US Open Women's Predictions

With no Serena Williams, the women's field at this year's US Open is about as wide open as it gets, or is it?

1st Quarter

Caroline Wozniacki comes in as the top seed because of Williams' absence. She has reached just 1 Major final and has been heavily criticized due to her seeding, but the Dane comes in on a roll. Her breakthrough came in the big apple last year, and after dominating the US Open Series, Wozzi looks to be fit for yet another deep run. But she's slipped up many times already in 2010, a year that was supposed to bring her her maiden Grand Slam title. Plus, her section isn't soft.

A possible meating with popular dark-horse Maria Sharapova, nearing pre-shoulder surgery form, looms in the 4th round, and should she battle past the Russian glamazon, seasoned hard-courters Li Na or Svetlana Kuznetsova await in the quarters. Watch out for Kuzzie, who's game looks to be returning to top form.

Early-rounder to watch for: Kuznetsova vs. 40 year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm

Quarterfinals: Kuznetsova def. Sharapova

2nd Quarter

When looking at the draw's 2nd section, no one immediate springs into mind as the clear favorite. Jelena Jankovic is the top seed, but she's no sure bet to make a run. When she's fit and free of excuses, she's one of the game's best, shown at this same tournament two years ago, when she reached the final. Without confidence, though, she's vulnerable to lose to anyone. Vera Zvonareva has kept up her game from Wimbledon, where she reached the finals, and Radwanska, Petrova and Wickmayer all love the hard-courts.

This quarter is deep in talent, but low in confidence, which could be just the recipe for a sleeper like Andrea Petkovic to shine. The German has a tricky start against Petrova, but has the ability to knock off the other women standing in her way, like Zvonareva and Radwanska. Look for the youngster to make a big run, but fall short against a certain Serb.

Early rounder to watch for: Sabine Lisicki vs. Coco Vandeweghe

Quarterfinals: Jankovic def. Petkovic

3rd Quarter

Venus Williams should have an easy time sailing through the 3rd quarter, where she sits, seeded 3rd. Francesca Schiavone is the next highest seed, but she doesn't seem to be too inspired after winning the French Open, and will probably bow out in the early rounds on a surface that hasn't always brought her the best results. Victoria Azarenka, though, could give Venus some trouble. The Belarusian has been a popular pick to go far, and even win this year's Open, but it's been more than 2 years since the elder Williams triumphed at a slam, and with her sister gone, there are no excuses this time. Azarenka has had a great summer, but I'm not convinced she's ready to go a full 2 weeks without a mental breakdown of some sort.

Shahar Peer and Flavia Pennetta are two clean hitters that could provide some bumps for the section's top seeds, but they lack the consistency and mental toughness to capitalize on their talents. Anaztasia Pavlyuchenkopva is also primed for a breakthrough, but an early run-in with Azarenka could put an end to her hopes.

Early-rounder to watch for: Pennetta vs. Agnes Szavay

Quarterfinals: Williams def. Azarenka

4th Quarter

The 4th quarter looks to be the toughest quarter, and 2nd seeded Kim Clijsters will have her hands full trying to defend her US Open title. The Belgian played beautifully in winning the title in Cincinnati before suffering a heel injury that kept her out of the rest of the US Open Series. Sam Stosur, 5th seed, was the tour's top player in the first half of the year, but since her runner-up appearance in Paris, the Aussie has looked all kinds of shaky, and isn't in a position to make noise in NYC, especially on a surface that doesn't benefit her lethal kick-serve. A 3rd round encounter with a powerful Russian seeded 28th, Alisa Kleybanova, could send Stosur packing.

Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina and Ana Ivanovic have all been around the game a while, and despite having fallen far from the top of the rankings, are all capable of putting together a run. Each has reached multiple Major finals, but are lacking in confidence and have had dismal 2010 seasons. Clijsters is the safe pick, and most likely the right one.

Early-rounder to watch for: Daniela Hantuchova vs. Safina

Quarterfinals: Clijsters def. Dementieva

Semifinals: Jankovic def. Kuznetsova, Clijsters def. V. Williams

Finals: Clijsters def. Jankovic

Champion: Kim Clijsters

Wimbledon Women's Predictions

This year's top two seeds in the Ladie's draw at the Wimbledon Championships are once again Serena and Venus Williams. years ago (8 to be exact) the world saw these two sisters contest in their first SW19 final against each other, and despite the time that has gone by, the WTA Tour has restored order. S and V may be dominate on the slick stuff, but this year the grass-court slam is no gimme for either of them. With Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters back, these next two weeks are sure to be enthralling.

1st Quarter

Once Serena Williams gets past the early rounds at a Grand Slam, where she usually isn't at her best, the world number 1 is nearly unstoppable. If you want to pull off an upset, the time to catch Serena is in the quarters or earlier (when she reaches the semis, she's won 4 of the last 5 Majors) and there are a handful of women who could be able to stun the tennis world with a win over Williams. The top seed starts with a toughie against Michelle Larcher de Brito, a teenager with heavy strokes and a grunt with an octave higher than even Serena's herself. The next potential upset is 16th seeded Maria Sharapova, the 2004 Wimbledon champion. She is slowly but surely returning to her pre-shoulder surgery form, and if she gets a hot hand, could hand Serena a defeat in their potential 4th-rounder. Li Na, who won Birmingham last week, Svetlana Kuznetsova, who's rank has fallen to 20th, and Agnieszka Radwanska, seeded 7th, all have the talent to knock off ReRe in the quarters, but lack the firepower the American has.

Early rounder to keep an eye on: Sharapova vs. Daniela Hantuchova

Quarterfinals: S. Williams def. S. Kuznetsova

2nd Quarter

This section of the draw is the most wide-open one there is. None of these ladies can call themselves experienced on the grass-courts but a few of them are on the upswing. Caroline Woznaicki is not one of them though. The 3rd seed headlines this quarter but hasn't been playing her best tennis recently, and isn't very comfortable on grass. She is prone to an upset early, and I think Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, a powerful young Russian, will be the one to knock out the Dane in their potential 3rd round encounter. Victoria Azarenka is another big hitter who has a certain prowess when she steps on the lawns. Despite a disastrous clay-court season, Azarenka's run in Eastbourne this week, which consisted of wins over Kim Clijsters, Radwanska and Marion Bartoli, is just the motivator that will allow Vika to make a lot of noise. Sam Stosur is coming off a brilliant run at the French, but her results at the Wimbledon warm-ups haven't been convincing, and she could suffer a letdown. Jie Zheng has experienced success here and could surprise many with a longer-than-expected stay in London.

Early rounder to keep an eye on: Gisela Dulko vs. Flavia Pennetta

Quarterfinals: V. Azarenka def. S. Stosur

3rd Quarter

While the Wimbledon committee altered the men's seedings , they opted to follow the rankings in the seeding process for the women. Their decision to stray from moving women up or down accordingly has resulted in a possible 4th-round meeting between 8th seeded Kim Clijsters, a two-time Wimbledon semifinalist, and 17th seeded Justine Henin, a two-time finalist. The two Belgians will be competing in both of their first Wimbledons since their return to the tour, and both have great opportunities to pick up their first titles at the All England Club. Nadia Petrova, though, has pulled off two shocking upsets at the slams already this year, against Clijsters in Melbourne and Venus in Paris. Her possible early-round meeting with Henin could be trouble for the comeback girl. Jelena Jankovic is the highest seed in the section, and could go under-the-radar and reach the semis like she did in RG, but her game isn't fit for the grass. Vera Zvonareva and Yanina Wickmayer are potential dark-horses who shouldn't be ignored.

Early rounder to keep an eye on: Henin vs Petrova

Quarterfinals: Clijsters def. Jankovic

4th Quarter

Venus Williams is hitting 30 in stride. The 2nd seed, who's birthday was yesterday, is without question the WTA's resident grass-court queen, and no one in the soft quarter she was placed in has much of a shot to dethrone her. V did succumb to her sister in last year's final, but she's had much more success at Wimbledon than any other woman in the draw, holding 5 titles. The next highest seed in the section is Francesca Schiavone, who's inspiring run at the French Open sets her up for a major letdown in London. The Italian reached the quarters here last year, but if she reached that result again this year it would be very surprising. 2007 runner-up Marion Bartoli is talented on the lawns but her current form isn't where it needs to be in order to have another magical run. Two former number one's, Dinara Safina and Ana Ivanovic, who have fallen from grace also find themselves located in Williams' section. Safina reached the semis here last year but has lost 5 straight matches since returning from a serious back injury. Ivanovic has mustered back-to-back wins in just one tournament this year, and the best part is, the two could meet in the 3rd round! With each of them playing the way they are, it will be lucky if they reach that stage, but does anyone care to guess how many unforced errors their would be in that potential encounter?

Early rounder to keep an eye on: Ivanovic vs. Shahar Peer

Quarterfinals: V. Williams def. M. Bartoli

Semifinals: S. Williams def. V. Azarenka, V. Williams def. K. Clijsters

Yet another battle of the sisters at Wimbledon. Venus takes back her crown this time.

Finals. V. Williams def. S. Williams

Stosur, Vika and Clijsters Reach Eastbourne Quarters; Simon Back to Winning Ways

Kim Clijster's return to the tour after a 6-week layoff due to an ankle injury has been a triumphant one. The Belgian looks primed for a good run at Wimbledon, as she has lost 2 games in 2 matches to reach the Eastbourne quarterfinals. After crushing Yanina Wickmayer, Clijsters handed a similar beat down to Lucie Safarova, earning a 6-1, 6-0 win in a whopping 38 minutes. Sam Stosur's win took on a different storyline, as the Aussie ousted Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 after having 3 match points.

Aravane Rezai retired down 6-2, 3-0 to Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, and Victoria Azarenka punished junior Heather Watson 1 and 1. Marion Bartoli worked hard for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 comeback win against Agnes Szavay while Nadia Petrova was crushed by Ekaterina Makarova, 6-2, 6-0. Svetlana Kuznetsova is unseeded at the Wimbledon warm-up, as her ranking has tumbled to 20th, but she pulled off an impressive 3-set victory against Sorana Cirstea, 4-6, 7-6 (6, 7-6, (4).

In the men's tournament, Gilles Simon, who had yet to play a match before his first round win over Evgeny Korolev, and the Frenchman continued his triumphant return with a a 3-set victory against Alex Kuznetsov, 6-1, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (2). Top seeded Nicolas Almagro was taken off the court on a stretcher after slipping at the baseline and suffering a hip injury against Denis Istomin. The Spaniard was down 6-4, 1-0. Julien Benneteau won in straights to reach the quarters, along with 8th seeded Michael Llodra, a 3 set winner.

Rankings Report: Schiavo Debuts in Top 10, Rafa Back to 1, Safina/Kuzzie Free Fall

Rafael Nadal's resounding victory in Paris at the French Open has catapulted the Spaniard back to the ATP driver's seat, replacing 16-time Major champ Rogerb Federer. Rafa lost the top spot last summer after a disappointing showing at RG and a forced withdrawal from Wimbledon, but less than a year later, he is back at the top. other significant ranking moves amongst the men were Juan Martin del Potro, who is unable to play until at least October, causing the Argentine to drop two spots to number 8. Jurgen Melzer moved up 11 spots to number 16, Tomas Berdych reentered the top 15, Fernando Gonzalez fell out of the top 20 and Robby Ginepri improved 28 spots, to number 70, after a pleasantly surprising run to the final 16 at the French.

In the women's rankings, Francesca Schiavone, fresh off her remarkable triumph in France, went from 17th to 6th. Schiavone's compatriot, Flavia Pennetta, went up 5 spots to number 10 while the top 5 was unchanged. Svetlana Kuznetsova had a boatload of points to defend after her 2009 RG win, but she failed to repeat, descending rapidly from number 6 to number 19. Fellow Russian Dinara Safina fell from 9th to 20th after going out in the 1st round. Elena Dementieva is now the only Russian in the top 10, just a couple year's after the women from her country revolutionized the sport, while Italy has 2 women. WTF!? Shahar Peer and Nadia Petrova both joined the top 15 after impressive results at the clay slam, while Sorana Cirstea suffered a 24-ranking fall to number 58.

Roland Garros Results: Federer, Kuznetsova and Venus Advance, Rain Halts Play in Monfils/Fognini Thriller

Sorry I didn't do results yesterday...once again, I'm loaded with work. And Rafa won, but I'm sure you knew that.

Rain put a damper on the 4th day of play at Roland Garros but among those who were lucky enough to squeeze their matches in early was Venus Williams, who was first on Chatrier, earning a win over Araxta Parra Santonja, 6-2, 6-4. Venus was joined in the third round by Caroline Wozniacki, seeded 3rd, who beat Tathiana Garbin 3 and 1. Nadia Petrova and Aravane Rezai both won, setting up what is sure to be an exciting third round clash between the two of them. Lucie Safarova was upset by Polona Hercog 6-1, 6-2.

Ale-Alejando Falla *plugging gaga* served for the opening set against Roger Federer but lost it in a tiebreak, and was unable to keep up his strong level of play in the 2nd in 3rd, falling 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-4. Robin Soderling has been rather under-the-radar at this year's French open but he's easily playing the best tennis of anyone, surrendering just 2 games in a dominating win over Taylor Dent. Marin Cilic, a possible round of 16 opponent for Soderling, defeated Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-2 while Stanislas Wawrinka, also in the first quarter of the draw, easily ousted Andreas Beck in straights.

Last year's champion, Svetlana Kuznetsova, was down a set to Andrea Petkovic before mounting a comeback to prevail 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. A fellow Russian of Kuzzie's, Maria Kirilenko, reached the 3rd round with a 6-3, 6-3 victory and Gisela Dulko, who upset Victoria Azarenka in round 1, was defeated by Channelle Scheepers 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. 14th seed Flavia Pennetta was up 6-1, 5-1 on Roberta Vinci before rain suspended the match until tomorrow, and Dominika Cibulkova, 2009 semifinalist, won 4-6, 6-2, 6-0.

Gael Monfils looked to be headed for a routine win over Fabio Fognini before the Frenchman squandered a 2-set lead, allowing the match to go to a deciding 5th set. Fognini started complaining about the lack of light early in the 5th, while Monfils was persistent in staying on court. The umpire sided with Monfils, and the match continued until 5-5, when even spectators began to have difficulty seeing. Andy Murray was leading 6-2, 3-3 before his match with Juan Ignacio Chela was also put off until Thursday. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga advanced 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 along with Tomas Berdych, Mikhail Youzhny and Albert Montanes.

Roland Garros Results: Tsonga Wins a Thriller, Soderling, Venus and Kuzzie Roll, Gulbis Retires

Is there anything better than waking up to a cup of coffee and day 1 of Grand Slam action? I'd say no.

Roland Garros kicked off on Sunday and tennis' top stars wasted no time bringing the drama and the domination. Robin Soderling picked up where he left off at the 'o9 French Open, putting on a perfect display of offense and defense in crushing Laurent Recouderc 6-0, 6-2, 6-3. Other quick and easy winners included 29th seeded Albert Motanes, 11th seed Mikhail Youzhny and Alejandro Falla. Marin Cilic gave a solid performance in defeating Ricardo Mello in 4 sets, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.

The men's side lacked any big upsets on day 1 but the dark horses in the ladies' draw got started ousting the top women right away. Gisela Dulko kicked off the party by absolutely thwarting Victoria Azarenka, who looked like a physical and emotional wreck. With the 6-1, 6-2 win Dulko advances to the second round of the French Open for the 6th straight year. Svetlana Kuznetsova has had an unsteady year thus far and was thought of as prone to a 1st-round upset at the hands of Sorana Cirstea, but after a slow start, the 6th seed and defending champ got back on track to earn an easy win, 6-3, 6-1. Madrid champ Aravane Rezai validated the 15 beside her name with a dominating performance against Heidi El Tabakh, surrendering just 2 games. Agnes Szavay, Dominika Cibulkova and Nadia Petrova all moved on without difficulty.

The pressure Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has to deal with at the French Open is nearly insurmountable, as an entire country is banking on the 7th seed to bring home a major to his homeland, but winning before his greatest critics has been anything but easy for Jo-Willy. And the first day at RG was no different, as Tsonga was pushed to 5 sets against Daniel Brands. After dropping the first set, Tsonga looked to be sailing to victory, winning the next 2 and earning a break in the 4th, but Brands mounted a comeback to push the match a 5th where Tsonga's serve pulled him through 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (2), 7-5. Ernests Gulbis also had high expectations, but went the opposite rout of Tsonga, abruptly retiring against Julien Benneteau down 6-4, 6-2, 1-0. 32nd seeded Guillermo Garcia-Lopez defeated Rainer Schuettler 7-5, 6-4, 6-2.

Venus Williams dressed to impress this year at the French, and impress she did, easily beating Patty Schnyder on Sunday to reach round 2. Flavia Pennetta made quick work of Anna Keothavong, while Maria Kirilenko edged out Karolina Sprem in 2 tough sets. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez was a popular pick to make a lot of noise at the year's 2nd slam after her win in Rome, but the Spaniard proved her impressive clay-court Spring was an aberration, as she crashed out against Akgul Amanmuradova 6-2, 6-4.

Oh, and I didn't want to mention this, but my semifinal pick in the 3rd quarter, Elena Vesnina, lost. I sincerely hope that none of you took my advice in your brackets.

Madrid Results: Federer Advances, Dementieva and Wozniacki Ousted on Day 3 in Madrid

Madrid Results postings have been slow 'cuz I've been totally bogged down with school shit and all the rest....ya catch my drift?

But I forced myself to bring you all some of the happenings from Madrid so far. As I'm sure you know, Kuzzie, Maria, Dinara and Vika have all been upset. Serena won in an epic match against Vera Dushevina 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 and Venus won her opening round match on Sunday. Ferrer, Monfils (debuting K-Swiss) and Almagro all advanced and that should catch you up. Now, on to today.

Roger Federer looked better than he did last week (thankfully) in beating Benjamin Becker today, winning in 2 sets 6-2, 7-6 (4). Ernests Gulbis picked up right where he left off in his fantastic run in Rome, defeating last week's Estoril winner Albert Montanes 6-1, 7-5. Mikhail Youzhny earned a comeback victory, 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 as did John Isner 5-7, 6-2, 6-2. Stanislas Wawrinka and Thomaz Bellucci both won in straight sets.

Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez was showered with publicity for her brilliant victory in Rome last week, but Sam Stosur has been just as impressive, and proved to the world that she is without a doubt a Roland Garros contender by ousting Martinez Sanchez in Madrid today, 7-6 (2), 6-4. 16th seeded Nadia Petrova won 6-2, 7-5 against Klara Zakopalova, who beat Safina yesterday. Shahar Peer won in a lopsided match against Alisa Kleybanova, 7-6 (4), 6-0. Li Na beat Dominika Ciblukova 7-5 in the third.

Fernando Verdasco overcame a tall task in beating 6'10 Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (6), 6-3, while Sam Querrey was narrowly defeated by Daniel Munoz- De La Nava 6-7 (3), 6-5, 7-5. Marcos Baghdatis beat Marco Chiudinelli 3 and 4, joining others such as Victor Hanescu, Phillip Petzschner and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the 3rd round.

Venus Williams didn't get the best draw in Rome, as she was set to play Vera Zvonareva, only unseeded because she has fallen out of the top 20, in the 2nd round. Despite this difficult task, Venus handled the Russian with ease, winning the late-night encounter in 2 sets. The upsets in the ladies' draw continued as Caroline Wozniacki,now in jeopardy of losing her number 2 ranking, was bested by Alona Bondarenk0 6-2, 6-3. Elena Dementieva was beaten in 3 sets by Alexandra Dulgheru, 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 while Agnieszka Radwanksa, Marion Bartoli and Flavia Pennetta, all seeded in the top 15 this week, were upset.

Rome Womens Results: Ana Upsets Vika, Safina Goes Down and The Williams' Win

At the ladies' tournament in Rome, Serena Williams played her first match since her Aussie Open win, and the American number 1 came out on top, defeating Timea Bacsinszky 7-6 (2), 6-1. In Williams' section of the draw, Maria Kirilenko upset 5th seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4 in the third and will play Dominika Cibulkova, a straight set winner.

In the loaded 2nd quarter of the draw, Venus Williams advanced to the Round of 16 with a quick 2 and 2 win against Patty Schnyder. Her 4th round opponent will be Shahar Peer a 3-set comeback winner over Polona Hercog. Yanina Wickmayer and Jelena Jankovic will face off in a block-buster match after both women fought hard to earn 3-set wins over Aravane Rezai and Bethanie Mattek-Sands, respectively.

It's quite obvious that Ana Ivanovic's career has suffered a severe downslide, but her win over 9th-seeded Victoria Azarenka, her first win over a top-tenner since Linz in 2008, was an extremely positive note in an extremely depressing year thus far. The 6-4, 6-4 victory gave the Serb her first back-to-back wins since the Australian in January. But things won't get easier for Ana, as her next opponent will be another hard-hitting blonde in Elena Dementieva, also a straight set winner. Dinara Safina's comeback from a devastating back injury hasn't gone as planned, as the Russian fell in 3 sets to Alexandra Dulgheru. Dulgheru will face Nadia Petrova in the 4th round.

In the 4th quarter, Agnieszka Radwanska thwarted Roberta Vinci and Caroline Wozniacki crushed Maria Elena Camerin. Both ladies lost just one game in their matches and will take on Lucie Safarova and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, respectively.

Miami Results: Fish Upsets Murray, Federer, Venus and Kuznetsova Win

Roger Federer began his Miami campaign successfully, earning a 6-3, 6-3 win over Nicolas Lappentti while holding in every service game. Robin Soderling and Marin Cilic joined the Swiss in the 3rd round. Soderling defeated Peter Luczak 7-6 (5), 6-0 and Cilic clinched 6-3, 6-1. Mikhail Youzhny, who made headlines a few years ago in Miami with his head-banging abuse, surrendered just one game in his win, while 16th seed Tomas Berdych and 22nd seeded Juan Monaco advanced as well. Marcos Baghdatis and Feliciano Lopez each earned comfortable wins.

The women's tournament's top seed, Svetlana Kuznetsova, made quick work of 27th seeded Agnes Szavay, and the tour's hottest player, Venus Williams, kept up her 12 match winning streak, defeating Roberta Vinci 6-1, 6-4. Prior to Indian Wells, which venus skipped, the 29 year-old had won three consecutive tournaments. "I’ve come from down, up, around and over,” said V, wearing a new red-corseted dress, coincidentally matching her current form. “Being on a winning streak helps my confidence every time." Daniela Hantuchova dominated Nadia Petrova, seeded three spots higher than her opponent at 16, and Timea Baczinsky beat Polona Hercog 6-2, 6-2 to reach the 4th round.

The tournament's 3rd seed, Andy Murray, stormed out of the tournament 6-4, 6-4 after Mardy Fish played the match of his life behind rocket serves and huge forehands. Fernando Gonzalez won by the same score over Randy Lu. Fernando Verdasco earned an easy win over Dudi Sela of Israel 6-1, 6-2 and Jurgen Melzer took out Alejandro Falla, also in straights. Florent Serra and Phillip Petzschner also won.

Ana Ivanovic's losing ways continued when 5th seeded Agnieszka Radwanska defeated the Serb 7-5, 7-5. Yanina Wickmayer and Marion Bartoli also won in straight sets over Petra Martic and Gisela Dulko, respectively, while Yaroslava Shvedova defeated Andrea Petkovic 6-0, 5-7, 7-5 in a dramatic 3-setter.

WTA Miami Predictions

Svetlana Kuznetsova is the top seed this year in Miami as Serena is out due to a knee injury.

And Sveta got damn lucky because despite how poorly she has been playing, her quarter of the draw is weak. I mean WEAK.

After Kuzzie comes 8th seeded Li Na and Yanina Wickmayer. Wickmayer was my Indian Wells pick last week but she was ousted relatively early. But because of how soft this top section is, I'm tempted to pick her for the semis again. After those three come Marion Bartoli and Alona Bondarenko, who could meet each other in the 3rd round and then play Kuznetsova. Both present problems for the Russian and are potential bracket busters. Szavay, Aravane Rezai and Alekzansdra Wozniack round out the seeded ladies.

Quarterfinals: Wickmayer def. Bartoli

Venus did her regular parade around Indian Wells with her cardboard boycott sign last week, but prior to that, girl was on a roll. She had 3 titles in 3 weeks, in Dubai, Acapulco and at the BJK Cup. If she can pick up where she left off, she'll get to the semis without much trouble, but Agnieszka Radwanska, who played beautifully in California last week, does present some threat, albeit small. Flavia Pennetta and Nadia Petrova are dangerous on hard courts and are prone to make a run. Ana Ivanovic, lucky to be seeded as the draws came out before the new rankings, which have her out of the top 50, is a possible 3rd round match for Radwanska. Daniela Hantuchova and Petrova could meet early on as well, providing for an entertaining battle.

Quarterfinals: Williams def. Radwanska

Victoria Azarenka comes in as the 3rd seed and defending champ ready to redeem herself after bowing out of Indian Wells pretty early. It won't be easy though. Her quarter is arguably the toughest, featuring Jelena Jankovic, IW champion, Sam Stosur, IW semifinalist, Kim Clijsters, Shahar Peer, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, IW quarterfinalist and Jie Zheng. It's near impossible to pick a darkhorse, as any of these ladies could end up as the semifinalist. Stosur and JJ could meet in the round of 16 in a rematch of their semifinal last week, while Kimmie and Azarenka are headed for a 4th round clash as well. This section is loaded, but current form is always a big factor.

Quarterfinals: Jankovic def. Azarenka

Caroline Wozniacki is the headliner here as the number 2 seed, and like good friend Azarenka, has a daunting task ahead of her. Justine Henin and Elena Dementieva, who will probably meet in a blockbuster 2nd round match, are both capable of derailing Wozzi, and Vera Zvonareva, Francesca Schiavone and Alisa Kleybanova all turn in their best results at the spring hardcourt events. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Schiavone could create an entertaining 3rd round match of contrasting styles, while Russians Zvonareva and Kleybanova are headed for a clash in that same round.

It's anyone's call.

Quarterfinal: Kleybanova def. Wozniacki

Semifinals: Williams def. Wickmayer, Jankovic def. Kleybanova

Finals: Williams def. Jankovic

Indian Wells Results: Kuzzie, Ana and Cilic Upset; Davy, Rafa and Nando Advance

Apologies for the lack of Indian Wells postings...now that we're getting into the good stuff, as in the seeds are playing, the coverage will be nonstop. Don't quote me on that.

Rafael Nadal kicked off his BNP Paribas Open campaign with a solid victory over Rainer Schuttler 6-4, 6-4. 10th seeded Marin Cilic suffered a loss to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-6 (1), 6-0, while Fernando Verdasco stayed alive with a 4 and 1 win. Gilles Simon was upset 7-5, 6-4 by qualifier Brian Dabul, while Novak Djokovic, the 2nd seed, barely escaped one, pulling out his night match against Mardy Fish 6-1, 0-6, 6-2. Tomas Berdych advanced in 3 sets and Ivan Ljubicic beat American Ryan Harrison in straights.

The top seed, Svetlana Kuznetsova, proved just how undeserving she is of that notion as her inconsistent results continued with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 loss to Carla Suarez Navarro. Russians Maria Sharapova and Alisa Kleybanova edged out their opponents in their respective matches with thrilling, and often ugly, 3 set wins. Marion Bartoli won 6-4, 6-2 to join Yanina Wickmayer, a 2 and 4 winner, in the 3rd round.

Nikolay Davydenko, the 5th seed, ousted Ernests Gulbis 6-4, 6-4 and Viktor Troicki advanced after his opponent, Pablo Cuevas, retired after just 1 game. Andreas Seppi took out crowd favorite Robby Ginepri in 3 sets, while Paul-Henri Mathieu, Victor Hanescu and Evgeny Korolev were 2 set victors.


Victoria Azarenka showed she is a bright spot in the future of women's tennis, as she trounced Sybille Bammer 6-1, 7-5, but her counterpart, Ana Ivanovic, looked embarrasing in a 6-2, 6-4 loss to Anastasija Savastova. Aussie Ana was a finalist in IW last year, so due to the early-round loss, she will fall out of the top 50, where she belongs. Can we even refer to this as an upset, because I'm sure as hell not surprised. Coach Gunthardt: get your head out of the gutter and use your coaching skills on someone worthwhile.

Both Flavia Pennetta and Agnes Szavay moved on to the 3rd round in straight setters.

Indian Wells Women's Predictions

It's been a while since we've had all the top ladies together in one tournament, and we're going to have to wait until Miami, because once again, the William sister's are sitting out of Indian Wells. World number 2 Dinara Safina is also out due to a back injury, and that leaves us with the dismal duo of Svetlana Kuznetsova and Caroline Wozniacki as out top 2 seeds.

What the hell has the world come to when 2 extremely inconsistent women are headlining what's often referred to as a '5th Grand Slam'. Thankfully we have the fashionista Russian and those two Belgians to keep up the TV ratings. So, here is a breakdown of the BNP Paribas Open draw (click here to take a look for yourself).

1st Quarter

Kuzzie is the tournament's top seed, and she definitely does not have an easy road to the semis, as there are plenty of solid hard-courter's in this section. To start, US Open champ Kim Clijsters, the 14th seed, is a potential 4th round opponent for the Russian. Alisa Kleybanova could also make some noise, and the same goes for 9th seeded Flavia Pennetta, 17th seeded Shahar Peer and 6th seeded Jelena Jankovic. Kleybanova and Peer have been the most impressive of this group as of late, specifically their strong performances in Fed Cup and in Dubai, respectively, but it's difficult to bet against Clijsters, who has a lot to prove after a crushing defeat in her last competitive match in, in Melbourne.

Quarterfinals: Kim Clijsters def. Shahar Peer

2nd Quarter

The 2nd section of the draw is relatively unpredictable with the often shaky Victoria Azarenka, the 3rd seed, leading the ladies, and Sam Stosur, seeded 8th, right behind her. Yanina Wickmayer has been playing with added motivation after her unfair suspension, and she is quickly showing she belongs in the elites. Her game fits the hardcourts well, and Indian Wells could be the perfect place for her to finally make her mark. Vera Zvonareva consistently plays her best tennis here, as she was the champion last year. Ana Ivanovic also lies in this quarter, but, as we all know, not much'll come out of that.

Quarterfinals: Yanina Wickmayer def. Vera Zvonareva

3rd Quarter

Elena Dementieva got extremely unlucky in Melbourne when the draw put her against an in-form Justine Henin in the 2nd round. Other than that early loss, though, the Russian has been dynamite this season, winning 2 titles by February. The 4th seed will possibly get a chance to avenge that Aussie Open loss in California, as she could meet Henin in the quarters. Dementieva won't have trouble reaching that stage, as Francesca Schiavone and Aravane Rezai, her two possible early-round opponents, are no match. Near Henin are Agnieszka Radwanska, Gisela Dulko, Sabine Lisicki and Marion Bartoli, all talented hard-courters. I'm not expecting any of them, though, to knock out Henin prior to the quarters.

Quarterfinals: Elena Dementieva def. Justine Henin

4th Quarter

The weakest quarter of the entire draw is probably the final one, as Wozniacki leads the pack with 7th seeded Li Na. Following those two are Maria Sharapova and Nadia Petrova, who are probably better bets than the formers to make a run. Sharapova has returned to form these past few weeks, with a title in Memphis, and Petrova looked revived in her dominating win over Clijsters at the 1st major of the year. Jie Zheng and Maria Kirilenko, both of whom also looked great in Oz, are also located in this section, as they could face Sharapova and Wozniacki in the 3rd round, respectively.

Quarterfinals: Maria Sharapova def. Nadia Petrova

Semifinals: Wickmayer def. Clijsters; Sharapova def. Dementieva

Finals: Wickmayer def. Sharapova

After following Yanina for these past few months, I'm really feeling her now. I know it's risky, but I see big things for the Belgian these next few weeks.

Venus' Victorious Week: Acapulco and BJK Cup Champ

After defending her Dubai Tennis Championships trophy last week, Venus Williams switched surfaces, to the red clay of Acapulco, and defended that title too, defeating Bolona Hercoq in the final of the Mexican Open 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 for her 43rd WTA title, the most by an active player on tour.

“It’s too bad Mexican fans can’t follow me around the world and give me that support,” Williams said of the fan support she continually receives in Acapulco. “I’m going to miss it.”

In 2009, tennis returned to Madison Square Garden, as the Billie Jean King Cup debuted. Due to the success last year, the event returned in 2010, with Venus, Kim Clijsters, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Ana Ivanovic.

After winning a 1 set, no-ad set over Kuznetsova, Williams won the exhibition over Kim Clijsters in the finals, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, a match she lost a year ago to younger sis Serena, who's spot in the event was given to Ivanovic after the world number 1 was forced to withdraw with a leg injury. V will leave NYC with an extra $400,000 in her spandex.

Happy Tennis Night!

Today, March 1st, marks Tennis Night in America, a nationwide event where tennis clubs and venues hold youth registration programs to help our children to get more involved in the sport.

Also happening tonight is the BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden, an exhibition featuring Kim Clijsters, Venus Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Ana Ivanovic. In between the semis and finals, the 2010 Tennis Hall of Fame inductees will be announced.

Happy Tennis Night!

Fed Cup Day 2: USA, Russia, Italy and Czechs Advance

Jelena Jankovic carried the Serbian team and allowed them to have a shot at reaching the Fed Cup semifinals, but she couldn't do it alone, and the Russians prevailed 3-2 in the tie. Jankovic rallied to defeat Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, but Ana Ivanovic, who totaled a dismal 0-3 in the tie, was once again dominated in her singles match, losing 6-2, 6-3 to Alisa Kleybanova. In the deciding doubles match, the Russian team decided to sit Vera Dushevina and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova for Kuzzie and Kleybanova, and it payed off, as they beat Ivanovic and Jankovic 6-1, 6-4.

On their least favorite surface, the underdog Americans took out the French team 4-1, as Melanie Oudin won her second singles match, 7-6 (3), 6-4, over Julie Coin to clinch the tie. Insurmountably up 3-0, the United State's Christina McHale lost to Pauline Parmentier and the doubles team of Liezel Huber and Bethanie Mattek-Sands gave the US a 4-1 victory.

The tie between the Czechs and the Germans wasn't decided until the final doubles match, and the suspense wasn't lacking. On day 2, Lucia Hradecka gave the Czech Republic a 2-1 lead with a 6-1, 7-6 (5) win over Andrea Petkovic, but Anna-Lena Groenefeld's 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Petra Kvitova forced the tie into a 5th and final match, where the Czech doubles team won 6-1, 6-3.

The Italians and Ukranians went into day 1 split at 1, but the defending champs showed their dominance on Sunday, as both Flavia Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone won their respective singles matches to clinch the win. With the winner already decided, the Italians won the doubles 6-1, 6-3.

Fed Cup Day 1: US Takes 2-0 Lead, Remaining Ties Split at 1

Without the Williams sisters and heavily unfavored, the United States Fed Cup team jumped out to a commanding 2-0 lead over the French when Melanie Oudin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands both won in straight sets. Oudin took on Pauline Parmentier and triumphed 6-4, 6-4, while Mattek-Sands edged out Alize Cornet 7-6 (7), 7-5.

In the most anticipated tie of the event, the Serbians and the Russians split singles matches on day 1. Svetlana Kuznetsova dominated Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 6-1. It looked like the Russians would take a 2-0 lead before Jelena Jankovic overcame a 1 set deficit to beat Alisa Kleybanova 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 in front of her home crowd.

In Brno, Czech Republic, the Germans and Czechs are also tied at 1 match a piece. Anna-Lena Groenefeld had little difficulty defeating Lucie Safarova, 6-2, 6-2. Petra Kvitova earned a 2 set victory over Andrea Petkovic,

The Italians started their title defense on Ukraine's home court. The Bondarenko sisters split 1 match a piece, as Alona defeated Francesca Schiavone 6-1, 6-4. Flavia Pennetta gave Italy it's 1st win with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Kateryna.

Fed Cup 2010: Russia vs. Serbia Dinner

The Serbian and the Russian teams dined last night to kick off the 2010 Fed Cup, where the two countries will be squaring off. From the right is Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic and the Serbian coach Dejan Vranes. No clue who the other ladies are. Sorry.

Here is the heavy-hitting Russian team. From right is Alisa Kleybanova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Alla Kudryatseva with their coach, Shamil Tarpischev.

The Serbs already won the fashion battle. Pavly's red bra screams "look, I'm a fashionista too!". Riiiighhhtt.

Oh, and Jelena is wearing the same dress she wore to the Aussie Open players party, except this time in blue. I guess when you can barely win a few matches at majors, you are forced to re-wear clothes.