World Tennis Magazine

Unique Tennis Perspectives

hot streak

KUZNETSOVA SURVIVES, WILLIAMS CRUISES

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Svetlana Kuznetsova saved four match points, fought through a 90-minute rain delay and survived another day as reigning French Open women’s singles champion defeating Germany’s Andrea Petkovic 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 in a dramatic second-round match Wednesday.

After taking the first set, the 41st-ranked Petkovic led 4-2 in the second and served for the match at 5-4. The German went ahead 40-love, but sent a backhand into the net, a forehand long, and a backhand wide to waste three match points. On her fourth, she put another backhand into the net.

Eventually, Kuznetsova, seeded No. 6, hit a backhand passing shot to break serve, part of a five-game run for the Russian.

Up 5-2 in the third, Kuznetsova had trouble closing it out. But she converted her fourth match point.

A businesslike Venus Williams advanced to the third round of the French Open Wednesday, clearly unfazed by the controversy surrounding her risqué lace tennis dress. Despite damp, cool conditions at Roland Garros, she had little trouble taking out Spaniard Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-3, 6-4.

“I played a really scrappy player today,” Venus explained to Tennis Channel’s Katrina Adams. “I didn’t get a perfect rhythm, but I think I played the bigger points well, especially on my serve.”

It’s been three years since the elder Williams has advanced beyond the third round in Paris, but Venus has a chance to take over the No. 1 singles ranking from her sister if she takes the title with Serena losing before the fourth round.

Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai continued her hot streak, taking out Angelique Kerber 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. Rezai, 23, wowed the partisan crowd with her powerful strokes and will take on another hard hitter, Nadia Petrova, in the third round.

No. 14 seed, Flavia Pennetta, advanced easily beating fellow Italian Roberta Vinci 6-1, 6-1.

Blair Henley contributed to this report

“YOU’RE NOT A GOOD TENNIS PLAYER!”

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By Charles Bricker

“You have no chance. You’re not a good tennis player. You’re a nice person and you’re good at your day job at the Tennis Channel. But you’re not a good tennis player.”

Justin Gimelstob paused to watch the butt of his comic patois hit another clumsy shot. “You know you have to keep the balls within the lines,” J-Gimel said sarcastically.

It’s a funny couple minutes of an internet clip which you can see at tennischannel.com/dreams and it got a special little smile from me because Gimelstob’s fall guy here, producer/director Brandon Moglen of the Tennis Channel, and his actress sister, Laurel, grew up around the corner from my family in Sunnyvale, Calif., in the heart of Silicon Valley. It felt good to see Branny getting some face time, even if it was to collect a lot of mock ridicule.

Justin Gimelstob
Justin Gimelstob

The hook for this clip is the U.S. Open’s decision to give a wild card to some nobody with a USTA rating of 4.0 to 5.0 who wins a series of local and then national tournaments. The U.S. Open Dream for 2010, they’re calling it.

And the clip begins with Moglen doing the voice over as he hits a few balls on a court under

Gimelstob’s critical eye. “Only 15 matches away from achieving my lifelong dream,” he says.

And then, he asks Gimelstob: “Justin, honestly. What are my chances?”

“You have no chance. . . etc., etc., etc.” Gimel tells him. And when Moglen asked him to rate his best shots, it’s pile-on time.

“You don’t have any best shot, so we’re dealing with levels of mediocrity here,” Gimelstob says. “Gimelstob does tell him that his backhand is better than his forehand. But, he adds, “Your forehand is an abomination. I haven’t seen a grip like that since Thomas Muster. You’ll never sniff the courts at the U.S. Open.”

Someone will. Some club player who catches a hot streak. Maybe some guy who played in college and gave up the game, then became electrified by the chance to win a series of all-comers tournaments and get a wild card in the main draw of a Grand Slam.

Moglen comes with a little pedigree. His late father, Lloyd Moglen, played No. 1 singles for Columbia University. Brandon went on to a career in journalism, first as a reporter and then at the Tennis Channel, where he was able to combine his communication talents with his love of tennis.

Charles Bricker can be reached at nflwriterr@aol.com