Clijsters goes all Petrova on Safina

3rd seed Kim Clijsters, the favorite to win the 2011 Australian Open, gave the crowd a taste of her focus during her first round on the second day of the event. Clijsters defeated 2009 finalist Dinara Safina 6-0, 6-0 in just 44 minutes.

Clijsters knows what it feels like. Last year, she was beaten down 6-0, 6-1 by Nadia Petrova in the third round of the Open.

Prior to the match, as some of us were discussing earlier today, the commentators on ESPN chatted for some time about Safina's history of mental collapses, and need to do something about her mental strength. And while that discussion is relevant, it is simply not the whole story. For one thing, the big collapses occurred only in major finals. Also, the commentators--led by Patrick McEnroe--failed to mention the former number 1's career-threatening back injury that took her off the tour twice, and caused her to miss months of play. (In contrast, the same commentators were telling us every five minutes that Juan Martin Del Potro may struggle because he was out for so long with a wrist injury.)

A memorable match was played between 12th seed Agnieszka Radwanska (who Tennis Channel commentators forgot to mention--until the last mintue--has not played since September because of surgery for a stress fracture in her foot) and Kimiko Date Krumm. They each won a set, and the third set was a see-saw of momentum. It was impossible to predict who would win. Date Krumm went up 4-1, but then Radwanska had to take a medical break because her back was bothering her. After that break, Date Krumm was never the same, and it surely didn't help that the usually burning hot Melbourne court temperature was pleasantly cool. Still, it was hard to determine who would prevail, and toward the end, Radwanska inadvertently supplied some first-rate comic relief. Then she won the match, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.

Ekaterina Makarova upset 19th seed and 2008 finalist Ana Ivanovic, Alicia Molik won an entertaining match against Roberta Vinci, Ayumi Morita upset 27th seed Alexandra Dulgheru, and Jelena Jankovic hit ten aces. Among those saying goodbye were Australians Anastasia Rodionova, Sophie Ferguson and Sally Peers. Melanie Oudin, Patty Schnyder and Auckland champion Greta Arn were also among the defeated on day 2.

Miscellany

The USTA has filed a suit against Olympus, the sponsor of the U.S. Open Series. The contract between Olympus and the USTA, which runs through 2013, stipulates that the camera company can opt out of the last two years if wishes to, but Olympus officials decided to opt out in 2011, which is a year early. The USTA is calling this action a breach of contract, but Olympus maintains that the USTA already breached the contract by permitting Panasonic to infringe on Olympus's sponsorship rights. USTA officials have referred to this opinion as being "without merit."

Don't miss WTA Backspin's WTA Yearbook.

A number of tennis and sports websites are reporting that Kimiko Date Krumm will retire next year. When she lost in the Asian Games, she said that she was very tired and maybe would have to quit next year, then she almost immediately felt better and talked about her future tennis plans. Though she certainly could stop after next year, the statement that she absolutely "will retire" was taken out of context by the Asian press and has been carelessly reprinted.

Laura Robson, who split with her coach in September, is reported to be looking for a new one.

Here are some early, and really cute, photos of the Williams sisters.

Peng and Amanmuradova to play in Asian Games final

Akgul Amanmuradova and Sania Mirza played for 2 hours and 49 minutes in their Asian Games semifinal match, and Amanmuradova emerged the winner with a score of 6-7, 6-3, 6-4. The third seed will play Peng Shuai, who is seeded fourth, in the final. Peng defeated Kimiko Date Krumm 7-6, 3-6, 6-2. Date Krumm, who won the Games in 1994, had problems with her serve, and she was also somewhat tired, she said later; she credited the crowd with pushing her to the third set. The former gold medal winner hit 59 winners and made 73 unforced errors.

Chan Yung-Jan and Chuang Chia-Jung, formerly a highly-ranked team on the WTA tour, got back together for the Asian Games, and have made it to the doubles final. Their opponents will be Chang Kai-Chen and Hsieh Su-Wei. Chan will also play in the mixed doubles final. She and Yang Tsung-Hua will compete against Sania Mirza and Vishnu Vardhan.

Miscellany

Led by Li Na, the Chinese team has won the gold medal for team tennis competition at the Asian Games. Li, however, is not entered in the singles competition, and neither is Zheng Jie. The top seed is Kimiko Date Krumm, who won the competition in 1994.

Be sure to check out the final "Ms. Backspin" awards for 2010. Pour a cup of coffee and take your time--there's plenty to read, including stats you would probably never find on your own.

The Bondarenko sisters, at least for  now, have been removed--by mutual decision--from the roster of the Ukrainian Fed Cup team. Youngers players will compete for Ukraine, though Kateryna Bondarenko says that she and her sister may return to the team in the future.

Greg Garber and Pam Shriver say it's hard to pick the Player of the Year. Women Who Serve agrees.

"Tiger" Murphy will slice you.

"I just need to pack my racquets up and leave them alone somewhere, just not touch them for three weeks or something," says Vera Zvonareva, who reflects on her stellar season.

Ivanovic wins Bali championship

Ana Ivanovic won the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions today, defeating Alisa Kleybanova 6-2, 7-6. With this result, Ivanovic will enter the top 20 again.

A match to determine third place was also played, and that distinction was earned by Kimiko Date Krumm, who defeated Daniela Hantuchova 7-5, 7-5. Date Krumm now goes to the Asian Games, which begin November 12 in Guangzhou.

Seeds 1 and 3 out in Bali

Top seed Li Na went out in the quarterfinals of the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions today. Li was defeated 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 by wild card Kimiko Date Krumm. Also going out was 3rd seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. It took Ana Ivanovic just over 56 minutes to defeat Pavlyuchenkova 6-0, 6-1.

Pavlyuchenkova, as is often the case, had problems with her serve. The talented young Russian's serve is inconsistent, and she will need to do something about it if she wants to continue to go up the rankings.

Pavlyuchenkova and Ivanovic to start Bali competition

Anastasia Pavlyuchenova and Ana Ivanovic will begin the competition at the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions tomorrow. Pavlyuchenkova is seeded number 3. Following their match, top seed Li Na will play wild card Kimiko Date Krumm.

On Friday, Alisa Kleybanova will play defending champion and 2nd seed Aravane Rezai, followed by a match between wild card Daniela Hantuchova and 4th seed Yanina Wickmayer.

Rezai and Date Krumm have already faced one another (with some top chefs to help them) in the annual "Cookery Competition" in Bali. Rezai and Chef Doudou Tourneville received the Best Presentation award, and Kimiko Date and Chef Alexander Tanuhardja received the award for Best Dish.

The French player acknowledges she seldom has time to cook, while Date Krumm says that cooking is something she does to relax.

Tanasugarn wins Osaka title

Tammy Tanasugarn won her tour title today in Osaka, defeating Kimiko Date Krumm 7-5, 6-7, 6-1. The first two sets were tense and unpredictable, but by the third, Date Krumm understandably began to fade. Her quarterfinal and semifinal matches had both gone three sets, with one lasting 2 and 1/2 hours, and the other lasting 3 hours. She received medical attention toward the end of the last set, after which she won her only game. The final lasted 3 hours and 7 minutes.

Between them, Tanasugarn and Date Krumm gave fans plenty of excitement this past week in Japan. The Osaka champion, who was unseeded, upset 2nd seed Marion Bartoli, and 6th seed Date Krumm upset 1st seed Sam Stosur and 3rd seed Shahar Peer.

Date Krumm was attempting to break two records. Had she won, she would have been the only woman to win the Osaka title five times, and she would also have been the oldest woman to win a tour title. As it is, that distinction still belongs to Billie Jean King, who won Birmingham when she was 39.

3rd seeds Chang Kai-Chen and Lilia Osterloh won the doubles title, defeating Shuko Aoyami and Rika Fujiwara.

Experience needed

Francesca Schiavone recently joked, after playing Kimiki Date Krumm, that the they had played the senior tour because--between them--they were 70 years old. Date Krumm and Tammy Tanasugarn took the math a step farther today in Osaka: Between them, they are 73, and they will play in tomorrow's HP Open final.

To get to the final, Tanasugarn upset 2nd seed Marion Bartoli 6-2, 7-5. The Thai veteran's serve was working well for her, and she was able to get the job done in an hour and 40 minutes.

For 6th seed Date Krumm, the semifinal match was, like her quarterfinal match, a long affair, lasting almost three hours. She defeated 3rd seed Shahar Peer 3-6, 7-6, 7-5.

Date Krumm and Tanasugarn are 1-1 against each other; each of their prior meetings went to three sets.

In doubles, top seeds Alberta Brianti and Magdalena Rybarikova were defeated 6-4, 6-3 by Chang Kai-Chen and Lilia Osterloh. The other semifinal match, played the day before, featured the upset of the 2nd seeds, Chan Yung-Jan and Natalie Grandin. They were defeated 6-3, 6-4 by Shuko Aoyami and Rika Fujiwara.

Date Krumm takes defending champion Stosur out of Osaka

Whoever it was who said that Kimiko Date Krumm's comeback has been overrated really needs to re-think that opinion. She recently knocked off Tokyo defending champion Maria Sharapova, and today, she upset Osaka top seed and defending champion Sam Stosur. Date Krumm defeated Stosur 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 in the quarterfinals. The match lasted over 2 and 1/2 hours, and its length and intensity may harm Date Krumm's chances to win her semifinal contest against Shahar Peer. Of course, one is tempted to say she may struggle because she is 40 years old, but players younger than she frequently wear out after very intense matches.

I wish Date Krumm had not retired when she did, but the good news is that she is on the tour again. The athletic and creative Date Krumm is a breath of fresh air, and her presence on the other side of the net almost always means trouble for most players.

Cibulkova upset in Linz

Qualifier Eleni Daniilidou upset Linz 4th seed Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 6-4 today in the first round of play. Also in the first round, Roberta Vinci defeated 3rd seed Alona Bondarenko 6-2, 6-2.

Patty Schnyder brought her career record against Gisela Dulko to 5-0; Schnyder defeated Dulko 6-2, 6-3.

In Osaka, qualifier Laura Robson lost to 6th seed Kimiko Date Krumm. Date Krumm broke four times for a 6-3, 6-3 victory.

MIscellany

Francesca Schiavone and Sam Stosur have qualified to play in the WTA Championships in Doha, which means there are only two spots left. Caroline Wozniacki, Vera Zvonareva, Serena Williams, and Kim Clijsters are already in.

Here's a well-deserved shout-out for Schiavone.

And, in case you  missed it, here is the non-diva, great sportswomen, too-cool photo of the season.

Maria Sharapova is out for the rest of the season.

You can now get to know Bojana Jovanovski.

Venus Williams has a new computer game, and you can win a copy of it.

Date Krumm defeats Sharapova in Tokyo

Wild card Kimiko Date Krumm, playing in the first round of the Pan Toray Pacific Open, defeated 12th seed and defending champion Maria Sharapova today. Date Krumm, who will celebrate her 40th birthday tomorrow, defeated Sharapova 7-5, 3-6, 6-3. She will play Daniela Hantuchova in the second round.

Also going out was 15th seed Nadia Petrova, who lost to qualifier Roberta Vinci. Julia Goerges defeated Dinara Safina, Anna Ivanovic defeated Seoul champion Alisa Kleybanova, and qualifier Coco Vandeweghe defeated Seoul runner-up Klara Zakopalova.

In the second round of play, 3rd seed Jelena Jankovic defeated Alona Bondarenko 6-4, 6-1, and 6th seed Agnieszka Radwanska defeated Olga Govortsova 6-2, 6-3.

Date Krumm advances to both quarterfinals and semifinals in Seoul

Defending champion Kimiko Date Krumm upset 2nd seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova today in Seoul. Date Krumm's 6-2, 6-1 victory puts her into the quarterfinals, in which she will face 8th seed Agnes Szavay.

3rd seed Maria Kirilenko was upset by counrywoman and wild card Dinara Safina, 4th seed Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez was upset by Ekaterina Makarova, and 6th seed Yaroslava Shvedova was defeated by Kirsten Flipkens.

Shvedova and partner Vania King--Wimbledon and U.S. Open champions--were upset in the doubles quarterfinals by Date Krumm and partner Ayumi Morita.

In the Tashkent quarterfinals, top seed Alexandra Dulgheru was upset 7-6, 2-6, 6-3 by 5th seed Monica Niculescu. 7th seed Alla Kudryavtseva upset 2nd seed Akgul Amanmuradova 7-6, 6-3.

Petrova defeats Groth in Seoul

Top seed Nadia Petrova defeated Guangzhou champion Jarmila Groth 6-3. 6-2 in the first round of the Korea Open today. Rain has postponed much of early round play. 2nd seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova advanced by defeating Anastasia Rodionova 7-6, 6-1, and defending champion Kimiko Date Krumm also advanced to the next round. Vera Dushevina defeated wild card and 7th seed Ana Ivanovic 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.

3rd seed Anna Chakvetadze retired today in Tashkent. Chakvetadze is suffering with a viral illness.

Top qualifying seed Date Krumm out of San Diego qualifying

Kimiko Date Krumm, the top seed in the San Diego qualifying draw, was defeated today in the first round of qualifying. Jamie Hampton beat Date Krumm 6-2, 7-6. Also going out in the first round were Alison Riske, who lost to 2nd seed Alla Kudryattseva, 3rd seed Ayumi Morita, who lost to Olga Savchuk, and Michelle Larcher De Brito, who was defeated by Madison Brengle.

Date Krumm defeats Safina in first round of Stanford play

The situation wasn't as dramatic this time: It wasn't the French Open, and Kimiko Date Krumm wasn't wincing in pain and forced to move on one leg. The outcome was the same, however. Last night, in the first round of the Bank of the West Classic, Date Krumm defeated the former world number 1 4-6, 7-6 (0), 6-2.

Safina led 5-4 in the second set, and appeared to be on her way to winning the match. Neither player was serving especially well, but Kimiko Date broke through to force a third set, in which Safina did not hold serve one time.

Safina, who has had serious problems with her back for months, is currently ranked number 35 in the world.

39 years old and one functioning leg--impossible is nothing

Upsets, by definition, are dramatic. The upset that occurred today on Court Suzanne Lenglen in Paris had so much drama, describing it makes it sound like a TV movie. Former wold number 1 and 2009 French Open finalist Dinara Safina, playing her first round French Open match against Kimiko Date Krumm, was up 6-3, 4-6, 4-1 when things took a strange turn.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Date Krumm, former world number 4, returned to the tour in 2008, after retiring in 1997. Successful in challenger tournaments, she then won a tour tournament in Seoul in 2009, defeating Alisa Kleybanova, Daniela Hantuchova and Anabel Medina Garrigues along the way. Today, she showed up on Suzanne Lenglen with her right thigh heavily strapped. After taking the second set, she pulled the thigh muscle again in the third, and winced in pain.

With Safina serving at 4-3, Date Krumm could slowly limp, but--for all practical purposes--could not move. She got some help from Safina, who continued the double-fault pattern she established early in the match. But Date-Krumm, standing in one place, also hit a couple of winners, and broke Safina. She then received some treatment from the trainer, held her serve, then appeared to be in extreme pain when the trainer manipulated her thigh during the changeover. She then broke Safina for a 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory.

Safina double-faulted 17 times, and was plainly in distress throughout much of the match, which lasted 2 hours and 34 minutes. Whether Date Krumm will be able to go on, or at least go on without pain, is unknown at this time. Her next opponent is Jarmila Groth. Safina's next opponent is her biggest one--herself. It can't be easy for her, returning to the tour after having sustained a serious injury and after not playing for so long. But even before she was injured, the Russian was preoccupied with fighting her own demons.

Date Krumm, on the other hand, had mental toughness to spare, and is surely the player of the day.

Date Krumm retires in Estoril

Kimiko Date Krumm retired in Estoril today during her match with Anastasija Sevastova; Date Krumm sustained a right calf strain.

Arantxa Rus advanced to the quarterfinals when she defeated Kirsten Flipkens 7-6, 6-1, and Anastasia Rodionova also advanced, with her defeat of Stephanie Voegele. Both the 2nd and 3rd seeds were upset in doubles play today.

Date Krumm upsets 5th seed in Brisbane

Wild card Kimiko Date Krumm has advanced to the third round of the ASB Classic by upsetting 5th seed Virginie Razzano, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Also upset were 6th seed Elena Vesnina, defeated 6-1, 6-1 by Alize Cornet, and 7th seed Aravane Rezai, who was defeated 6-3, 6-4 by Dominika Cibulkova.

Meanwhile, in Brisbane, 6th seed Aleksandra Wozniak was upset by Lucie Safarova, 6-3, 6-1. Also winning in the second round were Daniela Hantuchova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Justine Henin.