By Agence France Presse
WASHINGTON (AFP) – US star Andy Roddick will skip the Beijing Olympics in August to defend his crown at the ATP Washington Classic two weeks before the US Open. Roddick will bring star power to the only event on the men’s tennis tour that conflicts with the high-profile showdown for Olympic gold in China.
Roddick has decided to remain in the United States to better preapre for the US Open, the year’s final Grand Slam tournament that starts in New York on August 25, the day after the Olympics conclude in Beijing.
“My goal every summer is to win the US Open,” said Roddick. “I have won the Legg Mason Tennis Classic three times and feel defending my title in Washington best prepares me for another Grand Slam title.”
Sixth-ranked Roddick captured the ATP title in Dubai last weekend with victories over Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic and reigning French Open champion Rafael Nadal in the run.
Roddick defeated big-serving US wild card John Isner in last year’s Washington final.
The Olympic tournament and Washington’s event are both set to be played on the week starting Monday, August 11.
With Roddick’s absence, ninth-ranked James Blake is the top-rated American in line to play for Beijing Olympic singles gold.
Lead Story
Consistency, fatigue or something more?
It’s becoming a regular pattern, and – for now at least – a small crisis for Andy Murray and his camp: a fine tournament win followed by a weak first round loss to a journeyman.
Last week’s display in Marseille was typical of the Scot. He had some gritty, and at times awkward, wins (e.g.., over Stanislas Wawrinka and Nicolas Mahut ) and some dominant displays (Jesse Huta Galung and a recovering Mario Ancic in the final). Of course his triumph was aided by the early exits of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the disappointing Richard Gasquet, and tennis’s new darling Novak Djokovic. However, such luck is commonplace in today’s game, and Murray’s second title of the year indicated a prosperous 2008 was to come.
Fresh off his return to the top ten and surely brimming with confidence, Murray then joined Marcos Baghdatis in exiting the first round of Rotterdam. This time he lost tamely to local wildcard Robin Hasse. Murray insisted fatigue was not a factor: “I wasn’t tired physically or mentally, I felt decent,” but even after beefing up somewhat since his gangly early years, Murray still has a lot of room to improve his physical condition, which would help his stamina.
Instead, Britain’s number one used a rather tired excuse that the court and balls were different and hard to get used to. Frankly, this excuse never really holds much weight. These players are professionals and the time they get to practice on such courts should surely eradicate any issues they have with the different surfaces from week to week.
Perhaps his dismissive view of the loss coupled with his recent title win suggests that priorities lie predominantly with the more glamorous, and rewarding, trio of upcoming tournaments: “This is just one of those matches you can afford in tournaments like this…now I will have some days off before I start preparing for Dubai and the Indian Wells and Miami stretch. It still has been a good start of the year.”
The above comment shows a still-young attitude towards the game that may well change as he matures. Either way, with two tournament wins and a return to the top ten, it has indeed been a fine start to Murray’s third full year on the ATP circuit.
Davis Cup Roundup: First Round Day 2 Doubles Action, February 9
Russia vs. Serbia
The doubles was a must-win match for the Serbians to stay alive, so despite neither player being 100%, Serbia fielded its best possible team in Novak Djokovic and top doubles player Nenad Zimonjic. On the Russian side, Mikhail Youzhny replaced Marat Safin and paired up with Dmitry Tursunov. For the first two sets, the Serbians were in control of the match, but it got much tougher in the third set as the affects of their virus caught up to Djokovic and Zimonjic – after the match Zimonjic would say they were just trying to “survive” during the third set. In fact, the Russian served for that set at 6*-5, but they didn’t and the Serbians went on to win the tiebreaker, allowing their team to try to fight back on Sunday. After the match, Djokovic said he did feel somewhat better but not 100% and did not know if he would be able to come out on Sunday to play Davydenko.
Czech Republic vs Belgium
With their top two singles players, Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek , back on court today for doubles, the Czech Republic clinched its spot in the World Group Quarterfinals with a marathon 5-set win that spanned almost 4 and a half hours. In a see-saw affair, the Czechs served for the first set but ultimately lost it in a tiebreaker. It was an interesting move by the Czechs to stick with their singles players instead of Dlouhy and Vizner, two excellent doubles players on the team. Down a set and a break to the Belgians Kristof Vliegen and Olivier Rochus, the Czechs made a fine comeback, taking the second set also in a tiebreaker. The match continued this back and forth progression through the fifth set, where the Belgians let slip an early break point only to lose it 6-4 in the end, sending the Czechs through to the Quarters.
Argentina vs Great Britain
The only real news we have here is that Great Britain finally made a set close, really close! The British team of Ross Hutchins and doubles specialist Jamie Murray were able to push David Nalbandian and Jose Acasuso to a 13-11 second set tiebreaker. They even had at least one set point in that tiebreaker to give themselves their first set of the whole tie but were unable to convert. Of course then they were bageled in the third, but at least Britain made one set close… So, the Argentines breeze through to the quarterfinals
Israel vs Sweden
Coming off their historical first Grand Slam title, it was up to Israelis Erlich and Ram to give Israel an all-important advantage going into Sunday’s singles tie, and they did not disappoint their home crowd. Starting off well and getting out to an early 3-0 lead, the Israelis were in control from the start. Excellent doubles in their own right, Sweden’s Aspelin and Lindstedt were able to keep the match close despite the straight-sets score. So Israel will head into tomorrow’s reverse singles with a 2-1 advantage and two very interesting matches on Sunday with Sela facing Thomas Johansson first up.
Germany vs Korea
Not a whole lot to say here as Korea interestingly did not play its top player Hyung-Taik Lee and instead played two relative unknowns in Jun and An. The German pairing of Philipps – Kohlschreiber and Petzschner – easily dispatched the Korean team, giving the Germans a 2-1 lead going into tomorrow. The first reverse singles match will pit Kohlschreiber against Lee, which should be an interesting encounter.
Peru vs Spain
After pulling out of yesterday’s opening singles match with an injury, Peru’s only notable player, Luis Horna, managed to suit up for the doubles. Playing with Ivan Miranda, however, the team was still outclassed by a stronger Spanish team – Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez – two singles players who still have excellent doubles prowess. Although the match was a straight-setter for the Spaniards, the third set was tight and went to a tiebreaker, which the Spaniards ultimately won. With the win, Spain wrapped up its victory and sails through to the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Peru can still be satisfied that it got to play in the World Group at all in the first place, and it now will look to a World Group Playoff match in September, where it will have to play for the right to be in the World Group next year.
Romania vs France
Hoping to keep themselves alive and also hoping to repeat their surprise upset of the same French team – Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra – in the same round in Davis Cup play, Mergea and Tecau started slowly, losing serve in the opening game and blowing a 30-0 lead at 4*-5 in the second to lose the first two sets. but fought bravely to come back and win the next two to send the match to a deciding fifth set. In the third set, the Romanians were able to save some crucial break points to force a tiebreaker. And at 5all in the tiebreaker, Llodra, who was the better player of the two throughout the match, gave his partner the chances to end the match on his serve but he missed a volley and allowed the Romanians back into it. Looking like they had all the momentum, the R0manians had a chance to break early in the fifth but were unable to convert and from then on the French eased to victory and to a 3-0 sweep to the Quarterfinals where they will play away in the US.
Austria vs USA
And to the bottom of the draw, which actually provided the first team to move through to the quarterfinals after the Bryan twins put on a dazzling display of doubles tennis to easily win what was, on paper, a difficult matchup for them, to sen the US team to the quarterfinals. Getting off to a flawless start, the Bryans took the opening set 6-1 behind some incredible volleying and returning. As the match wore on, it became more and more apparent that Melzer was still feeling the effects of his marathon against Roddick yesterday; the Bryans noticed this and started targeting him more and more to the point where, by the end of the second set, he could barely make a volley. After the match, the Austrians fully admitted they were simply beaten by two guys playing amazing tennis. And so, what more is there to say?
So, like they have done so many other times, the Bryans wrapped up their match easily in the third set and assured the defending champion Americans a place in the Quarterfinals, which will be held at home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The fact that the US wrapped up the tie today brings extra good news. Word from fans at the tie is that Roddick tweaked his knee at least once on the holey clay surface yesterday and that he was limping today on the sidelines; apparently, Blake was experiencing some back trouble as well. Luckily with the tie wrapped up, both of the Bryans can come out and play in their place tomorrow for the best-of-three set dead rubbers. And of course, hopefully Roddick and Blake aren’t hurt too badly.
Davis Cup First Round Preview
This weekend, the 2008 Davis Cup competition will get underway with the first round for both the World Group and Zonal Ties. We’ll look in-depth at the World Group matches in the order of the draw from top to bottom and summarize the Zonal play. All of the pictures are from today’s team press conferences.
Russia vs. Serbia (at Russia) (2-1 Russia)
At the top of the draw lies the most interesting tie of the first round. What may look on paper to be “Djokovic vs. the Russians” might actually be a little more complicated. Serbia’s second singles player, Janko Tipsarevic, just got himself a lot of attention for almost beating Roger Federer at the Australian Open, and Nenad Zimonjic is a top doubles player who will be coming off a Mixed Doubles win Down Under. The biggest question of this tie is, of course, how Russia’s crafty captain Shamil Tarpischev will make the decision between his deep and talented group of players. While the most likely Day 1 matches are Davydenko against Tipsarevic and Youzhny against Djokovic, with Tarpischev no one really knows until the players show up on court. After missing the 2007 Final against the USA, always unpredictable Marat Safin is back on the team. Selfishly, we’d love to see a Safin/Djokovic match for the sheer entertainment value.
The doubles match could be pivotal to this tie. It’s likely Djokovic will suit up with Zimonjic for Serbia, which would make for a formidable Serbian team. Russia’s best pairing is probably Safin and Tursunov, who won a title together at the end of last season. Youzhny is also a decent doubles player, but we think putting Safin and Tursunov out there would be a better strategy. At this point, we think this tie is too close to call.
Czech Republic vs. Belgium (at Czech Republic) (6-3 Czech Republic)
With Berdych and Stepanek at home on their preferred indoor carpet surface, combined with two top 15 doubles players in Vizner and Dlouhy, it’s hard to see anything but a pretty comfortable victory for the Czech Republic. Of course, it’s Davis Cup and anything is possible. Vliegen, who made it to a Challenger final in Poland this week, is capable of big wins and Stepanek can be inconsistent, so if Vliegen can have a good day on Friday and keep the tie close, anything is possible. But it’s still hard to see Belgium doing too well in this tie.
Argentina vs. Great Britain (at Argentina) (2-1 Argentina)
Poor Great Britain. They have to go to Buenos Aires on the red clay and they have to try to do it without their top player, Andy Murray, who’s out due to injury. What can we really say about this tie, except that it’s hard to see the Brits even win sets, let alone matches, even though Argentina has lost Juan Monaco due to a severe ankle injury; he will be replaced by Sebastien Prieto and will probably play doubles.
Israel vs. Sweden (at Israel) (teams have never played)
This tie has a nice storyline just for the sheer fact that Israel is even in the World Group at all after their titanic win in last September’s World Group Playoffs. Fresh off their first Grand Slam title together, Erlich and Ram should take the doubles, but face formidable competition in Bjorkman and Aspelin, both top 20 doubles players. The singles matches are a little more difficult to predict. While small in size but big in heart, Dudi Sela was the hero of that World Group Playoff, beating both Nicolas Massu and Fernando Gonzalez in marathon 5-set matches.
Of course, one can never discount the Swedish players, who have a wonderful team camaraderie and often play their best tennis when playing Davis Cup for their country. Thomas Johansson played some of his best tennis of 2007 in Davis Cup matches, and a wild card in the tie could be the form of veteran Jonas Bjorkman, who will play his first matches of the year in this Davis Cup tie. This one will be one of the more interesting ties to watch.
Germany vs. Korea (at Germany) (teams have never played)
The fact that this tie is being played on indoor clay makes this one pretty easy to predict. While a Kohlschreiber/Lee match on Sunday would be interesting, it’s very likely to be inconsequential as it’s hard to see Korea gaining a point in any of the first three matches.
Peru vs. Spain (at Peru) (teams have never played)
This tie just got a whole lot more interesting with the news that Spain’s #1 player David Ferrer has withdrawn from the tie due to a leg injury. Spain still boasts a team of solid players, however none of the Spanish players have been in very good form lately and Ferrer’s replacement Lopez is not particularly good on clay. Peru has a very tough player in Luis Horna, so Spain will look to Robredo and Almagro, two good clay-courters, to save the tie for Spain.
Of course, we can’t forget the fact that this tie is important for the sole fact that it is Peru’s first time in the World Group – an important and noteworthy feat in and of itself!
Romania vs. France (at Romania) (7-1 France)
With the rise of Tsonga and Gasquet and the solid doubles pairing (and both competent singles players) of Clement and Llodra, this one seems pretty cut and dried, even though it is in Romania. Add that to the fact that it is being played on indoor hard, and this seems like it should be a pretty easy French victory. However, the Romanian team of Tecau and Mergea did defeat Llodra and Clement last year in the first round, and while Pavel’s getting up there in age at 34 years old, he is still capable of playing solid tennis. Additionally, this is the first tie where Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will take part. It remains to be seen how he will handle the different pressure that exists in Davis Cup play.
Austria vs. USA (at Austria) (2-0 USA)
For the ninth time in a row – a USA Davis Cup record – the defending champions will boast the same team, with two top 10 singles players and the #1 doubles team, the US team remains a veritable “dream team.” Of course, the US team always struggles on away ties on clay, and this tie should be no different. Add this to the fact that Roddick is coming off a disappointing and poorly-played Australian Open and that even the Bryan twins have had a disappointing start to the year having lost some close matches, and this tie is much more complicated than it might look on paper. Koubek had an excellent Australian Open and Knowle and Melzer are a solid doubles team with Knowle ranked in the top 10; he was part of the team that beat the Bryans in last year’s US Open before Knowle and his partner Aspelin went on to win that titlemelzer.
Though Blake has had some big mental breakthrough matches in the last few months, his mentality is still questionable on clay, and if Roddick continues his behind-the-baseline movement-dependent play on clay, an aggressive player like Melzer might be able to take advantage of that. In the end, we think the Bryans will rise to the occasion as they so often do in Davis Cup play and Blake and Roddick should both be able to eke out a win each and send the defending champs to the quarterfinals.
Zonal Ties
We can’t ignore the Zonal ties, where there are a few important stories. Namely, in Group I ties, Switzerland, playing without #1 Roger Federer, has been relegated to Zonal play. Perhaps even more surprisingly, so is Australia, who will travel to Taiwan with its #1 and Davis Cup stalwart Lleyton Hewitt to try to get back into the World Group.
Stay tuned for coverage from Thursday’s draw ceremonies around the globe and the matches when they begin!
Guga Announces His Farewell Tour
Written by Diana Gabanyi
Three time French Open champion, Gustavo Kuerten announced this Tuesday, in a packed press conference, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, that he will go on a farewell tour in 2008, finishing his successful career in Paris, at his beloved tournament, Roland Garros.
Ranked number one in the ATP list for 43 weeks, having won of 20 titles, including his three French Opens and a Masters Cup and 8 doubles titles, the Brazilian tennis idol, decided he can no longer fight against his troubled hip.
Photo by Joao Pires
Guga first underwent arthroscopic surgery in his right hip, in Februray 2002. He was able to recover, still be competitive and win titles, but after the second arthroscopic surgery, in September 2004, even with the greatest efforts, he could never find the stability in his right leg again.
For almost three years Guga tried everything he could to come back on top form to the tour, but not being able, he decided to say good bye to his fans, in his favorite tournaments and to finish his career in the tournament that changed his life forever, almost 11 years ago.
It was 1997 when ranked 66th in the world, little known Gustavo Kuerten arrived in Paris, wearing a yellow and blue t-shirt from Diadora, with whom he recently reunited, to take the world by storm. WIthouth never having won an ATP title, Guga defeated three ex-French Open champions – Muster, Kafelnikov and Bruguera – to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires.
His victory made him an instant idol in Brazil and a world wide tennis star. His first victory in Paris was followed by 19 other titles, including two more in Roland Garros, in 2000 and 2001 and the Masters Cup, in the year 2000, in Lisbon. The victory in Portugal, after having beaten Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi in two consecutive days (he is the only player to have done so), led him to the top of the world rankings. Guga became the first South American player to finish the year as the number one player in the world.
For his farewell tour, Guga intends to play at the Brasil Open, the only ATP event played in the country and where he won the title twice, in 2002 and 20004; the Sony Ericsson Open, in Miami, where he played one of the most exciting matches of his career, losing a tough battle to Pete Sampras in the final, in the year 2000; the Santa Catarina Challenger, an event that will be played in his hometown, so he can say good bye from the courts to his native people; the Monte Carlo Masters Series, where he is a two time winner (1999 and 2001), and either the Masters Series in Rome, or in Hamburg. He lifted the trophy in Italy in 1999 and was a runner-up there in 2000 and 2001 and he was a winner in Germany, in the year 2000. This will all lead him to his second home, Paris, so he can say his final good bye.
While he practices hard, with long time coach Larri Passos, in Santa Catarina, Guga is already looking into his future without the commitments of a professional player. He is looking forward into dedicating time to this Institute, Instituto Guga Kuerten, helping develop Brazilian Tennis and also spending a lot of time on the surfboard.
GUGA – QUOTES
“This is a very special moment and I want to tell that I have been planning on going on a farewell tour this year. For the past three years I have been trying to get back to the top level, to get back my top physical form, but I wasn’t able, the physical limitations made me quit. I had expectations and mentally it became very difficult, so now I decided to enjoy my favorite tournaments for the last time, get the happiness back of being on a tennis court, find some inspiration in this last tournaments – different from the past – have a chance to see the people, be with the fans, and say good bye like I always imagined, not disappearing from one day to another. If physically I was 100% I would love to play for some more years. But in tennis you can’t think and live with ifs, so I chose the most special tournaments for me and Roland Garros will be my last tournament. I am also trying to get a wild card to play in the Olympics, in China, but from the official tour, Roland Garros will be my last event.”
“I had been thinking about this in the past three months. The end of the year comes, you start thinking about the next season, I talked a lot with Larri Passos and my family and we were able to make this decision and prepare something very special for the end of my career. I remember when I was just starting to play the tour, I think it was in 1996, Edberg was leaving and he had a farewell similar to what I want to do, saying good bye to his favorite tournaments and also being very professional.”
“As a player, I felt I reached my best moment when I won the Masters Cup in Lisbon. In that tournament I achieved so much, it was very special, being in Portugal, speaking Portuguese, having all my family there, beating Sampras and Agassi, winning the event and reaching the number one ranking. And also, the most incredible experience I had on a tennis court was that match with Michael Russell, in Paris, in 2001, when I had to save match point. It was the strongest feeling, emotions, I had on court as a player.”
“Probably the biggest compliments I ever got from the players were from Agassi, when I won the Masters Cup, in Lisbon and he told me to enjoy that moment (I really did), and from Kafelnikov, after I beat him the third time in Roland Garros and he said I played like an artist, with traces like Picasso.”
“I look back at my career and I realize how happy I have always been playing tennis. Even long hours of practise have never been a burden for me. I enjoyed it and now I feel the responsibility to giving it back, to showing to everyone the happiness I had when I was on the court. I think I inspired a lot of people showing I had pleasure in what I was doing.”
Guga intends to play the following tournaments:
11/02 – Brasil Open / Costa do Sauípe (ATP) –
24/03 – Sony Ericsson Open / Miami (Masters Series ) –
14/04 – Aberto de Santa Catarina / Florianópolis (Challenger)
21/04 – Masters Series Monte Carlo –
05/05 – Campionati BNL d’Italia (Masters Series)
OR
12/05 – Masters Series Hamburgo –
26/05 – Roland Garros (Paris) –
Men's Australian Open Preview
It’s hard to believe but the first Grand Slam of the year is already upon us. It wasn’t that long ago that everyone’s favourite Terracotta Warriors were battling it out in Shanghai to close out the 2007 ATP season. That tournament ended with Roger Federer putting an exlamation mark on his fantasic campaign, with a straight sets victory over David Ferrer. Federer is undoubtedly the favourite heading into Melbourne, although he has yet to test himself in battle this season due to flu-like symptoms. If the defending champ is not feeling his best, there may be an opening for someone else to come up big. Let’s look at some names to watchout for.
Top Half:
In the top half of the draw there are plenty of big hard court players lurking. Federer’s path to the semi’s seems rather clear, but there are some other interesting potential matchups. James Blake and Ivan Ljubicic could clash in round three with the winner prehaps moving on to face Fernando Gonzalez. Gonzo started 2007 off on fire in Australia, but the rest of the season he did not look like the same player and finished with a whimper. He could be tested early by Aussie Chris Guccione in round two. Further down in the top half of the draw we have an enticing third round battle between Dmirtry Tursunov and Novak Djokovic as a possibility. The winner likely to face either Hewitt or Safin. Also in this section is David Nalbandian and David Ferrer. Which Nalbandian are we likely to see in action at this stage of the season? He finished 2007 as the hottest player on tour, but was barely noticeable for the first eight months of the year.
Bottom Half:
Not as many early round matchups of note in this section of the draw. It looks like Andy Murray should be able to move through his first few rounds to reach the quarterfinals. Tsonga may give him a tough set in the opening round however. Either Russian Mikhail Youzhny or Nikolay Davydenko should likely meet Murray in the quarters. One player I expect a very strong tourney from is American Andy Roddick. He started very well in the Kooyong Classic last week, and doesn’t appear to have any true opposition en route to the quarters. Rafa Nadal should be his potential opponent at that stage, as he also has gained an easy draw.
First Round Matches of Note:
Isner/Santoro: One of the hardest servers in the game in Isner should contrast greatly with Santoro’s spins and drop shots.
Tursunov/Malisse: Two solid players meeting up in early round action. A five setter would not be a surprise.
Johansson/Baghdatis: Upset written all over this matchup. The experienced Swede could prove to be too much for Baghdatis.
Nieminen/Dancevic: Gotta give props to my fellow Canadian Frank Dancevic here. Nieminen holds the advantage 4-0 in career meetings, but I like Frank’s chances in a best of five hardcourt matchup.
Sleepers: Lookout for any of the following players to make an impact.
– Chris Guccione: local boy is fresh off the finals in Sydney
– Marat Safin: first round defeat as likely as a return to the finals
– Nicolas Kiefer: if healthy, a trip to the quarters would be no surprise
Final Eight:
Federer vs Blake
Djokovic vs Nalbandian
Murray vs Davydenko
Roddick vs Nadal
Final: Federer d Murray
An ATP Second Week 2008 Recap
Here’s a quick recap of the second week on tour. It’s hard to believe that after just a couple of short weeks we are already on the brink of the year’s first Grand Slam!
Sydney:
Sydney was the recipient of the strongest field out of the two official ATP tournaments this past week and yet somehow none of the major names advanced very far. James Blake was beaten for the first time by Fabrice Santoro (aka The Magician) in the first round and Lleyton Hewitt went down to fellow Aussie Chris Guccione in round two.
Guccione, whose career record now stands at 25-31, made quite a run on home soil before falling in two close sets to Russian Dmitry Tursunov. Guccione seems to save his best for tournaments in his native Australia. It was only a year ago that he managed to make the finals in Adelaide. This week he knocked off some major names in Hewitt, Berdych and Stepanek.
Tursunov recorded some impressive victories this week himself, and after defeating Gasquet, Grosjean, and Santoro in consecutive matches, will likely not be receiving an invitation to France anytime soon. The Russian is heading into the Aussie Open with a full head of steam.
Auckland:
Not as many big names in attendance for this tournament, and the final of Kohlschreiber vs Ferrero is not likely one we’ll see repeated in two weeks time. Both of these players will be happy to take the points home with them, but I don’t see either one being a force on the bigger stage of Melbourne. A good week for Kohlschreiber as he takes his second career title, and first one on hard courts. I enjoyed the picture of both finalists holding mini-kegs from tournament sponsor Heineken! The only surprise in this tournament was David Ferrer falling to Julien Benneteau in the third round.
Kooyong Classic:
While not an official ATP tournament, the Kooyong Classic is an annual exhibition that occurs just before the Aussie Open. It typically has a strong field of eight players participating, and this year was no exception. Andy Roddick, Marcos Baghdatis, Ivan Ljubicic, Andy Murray, and Marat Safin were all involved in the 2008 edition. Roddick won the event for the third time in a row and did not drop a set all week. Of note was Fernando Gonzalez losing both of his final two matches handily to Baghdatis and Safin. Which Gonzo will we see in Melbourne this year? For more info on the Kooyong Classic, see the tournament website (http://www.kooyong.com.au/)
And now on to the Aussie Open!