USO Day 2: Oh we got that disco. D-I-S-C-O.

All Masha Fierce needed was a pair of silver heels to boogey to her heart’s content. Not a fan of the randomness of this dress, nor do I like the silver bandana. But you can’t go too wrong with black. 

 

 

You can go wrong however, with vomit coloured outfits.

Exhibit A:

 

 

I hate Stella. She’s the definition of bland fug.

 

 

But the result is the same – Maria and CWoz both scored convincing wins in their first round matches. Maria’s serve looked much better in this match then it did a few weeks ago. A girl can hope, can’t she? 

 

A day of convincing wins for most of the big names in women’s tennis. Even JJ looked close to her 2008 form, burning up the tennis court and our retinas in a scarlet frock. I am starting to get good vibes for JJ again. Good stuff. 

 

 

No one, least of all Ana Ivanovic herself, is getting any good vibes for her. For the first time in her career, Ana Ivanovic lost in the first round of a slam. Just when you think she couldn’t possibly do any worse than last year, Ana sinks to new lows, losing to K.Bond 2-6 6-3 7-6(7).

Something needs to be done or the girl is headed for the quagmire of confusion known as Vaidisova-Land. Just don’t ask what Ana wants t do about it:

 

Q. So you’re going to take a long vacation or are you just going to work, work, work again?

ANA IVANOVIC: I honestly don’t know. I really don’t know. I have to think about some things first on my own and then with the team and discuss and see what’s going to be the best.

Obviously I’m very, you know, motivated to get back in the top, but it just feels like I was saying it just feels like Catch‑22, because I constantly playing and trying to play at the level that I feel I’m not at. It’s disappointing and it’s frustrating, so I just want to get a time and work hard on like all the match, off competition.

 

 

 

I’m so over this. 

 

You know who else I am also over? Dinara Safina, who was true to her Safin roots today in her match against my teenage compatriot Olivia Rogowska, defeating Olivia 6-7 6-2 6-4. Olivia did well to keep up with Safina, but most of the match was just Safina battling with her self and her insecurities. 

Good news for those with some lingering faith in Australian tennis – Rogowska may not have star quality, but she looked top 30 today. Five facts for the Aussie teen: 

1. The biggest name she’s managed to beat this year on the WTA tour is Maria Kirilenko, at the French Open.

2. She was born and raised in Melbourne.

3. Her Polish father used to coach her, until she beat him when she was 13, and he wisely moved on. 

4. She claims she grew up on clay. Err … I don’t know how that happened. 

5. She is currently at a career high ranking of 167. 

 

On the men’s side of things, the Concubine gave away a two set lead to Lapentti, surrendering 46 36 76 76 63. A plunge down the rankings await the Swiss.

Meanwhile, Navarro scored an impressive win over Ivo “spank that ace” Karlovic. 

So … what were we saying about Murray’s draw again?

Just goes to show how completely useless and irrelevant draw analysis is. 

 

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Aussies Update

Little Olivia Rogowska went out in a close one to Kateryna Bondarenko 26 75 75. Didn’t watch the match, but you can read about it here – clickey. 

 

The more sensational news was of course Jelena Dokic’s retirement against Dementieva. Does Dokic only reserve her best tennis for the slams these days? Because since the Australian Open, she’s been quite mediocre, struggling against lower ranked players, not doing a whole lot with the momentum she got during the Australian Open. But she certainly upped her game yesterday against Dementieva, taking the first set 62 in an eyeblink, very unfortunate that the back injury came in just when the second set was about to get interesting. And damn it, crying girls are so infectious. *runs off sobbing* 

 

Getty Images 

I hope this doesn’t affect her comeback in any serious way, frankly I don’t think the girl can take any more blows to her tennis career. No news yet on the precise nature of the injury, I believe Dokic is getting it checked out today. 

 

“I went for a serve or a return and just went down and couldn’t come back up,” she said. “I don’t know what it is yet. But it’s very painful and I just hope it’s not too serious.”

 

In other news, two other Aussies – Jamila Groth and Sam Stosur – are through to the third round. Sam defeated Wickmayer 63 46 64 for an opportunity to finish off what Jelena Dokic had started – Elena Dementieva, while Jamila Groth is in her first ever R32 against Jelena Jankovic after taking down Mariana Duque Marino 62 76(9).

 

Uh-oh. All the best for the pair of them.

The Aussies Report

I thought there was a chance that no Australian would make it through to second round at the French Open this year. I shouldn’t have worried, because we’ve done reasonably well against some tricky opponents.

 

As everyone surely knows by now, Hewitt def Karlovic, proving that the man’s incapable of winning or losing a match in under 5 sets at a slam, Groth took down French wild card Laisne, Rogowska downed Kirilenko in straights, and with Dokic and Sam Stosur both coming through last night against Sprem and Schiavone respectively. The ‘teenage sensation’, Bernard Tomic, on the other hand, fell as expected to Kohlschreiber 61 62 62. Have I missed anyone? That’s a total of five players into the second round, let’s give ourselves a pat on the back shall we? 

 

 

 

Intrigue to watch out for next round: Dokic v Dementieva, can she do it? Given that it’s Jelena Dokic we’re talking about here, I don’t see it happening. Ironically, Dokic actually leads Dementieva in their H2H 5-3.

Here are some excerpts from the presscon, it’s nice to hear Dokic sounding so positive despite all those recent dramas with her father. 

 

Dokic on her prospects for the rest of the year:

It’s great [to be back at Roland Garros], y’know even two years ago, a year ago, I was in bed watching this tournament, so it was not easy for me and now to be back on track in the main draw and [to have] done so well and be able to play and even win my first match here was very difficult.

I usually don’t do so well in the first part of the year, the first three or four months, so for me to have won a few matches, including [at] the Australian Open, was really great. 

This is probably the time that I start to do well, including the grasscourt season and then I love the American hard courts.

So considering I have nothing to defend, there is a lot to look forward to and maybe I can crack the top 50 and maybe even better.

 

On the upcoming match against Dementieva:

There shouldn’t be any thoughts in my head about winning it [the match against Dementieva].

If you get in a position [and] it might be close, then it’s a different story, but absolutely no pressure in that match and I’ve done a lot already by winning this match [over Sprem].”

The Australian Open first and second matches turned my career around, this [win] could turn my year around.

 

Meanwhile, I love how down to earth Sam Stosur is as a person. Check out Sam’s Roland Garros blog. Except posted below: 

 

I was pleased with my win over Francesca, even though I didn’t make the best of starts out there. Even when I was three-love down I was still pretty calm about it all and I knew that I was going to be okay if I just stayed composed and started playing a little bit better.

To win that one in straight sets was a great one to get away with. I’ll gain a lot of confidence from beating someone like Schiavone because any win against a player like her is great. She is a great competitor, she fights hard and she always gives 100 per cent 100 per cent of the time and with an opponent like that it’s never over until the last point. I have a lot of respect for Francesca and to get a win over her means a lot.

RG Thoughts: Sympathy for Lady Vengeance.

Those who mocked and criticised Dinara Safina’s ascendence to the top of the game (myself occasionally among them) can now go eat dung. Dinara has lost one match in the clay season this year, and finished off poor little Anne Keothavong yesterday 6-0 6-0. A good start to her bid for Roland Garros I guess? 

 

It’s hard not to feel a little sympathy for Anne Keothavong though. Especially when she’s quoted as saying such endearingly sad things post-match. 

 

I’m not going to go away and slit my wrists. You have to find a way to laugh about it. What else is there to do? I’m sure there will be jokes about it, but I can take it.

From Twitter: 

One to forget. Dad keeps finding an excuse to knock on my door at hotel every 20 minutes- think he just wants to make sure I’m still alive!

 

Slightly disturbing suicide references. I’m with Boris Becker on this – it’s a tennis match, nobody died. Chill folks. 

 

Safina, on the other hand, doesn’t sound super-sorry for being the current ‘bully’ of the WTA. 

 

“When we shook hands, she said: ‘At least you could have given me one game’,” revealed the Russian.

 

Awww?! That’s right Safina, you could’ve left her one game, but you didn’t have to. The only thing more demoralising than complete pwnage is patronisation. 

 

While we’re on women’s tennis, Maria Sharapova fought her way into Round 2 yesterday with a 36 61 62 victory over Anastasia Yakimova. It doesn’t get any easier for the Pova though, she faces compatriot Nadia Petrova second round. Barring some fairly sloppy tennis from Nadia, I don’t see Maria coming through unfortunately. But you never know. I’ve become a big supporter of Maria during her long absence from the game, and wish her the best of luck in ladder-climbing her way back to the top. With that steely determination, mental fortitude and ‘let-me-rip-your-face-off’ disdain for her opponents, it’s not an impossible or improbable feat. Fight fight fight, Maria, fight fight fight! 

 

 

While we’re at it – check out Sharapova’s dress for Roland Garros. Asymmetry is the ‘new black’ it seems. 

I liked the amount of thought Nike put into the dress, but it sounded so much better in theory. The light blue petals have the annoying tendency to flutter behind Maria when she runs, and does nothing to flatter the Russian’s body. Might’ve suited someone more pear-shaped than her. 

 

 

 

 

Image Credit: EFE/Horacio Villalobos, REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol, Getty Images respectively. 

 

***

 

Some updates on the Aussies: looks like I shouldn’t have worried that no Australian would make it into the second round. Not only did Lleyton Hewitt channel his leech-like endurance to conquer Karlovic in 5 sets, two other Aussies were through overnight.

Jarmila Groth (formerly Gajdosova) beat France’s slam debutante Kinnie Laisne 64 63. Her prospects look brighter now as her potential second round opponent Anna Chakvetdaze lost to the Colombian world No.124 Mariana Duque Marino. 

Talking about upsets, also through to the second round, 17 year old Olivia Rogowska – Aussie wild card – upset Maria Kirilenko in straight sets, 64 64. Watch out for Tomic v Kohlshcreiber too.