Rock stars of the WTA

If I were Steve Jobs, I'd commission an iPhone ad with a slideshow featuring famous people and civilians happily using their gadgets. Might I suggest a couple of women who changed the game of women's tennis?

Only daddy was smoking

Venus Williams was on fire for most of the Bank of the West Classic. She swatted down Maria Sharapova in a televised quarterfinal 6-2, 6-2. She felled Elena Dementevia in the semi-finals 6-1, 6-0. And then, wonder of wonders, she lost to Marion Bartoli, the French woman who swings two-handed on both sides (4-6, 6-0, 4-6).

V's father, Richard Williams, disappeared from the stands during the second set. I badly wanted Venus to win and found her unforced errors so painful to witness that I too banished myself from the stadium and instead paced downstairs along with Renee from the security detail. Maybe just maybe, I thought, I was bad luck. While Renee and I were searching for temporary religion, Mr. Williams was on a court in his flip flops smoking and hitting with Team Williams' practice partners (who, by the way, used a pink racquet -- now that's confidence). Sorry to cut Richard Williams off at the knees in the photo. Unfortunately, that's what Bartoli effectively did to Venus.

Here's a more nuanced view of Bartoli's success.

True Grit

What does it take to win in pro tennis? Winning a match seems to hinge on momentum and belief, and a lot of talent. Today I watched two matches that would have been labeled upsets had the tide not somehow turned. Seventeen-year-old Melanie Oudin (who got to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon) faced an injured Marion Bartoli. Bartoli last year’s BoTW runner-up (to Caroline Wozniacki), had her calves taped below the knee and was limping around, taking forever between points. Oudin berated herself for each missed first serve, went for too much on her groundstrokes, and, worst of all, tried to beat Bartoli from the back court. A losing strategy, unfortunately.

The first evening match between Sabine Lisicki, a talented German player, and former number one Jelena Jankovic (seeded fourth) also had all the makings for an upset. Lisicki took the first set decisively (6-2) but then folded in the second set. JJ pulled out the third. Like Oudin, Lisicki had lots of missed opportunities, and she double-faulted way more than a pro should.

Today’s heroes were Nadia Petrova and Bethanie Mattek-Sands (still sporting soccer socks) who pulled out a win against Alisa Kleybanova and Anastasia Rodionova. Petrova and Mattek-Sands took the first set, then made many unfortunate errors in the second. They managed to eke out the 10-point tiebreak 12-10. The match was sufficiently gripping to keep the stadium respectably full until the match ended shortly after 11 p.m. I was thrilled for the duo – especially after the many botched shots in the second set. Tennis is a mind game. The tenacious rule.

Fashion don'ts

Let me begin by saying I'm a fan of Bethanie Mattek-Sands, so what follows is puzzlement rather than criticism. So, totally superficial but Mattek-Sands was sporting a very weird look today when she played doubles with Nadia Petrova. After losing the first set, the two bested Alla Kudryavtseva and Tatiana Poutchek in a 10-point tiebreak.

But back to Mattek-Sands' duds. I'm mystified by the combo of the knee socks (so '70s) and the baby-doll frock. While the look is weird, the net result (at least today) was a win, so who am I to carp?

The beginning of a Stanford sojourn

Am spending the entire week at the Bank of the West Classic tournament at Stanford University in what I'm calling a modified staycation. Thanks to my generous friends, Fernando and Charles, who live in Menlo Park, I have nearby lodgings, so I don't have to drive back and forth between Oakland and Palo Alto each day.

By the by, I'm not spending hundreds of dollars on tickets to the tournament. I'm volunteering. Work a 4-hour shift, get a ticket to watch another session. Pretty cool.

The tournament has its best draw in years (and this is its 39th year) including Venus and Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva, and Nadia Petrova (she lost today to Sharapova).

Seeing tennis in person differs qualitatively from the TV experience. Aside from the fact that TV does indeed add 10 lbs., it's hard to appreciate the physicality of the players onscreen. In person, however, the players' fitness and prowess is oh so evident.

Case in point: Ms. S. Williams, who looks extremely slim and powerful in person.