jnp’s aussie open thoughts: the williams sisters aren’t at 100%, davenport won’t go far, and paszek gets screwed

As you may already know, I leave the bracketology to the experts. So now that the Australian Open draws have been announced (see them here), I asked JNP to weigh in. Here’s what he wrote back:

“I filled out my womens bracket last night here’s what I ended up with:

Henin beats Sharapova in the quarters and Vaidisova in the semis, and she’ll face Kuznetsova in the finals…

Sveta will get there by beating Chakvetadze in the quarters and Ivanovic in the semis (so I picked the favorites for the most part, but I would not be suprised if some newcomer goes deep)…

I’m doubting the Williams sisters are 100%…

Paszek got f***ed over in the draw; she has to face Jankovic in the first round…

The most interesting match on paper is Sharapova vs. Davenport in the second round. I don’t see Davenport going far, not when she has to play Sharapova that early…

Lastly, I think Radwanska, Wheeler, and all the qualifiers have a real shot to upset some of the top players.

Oh, and I like Federer‘s chances.

—

YOUR predictions: Who do you think is ripe for success Down Under? Who’s ready to get upset? Which match-ups are you looking forward to? Tell us!

short balls: darren rovell’s clothing sponsor rankings, finding the right shoe, magazine coverage, and a new (off-topic)

Cinderella still without shoe: Lady Hooligan Kat continues her quest for the perfect tennis shoe. Now off her list is Venus‘ EleVen line.

ALT looks ahead: It’s only January, but Vogue‘s Andre Leon Talley is already preparing to strut under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium. His New Year’s resolution is “to order custom Charvet pique tennis shorts and silk kneesocks the color of clotted cream and Manolo Blahnik white suede brogues, for spectator sports at the U.S. Open.” (via Glossed Over)

Anna and Roger… again: And the latest issue New York Look revisits Anna Wintour‘s obsession with Roger Federer. NYL is a hardcore fashion bible published twice year by New York Media (New York). (MediaPost)

Speaking of magazines… The bad reputation of Men’s Vogue has now bubbled to the surface. “They are notorious for promising the same cover to two or three different people… They double-shoot and they lie.” (NYDN)

It’s cursed! The curse of Maria Sharapova‘s 2007 U.S. Open day dress continues. This time, it claimed the win-loss record of Estonian Kaia Kanepi, who lost to Justine Henin in the Medibank Sydney International. And what is up with that visor? Too much faux New York skyline going on with this outfit. (DTL)

Geeking out: Darren Rovell does a fun “Clothing Sponsor” and “Racket Sponsor” rankings list over at his blog. And by the way, he writes about Ana Ivanovic switching over to a Yonex.

Knight in shining armor: Bank of America has announced that it will buy the once rogue (and now floundering) mortgage lender Countrywide Financial for $4 billion in stock. I hope this means that Countrywide’s ATP tour stop — the Countrwide Classic in Los Angeles — will stay named as such. If it changes to something else, I will never refer to it as anything but the Los Angeles Open, sponsorship be damned! (NYT)

(off-topic): New bits in TSF’s (off-topic). Check it out.

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>> TSF’s short balls archive

gasquet’s lacoste training tee

The yellow-orange Lacoste polo we normally see on Arnaud Clement (here, here) appeared on Richard Gasquet at the Medibank Sydney International earier this week. He also wore a cute crocodile graphic tee during a training session.

Scoreline: The Frenchman lost to scruffy Dmitry Tursunov in the second round 6-3, 3-6, 4-6. Tursunov will be playing in the finals against Chris Guccione. Perhaps the Australian got fired up by John Newcombe, who said that Gooch wasn’t playing to his potential?

(photos by Getty Images and the tourney gallery)