VANtage Point: Looking back at Jo'burg, looking forward to Paris

Welcome back to VANtage Point! You might’ve been thinking that I wouldn’t return after predicting such big things for career journeymen Bjorn Phau and Benny Becker last week, but I remain undaunted! To ask one rank-and-file pro to do well at a tournament was probably pushing it, but two? I was really asking for it. But that’s how I roll. (Don’t you love that phrase?) Anyway, on to the Point!

A Look Back: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga ended up winning the ATP 250 stop in Jo’burg last week as called here at the Point. But as I mentioned, I miffed on expecting Phau and Becker to make runs. However, if you look in the comments, I did make a mention of Chardy possibly doing well. (I know, that’s kind of lame, but I’ll take it!) Congrats to Jo-Willy!

This Week’s Spotlight: I was a little torn on picking what event to look at this week (something I’m sure will happen throughout the season) because one of my favorite ATP stops is the San Jose tournament. However, you can’t deny the star power over in Paris as the Open GDF Suez taking place on the WTA Tour. I mean, come on: Serena, Elena, JJ, Alize—the list goes on and on. Well, not really, since it’s only a 32-player draw, but you know what I mean! The winter indoor season kicks off in earnest here.

Player to Watch: With all those big names, whom do I go with? I think I’m going to go with the biggest name of them all, Serena Williams. After she won the Aussie Open, she said she wanted to get back to her dominant ways. Doing it at the Slams is good and all, but I think you have to establish that at the weekly stops, too. Will she be able to do it here, so soon after winning a major? Will she bail at the last minute? Will she win the whole thing? Someone help me, I don’t have all the answers!

The Final Four: Elena Dementieva over Serena Williams; Jelena Jankovic over Alisa Kleybanova.

And the Winner Is: The Dementieva train keeps rollin’ as she nabs her third title of the year.

Van Sias writes the blog Talk Tennis, Anyone?

(image via Getty)