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notes on a draw sheet
Hot: US Open draws viewers, readers;
Not: Muslims criticize Mirza
Martina I v. Martina II, No. 2; Fed Cup; Davis Cup
By Matthew Cronin, TennisReporters.net
Cynthia Lum/WireImage.com
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| James Blake has the stuff to get into the Top 10. |
Before delving into the Fed Cup and WTT finals, it's time to clean out the US Open racket bag, which is still full of empty cans of Pepsi and Powerbar wrappers from those numerous 3 a.m. nights.
Still, part from a tense press conference argument with Andy Roddick, a painful session with Evegenia Linetskaya about her allegedly abusive father and having to share my work space with a few psychotic so-called journalists, it was one of the best Opens ever, especially on the men's side. Andre Agassi v. James Blake and Agassi v. Roger Federer were two of the most compelling matches of the Open era. Also, it was heartening to see Kim Clijsters finally come though a very dicey draw on the big stage.
The women's tournament had nowhere near the drama that the men's, but Clijsters' wins over Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova were certainly thrilling and well-played. Forget the endless discussions of her defense, it was her ability to go from defense to offense that keyed her run.
Props to the USTA for putting on a fine event and props to fans the world over for not only attending the tournament (it set a record with 659,538 fans) but watching it on TV. The national overnight rating for the men's final on CBS Sports was 6.2, doubling the 2004 rating. Total viewership for the Saturday Night prime time women's final was up 28 percent over 2004. Viewership of Super Saturday increased by 56 percent over 2004. Total ratings on CBS were up 18 percent over 2004, while total viewership on USA Network was up 8 percent.
Most importantly to the Internet world, traffic on USOpen.org set an all-time record of 27 million visitors over 15.4 million last year, up 75 percent. USOpen.org remains a top-five most-trafficked sports web site. Yes, I work for the site during the tournament both in print and on radio, but credit for the site's success should really go the USTA's Brian Beglane, Lucas Swineford, Jason Brown, Sally Milano, Christine Ezra and many more from the White Plains staff and the folks at IBM, as well as the excellent radio play by play men, Andrew Bogusch and Mark Ernay. I'm just hitting sitter overheads, where the rest of the crew is doing the real work setting up the points.
TennisReporters.net also hit an all-time high of more than 10,000 visitors in one day and racked up numerous days with more than 7,000 visitors. It was our best read tournament ever. We got a big boost from being ranked at the top of Sports Illustrated's list of favorite tennis sites in its US Open preview issue.
You read it hear first
Sources say that Jennifer Capriati will not return until Australia. Also, The Tennis Channel Open, which was played in Scottsdale last year, is a near lock to be played in Las Vegas in 2006.
So if you're Corina Morariu and you read your boyfriend Justin Gimelstob's top-10 players girlfriends/wives list, aren't you looking at those women differently the next time that you see them in the player's lounge? And how are the boyfriends/husbands looking at Justin and not thinking he's might not try to scam on their women? Just food for thought, JG, just like your SI.com blogs.
Mal Taam/MALTphoto |
| Wearing normal tennis togs is getting Sania Mirza in hot water with Muslim leaders. |
Muslims criticize Mirza for short skirts, sleeveless tops
I like Sania Mirza quite a bit, even though she's a bit too arrogant for her Top 40-ranking. But the 19-year-old has to know that as a Muslim from Hindu-led India, she's going to be dealing with religious issues for the rest of her life, including her fashion choices. She's a national hero in short skirts, and the Islamic fundamentalists do not want her to exert any real influence on other young women who might get "heretical" ideas about dressing the way they want to.
To her credit, Sania has stuck up for the positive principles of her religion. But, the fact is, there are numerous negative ones, such as the existence of extremists who have declared a "fatwa" on her. That's when it's either time to stand up and say that your religious opponents are wrong and don't represent the thinking of many young Muslims, or you leave that religion. You cannot exists in the middle in these disputes, nor can you ignore them by saying "I'm an athlete and I don't want to discuss politics." Politics exist in every part of life, like it or not.
Here are some quotes about Sania's entry in next week's tournament in Calcutta from Express India. Be very appalled.
Maulana Siddiqullah Chowdhury, secretary of the West Bengal unit of the Jamat-e-Ulema Hind, said, "Islam never allows women to wear skirts, shorts and sleeveless tops. But this girl is violating all these norms. No doubt, she has brought a bad name to the religion, which never permits women to dress scantily. I think she should not be allowed to enter the city."
He pointed out that some Hyderabad maulvis have already issued a fatwa against her. "She has brought disgrace to Islam by wearing those dresses," Siddiqullah said.
The Shahi Imam of Tipu Sultan Mosque, Alhaz Noorur Rahman Barkati, sounded less rigid. But, he too did not seem too happy.
"I think she needs counseling. The time has come for her to understand that whatever she is doing is against the Shariat. Instead of issuing a fatwa, she should be inculcated about the Islamic way of life," said the Shahi Imam.
Inculcated? You must mean brainwashed and have you freedom of choice taken away.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Back to sports, where both Mirza and Maria Sharapova need to get in better shape become better defensive players. But let's not kill Sharapova for failing to win a Slam this year; she's still the best teen around and who reached the second week of every Slam and the semis of three of them. Sure, she could use a few extra shots in her repertoire, but so could Lindsay Davenport and Mary Pierce.
Courtesy of Easter Bowl |
| Sam Querry has been picked as a US Davis Cup practice partner. |
In good health, I'm buying James Blake as a Top-10 player next year, but I'm not sold on Robby Ginepri beyond the Top-20 yet. … I can't imagine under what circumstances that Pat McEnroe would pick Ginepri over Blake for the No. 2 spot on the DC team that will face Belgium next week, other than an injury to James, who's still in my mind less likely to disappear in a big match. With that said, if I'm P-Mac, I wouldn't discount sitting Roddick for Ginepri if Roddick has a bad practice week. … Donald Young is now 0-15 in sets in seven main draw matches on the ATP Tour. … Sam Querrey, who's been named a DC practice partner with Alex Clayton, may have a bigger upside.
Hail the always-insightful Dale Robertson of the Houston Chronicle, who won the USTA Media Excellence award for print. Fond farewells to Tennis.com's Liza Horan and the USTA's Randy Walker.
And now to this upcoming weekend's France-Russia Fed Cup final, where Russia has a decent chance of winning another crown, even though the tie will take place at Roland Garros. The pressure is really on the home team, which is very good with Amelie Mauresmo, Mary Pierce, Nathalie Dechy and Tatiana Golovin, but will be mentally tested playing on Philippe Chatrier. Mauresmo has never played well there, and even though Pierce has, she'll be hard-pressed to find her confidence after her dismal loss to Clijsters in the US Open final.
Russia 's Elena Dementieva can't be too thrilled either after her loss to Pierce in the US semis, but Anastasia Myskina has become the Cup's ultimate warrior and seems almost impossible to beat when competing for her nation, even if she too took a horrific loss at the Open, blowing match points against Elena Likhovtseva. We may not even see Dinara Safina and Vera Douchevina if it comes down to the doubles. Golovin may sit also.
In the first bit of great news for the competition is some time, BNP Paribas will take over as title sponsor of Fed Cup and has also agreed with the International Tennis Federation to continue their partnership as title sponsor of Davis Cup through 2011. The Fed Cup deal is also through 2011.
If you happen to be in the Northern California area on Friday and Saturday, you could do worse than attending the World TeamTennis semis and finals at Allstate Stadium at Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights (a Sacramento suburb). On Friday, Martina Hingis and Martina Navratilova will face off in the an Eastern Conference semifinal when the New York Sportimes go against Navratilova and the Boston Lobsters. In July, Hingis led the Sportimes to a 23-13 victory over Boston, including a 5-0 win over Navratilova in singles. Hingis' teammates are Jenny Hopkins, Rajeev Ram and Jeff Morrison. Navratilova's teammates are Kristen Schlukebir, Johan Landsberg, Thomas Blake and Jonathan Chu.
The Western Conference semifinal pits the Sacramento Capitals (Elena Likhovtseva, Nicole Vaidisova, Sam Warburg) against the defending WTT champions Newport Beach Breakers, who are without Maria Sharapova, but do have the rising Katerina Bondarenko, whose sister scored an upset of Alicia Molik in Bali on Thursday. The Breakers also feature Ramon Delgado, Devin Bowen and Anastassia Rodionova.
Sacramento will have to win without the services of League MVP Mark Knowles, who is staying on the East Coast with his wife, who is due to give birth to their first child this week Sacramento named doubles specialists Travis Parrott as his replacement.
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