By Chris Oddo | Monday, February 24, 2014
Serena Williams fell in Dubai, and that opened the door for Venus to be this week's hero number one.
Photo Source: AP
Rafael Nadal was back on the clay last week in Rio, and Venus Williams made an inspiring return to form in Dubai. Needless to say, there were heroes and there were zeros.
Read on to find out who they were:
Hero: Venus Williams
Serena Williams couldn't tame Alize Cornet in the Dubai semifinals, but a red-hot Venus Williams had no problem doing that in the final, as the 33-year-old won her first Premier-level tournament since 2010 in dominant fashion, winning the final seven games of the final to clinch her third Dubai title (45th overall) and her 15th consecutive win at the event.
Williams lost a paltry 24 games in five matches, and climbs to a season's best ranking of No. 29 in the world with the title. She is also the oldest WTA player to secure a title this season.
Venus is inspiring win or lose, as she has battled adversity ever since she was diagnosed with Sjogren's in 2011 (actually before, because she suffered before being diagnosed) and has become the poster woman for how to hold one's head high and with dignity despite facing numerous obstacles and odds that many see as being stacked against her at this stage of her career.
When many tend to focus on what she can't do as she approaches her mid-30s, Venus has flipped the script and instead focussed on what she can do. What can she do? She can win a huge title, and who knows, maybe she has a few more deep runs at a Slam in her. Doubters will doubt, but the beautiful thing about Venus in the last few years is that she isn't having any of it. She loves to play, wants to win, and it was beautiful to see her doing both last week in Dubai.
Zero: Serena Williams
Is it harsh to give Serena a zero here? Probably, but she denied us all an opportunity to see an all-Williams final (how many more chances will we have?) and afterwards jokingly blamed her poor play against Cornet on a turtle. Seriously, she did. “I have actually been looking at a turtle every day -- it's a really cute turtle in the hotel,” she said. “Maybe I was too influenced by it. I need to play better than that if I want to be playing on the professional tour.”
Pretty funny stuff from Serena, but we're still throwing a zero her way for denying us that Williams sister final.
Hero: Jovana Jaksic
Save 14 match points in a final and you get royal treatment around here. Head to the front of the class, Jovana Jaksic. The 20-year-old Serb is currently 146 in the world after taking the Surprise Challenger in Arizona, and with that kind of moxie under pressure, who doubts that we'll be seeing more of her at the tour level in the near future?
Hero: Ernests Gulbis
The Latvian came up with a command performance at the Open 13 in Marseille, basically serving everybody he faced off the court (including two top-10ers in Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the last two rounds) to improve to 5-0 in career finals and crack the top 20 for the first time in his career.
His commitment to excellence has been questioned in the past, but Gulbis has done nothing but improve since he declared his intentions of reaching the top 20 just over a year ago when he was way outside the top 100 in Rotterdam.
That the 25-year-old makes his improvements while still keeping it real and being a true personality on and off the court makes it all the more entertaining (and impressive) for fans.
Zero: The Rigors of the Tour
Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep both went down in the first round in Dubai, just days after playing the final in Doha. Would have been nice to see both continue to build momentum, but the rigors of the tour are such that it just isn't possible sometimes.
Hero: Marin Cilic
Cilic continues to make his case this season for a return to the top 15 or maybe even 10 this season, as the rejuvenated Croat won his second title in three weeks while playing his third consecutive final in Delray Beach. He nearly floundered in a see-saw battle with Kevin Anderson in the final, but he had enough left in the tank to eke out the title in three sets.
Let's hope he can keep building into Indian Wells and Miami.
Hero: Alize Cornet
While Serena was being mesmerized by a turtle in the hotel, Alize Cornet was preparing to play the match of her life, and she did just that against Serena Williams in the Dubai semifinal. Cornet has fell short when close to colossal upsets in the past, and it was particularly nice to see the Frenchwoman—one of the more entertaining and endearing players on tour—see this one through with gusto.
Hero: Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal is all the way at the bottom of today's list, and yes (in case you wondered or were miffed), it is an oversight. Nadal continued his clay-court mastery in Rio, winning the title after saving two match points in the semifinal with Pablo Andujar. It was Nadal's 43rd clay-court title, and his 62nd overall, and this one was extra special because it was clear that Nadal didn't have his best form throughout the week, due to his challenging back issues and maybe some rust, too.
Nadal had to fight tooth and nail to get by Andujar, and he seemed to do so on pure heart and will, playing seemingly not only for himself or personal milestones, but for the tournament in Rio, which had come out in droves to see the type of magic that only he can bring to a clay court.
Though suffering, and struggling mightily at times, Nadal brought the magic when he needed it, and after he slipped past Andujar, he raised his level in the final to take down a very dangerous Alexandr Dolgopolov in straight sets in the final, making the inaugural Rio Open a memorable one for all who were watching.
He also kept alive his rather implausible 49-match winning streak in clay-court semifinals, which is, simply put, beyond ridiculously good.
Hero: Kurumi Nara
A maiden title in Rio for Nara, and a spot inside the top 50 for the first time for her efforts. Not bad at all for this player to watch.
Zero: Francesca Schiavone
Way back in 2010, La Lionessa must have made a faustian deal to win Roland Garros. Surely, it was worth it. Sad though, that it appears as if she may never win another match.