that direction.

And as for any country that wants to beat them next year, well she'll really have to bring her best to the table.

A Long Road Home

Losing is now something Grand Slam champions and world #1s are used to, but on the beautiful shores of San Diego this week, a couple former shining stars continued their struggles to return to the sport's elite.

Probably the longest lasting slide has been that of 2008 Roland Garros champion Ana Ivanovic who's spent most of the last four months out of the top fifty. Though she had a brief shining moment in Rome back in May, she's suffered a slew of early round losses since then. This week at the Mercury Insurance Open, she translated her wildcard entry into a straight set defeat at the hands of Shahar Peer, the same woman who took her out of Wimbledon in the first round. She has a big opportunity though this summer, as she didn't accumulate many points leading up to last year's U.S. Open, so a couple big wins could still boost her ranking significantly.

Melanie Oudin has the opposite problem -- after all, she became the darling of Flushing Meadows when she made the quarterfinals in New York, and so has a ton of points to defend this summer. So far she hasn't been following through -- she's playing a lot less than she did last year, mostly because she no longer has to qualify for the big events, but still hasn't advanced deep into a draw since April. After a second-round loss in Stanford last week, she opened her campaign in SoCal by beating her potential doubles partner Jamie Hampton in straight sets, but earlier today suffered a ninety-minute loss to French Open finalist Sam Stosur.

Last year's runner-up in Paris also had a shade of hope dashed earlier today. Dinara Safina, who was ranked #1 in the world less than a year ago has tumbled into the mid-thirties after a nagging back injury kept her from repeating any of the successes she had in the first half of 2009. She ended a six-match losing streak on Monday when she beat Alona Bondarenko in San Diego, but faced a tougher test against Aggie Radwanska today. Though she had never lost a set to her in their previous two meetings, last week's semifinalist at the Bank of the West Classic got revenge and needed just more than an hour to take out the three-time Major finalist. The 2008 U.S. Open Series winner now hasn't put together back-to-back wins since January, and she's going to have to pull it together if she wants to make any impact in New York this year.

The woman who had been Safina's nemesis last spring is the only one still alive in California. Svetlana Kuznetsova lost early in her bid to defend at Roland Garros and has been upset by players like world #74 Anastasia Rodionova, #99 Regina Kulikova and #100 Ekaterina Makarova all season. She squeaked by her first round opponent, eighth seeded Yanina Wickmayer, but next faces a tough Sara Errani, a woman who's pulled off a few upsets of her own this year. But it certainly looks like Svets has the best hope of making a quick return to the top tiers of the sport.

Of course anything can happen in the next few weeks -- maybe these ladies are just waiting for an opportunity to catch everyone off guard before making their run back to the top. But from where we stand now, it sure looks like it will be a tough battle back. But, man, would it be great to see the fight!

The Teenybopper

While most of us American tennis fans turned our focus to the series of tournaments leading up to the U.S. Open this week, there's still a bunch of action going on in Europe, and this week the world's top-ranked teenaged tennis player made us all aware that she's still one to beat out on the courts.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova began making a name for herself at the end of last year when she beat Venus Williams in back-to-back tournaments, once as a qualifier in Tokyo. This year she made her first Tour championship in Monterrey, winning two matches on that final Sunday to claim the crown. Earlier today she won her second trophy, rallying from a set and two breaks down to beat compatriot Elena Vesnina for the Istanbul title. Now ranked twenty-ninth in the world at just nineteen years of age, Pavlyuchenkova is easily the youngest woman in the top thirty and she seems like she's only going to get better from here.



It's funny when you think of it, that there are so few teens in the top echelons of tennis these days. I remember being somewhat shocked about all the hype around Melanie Oudin received during her run at the U.S. Open last year -- then seventeen years old, she was almost a full year older than Maria Sharapova when she won Wimbledon in 2004 and two years senior to Martina Hingis who won the Australian at just sixteen.

It's no question that the game has changed from even those relatively recent days. There are certainly some young standouts -- Caroline Wozniacki is just out of teen territory and Victoria Azarenka, whose impressive performance in Stanford today won her a fourth career title, took her first three when she was still nineteen. But by and large its the veterans -- Serena and Venus Williams, Kim Clijsters, Sam Stosur -- who are really dominating. It could be the age limits, restricting the number of tournaments a Pro plays until she turns eighteen, or it could be that the established players are so strong that "kids" can no longer keep up with them like they could just fifteen years ago.

But the Juniors circuit certainly provides some clues as to who might be a future star. Pavlyuchenkova won three Major girls' titles in 2006 and 2007. More recently, players like Laura Robson and Sloane Stephens are beginning to make strides in the main draws of tournaments after already making names for themselves in the ITF events. Some go off to great things -- Azarenka and Wozniacki were also Junior champions just a few years ago -- some you might not hear of again -- anyone remember Angelique Widjaja who won Roland Garros and Wimbledon in her day?

And if Pavlyuchenkova's performance on Tour so far is any indication, she could be one that comes out on top. With plenty of years left in her career, she's certainly already established herself as a contender, and today's come-from-behind victory just confirms that fact.

Out of Time

We're less than four days from the start of the French Open! Yay!

Well, "yay" for some people -- fans like me who've been yearning for something to watch other than guilty pleasure TV (Seriously, Ramona? Seriously?), and athletes like Rafael Nadal or Justine Henin just itching to get that next Major title.

For others, it may cause a bit of a knot in the stomach. While the lead-up clay court season has allowed some new names to shine, a few usual stalwarts haven't really gotten the match play they might have wanted before traveling to Paris. That could be why we saw some big names in action at some small tournaments this week -- and not all with good results.

Melanie Oudin, for example, so close to her all-time high ranking, has now lost in three straight first rounds, including a fifty-two minute drubbing by Magdalena Rybarikova in Warsaw this week. Though a quarterfinal appearance in Charleston and some strong Fed Cup results prove she can win on clay, I'm sure she'd rather have come to France with a few more wins under her belt.

Elena Dementieva has fared only slightly better. Often thought of the best player without a Major trophy, I reluctantly admit she's a bit off my radar this time around. A victim of bad luck earlier in the year, she'd been pitted against Henin in two second rounds and then got caught in the whirlwind run of Ana Ivanovic in Rome.

But a loss to Alexandra Dulgheru in Madrid and a three-set, three-hour smackdown by world #100 Tsvetana Pironkova in Warsaw today doesn't bode well for her chances next week. There is some hope -- she was, remember, a finalist at Roland Garros in 2004. But Dementieva tends to do best at Slams when she's riding a wave of positive momentum -- not so much the case this time.

Robin Soderling hasn't had as much bad luck as that. Though he got bumped in his opening round in Madrid, he did make the semis in Miami and the finals in Barcelona. Last year's finalist at Roland Garros is boasting his highest career ranking and had improved to a 54-44 record on the dirt.

But he hit a wall earlier today against Olivier Rochus, a man he hadn't lost to since 2005. After dropping the first set handily, the Belgian raised his service game and held onto a break-lead in the third to score the win. That's Robin's fourth loss to a player ranked out of the top-fifty this year. Then again, the Swede didn't do much better in the weeks before last year's Open, so maybe he has a little less to worry about.

Then there's Maria Sharapova who'll try to round out her own career Grand Slam this month -- but I have a feeling that goal is a bit of a long shot. She did win a title in Memphis early off but has only taken one match in two tournaments since then. Sharapova opened her campaign in Strasbourg with a come-from-behind win over Regina Kulikova and followed it up with a solid victory over a qualifier on Wednesday, so hope isn't entirely lost. I'd like to see her make good on her top seeding, though, just to get a that extra bit of practice in before Paris.

Of course, past results aren't always an indication of future performance. So hopefully these guys will be able to pull it together for the big show. Or maybe they're just readying themselves for a sneak attack! Otherwise, we may be in for a few more -- and earlier! -- surprises than normal.

Blogcast: Could This Be You? The U.S. Open National Playoffs

For the first time in its history, the USTA is allowing anyone to compete for a spot in the U.S. Open's qualifying draw. And that's drawing some new interest to the nation's biggest tennis tournament.

Avenging the Draw

In the first Premier event since the Australian Open, some top-flight ladies are trying to make up for some bad luck in Melbourne this week.

Elena Dementieva and Flavia Pennetta earned the #1 & #2 spots at the Open GDF Suez being held in Paris. Both, you might remember, were in the uber-stacked third quarter Down Under, and faced unseeded but ultimately lethal opponents in the second round -- Dementieva drew eventual finalist Justine Henin, while Pennetta got the recently reinstated world #16 Yanina Wickmayer.

Neither "favorite" advanced.

This year the Paris event attracted an imposing field -- Wickmayer again arrived as a potential spoiler, as did Fed Cup heroine Francesca Schiavone. And lurking among the unseeded players were feisty Alisa Kleybanova and U.S. Open darling Melanie Oudin. And there were no shortage of upsets -- heading into the quarters, only three seeds were left standing.

This morning Flavia became the first player into the semis with a 6-1, 6-3 win over countrywoman Tathiana Garbin -- she'll have a date tomorrow with Lucie Safarova, who earlier dismissed sixth seeded Shahar Peer. Elena will try to follow her colleagues later today when she takes on German Andrea Petkovic, a twenty-two year old who won her first Tour title in Bad Gastein last year. If she makes it, by the way, Dementieva could create a rematch of her U.S. Open round two with Oudin, another loss I'm sure she's eager to avenge.

Getting a win in Paris would be a great ego-boost for either lady -- Dementieva was the runner-up here in 2009 and Pennetta, who hadn't won a match in Paris before this year, needs to show just how good a player she has become. More importantly, both want to prove they can rebound quickly from the hits they took in Melbourne. And if they make it to the finals, it will be a fun one to watch -- surprisingly, the two have never met before, and what better stage to do so than at a Premier event?

I, for one, can't wait to watch!

A Battle of Powerhouses

Okay, I'm not talking about the Super Bowl, which is clearly a battle of the two best teams this year. But rather, at least for now, I'm talking about the first round of Fed Cup action, where last year's finalists -- the U.S. and eventual winners Italy -- have been performing up to the high standards they set for themselves in 2009.

Flavia Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone led their country to an easy 4-1 win over the Ukraine while U.S. Open darling Melanie Oudin teamed with Bethanie Mattek-Sands for the same score against France. It was much closer in the Czech Republic where the rubbers were tied before Lucie Hradecka secured the win over Anna-Lena Groenefeld and her German doubles partner.

But what was probably the closest match-up came between two big-hitting teams, with a couple of Grand Slam crowns and former #1 players fighting for their country -- some are on the upswing, some are trying to regain former glory, but both were hungry to advance. Russians Svetlana Kuznetsova and Alisa Kleybanova sought to reclaim their 2008 title in a first round meeting against a Serbian team helmed by Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic.

Now we all know how Ivanovic has been struggling in recent years -- after winning the French Open two years back, she's only won one title at a small-ish tournament in Linz, and has seen her ranking tumble out of the top ten thanks to a series of disappointing showings at the Majors. Jankovic has had a bit more success, winning a few tournaments last year and still, more or less, showing she still has some power in her swing.

On the other side of the court, Kuznetsova, who won in Paris last year, has carried through with that success for the last several months. And Kleybanova, just twenty years old, has beaten Venus Williams, Vera Zvonareva and Jankovic all in the last twelve months. On paper the Russians would clearly be the favorites.

But the score wasn't as much of a run-away as you might expect. Jankovic won both her singles matches and Kleybanova rolled over Ivanovic. So it came down to the deciding doubles rubber -- four women, all of whom are singles specialists, vying for the last spot in the Fed Cup semis.

As it turned out the eventual outcome was as we should have predicted -- Kuznetsova and Kleybanova were nearly flawless in their 6-1, 6-4 victory, reaching the semis for the fourth straight year. They'll meet the U.S. in April for the right to go further, but considering they probably faced the toughest opponent of any of the other three teams to advance, I'd say their chances look pretty good.

In the meantime, I'll turn my attention back to the other grass court. Go Colts!!

Blogcast: Australian Open Preview

A Glimpse Into the Future

The 2010 tennis season is just a few days away, and already there's a lot to look forward to. I've mentioned some of the things that top my list: the return of Justine Henin, the comeback of a healthy Rafael Nadal, the emergence of a new crop of young men and women all ready to make a name for themselves this year.

But rather than running through the traditional "Things to Watch" stuff, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at some of the potential, fantasy match-ups which could prove to be make-or-break for the players involved. Of course these pairings are wholly ficticious, as draws for even the Australian Open are weeks away from being nailed down, and performance over the coming months could preclude any of these possibilities. But, just for fun, let's see what could happen.

• Australian Open
• French Open
• Wimbledon
• U.S. Open

---

Australian Open, January 18-31

First Round: Dinara Safina vs. Anyone

The Australian Open is a clutch tournament for the former #1. Last year's runner-up practically folded at the hands of Serena Williams in the 2009 finals, and despite holding the #1 ranking for half the year, Dinara Safina really seemed to bow under the pressure of the big stage. She retired from her first Round Robin match in the year-end championships with a back injury and announced last month that she'd skip the warm-up tournament in Brisbane. She might not be in top form when she heads down to Melbourne, but a few solid performances in the early rounds could give her a bit of confidence if she wants to reclaim the top spot. A premature exit, on the other hand, could prove to be more than disheartening -- it could signal a fall out of the sport's elite and confirm some critic's complaints that she never really belonged there in the first place.

She might be able to put up a fight, but I fear if Safina makes it through this round, she won't be able to last much longer.

Semifinals: Juan Martin Del Potro vs. Novak Djokovic



The only two men who've won Grand Slams, besides Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, in the back half of the 2000s are playing in top form these days. Del Potro, of course, silenced naysayers who argued he wasn't fit enough to last through a greuling five-set match when he won the U.S. Open. And Novak himself won five titles last year, including a Masters event in Paris, and beat both Roger and Rafa in consecutive weeks. DelPo and Nole have met three times in the past, with Djokovic winning all three head-to-heads -- in fact, winning every set. But now that both can boast some big upsets over the last twelve months, pitting the two youngsters against each other could create some fireworks.

My money would be on the Serb to win, but it'll be tight and might go the distance.

---

French Open, May 23 - June 6

Third Round: Justine Henin vs. Kim Clijsters



A few years ago it would have been scandalous to suggest these two champions could possibly meet at any point in a tournament before the semifinals -- in their twenty-two match-ups, they've only met before the quarters once. But with both building their careers back up in 2010, the Belgians might face each other earlier than usual -- and that could spark some exciting opening round matches. Watching them spar in Paris, where Justine has ruled for years, would be the most fitting backdrop.

It's really Henin's match to lose -- with twelve clay court titles and four at Roland Garros, she's the technical favorite. And in the exhibitions she's palyed over the last few weeks -- beating Flavia Pennetta in straight sets last month -- she's looked as strong as she had been when she retired. But Clijsters ended 2009 on a high note and has given herself a nice jumpstart on her long-time rival. She's twice lost in the finals at Paris, so she's no slouch on the red surface either. While they could of course meet before France, I kind of hope we get our first taste of this renewed competition on a stage that can do it justice.

This time, I'd go with Justine in a long third set.

Quarterfinals: Rafael Nadal vs. Robin Soderling

In the potential repeat of last year's fourth round match, Rafael Nadal will be out for revenge. Until he faced Soderling in 2009, he'd been undefeated at Roland Garros -- and that fateful meeting had very opposite effects on the rest of their years. Rafa struggled through one injury after another and didn't claim a single title after Paris. Soderling, on the other hand, made his very first Major final that fortnight and followed it up with an impressive showing in London and a career high year-end ranking. Nadal has actually lost their last two meetings, and now that Soderling is in the top ten, they'll face each other later in the tournament than they would have just a few months ago.

Nadal might struggle early in the year, as he's proven to be slightly vulnerable in the last few months. But by the time the clay court season rolls around, he should feel back at home -- he only lost two matches on the surface last year, ending with a couple straight set wins in the Davis Cup finals. And even though Soderling improved his game greatly in 2009, you can't believe lightning will strike twice in France. Combining his prowess on the surface with his quest for redemption, it's going to be hard to beat Rafa at Roland Garros this year.

He might drop a set, but I'd take Nadal in four.

---

Wimbledon, June 21 - July 4

Third Round: Andy Roddick vs. James Blake



For some reason, American men seem to thrive on the grass courts of Wimbledon. Of course, Pete Sampras ruled over the All England Club in the Nineties, and Roddick has had his share of success this decade, making the finals three times. James hasn't had the best results at this Slam, but he did make the finals at Queen's Club last year, proving he does have some ability on the surface.

Blake actually has won the pair's last three meetings -- most recently due to a retirement when Andy suffered an ankle injury in London last year. But it's been a while since they've played a full match, and Roddick certainly looks to be the more fit player these days. On the other hand, James has a little bit to prove -- it's been more than two years since he claimed his last title. But, he's put up a couple of good fights recently, taking Andy Murray and Nadal to three sets a few times last year. If he can gain just a little bit of traction in 2010, my fears that he's nearing the end of his career would be slightly allayed.

Sadly, Andy in straights -- but I hope at least one would go to a tiebreak.

Fourth Round: Venus Williams vs. Melanie Oudin

Melanie Oudin had her first success last year in her third round in London, when she beat Jelena Jankovic in a tough three-setter, proving that she was more than comfortable on the surface. But now, a whole year older and several years more experienced, the eighteen-year-old from Georgia won't be considered the underdog in her early rounds.

But Venus Williams is always a formidable opponent, especially on grass, no matter how she's done the rest of the year. Though she had some spotty results in 2009, let's not forget that she won in England in '05 when she was ranked sixteenth and again two years later at #31. She's played in the finals eight times, taking five championships.

In her short career, Oudin hasn't played either of the Williams sisters yet, but it's only a matter of time. And what better place to meet her role model than at the All England Club? It won't be a cakewalk by any means, but Melanie has shown time and again that she's able to hit with the big guns. And she's got all sorts of stamina -- she spent just shy of eleven hours on the court in New York. The spunky teenager isn't likely to just roll over.

I'd bet on, or at least hope for, another upset -- Oudin could deal Venus her earliest Wimbledon exit since 2006.

---

U.S. Open, August 30 - September 12

Quarterfinals: Maria Sharapova vs. Serena Williams



Almost six years ago a teenager named Maria Sharapova stunned a much more experienced Serena Williams at the Wimbledon finals. They've met a few times since then, but not nearly as often as you might expect for two tennis greats -- and they haven't stood on opposite sides of the court since April, 2008. This year could be one in which the two do some serious battle, though, now that Maria seems to be healthy and Serena is once again at the top of the sport.

This match-up could be a good one -- Maria has done well in the seven months since her return, climbing all the way up to #14 after dropping briefly into the triple-digits. She's beaten more than a few top-ten players and even won a title in Tokyo. For her part, of course, Serena won two Grand Slams and the year-end championships -- she was also named the AP Female Athlete of the Year. Both girls are obvious fighters.

My prediction is that Serena would extend her lead over Sharapova, but I think Maria will get a few of her own shots in.

Finals: Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal

Roger and Rafa have met in the championship round of every Major except the U.S. Open. It's not the most surprising tidbit -- after all, no one really thought of Nadal as a hard court force until he won the Australian Open last year. But he's been consistent in New York, making the semis on his last two attempts. While I'm not sure Nadal will be up to the task of repeating in Australia, by the time the summer season rolls around, he should be back on solid footing. Then there's Roger, the real King of Queens. After a five-year, uninterrupted rule, he was so unceremoniously dethroned last September, and you know he wants to climb back on top.

A Roger/Rafa showdown in Arthur Ashe would be epic for so many reasons -- first, and I admit I'm a bit biased, it's New York! And secondly, it would mark a whole different kind of Grand Slam -- the potential for one man to beat Federer in every single Major, and for the title, besides. Both men will face ample challenges on their road to the finals in Flushing, but if they play up to the standard we've come to expect from them, they could put on quite a show for us!

As with all their meetings, this one would be a fight. But I have a feeling Roger would bring the title back to Switzerland. Rafa's still young and strong, though -- hopefully 2011 will be his.

---

We already know there will be plenty of excitement and action in the New Year, and while I realize that the aforementioned matches are just fantasy, it is an indication of just how much fun the next few months of tennis could be. I've already made a few predictions for how 2010 might end, but that says nothing of what I'm hoping for.

For one thing, I'd love to see Nadal make another play for #1. I'd love to see Maria win another Major. I'd love to see Roddick finally defeat Federer. I'd love to see Justine win the career Grand Slam. It's a lot to wish for, I know, but at this dawn of a new era it doesn't hurt to dream big, does it?

Hope you all are doing the same!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Year in Review: The Ladies

Well another year has come and gone and, as usual, we've got plenty to reflect upon. There was a ton of drama both on and off the courts, and while most of the top players held fast to their positions among the tennis elite, we saw quite a few twists and turns along the way.

The top ten players in the world aren't so different from what they were last year. There was a bit of shuffling and a couple ascendants. Notably missing are Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic -- more on them later -- but those that made the cut did so with varying amounts of fanfare:

1. (2) Serena Williams
2. (3) Dinara Safina
3. (8) Svetlana Kuznetsova
4. (12) Caroline Wozniacki
5. (4) Elena Dementieva
6. (6) Venus Williams
7. (15) Victoria Azarenka
8. (1) Jelena Jankovic
9. (7) Vera Zvonareva
10. (10) Aggie Radwanska

Elena Dementieva reached a career high ranking of #3 in the world back in April and began the year with a solid 15-0 record. She also was half of what was probably the best women's match of the year. Though she dropped a spot in the rankings, her three titles in 2009 show she's still at the top of her game.

Aggie Radwanska didn't quite have the success she did during her breakout year, but despite dropping a couple of spots here and there, she climbed her way back into the top ten thanks to a semifinal appearance in Tokyo and a runner-up trophy in Beijing.

But those performances only scratch the surface of all the action we saw this year -- good, bad and ugly. And in the spirit of the holiday season, let's start with the good:

---

The Highlights

Oddly -- or maybe not so much -- my two highest points of the year involve players not in the top ten.

I had never been a big fan of Kim Clijsters before her retirement, but even I have to admit that what she pulled off at the U.S. Open was nothing short of spectacular. Just one month and two tournaments back from her maternity leave sabbatical, she defeated both Williams sisters and a spunky Caroline Wozniacki to win her second title in Flushing Meadows, becoming -- as the commentators were quick to point out ad nauseum -- the first mom to win a Grand Slam) since Evonne Goolagong took Wimbledon in 1980. She did so with the grace and excitement fitting of a champion, bringing her eighteen-month-old daughter on court with her for the trophy presentation.

Not surprisingly, Kim's quick comeback and immediate success prompted fel low Belgian and another former #1 Justin Henin to return from her premature retirement. She'll make her re-debut on the Tour at some exhibition events next month to gear up for the Austalian Open.

Another star marked her own comeback this year, though her absence was less voluntary. After a nine-month hiatus Maria Sharapova finished this year outside the top ten for the first time since 2003. But that's not to say this was a disappointnig year for her by any means. Since returning from shoulder surgery in May she made at least the quarters of the first three tournaments she played. She played a relentless schedule, battling through weeks where she had a match almost every day, and finally won her first tournament in over a year in Tokyo. After falling to #126 in the world, she climbed her way back up to #14 -- not bad for having missed so much of the year.

Svetlana Kuznetsova was one of the few women who took my suggested New Year's Resolution for them seriously. Going more than a year without a title, she was barely holding on to the top tier before the spring. Then she won in Stuttgart and made the finals in Rome. And in Paris she survived a nearly three hour battle against Serena before routing top-seeded Safina in the finals, claiming only the second Major of her ten-year career. She put in a solid performance the rest of the year, too, winning the premier event in Beijing and making her way back to #3 in the world.

---

The Lowlights

Without a doubt, the worst part of the 2009 season came during Serena Williams' semifinal at the U.S. Open. Combined with Vera Zvonareva's profanity-laced outburst earlier in the week, the ladies just weren't very ladylike in New York. But I've already expounded on that at length, so there's no need to rehash my feelings here. In any case there were plenty of other meltdowns of a less offensive nature.

Venus Williams moved around quite a bit in the rankings this year, getting within a stone's throw of #2 and then falling to #7. While she had a chance to repeat with a second straight title in Doha, her year was more defined by an early upset in Australia, two consecutive losses to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and a demolition by baby sister when trying to win her sixth Wimbledon title. Of course she has a knack for coming back when you least expect it, but Venus certainly proved that almost anyone can beat her.

Dinara Safina exhibited her vulnerability as well -- though the twenty-three year old Russian spent a good portion of the yeat at #1, she seemed to bow under the pressure of her position. Not only the runner-up at Roland Garros, she was bagelled in the first set of the Australian Open finals, making her oh-for-three in Grand slam title matches. Sure she won a couple of premier events, but continued to prove, time and again, that she couldn't convert on the big stage. After winning the U.S. Open Series last year, she made an early exit in New York and then suffered two losses to players ranked in the triple-digits. Then she pulled out of her first match at the Tour Championships with a lower back injury -- one that's also going to keep her out of Brisbane in January. Not the best way to end a year you began with such promise. While Dinara still holds on to a #2 ranking, that grip seems tenuous at best -- if she doesn't learn how to perform on the big stage quickly, she may see her star tumble soon.

While Safina would choke in the late round of Majors, Ana Ivanovic had trouble from the get-go. She reached her career high last year, not long after she won her only Grand Slam title in Paris. But 2009 was self-admittedly a disappointment for her, as she couldn't get past the round of sixteen in any Slam. Plagued with a series of injuries she suffered some early upsets at the start of the year and only made the fourth round at Roland Garros. Worse, she lost her opening match in New York and withdrew from the China Open before eventually forgoing the rest of the season. With one let down after another, Ana saw her ranking drop to #22 at year end, but despite being so hard on herself she's hoping to make a strong comeback in Australia. It might take something a bit more than time off and new coaching, but I'm hoping for the best.

---

The Resurgents

While some fell, others climbed.

Sam Stosur has been around for over a decade, but she was never really a force until this year. In her early career she did well on the ITF circuit, winning four titles in 2001, but she was kind of a middling player on the main singles Tour -- she had won a slew of doubles titles, including the French and U.S. Opens. Then 2009 came around and things changed. Just a year after returning from a nagging viral illness, she reached the quarters in Miami and the semis at Roland Garros -- her best ever performance at a Slam. During a year in which she notched wins over Serena, Dinara and Elena Dementieva, she also earned her first championship with a straight-set win over Francesca Schiavone in Osaka. Her year-end ranking of #13 makes her the best Australian player in the world -- not bad for a country that boasts greats like Lleyton Hewitt, Mark Philippoussis and the Woodies.

Kimiko Date Krumm also had a lot to be happy about this year. The one-time fourth-ranked player in the world came out of a ten-year retirement and had a better year than most. She made it through the qualifying rounds in Melbourne before losing to Kaia Kanepi, 6-8 in the third, and received a wildcard entry to Wimbledon. After winning three ITF titles last year, she followed up with another win in Monzon, Spain and brought her ranking back into the double-digits. Her inspiring run culminated with a trophy in Seoul, where she'd defeated top seed Daniela Hantuchova and a strong Alisa Kleybanova, one day before her thirty-ninth birthday, making her the second oldest woman ever to win a Tour title.

---

The Newcomers

On the opposite end of the spectrum are a couple of teenagers who made their presense known loud and clear in 2009.

The year started out being all about Victoria Azarenka who took home three trophies all before the end of the first quarter. The nineteen-year-old (she turned twenty in July) began by winning her first title in Brisbane and following it up with trophies in Memphis and Miami, defeating Safina and Serena on the way. She cracked the top ten in March and held on to the position, qualifying for her first year-end Championship in Doha. While she didn't have the best results in the back half of the year, she definitely still has the strength and smarts to get herself back on track.

Sorana Cirstea also began the year on fire. She made the semis at Marbella and the quarters in Estoril. Her power-hitting strokes and good looks caused some commentators to tout her as the new generation's Jennifer Capriati during the French Open, where she upset Alize Cornet and Jelena Jankovic before ultimately falling to Stosur in the Round of Eight. That run earned her a seed for both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and a couple of big wins during the hard-court season showed that she still has potential for next year, even if she fell in a handful of first rounds in the fall.

While both girls began the year strong, a couple others finished it out. Melanie Oudin became the darling of Flushing Meadows when she became the surprise quarterfinalist, notching wins over three seeded players in a row. But her breakout started even earlier in the year than that. She was the surprise heroine in the U.S.'s first round defeat of Argentina in the Fed Cup World Group and she ousted Jankovic in the third round at Wimbledon. Her ascent from #177 in the world at the end of last year to #48 now is clearly an indication that American women's tennis -- outside the Williamses -- should not be written off just yet.

Another teenager Caroline Wozniacki was the spoiler in Melanie's miraculous run at New York. The nineteen-year-old Dane had inched precariously close to the top ten by the end of last year, but didn't really start to shine until 2009. She made the finals in Memphis and the quarters in two consecutive premier events -- Indian Wells and Miami -- before taking the title in Ponte Vedra. She racked up wins over Elena Dementieva and Daniela Hantuchova early off in the year and repeated her championship run in a rain-soaked New Haven before acheiving her highest honor. During the finals of the U.S. Open, she put up quite a fight against the veteran Clijsters before falling in two sets. But for a girl who's only played on the Major tour for three years, she certainly isn't slacking.

---

The Out-Goers

We said good-bye to a few familiar faces too, this year.

Veteran doubles champion Ai Sugiyama made her last appearance in her hometown of Tokyo back in September where she and long-time partner Daniela Hantucova made the finals. During her nearly seventeen-year career, she's racked up six singles and thirty-eight doubles titles, reaching the quarters in a few Grand Slams and taking home three Major doubles trophies. At the '09 U.S. Open she set the record for most consecutive Slam main draw appearances -- sixty-two. That's a lot of time for someone of such grace and talent to make a lot of friends, and she will surely be missed on Tour.

When I started writing this post Amelie Mauresmo hadn't formally announced her retirement yet, but that's just what she did earlier in December. After a disappointing season the two-time Slam winner and former #1 said she no longer felt the desire to train or compete. Though she won her first title since 2007 at the Paris Indoors, Mauresmo didn't have a lot of luck in the Majors this year. She withdrew from tournaments in the fall with an abdominal injury and back in October she wrote on her website:

"Since my return from the U.S. Open, I tried to practice, but I haven't found the thirst to compete. I won't rush into things or force the issue. I'll give myself time to think,in order to make a decision as for the rest of my career."

Always a force on the Tour, the competetive spirit Amelie brought to the game will certainly be missed. But hopefully there are a few other players there ready to pick up where she left off.

---

So it's certainly been an interesting 2009, an appropriate ending for a very eventful decade. And just in case fans were about to write off women's tennis, this year showcased the very best -- and some of the worst -- of the athletic and emotional ability of these ladies.

And we seem to have set the stage for what could be a very exciting 2010.

The Lessons We Learned

What, you thought it was over?

It took a few days, but I'm finally over my U.S. Open hangover withdrawal and I've had some time to reflect on the happenings of the past two weeks. As with all tournaments, we created a few new stars, found a slew of surprising hotheads, and came to terms with a couple of facts we might have been trying to ignore.

Remember in 1999 when the Gonzaga Bulldogs, an unheard of team seeded tenth in the NCAA basketball tournament, advanced to the Elite Eight by beating #6 Florida and #2 Stanford? What a Cinderella story! But then the next year, again ranked tenth in their region, they beat another second seed in St. John's, and in 2001 they took out #5 Virginia. And still the moniker stuck. That made me think that maybe we should stop calling them "Cinderella" -- maybe we should just call them good.

Take note of that when you talk about Melanie Oudin. Yes, her run in New York was magnificent -- I don't think anyone else took out three top-thirty players this year, especially no one so unaccustomed to the big stage, and I certainly don't mean to detract from her accomplishments. Then again, Melanie's already proven her worth -- she took out Jelena Jankovic in Wimbledon, and in February she recorded a key victory over Argentina's Betina Jozami to keep the Fed Cup hopes of the U.S. alive.

Plus, she's not that young! Maria Sharapova was just a few months past seventeen when she won Wimbledon, and Martina Hingis was sixteen when she took home her first Australian Open crown. By that standard, Oudin -- without a single Tour title yet -- is kind of behind the curve. Sure she's new to the pro circuit, and if she's able to control her serve better, she's bound to become a champion. But maybe we should just confess that her performance is not a miracle.

Lesson learned: Maybe her wins are just a reflection of her hard work and developing talent, something that will hopefully pay dividends in the future.

The stories weren't all good, of course -- the tournament was muddied by outbursts from some unlikely sources. Most notably, of course, there was the frightening breakdown of Serena Williams, but there was also an angry Vera Zvonareva smacking the net and an annoyed Daniel Nestor berating a fan -- even consummate professional Roger Federer lost his cool during the final and was penalized $1,500. All in all the Open collected $31,500 in fines for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Lesson learned: Shut your trap! (Especially when there are microphones around!)

And there were some disappointing shows on the court too. Top seeded Dinara Safina failed -- again -- to win her maiden Major. She was pushed to the limit by teenager Olivia Rogowska and Germany's Kristina Barrois, both of whom took the first set tiebreaks, before ultimately falling to Petra Kvitova, ranked #72 in the world. And second seeded Andy Murray was hailed far and wide as one of the favorites to go all the way. Commentators were left singing another tune, though, when the Brits' best hope for a trophy was sent packing in the fourth round.

Dinara, of course, has long had to endure accusations that she didn't deserve her ranking, but this was the first time I'd heard anyone question Andy Murray's place near the top. All of a sudden there was talk that he'll never make it unless he can convert at the Slams -- this from the same people who'd been touting him for so long.

Lesson learned: Make sure you can back up your -- and others' -- tough talk.

And, I have to admit, I'm also becoming painfully aware of one other fact -- this may be the end for James Blake.

His third-round loss to Tommy Robredo was easy to overlook, given that it happened on the most tumultuous day of the tournament, but it was nonetheless a letdown. He had a break lead in the first set, but somehow ended up falling in straights. That matched his performance last year and was his earliest exit since 2001.

More disappointing, it's now been more than two years since he won his last title in New Haven, and while he did reach a couple of finals this year he just can't seem to capture the crown. And, while I was being somewhat facetious about Oudin's age, just a few months from thirty James really is getting up there -- he's going to have to pull himself together if he hopes to stage a comeback like Tommy Haas.

Lesson learned: I gotta find someone else to love.

So as we move into the last few months of this tennis season, we'll see if these lessons are taken to heart or if we're just fated to relive our mistakes in 2010. Though I guess that wouldn't be the worst thing -- after all, the U.S. Open was one of the most exciting we've seen in a long time.

And it just sets the stage for all the fun that's left to come!