Australian Open: Day Two Preview
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Jan 15, 2007 | Print
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World number two and top seed Maria Sharapova is leading the charge on Tuesday for the top two quarters of the draw, but all eyes will also be on Kim Clijsters, who is starting her final run for an Australian Open title, and Martina Hingis, who will have to play close to her best tennis just to reach the second round.
Other players scheduled to be in action include Australian sweetheart Alicia Molik, rising superstar Ana Ivanovic, and eighth seed Patty Schnyder.
Play kicks off on Rod Laver Arena at 11:00 AM (Melbourne time) between Sharapova and Camille Pin, and Alicia Molik has been given the honor of headlining the night session at 7:30 PM.
Key Matches for Tuesday, January 16
(Be sure to see the AO schedule of play for the complete schedule.)
(1) Maria Sharapova vs. Camille Pin
Being the top seed at a Grand Slam is not a new experience for Maria Sharapova as she had the honor at the 2005 US Open, but a different Sharapova is out on court now. She is rapidly maturing into a more balanced player, her signature power shots are starting to evolve into calculated angles, and she is even foraying into the net on occasion. For the past two years she has been one of the most consistent players on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, and is heavily favored to walk away from Melbourne with not only the Grand Slam title, but also the number one ranking.
Camille Pin reached a new career high of No. 61 last week, but the petite 5′3 3/4″ Frenchwoman would need to play one of the best matches of her career just to take even a set off of Sharapova right now.
My Pick to Win: Maria Sharapova in two sets
(4) Kim Clijsters vs. Vasilisa Bardina
Given the draw that Kim Clijsters has been given and the fact that she is hot off wins at Sydney and Hong Kong, she is looking pretty invincible until possibly the quarterfinals against Hingis or Safina. The crowds are expected to highly favor their “Aussie Kim” over the next two weeks, plus she has the advantage of knowing that she has not lost before the semifinals since 2001.
My Pick to Win: Kim Clijsters in two sets
(13) Ana Ivanovic vs. Vania King
Ana Ivanovic may be one of the hottest players off the court and her booming forehand is one of the best in the business, but Grand Slams have not been kind to the young Serb. Vania King has a lot on her shoulders, thanks to the drought in American tennis, but if there is going to be an early round upset for a top seed, the California native may just be the one to pull it off.
My Pick to Win: Ana Ivanovic in three sets
(6) Martina Hingis vs. Nathalie Dechy
Personally, I don’t think Nathalie Dechy will be able to do anything more than shake up Martina Hingis’ confidence in this first rounder. The Swiss Miss has been uncharacteristically quiet heading into the tournament, and this match will really be the test to see if she is capable of bringing home her sixth major. Dechy’s not a top player now, but she used to be, and if Martina struggles against Nathalie, she will be sending a message loud and clear to the rest of the field.
My Pick to Win: Martina Hingis in three sets
(24) Samantha Stosur vs. Klara Zakopalova
For those of you who are wondering who on earth Klara Zakopalova is, the only thing that you have missed is a wedding. The former Klara Koukalova has married a fellow Czech athlete, football player Jan Zakopal. She’s been married for six months, but since then she’s seen her ranking plummet from inside the top forty to outside of the top one hundred. She’s on the comeback trail, but not close to the form that Australian doubles and singles star Samantha Stosur has been displaying recently.
My Pick to Win: Samantha Stosur in two sets
What’s Happening in Melbourne
Replay debuts Down Under
Amelie Mauresmo became the first player to use the Hawk-Eye instant replay challenge system at the Australian Open. Best of all, she was right.
Serbian-Croatian clash, tennis style
Croatian and Serbian fans turned Melbourne Park into a rough house yesterday, but the brief feud was quickly squelched by the police.
Kuznetsova leads Russian charge
Svetlana Kuznetsova shook off whatever effects may have been lingering of bronchitis for a solid 6-2, 6-0 win over Australian wild-card Jessica Moore yesterday.
Australian Open Tennis Women’s Preview
TennisFanatic.com has a preview of the women’s draw, culminating with a showdown between Maria Sharapova and Jelena Jankovic in the final.
It’s Lime Time In Melbourne
Move over dignified Wimbledon whites and classic blues and blacks, the color green is IN Down Under.
US Television Schedule for Monday/Tuesday
All TV listings are EST and are subject to change.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Early Round Coverage Day #2 - ESPN2 - 9:00 PM to 1:00 AM (live)
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Early Round Coverage Day #2 - ESPN - 3:30 AM to 6:00 AM (live)
Early Round Coverage Day #2 - ESPN2 - 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM (tape)
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Jayasree | Jan 15, 2007 | Reply
Sorry Aaress– Dechy has been slumping horribly since, well, a looong time! She also doesn’t have the power necessary to cause Martina problems. Hingis in 2, no sweat. (She’ll have the crowd behind her as well).
Hope Sammy Stosur does well. I really like her game and attitude. Aussie aussie aussie, oi oi oi!
Aaress | Jan 15, 2007 | Reply
True, Dechy can’t hit with the power ala Clijsters and Sharapova, but Martina’s not just been having trouble with the heavy-hitters.
Jelena Jankovic hits hard, but she’s certainly no “big babe”, and easily got inside of Martina’s head last week in Sydney.
I think the effects of playing so much and her sudden rise through the rankings last season are starting to take its toll.
She is about the only one of the top players that has not battled an injury in the last twelve months, and to go from three years in retirement to playing twenty tournaments in one season has to eventually catch up with her.
She’s not the same happy-go-lucky, I’m-on-top-of-the-world Hingis that we’ve grown to love. She needs to take some time off after Melbourne, rest, and rekindle her desire for the game, because at the rate she’s going, I have to wonder how long she is going to be content ranked at No. 7.
BTW, stick by your pick of Hingis in 2 sets
- we’ll see in a few hours!
Hey, did you happen to happen to watch any of Amelie’s match last night or are you still boycotting her?
Jayasree | Jan 15, 2007 | Reply
Watched Match: yes.
Boycotting: h*** yes (I hope it doesn’t censor me! :P).
Shenay Perry has got a very cool game. Somewhat like Amelie’s, in fact. Lovely hands at net, big forehand, big serve (some of her serve-and-volley points were out of Amelie’s book). She just lacked the consistency of Amelie. Her slice one-handed backhand is something I admire, but she should work on being able to “roll it” a la Amelie and Justine. But overall, I was mucho impressed. No wonder she made the 4th round of Wimbledon! Her game seems great for grass!
Not very impressive for Amelie (choking while up 6-3, 5-2??) but a win’s a win, I suppose. What’s the scoop on Olga Poutchkova? I saw the stats on her match last night against Domachowska, and they were NOT pretty. Hideous UE:winner ratio from both, just Dommy’s was worse than Poutchy’s. But I hear Poutchy’s a young up-and-comer. So who knows??
Aaress | Jan 15, 2007 | Reply
Yes, the censor struck again . . . (i changed it to show the asterisks, as I figured that would leave the full meaning behind your statement :))
I probably would not classify Amelie at 5-2 in the second as choking, Perry just saved her best tennis for last. If she had played the entire match like she played those last three games, the scoreboard would have been much different! I agree, her game is really suited for grass, and I’m hoping for good results at the pre-Wimbledon warm-ups and of course, another solid showing at the AELTC.
Yes, even though Olga sealed her win in straight sets, it was a pretty nasty match on both sides.
This is what baffles me: Domachowska had 10 doubles, 34 unforced errors, and set up twelve break points, yet she had a higher winning percentage on her serve than Poutchkova and still lost.
Go figure.
Time and experience will help Poutchkova’s game, but like a lot of players that quickly rise from challengers and a few solid wins at lower Tier tournaments, it is going to take a while for her to make a successful transition to the big leagues. She may be competing against her peers ranking wise, but her game is nowhere near the likes of Shaugnessy, Elena Likhovtseva, and even slumping Nathalie Dechy - all players ranked beneath her.
She has a solid two-handed backhand, but her serve needs more work, and quick. Or else she’s going to find herself right back on the Challenger circuit.
Aaress | Jan 16, 2007 | Reply
Okay - I struck out big time on the Hingis/Dechy pick - 6-0, 6-2 (Jayasree, no sweat is right!)