Henin, Murray will look to French Open, Wimbledon

The two losing finalists in the recently completed Australian Open 2010 will be looking forward to this year's other Grand Slams to win their own title. Justine Henin lost the women's singles title to world #1 Serena Williams but is happy to have gone so far in the tournament despite just playing on the second tournament of her comeback after prematurely retiring in May 2008. Andy Murray, who held four set points but couldn't convert any in the third set of his loss to world #1 Roger Federer, will now be entering other Grand Slams having reached two previous Grand Slam championship matches.

Henin, the four-time French Open champion will most certainly look forward to the Grand Slam she calls home - the French Open at Rolland Garros. She will have several months to prepare for that and will most likely be favored to take home her fifth French Open title. She will most likely be challenged by several formidable clay court opponents including defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, compatriot and 2009 US Open champion Kim Clijsters, and, 2-time finalist and former world #1 Dinara Safina.

World #1 Serena Williams has not played well at the clay courts in Paris having lost in the quarterfinals or earlier since losing a semifinal match to Henin in 2003. She however, has indicated her desire to add another French Open crown to go with her lone title won in 2002. Her game is ill-suited to the clay courts however, but no one can doubt Serena's determination in the majors. This year provides her with another rare opportunity to take home the calendar Grand Slam and this would not be lost to the best women's tennis player of her generation.

Murray, the world #3, will be looking forward to Wimbledon as he will not be favored to reach the last four of the French Open. Murray's best performance in Paris is a quarterfinals finish in last year's tournament, but unless he can have a strong clay court season, he will be entering the French Open behind such favorites as Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Juan Martin del Potro and a number of clay court specialists from Spain and South America.

Murray will however, favor his chances at Wimbledon. The grass at his home Grand Slam favors his game, and he has been to the semifinals in last year's event. He would be amongst the few favorites to win the grass court major, alongside Federer, Nadal, and American Andy Roddick. It will all depend on how well he will be able to handle the expectations of a nation who hasn't seen a British man win a major since 1936. On the other hand, he can use that expectation as a motivation in winning his first Slam title.

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Australian Open 2010 Winners List

Serena Williams and Roger Federer cemented their status as the world's best players in women's and men's tennis by beating determined opponents to win their 5th and 4th Australian Open titles, respectively. Below is the complete Australian Open 2010 Winners List. The first tennis Grand Slam in the tennis calendar was held at the Melbourne Park from January 18 - 31, 2010:

1. Men’s Singles:
Roger Federer beat Andy Murray 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(11)

2. Women's Singles:
Serena Williams beat Justine Henin 6-4, 3-6, 6-2

3. Men's Doubles:
Bob Bryan - Mike Bryan beat Daniel Nestor - Nenad Zimonjic 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3

4. Women's Doubles:
Venus Williams - Serena Williams beat Cara Black - Liezel Huber 6-4, 6-3

5. Mixed Doubles:
Cara Black - Leander Paes beat Ekaterina Makarova - Jaroslav Levinsky 7-5, 6-3

6. Juniors, Boys Singles:
Tiago Fernandez beat Sean Berman 7-5, 6-3

7. Juniors, Girls Singles:
Karolina Pliskova beat Laura Robson 6-1, 7-6(5)

8. Juniors, Boys Doubles:
Justin Eleveld - Jannick Lupescu beat Kevin Krawietz - Dominik Schulz 6-4, 6-4

9. Juniors, Girls Doubles:
Jana Cepelova - Chantal Skamlova beat Timea Babos - Gabriela Dabrowski 7-6(1), 6-2

10. Wheelchair, Men's Singles:
Shingo Kuneida beat Stephane Houdet 7-6(5), 2-6, 7-5

11. Wheelchair, Women's Singles:
Korie Homan beat Florence Gravellier 6-2, 6-2

12. Wheelchair, Men's Doubles:
Stephane Houdet - Shingo Kuneida beat Maikel Scheffers - Robin Ammerlaan 6-2, 6-2

13. Wheelchair, Women's Doubles:
Florence Gravellier - Aniek Van Koot beat Lucy Shuker - Daniela Di Toro 6-3, 7-6(2)

14. Wheelchair, Quad Singles:
Peter Norfolk beat David Wagner 6-2, 7-6(4)

15. Wheelchair, Quad Doubles:
Nicholas Taylor - David Wagner beat Peter Norfolk - Johan Andersson 6-2, 7-6(5)

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Federer downs Murray; wins 16th Grand Slam title

World #1 Roger Federer swept aside the challenge from Andy Murray of Great Britain in collecting his fourth Australian Open title, and adding to his record haul of Grand Slam singles titles that now stand at 16. Federer and Murray engaged in an intense battle that culminated in the best tiebreak played in the tournament before Federer emerged a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(11) victor. With the win, Federer now holds three of the four Grand Slam tournaments having won in last year's Wimbledon and French Open. He also has a chance to go for the very rare opportunity of winning the calendar Grand Slam.

While Federer won the first two sets in a comfortable manner, he had to come back from 2-5 in the third set to force a tiebreak. The tiebreak was a brilliant affair which featured four set points from Murray and a couple of match points from Federer. In the end, the match didn't go the distance as the crowd would have liked, and Federer had won the Australian Open 2010 singles title in 2 hours, and 41 minutes.

Despite the win, the Swiss #1 still trails Murray 5-6 in their career head-to-head although Federer is 2-0 in their more important Grand Slam meetings, all in championship matches. Federer goes home with AUS$2,100,000 for the win while Murray will get the AUS$1,050,000 runner-up cheque.

Australian Open 2010 Men's Finals Highlights:

- The first and second sets took 43 and 46 minutes to complete. The third set took 72 minutes.
- Federer had 11 aces against 2 double faults, Murray had 10 aces against 4 double faults.
- The #1 was on top in the winner's department, 46 winners against 29 for Murray
- Federer converted 4 of 12 break point opportunities, his rival converted just 2 of 8 opportunities
- The Swiss maestro won a total of 116 points while the Scot won exactly 100 points

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Serena beats Henin, wins Australian Open for 12th Grand Slam

Serena Williams showed Henin who the better player was when she beat her rival in the 2010 Australian Open champion match. It was the first grand slam final between the best players of the previous decade and the current #1 came out on top, 6-4 3-6 6-2. Serena goes home with her 12th major title, tying American legend Billie Jean King in fifth place in terms of number of majors won. Serena has now won her 5th Australian Open after earlier wins in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009. This is the first time she has defended her title in Melbourne, and only the second time for her to defend a Grand Slam title.

Serena's toughest opponent during the tournament was #7 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus who was up a set and 4-0 before Serena came back to win the set in a tiebreak and the third set at 6-1. Serena could have have closed Henin in two straight sets, but Henin fought hard in the second set to force a decider. At one time, Henin won five straight games and 15 straight points to go from 2-3 down in the second set to lead 1-0 in the third set.

After three straight breaks, Serena switched into a different level and Henin was never able to catch up. She served very strongly in the last service game, got three match points, and closed it out with a winner on her second match point. Serena lay down on the court to celebrate her victory. She now leads 8-6 against Henin in their head-to-head career meetings. She will retain her #1 ranking, while Henin will remain unranked because she still has only played 2 WTA tournaments in the past 12 months.

Serena takes home the singles title along with the doubles title she won with her sister Venus. She has won AUS$$2,100,000 for the singles trophy, and will share the AUS$450,000 doubles winners' cheque with her sister Venus.

Match Facts:

- The total match time is 127 minutes. The first set took the longest, and the third set was the fastest.
- Serena had 12 aces against 3 double faults. Henin had 4 aces and 6 double faults.
- Serena had more winners, 32 to 28
- It wasn't Serena's best match in the tournament as she had 37 unforced errors.
- Serena won 90 points in total, Justine had 85 points

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Serena Williams vs Justine Henin, AO Finals - Live

Just woke up and I now have my laptop set-up in front of the TV. The whole family is asleep but I can't miss a single point of what promises to be a great match between Serena Williams and Justine Henin. At stake is more than the Australian Open title - this match-up is the first Grand Slam final between the two best players in the past decade. Serena Williams is the current #1; Justine Henin is on the second tournament of her comeback after being the first current #1 player to retire in May 2008. It's power vs placement. Will Justine win her 8th major? Or will Serena add to her 11th major and tie American legend Billie Jean King with 12 major titles?

LIVE BLOGGING: Serena Williams versus Justine Henin at the 2010 Australian Open

Set 3, Game 8. Serena wins the set, 6-2, and has defended her Australian Open title.
- Game. Set. Match. Serena with a winner to close the match.
- 40-15. Henin saves a match point with a return that clips the line. Two more championship points.
- 40-0. Serena has three big serves, three match points.

Serena will now be serving for her 12th major title. Can Henin derail her?

Set 3, Game 7. Serena leads, 5-2.
- Game. Serena gets a double break lead with a strong return off a second serve.
- 15-40. Serena defends well. Forces a volley error from Henin. Two break points for the #1.
- 15-30. Henin double faults. An opportunity for Williams - she's six points away from the title.
- 15-15. Serena with a down the line forehand winner. Every point is becoming very tense.
- 15-0. Henin draws an error from Serena with a sliced backhand.

Set 3, Game 6. Williams holds and leads, 4-2.
- Game. Serena serves a second serve ace.
- 40-30. Serena's forehand misfires.
- 40-15. Serena has 2 game points after Henin's passing shot goes out.
- 30-15. Henin with a forehand return that goes into the net.
- 15-15. Henin wins a rally. Serena's backhand goes to the net after she tries to change direction.
- 15-0. Henin sends a shot long.

Commentator comparing Henin's movement and shot-making to that of Roger Federer's. Three consecutive breaks in the third set, will Serena be able to hold?

Set 3, Game 5. Serena leading 3-2.
- Game. Serena gets break when Henin sends a backhand long.
- 30-40. Serena with a backhand return winner down the line off a second serve. Break point for Serena.
- 30-30. Double fault for Henin. Each point becoming so precious.
- 30-15. Henin lobs Serena successfully.
- 15-15. Henin serves big but follows it up with a shot into the net.

Set 3, Game 4. Henin ties the set with a break, 2-2.
- Game. Henin pounces on a second serve and forces a backhand error from Serena.
- 30-40. Henin dumps a forehand return into the net.
- 15-40. Henin puts a backhand into the net. Two more breakpoints for the Belgian.
- 0-40. Serena sends a forehand long and faces 3 break points.
- 0-30. Another shot from Serena's racquet that goes out. Henin with a good opportunity to break on this serve.
- 0-15. Henin wins the rally when Serena's shot goes out.

Serena has now won the last two games. Serena will try to consolidate the break of serve.

Set 3, Game 3. Serena gets a break and leads, 2-1.
- Game. Good play by Serena. Forces Henin to dump a volley into the net.
- 15-40. Serena forces a forehand error with a deep return. Two break points for the American.
- 15-30. Serena wins rally when Henin dumps backhand into the net.
- 15-15. One error apiece from each player. First two points go long.

Set 3, Game 2. Players tied at 1-1.
- Game. Serena serves herself out of travel with another ace.
- Advantage Serena. Another big serve and the return goes long.
- 40-40. Serena has a swinging volley winner. Huge save on this service game.
- 30-40. An ace from Serena.
- 15-40. Serena serves and volleys. Put a volley into the net. Two chances for an early break.
- 15-30. Henin with a forehand winner down the line.
- 15-15. Serena with a big serve.
- 0-15. Serena lost 15 straight points.

Set 3, Game 1. Henin leads for the first time of the match at 1-0, third set.
- Game. Henin holds after Serena dumps an easy volley into the net.
- 40-0. Henin wins a rally.
- 30-0. Serena dumps a second serve return into the net for the first point. Then another return goes to the net.

It's now down to the third set. Henin has the momentum. Serena goes to the locker room. This is the first Grand Slam final in the women's game to go three sets since Amelie Mauresmo beat Henin in the finals of 2006 Wimbledon. The first game of the third set will be crucial. Will Serena be able to break Henin's serve? Venus standing in the player's box looking very anxious. Henin has won the last 10 points and last 4 games of the second set.

Set 2, Game 9. Henin wins the second set, 6-3.
- Game. Henin breaks. Evens the championship final.
- 0-40. Another winner off a second serve of Serena and Henin has 3 set points.
- 0-30. Henin with a winner and Serena with an unforced error. Henin two points away from this set.

Set 2, Game 8. Henin consolidates break and leads set, 5-3.
- Game. Henin holds at love as Serena dumps return into the net.
- 40-0. Henin with a forehand winner.
- 30-0. Henin with a backhand winner.
- 15-0. Serena dumps a return into the net.

An important game. If Henin holds, Serena will be serving at 3-5.

Set 2, Game 7. Henin has won the last 2 games and leads the set, 4-3.
- Game. Henin breaks when Serena's shot goes out.
- Advantage Henin. She attacks the net and has a volley winner.
- Deuce. Serena responds with an ace. Henin challenges but serve hit the line.
- 30-40. Henin attacks the net and forces an error from Serena. Break point opportunity for Henin.
- 30-30. Henin with a backhand winner down the line as Serena was approaching the net. Crucial point for the game and set.
- 30-15. Serena with her third double fault for the match.
- 30-0. Serena with a backhand winner.
- 15-0. Henin attacks the net after a second serve return. Serena with a passing shot.

Set 2, Game 6. Players tied at 3-3.
- Game. Henin holds by forcing an error from Serena.
- Advantage. Henin wins a point at the net after a long rally. Crowd cheering her on.
- Second Deuce. Serena with another error. The next rally produces a forehand winner from Serena.
- Deuce. Serena with an unforced error from her forehand. Break point saved for Henin.
- 30-40. A long rally ends with Henin's defensive lob going out. Break point opportunity for Serena.
- 30-30. Serena pressures Henin in a rally and Henin sends a backhand long.
- 30-15. Serena dumps return into the net.
- 15-15. Henin pressured during the rally but responds with a backhand winner down the line.
- 0-15. Serena forces a backhand error during a rally.

Set 2, Game 5. Serena wins last 2 games and leads, 3-2.
- Game. Henin dumps a forehand return into the net.
- 40-15. Henin attacks a second serve and the return goes long. Serena with a chance to take the lead.
- 30-15. Henin's defensive lob goes out.
- 15-15. Serena serves second double fault of the match.
- 15-0. Henin sends a backhand return long.

Set 2, Game 4. Players tied at 2-2.
- Game. Serena wins a rally and gets the break back.
- 30-40. Henin saves a break point with a volley winner.
- 15-40. Big backhand for Serena. Two chances to break back.
- 15-30. Serena goes for a return, it goes long.
- 0-30. Henin with another error.
- 0-15. Serena wins rally when Henin dumps a shot into the net.

How will Serena respond to Henin's lead? Will she immediately break back? Crowd is getting involved cheering on Henin.

Set 2, Game 3. Henin leads in the second set, 2-1.
- Game. Henin breaks, wins a net exchange when Serena didn't execute a volley well.
- 0-40. Serena has 3 unforced errors. Golden opportunity for Henin to break.

Video showed Margaret Court being honored. The most successful woman in Australian Open history with 11 wins is watching this final.

Set 2, Game 2. Henin holds, ties second set at 1-1.
- Game. Henin holds after saving 2 break points.
- Advantage Henin. Henin with an ace.
- 40-40. Serena loses a rally with a long return.
- 30-40. A break point saved when Serena dumps a return into the net on a second serve.
- 15-40. Another shot long by Henin. Serena has golden opportunity to up her lead.
- 15-30. Serena wins another rally when a Henin backhand goes long.
- 15-15. Serena wins a rally, forcing an error from Henin.
- 15-0. Serena dumps return into the net.

TV screen shows Serena being the sixth most successful player with 11 Grand Slam wins. Will tie Billie Jean King at fifth place with a win here.

Set 2, Game 1. Serena leads 1-0.
- Game. Serena serves her sixth ace and gets the service game.
- 40-15. Serena forces a shot long from Henin.
- 15-15. Serena with a winner and an unforced error in first two points of the set.

Henin and Serena are almost unbeatable if they win the first set at a Grand Slam. Serena has never lost a match at the Australian Open when she wins the first set.

Set 1, Game 10. First set to Williams, 6-4.
- Game. Henin loses the point when the net cord bounces the ball out.
- 40-40. Serena dumps return into the net.
- 30-40. Henin double faults. She challenges call and loses. Set point for Serena.
- 30-30. Henin scores second ace.
- 15-30. Serena has a forehand winner. Two points from the set.
- 15-15. Henin scores a second serve ace. First ace for Henin in this match.
- 0-15. Henin double faults.

Will Serena be able to break Henin for the set? Photos of Kim Clijsters winning the US Open is shown.

Set 1, Game 9. Serena holds at love and leads 5-4.
- Game. Henin sends a return long. It's the easiest service game for Serena.
- 40-0. Serena with a service winner.
- 30-0. Serena with an ace.
- 15-0. Serena wins a rally.

Set 1, Game 8. It's a tie at 4-4.
- Game. A service game hold at love.
- 40-0. Serena returns long, 3 game points for a 4-4 tie.
- 30-0. Serena sends a forehand return long.
- 15-0. Henin with a forehand winner.

Set 1, Game 7. Back on serve. Serena will be returning at 4-3.
- Game. Henin wins the point with a backhand winner. Shouts "ALLEZ!"
- 30-40. Serena saves another break point with a volley winner.
- 15-40. Serena with an unforced error.
- 0-30. Serena dumps a shot into the net. Henin again ahead on a Serena service game.
- 0-15. Henin with a passing shot winner.

Crowd solidly behind Henin.

Set 1, Game 6: Serena leads 4-2.
- Game. Serena dumps forehand into the net.
- 40-30. Henin with a second double fault.
- 40-15. Henin with an error.
- 40-0. Serena with 2 unforced errors and Henin scores a winner.

Justine getting frustrated after not taking any of her six break point opportunities. French Open 2003 incident being replayed.

Set 1, Game 5: Serena consolidates break, leads 4-1.
- Game. Henin dumps a volley into the net.
- 40-40. Serena scores 2 service winners to save break points. Crowd is booing after Henin utters an obscenity which the umpire didn't hear.
- 15-40. Henin with another break points as Serena dumps an error into the net.
- 15-30. Henin wins a couple of rallies forcing errors from Serena.

Set 1, Game 4: Serena breaks Henin at love. Leads 3-1.
- Game. Henin with an error.
- 0-40. Williams with a backhand winner. Three break points.
- 0-30. Williams wins first point and Henin double faults for the first time in the match.

Justine attacking the Serena second serve. Missing so far but is putting a lot of pressure there. Serena's serve is getting her out of trouble.

Set 1, Game 3: Serena holds, 2-1.
- Game. Serena struggles but holds win a smash.
- Fifth Deuce. Henin with another winner at game point.
- Fourth Deuce. Henin with a forehand winner.
- Third Deuce. Both players pass each other at the net to win a point each.
- 40-40. Serena serves another ace.
- 30-40. Henin earns another couple of break points with a lucky net cord shot.
- 15-30. Serena counters with a less powerful but well placed ace.
- 0-30. Henin attacks the net and Serena sends a shot long. Good opportunity for Henin.
- 0-15. Serena with a rare double fault.

Set 1, Game 2: Players tied at 1-1.
- Game. Serena returns long on a second serve, and sends a backhand long during a rally. Henin holds.
- 30-30. Serena attacks 2 slow serves and gets winners on both.
- 30-0. Henin loses a challenge. Point is replayed, Henin wins the point.
- 15-0. Henin delivers a winner after a rally.

Set 1, Game 1: Serena leads 1-0
- Game. Serena wins the first game after 8 minutes saving 2 break points.
- Fourth Deuce. No one is seemingly willing to give up this game. Venus is shown supporting her sister from the player's box.
- Third Deuce. Serena puts a backhand into the net.
- Second Deuce. Serena serves an ace at game-point, which Henin challenges and won. Henin wins second serve point.
- 40-40. Serena saves break points with an ace and service winner.
- 15-40. Serena with 2 unforced errors. Break opportunity for Henin.
- 15-0. Serena serves a warning, the first point being an ace.

Ball Toss: Serena wins the toss and opted to serve.

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Australian Open 2010 TV Schedule - Men's Singles Finals

The Australian Open 2010 men's singles final between the world #1 Roger Federer of Switzerland and #4 Andy Murray of Great Britain, will be broadcast in the United States with following TV schedule:

LIVE on ESPN2 - Sunday, Jan 31, 2010
3:30AM Eastern (2:30AM Central, 1:30AM Mountain, 12:30AM Pacific)

REPLAY on ESPN2 - Sunday, Jan 31, 2010
10:00AM Eastern (9:00AM Central, 8:00AM Mountain, 7:00AM Pacific)

REPLAY on TENNIS CHANNEL - Sunday, Jan 31, 2010
1:00PM Eastern (12:00PM Central, 11:00AM Mountain, 10:00AM Pacific)

REPLAY on TENNIS CHANNEL - Sunday, Jan 31, 2010
8:00PM Eastern (7:00PM Central, 6:00PM Mountain, 5:00PM Pacific)

For viewers who want to watch the 2010 Australian Open men's singles finals live online, this can be done from the AustralianOpen.com website.

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Watch Australian Open Singles Women's Finals Live Online

The blockbuster Australian Open 2010 women's singles final between the top two most accomplished players from the previous decade, #1 Serena Williams and Justine Henin, will be broadcast in the United States with following TV schedule:

LIVE on ESPN2 - Saturday, Jan 30, 2010
3:30AM Eastern (2:30AM Central, 1:30AM Mountain, 12:30AM Pacific)

REPLAY on ESPN2 - Saturday, Jan 30, 2010
9:00AM Eastern (8:00AM Central, 7:00AM Mountain, 6:00AM Pacific)

REPLAY on TENNIS CHANNEL - Saturday, Jan 30, 2010
11:00AM Eastern (10:00AM Central, 9:00AM Mountain, 8:00AM Pacific)

REPLAY on TENNIS CHANNEL - Sunday, Jan 31, 2010
4:00PM Eastern (3:00PM Central, 2:00PM Mountain, 1:00PM Pacific)

REPLAY on TENNIS CHANNEL - Sunday, Jan 31, 2010
11:00PM Eastern (10:00PM Central, 9:00PM Mountain, 8:00PM Pacific)

Tennisphilia.com will also be blogging the live action for the first time. For viewers who want to watch the 2010 Australian Open women's singles finals live online, this can be done from the AustralianOpen.com website.

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Serena and Henin exchanging kind words before Championship Match

They're older and wiser and much more accomplished. Serena Williams, the current #1, and Justine Henin, the former #1 will be fighting for the first grand slam title of the decade at the 2010 Australian Open. If interviews were to taken as they are, the two best players in their generation are approaching the match with plenty of respect and high regard of each other. It's a far cry from the 2003 French Open semifinal where Serena lost to Henin and during a post-match interview, accused her Belgian rival of lying and fabricating stories. Henin replied that everyone was happy with her win except the Williams sisters.

I've chosen some answers that both players have given during interviews conducted in the past two days. The two legends who have won 18 grand slam finals between the two of them talk about playing against each other in their first Grand Slam final, on their rivalry, and on their mental toughness. Serena discusses Henin's comeback and Henin also gives her take on the incident at the 2003 French Open.


On playing against each other in their first Grand Slam final

Q. You played Serena so many times before. Does it feel any different coming up against her in a Grand Slam final?

JUSTINE HENIN: Well, of course, it's a special occasion. But I see it as an opportunity to play the No. 1 player in the world in a Grand Slam final. It's more than a dream for me. It's a perfect challenge. And I love this kind of situation.

We had great battles in the past. We played our best tennis when we played each other. At the beginning it was quite difficult for me to face Serena. Then slowly but surely I could change it a little more. The last time we played each other wasn't a really good memories in Miami.

What I hope is we gonna be in a very good level, both of us, so we can produce a good tennis, and the best will win.

Q. Would you consider this a defining match for you?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Um, I haven't thought about that at all. I think if you ‑‑ just thinking about it now, I think it'll be a defining match for both of us.

For me, I feel like I have no pressure. You know, I'm still here and I'm still alive, and that's anything less of a miracle. So I feel good.

Q. Do you think this could be the best answer, this final, which is the real queen of women's tennis?

JUSTINE HENIN: Well, that would be a nice title. But I think we both proved different kind of things in the past. What Serena did was just amazing, and still doing it. And I did my way also on the tour. I think we brought different kind of things to the game. So we both have a different place on the tour.

She is No. 1. I've been No. 1. I hope it's gonna be a great match, really. I hope it's going to be a good atmosphere on the court, that people are going to like the match, and that we can be at our best. That's what I wish for.

Q. Is there something to be said for playing your great rivals in Grand Slam finals?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Um, absolutely. I think it'll be fun. I think that just says it all.

Q. Are you surprised it's taken you so long to play Serena in a Grand Slam final?

JUSTINE HENIN: We've never played in a Grand Slam final in the past. It's my first Grand Slam since I'm back, and we're already there. So it's more than a dream. I mean, I'm so happy to play against her because if I want to win another Grand Slam, I'll have to beat the best player of the world. And that's just the biggest challenge I could get.

I have to be honest, I didn't really expect that. But now that's a reality that is coming. I will try to be at my best.



On their rivalry

Q. Do you think of her as a rival or another player you have to beat?

SERENA WILLIAMS: I definitely think of her as a rival. I think we bring out the best game in each other. I think that we both just play our hearts out. I think that's what creates a good rivalry.

Q. How do you look at your rivalry with Serena?

JUSTINE HENIN: Well, I think a lot of respect for who she is, what she did. She is a real champion. She proved it again in this tournament. Has been in trouble, and she had the reaction of, yeah, the greatest champions. A real fighter. Never gives up. And I think she really helped the game to come at another level. And she really helped women's tennis a lot. She's still there with an amazing attitude.

I think we respect each other a lot for that. We're both real fighters. We want to win. And I think maybe we helped each other, yeah, to get better. So it's a good one.



On mental toughness and their attributes

Q. Could you say who is the biggest fighter out of the two of you?

JUSTINE HENIN: Well, she proved that she is a real champion and a real fighter. And I did also earn my way and proved also in the past that I can come back from any situation. That was the kind of match I really love.

So it's great when you have two fighters on the court that never give up. And I hope we gonna find this attitude, this mentality, so we can give something else.

Q. Justine says this is gonna a be really mental battle. You've both been there, done that. Do you agree with that?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Absolutely. I think that's a really good point. It definitely will be mental and who wants it more and wants the title more and who' willing to go the extra step.

I think we both want it, you know. But we'll just see who's playing better tomorrow.

Q. You're considered one of the most intense competitors out there. Do you feel Justine's intensity level when you're on the court?

SERENA WILLIAMS: She's a little more calm, but she's also kind of quiet intense. So I think you kind of have to be at the match to see it, how intense she really is. I think it's good. She says 'allez' a lot, so I think it's kind of fun.

Q. Yesterday Serena described you as a calmer presence on the court than she is, but she said you're more intense. How do you describe her standing on the opposite side of the net?

JUSTINE HENIN: Well, uhm, she is a really aggressive player. But I say it in the positive way. You know, she wants to win every point. She's really focused. She's really intense. We probably have a little bit the same qualities in that part of our game.

So, you know, you have to put the pressure all the time because even if she's down ‑ and she proved it against Azarenka a few days ago, she was really in trouble at that time ‑ but you know it's never over. So every point counts, both of us. That's going to make the difference also, you know, in our match, to be able to be focused, really aggressive, intense, and keep the pressure and be consistent.

So, yeah, she pushed me in the past to be at my best, of course, and I'm sure it's gonna be the case again tomorrow.



Serena on Justine's game and comeback

Q. Justine seems to be returning well.

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, she's playing really well. She's doing great. It will be good. I hope to serve well. But regardless, I'll have to do other things well, too.

Q. How have you considered her (Justine Henin's) comeback?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, it's just been amazing. I mean, her and Kim, such a great story. Justine hasn't been gone that long, but it's still a good story.

Q. What does she do particularly well?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Uhm, well, I think, again, it's a case of: What doesn't she do well?



Henin on the past

Q. The 2003 French Open was a really big deal at the time. She said things which were quite strong words. At what stage did you get the feeling she was no longer holding anything against you for that incident?

JUSTINE HENIN: You know, it's far away now. It's a long time. We exchange a few words here. There is a lot of respect between the two of us, a lot. And I think, yeah, it seems long, long time ago. So I'm sure there's no problem about that between the two of us.

We both want to win. We both respect the fact that the other gave a lot to the game, and that's very good.

Q. The last time you played Serena was Miami 2008.

JUSTINE HENIN: Don't talk to me about that one (smiling). [Note: Serena beat Henin 6-2, 6-0 in the last match they played.]

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Federer demolishes Tsonga; reaches 8th straight GS Final

#1 Roger Federer totally outclassed world #10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6-2 6-3 6-2, to advance to the Australian 2010 men's singles final. Federer has now reached his 22nd career Grand Slam final, and advanced to his 8th straight major championship match since losing in the semifinals of the 2008 Australian Open to Novak Djokovic.

Federer dominated the match from the start, breaking Tsonga to go up 3-1 in the first set and has never looked back. He finished the match with a 33 to 13 winner to error count, a staggering ratio that spoke of a near flawless performance. Tsonga was hoping to reach his second career Grand Slam final but was overpowered by the Swiss maestro.

Federer will now take a day off to prepare for the singles finals on Sunday against world #4 Andy Murray. This will be the second major final between the two players with Federer beating Murray in the 2008 US Open.

Federer will be slightly favored to win the title. He has now reached his fifth final in the past seven years in Melbourne and will be hoping to win his fourth Australian Open trophy to add to his record haul of 15 grand slam singles titles.

Match Facts about the Federer – Tsonga semifinal:

- Total match time is 88 minutes; 1st set took 30 minutes, 2nd set took 31, and 3rd set took 27 minutes
- Federer never faced a break point and converted 5 of 10 break point opportunities
- Tsonga won a total of 54 points against 88 won by Federer
- Federer won 84% of first serve points, and an equally impressive 68% of second serve points

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Williams Sisters win Australian Open 2010 Women's Doubles Title

Defending champions and #2 seeded team Serena and Venus Williams of the United States beat the top-seeded team of Cara Black and Liezel Huber, 6-4 6-3, to win the Australian Open 2010 women's doubles title. The Williams sisters has now won four of the past five grand slam doubles titles and increased their haul of major wins to 11. They will be sharing the winners' cheque of AUS$450,000. The only grand slam to have escaped the Williams sisters in the past five majors is the 2009 French Open.

Serena and Venus broke once in the first set, and twice in the second set to seal the win. They have dominated the field in winning their 11th grand slam title by losing just one set during the whole tournament. The title is their fourth Australian Open having won in 2001, 2003, and 2009. They're the most successful doubles team in the Australian Open in the past 20 years.

Despite the win though, the sisters will remain co-ranked #3 behind Black and Huber. This is mostly due to their participation in very few tournaments. In the past 12 months, the sisters played just 6 tournaments against the 21 tournaments played by Black and Huber.

Serena Williams will try to win her second championship trophy in this year's Australian Open when she will battle rival Justine Henin for the women's singles title on Saturday night.

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Murray reaches Australian Open final; Cilic in Top 10

World #5 Andy Murray reached his second career Grand Slam final by beating #14 seed Marin Cilic 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in the first men’s singles semifinals of the 2010 Australian Open. He became the first British player to reach the championship match since 1977. Murray will be going for a historic win on Sunday that will make him the first British man to win the Australian Open in the Open era. His next opponent will be the winner of the other semifinal between world #1 Roger Federer and world #10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

With the win over Cilic, Murray is going for his first Grand Slam title. He reached the 2008 US Open final but was defeated by Federer. If Murray wins on Sunday, he will be ranked at #2 behind Federer when the new rankings come out next week. Murray held the #2 ranking last year but lack of strong results in the latter part of 2009 has pushed him down to #5 before the start of the Australian Open.

Cilic was playing his first ever grand slam semifinal. He is the first Croatian to reach the Australian Open semifinals. His previous best showing at a Grand Slam was reaching the quarterfinals of the 2009 US Open. He upset Murray in the fourth round of that tournament. By virtue of reaching the semifinals in the year’s first major, Cilic will enter the top ten for the first time in his career.

Murray is picked by many tennis observers to win the Australian Open in the past two years. He failed to fulfill expectations when he lost in the fourth round last year. This year though, he had the least effort in reaching the semifinals. He was the only player in both the men and the women’s singles draw to reach the last four without dropping a set. His first set loss against Cilic was the first set he dropped in the tournament.

In the championship match on Sunday, Murray will be facing an opponent who he leads in career head-to-head meetings. He is 6-4 against Federer, but lost to the Swiss in the only grand slam match they played in the 2008 US Open finals. He is also 2-1 against Tsonga, but like Federer, Murray lost to Tsonga in the only grand slam match they played in the first round of the 2008 Australian Open. With his current form though, Murray will fancy his chances in winning his first grand slam here. He’s just one match away.

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Henin vs Serena in 2010 Australian Open Final

Former world #1 and seven time grand slam champion Justine Henin totally dominated unseeded Chinese Zheng Jie to book her spot in the 2010 Australian Open women's singles final. Henin set-up a blockbuster final against world #1 Serena Williams, and she'll be going into the match fresher having spent less than an hour to eliminate the world #35 Zheng. The Chinese player held her first service game and never won another as Henin won the next 12 games to score an impressive 61 60 victory. With the win, Henin advances to her third Australian Open final, her first since she lost to Amelie Mauresmo in 2006.

Henin had 5 aces against 3 double faults. She had 23 winners and 14 unforced errors while her Chinese rival had only 3 winners and 15 unforced errors. Henin won more than twice the number of points her opponent won, 54-24, and closed out the match after 51 minutes. It was a quick and relaxing workout for the Belgian on just her second tournament since she retired in May 2008.

Henin has now set-up the first Grand Slam final between her and Serena. The American holds a 7-6 advantage in their career head-to-head series although it was Henin who won their last three Grand Slam meetings, all in 2007. This was the year that Henin won both the French Open and the US Open without dropping a single set and was set to dominate women's tennis for years to come. That didn't happen though. Henin lost to Sharapova in the 2008 Australian Open and suffered her worst loss to Serena Williams in Miami, a drubbing where she only won two games in a 6-2, 6-0 quarterfinal loss. She later announced her retirement from the game on May 2007 - 11 days before she was set to defend her French Open title.

It will be an interesting championship for the greatest achievers in women's tennis in the past 10 years. Serena will be seeking her 12th grand slam title, while Henin is going for her 8th. Serena had more success in this tournament, winning four times, while Henin had a controversial withdrawal when she retired while trailing a set and 0-3 against Amelie Mauresmo in the 2006 final. The Belgian will be seeking to erase any negative memories if she does win her second Australian Open title.

The key to the match will depend on which Serena Williams will show up in the championship final. The match will be over quickly in favor of the defending champion if she shows up with her fourth round form where she was blasting aces into all corners of the service box. However, it could get to a third setter if Serena comes out playing like she did in the semifinals, or in the first set of her quarterfinals. Justine will be displaying her new net game but if both players will be at their peak form as they displayed in the tournament (a very BIG IF), it would be hard to bet against the American. Either way, expect a very exciting championship match as the two best competitors in the women's game will be fighting for the first Grand Slam championship of the decade.

Below is the head-to-head series of the two players. Serena leads 7-6, but hasn't beaten Henin in a grand slam since the 2003 Wimbledon semifinal.

RANK (SEED)YEAR EVENT SURFACE ROUND WINNER SCORE RANK (SEED)

10 (10) 2001 US OPEN HARD R16 S.WILLIAMS 7-5 6-0 6 (6)
10 (7) 2001 SANEX CHAMPIONSHIPS HARD Q S.WILLIAMS 6-3 7-6(5) 6 (4)
5 (4) 2002 BERLIN OPEN CLAY F J. HENIN 6-2 1-6 7-6(5) 8 (5)
4 (4) 2002 ROME CLAY F S.WILLIAMS 7-6(6) 6-4 8 (5)
1 (1) 2002 LEIPZIG CARPET S S.WILLIAMS 6-4 6-2 7 (3)
1 (1) 2003 CHARLESTON CLAY F J. HENIN 6-3 6-4 4 (2)
1 (1) 2003 FRENCH OPEN CLAY S J. HENIN 6-2 4-6 7-5 4 (4)
1 (1) 2003 WIMBLEDON GRASS S S.WILLIAMS 6-3 6-2 3 (3)
18 (13) 2007 MIAMI HARD F S.WILLIAMS 0-6 7-5 6-3 1 (2)
8 (8) 2007 FRENCH OPEN CLAY Q J. HENIN 6-4 6-3 1 (1)
8 (7) 2007 WIMBLEDON GRASS Q J. HENIN 6-4 3-6 6-3 1 (1)
9 (8) 2007 US OPEN HARD Q J. HENIN 7-6(3) 6-1 1 (1)
8 (8) 2008 MIAMI HARD Q S.WILLIAMS 6-2 6-0 1 (1)

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Serena beats Li Na; reaches 5th Australian Open final

A banged-up and heavily bandaged Serena Williams displayed the championship mettle that took her to eleven major titles in dispatching a stubborn Na Li of China to reach the 2010 Australian Open championship final. Serena, barely moving and playing her worst match of the tournament did just enough to beat the Chinese #1, 7-4(4), 7-6(1). With the victory, Serena improved her Australian Open semifinals record to 5-0.

Williams started strongly, getting 2 breaks and going up 5-2 in the first set. She had a set point at 5-4 in the first set but was unable to convert. Li took her first lead of the set at 6-5, but Serena won the next service game to force the tiebreak. The tiebreak featured poor serving from both players and Serena raced to a 6-3 lead. Li saved a set point to make it 6-4 before Serena delivered a second serve ace to capture the set.

In the second set, both players stayed on serve with Serena using her big serves to save break points that came against her. Serving to stay in the match at 4-5, Li saved 3 match points to stay even at 5-5. Undeterred, Serena held at love to move up 6-5, and keep the pressure on Li. The Chinese #1 held two game points at 40-15 before losing three straight points and handling the American her fourth match point. Li continued to save that and held to force a second set tiebreak.

In the tiebreak, Serena was far more the steadier player while Li made several unforced players to let the defending champion grab a 6-1 lead. Serena didn't waste any more match point by serving an ace to win the set and the match. Serena will vie for her fifth Australian Open title when she meets the winner of the Justine Henin - Zheng Jie semifinal.

The major concern for Serena will be the rest she will be getting before the championship on Saturday night. She is scheduled to play with sister Venus in the semifinals of the women's doubles. If the pair wins, they will contest the doubles finals championship on Friday. That will give Serena just a 24 hour period to recover before taking to court to try and defend her Australian Open title.

Stats for the match:

- Serena served 12 aces and had 2 double faults, Li had 1 ace and 6 double faults
- Serena had 33 winners against 24 unforced errors, Li had 21 winners against 38 unforced errors
- Serena won 96 points while Li won 85
- The first set took 58 minutes while the second was completed in 64 minutes

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Federer snubs Agassi; Davydenko pissed Off

When asked who Roger Federer's idol is, apart from himself, the world #1 player cites players who reached for stars who he thought was untouchable. He goes on to mention Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, and Pete Sampras. He noticeably didn't mention Andre Agassi - a far more complete and accomplished player as compared to Becker and Edberg.

Part of the non-mention may be due to Federer's criticism of Agassi's book. Federer, Rafael Nadal, Marat Safin and other players questioned Agassi's motives in including admission on getting away with no consequences for a failed drug test in his autobiography. Agassi and Federer are the only two men to have won all four Grand Slam tournaments in four different surfaces. Surely, Agassi deserves a mention amongst players who "reached for stars" that were thought to be unreachable.

Federer's quarterfinal opponent, Nikolay Davydenko, was asked after his loss what was going through his mind as he was losing more than ten straight games in succession to Federer. His response was very straightforward. "Pissed off." He further explained - "What else? Yeah. Like say I'm pissed off of my serve. Pissed off. I didn't realize this point, I didn't realize this point. It's like everything was shit."

At the end of his interview, the otherwise obscure Davydenko was asked if the extra media attention he received at the Australian Open positive for him. His answer? "I don't know. It's your choice."

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2010 Australian Open Odds - Women and Men Singles Winner

With the conclusion of the 2010 Australian Open quarterfinal round, only four players remain in each draw of the men's and women's singles tournament in the first grand slam of the year. World #1 players Roger Federer and Serena Williams have the best shots of winning the title if the odds in the online gambling site, Betfair.com is to be believed.

Federer has 1.91 as his current odds. He's followed closely by world #5 Andy Murray with 2.58. Their semifinal opponents Jo Wilfried Tsonga and Marin Cilic are listed as having 20 and 23 odds, respectively.

Williams' current odds is listed at 1.74 followed closely by former #1 player and comeback queen Justine Henin. Henin's odds is listed at 2.98. Their Chinese opponents, Li Na and Zheng Jie are heavily underfavored with odds of 21 and 22, respectively.

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Who will break Federer's GS Semifinals Streak?

World #1 Roger Federer's quarterfinal victory over Nikolay Davydenko in the 2010 Australian Open men's singles tournament means that his streak of reaching consecutive Grand Slam semifinals is intact. With the win, he has now reached 23 straight grand slam semifinals. It's probably one of the most impressive records in his resume - below his number of Grand Slam wins, and above his number of weeks at the #1 spot.

The interesting question would be: who will break Roger Federer's streak of consecutive grand slam semifinals appearances? Here's the top scenarios that come to mind:

#5. John Isner will beat Federer in three tiebreak sets at the 2010 US Open

#4. Marin Cilic will play perfect tennis and oust Federer in the fourth round or quaters of the 2010 US Open

#3. Andy Roddick will serve 80 aces to oust Federer at 2010 Wimbledon

#2. Federer will be injured and will skip a Grand Slam this year

#1. Nadal will fall below the top four and as the fifth seed, will be drawn to play Federer in the 2010 French Open quarterfinals

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Li Na, Zheng Jie in 2010 Autralian Open Semis

In my last post three days ago, I observed that the first two Chinese players to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal at the same major will be facing opponents that they have winning histories against. China's top two players, Li Na and Zheng Jie repeated victories over higher favored opponents in achieving another milestone for China - being the first two Chinese players to play in the semifinals of the same Grand Slam.

Zheng reached the quarterfinals first by downing Maria Kirilenko of Russia in straight sets. In the upper half of the draw, Li came back from a 2-4 deficit in the final set to score a dramatic victory over world #6 Venus Williams. Li's victory prevented the first Williams semifinal showdown at a Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2000.

Zheng and Li now face two former number 1 players that they have losing histories against, and who have a combine haul of 18 grand slams over their careers. Li will undoubtedly be facing the tougher player in #1 Serena Williams. Though she has beaten Serena in the past, it was the American who was victorious in their two matches last year. Judging from how Serena overcame her quarterfinal opponent, it is very difficult to see Li emerging as the victor in their match-up. She will most likely give a tough challenge, but would fall in straight sets to the younger Williams sister.

Zheng would be pleased with her chances against Henin. For the first time in this tournament, she will be facing a player who is about the same height as her. Zheng, at 5'4" is considered diminutive in terms of women tennis players standard, will try to take advantage of any incosistency from the 5'5" Belgian. My guess is that Zheng will either fall in three sets or win in straight sets.

Whatever the result will be, the history made by these two Chinese players in reaching the semifinals of a major at the same time, is amongst the most compelling stories in the first grand slam of the year. The chances of either one of them lifting the title this Saturday is really minimal, but it will definitely pave a lot of interest in the game in the world's most populous nation.

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Federer, Murray on track for an Australian Open finals showdown

It's one more match to go for the two male tennis players I expected to reach the 2010 Australian Open finals. #5 Andy Murray dominated #2 Rafael Nadal to reach the semifinals, while #1 Roger Federer overcame a slow start and nemesis Nikolay Davydenko to book his 23rd straight Grand Slam semifinal visit. In their semifinal matches, they will be facing a couple of young and talented players who came through the quarterfinals by beating higher ranked opponents.

Murray, the only player who has yet to drop a set in both the men and women's draw, will going against #14 Marin Cilic of Croatia. Cilic beat 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in the fourth round, and outlasted American #1 Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals. Murray will definitely be the fresher player at the start of this match. Cilic needed 5 sets to win three of his last four matches.

Federer turned the tables on Davydenko by coming back after being down a break and two break points in the second set. Davydenko has been the Swiss in the past two tournaments both players have entered. Federer's grand slam semifinal streak looked to be in danger as he easily lost the first set, 2-6. But he run off a string of 12 straight games to win the second set and third sets, and establish a break in the fourth set. He eventually won the fourth set 7-5 to reach the semis extend one of the most impressive ever records in tennis.

In the semifinals, Federer will going against French #1 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Tsonga gained revenge over his 2008 Australian Open final loss to world #3 Novak Djokovic by prevailing in a five-set battle. Like Cilic, Tsonga needed five sets to eliminate both his last two opponents. Tsonga has now reached his second career Grand Slam semifinal.

Any result wouldn't surprise me when the men's singles semifinals will start on January 28, Thursday. I would still be rooting for a Murray - Federer final though. Just one more match to go.

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Russian Women Missing at the Australian Open Semifinals

For the second straight Grand Slam event, no Russian woman has made it to the final four. Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova were eliminated in the quarterfinal stages of the first grand slam of the year losing in straight sets to Zheng Jie and Justine Henin, respectively. The last Russian semifinalists at a grand slam were Elena Dementieva and Dinara Safina at Wimbledon 2009.

This is however, not a surprising result. Safina, despite holding the #2 ranking was not amongst the pre-tournament favorites. Maria Sharapova, the 2008 champion was picked by many to win her second Australian Open title but she went out in three sets to Kirilenko in the first round. The most recent Russian Grand Slam winner, Svetlana Kuznetsova, was outed in the fourth round by Petrova. Kuznetsova has never gone past the quarterfinal stage in Melbourne in 9 appearances in the main draw.

Aside from Sharapova, the next best Russian hope coming into the event was Elena Dementieva. Dementieva reached last year's semifinals and has won the Sydney tune-up the weekend prior to the Australian Open beating #1 Serena Williams in the first set. She however, was drawn to meet seven-time major winner Henin, in the second round. She lost in straight sets to the come-backing Belgian.

It would be interesting to see how long this spell will last. The French Open 2010 is the next grand slam in the tennis calendar. The French Open last year was contested by Kuznetsova and Safina. Other Russian players like Petrova, Vera Zvonareva, and Dementieva are strong clay-courters too. Currently, there are 3 Russians in the top five, 4 in the top 10, and 6 in the top 20 - the most from any nation. This inability to reach a Grand Slam semifinal is more of an exception - look for at least one, or maybe two Russians to make it to the semifinals at the 2010 French Open.

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Nadal vs Murray; Cilic downs Del Potro

The four quarter-finalists in the bottom half of the 2010 Australian Open men's singles tournament has been determined. #2 Rafael Nadal and #5 Andy Murray downed the biggest servers in the men's game in Ivo Karlovic and John Isner, respectively. They now advanced against each other in what would be a highly captivating quarterfinal. The other match-up in this side of the draw would be #7 Andy Roddick versus # 14 Marin Cilic. Cilic provided Sunday's only upset by beating world #4 and 2009 US Open champion, Juan Martin del Potro.

Murray have been in scintillating form in this year's first grand slam. He hasn't lost a set yet in his first four matches while Nadal lost a set each in his last two matches. Nadal hasn't beaten a top five player since April 2009 and despite being the defending champion, will be coming in as a slight underdog. Many experts, including American legend John McEnroe has picked Murray to win his first grand slam title here in Melbourne. If their previous matches in this tournament is used as a gauge, it wouldn't be surprising if Murray beats Nadal in four sets.

In the other quarterfinal, Cilic may well surprise Andy Roddick to reach his first semifinal. The Croatian played unbelievably in downing Del Potro in five sets. Roddick did the same against Fernando Gonzalez in the fourth round but would have to elevate his game if he wants to keep up with the hard hitting Croatian. My prediction? Roddick will rely on his experience to win in four tight sets.

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Li Na, Zheng Jie in 2010 Autralian Open Quarters

For the first time ever in women's tennis history, two Chinese women are in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam. Zheng Jie and Li Na, arguably the two most successful players from the world's most populous nation advanced to the quarterfinals stage of the 2010 Australian Open by beating higher ranked opponents in straight sets. It is just fitting that this milestone happened in the what is being touted as the Grand Slam of Asia/Pacific. What's more noteworthy is their ability to advance further. They will both be facing opponents who they have winning histories against.

Zheng Jie advanced to the last eight by beating three seeds - including recent Hobart winner, #31 Alona Bondarenko. Li Na advanced by downing world #4 and US Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki. Zheng will be going against Maria Kirilenko, the woman responsible for eliminating highly fancied Russian opponents #2 Dinara Safina and #14 Maria Sharapova. Zheng leads Kirilenko 4-1 in their career head-to-head meetings.

Li Na will be playing #6 seed and 7-time major winner Venus Williams for a spot in the semifinals. Though Williams is the more accomplished player, it was Li who won their only match so far at the quarterfinals of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Williams will arguably be the favorite to win their match but Li will be entering their match with a high dose of confidence having dispatched of Wozniacki in a relatively easy manner.

While it may be a long shot, the tennis world is just two stages away from witnessing the first ever Chinese Grand Slam final. I highly doubt that it will happen in this tournament, or that it may happen this year, but judging from China's gene pool, it is very possible that such an event may happen later this decade.

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"Nadia Petrova" Tops Yahoo Search

Yahoo.com features a list of top searches done to its engine. I logged in at 5.10 pm CST, Jan 24 and the hottest search topic is tennis player "Nadia Petrova". Petrova is making waves in the 2010 Australian Open as she has now eliminated two tournament favorites from the first grand slam of the year. She dealt 2009 US Open champion Kim Clijsters her worst career defeat in the third round by scoring a 60 61 victory. She followed that up with a three-set win over 2009 French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the fourth round.

Petrova, seeded 19th in the tournament, is now into her 8th career grand slam quarterfinal. She will meet recently un-retired Justine Henin for a place in the semifinals. Petrova lost twice to Henin in the past two months - the first being an exhibition in Cairo and the second, a first round match-up in a Brisbane tournament at the start of the tennis year. If Petrova beats Henin, she will undoubtedly continue to be a top Yahoo search topic.

See an image below for a screenshot of Yahoo's homepage. Click on the image for a bigger view of the screenshot.

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Henin on Track to Reach 2010 Australian Open Finals

Sunday's play has determined the four quarterfinal berths in the bottom half draw of the 2010 Australian Open women's singles tournament. Of the four quarter-finalists, only one belongs to a seeded player who is not even amongst the top sixteen seeds. #19 Nadia Petrova however, proved she is worthy of her place in the quarterfinals after beating two higher seeded players and tournament favorites in #15 Kim Clijsters and #3 Svetlana Kuznetsova. Both players won two of the four majors last year with Clijsters taking the US Open crown and Kuznetsova, the French Open title. Petrova will be contesting her eight major quarterfinal but her first since 2008 Wimbledon.

Three of those who made the quarterfinals in that portion of the draw are unseeded players - Justine Henin, Jie Zheng, and Maria Kirilenko. Of the three, Kirilenko has claimed the biggest scalps. She beat #14 Maria Sharapova in the first round, and #2 Dinara Safina in the fourth round. Safina withdrew from her fourth round match after trailing 4-5 in the first set. Kirilenko now makes her first ever appearance at a grand slam quarterfinals. Her previous best showing before this tournament was a fourth round performance at the 2008 Australian Open.

Zheng of China downed two lesser seeds on her way to the quarterfinals. She beat #11 Marion Bartoli in the third round and followed that up with a three set victory over Hobart winner, #31 Alona Bondarenko. Zheng improved a stage further having reached the fourth round of the Australian Open last year. She's also not a newcomer to the later rounds of a grand slam. She reached the 2008 Wimbledon semifinals and gave Serena Williams a battle before losing in a second set tie-break. Zheng will now face Kirilenko for a spot in the semifinals.

Henin is now the only remaining player in her side of the draw to have reached a Grand Slam final. The seven-time major winner has surrendered one set in each of her last singles matches and is playing with a very much improved net game. With the draw opening in her favor, she is now heavily favored to reach the finals in her first Grand Slam after retiring in May 2008. She'll be facing Petrova, a player she has beaten twice in the past two months. The only concern about Henin will be her stamina. If she's able to down Petrova in straight sets in her next match, she'll be the favorite to reach the finals. I'm highly doubtful though that she will have enough energy in her semifinals match if her she will take three sets to beat Petrova in the quarterfinals. That would mean she'll be playing four three setters in a row - no matter how good and talented she is, fitness is most certainly a factor that will play against her on just her first month of competitive tennis.

My Quarterfinal Predictions:

Zheng will beat Kirilenko in 3 sets
Henin will beat Petrova in 2 sets

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Federer, Murray ahead of Nadal in Betfair Odds

World #2 Rafael Nadal may be the defending champion in this year's 2010 Australian Open but he is not on the top of the list in the current odds at Betfair.com. The site lists #1 Roger Federer as the favorite to win his 16th grand slam title. World #5 Andy Murray is ranked slightly higher than Nadal at number two. The Scot has never won a grand slam and may meet Nadal in the quarterfinals. Murray is one of two top seven players not to have lost a set in his first three matches. The other one to do that is #6 Nikolay Davydenko.

Listed at number four is world #3 Novak Djokovic, the 2008 Australian Open champion. Davydenko is listed as the fifth best bet of winning the title. If I were to bet though, I would put Nadal out of the top five. Djokovic would move to #3, Davydenko would stay at #5, and seventh seed Andy Roddick would be at #4.

Here are the current bets before the fourth round as listed in Betfair.com:

1. Federer = 3.65
2. Murray = 6
3. Nadal = 6.8
4. Djokovic = 7.8
5. Davydenko = 9.4

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Favorites into 2010 Australian Open Fourth Round

Unlike the women's draw where pre-tournament favorites Sharapova and Clijsters lost in the early rounds, the men's draw have all top seven men's tennis players moving into the fourth round of the 2010 Australian Open. Of the favorites, #5 Andy Murray and #6 Nikolay Davydenko have advanced without dropping a set in their first three matches. Davydenko has proven to be the most efficient so far, losing just 17 games in all nine sets he has played - including one bagel set in each of his three matches. That's a staggering average of less than two games lost per set.

The top three seeds have lost one set apiece - #1 Roger Federer lost his first ever set of the tournament but has won nine straight since. #2 Rafael Nadal lost the third set in his third round match, while #3 Novak Djokovic lost a set in his second round match. #7 Andy Roddick also marches on by winning his eighth straight match for a perfect 8-0 record for the year. Like the top three seeds, he has lost just one set and that was during his third round match.

#4 Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion has not been as efficient as the other favorites. He has lost at least a set in each of his matches including a marathon five set victory over former top ten player, James Blake. That second round match is the best match in the tournament so far with del Potro winning 10-8 in the final set.

Amongst those not seeded to reach the fourth round, two big serving giants stand out. #33 seed John Isner is on an 8-match winning streak by upending #12 Gael Monfils. Unseeded Ivo Karlovic has already knocked out two seeds - #13 Radek Stepanek and #24 Ivan Ljubicic. They'll both be facing Nadal and Murray in the fourth round. If both advance, they'll be serving for a career-best spot in the semifinals of a major.

Of the top eight seeds, only world #8 Robin Soderling failed to advance to the fourth round. He was a first round loser to Marcel Granollers of Spain. If the rest of the seeds hold, the following potential quarterfinal pairings may occur:

#1 Federer vs #6 Davydenko
#2 Nadal vs #5 Murray
#3 Djokovic vs #10 Tsonga
#4 Del Potro vs #7 Roddick

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Serena, Justine, Venus top Australian Open Betfair Odds

Going into the second week of the 2010 Australian Open, world #1 Serena Williams, wildcard and former #1 Justine Henin, and #6 Venus Williams hold the top three spots in betting odds of who will win the singles title in the first major of the year. Early pre-tournament favorites Kim Clijsters and Maria Sharapova saw their chances of winning evaporate as both lost early, in the third round and the first round respectively.

Here are the current odds at Betfair.com before the start of the fourth round:

1. Serena Williams - 2.94
2. Justine Henin - 5.2
3. Venus Williams - 8.8
4. Dinara Safina - 10.5
5. Victoria Azarenka - 16

I'm glad I'm not a betting man but if I am, I would put Safina behind Serena and 2009 French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the top five. Safina has been steadily and quietly progressing through the draw and the highest ranked person she could face before the semifinals is #31 Alona Bondarenko. Kuznetsova may not have performed well in previous years at the Australian Open but if she faces Henin in the quarterfinals, I'll be betting on her to move on.

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Sharapova, Clijsters are the Biggest Losers

With the third round almost complete save for the completion of the Caroline Wozniacki - Shahar Peer match, it's time to look back and check the biggest winners and losers in the 2010 Australian Open women's singles draw. The biggest winners are undoubtedly two Belgians - former #1 Justine Henin and world #16 Yanina Wickmayer. The biggest losers are two pre-tournament favorites - #14 Maria Sharapova and #15 Kim Clijsters.

Clijsters played the worst match of her comeback - a 60 61 loss to a player she hasn't previously lost to. The drubbing she got from #19 Nadia Petrova was probably as bizarre as when she won the US Open last year. Her loss prevented a highly anticipated quarterfinal with Henin, which would have been their first grand slam match-up since their 2006 Wimbledon semifinal.

Sharapova lost to her friend Maria Kirilenko in the first round. A winner here in 2008, Sharapova's failure at the grand slams in the past two years is now becoming more of a frequent occurence rather than an exception. In the past six grand slams she has played, she has only reached one quarterfinal, the 2009 French Open. She has lost twice in the second round (2008 and 2009 Wimbledon), once in the third round (2009 US Open), and once in the fourth round (2008 French Open). She missed the 2008 US Open and 2009 Australian Open due to shoulder injury.

Henin has lived up to the hype of her comeback so far. She beat #5 Elena Dementieva in straight sets in the second round. She did lose a set to #27 Alisa Kleybanova but showed her mental toughness in coming from behind for a 36 64 62 victory. She'll be facing formidable opponents in her next matches though - before she can even reach the semifinals. Wickmayer is her fourth round opponent, and looming in the quarterfinals is the winner of the Petrova and #3 Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Wickmayer is the hottest player in the WTA tour right now. She hasn't lost in the eleven matches she has played this year. She also has proven very worthy of her world ranking, and it is poetic justice just how far she has come. Despite her high ranking, Australian Open tennis organizers denied her request for a wildcard and she was forced to go through qualifying. She's the only remaining qualifier in the women's draw. She's also outperformed all other wildcard entries except for Henin. They will be meeting in the fourth round and it will not be surprising if Wickmayer becomes Belgium's quarterfinal representative.

Here are the rest of the top 16 seeds. Those not living to their seeds are in bold letters.

1. Serena Williams vs. Samantha Stosur [13] RND 4
2. Dinara Safina vs. Maria Kirilenko RND 4
3. Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Nadia Petrova [19] RND 4
4. Caroline Wozniacki vs. Shahar Peer [29] RND 3
5. Elena Dementieva lost to Justine Henin RND 2
6. Venus Williams vs. Francesca Schiavone [17] RND 4
7. Victoria Azarenka vs. Vera Zvonareva [9] RND 4
8. Jelena Jankovic lost to Alona Bondarenko [31] RND 3
9. Vera Zvonareva vs. Victoria Azarenka [7] RND 4
10. Agnieszka Radwanska lost to Francesca Schiavone [17] RND 3
11. Marion Bartoli lost to Jie Zheng RND 3
12. Flavia Pennetta lost to Yanina Wickmayer RND 2
13. Samantha Stosur vs. Serena Williams [1] RND 4
14. Maria Sharapova lost to Maria Kirilenko RND 1
15. Kim Clijsters lost to Nadia Petrova [19] RND 3
16. Na Li vs. Winner of Wozniacki-Peer third round match

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Hit for Haiti Charity Fundraiser Video

The Hit for Haiti Charity Fundraiser was organized by Roger Federer to benefit the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. It was held last January 17, a day before the first round of the 2010 Australian Open. Participating players included Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters, Lleyton Hewitt, Samantha Stosur, Novak Djokovic and Bernard Tomic. Jim Courier served as the guest chair umpire. Here's a video clip of the event:

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Women's Seed Progress - 2010 Australian Open

Last Updated: Day 2, Noon

Seed Player Name Opponent Round
1 Serena Williams vs. To Be Determined RND 2
2 Dinara Safina vs. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova RND 2
3 Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RND 2
4 Caroline Wozniacki vs. Aleksandra Wozniak RND 1
5 Elena Dementieva vs. Justine Henin RND 2
6 Venus Williams vs. Lucie Safarova RND 1
7 Victoria Azarenka vs. Stephanie Cohen-Aloro RND 1
8 Jelena Jankovic vs. Monica Niculescu RND 1
9 Vera Zvonareva vs. Kristina Kucova RND 1
10 Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Tatjana Malek RND 1
11 Marion Bartoli vs. Sandra Zahlavova RND 2
12 Flavia Pennetta vs. Yanina Wickmayer RND 2
13 Samantha Stosur vs. To Be Determined RND 2
14 Maria Sharapova lost to Maria Kirilenko RND 1
15 Kim Clijsters vs. Tamarine Tanasugarn RND 2
16 Na Li vs. Marina Erakovic RND 1
17 Francesca Schiavone vs. Alize Cornet RND 1
18 Virginie Razzano lost to Ekaterina Makarova RND 1
19 Nadia Petrova vs. Kaia Kanepi RND 2
20 Ana Ivanovic vs. To Be Determined RND 2
21 Sabine Lisicki vs. Petra Martic RND 1
22 Daniela Hantuchova vs. Viktoriya Kutuzova RND 1
23 Dominika Cibulkova lost to Vania King RND 1
24 Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez vs. Jie Zheng RND 2
25 Anabel Medina Garrigues vs. Karolina Sprem RND 1
26 Aravane Rezai vs. Angelique Kerber RND 2
27 Alisa Kleybanova vs. To Be Determined RND 2
28 Elena Vesnina vs. Tathiana Garbin RND 1
29 Shahar Peer vs. Lucie Hradecka RND 1
30 Kateryna Bondarenko vs. Elena Baltacha RND 2
31 Alona Bondarenko vs. Kathrin Woerle RND 1
32 Carla Suarez Navarro vs. Ayumi Morita RND 1

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Men's Seed Progress - 2010 Australian Open

Last Updated: Day 2, Noon

Seed Player Name Opponent Round
1 Roger Federer vs. Igor Andreev RND 1
2 Rafael Nadal vs. To Be Determined RND 2
3 Novak Djokovic vs. Daniel Gimeno-Traver RND 1
4 Juan Martin Del Potro vs. James Blake RND 2
5 Andy Murray vs. To Be Determined RND 2
6 Nikolay Davydenko vs. To Be Determined RND 2
7 Andy Roddick vs. Thomaz Bellucci RND 2
8 Robin Soderling vs. Marcel Granollers RND 1
9 Fernando Verdasco vs. Ivan Sergeyev RND 2
10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Sergiy Stakhovsky RND 1
11 Fernando Gonzalez vs. Marsel Ilhan RND 2
12 Gael Monfils vs. To Be Determined RND 2
13 Radek Stepanek lost to Ivo Karlovic RND 1
14 Marin Cilic vs. Bernard Tomic RND 2
16 Tommy Robredo vs. Santiago Giraldo RND 1
17 David Ferrer vs. Frederico Gil RND 1
18 Tommy Haas vs. Simon Greul RND 1
19 Stanislas Wawrinka vs. Igor Kunitsyn RND 2
20 Mikhail Youzhny vs. Richard Gasquet RND 1
21 Tomas Berdych vs. Evgeny Korolev RND 2
22 Lleyton Hewitt vs. Ricardo Hocevar RND 1
23 Juan Carlos Ferrero vs. Ivan Dodig RND 1
24 Ivan Ljubicic vs. Andrey Golubev RND 2
25 Sam Querrey lost to Rainer Schuettler RND 1
26 Nicolas Almagro vs. Xavier Malisse RND 1
27 Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. Wayne Odesnik RND 2
28 Jurgen Melzer vs. Florent Serra RND 1
29 Viktor Troicki vs. Florian Mayer RND 2
30 Juan Monaco vs. Ernests Gulbis RND 1
31 Albert Montanes vs. Oscar Hernandez RND 1
32 Jeremy Chardy vs. Denis Istomin RND 1

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Kirilenko shocks Sharapova in AO First Round

One thing was certain in the first match at Rod Laver Arena in the 2010 Australian Open - a 22-year old Russian named Maria will emerge victorious. But in many expert's list, the player would have a different last name. Instead, Maria Kirilenko proved them wrong by beating Maria Sharapova in three tightly contested sets 7-6(4) 3-6 6-4.

It was Sharapova's 77 unforced errors that did her, a number that included 11 double faults. Kirilenko meanwhile, was steady but intense. She did show some nerves after she got broken while trying to serve for the match at 5-3. In the end, it was Sharapova's winner-unforced errors ration that did her in. She made 45 winners, but 77 errors as compared to the other Maria who had 26 winners but a far less 41 errors.

The two Marias, friends off the court, produced a very competitive match to open up the Australian Open 2010 at the main showcourt. Sharapova's loss would be her first in a grand slam after 26 consecutive first round wins. She is the champion in 2008 and is in everyone's top five list to win the first major of the year. Instead, she has now lost before the fourth round in the last three majors she joined.

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Isner wins 1st Title; Dementieva bags Sydney

WEEK 2: It's the second week of the year and all tournament finals are completed by end of day Saturday as the players shift their focus to the first grand slam of the year. It's a tough calendar - just 2 weeks of official tournament tune-ups and boom, we have the Australian Open. It really would be great if there would be at least four weeks of tune-up tournaments before the first major of the year commences. Better still, why not make the first tournaments of the year be an Asia-Pacific swing? Bunch all of the tournaments in the Middle East, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, China, India, Australia and New Zealand and let them be the lead-up to the Australian Open in Melbourne. That would be swell. Anyway, I digress. This is my second edition of winners and non-winners as a wrap-up to the second week of this season's tennis calendar.

LOVE:

Gilles Simon. The #15 seed and number three Frenchman withdraws from the Australian Open draw. He was seeded to meet Roger Federer in the round of 16. #17 seed David Ferrer takes his place, while world #33 rank John Isner inherits Ferrer's place.

Gael Monfils. World #13 and top seed withdraws from the Medibank International Sydney tournament.

Sam Querrey. Don't look now but the US Open series champion has started the year with two consecutive first round losses.

FIFTEEN:

Juan Martin del Potro. 2009 US Open champion pulls out of the Kooyong exhibition with an injury. Hope it heals in time for the Australian Open.

Australian Ladies. Alicia Molik on the comeback trail, and Australian Open 2009 newsmaker Jelena Dokic both crash out in the second round of the MOORILLA HOBART INTERNATIONAL tournament.

THIRTY:

Dinara Safina. In first tournament of the year, world #2 wins two rounds in Sydney before getting blitzed by Elena Dementieva, 62 63 in the quarterfinals.

Tommy Robredo. World #16 and top seed loses in the quarterfinals of the Heineken Open in New Zealand. He did give a fight, going down in three sets to eventual champion John Isner.

DEUCE:

Belgian Ladies. Only one Belgian ladies player can make it to the semifinals as all four Belgian women tennis players are put in one quadrant. Kirsten Flipkens was drawn to play Justine Henin in the first round. Yanina Wickmayer and Henin will fight each other for a quarterfinal berth if both make it to the fourth round. Awaiting the winner of that match will be 2009 US Open champion Kim Clijsters.

Serena Williams. Sure, she won four matches in reaching the Sydney finals but her limited mobility in the tournament's last match may be a concern heading into the Australian Open.

ADVANTAGE:

French Players. Arnaud Clement and Richard Gasquet reached the finals in Auckland and Sydney, respectively. Aravane Rezai reached the semifinals of Sydney that boasted nine of the top ten players in the world. She pushed the younger Williams in to a third set before going down 36 75 64.

Shahar Peer. Israeli second seed reaches the finals of the Hobart tournament.

GAME:

Alona Bondarenko. The older Bondarenko sister wins her second WTA tournament at the Hobart tournament after winning her only other tournament three years ago. She last won in the Luxembourg tournament in 2006.

John Isner. Unseeded American wins his first ATP tournament. I remember watching this guy lose to India's Somdev Devvarman in an NCAA championship match some years back. Their pro careers have turned out to be very different though. At current rank of #33, Isner also gets seeded for the first time in a grand slam after Simon of France pulls out. Devvarman on the other hand, lost in the last round of the qualifying tournament.

Elena Dementieva. Enters the Australian Open after scoring resounding straight set victories over #6 Victoria Azarenka, #2 Safina, and #1 Williams. She scored wins over Safina and Williams last year but fell to Williams in the semifinals of the Australian Open. She'll be hoping for a different ending this time.

Marcos Baghdatis. Though unseeded, the 2006 Australian Open finalist beat seeds Lleyton Hewitt and Viktor Troicki on his way to the Sydney final. He then downs Richard Gasquet 64 76(2) in the finals and will be heading to Melbourne as one of the unseeded players who could surprise a seed or two. With the victory, he ups his ranking from #42 to #31.

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2010 Australian Open - Men's Singles Draw Predictions

For the men's singles titles, I believe there are seven different players that have a shot of lifting the trophy by the end of the 2010 Australian Open. They also happen to be the top seven ranked men in the world. Here's a breakdown of the men's singles draw by quadrant, and my predictions on which players will perform the best.

Top Half – 1st Quadrant
Top Performers: #1 Roger Federer, #6 Nikolay Davydenko, #9 Fernando Verdasco
Will Not Meet Seeding: #17 David Ferrer
Unseeded Surprise: Marcos Baghdatis

Sure, Davydenko has beaten Federer in their last two tournaments but would he be able to take out the world #1 in a five setter at a grand slam quarterfinal? I'm sure Federer's insane streak of 20+ straight Grand Slam semifinals appearances will end, but it wouldn't be in this tournament. Look out to for former Australian Open finalist, Baghdatis to do some damage. He's coming into Melbourne with a tournament win at Sydney.

Top Half – 2nd Quadrant

Top Performers: #3 Novak Djokovic, #10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, #8 Robin Soderling
Will Not Meet Seeding: #16 Tommy Robredo
Unseeded Surprise: Richard Gasquet

Soderling has been eliminated in the past three grand slams by Federer, but I'm giving the nod to Tsonga, a former AO finalist to win their potential fourth rounder. I'm betting for Gasquet to make it to the fourth round. It would be a big upset if Djokovic will not reach the semifinals.

Bottom Half – 3rd Quadrant

Top Performers: #7 Andy Roddick, #4 Juan Martin del Potro, #14 Marin Cilic
Will Not Meet Seeding: #11 Fernando Gonzalez
Unseeded Surprise: Evgeny Korolev

Roddick has reached 4 previous semifinals here and I think he will overcome a not so healthy Del Potro in the quarterfinals. It's tough to pick against Gonzalez not to reach the fourth round, but he has the least impressive recent results. As for my unseeded surprise, didn't Korolev do well in the Hopman Cup?

Bottom Half – 4th Quadrant

Top Performers: #7 Andy Murray, #2 Rafael Nadal, #12 Gael Monfils
Will Not Meet Seeding: #13 Radek Stepanek
Unseeded Surprise: Ivo Karlovic

Nadal may be seeded #2 and is the defending champion, but he hasn't beaten a top player in such a long time. His last tournament win was in April 2009. Murray is a great hard court player and is coming into the tournament without any health issues. He'll represent this quadrant in the semis. Look out for Karlovic to oust Stepanek in the first round.

Top Three Picks

#1. Roger Federer. It's tough to pick against the Fed. It will be a grueling task to get past Davydenko and Djokovic just to reach the finals but he'll pass the test with flying colors and add Grand Slam #16 to his collection.

#2. Andy Murray. Same with Federer – he'll have to go pass Nadal and Roddick, two potential winners just to reach the finals. But I feel that he is just so talented to keep on losing before the semifinals. If Federer is playing below 90%, he may even win his first major here.

#3. Novak Djokovic. He can give Federer a headache any given day. He already has beaten the #1 player in the semifinals of the Australian Open on his way to his first grand slam title in 2008. It will be a close match. If Federer is off and he will be in the finals against any player not named Murray, he'll be my favorite to win his second Australian Open.

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Wickmayer Qualifies; Simon out of Australian Open

Yanina Wickmayer scored a 60 60 victory over Lourdes Dominguez Lino of Spain in the last round of qualifying for the main draw of the 2010 Australian Open ladies singles tournament. Meanwhile, the first major of the year suffered its first seeded casualty when world #15 Gilles Simon of France was forced to withdraw with a right knee injury a few days before the tournament starts.

Wickmayer and her fans must have breathed a huge sigh of relief. What remains to be seen would be her first round opponent. Seeded players such as compatriot Kim Clijsters, Australia's #1 Samantha Stosur, and 2008 Australian Open finalist Ana Ivanovic could very well be her first round opponent. Wickmayer had to go through the qualifying rounds after the tournament organizers refused to grant her a wild card into the main draw. She will now enter the tournament with the best record amongst the women tennis players at eight wins, zero losses for the year. She won the Auckland tournament last week.

Simon of France, a quarter-finalist at Melbourne last year was due to play Frederico Gil of Portugal for his first round match. He is in the same quadrant as Roger Federer and would have faced the world #1 if both reached the fourth round. Simon reached a career-high ranking of #6 in January 2009.

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Dementieva beats Serena in Sydney

Elena Dementieva successfully defended her crown by beating Serena Williams in the final of the Medibank International Sydney. Dementieva took advantage of Williams' limited movement in posting a 6-3 6-2 victory. It was her second straight win at this tournament having also beaten Dinara Safina in last year's finals. Dementieva now starts the year with a perfect 5-0 record, while Williams will go into the Australian Open with a 4-1 record. Dementieva has now beaten the world #1 five times in their last eight matches. It also stopped Serena's winning run at 9 matches dating back to the WTA Tour Championships last November.

Despite the loss, Serena Williams is still considered as the heavy favorite to win the Australian Open ladies singles title. Last year, Williams also lost to Dementieva in the semifinals of the Sydney tournament, with a more lopsided 63 61 score. They however met in the semifinal stage at the Australian Open 2009 and Williams scored a more important 63 64 victory. Williams then defeated Safina in the finals to win her tenth grand slam title.

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2010 Australian Open - Women's Singles Draw Predictions

Three of the four finalists for the Sydney and Hobart tournaments were in my favorite list. Serena Williams and Elena Dementieva contested the Sydney title, and Shahar Peer reached the Hobart finals. I intentionally left out the Bondarenko sisters in favor of other players – so I can't claim 100% success rate this time. The bad thing about predicting achievers in a tournament is that you put yourself in a situation where you could be totally wrong. The good thing about it? It's fun, fun, and fun.

For the first grand slam of the year, I decided to do the following per quadrant (a) pick three seeds that will perform the best; (b) pick a seed that will underperform; and (c) pick an unseeded player that is most likely to achieve in that part of the draw. Here are my predictions:

Top Half – 1st Quadrant

Top Performers: #1 Serena Williams, #20 Ana Ivanovic, #7 Victoria Azarenka
Will Not Meet Seeding: #13 Samantha Stosur
Unseeded Surprise: Kimiko Date Krumm

Top Half – 2nd Quadrant

Top Performers: #6 Venus Williams, #16 Na Li, #14 Caroline Wozniacki
Will Not Meet Seeding: #10 Agnieszka Radwanska
Unseeded Surprise: Alicia Molik

Bottom Half – 3rd Quadrant

Top Performers: #15 Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin, #26 Aravane Rezai
Will Not Meet Seeding: #3 Svetlana Kuznetsova
Unseeded Surprise: Justine Henin

Bottom Half – 4th Quadrant

Top Performers: #2 Dinara Safina, #14 Maria Sharapova, #11 Marion Bartoli
Will Not Meet Seeding: #8 Jelena Jankovic
Unseeded Surprise: Shuai Peng

Top 3 Favorites to Win the Title:

1. Serena Williams – hard to bet against the defending champion. She would be highly motivated to win with the Belgians back in the fold. The only concern is the injury that didn't allow her to move well against Dementieva.

2. Kim Clijsters – she's on the other side of the draw from Serena Williams. If she gets to play Kuznetsova and Henin back-to-back just to reach the semifinals, she my be too tired to face the winner of the Safina – Sharapova quadrant.

3. Dinara Safina – why is she ranked so high? She's beaten Sharapova twice in grand slam fourth round matches though this was at the French Open. And, the other bottom half quadrant is just so loaded with tough players that they'll wear each other out before they reach the semifinals.

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Wickmayer into last round of qualifying

Yanina Wickmayer, the rising Belgian star ranked #16 in the world moved to the third and last round of qualifying for the 2010 Australian Open after beating Naomi Cadavay of Great Britain. A day after escaping with a third set come from behind victory in the first round of qualifying, Wickmayer needed less than an hour in disposing of Cadavay - 60 61. She won more than twice as many points as her opponent, 54 - 26, and finished the match with an incredible 0 unforced errors. She never faced a breakpoint while converting six of the eleven break points against Cadavay.

Wickmayer will face Lourdes Dominguez Lino of Spain for a slot in the women's singles draw. Despite being ranked #16 and winning the Auckland tournament last week, Wickmayer was forced to join the qualifying tournament since she was suspended when the entry list for the first grand slam of the year was finalized last December 2009. Her suspension was eventually lifted but she was denied an outright wildcard into the main draw by tournament organizers.

After the draw was announced today, any of the following twelve players may face Wickmayer if she qualifies:

- PETKOVIC, Andrea GER
- #13 STOSUR, Samantha AUS
- DULKO, Gisela ARG
- IVANOVIC, Ana SRB
- GROTH, Jarmila AUS (WildCard)
- DULGHERU, Alexandra ROU
- #15 CLIJSTERS, Kim BEL
- GOVORTSOVA, Olga BLR
- HERCOG, Polona SLO
- #31 BONDARENKO, Alona UKR
- BACSINSZKY, Timea SUI
- ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA, Barbora CZE

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Serena vs Dementieva in Sydney Final

Top ranked and Australian Open favorite Serena Williams will take on world #5 and defending champion Elena Dementieva in the finals of the Medibank International Sydney, the final tune-up for the year's first major. Serena and Dementieva will be contesting their 12th career meeting with Serena holding a 7-4 advantage against the Russian. The advantage is mostly due to their first four meetings all won by the American.

They've met six times in 2009 including what is touted as the best match of the year - the Wimbledon semifinal where Serena saved a match point before finally prevailing. They've alternated winning their past six matches. Their last meeting was a straight set victory by Serena in the round robin stage of the WTA Tour Championships last November.

MY FEARLESS PREDICTION: Both players would definitely want to win their first tournament of the year, but the edge will go to Serena who will win in two tough sets.

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Australian Open 2010 - Men's Draw

World #1 Roger Federer will have to overturn a two-match losing streak against world #6 Nikolay Davydenko if he is to keep his 22 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals appearance streak alive. Both are drawn into the same quadrant in the 2010 Australian Open Men's Singles draw that was announced today. #2 Rafael Nadal may have to face #5 Andy Murray in the quarterfinals. The Scot was overtaken by US Open Champion and 4th seed Juan Martin del Potro in last week's rankings as Murray chose to bypass defending his Doha title in favor of representing the United Kingdom in the Hopman Cup tournament. Below are the potential fourth round match-ups for seeds:

TOP Half - Quadrant 1:

#1 Roger Federer vs #15 Gilles Simon
#6 Nikolay Davydenko vs # 9 Fernando Verdasco

TOP Half - Quadrant 2:

#3 Novak Djokovic vs #16 Tommy Robredo
#8 Robin Soderling vs #10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

BOTTOM Half - Quadrant 1:

#4 Juan Martin del Potro vs #14 Marin Cilic
#7 Andy Roddick vs #11 Fernando Gonzalez

BOTTOM Half - Quadrant 2:
#2 Rafael Nadal vs #13 Radek Stepanek
#5 Andy Murray vs #12 Gael Monfils

Some Observations:

* Aussie number one and #22 seed Lleyton Hewitt may meet #15 Simon of France in the third round. If he gets past that, he will have a chance against Federer in the fourth round.
* Federer's quadrant has three top 9 players and is the quadrant with the highest average rank amongst top 16 players. The Nadal-Murray quadrant has second highest rank average rank.
* The del Potro-Roddick quadrant is the only one without a previous Australian Open champion or finalist.
* If Davydenko beats Federer in the quarterfinals, it would be the first time that the Swiss will not reach a grand slam semifinals since the 2004 French Open where he lost to Gustavo Kuerten.

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Australian Open 2010 - Women's Draw

The 2010 Australian Open Women's Singles Draw has been completed. There will be no Williams sisters showdown as Serena Williams may meet sister Venus in the semifinals. Kim Clijsters, the 2009 US Open champion is in the opposite side of the draw and can only meet Serena in the finals. Here are the potential fourth round match-ups for seeds.

TOP Half - Quadrant 1:

#1 Serena Williams vs #13 Samantha Stosur
#7 Victoria Azarenka vs # 9 Vera Zvonareva

TOP Half - Quadrant 2:

#4 Caroline Wozniacki vs #16 Na Li
#6 Venus Williams vs #10 Agnieszka Radwanska

BOTTOM Half - Quadrant 1:

#3 Svetalana Kuznetsova vs #15 Kim Clijsters
#5 Elena Dementieva vs #12 Flavia Pennetta

BOTTOM Half - Quadrant 2:

#2 Dinara Safina vs #14 Maria Sharapova
#8 Jelena Jankovic vs #11 Marion Bartoli

Some observations:

* Serena's quadrant has the highest rank average amongst top 16 players. It has 3 top 10 players, the same as the Wozniacki-Venus Williams quadrant.
* Former #1 and 2004 Australian Open champion Justine Henin may meet #5 Dementieva in the second round if both advance beyond the first round.
* The two best Russian performers - Safina and Sharapova may meet in the fourth round. Safina was a finalist last year, while Sharapova was a finalist in 2007 and a winner in 2008.
* Henin and Clijsters may meet in the quarterfinals.
* The fourth round match-up of Kuznetsova and Clijsters is a battle between last year's French Open champion and US Open champion.
* Will Aussie #1 Stosur beat a Williams sisters in a 4th round match like what Alicia Molik did in the 2005 Australian Open?
* For Jelena Dokic to do a repeat quarterfinal run, she will have to beat #27 Alisa Kleybanova in the first round, the winner of the Dementieva-Henin match in the third round, and potentially #12 Flavia Pennetta in the fourth round.
* For Alicia Molik to reach the fourth round and have another match with #6 Venus Williams, she will have to beat #17 Francesca Schiavone in the second round, and #10 Radwanska in the third round.
* If world #16 Yanina Wickmayer qualifies - she may face Stosur in the first round. A win by Wickmayer may make the tournament organizers wish that she should have been given a direct wildcard into the main draw.

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Australian Open 2010 Seeds

The Monday rankings before a Grand Slam is important because with the exception of Wimbledon, it is used by Grand Slam tournaments to determine the seedings. The seedings in turn determine where players are placed on the men and ladies singles draw. The list below contains the men's and women's ranking as of the week of January 11, 2010.

Australian Open 2010 Men's Draw - List of Seeds
Seed - Player
1 - Roger Federer
2 - Rafael Nadal
3 - Novak Djokovic
4 - Juan Martin Del Potro
5 - Andy Murray
6 - Nikolay Davydenko
7 - Andy Roddick
8 - Robin Soderling
9 - Fernando Verdasco
10 - Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
11 - Fernando Gonzalez
12 - Gael Monfils
13 - Radek Stepanek
14 - Marin Cilic
15 - Gilles Simon
16 - Tommy Robredo
17 - David Ferrer
18 - Tommy Haas
19 - Stanislas Wawrinka
20 - Mikhail Youzhny
21 - Tomas Berdych
22 - Lleyton Hewitt
23 - Juan Carlos Ferrero
24 - Ivan Ljubicic
25 - Sam Querrey
26 - Nicolas Almagro
27 - Jurgen Melzer
27 - Philipp Kohlschreiber
29 - Viktor Troicki
30 - Juan Monaco
31 - Albert Montanes
32 - Jeremy Chardy

* American John Isner is the highest ranked player at #33 not to be seeded.
* Andy Murray, who chose not to defend his Doha title went one spot down in the seedings to #5. This means that he can play Federer, Nadal, or Djokovic, as early as the quarterfinal stage. Those three players have won the last 4 Australian Open titles.

Australian Open 2010 Women's Draw - List of Seeds
Seed - Player
1 - Williams, Serena
2 - Safina, Dinara
3 - Kuznetsova, Svetlana
4 - Wozniacki, Caroline
5 - Dementieva, Elena
6 - Williams, Venus
7 - Azarenka, Victoria
8 - Jankovic, Jelena
9 - Zvonareva, Vera
10 - Radwanska, Agnieszka
11 - Bartoli, Marion
12 - Pennetta, Flavia
13 - Stosur, Samantha
14 - Sharapova, Maria
15 - Clijsters, Kim
16 - Wikmayer, Yanina (*if she passes through qualifying)
17 - Li, Na
18 - Schiavone, Francesca
19 - Razzano, Virginie
20 - Petrova, Nadia
21 - Ivanovic, Ana
22 - Lisicki, Sabine
23 - Hantuchova, Daniela
24 - Cibulkova, Dominika
25 - Martinez Sanchez, Maria Jose
26 - Medina Garrigues, Anabel
27 - Rezai, Aravane
28 - Kleybanova, Alisa
29 - Vesnina, Elena
30 - Peer, Shahar
31 - Bondarenko, Kateryna
32 - Bondarenko, Alona

* If Yanina Wickmayer does not qualify for the main draw, #33 ranked Carla Suarez Navarro will be seeded.
* By winning the Brisbane title, Clijsters went from #18 to #15. This means she won't face any of the top 10 players in the first 3 rounds.
* The most dangerous floater in the draw would be Justine Henin. A Serena Williams-Justine Henin first round match is not impossible, but the odds of that happening is very low.
* The earliest the Bondarenko sisters will each other would be in the fourth round. It would be the quarterfinals for the Williams sisters.

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