Curtain Call
Player: Dominika Cibulkova
Age: 23
Nation: Slovakia
Current Ranking: 16
Notable Conquest: Victoria Azarenka (Belarus, 1st seed)
Today's Result: lost to Samantha Stosur (Australia, 6th) in straight sets
Photo via Top&Best
Cibulkova's a lot of fun to watch. She's a fighter and even the TV commentators (Carillo, Navratilova and Davenport) gave her a lot of credit for keeping her head in the game even when she was down in the match today. Her quarterfinal finish is a big improvement on last year's first round exit so she'll get a ranking boost heading into Wimbledon. She'll need it with quarterfinal points to defend from last year.
Catching Up with Old Friends
Juan Martin del Potro (Curtain Call, Australian Open Day 9) - It was a brutal day for both del Potro and Jo-Wilfred Tsonga (France, 5th). Both proved they could hang with the big dogs but neither proved they could beat them. Tsonga lost to Djokovic (Serbia, 1st) in five. Del Potro lost to Federer (Switzerland, 3rd) in five. I almost never root against Federer but I couldn't help it with JMDP today. I've got a soft spot for the Argentine - the gentle giant with the bazooka forehand. The good news for tennis fans is that the last time del Potro lost to Federer in five sets at the French, he took the summer hard court season by storm, ultimately winning the US Open. Can he do it again? He won't sneak up on anyone anymore but the talent is there. He still improved on last year's third round finish so his ranking will benefit. He'll have fourth round points to defend at Wimbledon.
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