It's Good to Be Back

A lot of things can change in three years.

That's how long it's been since Kim Clijsters has been ranked in the top ten of women's tennis. Not since she retired after Warsaw in 2007 has she reached that elite position. But come Monday morning, she'll be right back in a place where she's so at home, thanks to winning her second title at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.

The 2005 champ had played some spectacular tennis all week, only losing one set to countrywoman Justine Henin in the semifinals. But she was even cleaner and crisper today against three-time winner Venus Williams, a woman who was riding a fifteen-match, two-trophy streak. I had even given Williams the advantage, arguing that her momentum and her Miami following would push her to victory.

But Clijsters was just too good on Saturday. The fourteenth seed needed less than an hour to watch her opponent spray thirty errors and win fewer than half her service points. With a decisive 6-2, 6-1 score, Kim won her second championship of the year, and her third since returning from early retirement.



Not bad for a few months' work.

When she returns she'll be in familiar company -- more than a couple players have remained forces on Tour while Kim was gone. Williams and her sister Serena had actually dropped out of the top ten at the time of her retirement but weren't too far out of the mix, and Svetlana Kuznetzova and Elena Dementieva were forces then as they are now. And of course Henin, newly back to the rankings herself, was #1 then and will likely be making her own run at the top shortly.

But there are also a couple of newbies in the mix -- nineteen-year-old Caroline Wozniacki took her spot as the #2 woman in the world with her performance at Indian Wells. And youngsters like Victoria Azarenka and Aggie Radwanska have scored their share of big wins in the last year. So it's not entirely familiar territory for Kim. She'll face a lot of challenges from fresh talent with different kinds of games. Then again, she's already faced her first test on the grandest of courts and passed with flying colors.



Something tells me Kim's got what it takes to stick it out in this largely untested environment. Healthier and fitter than I remember her, I wouldn't be surprised if she claws her way back to #1 in the world the way she's playing.

And if she does, the other girls -- both the ones on the comeback trail and the ones on the rise -- are going to have to watch out!

April Fool!

It seemed like an ordinary day on the tennis courts. Sure Marion Bartoli tried to put up a fight on Thursday, breaking Venus Williams to begin the second set and even up their semifinal match in Miami. But the three-time winner here proved she had what it took to avenge her loss in the Stanford finals, and things seemed to be playing out according to plan.

But then giant-killer Tomas Berdych took the court against Fernando Verdasco, a man he beat just two weeks ago in Indian Wells. The higher-seeded Spaniard took the opening set, but failed to close it out in the next tiebreak, allowing the sixteenth seed back in the game. After nearly three hours, Berdych was the victor, having earned a spot in the semis where he'll face Robin Soderling for the chance to play for the championship.

Things didn't end there, this April Fools' Day. When long-time rivals Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin took the court a little after nine p.m. I thought the match would go fairly routinely to the 2009 U.S. Open champ. Not that Justine is pushover in any sense -- she actually lead their head-to-head 12-11 -- but she didn't seem to be playing quite as well as we were used to. Sure she made the finals in Brisbane and the Australian Open, but she just didn't seem to have the spark Kim's had since she returned last year.



This, of course, was the first tournament since Henin's comeback in which she was ranked -- a but her #33 position was just out of seeding territory, meaning she had to battle her way through five straight seeded rounds, including a quarterfinal with newly-minted world #2 Caroline Wozniacki and a rematch with Elena Dementieva. She was certainly more challenged than her semifinal opponent during this ten-day span.

So when Clijsters took the first set 6-2 and got off to a 3-0 lead in the second, I thought she'd run away with it -- she was winning a good percent on her first serve and breaking Henin when she needed to. But Henin saved break point and battled back, even earning the chance to close out the second set. They ended up in a tiebreak, though, which Justine won pretty soundly, and fans were left wondering if maybe they'd been tricked into thinking this would be a quick match.

The third set was one break after another, with both ladies losing serve three times. Clijsters found herself down in the tiebreak too, but somehow found a way to win six of the next seven point to serve with a 6-3 lead. But Henin was not quite ready to give up -- she took both of Kim's next two service points and drew even at six all, reminding us all of why these two have such a storied rivalry. In the end, though, it was Clijsters who pulled out the next two points, first with some dazzling net work and then with a beautiful forehand winner to seal her spot in the final.



So at the end of the day, we had some scares, got fooled a few times, but we still made it through relatively unscathed. And maybe we learned not to be too complacent, 'cuz you never really know when the next prankster will get you!

Czech, Mate!

Sometimes I wonder how the Czechs keep doing so well in Davis Cup -- they were finalists last year and just dominated the Belgians in the 2010 first round. When I see how Tomas Berdych performed against Roger Federer last night in Miami, things become a little clearer.

The twenty-ranked Berdych was coming off a quarterfinal appearance in Indian Wells and had some easy early rounds this week. But he's always been a challenge for Roger, despite the seemingly one-sided 8-1 record the world #1 held over him. In their last meeting, in fact, at last year's Australian Open, Tomas had a two-set lead before ceding the match in a three-plus hour battle.

Tuesday night on Stadium court the twenty-four year old found himself down early when he lost his first service game. But somehow he was able to steel himself and ultimately broke Federer at love to take the set. Everyone held in the second, but Roger took the tiebreak with some effort -- both men extended points longer than they had any business lasting, stretching for drop shots and getting bullets back into play.

You would think, given the experience of both men, that momentum had shifted to the fifteen-time Major winner. And, as might be expected, even when Berdych got the break in the decider he failed to serve out the match. But Roger's serve -- so often a weapon for him -- was almost nonexistent in the third set. He only got slightly more than half of his first attempts in and only won forty percent of his second. With match point on his own racquet in the tiebreak, Berdych delivered an impressive cross court volley and won the next two points -- and the round -- after that.



His win, the Czech's first over Federer since the 2004 Olympics, earns Tomas a quarterfinal match-up against Fernando Verdasco, a man he beat in the third round of Indian Wells. He's actually won five of their eight previous matches, so he should like his chances. But a couple others might even be more excited -- as the highest remaining seed, Rafael Nadal must be breathing a sigh of relief, as should 2004 champion Andy Roddick, just a few points away from a spot in the semifinals. Both have solid winning records against Berdych.

Then again, so did Federer.

Of course, with the Czech Republic's top player Radek Stepanek taking some time off, the country has to be relieved that another one of its stars is showing the ability to step up to the plate. And while we await the next stage of Davis Cup, all others on Tour should certainly take notice.

Three Down, One to Go?

There's a strange parallel between NCAA basketball and what's going on in Miami this week. For only the third time since 1980 we were in danger of seeing all the top seeds in the mad March tournament eliminated before the Final Four. Similarly in Florida, where so many of the elite athletes pulled out even before play began, both of last year's men's finalists, runner-up Novak Djokovic and champion Andy Murray, were bounced in their opening rounds.

That leaves Victoria Azarenka as the lone defender still in the mix. In fact, she's the only winner -- man or woman -- from the last three years still alive at the Sony Ericsson Open, and with a fourth round match-up against Kim Clijsters later today, I'm not sure how much longer she will last.

Should we be worried about the performances this year? Perhaps a little. Vika is probably in the clear as she's proven to be a solid competitor these last few weeks, and a potential loss to Kim is certainly not something to be ashamed of. And Serena Williams, out with injury for the past several weeks, has always proven her ability to rebound, so I'm not too concerned about her yet.

But the men could be in more of a jam. Djokovic had chances in his loss to Olivier Rochus, taking the middle set tiebreak and successfully breaking serve a few times in the decider. But two straight defeats by players ranked out of the top twenty is not the best sign. And Murray has been in a bit of a funk ever since his drubbing in Australia. Since Melbourne, he's only amassed a three-and-three record, losing to Jankko Tipsarevic in Dubai, Robin Soderling in Indian Wells and Mardy Fish this week. He's got to find a way to keep upsets from, well, upsetting him if he's going to take home that first Slam.

What these exits do mean is that past titlists like Clijsters and Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and Venus Williams -- who, incidentally, is riding an amazing twelve-match win streak -- can breathe a little easier. And let's not forget the unseeded Justine Henin or two-time finalist Rafael Nadal, a man who has not won a single title since Rome last year. Who could possibly discount those threats?

And there are still a few spoilers quietly making their way through the draws. Australian Open semifinalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga hasn't dropped a set yet this tournament and took out a feisty Philipp Kohlschreiber in just about eighty minutes on Sunday. Then there's Vera Zvonareva, who fell out of the top twenty this week thanks to a failure to defend in Indian Wells. She has nevertheless powered through strong opponents like Melanie Oudin and Sara Errani to make the fourth round.

The field might not technically be wide open as there are plenty of champions still lurking out there. But a dark horse like ButlerTsonga or Zvonareva has got to like his or her chances a bit better now.

And if the NCAA tournament has taught us anything this year, it's that no one is really an underdog.

The Pending Rise of Polona Hercog

I think I've found a new favorite player on the WTA Tour.

The nineteen-year-old (her birthday if four days before mine, so I like her even more) from Slovenia is really beginning to hit her stride. Though she's won a handful of ITF Circuit titles over the past few years, she's only now making a splash in the big leagues, reaching the finals in Acapulco where she took a set from champion Venus Williams, and on Thursday getting past seeded Aleksandra Wozniak to make the third round in Miami.

Just about a year ago Hercog won her first match in the main draw of a Tour event, defeating Stephanie Cohen-Aloro in the first round of Marbella after making it through three qualifying rounds. Later that month she made the quarters in Fes by taking out seventh seeded Roberta Vinci. Then her first round win over Alisa Kleybanova at Roland Garros helped bring her into the top hundred.

A 13-7 record this year has propelled her to number fifty-one in the world, a position in which she keeps some good company -- Patty Schnyder is only a few steps ahead of her and Birmingham champ Magdalena Rybarikova is a spot below. Also close by is Polona's next opponent in Miami, Switzerland's Timea Bacsinszky, another youngster who pulled off an upset of eighth seeded Na Li to make the third round. Polona lost their only prior meeting last year in Istanbul, but she's clearly on the upswing -- there's no reason to believe she shouldn't get the win.



There is plenty to support Hercog's becoming a force in the women's sport. At six foot, 154 pounds, she's tall and svelte -- her height and strength make her fully capable of firing off a couple of rocket aces in a match. She's also developing a solid net game, rebounding from her Acapulco title loss to take the doubles championship with Barbora Zahlavova Strycova. By the time we get to the summer Slam season, she could shoot right up the rankings.

Polona takes the court today against Bacsinszky. If she wins she'll earn a fourth round spot against either Yanina Wickmayer or Petra Martic -- yet another pair of largely uninitiated -- or at least young -- talent. Advancing this far in a Premier event like Miami would easily be the highlight of her short career, but I feel she'll soon be a staple at these Tier 1 tournaments.

And with another win or two here, hopefully everyone will know it.

Miami's Vice

It's turned chilly again in New York, and I can think of nothing better than the sights, sounds and sands of South Beach to distract me from the sudden return of winter. And maybe it's the draw of all that nigthlife and entertainment that's keeping players out of the Sony Ericsson Open this year. For weeks, it seems, we've been hearing of withdrawals from the Premier event.

Two-time finalist Maria Sharapova and former world #1 Dinara Safina were both early drop-outs on the women's side while 2008 champ Nikolay Davydenko and U.S. Open titlist Juan Martin Del Potro pulled out of the men's bracket. And on Friday, five-time winner Serena Williams said her plaguing knee injury would keep her out of the tournament.

And while that might make some people feel the draw is wide open, let's not forget the slew of powerhouses that remain in the draws. Both Andy Murray and Victoria Azarenka will be back defending their trophies, and of course you can't discount the likes of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. With all these guys and gals in -- and out of -- the mix, the stakes are even higher, and the fields -- especially on the women's side -- are rife for surprises.

Three tournaments into her comeback Justine Henin enters Miami with her first global ranking in almost two years. But at thirty-three in the world she falls just out of seeding territory and so will play veteran Jill Craybas in the first round. The fact that she's never won this tournament and that she lost so early in Indian Wells suggests she's going to bring it extra hard this week. But she has a rough draw, potentially facing a second-round rematch against Elena Dementieva -- and the runner-up in Kuala Lumpur will be looking for revenge.

In the same half of the draw, last week's champ Jelena Jankovic looms as a revived threat. She should have a much easier time advancing, though she might have to battle Azarenka for a spot in the quarters. Then again Vika has drawn another early match with Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, the woman who surprised her in the California desert, and could face 2005 champ Kim Clijsters one round later. Clearly nothing is certain here.

Then there's the lovely Ana Ivanovic, who held on to the twenty-fifth seed despite now being ranked fifty-eighth in the world. She wasn't rewarded for her luck either as Aggie Radwanska and Flavia Pennetta both live in her section. They're all in the same half of the bracket as two more former champs, Venus Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova -- and if either of them play up to standard, it will be hard for anyone else to get through.

There may be less drama on the men's side, but that doesn't make it any less exciting. Defending Murray will have to avenge his loss last week to Robin Soderling if he's going to make the semis in Florida. And Federer, who admittedly has a much easier quarter, still could face perennial threat Marin Cilic or Indian Wells break-out Marcos Baghdatis before the final four.



In the other half of the draw, last week's finalists in Indian Wells could potentially meet much earlier than the chmapionship game as Andy Roddick and Ivan Ljubicic are both in the same eighth. Rafael Nadal, interestingly, probably has the easiest section for himself as he's already faced -- and beaten -- the "biggest" challenges of Ivo Karlovic and John Isner this year.

With so much on the line, the remaining players need to keep their heads in the game -- there's a huge opportunity for anyone who can advance well into their draws, an even bigger one if they can win!

The Underdog -- On Top

The BNP Paribas Open has the ability to attract some of the top players in the sport -- being the first Premier event of the year, it's not surprising that eight of the top ten men and seven of the top ten women graced the draws. Players like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, sidelined for the last few months with injuries and illness, pegged this as their comeback tournament, planning their schedules around making their return in the desert.

But this year the upsets started from the get-go and seeds began falling in the early rounds. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Marin Cilic and David Ferrer were only some of the players who lost their opening rounds. And before you knew it, you saw some surprising names still on court late in the week.

Not long ago you wouldn't consider Jelena Jankovic an underdog. Once ranked #1 in the world, she won eight titles in 2007-08 and made the finals at the U.S. Open two years ago. But she struggled for much of last year and, though she retains a top-ten ranking, had only put together a mediocre 5-4 record in 2010 before this week.

In the third round of Indian Wells, she found herself in a spot of trouble against Italian Sara Errani who took the first set from her decisively and held steady for much of the second. Jelena somehow found a way to win the tiebreak before getting the lead in the third and taking the set after almost three hours of play. I figured she was wiped out and, having to face her next opponent the following day, assumed she'd crumble. But she took only fifty-seven minutes to dispatch Shahar Peer. She actually hasn't dropped another set since that Monday and will play her first ever championship match here this afternoon.

She's have a tough time against second-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, the Danish teenager who herself surprised me with her run in Indian Wells -- not because of her game, necessarily, but due to injuries and retirements of her own. Wozniacki will rise to #2 in the world come Monday, win or lose today, and she'll put up a fight against Jelena. But the Serb should take comfort in the fact that she's won all three of their previous meetings, including a 6-2, 6-2 romping at the Tour Championships last year. This should be a good final.

The men's title could be just as much a battle. Thirty-one year old Ivan Ljubicic was ranked third way back in 2006 -- a stat that shocked me -- but he dropped out of the top fifty with back problems and has been clawing himself back into the elite over the past two years. This week the birthday boy made his way through the draw even more dramatically than Jankovic did. Seeded twentieth at this tournament, he got past world #2 Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the fourth round and stunned defending champion Nadal in the semis.

For the title Ljubicic will face Andy Roddick, a man who's beaten him seven out of ten times in the past. The seventh-seed has had a much easier road to the finals, only facing one player ranked higher than him -- Robin Soderling in the semis. Struggling with injuries of his own, Roddick might not be at the top of his game, but he's certainly a threat to anyone he faces. If the Croat is going to beat him today, he'll need to harness all the momentum he's had in Indian Wells and find a way to battle the rocketing serve of the American. It won't be impossible, but it won't be a walk in the park either.

Like in any great tournament full of upsets, we might not see the top-most seeds fighting for the championship this afternoon, but after the tests these four have endured over the last ten days, we can be sure we'll see some of the most deserving talent of the week. And whatever the outcome, we can be sure that whoever holds the trophies at the end of the day certainly earned it!