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Found a new candidate. A tennis player named Vaidisova. She's from the Czech Republic. She's pretty good. She beat Mauresmo at the French Open today. She could be the next big thing in women's tennis.
"There's a lot of interest in the draft. It's great. But quite frankly, most of the people that are commenting on it don't know anything about what they are talking about."--Ted Thompson
Found a new candidate. A tennis player named Vaidisova. She's from the Czech Republic. She's pretty good. She beat Mauresmo at the French Open today. She could be the next big thing in women's tennis.
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This picture should be considered porn. MY GOD!!!!
Found a new candidate. A tennis player named Vaidisova. She's from the Czech Republic. She's pretty good. She beat Mauresmo at the French Open today. She could be the next big thing in women's tennis.
I WAITED TIL THIS THREAD BUILT UP SO I'D SURELY HAVE SOME NICE SCENERY. HARV, THIS CHICK IS A HOTTIE AND SHE HAS NICE .....most athletes don't have em like that.
Still love Jenny Finch though
TERD Buckley over Troy Vincent, Robert Ferguson over Chris Chambers, Kevn King instead of TJ Watt, and now, RICH GANNON, over JIMMY JIMMY JIMMY LEONARD. Thank you FLOWER
Interesting that Vaidsova is a German gal who grew up in the Czech Republic, but spent much of her childhood growing up in America (much like Maria Sharapova).
Teenager announces presence with impressive wins
By Greg Garber, ESPN.com
PARIS -- Nicole Vaidisova, who turned 17 in April, played in her first Grand Slam singles quarterfinal on Tuesday. For Venus Williams, who turns 26 in a few weeks, it was her 24th quarterfinal in a major.
Williams, troubled by a variety of arm injuries, had only played nine matches coming into Roland Garros. Vaidisova, conversely, came barreling into this French Open with a title in the Strasbourg warm-up event, then flayed No. 1-ranked Amelie Mauresmo in the fourth round, winning 12 of the last 15 games.
And so, the question begged itself: Which would prevail, momentum or muscle memory?
On this sun-soaked day at Roland Garros, Vaidisova was a revelation. She announced herself as the newest it girl in tennis with a thundering 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3 win over Williams, who couldn't channel the tennis that won her five Grand Slams. The players committed 127 forced errors in the bruising contest, with 70 credited to Williams.
"Sometimes, it's just about getting the ball in play," Williams said. "I don't think like hitting missiles. You've got to keep the ball in play and she did a good job doing that.
"She just played really good tennis. Seems to be on a roll."
Vaidisova, the No. 16 seed, said she has felt her game rising to the elite level.
"I've been practicing," she said. "I felt that my game is getting better, getting there. I can get to the next level. I'm definitely happy with the stage where I am now."
Where she is, of course, is the French Open semifinals. Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 7-6 (5), 6-0 winner in an all-Russian matchup with Dinara Safina, awaits. Kuznetsova, the No. 8 seed, trailed 1-5 in the first set and wound up winning 12 of the last 13 games. Safina scored only three points in the second set, an astonishing number at this level.
Vaidisova, who is often compared to Maria Sharapova, has the look of a star. Like Sharapova, she developed her tennis game at the Nick Bollettieri Academy, after being born in Germany and moving from the Czech Republic to Florida at the age of 10. Like Sharapova, she has some serious game -- a big forehand and an even bigger serve.
Admittedly, Vaidisova was nervous before the match. She grew up idolizing Steffi Graf and even played with Williams' yellow racket when she was 12 years old. Three years later, she saw Williams for the first time in person in the locker room at the U.S. Open.
At the outset, surprisingly enough, it was Williams whose nerves were exposed by the occasion. She was playing in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal in nine months, and her typically loose start led to the prospect of Vaidisova serving for a 5-1 lead.
Venus, however, rallied to win five straight games. Her forehand found its range and Vaidisova contributed some critical double faults, the crippling blow at 4-3, break point. They lurched toward a tiebreaker, where Williams erased a 1-4 deficit and leveled it at 5-all.
This is precisely when experience became a factor. After trading a series of backhand blasts, Williams cranked up a low laser and Vaidisova struck it into the net. On set point, Williams threw out a soft-serve second offering and Vaidisova -- eyes bigger than her forehand -- banged the ball long and wide.
"You're in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam," Vaidisova said. "You're not going to give it up, say 'maybe I'll try next time.' You just give it your all. I definitely tried to be positive because I've played matches when I was negative after I lost the first set and, you know, just lost the second as well."
Unlike Mauresmo, however, Williams did not fold up into the fetal position. She fought.
The young Czech broke Williams in the fifth game of the third set -- when Williams dropped a nervous double fault into the middle of the net. Williams had a break point in the next game, but her shot hit the top of the net and rolled back. Serving at 2-4, Williams blew a forehand volley into the net and faced two break points that probably would have put the match out of reach. She saved them both and crept to within 3-4 when Vaidisova's too-jazzed forehand sailed long.
Williams found herself serving at 3-5, and most of the spectators sitting in Court Suzanne Lenglen probably imagined -- and her experience suggested -- she would hold serve and challenge Vaidisova's serve to level the match.
Uh, no. Williams fell into an immediate 15-40 hole and, on her second match point, Vaidisova watched with glee as Williams yanked a forehand long and wide. Covering her face in her hands, Vaidisova jumped and whirled around the court, the picture of youthful exuberance.
In back-to-back matches, she dropped the first set against Grand Slam champions, then bludgeoned them into submission.
"Twice in a row, some great play," Vaidisova said. "You struggle a little bit with some parts today and still pull it off. You know, it's great. It definitely boosts your confidence a lot."
"There's a lot of interest in the draft. It's great. But quite frankly, most of the people that are commenting on it don't know anything about what they are talking about."--Ted Thompson
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