Alicia Molik was on fire late last year, her serve-and-volley skills blossoming as she grew into a more consistent, aggressive, physically tough, and mentally imposing player. Her momentum carried over into 2005. At the Australian Open, her home championships, she reached the quarterfinals, positioning herself for a potentially great run on the fast and hard surfaces this summer. Then she was laid low by puzzling ear infection that produces symptoms as incompatible with playing tennis as you can imagine. Here's an update. Let’s hope she can play at Flushing Meadows.