Elena Dementieva

FINALLY!!!! Elena Wins GOLD!

2008-08-17T21:11:00.002+08:00

The best day of my life as Elena Dementieva's fan has finally come. She won the Gold Medal at the Beijing Olympics, defeating Dinara Safina 3-6 7-5 6-3.

I am so happy. That final point, the forehand winner from Elena was just amazing! All those years of disappointments and missed chances are all totally worth it! Thank you Elena. I am sure you are so happy right now and that make us so happy as well. You totally earned and deserved that Gold medal girl!

Congratulations Elena! I hope this win propels you to even more greater achievements in the future!

Elena Q&A (Last question was from me)

2008-06-01T16:31:00.002+08:00

Hi everyone... it's been a while.

Here's a video of Elena Dementieva answering questions emailed by her fans. Incidentally, the last question was from me. (It mad me smile when Lena said 'Hi Grace'.:)) It truly made my day!

Click here if you can't see the video.

Lena, thank you so much! We will always support you!

Warrior Princess wins Dubai

2008-03-02T14:43:00.002+08:00

Holy Mother of....

At the start of the week, who would have thought that Lena, our Elena Dementieva, would be holding the troophy at the end of the week. Of course, a lot of us surely wished it would happen. But with all the Top4 players present in the field, we all had doubts.

And Elena proved herself once again. She knocked of the No. 2 and 3 players convincingly. Her scalp here in Dubai was amazing, beating Patty Schnyder, Alona Bondarenko, Ana Ivanovic, Fran Schiavone and Sveta Kuznetsova to win the tournament. Not bad noh? Okay, it was amazing!

Apart from the $250,000 prize money, she's also back in the top 10!!! YAY!!!!

Nice win Lena! Hope you bring this success to have another successful run at Miami and Indian Wells later this month.

Congrats Lena!

Lena wins Moscow, comes back to Top 10 on her birthday

2007-10-14T20:19:00.000+08:00

Vamos! Vamos! Vamos!

*clap clap clap*

What a wonderful day! At the start of the week, who would have thought that Elena Dementieva would be the one holding the Kremlin Cup trophy in today's final? Of course, us Elena fans wished and hoped that she will finally win her home tournament. Third time really is the charm. She got to the finals here in 2001 and 2004, and she finally got it this time around.

And she did not just beat ho-hum players. She beat a ton of in-form and talented players starting from Alicia Molik, to Patty Schnyder, to Victoria Azarenka, Dinara Safina and of course, the great Serena Williams who Elena has never beaten or even taken a set off before.

Oh, this is so sweet. This win will see her back in the Top 10 tomorrow, her birthday, when the new rankings are published. This is her 8th career title and her biggest one to date.

A lot of people have already written Elena off. I'm that they'll be thinking twice now before they say it again. Elena has once again proved that she still has the game to be one of women's tennis's elite.

Davai Elena!

Oh by the way, the score in today's match was 5-7 6-1 6-1 in favor, of course, to Elena Dementieva.

Happy Birthday Lena!

Bammer upsets Dementieva at the US Open

2007-09-01T16:14:00.000+08:00

Oh well, my hopes of Elena Dementieva having a good run at the final Grand Slam of the year has been dashed by none other than Sybille Bammer when she beat Elena earlier today 6-1 6-2. The match hasn't even been close.... and it's a total disappointment to me.

Tomorrow, Elena and Flavia Pennetta will face second seeded doubles team of Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur. This is a rematch of the 2005 US Open Doubles Grand Slam finals where Raymond and Stosur beat Dementieva and Pennetta. It's a pretty tall order for Elena and Flavia to upset their opponents tomorrow, but who knows. They're both out of the singles draw so maybe they'll come out swinging freely tomorrow. One can always hope.

Go Elena and Flavia!

Dementieva to face Bammer in US Open 3rd round

2007-08-30T21:42:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva's match against Petra Cetkovska in the 2nd round of the US Open is a much enjoyable affair for Elena's fans as she blitzed through her opponent 6-3 6-2 in an hour and 12 minutes. She served pretty well and fired off winners from all over the court.

Elena will have a very tricky opponent in the third round as she face the popular tennis mom Sybille Bammer. Bammer had a fantastic year so far by cracking the Top 20 and having scored a win against Serena Williams in an Australian Open warmup event. Bammer is seeded 19th in this event and she must feel that she has nothing to lose when she faces Dementieva later this week.

Interestingly, Bammer and Dementieva has only met once in their entire professional career in tennis. What's even more interesting is that their only career meeting was in 1998 in a qualifying round for a tournament which Elena won in 3 sets. Dementieva was ranked 285th then while Bammer was 400th. I'm pretty amazed that they haven't played each other in 9 years. So this head-to-head match doesn't really say anything about what might be the outcome of their upcoming match.

Anyway, Dementieva will be coming in to this match as a slight favorite but Bammer is a very dangerous opponent especially when she gets on her stride. But I still think that the US Open is Elena's turf so I'm pretty psyched for this match. Nothing is impossible for Elena in New York. She'll probably pull this one off and we'll see her again in the second week of the US Open.

Dementieva passes first test

2007-08-28T20:25:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva won her first round match at the US Open today, beating Stephanie Cohen-Aloro 6-4 6-3. She will face Petra Cetkovska in the next round. Cetkovska is a qualifier whi is currently ranked 128th. She has played most of her entire career in the ITF.

I'm pretty happy with this win. It's good that she got tested but was able to get through this match in straight sets. I hope she does well in the next round coz I know that nothing is impossible for her in New York.

How will Elena fare at the 2007 US Open?

2007-08-25T22:18:00.000+08:00

The final Grand Slam event of the year is upon us. On Monday, more than 200 tennis players will be crowding at Flushing Meadows, New York to try and get the US Open championship.

Elena Dementieva is seeded 14th in this event. This has been a disappointing year for Elena when it comes to the Grand Slams. She was eliminated earlier than she should have at the past 3 slams this year: 4th round at the Australian Open, and 3rd round at both the French Open and Wimbledon. Hopefully, she can make a good run at Flushing Meadows. After all, this is New York. The place where she reached her second grand slam final in 2004, semifinals in 2000 and 2005, and quarters last year. Nothing is impossible for Elena in New York.

I have to say, I'm not so happy with Elena's draw. She is in the top half where all the contenders are. Henin, Jankovic, Ivanovic, Venus, Serena. In her quarter alone, she has Jankovic, Ivanovic and Venus. But I still believe, nothing is impossible for Elena in New York.

Elena Dementieva will face frenchwoman Stephanie Cohen-Aloro who is currently ranked 94th in the world. Elena leads their head-to-heads 3-0 but I'm surprised to see that their last two matches (both way back in 2004) went to three sets. Anyway, they've never met on hardcourts and Elena will definitely be the heavy favorite in this match. I'm not expecting Elena to win this match easily coz I know she always has troubles during the first round of tournaments but I am expecting her to win this one.

If Elena wins her opening match, she will face Jill Craybas or a qualifier in the second round. Lurking in her part of the draw is dangerous mom Sybille Bammer, seeded 19th, who she might face in the 3rd round if the seedings hold.

If the seedings still hold and Elena Dementieva gets through her first 3 matches, the tougher matches will immediately start at the fourth round by the name of Jelena Jankovic. Jelena Jankovic is seeded third in this event if they meet in the 4th round, this will be a rematch of last year's quarterfinals. Hopefully, Elena will get her revenge (As I said earlier, nothing is impossible for Elena in New York). ;)

Either 5th seed Ana Ivanovic or Wimbledon champ Venus Williams will be waiting at the quarterfinals and then Justine Henin or Serena Williams in the semis. Wow, what a draw! I am hoping for a very long 2 weeks for Elena Dementieva.

I really believe that Elena can still pull upsets and make a deep run in New York. I really believe that nothing is impossible for Elena Dementieva in New York.

Davai Elena!

Pilot Pen Tennis 2007 Preview

2007-08-19T16:38:00.000+08:00

This week, Elena Dementieva will be competing at the Pilot Pen Tennis as the 6th seed of the tournament. In the first round, she will face Italian Mara Santangelo. This opening round match. Their only meeting happened earlier this year at Berlin where Dementieva surived Santangelo in 3 grueling sets. As the US Open draws nearer, I'm sure that both women will be fighting for this match to get more matches under their belt before the US Open fortnight.

In a way, I'm a bit relieved that Elena lost early last week at Montreal. That way, she had almost a week of rest before this tournament and the Open. Had she not, I'm afraid she might be so tired come the US Open having played 4 straight tournaments prior to the big event.

Going back to the Pilot Pen Tennis, if she survives Santangelo, she will face either Ashley Harkleroad or a qualifier. And then the struggling Marion Bartoli will probably be waiting in the quarterfinals. Also on this half of the draw are Svetlana Kuznetsova, Patty Schnyder and Francesca Schiavone.

Davai Elena!

Dementieva loses to Schiavone

2007-08-16T19:00:00.000+08:00

So much for raking up more ranking points... Elena lost to Francesca Schiavone in 3 sets yesterday. She served horribly the whole match. She had chances to finish the match during the 2nd set but her serve ultimately failed her.

She also had to withdraw in their doubles match due to a hamstring strain. It's just a strain so I hope she's ok.

Davai Elena!

Dementieva and Pennetta plays again and wins

2007-08-15T08:22:00.000+08:00

It's been a pretty long time since Elena Dementieva has played doubles but in this week's Roger's Cup, she reunited with Flavia Pennetta to pull out an impressive win against Eleni Daniilidou and Jane Woehr 6-1 6-1. They will face Mara Santangelo and Alicia Molik in the next round. Molik and Santangelo are seeded third.

In singles, Elena is seeded eighth so she received a first round bye. She will face Francesca Schiavone who toughed out a 3-set match against youngster Tamira Paszek yesterday. I'm hoping that she won't have a hard time getting through Schiavone tomorrow.

Davai Elena!

Dementieva out of Top 15 for the first time since 2003

2007-08-11T13:21:00.000+08:00

When you look at the Sony Wricsson WTA Tour rankings on Monday, you would be surprised not to see Elena Dementieva in the Top 15. With today's loss against Maria Sharapova 3-6 4-6, Elena Dementieva will slip to No. 17 in the world rankings.

Now I get it why Elena has to play Toronto next week, to try and boost her ranking so she can be seeded inside the top 16 of the US Open. She usually doesn't play that event. I hope she does well next week and get more ranking points.

Davai Elena!

Dementieva and Sharapova gets LA rematch

2007-08-10T18:49:00.000+08:00

A year ago, Elena Dementieva snapped her losing streak against Maria Sharapova at the semifinals of this tournament en route to the title. Tomorrow, they will once again face off each other, this time for a slot in the semis.

This will be their 9th career meeting with Sharapova currently holding an overwhelming 6-2 lead against Dementieva. Earlier today, both played and won their quarterfinal matches in very different fashion. Who would have thought that Elena Dementieva would cruise in her match against Daniela Hantuchova while Maria Sharapova would have a grueling 3-hour match against Michaella Krajicek? If you told me this earlier, I'd tell you you're crazy. But this is tennis, anything can happen.

Tomorrow, anything can also happen. Sharapova is probably the overwhelming favorite but I would not count out Elena just yet. Elena has been playing better and it looks like she's getting more confident every match. Sharapova on the other hand just came from winning a title in San Diego last week and she must also think she has the upper hand against Dementieva.

All I can say is, Elena has a chance to upset Sharapova tomorrow. She is probably fresher than her opponent so she should take advantage of that. Good luck Elena!

Dementieva notches win over Hantuchova

2007-08-10T04:56:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva defeated Daniela Hantuchova at the third round of the East West Bank Classic 6-3 4-1 ret. I don't know why Hantuchova retired but Elena is definitely playing well. Seeing from the stats, Elena fired 4 aces, only 1 double fault and was never broken during the entire match.

Anyway, do you know what this means? Elena has notched her first top 10 win in ages! About time, I say!

This win also earns her a spot in the quarters and will probably face off Maria Sharapova or Michaella Krajicek if she can stop Sharapova.

More updates later....

Davai Elena!

Dementieva rolls to third round

2007-08-09T05:23:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva started defending her title by routing her opponents in the first 2 rounds. Yesterday, she defeated Makarova 6-3 6-1. And just a while ago, She drubbed Madison Brengle 6-2 6-0. It was a very good start indeed.

Tomorrow will be more difficult of course as she's facing 5th seed Daniela Hantuchova. Hantuchova is currently ranked 10th in the world and if Elena beats her tomorrow, it'll be her first top 10 win of the year if I'm not mistaken. I honestly can't remember when was the last time she beat a top 10 player.

All the best to Elena. I hope she serves well tomorrow.

Davai Elena!

Dementieva defends LA title this year

2007-08-05T21:09:00.001+08:00

Elena Dementieva will try to defend her East West Bank Classic title this week at Los Angeles, California. Standing between her and her title defense is a very tough draw.

We will see Dementieva battle a qualifier or a lucky loser in the first round. In the second round, she will face Madison Brengle or former doubles partner Flavia Pennetta. I miss seing them together in doubles matches. I hope they play together again. But if they face in the second round, I hope Elena emerges as victorious.

Daniela Hantuchova, seeded fifth, is looming in the third round. And then, Maria Sharapova in the quarters. Hopefully, Lena will make it to the quarters so she'll have a shot against Sharapova. Last year, she defeated Sharapova in this tournament en route to the title.

I wish Elena good luck. She played well in San Diego, and hopefully, the good form will continue or be better.

Davai Elena!

Schnyder ends Dementieva's San Diego run

2007-08-05T11:53:00.000+08:00

After an exciting first set which saw numerous service breaks and ended in a tie break, Elena Dementieva just couldn't keep up with Patty Schnyder in the 2nd set. Schnyder won the match 7-6(4) 6-0 and will move on to the finals tomorrow.

The first set was a battle. Dementieva started off by breaking Schnyder but was immediately broken back in her first service game. She had a lot of chances in the first set but her serve wasn't there at all. The second set was a service nightmare. There were a lot of DFs and her service percentage was really low.

Anyway, this has been a pretty good week for Elena. Reaching the semis here is actually a bit of a surprise considering that the field here is pretty strong. This is a good result and hopefully, she will have better results this summer.

Davai Elena!

Dementieva into San Diego semis

2007-08-04T15:16:00.000+08:00

Elena is having a pretty good run at the Acura Classic at San Diego. She defeated Maria Kirilenko in the quarters 6-2 6-4 to reach her 2nd Tier 1 semifinal of the season. She will face Patty Schnyder next, the winner will take the lead in their head-to-head matches which is tied at 6-6, and will reach the finals.

This is great news for all of Elena's fans. It's been a while since we last saw her make a good run at a tournament. And hopefully, this is a sign of what's to come this summer.

Go Elena!!!

RG 07: Bartoli defeats Dementieva

2007-06-02T00:39:00.000+08:00

Ugh! What an ugly match?! I can't fathom what happened to our dear Elena! I mean, 49 errors to 2 winners? What was that all about? And not to mention those 13 DFs and there was even a time when she hit 3 DFs in a row... Major Ugh!

It's a disappointment really. I mean, this match is a very winnable one. Her draw is tough but she could certainly make it if today wasn't such a bad day.

Oh, maybe this is just one of those really bad days that Elena usually has. It just sucks that we won't see her in the 2nd week.

2 slams has passed this season and the next one is knocking on our doors already. Wimbledon is a few weeks away where Dementieva is defending tons of points. I hope she does better there.

Davai Elena!

What Elena does when she's not playing tennis....

2007-06-01T22:43:00.000+08:00

So guys, do you wanna know what Elena Dementieva really does when she's off court and not playing tennis? Click here to find out. Wait til the end of the clip because it's so worth it!

Nice one Lena! :p

RG R3: Dementieva to face Bartoli

2007-05-31T07:17:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva will face another French locale, Marion Bartoli in the 3rd round of Roland Garros. They've met twice before, with Dementieva prevailing in both matches. None of those previous matches were in clay though.

Bartoli is currently ranked 21st in the world and she plays double-handed on both sides. I've watched this girl play a few times already but I really don't know what to make of her game. She is a baseliner. She's pretty good and that's what brought her to the top 25. She could definitely make life difficult for Elena on Friday.

The problem with yesterday's match against Johansson was that a lot errors once again came from Elena's racket. And the double faults kept coming at odd times. Watching more and more of Lena's matches, it seems to me that all the double faulting all comes from how high or how low her confidence is at a certain moment. So for tomorrow, I hope she gets a good start and make it to the fourth round.

Good Luck Elena!!!

RG R2: Dementieva fights hard

2007-05-30T20:34:00.000+08:00

What a relief!!!

This match against Mathilde Johansson was pretty much up and down for Elena. When it looked like Elena is cruising, Johansson would fight back and scare us all. And that 2nd set was really scary for a while. Good thing that Elena Dementieva had the experience and closed the match in straight sets 7-5 7-5.

This was not an easy match so it's good that she has a day off tomorrow to prepare for her next match. She will face either Marion Bartoli of France or another German by the name of Andrea Petkovic.

I was looking at the rankings a while ago and I realized that she has a good shot of returning to the Top 10 if she makes a good run here at the French Open. Let's hope for the best!

Good Luck Elena!

RG 07: Elena reaches 2nd round with no hiccups

2007-05-29T20:46:00.000+08:00

Well, not totally no hiccups. There were unforced errors all over the court... but the main thing is that Elena Dementieva needed only over an hour to reach the second round. She bested Angelique Kerber 6-3 6-2. The first set was a bit close because Elena comitted a ton of unforced errors. But the second set was a joy, not for Kerber, but for Elena and her fans.

The tally of unforced errors in the first set was a bit disturbing as she had 30 while Kerbers total points won in that set was only 32. Whew! It's good that she was able to wrap it up quickly. Anyway, the encouraging stat about today's match is that she ventured to the net not just a couple of times. She was 88% (7/8) in net approaches and it's nice to see her being aggressive.

Next up for her is Mathilde Johansson who bested the slumping Anna Lena Groenefeld 7-5 6-4. Johansson and Dementieva has never met before. 126th ranked Johansson would be the fan favorite in that match as she is a local. Dementieva would be the heavy favorite in this match and I hope she delivers.

Good Luck Elena!!!

Roland Garros Preview

2007-05-27T19:19:00.000+08:00

Roland Garros kicks off today and after winning Istanbul, Elena Dementieva faces a tough road at the French Open. She opens against against Angelique Kerber of Germany who is currently ranked 93 in the world. I don't know much about Kerber as virtually nothing is on her WTA profile page. But Elena should not underestimate her and do her best to reach the second round. Elena has this thing about first rounds where she tends to struggle so I hope she gets through this. She should have a lot of confidence coming in to this match and should definitely come out as the winner.

In the second round, she could face either Mathilde Johansson of France or the struggling and unseeded Anna Lena Groenefeld. Groenefeld has been struggling since late last year and hasn't come back into her old form which brought her to the Top 20. She used to be a good clay court player but this year has been a complete disappointment for her. She'll most likely be Dementieva's second round opponent and if she's come to terms with herself, she could be a very dangerous opponent.

In the third round, she'd probably face Marion Bartoli[18] or Aravane Rezai who Dementieva beat just yesterday at Istanbul. Rezai struggled with injuries but had a great week in Istanbul beating Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova. Bartoli on the other hand has had a ho-hum clay court season.

If Elena wins her third round match, the road will get much tougher from then on. In the fourth round, she'll likely face Venus Williams or the in-form Jelena Jankovic. Jankovic stormed through the ranking and is currently the world no. 4. Venus Williams on the other hand is coming back from an injury like Elena and looking for a grand slam breakthrough this year. Both girls are very tough opponents for Elena but I hope that she could get past them.

Possible quarterfinal opponents for Elena are Nadia Petrova and Nicole Vaidisova. Both girls are suffering from injury as of late. In the top quarter of the draw are Justine Henin and Serena Williams.

Good Luck Elena!!!

Dementieva wins Istanbul!!!

2007-05-26T22:40:00.000+08:00

Just when I wasn't expecting a lot from Elena, she wins it all. And she does it in a very fashionable way beating quality players. Just moments ago, Elena Dementieva won the Istanbul Cup when Aravane Rezai retired with a knee injury while Dementieva was leading 7-6(5) 3-0. This win is her 7th career WTA title and her first in red clay. It's pretty hard to imagine that this is her first win on red clay even if she reached the finals of Roland Garros three years ago.

This win will definitely give Elena a much needed confidence boost heading on to Roland Garros. It's great!!! She can be a force at Roland Garros this coming two weeks. I hope her the best.

Roland Garros preview will be up later in the day. Sorry if I wasn't able to update the site this week, I was very busy with work. But I guess, I didn't jinx Elena no? ;)

Congrats Elena! Let's continue this good form to Roland Garros! Good Luck!!!

Rome: Jankovic crushes Dementieva

2007-05-19T15:19:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, Elena Dementieva was competing at her first quarterfinal appearance since coming back from a 2-month injury layoff. Her opponent was Jelena Jankovic. Yesterday's match, I think, is a good measure where Elena stands right now before heading to Roland Garros.

Unfortunately, it's not a very good news for us fans as Jelena Jankovic cruised by her 6-2 6-1. I can't believa how easy the matc was for Jankovic. But I hope that this will awaken Elena and go to the practice courts to get better. That serve should really be fixed and she shouldn't just stay in the baseline all match long.

She's scheduled to play Istanbul next week but I hope she pulls out from there. She's been playing 3 straight weeks and I want her as fresh as she can be heading to Roland Garros.

Davai Elena!

Rome: Petrova's retirement sends Dementieva to QF against Jankovic

2007-05-17T22:45:00.000+08:00

Unfortunately, the match between Elena Dementieva and Nadia Petrova was never finished. Petrova retired from the match while Dementieva was leading and up a break at 4-3 due to a back injury. This retirement from Petrova sends Dementieva to her first quarterfinal appearance since her rib injury and she will face new Top 5-er Jelena Jankovic.

Jelena Jankovic has been in great form since the late last season and is tearing up the ranks real fast. She has already won a clay tournament this season at Tier 1 Charleston. Interestingly, Dementieva and Jankovic split all their previous matches in half. Who could forget their final 2 meetings? Just before last year's US Open, Elena Dementieva defeated Jelena Jankovic in a thrilling 3-set final in Los Angeles where she won her 6th career title. A few weeks later, they met at the quarterfinals of the US Open where Jankovic pulled an upset and cruised past Dementieva.

As I said earlier, Jankovic is in terrific form and is oozing with confidence. If Elena can manage to serve really well and trim down her errors, she can very well upset Jelena. Both women are not the toughest mentally but their baseline games are both good so Dementieva should be very aggressive and take charge to win this. I can't remember the last time Elena has beaten a Top 10 player so I hope she does it tomorrow.

Davai Elena!!!

Rome R3: Dementieva vs Petrova... again!

2007-05-17T07:45:00.000+08:00

For the second week in a row, Elena Dementieva and Nadia Petrova is playing each other again. This time, the winner of the match would go on to the quarterfinals of the Italian Open.

Last week, Petrova extended her lead in their H2H series as she dispatched Dementieva 6-3 6-3 in Berlin. Petrova is a very good returner and her serve is very good as well so Dementieva always has a hard time finding a way to beat her. Tonight, Dementieva should serve better and be more aggressive. She should come to the net more often and not try to outslug Petrova in the baseline. Petrova could chase a lot of balls so staying in the baseline is not really a good idea and it may just cause Elena to commit more unforced errors.

It's an important match tonight. Elena hasn't reached the quarterfinals of any tournament since February so let's hope that she wins tonight.

Davai Elena!

Rome: Elena wins against Castano

2007-05-16T20:46:00.000+08:00

Today was another pretty straightforward match from Elena Dementieva. She was only slightly challenged by Catalina Castano as Dementieva tookm control to win the match 6-4 6-3.

The first set was pretty competitive and the key to winning that set was serving well. Elena did a very good job in that set having an 85% 1st serve percentage and committing only 2 double faults. The second set wasn't better as her 1st serve % dropped and she also added 6 DFs to her tally. What she lacked in her service on the second set, she had it going on her returns. She converted all three of her breakpoints in the 2nd set.

Elena has now easily won both her matches in Rome but the players she beat are both ranked way lower than her. The next one is surely tougher as she'll most likely face Nadia Petrova. If she does face Petrova in the third round, I hope that she wins this time. She hasn't reached the quarterfinal of any tournament since her comeback and she hasn't beaten anybody notable this season. Although Petrova is no longer a Top 10 player, she is still a force on clay. I hope Elena is up to the task of getting to the QF.

By the way, I was able to watch the 2nd set of Elena's 1st round match against Camerin and I think that she serves harder than ever. She still has some service accuracy issues though. The only thing that bothered me is the fact that she just stayed on the baseline. I didn't see her approach the net at all. If she wants to win against the top players, she needs to be more aggressive. She has a good net play so it's really a wonder to me why she doesn't approach the net anymore.

What I like about what I saw in the match is how fresh Elena looks. She doesn't look tired at all. And she seems so focused. I guess it's a good sign. I hope Elena is peaking in time for Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

Davai Elena!

Rome: Dementieva cruises into 2nd round

2007-05-15T05:47:00.000+08:00

Last night was a pretty good one for Elena Dementieva. She didn't have so much difficulty overcoming her opponent so she blitzed past Maria Elena Camerin 6-1 6-2 in just over an hour. Camerin only held serve once.

Next up for Dementieva is 110th ranked Catalina Castano. Elena and Castano has never faced each other on court before. Castano, a qualifier, is a 6-1 7-5 winner over Karin Knapp.

I'm happy with Elena's win last night but looking at the stats, she still has a pretty low 2nd serve percentage. If she really wants to have a chance against Nadia Petrova on the third round, she better clean it up because she can't serve just like that with the good players. It's been so long since Elena has beaten a top player.

Davai Elena!

Another week with Elena in Rome

2007-05-14T09:24:00.000+08:00

We are now on week 3 of Elena's comeback. This week, Elena is competing at the Tier 1 tournament in Rome, Italy. She is seeded 10th in this tournament.

Elena will face Italy's very own, Maria Elena Camerin in the first round. Camerin is currently ranked at No. 75. Dementieva and Camerin had 2 previous matches which were both won by Dementieva. Both matches were on hard courts.

If Elena gets through this, she will face either Catalina Castano or Karin Knapp. Nadia Petrova will be her most likely opponent in the third round. Jelena Jankovic is also in her quarter while Serena Williams and Amelie Mauresmo are in their half. This is one very tough draw.

Go Elena! Good luck!

Berlin: Dementieva loses to Petrova

2007-05-10T22:59:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva lost to Nadia Petrova at the Berlin Open 6-3 6-3 just a few minutes ago. More updates about the match later today.

Ciao for now.

Berlin: Dementieva sneaks to 3rd round

2007-05-09T21:47:00.000+08:00

Would you call it a Dementieva match if it was not a three-setter? Most likely not. Today was no exception. Another thrilling three-setter from Elena Dementieva. This time, her victim is Meghann Shaughnessy. Dementieva rallied back from a set down to win the match 5-7 6-3 6-1. After dropping the first set, it was pretty much all Elena. She even served much better today. Only 6 double faults and very good service percentages. If she carries on like this, I won't be surprised if she beats Nadia Petrova in the 3rd round tomorrow.

Nadia Petrova had an easier match than Elena today. Petrova beat Severine Bremond 6-4 6-2. Petrova and Dementieva met 9 times previously, Petrova leading 6-3. It's hardly a basis of what could possibly happen tomorrow as their last meeting was way back in 2004 where Elena bested Nadia in straight sets. It's weird that both girls have been together in the top 10 for so long but they never really faced each other when both were top 10. Petrova is still there at number 9 while Elena has slipped in the rankings because of her recent injury. Both are experiencing far from stellar years this season but tomorrow's match can change all that. Whoever wins that match just might start a good swing. I just have a feeling....

Anyways, I hope it's Elena who reaches the quarters. She really needs it.

Davai Elena!

Berlin R2: Dementieva vs SHaughnessy

2007-05-09T06:26:00.000+08:00

After yesterday's grueling 2-hour match, Dementieva will have to face yet another tough opponent by the name of Meghann Shaughnessy.

Meghann Shaughnessy is currently ranked at No. 56. She's basically a baseline player. Dementieva and Shaughnessy met 3 times previously and Elena has the upper hand leading 2-1. The last time day met was at the 2nd round of Wimbledon 2006 where Elena made a dramatic comeback to win 5-7 6-3 7-5. I remember that match pretty well because I watched it live on TV and I was like "Oh my God! I hope Elena wins!". It was a very tough match.

After yesterday's match, I'm sure Elena is pretty tired by now. But she is a very good athlete so I hope that there's still enough fuel in her to get to the next round. She served 11 double faults last night and her 2nd serve was pretty bad so I hope that changes a bit today. I wanna see her hungry for a win and prove that she still got what it takes to be Top 10.

Davai Lena!

Elena edges Santangelo to Berlin 2nd Round

2007-05-08T21:25:00.000+08:00

Hi guys! Just an update...

Elena Dementieva defeated Mara Santangelo 4-6 6-1 6-4 in a 2 hour, 18 minute match which consisted of wind gusts, rain delays and a flurry of double faults.

I only followed the match through live scores. Santangelo led 3-0 in the final set but Elena broke back to keep it on serve at 2-3. And then there was a delay. After that it was mostly Elena.

Next up would either be Tathiana Garbin or Meghann Shaughnessy. Garbin is playing well lately but so did Santangelo.

Well done Lena! Good luck on your next match!!!

Tough road lies ahead in Berlin

2007-05-07T20:21:00.000+08:00

This week, Elena Dementieva flies to Berlin, Germany to participate in the Qatar Telecom German Open. This is one of two Tier I clay tournaments in the WTA Tour.

Last week, Dementieva fell to Venus Williams in the 2nd Round of the Warsaw tournament but she comes back this week with some matches under her belt. But another tough road lies ahead for her.

Her injury saw her ranking slide to number 13 so she only got to be the 10th seed this week. Because of this, she did not receive a first round BYE. On her opening round, she will face 31st-ranked Mara Santangelo of Italy. Interestingly, the two never faced each other before. Santangelo is a good player and can pull an upset but I think Elena will be prepared for this match.

If Elena wins her 1st match, the following are her possible opponents in the next few rounds:

2nd round: Meghann Shaughnessy or Tathiana Garbin
3rd round: Nadia Petrova
QF: Svetlana Kuznetsova or Shahar Peer
SF: Jelena Jankovic, Li Na or Justine Henin

Honestly, I think Elena can go as far as the quarters. If she plays well, even farther. Her quarterfinal possible opponents are very beatable.

Davai Elena!

Williams ends Dementieva's comeback

2007-05-03T22:31:00.000+08:00

This was no easy match for Venus Williams and Elena Dementieva. It was a battle of who spirits, of who could outlast the other. In the end of the 2-hour match, Venus prevailed 6-1 7-6(4).

In the course of the first set, Elena had a hard time holding her serve and Venus served well. But the second set was really competitive as both women traded breaks and almost every game was close. Venus served for the match twice but Elena broke her and forced a tie-breaker. Venus reeled off 3 straight points in the tie-breaker but Elena countered with her own set of 3 points. In the end, it was Venus who came out better in this match.

I'd say that this week is still a pretty good one. We can't really expect much right now as she's just coming back from a very serious injury. It will take some time to rediscover her form. But I hope that she'll be in full steam come Roland Garros.

Davai Elena!

Rib Injury=Retirement? Almost.

2007-05-03T21:37:00.000+08:00

I just saw this news a while ago, and I was really surprised.

Alright, we all know that Elena had an injury which sidelined her for more than two months. Yesterday, we learned that she had 3 broken ribs. And today, we learn that she thought of retiring and not coming back to tour.

It was a bit sad that she thought about retirement. She's still young and I think that there may be great things left for her still. It broke my heart when she said that she thought she lost everything when she was injured and that she can't do anything. Oh Lena. :(

But I'm really glad that Elena's back. It just shows that she still has some fight in her. I hope her injury heals fully so she can get back to the top. Davai Elena!

Right now, Elena is trailing Venus 1-6 2-2. It's tough right now, but a win is still possible. If she doesn't win today, we'll all understand and hope that she'll do better on her next tournament.

We love you Elena! Vamos!

Elena comes back with a win, Venus next

2007-05-03T09:00:00.000+08:00

First off, I'd like to apologize if I wasn't able to update this site much earlier. I was planning to make a post last week about Elena Dementieva's comeback this week but my dial-up network sucks. I just had my DSL connection today so I could promise you that I'm blogging in this site again. I'll post results and previews as soon as I can.

Let's get down to business.

On Tuesday, Elena Dementieva narrowly won her match against Meileen Tu (USA) 6(5)-7 6-0 7-5. Both women had difficulty holding their serves and making them. It was really a bad situation for both girls as they played with long pants and long-sleeved shirts because of the cold weather. It even snowed at one point in their match. It's a pretty nice win for Elena. And what a roller-coaster ride for us fans it was.

At the post-match conference, Elena mentioned that it was her 3 broken ribs that kept her off the tour for more than 2 months. I knew it a rib injury but I didn't think that it was that bad. Obviously, this injury is still affecting Elena, especially her serve. In tonight's match against Venus Williams, she could not let this affect her.

Venus Williams and Elena Dementieva has battled 6 times before where Venus leads Elena 4-2. The last time they met was during the 2nd round of FedCup action where Venus creamed Elena alive 1 and 2.

We all know that Dementieva has some problems facing the Williamses particularly because of her weak serve and Williams has a pretty good and effective one. It will be harder for her to break Venus because she serves really good especially when she's on her element.

I still think that Elena has a good chance of advancing to the quarters tonight. The present Venus is not yet the Venus of old. She's had a good comeback winning Memphis but lately, she showed that she could lose to good players. Although Elena lacks matches, Elena showed us on her previous match that when push comes to shove, she still knows how to win.

I really hope Elena does well tonight. I know she can.

Davai Elena!

P.S.:
I'm just happy to see her back on the tour. It's not the same without her.

Dementieva pulls out of Indian Wells, Top 10

2007-03-10T15:09:00.000+08:00

In a very sad turn of events, Elena Dementieva has withdrawn from the Pacific Life Open at Indian Wells this week due to a right rib case injury. This injury will keep her from playing for at least 6 weeks according to reports. This means that she won't be playing Miami and the Fed Cup tie in April is not a sure thing as well. Being sidelined is a very bad news for this will cause Elena her Top 10 ranking. This may be the last week of Elena being in the top 10 (for now, but she'll surely come back later) unless Anna Chakvetadze fails to reach the quarterfinals of the Pacific Life Open.

Elena Dementieva has been a fixture in the Top 10 since 2003 when she won her first career WTA tournament at Amelia Island. Since then, Elena has never dropped out of the Top 10. Despite her serve, she's been very consistent in posting good results. In 2004, she was the first Russian woman to reach 2 Grand Slam finals by reaching the French Open and the US Open. Her career-high ranking was at No. 4 after the US Open fortnight.

According to reports, the inury is quite bad and will take time to heal. Elena said she overpracticed in Moscow, and she even has a hard time sleeping because of the injury. The injury also makes it difficult for her to breathe.

Let's all wish her the best of luck and that she may get well very soon. Hopefully, she'd be ready before the French Open.

Davai Elena! All of your fans are here for ou during this most difficult time.

Elena doubtful to play Indian Wells

2007-02-24T18:01:00.000+08:00

Warning: This is a very sad news for all the fans of Elena Dementieva.

The CSKA club in Moscow threw a party for Elena Dementieva some days ago to show their appreciation of her and gave her recognition. Sadly, she announced there that she is still unsure whether she'd be able to play Indian Wells.

Do you remember that shoulder injury which cause Elena's serve to be what it become what it is today? It's back. According to an interview, she's currently seeing a physiotherapist in Moscow right now but dismissed the idea of being treated overseas as she wants to be near her family and friends. She also said that her goal is to be in the Fedcup tie against Spain in April.

Doubtful as she is for Indian Wells, I'm also doubtful that she'll still be in the Top 10 if she skips the event. Remember that she has finalist points to defend at this event. But of course, Elena's health should come first and if her shoulder is not yet healed on time for Indian Wells, she should definitely skip it. We don't want to aggravate the injury of course.

Let's all hope that Elena will recover well from this injury. And that when she comes back, she'll have more motivation to play well and win a lot of matches and get back to top form.

Get well soon Elena!

Dementieva retires against Likhovtseva

2007-02-15T22:16:00.000+08:00

This year has been disappointing so far.

Elena Dementieva had to retire against Elena Likhovtseva while trailing 6-2 1-1 in the match. According to early reports, she had breathing problems. Let's hope she's fine and recovers really well. Her next tournament will be Indian Wells where she has a lot of points to defend. I'll update this blog if there are developments about Elena's condition.

Antwerp: Dementieva opens against Likhovtseva... again

2007-02-14T22:03:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva will open her campaign at the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp, Belgium against Elena Likhovtseca. Dementieva leads Likhovtseva 5-2 in their H2H meetings. The two battled it out in Tokyo just two weeks ago, Dementieva won 6-3 7-5. Dementieva was cruising at that match until she got tight in the latter part of the second set. But Elena got her groove back and finished the match.

Elena is coming off a thigh injury so I'm not sure what level she'll be performing tomorrow. Likhovtseva could definitely cause an upset but I hope she won't do it tomorrow. Although the season is very young, Dementieva's performance has been so-so. So I hope she eally takes it up a notch here and reach at least the semis.

Davai Elena! Try to win this tournament and bea some big names. Davai Lena!

Antwerp Preview

2007-02-12T20:23:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva had a week long rest last week after pulling out of the Gaz de France Open, but this week she will try to recapture her winning form at the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp, Belgium. The top 4 seeds receive a first-round bye. They are Amelie Mauresmo, Kim Clijsters, Nadia Petrova, and Elena Dementieva.

Elena could face Elena Likhovtseva for the second straight tournament in the second round. Tha is if Likhovtseva gets past a qualifier in the first round. Two weeks ago in Tokyo, Dementieva beat Likhovtseva 6-3 7-5. Possible quarterfinal opponent is either Tatiana Golovin or Patty Schnyder. Schnyder has been on a slump this season so expect Golovin to emerge as quarterfinalist. Kim Clijsters, Ana Ivanovic, and red-hot Lucie Safarova are all on Lena's half of the draw.

Elena is not playing doubles this week and I think it's good as she's coming off an injury. I hope that her thigh is healed and that she get great results this week. Her draw is very nice and she can definitely sneak through the finals.

Go Lena!

Elena pulls out in Paris

2007-02-05T18:27:00.000+08:00

Elena through to Tokyo QF

2007-02-01T22:45:00.000+08:00

In a match full of service breaks, Elena Dementieva defeated Elena Likhovtseva 6-3 7-5. The eight double faults she served today probably made the match close. But I'm just happy to see her in the quarters. This also means more blogging for Elena! Woohoo!!!

Elena will next meet unseeded Italian Roberta Vinci. Vinci is currently ranked at no. 119. What concerns me right now is that in her match today, she only had 44% of her 1st serves in. That's a pretty bad stat. Vinci on the other hand, steamrolled Severine Bremonde 6-3 6-0 in the previous round. Interestingly, Dementieva and Vinci last met at the 1999 Italian Open Round of 16. Dementieva won that match 6-2 4-6 6-2. Dementieva was ranked 144th at that time while Vinci was at #648. Hopefully, the match tomorrow would have the same result. Though it'd be really nice if Elena could win this easily.

Doubles news

Unfortunately, Olga Savchuk and Elena Dementieva lost to Lisa Raymond and Sam Stosur 7-5 6-2. Well, I'm not really expecting them to win and I'm just glad that they gave the top seeds a work out. Although it would have been nicer if you won, well done guys!

--oo--

According to Lena's blog, she went to the sumo wrestling tour. Looked like she had fun with that! Keep up the good work with the blog Lena!

Davai Elena!

Who's blogging in Tokyo?

2007-02-01T07:07:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva is blogging this week at Tokyo for the WTA Tour. It's just amazing! I just read it and it's totally not boring! Please have a look at it if you have some time. Unlike last year's bloggers, she didn't talk about what she ate for breakfast. Instead, she gave us a look on her life on tour. Hope she keeps up her great blog for the rest of the week.

On to business now. Elena begins her Tokyo title defense against No. 58 Elena Likhovtseva who bounced Gisela Dulko in the previous round. The two met six times before, Elena leading their H2H 4-2. Their last encounter was at Wimbledon last year, Elena won 7-5 6-3. Likhovtseva, despite her age, is still fit and capable of pulling an upset. But I hope she won't today. I want Elena to blog until Sunday! Heck, I want her to blog everyday!

On Elena's blog, she talked about how she wanted to go with her mom to see the sumo wrestlers but opted not to because she was worried with her doubles. It was a good decision as she and Olga Savchuk bounced Schiavone and Vinci yesterday. They booked a date with Top-ranked duo, Lisa Raymond and Sam Stosur. I hope they do well.

Davai Lena! Love your blog!:)

Time to Defend Tokyo

2007-01-28T21:47:00.000+08:00

A year ago, no one would ever think that Elena Dementieva would win her first Tier 1 title at Tokyo. After losing at the first round of the Aussie Open in 2006, everyone thought that Dementieva is going downhill. And then she won Tokyo, crushing then-omeback kid Martina Hingis 2 and 0.

A year later, she comes in seeded 3rd at the Tokyo Pan Pacific Open behind Maria Sharapova and Martina Hingis. Seeded 4th is Jelena Jankovic who started the year on fire. The top 4 seeds received a 1st round bye.

Here are Elena's possible opponents for this tournament:

2R: Elena Likhovtseva or Gisela Dulko
QF: Daniela Hantuchova or Marion Bartoli
SF: Vera Zvonareva or Martina Hingis

On the top haldf resides Maria Sharapova, Jelena Jankovic and Shahar Peer. I think that Elena's draw is quite manageable. But as we all know, Elena is Elena. I hope she's really motivated right now. She has a lot of points to defend here and a lot of girls are catching up. Losing the early round here is not an option. I hope she prepared well for this. I don't want to see her dropping out of the Top 10.

Go Elena!

Dementieva fails to reach the quarters

2007-01-21T16:34:00.000+08:00

So how do I start this? I just finished watching the match and I'm a bit depressed. Okay, here it goes...

Nicole Vaidisova did a very good job today, beating Elena Dementieva 6-3 6-3. She did a very good job returning and breaking Elena's serve. It was really heartbreaking. I just don't get it why all of Elena's second serve goes to the forehand of her opponent. I wish Elena could really improve her serve.

Here are my other observations...

Is it just me or did Elena lost some weight? She seemed thinner to me and her muscles in her arms are gone. And it seemed like she's not hitting the ball as hard anymore.

Vaidisova had a much better point construction today. Elena was just hitting the ball back to Vaidisova for most of the match.

Maybe Elena just woke up on the wrong leg. It was just really disappointing that she had to lose today. We were just a step away from the quarterfinals... Oh Elena... Anyway, I still love you. But I really, really hope that you can do something about your serve.

Good luck Elena for the rest of the season. We have a lot of time ahead of us, ou can still show everyone that you can really win a Gand Slam. Be hungrier, be more feisty. You can do it Elena! Vamos!

Oz Open: Elena through to the second week, Vaidisova next

2007-01-19T20:19:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva did not wast any time today and just needed an hour to put herself into the fourth round of the Australian Open 2007. She demolished Maria Elena Camerin 6-1 6-3. She only dropped her serve once during the entire match and that was when she was serving for the match at 5-1 in the second set. She had a pretty clean match today as she only served 4 double faults and hit 21 winners compared to her opponent's measly 3. It's good that Elena won pretty easily, she should have some confidence coming into the second week.

This marks the third time that Dementieva has reached the fourth round of the Australian Open. She reached the fourth round here in 2002 and 2005 but hasn't gone past this round. Elena Dementieva has reached the quareterfinals or better of all slams except the Australian Open. She will try to do it this year but tenth seed Nicole Vaidisova awaits her in the fourth round.

Only once in their career had Vaidisova and Dementieva met. It happened last year at Tokyo, Elena won in 3 sets after losing the first set. But that match happened before Vaidisova entered the Top 10. Although Vaidisova is only ranked 12th right now, she has a lot more experience now than last year.

Vaidisova has a good serve and a good baseline game. This is actually a very interesting matchup. Elena should clean up her game and stay away from making a lot of unforced errors if she wants to reach the quarters. Vaidisova is a tier higher than those that Elena faced in the previous rounds. So let's hope that Elena does herself justice on Sunday and show everyone what she's got. Let's make it to the quarters Lena!

Doubles news

Yesterday, Elena Dementieva and Flavia Pennetta defeated the Japanese duo of Akiko Morigami and Aiko Nakamura 4-6 6-3 6-4. It was a pretty workout for them and they will face Tsevetana Pironkova and Martina Sucha tomorrow. Their match is second at Show Court 7. Let's go Elena and Flavia!

Davai Elena!

Oz Open: Dementieva through to the 3rd round

2007-01-17T23:52:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva survived a scare earlier today, beating Martina Muller 7-5 3-6 6-0. Unlike her 1st round match, Elena seemed a bit out of it today, especially in the second set. It was a bit obvious that her serve was far from being on today as she served 16 double faults. And I also don't think that her groundies were really working today as well, as she committed 54 unforced errors compared to only 15 winners. But winning inspite of all this only tells us how much of a fighter Elena is. Even in the worse times, she finds a way to win. And what about that bagel in the final set? Just Amazing!:)

Next up for Elena is Maria Elena Camerin of Italy, currently ranked at no. 55. Their only previous meeting was in 2004 Hasselt which Elena won in straight sets. Her best showing at a Grand Slam was last year her at Oz where she reached the third round. She matched that this year and she will try to go to the fourth-round, in the way of Elena.

Camerin bested Elena Vesnina today 8-6 in the third. It was a good test for her but with all the heat in Melbourne, it might affect her on Friday. But whatever, Elena should pull out this one and move on to the fourth round.

I noticed that Elena has been coming to the net more often and I think that's a good sign. Remember in 2004 when she was coming a lot to the net? Yeah, she reached 2 Grand Slam finals that year. But after she split with her former coach, Olga Morozova, the net game was gradually phased out. I'm actually glad to see her net statistics here at the Open. Though she may not be the best volleyer on tour, she definitely have a decent volley and her footwork is very good so I believe it's good for her. Keep it up Lena!

Tomorrow, Elena Dementieva and Flavia Pennetta will face Akiko Morigami and Aiko Nakamura in the first round of the doubles tournament. The pair reached the third round last year and I hope they can improve this year. Flavia's wrist is still suspect but I hope she gets back on form soon so she can win on singles as well. And I wish them all the luck tomorrow. I hope they finish their match (with a win, of course) quickly tomorrow so Elena would have a lot of time to rest and prepare for her 3rd round match.

Davai Elena!

Oz Open: Elena easily advances to the 2nd round

2007-01-15T20:12:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva just needed an hour to dispatch Stephanie Foretz 6-2 6-1 giving Dementieva her 1st win in Oz since 2005. Although she served 6 double faults, she also served 3 aces and 17 winners came from her racket.

I am so relieved that Elena got through the first round. It is usually in the opening rounds where Elena is so vulnerable. Now that she went unscathed in the opening round of the Australian Open, she will try to go a round further when she faces 36th-ranked German, Martina Muller on Wednesday's second-round action. Dementieva leads Muller in career meeting 1-0. Their only match coming from FedCup in 2002. Interestingly, Muller has not gone past the second round of any Grand Slam since 2005. So Muller is probably really hungry right now and she'll take any chance she could get to advance further.

But Elena shouldn't give her a chance. She has a pretty good draw and she must take her chance to reach at least the quarterfinals of the Oz Open. Muller doesn't really have a big game and doesn't have as much experience as Elena. If Elena stays focused and on target, I do not see her falling in this match.

Davai Elena!

Oz Open Preview: How ould Elena fare at Oz?

2007-01-13T16:49:00.000+08:00

Hear ye! Hear ye!

The first Grand Slam of the season is almost upon us, which means that players are gritty to compete at their best level. The Australian Open starts on Monday with the absence of 06 finalist and currently world no. 1 Justine Henin-Hardenne (or is it just Henin now?).

In the women's draw, Maria Sharapova is the top seed followed by defending champion Amelie Mauresmo, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Kim Clijsters (who is unbeaten this season, winning both the Hong Kong exo and Tier 2 Sydney). Seeded 5-8 are Nadia Petrova, Martina Hingis, Elena Dementieva and Patty Schnyder.

So now, let's get down to Elena's business...

Is there any other slam where Dementieva fans are so worried of an early exit, say 1st round? Yes, my dear friends, it is at the Australian Open that we fear Elena will flame out early. And it is not without historical basis. Since 2003, only once did she not exit in the first round. In 2005, she reached the 4th round but failed to Patty Schnyder after being up a set and a break. Last year, she was the first seed to fall.

Is Elena cursed in Oz? Or is it just the heat in Melbourne?

...we will find out during the fortnight of the Oz Open...

Our first round opponent is 112th-ranked Stephanie Foretz. Although the 2 are separated by 96 girls in the rankings, this girl might be capable of upsetting Elena. I said might because I really don't think she will, of course unless the really crappy Elena shows up on court on Monday. This will be their first meeting and their match is second in Show Court 3.

I hope Elena doesn't spend too much time on court on Monday so she could save some of her energy for the next rounds. She could face Martina Muller or a qualifier on the 2nd round, then Anabel Medina Garriguez in the 3rd round. If Elena keeps on winning up to this point, then it will start to get really interesting. In the 4th round, she might face Czech phenom Nicole Vaidisova whom Elena just beat in the Hong Kong exo. Officially, Elena leads 1-0 in career meetings. Possible quarterfinal opponent is Mauresmo. In the opposite side of their half are Nadia Petrova, Kuznetsova, and the streaking Jelena Jankovic.

So there it is! Good luck to Elena! I know she'll do her best!:)

Vamos Elena!

Li defeats Elena

2007-01-09T12:37:00.000+08:00

Oh my God! What a match! Unfortunately, Elena Dementieva lost to Na Li 6-3 1-6 5-7 after holding a number of match points. She just couldn't convert and hold her serve at the end.

Oh well... On to Melbourne now. Good luck at the Australian Open Lena. Hope you have good run there.

Davai Elena!

2007-01-09T11:56:00.000+08:00

As the 2007 season goes into full swing, controversies and rumours starts milling around the WTA tour. Here's one I got from TR.net:

TennisReporters.net friend and Russian reporter Alexi Tolkachev passed this
important piece of news along: At the end of the year, when asked in a
Russian-language interview whether she was aware that Maria Sharapova had joined the Russian Fed Cup team, Elena Dementieva reportedly replied, "No, I haven't heard about that. Is what she said in a press conference? At this point, it's
hard for me to picture myself on the same team with Sharapova. She had said so
many times that she would play for Russia, and there were always some reasons
why she couldn't. I would not be surprised if she changed her mind again closer
to the match."
That's' completely in line with what Dementieva said to Tolkachev and I before Sharapova made herself available, but is a bit surprising given that the comments came after Sharapova said she'd play the April tie. Plus, Dementieva has always had high praise for Sharapova's game. What we do know is that Sharapova took it upon herself to announce for the team before she even told captain Shamil Tarpischev. It would look awful if she backed out, so unless she's injured, I'd slot her in for the April tie. But will Dementieva show up if Maria plays?

We are all very aware of the animosity between Maria Sharapova and the Russian players and we all know that Elena and Maria are far from being friends but they were never really enemies. Anyway, to answer Cronin's question... I still believe that Elena will play for Fedcup even if Maria is on the team too. We all know how patriotic Elena is, and the presence of a fellow Russian such as Maria won't stop her from helping bring glory to her mother land.

The thing about Cronin's news is that it was originally in the russian language and was translated to English so context-wise, what Elena said might have been misinterpreted particularly this line: "At this point, it's hard for me to picture myself on the same team with Sharapova. She had said so many times that she would play for Russia, and there were always some reasons why she couldn't." Could it be that what she meant with that statement is that while Sharapova had committed herself to the tie, it's very hard to see them play together because as in the past, Sharapova had made herself available but never played. Maybe Elena thinks that there's a possibility that Maria would back out again in the last minute so she thinks they won't be playing on the same team. There may be some animosity between the two but I think, in the end, they'll play together if both of them were nominated in the tie.

I'll just add that in previous interviews, Elena has already stated that she will play no matter who's on the team as long as she is nominated and she also said that it will be great for their country if Maria will play for Russia. Elena has high regards for Maria's game and I believe that there is no hatred between them.

Update: The 2nd round match between Dementieva and Li in Sydney is underway and going far. They are tied a set piece and Elena just broke Li in the first game. Good luck Elena!

Post #100: Dementieva wins opening match in 3

2007-01-08T16:24:00.000+08:00

First off, this blog has reached a milestone: 100 posts!!! Congrats to myself and everyone who has been reading this blog! It's been enjoyable for me and I will continue this as long as I can. :)

Now, let's get down to business. Elena Dementieva outlasted Ai Sugiyama in their very windy first round match today 6-7(3) 7-6(3) 6-0.What a match huh?! I lost rack of how many double faults they served but it definitely was a lot (15 from Lena, 17 from Ai). Not a very pretty match too. But the third set was a real treat for us Elena fans. Elena just came out firing on all cylinders.

The next match will be tougher. It'll be against Li Na who is currently ranked just outside of the top 20. The conditions today was really bad but conditions can't be blamed for Lena's horrendous serving today. Anyway, there's time to improve on that and I hope she serves well against Li ad charge to the quarters.

Well done Lena!

Elena kicks off 2007 season against Sugiyama

2007-01-07T22:02:00.000+08:00

First off, I'd like to say sorry for not being able to update my blog for quite a while. I was going through a lot of personal stuff the past couple of months so blogging here was briefly interrupted. I was supposed to go to Hong Kong where Elena played last week but due to personal reasons, I wasn't able to attend the tournament.

Anyway, Elena Dementieva is seeded sixth in the Medibank International which is held at Sydney. She will face Ai Sugiyama in her opening round match on Monday. Hopefully, Elena would have little problems with Sugiyama tomorrow. Even though she didn't win Hong Kong, she had terrific three-set matches against Vaidisova (which she won) and Sharapova (lost unfortunately). I wasn't able to catch the matches on TV but I hope she's in a good form.

If Elena succeeds against Sugiyama tomorrow, waiting for her in the 2nd round is Na Li. Possible quarterfinal opponent is 2nd seed Svetlana Kuznetsova. A tough draw for Elena but certainly not impossible.

Elena is defending only a single point until the Australian Open so there's definitely a lot of chances for her to improve her ranking. Let's start this year with a positive note! Let's go Elena!

Dementieva playing in Spain today

2006-12-15T12:22:00.002+08:00

Elena Dementieva and Svetlana Kuznetsova is playing a 3-set exhibiton match at Zaragoza, spain later today. This exhibition tournament is organized by former tennis start Conchita Martinez. Also in the tournament are Jana Novotna and Maggie Magdaleeva.

--xx--

Please bear with me if I haven't been updating this blog lately. Personal affairs have been catching up on me for the last few weeks, plus it's the off-season so it's also quite hard to find news about our favorite Tennis player - Elena Dementieva.

The good news is that I'll be in Hong Kong this January and I have tickets for the HK exhibition tournament Elena is participating. I might not be able to update it daily while I am there but I'll post stories and picutres about my trip there as soon as I come back. Oh God, I hope I really meet her!!!

Thanks for coming to my blog!!!

Davai Elena 2007! Let's win our first slam in 2007!

Almost over

2006-11-09T07:50:00.000+08:00

In-form Svetlana Kuznetsova powered past Elena Dementieva 7-5 6-3 in their match on Wednesday. Once again, Elena started slow and cannot hold serve during the first set.

It's almost impossible to see Elena getting to the semis of the championships so the season's almost over for her. Her last match will be against Kim Clijsters on Friday. Although it would probably be a no-bearing match, I hope she ends her season on a winning note.

Davai Elena!

Bad start in Madrid

2006-11-08T10:00:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva served 15 double faults in her lost to Maria Sharapova in Madrid 1-6 4-6.

It's just sad! I thought Lena could at least take this match in 3 sets. Oh well! Better luck next time I guess. She'll be battling Svetlana Kuznetsova on Wednesday. Their H2H is tied at 3-3 although it was Kuznetsova who won their last encounter at New Haven.

Davai Elena! Win this match!

Dementieva-Sharapova Round 4

2006-11-07T09:03:00.000+08:00

For the fourth time this year, Elena Dementieva and Maria Sharapova will face each other on court, this time at the Sony Ericsson Championships in Madrid. Sharapova leads 5-2 but Elena came away in straight sets the last time they met (Los Angeles).

Coming in to this tournament, Sharapova comes in as the slight favorite. But coming in to this match against Dementieva, Sharapova is the heavy favorite. Sharapova is currently on an eight-match winning streak, winning back-to-back titles at Zurich and Linz.

I'm not really sure about Elena's form right now. She battled a thigh injury in her last couple of tournaments so I'm not sure if she's recovered from that. The surface of the courts in Madrid is fast so I hope her serve works well tonight against Sharapova. I hope she wins tonight.

I'm a bit worried actually. Elena hasn't won a set in two years in the year-end championships. Hopefully, the new courts in Madrid favors her. Good luck Elena! I believe you can do it!

Davai Elena!!!

Dementieva on Madrid Ball Boys

2006-11-07T08:57:00.000+08:00

Let's see what Elena has to say about the models/ball boys in Madrid:

"We were practicing the other day and I don't think they really know what they
have to do on the court because they are too busy watching the players," the
25-year-old Russian told reporters ahead of the Madrid event, which starts on
Tuesday.
"We'll have to see if it will work out or not but I think it will be a distraction for them to do their job. I don't think that they realize what they have let themselves in for and that they will have to be very careful about what they are doing on the court. The players are so focused and sometimes they get crazy with the ball boys so they don't know what they will be facing in a couple of days."

They don't know what they will be facing in a couple of days. That line really cracked me up. Haha!

Justine Henin-Hardenne also said something funny...

"I'm very excited but I'm married so I can look but not touch."

I didn't expect that from Justine. Hehe!

Elena to play HK Exo

2006-10-27T09:18:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva will play the Watsons Water Challenge on January 3-6, 2007. I am so excited!!! Hopefully, I can attend the tournament and meet her if possible. ;)

The Hong Kong Tennis Patrons' Association (TPA), organizer of the Watsons Water Champions Challenge 2007 announces that Hong Kong 's premier tournament will once again attract a line-up of the biggest names in world tennis.
Returning to one of her favorite cities is Russian Star Elena Dementieva . She is enjoying her best ever year winning tournaments in Los Angeles and Tokyo . She has victories over Maria Sharapova, Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters, and has reached a high of No. 5 in the world this year.

Dementieva bows out of Zurich

2006-10-20T09:12:00.000+08:00

Katarina Srebotnik finally got a win over Elena Dementieva 6-1 6-4 at the second round of the Zurich Open. This is the first time Srebotnik has beaten Dementieva in 7 meetings.

Maybe Elena's birthday gift for me was her qualification at the Madrid Masters. Anyway, I hope Elena rests well and prepares well for Madrid.

Davai Elena!

Elena qualifies for Madrid

2006-10-19T10:57:00.000+08:00

World No. 7 Elena Dementieva has officially qualified at the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships which will be held in Madrid on November 7-12. Only the Top 8 singles players and Top 4 doubles teams can play at this prestigious tournament. This is Dementieva's 7th straight appearance at the year-end masters and is the only active player able to do so.

"I'm extremely proud of the fact that this is the seventh straight year I have qualified for this prestigious event. It means a lot to every player to make it to the end of season as one of the best eight players and I can't wait to get to Madrid."

I'm really glad that Elena has qualified for the year-end masters this year. She deserves it after all! She's had a good 2006 season with 2 titles and 2 Grand Slam quarter-final appearances.

Now that she'll be in Madrid, I hope she trains and prepares well for the event and win some matches. Oddly, Dementieva hasn't won a match in the year-end masters for two years now. Hopefully, the court in Madrid suits her favor.

Congrats Elena and Good luck!!!

Dementieva faces Srebotnik again in Zurich

2006-10-18T17:11:00.000+08:00

This week, Elena Dementieva is playing the Zurich Open at Zurich, Switzerland. The Zurich Open is the last Tier 1 tournament this season and will also be Dementieva's last tournament prior to the Madrid Masters.

Dementieva is seeded fourth in this tournament, following Amelie Mauresmo, Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova, and had a first round bye. Waiting for her in the second round is Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik. This is the second time in three weeks that the 2 girls will face each other and third time this year too. Just a couple of weeks ago, Elena Dementieva battled cramps and poor serving to get past Srebotnik at the 2nd round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany. Dementieva won all her previous meetings against Srebotnik (6-0). But notably, their last three matches went into three sets and the last 2 was won 7-5 in the third.

People are saying that Srebotnik is due a win against Elena. Of course I hope not but I think not as well. Elena is probably tired as this is the fourth straight week that she's playing but knowing that a good result here will qualify her for Madrid is motivation enough for her to do well in Zurich. So, I'm expecting another difficult match for Elena tomorrow. But when push comes down to shove, I believe Elena will win once again. If she's playing really well this week, a title on Sunday won't be a bad birthday gift for me. ;)

Davai Elena!!!

Happy 25th Birthday Elena Dementieva!!!

2006-10-15T11:17:00.000+08:00

I would like to greet my favorite tennis player, Elena Dementieva, a very happy birthday! I wish her all the happiness and luck in this world. She's had a good year so far but I hope that the next year would be better.

Elena won't probably be able to read this but I'd like to take this opportunity to thank her. She's brought so much to me and made me realize a lot of things. See, the reason why I like her so much is because I can totally relate to her game. The way she plays the game is like seeing how I play my life. On my worst moments, there were a lot of times that it was Elena who inspired me to move on and not give up. Thank you very much Elena. You will always be my favorite tennis player and personality. I hope to meet you in person someday.

Happy Birthday Elena!!!

Chakvetadze bagels Dementieva

2006-10-15T11:09:00.000+08:00

In a bizaare match which lasted more than 2 hours yesterday, Anna Chakvetadze bounced Elena Dementieva out of the Kremlin Cup 7-5 3-6 6-0. Dementieva had set points in the first set but was not able to convert. This is Chakvetadze's first win over Dementieva and 5th top 10 win. Chakvetadze will face Nadia Petrova in today's finals.

Next week, Dementieva will compete at the Zurich Open in Switzerland. It was a good week this week but I hope that next week will be better. A title next week will be a great birthday gift for me.

Davai Elena!!!

Dementieva through to Moscow semis

2006-10-13T23:56:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva is in the semifinals of the Kremlin Cup in Moscow Russia, rallying to beat Patty Schnyder 7-6(6) 7-6(1). She will face Anna Chakvetadze next.

Chakvetadze received a walkover from Sharapova earlier today. Dementieva won both their previous meetings. But Chakvetadze has improved a lot these recent months where we saw her take her maiden title in Guangzhou, China.

Davai Elena!!!

Dementieva-Schnyder rivalry continues

2006-10-13T09:16:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva and Patty Schnyder will resume their rivalry at the quarterfinals of the Kremlin Cup this Friday. Schnyder currently leads their head-to-head at 6-5. Just last week at Stuttgart, they were supposed to meet at the qf as well but Dementieva withdrew due to a thigh injury.

Dementieva is currently 8th in the race to the YEC, with a lead of over 300 points over Schnyder. They are both in contention for one of the last 4 spots in the YEC.

Both girls had pretty long matches last night. Dementieva saved a match point against Shahar Peer while Schnyder won in 3 sets against Iveta Benesova. I hope Dementieva recovers from yesterday and win her match later.

Davai Elena! You can do it!

Moscow: Elena faces Peer at home for 3rd time

2006-10-11T10:02:00.000+08:00

4th seeded and Russian No. 4 Elena Dementieva will be facing Shara Peer for the third time this year, this time at her home tournament, at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, Russia.

Shahar Peer notably defeated Elena Dementieva in the 3rd round of Roland Garros earlier this year but Elena got her revenge at Los Angeles en route to her 2nd title of the year in August.

Elena is coming off a thigh injury which led her to pullout from last week's tournament in Stuttgart. I hope Elena has recovered from her injury and notch another win this week.

Go Elena!!!

Elena buys a condo in NYC

2006-10-11T09:53:00.000+08:00

From the New York Post:

Russian tennis star Elena Dementieva will be hard to miss on the Upper West
Side, now that she's buying a Riverside Drive condo.
The willowy blonde - currently ranked sixth in the world - is one of the
Russian hotties dominating the women's tennis circuit. Sources say she's paid
$2.6 million for a high-floor two-bedroom, 31/2-bath unit in the Rushmore
building, overlooking the Hudson River at 64th Street.
Dementieva and Maria Sharapova were on Centre Court at Wimbledon earlier this
year when a streaker danced naked around the court and did a cartwheel. While
ice queen Sharapova turned her back on the antics, Dementieva at least smiled at
the spectacle.

So Lena bought an apartment in New York huh? Hmmm... I wonder what that means. It could probably be her birthday gift for herself. Or maybe she's moving closer to her boyfriend Maxim Afinogenov of the NHL's Buffalo Sabers.

Anyway, the good thing if she really moves in NYC is that there's good access to tennis courts near her. It also won't be hard for her to look for hitting partners.

Davai Lena! Advanced Happy Birthday too!

Cramping Dementieva wins

2006-10-05T09:11:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva[3] defeated Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik 4-6 7-5 7-5 in the second round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany. Dementieva collapsed on the court before serving for the match in the third set due to cramps.

"I didn't want to give up and I put in so much, everything that I had today."

That is why Elena Dementieva is my favorite tennis player. She might be streaky but she never gives up. She will be facing either Shahar Peer or Patty Schnyder in the quarters.

Davai Elena!

On other news, Dementieva was asked about the Sharapova's announcement of her availability in next year's FedCup tie against Spain. Here's what Elena had to say:

"If she (Sharapova) plays it's going to be very helpful for the team," said
Dementieva. "She's a very strong player and we have a lot of chances to win if
she's playing."

"I don't see any problems with her father," said Dementieva.

"He's an emotional guy but it is nothing to do with his daughter. Maria
is a nice girl and I don't see any problems."

Nice words from Elena. I hope she gets selected in next year's FedCup team.

Porsche 2r: Dementieva vs Srebotnik

2006-10-04T08:56:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva[3] is in action at this week's tournament in Stuttgart. She received a first round bye together with Amelie Mauresmo, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Nadia Petrova. In her opening round match, she will face world no. 26 Katarina Srebotnik.

Interestingly, Dementieva owns Srebotnik based on their 5 previous meetings having won all of them. But their last 2 meetings both went to 3 sets. Last time they met was at Tokyo earlier this year where Elena won the biggest title of her career so far.

Srebotnik is a good player and she really can play. If Elena doesn't bring her game on court in this match, Srebotnik might have a chance. Last week's lost against Radwanska was really bad so I hope Elena was able to put it behind her already.

Davai Elena!

Radwanska upsets Dementieva

2006-09-30T07:48:00.000+08:00

Agnieszka pulled a big upset as she defeated Elena Dementieva 7-5 6-2 to reach her first WTA Tour semifinal. This is also Radwanska's first top 10 victory.

According to Dementieva, she was trying too much which caused a lot of unforced errors for her. Anyway, we'll move on to Stuttgart next.

Davai Elena!

Radwanska bagels Venus, to face Elena in QF

2006-09-29T09:53:00.000+08:00

Top seed Elena Dementieva will be facing an unexpected opponent on her quarterfinal match at the Fortis Championships. When the draw initially came out, everyone has been expecting a Dementieva-Venus or Dementieva-Ivanovic showdown in the quarters. But Radwanska spoiled the party for everyone and will try to score a revenge against Dementieva.

Agnieszka Radwanska, 17 y.o. Polish teenager, successfully made her WTA debut at Warsaw earlier this year by beating Anastasia Myskina and reaching the QFs of that tournament. Incidentally, it was Dementieva who defeated her at that tournament. Since then, Radwanska has been improving. She's currently ranked No. 95 in the world rankings, and has reached the 4th Round of Wimbledon in June.

Tonight's match will be a test for Radwanska. She must be feeling really confident with her easy win against Venus but she must also be tired since she had to qualify for this tournament. Anyway, if Elena brings her A game tomorrow, I don't see why she wouldn't advance to the semis. Radwanska is really good and is a young player to watch but she's just not on that level yet.

Davai Elena!

Lena eases past Stosur

2006-09-28T10:58:00.000+08:00

Fortis Championships top seed Elena Dementieva eased past Samantha Stosur 7-5 6-1 at last night's 2nd round action. She awaits for the winner of the other 2nd round match between Venus Williams and Agniezka Radwanska.

Luxembourg 2R: Dementieva vs Stosur

2006-09-26T10:14:00.000+08:00

Top seed Elena Dementieva will have a tough task of getting to the quarterfinals of the Fortis Championships as she faces reigning Doubles No. 1 Samantha Stosur on the second round. Samantha Stosur has been making big strides in her singles career in the past few months and is now No. 30 in the world rankings. This match will be Dementieva's debut match at Luxembourg.

The only previous meeting between these 2 girls was at Los Angeles last year where Dementieva triumphed over Stosur 6-4 6-3. But a year has passed and both girls are playing better this year. Stosur has a good serve which could make life more difficult for Dementieva. Dementieva has to show up well-prepared in their match or she might be upset by Stosur.

I'm actually anxious to see how this match will be like. Elena is coming off from her quarterfinal run at the US Open where she was upset by Jelena Jankovic. Clearly, that loss was very painful to Elena so I want to see how that has affected her. She's been more consistent this year, but that loss against Jankovic clearly affected her if you base it on her post-match conference.

Anyway, I hope that that loss will motivate her more and take her to realize that she needs to step up another level. I know she can do it.

Davai Elena!

Doubles News

Elena Dementieva and Michaella Krajicek had no problem of dispatching the Bondarenko sisters 6-3 6-1 in the 1st round of Doubles. They will probably face the 4th seeded duo of Groenefeld/Huber in the quarterfinals.

Davai Elena and Michaella!

Elena back in action at Luxembourg

2006-09-25T11:11:00.000+08:00

After 2 weeks of rest, Elena Dementieva goes back on court as the top seed of the Fortis Championships in Luxembourg. The Fortis Championships is a Tier 2 indoor hardcourt tennis tournament. Nadia Petrova, Patty Schnyder and Dinara Safina join Dementieva as top seeds of the tournament, each of them receiving a first round bye.

This is Elena's debut at the Fortis Championships and her opening match will be either against Anne Kremer or Samantha Stosur. If Elena wins this match, she will have a QF showdown against either Venus Williams or Ana Ivanovic. Williams is coming off from a wrist injury while Ivanovic suffered an opening round loss in Bali two weeks ago. It looks like it'll be a tough QF for Elena, but if she gets through, Schnyder is probably waiting for her in the semis. But Schnyder is not really a great indoor player so we might see Francesca Schiavone or Michaella Krajicek instead of Schnyder in the semis against Elena. The bottom half of the draw contains Safina, Pierce, Golovin, and second-seed Nadia Petrova.

This is the second-time this year that Elena has been the top seed of the tournament. The first one was at s'Hertogenbosch where she reached the semis. I hope she lives up to her seeding and get her third title of the year and solidify her place in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Race to the Championships here in Luxembourg.

Davail Elena!

Doubles news

When Flavia Pennetta withdrew from this tournament, I thought Elena won't play doubles in this tournament. Imagine my surprise when I saw her name in the doubles draw. She's partnering Michaella Krajicek in this tournament. In the first round, they will face the Bondarenko sisters. Let's see how their team will hold up.

Davai Elena and Michaella!

Crash Club by Peter Bodo

2006-09-06T10:25:00.000+08:00

From TW:

Every player always feels "disappointed" in defeat, but tennis is a crazy game (stop the presses!), not least because just about everybody, every blessed week, spins out and hits the infield wall. They go up in a great big ball of fire and smoke and miraculously walk away - just like most of those NASCAR pilotas - helmet in hand, suffering nothing more serious than third-degree burns to psyche.

Ultimately, it's really just a matter of where you spin out, in Turn 1 (just ask Vince Spadea about that), or in Turn 4, during the gun lap, in which case you have the privilege of watching the likes of Justine Henin-Hardenne or Amelie Mauresmo roll by you to take the checkered flag while your eyelids are getting flash-fried to your eyeballs and you're already thinking acceptance speech: "Thank you, ballboys and ballgirls (calm down, Mats!)."

This explains why the great players all share one outstanding attribute: a short memory. And it also helps explain why losers tend to be rather philosophical in defeat. Can't win every week, you know, mate? Heck, 95 per cent of the pros don't win in any week. The gun goes off and only one player ultimately crosses the finish line, while the infield is lined with smoking wrecks and guys in haz-mat suits, foaming down the track.

And you're supposed to do this, week after week? There's only one bit of cold comfort for any of the players in all of this: they may have nothing in common with one man or woman (the winner), but a whole lot of that misery-loves-company type of camaraderie with (at a major) 126 others. Welcome to the Crash Club.

Still, now and then there's a situation where the philosophical approach is an inadequate buffer, and it means nothing that a steady parade of losers has preceded you in that long walk to the press room. Now and then, it really hurts, not with that, "Ouch! Hey I'm still in the doubles!" level of hurt, but a deeper hurt. Sometimes a player simply can't hide the disillusion behind glib sound bites in the presser. That's why I wanted to jump out of my seat during Elena Dementieva's press conference today (she was crushed by Jelena Jankovic, 6-2,6-1)and give her a big hug.

Of course, if I had done that I would have found myself asking, a short while later, "Elena. . . Are you, ah. . .going to press charges?"

So I just sat there studying the look of utter deflation on Elena's pleasant, equine face, thinking: "Wow. This one really hurt."

Consider the situation. Dementieva has established herself in a unique role as a Grand Slam bridesmaid; to the best I can figure (I'll have to check with the WTA on this one), she's the only former GS finalist in the field who hasn't gone on to win one. Such an attractive girl, and there she sits at the Big Dance, unasked. I can hear the chaperones talking amongst themselves . . . It's a pity. . . She has so much to offer. . .Such a nice girl. . .and, the inevitable. . . Ah, do you think there's something wrong with her?

At this point, you're all supposed to shout in unison, You Bet! She couldn't bust a sheet of paper with that serve, and that's assuming she could hit the danged thing.

To which I say, begone, naysayers! (Hey, I like that, I sound rather Shakespearian, no?)

Granted, Dementieva didn't hold serve once today; in fact, I'm not all that sure she's held serve since 2001. But what I love about this girl is that she's somehow found a way to buck the entire, subtle, finely-tuned athletic logic of three centuries worth of tennis and succeed without a serve. Think about it. This is like someone without feet making the national soccer team.

When Dementieva arrived at the USTABJKNTC this morning, she had to be feeling pretty good about her chances. For once, while she had the usual wrap on her left leg (something that the astute Charlie Bricker noted in her presser), it was largely a preventative measure; for once, she was getting a good but comparatively inexperienced opponent (this was Jankovic's first quarterfinal at a major); Dementieva had lost just 26 games and no sets en route to the quarters.

Serve? Ha! Who needs it?

In fact, wasn't it Jancovic herself who had gleefully admitted (after losing a tight, three-set final to Dementieva at Los Angeles, just a few weeks ago) that she had a lot of trouble with Dementieva's serve: "For me, I prefer, I can return easier Serena's serve than Dementieva's serve. I mean, in LA, Serena would hit a 125 mile (per hour) serve and I would it it even harder back, hit a winner back. But then I played Dementieva, who hits 80 mile serve, and I can't even make it over the net. I don't know what it was. But now I got used to it somehow."

And you just know it eventually must spell t-r-o-u-b-l-e for Dementieva when a rival makes it out that her serve is her ace-in-the-hole.

So today, Jankovic teed off on Dementieva's serve, but instead of firing back with her usual Rapid Response tactic (throwing in 38 double faults; gets 'em every time!), Dementieva hit just five. The real damage was done less by Dementieva double faults or service speed (did you notice that they dragged out a sundial to time it?), or Jankovic winners, than by the relentless pressure she applied by powdering those returns: Elena, you're playing soccer with no feet. Ha-ha-ha, Wham!

Elena, of course, could be forgiven for sloughing all this off with a shrug and telling the press, Hey, I got to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open without a serve, and made more than any of you do in a year on the way. What am I supposed to be all bent out of shape about?

But that's not the Dementieva we know and love. Just an hour and two minutes after it started, it was all over. It came faster than the rain (which in New York these days is saying quite a bit), and it hurt more than hailstones. Another year has gone by without Dementieva winning a major and people once again muttering, This girl is good, but she's no Anastasia Myskina. . .

What you have to love about this girl, though, is that she really, truly, believed she could do it this year. She didn't exactly say that, but it was expressed in her disconsolate expression and lack of animation. She looked bitterly disappointed. How could a woman who got to the U.S. Open quarterfinals without the foundational stroke in the game feel so let down? She found a way. And she made a telling remark when she was asked if she was disappointed that she didn't get back to the semis or final, as she had on a few occasions in the past.

Yes, I am disappointed." She said. "I still have - I still feel like it was a good result, to be in the quarter. But, you know, I fell like I could do, you know, a little more, and I could go to the semifinals. Yeah, it is disappointing, you know. I'm getting older, and I haven't won a Grand Slam, so that's really what I'm thinking about all the time. I feel like I was in good shape here. That's why it's sad."

So that's really what I'm thinking about, all the time. . .

There you have it, as unvarnished as it comes.

I couldn't help ask her if there were a piece missing somewhere, mostly because I was vaguely hoping that she might say that she already had some overall game plan in place for next year, some new serving coach or fitness routine, perhaps a Voodoo priestess or sports psychologist (whoops, same thing). Heck, at this point even some long-haired, opportunistic Svengali who drives a red Ferrari and goes by just one name might do. But Elena just said:
I feel like I'm doing the right thing, you know. I can't play perfect every single day. It's impossible for anyone. So I'm just trying to work hard, and, youknow, trying to fight in the court, no matter what, you know, no matter how my serve is, no matter how I feel. You know, I try to fight because that's what it takes you to be champion, you know. Try to win, no matter how you feel today.

A little while later, she added:Actually, I feel disappointed because my leg feel so much better now. I had some problems in the beginning of the tournament, but today I was feeling physically great and I was like ready to run. I was ready to have a good match. It was over in an hour. I was very sad.

On paper, I guess, those quotes don't necessarily scream, "Put this girl on suicide watch!" But Dementieva was devastated; about that I have no doubt. And I hadn't realized how accustomed I'd grown to the oh-so-reasonable and dispassionate assessments players produce to explain losing. It's probably better that way because, in the long run, feeling so crushed by a loss would make anyone want to fling himself off the top rail of Arthur Ashe stadium (And I can only imagine how the players would feel!)

When you think about it, this sport is a lot more about losing than about winning. And we've all got to guard against letting that cat out of the bag.

Jankovic crushes Dementieva

2006-09-06T10:01:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva lost to Jelena Jankovic 6-2 6-1 at the quarterfinals of the US Open.

I just can't explain how sad and disappointed I am right now. And after reading Elena's interview, I felt even sadder.

Oh Lena! Don't lose hope. We'll do better in the Grand Slams next year. All your fans are here for you.

Davai Lena!

QF Post Match Interview

2006-09-06T09:53:00.000+08:00

An interview with: ELENA DEMENTIEVA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. She was talking earlier about how difficult it is to return your serve. She said returning Serena's was easier to return than yours. She sort of figured something out, how to deal with your serve. Did you sense that out there, considering how you played her in the past?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I think it's not about the return. I think the whole game was pretty solid today. She was playing great from the beginning to the end. She didn't give me any chances. I feel like she was just a little I mean, not little, she was better today. For me, it was very hard, you know. I was fighting for every point, but she was just, you know, better and better. It's just unbelievable, the way she was playing today.

Q. You've played her many times. She's always been a very talented player extremely talented. One could argue she's never been the most motivated player out there. She is now, obviously. Can you sense the difference in her game?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Well, I think, uhm, she become more consistent player, and she's I mean, she's trying to be more positive. It really looks like she's really enjoying to play right now. The way she's playing, I mean, her game is just coming, you know, becoming more solid every single tournament that she's playing. So for me, today was just very hard, you know, to stay in the court and compete against her. I mean, she was there for every point, and she didn't give me any mistakes.

Q. When you play Jankovic, you probably had periods against her where she had one or two or three games where she looked fantastic, but never the whole match.
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Right, right.
Q. Today, was it different? ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Well, yeah. Even comparing to our final in Los Angeles, you know, she had some ups and downs, you know. She was playing great for a couple of games and then, you know, just like she lost her concentration and she was out of, you know, the match. Today she was very consistent during the whole game, and from the beginning. That's why, you know, it was very hard for me to play against her.

Q. You've gone very far. This has been a very good stage for you. You're making an earlier exit than you probably would have thought. A bit disappointed with not being able to get back to, say, semis or finals like in the past?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yes, I am disappointed. I still have I still feel like it was a good result, to be in the quarter. But, you know, I feel like I could do, you know, a little more, and I could go to the semifinals. Yeah, it is disappointing, you know. I'm getting older, and I haven't won a Grand Slam, so that's really what I'm thinking about all the time. I feel like I was in a good shape here. That's why it's sad.

Q. Do you feel, I mean, given that you're up near the top but then you're very up and down, do you feel there's a piece missing somewhere, that you have to rethink and maybe come back with a different attitude? Or do you think, Keep working at it and maybe one day it will all come together?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I feel like I'm doing the right thing, you know. I can't play perfect every single day. It's impossible for anyone. So I'm just trying to work hard and, you know, trying to fight in the court no matter what, you know, no matter how my serve is, no matter how I feel. You know, I try to fight because that's what takes you to be champion, you know. Try to win, no matter how you feel today. Just today I wasn't able to do it because she was just so much better.

Q. What would be a Elena Dementieva match without a wrap on your leg?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Actually, I feel disappointed because my leg feels so much better now. I had some problems in the beginning of the tournament, but today I was feeling physically great and I was like ready to run, I was ready to have a good match. It was over in one hour. I was very sad.

Q. This is just to make sure nothing more happens (referring to her wrap)?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Yeah, it just was for support, yeah. I didn't feel it.

Q. The quality of her play today, is it enough to win a US Open championship?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Well, I think she has if she gonna face Justine, I think it's gonna be very tough for her because, you know, what I was trying to do today was trying to mix it up a little bit because she was playing great, you know, from the baseline, you know, very aggressive. It looks like she was in her rhythm of the game. But with Justine, against Justine, you know, with all the speed and slice, what she can do in a match, it's gonna be quite difficult for her. For sure she's in the best condition right now. She's just, you know she has nothing to lose in the semifinals against her. So I think she can do it, yeah.

Q. She has a great sense of humor, she's so easy to laugh. Is she one of the most popular players in the locker room?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Well, I think she's very natural, you know. She's a friendly girl, you know. She likes to laugh. She's very loud, so...Yeah, she's just this kind of girl, yeah.

Q. Do you dream about tennis?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Do I dream about tennis (smiling)? No, it's gonna be too much. No.

USO QF: Elena and Jelena Rematch

2006-09-05T12:54:00.000+08:00

What was supposed to be a rematch of the US Open 2004 Final became a rematch of the JP Morgan Chase Open 2006 Final. Jelena Jankovic spoiled what should have been an all-Russian quarterfinal when she defeated 5th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova. Jankovic will meet Elena Dementieva at the quarterfinals of the 2006 US Open. They're playing the first match (11a.m.) at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday.

In teir current Head-to-Head, Dementieva leads 2-1. The last time they met was barely a month ago at the Finals of the JP Morgan Chase Open at Los Angeles, California. Elena won that match 6-3 4-6 6-4. But that won't matter tomorrow as they will be fighting for a spot in the semis of the Open.

Jankovic is making her Grand Slam quarterfinal debut while this is Dementieva's 6th time. In the US Open, Dementieva has never lost a match in the quarters in 3 attempts. She reached the semis in 2000 (l. to Davenport) and 2005 (l. to Pierce in 3s), and the Finals in 2004 (l. to Kuznetsova). This Grand Slam is where Elena shows her best tennis and where she usually makes a good run.

Let's look at how they got to the QF:

On the way to the QF, Jankovic has already made 2 upsets, beating #10 Vaidisova at the 3rd round and #7 Kuznetsova in the 4th, along the way. Jankovic has dropped 2 sets on the way. Dementieva on the other hand has faced a bunch on unseeded players and 33rd seed Zvonoreva. She hasn't dropped a set during the entire tournament and her toughest test came from Aravane Rezai in the 4th round.

Jankovic had a tougher 4th round match than Dementieva. Dementieva's match against Rezai only lasted 1:19 while Jankovic's match against Kuznetsova was a staggering 2:19. Playing the match exactly a day after does not bode well for both girls. Jankovic was having breathing problems on her match against Kuznetsova yesterday while Dementieva's thigh seems to be hurt. The quarterfinal match would be a question of who will outlast the other one.

I was able to catch some parts of both girls' 4th round matches and Jankovic's backhand really amazed me. If Dementieva does not clean up her act and bring her best game in the QF, we might see Jankovic make another upset. But if Dementieva plays to form, serves well and makes few unforced errors, she'll probably head on to the semis. I expect a lot of drama in this match.

I hope Elena's thigh is okay. Let's hope for the best.

Davai Elena!

Dementieva survives Rezai

2006-09-05T10:02:00.000+08:00

Who would have thought that Elena Dementieva's toughest opponent thus far would be the 96th ranked Aravane Rezai? I suppose no one would have thought that. Unfortunately for Rezai, her magical run to the fourth round of the US Open ended when Dementieva won the match 7-5 6-4.

I didn't see the whole match, just bits and pieces of it but I was intently following the US Open Live Scores. The match to me was very peculiar especially the 2nd set where there was a service break fest. Neither can hold their serve and their nerves. I saw some parts of the match and I saw Elena slicing her serve again. I don't know why but I haven't seen her do it for quite a while now. And I also noticed that Elena still has the heavy strapping on her left thigh. According to onthebaseline.com, Elena's mom confirmed that Elena has been having problems would it. That would explain why Elena couldn't run down balls she would normally reach.

The statistics of the match was pretty ugly. Both girls committed a lot of errors and Dementieva only had 8 winners. I hope Elena has enough time to recuperate for her quarterfinal match against Jankovic tomorrow.

Davai Elena!

USO 4R: Unseeded Rezai stands in Dementieva's way

2006-09-02T10:40:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva[4] will be facing unseeded French teen Aravene Rezai. Rezai steam rolled Maria Kirilenko in the previous round 6-3 6-1.

Most people probably haven't heard anything about Rezai and are surprised that she's in the fourth round of the US Open. Not me. Rezai had been improving tremendously the entire year and making big strides in her career. She reached the third round of the French Open in June where she upset Ai Sugiyama en route, then lost to Vaidisova in three sets. ANd in her way to the fourth round, she also upset 16th seed Anna Lena Groenefeld and Lucie Safarova. Rezai is currently ranked 96.

Dementieva and Rezai has never faced each other before. Elena is also probable surprised that she is not meeting a seeded player in the fourth round. Rezai is probable surprised with herself too. I haven't seen her in action ever so I can't really make any judgement about her game.

On paper, it looks like Dementieva will win this match easily. But we don't want to underestimate Rezai. She might be lower-ranked but getting to the fourth round of the Open is no small feat. The key here will be whether Dementieva would be able to continue serving well. If she does, Rezai would have no chance. Her return game has been good the entire tournament so I hope that continues for Elena as well.

Davai Elena!

Dementieva tested by Zvonoreva

2006-09-02T10:21:00.000+08:00

The All-Russian match between Elena Dementieva and Vera Zvonoreva lived up to most people's expectations. There were lots of service breaks throughout the 1st set. But the second serve was all about holding serve, and Dementieva never faced a break point. Dementieva won 7-5 6-3.

The first set was full of errors from both players but it was evident in the entire match that it was Dementieva who was trying to take control. Dementieva 35 winners compared to Zvonoreva's 11.

It's really great to see that Elena hasn't dropped a set yet and is entering the second week as fresh as the other top players. Zvonoreva tested her a bit and Elena must be feeling confident that she beat Vera in straight sets. Her serve has really improved and she haven't served up more than 9 double faults a match during the tournament. The second serve is still a bit weak but if she gets enough 1st serves in, she converts. Really great showing Elena! Good luck on your next match.

Davai Elena!

USO 3R: Elena vs Vera

2006-09-01T15:30:00.001+08:00

Elena Dementieva and Vera Zvonareva are two of the most talented Russian players on the WTA Tour. Dementieva is ranked 5th in the world while Zvonareva is at No. 34. Dementieva is currently the Russian No. 2 while Zvonareva is the Russian No. 9. It seems like it has been a long time since Zvonareva was ranked in the top 10 but Zvonareva has been playing a lot better lately capturing 2 titles this year, and so has Dementieva.

Vera and Elena has played each other only once before and they met here in Flushing Meadows two years ago, albeit a round later. Elena won their 4th round encounter during the 2004 US Open 1-6 6-4 6-3.

Both women hasn't dropped a set yet after 2 matches but Dementieva had much more comfortable scorelines than Vera. But this match will be very close. Both are very talented and heart will play a big role in this match. And both are also known for being mentally fragile. Whoever serves better has the upper hand of this match.

Davai Elena!

Elena bagels Laine to move in to 3rd round

2006-09-01T14:28:00.002+08:00

In the second round of the US Open, Elena Dementieva blitzed past Emma Laine 6-4 6-0 in just a little over an hour. Dementie moves into the third round where she will face compatriot Vera Zvonareva.

The match was really all about Elena as she fired 19 winners all over the court. She had really great statistics in this match and I hope she performs as well, if not better against Vera tomorrow. It's almost unbelievable! 100% point in the net, winning 72% on 1st serve and 79% points on 2nd serve. I really like it that she improved her 2nd serve percentage compared to her 1st round match where she only won 28%. Moving on, she never faced a single break point during the entired match and limited her double faults to 4. It's really nice that Elena had a good and short match today so she could prepare more for tomorrow's match. I hope that her good showing today continues tomorrow.

Davai Elena!

2006-08-31T07:34:00.000+08:00

Matthew Cronin wrote something nice about Elena today. You can find it here.

Do you know what I love about New York (and other than The Open, Broadway and that it's close to Connecticut, there's not much anymore), that Elena Dementieva is always a factor here. I love that because she puts her chin strap on week-in, week-out and competes hard. I love that she rarely gets hurt and, for the most part, plays hard. I love that despite the mockery that her second serve has been put under, that's she's a Top-5 player.
She and the Buffalo Sabre express (boyfriend Maxim Afinogenov) arrived in New York and promptly dismissed Laura Granville. She very comfortable in the Big Apple, having reached the ’00 semis and the ’04 finals.
"I love New York," she said. "New York reminds me of Moscow a little bit. I really love big cities. I like to feel this energy. I like city full of people. This is a very unique city. Even when you're driving to the court it's nice to be in the car and just look around, because every building is huge and it's unique."
What would be even more huge is for Dementieva to prove once and for all that she can win a Slam, serve be dammed. "Once you are in the final you're never satisfied with the final again. You're just looking for something more."

USO 2R: Elena and Emma Laine

2006-08-30T09:01:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva will face an unseeded Finn in the form of 58th-ranked Emma Laine in the second round of the US Open. Laine defeated American veteran Meileen Tu in the previous round.

Emma Laine is one of the shorter girls on tour standing at 5'5". She reached the second round of both the Australian Open and the French Open but fell in the opening round of Wimbledon. Laine is a baseliner who prefers hardcourts. At 20 years of age, Laine aspires to improve her tennis ranking.

Unfortunately for Laine, she will have to face Elena Dementieva in the second round. She is a baseliner but Elena Dementieva's strokes from the baseline is notches higher than hers. Elena made a good showing on her first round match and if that continues, Laine doesn't have a chance. All Elena has to do is continue serving well, like she did in her previous match where she was broken only once the entire match.

Davai Elena!

USO 1R: Dementieva breezes past Granville

2006-08-29T08:53:00.000+08:00

4th seed Elena Dementieva breezed past Laura Granville 6-1 6-4 in the first round of the 2006 US Open. Dementieva used her powerful groundstrokes to edge out Granville. Although Elena committed 9 double faults, she also fired out 5 aces.

Here are the match statistics and the match summary.

Davai Elena! Well done!

Dementieva starts with Granville today

2006-08-28T10:42:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva will face American Laura Granville at the first round of the US Open today. Their match is second at the Armstrong Stadium.

Here's a little preview from the US Open website:

This is a brutal first round match for Granville, who has made some
progress as of late, but now must face a Russian who has been a threat at this
tournament every year since she stunned the world by reaching the semifinals as
a teenager back in 2000. This is the Slam that 2004 finalist Dementieva feels
she has the best chance of winning, and after she knocked off Maria Sharapova
and Jelena Jankovic in succession to win L.A., it's hard to disbelief her.

She's the most tireless player of the top 10, almost never getting
injured and willing to run down every ball. Her serve is still a mess, but in
order to be able to attack her swerving slice, you have to be able to read it,
and fewer players can.

Former NCAA champ Granville has admittedly underachieved and may not
have the killer instinct necessary to crack the top 20, but she has good enough
skills to be able to pull off a few big upsets in her career. She just has to
convince herself of that. But it's not going to happen here, as Dementieva is a
very good bet to make a strong sprint into the second week. Dementieva in two
sets.

I don't think Granville is a threat to Elena. But given the jitters Elena usually has during the first rounds of the Grand Slams, nothing is so sure. Elena has to start well today. Let's all wish her the best of luck.

Davai Elena!

USO: Tough road lies ahead

2006-08-25T14:05:00.000+08:00

The final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open, starts on Monday at Flushing Meadows. Everyone will shift into high gear as the world watches the top tennis players battle it out to become this year's champions. The women's field is led by top seeds Amelie Mauresmo, Justine Henin-Hardenne, Maria Sharapova and Elena Dementieva.

Elena Dementieva is seeded fourth this year, and this is the highest seeding she's ever got in a Grand Slam. Elena has reached at least the semis of the Open since 2004. This year, let's hope she gets further than that. But a tough road lies ahead for Elena, tests abound that she has to pass.

The first road block is named Laura Granville. Granville is currently ranked 56th in the world rankings and has been doing ok the entire year garnering a 23-17 win-loss record. Elena should have little problems with Granville but we know Elena's temperaments during the first round of the tournament.

In the 2nd round, Elena would play either Meileen Tu or most likely Emma Laine. These two are much lower ranked compared to Elena as well and I can't see anything about their games that could bother Elena.

The third round is possibly where it will become tricky. If the seedings hold up, Elena would be facing Venus Williams in this round and this match will surely be featured at night if they both held up to this round. Venus hasn't played at all this summer (well, except for WTT) and is said to have some kind of injury. But Venus is Venus and we all know what she's capable of. But I think, Elena can definitely prevail if they face each other.

If Elena gets past the third round, she'll likely face either Groenefeld or Kirilenko, who are both slumping hard lately, in the fourth round. And then in the quarters, either Kuznetsova (3-3 H2H), Jankovic or Vaidisova. On this half of the draw also lies 2nd seed Justine Henin-Hardenne.

Here's a summary of Lena's tough draw: (2r onwards are all speculations)

1r: Laura Granville
2r: Meileen Tu or Emma Laine
3r: Venus Williams
4r: Anna Lena Groenefeld, Maria Kirilenko or Sam Stosur
QF: Kuznetsova, Jankovic or Vaidisova
SF: Justine Henin-Hardenne or Lindsay Davenport

I wish all the best to Elena this coming US Open. Davai Elena!

Pilot Pen over for Elena

2006-08-25T13:56:00.000+08:00

Unfortunately, Elena Dementieva lost a tight 3-setter in the quarterfinals of the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament to Svetlana Kuznetsova today, 6-3 3-6 6-2. The match ended with Kuznetsova garnering a total of 84 points compared to Elena's 82. See, that's how close it is.

Elena didn't play doubles this week so the tournament is officially over for Elena. The good thing about this lost is that she has more time to prepare and relax before the US Open where I hope she'll pick up her first big one.

Davai Elena!

Elena bagels Dani in third, faces Kuznetsova in QF

2006-08-24T08:28:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva outlasted Daniela Hantuchova in the 2nd round action of the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament in New Haven. Elena won despite dropping the second, 6-2 5-7 6-0. After Elena dropped the second set, she decided that she should have already won it a couple of minutes ago so she demolished Hantuchova. Elena will be facing Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals, a rematch of the 2004 US Open Final.

Elena Dementieva leads Svetlana Kuznetsova 3-2 in their head-to-head meetings, Elena winning the last two. But in their most important match, which is the 2004 US Open Finals, it was Svetlana who triumphed. This match is very interesting. They are both playing well recently, and have improved over the last 2 years. The last time they met was like 17 months ago and a lot of things have changed since then. Let's see how things will turn out tomorrow. All the best to Elena.

Davai Elena!

Elena @ WTABackspin

2006-08-23T07:35:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva was featured at last week's edition of WTA Backspin. Here's the link for their story.

Elena Dementieva arrives in New Haven

2006-08-17T10:55:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva arrived early in New Haven and is now doing some painting on New Haven's public courts. Here is the complete article about the event:

Pilot Pen Hotshot Pitches in at East Shore Court
by
Melissa Bailey

Days before her debut at the Pilot Pen tennis tournament, Russian tennis hotshot Elena Dementieva took a squeegee to the East Shore Park tennis courts to highlight the USTA's investment in refurbishing public courts. "Hopefully we're going to see a winner of Pilot Pen starting on these courts," said the World's No. 5-ranked female tennis pro, flanked by New Haven kids.

Dementieva is the first tennis star to fly in for the tournament, which runs Aug. 18 to 26. In Russia, they don't have public courts, she said. Though she wasn't a painting pro — "I've never done this before!" — she was happy to highlight the United States Tennis Association's US Open Series Legacy Program, which helps communities that host US Open Events refurbish public courts.

East Shore's public courts, where Career High School tennis teams practice, lay freshly resurfaced Wednesday. After a few of coats of paint, they'll be ready within a week to host the growing number of city kids — 200 per year — who take reduced-priced tennis lessons from the city Parks and Recreation department. That number of participants has quintupled in three years, say city officials, due largely to USTA grants.

"The timing couldn't be better," said Board of Aldermen President Carl Goldfield, representing the mayor at Wednesday's press conference. He noted the city's Open Schools Program, which offered sports and classes to city teens, had just ended, so the courts would give kids a new place to go.

Anne Worcester, Pilot Pen Tennis Tournament director, hoped the tournament would "use the excitement and appeal of professional tennis to inspire participation at the grassroots level." Pilot Pen will also donate money to Parks and Rec for tennis, to be used for more tennis instructors and equipment.

After the press conference and staged painting act, Dementieva signed balls for kids and withstood a blitz of media cameras. In her two days before the tournament, when she's not practicing her admitted weakness, her serve, she'll be walking around between Yale buildings and downtown New Haven sights. "It's very nice to walk around."

--oo--

I just have to add that Elena looks really great in the pictures. It was so nice of her to help promoting tennis. If she could just win a slam, she'd be a great ambassador of tennis.

Davai Elena!

2 nice articles about Elena

2006-08-15T09:24:00.000+08:00

I came across 2 great articles about Elena Dementieva so I thought why not share it to everyone.

Here's the first one from TennisReporters.net:

With Carson title, Dementieva ready for first Slam
By Matthew Cronin,
TennisReporters. net
FROM THE JPMORGAN CHASE OPEN IN CARSON/LOS ANGELES – The best woman not to have won a Grand Slam title grabbed the JP Morgan Chase Open crown with a hard fought 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Jelena Jankovic in the final.
Elena Dementieva proved once again that she's a big-time force on hard courts. Now if she can just show the world that she has finally overcome the yips on her serve and has learned to trust shots other than her vicious groundies, she may end up being the queen of New York.
"I feel like its just starting for me," Dementieva said. "I feel like I'm just getting to my best game. I just need one more step. I'm young enough and I can make it in the future. It's just taken me a little longer."
When Jankovic was feeling right, the ambitious Serbian was able to hang with Dementieva in rallies and hurt her on numerous occasions with her signature shot, a whizzing backhand down the line.
But she grew very tired early in the third set and took a medical timeout down 3-0 for heat illness. She fell behind 5-0, but then Jankovic began to zone, and scrapped back to 5-4, knocking off numerous volley winners.
"I wanted to come back, so I didn't give up," Jankovic said. "I told myself to fight every point, even when I felt tired and dizzy. I knew I could break her, but the problem was holding my serve."
But in the final game, Dementieva began to play deeper and controlled the center of the court, winning the two-and-a-half-hour match with a well-struck forehand crosscourt winner. She then yelled and leapt into the air.
A finalist at the ’04 US Open, where she played terribly against Svetlana Kuznetsova, and a semifinalist there another two times, including last year, when she fell to Mary Pierce, the strong-legged blonde is the most tireless player on tour.
Kim Clijsters used to own that accolade, but she's been battered and bruised by injury. Since she came on tour in 1999, Dementieva has played 568 singles matches and 220 doubles contests - and then doesn't include Fed Cup. She's the Sony Ericsson's WTA Tour Iron Woman - but could use a bionic arm when she's serving.
"She's really fit," said Jankovic, who admitted that her conditioning failed her. "She's one of the most physically prepared players on tour. She could play five sets and not really get tired. I need to improve that so that I don't lose matches because I'm physically not strong enough."
Dementieva noted, "I could play five sets, no problem." Dementieva plays week-in, week-out and has never sustained a major injury. It took her seven years to win her first Tier One crown in Tokyo earlier this year, when she thrashed Martina Hingis in the final. She reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon for the first time last month.
She's also been a fourth-round Slam casualty on nine occasions and lost countless tough matches to the other elite players. Her strengths are obvious: speed, conditioning and ball-machine-like groundies.
But her serve is still pretty lousy (Jankovic called it "weird"), she lacking in variety and doesn't trust herself enough at the net. But with the number of injuries to the top women's players reaching the stratosphere, Dementieva has to be given a decent shot at reaching the final four at the Open, and even going further.
"I'm not going to be that excited to each the semifinals like I was in 2000," she said. "Then I didn't know what to do on court and it came to me really early. Now I'm more solid and I deserve to be in the quarters and the semis of the big events. I'm optimistic for the future."
But on a sunny Sunday in Carson, Dementieva tried to keep her mind on the present, the day that she won her first US hard court title. She was planning on going for a swim in the ocean, accompanied her brother 27-year-old brother, Vsevolod, who had a heck of a week as her coach and is due a big bonus. Her boyfriend, hockey star Maxim Afinogenov, was also going along for the celebration. Raising a glass to herself is a rare thing for a woman who is always on the next flight to following week's tournament.
In fact, even though she's not playing Montreal, she was already looking at the
draw sheet. "Life is short and I need to learn to celebrate more," she said, adding that in a week where she bested the likes of Shahar Peer, Maria Sharapova and Jankovic, she deserved to celebrate. "There were so many of the best players here and I'm the best one, wow. That's why I'm working every day is for these moments. I hope this momentum keeps going forever."

And here's the second one:

No Nervous Breakdown for Her
Dementieva overcomes her usual late-match tightness and shaky serving to beat Jankovic in final of Carson event.
By Lisa
Dillman, Times Staff WriterAugust 14, 2006
This is for all those out there with shaky serves and a nagging inability to close out a tennis match.
You might say Elena Dementieva is almost one of those people — her nervous struggles with the serve are often the same struggles of fans. Which is why her performance at the Home Depot Center at Carson on Sunday was especially gratifying for the Russian, as she overcame her nerves, her serve and, more important, Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, a woman having a breakthrough tournament.
The third-seeded Dementieva nearly lost a 5-0 third-set lead and gripped hard as the lead shriveled to 5-4.But she finally left No. 16 Jankovic behind for good in the final with an emphatic forehand winner on her third match point to take the JPMorgan Chase Open title, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.A giddy Dementieva jumped in celebration after the entertaining 2-hour 23-minute final, thrilling her brother and interim coach Vsevolod and her boyfriend, Maxim Afinogenov of the Buffalo Sabres, who were
among the 6,719 in attendance, and her weary mother, Vera, back home in Moscow
awaiting a result.
"It's a very great feeling," Dementieva said. "It's great to be champion for one week. So many great players are playing this week, and I'm the best one. I mean, wow! This is an amazing feeling. That's why I'm working so hard, to feel this moment and hope to keep this moment. I hope this momentum will go forever."
Losing the tag of best player without a Grand Slam title is difficult work, but the groundwork is laid in these types of tournaments. For instance, Kim Clijsters won at Carson last year and went on to take her first Grand Slam event a few weeks later, at the U.S. Open.
With Clijsters breaking through in 2005, and Amelie Mauresmo twice this year, the focus shifts to the 24-year-old Dementieva, who lost in two Slam finals, both in 2004. Now she has landed in the select group of women with momentum heading into New York, joining Clijsters and Maria Sharapova, who won in Palo Alto and Carlsbad,
respectively.
Dementieva was so pleased that the smile hardly left her face during the post-match news conference, even when she was answering the same old questions about her serve — six double faults to Jankovic's five — and the Grand Slam drought."I feel like it's just starting for me," said Dementieva, who won her second title of 2006 and sixth in her career. "I feel I'm just getting to my best game, two finals. I just need one more step. I feel young enough and I can make it in the future."
The crowd caught a glimpse of another potential future star in the 21-year-old Jankovic. She is expected to move to No. 21 in the world today and has recorded victories over sisters Venus and Serena Williams this summer, the latter coming Saturday night in the semifinals.
Jankovic is unusual on the tour in that she attends a university in her native Belgrade."I'm not an ordinary tennis player who most of the time I think never ever have seen a classroom," she said. "They don't know how it looks like. They don't know what the desks look like…. Tennis career is really short and you don't know what will happen tomorrow, so I need to think about my future."
On Sunday she overcame a sluggish start and made it a surprisingly competitive third set after needing treatment for heat illness from the trainer when trailing, 0-3."I didn't give up," said Jankovic, who felt tired and dizzy. "I was still thinking I could do it. I know I can break her all the time. I just have to hold my serve, which I had problems doing because I was really tired. I almost did it. I almost came back to 5-5. She can run all day. I think she can play five sets and not get tired."
Then there was the matter of the serve. The tighter Dementieva got, the slower the serve became, and she frequently side-armed it in during the third set. It has thrown off many others before Jankovic."You don't know what's coming up, a slow serve or a fast serve," Jankovic said, smiling. "Sometimes she changes. Sometimes for the second serve, she hits like a first. Normally with the players, they hit a big serve and a little kick serve, and she hits all kinds."

Elena, JP Morgan Chase Open Champion

2006-08-14T10:38:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva got her sixth career title and second this year when she defeated Jelena Jankovic 6-3 4-6 6-4 in a thrilling final match at the JP Morgan Chase Open. Elena Dementieva will receive a $95,000 prize money and will be back in the Top 5 of the world rankings on August 14.

Davai Elena! I knew you could win this! I hope that this match gives you a lot of confidence especially coming in to the US Open later this month. I'm really glad you pulled through! You've had really great matches this week. Davai Elena!!!

The sweetest revenge

2006-08-13T14:33:00.000+08:00

Elena Dementieva's Grand Slam revenge continued as she upset her Wimbledon conqueror Maria Sharapova 7-5 6-2 in the semis of the JP Morgan Chase Open. Earlier in the week, she also avenged her Australian and French Open losses to Julia Schruff and Shahar Peer.

Sharapova, the top-seed of this event, came out as the heavy favorite coming in to this match. But Dementieva came out firing with all cylinders surprising Sharapova. She raced to a 5-1 lead in the first set but battled some late set jitters which allowed Sharapova to level at 5-5. But Dementieva wouldn't let her next chances slip away as she broke Sharapova to love to take the set 7-5. Aside from the last game, the second set was pretty much all about Elena. Sharapova saved 6 match points and on the seventh, she sent her forehand long on the baseline.

This win is the sweetest one this week and in quite a while. I'm pretty sure that this will give Elena lots of confidence coming in to the finals where she will face Jelena Jankovic. Jankovic defeated Serena Williams in the other semis today.

In H2H, Elena and Jelena are tied with a win each. Both previous meetings were in 2004 and in hard courts, and both matches ended with a 6-1 6-4 scoreline. Jankovic upset Dementieva at the 1st rd of the 2004 Australian Open while Elena won their last meeting at New Haven 2 years ago. Elena is looking for her second title this season and I fancy her chances of doing so. Another good day tomorrow would be truly fantastic.

Davai Elena!!!