Disbelief

World number one Ana Ivanovic lost in the second round at the U.S. Open against 188th-ranked Frenchwoman Julie Coin with the score of 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, the earliest exit made by a top seed in the Open-era.

Everyone at the Arthur Ashe stadium, including both players, were stunned with the outcome of the game. It was thought to be just an "ordinary game to be won by the top seed." In fact, Ivanovic had enough time to rest and practice after pulling out of Beijing Olympics to heal her sore thumb. Apparently, it did not help her ante-up her game.

When asked if she thought she could win, Coin only said "No." That's understandable since she failed to qualify in the other three Grand Slam tournaments and even considered quitting the game altogether.

For now, Coin will just savor the victory and in the third round will face compatriot and former world number one Amelie Mauresmo.

U.S. Open 2008

The 2008 U.S. Open features a number of top-tier players who are still suffering from jetlag after a long flight from Beijing to New York. Fortunately, these players managed to battle their way to the second round and we'll see how they'll fare from then on.

I've been keeping myself updated with the latest news on the last Grand Slam of the year via these sites: U.S. Open official website, Yahoo! Tennis and CNN-Sports Illustrated. I'd probably watch the live broadcast during the semifinal and final rounds since that's pretty much where the excitement is going to be.

As much as I would like to root for Roger Federer to win his first Grand Slam title of the year, I am faced with statistical fact that this would be a tall order for him. I'm thinking that the newly crowned world number one Rafael Nadal will be riding on with extreme confidence after winning two consecutive Grand Slams this year (French Open and Wimbledon) plus getting the singles gold at the Beijing Olympics. The only setback for Nadal would be fatigue but so far he's managing it well and last I checked, he breezed to the second round.

Tennis writer Jon Wertheim predicted on his column that it would be Serbian player Novak Djokovic who will win the U.S. Open. If that holds true, then Djokovic will claim his second career Grand Slam (He won the 2008 Australian Open). If the seedings hold, he will face Federer in the semifinals in a rematch of last year's final. If the Serbian wins, he will have another chance to avenge his previous defeats against Rafael Nadal. My take - Nadal will win the title.

In the women's side, there's a renewed interest for Russian player Elena Dementieva to win the title. She recently won the gold in Beijing Olympics so she made herself an early favorite. Her only setback is her weak serve but she manages to make up for it. She's already a two-time Grand Slam finalist and a silver medalist in 2000 Sydney Olympics. If she managed to ante-up her feat in this year's Olympics by winning gold, she may as well improve her Grand Slam career by actually winning one this year.

Unfortunately, there won't be a possible Williams-Williams match in the final similar to what took place at Wimbledon since Venus and Serena will meet each other in the quarterfinals. I believe that one of them will win this year's U.S. Open title (even though they've been written out as threats).

Nadal, Federer, Williams bring home the gold

After Roger Federer's shocking exit in the quarterfinals of the men's tennis singles competition at the Beijing Olympics, I made a surefire conclusion that Rafael Nadal will win the gold medal and I was right.

The final match between Nadal and Chile's Fernando Gonzales was for tennis fanatics' standards, a lopsided one, as the new World no. 1 player crushed his opponent in three straight sets with the score of 6-3, 7-6, 6-3. Gonzales improved his performance after clinching the silver medal (He was the bronze medalist in Athens Olympics).

Surprisingly, Federer won the doubles title gold with compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka for Switzerland. The now former world number one is not that active in doubles in the ATP circuit so the win was an unexpected one. This means that both the world number one and two tennis players each got their first-career Olympic gold.

In the women's side, Russia proved itself as the new powerhouse when it comes to tennis after the singles' gold, silver and bronze were all awarded to the team.

The gold medal went to world number five Elena Dementieva who defeated compatriot Dinara Safina in a thrilling three set battle. Safina was clearly exhausted after competing in both doubles and singles competition plus the fact that she's enjoying a 15-match winning streak. The bronze medal went to Vera Zvonareva who defeated Li Na of China. Dementieva was the silver medalist in Sydney Olympics.

However, it was not a complete loss for the Williams sisters who were expected to do well in the competition. The two sisters won the doubles competition and defeated the Spanish players Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual. The sisters won the doubles gold in Sydney Olympics but skipped the event in Athens. This means they are now in a 10 match winning streak in this category and both already said that they'll be back in 2012.

All in all, it was a great week for tennis in Beijing. Now that everything's said and done, all players are looking forward in the upcoming U.S. Open.

Keeping track of things

Since I am actively keeping track of the Olympics on television, I might as well keep my online journal active as well.

Tennis pro Andy Roddick decided to skip the Beijing Olympics because he said that the 15-hour one-way travel for a few tennis games was just not worth it. So he took part in the Los Angeles Classic and lost the title match against Argentine teen Juan Martin Del Potro with a score of 6-1, 7-6. Not a bad preparation for the U.S. Open.

Meanwhile, only one American male tennis player is left vying for the elusive gold after the rest of his teammates got bundled out of first round. All eyes are now on James Blake.

Meanwhile, sisters Venus and Serena Williams progressed to second round after defeating their opponents handily. Venus already won the singles and doubles gold in 2000 Sydney Olympics. Can she make it this time? Serena Williams was her partner in the doubles event last time. Can both make a repeat? I sure hope so.

As for the picture on the right side, well that's Michael Phelps (right) and his teammate Garrett Weber-Gale (left) and an official that I won't bother knowing the name (lol). You'd probably be having this emotion as well after winning gold on the 4 x 100m freestyle event by just mere milliseconds.

My sister and the rest of the world were shouting their lungs out after U.S. swimmer Jason Lezak came from behind with only a few meters away from the finish line and beat frontrunner France by just a few inches. This means Phelps' goal of achieving a record 8 gold medals in swimming is still alive. So far, he's got 2. He'll be competing in 7 individual events and 1 team event (in which they just won the gold).

We were happy after watching the second heat of the men's 200 meter butterfly event because Philippines' JB Walsh placed first among the eight players who took part in that particular heat. He clocked just below 2 minutes. However, he placed 29th in the overall tally and did not make it to the semifinals. Too bad. As usual, it was Michael Phelps who placed first with an Olympic-record breaking time. I'm betting he will be beating the world record time in time for the finals.

Probably the best of them all...

After a long wait, China plays host of the most prestigious sporting event in the world.

I was part of the 4 billion viewers of the grand opening ceremonies of this year's Beijing Olympics. Of course, I was not in the "bird's nest" but the show was simply marvelous.

At the start of the ceremony, there were exactly 2,008 drummers beating in synchronization. I'm thinking that the drums used were specially made because these emit light when beaten so if watched from the bleachers area, you would see a great spectacle of lights. Here's a more reliable coverage of that event. :)

When I was in Hong Kong with my sister and mom, we were looking for an Olympics store so that we can buy souvenirs like jackets and t-shirts. Due to the tight schedule, we had time to visit one near our hotel during our last day. Unfortunately, the store was closed. Even in the HK airport, we arrived just in time to see the attendants of an Olympics gift shop close their stall (that's where I realized that such stall existed in the massive airport). :( too bad.

The best thing that our family could have in terms of being in the Olympics is getting a commercial-free coverage of the sporting event. Thanks to our official sponsor (my sister), we were able to subscribe to such service. I'm looking forward to see how the tennis, gymnastics and swimming events would go.

I'm thinking that China will finally become the overall champion, what say you? :)

Paris Hilton for President?

This Hollywood celebrity strikes back at Republican presidential nominee John McCain. Check out the video. One of the hottest issue of the moment.

Beijing OIympics

About two, three years ago, while I was still working in the government, I made a semi-vow (if there's such a thing) that I will go and watch the Olympics in Beijing, China. I guess I will have to break this one since the most prestigious sporting event in the world is about to start tomorrow, August 8, 2008 (or 8.8.08). I will have to resort to watching the events on the boob-tube (and suffer watching a lot of TV ads in between).

If I did get the opportunity to go there, I would watch the tennis competition. Top tennis players had been scheduled to battle it out for glory. I would want to have the opportunity to have a chat and photo ops with Serbian players Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic and Novak Djokovic and other great players such as Roger Federer (who will become number 2 in a few weeks time), new number one Rafael Nadal, the Williams sisters and many more.

Of course, I would also watch the opening and closing ceremonies of the games. I would like to be one of the first people to have accessed the Beijing Olympic stadium. From what I heard, a lot of money had been spent for the creation of this so-called "birds nest-style" stadium.

There's always another time. Maybe in 2012, I'll be able to make it in London. :)

Last Song Syndrome

Been listening to this song more than the usual. :)

Go on Girl
by: Ne-Yo

[V1:]
I cant get it back, but
I dont want it back, i
Realized that,
She dont know how to act
Never been a dumb dude
No im not dense
I Just had a slight lack
Of common sense
I was the good guy
She was the bad girl
Im thinking one girl
She thinking me, earl james and jimmy
Yep she had plenty
But love for me, she didnt have any

I was inviting, her into my heart
But she was out riding in some other man's car
She was my night time, thought I was her star
Guess I was wrong, but see im strong
Wont take me long for me to move on

[Hook:]
Please dont worry bout me im fine
(Please dont worry bout me im fine)
Only gonna play the fool one time
(Only gonna play the fool one time)
Trust me when I say
That i'll be ok
Go on girl
(Go on girl)
Go on girl
(Go on girl)
Go on girl

[V2:]
I cant get it back, but
I dont want it back, i
Realized that,
She dont know how to act
Tried to settle down and look what I get
Thought it was my time, but I guess not yet
She at the bar getting drinks from many men
Im in the house, thinking shes with her girlfriends
Trust not knowing, truly not knowing
I look back now like, man, I was open

I was inviting, her into my heart
But she was out riding in some other man's car
She was my night time, thought I was her star
Guess I was wrong, but see im strong
Wont take me long for me to move on

[Hook:]
Please dont worry bout me im fine
(Please dont worry bout me im fine)
Only gonna play the fool one time
(Only gonna play the fool one time)
Trust me when I say
That i'll be ok
Go on girl
(Go on girl)
Go on girl
(Go on girl)
Go on girl

[Bridge]
The mistake i made is clear
(we never shoulda been together)
Thats the reason youre not here
(I know that I can do much better)
Not a single salty tear
Not a feeling in my chest
Baby im feeling no stress
Im too fly to be depressed

Go on Girl
Go on Girl
Go on Girl
Go on Girl

[Hook:]
Please dont worry bout me im fine
(Please dont worry bout me im fine)
Only gonna play the fool one time
(Only gonna play the fool one time)
Trust me when I say
That i'll be ok
Go on girl
(Go on girl)
Go on girl
(Go on girl)
Go on girl

Safina wins third title of the year! Great!

Russian tennis player Dinara Safina seemed to be filling the gap left by compatriot Maria Sharapova after she breezily went on to win the Tier Rogers Cup held in Montreal, Canada this week.

The younger sister of former world number one Marat Safin ended the impressive run of Slovakian player Dominika Cibulkova, who defeated three seeded players on her way to the finals. The final score was 6-2, 6-1.

For Cibulkova, it is already a great achievement to get this far especially since she's still a newbie in the tennis circuit. Her new ranking is now set at number 20. This means that she's now a few ranks away from overtaking compatriot Daniela Hantuchova. Congratulations to the both of you!

Hurray for Murray!

What a great week for Britain's number one tennis player Andy Murray! After making it to the semifinals at the Rogers Cup in Canada, Murray capitalized on his strong hardcourt season by winning the Cincinnati Masters Cup title this week. He defeated world number three Serbian Novak Djokovic in a thrilling final with the score of 7-6, 7-6. The match would have gone either way so kudos to both players!

Murray will clinch a career-high ranking of six this week after his impressive performance for the past two weeks. Of course, he's going to be a strong contender in the upcoming Beijing Olympics and U.S. Open.

Djokovic halts Nadal's winning streak, foils number one attempt

I really thought that Rafael Nadal will finally clinch the world's top ranking in men's tennis this week after Roger Federer was beaten unceremoniously during the early rounds of this week's Cincinnati Masters. Unfortunately, Nadal was bundled out of the semifinal round by Serbian world number three Novak Djokovic with the score of 6-1, 7-5.

I guess all good things had to end sometime. Nadal was enjoying a 32-match winning streak which included title wins in French Open, Wimbledon and last week's Rogers Cup. He would have taken the number one spot had he won the title this week. However, the Spanish player will still be crowned the new number one by August 18 by virtue of the points he had accumulated for the past 52 weeks so it is not that bad at all (read related article here).

Meanwhile, Djokovic asserted himself as a force to reckon with despite making early exits in major tournaments such as the Wimbledon and Rogers Cup. The 2008 Australian Open Champion will have the next few weeks to pile up enough points to go further in the rankings. Good luck to him!

Slovakian tennis teen smashes way to Rogers Cup Final

Remember this face because she will soon become a force to reckon with in the women's tennis circuit. She's Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia. The 31st ranked teen smashed her way to the final of the Tier I Rogers Cup in Montreal, Canada. Along the way, she beat higher-ranked oponents such as Elena Dementieva, Nadia Petrova and foiled the attempt of Serbian player Jelena Jankovic to attain the world number one ranking this week.

In the semifinals, she beat another seeded opponent - Marion Bartoli of France in three tight sets (4-6, 6-4, 6-3). She'll be facing Russian player Dinara Safina in the final match. Safina, the younger sister of tennis pro Marat Safin, is currently enjoying a successful season to date having won a Tier II hardcourt title just last week. The Russian sensation defeated Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the other semifinal.

Both finalists will definitely consider their feat memorable since they'll be achieving new career highs in their rankings after the new figures will be released this coming Monday. Safina is assured of a career-high ranking of number 7 next week while Cibulkova is expected to make her top 20 debut.

What a great week for women's tennis!

The New King and Queen of Tennis

There will be a major shift in rankings this month in both men's and women's tennis.

Serbian tennis player Jelena Jankovic already said in the past interviews that it had been her long-time dream to become the world number one. However, her performances for the past two tournaments have delayed her ascend to the top. Despite this, she's assured the top spot this coming August 11 once the new ranking comes out. Reigning number one Ana Ivanovic, will step down to number two. The projected rankings show that Jankovic will have 3,620 points to Ivanovic's 3,612 - a minimal difference of 8 points.

Meanwhile, in the ATP tour, 2008 French and Wimbledon Open champion Rafael Nadal will finally get out of the shadow of Swiss player Roger Federer when he ascends to the top ranking this coming August 18. Nadal had been in the number 2 spot for the past 158 weeks. It only means that he'd been waiting for a long time. However, his performances for the past six tournaments have been very impressive - winning five titles within that span of tournaments. He was bundled out of the semifinal round of the ongoing Cincinnati Masters Series. He would have been assured of the number one ranking if he won the title. I guess, he will have to wait a little longer. What's two more weeks anyway? :)