First!

Boy oh boy. Stinker just about sums it up.
That being said, I would still like to see kuzzie win tomorrow. Just because of all the talk about the JH-Venus match being the real final.

deux

Third! Poor Chaki. She's had a good run. She lost 1-6 in the last.

you mean deuxième, DMS!

quatro!

The Kuze really is the David Nalbandian of the women's game, isn't she? So streaky, so fit, yet can't get rid of the belly....

unfortunately ptenis - i couldn't root for kuzie - though i picked her in todays match. She just played so poorly - I cringe to think someone with that level of play could lift the trophy.

Even looking at the portion of the venus / justine match that is completed, I get the feeling the winner here will have won her match, not been the last one holding the hot potatoe, which is apparently how kuzie and chakha decided the winner of their match.

Don't look now, but Justine's serving for the first set.

Well, I got a frenchkiss out of it at least.;)

Yikes. Tiebreak now.

Man, the tennis may have been ugly, but at least one of the players looked a lot better than the other. Poor Kuzie, she's got that big, bulky sweaty look going. I thought she looked better a few years ago with longer hair. Anna by contrast looked pretty in pink all week and, as I've said before, she's got hair that won't quit. And why should it? Man, I think I and DMS are the only Chaka fans around here! She'll be back next year and hopefully will learn from today. I only post at work usually (guilty) but I might have to make an exception for this weekend and fire up the old generator to connect via dial-up at home.;) Y'all have a good weekend.

Semaj - I'm a big Chaka fan! Disappointed by today's result but I always knew she was a head case.

Yeah what happened to Myskina by the way? (your ID reminded me of her, Myskina+Trains=Tolstoy)

OK Justine better win this match. She's up 3-1 AND 40-15 and Venus comes back for the break.
Allez Justine!

Every single professional women's player is a head case. Bar none. Some of them go through brief periods of sanity, for example, Henin for the last few months. But it is only a temporary remission, the wackiness always emerges sooner or later.

Let me give some examples: In the Canadian tournament, Nadia Petrova intentionally destroys her racket at 30-30, score tied 4-4 in the final set, and then plays the next point with the broken racket and loses.

Example two, Dinara Safina, same tournament, almost identical situation, intentionally blasts a forehand serve return to the back fence and loses.

Example three, Amelie Mauresmo is ranked number seven in the world. Amelie Mauresmo??????

There are ladies at my local club who could have beaten those two clowns out there today.

Justine has done it. Three breaks of serve at the end, not exactly a bang instead of a whimper. But even Venus' serve could be had, and it was when it really counted against a top player.

Great Match. The Kuzy-Chaky match was too deplorable for me to sit through, but J.H. and Venus just made me mad it wasn't a final. Chaky's meltdown was completely understandable and made me more tolerant of the Williams' insistence that they can only lose their matches, their opponents never outplay them. One thing you can never accuse the Williams sisters of is fear, fear of the occasion, fear of the opponent, fear of losing , or fear of winning, and that's commendable. Sharpie has the same thing.

Bob, you totally called this one. Justine truly played great tennis today. I'll let you expound on what she did so well.
Seeing Venus today reminded me of when she first came on the scene as a teenager. To me she then looked like Michael Jordan's baby sister, and I guess I expected a Jordan-like career of gorgeousness and domination. Jordan was Federer-like in that he moved beautifully and always looked like he was in perfect position. The wonderful war correspondent and sometime sports book writer, David Halberstam, once wrote that Jordan's beauty as a player was what enthralled him as much as the winning. I think one of the reason's I whine so much about Sharpie's and Venus' movement is that I want their games to be as attractive as their appearance. Oh well. Anyone who complains about Justin's play today doesn't know much about the great game of tennis.

Agree with all the comments about the 1st SF been a stinker...and PMac nailing it!

And, regarding the appearance of Kuzzy, her dress is, IMO, much more decent compared to some of her high-profile competitors(do not want to get into names). I think she was within the limits and also professional when you look at it in terms of WTA tour as a whole!

Oh, that was such a mean picture to use of the Kooze!

(Hilarious...but deliberately cruel).

In any event, I must say that the women's game has never been so pathetic in over 25 years of watching the pro game closely. Some points:

1. The top women are a bunch of twitching, neurotic head-cases.

2. It's ironic that, in the first year of equal prize money at all the Slams, the women have put out some of the worst "product" ever.

3. The Williams sisters CAN'T get away with not playing much and still dare to consider themselves the best in the game.

4. Watching Justine Henin play tennis is about the only reason to watch the women's game AT ALL right now. If Justine wins the Open (her 7th Slam title), she will be one Slam away from tying Serena as the player with the most Slams for her generation. If she wins this US Open, I think Henin automatically deserves to be called the better player than Serena. I think it's obvious that she *is* better, more talented, more dedicated, and has nearly as many Slams. One Wimbledon title will clinch her superiority, for me.

5. The Kuznetsova-Crapvetadze match was one of the most embarrassing displays of awful tennis I have ever seen by two Top-5 pro women. No, make that THE most embarrassing. Shamefully bad, in a Slam semifinal.

6. Look for CBS to start rescheduling the women's final AWAY from prime-time and back to its rightful place...sandwiched between the men's semis. The ladies do not deserve prime-time at this moment, and I don't think they deserve equal prize money right this moment, either. When the WTA radically revises its schedule and the top ten players ALL start playing a mandatory 18 events a year, we'll see.

7. And Serena Williams needs to get a clue. At the very least, she should take a lesson from her far more gracious sister.

The first set of that match was ugly, I will grant you that, but you're showing a bunch of inconsistency here; first you say you admire Sharapova because, when it's all said and done, winning is the goal of the sport, not winning pretty. Kuznetsova found a strategy to win; she stopped hitting the ball so friggin' hard. Not everyone would have done that. Safina? Sharapova? Serena? And it's worth pointing out, Kuznetsova may not have looked (or played) like a poised champion, but she's in the final and 126 other players from the draw aren't. And ultimately, that's what people will remember.

> "...Every single professional women's player is a head case..."

Correction: Every single professional sports person (pick a sport) is a head case, either kinetic or potential.

If you're going to drop such a huge blanket, make sure it covers everyone.

[Mike Tyson, Rios, Zhane(sp.), any pro wrestler, etc...]

Keep Smiling

very harsh. are you saying kuznetsova would be a better player
if she appeared a certain way?
what's your evidence?
sharapova looked good and lost, hingis looked good and lost.
kuznetsova is in the us open final.
'appearance' can always be contrasted with reality and reality is the winner. she may look like a covered up sausage in your opinion
but she won.

This site is filled with a bunch of meanies. Why do you find it so hard to say "Congrats, Kuzy!" She won. I was at work and didn't see one point of that match so I won't comment on the level of play (I trust Bodo's commentary on this match), but I will say Brad Gilbert's mantra is winning ugly, and it seems like that's what Kuzy did.

Kuzy is not easy on the eyes, but she seems earnest and likeable. It will be easy to root her on tomorrow night against Henin. Henin is the media's favorite, but she will always be a scandalous do-anything-to-win drama queen to me.

"Little Miss I Can't Breathe." Goodness Gracious! Always drama with Henin.

unfortunately - i think what people will remember is the year the 'toughest' players were stacked in one side of the draw. this womens draw will live on in infamy. imo.

Very good, we are up to three in the Chaka fan club, plus one sympathizer (Matt Z.), a gang of four perhaps very soon indeed.

DMS
As soon as dementieva retires. Chaka is on the weight list.

DMS Gste and I formed the Chaka bandwagon back in winter when her arms were still skinny. You are late.

sorry. wait list.

that wasn't even a freudian slip.

I am glad somebody in this cave gets it.

It figures Santa.

I find it unfathomable that you can't get behind safin.

I knew yao wenyuan would rear her head sometime.

Liking Safin is too big a cliche. Although I feel that hating him is too big a cliche too now. I'm confused.

Silence capitalist roader!

I thought the lure of the headcases would be too strong for your anti cliche sensibilities.

I do consult for both cultural revolutions and dinner parties.

You're critizing Kuznetsova's "appearance" and referring us to SERENA and VENUS of the jewels and the wigs and the finger nails and leather hotpants..and the plain GD awful outfits that belong more in B-bar than on the tennis courts? C'mon. you cannot be serious.

I would like to see Safin cry for an entire set while getting breadsticked before I can overcome my fear of cliches for him.

Kuzzy for USO 2007.

I can actually rally behind the
Kuzzy for USO 2007 Cuz I'm A Sucker For Headcases and Lost Causes campaign.

If Sveta wins tomorrow, Pete, which I think she has a reasonable shot at, will you please promise to write about something besides: 1)her stocky build 2)Eastern European fashion sense, or 3) her funky noggin? Can't we give Sveta major props, big time pls, regardless of outcome tomorrow night, without any snarkiness or winking, for playing horribly, and then finding a way to win against a hot young player with nothing to lose?

Why Sveta stands a reasonable chance:

-Justine is going to have a first set letdown tomorrow after all she's poured out in beating Williams, Inc. If Sveta can romp in the first and play a game that is the antithesis of what she brought out today, she might run away with it

-Justine is mentally running out of gas: even when Venus had totally lost her way by the end of the second set, Justine was visibly glued to her box between each point. . . and looked less in control on the inside than the score would indicate. . . I can't see her coming out as fresh as Sveta tomorrow, mentally or physically. . . and her display of nerves up a set and a break serving at 5-3 was telling, I thought, big time

GL to both ladies. . . Justine has totally won me over this year, and I'm thrilled for either victor.

"Henin is the media's favorite"

Never thought I'd see this phrase ...

I forgive Kuzzy,I think she's incredibly likable,and she did give Henin a fight at Roland Garros and she beat her in Berlin this year as well,I think she's the most likable player in the top ten.

I personally expect Justine to come out on fire, like she did against Kim after playing till after midnight and needing and IV for dehydration and cramps back in 03. Her game is totally on fire presently, and she's endured pressure time and time again in her previous two matches. She knows Kuz will come out firing, and she needs to stay aggressive. If she is, and is hitting her shots, Kuz simply has no answers to them. There is nothing Kuz does that Serena and Venus don't do appreciably better, and Kuz is not exactly a pressure player. Anything can happen in a match, but if it's not windy, so Justine can fire her rockets to the corners, Kuz simply wont' be able to get to them, nor the serves which Venus got back. I think Justine understands clearly that aggressive tennis is the only way to play. Kuz hasn't faced aggressive tennis in the whole event. She beat Justine earlier in the year, but Justine played almost two matches that day. If Kuz has nerves like today, it will be a blow-out. It wasn't her play which won that match. It was a meltdown from Anna.

I'll agree with you about the sloppy match. But I think you are lying to yourself when you say it's not about looks. It is perfectly clear what you meant by your vivid descriptions ie sausage casings. Nope she aint a beauty, that's for sure. But have you looked in the mirror lately? By the way, she sure has beaten a lot of beautiful asses to get where she is.

Marion whupped Justine at Wimbly, ergo Sveta might do the same tomorrow night, it can be done folks, i'm hopin' and prayin' ...

Not exactly a ringing endorsement for the WTA now, is it Pete?

We all knew as soon as the draw came out how top heavy the draw was, and an express ticket to the finals for Sharapova seemed all but gift-wrapped. With Maria's early exit, Sevta became the favorite. And thus played like it. Sloppy tennis interrupted by a few moments of brilliance. And then there's world #5 Anna Chakvetadze. That's what happens in women's tennis when you're healthy enough to hang around and win the little tournaments.

So now we have a Henin-Kuznetsova final. 2003 champ vs 2004 champ. How happy is CBS? (Especially with no Roddick or Blake in the men's semi).

I am betting on a straight set final. Which would make it the 12th year in a row that the women's final at the Open was straight sets.

But of course the women *deserve* equal prize money at the Open throughout!?! Somehow I wonder how Stepanek, who lost in 5 tough sets to Djoko, feels about equal prize money with some of the 2nd round women's losers like Olaru, Govortsova, or Razzano.

Did anyone see when the camera panned to Chris Evert and that old married Crypt-Keeper (Greg Norman) she's squeezing these days?

God, they both looked awful...which is to be expected. Homewrecking is a tiresome business.

DMS, Semaj, Gste, Mrs. Santa - count me in on the Chaka fan club.

kind of an unnecessary comment there, Choice...it's too bad they have to constantly show us the "celebs" in the crowd, i swear the other night we missed a couple points on court because they had to show the interviewer schmooze with Jerry and Larry..it's a sick celeb-obsessed culture we live in...

i'm with you,Ginger, Chaka (as you call her, not bad) shows real emotion on the court, she really makes me want to pull for her...

Crypt-keeper? lol! I thought you were referring to Imus, but it sorta works for Norman, too. And, by the way, he is now divorced. He settled with his wife for around 100 mil rather than fight. The wife wanted to put Evert on the stand. That would not have gone well, I presume.

How about those Williams Sisters, they've got more
health problems than a hundred hypochondriacs and more
sour grapes than a jilted schoolgirl. Show some class and
and some humility in DEFEAT. They didn't give those matches away they got beat like a drum...They haven't got a monopoly
on playing through illness or injury.

Pete, where does that first set between JH & VW rank in your mind? After so many years in the game, where do you think it belongs?

Oh, yeah--I just saw that Norman finally divorced. Now he can make an honest woman out of Evert.

They should have a big Catholic wedding. She can wear white.

And to think so many used to pick on Navratilova and say that *her* personal life was a shameless trainwreck.

Pete, i've noticed that many of your pieces lately are not so much about tennis but just use the game as a background for some wordplay. Sort of like Novak's impersonations instead of his tennis.

It was one hell of a boring match, that's for sure. Pathetic is more accurate. I was bored to tears.

After thinking about it all afternoon, all I can ask is how can tennis be so bloody backward? It's the only sport when their peak yrs. are almost behind them @26-27, unless juiced of course, yet all the work is spent training the muscles & NADA training the mind. Tennis is at least half a mental game. Why the hell doesn't work start on the mind & the emotions as soon as they're put into elite training as adolescents. Certainly by 15. I don't fault Kuzy. How can the Cassal (sp?) Academy be so inadequate. She should have been working on meditating & using sports psychologists for years. She's a kid. So she needs extra help on this aspect of her game. Why hasn't someone figured this out & arranged it? Roger saw a sports psychologist on at least 2 occasions. Ask yourself how long Borg might have been able to stick around for the Rivalry if his parents had the intelligence of Roger's & gotten him professional help dealing w/his feelings rather than merely taking away his racquets in punishment, leaving him no alternative but to stuff them for as long as he could. When he no longer could, he exploded & basically lost half his life trying to find his way back from the wasteland in which that left him.

C'mon tennis brain trust. Wake Up. Join the 21st cen. Can the stigma & teach yr. young properly. Beginning w/Kuzy. She deserves it.

I have to agree that the women's game is pretty bad right now. My favorite time was in the Graf/Seles age, and then I loved the Davenport/Hingis/Capriati age . . . I felt like both of those time periods the players were able to actually compete, and I don't remember the plethora of mental meltdowns with lousy tennis.

My bet is that there are some measurable indicators of declining interest in the women's game by web stats for WTATOUR.com and television ratings and more.

Chris Davis' post:
"The Kuze really is the David Nalbandian of the women's game, isn't she? So streaky, so fit, yet can't get rid of the belly...."

LOL. Another girl with an unforgivable belly is Dinara Safina... it is beyond me why she can't get rid of that.

I enjoy women's tennis, but obviously I will lose much of my passion for it when Justine is gone. Amelie will be gone by then, and nobody will ever replace them, and particularly Justine, who is smaller than Chris Evert, but plays a bigger game than anyone. She just astonishes me, and always has. I enjoy it when JMac does her matches, because he feels about her like I do. He's constantly marveling at her shotmaking, speed, mental strength, and court sense. He almost can't believe what he's seeing, just as when he comments on Federer. He flatly stated that Justine has the best backhand he's ever seen, man or woman, and it's his favorite shot in all of tennis. It's mine, too. Her forehand is (normally) her bread and butter, but her backhand is a work of pure art to watch, and she really hits some amazing shots with it. When she retires, we'll never see anything like it; or her, ever again.

She didn't really get into major forehand duels with Venus, as I thought she would, perhaps since she was shanking too many shots on her forehand in that wind. She had some breathtaking forehands though. One which was utterly fearless was when she was in that 3-3 0-40 game. I don't recall which point, but she just hit a rocket. She hit lots of rockets today. Both of them did. The quality in the first set was really something, with both players serving around 70%, something I've never seen from Justine. She was in the 40's in the second set, but still played superb tennis, considering the wind and the opponent. So did Venus. Justine did double-fault in the crucial games where she was broken. The games were so close that neither player could give away points like that.

I enjoy watching Venus more than most bashers. She is so aggressive and combines killer approaches with very good net play that she's amazing to watch. She can't volley like Justine can, but she can volley pretty darn well. She also seems timeless. Let's not forget that women don't win slams after they turn 28. Only Steffi has done it in almost 20 years, and only once. Venus will be 28 next year. Anyone who thinks she doesn't have a few more slams in her isn't paying attention to her game. The "youth movement" in the women's game has the same problem as in the men's game. Justine, Serena, and Venus aren't interested in sharing slams, and are and will be hard to beat for four or five more years.

I certainly hope she wins the title. She deserves it for what she's gone through in her last two matches, and has displayed the tennis it takes to win it since she played in Toronto. She's 1-6 now to win, and I'd agree with that. Anything can happen in a single match though. Whether or not she does, this tournament has been a great success for her, putting some media demons to bed, and really showing toughness in huge pressure situations. I'd hate to see her lose, and it's quite unlikely she will, but she's certainly cemented her place as the #1 player in the world.

Bob,

awesome commentary. cudn't have said it better. Justine's game is just a beauty to behold. I always held my breath in awe when I saw her hit those backhands today.

Love Rena and V. Can't wait for them to play more regularly and keep on this rivalry w/ Justine. They are all so darn good. Agreed that the 'youth movement' aint moving nothing with these women still around.

Bob, u think Sharpie will be the future leader in women' tennis evn with her one-dimensional game or shud that title belong to JJ and Ivanovic?

as for Kuzzy being ranked 2nd next wk....ugh! i hope that's not true... already bracing myself for THAT!!

At least Kuznetsova was covered. Venus looked like she played her match in the bottom half of her bathing suit, or worse, forgot her skirt. Of course women can play in shorts, but her's hardly qualify. Instead they were riding up over her hips etc. clinging to the point of 'appearing' to be painted on. She was constantly pulling them out of unmentionable places.
Sveta played badly, and admitted it. Venus had an excuse, claimed she was tired or not feeling well.
Having bad nerves may be more out of one's control than maintaining conditioning for TWO sets? Venus appeared to be more fit than Henin, but was not. Still it was a great match.

At least Kuznetsova was covered. Venus looked like she played her match in the bottom half of her bathing suit, or worse, forgot her skirt. Of course women can play in shorts, but her's hardly qualify. Instead they were riding up over her hips etc. clinging to the point of 'appearing' to be painted on. She was constantly pulling them out of unmentionable places.
Sveta played badly, and admitted it. Venus had an excuse, claimed she was tired or not feeling well.
Having bad nerves may be more out of one's control than maintaining conditioning for TWO sets? Venus appeared to be more fit than Henin, but was not. Still it was a great match.

I understand Peter's anger at such an awful semi-final, and agree with many of the comments here about the current state of the women's game.

However, I think we should acknowledge just how awful the Ashe Heap can be when there is any kind of wind blowing. Something about the shape and height of the stadium leads to horrible swirling gusts of wind that make top quality serves and touch shots almost impossible to execute with any degree of reliability.

Add to that nerves, and a large minority of the crowd (I'm sorry to say this) that seems to have zero understanding of the game or respect for the players and... well... we've seen the results often enough.

Lets hope the final redeems women's tennis, although I can't see Justine being taken to three sets.

I, too, can get fully behind the Kooze Campaign - I was a bit of a latecomer to her, but she won me over for good when she was talking cornrows with the Sisters. Hatred for la trollette has nothing to do with it, je te promet.

But man, props to Chris Davis for the David Nalbandian comparison, that's a real keeper - and I'm still smiling wrily about it hours later.

Congrats to Kuzzy and Juju. And will you guys chill, Pete said nothing wrong about Kuzzy, her outfit was awful because it was too tight. I'm looking forward to the rivalry between the Williamses and Justine who I feel are the top 3 players. As far as the future of tennis, when they retire, I see players like Chaki and the Serbian dominating. I would disagree about Sharapova being the future. My feeling is that if she can't fix her serve than she's history. Her serve which was once considered one of the best in tennis was the best part of her game and the reason for her slams. She used to get a lot of free point on it, now it has gone south. If Martina or Dementieva had a serve like the one Sharapova used to have, they could win a slam. Without that serve, she can't beat the Serbians, Justine or the Williamses. So far, Venus has been the only player to keep Justine close. Frankly, I don't think Kuzzy can hang with Justine. I believe her record is 2-14 against Justine. I think we had our final last night. Patrick, in the race to the YEC, where are the Williamses, because I want to see them in it. I love the rivalry with Justine.

I enjoyed this blog and found the description of Kuzzy, light and interesting and she was given full credit. To the Kuzzy fans, congrats, she's #2 in the world, and Venus moves up to #10. I love the match between Justine and Venus because it was competitive. It's hard to rank the players because the final isn't done, but to me, so far, Venus has been the second best player here because she has a more difficult draw and took out Jelena and Ana. I would pick Chaki next.

Nicely said Samantha. Go Justine!

I've been a big fan of Justine Henin for years. I have never been a fan of the Williams sisters. To watch Justine beat Serena and Venus like gongs in one tournament was gratifying.

No, I'm not a racist - I just believe that humility and hard work should mean something. It's important to be a gracious winner and an equally gracious loser. Yes, everyone wants to win, but to demean your opponent after a match (win or lose) is inexcusable. Serena needs to take a page from big sister's notebook and grow up. Stop reading everything people write and start practicing and conditioning more. Serena, you are a professional tennis player - act like one.

What irked me was the Serena computer commercial where she uses her laptop to see "who's got game and who doesn't" and then flings away her hapless, gameless, doll-sized opponent. What friggin arrogance! Do you think a class act like Federer would ever (in a million years) have lent his face or name to such a twisted, sleazy ad?

Confidence and pride in performance are wonderful traits. They are great assets for a top level pro. Where the Williams sisters cross the line is twofold: 1) they assume they are so much better than their competition that they don't have to put in the work to win. 2) They refuse to give credit to their opponents.

Justine came out of the box like a tiger and ripped both of the Williams sisters a new a-hole. Good on her! She's playing with intensity, focus and determination. I don't thin Kuz has a chance.

Pete,got back late and watch the semi's on tivo. The first match up was hideous and kept the family muttering about the travesty that is equal prize money. The words of another TW'er who wrote earlier in the year that they wouldn't cross the road to watch a women's match also came to mind! Then Justine and Venus lit the blue touch paper in the first set. They both played outstanding and exhilirating tennis. The strange thing was that Venus was behind all the way through the first set until she won that breathtaking opening point of the 11th game and then served 2 double faults. Whether the illness kicked in after that, I don't know but at that point, I felt Justine was going to go all the way. From the couch, the crowd seemed very pumped for Venus but fairly gave Justine her dues.

If there is any fairness in tennis heaven, Justine will win the final - she's earned it after this week's top class performances.

Hopefully my poor attempt at French will be disregarded - not that I think any of you really care, but I hate realizing foreign-language mistakes after the fact.

I think I'll be missing the womens' final live, but I hope it's a good match. I shall not miss the Djoko semi, though.

It's really so nice to be back here - not the US, per se, but TW. Pete - looking forward to your wrap-up!

For once and for all,can we stop lumping the sisters together.Venus has never been out of shape,and she's professional on court,she hardly ever questions calls,when she lost to Henin,and others she always greets them with a strong handshake at the net and a big smile,you know she's feeling awful,but she's smiling.I think she works very hard off court as well.I Think Justine did great and deserved the win,but I love Venus.

As for the future of women's tennis, and Maria, I don't know. I don't think Anna has the power to win slams. I know she is only 20, but she's as big as she's going to get, and may find herself in the same position Hingis did when the big hitters started to dominate. Anna served at 95/81. Kuz served at 95/80. Justine served at 106/90, and Venus at 108/88. That's a huge difference in serving speeds. When you are only averaging 80 mph on your second serve, that means lots of serves in the 70's, and those are going to get attacked quite often. Kuz was only 77 on her second serve agains Szavay, and Anna was 81 against Peer. Kuz can hit a big forehand, but not as big as Justine, Serena, Venus, or Maria. She will be #2 after this event, but mainly because the very top players haven't played many events, and she had a really great draw. Almost nobody would pick her against Justine, Serena, Vanus, JJ, Ana, or Maria. Players really don't care about rankings, as long as they are ranked high enough to avoid the top players until near the end, and to get into the YEC.

Maria is a top player who currently has nerves on her serves and grounstrokes in tight matches, mainly because she isn't interested in playing much tennis. She can talk about injuries all she wants, but her problem is not playing enough tennis, and she needs to quit making excuses for not playing. The money is so huge for the top players that I'm not sure how often the very top players will play in the future. Serena needs to play more, too, but I'm not sure she will. Justine doesn't play all that much, either, but she does play enough, apparently, and that virus she had is a factor, I think. Venus played quite a bit this year, and those losses got her match-tough by the time Wimbledon came around.

You need weapons to win slams. Justine, Serena, Amelie, Venus, Maria, and Ana have them. Few of the other players do, though JJ has an aggressive backhand. Kuz really has no weapons to bother Justine, and her serve and her nerves are weaknesses which will make it very difficult to challenge Justine tonight, but anything can happen in a single match, especially if the conditions are windy.

Whether Maria and Serena are willing to play lots of events to get back to consistent tennis is an unknown. I think there are physical limitations on how good Kuz, Anna, and many others can be. Ana has the weapons, but not the movement. When she plays somebody who does have big weapons and can move, she doesn't do too well.

i agree about lumping the sisters together. i would at least say that venus has a small amount of respect for the game; whereas, serena uses the game as nothing more than a way to pick up a few bucks for her latest purse purchase...

by-the-way, do the majors keep an ambulance outside the court that justine, serena, or venus are playing on? if you go by what they say, then i expect at least one of them to drop on court at any second...

hammerhal: I believe the US Open actually does have an ambulance on stand-by. (I realize you're only joking, but I thought I'd play along anyway.)

Venus and Serena are so different as women and players - but I wouldn't go so far as to say that Serena uses the game to fund shopping sprees. She is so fiercely competitive, she wants to play and win for its own sake, not for the goodies the game brings her. Not that Venus isn't competitive, too, but Lady Miss Vee is simply fierce in her own way; perhaps more regal and calmly self-confident where Serena gets more pumped-up.

As someone with two sisters myself, I know that in my own family, there are strong differences among us "girls", but at the core there is still something ineffable that bonds us. So I guess in this regard, there's something to the "lumping together".

Samantha,
Here is my rough estimate on how the YEC will look when the USO is over with Justine winning it:

Henin - 4675
Jankovic - 3725
Kuznetsova - 3246
Ivanovic - 2847
Chakvetadze - 2556
Sharapova - 2430
S Williams - 2391
V Williams - 2190

Hopefully, V Williams and S Williams will play at least 2 indoor tourneys and make it to Saturday's play. Congrats to Sveta for making to the YEC in Madrid.

thx tina! >;p

To quote another article on the website:

The Williams' mother and coach, Oracene Price, confirmed Serena's knee problem and also said for the first time that Venus has been taking medicine for anemia since shortly after winning Wimbledon in July.

When was the last time both were healthy?

``I guess when they first started,'' Price said.

*end quote*

Maybe I should lump them together. As long as they win, then they have no problems, i.e. excuses. But lose...then they have excuses ready built because heaven forbid they are ever beaten. Instead it must have been the sun in my eyes, the wind, bad hair day, ...the list goes on and on...

Kuz absolutely destroyed several lesser players in her draw (the Szavay match in particular) with heavy groundstrokes pounded deep into the corners, and some very adept net-play.

Chaki was a 'rising star' coming into the Open for her skill at placement and wrong-footing opponents, and played high-quality tennis against Mirza and especially Pratt.

Their semi was absolutely terrible, but I'm not ready to bury women's tennis based only on that one match.

Kuz gave Justine a pretty good workout at the 06 French -- wasn't she up a break in the second? -- and I'm hoping for a good, tight 2-setter. Three if we're lucky!

I read Venus presser and she gave Juju credit 5 times. She said nothing wrong and still people want to say she never gives credit. Go figure. To me, it just seems like they are looking for a reason to bash her. Also, why lump them together? Bob, the reason why I picked Ana, Chaki and Ivanovic has the future when Justine and the Williamses are gone is because I don't think Sharapova can win a slam without her old serve. Yes, she has great groundstrokes, but so does Dementieva and other players. The thing that set Sharapova apart from these players and allowed her to win a slam was her great serve. To me, Jankovic is paused to make a huge break out, she can play Justine close, and she has win over Sharapova and the Williamses. If Sharapova can get back her old serve then I would put her ahead of them, without it, they can challenge and defeat her. Both Jelena and Ana have wins against her.

Thanks Patrick. To Hammmehai, Venus is ONLY responsible for what she says and she made no excuses. She was asked about the fact that she's anemic and responded but she clearly said how well Justine played and that was the reason for her winning. She gave full credit and made no excuses. I guess it's easier for people to lump them together than to see them as individual. I would hate for people to make me responsible for what my sibling or mother says, so I don't hold Venus responsible. She is her own person and is only responsible for what she says.

It was the US media who kept trying to make excuses for Venus, and kept pressuring her to make them. She wasn't interested in making excuses. She was being honest and trying to stay away from minor stuff which didn't affect the match, but the media was like usual, a dog with a bone they won't let go of. Venus has a much more mature outlook on winning and losing than Serena.

Why lump the Williams sisters together? Well, let's see... maybe because they are sisters and presumably have some influence on each other. Yes, they have their own motivations, playing styles and personalities, but they come from the same mold. Venus is much more athletic and gracious, but the underlying mind-set is the same.

Serena looked like an out-of-shape cow in her match with Henin. Justine was working hard to run down balls and get into position to rocket winners. Serena looked completely gassed if a rally went over 10 strokes.

That doggone little Belgium girl just "got lucky" - according to Serena's dreadful and all-too-revealing post match presser. Hmmm, maybe fitness had something to do with it? Ya think?

In fairness to Kuz, players often do play to the level of their opponent. When junk is coming at you, and you have to create your own pace constantly in bad conditions, it doesn't make for a high quality match. She'll have much different stuff fired at her tonight, and her own play will be much better, though probably not good enough.

I don't think you can made criticisms about women's tennis generally in matches played in high winds involving players who are weighed down by the pressure of a slam semi, and who aren't the best players in the world. The top half has had plenty of good tennis.

Yes,we are fortunate to see great champions like Justine and the WS.And I am very happy to see Justine,IMHO the most complete player the game has ever seen,get the WS monkey off her back.

Like I said,the returns Justine played right on Venus were a key to the match,since her second serve is a liability compared to her first.Justine had an amazing stretch with only second serves coming while 3 BP down in the second set and still got it done.One of the main reasons she's the #1 player is the quality,variety and speed of her second serve.Serena's got a great kick second serve due to her athleticism,but it's nowhere as consistent as Justine's.

Provided Justine still has some gas left in tank,it should be a straight sets win over Sveta,who she (kn)ow(n)s all too well and is a mental midget on the big stage all too often.

Sorry Analyzer, I don't agree with your point. I see them as two different people. I have a little brother and I have influence over him, but it doesn't make me responsible for his actions or what he says. I think Venus and Serena are two different people and should be treated as individuals which is the way we all want to be treated. I can't think of any good reason to lump them together except it's just easier for people to do it.

Tennis Mastermind:

"What irked me was the Serena computer commercial where she uses her laptop to see "who's got game and who doesn't" and then flings away her hapless, gameless, doll-sized opponent. What friggin arrogance! Do you think a class act like Federer would ever (in a million years) have lent his face or name to such a twisted, sleazy ad?"

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Here we have Roddick chasing a tennis ball with a car, McEnroe hugging old guys and Sharpie's dog ...... The ads are okay if you watch them 2 or 3 times, but 30 or 40 times?

I'd like to see an ad with Justine showing us her laptop and flinging away Serena because she "ain't got game"...... LOL.

Venus from her presser, "She always plays well. Definetly credit to her." These are Venus words and the only one she's responsible for. Good luck to her.

Surely, the Williams bashers have read Venus's interview and know that she was fittingly gracious in defeat. Not terribly interested in rehashing the same old vitriol agains the Williams sisters. I do hope Venus's medical condition is nothing too severe. And Henin should too. Venus pushed her to play her very best tennis. And Serena when fit and in form can too. Women's tennis needs this rivalry to produce high quality tennis and cover up the stink of so many lop-sided or poor quality matches (i.e., the other seminfinal). Although Venus lost yesterday, I was never more proud of her. She didn't take a medical timeout, although she was clearly in distressed and almost pushed Henin to the breaking point. She's world class. But Henin is atop the women's tennis world right now. Kudos to her on her brilliant play. Maybe she'll lighten up over time and show a bit more personality on and off the court. It would be good for the game and make the rivalrly with the Williams sisters even more compelling.

Check out this editorial take: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/07/AR2007090702856.html

Hey, my little brother loves to curse. I don't. Am I responsible for his potty mouth because we're related? I don't think so.

If we're going to pick out The Kuze as needing to lose a few lbs, can we please send a note to Asha Rolle?

Rsquared: That was an interesting read. Here's hoping that next year we will see Venus and Serena in the mix more, along with Henin. I just finished watching yesterday's match - great stuff, and credit to both players for their high-quality play.

I liked this passage: "But until Henin, no opponent had been able to punish them for periods of inactivity."

I'd like to see an ad with Justine, doing anything. That will never happen, but I do think that more Americans are appreciating her game. Although the crowd was clearly for Venus, there was lots of cheering for Justine's winners.

If Serena and Maria don't start playing competitive tennis frequently, they are not going to challenge for slams, in my view. Kim is gone now, and in my view Amelie will be gone before too long, but new players are emerging, and you can't win big matches if you don't play smaller matches.

High drama as the William sisters get their comeuppance. Little Justine (120 lbs soaking wet) beats em both in straight sets! Serena mopes like big baby. Venus is gracious in defeat. Oracene Price reveals medical condition. Richard Williams shoots 3 rolls of film with lens cover on!

Maybe now the Williams sisters will stop phoning in their appearances.

Rsquared,

Thanks for the link to an interesting article. "Practice beats talent when talent doesn't practice". Amen.

I have been a fan of Justines for year and recognized her talent a long time ago. The American media doest give her the credit she desirves, cause she is not an American and not a flashy girl only looking for endorsements. WAKE UP AMERICA!! this is Tennis, a sport. Justine is a tennis player who wears tennis clothes, who works hard for her game and she deserves more credit for whats she done in her career. If she got more credit from the media the american public would know more about the great tennis player she is, and would want to watch her play on TV. Instead of showing the #1 player in the world, they show all the lesser rated players and dont give the Americans a chance to see tennis the way tennis should be played and not only a power game. Thats why they like Federer so much but the American media has praised him and given his due a long time and shown his matches on tv no matter who he plays, so therefore the American public wants to see him play. Look back and see how many times, they have shown Justines matches in the major s or any other big tournaments, How can America appreciate someone they never see play. WAKE UP AMERICAN MEDIA AND START SHOWING YOUR # 1 WOMENS WORLD PLAYER TO AMERICA...REMEMBER---SHARAPOVA IN NOT AN AMERICAN, WHY SHOW THE SCREAMER ABOVE JUSTINES MATCHES (we have to turn the volume down for her matches)??? and she's not the #1 player in the world now and hasn't been in a while. Justine may not be a raving beauty but America appreciates great tennis too.

GOOD LUCK JUSTINE WIN THIS TOURNAMENT YOU DESERVE IT!!!!

Mary, I agree and I'm afraid that no matter how well Justine does she will never get the attention or endorsements she deserves. Could somebody please explain to me how Justine can be completely ignored and we still have Kournikova who never won anything doing commercial in which she is serving. I mean hello, she had one of the worst serves to ever grace the court and led the WTA in double faults. Endorsements should be given on the basis of merit. Sharapova and the Williamses have earned their endorsements. Roddick hasn't. Roger get a lot of attention, credit and endorsements, and he should. Why can't Justine get the same thing? Don't forget, she's also the World#1.

Mary: I agree that it is a shame that she gets so little attention. I hardly saw any of her first 3 matches at the USO this year.

Like you, I have been a fan of Justine's for quite some time. I first noticed her play Davenport at the 2000 USO, wondering "who is this little player with the wonderful backhand"? The contrast between her and Davenport that night was striking. I quickly became a fan, and it has been an absolute joy to watch her evolve from a talented player with a beautiful game into the great champion she is now.

I am very proud of her performance in the QF and SF, and hope that she can play one more high-caliber match tonight.

That was what was so great about Toronto. I got to watch Justine play for five straight days, since no Americans were in the event. They showed only one of her Wimbledon matches, mainly since she played Serena, and didn't even show her semifinal, even though she's the #1 player and was the #1 seed. Once she got up 4-0 on Safina at the USO, they immediately cut away, even though it was billed as that night's featured match. They aren't interested in watching great tennis, unless it's an American. She's easily the most talented female tennis player in history, and we'll never see tennis like she plays again. Fortunately she usually makes the finals, but it is quite irksome that they ignore her unless they are forced to show her matches, which usually means she's playing an American or is in the semis or final. Her consistency speaks for itself, and her shotmaking is far and away the best in the history of the game. I do hope she plays until she's 30, and stays healthy. Tennis will have lost something truly unique when she's gone.

Geraldo Rivera was labeled a traitor for drawing in the sand.

So, here's a world famous basketball center, sitting at dinner with his parents, the evening before the 7th game of the Finals. He casually remarks that the tendonitis in his right knee gives him painful fits whenever he moves to his left. He intends on playing tomorrow--he's the center, but he (with the help of his teammates) plans on favouring left to right movement. He finishes dinner and retires for the night.

Later that night, an intrepid pest of a reporter, hailbent on getting a story, any story, breaks protocol and calls the house.
The mother/father/sister/brother answers, and after pleasantries, recounts portions of the dinner conversation. The reporter's piece makes the early morning edition.

During the game the next night, the world famous center retires, in the 2nd quarter, citing inflamed tendonitis. From tipoff, he's been guarded with specific emphasis on the right side, forcing him, time and again, to move to his left. His team loses, so no champagne.

Oracene Price, after Venus lost, revealed that her daughter has been dealing with anemia issues since July.

The Williams Sisters (grouped together) have often been vilified for being secretive about their physical condition(s).

Keep Smiling

All players have aches and pains. Justine's shoulder was so inflamed after the Toronto semi that she wasn't sure that night she'd be able to play in the final. The next day it was sore, and you could see her moving it around, but that's part of sports. She didn't discuss it however, and during the final the commentators didn't even know she had been 50-50 even if she'd play.

I just think many fans, including me, get tired of hearing about the same group of players, not limited to the sisters, constantly parading their injuries around as excuses for not playing in lesser events, but when we watch them play in slams, there is no evidence of injury whatsoever. Nobody can compete at this level if (s)he has an injury which affects play. As far as I'm concerned, if you play in a slam, you are almost 100%. Nobody is ever 100% all of the time. That's part of sports.

Pete,

I'll take Kuznetsova playing lousily against Chakvetadze over that Ivanisevic-Krajicek yawn-fest semifinal at Wimbledon '98 any day. And I'd rather watch the tennis than the pseudo-fashion that some players insist on flooding us with.

"Endorsements should be given on the basis of merit. Sharapova and the Williamses have earned their endorsements. Roddick hasn't. Roger get a lot of attention, credit and endorsements, and he should. Why can't Justine get the same thing?"

This is somewhat silly, to say the least. Asking for Justine's matches to be shown on a regular basis is one thing. But asking for the same endorsements and attention, just because she is #1, is completely different thing. What do tournament prizes serve for? To have that Justine would have to change a lot in her life or character, if at all possible. It does not seem she even wants that.