There won't be a second career grand slam for Andy Roddick at The Australian Open. The second seeded American was upset by Marcos Baghdatis in four sets 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 Sunday at Rod Laver Arena. The 20-year-old from Cyprus, who entered ranked 54th, outslugged Roddick from the baseline to prevail in two hours 32 minutes.
Cheered throughout by Cyprian supporters, Baghdatis fed off the energy with a great performance to make his first ever slam quarterfinal.
Ripping crosscourt forehand winners and backhand winners down the line, Baghdatis kept Roddick off balance in the first set. After each player held for three all, Baghdatis broke for 4-3 when a Roddick forehand sailed long. He made it stand up when he served out the set for 6-4.
But Roddick turned the tables on Baghdatis in the second set. When Roddick got the better of an extended rally to force an error, he broke for a 2-0 lead and pumped his fist. From there, he would add another break and cruise to an easy 6-1 set to level the match.
However, Baghdatis rebounded strongly to break Roddick in the sixth game to go up 4-2 in the pivotal third frame. Fighting off a break point which would have put it back on serve, he served out the set.
With Baghdatis continuing to slug winners in set four, he broke Roddick for the third time in the fifth game when the normally consistent server double faulted. It would be all he needed. Fittingly, he closed out the match with a running crosscourt forehand winner to finish off Roddick. Then, celebrated with his supporters by raising his arms.
"I'm just in my own world and playing great tennis," an excited Baghdatis proclaimed at the postmatch conference. "I think it's one of the best matches of my life."
Baghdatis finished with 63 winners to just 39 for Roddick. He also had 16 aces and broke Roddick three times. Entering the match, Roddick had only dropped serve once the first three rounds. Despite the outcome, Roddick finished with one more total point than Baghdatis- 117-116. He pointed towards how well his opponent played as the difference.
"I didn't play that badly -plus eight in winners to errors- I looked and I won more total points," Roddick noted. "I think I would have beaten most people today, but credit where it's due; he played a very good match."
"The shots he was able to come up with were very good," Roddick said. "Maybe I was a bit spacey out there. I wasn't totally on top of things. It's tough, it's disappointing, but move on."
Baghdatis will play the winner of Ivan Ljubicic (7)-Thomas Johansson (10) in the quarterfinals. That will be played Sunday night.
Also advancing to the quarters was fourth seeded Argentine David Nalbandian, who took out Spaniard Tommy Robredo (16) 6-3, 6-0, 2-6, 6-2. He'll take on Frenchman Fabrice Santoro, who straight setted David Ferrer (11) 6-4, 7-5, 7-5. It's the first time the 32-year-old Magician has made the quarters at a major.
In third round action late Saturday, top seeded Roger Federer cruised into the Round of 16 with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Max Mirnyi. Federer had 48 winners to only 10 unforced errors. He'll next face German Tommy Haas.
German Nicolas Kiefer (21) also moved on with a four set win over Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero (15) 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2. He'll battle Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela in the Round of 16.
Fifth seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko setup a fourth round match-up against Slovak Dominik Hrbaty (12) by eliminating Aussie Nathan Healey 6-2, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5.
Davenport Into Quarters: Top seeded American Lindsay Davenport advanced to the Elite Eight with a 6-2, 6-4 triumph over 14th seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova. Despite having a twisted left ankle suffered in her last match taped up, Davenport prevailed in straight sets.
"I sprained it a little bit the other day," she said. "It was just a little bit swollen. ... I kind of jammed it on one shot. Hopefully, it will have a little time to get better."
She'll play eighth seeded Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne, who eliminated Spaniard Virginia Ruano Pascual 6-0, 6-3.
Sixth seeded Russian Nadia Petrova also moved on with a 6-3, 6-1 win over countrywoman Elena Vesnina. She awaits the winner of Maria Sharapova (4)-Daniela Hantuchova (17). That match was scheduled to take place Sunday night.
In Saturday's late action, second seeded Belgian Kim Clijsters setup a Round of 16 match against Italian Francesca Schiavone (15) with a 6-1, 6-2 conquest of Italian Roberta Vinci. Schiavone advanced 6-0, 6-0 over Spaniard Maria Sanchez Lorenzo.
Aussie Samantha Stosur also made the Fourth Round with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 win over Austrian Sybille Bammer. She'll play Martina Hingis next for a chance to make the quarterfinals.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Sykora Shoots Down Bruins
It wasn't a memorable effort for the Rangers but they'll take it. Petr Sykora's shootout goal in the sixth round allowed them to escape Boston (18-21-8) with a 3-2 victory at TD Banknorth Garden Saturday night. It was the Rangers' second consecutive win, which gave them to finish .500 on a four-game road trip.
They overcame a lack of discipline in more ways than one to steal two points against a quicker and hungrier opponent. Having blown a two-goal lead in the second, the Blueshirts were on their heels most of the third period. Some of it was due to an aggressive Boston forecheck. But also, some lazy turnovers in their end along with two penalties to rookie Petr Prucha put them on the defensive, forcing Henrik Lundqvist to make some tough saves. Strong throughout in his second straight start, the Swedish sensation stopped all nine Boston shots plus two more in overtime to force a shootout. Lundqvist finished with 29 saves to give his team a chance.
In their first shootout since Marek Malik's highlight reel goal which ended the longest ever SO this season in the 15th round on November 26, New York improved to 4-1. Boston dropped to 0-4.
Much like the game, it didn't come easy. Staked to a 1-0 lead in Round One on a Jaromir Jagr forehand deke against Tim Thomas, Thomas denied Petr Prucha to give Boston one final chance. Patrice Bergeron forced sudden death when he opened up Lundqvist's five-hole. With Thomas stopping Martin Rucinsky and Martin Straka, Lundqvist repelled P.J. Axelsson and Ben Walter's attempts to win it. That's when Sykora scored when he flipped a backhand top shelf. Brad Isbister's shot was padded away by Lundqvist to give the Rangers a much needed two points in a tightening playoff race. They tied Buffalo for fourth in the East and still lead the red hot Devils by six points heading into a pivotal match-up later tonight at The Garden.
Jason Ward scored his seventh goal of the season to put the Rangers ahead 7:27 into the first. Off a Boston turnover, Nylander intercepted a puck at the blueline and then fed Ward down low, who tucked the puck around Thomas.
In the second, Sykora increased it to 2-0 at 2:39 when he put home a Ville Nieminen rebound. But the Bruins rallied to tie it, scoring twice 4:11 apart. Off a Ranger turnover, Marco Sturm stuffed home a shot past Lundqvist to cut it to one. Then, two unnecessary penalties 15 seconds apart allowed Boston to draw even. After they were assessed a bench minor for too many men, Marek Malik was sent off for tripping. Brad Stuart capitalized when he one-timed a Brad Boyes feed past Lundqvist.
The Bruins came close to winning it late in regulation off a Lundqvist turnover. After playing a puck, Lundqvist was caught out of his net but Bergeron's one-timer was blocked by a sliding Fedor Tyutin to save the game. Tyutin suffered a laceration but returned after being stitched up.
Thomas turned aside 27 of 29 shots.
Notes: Darius Kasparaitis returned after missing three games due to a sprained knee. He replaced Thomas Pock, who was sent back down to Hartford. ... Marcel Hossa left the game in the first after being hit with a puck. His status is unknown for tonight. ... Ex-Ranger Brian Leetch sat out with an injury. ... Rangers (27-14-7, 61 points) host the Devils (25-18-5, 55 points) Sunday night at 7 PM. Devils are a perfect 9-0 in 2006. New York leads the season series 3-1-1.
They overcame a lack of discipline in more ways than one to steal two points against a quicker and hungrier opponent. Having blown a two-goal lead in the second, the Blueshirts were on their heels most of the third period. Some of it was due to an aggressive Boston forecheck. But also, some lazy turnovers in their end along with two penalties to rookie Petr Prucha put them on the defensive, forcing Henrik Lundqvist to make some tough saves. Strong throughout in his second straight start, the Swedish sensation stopped all nine Boston shots plus two more in overtime to force a shootout. Lundqvist finished with 29 saves to give his team a chance.
In their first shootout since Marek Malik's highlight reel goal which ended the longest ever SO this season in the 15th round on November 26, New York improved to 4-1. Boston dropped to 0-4.
Much like the game, it didn't come easy. Staked to a 1-0 lead in Round One on a Jaromir Jagr forehand deke against Tim Thomas, Thomas denied Petr Prucha to give Boston one final chance. Patrice Bergeron forced sudden death when he opened up Lundqvist's five-hole. With Thomas stopping Martin Rucinsky and Martin Straka, Lundqvist repelled P.J. Axelsson and Ben Walter's attempts to win it. That's when Sykora scored when he flipped a backhand top shelf. Brad Isbister's shot was padded away by Lundqvist to give the Rangers a much needed two points in a tightening playoff race. They tied Buffalo for fourth in the East and still lead the red hot Devils by six points heading into a pivotal match-up later tonight at The Garden.
Jason Ward scored his seventh goal of the season to put the Rangers ahead 7:27 into the first. Off a Boston turnover, Nylander intercepted a puck at the blueline and then fed Ward down low, who tucked the puck around Thomas.
In the second, Sykora increased it to 2-0 at 2:39 when he put home a Ville Nieminen rebound. But the Bruins rallied to tie it, scoring twice 4:11 apart. Off a Ranger turnover, Marco Sturm stuffed home a shot past Lundqvist to cut it to one. Then, two unnecessary penalties 15 seconds apart allowed Boston to draw even. After they were assessed a bench minor for too many men, Marek Malik was sent off for tripping. Brad Stuart capitalized when he one-timed a Brad Boyes feed past Lundqvist.
The Bruins came close to winning it late in regulation off a Lundqvist turnover. After playing a puck, Lundqvist was caught out of his net but Bergeron's one-timer was blocked by a sliding Fedor Tyutin to save the game. Tyutin suffered a laceration but returned after being stitched up.
Thomas turned aside 27 of 29 shots.
Notes: Darius Kasparaitis returned after missing three games due to a sprained knee. He replaced Thomas Pock, who was sent back down to Hartford. ... Marcel Hossa left the game in the first after being hit with a puck. His status is unknown for tonight. ... Ex-Ranger Brian Leetch sat out with an injury. ... Rangers (27-14-7, 61 points) host the Devils (25-18-5, 55 points) Sunday night at 7 PM. Devils are a perfect 9-0 in 2006. New York leads the season series 3-1-1.
Friday, January 20, 2006
Serena Falls To Hantuchova
For the first time in the last three years she entered, Serena Williams won't be holding the trophy down under. The much maligned American star was eliminated in the third round by Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova 6-1, 7-6 (5) Friday at Rod Laver Arena. The loss snapped a 16 match winning streak at Melbourne Park.
Williams- who won the Australian Open the last two times she played in '03 and '05- never found her game against the 17th ranked Hantuchova. Spraying shots all over the court, Williams made 37 unforced errors in the disappointing early exit.
"I had enough preparation, I was prepared. I just didn't play my best today," Williams pointed out at the postmatch conference. "I just was hitting balls every which direction. Just going everywhere. I didn't feel any of them."
"I just made a lot of errors today," she added. "I just couldn't find my shots at all. Like everything I was trying just wasn't working. It was just one of those days."
While she struggled to find her game at the start, a sharper Hantuchova hit kniving returns mostly from the forehand side. She took advantage of Williams' second serve, winning 20 of 29 points. Able to dictate points from the baseline, Hantuchova broke Williams and led 3-1 before a brief rain delay. But if Williams thought it would help, instead Hantuchova continued to play well, breaking Williams twice more enroute to an easy first set. It was the first time in four career matches she ever captured a set off Williams.
However, the second set would be much tougher for Hantuchova. With Williams predictably raising her level, it made for a very competitive set which lasted an hour. As Williams steadied, Hantuchova tightened up in the fifth game to give Serena her only break of the match. In fact, she converted her only break point. After holding for 4-2, Williams looked poised to force a third set. But instead of wilting Hantuchova held and then answered with a break to put the set back on serve.
With Hantuchova ahead 6-5, Williams faced triple match point but climbed out of it with some help from her opponent. Having fought off the first, Serena watched Hantuchova hesitate to play a backhand which landed on the baseline. Thinking that the ball would be called out, a surprised Hantuchova awkwardly played the shot out to keep Serena alive. Williams then aced her way out of trouble and finally forced a tiebreaker.
After Hantuchova raced out to a 3-0 two minibreak lead, Williams fought back to go ahead 4-3. But Hantuchova took the next three points to setup two more match points. Serena saved a fourth with a service winner, forcing Hantuchova to close it out. When a Williams return sailed long, Hantuchova had her biggest slam victory to reach the Round of 16 where she'll play fourth seeded Maria Sharapova.
Along with sister Venus ousted in the opening round by Tszvetana Pironkova, Serena's third round defeat was the earliest both have ever been eliminated in the same slam event.
On Day Six, third seeded Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo advanced into the Round of 16 when her opponent Michaella Krajicek retired. After dropping the first set 6-2, Krajicek cited heat exhaustion due to grueling conditions. Mauresmo will face Czech Nicole Vaidisova (16), who ousted Italian Flavia Pennetta (20) 6-4, 6-2.
Patty Schnyder (7) moved on with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Aika Nakamura. Schnyder next faces Russian Anastasia Myskina (12), who defeated Sofia Arvidsson 6-3, 6-1.
Martina Hingis continued her impressive comeback with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Iveta Benesova. She awaits the winner of Samantha Stosur-Sybille Bammer.
In other third round action, Francesca Schiavone (15) was taking on Maria Sanchez Lorenzo with the winner to play either Kim Clijsters (2) or Roberta Vinci.
Blake Fails To Deliver: Taking the court after Williams, American James Blake (20) couldn't back up his promise. Before the tournament, he mentioned that "for the first time in his career, he felt like a contender." Unfortunately for Blake, 16th seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo didn't oblige.
In a rematch from the '05 U.S. Open Round of 16 which Blake prevailed in four sets, Robredo exacted revenge with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 triumph. It was Robredo's first career win over Blake in five meetings.
Like Williams, Blake made too many errors against a quality foe. Overhitting the ball, Blake finished with 46 unforced errors while Robredo had just 14. Also similarly to Williams, Blake had problems winning points on his second serve, converting only 20 of 46.
Much like their match in New York, Blake got off to a slow start and was broken in the second game. The steadier Robredo made it stand up to claim the first set.
The second set saw Robredo continue to have the better of the play. With Blake trying to dictate points with punishing ground strokes, Robredo was content to get them back with some effective topspin which drew some miscues. After the two players exchanged breaks, Robredo broke again to take control. Serving for a two set lead, ironically, Robredo was in the same exact position he was at the Open last fall. But this time, he didn't falter and closed it out.
When Robredo broke for the fourth time early in the third frame, he had enough to finish off Blake. Though Blake didn't go away easily, Robredo came up with some difficult passing shots, including a lunging crosscourt forehand and another down the line on the dead run. Robredo finished with 24 winners.
Robredo will next face fourth seeded Argentian David Nalbandian, who bested Finn Jarkko Nieminen (26) in four sets 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5.
Tenth seeded Swede Thomas Johansson advanced to the Round of 16 with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Frenchman Gilles Simon. He'll next face Croatian Ivan Ljubicic (7), who also made the fourth round for the first time in his slam career by eliminating Spaniard Feliciano Lopez (31) 7-5, 7-6 (5), 6-0.
On Day Six, two Frenchmen setup a Round of 16 match-up. Sebastien Grosjean (25) ousted sixth seeded Argentine Guillermo Coria 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. He'll meet fellow countryman Paul-Henri Mathieu, who took out Luis Horna 7-6 (2), 7-6 (7), 6-1.
Slovakian Dominik Hrbaty (12) also advanced with a five set win over Russian Igor Andreev (23) 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. Andreev, who was two games away from advancing fell victim to 100 degree heat. On match point, he didn't attempt to return Hrbaty's second serve up the middle. Hrbaty takes on the winner of Nikolay Davydenko (5)-Nathan Healey.
Fresh off his upset win of Lleyton Hewitt, Juan Ignacio Chela moved into Round Four with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Kristof Vliegen. He'll play the winner of Juan Carlos Ferrero (15)-Nicolas Kiefer (21).
Also advancing was German Tommy Haas, who eliminated Aussie Peter Luczak 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. He'll play the winner of Roger Federer (1)-Max Mirnyi (30).
Williams- who won the Australian Open the last two times she played in '03 and '05- never found her game against the 17th ranked Hantuchova. Spraying shots all over the court, Williams made 37 unforced errors in the disappointing early exit.
"I had enough preparation, I was prepared. I just didn't play my best today," Williams pointed out at the postmatch conference. "I just was hitting balls every which direction. Just going everywhere. I didn't feel any of them."
"I just made a lot of errors today," she added. "I just couldn't find my shots at all. Like everything I was trying just wasn't working. It was just one of those days."
While she struggled to find her game at the start, a sharper Hantuchova hit kniving returns mostly from the forehand side. She took advantage of Williams' second serve, winning 20 of 29 points. Able to dictate points from the baseline, Hantuchova broke Williams and led 3-1 before a brief rain delay. But if Williams thought it would help, instead Hantuchova continued to play well, breaking Williams twice more enroute to an easy first set. It was the first time in four career matches she ever captured a set off Williams.
However, the second set would be much tougher for Hantuchova. With Williams predictably raising her level, it made for a very competitive set which lasted an hour. As Williams steadied, Hantuchova tightened up in the fifth game to give Serena her only break of the match. In fact, she converted her only break point. After holding for 4-2, Williams looked poised to force a third set. But instead of wilting Hantuchova held and then answered with a break to put the set back on serve.
With Hantuchova ahead 6-5, Williams faced triple match point but climbed out of it with some help from her opponent. Having fought off the first, Serena watched Hantuchova hesitate to play a backhand which landed on the baseline. Thinking that the ball would be called out, a surprised Hantuchova awkwardly played the shot out to keep Serena alive. Williams then aced her way out of trouble and finally forced a tiebreaker.
After Hantuchova raced out to a 3-0 two minibreak lead, Williams fought back to go ahead 4-3. But Hantuchova took the next three points to setup two more match points. Serena saved a fourth with a service winner, forcing Hantuchova to close it out. When a Williams return sailed long, Hantuchova had her biggest slam victory to reach the Round of 16 where she'll play fourth seeded Maria Sharapova.
Along with sister Venus ousted in the opening round by Tszvetana Pironkova, Serena's third round defeat was the earliest both have ever been eliminated in the same slam event.
On Day Six, third seeded Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo advanced into the Round of 16 when her opponent Michaella Krajicek retired. After dropping the first set 6-2, Krajicek cited heat exhaustion due to grueling conditions. Mauresmo will face Czech Nicole Vaidisova (16), who ousted Italian Flavia Pennetta (20) 6-4, 6-2.
Patty Schnyder (7) moved on with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Aika Nakamura. Schnyder next faces Russian Anastasia Myskina (12), who defeated Sofia Arvidsson 6-3, 6-1.
Martina Hingis continued her impressive comeback with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Iveta Benesova. She awaits the winner of Samantha Stosur-Sybille Bammer.
In other third round action, Francesca Schiavone (15) was taking on Maria Sanchez Lorenzo with the winner to play either Kim Clijsters (2) or Roberta Vinci.
Blake Fails To Deliver: Taking the court after Williams, American James Blake (20) couldn't back up his promise. Before the tournament, he mentioned that "for the first time in his career, he felt like a contender." Unfortunately for Blake, 16th seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo didn't oblige.
In a rematch from the '05 U.S. Open Round of 16 which Blake prevailed in four sets, Robredo exacted revenge with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 triumph. It was Robredo's first career win over Blake in five meetings.
Like Williams, Blake made too many errors against a quality foe. Overhitting the ball, Blake finished with 46 unforced errors while Robredo had just 14. Also similarly to Williams, Blake had problems winning points on his second serve, converting only 20 of 46.
Much like their match in New York, Blake got off to a slow start and was broken in the second game. The steadier Robredo made it stand up to claim the first set.
The second set saw Robredo continue to have the better of the play. With Blake trying to dictate points with punishing ground strokes, Robredo was content to get them back with some effective topspin which drew some miscues. After the two players exchanged breaks, Robredo broke again to take control. Serving for a two set lead, ironically, Robredo was in the same exact position he was at the Open last fall. But this time, he didn't falter and closed it out.
When Robredo broke for the fourth time early in the third frame, he had enough to finish off Blake. Though Blake didn't go away easily, Robredo came up with some difficult passing shots, including a lunging crosscourt forehand and another down the line on the dead run. Robredo finished with 24 winners.
Robredo will next face fourth seeded Argentian David Nalbandian, who bested Finn Jarkko Nieminen (26) in four sets 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5.
Tenth seeded Swede Thomas Johansson advanced to the Round of 16 with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Frenchman Gilles Simon. He'll next face Croatian Ivan Ljubicic (7), who also made the fourth round for the first time in his slam career by eliminating Spaniard Feliciano Lopez (31) 7-5, 7-6 (5), 6-0.
On Day Six, two Frenchmen setup a Round of 16 match-up. Sebastien Grosjean (25) ousted sixth seeded Argentine Guillermo Coria 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. He'll meet fellow countryman Paul-Henri Mathieu, who took out Luis Horna 7-6 (2), 7-6 (7), 6-1.
Slovakian Dominik Hrbaty (12) also advanced with a five set win over Russian Igor Andreev (23) 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. Andreev, who was two games away from advancing fell victim to 100 degree heat. On match point, he didn't attempt to return Hrbaty's second serve up the middle. Hrbaty takes on the winner of Nikolay Davydenko (5)-Nathan Healey.
Fresh off his upset win of Lleyton Hewitt, Juan Ignacio Chela moved into Round Four with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Kristof Vliegen. He'll play the winner of Juan Carlos Ferrero (15)-Nicolas Kiefer (21).
Also advancing was German Tommy Haas, who eliminated Aussie Peter Luczak 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. He'll play the winner of Roger Federer (1)-Max Mirnyi (30).
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Pierce and Hewitt Bow Out
Day Four wasn't kind to Mary Pierce or Lleyton Hewitt. Both Pierce and Hewitt were upset in the second round last night in Australia.
The women's fifth seed, Pierce fell in straight sets to Iveta Benesova 6-3, 7-5 while last year's men's runner-up Hewitt was taken out in four sets by Juan Ignacio Chela 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (8), 6-2.
The 31-year-old Pierce had trouble with her younger opponent's pace from the baseline. Benesova, a 22-year-old Czech who entered the match ranked 42nd, achieved her best slam result making the third round. The two-handed player was more consistent against an erratic Pierce, finishing with 22 less unforced errors. For the match, Pierce had 41 compared to Benesova's 19.
With Pierce unable to find the range in the first set, Benesova took advantage to close it out in 34 minutes.
In the second set, Pierce altered her game to throw Benesova's rhythm off. Able to go up a break for 5-3, she had a golden chance to force a final set. But in a lengthy ninth game, the persistent Benesova fought off a couple of set points and took advantage of a couple of easy misses from Pierce to get back on serve. Remarkably, Benesova ran off the final four games to pull out the match, finishing it in style with a drop shot winner.
"I'm so excited. It was the best match I've ever played. I'm really happy," Bedesova said at the postmatch conference Thursday. "This is definitely the best win in my whole career."
She'll next face Martina Hingis, who continued to impress in her comeback with an easy 6-1, 6-1 win over Finn Emma Laine.
Second seeded Kim Clijsters advanced with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Meng Yuan. Third seeded Amelie Mauresmo won 7-6 (1), 6-2 over Emilie Loit. Mauresmo will next play Michaella Krajicek, who took out Sania Mirza (32) 6-3, 7-5.
Other seeds who advanced included Patty Schnyder (7), Anastasia Myskina (12), Francesca Schiavone (15), Nicole Vaidisova (16) and Flavia Pennetta (20).
Meanwhile, Sofia Arvidsson upset Dinara Safina (19) 6-4, 6-0 while Ana Ivanovic (21) fell to Australian Samantha Stosur 6-3, 7-5. Maria Sanchez Lorenzo eliminated Anna-Lena Groenefeld (22) 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. Aika Nakamura took out Gisela Dulko (31) 6-1, 6-1.
Austrian Sybille Bammer also advanced.
While Pierce was the big name sent home on the women's side, third seeded Aussie Hewitt was eliminated by Chela in a four set match which lasted over three hours.
Facing a familiar foe who he beat in a heated battle which included Chela spitting at him during a break in the third round last year on his path to the final, the 24-year-old Hewitt struggled for the second consecutive match.
After making 61 unforced errors in his five set first round win over Robin Vik, an unsteady Hewitt had 62 more which contributed to his demise. Against a similar opponent style-wise from the baseline, it was a recipe for disaster. Conversely, Chela finished with just 34 and had 49 winners.
Flat from the outset, Hewitt was broken right away by Chela in the first set. Though he broke back, he continued to have problems holding serve for the second consecutive match. Continually giving Chela break point chances, Hewitt paid the price to fall a set behind. For the match, Chela converted eight of 21.
Twice early in the second set, Hewitt held break leads of 2-0 and 3-1. But each time, a determined Chela bounced back. When Chela broke Hewitt for the third time in the set, he was able to make it stand up when Hewitt a volley to lead by two sets.
Trailing by two sets, Hewitt came out with more purpose in a seesaw third set, which saw him again trade breaks with Chela. As the two dueled in lengthy baseline rallies, it began to take its toll on the Aussie. During the fifth game of the set, Hewitt injured his left foot during an extended rally. Once it was over, he received a three minute medical timeout to have it taped up by a trainer. Unable to move as fluidly, he would hobble on it the rest of the match.
Despite not being 100 percent though, Hewitt perservered to get the set to a tiebreaker. However, before he could claim the set 10-8, Chela fought off six set points.
With the set lasting 71 minutes, it might have taken whatever fight Hewitt had out of him. Right away, Chela broke for the seventh time and jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Hewitt earned one last break chance with a running forehand winner but on the next point, his backhand floated long. Unusually quiet most of the match, Hewitt let out a roar of disapproval. It would be his last chance.
Two games away from his biggest slam victory, Chela also received a medical timeout for some cramping in his thighs. One point away from having to serve it out, Chela took the final four points on Hewitt's serve to win the match. Symbolically, Chela concluded it with an inside-out forehand crosscourt return winner, producing a scream and pump of his fist before shaking hands with Hewitt.
Reminded about last year's incident, Chela said through a translator, "They talked a lot about what happened last year, but when I got on to the court I was just thinking about the tennis match and not about what happened last year."
Chela will next face Belgian Kristof Vliegen, who ousted 28th seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in four sets 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (4), 7-5.
Top seeded Roger Federer advanced easily with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-0 destruction of German Florian Mayer. He'll next play former doubles partner Max Mirnyi (30), who took out Davide Sanguinetti 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (8).
Fifth seeded Nikolay Davydenko advanced in four sets while sixth seeded Guillermo Coria won in straight sets. Coria will play Sebastien Grosjean (25), who prevailed over Juan Monaco 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.
Dominik Hrbaty (12) needed five sets to overcome veteran Dick Norman 6-2, 7-5, 5-7, 4-6, 10-8. Juan Carlos Ferrero (15) also needed five to beat Janko Tipsarevic 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2.
Australian Peter Luczak upset Olivier Rochus (24) 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-1, 6-7 (1), 6-1.
Other Round Two winners included Nicolas Kiefer (21), Igor Andreev (23), German Tommy Haas, Aussie Nathan Healey, Paul-Henri Mathieu and Luis Horna.
Roddick Into Round of 16:On Day Five Friday, second seeded American Andy Roddick cruised into the Round of 16 over Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-1, 6-2, 6-2. He'll meet Marcos Baghdatis, who eliminated German Denis Gremelmayr in similar fashion 6-2, 6-1, 6-2.
David Ferrer (11) also advanced over Mario Ancic (18) 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. However, eighth seeded Argentian Gaston Gaudio fell victim to Fabrice Santoro, who posted a 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 1-6, 6-4 victory. Ferrer will meet Santoro next.
Meanwhile on the women's side, top seeded American Lindsay Davenport needed three sets to beat Russian Maria Kirilenko (25) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. She'll next face Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova (14), who eliminated Mara Santangelo 6-3, 6-1.
Fourth seeded Maria Sharapova advanced without a problem over Croatian Jelena Kostanic 6-0, 6-1. She faces the winner of Serena Williams (13)-Daniela Hantuchova (17), which won't be played until later today.
Nadia Petrova (6) defeated Maria Elena Camerin 6-1, 6-2. Eighth seeded Justine Henin-Hardenne also moved on with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Virginie Razzano.
Other Round Three winners included Virginia Ruano Pascual and Elena Vesnina.
The women's fifth seed, Pierce fell in straight sets to Iveta Benesova 6-3, 7-5 while last year's men's runner-up Hewitt was taken out in four sets by Juan Ignacio Chela 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (8), 6-2.
The 31-year-old Pierce had trouble with her younger opponent's pace from the baseline. Benesova, a 22-year-old Czech who entered the match ranked 42nd, achieved her best slam result making the third round. The two-handed player was more consistent against an erratic Pierce, finishing with 22 less unforced errors. For the match, Pierce had 41 compared to Benesova's 19.
With Pierce unable to find the range in the first set, Benesova took advantage to close it out in 34 minutes.
In the second set, Pierce altered her game to throw Benesova's rhythm off. Able to go up a break for 5-3, she had a golden chance to force a final set. But in a lengthy ninth game, the persistent Benesova fought off a couple of set points and took advantage of a couple of easy misses from Pierce to get back on serve. Remarkably, Benesova ran off the final four games to pull out the match, finishing it in style with a drop shot winner.
"I'm so excited. It was the best match I've ever played. I'm really happy," Bedesova said at the postmatch conference Thursday. "This is definitely the best win in my whole career."
She'll next face Martina Hingis, who continued to impress in her comeback with an easy 6-1, 6-1 win over Finn Emma Laine.
Second seeded Kim Clijsters advanced with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Meng Yuan. Third seeded Amelie Mauresmo won 7-6 (1), 6-2 over Emilie Loit. Mauresmo will next play Michaella Krajicek, who took out Sania Mirza (32) 6-3, 7-5.
Other seeds who advanced included Patty Schnyder (7), Anastasia Myskina (12), Francesca Schiavone (15), Nicole Vaidisova (16) and Flavia Pennetta (20).
Meanwhile, Sofia Arvidsson upset Dinara Safina (19) 6-4, 6-0 while Ana Ivanovic (21) fell to Australian Samantha Stosur 6-3, 7-5. Maria Sanchez Lorenzo eliminated Anna-Lena Groenefeld (22) 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. Aika Nakamura took out Gisela Dulko (31) 6-1, 6-1.
Austrian Sybille Bammer also advanced.
While Pierce was the big name sent home on the women's side, third seeded Aussie Hewitt was eliminated by Chela in a four set match which lasted over three hours.
Facing a familiar foe who he beat in a heated battle which included Chela spitting at him during a break in the third round last year on his path to the final, the 24-year-old Hewitt struggled for the second consecutive match.
After making 61 unforced errors in his five set first round win over Robin Vik, an unsteady Hewitt had 62 more which contributed to his demise. Against a similar opponent style-wise from the baseline, it was a recipe for disaster. Conversely, Chela finished with just 34 and had 49 winners.
Flat from the outset, Hewitt was broken right away by Chela in the first set. Though he broke back, he continued to have problems holding serve for the second consecutive match. Continually giving Chela break point chances, Hewitt paid the price to fall a set behind. For the match, Chela converted eight of 21.
Twice early in the second set, Hewitt held break leads of 2-0 and 3-1. But each time, a determined Chela bounced back. When Chela broke Hewitt for the third time in the set, he was able to make it stand up when Hewitt a volley to lead by two sets.
Trailing by two sets, Hewitt came out with more purpose in a seesaw third set, which saw him again trade breaks with Chela. As the two dueled in lengthy baseline rallies, it began to take its toll on the Aussie. During the fifth game of the set, Hewitt injured his left foot during an extended rally. Once it was over, he received a three minute medical timeout to have it taped up by a trainer. Unable to move as fluidly, he would hobble on it the rest of the match.
Despite not being 100 percent though, Hewitt perservered to get the set to a tiebreaker. However, before he could claim the set 10-8, Chela fought off six set points.
With the set lasting 71 minutes, it might have taken whatever fight Hewitt had out of him. Right away, Chela broke for the seventh time and jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Hewitt earned one last break chance with a running forehand winner but on the next point, his backhand floated long. Unusually quiet most of the match, Hewitt let out a roar of disapproval. It would be his last chance.
Two games away from his biggest slam victory, Chela also received a medical timeout for some cramping in his thighs. One point away from having to serve it out, Chela took the final four points on Hewitt's serve to win the match. Symbolically, Chela concluded it with an inside-out forehand crosscourt return winner, producing a scream and pump of his fist before shaking hands with Hewitt.
Reminded about last year's incident, Chela said through a translator, "They talked a lot about what happened last year, but when I got on to the court I was just thinking about the tennis match and not about what happened last year."
Chela will next face Belgian Kristof Vliegen, who ousted 28th seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in four sets 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (4), 7-5.
Top seeded Roger Federer advanced easily with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-0 destruction of German Florian Mayer. He'll next play former doubles partner Max Mirnyi (30), who took out Davide Sanguinetti 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (8).
Fifth seeded Nikolay Davydenko advanced in four sets while sixth seeded Guillermo Coria won in straight sets. Coria will play Sebastien Grosjean (25), who prevailed over Juan Monaco 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.
Dominik Hrbaty (12) needed five sets to overcome veteran Dick Norman 6-2, 7-5, 5-7, 4-6, 10-8. Juan Carlos Ferrero (15) also needed five to beat Janko Tipsarevic 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2.
Australian Peter Luczak upset Olivier Rochus (24) 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-1, 6-7 (1), 6-1.
Other Round Two winners included Nicolas Kiefer (21), Igor Andreev (23), German Tommy Haas, Aussie Nathan Healey, Paul-Henri Mathieu and Luis Horna.
Roddick Into Round of 16:On Day Five Friday, second seeded American Andy Roddick cruised into the Round of 16 over Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-1, 6-2, 6-2. He'll meet Marcos Baghdatis, who eliminated German Denis Gremelmayr in similar fashion 6-2, 6-1, 6-2.
David Ferrer (11) also advanced over Mario Ancic (18) 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. However, eighth seeded Argentian Gaston Gaudio fell victim to Fabrice Santoro, who posted a 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 1-6, 6-4 victory. Ferrer will meet Santoro next.
Meanwhile on the women's side, top seeded American Lindsay Davenport needed three sets to beat Russian Maria Kirilenko (25) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. She'll next face Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova (14), who eliminated Mara Santangelo 6-3, 6-1.
Fourth seeded Maria Sharapova advanced without a problem over Croatian Jelena Kostanic 6-0, 6-1. She faces the winner of Serena Williams (13)-Daniela Hantuchova (17), which won't be played until later today.
Nadia Petrova (6) defeated Maria Elena Camerin 6-1, 6-2. Eighth seeded Justine Henin-Hardenne also moved on with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Virginie Razzano.
Other Round Three winners included Virginia Ruano Pascual and Elena Vesnina.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Roddick Cruises To Third Round
Much has been made of American Andy Roddick's chances to win his first Australian Open. The 23-year-old second seed entered 2006 off a disappointing '05, which saw him upset by Gilles Muller in the first round of the U.S. Open. Stunned by the result, Roddick vowed to make some changes for this year. So far, so good as he coasted to his second straight set win in three days, taking out big server Wesley Moodie 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 to advance to a third round match against Frenchman Julien Benneateau, who defeated Guillermo Garcia Lopez 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-1.
In a very close first set, both big servers were in form for the first 12 games. Neither player could even crack their opponent's serve. But that quickly changed when Moodie tightened up trying to stay in the set to force a tiebreak. An unforced error and a double fault gave Roddick all he needed to claim it.
Finally gaining more confidence on his opponent's serve, Roddick began to get more looks in the second set. Though Moodie fought off a couple of break points, Roddick finally broke through to lead 5-3. From there, he closed out the set without any trouble to go up two sets, giving a fist pump.
Looking for the putaway, Roddick broke Moodie in the opening game of the third frame. Just for good measure, the fiery gunslinger broke Moodie for a second time when he ripped a crosscourt forehand winner to lead 5-2, prompting another pump of the fist. From there, he closed it out with ease.
For the match, Roddick won 85 percent of points on his first serve, faced only one break point and had 30 winners to just nine unforced errors. In discussing how cleanly he played at the postmatch conference, he said, "I'll take that most days."
"I definitely felt Wes was going to come out and play big like he did, I needed to play well today."
Ginepri Not As Fortunate: While Roddick didn't break a sweat against Moodie, American Robby Ginepri (13) wasn't as lucky against second round German qualifier Denis Gremelmayr. The '05 U.S. Open semifinalist blew a two set and break lead in falling to Gremelmayr 2-6, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.
Ginepri was a potential Round of 16 opponent for Roddick. Combined with the first round exit of Taylor Dent, Roddick's draw has opened up considerably. What he does with it remains to be seen.
A night earlier, American Alex Bogomolov, Jr. upset ninth seeded Chilean Fernando Gonzalez in more ways than one. While he defeated Gonzalez in an ultracompetitive five sets 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-5, Bogomolov irked Gonzalez with some on-court antics. Included during the match were some loud screams of, "Come on" when his opponent missed shots on big points. Bogomolov also repeatedly pounded his chest and made faces at Gonzalez, clearly unnerving him. At one point, the chair umpire had to get between them during a break. Bogomolov next faces Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu in the third round.
Other players who moved on were seventh seeded Ivan Ljubicic, eighth seeded Gaston Gaudio, David Ferrer (11), Mario Ancic (18), Jarkko Nieminen (26), Fabrice Santoro and Marcos Baghdatis, who upended Radek Stepanek (17) 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 0-6, 7-5.
Also falling was Czech riser Tomas Berdych (19) to Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2. Spaniard Feliciano Lopez (31) ousted Gilles Muller in four sets 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-4.
American James Blake (20) also advanced with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 win over French qualifier Jean-Christophe Faurel. Blake will next meet the winner of Tommy Robredo (16) versus Dmitry Tursunov.
Serena Into Round Three: After struggling to a three set opening round victory over Na Li, American Serena Williams (13) easily handled Frenchwoman Camille Pin 6-3, 6-1 in 49 minutes. It was her 16th consecutive win at the Australian Open. Williams has won it the last two times she's played ('03, '05). She missed '04 with injuries.
Much sharper, the defending champ played with a purpose in outslugging Pin from the baseline. After a loose third game (four errors) which gave Pin a break for 2-1 in the first set, Williams broke right back with some forceful hitting, keeping her opponent on the run. Turning it on, Serena finished with 30 winners and five aces.
"I definitely had some things I wanted to work on today, so it was cool," Serena said.
"The last two times I played here, I did really well," she pointed out. "I'm just hoping to keep it up."
Williams next plays Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova (17), who ousted Akgul Amanmuradova 6-4, 6-1.
Meanwhile, American top seed Lindsay Davenport defeated Croatia's Karolina Sprem 7-6 (4), 6-3. She'll next meet Russian riser Maria Kirilenko (25), who eliminated Galina Voskoboeva 7-6 (1), 6-4.
Other women who advanced were sixth seeded Nadia Petrova, eighth seeded Justine Henin-Hardenne, Svetlana Kuznetsova (14) and Olga Savchuk, who upset Jelena Jankovic (23) 6-3, 6-4.
Another upset victim was Elena Likhovtseva. The 18th seeded Russian fell to Spaniard Virginia Ruano Pascual 6-4, 6-4.
Meanwhile, Bulgarian Tszvetana Pironkova who upset Venus Williams on Day One couldn't duplicate her success against American veteran Laura Granville. Granville defeated Pironkova 7-5, 6-2.
Other winners included Jelena Kostanic, Elena Vesnina, Maria Elena Camerin, Mara Santangelo and Virginie Razzano.
Fourth seeded Russian Maria Sharapova was scheduled to take on American Ashley Harkleroad in the night session.
In a very close first set, both big servers were in form for the first 12 games. Neither player could even crack their opponent's serve. But that quickly changed when Moodie tightened up trying to stay in the set to force a tiebreak. An unforced error and a double fault gave Roddick all he needed to claim it.
Finally gaining more confidence on his opponent's serve, Roddick began to get more looks in the second set. Though Moodie fought off a couple of break points, Roddick finally broke through to lead 5-3. From there, he closed out the set without any trouble to go up two sets, giving a fist pump.
Looking for the putaway, Roddick broke Moodie in the opening game of the third frame. Just for good measure, the fiery gunslinger broke Moodie for a second time when he ripped a crosscourt forehand winner to lead 5-2, prompting another pump of the fist. From there, he closed it out with ease.
For the match, Roddick won 85 percent of points on his first serve, faced only one break point and had 30 winners to just nine unforced errors. In discussing how cleanly he played at the postmatch conference, he said, "I'll take that most days."
"I definitely felt Wes was going to come out and play big like he did, I needed to play well today."
Ginepri Not As Fortunate: While Roddick didn't break a sweat against Moodie, American Robby Ginepri (13) wasn't as lucky against second round German qualifier Denis Gremelmayr. The '05 U.S. Open semifinalist blew a two set and break lead in falling to Gremelmayr 2-6, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.
Ginepri was a potential Round of 16 opponent for Roddick. Combined with the first round exit of Taylor Dent, Roddick's draw has opened up considerably. What he does with it remains to be seen.
A night earlier, American Alex Bogomolov, Jr. upset ninth seeded Chilean Fernando Gonzalez in more ways than one. While he defeated Gonzalez in an ultracompetitive five sets 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-5, Bogomolov irked Gonzalez with some on-court antics. Included during the match were some loud screams of, "Come on" when his opponent missed shots on big points. Bogomolov also repeatedly pounded his chest and made faces at Gonzalez, clearly unnerving him. At one point, the chair umpire had to get between them during a break. Bogomolov next faces Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu in the third round.
Other players who moved on were seventh seeded Ivan Ljubicic, eighth seeded Gaston Gaudio, David Ferrer (11), Mario Ancic (18), Jarkko Nieminen (26), Fabrice Santoro and Marcos Baghdatis, who upended Radek Stepanek (17) 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 0-6, 7-5.
Also falling was Czech riser Tomas Berdych (19) to Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2. Spaniard Feliciano Lopez (31) ousted Gilles Muller in four sets 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-4.
American James Blake (20) also advanced with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 win over French qualifier Jean-Christophe Faurel. Blake will next meet the winner of Tommy Robredo (16) versus Dmitry Tursunov.
Serena Into Round Three: After struggling to a three set opening round victory over Na Li, American Serena Williams (13) easily handled Frenchwoman Camille Pin 6-3, 6-1 in 49 minutes. It was her 16th consecutive win at the Australian Open. Williams has won it the last two times she's played ('03, '05). She missed '04 with injuries.
Much sharper, the defending champ played with a purpose in outslugging Pin from the baseline. After a loose third game (four errors) which gave Pin a break for 2-1 in the first set, Williams broke right back with some forceful hitting, keeping her opponent on the run. Turning it on, Serena finished with 30 winners and five aces.
"I definitely had some things I wanted to work on today, so it was cool," Serena said.
"The last two times I played here, I did really well," she pointed out. "I'm just hoping to keep it up."
Williams next plays Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova (17), who ousted Akgul Amanmuradova 6-4, 6-1.
Meanwhile, American top seed Lindsay Davenport defeated Croatia's Karolina Sprem 7-6 (4), 6-3. She'll next meet Russian riser Maria Kirilenko (25), who eliminated Galina Voskoboeva 7-6 (1), 6-4.
Other women who advanced were sixth seeded Nadia Petrova, eighth seeded Justine Henin-Hardenne, Svetlana Kuznetsova (14) and Olga Savchuk, who upset Jelena Jankovic (23) 6-3, 6-4.
Another upset victim was Elena Likhovtseva. The 18th seeded Russian fell to Spaniard Virginia Ruano Pascual 6-4, 6-4.
Meanwhile, Bulgarian Tszvetana Pironkova who upset Venus Williams on Day One couldn't duplicate her success against American veteran Laura Granville. Granville defeated Pironkova 7-5, 6-2.
Other winners included Jelena Kostanic, Elena Vesnina, Maria Elena Camerin, Mara Santangelo and Virginie Razzano.
Fourth seeded Russian Maria Sharapova was scheduled to take on American Ashley Harkleroad in the night session.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Hewitt Survives First Round Scare
Lleyton Hewitt came into Melbourne with much fanfare. Australia's biggest name in tennis is married to Australian actress Bec Cartwright. They recently had their first child together, a daughter whose pictures along with Mom and Dad appeared in magazines across the country. With much attention focused off tennis, the '05 Aussie runner-up hadn't played much entering the year's first slam.
Already having lost twice in tuneups, Hewitt almost fell victim for the third time against virtual unknown Robin Vik Tuesday afternoon in Australia. Vik- a 25-year-old Czech who had only two career slam appearances both last year entering this match- gave Hewitt all he could handle in a five setter which lasted three hours and forty-five minutes. A rusty Hewitt fought back from two sets to one down to pull out a 6-4, 2-6, 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-3 win at a packed Rod Laver Arena.
"I didn't feel like I was striking the ball quite the way I would have liked," Hewitt told the press at a postmatch conference. "That's when you got to grit your teeth and hang in there, try and find a way to win when you're not playing well. That's what I can be proud of what I was able to do."
Amazingly enough, Hewitt's opponent entered the match with an ATP record of just 10-12 despite being ranked a career high 57th due to getting his points up in Futures tournaments. Right away though, the similar in style Vik tested Hewitt in a competitive opening set by breaking him twice. But Hewitt cameback with three breaks of his own to claim the 42-minute set.
Despite going down a set, Vik continued to play well from the baseline, smacking a few backhands down the line for some of his match high 66 winners to keep Hewitt off balance. With Vik controlling much of the play, he had no problem breaking Hewitt a couple of more times to level the match.
The third set was a little more unpredictable. Much like the first set, both players had success breaking. After being an early Vik break down, Hewitt bounced back with two more breaks and seemed in command. But while serving for a set lead up 5-3, he couldn't close out Vik. Instead, Vik turned the tables on Hewitt by taking the final four games to go ahead.
With Hewitt's timing off on many shots in the fourth set, Vik rolled to a 3-1 lead and was in position to go up two breaks. But Hewitt fought it off to stay alive. Down 4-3, he took advantage of a rare loose game by Vik to get back on serve and then won his third straight game to lead 5-4. Just when Hewitt seemed to have things under control, Vik cameback to go up 6-5 with a chance to serve for the match. However, a determined Hewitt broke him at love to force a tiebreak.
In it, the 24-year-old Aussie played sharper tennis from the baseline while his inexperienced opponent made some of his 66 unforced errors to give Hewitt the breaker, squaring the match.
Clearly, Hewitt had an edge with it going to a fifth set. He had won seven consecutive five setters and was 18-8 in his career. Vik had never played a fifth set before.
It showed right away when Hewitt broke in the opening game on one of Vik's 13 double faults. But the fiesty Vik wouldn't give up. With Hewitt up 2-1, Vik had a few chances to break but ran into some bad luck on one point. With both players scrambling, Hewitt came up to the net and hit a volley lob within Vik's grasp but his legs gave out, netting the overhead.
Even though he trailed 3-1 to one of the game's best players, the Czech wouldn't go home without a fight. When he held for 2-3 and then broke Hewitt in another lengthy game, the match was all leveled. But with Hewitt facing the prospect of being knocked out of a first round of a slam for the first time since losing to Ivo Karlovic at '03 Wimbledon, he raised his level to take the final three games, finally advancing to a second round meeting with Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela. Chela triumphed over British teenager Andy Murray 6-1, 6-3, 6-3.
At the end of the day, not much separated them. In fact, Vik won five more total points- Vik-178, Hewitt-173. Each player also had 13 double faults and broke each other nine times. Hewitt was 9-of-21 while Vik converted 9-of-28.
But ultimately, Hewitt's experience allowed him to move on.
In other men's action, top seed Roger Federer cruised to an easy straight sets win over Denis Istomin 6-2, 6-3, 6-2. Meanwhile, Nikolay Davydenko (5) cameback from a set down to defeat Ivo Karlovic 7-5, 4-6, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. Sixth seed Guillermo Coria also needed five to beat Victor Hanescu 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. Dominik Hrbaty (12) was also pushed five by Oliver Marach before advancing 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3.
However, there were some upsets. German Tommy Haas eliminated Frenchman Richard Gasquet (14) 6-2, 7-5, 6-2. Luis Horna stopped Frenchman Gael Monfils (22) 6-4, 7-5, 6-1.
Other first round winners included Nicolas Kiefer (21), Igor Andreev (23), Olivier Rochus (24) and Max Mirnyi (30).
On Day One, second seeded American Andy Roddick made short work of Michael Lammer 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. American Taylor Dent (27) didn't have as much luck against Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Lopez eliminated him in straight sets 7-6 (4), 6-3, 7-6 (4).
On the women's side, defending champion Serena Williams (13) avoided the same fate as sister Venus by defeating China's Na Li 6-3, 6-7 (1), 6-2. Third seeded Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo cameback to beat Tiantian Sun 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.
'05 U.S. Open runner-up Mary Pierce (5) easily disposed of Nicole Pratt 6-1, 6-1. Meanwhile, '05 U.S. Open winner Kim Clijsters (2) handled Yoon Jeong Cho 6-3, 6-0 despite playing with a hip flexor. Seventh seeded Patty Schnyder ousted Eleni Daniilidou 6-4, 6-3.
Also advancing were Anastasia Myskina (12), Francesca Schiavone (15), Nicole Vaidisova (16), Dinara Safina (19), Flavia Pennetta (20), Ana Ivanovic (21), Anna-Lena Groenefeld (22), Marion Bartoli (27), Gisela Dulko (31) and Sania Mirza (32).
The lone upset victim was '05 Australian Open semifinalist Nathalie Dechy. The 11th seeded Frenchwoman lost to China's Zi Yan 7-6 (5), 2-6, 3-6.
Hingis' Slam Comeback Begins: In her return to the Australian Open, former world number one Martina Hingis easily dispatched of Russian Vera Zvonareva (30) 6-1, 6-2 in the night match.
Playing with vigor, the 25-year-old Swiss Miss struck the ball well from the baseline, moving Zvonareva side-to-side. Able to dictate most of the rallies with her tactical counterpunching game, Hingis took the Russian out of her rhythm and flustered her.
She finished with 17 winners and made only 11 unforced errors.
"You don't know how good it feels," an excited Hingis said. "This surface, this stadium has been so good for me."
Hingis will next face Finland's Emma Laine.
Already having lost twice in tuneups, Hewitt almost fell victim for the third time against virtual unknown Robin Vik Tuesday afternoon in Australia. Vik- a 25-year-old Czech who had only two career slam appearances both last year entering this match- gave Hewitt all he could handle in a five setter which lasted three hours and forty-five minutes. A rusty Hewitt fought back from two sets to one down to pull out a 6-4, 2-6, 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-3 win at a packed Rod Laver Arena.
"I didn't feel like I was striking the ball quite the way I would have liked," Hewitt told the press at a postmatch conference. "That's when you got to grit your teeth and hang in there, try and find a way to win when you're not playing well. That's what I can be proud of what I was able to do."
Amazingly enough, Hewitt's opponent entered the match with an ATP record of just 10-12 despite being ranked a career high 57th due to getting his points up in Futures tournaments. Right away though, the similar in style Vik tested Hewitt in a competitive opening set by breaking him twice. But Hewitt cameback with three breaks of his own to claim the 42-minute set.
Despite going down a set, Vik continued to play well from the baseline, smacking a few backhands down the line for some of his match high 66 winners to keep Hewitt off balance. With Vik controlling much of the play, he had no problem breaking Hewitt a couple of more times to level the match.
The third set was a little more unpredictable. Much like the first set, both players had success breaking. After being an early Vik break down, Hewitt bounced back with two more breaks and seemed in command. But while serving for a set lead up 5-3, he couldn't close out Vik. Instead, Vik turned the tables on Hewitt by taking the final four games to go ahead.
With Hewitt's timing off on many shots in the fourth set, Vik rolled to a 3-1 lead and was in position to go up two breaks. But Hewitt fought it off to stay alive. Down 4-3, he took advantage of a rare loose game by Vik to get back on serve and then won his third straight game to lead 5-4. Just when Hewitt seemed to have things under control, Vik cameback to go up 6-5 with a chance to serve for the match. However, a determined Hewitt broke him at love to force a tiebreak.
In it, the 24-year-old Aussie played sharper tennis from the baseline while his inexperienced opponent made some of his 66 unforced errors to give Hewitt the breaker, squaring the match.
Clearly, Hewitt had an edge with it going to a fifth set. He had won seven consecutive five setters and was 18-8 in his career. Vik had never played a fifth set before.
It showed right away when Hewitt broke in the opening game on one of Vik's 13 double faults. But the fiesty Vik wouldn't give up. With Hewitt up 2-1, Vik had a few chances to break but ran into some bad luck on one point. With both players scrambling, Hewitt came up to the net and hit a volley lob within Vik's grasp but his legs gave out, netting the overhead.
Even though he trailed 3-1 to one of the game's best players, the Czech wouldn't go home without a fight. When he held for 2-3 and then broke Hewitt in another lengthy game, the match was all leveled. But with Hewitt facing the prospect of being knocked out of a first round of a slam for the first time since losing to Ivo Karlovic at '03 Wimbledon, he raised his level to take the final three games, finally advancing to a second round meeting with Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela. Chela triumphed over British teenager Andy Murray 6-1, 6-3, 6-3.
At the end of the day, not much separated them. In fact, Vik won five more total points- Vik-178, Hewitt-173. Each player also had 13 double faults and broke each other nine times. Hewitt was 9-of-21 while Vik converted 9-of-28.
But ultimately, Hewitt's experience allowed him to move on.
In other men's action, top seed Roger Federer cruised to an easy straight sets win over Denis Istomin 6-2, 6-3, 6-2. Meanwhile, Nikolay Davydenko (5) cameback from a set down to defeat Ivo Karlovic 7-5, 4-6, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. Sixth seed Guillermo Coria also needed five to beat Victor Hanescu 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. Dominik Hrbaty (12) was also pushed five by Oliver Marach before advancing 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3.
However, there were some upsets. German Tommy Haas eliminated Frenchman Richard Gasquet (14) 6-2, 7-5, 6-2. Luis Horna stopped Frenchman Gael Monfils (22) 6-4, 7-5, 6-1.
Other first round winners included Nicolas Kiefer (21), Igor Andreev (23), Olivier Rochus (24) and Max Mirnyi (30).
On Day One, second seeded American Andy Roddick made short work of Michael Lammer 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. American Taylor Dent (27) didn't have as much luck against Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Lopez eliminated him in straight sets 7-6 (4), 6-3, 7-6 (4).
On the women's side, defending champion Serena Williams (13) avoided the same fate as sister Venus by defeating China's Na Li 6-3, 6-7 (1), 6-2. Third seeded Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo cameback to beat Tiantian Sun 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.
'05 U.S. Open runner-up Mary Pierce (5) easily disposed of Nicole Pratt 6-1, 6-1. Meanwhile, '05 U.S. Open winner Kim Clijsters (2) handled Yoon Jeong Cho 6-3, 6-0 despite playing with a hip flexor. Seventh seeded Patty Schnyder ousted Eleni Daniilidou 6-4, 6-3.
Also advancing were Anastasia Myskina (12), Francesca Schiavone (15), Nicole Vaidisova (16), Dinara Safina (19), Flavia Pennetta (20), Ana Ivanovic (21), Anna-Lena Groenefeld (22), Marion Bartoli (27), Gisela Dulko (31) and Sania Mirza (32).
The lone upset victim was '05 Australian Open semifinalist Nathalie Dechy. The 11th seeded Frenchwoman lost to China's Zi Yan 7-6 (5), 2-6, 3-6.
Hingis' Slam Comeback Begins: In her return to the Australian Open, former world number one Martina Hingis easily dispatched of Russian Vera Zvonareva (30) 6-1, 6-2 in the night match.
Playing with vigor, the 25-year-old Swiss Miss struck the ball well from the baseline, moving Zvonareva side-to-side. Able to dictate most of the rallies with her tactical counterpunching game, Hingis took the Russian out of her rhythm and flustered her.
She finished with 17 winners and made only 11 unforced errors.
"You don't know how good it feels," an excited Hingis said. "This surface, this stadium has been so good for me."
Hingis will next face Finland's Emma Laine.
Monday, January 16, 2006
Rangers Left Blue In Columbus
For the second straight game, the Rangers fell a goal short on the road. Having lost at Detroit 4-3 Saturday afternoon, they once again lost by an identical score at Columbus (16-28-2) Monday night.
Without Darius Kasparaitis for the first time this season due to a sprained knee sustained during warmups at Detroit, the Rangers blueline struggled for the second consecutive game. Skating in Kasparaitis' place was Hartford call-up Thomas Pock. Paired with Tom Poti, Pock had a rough night defensively. Largely responsible for two Columbus goals, Pock was caught up ice twice and didn't get back in time.
This is the chance the Rangers took when they unloaded Maxim Kondratiev to Anaheim for Petr Sykora. Kondratiev at least would have recovered. Pock is an offensive defenseman and it showed. With his club ahead on an early goal from surprise lineup addition Marcel Hossa (replaced Ryan Hollweg), Pock tried to setup another goal. But when his pass missed connection, the Blue Jackets quickly transitioned up the ice. Somehow, Jason Chimera was allowed to walk in on a rusty Kevin Weekes and beat him to tie it 1:23 later. Weekes was making his first start in five games.
The Columbus onslaught would continue when David Vyborny one-timed home a Jan Hrdina feed on the power play, taking advantage of an undisciplined Michael Nylander high sticking minor to put the Jackets up 2-1 at 7:27.
With Weekes out of sorts, Columbus struck for their third unanswered goal just 2:14 later. Remarkably, it came from tough guy Jody Shelley. This time, Ron Hainsey skated untouched up the ice and setup Shelley for his second of the season, forcing Ranger Coach Tom Renney to call timeout.
It seemed to work as his club responded with a couple of good shifts to turn the tide. Some hard work paid off again from the checking line. With Dominic Moore having setup Hossa's first goal, once again, he was involved on Jason Ward's sixth of the season. Off an effective cycle along the boards, Moore took a pass from Ville Nieminen along the boards and then found a streaking Ward all alone for a tap-in to cut it to 3-2 at 14:48.
Though nobody scored in a high tempo second which saw Columbus outshoot New York 12-10, the Blue Jackets came very close to going back ahead by two. With the Rangers on a power play, Trevor Letowski broke in shorthanded on Weekes and flipped a backhand which went off Weekes' glove and rolled over the goal line. But before it crossed the line, a sliding Letwoski knocked the net off. After a lengthy review, referees Justin StPierre and Kelly Sutherland made the proper call, waiving off the goal. The fortunate break allowed the Blueshirts to still trail by one after two.
It paid off when Hossa's resurgence continued. Off another feed from Moore (third assist of night), Hossa beat Marc Denis shortside to tie it 3-3 at 6:56. It was his second two-goal game of his career and first as a Ranger.
But on a night in which a faster skating Columbus team swarmed the Rangers, Rick Nash struck to give the Jackets the win with 6:38 remaining. Taking a pass from Nikolai Zherdev, Nash broke in all alone on Weekes and stuffed the puck in. Ironically, it was Pock's responsibility which led to the goal.
After killing off a Tom Poti minor, the Rangers pressed for the equalizer in the final minute but Marek Malik's pass was just behind a wide open Jaromir Jagr. All game long, Jagr was quiet as was the second unit of Petr Prucha, Nylander and Petr Sykora. They wasted a great effort from Moore's line.
Unsteady most of the game, Weekes turned aside 28 of 32 shots while Denis was stronger in making 33 saves.
Notes: Kasparaitis remains day-to-day with the knee problem. ... Rangers (25-14-7) continue their four-game road trip at Pittsburgh (11-25-9) Thursday night. It concludes at Boston Saturday before they return home Sunday to host the Devils.
Without Darius Kasparaitis for the first time this season due to a sprained knee sustained during warmups at Detroit, the Rangers blueline struggled for the second consecutive game. Skating in Kasparaitis' place was Hartford call-up Thomas Pock. Paired with Tom Poti, Pock had a rough night defensively. Largely responsible for two Columbus goals, Pock was caught up ice twice and didn't get back in time.
This is the chance the Rangers took when they unloaded Maxim Kondratiev to Anaheim for Petr Sykora. Kondratiev at least would have recovered. Pock is an offensive defenseman and it showed. With his club ahead on an early goal from surprise lineup addition Marcel Hossa (replaced Ryan Hollweg), Pock tried to setup another goal. But when his pass missed connection, the Blue Jackets quickly transitioned up the ice. Somehow, Jason Chimera was allowed to walk in on a rusty Kevin Weekes and beat him to tie it 1:23 later. Weekes was making his first start in five games.
The Columbus onslaught would continue when David Vyborny one-timed home a Jan Hrdina feed on the power play, taking advantage of an undisciplined Michael Nylander high sticking minor to put the Jackets up 2-1 at 7:27.
With Weekes out of sorts, Columbus struck for their third unanswered goal just 2:14 later. Remarkably, it came from tough guy Jody Shelley. This time, Ron Hainsey skated untouched up the ice and setup Shelley for his second of the season, forcing Ranger Coach Tom Renney to call timeout.
It seemed to work as his club responded with a couple of good shifts to turn the tide. Some hard work paid off again from the checking line. With Dominic Moore having setup Hossa's first goal, once again, he was involved on Jason Ward's sixth of the season. Off an effective cycle along the boards, Moore took a pass from Ville Nieminen along the boards and then found a streaking Ward all alone for a tap-in to cut it to 3-2 at 14:48.
Though nobody scored in a high tempo second which saw Columbus outshoot New York 12-10, the Blue Jackets came very close to going back ahead by two. With the Rangers on a power play, Trevor Letowski broke in shorthanded on Weekes and flipped a backhand which went off Weekes' glove and rolled over the goal line. But before it crossed the line, a sliding Letwoski knocked the net off. After a lengthy review, referees Justin StPierre and Kelly Sutherland made the proper call, waiving off the goal. The fortunate break allowed the Blueshirts to still trail by one after two.
It paid off when Hossa's resurgence continued. Off another feed from Moore (third assist of night), Hossa beat Marc Denis shortside to tie it 3-3 at 6:56. It was his second two-goal game of his career and first as a Ranger.
But on a night in which a faster skating Columbus team swarmed the Rangers, Rick Nash struck to give the Jackets the win with 6:38 remaining. Taking a pass from Nikolai Zherdev, Nash broke in all alone on Weekes and stuffed the puck in. Ironically, it was Pock's responsibility which led to the goal.
After killing off a Tom Poti minor, the Rangers pressed for the equalizer in the final minute but Marek Malik's pass was just behind a wide open Jaromir Jagr. All game long, Jagr was quiet as was the second unit of Petr Prucha, Nylander and Petr Sykora. They wasted a great effort from Moore's line.
Unsteady most of the game, Weekes turned aside 28 of 32 shots while Denis was stronger in making 33 saves.
Notes: Kasparaitis remains day-to-day with the knee problem. ... Rangers (25-14-7) continue their four-game road trip at Pittsburgh (11-25-9) Thursday night. It concludes at Boston Saturday before they return home Sunday to host the Devils.
Bulgarian Teen Shocks Venus
On Day One of the Australian Open, American Venus Williams (10) was upset by Bulgarian Tszvetana Pironkova 2-6, 6-0, 9-7. Williams' undoing was 65 unforced errors.
"She's a very good player," Williams said to the press during a postmatch press conference. "But also I had close to 70 unforced errors. I mean, if I'm not shooting myself in the foot like that, then I'm going to be able to most likely be the victor. She is very good and stayed in there. That's what it takes to beat someone like me. But obviously it was not my best day."
After a strong start which gave her the first set, her game fell off at the wrong time. With the 18-year-old teenager in her debut slam steadying from the baseline, Williams began to misfire shots long from the baseline, which only gave her opponent more confidence.
Williams' first serve percentage also started to come down, which allowed Pironkova to have more looks at breaking. Pironkova took advantage, winning 22 of 31 (71 percent) points on the second serve. She also broke Williams eight times in a match which saw each player trade breaks, especially in the final set.
With Williams coming undone in the second set, Pironkova easily captured it to force the deciding frame. That's when a seesaw battle of wills took place. After each player traded breaks, two Venus errors gave Pironkova a 5-3 lead. But with a chance to serve it out, she was broken back and then dropped the next two games to trail 6-5, giving Venus a chance to close it out. However, another lose game allowed Pironkova to level it again at six.
Both players raised their intensity to get to seven all. When Pironkova held for 8-7, Venus finally cracked. She netted an easy backhand putaway and then sent a backhand short to give the Bulgarian the victory.
"You can't make 70 errors and expect to win," Williams added.
In the end, it resulted in a short stay at Melbourne Park for Venus.
Williams wasn't the only seeded woman to fall. Ninth seeded Russian Elena Dementieva was victimized in straight sets by German Julia Schruff 7-5, 6-2. Also knocked out were Tatiana Golovin (24) and Ai Sugiyama (26).
2005 runner-up and top seeded American Lindsay Davenport had an easier time of it, routinely disposing of Casey Dellacqua 6-2, 6-1. She'll next face Karolina Sprem, who advanced over Alona Bondarenko 6-4, 6-2.
In her return match to a slam, Jelena Dokic fell in three sets to Virginie Razzano 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1.
Another comebacker, three-time Australian Open champion Martina Hingis will face Vera Zvonareva (30) later today.
On the men's side, '05 U.S. Open semifinalist Robby Ginepri (13) defeated Jurgen Melzer in straight sets 6-1, 6-4, 6-2. Also moving on were David Nalbandian (4), Gaston Gaudio (8), Radek Stepanek (17), Mario Ancic (18) and Jarkko Nieminen (26).
Second seeded American Andy Roddick takes on Michael Lammer later.
"She's a very good player," Williams said to the press during a postmatch press conference. "But also I had close to 70 unforced errors. I mean, if I'm not shooting myself in the foot like that, then I'm going to be able to most likely be the victor. She is very good and stayed in there. That's what it takes to beat someone like me. But obviously it was not my best day."
After a strong start which gave her the first set, her game fell off at the wrong time. With the 18-year-old teenager in her debut slam steadying from the baseline, Williams began to misfire shots long from the baseline, which only gave her opponent more confidence.
Williams' first serve percentage also started to come down, which allowed Pironkova to have more looks at breaking. Pironkova took advantage, winning 22 of 31 (71 percent) points on the second serve. She also broke Williams eight times in a match which saw each player trade breaks, especially in the final set.
With Williams coming undone in the second set, Pironkova easily captured it to force the deciding frame. That's when a seesaw battle of wills took place. After each player traded breaks, two Venus errors gave Pironkova a 5-3 lead. But with a chance to serve it out, she was broken back and then dropped the next two games to trail 6-5, giving Venus a chance to close it out. However, another lose game allowed Pironkova to level it again at six.
Both players raised their intensity to get to seven all. When Pironkova held for 8-7, Venus finally cracked. She netted an easy backhand putaway and then sent a backhand short to give the Bulgarian the victory.
"You can't make 70 errors and expect to win," Williams added.
In the end, it resulted in a short stay at Melbourne Park for Venus.
Williams wasn't the only seeded woman to fall. Ninth seeded Russian Elena Dementieva was victimized in straight sets by German Julia Schruff 7-5, 6-2. Also knocked out were Tatiana Golovin (24) and Ai Sugiyama (26).
2005 runner-up and top seeded American Lindsay Davenport had an easier time of it, routinely disposing of Casey Dellacqua 6-2, 6-1. She'll next face Karolina Sprem, who advanced over Alona Bondarenko 6-4, 6-2.
In her return match to a slam, Jelena Dokic fell in three sets to Virginie Razzano 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1.
Another comebacker, three-time Australian Open champion Martina Hingis will face Vera Zvonareva (30) later today.
On the men's side, '05 U.S. Open semifinalist Robby Ginepri (13) defeated Jurgen Melzer in straight sets 6-1, 6-4, 6-2. Also moving on were David Nalbandian (4), Gaston Gaudio (8), Radek Stepanek (17), Mario Ancic (18) and Jarkko Nieminen (26).
Second seeded American Andy Roddick takes on Michael Lammer later.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Australian Open Preview: Picking The Men
Unlike last year, the season's first grand slam will be without some prominent names. Unable to compete in Australia are defending champion Marat Safin, French Open winner Rafael Nadal and four-time Melbourne champ Andre Agassi.
Safin- who won his second major by outlasting the top player in the world Roger Federer in a five set classic semifinal before coming back to beat hometown favorite Lleyton Hewitt in four sets- is still recovering from left knee surgery which prevented him from competing at the U.S. Open. He won't return until next month in Marseille, France.
One of Australia's adopted sons, Agassi was forced to pull out due to an ankle injury suffered over two months ago while playing racquetball. He tried to return for the Masters Cup but wasn't close to 100 percent, prompting him to reassess whether he could give it a go down under. Not wanting to jeopardize the rest of his season, the 35-year-old Agassi won't rush back until he's ready.
Much like Safin and Agassi, the flambuoyant Nadal, who took the tour by storm last year, will miss the event due to a calf muscle strain suffered at last year's Madrid Masters final in October. Like Safin, he's also targeting the same tournament in France next month.
All three slam champions will be missed. However, the show must go on. With that trio not in Australia, Federer is the overwhelming favorite to win his second Open. The six-time slam winner won the final two majors of '05 and has taken five of the last eight the past two years. Can he be stopped? Let's find out.
Bracket One: The first bracket features top seed Federer. In his path will be Nikolay Davydenko (5), Dominik Hrbaty (12), Richard Gasquet (14), Igor Andreev (23) and Olivier Rochus (24). Translation: Federer is a couple of levels better than his biggest competition. Not exactly encouraging news for the rest of the field.
Potential Sleepers: Aside from other seeds Filippo Volandri (29) and Max Mirnyi (30), Tommy Haas, Ivo Karlovic and Novak Djokovic are all capable of making runs into the second week. The one-time number one ranked player Haas started this year with a bang, upsetting Federer in an exhibition match last week. It has to do wonders for his mental state but he'll be up against promising Frenchman Gasquet in what promises to be a great opening round match. If Haas gets through that, he could face rising star Djokovic in the second round. In his first season last year, he made the third round at the last two slams. Stamina could be an issue for the 18-year-old Serbia and Montenegro product. Karlovic is an imposing serve-and-volley specialist who can make life difficult for opponents. Nicknamed The Croatian Bomber, he can crank up his serve when needed and is awfully difficult to break. He'll test Davydenko in Round One.
Analysis: Federer should have no trouble early on. He'll be waiting in the Round of 16 for either Gasquet, Haas, Djokovic or Rochus. Whoever he plays should push him enough to be ready for the next phase. The bottom half of his draw could open up if Karlovic can stop Davydenko. Either Hrbaty or Andreev could emerge to challenge Federer in the quarterfinals.
The Pick: Unless something goes completely wrong, Federer should emerge from this section without a scratch. Look for his fourth round opponent to present more of a challenge than whoever he faces in the Elite Eight. Haas has played Federer tough as has Rochus. Gasquet is certainly talented enough to give him a match. There's just no one on the other side who should scare Federer. He'll be waiting in the semifinals.
Bracket Two: This features last year's runner-up Lleyton Hewitt (3) along with Guillermo Coria (6), Fernando Gonzalez (9), Juan Carlos Ferrero (15) and Nicolas Kiefer (21). Hewitt is the best player here but it promises to be a tough bracket.
Potential Sleepers: Hewitt might not have to wait very long for a tough match. He could face British riser Andy Murray in the second round. By no stretch would that be easy. Murray is a talented baseline shotmaker who plays with fire and will be heard from this year. If Hewitt gets through his first two matches, he could see Fernando Verdasco (28) next. Verdasco is another promising left-handed Spaniard who can slug the ball from the baseline. Also in that portion of the draw is Paradorn Srichaphan. But he'll have to upset Kiefer just to make Round Two. On the other side of the bracket, Gael Monfils (22) continues to climb up the rankings and could make some noise. Sebastien Grosjean (25) can never be taken lightly either. He's a solid baseliner who can run down many shots, forcing opponents to work.
Analysis: Now a father, Hewitt returned to the tour this year and was upset in his first two tuneups. That could be a sign that he's not as sharp as last year. If it is, we'll know soon enough. I still like him to get through Murray, Verdasco and Kiefer to reach the quarterfinals. Coria seems to have an easier path to the third round before a possible test against Grosjean. Gonzalez is always a threat on hard courts and should meet Monfils in an intriguing third round.
The Pick: Look for Hewitt to be waiting while Coria battles it out with the winner of Gonzalez-Monfils. Coria could have trouble against either but he's a tough customer and should setup a grudge match against Hewitt in the Elite Eight. These two don't like each other. At last year's Davis Cup match in Australia which Coria won, they traded insults. There is no love lost. If it comes down, Hewitt will have tons of support from the pro-Aussie crowd. Coria can neutralize Hewitt's speed game and has just as many shots in his arsenal. For those reasons, I'll pick Coria to upset Hewitt and setup a semifinal against Federer.
Bracket Three: David Nalbandian (4) heads this section along with Gaston Gaudio (8), David Ferrer (11), Tommy Robredo (16), Mario Ancic (18) and James Blake (20). This certainly is a competitive draw, which should make for some good matches.
Potential Sleepers: Neither Jarkko Nieminen (26) nor Carlos Moya (32) should be overlooked. Nieminen is a confusing lefty who can make life difficult for opponents. Just ask Hewitt why he had to dig out of a two sets to one hole in their U.S. Open quarterfinal. Moya is a former French Open champ who relies on a big serve and heavy forehand. However, he doesn't fare well off clay and has a tough opening match against baseliner Andrei Pavel. Also in this section is The Magician Fabrice Santoro. The stylish two-handed shotmaker is the most unorthodox player on the tour. He forced Federer to play out of his mind at the U.S. Open to win a second round match without a problem. He plays American Vince Spadea in the first round. If he advances, he has a chance to make some noise. Not being talked about much is Tim Henman. The classic serve-and-volleyer fell off in '05 due to a bad back. Some time off might help him. He'll try to avenge a second round Wimbledon loss to Dmitry Tursonov.
Analysis: This bracket certainly isn't dull. It's possible that form won't hold, especially on the top half. Gaudio's best success has come on clay. So he could be ripe for the picking in the second or third round. Look for Pavel or Santoro to bounce him out. Ancic struggled last year but the skilled Czech is back in form. Look for him to advance to a third round match against Ferrer. Ancic should have enough to eliminate Ferrer and then best whoever's left to make the quarters. On the bottom half, Nalbandian shouldn't be challenged until he squares off against Nieminen in Round Three. The rejuvenated American Blake should be waiting for him in the Round of 16.
The Pick: Nalbandian is coming off a huge Masters Cup win over Federer, coming from two sets down to pull it out. He should have plenty of confidence. Blake would pose a very good challenge because their styles are similar. Both love to dictate points from the baseline. Blake recently won his fourth ATP title at Sydney International. So he'll be ready. But when push comes to shove, I still like Nalbandian to edge Blake in five sets to advance and meet Ancic in the quarters. I'll take Nalbandian's experience there to make the Final Four.
Bracket Four: Included in this section are Andy Roddick (2), Ivan Ljubicic (7), former Aussie winner Thomas Johansson (10), Robby Ginepri (13), Radek Stepanek (17), Tomas Berdych (19) and Taylor Dent (27). Toss in Feliciano Lopez (31) and this is one ultracompetitive bracket.
Potential Sleepers: Luxembourg's Gilles Muller sent shockwaves through New York when he derailed Roddick in the first round at last year's U.S. Open. This is just the 22-year-old's second full season. He is a rangy lefty with impressive groundstrokes and an underrated net game. The question with him is consistency. If he brings his 'A' game, he could surprise. Nicolas Massu is a crafty baseliner who can hit with anyone and also has the stamina to go the distance. Facing off in a first round match, Xavier Malisse meets Mikhail Youzhny. Both are talented players who saw their rankings drop last year. Malisse though possesses a big serve and lethal groundstrokes. If he ever puts it altogether, watch out.
Analysis: Roddick should cruise through his first two matches but then it could get interesting. If Dent advances into the third round, Roddick would have to deal with the textbook serve-and-volleyer. He might have to sweat a little but Roddick's fitness should get him through in four sets. Making life more difficult, Ginepri could be looming in Round Four. On the top half, Ljubicic is a solid player who can hit big serves and lethal groundstrokes. However, he has never gotten past the third round at any major. For that to change, he'll probably have to get past either Lopez or Muller. Any one of Johansson, Malisse or Berdych could advance to face Ljubicic in the Round of 16.
The Pick: Roddick is the choice to come out of this section. However, it won't be easy. He'll most likely have to beat Dent and Ginepri just to make the quarters. Berdych is a very talented Czech who is on the fringe of breaking the top 10. I like him to beat Ljubicic and setup an Elite Eight clash with Roddick. That would be power against power as both big men possess rocket serves and lethal forehands. I'll take Roddick's experience and will power to win out in an exciting four sets to setup a semi showdown against Nalbandian.
Breaking Down The Final Four: In one semifinal, Federer would meet Coria. This is a mismatch because Federer's footspeed can match Coria. It's essentially why Coria's nemesis Hewitt has never had much success against Federer. Federer has the speed and instincts to anticipate shots better than anyone. His big serve and ridiculous shotmaking is what separates him. Coria will put up a hard fight but I can't even see him getting a set. Federer should cruise to his second Aussie final in three years.
The other match is a rematch of the '03 U.S. Open semifinal which Roddick cameback from two sets down to prevail in, winning his only major to date. It was Roddick at his absolute best. His big serve matches up well against Nalbandian. But Nalbandian's aggressive returning and fiesty baseline game will be a stiff challenge for Roddick. Both players need this match to prove they can take that next step. Unfortunately for Roddick, I feel Nalbandian will pull it out in five. It sets up a rematch of the Masters Cup.
Who Will Be Holding The Trophy: David Nalbandian, Argentina. Nalbandian would be in his second slam final and first since falling to Hewitt at '02 Wimbledon. Federer would be the overwhelming favorite here because he never loses in these matches. His perfect 6-0 record in slam finals is remarkable. But Nalbandian has the kind of game that can agitate Federer. The 24-year-old Argentine proved that two months ago in Shanghai. To repeat the feat, he'll have to play out of his mind. Nalbandian is the best player on the tour to never have won a major. It's time for him to break through.
Safin- who won his second major by outlasting the top player in the world Roger Federer in a five set classic semifinal before coming back to beat hometown favorite Lleyton Hewitt in four sets- is still recovering from left knee surgery which prevented him from competing at the U.S. Open. He won't return until next month in Marseille, France.
One of Australia's adopted sons, Agassi was forced to pull out due to an ankle injury suffered over two months ago while playing racquetball. He tried to return for the Masters Cup but wasn't close to 100 percent, prompting him to reassess whether he could give it a go down under. Not wanting to jeopardize the rest of his season, the 35-year-old Agassi won't rush back until he's ready.
Much like Safin and Agassi, the flambuoyant Nadal, who took the tour by storm last year, will miss the event due to a calf muscle strain suffered at last year's Madrid Masters final in October. Like Safin, he's also targeting the same tournament in France next month.
All three slam champions will be missed. However, the show must go on. With that trio not in Australia, Federer is the overwhelming favorite to win his second Open. The six-time slam winner won the final two majors of '05 and has taken five of the last eight the past two years. Can he be stopped? Let's find out.
Bracket One: The first bracket features top seed Federer. In his path will be Nikolay Davydenko (5), Dominik Hrbaty (12), Richard Gasquet (14), Igor Andreev (23) and Olivier Rochus (24). Translation: Federer is a couple of levels better than his biggest competition. Not exactly encouraging news for the rest of the field.
Potential Sleepers: Aside from other seeds Filippo Volandri (29) and Max Mirnyi (30), Tommy Haas, Ivo Karlovic and Novak Djokovic are all capable of making runs into the second week. The one-time number one ranked player Haas started this year with a bang, upsetting Federer in an exhibition match last week. It has to do wonders for his mental state but he'll be up against promising Frenchman Gasquet in what promises to be a great opening round match. If Haas gets through that, he could face rising star Djokovic in the second round. In his first season last year, he made the third round at the last two slams. Stamina could be an issue for the 18-year-old Serbia and Montenegro product. Karlovic is an imposing serve-and-volley specialist who can make life difficult for opponents. Nicknamed The Croatian Bomber, he can crank up his serve when needed and is awfully difficult to break. He'll test Davydenko in Round One.
Analysis: Federer should have no trouble early on. He'll be waiting in the Round of 16 for either Gasquet, Haas, Djokovic or Rochus. Whoever he plays should push him enough to be ready for the next phase. The bottom half of his draw could open up if Karlovic can stop Davydenko. Either Hrbaty or Andreev could emerge to challenge Federer in the quarterfinals.
The Pick: Unless something goes completely wrong, Federer should emerge from this section without a scratch. Look for his fourth round opponent to present more of a challenge than whoever he faces in the Elite Eight. Haas has played Federer tough as has Rochus. Gasquet is certainly talented enough to give him a match. There's just no one on the other side who should scare Federer. He'll be waiting in the semifinals.
Bracket Two: This features last year's runner-up Lleyton Hewitt (3) along with Guillermo Coria (6), Fernando Gonzalez (9), Juan Carlos Ferrero (15) and Nicolas Kiefer (21). Hewitt is the best player here but it promises to be a tough bracket.
Potential Sleepers: Hewitt might not have to wait very long for a tough match. He could face British riser Andy Murray in the second round. By no stretch would that be easy. Murray is a talented baseline shotmaker who plays with fire and will be heard from this year. If Hewitt gets through his first two matches, he could see Fernando Verdasco (28) next. Verdasco is another promising left-handed Spaniard who can slug the ball from the baseline. Also in that portion of the draw is Paradorn Srichaphan. But he'll have to upset Kiefer just to make Round Two. On the other side of the bracket, Gael Monfils (22) continues to climb up the rankings and could make some noise. Sebastien Grosjean (25) can never be taken lightly either. He's a solid baseliner who can run down many shots, forcing opponents to work.
Analysis: Now a father, Hewitt returned to the tour this year and was upset in his first two tuneups. That could be a sign that he's not as sharp as last year. If it is, we'll know soon enough. I still like him to get through Murray, Verdasco and Kiefer to reach the quarterfinals. Coria seems to have an easier path to the third round before a possible test against Grosjean. Gonzalez is always a threat on hard courts and should meet Monfils in an intriguing third round.
The Pick: Look for Hewitt to be waiting while Coria battles it out with the winner of Gonzalez-Monfils. Coria could have trouble against either but he's a tough customer and should setup a grudge match against Hewitt in the Elite Eight. These two don't like each other. At last year's Davis Cup match in Australia which Coria won, they traded insults. There is no love lost. If it comes down, Hewitt will have tons of support from the pro-Aussie crowd. Coria can neutralize Hewitt's speed game and has just as many shots in his arsenal. For those reasons, I'll pick Coria to upset Hewitt and setup a semifinal against Federer.
Bracket Three: David Nalbandian (4) heads this section along with Gaston Gaudio (8), David Ferrer (11), Tommy Robredo (16), Mario Ancic (18) and James Blake (20). This certainly is a competitive draw, which should make for some good matches.
Potential Sleepers: Neither Jarkko Nieminen (26) nor Carlos Moya (32) should be overlooked. Nieminen is a confusing lefty who can make life difficult for opponents. Just ask Hewitt why he had to dig out of a two sets to one hole in their U.S. Open quarterfinal. Moya is a former French Open champ who relies on a big serve and heavy forehand. However, he doesn't fare well off clay and has a tough opening match against baseliner Andrei Pavel. Also in this section is The Magician Fabrice Santoro. The stylish two-handed shotmaker is the most unorthodox player on the tour. He forced Federer to play out of his mind at the U.S. Open to win a second round match without a problem. He plays American Vince Spadea in the first round. If he advances, he has a chance to make some noise. Not being talked about much is Tim Henman. The classic serve-and-volleyer fell off in '05 due to a bad back. Some time off might help him. He'll try to avenge a second round Wimbledon loss to Dmitry Tursonov.
Analysis: This bracket certainly isn't dull. It's possible that form won't hold, especially on the top half. Gaudio's best success has come on clay. So he could be ripe for the picking in the second or third round. Look for Pavel or Santoro to bounce him out. Ancic struggled last year but the skilled Czech is back in form. Look for him to advance to a third round match against Ferrer. Ancic should have enough to eliminate Ferrer and then best whoever's left to make the quarters. On the bottom half, Nalbandian shouldn't be challenged until he squares off against Nieminen in Round Three. The rejuvenated American Blake should be waiting for him in the Round of 16.
The Pick: Nalbandian is coming off a huge Masters Cup win over Federer, coming from two sets down to pull it out. He should have plenty of confidence. Blake would pose a very good challenge because their styles are similar. Both love to dictate points from the baseline. Blake recently won his fourth ATP title at Sydney International. So he'll be ready. But when push comes to shove, I still like Nalbandian to edge Blake in five sets to advance and meet Ancic in the quarters. I'll take Nalbandian's experience there to make the Final Four.
Bracket Four: Included in this section are Andy Roddick (2), Ivan Ljubicic (7), former Aussie winner Thomas Johansson (10), Robby Ginepri (13), Radek Stepanek (17), Tomas Berdych (19) and Taylor Dent (27). Toss in Feliciano Lopez (31) and this is one ultracompetitive bracket.
Potential Sleepers: Luxembourg's Gilles Muller sent shockwaves through New York when he derailed Roddick in the first round at last year's U.S. Open. This is just the 22-year-old's second full season. He is a rangy lefty with impressive groundstrokes and an underrated net game. The question with him is consistency. If he brings his 'A' game, he could surprise. Nicolas Massu is a crafty baseliner who can hit with anyone and also has the stamina to go the distance. Facing off in a first round match, Xavier Malisse meets Mikhail Youzhny. Both are talented players who saw their rankings drop last year. Malisse though possesses a big serve and lethal groundstrokes. If he ever puts it altogether, watch out.
Analysis: Roddick should cruise through his first two matches but then it could get interesting. If Dent advances into the third round, Roddick would have to deal with the textbook serve-and-volleyer. He might have to sweat a little but Roddick's fitness should get him through in four sets. Making life more difficult, Ginepri could be looming in Round Four. On the top half, Ljubicic is a solid player who can hit big serves and lethal groundstrokes. However, he has never gotten past the third round at any major. For that to change, he'll probably have to get past either Lopez or Muller. Any one of Johansson, Malisse or Berdych could advance to face Ljubicic in the Round of 16.
The Pick: Roddick is the choice to come out of this section. However, it won't be easy. He'll most likely have to beat Dent and Ginepri just to make the quarters. Berdych is a very talented Czech who is on the fringe of breaking the top 10. I like him to beat Ljubicic and setup an Elite Eight clash with Roddick. That would be power against power as both big men possess rocket serves and lethal forehands. I'll take Roddick's experience and will power to win out in an exciting four sets to setup a semi showdown against Nalbandian.
Breaking Down The Final Four: In one semifinal, Federer would meet Coria. This is a mismatch because Federer's footspeed can match Coria. It's essentially why Coria's nemesis Hewitt has never had much success against Federer. Federer has the speed and instincts to anticipate shots better than anyone. His big serve and ridiculous shotmaking is what separates him. Coria will put up a hard fight but I can't even see him getting a set. Federer should cruise to his second Aussie final in three years.
The other match is a rematch of the '03 U.S. Open semifinal which Roddick cameback from two sets down to prevail in, winning his only major to date. It was Roddick at his absolute best. His big serve matches up well against Nalbandian. But Nalbandian's aggressive returning and fiesty baseline game will be a stiff challenge for Roddick. Both players need this match to prove they can take that next step. Unfortunately for Roddick, I feel Nalbandian will pull it out in five. It sets up a rematch of the Masters Cup.
Who Will Be Holding The Trophy: David Nalbandian, Argentina. Nalbandian would be in his second slam final and first since falling to Hewitt at '02 Wimbledon. Federer would be the overwhelming favorite here because he never loses in these matches. His perfect 6-0 record in slam finals is remarkable. But Nalbandian has the kind of game that can agitate Federer. The 24-year-old Argentine proved that two months ago in Shanghai. To repeat the feat, he'll have to play out of his mind. Nalbandian is the best player on the tour to never have won a major. It's time for him to break through.
Friday, January 13, 2006
Australian Open Preview: Predicting The Women
It's that time of year again. Finally, tennis has returned for a new season, which kicked off two weeks ago down under. The season's first major The Australian Open gets underway Sunday night at 7 PM (11 AM Australia time Monday).
Last year, Serena Williams took the women's field by storm, capturing her second Open and seventh career slam by besting Lindsay Davenport in three sets. To get there, she overcame match points against Maria Sharapova in a classic semifinal. A less than 100 percent Serena looks to defend her title in Melbourne.
Comeback Kids: While the competition should be stiff, the WTA Tour will also get a jolt from two players making their returns.
Former five-time slam winner Martina Hingis has returned to the tour after retiring for three years due to chronic foot problems. The 25-year-old Swiss product won three consecutive Australian Open titles from 1997-99. But back then, she was the best player in the world. However, that changed due to the hard hitting of the Williams sisters, Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, etc.
Now, Hingis will try to recapture some of her old form, battling a very competitive field. In her first tournament back at Gold Coast a couple of weeks ago, she reached the semifinals before losing to Flavia Pennetta in three sets. At Medibank International in her first real test, Hingis lost in straight sets to Justine Henin-Hardenne. At Melbourne Park, she'll have another early battle against 30th seeded Vera Zvonareva. It should be interesting to see how she fares.
While Hingis is on the comeback trail, so too is Jelena Dokic. The talented 22-year-old Serbian who now calls Australia home once was ranked as high as fourth in '02. However, she slumped badly the next two years falling out of the top 100. By last year, her name had become a distant memory as she stopped playing tour events altogether and dropped to 349 in the world. A difference in opinion with her father, then coach Damir resulted in a split prior to the last two years, which complicated things.
Under new representation last December, she won an Open wildcard to qualify. In her first match at Auckland this year, she lost in three sets to Julia Schruff. Dokic will hope for better luck against first round opponent Virginie Razzano.
If either Hingis or Dokic reach the second week, that would be a great story.
Bracket One: This features top seed Davenport, Henin-Hardenne (8), Venus Williams (10) and Svetlana Kuznetsova (14). Any section which includes four slam winners is top heavy, which could be bad news for the rest of the competition.
Potential Sleepers: Other seeded women include Elena Likhovtseva, Tatiana Golovin, Maria Kirilenko, Ai Sugiyama. Golovin and Kirlineko are the best of the bunch who could make some noise. Both are rising stars who will be heard from. Likhovtseva and Sugiyama are experienced players who compete well. If you're looking for someone who might be able to surprise in this bracket, it could be Dokic. If she gets by Razzano, she has the ability play spoiler and reach Week Two. It will depend on how sharp she is.
Analysis: In the top portion, Davenport should cruise to a third round match against Kirilenko, which might not be easy but she should prevail. If form holds, Kuznetsova would meet Golovin in an intriguing third round. The winner would take on Davenport for a chance at the quarterfinals. On the bottom half, Henin-Hardenne should have an easy first two matches but then it could get interesting if Dokic is waiting for her. Venus is not 100 percent but that's nothing new. The question is will she be fit enough not to get upset? A potential third round opponent could be Likhovtseva. If Venus is on her game, that shouldn't pose a problem, which would setup a Round of 16 showdown with Henin-Hardenne.
The Pick: This is a tough bracket to call. But Davenport and Henin-Hardenne are at full strength. Look for them to meet up in the quarters. Henin-Hardenne is fresh off a win at Medibank International. Davenport has the hardest groundstrokes on tour and relies on her big serve. In contrast, Henin-Hardenne is quicker and likes to setup her backhand. At the U.S. Open, her serve failed her. However, she's playing better now. I like Henin-Hardenne over Davenport in three sets to reach the semifinals.
Bracket Two: Maria Sharapova (4), Nadia Petrova (6), Elena Dementieva (9), defending champ Serena Williams (13) and Daniela Hantuchova (17) comprise this bracket. Three talented Russians, an American champion and a Slovak. The Wimbledon '04 champ Sharapova won't be up to full speed due to a sore shoulder, which is something to watch. Serena once again will not be at her best but she's still a threat.
Potential Sleepers: Jelena Jankovic (23) is a talented 20-year-old from Serbia and Montenegro who has won one title in her three-year career. Jankovic reached the third round at the last two slams. Is this the major she makes a dent in? Klara Koukalova (29) is a 23-year-old Czech whose ranking has climbed as high as 30. Since reaching the third round in her slam debut at Australia, she hasn't gotten out of the second round. She'll have to deal with tricky first round opponent Ekaterina Bychkova, who upset Kuznetsova at the U.S. Open. German Julia Schruff could give Dementieva some trouble. She reached the third round at the Open. Also keep an eye on Shuai Peng, who could meet Sharapova in the second round. She has a big game.
Analysis: Barring a major surprise, Sharapova should make the Round of 16 where she could setup a rematch with Serena of their three set epic. But don't be surprised if Serena gets knocked out before then. Hantuchova has a nice game but has fallen short in big matches recently. She could pose a threat to Serena. On the bottom half, Petrova and Dementieva could be on a collision course in the fourth round. Only Jankovic might prevent it.
The Pick: Sharapova should be determined to make an impact after a somewhat disappointing '05 at the slams. She has much to prove. If she meets Serena in Round Four, look for her to avenge last year's heartbreaking defeat and play the winner of Petrova-Dementieva. Both are very gifted players. The match could hinge on whether Dementieva can get her first serve in. If she does, she'll get through to face Sharapova. Both love to slug the ball from the baseline which can lead to a lot of winners and unforced errors. What separates Sharapova from Dementieva is her big serve. For that reason, Sharapova should advance to play Henin-Hardenne in the semis.
Bracket Three: This section features third seeded Amelie Mauresmo along with Patty Schnyder (7), Anastasia Myskina (12), Nicole Vaidisova (16), Dinara Safina (19) and Flavia Pennetta (20). This might be the most overlooked bracket because no one has ever won a major. However, starting with Mauresmo, none of these players along with a couple of others should be underestimated.
Potential Sleepers: Schnyder's first round opponent Greece's Eleni Daniilidou is capable of pulling the upset if Schnyder is not up to speed. Daniilidou took out Henin-Hardenne at Wimbledon last year. Schnyder's potential second round opponent Shinobu Asagoe is no pushover either. Sania Mirza (32) or Michaella Krajicek could make some noise. Both are rising players who are playing well.
Analysis: Mauresmo finished '05 in style by winning the WTA Championship, proving that she could win when it counted. If she can bring that same level to Australia, she can go all the way. It won't be easy though. She'll meet either Mirza or Krajicek in the third round and could play Vaidisova or Pennetta just for a chance at the final eight. If Schnyder gets through her first two matches, she should have an easy time making the fourth round where Safina could be waiting. Safina is off to a good start this year. So, that could be a good match.
The Pick: Mauresmo is clearly the best player in this bracket. While she should have some tough challenges and will probably have to get by rising Czech star Vaidisova in the Round of 16, she should have enough game to make the Elite Eight. Schnyder usually has good success in majors and will probably test Mauresmo. But this is Mauresmo's best chance to finally breakthrough at a slam. She should make the Final Four.
Bracket Four: Included in this section are '04 U.S. Open champ Kim Clijsters (2) and runner-up Mary Pierce(5). Both are clearly the best players in a bracket which also features semifinalist Nathalie Dechy (11), Francesca Schiavone (15) and Ana Ivanovic (21).
Potential Sleepers: Other seeded women include Anna-Lena Groenefeld (22), Marion Bartoli (27) and Vera Zvonareva (30). All are solid players with Zvonareva having the most potential. The 21-year-old Russian has made one quarterfinal in Roland Garros ('03) and five fourth rounds. But she took a small step back last year with her best slam result a third round showing at The French Open. Zvonareva has a potentially difficult first match against the comebacking Martina Hingis, which will be no picnic. Hingis should be dangerous. Lucie Safarova is ranked just outside the top 30. The 18-year-old from the Czech Republic is just in her second season but already has three titles. Keep an eye on her.
Analysis: Pierce is coming off a great '05 which saw her reach two finals before falling to Henin-Hardenne and Clijsters at the French and U.S. Open. She is clearly very motivated and should cruise through the early rounds of the top half. The winner of Zvonareva-Hingis will probably play Pierce in the third round. But neither should be able to handle her pace. Ivanovic is another Serbia and Montenegro product who's in her second year. However, she's not ready for primetime yet. Look for Pierce to reach the quarters with ease. Clijsters is the hottest player on the tour and finally got the monkey off her back winning at the Open last September. But she will be playing with a sore hip. If she's still able to play through it, nobody in her half should seriously threaten until a possible fourth round encounter with Schiavone.
The Pick: Considering Clijsters' plight, it's hard not to like Pierce. If she's in top form, she should overpower opponents from the baseline. If Clijsters can get through the first four rounds, it would be a rematch of last year's Open. She certainly has enough heart to get there but after that all bets are off. I like Pierce to triumph over Clijsters and setup a Frenchwomen semi showdown with Mauresmo.
Breaking Down The Final Four: Sharapova would play Henin-Hardenne in one semifinal. It's a contrast in styles between the boom-or-bust Sharapova and the savvy Henin-Hardenne. But Henin-Hardenne is in better shape and off to a good start this year while Sharapova hasn't played much competitive tennis since last year. Henin-Hardenne should prevail to reach her second Aussie final in three years.
Whenever Pierce and Mauresmo meet, it's usually onesided. At last year's Open, Pierce destroyed Mauresmo. However, Mauresmo turned the tables against Pierce to pull out a three set epic WTA Championship final. That should give her an edge. This promises to be another ultracompetitive match but I'll take Mauresmo to advance to her second Australian Open final since '99.
Who Will Be Holding The Trophy: Amelie Mauresmo, France. Like Clijsters at the last slam, Mauresmo now has the distinction of being the best player on the WTA Tour to never win a major. It has to change some time. She'll have to overcome a very difficult opponent in Henin-Hardenne. So it won't be easy. Also similarly to Clijsters, Mauresmo has a reputation for falling short in such matches. I believe her win last December was a huge confidence boost and can help her win in Australia. It won't be routine though. I'll take Mauresmo to triumph in three fiercely competitive sets.
Last year, Serena Williams took the women's field by storm, capturing her second Open and seventh career slam by besting Lindsay Davenport in three sets. To get there, she overcame match points against Maria Sharapova in a classic semifinal. A less than 100 percent Serena looks to defend her title in Melbourne.
Comeback Kids: While the competition should be stiff, the WTA Tour will also get a jolt from two players making their returns.
Former five-time slam winner Martina Hingis has returned to the tour after retiring for three years due to chronic foot problems. The 25-year-old Swiss product won three consecutive Australian Open titles from 1997-99. But back then, she was the best player in the world. However, that changed due to the hard hitting of the Williams sisters, Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, etc.
Now, Hingis will try to recapture some of her old form, battling a very competitive field. In her first tournament back at Gold Coast a couple of weeks ago, she reached the semifinals before losing to Flavia Pennetta in three sets. At Medibank International in her first real test, Hingis lost in straight sets to Justine Henin-Hardenne. At Melbourne Park, she'll have another early battle against 30th seeded Vera Zvonareva. It should be interesting to see how she fares.
While Hingis is on the comeback trail, so too is Jelena Dokic. The talented 22-year-old Serbian who now calls Australia home once was ranked as high as fourth in '02. However, she slumped badly the next two years falling out of the top 100. By last year, her name had become a distant memory as she stopped playing tour events altogether and dropped to 349 in the world. A difference in opinion with her father, then coach Damir resulted in a split prior to the last two years, which complicated things.
Under new representation last December, she won an Open wildcard to qualify. In her first match at Auckland this year, she lost in three sets to Julia Schruff. Dokic will hope for better luck against first round opponent Virginie Razzano.
If either Hingis or Dokic reach the second week, that would be a great story.
Bracket One: This features top seed Davenport, Henin-Hardenne (8), Venus Williams (10) and Svetlana Kuznetsova (14). Any section which includes four slam winners is top heavy, which could be bad news for the rest of the competition.
Potential Sleepers: Other seeded women include Elena Likhovtseva, Tatiana Golovin, Maria Kirilenko, Ai Sugiyama. Golovin and Kirlineko are the best of the bunch who could make some noise. Both are rising stars who will be heard from. Likhovtseva and Sugiyama are experienced players who compete well. If you're looking for someone who might be able to surprise in this bracket, it could be Dokic. If she gets by Razzano, she has the ability play spoiler and reach Week Two. It will depend on how sharp she is.
Analysis: In the top portion, Davenport should cruise to a third round match against Kirilenko, which might not be easy but she should prevail. If form holds, Kuznetsova would meet Golovin in an intriguing third round. The winner would take on Davenport for a chance at the quarterfinals. On the bottom half, Henin-Hardenne should have an easy first two matches but then it could get interesting if Dokic is waiting for her. Venus is not 100 percent but that's nothing new. The question is will she be fit enough not to get upset? A potential third round opponent could be Likhovtseva. If Venus is on her game, that shouldn't pose a problem, which would setup a Round of 16 showdown with Henin-Hardenne.
The Pick: This is a tough bracket to call. But Davenport and Henin-Hardenne are at full strength. Look for them to meet up in the quarters. Henin-Hardenne is fresh off a win at Medibank International. Davenport has the hardest groundstrokes on tour and relies on her big serve. In contrast, Henin-Hardenne is quicker and likes to setup her backhand. At the U.S. Open, her serve failed her. However, she's playing better now. I like Henin-Hardenne over Davenport in three sets to reach the semifinals.
Bracket Two: Maria Sharapova (4), Nadia Petrova (6), Elena Dementieva (9), defending champ Serena Williams (13) and Daniela Hantuchova (17) comprise this bracket. Three talented Russians, an American champion and a Slovak. The Wimbledon '04 champ Sharapova won't be up to full speed due to a sore shoulder, which is something to watch. Serena once again will not be at her best but she's still a threat.
Potential Sleepers: Jelena Jankovic (23) is a talented 20-year-old from Serbia and Montenegro who has won one title in her three-year career. Jankovic reached the third round at the last two slams. Is this the major she makes a dent in? Klara Koukalova (29) is a 23-year-old Czech whose ranking has climbed as high as 30. Since reaching the third round in her slam debut at Australia, she hasn't gotten out of the second round. She'll have to deal with tricky first round opponent Ekaterina Bychkova, who upset Kuznetsova at the U.S. Open. German Julia Schruff could give Dementieva some trouble. She reached the third round at the Open. Also keep an eye on Shuai Peng, who could meet Sharapova in the second round. She has a big game.
Analysis: Barring a major surprise, Sharapova should make the Round of 16 where she could setup a rematch with Serena of their three set epic. But don't be surprised if Serena gets knocked out before then. Hantuchova has a nice game but has fallen short in big matches recently. She could pose a threat to Serena. On the bottom half, Petrova and Dementieva could be on a collision course in the fourth round. Only Jankovic might prevent it.
The Pick: Sharapova should be determined to make an impact after a somewhat disappointing '05 at the slams. She has much to prove. If she meets Serena in Round Four, look for her to avenge last year's heartbreaking defeat and play the winner of Petrova-Dementieva. Both are very gifted players. The match could hinge on whether Dementieva can get her first serve in. If she does, she'll get through to face Sharapova. Both love to slug the ball from the baseline which can lead to a lot of winners and unforced errors. What separates Sharapova from Dementieva is her big serve. For that reason, Sharapova should advance to play Henin-Hardenne in the semis.
Bracket Three: This section features third seeded Amelie Mauresmo along with Patty Schnyder (7), Anastasia Myskina (12), Nicole Vaidisova (16), Dinara Safina (19) and Flavia Pennetta (20). This might be the most overlooked bracket because no one has ever won a major. However, starting with Mauresmo, none of these players along with a couple of others should be underestimated.
Potential Sleepers: Schnyder's first round opponent Greece's Eleni Daniilidou is capable of pulling the upset if Schnyder is not up to speed. Daniilidou took out Henin-Hardenne at Wimbledon last year. Schnyder's potential second round opponent Shinobu Asagoe is no pushover either. Sania Mirza (32) or Michaella Krajicek could make some noise. Both are rising players who are playing well.
Analysis: Mauresmo finished '05 in style by winning the WTA Championship, proving that she could win when it counted. If she can bring that same level to Australia, she can go all the way. It won't be easy though. She'll meet either Mirza or Krajicek in the third round and could play Vaidisova or Pennetta just for a chance at the final eight. If Schnyder gets through her first two matches, she should have an easy time making the fourth round where Safina could be waiting. Safina is off to a good start this year. So, that could be a good match.
The Pick: Mauresmo is clearly the best player in this bracket. While she should have some tough challenges and will probably have to get by rising Czech star Vaidisova in the Round of 16, she should have enough game to make the Elite Eight. Schnyder usually has good success in majors and will probably test Mauresmo. But this is Mauresmo's best chance to finally breakthrough at a slam. She should make the Final Four.
Bracket Four: Included in this section are '04 U.S. Open champ Kim Clijsters (2) and runner-up Mary Pierce(5). Both are clearly the best players in a bracket which also features semifinalist Nathalie Dechy (11), Francesca Schiavone (15) and Ana Ivanovic (21).
Potential Sleepers: Other seeded women include Anna-Lena Groenefeld (22), Marion Bartoli (27) and Vera Zvonareva (30). All are solid players with Zvonareva having the most potential. The 21-year-old Russian has made one quarterfinal in Roland Garros ('03) and five fourth rounds. But she took a small step back last year with her best slam result a third round showing at The French Open. Zvonareva has a potentially difficult first match against the comebacking Martina Hingis, which will be no picnic. Hingis should be dangerous. Lucie Safarova is ranked just outside the top 30. The 18-year-old from the Czech Republic is just in her second season but already has three titles. Keep an eye on her.
Analysis: Pierce is coming off a great '05 which saw her reach two finals before falling to Henin-Hardenne and Clijsters at the French and U.S. Open. She is clearly very motivated and should cruise through the early rounds of the top half. The winner of Zvonareva-Hingis will probably play Pierce in the third round. But neither should be able to handle her pace. Ivanovic is another Serbia and Montenegro product who's in her second year. However, she's not ready for primetime yet. Look for Pierce to reach the quarters with ease. Clijsters is the hottest player on the tour and finally got the monkey off her back winning at the Open last September. But she will be playing with a sore hip. If she's still able to play through it, nobody in her half should seriously threaten until a possible fourth round encounter with Schiavone.
The Pick: Considering Clijsters' plight, it's hard not to like Pierce. If she's in top form, she should overpower opponents from the baseline. If Clijsters can get through the first four rounds, it would be a rematch of last year's Open. She certainly has enough heart to get there but after that all bets are off. I like Pierce to triumph over Clijsters and setup a Frenchwomen semi showdown with Mauresmo.
Breaking Down The Final Four: Sharapova would play Henin-Hardenne in one semifinal. It's a contrast in styles between the boom-or-bust Sharapova and the savvy Henin-Hardenne. But Henin-Hardenne is in better shape and off to a good start this year while Sharapova hasn't played much competitive tennis since last year. Henin-Hardenne should prevail to reach her second Aussie final in three years.
Whenever Pierce and Mauresmo meet, it's usually onesided. At last year's Open, Pierce destroyed Mauresmo. However, Mauresmo turned the tables against Pierce to pull out a three set epic WTA Championship final. That should give her an edge. This promises to be another ultracompetitive match but I'll take Mauresmo to advance to her second Australian Open final since '99.
Who Will Be Holding The Trophy: Amelie Mauresmo, France. Like Clijsters at the last slam, Mauresmo now has the distinction of being the best player on the WTA Tour to never win a major. It has to change some time. She'll have to overcome a very difficult opponent in Henin-Hardenne. So it won't be easy. Also similarly to Clijsters, Mauresmo has a reputation for falling short in such matches. I believe her win last December was a huge confidence boost and can help her win in Australia. It won't be routine though. I'll take Mauresmo to triumph in three fiercely competitive sets.
Messier's Legacy Will Live Forever
On a night in which they honored The Captain, raising his Number 11 to the rafters, the Rangers also were victorious on the scoreboard- posting a 5-4 OT win courtesy of a Jaromir Jagr goal over Edmonton- Mark Messier's first NHL club who he helped lead to five Stanley Cups.
Ultimately though, a soldout Madison Square Garden crowd only came for one reason. To finally pay tribute to the greatest Ranger to ever lace'em up. In an emotional ceremony which lasted over an hour in front of an energized audience which sounded eerily similar to how the building rocked when Messier helped deliver the Stanley Cup on June 14, 1994 to break a 54-year drought, the Rangers gave their beloved hero a night he nor anyone who witnessed it will ever forget.
It started with a video tribute to Messier which appeared on Gardenvision to thunderous applause. When it ended, the master of ceremonies John Davidson introduced him to another loud reception. As a teary-eyed 44-year-old hockey legend walked past current Rangers who clapped, the noise was deafening. It didn't matter that this once great leader was bawling his eyes out like a kid. That in a nutshell is what made him so endearing to New York. Like most of us, he had very special human qualities and wore his emotions on his sleeves. Hard to believe this was the same man who was revered by teammates and feared by opponents for intimidation tactics.
They trotted out almost the entire Cup championship roster. Unfortunately, Conn Smythe winner Brian Leetch couldn't attend due to a Bruins game against the Kings but taped a special message. Neither was leading regular season pointscorer Sergei Zubov for similar circumstances playing for Dallas. Also absent were Alexander Karpovtsev and Greg Gilbert. But included was the last Ranger to have his sweater retired in Mike Richter, who saw his Number 35 go up two years ago against Minnesota. The ever popular Adam Graves also was on hand along with former teammates Kevin Lowe, Craig MacTavish, Glenn Anderson, Esa Tikkanen, Steve Larmer, Jeff Beukeboom, Jay Wells, Doug Lidster, Alexei Kovalev, Sergei Nemchinov, Stephane Matteau, Brian Noonan, Joey Kocur, Nick Kypreos, Mike Hudson, Ed Olczyk and Glenn Healy.
Next up were former GM Neil Smith and Coach Mike Keenan, who both were received well along with Assistant Coach Colin Campbell.
With the crowd in a frenzy chanting, "Mess-ier, Mess--ier, Mess---ier" in tribute of their captain, the three Blueshirts to have their numbers retired including Rod Gilbert (#7), Eddie Giacomin (#1) and Richter (#35) all came out with the '94 goalie drawing big cheers to chants of "Rich-ter, Rich--ter, Rich---ter."
Messier was presented with expensive gifts which ranged from fishing equipment and a chair for expeditions to a priceless portrait of the '94 team, a sculpture of an eagle to the Mark Messier Skyway Foundation at Hackensack Memorial, a $211,000 check to Messier's favorite charity The Tomorrow's Children Fund along with an all paid expense family trip to Ireland.
The first guest speaker was the man who rode shotgun for Messier in the classy Graves. Always a fan favorite, he was serenaded with "Grav-y, Grav--y, Grav---y" chants before he spoke. "I couldn't do anything but smile when I look at Mess," he said to roars of approval. Graves then went onto describe what his prototypical hockey player would have. Not surprisingly, the characteristics summed up Messier's remarkable career.
Next up was a taped message from Leetch, who flashed back to when he was a rookie playing against Messier. He spoke about how in that game, Messier speared him and there was no penalty, which made him thankful a few years later when Messier was on his side to dish out that sort of punishment to opponents.
Finally, Richter spoke and quipped, "They got you a barbershop chair" to laughter. The likeable netminder spoke highly of Messier's extreme joy in other teammates' accomplishments, even remarking, "I think [Messier] was more excited than Leetch about him winning The Conn Smythe."
He also told a story about how Messier bought then rookie Darren Langdon in '95 a brand new suit, which showed what kind of teammate he was.
That's when his moment came. Introduced again by Davidson to another familiar chorus of "Mess-ier, Mess--ier, Mess---ier," it was finally time for the man of the hour to speak. An emotional wreck once again, he broke down while thanking the crowd repeatedly. As he gathered himself, the man who referred to The Garden crowd as "The Garden Faithful," a day before in a letter to the fans at another teary-eyed press conference, he once again made mention of it.
"Tonight's celebration was called 'A Celebration of the Captain," Messier said. "But I'm not sure it shouldn't be called a 'Celebration of the Garden Faithful.'"
As an energized crowd which stood for the entirety and cheered, he thanked family, friends, teammates and coaches including a special mention of Ranger President and GM Glen Sather. He credited Sather for being almost like a second father figure to his Dad Doug because "nobody believed in me more," which drew thunderous applause.
Not only did he recognize those people but also the ones who made this night possible. A true humanitarian, Messier thanked all the 'little people' who made MSG a special place to call home.
After he concluded his speech with three simple "thank yous" he lifted his arms to salute the crowd which will always hold him near and dear to their collective hearts.
Then Davidson introduced final surprise guest Dana Reeve, whose late husband Christopher, was one of the Rangers' biggest supporters. She then sang a Carole King classic "Now and Forever" in tribute to Messier, which was well received.
After all that, they finally brought Messier together with his family by the Rangers' goal to raise number 11 to the rafters. But before that, amazingly enough, the Stanley Cup which he won six times was waiting on the table for him to lift up one final time in front of adoring fans.
In essence, that's what all this was about. The man who helped lift The Curse and kick it out of the building for good. Nobody will ever forget how with his team facing elimination against the Devils how Messier guaranteed victory and backed it up with a natural hat trick in which his team trailed 2-0. It became known simply as "The Guarantee." To anyone who was fortunate enough to witness it, it's one of the greatest moments in sports history up there with other New York legends Joe Namath and Willis Reed.
Fittingly, he also tallied the winning goal in the deciding Game Seven against Vancouver, which helped cement his legend.
Sure. Having the Cup there was over the top. However, when one considers what Messier was able to accomplish here which so many other great players couldn't, it's understandable why 1994 is celebrated in this fashion.
As Davidson fittingly said, echoing broadcast partner Sam Rosen's Cup-clinching Game Seven call, "This one will last a Lifetime!"
Ultimately though, a soldout Madison Square Garden crowd only came for one reason. To finally pay tribute to the greatest Ranger to ever lace'em up. In an emotional ceremony which lasted over an hour in front of an energized audience which sounded eerily similar to how the building rocked when Messier helped deliver the Stanley Cup on June 14, 1994 to break a 54-year drought, the Rangers gave their beloved hero a night he nor anyone who witnessed it will ever forget.
It started with a video tribute to Messier which appeared on Gardenvision to thunderous applause. When it ended, the master of ceremonies John Davidson introduced him to another loud reception. As a teary-eyed 44-year-old hockey legend walked past current Rangers who clapped, the noise was deafening. It didn't matter that this once great leader was bawling his eyes out like a kid. That in a nutshell is what made him so endearing to New York. Like most of us, he had very special human qualities and wore his emotions on his sleeves. Hard to believe this was the same man who was revered by teammates and feared by opponents for intimidation tactics.
They trotted out almost the entire Cup championship roster. Unfortunately, Conn Smythe winner Brian Leetch couldn't attend due to a Bruins game against the Kings but taped a special message. Neither was leading regular season pointscorer Sergei Zubov for similar circumstances playing for Dallas. Also absent were Alexander Karpovtsev and Greg Gilbert. But included was the last Ranger to have his sweater retired in Mike Richter, who saw his Number 35 go up two years ago against Minnesota. The ever popular Adam Graves also was on hand along with former teammates Kevin Lowe, Craig MacTavish, Glenn Anderson, Esa Tikkanen, Steve Larmer, Jeff Beukeboom, Jay Wells, Doug Lidster, Alexei Kovalev, Sergei Nemchinov, Stephane Matteau, Brian Noonan, Joey Kocur, Nick Kypreos, Mike Hudson, Ed Olczyk and Glenn Healy.
Next up were former GM Neil Smith and Coach Mike Keenan, who both were received well along with Assistant Coach Colin Campbell.
With the crowd in a frenzy chanting, "Mess-ier, Mess--ier, Mess---ier" in tribute of their captain, the three Blueshirts to have their numbers retired including Rod Gilbert (#7), Eddie Giacomin (#1) and Richter (#35) all came out with the '94 goalie drawing big cheers to chants of "Rich-ter, Rich--ter, Rich---ter."
Messier was presented with expensive gifts which ranged from fishing equipment and a chair for expeditions to a priceless portrait of the '94 team, a sculpture of an eagle to the Mark Messier Skyway Foundation at Hackensack Memorial, a $211,000 check to Messier's favorite charity The Tomorrow's Children Fund along with an all paid expense family trip to Ireland.
The first guest speaker was the man who rode shotgun for Messier in the classy Graves. Always a fan favorite, he was serenaded with "Grav-y, Grav--y, Grav---y" chants before he spoke. "I couldn't do anything but smile when I look at Mess," he said to roars of approval. Graves then went onto describe what his prototypical hockey player would have. Not surprisingly, the characteristics summed up Messier's remarkable career.
Next up was a taped message from Leetch, who flashed back to when he was a rookie playing against Messier. He spoke about how in that game, Messier speared him and there was no penalty, which made him thankful a few years later when Messier was on his side to dish out that sort of punishment to opponents.
Finally, Richter spoke and quipped, "They got you a barbershop chair" to laughter. The likeable netminder spoke highly of Messier's extreme joy in other teammates' accomplishments, even remarking, "I think [Messier] was more excited than Leetch about him winning The Conn Smythe."
He also told a story about how Messier bought then rookie Darren Langdon in '95 a brand new suit, which showed what kind of teammate he was.
That's when his moment came. Introduced again by Davidson to another familiar chorus of "Mess-ier, Mess--ier, Mess---ier," it was finally time for the man of the hour to speak. An emotional wreck once again, he broke down while thanking the crowd repeatedly. As he gathered himself, the man who referred to The Garden crowd as "The Garden Faithful," a day before in a letter to the fans at another teary-eyed press conference, he once again made mention of it.
"Tonight's celebration was called 'A Celebration of the Captain," Messier said. "But I'm not sure it shouldn't be called a 'Celebration of the Garden Faithful.'"
As an energized crowd which stood for the entirety and cheered, he thanked family, friends, teammates and coaches including a special mention of Ranger President and GM Glen Sather. He credited Sather for being almost like a second father figure to his Dad Doug because "nobody believed in me more," which drew thunderous applause.
Not only did he recognize those people but also the ones who made this night possible. A true humanitarian, Messier thanked all the 'little people' who made MSG a special place to call home.
After he concluded his speech with three simple "thank yous" he lifted his arms to salute the crowd which will always hold him near and dear to their collective hearts.
Then Davidson introduced final surprise guest Dana Reeve, whose late husband Christopher, was one of the Rangers' biggest supporters. She then sang a Carole King classic "Now and Forever" in tribute to Messier, which was well received.
After all that, they finally brought Messier together with his family by the Rangers' goal to raise number 11 to the rafters. But before that, amazingly enough, the Stanley Cup which he won six times was waiting on the table for him to lift up one final time in front of adoring fans.
In essence, that's what all this was about. The man who helped lift The Curse and kick it out of the building for good. Nobody will ever forget how with his team facing elimination against the Devils how Messier guaranteed victory and backed it up with a natural hat trick in which his team trailed 2-0. It became known simply as "The Guarantee." To anyone who was fortunate enough to witness it, it's one of the greatest moments in sports history up there with other New York legends Joe Namath and Willis Reed.
Fittingly, he also tallied the winning goal in the deciding Game Seven against Vancouver, which helped cement his legend.
Sure. Having the Cup there was over the top. However, when one considers what Messier was able to accomplish here which so many other great players couldn't, it's understandable why 1994 is celebrated in this fashion.
As Davidson fittingly said, echoing broadcast partner Sam Rosen's Cup-clinching Game Seven call, "This one will last a Lifetime!"
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Sykora Makes Successful Debut
In his Ranger debut, ex-Devil Petr Sykora didn't disappoint the Garden faithful. Wearing his old number 17 which he wore in New Jersey, his goal and assist sparked the Rangers to a 4-2 comeback victory over Calgary (25-13-5) Tuesday night. It was the Rangers' second consecutive win- the first time in a month they have strung together back-to-back victories.
It didn't start well however. In a tightly contested first period, Calgary jumped ahead with two goals 38 seconds apart. First, Calder hopeful Dion Phaneuf one-timed a Roman Hamrlik pass past a surprised Henrik Lundqvist for a power play goal at 14:25. On the very next shift, Rhett Warrener's right point blast eluded Lundqvist with traffic in front to put the Flames up 2-0.
With his new team trailing by two in the second period, Sykora, the seventh Czech to join the Rangers took matters into his own hands. After Lundqvist denied Jarome Iginla's shorthanded opportunity, Sykora setup countryman Martin Straka in front for a backhand, which beat Miikka Kiprusoff as a power play expired to cut it to 2-1 at 5:03. It was Straka's third goal in the last three games.
Sykora tied it up 7:06 later on a fortuitous bounce. Off a pass from Petr Prucha, he circled behind the net and centered a pass which deflected off both Phaneuf and Kiprusoff for his first goal as a Ranger. As his name was announced for the tying goal, the MSG crowd gave him a loud ovation. Sykora's idol Straka picked up the other assist. Both grew up in the same town of Pizen back in the Czech Republic.
"I'm going to be telling my kids that Straka got a helper on my first goal," Sykora told reporters.
Feeding off the momentum, the Blueshirts nearly went ahead on the next shift but Kiprusoff closed up the five-hole on Michal Rozsival to keep it knotted heading to the third.
With both teams pressing for the next goal, another flukey play helped give the Rangers the lead. On a rush up the left wing, one-time '04 Flame Ville Nieminen moved in on Kiprusoff and fanned on a shot. But it turned out okay because Nieminen recovered the puck and found a wide open Jason Ward for an easy tip-in, which gave the Rangers a 3-2 lead with 14:23 remaining. It was Ward's first goal in 17 contests.
The Flames had a power play a few minutes later with a chance to knot the game. But New York forced them to the outside, allowing Lundqvist to glove a harmless Iginla slapshot and kill it off.
Off a turnover, Straka had a chance to ice the game but his wrist shot was gloved by Kiprusoff with under five minutes left.
Calgary's Kristian Huselius took a high sticking penalty with 2:13 to go which should've ended any last threat. But Michael Nylander was whistled for a sketchy hooking call with 1:08 left, which led to four-on-four. Given a golden opportunity, the Flames pulled Kiprusoff for an extra skater and nearly tied it. But former Ranger Tony Amonte's tip-in attempt deflected wide. Seconds later, Dominic Moore scored into an empty net from center ice to break a 24-game scoring drought to seal it.
Sharper the rest of the way, Lundqvist had 19 saves while Kiprusoff turned aside 25 of 28.
Notes: Straka has a three-game point streak (3-3-6) and 16 points (7-9-16) with a plus-10 rating in his last eight games. ... With an assist on Straka's first goal, Fedor Tyutin has a goal and five helpers in the last six. ... Jaromir Jagr was held without a point for the 10th time this season. It was only the Rangers' second win under such circumstances. ... Rangers (24-12-7) will honor The Captain Mark Messier Thursday night when they retire Number 11 to the rafters in a special ceremony before facing off against the Oilers (24-15-4). He will join Eddie Giacomin, Rod Gilbert and Mike Richter as the only Rangers to see their sweaters retired. Messier led Edmonton to five Stanley Cups but is best known for helping the Rangers break a 54-year Cup drought in 1994. Doors open at 5:30 PM and the ceremony is scheduled for 7 sharp.
It didn't start well however. In a tightly contested first period, Calgary jumped ahead with two goals 38 seconds apart. First, Calder hopeful Dion Phaneuf one-timed a Roman Hamrlik pass past a surprised Henrik Lundqvist for a power play goal at 14:25. On the very next shift, Rhett Warrener's right point blast eluded Lundqvist with traffic in front to put the Flames up 2-0.
With his new team trailing by two in the second period, Sykora, the seventh Czech to join the Rangers took matters into his own hands. After Lundqvist denied Jarome Iginla's shorthanded opportunity, Sykora setup countryman Martin Straka in front for a backhand, which beat Miikka Kiprusoff as a power play expired to cut it to 2-1 at 5:03. It was Straka's third goal in the last three games.
Sykora tied it up 7:06 later on a fortuitous bounce. Off a pass from Petr Prucha, he circled behind the net and centered a pass which deflected off both Phaneuf and Kiprusoff for his first goal as a Ranger. As his name was announced for the tying goal, the MSG crowd gave him a loud ovation. Sykora's idol Straka picked up the other assist. Both grew up in the same town of Pizen back in the Czech Republic.
"I'm going to be telling my kids that Straka got a helper on my first goal," Sykora told reporters.
Feeding off the momentum, the Blueshirts nearly went ahead on the next shift but Kiprusoff closed up the five-hole on Michal Rozsival to keep it knotted heading to the third.
With both teams pressing for the next goal, another flukey play helped give the Rangers the lead. On a rush up the left wing, one-time '04 Flame Ville Nieminen moved in on Kiprusoff and fanned on a shot. But it turned out okay because Nieminen recovered the puck and found a wide open Jason Ward for an easy tip-in, which gave the Rangers a 3-2 lead with 14:23 remaining. It was Ward's first goal in 17 contests.
The Flames had a power play a few minutes later with a chance to knot the game. But New York forced them to the outside, allowing Lundqvist to glove a harmless Iginla slapshot and kill it off.
Off a turnover, Straka had a chance to ice the game but his wrist shot was gloved by Kiprusoff with under five minutes left.
Calgary's Kristian Huselius took a high sticking penalty with 2:13 to go which should've ended any last threat. But Michael Nylander was whistled for a sketchy hooking call with 1:08 left, which led to four-on-four. Given a golden opportunity, the Flames pulled Kiprusoff for an extra skater and nearly tied it. But former Ranger Tony Amonte's tip-in attempt deflected wide. Seconds later, Dominic Moore scored into an empty net from center ice to break a 24-game scoring drought to seal it.
Sharper the rest of the way, Lundqvist had 19 saves while Kiprusoff turned aside 25 of 28.
Notes: Straka has a three-game point streak (3-3-6) and 16 points (7-9-16) with a plus-10 rating in his last eight games. ... With an assist on Straka's first goal, Fedor Tyutin has a goal and five helpers in the last six. ... Jaromir Jagr was held without a point for the 10th time this season. It was only the Rangers' second win under such circumstances. ... Rangers (24-12-7) will honor The Captain Mark Messier Thursday night when they retire Number 11 to the rafters in a special ceremony before facing off against the Oilers (24-15-4). He will join Eddie Giacomin, Rod Gilbert and Mike Richter as the only Rangers to see their sweaters retired. Messier led Edmonton to five Stanley Cups but is best known for helping the Rangers break a 54-year Cup drought in 1994. Doors open at 5:30 PM and the ceremony is scheduled for 7 sharp.
Friday, January 06, 2006
Elias' Excellence Lifting Devils
They waited 39 games and three months for their best forward Patrik Elias to return from a serious illness Hepatitis A which he contracted playing in Russia during last year's lockout. After two games in which a less than 100 percent Elias helped lead his struggling team to back-to-back victories in the New Year, it has to be considered a huge lift for the Devils.
The team's leading scorer the past five seasons, the 29-year-old Elias wasn't able to start skating until late October and didn't return to practice with his teammates until two weeks ago. His target date for coming back was the following week against Vancouver. However, with his team uncharacteristically out of the postseason at this juncture, Elias pushed up the date to Tuesday night at home against Florida. Just what the doctor ordered.
On a team without a captain since Scott Stevens retired, Elias returned to the ice wearing an 'A' in front of diehard supporters who braved icy weather conditions to cheer their hero. He didn't disappoint. In over 15 minutes of ice-time, the most skilled forward the Devils possess showed a lot of determination and grit in his first game back.
Reunited with Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta to form the EGG Line which had much success the last time they played together two years ago, Elias led not just with the usual skills many fans have come accustomed to seeing. He also took the body at will, throwing several clean hits into Panthers. One allowed Gomez to retrieve a puck in the corner and make a perfect backhand feed to a cutting Gionta for a goal. Already, Elias had made a difference on a team that has been searching for an identity for far too long this season.
Though his hands weren't there when it came to finishing plays including a breakaway late, Elias continued to do the little things well to setup a second Gionta goal. With another good check, he forced a turnover and then made a no-look pass to a wide open Gionta for an easy tap-in to help boost his club to a much needed 3-0 triumph Tuesday night. No coincidence that the 16 save shutout was Martin Brodeur's first of the season.
What would Elias have for an encore last night for his legions of growing fans? Only a two-goal, two assist performance worthy of what a two-time All-Star and former First All-Star Team selection could do in a 5-4 win over Montreal. Elias, Gomez and Gionta combined for 11 points (3-8-11) in conquering the Habs.
For those keeping score at home, in two games (both wins) the EGG line has been responsible for six of the Devils' last eight goals. Not too shabby for a line that just got its most integral part back. Just imagine what they can do when Elias is back up to full speed. Opponents beware.
The best part for Elias and his teammates is that by helping them win two straight to get back to .500, the Devils are only one point behind eighth place Montreal and Atlanta and just five in back of seventh place Tampa Bay.
What Elias' return has also done is provide a huge lift for his hockey club. No longer do they have to wonder when their star left wing would return. Finally, Elias has provided the Devils with some much needed momentum heading into the second half of their schedule.
By showing that he still can create magic on the ice with the puck as Brian Rafalski will attest after the winning goal setup by Elias, it should give his teammates plenty of confidence.
He might not have a 'C' on his chest but his actions so far say otherwise. Just what a leader is supposed to do. Super indeed.
The team's leading scorer the past five seasons, the 29-year-old Elias wasn't able to start skating until late October and didn't return to practice with his teammates until two weeks ago. His target date for coming back was the following week against Vancouver. However, with his team uncharacteristically out of the postseason at this juncture, Elias pushed up the date to Tuesday night at home against Florida. Just what the doctor ordered.
On a team without a captain since Scott Stevens retired, Elias returned to the ice wearing an 'A' in front of diehard supporters who braved icy weather conditions to cheer their hero. He didn't disappoint. In over 15 minutes of ice-time, the most skilled forward the Devils possess showed a lot of determination and grit in his first game back.
Reunited with Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta to form the EGG Line which had much success the last time they played together two years ago, Elias led not just with the usual skills many fans have come accustomed to seeing. He also took the body at will, throwing several clean hits into Panthers. One allowed Gomez to retrieve a puck in the corner and make a perfect backhand feed to a cutting Gionta for a goal. Already, Elias had made a difference on a team that has been searching for an identity for far too long this season.
Though his hands weren't there when it came to finishing plays including a breakaway late, Elias continued to do the little things well to setup a second Gionta goal. With another good check, he forced a turnover and then made a no-look pass to a wide open Gionta for an easy tap-in to help boost his club to a much needed 3-0 triumph Tuesday night. No coincidence that the 16 save shutout was Martin Brodeur's first of the season.
What would Elias have for an encore last night for his legions of growing fans? Only a two-goal, two assist performance worthy of what a two-time All-Star and former First All-Star Team selection could do in a 5-4 win over Montreal. Elias, Gomez and Gionta combined for 11 points (3-8-11) in conquering the Habs.
For those keeping score at home, in two games (both wins) the EGG line has been responsible for six of the Devils' last eight goals. Not too shabby for a line that just got its most integral part back. Just imagine what they can do when Elias is back up to full speed. Opponents beware.
The best part for Elias and his teammates is that by helping them win two straight to get back to .500, the Devils are only one point behind eighth place Montreal and Atlanta and just five in back of seventh place Tampa Bay.
What Elias' return has also done is provide a huge lift for his hockey club. No longer do they have to wonder when their star left wing would return. Finally, Elias has provided the Devils with some much needed momentum heading into the second half of their schedule.
By showing that he still can create magic on the ice with the puck as Brian Rafalski will attest after the winning goal setup by Elias, it should give his teammates plenty of confidence.
He might not have a 'C' on his chest but his actions so far say otherwise. Just what a leader is supposed to do. Super indeed.
Renney's Mistake Costing Rangers
Halfway through the '05-06 season, the Rangers have been one of the biggest surprises in the NHL. At one time, a team picked by many experts to finish near the bottom of the league was actually first overall in the Eastern Conference. After a gutwrenching 4-3 overtime loss to the hated rival Flyers on home ice Thursday night, they are down to fifth with 51 points and no longer a lock to break a seven-year playoff drought.
For much of the season, Jaromir Jagr has carried the team on his back, making the league's leading scorer a Hart Trophy candidate. Jagr did his part last night with two assists including a brilliant primary one which setup Martin Straka's second goal of the game to get his club a point.
While the first line trio of Jagr, Straka and Michael Nylander have been brilliant, rookie Petr Prucha has evolved from a training camp surprise to a bonafide scoring threat. With a one-timer from the high slot in the first period, Prucha scored his 19th of the season, which amazingly enough ranks second on the Rangers. It was his 16th goal in the last 20 games. The superb pace of the 23-year-old Czech has provided the club with two scoring lines. Though Steve Rucchin isn't the offensive threat on the line, Prucha and Martin Rucinsky make them a threat.
Nobody can question the direction this team has taken. Under the leadership of Coach Tom Renney along with assistants Mike Pelino, Perry Pearn and goalie coach Benoit Allaire, a team which was once a laughingstock around the league has gained the respect of their peers. It's no longer the country club atmosphere which gave them no chance in the past.
Renney has also established two solid checking lines, which comprise most of the much improved penalty killing unit. Gritty players such as Blair Betts, Dominic Moore, Jed Ortmeyer, Ville Nieminen, Jason Ward and Ryan Hollweg have gotten the job done, providing the Blueshirts with energy on most nights.
So, much has been handled very well by the coaching staff, which is why Marcel Hossa is a healthy scratch these days and why a player of Nylander's calibre can be disciplined as well. But what is unforgiving is Renney's insistence on giving Kevin Weekes every opportunity to claim the number one goaltender position. Throughout the season, 23-year-old rookie Henrik Lundqvist has been brilliant, outplaying the 30-year-old veteran by a severe margin to assume the role.
Try telling that to Renney- who just the other night after a 1-0 OT loss in which the goalie nicknamed Henke back in Sweden was rock solid- basically hinted that Lundqvist would get the nod against the Atlantic-leading Flyers. This after Renney declared that for the remainder of the season, he would go with the hot goalie. Lundqvist in OT losses to Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay was sharp and gave his team a chance to win.
So, what changed Renney's mind two days later? Way back in the season opener three months prior, Weekes was strong in making 24 saves in a come-from-behind 5-3 win at Philadelphia. That was then. Too much so for Renney to justify going with Weekes now. Not over a week after he made the same move against Eastern power Ottawa and watched in horror as the Senators stormed Weekes for four goals on 15 shots, forcing Renney to pull him for Lundqvist.
Anyone who has followed the Rangers this season understands who the more effective netminder has been. Not only have they fared better with Lundqvist in net but they seem to play with more confidence. That's what a bonafide number one goalie can do for a team. It's not like Lundqvist has played poorly. He only ranked third in both goals against average (GAA) and save percentage entering last night.
So why did Renney once again wuss out and play Weekes? The goal at this point of the season should be to make the postseason. Renney has continually hinted at it as has his players. They are no longer pushovers. Especially at even-strength where as much as the big bad Flyers tried to push around the Rangers, they couldn't. The better five-on-five team wore Ranger colors.
Before Simon Gagne's sharp angle shot from in close somehow eluded Weekes seven seconds into OT during four-on-four, it was the Rangers who scored all three of their goals in regulation playing with a goalie and five. Unfortunately, their second-ranked PK unit picked a bad time to give up three which kept the Flyers afloat. Though let's be honest. Some of the calls they received to net those PP goals were questionable at best. Just wondering. But how come when Flyers got away with similar stuff, there was no call? What's that about consistency again? Nevermind.
Despite all this, the bottom line with Thursday's third straight OT loss was that in a game in which New York outshot Philadelphia 34-23 and outchanced them, Renney's choice let in two bad goals which allowed the Flyers to walk out with two more points than they should have.
As if to confirm how poor the decision was, Weekes allowed a routine Frederick Meyer IV slapper from the point to beat him on the Flyers' first shot 2:42 in. Inexcusable. I'll cut Weekes a break on the next two. One was due to Ortmeyer falling down and some bad positoning by Fedor Tyutin and Darius Kasparaitis, which let Kim Johnsson walk in untouched, beating Weekes high. The third was a Brian Savage rebound through traffic which might have deflected off Michal Rozsival. Right away, Ranger fans sent a message to Renney chanting, "We Want Henrik."
With only a couple of minutes left, off a blind pass by Ward which led to a Peter Forsberg breakaway, Weekes made a great glove save which got the Garden crowd on his side. It could have been a turning point for the good natured Toronto native. But after saving his team's bacon, he allowed a brutal goal to Gagne at the beginning of OT before fans could settle into their seats. The kind which for all intensive purposes Lundqvist hasn't given up.
Try telling the coach pronto. His team has won just two of its last nine (2-4-3). They are one point ahead of sixth place Toronto, six in front of seventh place Tampa Bay and nine ahead of both Montreal and Atlanta. Oh btw, the rejuvenated Devils have won two in a row since Patrik Elias returned and trail them by 10. It's tightening up quickly.
The longer Renney waits to name Lundqvist the starter will continue to hurt his team's chances of finally breaking that drought. The clock is ticking.
For much of the season, Jaromir Jagr has carried the team on his back, making the league's leading scorer a Hart Trophy candidate. Jagr did his part last night with two assists including a brilliant primary one which setup Martin Straka's second goal of the game to get his club a point.
While the first line trio of Jagr, Straka and Michael Nylander have been brilliant, rookie Petr Prucha has evolved from a training camp surprise to a bonafide scoring threat. With a one-timer from the high slot in the first period, Prucha scored his 19th of the season, which amazingly enough ranks second on the Rangers. It was his 16th goal in the last 20 games. The superb pace of the 23-year-old Czech has provided the club with two scoring lines. Though Steve Rucchin isn't the offensive threat on the line, Prucha and Martin Rucinsky make them a threat.
Nobody can question the direction this team has taken. Under the leadership of Coach Tom Renney along with assistants Mike Pelino, Perry Pearn and goalie coach Benoit Allaire, a team which was once a laughingstock around the league has gained the respect of their peers. It's no longer the country club atmosphere which gave them no chance in the past.
Renney has also established two solid checking lines, which comprise most of the much improved penalty killing unit. Gritty players such as Blair Betts, Dominic Moore, Jed Ortmeyer, Ville Nieminen, Jason Ward and Ryan Hollweg have gotten the job done, providing the Blueshirts with energy on most nights.
So, much has been handled very well by the coaching staff, which is why Marcel Hossa is a healthy scratch these days and why a player of Nylander's calibre can be disciplined as well. But what is unforgiving is Renney's insistence on giving Kevin Weekes every opportunity to claim the number one goaltender position. Throughout the season, 23-year-old rookie Henrik Lundqvist has been brilliant, outplaying the 30-year-old veteran by a severe margin to assume the role.
Try telling that to Renney- who just the other night after a 1-0 OT loss in which the goalie nicknamed Henke back in Sweden was rock solid- basically hinted that Lundqvist would get the nod against the Atlantic-leading Flyers. This after Renney declared that for the remainder of the season, he would go with the hot goalie. Lundqvist in OT losses to Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay was sharp and gave his team a chance to win.
So, what changed Renney's mind two days later? Way back in the season opener three months prior, Weekes was strong in making 24 saves in a come-from-behind 5-3 win at Philadelphia. That was then. Too much so for Renney to justify going with Weekes now. Not over a week after he made the same move against Eastern power Ottawa and watched in horror as the Senators stormed Weekes for four goals on 15 shots, forcing Renney to pull him for Lundqvist.
Anyone who has followed the Rangers this season understands who the more effective netminder has been. Not only have they fared better with Lundqvist in net but they seem to play with more confidence. That's what a bonafide number one goalie can do for a team. It's not like Lundqvist has played poorly. He only ranked third in both goals against average (GAA) and save percentage entering last night.
So why did Renney once again wuss out and play Weekes? The goal at this point of the season should be to make the postseason. Renney has continually hinted at it as has his players. They are no longer pushovers. Especially at even-strength where as much as the big bad Flyers tried to push around the Rangers, they couldn't. The better five-on-five team wore Ranger colors.
Before Simon Gagne's sharp angle shot from in close somehow eluded Weekes seven seconds into OT during four-on-four, it was the Rangers who scored all three of their goals in regulation playing with a goalie and five. Unfortunately, their second-ranked PK unit picked a bad time to give up three which kept the Flyers afloat. Though let's be honest. Some of the calls they received to net those PP goals were questionable at best. Just wondering. But how come when Flyers got away with similar stuff, there was no call? What's that about consistency again? Nevermind.
Despite all this, the bottom line with Thursday's third straight OT loss was that in a game in which New York outshot Philadelphia 34-23 and outchanced them, Renney's choice let in two bad goals which allowed the Flyers to walk out with two more points than they should have.
As if to confirm how poor the decision was, Weekes allowed a routine Frederick Meyer IV slapper from the point to beat him on the Flyers' first shot 2:42 in. Inexcusable. I'll cut Weekes a break on the next two. One was due to Ortmeyer falling down and some bad positoning by Fedor Tyutin and Darius Kasparaitis, which let Kim Johnsson walk in untouched, beating Weekes high. The third was a Brian Savage rebound through traffic which might have deflected off Michal Rozsival. Right away, Ranger fans sent a message to Renney chanting, "We Want Henrik."
With only a couple of minutes left, off a blind pass by Ward which led to a Peter Forsberg breakaway, Weekes made a great glove save which got the Garden crowd on his side. It could have been a turning point for the good natured Toronto native. But after saving his team's bacon, he allowed a brutal goal to Gagne at the beginning of OT before fans could settle into their seats. The kind which for all intensive purposes Lundqvist hasn't given up.
Try telling the coach pronto. His team has won just two of its last nine (2-4-3). They are one point ahead of sixth place Toronto, six in front of seventh place Tampa Bay and nine ahead of both Montreal and Atlanta. Oh btw, the rejuvenated Devils have won two in a row since Patrik Elias returned and trail them by 10. It's tightening up quickly.
The longer Renney waits to name Lundqvist the starter will continue to hurt his team's chances of finally breaking that drought. The clock is ticking.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
NFC East Champion Giants Ready For Playoffs
It was five years in the making. The Giants (11-5) clinched the NFC East with a 30-21 victory at Oakland on New Year's Eve to win their first NFC East title since 2000- breaking the four-year run of the Eagles.
Tiki Barber continued his MVP calibre season with his third 200-plus rushing yard performance of the season. He plowed over the Raiders for 203 yards on the ground and six catches for 60 receiving yards (263 total). It included a Giants' franchise record 95-yard touchdown run early in the game to give them a 7-0 lead. Barber's career best score eclipsed Hap Moran's 91-yard TD run set way back in 1930.
On second-and-14 from his own 5, Barber carried the ball to the left and then bounced it outside. The key to the run were two Plaxico Burress blocks, which gave Barber an easy sprint down the sideline for the score.
"It's a play we run all the time," Barber told reporters. "We have a lot of confidence. I'm just playing good right now, and I know it."
In a brilliant season, the 30-year-old Barber finished with a career high 1,860 rushing yards- finishing 20 yards behind NFL rushing leader Shaun Alexander. Alexander had 73 yards in Seattle's final game Sunday against Green Bay.
The Raiders cameback on the arm of former Giant quarterback Kerry Collins. Collins, who led Big Blue to Super Bowl XXXV in '01, wanted to exact some revenge for how his Giant career ended. Against his ex-team, he was 26-of-48 for 331 yards and three TDs including two strikes to Randy Moss. But it wasn't enough.
After a Collins 15-yard TD pass to Moss which tied the score at seven, the Giants scored 13 unanswered to take a 20-7 lead. A solid drive which stalled inside the Raider 10 produced a Jay Feely 25-yard field goal making it 10-7. They got the ball back a few minutes later and on the third play, Manning, who replaced Collins, tossed a 78-yard touchdown to Burress to increase the lead to 10. After a 38-yard Feely FG made it 20-7, Collins finally answered back with an 8-yard TD pass to Doug Gabriel, cutting the deficit to 20-14 at the half.
The two teams exchanged scores 56 seconds apart in the third quarter to keep the Giants ahead 27-21. Setup by a 58-yard punt return from Chad Morton, rookie Brandon Jacobs ran in from one yard out. Collins cameback with a perfect 44-yard bomb to Moss, who beat rookie Corey Webster for the second time. Webster made his first start in place of Curtis Deloatch.
Feely's third kick of the night gave Big Blue a 30-21 lead three seconds into the final quarter. But the Raiders made one more attempt at coming back driving all the way to the Giant 1-yard line with 3:44 left. That's when the Giants defense stiffened, stuffing Zach Crockett three times and stopping a Collins sneak on fourth down, which was confirmed by booth review to end the final Raider threat.
"Nothing is ever easy," said Giants coach Tom Coughlin, who was given a Gatorade bath by Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora. "Obviously we had some big plays tonight, and we needed them."
"You always go into the season hoping for the best," John Mara said. "I legitimately thought we could be a playoff team this year, but I can't say I expected to win the division."
Now the Giants have the task of hosting the 11-5 Carolina Panthers this Sunday at 1 PM. However, Barber doesn't seem to mind.
"It’s a huge benefit for us," he said. "There’s nothing like playoff games in Giants Stadium, as we found out a few years ago. Just like when we played the Seattle Seahawks, and I can’t remember who we played the week after, but we’re going to need our twelfth man as our advantage, and fortunately we were able to get a home game and have that."
It promises to be a tough battle against a familiar foe- former defensive coordinator, now Carolina coach John Fox.
"They make the schedule, and that's who we end up playing," Fox said of the prospect of facing his old club. "I really couldn't think of anybody better to play. It's a team I'm familiar with, it's a stadium I'm familiar with, and we were just there in the preseason. We'll show up."
Fox's Panthers blitzed the Falcons 44-11 to clinch a wildcard Sunday. They are led by Pro Bowl receiver Steve Smith, who paced all NFL receivers with 1,563 yards and 12 TDs. He also tied with Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald for the league lead with 103 receptions. He is a gamebreaker who could make life miserable for the Giant secondary Sunday, which presents a big challenge.
"Every team that plays [Smith] tries to do something about his ability and that’s one of the scary things (because) he sits there atop the board in terms of yardage of non-running backs in the league. So, he’s an outstanding player performing at a very high level," noted Coughlin.
On whether they'll double-team him, Coughlin said, "Whatever your decisions are in terms of the strategy that you are going to employ, you’ve got to be able to execute it."
The task promises to be a handful for Will Allen, Webster and company. Other than Smith, Big Blue's D must contain DeShaun Foster on the ground. In place of the injured Stephen Davis, Foster ran for 165 yards and a score against the Falcons last week. Compared to Davis' power style, Foster is a quicker runner who prefers to get to the outside. The Giants must be ready for that change of pace.
The dynamic duo of Strahan (11.5 sacks) and Umenyiora (league best 14.5 sacks) will look to pressure the battle-tested Jake Delhomme. Delhomme led the Panthers to the Super Bowl two years ago. If he's given time, he can pick you apart. That can't happen Sunday.
"The challenge, for us, is always, one, stop the run, and, two, pressure the quarterback," Coughlin said. "After that, we have to defend better and defend tighter, obviously, but we have to. And they’ll block it up. They’ll be in maximum protection, but we have to mount continuous pressure."
The Giants should get a boost from tight end Jeremy Shockey, who sat out the final game with a sprained ankle. The All-Pro will be ready to go this weekend.
"Jeremy Shockey is Jeremy Shockey. You need to have all your fire power available to you."
If Shockey can make an impact, it gives Eli Manning another weapon to throw to. All season, he and Burress have been a solid one-two combo. Their presence has allowed Amani Toomer to come up with some big plays as well.
One key will be Barber against the Carolina D. He's been the focal point of the offense. How Carolina's third ranked NFL defense handles Barber could go a long way to determining who advances. The Panthers are led by Julius Peppers and Mike Rucker up front. They combined for 18 sacks this season and helped the league's fourth best D against the run (91.6 yards-per-game) make life miserable.
Peppers and Rucker will also try to apply heavy pressure on Manning. The second-year QB was inconsistent down the stretch and must not make any crucial mistakes Sunday because Carolina's defense is extremely fast. They also possess dangerous corner Chris Gamble (7 interceptions) in the secondary.
This will be a big test for Manning. Can the player who GM Ernie Accorsi gave up a king's ransom for to San Diego in the 2004 Draft deliver in his first ever postseason game? Tune in Sunday.
Tiki Barber continued his MVP calibre season with his third 200-plus rushing yard performance of the season. He plowed over the Raiders for 203 yards on the ground and six catches for 60 receiving yards (263 total). It included a Giants' franchise record 95-yard touchdown run early in the game to give them a 7-0 lead. Barber's career best score eclipsed Hap Moran's 91-yard TD run set way back in 1930.
On second-and-14 from his own 5, Barber carried the ball to the left and then bounced it outside. The key to the run were two Plaxico Burress blocks, which gave Barber an easy sprint down the sideline for the score.
"It's a play we run all the time," Barber told reporters. "We have a lot of confidence. I'm just playing good right now, and I know it."
In a brilliant season, the 30-year-old Barber finished with a career high 1,860 rushing yards- finishing 20 yards behind NFL rushing leader Shaun Alexander. Alexander had 73 yards in Seattle's final game Sunday against Green Bay.
The Raiders cameback on the arm of former Giant quarterback Kerry Collins. Collins, who led Big Blue to Super Bowl XXXV in '01, wanted to exact some revenge for how his Giant career ended. Against his ex-team, he was 26-of-48 for 331 yards and three TDs including two strikes to Randy Moss. But it wasn't enough.
After a Collins 15-yard TD pass to Moss which tied the score at seven, the Giants scored 13 unanswered to take a 20-7 lead. A solid drive which stalled inside the Raider 10 produced a Jay Feely 25-yard field goal making it 10-7. They got the ball back a few minutes later and on the third play, Manning, who replaced Collins, tossed a 78-yard touchdown to Burress to increase the lead to 10. After a 38-yard Feely FG made it 20-7, Collins finally answered back with an 8-yard TD pass to Doug Gabriel, cutting the deficit to 20-14 at the half.
The two teams exchanged scores 56 seconds apart in the third quarter to keep the Giants ahead 27-21. Setup by a 58-yard punt return from Chad Morton, rookie Brandon Jacobs ran in from one yard out. Collins cameback with a perfect 44-yard bomb to Moss, who beat rookie Corey Webster for the second time. Webster made his first start in place of Curtis Deloatch.
Feely's third kick of the night gave Big Blue a 30-21 lead three seconds into the final quarter. But the Raiders made one more attempt at coming back driving all the way to the Giant 1-yard line with 3:44 left. That's when the Giants defense stiffened, stuffing Zach Crockett three times and stopping a Collins sneak on fourth down, which was confirmed by booth review to end the final Raider threat.
"Nothing is ever easy," said Giants coach Tom Coughlin, who was given a Gatorade bath by Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora. "Obviously we had some big plays tonight, and we needed them."
"You always go into the season hoping for the best," John Mara said. "I legitimately thought we could be a playoff team this year, but I can't say I expected to win the division."
Now the Giants have the task of hosting the 11-5 Carolina Panthers this Sunday at 1 PM. However, Barber doesn't seem to mind.
"It’s a huge benefit for us," he said. "There’s nothing like playoff games in Giants Stadium, as we found out a few years ago. Just like when we played the Seattle Seahawks, and I can’t remember who we played the week after, but we’re going to need our twelfth man as our advantage, and fortunately we were able to get a home game and have that."
It promises to be a tough battle against a familiar foe- former defensive coordinator, now Carolina coach John Fox.
"They make the schedule, and that's who we end up playing," Fox said of the prospect of facing his old club. "I really couldn't think of anybody better to play. It's a team I'm familiar with, it's a stadium I'm familiar with, and we were just there in the preseason. We'll show up."
Fox's Panthers blitzed the Falcons 44-11 to clinch a wildcard Sunday. They are led by Pro Bowl receiver Steve Smith, who paced all NFL receivers with 1,563 yards and 12 TDs. He also tied with Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald for the league lead with 103 receptions. He is a gamebreaker who could make life miserable for the Giant secondary Sunday, which presents a big challenge.
"Every team that plays [Smith] tries to do something about his ability and that’s one of the scary things (because) he sits there atop the board in terms of yardage of non-running backs in the league. So, he’s an outstanding player performing at a very high level," noted Coughlin.
On whether they'll double-team him, Coughlin said, "Whatever your decisions are in terms of the strategy that you are going to employ, you’ve got to be able to execute it."
The task promises to be a handful for Will Allen, Webster and company. Other than Smith, Big Blue's D must contain DeShaun Foster on the ground. In place of the injured Stephen Davis, Foster ran for 165 yards and a score against the Falcons last week. Compared to Davis' power style, Foster is a quicker runner who prefers to get to the outside. The Giants must be ready for that change of pace.
The dynamic duo of Strahan (11.5 sacks) and Umenyiora (league best 14.5 sacks) will look to pressure the battle-tested Jake Delhomme. Delhomme led the Panthers to the Super Bowl two years ago. If he's given time, he can pick you apart. That can't happen Sunday.
"The challenge, for us, is always, one, stop the run, and, two, pressure the quarterback," Coughlin said. "After that, we have to defend better and defend tighter, obviously, but we have to. And they’ll block it up. They’ll be in maximum protection, but we have to mount continuous pressure."
The Giants should get a boost from tight end Jeremy Shockey, who sat out the final game with a sprained ankle. The All-Pro will be ready to go this weekend.
"Jeremy Shockey is Jeremy Shockey. You need to have all your fire power available to you."
If Shockey can make an impact, it gives Eli Manning another weapon to throw to. All season, he and Burress have been a solid one-two combo. Their presence has allowed Amani Toomer to come up with some big plays as well.
One key will be Barber against the Carolina D. He's been the focal point of the offense. How Carolina's third ranked NFL defense handles Barber could go a long way to determining who advances. The Panthers are led by Julius Peppers and Mike Rucker up front. They combined for 18 sacks this season and helped the league's fourth best D against the run (91.6 yards-per-game) make life miserable.
Peppers and Rucker will also try to apply heavy pressure on Manning. The second-year QB was inconsistent down the stretch and must not make any crucial mistakes Sunday because Carolina's defense is extremely fast. They also possess dangerous corner Chris Gamble (7 interceptions) in the secondary.
This will be a big test for Manning. Can the player who GM Ernie Accorsi gave up a king's ransom for to San Diego in the 2004 Draft deliver in his first ever postseason game? Tune in Sunday.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Lightning Strikes Twice For Rangers
Call it some bad luck. For the second consecutive game, the Rangers fell in overtime- this time dropping a crucial extra point to seventh place Tampa Bay (21-17-3) in a 1-0 loss at The Garden Tuesday night. The two points gave the Lightning 45, moving them within five of the Rangers' 50.
On a night in which they were the better team five-on-five against a tired opponent skating in the second of a back-to-back, the Blueshirts couldn't beat Tampa goalie John Grahame. Despite controlling much of the play and outshooting the Lightning 36-20 for the match, none of that mattered when Vinny Prospal escaped the check of rookie Petr Prucha behind the net to stuff in his own wraparound past a surprised Henrik Lundqvist to win the game with 1:13 left before a shootout.
It was the Rangers' third home loss after regulation this season. The previous two came way back in October to Montreal and the Islanders.
Coming off a lackluster effort which produced a 4-3 OT loss at Pittsburgh New Year's Eve, the Rangers played with more purpose at even-strength. But despite an advantage in chances, they just couldn't finish. That inability would haunt them.
After an uneventful first period which saw New York hold a 10-7 shots advantage, they started dictating the play in the second. Particularly on a couple of shifts by the top line of Martin Straka, Michael Nylander and Jaromir Jagr. With the game still scoreless, the trio cycled the puck effectively and generated a few good chances to break the tie. But Grahame denied a pinching Marek Malik from the slot and Nylander just missed finishing a backdoor feed with an open net.
In a period which his team outshot Tampa 11-5, Lundqvist still had to be sharp late with some tough stops on Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis to keep the game knotted into the third.
After killing off the remainder of a Fedor Tyutin interference penalty, the Rangers continued to press for the go-ahead goal. With Coach Tom Renney reuniting the HMO line of Ryan Hollweg, Dominic Moore and Jed Ortmeyer and Steve Rucchin back from a bruised foot to center the second line of Martin Rucinsky and Prucha, New York continued to have the better of the play. They outshot Tampa 12-3 in the third.
A smart play by Jason Ward resulted in a late power play. Chipping the puck up the boards to a streaking Ville Nieminen up the left wing, Nieminen broke in on Grahame. But after being hooked by Dan Boyle, Nieminen was stopped.
Unfortunately, the Rangers power play couldn't muster even a shot. A desperate Lightning shorthanded unit which featured Richards and St. Louis were quicker the the puck and prevented the Blueshirts from doing anything. In a game where they played well, the power play was a sight for sore eyes, finishing 0-for-6.
The overtime featured some exciting back-and-forth action which had the fans out of their seats. The best chance for the Rangers was created by an effective Nieminen, who had maybe his best game. With his team changing, Nieminen was still able to get a shot on net one-on-three and recover the puck. While he retrieved it, he sent a no-look behind the back pass to a pinching Tyutin, whose right point one-time blast just missed. It summed up a frustrating night for the home club.
Making his first start in three games, Grahame was splendid in stopping all 36 Ranger shots for his second shutout of the season. In his second consecutive start, Lundqvist was solid in turning aside 19 of 20 shots. Unfortunately, Prospal's final one which eluded him at the far post was enough to come up short.
Notes: Tom Poti returned after missing Saturday's game with the flu. Hartford recall Thomas Pock was scratched along with forwards Marcel Hossa and Colton Orr. ... In the first of a five-game homestand, every Ranger played at least 10:00 thanks to better discipline (four penalties). ... The win was Tampa Bay's second straight by one goal. Top goalscorer Fredrik Modin did not play. ... Rangers (22-12-6) look to bounceback Thursday against the Atlantic-leading Flyers (25-8-6). The Flyers lead the Rangers by six points heading into their second meeting of eight this season. New York took the season opener 5-3 back on October 5th.
On a night in which they were the better team five-on-five against a tired opponent skating in the second of a back-to-back, the Blueshirts couldn't beat Tampa goalie John Grahame. Despite controlling much of the play and outshooting the Lightning 36-20 for the match, none of that mattered when Vinny Prospal escaped the check of rookie Petr Prucha behind the net to stuff in his own wraparound past a surprised Henrik Lundqvist to win the game with 1:13 left before a shootout.
It was the Rangers' third home loss after regulation this season. The previous two came way back in October to Montreal and the Islanders.
Coming off a lackluster effort which produced a 4-3 OT loss at Pittsburgh New Year's Eve, the Rangers played with more purpose at even-strength. But despite an advantage in chances, they just couldn't finish. That inability would haunt them.
After an uneventful first period which saw New York hold a 10-7 shots advantage, they started dictating the play in the second. Particularly on a couple of shifts by the top line of Martin Straka, Michael Nylander and Jaromir Jagr. With the game still scoreless, the trio cycled the puck effectively and generated a few good chances to break the tie. But Grahame denied a pinching Marek Malik from the slot and Nylander just missed finishing a backdoor feed with an open net.
In a period which his team outshot Tampa 11-5, Lundqvist still had to be sharp late with some tough stops on Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis to keep the game knotted into the third.
After killing off the remainder of a Fedor Tyutin interference penalty, the Rangers continued to press for the go-ahead goal. With Coach Tom Renney reuniting the HMO line of Ryan Hollweg, Dominic Moore and Jed Ortmeyer and Steve Rucchin back from a bruised foot to center the second line of Martin Rucinsky and Prucha, New York continued to have the better of the play. They outshot Tampa 12-3 in the third.
A smart play by Jason Ward resulted in a late power play. Chipping the puck up the boards to a streaking Ville Nieminen up the left wing, Nieminen broke in on Grahame. But after being hooked by Dan Boyle, Nieminen was stopped.
Unfortunately, the Rangers power play couldn't muster even a shot. A desperate Lightning shorthanded unit which featured Richards and St. Louis were quicker the the puck and prevented the Blueshirts from doing anything. In a game where they played well, the power play was a sight for sore eyes, finishing 0-for-6.
The overtime featured some exciting back-and-forth action which had the fans out of their seats. The best chance for the Rangers was created by an effective Nieminen, who had maybe his best game. With his team changing, Nieminen was still able to get a shot on net one-on-three and recover the puck. While he retrieved it, he sent a no-look behind the back pass to a pinching Tyutin, whose right point one-time blast just missed. It summed up a frustrating night for the home club.
Making his first start in three games, Grahame was splendid in stopping all 36 Ranger shots for his second shutout of the season. In his second consecutive start, Lundqvist was solid in turning aside 19 of 20 shots. Unfortunately, Prospal's final one which eluded him at the far post was enough to come up short.
Notes: Tom Poti returned after missing Saturday's game with the flu. Hartford recall Thomas Pock was scratched along with forwards Marcel Hossa and Colton Orr. ... In the first of a five-game homestand, every Ranger played at least 10:00 thanks to better discipline (four penalties). ... The win was Tampa Bay's second straight by one goal. Top goalscorer Fredrik Modin did not play. ... Rangers (22-12-6) look to bounceback Thursday against the Atlantic-leading Flyers (25-8-6). The Flyers lead the Rangers by six points heading into their second meeting of eight this season. New York took the season opener 5-3 back on October 5th.
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