With all the teeth grinding that women's tennis fans have gone through because of the absence of some notable players at the U.S. Open, Labor Day Weekend is shaping up to be a bang-up affair, as most of the tour's stars who entered the draw have survived and will likely be clashing.
On Sunday, defending champion Kim Clijsters and former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic will face in the fourth round, about as an intriguing a contest as the tour could ask for under any circumstances.
Two-time Slam finalist Elena Dementieva continues her quest for an elusive Slam final when she faces French Open finalist Samantha Stosur of Australia. The stylish reigning French Open champ Francesca Schiavone seems to have her groove back and will play the rising Russian teenager Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Venus Williams, who has been shaky but preening in her nearly see-through dress that is splashed with glitter, will go up against the hard-nosed Israeli Shahar Peer.
And maybe, just maybe, if they both get through their third-round matches, three-time Grand Slam event champion Maria Sharapova will confront new tour darling and top seed Caroline Wozniacki on Monday.
The matchup between Clijsters and Ivanovic features a beloved comeback mother against a wildly popular comeback cover girl. Clijsters, 27, who lives part time in nearby New Jersey with her American husband and daughter, has always been one of the tour's most talkative players and is very well-liked in the locker room. Ivanovic, who hails from Serbia but is about as international as a person can get, shares much the same reputation, as it's hard to find a player or person in tennis who has a negative word to say about her.
On court, though, both former No.1s put niceties aside. Ivanovic is trying to prove her brief stint at No. 1 wasn't a fluke, and two-time Slam champion Clijsters wants to show, regardless of who entered the draw or who couldn't play because they were hurt — and that means you, Serena Williams and Justine Henin — she should have been the favorite anyway.
Recall that last year, that even though Williams lost her mind and imploded against a linewoman in the semifinals, she actually lost the match because she was having her head handed to her by Clijsters. On Friday, the Belgian grew a bit testy when asked whether she regretted not having chance to match up with Williams again. She should have been given her proper respect, especially after she destroyed Wimbledon semifinalist Petra Kvitova, 6-3, 6-0.
“My tournaments are not based on what Serena does,” said Clijsters, who also beat Venus last year, as well as Wozniacki. “Try to focus on what I have to do best, and that's trying to play good tennis and trying to see how far I can go. Whether she's here or not, my attitude is always the same. Obviously, to have an American missing at an American Grand Slam and one of their best players to ever have, it's obviously disappointing. But my attitude is the same now as if she would have been here.”
As it should be, and now Clijsters, who hit a very high level against Kvitova, can focus on Ivanovic, a woman she calls a close friend and who has been through emotional tests. After a standout 13-month stretch between May 2007 and June 2008, when she won five titles, grabbed her first Slam at the 2008 French Open, reached two other major finals and snared the No. 1 ranking, Ivanovic began to fall through the floor. Although she has played well in spurts, it wasn't until a few weeks ago in Cincinnati where it was clear she had really righted her rapidly sinking ship.
There were no more midmatch panics or crazy turns of strategy or fear of not knowing how to close anymore. Ivanovic dusted Stanford champion Victoria Azarenka there, and though she was forced to retire in the semifinals after twisting her ankle three games into her match with Clijsters, her composure had returned. At the U.S. Open, she upset No. 21 Zheng Jie, and on Friday wiped out French veteran Virginie Razzano, 7-5, 6-0.
She knows what game is working for her, and she's no longer confused searching for a style that never fit her in the first place.
“I think that's exactly what the biggest change is,” Ivanovic said. “I realize why am I playing good and what I have to do in order to play good. And even when the doubt creeps in, I just know I have to stick with my game plan and what I've been working on. In important moments, I actually believe that I can do it.
“You do it one match, second match, and then it starts to become natural instinct, as well. That's what I'm really thrilled to see, because I work so hard. But in important moments, sometimes, I doubted. But now, it's kind of coming together, the belief in myself again.”
Ivanovic has spent much of the year in tears after tough losses, so it's good to see her smiling again. So many players will say tennis isn't their real life, but while it's not the entirety of their lives, it is their career. So when the 21-year-old wasn't doing her job correctly, she was unhappy.
“It is a lot more happier,” she said. “It's just a lot nicer because you feel like all the hard work is paying off. You look more forward to those working days as well.
“Heinz (Gunthardt, her coach) was joking today, 'Oh, you want to practice tomorrow? You don't want a day off?’ I'm like, ‘I'm looking forward to go out there and spend day working out and practicing.’ And that's what life is about: enjoying what your job is.”
Ivanovic hasn't beaten a top five player since June 2008, and Clijsters is a dominant player on North American hard courts and won't make as many crazy errors as Razzano did. Clijsters’ serve is hard to attack, she isn't vulnerable off the ground and has done a good job at burying the midcourt ball. Ivanovic will have to work the points hard against Clijsters, who is faster than her and will try to torture her backhand. Ivanovic said she'll be thrilled to take the opportunity, but Clijsters says she's about to peak.
For Ivanovic to win the match, she’s going to have to keep a high percentage of first serves in, and, if she gets a chance, rip her returns. She'll have to dominate with her searing forehand and, most importantly, stay focused.
Clijsters has certainly been a better all-around player since she returned last summer, but she can be had. If Nadia Petrova can tear apart the Belgian at the Australian Open, a zoning Ivanovic must have a good shot to do it. She'll be the underdog, but a super-motivated one.
“I think that's going to be a match where you have to do a lot of good things to win,” Ivanovic said. “It's definitely going to be important to take charge early in the points because she likes to dominate. We do have kind of similar games. So it's going to be who has the first hit. Serving is going to be huge. You just have to do well overall to actually be in an opportunity to win against her.”
