Aces

The Counterpuncher

2006-03-07T16:47:00.000+08:00

World No. 2 Rafael Nadal of Spain seem to have what the other guys in the ATP circuit lack. He recently improved his head-to-head meeting with world No. 1 Roger Federer to 3-1 after winning their finals clash in Dubai Tennis Championship 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.

(Photo from Nettavisen by AFP/Scanpix)

Blake Breaks Hewitt

2006-03-07T16:17:00.000+08:00

American James Blake won his second title of the year by breaking a six-match losing streak against Lleyton Hewitt at the Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas, Nevada 7-5, 2-6, 6-3. Blake improved to a career-high No. 14 ATP ranking with a 14-4 win-loss record this season.

(Photo from Yahoo! Sports by Getty Images)

Safin Returns

2006-03-01T20:24:00.000+08:00

Marat Safin of Russia returns to the tennis world after being sidelined by injury. He won his first match since August 2005 by nailing a come-from-behind victory over Russia's No. 1, Nikolay Davidenko in Dubai 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

(Photo from Nettavisen Sports/Scanpix)

Comeback Kid No More

2006-02-23T11:10:00.000+08:00

"This is my fifth tournament now so I don't look at it as a comeback; this is the second part of my career.

"I look at myself as a player like anyone else and I think the other girls take me that way as well. Everyone knows how I can play and they have to play well or I will win."

-Martina Hingis after her straight-sets win (6-4, 6-3) over 6th seed Anastasia Myskina in their second round bout at Dubai Tennis Championships yesterday

(Photo from Vidhyut's Nuggets)

Scottish Stunner

2006-02-21T16:50:00.000+08:00

18-year-old Brit Andy Murray won his first ATP title at San Jose after outlasting two seeded players in the SAP Open draw. He shook off Andy Roddick 7-5, 7-5 in a straight semifinal match and clinched a tie-break after coming from behind in his finals match against Lleyton Hewitt 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(3).

(Photo from Nettavisen Sports)

Hail Maria!

2006-02-21T14:19:00.000+08:00

Things are just about to heat up in Dubai but tennis poster girl, Maria Sharapova, has already sent the first wave of heat not just to tennis fans around the globe but to everyone who loves ogling over bikini models. Maria is the lone tennis star featured in the 2006 Swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated. But Maria has more to show than just skin as she play her debut in Dubai Tennis Championships this week.

(Photo from MariaWorld.net/SportsIllustrated.com)

Baghdatis on the Big Stage

2006-01-28T14:46:00.000+08:00

Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus was the one responsible for ripping off top seeds from the men's draw of the Australian Open 2006. After beating Andy Roddick, Ivan Ljubicic and David Nalbandian, the Cypriot hero is looking at his first Grand Slam title - that is if he also have the guts to outlast the almost invincible player of the world: No. 1 Roger Federer.

(Photo from USA Today/Getty Images)

China's First Grand Slam

2006-01-28T14:33:00.000+08:00

Twelfth seeds Zi Yan and Jie Zheng made history after beating first seeds Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur in an epic three-setter (2-6, 7-6, 6-3) Women's Doubles finals match yesterday. Their victory brought China its first tennis Grand Slam ever.

People have been talking about how their win would boost the tennis popularity in China. On the contrary, China has long been breeding tennis athletes like an army of Asian contenders. I believe that Zi Yan and Jie Zheng's surprising win is the first of many more to come.

(Photo from USA Today/Getty Images)

Amelie: At Last

2006-01-28T13:56:00.000+08:00

A dream come true for Amelie Mauresmo of France was a nightmare for Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne after their expected close clash turned out to be a one-sided affair dominated by the french world No.3. until the ailing world No.6 decided to raise a white flag early on the second set.

Amelie Mauresmo finally held the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and erased the bitter memories of her only Grand Slam final appearance seven years ago when she fell to Martina Hingis in the same tournament.

(Photo from Yahoo! Sports/Getty Images)

The Belgian Blockbuster

2006-01-24T18:48:00.000+08:00

If one-handed backhands could kill, Justine Henin-Hardenne would've been hanged ages ago. The world No. 6 from Belgium could punish, if not kill, with her sleek and almost flawless, one-armed backhands. What Justine lacked in height - which is not really a disadvantage for tennis players, Justine makes up for her deep ground strokes.

Moments ago, she beat Lindsay Davenport in their quarterfinal match at the Rod Laver Arena to book a place in the last four of the Australian Open 2006. Justine displayed yet another stellar tennis by prevailing over the world No. 1 in an epic three setter, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3. She's set to play world No. 4 Maria Sharapova of Russia on an expectedly riveting semi-final bout.

(Photo from Justine-Henin-Hardenne.Net galleries)

The Colosseum of Indoor Tennis

2006-01-24T16:54:00.000+08:00

The Rod Laver Arena, Centre Court of the opening Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open, was named after one of Australia's greatest tennis players in the Open Era. It's a high-tech stadium that boasts of a sliding roof that closes in 15 to 20 minutes.

As Melbourne Park's central attraction, this titanic stadium, which sits on the banks of the Yarra River of Victoria, can warm up to 15, 000 human buttocks.

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Mind Over Matter

2006-01-24T10:59:00.000+08:00

"She's just an unbelievable player. She hasn't got a huge serve, she hasn't got big groundies, but she's got everything mentally and just anticipates really well. She just knows what's going on out there."

"She can hit lob winners on the line and reflex volleys back when she needs to. That's what she did to me. She's just an awesome player. Now playing her, I know why she's won all these Grand Slams and why she's probably going to go down as one of the greats ever."

- Samantha Stosur, after losing to Martina Hingis in their fourth round match at the Australian Open 2006

(Photo from Hingis.Org)

The Trigger

2006-01-22T15:56:00.000+08:00

At first glance, who could've guessed that this graceful arc of Andy Roddick's body could unleash the fastest tennis service those IBM-powered machines have ever recorded?

Currently the world's No. 3, the 23-year-old American served a whopping 246.2 km/h (153 mph) during a match against Paradorn Shrichaphan in the Stella Artois Championship on July 11, 2004 at Queens, London.

(Photo from AndyTheAce.Net Gallery)