Second Week of French Open

So this is the second week of French Open. New faces, some comeback, some upsets, some exciting games. Roger Federer almost lost to Haas in the round of 16. But the true marks of a champion shined through - with two sets down, he won the next three sets.

Nadal's Loss is Gain for Federer

It saddens me to learn about Rafael Nadal's loss. It was not aired on ESPN as it happened on a Sunday. The thing is, Nadal is supposed to win the French Open -- he is the best clay court player ever and the only one in the way of Federer winning a French Open. This opens up the opportunity for Federer to have a career grand slam and if he did, then this is the way fate has made a way for him to do so. After all, Federer is the greatest tennis player who ever lived.

Sharapova's Outfit

Now, I would like to comment on Maria Sharapova who is making a comeback after ten months of therapy for her shoulder. She looks really nice. She is on her quarterfinals after hard won victories over the first four matches.

Sharapova's outfit is the best outfit I've seen in the French Open. She does not have to bother with it, not pulling on it, or putting back it back in place after some intense court action. It just falls naturally and moves with her. The style is like a dress and perfectly cut and fitted; it also does not show too much skin. Sharapova is used to tucking a ball underneath and even the ball does not bulge on her hips. Sweat don't show as well. I would say Nike has engineered a very efficient and classy outfit for Sharapova.

Dinara Safina

Last year, I watched Dinara Safina beat Maria Sharapova in three sets in the round of 16. I would say that on that day, I became Dinara Safina's fan. I wrote a few posts about her in this blog the past year. Well, she is the No. 1 female tennis player today (has been for five weeks) and I could not be more proud of her. As I wrote here earlier, she would be No. 1 and she did. I hope this French Open would be her first grand slam victory (she lost in the 2008 finals against Ana Ivanovic).

Australian Open: Who's the next champion?

Today marks the second week of Australian Open and each day, the excitement is growing. Who would be this year's Australian Open champions?

I don't have a favorite on the men's side but on the women's side, my favorite is Dinara Safina. On this tournament, Safina has changed the way her last name is pronounced, stressing on the sa rather than the fi.

I watched the round of 16 between Safina and Cornet. Safina saved two match points in the third set and worked her way from 3-5 to 7-5 to win the match. Now that's what I call a class act. That's what makes Safina above her counterparts, her abiity to even out a game from a losing perspective and finally win it.

Looking at the roster of the quarterfinal winners, I also like Marion Bartoli and Elena Dementiva. But as I said, I will be going for Dinara Safina. I think this competition is Safina's break, her chance at a grand slam.

Safina's Two-time Win

She's really unstoppable. She won the Rogers Cup yesterday - August 3, 2008. And now, Dinara Safina is World's No.7. It was two weeks in a row, back to back, after her big win ast week. If she wins the U.S. Open, she would receive $2.5 million as prize money.

But Dinara said, she is not all about the money. She said she loves playing tennis and she wants to just play it match by match and be quiet. Her strategy has so far led her to three titles -- Berlin, Los Angeles, and Montreal.

Well Done, Dinara

Dinara Safina won the East West Bank Classic Championship held at Los Angeles yesterday. She ranks No. 8 in the world and with her consistent performance, is predicted to top the WTA in the coming months.

But Dinara chooses not to dwell on the rankings and just play it -- competition by competition. Her performance is really stellar. She was at the finals of the Fench Open this year, on a clay court. And she had played well at Wimbledon, on grass court, too, reaching the third round (which was better than the World No. 3 and World No. 1 at that time). And now, in the US Open Series, which is a hard court, she really has done well.

French Open

This weekend is the championship for the women and men's tennis in the French Open. I'm excited to watch who would win. And of course, I have my favorites.

On the women side, it is Dinara Safina. She just became my new hero when I watched her play with the No. 1 seed in the world, Maria Sharapova. Too bad, by Monday, she is no longer the No. 1 because Ana Ivanovic would be the No. 1. But of course, the placement or the ranking kind of messed up when the real No. 1, Justine Henin retired two weeks before the French Open.

Watching Safina play, I saw the blood in her eyes. She just fought until the end and her spirits did not crumble despite a match point service. She did it again with Dementieva in the quaterfinals. I believe she could win the French Open. It is not a question of ability or talent, but of willpower. And I believe she got it ten times more than Ivanovic.

On the men side, I'm for the No. 2 seed, Rafael Nadal. The undefeated champion and the best tennis player in the clay surface. He is seeking to win his fourth French Open Championship. But of course, it may be Roger Federer -- the No. 1 seed who is still short of a French Open for a career grand slam.

It would be nice watching tennis history on Sunday.