Tsonga Redeems with Home Win

He probably did not have the start of the season he was hoping for, but Jo-Wilfried Tsonga made a menace in front of a cheering crowd to capture his 10th career title in Marseille. 

Instead of defending his Doha title, Tsonga started the year in Perth where he represented his country in the Hopman Cup. Consequently, his first tournament of 2013 was the Australian Open where he went on to reach the quarterfinals. Although he pushed all time great, Roger Federer, to his limit before losing a marathon match, the Frenchman's overall performance was clearly below par. His lack of focus became obvious during a stunning first round defeat in Rotterdam, where he succumbed 7-6 in the decider to unknown Dutchman, Igor Sijsling. 

Jo always performs best on home soil however, so he was eager to get back to winning ways in Marseille, a tournament he won once before, in 2009. He was slow off the blocks though and although he survived Russian Nikolay Davydenko, he ran into deep troubles against the hungry-for-success Aussie, Bernard Tomic, in the quarterfinals. Tomic won the first set and benefitted from 5 chances to close out the match, but Tsonga refused to give in, sealing an epic victory 12-10 in the third set tiebreak. The win provided a huge confidence boost and he went on to crush compatriot Gilles Simon to make the final. Facing Czech Tomas Berdych for the title was no easy task for Jo, as he needed to overcome a negative head-to-head record against an opponent who won three of their past four encounters. With the odds against him, he dropped the first set and looked looked to be headed for a straight sets defeat as Berdych created numerous chances on his serve. The Czech had break point at 5 all and then match point in the tiebreak, but Tsonga found the strength to get himself out of troubles, eventually levelling the dispute. In the decider, he broke at the second time of asking, building an untouchable advantage. He went on to hold serve for the rest of the match to complete a come-from-behind 3-6,7-6,6-4 victory. 

"I only focused on survival," he confessed during the press conference. "Nothing was going my way. He played far better than me in the first part of the match. He was serving well and my position on the court was bad. But I deserve credit because I never gave up. A lot of players would have done so."

Hopefully this win will give him confidence for the season ahead, especially as he is trying to recapture some of his wow factor. After his sensational run to the Australian Open final in 2008, when he announced himself as the next big tennis player, the Frenchman failed to really deliver. Although he enjoyed some pretty consistent results in the Slams, the exuberant Frenchman did not reach another final. A slightly more worrying aspect for him is that although he initially seemed to possess an advantage over the likes of Djokovic,  Murray, or Nadal, he watched as their careers took off while his stagnated. Since 2008, Novak won six Slams, Nadal eight, while Murray became a Grand Slam champion after his success at the Flushing Meadows last year. If he can close the gap on these players, Tsonga has a pretty strong chance of becoming France's long-awaited Grand Slam winner. You go Jo!

Exuberant Jo delighted the Marseille crowd coming from behind to win his 10th career title. He saved a match point before eventually subduing Czech nemesis, Tomas Berdych, 3-6,7-6,6-4.

photos: Yohan Brandt

Azarenka Proves to the World

Although she was the stand-out player of 2012, Vika Azarenka was missing something from what has become an impressive resume: a victory over her nemesis, Serena Williams. The two have been battling hard throughout the last nine months, with the American winning most of those disputes relatively easy. The only exception was the US Open final, where the edgy Belorussian served for the title, before being pegged back by her extraterrestrial opponent.

With Williams clearly dominating the rivalry in 2012, Vika was eager to get a new start in 2013. However, after her doubtful withdrawal from Brisbane 30 minutes before their semifinal clash, there were many voices accusing her of deliberately avoiding her biggest rival out of fear. Then Serena's surprising defeat to teen sensation, Sloane Stephens, delayed a mouth-watering match between the two in Melbourne. In Serena's absence there aren't many players who can beat Vika and she proved that by winning her second straight Australian Open crown. As a matter of fact, the world No.1 has only lost four matches to someone other than Serena since the start of the 2012 season (i.e. once to Bartoli, twice to Sharapova and once to Cibulkova). 

The inevitable finally happened in Doha, where the duo qualified for the final, Serena leapfrogging Azarenka as the new world No.1 courtesy of her quarterfinal win over Kvitova. Deprived of her status, Victoria came out firing, forcing he opponent into numerous mistakes of her right side. While the American struggled to find her booming serve, Vika showed a much improvement service to stun a visibly irritated Williams. The set went to a tie-break and the Belorussian proved just how tough mentally she is, holding off a set point to eventually close out the proceedings. Serena came back strong in the second act, winning it 6-2 to level the dispute. Azarenka was not ready to surrender though and she fought back. She broke early in the decider and served superbly to seal off an extraordinary victory to defend her title.

What I loved most about Victoria's performance was her stellar mental strength. She didn't go away in the first set when Williams levelled and, most importantly, she didn't choke when serving for the match, as she did at Flushing Meadows. I think in her case, what's bigger than her tennis is her attitude, an attitude that took her to the top of the game. Compared to Safina, Jankovic, Radwanska or Wozniacki, she isn't afraid of a fierce battle. She is utterly confident in herself, she genuinly believes she can beat anyone and she has the weapons to do so, even when it comes to the intangible Serena Williams. With so many questioning her legitimacy, I am really glad to see Vika turning the tables on her nemesis. Although she dropped to No.2, she is the biggest winner of this week in Doha.

Williams and Azarenka will continue their rivalry for the No.1 ranking in Dubai, where the latter can reclaim her spot if the results work in her favour.

Although she lost the No.1 ranking to Serena this week, Azarenka showed she's the leading female player of the moment, beating the American 7-6,2-6,6-3 to successfully defend her Doha title. This was Vika's just second victory over her nemesis.

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Serena Makes an Official Return to No.1

It's been a long time coming, but Serena has finally made an official return to No. 1 following a marathon win over former Wimbledon champ, Petra Kvitova, in the quarterfinals in Doha. The victory was enough to see her overcome current leader, Victoria Azarenka.
The American was the dominant figure in women's tennis for the past year, winning all the big prizes. Following a shocking first round exit at the French, the all time great went on an outstanding 52-2 win-loss match record, which comprised titles at Wimbledon, the Olympics, the US Open, and ultimately, the Season's Ending Championships. However, the other stand-out player of 2012, Victoria Azarenka, endured a longer schedule and her consistent results eventually did enough to maintain the year-end no.1 spot. At the start of the season though, the edgy Belorussian was under immense pressure to retain her status, but a successful defence of her Australian Open crown kept Williams away. It wasn't to be for long however, as a semifinal berth in Doha would automatically see the American return to the top of the rankings for the first time since 2010.
Visibly nervous and struggling to find her best form, Serena found herself in trouble against the powerful Czech. Kvitova won the first set and was up 4-1 in the decider, but in the trademark Williams style, she hit back. I've always believed that one the stiffest tests in women's tennis is winning that final point against Serena. She is such a great competitor and has such a strong belief in her game, that she can overcome any deficit against any player, so only a selected few can close her off. Unfortunately for Petra, she couldn't and Williams sealed off a marathon 3-6,6-3,7-5 win to officially recapture her undisputed credentials as the world's best player.
"I'm so sensitive nowadays, I'm always crying! I've just been through so much and never thought I'd be here again," Serena confessed during her on-court interview. "I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to get back to No.1. It has been a long road back and it's a great feeling. It has been a lot of hard work but I don't want to stop here."

At 31 years, four months and 24 days, she becomes the oldest woman to top the ranking, eclipsing compatriot Chris Evert, who was 30 years, 11 months and three days when she last held the ranking in 1985. On Monday, February 18, Williams will begin her 124th non-consecutive week at No.1.

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Well Hello, Mona!

Mona Barthel first knocked on the door of fame early last season when she captured her maiden WTA crown in Hobart. However, many remember her for her brave performance at Indian Wells, where she was on the brink of ending the unbeatable run of world number 1, Victoria Azarenka. Although 2012 had many ups and downs, it was a great year for Barthel who also reached two semifinals at Bastad and Quebec respectively. 

Putting her breakthrough year behind her, Mona started the new year strongly, reaching a second consecutive final in Hobart where she lost to Russian Elena Vesnina. After a disappointing first round exit at the Australian Open, the 22-year-old regrouped quickly to lift her first Premier title. The big-hitting German experienced a fairytale run in Paris, recording wins over Italian Roberta Vinci, Frenchwomen Marion Bartoli and Kristina Mladenovic, as well as Vinci's doubles partner, Sara Errani, in the final. 

With two top 10 victories under her belt and a new career best ranking at 28, Mona is edging closer to the top of the women's game. She definitely has the shots to win big matches, so if she continues to improve and adds some consistency to her performances, I am sure she will definitely be among those to watch in the upcoming months.

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Maria Crosses the Finish Line

I confess that I used to suspect Maria Kirilenko of not having what it takes to close out big matches. Although she announced herself as the next big tennis champion, the Russian quickly faded from the limelight, failing to deliver on the big stages. 

Renowned more for her looks and fashion credentials, Maria underwent a major transformation last season, stepping it up a notch. And the results were quick to show. She reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, she stunned Petra Kvitova to make the semis at the London Olympics, and, most impressively, she achieved her highest ranking, peaking at number 12 in August. She also established herself as a force to be reckoned with in doubles, where she teamed up with compatriot Nadia Petrova. The duo won the Olympic bronze medal, as well as the Seasons Ending Championships in Istanbul. Still, she was desperately searching for a crown to end the five year hiatus. 

Asia has always been a special place for Maria, who won three of her five career titles there. Last season the Russian was close to conquering another one in Pattaya City, but she stumble at the last hurdle, losing a marathon final to Slovak Daniela Hantuchova. After that match I reinforced my idea that she is one of those players who cannot complete a victory. This season, wanting to redeem herself, she returned to Thailand as the second seed. Maria has been in control throughout the week, easily booking her place in the grand finale and a showdown with big hitting German, Sabine Lisicki.

After a slow start, the Russian found her grove early in the second set, racing to a 5-2 lead in the decider. Sabine hit back, levelling the dispute at 5 all. At this point, Maria seemed headed for another disappointing loss. She refused to give up though, kept her composure and ended up winning this battle. 

The victory marked a nice change of faith for Kirilenko, who finally beats some of her demons to claim a long-awaited sixth crown. Congrats to Maria for proving me wrong!

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