By TW Contributing Editor, Ed McGrogan
Last Week's Tournaments
Bank Austria Tennis Trophy (ATP - Indoor Hard - Vienna, Austria)
- Singles Final: Philipp Petzschner def. Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-4.
- Singles Semifinal: Philipp Petzschner def. Feliciano Lopez 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
- Singles Semifinal: Gael Monfils def. Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 5-7, 7-6.
- Singles Draw
- Doubles Final: Max Mirnyi/Andy Ram def. Philipp Petzschner/Alexander Peya 6-1, 7-5.
- Doubles Semifinal: Philipp Petzschner/Alexander Peya def. Feliciano Lopez/Fernando Verdasco 7-6, 6-7, 10-5.
- Doubles Semifinal: Max Mirnyi/Andy Ram def. Mahesh Bhupathi/Mark Knowles 2-6, 6-3, 10-8.
- Doubles Draw
If Stockholm Open (ATP - Indoor Hard - Stockholm, Sweden)
- Singles Final: David Nalbandian def. Robin Soderling 6-2, 5-7, 6-3.
- Singles Semifinal: David Nalbandian def. Jarkko Nieminen 6-2, 6-1.
- Singles Semifinal: Robin Soderling def. Kei Nishikori 6-1, 6-0.
- Singles Draw
- Doubles Final: Jonas Bjorkman/Kevin Ullyett def. Johan Brunstrom/Michael Ryderstedt 6-1, 6-3.
- Doubles Semifinal: Jonas Bjorkman/Kevin Ullyett def. Jeff Coetzee/Wesley Moodie 6-3, 7-6.
- Doubles Semifinal: Johan Brunstrom/Michael Ryderstedt def. Simon Aspelin/Julian Knowle 6-7, 6-4, 10-4.
- Doubles Draw
Kremlin Cup (ATP - Indoor Hard - Moscow, Russia)
- Singles Final: Igor Kunitsyn def. Marat Safin 7-6, 6-7, 6-3.
- Singles Semifinal: Marat Safin def. Mischa Zverev (walkover).
- Singles Semifinal: Igor Kunitsyn def. Fabrice Santoro 6-4, 6-3.
- Singles Draw
- Doubles Final: Sergiy Stakhovsky/Potito Starace def. Stephen Huss/Ross Hutchins 7-6, 2-6, 10-6.
- Doubles Semifinal: Stephen Huss/Ross Hutchins def. Michael Llodra/Fabrice Santoro 6-7, 6-2, 10-7.
- Doubles Semifinal: Sergiy Stakhovsky/Potito Starace def. 6-3, 6-7, 16-14.
- Doubles Draw
Kremlin Cup (WTA - Indoor Hard - Moscow, Russia)
- Singles Final: Jelena Jankovic def. Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 6-4.
- Singles Semifinal: Jelena Jankovic def. Elena Dementieva 0-6, 6-1, 6-0.
- Singles Semifinal: Vera Zvonareva def. Dinara Safina 6-2, 7-6.
- Doubles Final: Nadia Petrova/Katarina Srebotnik def. Cara Black/Liezel Huber 6-4, 6-4.
- Doubles Semifinal: Cara Black/Liezel Huber def. Maria Kirilenko/Flavia Pennetta 6-1, 6-0.
- Doubles Semifinal: Nadia Petrova/Katarina Srebotnik def. Monica Niculescu/Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3, 6-2.
- Singles & Doubles Draws
By the Letter
(Will return next week.)
McGrogan's Heroes
ATP - Philipp Petzschner
(Honorable mention goes to Igor Kunitsyn, a fellow first-time winner this week - but Petzschner's body of work was more impressive.)
Finally, a newcomer to this section of the MNP. Petzschner, a 24-year-old German, had never previously reached the semifinals of an ATP tournament. He did that this week in Vienna, along with reaching his first final, and winning his first title. And he did it all after winning two qualifiying matches just to get into the main draw. (Note: it was reported that Petzscher "played his opening qualifying match less than three hours after arriving on a flight from Tokyo.")
Petzschner drew the short straw for his first round match, as he was paired against top seed Stanislas Wawrinka. Wawrinka, aiming for a strong finish to his season in hopes of qualifying for the Tennis Masters Cup, gave Petzschner quite a test. But the German aced it, winning in a third-set tiebreaker.
After beating Jan Hernych 6-3, 6-4 in the second round, Petzschner then overcame three more tough challenges. He dropped just six games against the ageless Carlos Moya, who was a finalist here in 2003. Petzschner then ousted Feliciano Lopez, whose cannon serves are even more potent indoors, in three sets. Finally, he met Gael Monfils, who was looking for his first title since 2005 (hard to believe, right?) Petzschner prolonged his drought after an impressive 6-4, 6-4 win. "I don't think I have any feelings left," said Petzschner after winning the tournament.
In the first two weeks of the 2008 season, Petzschner reached the finals of two Challenger tournaments, both of which were played indoors. He didn't win either tournament, and then went 13-16 in matches before last week. Then Petzschner comes indoors in Vienna and promptly wins seven matches - more than half the number of his wins since March - en route to the title. It reminds me of the lyrics to the reprise in "The Last Stop," by the Dave Matthews Band:
Come in from the cold for a while
Everything will be alright
Come in from the noise for a time
Everything will be alright
WTA - Jelena Jankovic
As impressive as Jankovic's play has been in the last three weeks, it's far from unprecedented. In fact, we've seen streaks like this in each of the last two years. Roger Federer won all four tournaments he played after the U.S. Open in 2006, and Justine Henin won her final three events of the year last fall. Their reserves didn't just carry them past the season-ending finish line, they catapulted them above their peers as the undisputed No. 1 on their respective tours.
Jankovic is doing something similar, but with two big exceptions. First, she didn't win the U.S. Open this year, like Federer and Henin did; second, even after all these victories, some contend that Jankovic is still not the top player on the WTA Tour, since she doesn't have the Grand Slam hardware to back it up. This has been debated in each of the last few weeks, and will continue should Jankovic make it four titles in a row in Zurich this week (making up for her second-place finish at Flushing Meadows as only she can).
Wherever you stand on the Jankovic question, it's impossible to ignore her greatness during the last three weeks. In this stretch, she has:
- Lost just four sets.
- Rallied to win a match after losing the opening set three times.
- Won six matches against Top 10 opponents.
- Beaten Vera Zvonareva three times.
- Beaten four other Russian players.
The Australian Open cannot come soon enough for JJ.
Tennis Theatre
I mention football later in this column, and it's the perfect excuse to show theses videos. Did you know that ESPN's College Gameday came to a Division III school (Williams) last year? As some of you may know, my alma mater, The Geneseo State University, is also a Division III school. Fforget that we didn't have a football team, I still loved this clip:
College Gameday is one of my favorite sports shows to watch. If you though that reception was crazy, check out this one from Iowa a few years ago. Makes me want to go back to college:
(The tennis connection, you ask? Chris Fowler covers the Grand Slams for ESPN throughout the year.)
This Week's Tournaments
(TV Schedule)
Mutua Madrilena Masters Madrid (ATP - Indoor Hard - Madrid, Spain)
- Singles Draw
- Doubles Draw
- Website
TENNIS.com Zurich Open (WTA - Indoor Hard - Zurich, Switzerland)
- Singles & Doubles Draws
- Website
Beyond the Bracket
What was a steamy march home in the summertime is now a crisp promenade on the sidewalk. The grounds of high schools and colleges are dotted with students and leaves. Sport is everywhere I look. Fall is my favorite season of the year.
Autumn is the only time of the year that my three favorite sports - tennis, hockey, and football - are played simultaneously. As a fan, it's a sensory overload of athletics. But while it can be difficult to keep track of all that's going on, the fact that there's something of interest going on almost every day makes it worthwhile.
So far, this fall is shaping up to be one of the best in memory. The New York Rangers (hockey, NHL) won their first four games of the year, and the Buffalo Bills (football, NFL) are off to a suprising 4-1 start. Who's looking good individually? Trent Edwards, Buffalo's second-year quarterback, is making believers out of the chicken wing-eating faithful in Orchard Park. In Manhattan, Nikolai Zherdev, labeled a distraction in Columbus, seems invigorated in his new metropolitan environment. But you know who's impressed me the most this fall? Nikolay Davydenko.
Let me explain.
A great irony exists in team sports - you often hear more about what individual players have done, instead of what their teams have accomplished. (The two "F's," free agency and fantasy sports, are partly to blame.) But ultimately, no matter how skilled these players are, they are just cogs in a much bigger machine.
The tendency to overalue a player's worth to his team is most often evident in football. When's the last time you heard about the New England Patriots without quarterback Tom Brady being mentioned (even during this season, with Brady injured and out for the year)? Brady was not the entire reason that New England went 16-0 in the regular season last year. He was undoubtedly a big reason why they did, but so were his wide recievers, his running backs, his tight ends, and his offensive line. And that's only one side of the ball - don't neglect the importance of the New England defense.
Hockey is similar in some ways, but different in others. While Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby, touted as the second coming of Wayne Gretzky, dazzles fans when he handles the puck, more than half of his hockey games will be played without him on the ice. One player does not make a hockey team - not even a spectactular goaltender, the most individual component of a squad. Four lines of forwards, three pairings of defenseman, and a goaltender comprise the Penguins as a unit. Even if NBC would lead you to believe that Crosby will single-handedly win the Stanley Cup for the Steel City this year.
What I'm saying is this - there are unique talents in team sports, but too often, the team itself is overlooked. We always hear about gaudy statistics that athletes put up, regardless of how their teams perform. There's nothing wrong with that, but rarely is it mentioned alongside that the team - the most important thing overall - is struggling.
In tennis, it's different, as things usually are. With quite literally no assistance on the court (even golfers have caddies), the tennis player does everything by him or herself. Their results are a direct reflection the practice, motivation, and talent that each player has. So when I watched Davydenko try to come back in his Davis Cup rubber against Juan Martin del Potro a few weeks ago - unsuccesfully, I should add - I was still impressed with his effort. Davydenko has played his sport more this year than any hockey or football player will during their season. And even in the fall, with the Grand Slams long behind him, he's still hitting shots and scampering around the baseline with a consistency that I am amazed by.
One more thing about the team versus the player - no matter how unique a player may be in a team sport, the play of the team is what matters in the end. And winning strategies in team sports seem to be very similar throughout leagues (ever hear before that the NFL is a "copy cat league"?). In tennis, the differences between each competitor are much more apparent than the differences between say, two football or hockey teams.
Each of my favorite sports has a distinct place in my makeup as a sports fan. During this fall, depending on what happens on the ice/field/court, one will become "my favorite," at least until the next big thing happenss. But even if the the Bills win the Super Bowl and Rangers win the Stanley Cup, I'll always have the most respect for tennis players. They have only themselves to blame if something goes wrong, and when they do something right, you can't help but notice how they did it.
(But that doesn't mean I'll tone down my celebrations for the Bills and Rangers.)
if...
you're a big fan of sports besides tennis, what's your hierarchy of sport? (For me it's 1. Tennis, 2. Hockey, 3. Football.)
