Let’s get a few unpleasant facts out of the way about the inaugural Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha: The stadium is brutal, the stands are quiet, and the stars of last year’s event, Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova, are nowhere to be found. OK, now we can find a few reasons to enjoy the women’s season-ender, right? If nothing else, a wide-open year will be capped by a wide-open, high-powered round-robin event, and we’ll get to see our new No. 1, Jelena Jankovic, try to prove to the Williams sisters that she really does belong at the top of the hill.
Jankovic will have to do it against a strong field; only world No. 6 Sharapova is missing, and she's been replaced by the so far surprisingly impressive Vera Zvonareva. A packed draw might be expected when the prize money exceeds $4 million dollars, but that hasn’t always been the case. In her 10-plus years on tour, this is just the third time that Venus Williams has played the year-end championships; it’s just the fifth appearance for her sister Serena. Their presence is a big help. And while this tournament is starting slowly—Ivanovic was way off against Jankovic today—so did the editions that were held in Madrid the last three years. Each of those gained momentum through the week and closed with some memorable tennis—Henin versus Sharapova was the best match of 2008, and the semi between Kim Clijsters and Amelie Mauresmo was one of the best of ’06. (Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten that already!)
OK, I may be stretching for excitement with that last one. No more hype, the time is past to begin breaking down the draw and finishing up 2008.
White Group
As always in these things, eight players have been divided into two groups—White, and the very fancy Maroon. White got started today when Vera Zvonareva beat Svetlana Kuznetsova and Jelena Jankovic beat Ivanovic, both in fairly uninspired straight-setters. I was surprised by the Zvonareva result, but maybe I shouldn't have been.
My colleague James Martin wrote a column for ESPN.com yesterday where he revealed, to me at least, that the volatile Russian had compiled a 61-21 record for the year. When did that happen? I confess that I can’t recall watching Zvonareva play once this year. This morning when I turned on the Tennis Channel, I found myself asking, “Who is that?” as one of the women put a sweet swing on a down-the-line forehand winner. It was Zvonareva, of course, who beat up her higher-ranked countrywoman Kuznetsova. Zvonerava, once famous for beating herself up with her racquet, has put in the miles this year and had some surprising successes: a final at the first Doha stop, the bronze in Beijing, and a late-season surge that ended with three straight losses to Jankovic, but earned her the last spot here.
She’ll face her nemesis again in the White Group, and probably lose again, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Zvonareva make the semis. And I wouldn’t be unhappy either—it would be nice to add her forceful, athletic game—as well as her emotional unpredictability—to the mix at the top. To advance, she’ll likely have to beat Ivanovic, who was out of sorts and briefly ill Tuesday. (Lovesick perhaps? One of the few spectators was her reported boyfriend, Fernando Verdasco.) Whatever it was, Ana couldn’t find the range when she tried to attack, and seemed surprised when Jankovic began to take it to her in the second set.
Speaking of Jankovic, hers may be the most intriguing story in Doha. While she already has the No. 1 ranking tucked away in her oversized purse, there are new expectations to live up to. How much will she want to prove that she belongs at the top, not the Williams sisters? Living with No. 1 has not been easy for either Sharapova or Ivanovic; let’s see how Jankovic reacts. Based on her all-business attitude today, I think she might like it up there.
Semifinalists: Jankovic, Zvonareva
Maroon Group
The story here, obviously, is that the Williams sisters will have to play a round-robin match. They split their Wimbledon and U.S. Open face-offs, so this will be the tiebreaker. Venus was focused and positive when it counted in straight-setting Dinara Safina today—no matter how much these other women improve, it’s still tough for them against the Williamses, isn’t it? Against everyone else, Safina seems to be hitting big from the ground, but Venus just gobbled up that stuff and sent the ball back deeper, wider, and closer to the lines. The Russian may get the same treatment when she plays Serena tomorrow. It could be a quick week for both Safina and her countrywoman Elena Dementieva, who has to face Venus on Wednesday. By the time the sisters play each other, could they both have clinched semifinal spots? I’m not sure if that’s possible, but it would certainly motivate them to get their wins in early.
Semifinalists: Venus Williams, Serena Williams
Semifinals: Venus Williams, Jankovic advance
Final: Venus Williams d. Jankovic