US Open Seeds

Women

1.Dinara Safina, Russia

2.Serena Williams, United States

3.Venus Williams, United States

4.Elena Dementieva, Russia

5. Jelena Jankovic, Serbia

6.Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia

7.Vera Zvonareva, Russia

8.Victoria Azarenka, Belarus

9.Caroline Wozniacki, Denmark

10. Flavia Pennetta, Italy

11. Ana Ivanovic, Serbia

12. Agnieszka Radwanska, Poland

13. Nadia Petrova, Russia

14. Marion Bartoli, France

15. Samantha Stosur, Australia

16. Virginie Razzano, France

17. Amelie Mauresmo, France

18. Na Li, China

19. Patty Schnyder, Switzerland

20. Anabel Medina Garrigues, Spain

21. Jie Zheng, China

22. Daniela Hantuchova, Slovak Republic

23. Sabine Lisicki, Germany

24. Sorana Cirstea, Romania

25. Kaia Kanepi, Estonia

26. Francesca Schiavone, Italy

27. Alisa Kleybanova, Russia

28. Sybille Bammer, Austria

29. Maria Sharapova, Russia

30. Alona Bondarenko, Ukraine

31. Elena Vesnina, Russia

32. Agnes Szavay, Hungary

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Due to her performance at the Rogers Cup, Sharapova sneaks in with a 29 seed. She will meet someone from the top 8 in the 3rd round. These early matches are going to be interesting with her and Clijsters looming. The draw will be revealed tomorrow at 12pm ET

No kidding about Clijsters looming. At least Sharapova is seeded, so the earliest a top seed could face her would be the third round. But Clijsters is unseeded. Anyone can meet her in the first round. This could be especially dangerous for the Williams sisters as they tend to play their worst tennis earlier during the slams. If ever the U.S. Open was going to come up with its own seeding, they should have placed Clijsters at the #32 spot.

The Draw is out.

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/scores/draws/w...l?promo=leftnav

Potential 3rd Round Matches:

[1] Safina vs. [27] Kleybanova

[19] Schnyder/Safarova vs. [16] Razzano/Wicmmayer

[11] Ivanovic/K. Bondarenko vs. [23] Lisicki/Rezai

[30] A. Bondarenko vs. [5] Jankovic

[4] Dementieva vs. [29] Sharapova

[21] Zheng/Cornet vs. [13] Petrova

[9] Wozniacki vs. [24] Cirstea

[32] Szavay/Pe'er vs. [6] Kuznetsova

[8] Azarenka vs. [26] Schiavone

[19] Na/Larcher de Brito vs. [12] A. Radwanska

[14] Bartoli/Clijsters vs. [20] Medina Garrigues/Dokic/Flipkens

[25] Kanepi vs. [3] V. Williams

[7] Zvonareva/Chakvetadze vs. [31] Vesnina

[17] Mauresmo vs. [10] Pennetta/Mirza

[15] Stosur vs. [22] Hantuchova

[28] Bammer vs. [2] S. Williams
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The one that obviously stands out is Sharapova vs Dementieva. Wow...thats unlucky for both of them. Bammer has a 2-0 head to head record against Serena, and if either of those wins were in grand slam tournaments I'd be worried. Because they aren't I expect Serena to come through that. Unfortunately, Vee and Ree ended up in the same half of the draw. Safina, Dementieva, Jankovic, Kuznetsova, Sharapova, and Ivanovic all ended up in the top half. Looming in the bottom though is Clijsters, Bartoli, and Stosur. Clijsters is definitely a wild card to watch out for. She could potentially play Venus in the fourth round, and the way Venus has been playing lately...I don't know. I think its always best to gun for Venus early in a tournament. She played amazingly easy sets all the way through Wimbledon until the final, but thats Wimbledon and grass. Clijsters could beat an off Venus. Then the winner of that would have Azarenka in the quarters. I don't think its too far fetched to possibly see Kim in the semis if she can upset Venus and Azarenka.

One could say the top half is "loaded" but my goodness...Ivanovic, Kuznetsova, and Safina haven't played the best tennis lately. Jankovic and Dementieva are finding form. Sharapova could be dangerous. If she's having a good day without the serving yips, she could send Elena packing. I'm not penciling in an Elena win simply because of the recent Toronto result. Very interesting.

For all the complaining on the other thread about how weak the WTA is, I bet the 3rd round matches will be a heck of a lot better than they were in, say, 1984.

Thanks to ITF website archive...US Open 1984, third round:

Martina NAVRATILOVA (USA) (1) defeated Jennifer MUNDEL (RSA) 6-0 6-0
Barbara POTTER (USA) (15) defeated Patty FENDICK (USA) 6-2 4-6 6-2
Lisa BONDER (USA) (9) defeated Yvonne VERMAAK (RSA) 6-1 6-0
Helena SUKOVA (TCH) defeated Gabriela SABATINI (ARG) 6-4 6-4
Pam SHRIVER (USA) (4) defeated Mareen LOUIE (USA) 6-3 7-5
Susan MASCARIN (USA) defeated Virginia RUZICI (ROU) 6-2 3-6 6-2
Wendy TURNBULL (AUS) (13) defeated Beverly MOULD (RSA) 6-3 1-6 6-1
Claudia KOHDE-KILSCH (FRG) (8) defeated Catarina LINDQVIST (SWE) 2-6 6-2 6-2
Petra DELHEES-JAUCH (SUI) defeated Melissa GURNEY (USA) 7-5 6-1
Carling BASSETT (CAN) (14) defeated Mima JAUSOVEC (YUG) 7-6 6-0
Lori MCNEIL (USA) defeated Anne MINTER (AUS) 6-4 3-6 6-2
Hana MANDLIKOVA (TCH) (3) defeated Anne WHITE (USA) 6-1 6-1
Sylvia HANIKA (FRG) defeated Zina GARRISON (USA) (7) 6-3 6-2
Petra HUBER (AUT) defeated Andrea TEMESVARI (HUN) (16) 6-1 6-4
Bonnie GADUSEK (USA) (12) defeated Barbara GERKEN (USA) 6-3 7-5
Chris EVERT-LLOYD (USA) (2) defeated Bettina BUNGE (FRG) 6-1 6-3

Sadly I'm too young to remember most of those players (14 US players!).

Meanwhile, back to today world, qualification tournament...Vaidisova out in first round after losing to Yung Jan Chan. Kimiko Date out in second round against fellow country woman Yurika Sema.

I don't like that Serena & Venus are on the same side of the draw.

Fortunately, they are on the lighter side for a change.

The only big threat on the Williams side could be Clijsters. Serena has an amazing 7-1 head-to-head lead over Clijsters, even though they haven't played since 2003. Venus has a 6-4 head-to-head lead over Clijsters, with Clijsters winning their last two matches, including a quarterfinal at the 2005 US Open. Clijsters' consistent and deep baseline game is the kind of game that gives Venus trouble. I was actually surprised to learn that Venus has won most of their matches.

Bammer and Stosur have recently defeated Serena. Although, those wins were at non-majors. Serena is a different player at a major, especially if she is trying to get revenge for a loss.

Pennetta has been playing very well lately and like Clijsters, her consistent and deep baseline game could bother Serena if Serena isn't patient.

Venus won most of the Clijsters encounters because as great a defender as Clijsters is, Venus is quick too and has the power to overmatch Kim. Kim can also be inconsistent and her serve was always a weakness. But the way Venus has been playing lately....its a match Kim can win.

Actually, it was back in 2005 when Venus made her infamous comment after a loss to Clijsters. When asked to describe Clijsters game, Venus said that basically she does the same things that Venus does, except Venus is just better at them. Venus has toned down her post-loss comments since then. I believe Venus lost their last match during the quarterfinals of the 2005 U.S. Open when Venus was leading 64, 53. She lost the third set 61. I didn't get to watch the match, but it sounded like she just petered out after the second set. Nevertheless, Venus obviously had her chances to beat Clijsters as the match was in her hands. Another of Venus's 4 losses to Clijsters happened during the semifinals of the 2001 Year End Championship. Venus was injured and retired, so I wouldn't really even count that loss as an indication of how well Clijster's game matches up with Venus's. Basically, while Venus and Kimmy have their close matches, I don't think Venus fears her game. Venus can lose to Kimmy simply because she can lose to anyone these days on hard court, but not because Kimmy has some particular edge over Venus.

Well, Clijsters marked her return to Ashe with a blink-and-you-missed-it clinical 6-1, 6-1 win over Kutuzova. Her win streak at the USO extends to 8 matches - Serena isn't the only player with one this year.

Although I don't think Clijsters defense and consistency off the ground is quite where it was a few years ago, I remember thinking that she was serving a lot more aggressively when I saw her play. The stats from this match bear that out--7 aces and averaging 90 mph on her second serve. She used to use her serve--especially the second serve--as an invitation to rally. If it can be a consistent weapon, she'll be very dangerous when she's got her ground game back up to full strength.

Good lord, Venus.

I had an inkling Dushevina would be troublesome because she's so backboard steady, but it's just embarrassing if Venus goes out in the first round. She's a game away from the exit.

Well, she survived. A lot to like about Dushevina's game though--kind of an opportunistic counterpuncher, willing to come forward and finish at the net. And some beautiful backhounds, though why Venus kept hitting volleys to that side after what she did on set point in the first, I don't know.

Part of the problem with the doublefault epidemic is that the 2nd serve is not an edge for most women players. Against players of equal merit, I'm guessing the returner wins the majority of 2nd serve points in most matches, and that puts a lot of pressure on the server. Basically, the problem is this: most women can't hit 90 mph with much spin for safety, but a 75 mph serve is likely to get killed unless it's very well placed. So either you hit flat, or you try to be very fine--and either way, you risk double faults. I suspect clean winners off the return of serve are more common than aces for a lot of players.

Champions often find a way and Venus did tonight. We'll know how bad it is if she pulls out of the doubles. Patella tendonitis sucks. Like Rafa...she needs rest. She'll need to just deal with it with pain meds and treatment for as long as she's in the tournament. Not looking good going forward though with Kim looming. But hell lets see if she can even get past her next match.

Jesus Cristos....Dinara Safina hits the ball sometimes like she's BLIND!!! This is a horrid opening match from the world's #1 against someone ranked 167.

Actually it kinda seems like Venus's opening match or do you think this was worse?

Venus has patella tendonitis. And actually...this match was 10 times worse than Venus'....and Venus' opponent is well inside the top 100.

If Safina thinks she can play like that against her next opponent she has to be crazy. I agree with the announcers today, she needs a new Coach. I noticed she rarely came in today, kept hitting long rallies from way back behind the baseline. Didn't seem to want to force the issue..

I didn't see the match, but statistically, it looks like this match was far worse. Venus had an opponent who was playing pretty damn well, whereas the girl Safina was playing made 65 unforced errors.

I remember seeing Y. Goolagong in the '70's at the Old Forest Hills. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was to see her hit a low slice approach shot and then run up to the net. She was floating most of the time I thought. I was only 7 or so a the time. But she was a dancer out there.

And now in 2009 we have Sharapova. She certainly works hard I suppose. But I can't suffer through more than 2 or 3 games of her matches.

Henin would be a welcome return.

I often play fantasy tennis in my head when I'm watching a Sharapova or Safina match. I think how S. Barker or R. Casals would have done against them with their serve and volley games. Just to amuse myself.

And when I hear of Ivanovic and Jankovic and their problems serving. Anyone remember Francoise Durr and her rather unorthodox serve? She did well for herself

Music to my ears Davey. I work with someone who used to play as a junior and be a ballgirl at Wimbledon, and she says the most beautiful tennis she ever saw was played by Evonne Goolagong.

I remember seeing Casals at an indoor tournament as a kid and being shocked in person by how fast her slice shots and net attack were -- didn't look as forceful on TV.

And Francoise Durr -- now that's a name from the past. Her backhand was very unorthodox. I also loved that she had a dog named Topspin that she carried in a purse out to the court.

The big news this day has to be Melanie Oudin. I really really really like that girl. To rout former junior champ Pavlyuchenkova that way speaks to the fact that she's adapting well and smartly to the WTA. One good thing is that she isn't playing too much, so she's more focused on the slams. Goodguy, if you're out there, I hope you're enjoying her win.

So...for the first time on Ashe tomorrow night, Serena will play after GOAT Rogelio. I love it. I know they had said they were going to do it this year and here we go. I see no issue. Fed will win his match in straights, but even if he has some kind of major struggle, Serena has a day to recover. All this stuff about equal pay...well then why not have the men take first and the women have to wait it out sometimes?

Edited to add: This isn't the first time that a women's match has followed a men's match...just hasn't happened in years!!

According to Jane Voight, this was a downright ugly match.

September 1, 2009 -- Dinara Safina narrowly escaped what would have been a devastating loss today on Arthur Ashe Stadium court. If she had not turned the third set around she would have become the first top-seeded women in U. S. Open history to lose in the first round - an asterisk she would not have wanted etched on her career record.

With the air thick with controversy about Safina's worthiness as the number one player in the world, her win today barely keeps the barrage of criticism at bay. The match was a horror, unless you like to witness a workaholic athlete implode in her last chance to win a Grand Slam title this year.

The mistakes during the match were not all Safina's, either. Her opponent Olivia Rogowska, a wildcard entry, was a co-conspirator in the mess. Both women committed a total of 113 unforced errors, 24 double faults (11 for Safina), and 15 service breaks, in little over two and a half hours. You have to wonder what went through fans' minds as they watched.

It's amazing to think Ivanovic was #1 and Top seed here 12 months ago, and more amazing to think she actually did worse here this year than last year. Ivanovic is a prime example of the gulf between what Women's Tennis used to be (and still is through Venus & Serena) and what it mostly is now: The Junior Girls With Better Pay. Best example of how weak it is out there? Take a look at the US Fed Cup Team. They're gonna be in the Fed Cup Final, and most people have no idea who's actually on that team - there was no Venus and no Serena. It's a huge credit to Captain Mary Jo Fernandez's ability as a strategist to take these no-names and beat all comers but one. That's how weak the WTA is.

And I for one am glad Sharapova is on the way back - I don't care so much how she sounds. She could have long ago become a Kournikova and cashed in without playing another match. But she's on the same level of Venus, Serena, and Justine when she's playing her best - they know how to win when it counts the most. That she chooses to continue to work, and especially doing the work to rehabilitate from an injury is a testament to just how determined she is to win. Sharapova has more guts, determination and will to win in her pinky than someone like Ivanovic, Vaidasova, or any of these other wannabe fly-by-nighters will ever have in their whole lives. She's to be appreciated for that alone.

What in the world happened to Amelie in her 2nd round match???
Merde.

Evonne was beautiful to watch. Athleticism and grace personified. Couple with class. Thanks for the reminder.

Nice recovery for Kim today. Of course Bartoli pulls another "medical timeout" after Kim started thrashing her!!

Stosur lost to Vania King. I was looking forward to Serena getting a shot at both Bammer and Stosur. So thats Serena's potential 3rd and 4th round opponents gone. At this point if Serena doesn't blaze through to the semis she should be horsewhipped. Venus will go out to Kim. Venus had a MUCH MUCH better match today but please...it was against Mattek Sands who played a hot mess and couldn't play consistently well the whole match. Mattek's return of serves were awful too. Should Venus and Kim meet in the fourth round, advantage Kim. Venus' movement is clearly still hampered. I don't know why she hasn't pulled out of the doubles yet. So Kim has a pretty good chance to face Serena in the semis. That would be great.

Pennetta who has been playing blazingly well this summer double bageled Mirza. She's playing good tennis right now.

Wish I could say I'm surprised about Mauresmo's loss but I'm not. She hasn't been consistent for awhile now. She'll string together a few matches and then lose to players you think she should beat. I think she is talking retirement too.

Satisfying to watch Na Li so thoroughly and mercilessly drop the hammer on Larcher de Brito -- partly because Larcher de Brito's noise annoys, and partly because Na was hitting hard with precision.

A lot of light upsets on the women's side today. For Venus, I'm not yet looking past the expressive Rybarikova to a fourth round date with Clijsters. Rybarikova can have off days, like almost all of the WTA, but her style is unorthodox and she has net talent and slice variety that translates best to grass but also is good for hard courts. If her game works, her match with Venus might be fun to watch.

Serena's draw now looks quite soft and workaday until the quarters. I would love to see Pennetta get there and wreak havoc, though even in double bagel donation form it seems highly unlikely. As for Vera Z, she's under the radar, and maybe dangerous?

Amelie looks fitter than she has in a long while, but she folded mentally against Wozniacki. I agree JC, she's a capable and solid player.

Wow...Serena sent a statement tonight that US Open series Serena is not US Open Serena. If Serena can keep that up she will breeze through. I don't even think Pennetta will pose much of a challenge should they both get that far. That was an absolute clinic. And awww...I see Common is back. He is so handsome and they make such a good looking couple!! Win the title Serena!!

Speaking of Pennetta--I haven't seen her play this summer. Is she doing something different? You gotta know her stock has risen awfully fast when people are saying "not even Pennetta will pose much of a challenge."

She's had a very good summer with the US Open Series. She went on a good tear and had a pretty good match win streak going. She's climbed into the top 10 and has been solid, but she's not a tier 1 top 10er. But she is certainly one that given her play should get through to hopefully face Serena in the quarters. Stosur also had a good US Open Series and then imploded today so....who knows. Pennetta is not proven like others but she has been very good this summer.

Anywho...what is up with the foot faults? Serena seemed pissed after she got called for one and showed the NYT that they weren't talkin about her when it comes to the serving woes of the women these days. I also loved her dress. People who criticize her weight are idiots. She looks fine.

If she had played Wozniacki I would understand, but this was a little known player named Wozniak.
But 6-0 second set? That's crazy. She had too many unforced errors. duh.

Wozniacki is certainly the better known player with greater native talent, though I think Aleksandra Wozniak is probably tougher mentally. She's not a total nobody. She won Stanford last year, made the fourth round of the French and beat Kuznetsova at Eastbourne. But yes, of course, Amelie shouldn't be getting bageled. Let's face it, though--Amelie was prone to going away mentally for entire sets, even when she was at the top of her game.

Safina double faults the first set away. Wow.

I love the live radio broadcast...if I can't have it on TV.

It looks like the rest of her game is starting to come around, but 15 doublefaults? She's putting up some seriously weird serving stats:

First serve: 64 of 96 in (67%)
First serves won: 42 of 64 (66%)
Second serve: 17 of 32 in (53%)
Second serves won: 12 of 17 (71%)

So...her first serve goes in more often, but her second serve is more likely to win her the point, despite averaging 20mph slower. Maybe the winning tactic is to only use her first serve but occasionally reverse things and start off with the second serve for the surprise effect.

LOVING the Dementieva/Oudin match....Oudin is playing very very well.

Oudin is playing a terrific match against Dementieva. There is so much to like about her and her game.

Hugely impressive effort from Oudin. Not many women can keep up with Dementieva from the back of the court, but she was matching her shot for shot - the difference, in fact, was that she was willing to take more risks and show more versatility, throwing in some slice to change the complexion of some heated rallies and coming forward whenever there was an opening. As strong a competitor as Dementieva is, that's always been a weakness in her game in my view; she can be a bit one-note, and while the strength of her groundstrokes and her tremendous movement is usually enough to carry her through, when she's being evenly matched on that front she doesn't really have anywhere else to go.

It's tempting to think Oudin, who showed nearly no signs of wavering in any of the big moments in the match (you even got the sense that the first set was snatched out from under her), will also do the business against the still-fragile Sharapova. But the quad strain seemed pretty serious, bringing her to the verge of tears in the third set, and I don't know if she'll be able to recover from today's battle in time. Still she's made a name for herself, since beating Jankovic at Wimby was a bit easy to sweep under the rug; it's Jelena's worst Slam, and she's been a pushover all year to anybody with a little fight. But Elena is not only a former finalist at the USO, but has reached three semis and a quarterfinal there besides, as well has having had strong results this summer. It's a big scalp.

Speaking of Je-lame-a, she looks to be on the verge of going out in straights to the somewhat tricky but unheralded Shvedova. If Safina can keep gritting out wins she's got a fairly open path to the semis. EDITED TO ADD: spoke too soon. From 6-3, 4-2 up looks like the young Russian (now Kazakh) is faltering, and Jelena will probably take the Safina approach today to winning. You have to think she can salvage her year with a repeat in the final - there's really nobody in her half of the draw she can't beat. She defeated Safina the other week in Cincinnati; Kuznetsova might be a bit tricky (and of course is a former champion and finalist here) and has won 3 of her last 4 against Jankovic, but she seems to have lost her intensity since her victory in Paris. EDIT REDUX: aaand Jankovic, from set point up 5-4, lets herself get broken and it's back to 5-all. Who knows where this is going. It would be kind of depressing to have two of the top three finishers in the USO Series go out in the second round, eh?

In addition to what you've just noted Urban Suede, two things that really stick out to me about Melanie are:

-- Her competitiveness. It seems natural and it's intense. She is dialed in. And she doesn't seem like the kind of player who will have long patches of 'why am I here?' play, a la Ivanovic and the ever-growing brigade of other WTA slumpers.
-- Smarts -- on court and off. Another rare quality these days.

Oudin has obstacles to overcome to become a top player. She's not a big babe by any means in terms of size or power. (In fact, based on the likes of Chakvetadze, I fear for the potential of people trying to force that approach on her to reach a next level, rather than building upon craft.) But at age 17 -- very, very impressive. Good Guy called it.

Well, Jankovic has contrived to lose her last three lost matches while holding match points in each of them. A record, surely? It looked for all the world at 6-4 in the tiebreaker that she was going to escape this one; instead last year's finalist is out in the second round. I'm thinking we're going to have a Serb-free Top 10 before long.

On a less sombre note, it looks like three Belgian women are into the final 32, with Flipkens and Wickmayer joining Clijsters in the third round. I'm not sure if that has ever happened even when Henin was still around. In fact, since Flipkens and Clijsters are playing each other, there's a guaranteed Belgian in the second week. If that doesn't encourage Justine out of retirement to reclaim the spotlight from her less-accomplished countrywomen, nothing will.

Holy jesus. Demented goes out. Here everyone was talkin about Sharapova v Dementieva round 3 and this US Open series WINNER can't even get out of round 2. Then Jankovic goes down in flames. So up top we have Kuznetsova, Sharapova, and Safina. On the bottom half we still have both Williams sisters and I guess Clijsters being the only real name down there. Pennetta is also a dark horse. Good grief this thing is imploding. But wow what if we ended up having a Sharapova v Clijsters final (not that I see that happening...I really think Serena will come out of the bottom half) But just if....two girls just coming back into it...one who left 2 years ago and the other recovering from shoulder surgery. Its been that kind of Open so far. Many of the top women are just a mess

Shockingly, Sharapova is starting to look like a quite probable finalist. It will be interesting to see how the match with Melanie Oudin goes.

In some ways, I look to the Elena and Jelena losses (and even Dinara's early round struggles) as validation of the Williams Sisters Slams-First approach to tennis. I can almost hear Serena saying, "See, this is why I don't get all worked up over the smaller touranments." It's great to do well and play your best tennis in Toronto and Cincinnati, but is it worth if if you then tap out your reserves for the U.S. Open?

I was at the Open yesterday and saw bits and pieces of the Jelena and Elena matches. I came away thinking Oudin has got some serious game and that Shvedova can smack the ball a bit. I also watched many of the favorites play on other courts like Lisicki and Cirstea against what I thought of as nobodies or maybe journeywomen. Basically, my conclusion was that there is depth on the women's tour. I remember seeing Shvedova's name over the years and figured she has no game because she never did anything. But as she was constantly breaking Jelena towards the end of the match, I kept thinking maybe there isn't all that much separating the Top 10 from most of the other women in the Top 100 other than mental grit, consistency, confidence, and maybe some luck.

With that in mind, i'm thinking that winning a tournament these days, takes much effort and focus, something that is difficult to sustain over a long period of time...particularly if you are then planning on winning an upcoming Slam.

I might buy the fatigue story for Dementieva - who has played a lot of tennis not just this summer but the entire year beginning in the AO warm-ups, not just in small events but those two Slam semis along the way - but not Jankovic, who has barely strung any wins together this year, including this summer apart from the Cincinnati win (which was several weeks ago anyhow). However, Jelena was apparently grieving the loss of her grandmother; I feel for her obviously, but her mind hasn't been on her tennis for some time, making her more susceptible to even legitimate distractions such as that. She's gone back home to be with family now, and despite the big points she has to defend from the indoor season, she might want to think about just writing off 2009 for the most part and just recharging mentally. She had that 10-match losing streak back in early 2006, so she's no stranger to putting disappointments behind her.

At any rate, taking a Slams-only approach might be smart for the injury-prone Williams sisters, who are in the tail end of their careers, especially since their class can shine through regardless of match practice, but I don't think it's a particular wise prescription for the rank and file. Few players can get away with it, and it seems Clijsters may be one. There has been some grumbling from commentators about Clijster's apparent return to top flight tennis and hitting the ground running as though she never left as reflecting poorly on the current crop of top women, but she has been doing a lot of training since the Wimbledon exhibition, and I seem to remember somebody named Seles coming back after more than two years and winning a title in Canada and reaching the USO final in her first month back. There are better reasons to slate the current 'top' ladies than that one.

Speaking of Kimmy (and the fragility of the Top 10), Azarenka is on the verge of defeat to Schiavone, an unanticipated upset which really opens up the entire quarter and makes the Clijsters and Venus showdown in the fourth round, which seems very likely to occur, all that much more crucial. And she goes out 6-4, 2-6, 2-6. A lopsided scoreline that. I only saw the first set, and it seemed business as usual - I wonder if injury intervened.

I'm not that shocked by Azarenka's exit. She hasn't done much since Miami and Schiavone's a crafty veteran, though she has been off form recently.

And you're right about Seles' success is a bit more suspicious than Kim's. Granted, Seles was the best ball-striker the woman's game has ever seen, but Kim's leave of absence was shorter and she came back in top physical condition.

I can't remember when an elite ATP player came back from a similar hiatus that wasn't injury related, other than Borg and that was after a much longer time. Can anyone think of a comparable situation to Clijsters (other than the giving birth part!).

Actually, I am a bit shocked by Vika's defeat. True, she hasn't been racking up the wins like she did earlier this year, but her losses during the U.S. Open series were only to former No. 1 players Sharapova, Clijsters and Jankovic (and Serena if you go back to Wimbledon). Her form suggested she couldn't take out the big names, not that she needed to be scared of a crafty journeywoman who never reached the top ten. I'm guessing Vika is injured. Did you see her stats? Her FIRST serve averaged 87 mph (her second serve was 75 mph)!!! I don't think you can even eke out a living on the WTA with that kind of serve.

Count me in as not being surprised at Vika's loss either. She went on a bit of a run earlier in the season but hasn't really exploded. She was injured after Wimbledon though and still needs to get it together between the ears. She's too emotional and doesn't know how to harness it all yet. Still see her as having potential so long as he can get the mental aspect down. She's improved with it, but still has some work to do.

Well, I didn't see that and that first serve velocity is well off her normal 95-100, so maybe there is something wrong. But I have a lot more respect for Schiavone than you. She was a top 20 player for years and has scored wins over better players than Azarenka before. I don't have a hard time visualizing the rather one-dimensional Vika struggling against Schiavone's sort of Henin-lite game.

Nice win by Venus but if that knee doesn't improve, I see Clijsters winning that match. Clijsters crushed her poor countrywoman and has just been so impressive. Venus won't roll over for Kim, but its lookin like advantage Kimmy.