Huh? Aussie Open 2013...

...what do you mean, you're almost over?
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by PAM


Just a few days ago... well, at least, that's how it seems, a High School classmate was so generously offering to treat me to the Aussie Open, the first Grand Slam of the new Tennis season.  My classmate was fanning me with
The Tennis Superstars were 'Nickolodeoned'.
(Photo credit: Graham Denholm/Getty Images)tickets to the men's single semi-finals and the men's single final at the Rod Laver Arena.  "All you have to do," the classmate admonished, "is to stop being boring, make the time, and get on that plane!"   

"Make the time", sure... I wish it's that simple.  I know I'm a big fan of Star Trek, and that's one of my fave topics: making time when something is important enough.  The fact that I have not seen a single match - live - not one, nah-ah, in the Aussie Open 2013 confirms that, sadly, Sports is taking the back seat in my 2013 agenda. :(  I'm not sure if I could stand by that tall order... 'cause it's like asking your lungs to make the most out of 'rationed oxygen'.  But a few things have become more important than, say, the great desire to find out whether Roger Federer would shed tears - again - this year, or to find out if this would be the year when he would actually lose his Swiss cool and smash his racquet in the Marat Safin ultimate mental breakdown fashion.  Or, is this the year when Maria Sharapova would find the volume dial to her throat, which seemed to be synchronized with the movement of
Winners: Viktoria Azarenka and Li Na.
(Photo credit: Scott Barbour/Getty Images)her right wrist?  Apparently, Li Na cannot stand the noise either (well, her husband's mere snoring disturbs her) that she found it in her to silence the leggy Russian in their semi-final match with a straight-sets win.  Ah, relief... for our ears, thanks, Li Na!  Unfortunately, for the powerful Chinese lady, she could not find the right touch and will her bones to stop from breaking so she could silence the 'other noisy' woman on the court, Viktoria Azarenka.  The #1 in the world, Vika, became the least favorite woman by the 2013 Aussie Open crowd after her controversial win over the rising American tennis teenage star, Sloane Stephens - the same girl whose brilliance caused Serena Williams to lose it, and go on spontaneous combustion - on court... again. The win by VA over SS was described by many as undeserved... and I can't argue with that.  Nevertheless, VA went on to snatch the Championship cup - for the second time in a row, despite being walloped by Li Na in the first set.  Too bad for the Chinese lady... and us, who are not all that amused by VA's rough manners on court, not to mention, weird fashion sense. 

Don't get me wrong though... it isn't like I wasn't following the event.  I saw parts of the Federer-Tsonga QF match as I rushed through breakfast a few days back to catch a 9 AM - 12 PM meeting, and it took the heart of me a little, to watch RF finding the true Champion's touch to stop
Roger Federer @ 31: genius, elegance and grace in pink.
(Photo credit: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)the gritty Frenchman from advancing to the semis.  That's as good as the final for me as far as RF is concerned.  I also saw some parts of the Djokovic-Ferrer semi-final match (on replay, of course).  And, while I was wow-ing and awesome-ing through the beautiful shots from the Djoker racquet, my heart completely bled for the admirable Spaniard who is #5 in the World, David Ferrer, trying to equal Djoker and trying to fill-in the Rafael Nadal shoes in the 'Big Four', but coming up short... too short, actually.  I was especially ouch-ing for DF when he tried to return that baseline powershot from the Djoker racquet, but couldn't jump high enough to catch the ball.  Oh, boy... tough!  And, I dizzied myself to sleep through the (replay of) Federer-Murray semi-final match.  RF was cursing... hah!  Mental breakdown?  Nah... just weird officiating that ought to be questioned, really.  But, that was the first time that these two ran the distance in a Grand Slam:  fiver-setter.  Man, RF still has it in him at 31 to challenge these younger players in the 'Big Four' with iron abs and biceps - awesome!  Oh, and loving the baby pink trimmings of his gear and baby pink shoe laces - too cute. :)

Hmm... how will I maintain my status as a 'card-carrying' tennis fan, when I have not seen any match - live - in the Aussie Open this year?  I'm fearing disbarment from the 'federation of tennis geeks'!  Tsk!   :(  Oh, well....  Fortunately, YouTube is there to the rescue... while it's
Iron men: Novak Djokovic & Andy Murray, who's tougher?
(Photo credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images)not as exciting to watch the replay as the live match (and what is Sports if you take away that sort of nail-biting, nerve wracking excitement?), at least you don't feel left out when your fellow tennis geeks are passionately discussing how incredible it is that Caroline Wozniacki had miraculously held on until the fourth round!  Yeah, imagine that!  :)

Well, it would be exciting to see if, finally, Andy Murray, would find the true 'Brit grit' a la James Bond under a 'licensed-to-kill' sort of a tennis hero mission, as he did in the London Summer Games, and whip the butt of Novak Djokovic to finally earn the right to raise the Normal Brookes Challenge Cup above his head!  Now, this one, I'm going to have make the time for.  I'm really curious to see if they could match the incredible Nofael Djodal iron men match-up last year in Melbourne... and I want to follow - as it happens, live!  With the gruelling grind I had to go through last week and the week before that, I deserve this much! 

Therefore, sorry, work... you are taking the backseat within the next few hours.  Besides, it's weekend for cryin' out loud!  Alright, work, scoot over - now! 

Oy, oy, oy, Aussie, Aussie, oy, oy, oy!  :)

***

Red hot in white on green...

...in the All England Club!
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by Philipina A. Marcelo


There's serious work, of course... but there's also serious play - courtesy of Wimbledon!

Just three weeks after my Knights' successful negotiation with the "hooded one" for my "visa extension" in this "valley of tears", I'm just very thankful to be back in the swing of things at España Blvd. While I'm only about 70% fine, all at once, busy, busy, busy is the story of my life again... but I'm not complaining. After all, I imagine it's a (big) "clause" in the negotiation "agreement": I'd get an "extension", I'd use my time productively... not that I haven't been trying to do exactly that. But it's a fair enough "clause"... therefore, I'm just very happy to comply. :) However, no matter the level of "busyness", there's always time to enjoy the fabulous tennis on display at the 2011 Championships, Wimbledon. I have to make time... it's a part of the "negotiation", too, you know. ;)

***
First and second rounds roundabout...

So, the Big Four in men's tennis are once again parading their tennis hotness... with the other men close "behind them" making the "grass show" at SW19 all the more alluring. And yes, there had been a number of well-documented baring of chest and abs on court, too, among the beautiful men, which received a lot of ooohs and aaahs from the smitten crowd. :) And from the looks of it, unlike in football world, I don't think the officials of tennis are about to outlaw such acts. Uhmm, nah, not complaining - never! ;)

The first round was full of heart-stopping "scares". The defending
Rafa Nadal, having fun? Champion, Rafael Nadal, was broken in the first set by USA's Michael Russel in their first round match on Day 1, going down to 0-2. Of course, after that first round scare courtesy of John Isner in Roland Garros, this was kind of unbearable - emotionally unacceptable! I had to give up my lecture slides preparation for a bit to pay close attention. But the World No. 1 recovered fast, re-calibrated his game to beat the American, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. I was too tired to stay up all night on Day 3 to see him take care of another American, Ryan Sweeting, in the second round. But I had just enough viewing time to notice that while he still glared a lot on court like the hot Spanish Matador that he is, he had been more than generous in flashing his charming Mallorcan smile in the first and second rounds - sweet! Purr.... :)

Roger Federer walked into Centre Court for his first-round match with Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin with the "gentleman of distinction" swagger that only he can carry without looking in-your-face arrogant - I think it's called "elegance". He seemed very aware of the admiring smiles all around him, obviously still conveying their appreciation of his good run in Roland Garros... and hoping he'd exceed his performance in the City of Lights at the All
The Swiss Maestro, en concieto.England Club. The Swiss Maestro most graciously returned the open admiration with an awesome grass repertoire: beautiful full-body lift for right-on-the-tee serves, full-body twist in mid-air for a blistering forehand down the line, full stretch of the sexy chest with a twist of the torso and a graceful bending of the knees to issue a precise one-handed backhand, brilliantly executed serve-and-volley, graceful groundstrokes that earned breathtaking winners... too beautiful! Undeterred, Kukushkin pushed El Maestro to earn his swagger to a tie break in the first set... kinda scary. But RF was not about to be robbed of "his moment", and went on to beat the Kazakh, 7(7)-6(2), 6-4, 6-2. While I enjoyed the match... I felt there was a bit too much of the RF awagger though as he went deep into the match... and I'm not liking it too much. He'd better concentrate on his game more, I think. Then again, it's his opening match... he's allowed a little All England "grass flirting". :) He was more of his serene and focused self in his second round straight sets victory, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2, over Adrian Mannarino of France, which was good. And he was fantastic to watch, of course! He will face the dangerous Argentine, David Nalbandian, in the third round. And the uphill climb begins....

No. 2 in the World Novak Djokovic has been winning clinically as he resumes his phenomenal 2011 run, suffering a hitch only from that
Novak Djokovic, look-at-me, look-at-me!derailment courtesy of RF in Roland Garros. He dismissed Jeremy Chardy of France via a convincing 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 win in no more than 80 minutes in the first round. He followed that up with another clinical straight sets win over Kevin Anderson of South Africa, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. He's living up to expectations, that's for sure. However, somewhat like RF, he's been walking with swagger, too. His is a bit overdone though... and there are some of those tell-tale signs of ego-swell with a "look-at-me, look-at-me" show on court that I can surely do without. As if the whole tennis planet's attention wasn't enough! Ugh! Then again, who am I to judge? Nobody, I guess... it's just that I prefer The Djoker in the brilliant Djokovic.

British Numero Uno, Andy Murray, scared the hell out of me in his first-round match with Spain's Daniel Gimeno-Traver. The
Andy Murray, British #1.
Aaaw-wooo... Scot looked red hot as he started his SW19 campaign... until he was broken, and lost the first set, 4-6! Into the second set, he was looking vulnerable - again! Dang! I had to make tea in the middle of the night to force butterflies in my stomach to settle down! But he prevailed... 6-3. And then, he realized that he had a "mission" to fulfill in SW19... he then gripped his racquet with a steel determination and downed the Spaniard, 4-6, 6-3, 6-0, 6-0! Of course, he growled in the end! Aawww-wooo! His second-round match with Tobias Kamke of Germany was less tense, winning it in straight sets... and I hope it stays like that for him for the rest of the tournament... except that he's in the same half of the draw as Rafa Nadal! Aaaawww...

Of course, I've been watching Robin Soderling, too. It scared me
Robin Soderling escapes!silly, too, to see him being pushed to four sets by the German, Philipp Petzschner, losing the third set, and going on a heart-stopping tie break in the fourth! He won, 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 7(7)-6(5). As if that wasn't enough, the Swede had to dig deep in his shots kit to prevail in his second-round confrontation with former No. 1 in the World and 2002 Wimbledon Champ, the Aussie Lleyton Hewitt in the second round. I was torn, of course, because I like both men! I was glad to see Hewitt finally broke through his bout with injuries and arrive
Lleyton Hewitt, nice try. healthy in SW19 this season... but I couldn't completely celebrate as I watched him kill Soderling's "programmed game" in the first and second sets! Hewitt, brought his champion caliber game to Soderling, displayed fantastic moves that shook Soderling some... and more! But the Swede re-grouped... concentrated in winning points - one at a time - to re-emerge from a two-set deficit to go even in the fourth. He barely edged the passionate Aussie in a heart-thumping five-set battle, 6(5)-7(7), 3-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-4. Whew, too hot!

***
Bits and pieces of awesomeness...

Speaking of "scares", Roland Garros 2011 finalist and 2010 Champ, Italian Francesca Schiavone, made me sit up as she battled
Dokic & Schiavone, tight match!Australia's Jelena Dokic in a three-set first-round thriller! I couldn't make up my mind between the two ladies as I like Dokic, too. To be honest, I think the former Juniors World No. 1 Dokic was shooting the more outstanding winners - such a natural talent... but she looked rusty and "too heavy" to effect her former top caliber moves. She has been in and out of the tour due to various reasons... and it's a pity how her natural talents are being put to waste... I'm glad she's back, but Schiavone was too much of a wild force for her to tame. Maybe next time....

Of course, the big Argentine, Juan Martin del Potro, is making his presence felt once again with his booming shots! But I have been too busy to include his matches in my limited "relaxation time". Caught a few of his big shots though - whew, frightening! He just set up a third-round match-up with the brilliant Frenchman, Gilles Simon! Dang, how exciting is that! For sure, that's a must-see match... and it's going to be one of my priority matches in the third round! :)

Serena Williams has been moving beautifully on court. She's
Serena Williams, too good!playing a perfect game so far - fast, powerful shots, nicely put games for impressive winners. But then again, it's Serena. What else can be expected? She's too good, it's almost boring! Venus Williams, on the other hand, is painful to watch in her yet again trying-hard-to-wow outfit. Sorry, I know she's a great champ, and I like her personality... but that's exactly the point - she plays brilliant tennis, she doesn't have to try too hard to wow!

Ana Ivanovic is looking like she's on the right track... and I'm so
Ana Ivanovic, getting there.glad. I'd really like this former No. 1 in the World Serb to regain her great form and her Top 10 status. She's one of those great ambassadresses of tennis - very talented, and with a wonderful personality, too. She's through to the third round! Yaay! :)

The French Showman, Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, once again wowed the crowd with his emphatic second round four-set win over Gregor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, 6(4)-7(7), 6-4, 6-4, 7(10)-6(8) - very exciting and emotionally charged match. Tomas Berdych is flying under the radar, gliding from one round to the other without hitches. I haven't seen David Ferrer in action, but he seem to be doing fine, playing the second round now with American, Ryan Harrison. I'm hoping to see Julia Goerges of Germany in action, too. She's through to the third round - good. I've yet to see Maria Sharapova's outfit... okay, and her, too. :) I'm not too excited to see Caroline Wozniacki in action though... could this be "the one" for her? I wish her luck... I'm serious! :)

***
And then the upsets...

While Robin Soderling marginally escaped a second round upset as Lleyton
Sabine Lisicki, sweet
victory!Hewitt faltered on critical points in their match, the 2011 French Open Champ, Li Na, was not as lucky. She was ousted by the wild card Sabine Lisicki of Germany in a truly fantastic second-round match that turned out to be the biggest upset so far! The 21-year old German had an answer to all the great shots thrown at her by China's No. 1. Li Na's usually unruffled faҫade was visibly shaken and in distress as the German assaulted her with big forehand shots send in winners and sprinted blindingly fast, covering the court easily, to save points! The high intensity of the match and her dramatic win, 3-6, 6-4, 8-6, sent Lisicki to her knees as she shook from tears of joy. Great match!

Seeded #13, Viktor Troicki of Serbia - the man who pushed Andy Murray to his limit in Roland Garros, was sent packing by Taipe's aggressive Yen-Shun Lu in a straight sets second round victory. Another high-quality match right there. #20 seed, Florian Meyer of Germany, suffered a second round ouster from the hands of unseeded Xavier Malisse of Belgium. Fernando Verdasco of Spain, a former Top 10 player and now seeded #21, exited in the second round after a four-set upset in the hands of Robin Haase of the Netherlands. Verdasco is slowly slipping down in the ranking - pity.


***
Photo credits: All photos were grabbed from the Zimbio website - thanks!

Happy time again...

...hobby time again! And I'm glad to be back!
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by Philipina A. Marcelo


Five days out... so, what did I miss?? A lot, apparently!

***
Roland Garros 2011 time ticked off while I was sleeping!

I got out of unconsciousness... and what greeted me was the big news from the City of Lights. Hmmm... they're wrapping things up at Roland Garros!

The top 4 men in the world are all in the semi-finals. Nice! But it's men's tennis - only the very, very best and the very, very "hot" talentwise get to the Top 10. So, no surprise there. Every single one of the extremely talented men are up for something. Rafa Nadal is out
Rafael Nadal. The "King of Clay" has so much
on the line in Roland Garros this year. Defending the
title, retaining the No. 1 in the World spot in the
rankings, and a possible sweet rendezvous with
history yet again with a sixth title.to try to capture his sixth French Open title to equal Bjorn Borg's record for the most number of French trophies in the Open era. The "Spanish Matador" is also fighting to retain his Number One in the World spot. The 24-year old Serb, Novak Djokovic, with his 41 winning streak in 2011 (43 overall) going into the semis, is trying to surpass John McEnroe's record of 42 winning streak in all ATP Tours. If he advanced to the final, even if he doesn't win it, he would also snatch the Number One spot in men's tennis world ranking from the 25-year old Rafa Nadal. That would end the seven-year Federer-Nadal duopoly of the Top 2 spots in men's tennis. Britain's Numero Uno, Andy Murray, who just turned 24 years a few days ago in May, is the only one who does not have a Grand Slam trophy on his shelves among these current crop of young brilliant tennis greats, and he is
Novak Djokovic. No. 1 in the World?
So close, and yet so far. trying to win his first. Roger Federer, the eldest among the quartet at 29 years, is out to assert himself as the rightful owner of the Number One spot, and to keep reminding everyone how tennis should be played - beautiful, lyrical, sublime - and, add another one to his amazing world record of 16 Grand Slam singles titles. All are worthy causes, all worth a shot - a big blisteringly hot shot - as the fine clay powder on Philippe Chatrier flies on semi-finals day!

But I can't believe I missed the live telecast of both semi-final matches! A "crisis management" consequence... it's worth it, of course! After all, there are always replays. :) For now, what I know is that: (1) my question about who or what would stop the red-hot Le Djokeur from winning the 2011 French Open title has been answered. It's El Maestro, of course! Am I surprised? Yes... and no! Yes, because The Djoke defeated RF thrice - in the semis in Melbourne and Indian Wells, and in the final in Dubai - en route to Roland Garros. While those are all hardcourts, they improved The Djoke's head-to-head with RF. No, because RF is in such a fine form
Andy Murray. One reason...
just one good reason to win a big one. in Roland Garros so far, he seemed to have decided that he wanted to be the legendary Roger Federer... again! His chest and his stomach are so flat these days, and his legs looked the way they did in 2005-2007, that he's hardly been sweating heavily so far. Yeah, I'm that big of a fan, I notice those sort of things. :) And so, apparently, the "boy wonder" Le Djokeur was shown who his daddy was in the semis - as in the old days. (2) Rafa Nadal put an end to Andy Murray's aspiration for a Roland Garros title this year. Am I surprised? Uhm, not really. Andy does not lack talent, that's for sure. What he needs is a more meaningful inspiration and a truly convincing reason to really, and actually, push his way through these three giants in front of him... he really does. And then winning the Grand Slam will come with it in a neat package. Just like Rafa Nadal, I also believe that Murray should win one soon!

And so, when all is said and done about the exciting status of men's tennis, it all boils down to this: a Federer-Nadal (or Nadal-Federer
Roger Federer. The sublime Genius's legendary
career is not just about his world record of 16 Grand
Slam singles titles, it's also about his beautiful
tennis... and he's using it again to rake up big wins.depending on your fan group affiliation) showdown in Roland Garros! Yowzer! Most naturally, I think it's awesome! I have put my "clay money" on the King of Clay after seeing him haul himself from the pit of losing the first round to John Isner - like a real king, King of Clay, that is. While there is no one else who is happier than me to see El Maestro revive his appetite for winning - and winning beautifully as well - I am not taking my money off the King in this one. He has the more compelling and the more meaningful reasons to win a sixth title... and he knows it, and he's got the heart to do it as well. But with El Maestro on the opposite side of the net, I am sure that the 2011 Roland Garros men's championship is going to be another one for the history books!

***
Passion is the fashion where the arduous is glamorous!

I did catch the women's final between the defending champ, 30-year old Francesca Schiavone, and China's hope for a first Grand Slam, 29-year old Li Na. Now, this is an interesting match... a big Italian heart worn on an Italian sleeve vs. a cool, methodical and gregarious Chinese practicality - on a clay court.
Li Na. Cool and efficient, methodical and practical.
Her ardour to win catapulted her to the glamorous
circle of Grand Slam finalists.With teenagers and players in their early 20's in colorful and glamorous outfits parading the tennis courts these days, both Schiavone and Li are considered "old" by today's pre-dominant age groups. But both are physically fit, easily seen in their powerful shots and nimble movements. Both are hungry for winning as shown by their well-oiled shots arsenal that intimidate the most valiant of players on court. Both are all about serious tennis... with very little concern about Houte Couture. And yet, when they started hitting the ball on Philippe Chatrier's red clay, they enthralled!

Schiavone wowed the Melbourne audience in January, fighting an epic 47-game fourth-round battle with Russia's two-time Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova, and prevailing spectacularly after four hours and 44 minutes. She then exited via a three-set quarter-final loss to the
Francesca Schiavone. With her
Italian fashion statement - passion -
she sets out to win. methodical and gregarious shooting of Caroline Wozniacki. In Roland Garros this time, with Schiavone's first-round complete demolition of Melanie Oudin, it was obvious that the defending Champ is in Roland Garros with only one thing in mind - lift the trophy once again! Her aggression met a lot of resistance though in her part of the draw, including some flashes of wanting for a win from former No. 1 in the World, Jelena Jankovic, in a three-set fourth round battle, and a highly spirited challenge from Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia, where the Italian was pushed to another three sets. As always, Schiavone battled with her heart, relying on her instincts to go for a kill, willing her self to achieve the seemingly unachievable feat.

Li Na, the runner-up in this year's Australian Open, on the other hand, programmed her 2011 Roland Garros GPS
Maria Sharapova digging deep,
to no avail against Li Na.to the final... and to the final she arrived - safely! Of course, there was that semi-final Maria Sharapova bump that threatened to derail her cruise into the final (saw replays, of course). But Li Na played consistent, playing each point with a "mini objective" each time - to win it. That frustrated the fighter in the leggy Miss Couture of women's tennis who, in the end, double faulted her way to her own semi-final exit, giving Li Na a straight sets win of 6-4, 7-5.

In the final between Li and Schiavone, it was obvious to me that the Italian has got one foot in the grave. Li's game plan has what usually conquers Schiavone: methodical and gregarious earning of points, one by one, one step at a time. Li is not one to give in to outrageous show of emotions easily and gets agitated by spirited agression, as she's shown in her match with Sharapova. She is patient, steady and composed. When she loses a point, it was because she committed an error or she was not prepared to counter an attack, that's all. And then, she re-starts, both eye on the next point - again. Schiavone is a big-stage player. She
Li Na (left) of China win in straight sets, 6-4, 7(7)-6(0)
over Francesca Schiavone (right) of Italy in the 2011
French Open women's singles final. likes drama... she thrives in it, she plays better with it. But with Li's Programmed run, "drama" is a rarely used word.

And so, after arriving in the final, Li Na, re-adjusted her 2011 Roland Garros GPS to a win! She cruised to a win in the first set. There were a few Schiavone-induced potholes in the second set, but Li's shock absorber of reliable big forehand thrown in with her full body weight took them all without much damage. She wowed with big serves and big, accurate shots... winners, usually coming from moving Schiavone from side to side. While Schiavone pre-occupied herself with effecting the drama of chasing the ball from all over the place, hoping to involve the crowd, Li was always preparing for a kill - from one point to the next. In the end, it was Li who was being cheered by the crowd, and Schiavone had to ask the umpire to request the crowd to be quiet when points were being played in the tie break in the second set. :) Of course, when a request like that would come from the one who, on good days, would prefer to involve the crowd, we knew for sure
Li Na became the first Chinese to win the Coupe
Suzanne Lenglen after beating Italian Francesca
Schiavone in the 2011 French Open championship. that Li was only moments away from lifting the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen!

And so, the 6th seed Li Na made history as the first Chinese and Asian to ever win a Grand Slam, and the first Chinese and Asian to ever win Roland Garros, with her straight sets championship victory over defending champion, Italian Francesca Schiavone, 6-4, 7(7)-6(0). It was a wonderful moment for the lady with endearing sense of humor, who revealed in her post-match courtside interview in the Australian Open this year that she lost sleep the night before her semi-final match with No. 1 in the World Caroline Wozniacki... because of her husband snoring loudly! :) She won the match in three sets, and went on to a runner-up finish against No. 2 in the World Kim Clijsters. In Roland Garros this year, however, a runner-up finish simply wasn't good enough for her... which is more like it!

Congratulations, Li Na!! :)

***
Photo credits: All photos were grabbed from the Zimbio website - thanks!