.And Lindsay hits the ball so crisply it's aesthetically pleasing the way it just shoots off the racquet.

I have to laugh whenever I see Sharap. described as "graceful." She's all elbows and knees. A great athlete no doubt about it, but no Margo Fonteyn she. And, oy, the shrieking. I think people are just looking at her graceful limbs when in repose.

I too thought Venus was awesome in the interview. While she has often been extremely ungracious (is this a word?), today she was just being honest, and pretty cool, I have to say.

That Venus match was painful to watch. She looked so good at the beginning considering the fact that it's been so long since she played in a tournament. I expected some hiccups, but geez. The thing is, it never looked like she was on the run physically, she had no trouble running down shots, and Pironkova, while she was strong and focused and played well, wasn't running Venus around. It looked like her touch was just off. Kudos to Pironkova for staying strong and playing well under such pressure. Given Venus' history of pulling it out in the end, I'd imagine there was never any room to relax. I liked the interview as well.

Lindsey looked strong as usual. She played the match I thought Venus was going to play. A couple bumps, but otherwise she looked pretty good. She was really pounding those backhands. I hope she does well.

So close Na Li :(. Oh well there's always next time. Not a good day to be an asian tennis player.

I agree; Lindsay may not be a mover, but she hits nice clean shots.

Yay Andrei Pavel! I always root for him. I love his backhand. And he's cute.

I wish ESPN2 had shown anything other than Americans last night. Hell, the Davenport match was boring and Ginepri was already winning and yet they failed to show the Dementieva upset. It's times like these that I unfortunately hope that Roddick loses early so P-Mac won't have to orgasm everytime we watch him play.



I disagree. It was a very exciting match to watch and I was rooting for Venus. Lots of hard hitting and long rallies. Her opponent looked suspiciously like an early Mary Jo which ESPN2 failed to acknowledge, IMO.

Did anyone see the TV schedule yesterday on air? It said tennis this afternoon (Roddick) and then the next airing would be on Tuesday. Hopefully it was a typo b/c I want to see Hingis play.

I think they will show Hingis live early Tuesday morning like they did with Serena earlier today. At least I hope they do, I really wanna see that.

I agree, however, the pain I was feeling came from watching all of those unforced errors. Venus looked good and was on top of most of Pironkova's shots, but her shots just weren't going in. There's nothing more maddening to me than playing a match that you know you can win, then watching your shots act like they have a mind of their own.

Dementieva, Peng, Li, Henman....man my favorites are all getting killed first round.

Damn! Losing Tim is horrible! I didn't even get to see him play. I hope that will at least open the way for Blake a little.

I doubt Henman would have been a problem for James. The Nalbandian/Blake match-if it gets to that-could be really good. Blake scared me last night.

Well, not playing like he is now obviously. At his best, he's a problem for anyone (Hewitt excepted).

A win over Nalbandian would be excellent for Blake. That might help erase memories of losing that Agassi match.

For him, perhaps. Not for me. Gah, that match was painful.

Women's tennis is quite interesting so far. We already have 6 seeds upset already in the first round...2 in the top 10, albeit #10 Venus and #9 Dementieva.

I think this tournament is going to be rise of the underdogs.

I caught a smidge of Pmac and Chris Fowler commenting during the Roddick match today. They were going through the draw in Andy’s section and started talking about Ivan Ljubicic.

Chris, who I normally like well enough, was kind of hinting that it was pretty sweet for Andy to have the next highest seed in his section to be Ljubicic since he never has done well in the slams and therefore, isn’t really a good number 7 seed. I was happy to hear PMac call him out on that. Pmac said that Ljubicic had a great 2005, was a Davis Cup here, etc. and said “I won’t have you dissing Ljubicic.” Fowler then kind of backtracked and said that it was time for Ivan to do well at a GS (well duh!) and PMac did agree with that. PMac then went on to say that he thinks the time for Luby’s break out at a GS is now.

PMac can bug me, but I was really glad that he called Fowler out for slighting Ljubicic.

Now I just hope we will be able to see Luby before he potentially meets up with Roddick during the quarters.

So far it has been all Americans excluding Sharapova from what I have seen (what a surprise), with the exception of three seconds or so Nalbandian yesterday and 10 seconds of the Dementiava.

With Hingis and Federer playing tonight I hope that we will see some Swiss action (of both genders.)

There are a number of younger men’s players that I want to see in the earlier rounds, including Baghdatis, Monfils, Ancic, Berdych, Murray and Gasquet. I am sure that it will not happen at all on ESPN but I am hoping that they will show them. The Haas/Gasquet first round match should be a real cracker.

Agree that the women’s side looks very interesting. I am anxious for a first look at Momo.

You know, I was looking at the draw thinking Baghdatis/Gimelstob should be the most entertaining first-round match bar none. The crowd will surely be into that one.


If he never talked about Roddick, I doubt he'd really bug me at all.

It has already been played. Marcos won (yea!) But I agree, they likely really brought the crowd into it. I loves me some Marcos and am hoping to see more of him soon.

According to his interview on the AO site, yes he was. I wasn't surprised that ESPN didn't show the match, but I'm so pleased the AO folks put him on the show court, which the US Open never does, except when he's playing an American. Sure, there was his big finals win and the #4 seeding but I still feel the USTA would never have put him there.

Thank you, Jetblue, for having DirectTV so I could watch on the redeye last night!

Re: Sharapova's dress, it would be an excellent maternity dress for a stick.

I am totally looking forward to seeing Hingis. She's the night match tonight so it could be live in the middle of the night or perhaps re-shown tomorrow.

Whoa! Tommy Haas is looking smokin' hot! Love the new hairdo, and his body looks fantastic. Hubba hubba! I have to admit that I am surprised at both how well Tommy has been playing lately and how quickly Richard seemed to throw int he towel (maybe he is still recovering from his elbow problem?)

I was glad that they interviewed Tommy- although Chris asked a few awkward questions. I always wish the best for Tommy- after reaching #2, his career has been sidelined by so much: shoulder surgeries, watching over his parents after a horrible car accident, the freak injury last year, etc.

Hewitt- eek- boy is rusty, and I don't mean his nickname either.

The young guns are falling like flies tonight: Djokovic, Monfils, Gasquet & Murray.

I hate that Kimmie is hurting again. Luke Jensen ( the shaved head looks so much better) was so intense in his detailing of her practice session.

That shadow on the Vodafone Arena where Clijsters is playing is unbelievably annoying-I cant imagine what playing on that court must be like.

And Clijsters opponent is listed as 4'8"!

I think Y. Cho is 5'5

man Hewitt is in some trouble right now.

Well- Kimmie closed that up quickly- yea!

Hewitt looks like he is gonna scrape out of this one. I hope so. I agree with PMac and Cliff- he has been rather tame his past couple of GS. And seems flat now. I wonder if he got tired of all of the flack that he got during the 2005 Oz Open. But I think he needs the intensity...I don't think it's gamesmanship but something internal.

ETA - I may have spoken too soon. Hewitt in big trouble again. What is up with his serve, did he take a sip of Coria's water?

ESPN2 cut out exactly at match point in the Hewitt match here in NYC. Then again during the replay. I thought it was just my ReplayTV but I tried the other TV as well and same deal. ARGH.

In other news, Hingis live in 10 minutes. Oh me, oh my.

As someone who is the same height as Martina Hingis, but about 40 pounds heavier, I must say that I think she has a nice, cute figure. And I love her legs. She looks pretty good, so far in the match. The way the womens' tour is decimated by injuries, I could see her realistically making a push for at least the top ten by the seasons end; assuming she completes the whole season and is competitive. [I better shut up before I jinx her :)]

Go Chucky! She was awesome.

I find it endlessly amusing that Mary Carillo actully refers to Hingis as Chucky on air, replete with sound effects, and the knife stabbing. Awesome. And I agree with Carillo that it is nice to see a player who can actually hit a ton of winners. But all that talk about Chucky, makes me want to watch Childs Play.

Castallack, I'm in Manhattan on Time-Warner, and the satellite kept going out all throughout the Hingis match. I wanted to scream, except it's four o'clock in the morning. Is that the trouble you were having?

It got better toward the end, so I caught a few of Mary's Chuckie refs. I thought it was funny Each. Time. She. Said. It.

I'm so lame.

Yes! Me too. I even called Time Warner Cable to complain. I believe between the profanities, I mentioned that I had waited up until 4am to see this match. The guy was distinctly unsympathetic and said it was ESPN's fault and originated with them. It finally came back for the second set. Stupid ESPN. Stupid Time Warner.

Boo! Paradorn Srichaphan lost in a 5 set game. And he could of closed the match in the 3rd set.

:( my favorites are dying like crazy.


The Kim Clisters/Y. Cho match was really annoying to watch, especially when both of them went to the dark side.

I'm so happy to have Chucky back. I have always loved her....hell, I watched team tennis on TTC just to see her.

How sad is it that Jim Courier is reduced to doing post-match interviews on court for some farchadat Aussie station?

I am probably a lone Hewitt-supporter on this board, but I really hope he gets his game back and plays well. I know he won't win the Aussie Open - he had his chance last year with Safin taking out Federer - but there has to be a ton of pressure on him in Australia and I think it is pretty obvious that he really, really wants to win the tournament. Hopefully, he can at least beat Chela tomorrow.

Has Hewitt lost a lot of weight and muscle, or is it just me? He looked really thin to me.

I am glad Hingis is back. I always loved her game.

busybuzz, I also like Hewitt. I think he has a great game [he hits the best topspin lob on tour] and I kinda like his antics. And I'm even a James Blake fan! But I also like Coria, so I obviously have no taste. The Davis Cup match between Coria and Hewitt reached a level of nastiness we seldom see in tennis. Fun fun fun.

I also thought Hewitt looked like he lost a lot of weight. That trampy wife must be working him to hard.

Don't worry buzzybuzz I like him too. I can't really explain it, there's a lot of stuff he's done in his career that has driven me nuts and I can't stand either of his parents and have no opinion on the wife.....but darn it I still like the guy.



Okay so admittedly I am a Lleyton supporter so I might be biased but I honestly NEVER believed his yelling and intensity on court was ever about anyone but himself and more of his matches throughout his career has proven that. Seriously almost everytime Lleyton is subdued in a match, his game is very flat. Btw, not to take anything against Vik because the guy did have his moments of brillance but that match really only lasted as long as it did because Lleyton played shitty tennis for 3/4 of it.



It's not just you. I was already having a hard enough time really seeing Lleyton as a husband and father and yesterday I REALLY couldn't see it. He looks like a kid and I wonder if that might be part of the problem. His clingy, annoying, pushy parents were always a big load for him but now added to that pressure is being a husband and a father. Not that I'm saying he didn't make those choices on his own.....I just think all that weight is taking it's toll. Who knows maybe I'm wrong and he'll be fine by the next match but something has to give because if he plays like he did last night in his next one.....there's no question he'll be out.

I would love it if somehow Hewitt made it to the final and got taken out...by James Blake.

I know it won't happen, but I can dream. I flat out can't stand Lleyton Hewitt.



I respectfully disagree. Vik was making some really impressive shots and was really taking it to him. He should have held it together and won that match. He'll be kicking himself over that for some time.

I wish I had seen the Hingis match-I love how clinical her wins are. She's a nice counterpoint to the prevailing style nowadays. I really want to see her go up against Sharapova sometime-apparently that's the player Hingis wants to take on the most.

Hingis plays very cleanly. I have to wonder how does Zvonareva is still ranked, considering she blows up every match that I've seen so far?

She's a pretty good player and she plays a lot. With all the injuries, that combination alone is enough to hold a pretty good ranking (e.g., Myskina in 2005).

wow, Roddick vs Moodie match is so ridiculously boring. 2 sets so far...and its serve, serve, serve....I have yet to see a decent rally going on.

I know it's completely irrational and unfair of me, but I can't stand the whole fratboy, "U-S-A! U-S-A!" flag-waving fanbase of Roddick (and Blake) gets on my nerves. Which is dumb because a lot of countries have stuff like that.

[small voice] Brad Gilbert isn't so bad looking. [/small voice]

Yea to Marcos Baghdatis for his win today!

He is one of the most exciting and entertaining young players out there. He plays with such joy. And he should very likely get through his next round and therefore- meet ESPN golden boy Roddick in the fourth round if Andy gets through. Then we finally ESPN will show him. For those who haven't seen him before (you may have caught him on USA last year when he took a set against Federer at the USO) you are in for a treat!

Even though I'm not normally into pretty boys - is it sad that I want ESPN to switch from one pretty boy -Blake- for a bit so I can see another pretty boy -Feliciano Lopez- for a bit. Lopez and Guilles Muller (aka the guy who beat Roddick first round in the USO) are going into a fourth set and I would love to catch a glimpse.

That is one reason why I prefer USA's coverage to ESPN's. USA is so much better about taking peeks at other matches. ESPN will just stay with one for the most part with nary a glimpse at another unless it is one of the other featured matches. I was amazed that we got to see any of Haas/Gasquet yesterday.



Truth be told, I've always thought that he was kind of attractive, even in his playing days. Now I feel dirty.

From that little snip that they showed between Alex Bogomolov Jr. and Fernando Gonzalez- I have to say that Bogomolov seemed like an asshole. And this is from someone who actually likes Coria and can like Hewitt (when he's not yelling at linespeople). I had to crack up on them talking about Alex's crazy eyes. He did indeed look crazed- like he was on PCP or something.

Egads, what the hell does Maria Sharapova have on!?! That is just horrible.

My eyes! My eyes! I can't believe I read such an atrocious idea![/drama]

Moving on, I haven't caught any of the Aus Open on TV. Sigh. I'm usually pretty good about this. Would love to see a Baghdatis/Roddick match, with Baghdatis coming out on top. He's such a fun guy.

Buzzybuzz, count me in on both of these sentiments. Like others, Hewitt has bugged me on more than one occasion, but I can't help liking the guy. As for his intensity, I also think it's all about him. The style he plays is one that doesn't allow for him to let up. He's not powerful enough or big enough to dominate anyone. He has to be intense until the chair says, "Game, set match."

As for Hingis, I haven't got to see her play yet since her return, but nothing makes me happier for this tennis season than having her back. I grew up watching tennis, but had not done so in years until she came on the scene. She's the reason I started following the game as an adult. That said, like Hewitt, she has done things that bug. I just never liked the fact that she wasn't allowed to move on, when other (American) players are allowed to move beyond bad behavior and be adored by the U.S. media.

I have the same feeling, ghetto hood rat. I think it stems from the fact that I see this behavior in most of my fellow Americans in almost all arenas of life: politics, international relations, etc. I don't like the "we're the beacon of the world" shit. It's inextricably linked to my politics, but I don't apologize for it. It bothers me even more that the tennis media gives American players passes on their behavior that it doesn't extend to players from outside the states. When my country drops its unrepentant imperialism combined with its hypocritical moral superiority complex, perhaps it won't bother me so much. I'm not holding my breath.

As a sports-watching non-American, I have to agree that the whole "U.S.A! U.S.A!" thing is really obnoxious in a way that the flag-waving, colors-wearing supportiveness of the other countries isn't. I think it has a lot to do with what chomskyite said. Sorry, Americans, I know a lot of you aren't arrogant and obnoxious, and I know it's unfair, but in sports, especially at the Olympics, I almost always root for the other guy/team, no matter what country he's from. (In fact, I think tennis is the only sport where I don't automatically root against the American. I like Davenport and the Williamses, for instance.) I think a lot of it is due to the fact that the rest of the world is exposed to a lot of American programming/media, which involves a lot of dismissing or putting down of other countries and making them out to be the bad guys (this is really evident during the Olympics), unlike the great and wonderful US team, all for truth, justice and the American way unlike their evil, oppressive, unenlightened opponents.

I'm enjoying Star Sports' coverage. Vijay is back!

I like Hewitt too. I always root for him. That makes a grand total of three, I think?

Wordy McWordenstein. Those faces made me want to slug him. I can't believe he's married to cute little Ashley Harkleroad.


Agreed. It's kind of the same way it's not OK to have a National Association For the Advancement of White People. We already do just fine. No need for extra.

And, finally just got to the computer, looks like Nalby pulled through. Phew.

All roddick, all sharapova,all the time. Why we need coverage of every boring blowout by these people while competitve matches are taking place, is beyond me. While you can argue that most early round matches of the top players are blowouts, at least with the likes of roger, nalbandian,jjh they're likely to be entertaining matches still. But nevermind them, unless a player is a two trick pony american or shrieking blonde it's assumed that the american audience has no interest in them. It's par for the course now, but i have to admit that along with the satisfaction when my fav wins a tournament, it's also a delight when espn's media darlings lose( the earlier the better).

Well isn't that what it's been like for the past few years? Personally it doesn't even bother me anymore. I long accepted that some people I want to see will not be shown because showing Roddick serve his way to a boring 3-set win is somehow more important. I think the ultimate stupidity was last year's Aus Open when instead of showing the matches they had advertised for the following afternoon, ESPN2 showed a repeat of Roddick's match that was shown LIVE the night before. A match that was insanely boring and dull and was over in under two hours.

I am pleased as punch that they are showing the Hewitt/Chela match live. I will have to Tivo of course but it could be very exciting. In particular since their last year's match at the Aussio Open was full of drama.

I know Hewitt is favored, but he looked a bit shakey in his first match and Chela was solid when beating Andy Murray.

I have noticed that that ESPN has not really shown any matches of two players who I think could make it to the finals- Justine Henin Hardine and Ivan Ljubicic. I know Justine's favorite surface is clay- but I would never count her out. And Ivan is ready to finally break through in a slam. From the scorelines, it looks like he is really playing well- and I think he could likely meet Roddick in what could be a fantastic quarterfinal ESPN should show him a bit beforehand.

Have they shown any Mary Pierce yet either?

So American fans aren't suppose to cheer because they are offensive to some people? But the Swedes, Aussies, and Dutch can scream their lungs out? Just checking. It would be a better world if everyone didn't tie their politics to everything, but I guess that some people can’t help it. To quote Rodney King, "Why can't we all just get along?" And maybe stop worrying about one country’s cheer compared to another. I hope we can leave the politics out of it and just enjoy the sport and the great players. With attitudes like this, no wonder tennis is dying in the states and is pretty much ignored by the American public.

Is it me, or why hasn't EPEN 2 shown any Federer's matches? I always tune in and they show a high light of the match, which piss me off since I am a huge Federer fan and then I just turn it off b/c they advertised that he will be on, then I get the lame-o high light of his match. I'm just so piss about that. He's the number one player yet I haven't seen any of his match in its entirely at all. Of course I turn it off once I realized that he already played and that they are not going to show him play. Does anyone know when they are going to show his matches on ESPEN 2 at all? Probably when he gets to the final (hopefully he will).

Side note, damn I never realized how hot Tommy Haas is. Where have I been?

It's the haircut. Dude is smoking with the haircut.

Agreed. I never thought he was hot until that haircut.

I was also pleasantly surprised to find the Hewitt match on when I woke up this morning. ESPN2 has been doing a great job of showing LIVE matches.