Except for the 2003 final in which France prevailed, the U.S. have owned France in Federation Cup competition. Their twelfth meeting occurred in Lievin, France on clay. The Americans dominated in the first round by winning three successive rubbers to clinch a semifinal spot.

On Saturday, in the first rubber after Bethanie Mattek-Sands jumped to a 2-0 lead, France’s Alize Cornet rolled off five straight games to build a 5-2 edge.  After Mattek-Sands crawled out of a triple break point hole and got to 3-5, she altered her tactics by coming more to the net.  It paid off.   Mattek-Sands broke Cornet as she served for the set.  But, following Mattek-Sands breaking for 6-5, she surrendered the lead at love sending the set to a tiebreaker.  A seesaw tiebreaker was ultimately captured by Mattek-Sands.

In the second set, after Cornet broke in the first game, with a sleuth of errors, she allowed Mattek-Sands to level the set. Then, after neither woman relinquished serve, at 5-6, the errors got the better of Cornet. This resulted in Mattek-Sands carrying the initial rubber 7-6,7-5.  Cornet’s record now stands at 0-6 in Fed Cup play.

The second match featured Melanie Oudin against Pauline Parmentier.  Oudin drew first blood in taking a 3-2 lead.  Subsequent to Oudin easily consolidating, Parmentier had 0-30 on Oudin’s serve on various occasions, however, each time the American halted the Frenchwoman.  Oudin took the first set 6-4.

In the second set, Oudin finally capitalized on a couple break point opportunities and went ahead 2-1.  Yet, on double break point, Oudin double faulted squaring the set at 2 all. After netting a forehand, Oudin faced triple break point.  Still, the teenager delivered to arrive at 3 all.  Then, with Parmentier serving at 4 all and 40-0, Oudin applied pressure on the second serve and got to deuce.  Subsequently, with a forehand return winner, Oudin had a second break point.  Oudin converted when Parmentier misfired on a backhand crosscourt.  Afterwards, Oudin kept her composure despite a tough game and closed out the match 6-4,6-4.

Today with the U.S. in front 2-0, Oudin battled Julie Coin in the opening match.  With an aggressive crosscourt forehand return winner, Coin broke Oudin in the first game.  After Oudin let double break point get away, Coin had a 3-1 lead.  But, with a lax game by Coin which included a double fault, Oudin knotted the set at 4.  With Oudin unable to break after obtaining a set point with Coin serving at 4-5, the set went to a tiebreaker.  With a double fault, Coin obtained a mini-break for 3-2.  But, with a forehand error, Coin gave up the lead.  Next, with Coin dumping a forehand into the net and by producing a forehand winner, Oudin took control at 6-3.  Oudin closed out the set with a forehand up the line winner.

In the second set, after dodging a couple of break points, Oudin broke for a 3-2 edge.  After consolidating, at 4-3, Oudin blundered on a forehand down the line to give Coin break point.  Once again, Oudin came up with the shots to keep her nose in front 5-3.  Later, with three consecutive forehand winners, Oudin arrived at double match point.  When Coin shanked a forehand long, Oudin wrapped up the semifinal berth for the U.S. 6-4,6-4.

In the fourth rubber, captain Mary Joe Fernandez played teenager Christina McHale against Parmentier.  While McHale performed well, Parmentier prevailed 6-4,6-4.  In the last dead rubber which was the doubles, Liezel Huber and Mattek-Sands battled Stephanie Cohen-Aloro and Cornet.  The Americans carried the last match 6-2,6-3.

The U.S will clash with Russia in the semifinals.  Russia collided with Serbia on the latter’s home turf.  On Saturday, Ana Ivanovic was blown off the court by Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1, 6-4 in the initial rubber.  However, teammate Jelena Jankovic gave Serbia new life.  Jankovic overcame a 4-6,1-4 and 15-40 deficit to steal the second match from Alisa Kleybanova.  Today, after Jankovic defeated Kuznetsova 6-3,4-6,6-3 to put Serbia ahead 2-1.  Ivanovic failed to seal the deal.  Kleybanova beat her 6-2,6-3.  Thus, the tie was severed by the doubles match.  Kleybanova and Kuznetsova secured Russia’s participation in the next round by shutting down Jankovic and Ivanovic 6-1,6-4.

After reigning champion Italy dropped its first match against Ukraine yesterday, Flavia Pennetta won in straight sets to equalize the tournament.  Today, in the opening rubber, Pennetta stopped Alona Bondarenko 7-5,7-6 to place Italy ahead.  Then, after dropping the opening set to Kateryna Bondarenko, Francesca Schiavone rebounded 2-6,6-1,6-1 to place Italy in the semifinals.

After Saturday’s matches, the Czech Republic was in a dead heat with Germany. Today, Lucie Hradecka defeated Andrea Petkovic 6-1,7-6 in the first match giving the Czechs a 2-1 lead.  Still, Anna-Lena Groenefeld kept Germany alive with a 4-6, 6-3,6-2 triumph over Petra Kvitova.  Therefore, a live doubles rubber was played. The Czech Republic advanced by Kveta Peschke and Hradecka besting Tatjana Malek and Groenefeld 6-1,6-3. The Czechs will take on the Italians in the semifinals.

In the top half of the draw, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Nikolay Davydenko and Robyn Soderling are the highest seeds respectively. Astonishingly, if the last couple of months are an accurate barometer, Davydenko is for the first time a true threat to make it all the way to the final.  After wrapping 2009 with the ATP World tour finals trophy, just  days ago, Davydenko brought down Federer and Rafael Nadal to take the title in Qatar.  However, the question remains as to whether Davydenko can translate that type of success to a best of five set tournament over two weeks. If the draw proceeds as expected, Davydenko will have a crack at Federer in the quarters and Djokovic or Soderling in the semis.

For his part, Federer has a pretty challenging road in attempting to reach the final.  In the first round, the world number one faces the ever dangerous Igor Andreev.  Subsequently, there are possible match-ups with Australian Open finalists Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis in the round of 16. Other than Davydenko, Fernando Verdasco, a semifinalist in ’09, is a potential in the quarters. So, Federer will need to be on his toes to advance beyond the quarters.

Third seed Djokovic should have a fairly unobstructed run to the quarters.  Still, Richard Gasquet who is getting back in the swing of the game may be a problem for Djokovic in the round of 16. Furthermore, on that side of the draw, majors’ finalists Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Soderling could clash in the round of 16.  With both Tsonga and Soderling potential quarterfinal opponents for Djokovic and with both having wins over the latter, a Djokovic/Federer semifinal is in far from a foregone conclusion.

In the bottom half of the draw, for the defending champion Nadal and Andy Murray, technically, their path to a quarterfinal showdown appears uncomplicated. Yet, Radek Stepanek, a potential round of 16 encounter for Nadal, is perhaps the sole question mark.  In Murray’s case, a healthy Gael Monfils can spell trouble in the round of 16.  But, with Monfils fighting injury, Murray will not be bothered.

Last year’s semifinalist Andy Roddick has another golden opportunity to move at least to the quarterfinal despite Fernando Gonzalez seemingly in his way.  Also, with U.S. Open champ Juan Martin Del Potro fettered by a wrist injury, his progress deep into the draw is in doubt.  Del Potro is slated to see Marin Cilic in the quarters or Roddick in the semis.

Top women seed Serena Williams has Aussie Sam Stosur as a possible round of 16 adversary.  This could be a tricky match for Serena especially if Stosur plays well and can ride the support from the crowd.  Another roadblock for Serena may be Victoria Azarenka. These two could meet in the quarters.  Last year, illness forced Azarenka to retire against Serena.  Surely, Azarenka is relishing the possibly of a rematch.

Once again, Venus Williams finds herself on the same half of the draw as Serena.  In the first round, Venus faces Lucie Safarova who is a handful. Further down, things don’t get easier for Venus as Melanie Oudin and Agnieszka Radwanska await in the round of 16 as well as Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals.  Thus, a Serena/Venus semifinal seems remote.

By virtue of being the second seed, Dinara Safina is in the bottom half of the draw.  A finalist in Australia last year, Safina’s chances at the title in 2010 do not look promising.   With injury already affecting her season, Safina could contend with Kateryna Bondarenko in the third round, Dominika Cibulkova or Maria Sharapova in the round of 16 and Marion Bartoli or Jelena Jankovic in the quarters. On any given day, these players are dangerous, throwing injury into the mix makes Safina’s task doubly difficult.

The most anticipated second round match has to be fifth seed Elena Dementieva versus Justine Henin.  For Henin, it will be her first crack at a top ten player and an authentic test of where her game is at.  Conversely, for Dementieva, this will be her chance to demonstrate with a victory over Henin that she can carry this momentum and finally triumph at a major.   U.S. Open champ Kim Clijsters has a good shot in Australia after her victory in Brisbane over Henin. Clijsters and Henin are set for a quarterfinal clash. Although Svetlana Kuznetsova deserves a mention as a quarterfinal rival for Dementieva, Henin or Clijsters.  The ebbing of the 2009 French Open champion’s game leaves room for pause as to her results in Melbourne.

With all that being said, it’s easy to conclude that the winner is someone cited above.  Hopefully, in a week’s time, out of the murkiness a clearer picture will emerge.  Then, we will see who has the gumption to overcome the heat and come away with the Australian Open trophy. First ball strike is two days away.

Along with the summer temperatures, the action on court is scorching at the first major of the year. Let’s review the key developments of the initial week and try to predict what could unfold the last days at the Australian Open.

The unexpected casualties in the preliminary rounds were Ana Ivanovic and Venus Williams, the fifth and sixth seeds, respectively. Venus was shocked in the second round by Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro after having the match on her racket.  Suarez Navarro, a quarterfinalist at last year’s French Open, is now in the round of 16. Ivanovic, the 2008 finalist, was eliminated in the third round by 19 year-old Russian Alisa Kleybanova.  This was not a great surprise.  Since winning the French Open, Ivanovic has yet to make it past the third round at a major. Agnieszka Radwaska, the ninth seed, fell in the first round, beaten by Kateryna Bondarenko. The biggest upset on the men’s section was David Nalbandian, the tenth seed, going down in the second round to Yen-Hsun Lu ranked 61.

As we enter the meat and potatoes part of the tournament, the top four men remain on track to collide in the semifinals. With the exception of Novak Djokovic, the defending champion, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray have looked extremely sharp. Of the two Americans left, Andy Roddick, the seventh seed, may represent the biggest headache pending on Djokovic’s side of the draw. Roddick’s recent weight lost and coaching change appear to be paying dividends. Andy has dispatched his opponents expeditiously, so an upset could be brewing. James Blake, the ninth seed, has played very well. However, Blake will meet last year’s finalist, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, in the round of 16. Vanquishing Tsonga may be too tall an assignment for the American. Nadal will face Fernando Gonzalez, the 2007 finalist. Gonzalez may not have much left in the tank after his high quality, over four hour long, five setter against Frenchman Richard Gasquet. Federer will battle Tomas Berdych. Should Roger advance, waiting will be either Juan Martin Del Potro or Marin Cilic, two tough customers. The French are assured of having at least one man in the quarterfinals with Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils playing one another next. With the leftover field competing so well, the odds maker may need to reshuffle their numbers. The favorite may have to be Nadal, Federer and Murray in that order.

Jelena Jankovic, Serena Williams and Dinara Safina have moved on despite sticky matches. Victoria Azarenka, the talented youngster who bested Amelie Mauresmo the 2006 Australian champion in the third round, is up next for Serena which will be quite a test. Perhaps, the main beneficiary of Venus’ early ouster is Elena Dementieva. Her abundant majors’ experience may be the difference in overcoming her less experienced rivals. A pleasant surprise has been Jelena Dokic, the bright 25 year old is slowly getting back on track after falling off the radar due to personal issues. Dokic defeated Anna Chakvetadze and Caroline Wozniacki and has a legitimate shot at the quarterfinals. A definite sleeper is Nadia Petrova who has looked strong in each of her matches. Yet, history may be most foretelling as to who could be the victor. Serena has always picked the odd years, 2003, 2005 and 2007, to claim the Australian trophy and this just happens to be one.

As another season concludes on the WTA, its is only fitting to reflect on the moments that branded it and look forward to what might be in store for 2009.

The Russian onslaught continues with half of the players ranked in the top ten coming from that nation. One of the pack’s standouts, Maria Sharapova, bulldozed over her opponents to win the year’s first major in Australia. However, after an impressive winning streak, Sharapova went on forced sabbatical due to an old shoulder injury resurfacing. Dinara Safina and Vera Zvonareva finally lived up to their promise, as these two had a phenomenal run in 2008. Sporting new coaches, these two women known for their volatile outburst on court, bottled their tempers which translated into great results. Safina’s newfound mental solidity carried her all the way to the French Open final. For her part, Zvonareva was a finalist at the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships where she lost a heartbreaking match to Venus Williams. Moreover, this powerhouse of tennis swept the medals at the Olympics with Elena Dementieva taking gold, Safina silver, and Zvonareva bronze. In team play, the Russians were also supreme, crushing Spain to grab another Federation cup.

The Serbians also became more firmly entrenched in the sport. After her defeat in the Australian final, Ana Ivanovic claimed her first major in Paris. Compatriot Jelena Jankovic made her first majors’ final appearance at the U.S. Open, but lost a tough three setter. As a result of the French Open title, Ivanovic captured the number one ranking. But with a niggling thumb injury, Ivanovic struggled the remainder of the year. On the other hand, Jankovic overflowing with confidence after her great U. S. Open showing, won three straight tournaments and finished the year at number one. Jelena is the third player after Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis to hold that honor despite failing to earn a major trophy.

The Williams sisters persist as the beacon of light of American tennis with Venus shining on her best surface, the grass at Wimbledon. Venus seized her fifth title at sister Serena’s expense. But the latter’s tears were short-lived as the siblings took the Wimbledon doubles title and repeated with doubles gold in Beijing. Moreover, Venus showed that at 28, she still could keep up with her younger peers by winning both in Zurich and at the prestigious year-end championships. While Serena, no spring chicken herself, prevailed for the third time at the U.S. Open.

The number one ranking bounced around this year with the unforeseen bombshell dropped by Belgian Justine Henin mid season. Only two weeks from defending her French Open title, Henin, the world’s number one, announced her immediate retirement. This was a jaw dropping moment considering Justine’s extraordinary performance in 2007. Fans will miss that acclaimed one-handed backhand. With Henin’s sudden departure, a colossal vacuum was left leading to a rotation at number one beginning with Sharapova, followed by Ivanovic, then Serena and Jankovic. It’s anyone’s guess how long the current holder, Jankovic, will hang on.

Doubles partners, American Liezel Huber and Zimbabwean Cara Black claimed their first U.S. Open trophy. Furthermore, they defended their year-end championship title. It will be interesting to see if that team can win in Paris in 2009 to complete the career grand slam. Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual secured their first major title at the French and took Olympic silver. Another sister combination, Ukrainians Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko, captured the initial doubles major in Australia.

Several teenagers served notice of their plan to shake up the status quo. Pole Agnieszka Radwanska, who first made her mark in 2007 by beating Sharapova in the fourth round at U.S. Open, capitalized on her success with quarterfinal results at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, she is now ranked 10th. While the sun may be setting on former Wimbledon and Australian champion Amelie Mauresmo’s career, the French torch is being passed on to 18-year-old Alize Cornet. Currently ranked number 16, the teenager won her first WTA title this year. Dane Caroline Wozniacki is another youngster who made tremendous strides, climbing to number 12 and getting a couple of titles under her belt. With Henin retiring, Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova may be the new standard bearer for the petite crowd. Cibulkova was a finalist at the tier I Rogers Cup and Amelia Island. Belarusian Victoria Azarenka is another player whose game steadily improved with a number 15 ranking to boot. Azarenka won the mixed doubles trophy in Roland Garros with Bob Bryan. Expect great things from the 19 year old the upcoming year.

This tour cycle, some veterans’ careers went through a revival. Italian Flavia Pennetta was a thorn in Venus’ side at a few tournaments, for instance stopping the American at the French Open. Pennetta made it to the quarters at the U.S. Open and posted her best career ranking at 13. Garrigues’ achievement in doubles boosted her singles play. The Spaniard finished the year ranked just outside the top twenty. Russian Nadia Petrova had a resurgence, with a new attitude and coach competing became more enjoyable which resulted in a quarterfinal appearance at the All England Club her best outcome in a major since 2006. American Lindsay Davenport seems to be in the twilight of her career. After a much-anticipated return, her results were disappointing. The American handicapped by injury had little impact on the majors; retirement may not be far behind.

China gave us a lot to talk about in 2008. Not only did it stage the Olympics, Jie Zheng, one of its brightest stars, staged a comeback after an ankle problem caused her to miss a chunk of the previous season. As a wildcard Zheng reached the semifinals at Wimbledon, beating Ivanovic along the way and won Olympic bronze with Zi Yan. China has been investing a huge amount of funds in the development programs. Will 2009 be the payoff by way of a majors’ trophy?

In 2009, a new system the so-called “roadmap” will be debuted. The question will be whether it will live up to one of its key intents: reducing player injuries. With Henin’s exit, the top six players are not far apart. This presumed parity is perhaps erroneous since injury has had a say in the ranking. Undoubtedly, Jankovic is primarily a defensive player. Therefore, the question is whether she can broaden her game enough to justify her current number one ranking, which she can solely do by winning a major. The smart money in 2009 may be on recycling. Meaning if the new schedule works as proposed and Serena, Venus, or Maria stays healthy, one of these women is likely to emerge as the undisputed frontrunner. With the calendar opening January 4^th , answers will soon be forthcoming.

Spaniard Rafael Nadal continues to have the Midas touch. Nadal defeated Chilean Fernando Gonzalez in the gold medal round in straights sets 6-3, 7-6, 6-3. Gonzalez went up one notch in the hardware department by winning silver adding to the bronze he collected in Athens in 2004. Moreover, this was the cherry on top of Nadal’s flan as he officially assumes the number one ranking on Monday.

In the semifinals, Gonzalez had a controversial match with American James Blake. The dispute arose when a backhand pass struck by Blake inadvertently clipped Gonzalez’ racket. Despite the ball being initially on its way out, by default, Blake should have been awarded the point. But since the play was unnoticed by the umpire and Gonzalez failed to own up to his mistake, the Chilean was given the point. In his defense, Gonzalez stated that he was unsure that the ball hit his racket. Perhaps, Blake would have brushed off the incident had he converted on one of his three match points to advance to the gold metal round. After losing, Blake accused Gonzalez of poor sportsmanship, considering the arena this vitriolic statement is further magnified. In the bronze metal match, Blake fell to Serbian Novak Djokovic 6-3, 7-6.

After going down to Blake in the quarterfinals, Roger Federer along with Swiss teammate Stanislas Wawrinka prevailed over top doubles seed Americans Mike and Bob Bryan in the semifinals. The Swiss went on to beat the Swedish team of Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson 6-3, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 in the gold metal round. The Americans settled for the bronze metal, winning over the French team of Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

It was an all-Russian sweep in the women’s singles. Elena Dementieva beat Dinara Safina in an enthralling three setter 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. In the second set, after making up a 1-4 deficit, Safina had momentum on her side and the opportunity to take the lead at 5-5, but she failed to convert on break point. In a game Dinara was leading 40-15 Dementieva eventually broke. From then on, fatigue became a major factor for Safina. The bronze metal went to Vera Zvonareva who handled China’s Na Li 6-0, 7-5.

After being dismissed in the singles quarterfinal, Serena and Venus Williams squashed the Spanish team of Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginie Ruano Pascual 6-2, 6-0 to win doubles gold, the second for team Williams. In the consolation bronze metal match, Chinese Zi Yan and Jie Zheng beat Ukrainian sisters Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko 6-2, 6-2.

The second seed and world number nine, Frenchman Richard Gasquet, was eliminated by Gicquel in the second round. Other prominent players who fell include Ivan Ljubicic in the second round, Guillermo Canas in the semifinals and Mario Ancic in the quarterfinals. All was not lost for Ancic though who teamed up with Austrian Jurgen Melzer in the doubles. These two surprised the second seed Leander Paes/Mahesh Bhupathi in the finals, winning the trophy 7-6, 6-3.

On the women’s side, Danira Safina, the third seed, who has been on a dream ride the last few months, was shocked in the finals by 30-year-old Thai qualifier Tamarine Tanasugarn 5-7, 3-6. Safina beat the number one seed Elena Dementieva in the semifinals. For second seed Anna Chakvetadze the headaches continue this year; Alona Bondarenko stopped her in the quarterfinals.

Tanasugarn had to do it the hard way, but this was the most productive week of her career. After playing two matches to get into the main draw, Tamarine defeated last week’s titlist on grass Kateryna Bondarenko, then Ashley Harkelroad in the second round, hometown sweetheart Michaella Krajicek in the quarterfinals and got rid of the other Bondarenko sister, Alona, in the semifinals. Krajicek gave the locals something to cheer for regardless by winning the doubles with partner Marina Erakovic 6-3, 6-2.

At the Slazenger Open in Nottingham England, Ivo Karlovic successfully defended his title by beating Fernando Verdasco 7-5, 6-7, 7-6. The higher seeds at this tournament were from the top twenty in the world. The well-known doubles teams of Jonathan Erlich/ Andy Ram seeded number one lost in the first round. In the finals, Bruno Soares/Kevin Ullyett prevailed over Jeff Coetzee/Jamie Murray 6-2, 7-6.

With defending champion Jelena Jankovic and last year’s finalist Maria Sharapova opting to skip the tournament, the draw opened even further when Marion Bartoli, the only top ten player participating, was ousted in the second round.

Despite this being their first final, both players kept their composure in the first set. Bondarenko had break points in the fifth game, but the teenager retained her cool and served herself out of trouble. With each competitor holding serve, the set was decided in a tiebreak that went in Bondarenko’s favor.

In the second set, Wickmayer outshone her opponent. The Belgian took a double break lead, aided by her big serve to send the match to a decisive third set. Nerves played into the third set, with multiple exchanges of breaks, four out of six games. Once the jitters were set aside, the level of play elevated once more. Fittingly, the championship was determined by a tiebreak, with Bondarenko, the former junior Wimbledon champion, coming out on top. With this victory, Bondarenko’s ranking will climb from 69 to 45, while Wickmayer’s ranking, a pro only the last couple of years, will rise from 85 to 66.

At this tier III event, the doubles team of Cara Black/Liezel Huber, ranked number one in the world, took on 2008 French Open Doubles champion from Spain Virginia Ruano Pascual who teamed up with another partner, Severine Bremond of France. Black/Huber easily disposed of their rivals 6-2, 6-1.

This upcoming week Svetlana Kuznetsova, world number four, and Marion Bartoli, last year’s Wimbledon runner-up, will be the top seeds at Eastbourne, a tier II contest also on grass. While Elena Dementieva, Anna Chakvetadze, Dinara Safina respectively ranked number 5, 8 and 9 in the world will be sharpening their grass court skills at the Ordina Open in the Netherlands, a tier III event.

Among the notables absent from pre-Wimbledon grass tournaments are the top three players Ana Ivanovic, Maria Sharapova and Jelena Jankovic. Serena Williams and Venus Williams, the defending Wimbledon champion, continue their tradition of skipping competitive play prior to the action at the All England Club.