Combined – Sydney (Premier and 250)

Official Site: Here
Draws: Men & Women
Top Men Seeds: Delpo, Isner, Gasquet, Feli Lopez
Top Women Seeds: Woz, Kvits, Azarenka, Nails

The beginning of the year has been a strange time for the past few years. Typically Fed and Rafa peace out to Doha for the first week of the season, which seemingly takes place in an alternate universe. Djokovic doesn’t even bother. The rest of the events scrounge together what recognizable names they can find and do what they can. Then everyone comes together for the big show.

For the ladies, nearly everyone gets their cuts in somewhere, and almost everyone chooses to play Sydney. This year, nearly every top lady entered, pushing someone seemingly automatically in to a big tournament, Maria Kirilenko, into the qualifying draw (which she was eventually bounced out of).

While the men’s draw largely lacks any dark horses or big names overall, it is home to del Potro as it’s top seed. It is tough to know exactly what we’ll get from the big man this year. His return to the tour was not the Delpo we saw in 2009, and as expected. However, this may be the year that the big man gets back into his groove and there is no reason that that shouldn’t happen. Every tennis fan should scout out his form heading to Melbourne.

The ladies’ field is absolutely packed and has already featured a ton of big name matches that you would expect to see in the second week of a slam. And therein lies the rub. It may be tricky to know exactly how some of these players are feeling (I’m looking at you, Zvonareva) heading into the Melbourne. A quick loss here does not mean that they won’t find a way to work themselves into the Open and find success. Regardless, a must watch tournament with fantastic match-ups each and every day, guaranteed.

Women – Hobart (International)

Official Site: Here
Draw: Here
Top Seeds: Wicky, AMG, Niculescu, Kerber

Hobart does not have a terrible draw considering Sydney is happening at the same time. Some names that could make some noise in Melbourne (Wicky, Peer, Pironkova… Cirstea…) and a pretty even draw overall. On a personal note, sometimes watching these smaller, laid back tournaments can be incredibly relaxing and can really give off the laid-back atmosphere of outer courts at other tournaments. Nerds only!

Men – Auckland (250)

Official Site: Here
Draw: Here
Top Seeds: Ferrer, Almagro, Verdasco, Chela

It’s all about the Spaniards in Auckland, as tennis’ Energizer Bunny gets to work on his season. Ferrer had what he called his greatest season of his career last year as he became a mental and physical force that seemed to defy his age and time spent on court. He has to be the overwhelming favourite to take this tournament, and has to be a name to watch out for in anyone’s part of the draw in Melbourne. Special shout out to Verdasco, who looks incredibly fit and played well in the Hopman Cup. Surprise Melbourne run to come?

If there’s anything these two opening weeks have told us about the WTA, it’s what we already know: we know nothing.

Wait, what?

December 31st, 2010, I easily would have taken Caro, Vera, and Sam for their shot at AO semi berths (or better). Now? Well, I’m not too sure. Caro looks physically weak, uneasy, and distracted. Sam, though I haven’t seen her, has had strange results against opponents she should beat. Vera can be excused, after winning Hong Kong, and Flavia isn’t exactly a pushover… but how to know?

It’s a very different January for the WTA compared to the ATP, no? A few big names play some small events, others play exos, but generally you don’t know what to expect for the men. For the WTA, there’s Sydney, a Premier event that tends to attract quite a few big names. Ironically, those big names have fallen pretty fast.

Should we start frantically predicting a Belgian in the final? Maybe. Kim is always prone to a wonky day, but both Kim and Justine look solid early on and the absence or Serena doesn’t hurt. Overall, I think the WTA side of things is going to be hella exciting come AO. Top seeds are going to be up against some solid players very early on, and there should be some fantastically close matches early on. I’ve always been under the impression that the best matches of the first week of slams are on the WTA side, and the best matches of the second week are on the ATP side, and I think this should really ring true for AO. Keep an eye on those draws, they should get messy.

I’ll have a full draw run down of both the men and women once they’re posted. Looking forward to it, as they’re going to be hella important with no Serena and Sod as the fourth seed on the men’s side.

If a tree falls in the forest… ok, so no one but the people in the stadium actually saw the match, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get unreasonably excited by the scoreline and stats.

First, let’s get one thing straight. This is a process. It’s going to be a long one. It’s one thing to get healthy and fit, it’s another thing entirely to get into match play, have to fight for points and keep your head straight. Also, Delpo has a protected ranking which will get you into tournaments, but won’t get you seeded. While that does mean that, yes, he could be facing a big name early, it also means it’s going to be tough to climb up the rankings and smaller tournaments aren’t going to be a hell of a lot easier.

That being said, who gives a damn?! The big man is back for real this time, and he picked up his first win after a short 6-7(5), 7-6(9), 7-6(3), 3 hour and 20 minute tussle with Feli. One thing is for sure, holding serve is looking pretty good right now. 21 aces, 7 doubles, 57% serving and 80% off the first serve. He was only broken once over the whole match and that came in the first set. Sure, the return game wasn’t great, but having to come back against a big serving lefty with solid volleying? A tad unfair.

More good news for the big man. He gets Florian Mayer next, and if he wins that, either Potato Starchild, Jules, or Kubot. Welcome back, good sir. Please break something in Melbourne.

I didn’t see this match (Baggy winning in straights, with a second set tiebreak) but I did see Baggy in Brisbane and both of them over the course of Sydney, and they were playing some seriously gutsy, hard nosed tennis. You don’t win tournaments (at least on the ATP) without going for shots and pushing the issue, and it was really awesome to see both these guys, who had rough years last year to say the least, coming back and going balls out.

Particular props go to Richie and his sexy backhand, which has been on all week and made the difference in his match against Julien, and kept him in charge. I’m sure this match could have gone either way really, judging by the close scoreline. Any who, welcome back guys, definitely a pair to keep an eye out for and cheer for come this slam and the next. Especially with both being no strangers to epic 5 setters.

Something told me Baggy would be making somewhat of a comeback. He apparently put in the work over the off-season. I’ve watched quite a bit of him this young season, and he’s playing smart, solid tennis. And he seems to be enjoying himself, during his 3 set win over the Rusty Lawnmower. He’ll face Fish in the semis.

Smoking the ball all first set, and taking it rather handily, and then serving for the match in the second set, two points away from victory… and Aravane goes to 30-40, the Ghost of Nando’s Past makes an appearance, and double fault on break point. Then she drops the set. Then she drops the match, despite breaking back twice in the third. Same old crap. Aravane seriously needs to figure out that second serve, it’s entering into A-Rad territory, and there’s no way she’s going to be able to compete with big time ball-bashers when they can just smoke that second serve all day long. And of course she knew it, so she often tried to make up for it by going for the second serve… and double faulting. Whatevs. First ever Sydney final for Serena.

Her opponent in the final will be defending champ Elena, who has looked pretty solid this week from the little I’ve seen. What’s up with Vika though? I didn’t see it, but not much of a scoreline at 6-3, 6-1. Love that the WTA home site is starting to call Serena/Lena a rivalry. Of course. It’s the new Federer/Nadal! Anyway, I saw a bit of Vika this week, and she did not look consistent at all. I was figuring, like Nando, she’d be able to come out of the gates flying just like last year. Remains to be the case, though obviously a semifinal berth is pretty solid.

If you’re curious, Lena leads the head to head 4-3. Might not be a bad final to catch. It will be at 7:30pm local time.

What the HELL was that anyway?

Double faulting, firing every other ball long, and looking down right confused, Dina fell down 0-5 to Iron Chef Agi, and it looked like all anyone hoping to see something of a match could hope for was for Dina to get herself together for a second set, and start using her brain. But they don’t call the WTA the WTA for nothing. (Whacked-out Tennis Association?) Dina looked pissed, and she started hammering the ball up the middle. Then side to side. Before you knew it, or she knew it, she was getting winners, looking in control. Then Agi failed to close it out THREE times. All in all, it was 9 games in a row for Dina from 0-5, and eventually she took the match 7-5, 6-4.

Was this match totally WTA? Totally. Was it all because of Dina? You know it. Once she got it together, she showed how she’s not number 2 in the world by accident, and hell, her serve wasn’t even half bad most of the time. Agi really just lacks a weapon, and her sad excuse for a second serve was getting absolutely crushed by Dina at points. Despite Agi’s ranking, it should be an easy win for Dina, with her ability to smack the ball and really dictate against someone who generally relies on pushing and other people’s errors. Sure enough it happened. As for her next trick? Stick around and see, who knows. Positive things to take, crazy DinaKADs, positive.

I’m not sure who lost worse. JJ, or tennis fans… for having to look at that dress. If it even qualifies under that name. I was kind of expecting JJ to lose, sadly. And I wouldn’t expect her to do too much at AO either. Go ahead and prove me wrong, but really… what WERE you doing all off-season, JJ?

Sigh. In Caro’s first official match of the year, she looked great in the first set, winning easily, got to 2-2 in the next set… and then Miley Cyrus took over my stream. Right. Whatever, it’s late, Caro’s got this, all good in the hood.

And then she loses in three. To someone who lost to effing Kaia Kanepi last week. I’m not too worried, I was sort of hoping Caro would lose earlier than later, so she would have time to rest for Melboune, and Nails IS good. But come on. Concerning. Luckily, being seeded fourth, she should have two or three pretty straight forward opening matches, which will help. Hurry up Sunday.

Quite honestly, I don’t get why at age 39, Kimiko is still playing tennis. She’s old, and the game isn’t what it was 15 years ago. Movement is key, and it’s dominated by a much younger generation that… oh wait, she won?

Grandma Kimiko racked up another impressive win, a 3 set grinder against big hitting Nads. And yes, you read that age correctly. Holy crap. Unfortunately, her match against Vika isn’t going to be on centre court, but damn would I love to see her give the youngin’ a run for a money. A live score to keep an eye out for, at the very least. Show us what ya got, grammy.