Here is the draw. Serena drew Myskina, or Myskina drew Serena. Ouch!:

WTA in Cincinnati -- Singles

I'm excited; although I tend to dislike dominant players, I've always liked Serena. I like Venus more, but who's playing favorites?

This is indeed the gay in me, but I love seeing what she wears. I love the fact that she does much of her own designing. And a contestant on this season's Project Runway claims to have assisted her on many designs.

Anyhoot, I'm glad to see her return even if she's going to get her butt kicked (not that Myskina's great, but Serena is going to be RUSTY).

At least she'll look good and might even wear those boots again!!!

Hideous draw for Myskina, who'll be under pressure to win... not such a bad one for Serena though; if she loses, it's only her first match back, and she's playing a respectable top 10-15 opponent... if she wins, she's marking her return with a bang and stating her intent.

For Serena, it is probably a much better draw than pulling out someone relatively unknown - if she lost a match to someone the media/fans didn't consider a dangerous player, then there would be much more negative commentary on the issue of her return to the game. This draw will only be a real blow to her if she happens to lose very heavily.

It's hard to speculate much given that we have no real clue how Serena is going to play, and what her form and condition will be like. But I'd wager that she wouldn't have returned at this point if she wasn't feeling fit and confident. If Serena is terribly rusty and Myskina is having a head-trauma day, it could be an error-fest... but equally it could turn out a very competetive and interesting match. I'm hoping for the latter!

B

In reference to Serena, I agree 100% on the comments by Jepson and B-Boy.

I want Serena to win. Despite their lost focus as of late, I want the Williams sisters back and playing with determination and drive. It's good for the game. I'd be very disappointed if Serena didn't bring it. Sorry B-Boy, I know Myskina's your girl, I just want Serena to serve notice that she's back, as I'm sure you understand. I don't want Serena to lose early just to fall back into a pattern of disinterest.

I guess the Fed Cup doesn't mean much to the Americans. They could have played the semi against Belgium with the Williams sisters, couldn't they? Wouldn't that have been a good place for Serena to return? Now we've lost a lopsided affair against Cljisters and company and are out of the competition!

I think Serena will probably do quite well in Cincinnati - and while Myskina's in good form, they are playing on hard courts - and that's Serena's turf.

I watched both Myskina & Serena warm up yesterday. They looked very good, but then again it was just warm ups. Serena does look fit & ready to go...this first round match sucks because it could have been a fantastic final with these two on top of thier game. I know the organizers here were disappointed with the draw from the perspective that they will be losing one of the big names here at the Tier III event. I'll be there sitting in the stands tomorrow night watching this one!

I'd love to see Serena win but I'm not expecting too much from her. I don't want it to be a bad loss though. Myskina has been playing great lately so it wouldn't be bad if it was a close loss. On the other hand...I don't want Serena to have a lopsided win either because I don't want her to think "oh gee...I've beaten a top player already so I'm right back in the mix and don't need to keep up the hard training". I actually wouldn't mind seeing her struggle a bit to get back up. I want to see her close out those tough 3 setters. But, who knows...Kim and Justine had great comebacks and rolled through many of their opponents and quickly got their rankings back up. Serena is still Serena no matter what her ranking has dropped down to.

Serena is back. She beat Myskina 2 and 2.

I would expect an "in form" Serena to crush Myskina (sorry, B-Boy), but given that it's her first match back, that really is an incredible result. I wonder if Myskina was intimidated by having to face Serena in the first round, and mentally caved.

SERENA!!! SERENA!!!! SERENA!!!! MMMM HMMM!!!! THATS RIGHT!!!!

Serena DEMOLISHED an in form Myskina tonight!!! If I were Nastya I wouldn't be too pleased getting whipped like that by Serena. Myskina is someone who has won many of her most recent matches and who has taken some of the top ladies to tight matches as of late. Serena opened up a can of whoop ass and sent a message to the tour that they are not rid of her yet!!! GO SERENA!!!! Welcome back baby girl!! You have been missed!

Here's a quote from Serena after the match regarding where she hopes her game goes after such a long layoff.

"I can only go up from here. I can't really go much further down. I look at people like Andre Agassi and Monica Seles, and of course what they did. I was always amazed at how Monica came back after so long and did so well. I try to keep that as an inspiration. He who doubts loses."

I was never the biggest fan of Serena's, but it was nice to see her mention Andre and Monica and give them credit for what they overcame in returning to the game.

Definitely a good sign for Serena to be mentioning Andre and Monica as role models! Maybe she listened to Chrissie after all.

I hope she uses those two as role models in both her on-court and off-court behavior as well. I'm very happy she's back and I hope an older, more mature Serena shows a little more class.

That was a remarkably mature statement for Serena to make. I hope it was heartfelt and not something her handlers wrote for her. It's also good to see that she seems to have taken off the excess weight that I think slowed her down and probably didn't help her bad knee.

Great win for Serena. I wanted Myskina to win, but none the less, that was a great first match for Serena.

Not trying to take anything away from her win, but it was one match. Let's see how the next few months go before we proclaim her "back". There is no doubt that she can be on top of the women's game again, but one match, or one tournament is not the be-all, end-all.

Here's hoping she does get back to competing frequently though. I love to root against her, although now, between her and my ex-fav JHH, I would have to root for Serena.

That is a great quote. After seeing Serena ranked No. 140 in the world, I wondered if this was going to be her "Agassi moment," when she realized that she has too much talent and too big a stature in the women's game to be ranked so low.

I read somewhere about a theory regarding Agassi: He needs the lows to produce the highs that he's capable of reaching. I think the same is true for Serena...we're about to find out.

I was never a big fan of either Williams sister, but its good for the game to get a healthy Serena back. With her in the draw, tournments are much more interesting.
Now if we can only get a healthy Lindsay back, i'd be set.

It would be great to see Serena take out Henin in the first round of the US Open. But one step at a time.

Venus and Serena have (very slowly) been coming around to praising opponents more in defeat.

When it's assumed that Serena's remarks -- or Venus's statements and writing about equal pay --are just puppetry I gotta disagree. I think it was Carillo who said that the Williams sisters, Venus especially, are those extremely rare tour players who "read books -- and not the kind with pictures."

Whatever you think of Richard Williams, he and Oracene didn't raise robots.

[ July 19, 2006, 01:34 PM: Message edited by: Two-hander ]

Serena could win this tournament. This is a Tier III field.

That she can. She will face Amy Frazier next. She should beat her, but Amy can suprise anyone. Then Golovin or Jankovic, most likely. Again, people she should beat, but they both could suprise her. Personally, I'm pulling for Golovin. I never really liked her until Miami when she showed so much heart and guts against Sharapova, you know, until she rolled her ankle.

Who knows. I will say this...it's nice to talk about her tennis again.

Woops...Golovin lost already to Vera Head Case. Good for Zvonerava. I would like to see her get back on track too.

Not to turn this into a debate on the character of the Williamses (we've had enough of those ), but I can't help but recall that when Venus was asked about the devastation Hurricane Katrina had wrought on New Orleans, her response was something along the lines that she doesn't read newspapers or follow the news. I suppose she's too busy reading books. wink

And who can forget this little nugget from Serena:

"I just think my problem is I'm a hypochondriac," Williams said Tuesday. "[That's] someone that is always prone to get sick, prone to get hurt and injured, more prone than the next individual. That's me."

Venus (the bookish one) said she didn't read or follow the news because after her sister was murdered, tuning in to the media's nonstop coverage of murders and death was too painful.

[ July 19, 2006, 03:35 PM: Message edited by: Two-hander ]

Here are some comments from Nick Bollettieri from an article titled "Serena seeking redemption". I totally co-sign with Nick on these comments:

Williams trained with tennis guru Bollettieri at his Bradenton academy for two weeks during the French Open. She was eager to whip herself back into shape and prove wrong the pundits who were sure the 24-year-old had ballooned beyond repair and given up tennis to pursue acting, fashion design and parties.
"It was all about getting her confidence back," said Bollettieri, who has worked on and off with Williams throughout her career. "There was no question in my mind that she could do it. It was about getting accustomed to hitting balls again and feeling like she wants to play. You can't force this on anyone. I hear people saying she'll turn 35 and regret this or that. It's her decision whether she wants to play or not, but if she has that desire, she could be the best ever to strike a tennis ball."
Williams was out of shape when she arrived for her first week of training, Bollettieri said. "With a layoff that long, things do go astray," he said. But by the second week, she was getting back to her old self, smashing the ball against male hitting partners.
"She was really into it by the end," he said. "With the strength she has, and those keen eyes, she can regain her form faster than most. I think its a great boost for tennis to have her back and a great thing for Serena, too. She's hungry again, so watch out."
Bollettieri said Williams plans to return to Bradenton in August and train for the U.S. Open. "All she needs is a little success to build on, and it can be just like old times," he said.

I especially love: "I hear people saying she'll turn 35 and regret this or that (Gee...I wonder who made those comments)

"It's her decision whether she wants to play or not, but if she has that desire, she could be the best ever to strike a tennis ball."

Thank you Nick for presenting the flip side of the whole Serena thing. In the end..it is HER decision. I wonder if Nick wrote an "open" letter to her as well. ::chuckles::

Actually,

Nick did write an open letter to her I think during last year's U.S. Open or Wimbledon. He basically said "take me back and I'll make you a star." wink

Just stumbled on the following quotes from Serena.
She is definitely becoming more complimentary of her opponents. I suppose cynics could say her "handlers" are doing a better job. Others could say, she's maturing, just like Hingis did.

...

"Bethanie was playing really well," said Williams, who was playing Mattek for the first time. "Both players I've played so far have been competitive and tough."

...

Williams gave compliments to [Amy] Frazier in her post-match press conference when asked about her thoughts on the upcoming battle.

"I tell you what, she's no pushover," Williams stated. "She's been playing since I was really young, and she still looks and plays like she's really young. She's so steady. It's gonna be a tough match."

Nice to see Serena back, playing well, and as gracious as ever. The real test will come when she loses!

And not to rehash an old discussion, but this quote from Nick ("It's her decision whether she wants to play or not, but if she has that desire, she could be the best ever to strike a tennis ball.") is exactly what Chrissie said!

The "open letter" is a real popular form in tennis journalism these days, and Bollettieri has written more than anyone else, including Chrissie and her minions. He could probably publish a book of them, but it would be redundant, since the message of all of them is: "Hire me!"

Knowing how tough Bollettieri could be on Mary Pierce -- "No tiramisu for you unless you WIN the Australian, Mary!" -- his reunion with Serena seems like a good thing. She's a better athlete than any of his more recent creations on the men's or women's side.

I'm dating myself as Paleolithic in saying that I used to play the same Michigan USTA events as Amy Frazier as a kid. Getting demolished by Aaron Krickstein officially ended my pro dreams. Anyway, it's amazing to see Frazier still fighting out there. Against Sharapova at Wimbledon she had on so much sunblock she looked like a ghost.

Amy is the sweetest! Ghostly, yes, but sweet.

I was a ballboy for her many years ago. And she says, "Thank you" every single time you give her the ball.

Zvonareva seems to have found God, or something. She just steamrolled Serena 6-2, 6-3.

It isn't easy to come back and play top level matches. Zvonereva does seem to have found her mojo through her doubles success. She's always been damn good when she's not falling apart. Serena's been off the tour for a while and playing the top girls will be tough - getting in a couple of wins in a short week is tough when you've been off. She'll pull a Monica sooner than later and when a tournament quickly upon her return. Not everyone can win the first tournament back after a long absence, but then again, there's only one Monica Seles.

Well, actually Serena did win her first tournament back after a longer absence in 2004, and a tier 1 (although with a weak field) at that. Vera has been slaughtering everybody in her path here. I still want to see how she performs when challenged in a tight match, though. It's unlikely to happen against Srebotnik, though.

Was Serena's absence as long in 2004 as this past elongated one? Just curious, I can't remember.

Vera's definitely found her game and it will be interesting to see how many Russians she'll soon move past in the top ten. If Petrova gets fully healthy, we may just have an even more Russian loaded top ten by the end of the year.

I didn't see the match but I'm wondering if it was Vera's excellent play or Serena's lack of match play against top players? Of course, as I write that, I realize it was probably both...

Wow... Tier III it may well be, but it seems I've missed an interesting week of tennis thus far. Just back from a couple of days away and huge amounts of real-life stress, so huzzah for tennis-based distraction!

Did anyone see the Serena/Myskina match? Score was very one-sided of course... which did sort of surprise me, given recent Myskina form. Curious to know whether it was another "what? I'm not in still in bed?!" performance from Anastasia, or whether Serena just came out with line-blazing excellence. And to the comment by LarryC... I wouldn't quite use "crush" as the expected term, but I agree in principle.. an "on form" Serena vs Myskina on a hardcourt is heavily in favour of Ms Williams; so absolutely no offence taken. Myskina's counter-attacking "I'll make you run just that bit more than you're making me run, nyah!" game does not mesh well against someone so fast and powerful, and Serena is probably the best in town when it comes to punishing horrid 70mph second serves! I'm a Myskina fan, but I'm mostly realistic wink

And now it is Zvonareva making some waves... I, for one, am really pleased to see her pulling it together. Would have loved to have seen that semi to see how it was won and lost. I recall rambling on about how great Zvonareva played in the mixed at Wimbly (she really was playing some brilliant tennis in the semi and final there) and how maybe it would give her some confidence back... and hey... perhaps it is going to happen. Vera's on-court dramas are horrible things, but I've always been interested in her game; it is something a little different to the current norm for younger girls on tour... she has a lot of skill and variety with the racquet that can be really entertaining to watch. Even if Serena played crappily... I think it could still be a rather important result for Vera. She's still only (I think) 21... I'll be intrigued to see whether she can build on the promise she showed a few years ago when she burst onto the scene.

B

Ouch B-Boy, give Myskina some credit. I saw her beat Sharapova at the Acura Classic a few years ago, and even though Myskina didn't bring the heat quite like Maria, her groundstrokes had a bit of sting, and she certainly held her ground in the win and didn't rely on endless counterpunching.

Great win for Zvonareva. I think mdterp's basic thinking was correct--this was the best possible result for Serena's comeback, if not for tournament performance. By making a good run, Serena didn't embarrass her herself, but her loss means that she knows she still has room to improve, so it will keep her hungry.

Besides, only Monica could win her first tournament back. That was pure storybook ending. I almost cried watching that Canadian Open.

Sorry Neptune! I didn't mean it in the sense of "just" a counter-puncher... and definitely not that Myskina can't whack the ball hard... I just meant that she is a less likely to just smack for the winner than say... Kuznetsova, Serena or Kim are from the back of the court. Myskina cannot rival those girls for sheer power... her game is a little more about timing and placement; she's more likely to run side to side and wait for the right ball to hit suddenly flatter as an offensive stroke.

B

Serena didn't play between Wimbledon 2003 and Miami 2004, so she was gone for over eight months. Of course, she won that final by slaughtering Dementieva's second serve, which is even worse than Myskina's.

Why do so many of the Russians have lousy second serves anyway? It was a huge weakness in Kournikova's game, and Zvonareva doesn't have a great one either.

Edited to add:
Just reading the description of the match, Vera made no unforced errors in the first set. Wow! When I think how aggressive Vera can be off the ground, that's really amazing. Of course, Serena's post-match comments are all about her errors.

[ July 23, 2006, 08:01 AM: Message edited by: JC ]

Belated congrats to Zvonareva for a great week in Cincy. After all the abuse she's taken for her mental state in the past, it is very positive to see her playing and talking the way she is right now. Will be interesting to see how the rest of her season goes and whether she can hold it all together - but now she's fully recovered from her niggling injury issues, I think she's one of the draw-lurkers that the higher ranked players are not going to want to meet.

Bravo Vera - she's obviously managed to sort out her demons at least a little; which, I think, is a good thing for all concerned!

B

I wonder why Serena isn't playing Bank of the West?

Cljisters is headed for a showdown with Vera in the quarters!

It seems like one of the weaker BOW fields of recent years when more top five players entered...

I just read that Brenda Schultz McCarthy fired a 130 mph serve in a qualifying match (regaining the women's speed record from Venus). Pretty amazing at the age of 35! (Too bad she lost the match.)

Yeah, Larry! I read that too - pretty amazing feat for a 35 year old who'd suffered serious and serve-affecting injury. Also I think that 130mph was something like 8mph faster than her old record, which is a pretty sizeable improvement even without the factors of age and injury. Guess all that Sampras serve-watching she says she has been doing has paid dividends!

B