VANtage Point: Breaking down the Sony Ericsson Open

Hello, and Happy New Year! Granted, that sentiment might be a little late, but this is the first VANtage Point of 2011 and it would be rude for me to proceed without the proper salutations!

And if you’re wondering what VANtage Point is, it’s where guest blogger Van from Tennis Talk, Anyone? (that’s me) pops in on DtL and gives a breakdown of some of the biggest events on the ATP and WTA calendars. So let’s get into it, shall we? First, with …

This Week’s Spotlight: I’m taking my tournament-predicting talents to South Beach* - the scene of the Sony Ericsson Open - and what many in the tennis world consider the unofficial “Fifth Slam.” The defending champs are Andy Roddick and Kim Clijsters who are both back in the field with all of the game’s elite. You know, players like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Caroline Wozniacki, Novak Djokovic and Vera Zvonareva—yeah, those guys!

Players to Watch: It’s funny to write this but keep your eye on that Federer fella. It’s hard to gauge how his season has gone so far: He’s made deep runs at every event he’s played—as he’s apt to do—but he keeps losing to Djokovic, who even took away Fed’s number-two ranking after capturing the crown in Indian Wells last week. Djokovic has a nice big bagel sitting in the loss column for the year, but can he keep the run he’s going on through Miami? Also, watch out for Andy Murray, who could possibly be a blink-and-you’ll-miss-him seed in Florida.

On the women’s side, I’m going to actually point out a whole quarter for you to watch! Check out the one where Zvonareva is the high seed. I think there are all types of players that could get far in the draw that aren’t the world number three. She could go out in the second round after playing the winner of the Dinara Safina-Jelena Dokic first-rounder. You also have last week’s Indian Wells finalist, Marion Bartoli, lurking. Higher up in that quarter, top-10 seeds Francesca Schiavone or Agnieszka Radwanska have a great shot at getting to the semis.

The Final Fours: For the men on the top half, I’m going with the dream match-up—Federer vs. Nadal with Federer winning. On the bottom half, I have a little bit of a surprise with Stanislas Wawrinka over Djokovic. As for the women, on the top half, I like Wozniacki to take out Svetlana Kuznetsova, then Schiavone falling to Clijsters.

And the Winners Are … : Federer and Clijsters: two future Hall-of-Famers getting it done. Enjoy the tournament.

*And a special kudos to you if you can figure out where I got that asterisked sentence from, tennis fans!

Van Sias writes the blog Tennis Talk, Anyone?. Follow him on Twitter @ttanyone and Facebook here.

[Photo(s): ]

PHOTO OP: Just because

"How YOU doin'?" asks Nipplet.

I give you Fernando Verdasco shirtless, of course, practicing in Key Biscayne for the Sony Ericsson Open. There really isn't much else to say but ENJOY.

Oh, and YOU'RE WELCOME.

A few more after the jump - click the head. And, remember, keep it clean. Just kidding!

VIDEO VAULT: Charlie called. He wants his Angels back.

Maria Sharapova and WTA tour sponsor Sony Ericsson revealed the six lady ballers who will be taking part in the Xperia Hot Shots initiative during a launch party in South Beach, Miami ahead of the Sony Ericsson Open.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Heather Watson, Alize Cornet, Sabine Lisicki, Sorana Cirstea and Dominika Cibulkova were chosen to take part in the web-based series which will help them "realize their dreams" (aren't they doing THAT already?) by giving them exclusive access to a bunch of really cool events thereby helping grow their Facebook fan base (see the page here.) The lady baller with the biggest base gets a "support deal" from Sony Ericsson. No idea what that means exactly.

There's also a dedicated YouTube page where these webisodes will premiere. It's a bit Charlie's Angels to me - not that there's anything wrong with that. But the girls need more high-waisted pants, hair flipping and background explosions. Yes, definitely more explosions!



[Via: MariaSharpova.com]

(UPDATED) Serena sets it straight, defeats Venus for second Sony Ericsson Championship

So can we all agree on who deserves the keys to the WTA Penthouse now?

Serena Williams set the record straight in a dominating performance in Doha capping the year off in grand style by winning the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships, her first since her title-run back in 2001. She beat sister Venus 6-2, 7-6 (4) in the final, inflicting a second loss on the older Williams and defending champ this week and fourth consecutive going back to their semifinal showdown in Miami earlier this year. Their H2H now stands at 13-10 in the 28-year old's favor. Oh, she also bagged $1.55 million for her efforts. Nice.

It seems ReRe was determined to make a statement this week and answer the critics who believed she wasn't deserving of the top-ranking, even with 2 majors under her belt this season, because she hadn't won a tourney outside the majors since Charleston '08. She went 5-0 in her matches and secured the year-end No.1 ranking after Dinara Safina withdrew. The 11-time Grand Slammer even made reference to the criticism saying afterwards saying,

I haven't won a tournament that wasn't a Grand Slam in a while, so that was even more exciting. My losing streak in [other] tournaments is over.

TRUTH. It just goes to show you no matter how many smaller tourneys a baller grabs, the mentally toughest win the biggest prizes in tennis and get to write the history.

Congrats to you, ReRe, and thank you for finally righting the rankings ship.

UPDATE: ...AND she broke the single-season record for prize winnings racking up $6.5 million and besting previous record holder Justine Henin who topped out at $5.5 million in 2007. Nothing more needs to be said on this subject. Case closed.

(Photo: Getty)

Final four decided in Doha - will the drama never cease?

D-D-D-Drama. Part Deux.

The semifinals of the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha were decided today and included another injury-plagued match featuring a torrent of tears.

Victoria Azarenka lost her chance to qualify for the final four when she retired from her match with cramps against Agnieszka Radwanska trailing by a scoreline of 4-6 7-5 4-1. The Belarussian was up 6-4, 5-2 and served for the match but a pair of double faults allowed Aggie back into the match as she ran off 5 consecutive games to take the second set. The decider saw Vika call for two medical time outs after struggling with her left leg and she eventually conceded the match in tears.

Caroline Wozniacki, who knows a little something about cramping, was the beneficiary of the Vika defeat and will face an undefeated Serena Williams. In the other semifinal, Jelena Jankovic, who crushed a wobbly Wozzi 6-2, 6-2 earlier in the day, will battle Venus Williams for a shot at her first year-end title.

I guess we still have more opportunities for high-wire drama in the final stages with JJ still in the mix - oh, and ReRe too. So don't despair peeps.

Just make sure to keep the tour trainers close. I mean, REALLY close.

(Photo: Reuters)

THE LOW DOWN: Maria & Serena look to recapture early season magic

A tale of two seasons: When the 2007 tennis season began, Maria "Shriek"apova was the reigning US Open champion on the brink of becoming the World No.1. Serena "ReRe" Williams was coming off a mostly inactive 2006 and looking to get her career back on track. These 2 champions worked through their respective Australian Open draws and met in a much-anticipated final with a shocking result: ReRe demolished Maria for the title, 6-1, 6-2. Regardless, they established themselves as the players to beat after the first Grand Slam of the season.


Fast foward to the Fall indoor European season - Maria lost her US Open crown to a relative newcomer in the 3rd round and, sitting at No. 4 in the world, was rumored to be retiring for the season to rest her sore shoulder. ReRe was beaten handily by Justine Henin in the quarterfinals of the Open and last week suffered a disappointing 6-3, 6-3 loss to Svetlana Kuznetsova at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. Both players are competing at this week's Kremlin Cup, a Tier 1 in Moscow, Russia. A win here could help build some confidence for both women going into the Sony Ericsson Championships and 2008.

Maria had this to say at a press conference for the Kremlin Cup this week:

"I have been training in a normal regime and I am physically 100 % fit [...] But for me the main thing is health. I am 20 years and I have a long career ahead of me". [...] I have been spending more time in Moscow than at home lately [...] It was great to be here and see our girls to win the Fed Cup."

ReRe also spoke to the press and had this to say:

"I am happy to come to Moscow - I was here way back when so now it feels like it's my first time here" [...] "The surface of the court is kind of weird [...] It is rather slow and the ball bounce is sometimes high, sometime low, it is kind of unusual for me because indoor courts are typically faster. The tournament in Moscow has a strong draw - but I feel fit and am ready to fight for the victory."

(source, images courtesy of AP Photo)

Venus Williams blogs from Thailand, talks sleep and afros

(Is this kid really nervous or has he never seen an afro this close before?)

Venus Williams is continuing her tour of Asia with a stop at the Bangkok Open this week. After a disappointing loss to Frenchie Virginie Razzano in the Japan Open final, V will look to rebound in Thailand and solidify her chances at the year end Sony Ericsson Championships. Continuing her blogging ways, V had some things to say about...

Her loss in the Japan Open final:

"I was disappointed I lost in the Tokyo final, but you can always learn from your losses and fight for your next win. That's pretty much my attitude and so I'm just focused on playing my best here in Bangkok, and hopefully winning another title. That's the goal."

Her night out after the Japan final:

"After the final we just went out and enjoyed Tokyo. Obviously we went to karaoke, and obviously I did "Call Me" by Blondie - I'm a huge Blondie fan. I didn't last too long that night because I was so tired from the final. I had a few songs and that was it for me. I guess we're making going to karaoke a tradition when we're in Asia..."

Getting some sleep:

"We were travelling pretty much all day and I was sleeping quite a while. I even got mad at [sister] Isha because she woke me up asking if I wanted to eat. Everybody who knows me knows that I'd choose sleep over eating. Everybody's banging on my door, trying to get into my room. I think I'll be doing some of that back to them soon so they can see how it feels! So, I just don't answer the door. People can text or e-mail me, and if I'm not there I am not getting up. Even at home I don't answer my door. I need my sleep!"

Her latest hair-do:

"Oh and you may have noticed from the picture that I've switched hairdos - I just got tired of my old one. I've had the afro a few times this year in Fed Cup; and some people have been asking if I'd be doing it again. So for the moment, I'm in the '70s. And it's righteous."

(source)