Photo: JP/Ricky Yudhistira

The WTA’s final tournament of the year is this week in Bali at the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions. The $600,000 tournament is a kind of consolation year ending championships, open to the top players who have won at least one International Series level event in 2009 and who didn’t make Doha. Sabine Lisicki and Kimiko Date Krumm accepted the tournament’s two wildcards, completing the 12 woman draw. Click here for more info.

Marion Bartoli, Sam Stosur, Yanina Wickmayer and Sabine Lisicki are the top seeds and head up the four round robin groups:

Group A: Marion Bartoli, Shahar Peer, Magdalena Rybarikova
Group B: Samantha Stosur, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, Agnes Szavay
Group C: Yanina Wickmayer, Anabel Medina Garrigues, Kimiko Date Krumm
Group D: Sabine Lisicki, Melinda Czink, Aravane Rezai

The tournament put a tropical spin on the requisite “evening gown” competition, hosting a welcome lunch and dressing the players in bright finery by Balinese designer Rico Anantha. I want one! (A dress, not a player – though I’d take Lisicki’s serve and Peer’s backhand.)

Photos via the WTA website – click here for more.

Aravane Rezai and Yanina Wickmayer:

Kimiko Date Krumm and Shahar Peer:

Marion Bartoli and Sabine Lisicki

Magdalena Rybarikova and Anabel Medina Garrigues:

Agnes Szavay and Melinda Czink:

The ladies also took part in some kind of skin care demonstration, which I would find horribly condescending if it didn’t look like so much fun! (Also, I labeled this post “Tennis Babes” so who am I to talk?)

So is this a tournament or the off-season?

The WTA has a new feature on its website called “Something Completely Different,” which includes players’ answers to “random” press conference questions. The first in the series is: “Who is your favorite male tennis player?” Roger Federer is on the top of many a WTA player’s list – and no, Marion Bartoli isn’t even included!

I posted some of the Roger-centric responses, click here for more (Nadal and Murray are other faves):

Patty Schnyder: “Roger. He makes it look so easy. He comes up with it on the big points. He finds a way to beat almost everybody. He’s so impressive.”

Elena Dementieva: “Roger Federer. He’s the best ever. I like everything about him. The way he plays, the way he behaves on and off the court… he’s perfect. He’s the greatest player I have ever seen.”

Vera Zvonareva: “You can’t overlook Roger. He’s definitely one of my favorites. I also enjoy watching Davydenko play.”

Ana Ivanovic: “Roger Federer. I admire him very much, not only for his achievements, but for how he conducts himself on and off the court. I also like Nadal, and of course Novak because we have been friends for many years.”

Sabine Lisicki: “I’d go with Roger. I also like how Djokovic broke through two years ago, I enjoyed watching him. He changed the game, played differently… he is fun, too.”

Nadia Petrova: “Roger Federer. Every tennis player dreams to play like him. He’s such a great champion. And he also has the good looks!”

Since the WTA didn’t include Marion Bartoli, I will: “Roger Federer. He always says hi. He’s really friendly. I love him but I would get really nervous if I had to play with him.”

I’ll throw in Grand Dame Chris Evert while I’m at it: “Isn’t there something about Federer that pulls at your heartstrings? I cry every time he loses a match, and I don’t even know the guy. (Laughs) There’s something so endearing about him as a person.”

Oh, and speaking of Roger and the ladies, Jon Wertheim shared this story about Mirka the Boss in this week’s Mailbag (thanks Judy!): “Funny story: A few years ago, Roger Federer was asked to read the Top 10 list on Letterman’s show. Mirka took one look at the content, declared it too sarcastic and they walked out of the studio.”

The ladies may flock to Roger, but Mirka will always be No. 1!

It’s not a full line-up of the Day 3 roster, but we thought we’d share some photos we snapped of Marat Safin, Kim Clijsters, Rafael Nadal, Richard Gasquet, Victoria Azarenka, a semi-shirtless David Ferrer and others from Wednesday at the US Open.

 

The attractive woman you might not recognize is Polona Hercog - an eighteen year old Slovenian player who partnered up with Roberta Vinci in doubles (they lost on Wednesday to Glatch/Gullickson.) She was in the singles draw, but lost to another American, Christina McHale, in the first round. Basically, FreakyFritters just thought she was cute. . .

There are two story lines to any tournament – what you experience as a fan and what actually happens on court. For example, these are the experiences that stick in my mind after attending Day 3 of the US Open on Wednesday:

1.   Witnessing a lady puking near the big fountain at about 11:30 a.m. (Hope she just had one too many Honey Deuces!)

2.  Cracking up at Marion Bartoli’s over-zealous practice swings between points.

3.  Taking a deep, yogic breath upon learning that the concession stand was out of chicken fingers (after standing in line for 10 minutes specifically for chicken fingers.)

Obviously these are not the major stories coming out of the US Open on Wednesday, so let’s move on. . .

I also witnessed Marat Safin’s four-set flame out to Jurgen Melzer in his first and last match of the 2009 US Open. It was more painful than normal because this is Marat’s last US Open – the tournament being the site of his first Major title almost ten years ago against Pete Sampras.

Painful for me, I mean, not Marat. “I don’t care about losses anymore,” he said after the match.

But what did I expect? Marat Safin is a heartbreaker – he’s not the guy who’s going to make that one last run to glory (with the help of a stoic girlfriend, an elderly coach and a cheesy soundtrack.) He has movie star looks, sure, but he never promised a Hollywood ending.

“Bye bye, bye bye, and bye bye again.” Marat summed it up.

Another popular player played his last singles match at the US Open on Wednesday – Fabrice Santoro – who lost to veteran Juan Carlos Ferrero: 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. (Santoro is still alive in doubles.)

Santoro, who has been on tour for over twenty years – almost twice as long as Safin’s pro career has lasted – said that it was the love of the game that’s kept him playing as long as he has. This is how he said he’d like to summarize his career:

If I use one word, I would say passion. I love my sport. I did it in this life for so many years. I was so happy to be on the court. You can’t do it if you’re not completely in love with your sport. Can you do it for two, five, eight years maybe, but not 21. One thing I will never forget for sure is when Pete (Sampras) said in Indian Wells probably 2000, he’s a magician. That’s one I will never forget.

Sniff! Sniff!

But for every retirement, nowadays, there seems to be a comeback – and today Kim Clijsters was the feelgood story. The 2005 US Open Champ took out 14th seed Marion Bartoli in three sets:

It was also nice to see Mama Mirka making her comeback, as well:

And then there’s the other woman:

Roger Federer is through to the third round after a tough, 3 set night match against Simon Greul. He faces Lleyton Hewitt next. Rafael Nadal beat Richard Gasquet easily in his first round match. (Click here for more on Rafa and Roger.)

In other men’s results, Del Potro defeated Juan Monaco, Monfils defeated Chardy and Hewitt defeated Chela. Kiefer advances to play Nadal in the second round and Ginepri, Simon and Ferrer are also through. Click here for more men’s results.

On the women’s side, both Williams sisters advanced, Wozniak took out Mauresmo, Pennetta double-papdumed Mirza, and Vania King upset US Open darkhorse Sam Stosur. Kirilenko scored another upset over Agnieszka Radwanska. Zvonareva and Azarenka are also through. Click here for more women’s results.

Kim Clijsters played her first WTA singles match in over two years on Monday night in Cincinnati, beating World No. 13 and Stanford Champ Marion Bartoli in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3. Guess Kimmie came ready to play.

I kind of feel sorry for Marion Bartoli, being tied to the tracks as the Clijsters Comeback Express rolled into town. But as the Frenchwoman might say, c’est la vie.

Here are some quotes from the players on Clijster’s comeback:

Kim Clijsters after the match: “I was really excited to be out there. It’s been so long that I’ve been practicing for this.  There were some events that I was a part of, but this was my main goal.  For it to finally be here, it was exciting.” (via cincytennis.com)

Marion Bartloi: “Without playing a match for two years, it is pretty amazing the level she already has right now. Before she retired, her forehand was weaker than her backhand; today I think it was the opposite. When I put her wide on the forehand she was coming up with some amazing shots. But the way she was moving and hitting, it’s just amazing.” (via WTA)

Patty Schnyder (who will be Kim’s next opponent in Cincy): “We all miss her on the Tour. She has always been a fan favorite and great for the sport. I really hope she enjoys it again and stays with us for a while. I didn’t see her too happy at the end when she decided to take the break, and now I see her happy again. That’s all that matters. If you have so much success you can choose which life you want to live… now she’s back.” (via WTA)

Serena Williams: “I look like I’m the one who had a kid more than her. She looks amazing.” And when asked if she might have a kid of her own while on tour: “I mean, I plan on playing a long time. So if that means I have to pop one out and keep going, I guess so.” (via NYT)

Monday’s results at the Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open:

Singles – First Round
[9] Victoria Azarenka (BLR) d Kaia Kanepi (EST) 63 76(2)
[11] Ana Ivanovic (SRB) d [Q] Melanie Oudin (USA) 26 61 61
[WC] Kim Clijsters (BEL) d [12] Marion Bartoli (FRA) 64 63
Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER) d [16] Virginie Razzano (FRA) 63 36 64
Roberta Vinci (ITA) d [Q] Tatjana Malek (GER) 64 61
Patty Schnyder (SUI) d Gisela Dulko (ARG) 64 60
Lucie Safarova (CZE) d Iveta Benesova (CZE) 63 76(7)
[Q] Olga Govortsova (BLR) d Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 61 63
Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) d Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) 60 63
Melina Czink (HUN) d Alize Cornet (FRA) 63 62
Anna Chakvetadze (RUS) d Elena Vesnina (RUS) 75 63
[Q] Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) d Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) 62 62

Tuesday’s matches of note:
U. Radwanska vs. Agnes Szavay
Dinara Safina vs. Roberta Vinci
Lucie Safarova vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova
Venus Williams vs. Olga Govortsova

Venus Williams hit 54 winners in the final of Stanford’s Bank of the West Classic on Sunday and still lost the match. And no, it wasn’t to her sister, who went out to Sam Stosur in the quarters. Venus Williams lost to the quirky Frenchwoman, Marion Bartoli: 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.

Bartoli credited her success to improved movement and fitness and also to her mental toughness, which she needed badly after failing to serve out the second set.

“What makes me special is that I’m really mentally tough.” Bartoli said after the match.

Coached by her equally, uh, off-beat father, Dr. Walter Bartoli, Marion said that the father-daughter coaching relationship between Venus and Richard Williams inspired her own developement.

“People would say I wouldn’t be any good at tennis if I let my dad coach me.” Bartoli explained. “That was about the time Venus was just starting out and coached by her dad. She went to No. 1. That helped me develop mental toughness.“ (via ESPN)

“Venus is one of the greatest champions ever,” Bartoli added. She fell victim to Venus’s championship qualities the last and only time they met – in the finals of Wimbledon, 2007. “That’s what I practice for, to play her. To beat her is even better.”

Marion’s father, who is known for taping tennis balls to the soles of his daughter’s shoes and having her practice her serve with an L-shaped pipe instead of a racquet, employs bizarre mental drills, too:

“He told me before the week there’s no way I would make the final,” Bartoli said. “Today he said the only goal was to avoid losing 6-0, 6-1.“

I like having a character like Bartoli on tour. She’s refreshing and strange, like a blast of licorice flavored pastis on a warm day in Provence. Or a almost-frozen Twinkie. Yum!

Here’s an example of one Dr. Bartoli’s nutty training exercises. Richard, are you taking notes?

Is Marion training for tennis or A Chorus Line? No matter, she’s entertaining either way!

Quotes via Reuters and ESPN

The drama’s building at Roland Garros, with a Day 5 filled with tears, triumphs and flop sweat.

Roger Federer’s four set victory over Jose Acasuso was an epic drama in itself. Roger pulled a Houdini, admitting afterwards that “(Acasuso) should have won a few sets.” I’m pretty sure that means Jose would have won the match, but anyway – champions get lucky. Acasuso’s rolled ankle/uncontrollable choke reflex in the third got Roger back on track from 1-5 down. (As John McEnroe quipped: “There’s a challenger next week – Jose Acasuso vs. Potito Starache”) Click here to read what Roger had to say about it.

Venus Williams also had destiny on her side – fighting off a fierce challenge and match point down from Lucie “the slugger” Safarova.  This little gal has a game face:

This was yet another three setter for Venus, in a season where over 50% of her matches have gone the distance. Not that it’s a problem for the No. 3 seed – Venus has won nearly 80% of her three-set matches in 2009. Venus explained her dog-fight dominance:

“Once I get to the third set, I’m like, you know, I feel a new level coming. So it’s good for me.”

Serena Williams preferred to keep that third set attitude in the drawer, losing only 2 games against Virginia Ruano Pascual: 6-2, 6-0.

Gosh darn it, why did one of these dreamboats have to knock the other out? (Glad it was Jo, tho’, who came through in four!) From what I could tell, it was a spectacular match – too bad neither ESPN nor TC showed much of it. But enough bellyaching, let’s just enjoy this moment:

(Sometimes I wish there was an alternate tour, where guys like Monaco and Tsonga dominated. That way I wouldn’t have to worry about Roger and Rafa.)

Marion Bartoli didn’t get a chance for a third set, going out to Italian Tathiana Garbin in straights:

You’d think that photo would say it all, but Marion, who has admitted to being “stressed” at the French Open, had a lot more to say about it in her post-match press conference:

On her annoying opponent: “When I made unforced errors, her team would shout. It’s not sportslike. They’re Italians.” (When reminded that she’s of Italian descent, Bartoli corrected the interviewer: “I’m Corsican.”)

On why her opponent made her lose: “Her game was not good enough. There was no pace in her game, so I had to hit more strongly, more strongly, and this is it. I was off‑pace.” (I think I’ve made that same argument, when losing a match in my YMCA league!)

On the terre battue: “It was the slowest surface on earth. It was so cold, freezing out there. The balls were stuck on the strings of the racket.”

“There was a lot of clay under my feet. The court was really heavy. The balls were heavy. I couldn’t hit the balls correctly either.”

And the sore throat didn’t help: “I was a bit tired. A bit sick, I think, as well. So it was not easy. It was so cold out there. Really cold on the court. . .It’s like a bit of a sore throat, and my nose is running. It was very warm on Monday when I played, and then cold for two days in a row.”

On every street corner of Paris, the world’s tiniest violins are playing. . .Alize Cornet is also out in straights to Cirstea.

Some tears were more deserved than others. Australian Jelena Dokic deserves a symphony of sympathy after her match against Elena Dementieva today:

Dokic, whose father is facing prison time for making terrorist threats, was leading 4th seeded Elena Dementieva, 6-2, 3-4 when she was forced to retire with a back injury. Her back went out in the fifth game of the second set, and after a lengthy time out she came back to break the Russian. But it became clear, as tears rolled down her face, that she could not continue. This was her first French Open since 2004. Hope it’s not her last.

In other results of note, Andy “I had a blast (on court)!” Roddick, Gael Monfils, Kolya Davydenko and Juan Martin del Potro are through on the men’s side. Novak Djokovic is up two sets in a suspended match. Jankovic, Kuznetsova, Wozniacki, and Radwanska are through on the women’s side.

There are TONS of great matches on for tomorrow: Gonzalez vs. Ouanna, Nadal vs. Hewitt, Benesova vs. Ivanovic, Williams vs. Szavay, Murray vs. Tipsarevic, Almagro vs. Verdasco, Azarenka vs. Suarez Navarro, Soderling vs. Ferrer, Safina vs. Pavlyuchenkova, and the Williams sisters taking on Dulko/Szavay in doubles. Also in doubles, Tsonga/Ouanna take on Bupathi/Knowles. Oh, you lucky Direct TV subscribers!

I’ll post Thursday’s results as soon as a more together blogger than I puts them up.

Mighty mouse Lucie Safarova roars like a lion: JACQUES DEMARTHON/AFP/Getty Images via Daylife

Droooooool: photo by AFP PHOTO / LIONEL BONAVENTURE via Daylife

Bartoli blows her nose/match: photo by REUTERS/Vincent Kessler (FRANCE SPORT TENNIS) via Daylife

It’s always fun to hear what the players have to say, especially in the pressure cooker of a Grand Slam tournament like Roland Garros. Here are some of my favorite quotes so far:

Marat Safin, on being booted out of his last Roland Garros:

MARAT SAFIN: Well, as you can see, I didn’t draw the heart, and I didn’t lay down and I didn’t cry and I didn’t all those things … it’s not me

Fabrice Santoro, asked to reflect on the Greats he’s played on court:

FABRICE SANTORO: Federer is different, because when he’s playing at his best, everything is just perfect on the court, what he can do with the racquet and the ball. I remember a few matches I played against him, and I was looking at him when I was playing, saying, ‘Wow, how is it possible to play so well?’

Andy Murray begs to differ:

ANDY MURRAY: Santoro for the, I guess, different style of play and for the entertainment. Out of the top guys, Nadal, I like watching.

More from Fabrice, on his scary decision to play the French Open at age 37:

FABRICE SANTORO: Out of the 15 tournaments I have scheduled this year, Roland Garros was the one that’s most scary for me. I thought, is it reasonable at my age to play such long matches on clay? Then I thought, is it reasonable to refuse to do it?”

Fabrice waxes poetic on his own unique style of play:

FABRICE SANTORO: I use what I have. That means not a lot. Many players are 15 kilograms heavier than me, 15 centimeters taller than me, and when they hit the ball, they want to hit it strong. And I can understand that.

My game style was out of date when I arrived on the tour. I got on the tour in the ’90s, and my style dated back to the ’70s. So when I arrived, I was, you know, 20 years late already. So managing to get good performances for 20 years when you’re 20 years late, that’s difficult enough. But that was my challenge. And that’s the beauty of my career, if I may say so.

Dinara Safina, when asked if her coach was happy with her 6-1, 6-1 victory in the second round:

DINARA SAFINA: If one day he’s going to be happy, I think I’ll finish my career. He’s never happy. Even today, he’s not happy.

Fedophile Marion Bartoli, when asked in a recent interview about her dream mixed doubles partner:

MARION BARTOLI: Roger Federer. He always says hi. He’s really friendly. I love him but I would get really nervous if I had to play with him.

Some real tennis insight from Gilles Simon:

Q. When you look at Murray and Santoro, I have the impression that these players play more with their brains than their arms. What about you?

GILLES SIMON: Not necessarily. These players are players who don’t necessarily ‑‑ well, it’s different. These players don’t use their strengths. This is the difference. They’d rather use the weaknesses that the other player has. That’s why you have the impression they play differently, whereas others think it’s more reassuring to play your style whether it works or not and to do this all the time.

James Blake, after losing to Leonardo Mayer in the first round:

Q. Is that same court you played Gulbis on last year?

JAMES BLAKE: Yeah.

Q. And is that your least favorite court in all of tennis?

JAMES BLAKE: No. The court I broke my neck on was my least favorite court, I would say.

Serena Williams, on finding time for her kids:

Q. Must be kind of nice to go back to your own place [her apartment in Paris]?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I want to go home and see my kids and relax.

Q. Dogs?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Could be [said with a coy smile].

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, explaining the tie and polo combo he wore to his press conference:

Q. So the idea of the tie, where does it come from?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: In other sports when you come to a pressconference, you have to respect, to comply with a dress code, so I thought thatin tennis, too, we could show we have certain ethics. I believe it’s important. We have beautiful tournaments, and we shouldshow a bit of respect.

Q. Are you going to wear a tuxedo in the quarterfinal or in the final?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: Yes, I wanted to come with a tuxedo in thebeginning, but my equipment provider didn’t really want to. Now I found a solution.

Q. Are you going to wear a butterfly tie?

JO‑WILFRIED TSONGA: If I win, I’ll wear whatever you want, but not a G-string.

What a tease!

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and press conference quotes via rolandgarros.com

Serena quote via tennisreporters.net

Safin quote via The Guardian

ROME MASTERS:

I have to say, I’m thrilled we have some qualifiers in the last eight this weekend in Rome. I’m getting a little tired of the same old top guys making it. That said, five of the six top seeds are playing the quarters on Friday.

Here’s the quarterfinal run down (stats from the ATP)

Rafael Nadal vs. Fernando Verdasco – Nadal leads 7-0
Roger Federer vs. (Q) Mischa Zverev (22 year old qualifier from Germany)  – first meeting
Novak Djokovic vs. Juan Martin del Potro  – Djokovic leads 2-0
Fernando Gonzalez vs. (Q) Juan Monaco (obviously, not your typical “Q”)  – Gonzalez leads 4-0

On paper these match ups don’t look that competitive (19-0!), but in reality, any one of these could be fantastic. I can’t even begin to guess which one will be the must-see. What do you think?

Click here for Rome TV schedule (U.S.)

STUTTGART/PORSCHE GRAND PRIX:

Here’s what we have in store for the Stuttgart quarterfinals:

Marion Bartoli vs. Elena Dementieva – Dementieva leads 4-2
Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Gisela Dulko – tied at 2-2
Jelena Jankovic vs. Flavia Pennetta – Jankovic leads 5-1
Dinara Safina vs. Agnieszka Radwanska – first meeting

If the seedings hold, Safina should meet Jankovic and Dementieva should meet Kuznetsova in the semis. But nothing is certain. Jankovic and Kuznetsova may be fatigued after their tough quarterfinals over Lisicki and Li, respectively, and Pennetta and Dulko are playing on their favorite surface.

Stuttgart’s already had the match of the tournament with Thursday’s quarterfinal against Sabine Lisicki and Jelena Jankovic. The German stretched Jankovic to three sets and over two hours on court before going out, 5-7, 7-5, 3-6. All credit to Jelena for the win, but I was really impressed by Lisicki’s post match comments, which set just the right tone:

“My aim was to show everybody what I’m capable of. And that’s exactly what I did. I can hold my head high. The match was also fun to play. I don’t think I’m that far off the top players now. I’m looking to climb as high as possible in the rankings this year.“

Here are some highlights from Lisicki vs. Jankovic and an interview with the Serb (Safina vs. Hantuchova also included):

Hopefully I’ve spoken too soon, and we’ll have even more great action out of Stuttgart this weekend – what matches are you looking forward to?

Click here for the Stuttgart TV schedule (U.S.)

* photo via AFP and VINCENZO PINTO/AFP/Getty Images

It was Elena Dementieva (No. 1 seed) vs. Caroline Wozniacki and Marion Bartoli vs. Sabine Lisicki in Saturday’s semi finals at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston. Youth won out, with the 18-year-old Wozniacki and 19-year-old Lisicki making it to the final.

It should be a good one. Sabine’s impressed me this week – I watched her beat Venus Williams in the Rd. of 16 and liked her big serve and feathery drop shots. Wozniacki’s playing with tons of confidence, having won a tournament in Ponte Vedra Beach last week. If Caroline wins tomorrow, she’ll crack the top 10.

Here’s how Lisicki and Wozniacki made it:

The final will be broadcast tomorrow (Sunday) at 1:00pm EST on ESPN2.

Photo: AP Photo/Mic Smith via Daylife