2009 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Singles Draw

Safina is the top seed and is playing in her first event since becoming #1. Apparently she overpowered Errani 6-0, 6-1 in her first match. Safina played well during last year's clay court season by winning in Berlin and making it to the French Open final. It will be interesting to see how she does this season with the pressure of being the top player in the world. I wouldn't be surprised if she never wins a grand slam tournament.

Dementieva is actually wearing a different outfit. It seems as if she was wearing that orange/peach colored dress forever.

It will also be interesting to see how Azarenka does in her first event since winning in Miami. She'll probably eventually be just another up and coming player that never really lives up to the expectations. There have been many of those on the WTA tour recently.

Apparently Jankovic attributes her recent loss of form to working out too much. She says that she has changed her work out routine and is back to focusing more on tennis and not so much on the fitness.

She managed to lose in the second round to Gisela Dulko.

And Caroline Wozniacki lost today to Bartoli.

Jankovic is now playing Lisicki who has impressed 2 weeks ago.

...and Lisicki loses to Jankovic in three sets.

Dedric I was going to argue with your bleak view of Azarenka, and then she promptly lost.

But I do think Vika has the game to have a more solid and better career than Ivanovic and Jankovic, and outside of clay, possibly Safina as well. Clay might be her toughest part of 2009. I hope she doesn't lose all of her considerable momentum from earlier in the year.

Before Azarenka lost to Dulko, she beat the clay lover Suarez Navarro quite handily, so for now I'm just marking this loss as a trip up. Also, Dulko is quite strong this year, and might surprise people as the season on clay -- her best surface -- progresses and peaks at Roland Garros. I was impressed by Gisela's consistency and increased power losing to Serena at the Australian. She's definitely improved this year.

Safina is seeming very impressive so far. But she has got her work cut out for her and then some defending points the next 5 months. Wimbledon is about the only spot where she can gain a lot.

hmmm...Penetta has taken out Petrova and now Jankovic, after a great Fed Cup effort. The better Penetta does, the better Venus's straight set win over her in the Acapulco final looks. I remain hopeful of Venus's chances at the French. Her loss on green clay against Lisicki doesn't look too bad in hindsight. Now if she can just take either Rome or Madrid in the coming weeks, Venus will be in good shape (and probably be Top 4 to boot).

Good for Kutsy winning her first tournament in 20 months! It would have been nice to see the match on TV instead of golf golf golf.

The other night I saw Serena on Jay Leno. Gawd, I couldn't believe the getup. So unflattering. The word hideous came to mind. She wore a dress that accentuated her larger behind. It was so tight, she could hardly walk, and looked very uncomfortable. Agh. It turned me off. I'm glad she has so many fans on here. Call me shallow.

And in other news, Monica Seles made a delightful appearance on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. She has a new book out called, "Getting a Grip." Can't wait to read it.

tealsea,

If you have the Tennis Channel, the Kuznetsova/Safina match is being aired as I type this. It was probably aired live and I wouldn't be surprised if it is shown later today or tonight.

I agree with you. I am probably the biggest Serena fan, but even I have often questioned her choice of clothes when she is on talk shows and any other TV appearance other than for tennis.

Relieved to see Sveta finally snap her finals losing streak. It was a long time in coming. She also put in some very convincing wins against the Russians who have been taking up all of the oxygen lately (Dementieva and Safina), even as the injury-prone Zvonareva looks like she's going to have to sit out some time yet again just as she broke into the Top 5.

It might not be crazy to think that, as a former finalist and semifinalist in Paris, Kuznetsova might be worth keeping an eye on in the weeks ahead.

Wonderful for the Kooz. Its still not a slam though and I think she'll find a way to blow it at the French. I just still don't have faith in her on the big stage. That US Open was a long time ago during that period in which Anastasia freakin Myskina won the French Open. That year was a hot mess. But...I don't know. Confidence does wonders for someone. She should be able to make a run at the French. But if she gets into a hard fought contest, I wouldn't put my coins on her.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I've already read it. I am nauseated by celebrity worship, but I make an exception here! It's probably typical of these kind of memoirs (I don't know since I don't read them), and some of it is just going through the motions ("the first match I won 6-2, 6-2, then I played so and so in the next round, and then..."). But the most interesting part is the detail she goes into about how she sabotaged her career with her inability to control her eating and weight. It's very poignant. In some ways, it's kind of hard to read, because it stirs up all the old "what if" agony. But I'm happy for her that she's gotten past it. And she looks pretty amazing now.

If I had the Tennis Channel I wouldn't be starved for tennis on tv. We hardly have NBC out here.
Thanks for understanding about the Serena outfits. The woman is a terrific athlete, but geez. I think she sees herself in a different light. That's just Serena! We can have our different tastes. Venus always look classier, to me.