Mornin'. This will be extra-quick, and just to make sure you have the proverbial tabula rasa for chit-chatting about the matches today. I'll be writing a Racquet Reaction post on the Li vs. Cirstea match on Chatrier. LI, the defending champion, comes into the tournament seeded no. 7. But given the terrific mood swings she's always been subject to, it must be gratifying for Li - and her fans - that she's been a reliable quarterfinalist for the past few months, and had a match point against Maria Sharapova in the final of Rome just a week ago.
Still, that proverbial crown she's wearing must feel awfully heavy on the eve of the tournament. Pete Sampras once told me that the only thing tougher than winning a major for the first time was defending the title a year later, so we'll see how Li measures up by that standard.
I'll be traveling back to New York City later tomorrow, and will have another "They said what?" post tomorrow evening sometime. Enjoy the matches. Remember, as Boris Becker once said, "It's just tennis. Nobody died out there. . ."
-- Pete