First Serve: January 11-17

Published Jan 17, 2010

Reading between the lines: TENNIS.com's Monday morning quarterback, Ed McGrogan, recaps last week's pro tennis action—and offers his reaction.

Last Week's Tournaments

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Sydney, Australia(WTA, Hard)	Final: Elena Dementieva def. Serena Williams 6-3, 6-2Semifinal 1: Serena Williams def. Aravane RezaiSemifinal 2: Elena Dementieva def. Victoria AzarenkaBrackets: Singles \| Doubles
Sydney, Australia(ATP, Hard)	Final: Marcos Baghdatis def. Richard Gasquet 6-4, 7-6 (2)Semifinal 1: Richard Gasquet def. Julien BenneteauSemifinal 2: Marcos Baghdatis def. Mardy FishBrackets: Singles \| Doubles
Hobart, Australia(WTA, Hard)	Final: Alona Bondarenko def. Shahar Peer 6-2, 6-4Semifinal 1: Alona Bondarenko def. Anabel Medina GarriguesSemifinal 2: Shahar Peer def. Sara ErraniBrackets: Singles \| Doubles
Auckland, New Zealand(ATP, Hard)	Final: John Isner def. Arnaud Clement 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (2)Semifinal 1: John Isner def. Albert MontanesSemifinal 2: Arnaud Clement def. Philipp KohlschreiberBrackets: Singles \| Doubles

!Richard Gasquet

Gasquet reached his first final since 2008 last week in Sydney. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)The Fortnight Before the Fortnight
**A week after Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Nikolay Davydenko plied their trades in Doha, nine of the world's Top 10 women descended on Sydney for the WTA's ultimate Australian Open tune-up. The great abundance of talent led to Dinara Safina and Agnieszka Radwanska, two Top 10 players, colliding in the second round. Along with the Auckland, Chennai and Hobart events—less prestigious, but each with its own charms—these tournaments tend to be forgotten as the 11-month season moves along. But the sport’s version of “opening day” might be one of the most enjoyable runs of tennis throughout the year.

Half Full, or Half Empty?
You can look at Richard Gasquet’s play at the Sydney International in one of two ways: A strong signal that he’s back to challenge for titles, or further evidence that he’s mentally soft in the clutch. The Frenchman mowed through the first four rounds of the draw—he didn’t lose a set—to reach the final, where he met Marcos Baghdatis. The Cypriot won the opening set, 6-4, but Gasquet took a 5-2 lead in the second and seemed primed to take the match the distance. It didn’t happen: Gasquet lost the set in a tiebreaker, giving Baghdatis the victory. In the court of tennis opinion, the jury’s still out on Richard.

Golden Girl
Serena Williams narrowly avoided a significant upset in Sydney when she came back from a set and 5-2 down to beat Aravane Rezai in the semifinals. Rezai, a player of Iranian and French descent, has been on an upward trajectory of late: She won last November’s season-ending Bali event, then knocked off Anna-Lena Groenefeld, Agnes Szavay and Flavia Pennetta last week before succumbing to Serena. Afterwards, Rezai offered a comment that, like her attire, was gold: “For me, she was not too impressive…Today I lost. Probably next time I will win.”

This Week's Tournaments

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Australian Open: Melbourne, Australia (ATP, Hard)	Brackets: Singles \| Doubles
Australian Open: Melbourne, Australia (WTA, Hard)	Brackets: Singles \| Doubles

Ed McGrogan is an assistant editor for TENNIS.com.

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