Saturday, January 19, 2008

Mauresmo and Kuznetsova withdraw from Australian Open doubles competition

Svetlana Kuznetsova and Amelie Mauresmo, both of whom where upset in singles play in Melbourne, have withdrawn from doubles play. Their second round opponents, Mariya Koryttseva and Tatiana Perebiynis, move to the third round, where they will face top seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber.

7 comments:

ken said...

They retired from the US Open doubles the year before last when I was there, which was quite disappointing for me. DO they play together often?

Diane said...

I don't think so. And they don't seem to play when they do play.

Anonymous said...

this is now officially the worst AO for me so far...all my favs are out and out so early!

Dani :(

Anonymous said...

All my faves are out except for JJ, and...well, you know the shape she's in. If she goes out, I'll still be interested, but not nearly as invested.

On the men's side, only a couple of my favorites are still in.

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry about your "losses" Diane, especially Amelie. However, I find this AO fascinating in terms of the 2008 WTA pecking order. Serena, Sharapova, Venus and AnaIvo all seem to be in devastating form! Who will end up putting a huge footprint on the start of the season? Oh, did I forget a vulnerable looking 7-time grand slam winner? Seriously, the potential for blockbuster matches over the next week almost makes me giddy. Any predictions at the halfway mark?

Diane said...

First, I notice now that three of my favorites are still in on the men's side--four, if I'm liberal about favorites, so I misspoke.

Jen, I think that--barring someone going to pieces or getting injured--there are indeed going to be some killer matches. Henin looks vulnerable to me, compared with both Sharapova and Serena. A Maria-Serena semifinal--which I think is very likely--would be something, the way they are both playing. (Of course, in my heart, I want JJ to be on the stage, but I am doubtful, given her condition.)

On the other side, I expect Ivanovic to overcome Venus. It's that bottom quarter that intrigues. Right now, I like Hantuchova for it, but it's a mystery.

Last night, I heard something interesting on ESPN: The commentator went back 10 years, to 1998 (it would have been interesting to have gone back even farther), and every year, thee has been a surprise finalist on the men's side.

Anonymous said...

I don't follow the men as closely, Diane, but I enjoyed Tsonga's game when I saw him beat countryperson Gasquet ;> Great smile! I hope he can keep it going.

You know, I have learned not to discount Justine's chances in the second week of a major. We are in agreement that she has not looked as sharp as the other superstars, but she has beaten Maria 6 of their last 7 matches. The '06 US Open was a huge exception and that win at the highest level is why I give Sharapova close to, but not quite, an even chance Tuesday. If Justine beats Maria, I think Serena is in trouble because she doesn't match up well with Henin. Yes, Venus will have to start losing to brilliant Ana at some point -- this is probably that time. Here's to plenty of thrills ahead on both the men's and women's side!