King upsets Cibulkova at French Open

Though tennis commentators often seem to forget it, Dominika Cibulkova was a French Open semifinalist in 2009. She is a really fine clay court (and hard court) competitor who was seeded 22nd at this year's Open. She lost today in the first round, however, to Vania King. Cibulkova made twice as many unforced errors at King, who defeated her 6-7(10), 6-3, 6-2. The first set lasted an hour and 18 minutes.

Also going out in the first round was 2008 champion Ana Ivanovic, who has been suffering from wrist tendonitis. Ivanovic, the 20th seed, was defeated 7-6, 0-6, 6-2 by Johanna Larsson. Both ESPN commentators said they had never before seen Larsson play.

Barbora Zahlavova Strycova dragged 8th seed Li Na to three sets, but it was Li who advanced to the second round. Andrea Petkovic won a very competitive match (6-4, 7-6) against Bojana Jovanovski, and Charleston runner-up Elena Vesnina lost in three sets to Silvia Soler-Espinosa. Vesnina hit 53 winners to Soler-Espinosa's 35, but the Spaniard made only seven unforced errors in the match.

Clijsters squeaks into Miami quarterfinals

Kim Clijsters won the first set 7-6. Ana Ivanovic won the second, 6-3, then went up 5-1 in the third. She held five match points, too, but it was the 2nd seed who walked away with the win when she prevailed 7-5 in a third set tiebreak. Clijsters double-faulted eleven times in the match, but has to be given credit for making an amazing comeback against the 19th seed.

There were some upsets today. Top seeds Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta were defeated by 8th seeds Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez and Anabel Medina Garrigues. The Spanish team defeated Dulko and Pennetta 7-5, 6-4 in a match that featured twelve breaks of serve. In singles, 6th seed Jelena Jankovic lost her quarterfinal match to 21st seed Andrea Petkovic. Petkovic, who has always had talent but who used to fall short in the nerve department, seetms to have turned that situation around. She defeated Jankovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, giving her an excellent follow-up to her defeat of world number 1 Caroline Wozniacki.

And then there was the quarterfinal match between Alexandra Dulgheru and Maria Sharapova, which seemed like the Match That Wouldn't End. At 5-all in the third, serving at 30-15, Sharapova left the court to have the trainer look at her foot after she turned her ankle (she had called for the trainer earlier, but had changed her mind); she then received medical treatment. Dulgheru can be somewhat of a wall (talk about fitness), and she was happy to hang in and continually retrieve balls and wait for the 16th seed to make errors. They played almost three hours and 29 minutes, and broke each other 18 times. It went on for so long that Dulgheru did a costume change. Once she hurt her foot, Sharapova really started taking it to the 26th seed, with Dulgheru giving it right back, as she moved Sharapova around the court as much as possible.

Sharapova, who made 76 unforced errors (including 17 double faults), won the match 3-6, 7-6, 7-6. Dulgheru's relentless defense game almost paid off, but not quite. How Sharapova will fare in terms of foot strength and energy is unknown, but she put herself back into the top 10, no matter what. She also did a very good job of working around her injury and the feelings that obviously accompanied it.

Several years ago, I watched Nadia Petrova beat down Sharapova, and throughout the match, Petrova's name was mentioned only once. Commentators Mary Joe Fernandez and Cliff Drysdale could not stop talking about Sharapova, even as she was being hammered by her countrywoman. I thought of that tonight when I had Tennis Channel on (the picture is more stable than on Tennis TV, so sometimes I have them both running). To hear Lindsay Davenport go on, Dulgheru wasn't even there. Funny--I saw Dulgheru play her heart out, change the pace when she needed to, switch from defense to offense, and skillfully run down balls that would have created winners against other players. But Davenport would not give her any credit. Even when co-commentator Ted Robinson said "Dulgheru deserves a lot of respect," Davenport changed the subject.

I enjoy watching Sharapova as much as the next person, and--as anyone who reads this blog knows--I have not been part of the "Sharapova's career is over" trend. This isn't about Sharapova: It's about a commentator's ridiculous fawning over a player--which is problematic in itself--and her subsequent dismissal of the opponent. It took Sharapova three and a half error-strewn hours to overcome Dulgheru; maybe the 26th seed could be acknowledged as at least being part of the match?

(And while I'm on the subject of Tennis Channel: The Family Circle Cup in Charleston, a premier event, takes place next week, but according to Tennis Channel, it doesn't exist. The commentators have the women heading straight from Miami to Europe.)

Passing shots

Serena Williams has withdrawn from the March 8 Nike Clash of Champions exhibition. Williams has been replaced by Victoria Azarenka. (It should be noted, however, that Williams is now walking without her boot.)

Rebecca Marino has withdrawn from the Monterrey tournament because of the abdominal injury that forced her to retire in the Memphis final.

Note to Tennis Channel and Fox Sports: The USSR does not exist; it was dismantled a couple of decades ago, and Ukraine is a country, not "the Ukraine."

Could the commentary of the Doha semifinal between Vera Zvonareva and Jelena Jankovic have been more sexist? Kevin Cusick and his fellow commentator continually referred to the players as "girls" and "young ladies." Cusick also delivered a speech about how important it is for the "young ladies" to receive support, and not be pushed by their coaches, when they do not play well. Any reasonable person will acknowledge that an athlete needs to get both support and to be pushed hard by a coach, but Skinner's implication--he went on and on about it--was that the "girls" really need that paternal care. Well, what they need is to be treated like adult athletes. (This post corrected to reflect correct Kevin; it was Cusick talking down the tour, and Skinner talking down Ukraine.)

WTA live scores are now available free on Android mobile devices.

You can get to know Greta Arn, who blogged this week from Acapulco.

"By the end of the year, we'll know how to pronounce his name."

That alone is a pitiful admission of one's professional competence, but John McEnroe--referring to  Milos Raonic--seemed to think it was a shameless one.

But is even this poor excuse for commentary skills unrealistic? In all the years she played, Elena Dementieva's name was very rarely pronounced correctly--Ted Robinson usually got it right, and that was about it. Martina Navratilova played for decades, and commentators (with the exception, of course, of Bud Collins) didn't bother to pronounce her name correctly. McEnroe never got Justine Henin's right, and she won seven majors. He also struggled to pronounce Jennifer Capriati's name, and she wasn't even "foreign."

Observations about the Australian Open

Martina Navratilova is a great commentator. Her ability to see detail and the big picture at the same time is  impressive.

Note to Chris McKendry: There were lots of countrywomen in the stands, too. What century are you living in? (Also, as much as I like him as a commentator, why is it so hard for Darren Cahill to say the "w" word?)

Francesca Schiavone is a tennis god.

Fireworks, cannons and buzzing planes are distractions, not entertainment.

The chair umpires appear to be taking a closer look at coaching from the stands.

Australian fans really know how to do it with the costumes, makeup and body painting!

Can we please keep the "all Chinese men are short and all Chinese people are quiet" interviewer out of press conferences?

The performances of both Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki do not bode well. Time will tell.

Melbourne miscellany

Caroline Wozniacki had a go at playing cricket.

The Heineken Beer Garden is featuring a brass band whose members are dressed in kangaroo costumes.

Todd Woodbridge will never again send a text message to Rennae Stubbs.

I really need for Martina Navratilova and Lindsay Davenport to stop saying "disinterested" when they mean "uninterested."

Sam Stosur's blue-framed Oakleys make the best possible finishing touch to that nice Lacoste dress.

Speaking of fashion, Dannli Minogue dressed Victoria Azarenka in her new Project D line.

Alicia Molik is taking a break to get married, but will be playing at Indian Wells. (Note to the Montreal Gazette: Molik's marital status is not going to affect her volleys.)

Watch it with the sound off

I haven't had the television on for very long, but I have already heard enough sexism to convince me to turn the sound off:

Kevin Frasier believes that women automatically take their husbands' surnames.

Dick Enberg apparently believes that all police officers and firefighters are men (What decade are we in? To recognize September 11 by thanking a "policeman" or a "fireman" utilizes language that is all the rage again, I know, but that doesn't make it any less sexist--makes it more so.)

Earlier in the tournament:

John McEnroe found a way (I knew he would) to make fun of Denis Istomin because he is coached by his mother.

Commentators continued, ad nauseum, to ask Kim Clijsters about the "balance" in her life.

Commentators regularly call female players, even those in their late 20s, "girls."

Martina Navratilova, who routinely asks the other commentators to please call the players "women," referred to them as "guys."

Headlines proclaimed that Schiavone "does a Federer," when--in reality--Schiavone has been hitting 'tweeners for years.

Virginia Wade is carrying the message about women's desperation to "keep looking young."

As relentless as the sexism* is, there are also plenty of other comments, unrelated to gender, that reveal other prejudices. For example:

Enberg believes that if you are Russian and read Russian literature, you are " a serious sort."

A commentator actually bragged about mispronouncing a player's name (then immediately insulted a commentator who regularly mispronounces a name).

Liezel Huber continued her non-stop USA flag-waving every time she spoke.

And finally, in a moment of significant tone-deafness, Mike Bryan accepted a stole from the ambassadors of India and Pakistan, and immediately suggested he could "make a shirt out of it." (Perhaps his doubles partner, Huber, who "came from a third world country with only a suitcase and a dream," could educate him.)

*There are people all over the Worldwide Web who express so much concern about racism and ethnic prejudice, but the vile gender-related (and sometimes homophobic) things they are saying about Kim and Venus (and, at other times, just about any woman who is playing) demonstrate bigotry at its most disgusting.

Miscellany

Come to Win: Business Leaders, Artists, Doctors and Other Visionaries on How Sports Can Help You Top Your Profession, entered the New York Times best-seller list as number 5 last week. Author Venus Williams came to win last night, and is in the semifinals of the 2010 U.S. Open.

Martina Hingis is--once again--contemplating a return to the tour as a doubles player.

The late-night U.S. Open quarterfinal played by Sam Stosur and Elena Dementieva took its toll on both of them. Stosur had trouble getting out of bed Monday morning, and was not able to hit for very long. Dementieva said that she felt "a bit sleepy" during the match.

I understand that U.S. commentators have neither the manners nor the motivation to learn how to pronounce "foreign" players' names, but maybe they can't help themselves, since some of them cannot pronounce "Huber" or "Evert," either. And how surprised am I than a multiple-major winner, long-time commentator and self-professed know-it-all cannot pronounce "athlete"?

Esther Vergeer, along with several other players, is featured in Vanity Fair. (Thanks to Forty Deuce for this link.)

Bethanie Mattek-Sands reports that: Lisa Raymond keeps taking Mattek-Sands' lucky number 23 locker, Maria Sharapova likes to play Scrabble on her iPad, Nadia Petrova drinks an "alien green" sports drink, and Timea Bacsinszky burned holes into her tennis skirt while ironing it at the last minute.

"NO one's from Estonia"

Last year, Pam Shriver got into some trouble by dismissing U.S. Open semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer as more or less a nobody, and Belgium as more or less nowhere. Today, it was Wickmayer's opponent who got the treatment. Doug Adler, responding to Virginia Wade's comment that Kaia Kanepi was a shy person, said "Of course she's shy--she's from Estonia. No one's from Estonia."

It wasn't a terrible thing to say, but it reflects an almost consistent attitude that U.S. commentators have--that other countries have names that are "hard to pronounce," that other countries are not important. And--given all the comments made by commentators that are sexist, and that reflect a total ignorance of women's tennis--a little put-down of Estonia is a not-too-funny joke that perhaps isn't that significant.

I mention it, though, not because it's that disturbing, but rather, because it is representative of dozens of thoughtless comments made by tennis commentators and writers. From Tracy Austin's patronizing description of players as "young ladies" to commentators calling 20-something-year-old women "girls" to Tim Henman's (successful) attempt to get ATP players to trash the WTA, to the mockery of players' names on both tours, it's often hard to keep the sound on.

Having said all that, it's only fair for me to also say that--except for one or two notable occasions--I think Pam Shriver is one the best commentators around. She's knowledgeable, witty, and, in the last couple of years, has become outspoken about bigotry directed toward women. I missed her this weekend, but she'll be back for the second week of the U.S. Open.

And she won't have to face Yanina Wickmayer.

Williams sparkles, Schiavone stuns

Last year, when Roger Federer hit his first famous 'tweener at the U.S. Open, WTA commentators started longing for the days of the "Sabatweeni." Every time they talked about Sabatini's between-the-legs shot, I would think, "Great--she was a favorite of mine--but what about Schiavone? She's playing tennis now." For though she doesn't use it a lot, the 'tweener is part of Schiavone's repertoire. Tennis commentators would know that, right? Right.

They know it now. Or, more likely, they just know that she hit one today, in her third round match against Alona Bondarenko. In what was, for me, the best set played so far in this Open, the 6th seed and French Open champion and the 29th seed put on quite a show in the second set. It took Bondarenko a while to find herself, though; the aggressive and stretchy Italian swept the first set 6-1. When Bondarenko finally challenged her, we got to see a beautiful display of shot-making from both players.

Schiavone, however, would not be denied a straight-sets win. She did it all--the 'tweener (which set up a winner), a backhand volley down the line, and the kind of serving that helped her win in Paris. She hit 29 winners for the match, and was successful with 20 of 24 net approaches.

3rd seed Venus Williams appears to be pain-free, which is good news. Dressed in a form-fitting black dress featuring an overall fireworks-display sequined pattern, Williams defeated qualifier Mandy Minella 6-2, 6-1 in conditions that were windy, but which Williams said "could be worse." I dimmed the lights so I could get the full effect of that shimmering eleVen outfit.

In the house, dressed in red, was none other than world number 1 Serena Williams, who sat at the ESPN desk and interviewed her sister. It was a light moment, and a treat for viewers. The sisters feed off of each other like two members of a long-term Vaudeville act. Later, Serena went into the booth to help call the men's match.

Ana Ivanovic had some trouble handling wild card Virginie Razzano for much of the first set, but she found her form soon enough to take that set. After that, she cruised to a 7-5, 6-0 win.

Shahar Peer pulled the upset of the day, defeating 19th seed Flavia Pennetta 6-4, 6-4. Though she is seeded only 19th, Pennetta is historically dangerous on hard courts, and was a quarterfinalist at last year's Open.

After Peer won the first set, she went up 4-0. Pennetta was able to break and to even things at 4-all. At 4-5, she saved two match points on her own serve, but the third match point did her in. Peer, who gives everything she has in every match she plays, was just too tough and too accurate tonight. Pennetta has a good head-to-head against Venus Williams, but the prospect of a Williams-Pennetta match is now just a passing thought.

Getting back to the subject of commentators: Today, I heard a commentator tell his colleague that he mispronounces a particular ATP player's name, and knows that he mispronounces it, and--in the same sentence--he went on to sarcastically put down commentators who mispronounce another ATP player's name. The value system here is way to complicated for me to grasp.

Oh, and the commentator and unsportsmanlike former champion who knows what's best for women's tennis--need I even have to say his name?--remarked tonight that the Williams sisters have never been coached by their mother. Fortunately, Serena Williams was sitting next to him, and set the record straight.

Petrova out of U.S. Open

17th seed Nadia Petrova was defeated in the first round of the U.S. Open tonight by Andrea Petkovic. Petkovic is a streaky player whose fragile mentality often does her in, but she made it through a third set tiebreak in tonight's match. Petrova, who lost to Caroline Wozniacki in the New Haven final, called for the trainer several times during tonight's match.

The featured--and very late--night match on Tuesday was a pretty easy outing for top seed Caroline Wozniacki, who defeated wild card Chelsey Gullickson 6-1, 6-1. Gullickson, the 2010 NCAA singles champion,will probably make a decision soon about whether she will return to school (University of Georgia) or turn professional. (Darren Cahill's question, "Why would she return to college?" was more than I could take. Fortunately, Pam Shriver was as put off by it as I was.)

U.S. Open miscellany

Today, I heard a commentator call for on-court coaching all the time. He said that if a player didn't have a coach, the USTA could appoint one (I know---it sounds like a Miranda warning). I'm not sure how that would work for the hundreds of players who do not play for the United States. In more ways than one, the commentator needed to think this dreadful idea through a bit more.

Sania Mirza says that she is managing her wrist pain, and is glad to be resuming her career. Mirza, who was out for several months, has an impressive forehand.

When I saw a photo of Maria Sharapova's daytime dress, I wasn't sure if I liked it. Now that I've seen it on her, I like it very much. The night dress is beautiful, even by itself, in a photo.

I can't bring myself to dislike Nadia Petrova's unusual outfit as much as I think I'm supposed to. (Speaking of Petrova, what was that with Petkovic's dance, after a first-round win?) Aravane Rezai's outfit is another matter.

In the U.S. Open preview issue of Tennis magazine, Steve Tignor writes yet another tribute to Flavia Pennetta--and it's another good read.

Beatrice Capra is the U.S. Open's Player of the Day.

Li out of U.S. Open, Jankovic barely survives

Simona Halep served for the match today at 5-4 in the third set. She and her opponent, 4th seed Jelena Jankovic, played an error-filled mess of a match that Halep might have won had she been at a higher level of fitness and prepared to face the intense heat. But credit to JJ: When it came down to the end, something snapped into place, and she forced consecutive errors from her exhausted opponent to (finally) win 6-4, 4-6, 7-5. Halep was up 5-1 in the second set, and almost ran away with it, as Jankovic made a string of unforced errors. (During the third set, my mind wandered to that Australian Open first round in which Jankovic saved herself  at the last minute from an upset by Tamira Paszek.)

8th seed Li Na, a semifinalist at the Australian Open, did not fare as well. She was defeated 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 by 2009 quarterfinalist Kateryna Bondarenko, who took advantage of Li's run of unforced errors. Also going out were 26th seed Lucie Safarova (def. by Tamira Paszek), 30th seed Yaroslava Shvedova (def. by Lourdes Dominguez Lino), and Bronx challenger winner Anna Chakvetadze (def. by Urszula Radwanska).

Jarmila Groth took a set off of Maria Sharapova, but then went to pieces mentally. She double-faulted 14 times--an unfortunate trend among big servers on the tour. Sharapova defeated her 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.

The Coco Vandeweghe Watch is over. Vandewegh won one game against Sabine Lisicki, who is trying to put her game back together after experiencing a series of injuries and illnesses and a consequent loss of form and confidence.

The player who probably feels the worst today, though, is Magdalena Rybarikova. She believed that Aravane Rezai's last shot in a first set tiebreak was out, but it called good, and Rezai won the tiebreak 7-5. Rybarikova had the second set on her racquet at 6-5, but blew it with a forehand error. She then went down 0-5 in the tiebreak, and fought her way to 5-all. Rezai, the 18th seed, won that tiebreak 9-7.

As close as that contest was, however, I have to acknowledge the competition between John McEnroe and Chris Fowler over who can blather on the most while possessing the least amount of knowledge--not just about the women's tour, but even about U.S. Open procedures. ESPN, I have a deal for you: I'll do the job, and display a quarter of the ignorance for half the money. And I won't insult half of the players.

Brad Gilbert calls for on-court coaching in ATP matches

Citing the "success" of on-court coaching on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, commentator, former pro, and former coach Brad Gilbert (Andre Agassi, Andy Murray) called for on-court coaching in the ATP today. In agreement with him was Darren Cahill, who also said that on-court coaching has been "very successful" for the women's tour. Finally, Patric McEnroe also agreed that the ATP should have on-court coaching.

Though I cannot imagine the ATP going in that direction, it was disheartening to once again hear praise for the disastrous WTA experiment that eventually became a terrible reality.

Rotten fruit

For several reasons, I'm not a member of the John McEnroe Fan Club, but I do like to give credit when it's due. That won't happen today, though, because McEnroe--just when he was doing the right thing--reversed himself and took a bite from a rather bitter apple of temptation.

Today, a man called the BBC to talk with McEnroe, and began his conversation with "We all know that the women's game is a bit of a joke." McEnroe tried to stop him, but the caller ignored him, and went on to ask where in the ATP rankings the top WTA player would be. "You're comparing apples with oranges," McEnroe replied, also telling the caller "You're trying to start trouble."

McEnroe was right. The men's and women's games are two completely different entities, and those who insist on comparing them are attempting to "prove" a point that is simply not relevant. McEnroe had Andy Murray on the phone, and decided to set him up instead, which was, of course, just a different way to start trouble. Murray suggested that the top woman would be ranked around 1000, and McEnroe then suggested she would be ranked  around 600 (last year, John Isner said that the 800th-ranked ATP player could be the WTA number 1, just to get some perspective on the numbers).

Both McEnroe (in his post-tennis career only) and Murray have shown support for the women's game, yet--with encouragement from host Tim Henman-- both got sucked into the caller's intention to insult the WTA.

If (most) men and (most) women were about physically equal, there would be only one tour. The fact that a great number of people believe that the group who is physically stronger and can hit the ball harder is the superior group is a product of a cultural bias toward males. One might as well say that the WTA is "superior" to the junior tour, since most 14-year-old girls cannot run as fast, hit as hard, or balance their footing as well as most 24-year-olds. There is a reason that the tour is separated into juniors and seniors, but the physical characteristics of a particular group does not make that group "inferior."

Women can't win, anyway. Even though physical strength is  prized as superior in our male-oriented culture, a woman with unusual physical strength doesn't get any respect, either. She is automatically labeled "masculine" or "ugly," or is thought to be using steroids.

Complaint central

One of my parents was British, and I developed a lifelong interest in tennis because of a Wimbledon tournament I saw when I was young, but over the years, the tournament has become my least favorite of the majors. Here is what's bothering me this year (not all of which has to do with the Wimbledon itself):

Linespeople wearing long sleeves, and linesmen having to wear ties
How dreadfully uncomfortable and hot is that?! I think putting the lineswomen in skirts is ridiculous, too, but at least there (probably) isn't a comfort factor there.

Putting twice as many men's matches as women's matches on the show courts
That could change next week, but for now, it's bothering me.

An absence of longer rallies
But without Martinez Sanchez-type flare

Announcers saying "Wim-bl-DEN" (accent theirs, not mine)

Reading and hearing analyses of the evolving relationship between Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters
Does anyone care?

The non-stop chattering of John McEnroe

The outrageous sexism of the British press, which is even worse than the press in my country

The ongoing sexism of the tournament, though--after getting caught putting the "more attractive" women (excuse me--"girls") on the better courts last year, tournament officials have, at least ostensibly, toned it down a bit (however, the honorifics are not only sexist, but ridiculously inaccurate)

The decision to not schedule Serena Williams on Centre Court the day the Queen visited
I know Serena got to  meet the Queen (and vice versa), and I know that the Queen didn't stay for the women's match, anyway, but these facts really have nothing to do with the decision made by tournament officials. And with Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal both scheduled, there is little room for misinterpretation.

Is there anything I like about Wimbledon?, you may be asking. Yes. I enjoy seeing the players in their whites one time a year (but where is the clay?!). I also very much enjoy listening to Virginia Wade and Simon Reed. And I actually like seeing the linespeople dressed up a bit, but not in clothing that is obviously not appropriate for their jobs.

What I like best about Wimbledon is seeing certain players who really shine on fast courts. Wimbledon gives them an opportunity to play at their best. The grass season, however, is undoubtedly too short.

Note to Tennis Channel

If I were doing a feature on Zheng Jie, perhaps I'd find a voice-over person who doesn't pronounce her name "Zen-Gay." It's bad enough that Kevin Frasier calls Chris Evert "Chris Everett," and that no one at Tennis Channel has edited the feature in which he does it. And now that the Celebrity Tennis feature is running, we have to hear Christie Brinkley tell us, over and over, how she really admires "Chris Everett." Right.

Commentary on commentary

I generally enjoy the commentators on Tennis TV much more than any other commentators. This week in Dubai, the commentary has been enjoyable, but I do have to wonder where Annabel Croft got the idea that Victoria Azarenka has a history of mental toughness on the court. I don't say this to pick on Croft; hers is only the latest in a constant string of comments made by commentators (but usually not on Tennis TV) who must be watching a different tour than I watch.

And why one of Tennis TV's people chose to do a running commentary on how much liquid Snezana Jankovic was consuming and when her allegedly consequential trips to the restroom took place remains a mystery. Not only was it irrelevant--it was tasteless.

Switching over to Tennis Channel for a moment: Tennis caps off to Katrina Adams for calling expert movement a "weapon."

Note to Tennis Channel

I know you don't care how you pronounce the names of players who are not from the U.S., but I'm still suprised that no one has edited Kevin Frasier's "Chris Everett" out of one of your shows. As of today, I'm even more surprised that no one has edited Justin Gimelstob (who shouldn't even be on your staff)'s "Chris Everett" out of one of the new shows.

Thanks, though, for including the French Open Virginie Razzano-Tathiana Garbin match among the top 10 best shots of 2009. It was one of my favorite matches of the year, and those who didn't see it missed a great show.

Miscellany

Dinara Safina's defeat in Beijing by Zhang Shuai marks the first time a world number 1 player has been defeated by someone ranked lower than 200; Zhang is ranked number 226.

The Australian Open is increasing its prize money next year by 4.1 percent, to $21.4 million.

Evonne Goolagong Cawley was recently honored by the people of the place she considers her hometown--Barellan--via the unveiling of a giant replica of her Dunlop racquet.

Heather Watson will play Melanie South in the first round of a 50k tournament in Surrey this week.

Russia has won the 2009 Junior Fed Cup title.

Enough. I realize that U.S. commentators couldn't care less about how to pronounce the names of non-American (which would be almost all of them) players, but could Kevin Frazier please stop saying Chris "Everett"? And why on Earth doesn't someone at Tennis Channel edit those segments before airing them?