Australian Open Preview: Day Three

The sweltering heat on Tuesday was one of the big winners on day two at the Australian Open as play on the outside courts was delayed for several hours. The matches continued on Rod Laver and Vodafone Arenas, but the majority of the women in the top half of the draw found themselves cooling their heels for most of the day.

The temperatures are expected to be warm again on Wednesday with a slight chance of thunderstorms, but hopefully that will not stop the bottom half of the draw, led by second seed Amelie Mauresmo, from attempting to gain berths in the third round.

A few of the players from the top half, including seeds Patty Schnyder and Dinara Safina, are also on the schedule because of their matches being postponed on Tuesday. The No. 1 doubles team of American Lisa Raymond and Australia’s Samantha Stosur will be headlining the opening day of the ladies doubles competition.

Second round play begins at 11:00 AM (Melbourne time) with third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova taking on Australia’s Monique Adamczak, and Amelie Mauresmo will begin the night session at 7:30 PM against Olga Poutchkova.

Key Matches for Wednesday, January 17

(Be sure to see the AO schedule of play for the complete schedule.)

(2) Amelie Mauresmo vs. Olga Poutchkova
Amelie Mauresmo was far from her best form in her opening win against Shenay Perry, but she still avoided an opening round upset with a solid straight sets win. As defending champion she is accustomed to playing in the heat at Australia, but Wednesday’s night session will be a welcome relief for her. Olga Poutchkova is still developing as a young player, and is currently ranked as the tenth Russian in the world, but her first round win against Marta Domachowska revealed some serious chinks in her game. She may have scrapped through to the second round with only eleven winners, but the road ends here against the defending champ.
My Pick to Win: Amelie Mauresmo in two sets

(5) Nadia Petrova vs. Gisela Dulko
Nadia Petrova’s stomach muscles must have healed up pretty quick because she blitzed past Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-3, 6-2 in the first round. Petrova has never had much success on the Rebound Ace courts as her game is much more suited for clay, but that has never stopped her from trying. Playing Gisela Dulko will be somewhat harder than the Thai veteran, especially as Petrova has never beaten her in their previous two meetings. If Nadia can come out aggressively and keep the Argentine pinned down on the baseline and away from the net, she should be able to score a straight sets win.
My Pick to Win: Nadia Petrova in two sets

Anne Kremer vs. Serena Williams
Serena may have shown some rust in her tank during her two sets win over Mara Santangelo, but one thing is for certain - Serena has not been losing in the past several months to players ranked beneath her. Obviously, with a ranking of No. 81 in the world and an unlimited supply of wild cards, she has not gotten much of a chance to face anyone outside of the top 100. She’ll get her shot on Wednesday, though, against Luxembourg’s veteran Anne Kremer who is outside of the top 150 at No. 159. Kremer likes the baseline, and enjoys fast courts, but expect Serena to neutralize her speed with the two weapons she still has left - her booming serve and her powerful groundstrokes.
My Pick to Win: Serena Williams in two sets

(15) Janette Husarova/Jelena Jankovic vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova/Martina Hingis
Martina Hingis loves the Australian Open. She reached the singles final for six straight years and her run was only ended because of her retirement. During those years she also won the doubles title four times. This year she has teamed up with world No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova, and they are taking on Janette Husarova and Jelena Jankovic in the first round. Jankovic knocked Hingis out of Sydney last week in the first round, so I’d look for a little revenge coming out on the doubles court.
My Pick to Win: Svetlana Kuznetsova and Martina Hingis in two sets

Quotes of the Day

Kim Clijsters on her double bagel win:
“But, you know, felt very into the zone today. I was seeing the ball well. Only the serve, the first serve percentage, has to be a little higher if I start playing girls who return better, who don’t miss as much as my opponent today. Overall, it was pretty good.”

Martina Hingis on playing Nathalie Dechy:
“If I had somebody else on the other side, sometimes you have a wildcard or a qualifier or something, then you take it on the ease. I didn’t today because I played her in Zurich last time. It was a good match. I played well there. I was confident I could come out and play well again.”

Alicia Molik on the best part of her match on Rod Laver, apart from the victory:
“I think walking out there and feeling really calm and really at home. It felt like an environment that I belonged in really. And obviously that’s what I’ve missed in the last couple years. But I had a real sense of calmness about myself walking out to Rod Laver. I didn’t know what to expect this time. It’s obviously been a while since I played a match there.Once I got out there, I really felt, you know, it’s where I belonged, and it felt like ‑‑ really felt like home.”

What’s Happening in Melbourne

Outrage at heat policy
I watched Maria’s press conference and she did not look too outraged to me, just completely exhausted. Also, contrary to the rumors, she was not put on an IV after the match.

Best seat at the Open
Fifteen year-old Trent Doyle’s getting up close and personal with the stars at the Australian Open, but not without a workout.

Dress is ‘no issue’ - Lime green outfit wasn’t camouflage
Some people just live to write sensational, if not altogether accurate stories, but it is a good thing for Serena that Mara Santangelo did say that she could see the ball fine.

Fans Hit By Heat In Melbourne
It’s not just the players that are suffering from Australia’s blistering conditions at Melbourne Park.

US Television Schedule for Tuesday/Wednesday

All TV listings are EST and are subject to change.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Early Round Coverage Day #3 - ESPN2 - 11:00 PM to 2:30 AM (live)

Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Early Round Coverage Day #3 - ESPN - 3:30 AM to 6:00 AM (live)
Early Round Coverage Day #3 - ESPN2 - 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM (tape)