CINCINNATI--Ernests Gulbis did not make it past the second round of any tournament in 2009 until October, a slide that saw his ranking fall out of the top 100.  His year ended with a bizarre solicitation charge in Stockholm, followed by a no-show to qualies in Paris, of which he said that he had forgotten he entered the tournament.

But in 2010, things have turned around for the lanky Latvian.  Gulbis is at his career high ranking of #27, though his potential and track record early in his career show the potential for much greater things. Gulbis had considerable success during the European clay swing this spring (including a  before an injury

After a slow start to the US Open Series,  Gulbis is into the third round at Cincinnati with wins over Donald Young and a third set tiebreak win against #13 Jurgen Melzer.  He faces #4 Andy Murray on Thursday.

After his win over Young, I was able to briefly chat with the greatest player in the history of Latvian tennis on a wide range of topics that included Twitter, Marat Safin, and why he will kill himself if things don't improve.

TDF: You're at your career-high ranking now, #27.  How does that feel, because you're someone whose had a lot of success before without your ranking necessarily reflecting it. 

Ernests Gulbis: Yeah, but it's still nothing special.  OK, #27--my goal is not to be #27 all my life.  My goal is to be higher.  So if I end my career and my career high is #27, probably I'm going to shoot myself.

TDF: So with that in mind, do you have a goal in mind for this year? Next year?

Ernests Gulbis: My biggest goal is of course to be first in the world.   #1 in the world, it's a normal goal which every normal tennis player has.  He who doesn't have it is not a full tennis player, I think.  For the next couple months, or next year, I don't have a particular goal.  Maybe I would like to end this season in the Top 15.

TDF: You've beaten Federer this year, you came close to beating Nadal--seems like you can beat anyone on any given day, and there's no one you cannot beat.  Would you agree with that?

Ernests Gulbis: Anybody can beat anybody on any given day.  It's an individual sport.  That's why it's tennis.  That's why I think it's the toughest sport, more than any other sport.  Because, for example, a team sport is a bit different.  If you have team which is three times better than the other team, not all the team can have a bad day.  In tennis, somebody can have a bad day, the other guy has a good day, and in this kind of tournament you're playing the hundred best tennis players in the world, and all of them can play.   So basically, anybody can beat anybody.

TDF: Do you think that's a problem for you, having bad days?  When you lose a match to a player ranked lower than you, is it more about having a bad day than anything else?

Ernests Gulbis: But who did I lose to this year who is much lower than me?  I lost in Los Angeles against [Alejandro] Falla, but it was my first tournament back from injury.  I played in Washington, I lost to [Illya] Marchenko, but I retired because of the heat--didn't feel good.  And then I lost to [Robin] Soderling, so, yeah.  I had a good match against him, and before I beat [Thomaz] Bellucci.  I don't know who I lost to who was so...I lost to Federer in Madrid, I lost to Nadal in Rome, I lost to Verdasco in Barcelona--they're all ranked higher than me, they're all top ten players.

TDF: I was at your match in Washington when you retired against Marchenko--what sort of symptoms were you suffering in the heat? I didn't notice that you were struggling with it at all before you stopped the match.

Ernests Gulbis: First of all, I don't think I'm going to go to Washington again next year.  I really don't like playing in so much humidity.  I don't care so much about heat--for example here, it's hot--but it's not so humid.  But in Washington I'm sweating so much, and I'm losing so much water, and salt, or whatever.  I'm trying to hydrate, but started from the first game to see the ball blurry, and then I was really close to passing out, so I stopped the match.  But the next week I went to Toronto, it was much better weather, and I felt more or less okay.  I start to feel good in two days.

TDF: A lot of comparisons have been drawn between you and Marat Safin, similar personalities and all.  Is he someone that you look up to or emulate with his tennis?

Ernests Gulbis: No, there is nobody who I am looking up to or trying to imitate.  It's just me, it's how it is.  Of course (laughs), Marat's a great guy.  He's one of the tennis players who I was closer to.  We speak the same language, we have similar interests and mentality.   Maybe that's why, because if you see a group of friends, or something, they're all going to be more or less the same, with the same interests, and the same way of life.  Maybe that's why.  I'm not looking at it so much. 

TDF: You won your first title earlier this year in Delray Beach.  Was that a big step in making you think that you can win any tournament you enter now?

Ernests Gulbis: I don't know if ANY tournament, but yeah, it's a first step.  It's a 250 tournament, wasn't the strongest tournament ever.  I played [Ivo] Karlovic in the final, beat some solid players, but none of them top ten, or something.  So it's a first step in a longer process.

TDF: Lastly, a lot of tennis players have recently joined Twitter, and you seem like you have a personality and sense of humor that would lend itself well to--

Ernests Gulbis: No, no, no.  I don't like these kind of things.  I really think the world is becoming slowly degradated, in terms of Facebook, Twitter, "Friends," whatever you call it.  You just don't do nothing, they're sitting at a computer all day, trying to meet people through the computer.  I prefer to go and talk to somebody than to write in a dark room.

CINCINNATI--By any measure, Marion Bartoli had a very successful week in Cincinnati. 

After straight set wins over Anabel Medina Garrigues and Alona Bondarenko, the 2007 Wimbledon finalist beat #2 seed Caroline Wozniacki in a lopsided 6-4, 6-1 third round match.  Though she lost in the quarterfinals to eventual finalist Maria Sharapova, it's still a week of which Bartoli should be quite proud.

After her win 7-6(4), 6-1 second round win over the elder Bondarenko sister, I got the chance to sit down with Marion for what turned into a fairly lengthy interview, covering a wide range of topics with varying levels of tennis-relatedness. the first part of which is below.

Marion, known as one of the biggest characters in the sport, walked into the interview room with the WTA escort animatedly discussing the woes of French soccer, so that seemed like a good topic to start off with.

TDF: Let's start with that, then.  What would you do to change French soccer?

Marion Bartoli: Oh my gosh, there are so many changes to do! I think they are on the right path, though, because they, first of all, changed the coach. They put Laurent Blanc, who was the winner of the World Cup in '98.  So I think we're on the right path.  We're going to see how it's going in the test matches.  We can only improve (laughs).  We're starting from so low now.

TDF: The World Cup was going on during Wimbledon this year--did you have time to watch?

Marion Bartoli: I was watching, I was crying! Because it was just so bad, the way they handled it. Not only the level, because I can understand, I'm a sportsperson, I can understand you have a bad day, or whatever, it's totally understandable.  But just the way they acted...

TDF: The way the players acted?

Marion Bartoli: Yeah, exactly.  The way the players acted on the field, they were not even running toward the ball.  When you see the , the other team they were at least trying.  They were not even trying.  And not wanting to practice, you can't act like that, especially when you are representing your country for the World Cup, it's only once every four years.  It's just not acceptable.

TDF: That's never been a problem for you in tennis, you've always seemed like a very hard worker.

Marion Bartoli: Yeah, well the thing is that I don't consider that an achievement.  I love what I'm doing, it's my passion, I just want to improve.  That's not a huge deal.  But I really don't understand how you can possibly give it up like they did.  They didn't even try to do something, even just run for the ball, they were walking.  It was a disaster, totally.

TDF: You played back-to-back days here in Cincinnati, and already have two wins under your belt.  Do you like playing back-to-back days? You and Alona Bondarenko both did.

Marion Bartoli: Yeah, well I'm not going to say that it was bad scheduling, because I won both of them.  Of course, today was the toughest conditions probably I ever played in. 

TDF: Hottest ever?

Marion Bartoli: Yeah, especially the humidity.  It's not even the heat, when you have dry heat it's fine.  But this humidity just makes it so much tougher.  And I was talking with other players, it was tough for everyone.  It was very much mental a mental battle, how hard and for how long I can push myself.  I made sure I can have this win so I can have a day off tomorrow.

TDF: You left the court after the first set, was that just for the heat?

Marion Bartoli: Yeah

TDF: Because [Alona Bondarenko] didn't leave the court, which surprised me.

Marion Bartoli: I know, but then I won the second set 6-1, so maybe she didn't make the right decision.  That's what the physios asked us to do, try to leave, try to stay in the shade, try to drink as much as possible.  I think it was just the right move to get out of the court and get cool, and come back in the second set.

TDF: One thing that she did that you did not do was bring her coach on court.  What's your thought on on-court coaching? Do you think it's helpful, or do you think it should be taken away?

Marion Bartoli: Well I think it's helpful, but of course it depends on the player.  Some players don't really like to listen to anything during the match, they just want to figure it out by themselves, which is totally fine with me.  I think when she called for her coach she was more screaming at him than listening to what he said, so maybe that was not the right decision (laughs).  When my coach is coming on court, he helps me to figure out some stuff that I can't see.  But otherwise, if I'm feeling comfortable with my patterns of play, or if I feel I am doing the right things, then I don't need to call for my coach.

TDF: I saw that when you won points, you were fistpumping and looking in your coach's direction.  How important is it to have him there, and what would it be like if he was not there for one of your matches?

Marion Bartoli: Yeah, well, I lost two difficult matches in Stanford and San Diego.  I was in a winning position, and just let it slip away.  I really wanted this time to make sure that I carried on the same mentality from the first to the last point, which was really important.  Maybe I did more fistpumps than usual, but it was really important for me to stay mentally strong, because I let slip three match points in San Diego last week, which was really heartbreaking.  I wanted to make sure that it didn't happen again.

TDF: I also noticed that with your fistpumps, you switched from saying "Allez!" to "Come on!"...

Marion Bartoli: Yeah, I know! I'm speaking so much English that sometimes I'm dreaming in English, even, during the night.  It comes naturally, so I'm not even thinking about what I'm going to say.  It just comes (snaps) like that (laughs).

TDF: On the court next to you, while you were playing...

Marion Bartoli: Kateryna Bondarenko was playing [against Maria Kirilenko], and she was losing as well. 

TDF: Did you notice that during the match?

Marion Bartoli: Yes (laughs).

TDF: Do you think Alona noticed that?

Marion Bartoli: I don't know if she noticed it, but I kept hearing the score. 

TDF: I kept hearing them say "Game Kirilenko" over and over, and I was wondering if that could have helped you, maybe. 

Marion Bartoli: Um, I don't know if it helped me, but I was aware of what was going on on Court 4.  But yeah, I was aware that her sister was losing.  Maybe also she didn't feel comfortable against me (laughs).  But I thought I played really well, especially in the second set.  I served huge, and I made sure that in return games I was putting a lot of pressure on her. 

TDF: I notice that you're wearing now the same light blue color that you wear a lot when you play tennis.  Is that your favorite, or signature color?

Marion Bartoli: Yeah, I love blue, but the main color is green on my outfit here, and there is just a little bit of blue on it.

TDF: It seems like you always try to include some blue, even at Wimbledon you wear blue wristbands or something.

Marion Bartoli: Yeah, I'm from the sea, so I love blue (laughs).  Being from around the sea, it reminds me of my home. 

Part 2 of my interview with Marion should be published sometime before her next match, whenever that happens.

CINCINNATI--Few players have risen to the upper echelons of the men's game as rapidly as Thiemo de Bakker.  The 21 year-old Dutchman was ranked outside the top 200 in August of 2009, but in the past year has made his way firmly into the Top 50, peaking at #40 in July, slipping slightly to his current ranking of #50 this week.

Though he was the top junior in the world in 2006, de Bakker is perhaps best known to most casual tennis fans as the player who beat John Isner in the second round of Wimbledon this year, beating him quickly the day after Isner's marathon 70-68 fifth set against Nicolas Mahut ended.

Playing in Cincinnati for the first time, de Bakker notched a 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3 win over ATP #31 Juan Monaco, putting him into a second round match-up against the winner of tonight's match between ninth-seeded  Andy Roddick and Sergiy Stakhovsky.

Shortly after his win over Monaco, I sat down with Thiemo to talk about his win today, Dutch tennis, making the transition from juniors to the ATP, and Wimbledon.

TDF: You had sort of a tough time closing out the second set, serving up 5-4 in the tiebreak and then losing both points on your serve.  What do you think happened?

Thiemo de Bakker: In the beginning I was 5-2 down in the set, so...I think I fought back well, took the momentum, played a good breaker.  I had a chance at 3-1, did the right thing, but missed it. And at 4-2 too defensive on that point.  Then at 5-4 up, yeah, I went a little bit defensive, and he took his chances and went for it.  Yeah, I had to go there a little bit more, but I didn't.  But I think I came back well in the third and played a good third set.

TDF: Against a player like Monaco who is more defensive, do you think it forces you to be more aggressive than usual?

Thiemo de Bakker: Actually I think today he was more offensive than me.  I was running more than him.  I should have, but I didn't do it.  Maybe it would have helped me to be a little bit more aggressive, but he's a tough player, and a good competitor, so it's tough.

TDF: You could play Andy Roddick in the next round, who you played twice this year already, and lost to both times [Australian Open and Miami].  What do you think you have to do differently to beat him here? He also recently said that he's been dealing with mono, does that give you a better chance to beat him, do you think?

Thiemo de Bakker: He's a great player. Twice he beat me pretty easy.  He's tough.  He doesn't miss a lot of balls, he serves well, and decent from the back, so I have to be really sharp.  By the way, I think that if he starts at a tournament, he's probably fit.  He's not going to play when he's not 100% fit, so he'll be fighting.  First he has to win today, but yeah.  I think if I serve well, and play well, and get a lot of returns back, I have a chance, but it will be tough.

TDF: I noticed during your match today that you were always rolling up your right sleeve.  Did you ever think about wearing sleeveless shirts? 

Thiemo de Bakker: Nah, I hate sleeveless shirts, actually (laughs).  I really don't feel comfortable in them.  In a way it's more a habit than anything.  I usually do it when it's more hot and humid.  It's just a habit, because if I hit one ball it usually goes back again.

TDF: Tennis players from The Netherlands have been doing well recently.  You're into the Top 50, and guys like Robin Haase, Jesse Huta Galung and Igor Sijsling have been playing well and getting near the Top 100 doing well after there was a  long time where there were no Dutch players in the Top 100.  Why do you think that is?

Thiemo de Bakker: I think we were really spoiled, with four or five guys in the top thirty.  We're a pretty small country, not like The States or France which are pretty big.  I mean, if we can get two or three guys in the Top 100, I think we're doing really well.  We're all young.  The age difference between the guys who stopped and us is pretty big.  There was a pretty big gap.  I'm 21.  I don't know what the average age in the Top 100 is, but I think I'm doing pretty well.  Robin [Haase] got injured when he was in the Top 100, so... We have a few guys who can make it, but they still need to improve a lot and get more consistent.  Then we'll probably be able to get three or four guys in the top 100, and that will be awesome.

TDF: It seems like The Netherlands is doing really well in sports generally right now.  Making it to the finals of the World Cup, swimming, and speed skating as well.  Why do you think such a relatively small country, like you said, is able to have so much success in so many sports?

Thiemo de Bakker: I think in football we have some great players throughout the world playing.  They're good players, they did really well, unlucky they lost the final, but, it happens.  And speed skating, I think we have the best speed skaters in the world, by far.  I don't know actually why.  Speed skating, they do it a lot in Holland, it's a big sport in Holland.

TDF: The first time I ever saw you play was in Davis Cup last year against France, where you beat Gael Monfils in Holland, with all the crowd in orange.  What was that like, playing for The Netherlands in front of that big crowd and getting the win?

Thiemo de Bakker: I think Davis Cup is always fun, especially in Holland when the crowd is for you.  I think it's always a good atmosphere.  They're good also for the opponents.  Not terrible--it's pretty fair, I think.  So it's fun, I like those matches.  I was playing well at that time, I had just won four challengers, so I had a lot of confidence.  Also on the other days I played pretty well.  I had my chances against Tsonga on Sunday, but lost in a tough four-setter.  I served well, and it was my first, well he was not quite top ten, but he was a good player, and it was a good win for me.

TDF: You were the #1 junior in the world, and you won Junior Wimbledon.  You've had a pretty successful transition to the ATP, had success and rising up pretty fast, whereas some players at the top of the junior game never have quite as much success in the ATP.  What do you think has been able to help you make the transition better than some?

Thiemo de Bakker: It took me a while.  I had some big problems in the beginning.  My problem was that in the juniors, I never had to work for it.  So I was, not lazy, because in matches I was working, but I didn't do the things outside, I didn't work hard in practice.  I just saw [tennis] as a fun thing to do, and I was actually good at it.  But then I came to a point where I had to work, because otherwise I'm not going to win.  During that period I still went up on the rankings, but it could have gone faster.  It made me what I am now, and I started playing well at the end of last year.  In the last six months of the year I started to win challengers, and then it went really fast. This year in the ATP I think I'm pretty solid, didn't lose a lot of first round matches.  But I think to make the next steps, I think I have to start to beat the big guys.

TDF: Is there any one thing, any one part of your game you think you have to improve to make that next step?

Thiemo de Bakker: I think I have to get more consistent.  In my total game, there isn't one thing which is really terrible, or one thing which needs to improve a lot.  It's more the complete game, it has to get more consistent to beat those guys.

TDF: You won Junior Wimbledon, as I said earlier, and you made it to the third round there this year of the main draw.  Do you think grass is the surface that best suits your game?

Thiemo de Bakker: I didn't feel comfortable on grass this year, at all (laughs).  I was serving well, but I really had problems moving.  But I think in the future I could be really dangerous on grass.  I have a good serve, I just have to get used to the running, and to the returns.  If I can improve that, I think I could be a tough guy to beat on grass.

TDF: You played a match that got a lot of attention in the second round of Wimbledon, against John Isner who had just played that match against Nicolas Mahut.  What was it like for you waiting to see who would win that? Obviously you had a different perspective on that match than anyone else.

Thiemo de Bakker: I had a tough first round too, I was 16-14 in the fifth, but it wasn't as tough as they had (laughs).  I think we're never going to see that anymore.  It was pretty sick, and for me it came out well in the second round, because he wasn't the guy who he normally is.  So for me it was good, and I had an easy round.  I think it was pretty sick, and I couldn't say that I was unhappy with it.  I mean, for John it would be nice, and also for Mahut, he also deserved to win through.  It would be better if it was different, but...

TDF: Did you watch their whole match?

Thiemo de Bakker: I watched some, I didn't see the whole match.  I was playing on the first day until they were 30-all.  I saw some things, but not all.

TDF: You're one of the tennis players who joined Twitter recently (@thiemodebakker), tweeting mostly in Dutch to your fans.  You liking Twitter so far?

Thiemo de Bakker: Yeah, I think it's just fun to get in contact with your fans, and reply to their messages, and if they have questions you can answer them.  I think it's easy, doesn't take a lot of time.  Yeah, I think it's good.

CINCINNATI--Akgul Amanmuradova is playing the best tennis of her life. 

Entering the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open in the qualifying draw, Akgul won two matches to reach the main draw, and then won two main draw matches against fellow qualifiers Kimiko Date Krumm and Bojana Jovanovski, only dropping a total of five games in those two matches.

In the third round, Akgul notched the biggest win of her career, upsetting WTA #2 and Cincinnati's top seed Jelena Jankovic 7-6(3), 6-4 for a spot in Friday's quarterfinals, where she will face Ana Ivanovic.

After her first round win over Date Krumm, I got the chance to sit down with Akgul for a fairly lengthy one-on-one interview.  Among other things, we discussed about her decisive win over Date Krumm, the state of tennis in Central Asia, her memories of the 2008 Olympics, and her unique on-court fashion stylings.

TDF: What was the key to playing so well against her today?

Akgul Amanmuradova:  Well I had two matches in qualies, and I really felt the rhythm.  I was serving well.  I knew that she's a very experience player, and that she's been giving a lot of players a lot of trouble since she came back.  I knew I would have to really serve well, and that was the key.  And if I do, I will always get the short ball after, or she will miss.  And I knew that if I played flat with her, she is very good at this, playing from the baseline.  If you hit hard with her, she plays better.  So I was trying to change the rhythm, with some slice, and change the volume of my shot, with a lot of rotation.  And not only moving her side to side, but also forward.  I think that changing the rhythm, and the serves today, were the key.

TDF: You made 82% of first serves today, which for someone who serves as hard as you do is really impressive.  How are you able to balance consistency and power that well?

Akgul Amanmuradova: Well, as I said, I've been serving well the last few matches.  And today, I was really focused.  I was thinking that if I put more first serves, I have more chances to have weaker returns.  Against her, it's very important.  Because with second serves, she really smashes it back, and puts me in trouble. It worked well today (laughs).  I didn't do anything special, in terms of how I managed to do it.  Just was trying to be focused and have a plan.

TDF: You've had a lot of success in Cincinnati before, making the semifinals here in 2007 which was sort of your breakthrough tournament, and now again this year you're doing well.  What is it about playing here in Cincinnati that you do so well with? Do you do better in heat than most players?

Akgul Amanmuradova: Well I am from a country where it's pretty hot (laughs).  Heat--It bothers me, anyway, because it's not easy to play here.  It's humid, and if you run a lot it's tough.  I don't know if there is something special [here], and that's why I do well, it's just...you get here, and you get the feeling, and you can play well.  The tournament is very well organized.  I've played here four times--two times I lost in the first round, two times I win some matches.  So I can't really say that the tournament always brings me luck, or something like that (laughs).

TDF: You did a really good job of coming to net off short balls and putting points away there.  It seems like your game, with your big serve and net play, would translate really well to grass, but so far in your career it hasn't.  Why do you think that is?

Akgul Amanmuradova: Well, first, I really like to run around my backhand and play forehands.  On grass, I am not able to do that, because it's very fast.  I also have a big swing on the forehand, which is not so great for grass.  And I am quite tall, so all those low balls... Plus, I played only on grass during Wimbledon or--we don't really have grass courts, and I never really liked it.  I never really felt good moving out there.  Didn't really feel like myself.  On clay, I can slide, and I can stop, and I can use my power.  Same on hard.  I can take a big step and hit with my power, with all the weight I have.  On grass...

TDF: You do seem to be getting better at grass, you had a great match with Kuznetsova at Wimbledon this year.

Akgul Amanmuradova: Yes, and last year I won a doubles tournament with Ai Sugiyama on grass [Eastbourne].  I had a good match this year with Sveta, which I think was one of my best matches on grass.  Definitely, one of the best matches in my career, even.  I served really well, like sixteen aces.  But, I have to improve my return if I want to do better on that surface.  But it's getting better (laughs).

TDF: You talked about being from Uzbekistan.  It seems like tennis from there is improving a lot.  You're doing better and better, and Denis Istomin, also, is close to the top 50 now.  What is it about Uzbek tennis that has made it more successful than other countries in that region?

Akgul Amanmuradova: Well, our federation is doing a good job.  They invest money in the development of tennis in Uzbekistan.  We have a lot of courts, we have a lot of facilities.  Much more than we did.  Much more equipment--balls, strings, racquets, everything.  And now the results from that are coming.  We still have a lot of, especially in women's tennis, players leaving the country, coming to the States to study.  For example, I am 26 now, and the #2 player, she is 16.  So that ten years, that's what we're missing.  That's where they really missed the time.  And now I think they're trying to recover that, and they're doing much more now than before those girls.  And for the guys, it's the same.  They end up with no players.  Then they start to support Denis, and a few other guys, so hopefully... And also, I believe it's individual work as well.  Because We started to travel more, we start to see that we can do it.  We get a couple good wins, and we start to believe in ourselves more.  And when the juniors see that someone from their country can do it, they start to believe more in themselves than if they see just an American or a French guy doing well--that doesn't mean anything to them.  But if they see a person practicing on the next court over, and then see him or her in the draw of a big tournament, doing well, or watch them on TV, they start to believe that it's possible.  It's a different feeling.

TDF: Do you think it also helps to have the WTA tournament you have in Tashkent?

Akgul Amanmuradova: For sure.  We have now much more tournaments.  We have now seven or eight ITF challengers and futures tournaments for guys, and one WTA for girls, and I think three $25ks.  And we start to have more in the region, in Kazakhstan and Russia, which is closer.  Because when I started, for example, the closest place we had to go was India, which is like a three or four hour flight.  Which is far, and expensive.  But now, there's much more playing opportunities.  And people can travel, and get more experience.

TDF: You mentioned Kazakh tennis, and they've been doing something interesting recently, where they've been paying Russian players to play for Kazakhstan.  What are your thoughts about that?

Akgul Amanmuradova: Well, so far, it helps to develop tennis in their country.  They never had anyone in the top hundred.  Well they had one guy a long time ago, but after that, they never had anyone close.  If this helps, well--personally, I still think that they have to develop tennis also there, not only buying players.  But also try to support all the young players they have, like Zarina Diyas.  So they have a few girls, and I believe they have some younger ones but I don't really know them yet.  But still, they have to support them a lot.  It's good, it's good what's happening, because Yaroslava [Shvedova] just won Wimbledon, and she's doing really well.  But at the same time, they can't forget that they have the juniors coming up.

TDF: Have you been approached by them to play for Kazakhstan?

Akgul Amanmuradova: No, never.  But we're kind of rivals (laughs).  So I don't think that they're going to approach me.  I can't do that.  Not for Kazakhstan, no (laughs).  Because my country would not understand, and I still want to come back there (laughs).

TDF: One of the Russian players I talked to who switched said that it was okay because Russia and Kazakhstan are like brothers, but it's not the same for Uzbekistan, you're saying?

Akgul Amanmuradova: No, because the Uzbek Tennis Federation has helped me so much, since I was 19.  All the people at my University, my school, my parents, everybody.  It wouldn't be right, for myself.  But I totally understand all the Russian girls who can get this very good opportunity which helps their tennis.  It's alright that they can do that.  I'm not against it, I'm not judging them.  Of course, they got a fantastic opportunity to play Fed Cup, to get a chance to play in the Olympic Games, which everybody dreams about.  And on the Russian team, it's very tough to get on.

TDF: You played for Uzbekistan in the 2008 Olympics.  What was that like, getting to represent your country there?

Akgul Amanmuradova: Well, for those two weeks, I was the happiest person on this planet.  Because it was always my dream.  I always watched the opening ceremony, closing ceremony, and whatever sport was on TV.  I always dreamed about going there, and being at the ceremony.  And it finally happened.  It was a fantastic experience.  Two weeks of great, great life (laughs). 

TDF: You switched--I think you used to be with Adidas for clothing, is that right?

Akgul Amanmuradova: No, I've never had any clothing contract.

TDF: But you switched to Babolat?

Akgul Amanmuradova: I don't have any clothing contract, but I have a contract for racquets with Babolat, and I just asked if they could help me with the clothing, because I don't have anyone.  I was just buying stuff from Adidas, which fit me.  But I never had a deal with them.

TDF: It seems like you wear a lot of looser clothing than most players, more shirts and shorts. What made you decide to do that, instead of the women's tennis dresses and such?

Akgul Amanmuradova: Well I've been dressing like this since I was very young.  And I just have my personality--this is the way I am on the court.  I feel comfortable in this, and I don't really wear skirts much.  I don't understand why I should change.  I think now it's pretty boring.  Everyone wears the same thing, and I'm something different.  But it's not that I want to be different, it's that I'm comfortable in that, and I am more like the size of a basketball than a tennis player.  I can't imagine myself in a skirt on the court (laughs).

CINCINNATI--She makes an awful lot of money for being pretty.  But in the last few years, Maria Sharapova has earned a living by winning ugly. 

In a performance that wasn't without blemishes, #9 seed Sharapova toughed out a 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 victory over unseeded Svetlana Kuznetsova, a rare first round match between multiple grand slam winners.

Sharapova's serve has been her Achilles' heel over the last eighteen months or so, but it held up fairly well tonight.  Despite eleven double faults, Sharapova was not broken in either the first or third set.

"I'm actually serving a lot better than I did last summer," Sharapova said. 

"I'm hitting bigger serves.  Maybe I'm missing a few more first serves and second serves, but I'm not hitting second serves 70 miles an hour."

Sharapova was aggressive not only on her serve, but also on the ground, hitting far more winners (and errors) than Kuznetsova, who was forced into a defensive position throughout most of the match.

"I'm gonna win tournaments by going for my shots, Sharapova said. "Whether it's off the groundstrokes and playing my game, or off the serve.  Rather than waiting for my opponents to miss and maybe not making as many unforced errors.  That's not my game."

The steamy air in the Cincinnati suburbs made this the rare night match in which the heat rule was in effect.  Perhaps due to her greater fatigue from the quick turn around from Sunday's final in San Diego, Kuznetsova seemed to be much more affected by the heat.  The fatigue also manifested itself in soreness in Kuznetsova's left leg, which she said was simply "normal."

Sharapova finds herself in a very tough section of the draw here at the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open.  She next faces Andrea Petkovic, and then the winner of #7 Agnieszka Radwanska and Alisa Kleybanova in the third round. 

Sharapova showed tonight she has the grit to make it through the heat, but she is going to have to keep playing with the fire she had tonight if she is going to make a deep run in her first trip to Cincinnati.

The highlight of Monday's Access Hour here at the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open for me  was a brief chat with Agnieszka Radwanska, the seventh seeded Polish player who recently made the semifinals of Stanford and the final in Los Angeles. 

The two of us talked about the US Open series, her cockroach-like stay in the top ten, doubles, and playing the Polish men against each other.

TDF: You're a leader now in the US Open series with your good runs in Stanford and Los Angeles.  Now that you see yourself atop the leaderboard, do you want to win the whole thing now?

Agnieszka Radwanska: Oh for sure, you know, I think everyone wants to win this competition.  But there are still three tournaments, and I'm playing just two of them, not New Haven.  But if I play good tennis like I was playing the last two weeks, then I have a good chance to be atop the list.

TDF:You've been consistently in the top ten for a long time now.  With all these other players going up and down, what has been the key to you hanging in there?

Agnieszka Radwanska: Yeah, well to be top ten, you have to play a lot of good tournaments, not just one or two.  I'm just trying to stay there, and playing Doha every year.  And with a lot of players coming back, like Clijsters and Sharapova, it's hard to be top eight, but I'll try.

TDF: You're not playing here, but you've recently been playing a lot of doubles with Maria Kirilenko.  Are you two planning to keep on playing together in the future?

Agnieszka Radwanska: Well, I love playing doubles, and I would love to play everywhere, but it's too much when it's tournaments one week and then the next.  Of course, you never know how you're going to do, you could lose first round, and then it's time for doubles, but it's already too late for the sign-up.  I will play doubles in Montreal in Montreal with Maria Kirilenko--we're playing together all year, but I'm just playing the big events.  At the small events, it's just too much for my body.  Two matches a day, it's a lot.

TDF: There are a bunch of Polish men's players who've done well in doubles recently.  Have you thought at all about who you might like to play with at the Olympics in 2012? Have any of them talked to you yet?

Agnieszka Radwanska: (laughs) Well, we are good friends, all of us.  There are three guys, [Lukasz Kubot, Mariusz Fyrstenberg, Marcin Matkowski] so...the Olympics are not tomorrow, they are not next week, so there's still time.  It's going to be a tough decision.  And also, it's going to be tough to play singles, doubles, and mixed doubles in one week, so I will have to think about it really hard, what to do.

TDF: You'll probably play women's doubles with your sister?

Agnieszka Radwanska: Yeah, of course, we'll try to get in.

TDF: Do you enjoy the idea of the three men competing over you?

Agnieszka Radwanska: (laughs)

TDF: Have any of them sent flowers or anything?

Agnieszka Radwanska: (laughs) No, no.  Not yet!

TDF: But you're open to bribes and gifts?

Agnieszka Radwanska: (laughs) Yeah, yeah, for sure.  We haven't even talked about it, since it's still two years away.

TDF: Well good luck, I hope you get lots of stuff.

Agnieszka Radwanska: Lots of roses right? (laughs)

CINCINNATI--Here for my first day of the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open in Cincinnati, here are some of my impressions on the early matches.

• I've spoken to a few players already here, namely a 1-on-1 with Akgul Amanmuradova (a dominant winner today over Kimiko Date Krumm) and most of the top seeds during All-Access Hour.  More on both of those in a bit.
• Shame Vania King wasn't able to advance in the singles draw.  In a surprisingly tight match between qualifiers, she fell 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 to Nuria Llagostera Vives.  It's something of a moot point now, but cConsidering the players who did get wild cards into the main draw (#161 Jamie Hampton, #205 Coco Vandeweghe), #80 King definitely shouldn't have had to play qualifying.
  
• Watching Dinara Safina play these days is pretty brutal.  The desire is clearly there, but so much of her game is nowhere to be found.  Her serve was all over the place, with first and second serves alike finding the middle of the net despite being hit at only 74 MPH.  She hit fifteen double faults, including three in a row when she had triple match point in 5-4 in the second set.  But Safina recovered, and eventually closed out Roberta Vinci 6-4, 7-5.  Her reward for that victory is an absolutely brutal match in the next round against fourth-seed Kim Clijsters, who she beat here last year in what was the first tournament of Clijsters' comeback.  Safina was the finalist here last year, and has 550 points to defend (she defended 70 of them with her first round win).  If she loses next round, her ranking would plummet all the way from #35 to #70.  For a woman who started the year at #2 and spent most of 2009 at #1, that's pretty rough.
  
• Alona Bondarenko vs. Dominika Cibulkova was definitely the most appealing match-up on the outer courts today, and it lived up to expectations.  The two played offensive tennis throughout, trading winners and momentum constantly.  But it was Bondarenko who held up better in the Ohio heat, as she was able to reel off the final four games of the match as Cibulkova wilted, the final score sitting at 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.  Her second round encounter with Marion Bartoli should be a good one.
• Speaking of Bartoli, she looked incredible out there today, beating Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-4, 6-0.  She hit seven aces, 31 winners and only nine errors, numbers made even more impressive by the high number of balls Media Garrigues gets back point after point.  She could definitely make some noise in this tournament with her draw.  Based on current form, I like her chances to take out Wozniacki if she makes it to that match.
• Really bizarre match to start the day on the Grandstand.  Qualifier Monica Niculescu trailed 0-3 against Sabine Lisicki, but then reeled off twelve straight games to take the match 6-3, 6-0.  Lisicki didn't appear to be injured, but something had to have been up there.
• This new facility they have here at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason is undeniably nice.  But it can be a chore navigating it, since stair access is restricted and there is only one elevator.  Getting from the fourth floor (media area) to the ground level can take upwards of five minutes.  The players all seem very happy with the new facility, to be sure, but it seems like certain parts of it could use a little tweaking.
• Big match tonight here between Victoria Azarenka and Ana Ivanovic.  Probably won't be close, but will be dramatic.