Can you believe Doha starts next week?! We certainly can’t. The drama of the WTA has certainly followed the US Open; it seems this tour can’t live without it. Lasting just until the SECs are to begin, the drama lived on when another bizarre instance occurred in Luxembourg this week as Caroline Wozniacki pulled out of her first-round match leading 7-5, 5-0. Her reasoning? She was injured and wanted to let her opponent (hometown girl Anne Kremer) play in the next round, which Caro didn’t think she could do physically.
Good gesture, we say. Her reward? Accusations of throwing the match. Betfair politics. Tennis gambling. And an investigation, oh my! It also clunked her record to 3-4 since her inspiring run at Flushing Meadows. Ho hum.
Another US Open inspiree, Yanina Wickmayer, has had opposite fortunes since leaving NYC. She’s 6-1 on tour and is still in action in Luxembourg. A player to watch in 2010? We think so.
A writer we’re watching this week is Bobby Chintapalli, who penned the Doha preview for Peter Bodo’s TennisWorld. Not only did the BC come up with some solid and intriguing stats for the piece, we’re jealous of the made-up nickname used for the wave of Eastern European players of the WTA Tour: Mynameis Somethingpova.
Two snaps for Bobby, whose online writing profile says, “I love tennis. I love writing. I love cupcakes.” Well put BC, well put. Hungry now? Check out NYC’s “Best Cupcake” according to the Village Voice.
And it wouldn’t be Friday without a little fun, this time in the form of a little Look-Alike action. Check the jump to see just who in tennis has a twin (or two) out there.
What would Friday be without Mirka? Nothing, that’s what it would be. And we have not just one look-alikes for Mirka, but two. Yes, because she deserves two. She’s Mirka.
The first Mirka look-alike is Maria Tabak, a Russian journalist we discovered from Erwin’s why-I-love-tennis video. You love tennis, Erwin? Well I love how much Maria looks like Mirka. It makes me feel tingly inside.
Second comes actress Jennifer Coolidge of “Legally Blonde” fame. If Maria is the I’m-just-a-Swiss-girl-next-door version of Mirka, then Jennifer is definitely the I’m-all-glammed-up-and-ready-for-the-red-carpet Mirka. Not sure you agree? Check this link.
(images via wire photo screen grabs)
tennis served fresh 
October 23, 2009 at 10:48 am |
Haha, I did read Bobby’s write up and cracked up at his Mynameis Somethingpova. Too funny.
And I never thought that Mirka and J. Coolidge looked the same, but wow.
October 23, 2009 at 4:50 pm |
I’m “the BC” you speak of, so… thanks for the props. I’m a fan of your blog, so I was (pleasantly) amused to see this post.
P.S. I’m a woman. 🙂
P.P.S. Cupcakes rock.
October 23, 2009 at 11:22 pm |
[…] tgif: doha already?! and two-faced funnies after the jump « tennis … […]
October 24, 2009 at 8:19 am |
Mirka lookalike: Actress Tifanni Thyssen.. I don’t have a photo.. she’s American,
October 24, 2009 at 9:39 am |
What Wozniacki did was “a good gesture”? Why? She did purposely throw a match, which is by definition unsportsmanlike. This is not an amateur hour, they are supposed to be professionals.
Not to mention her dad broadcast their intentions to tank, which led to a betting frenzy.
Fine them both.
October 25, 2009 at 3:02 pm |
Stifler’s mom – Oh my!