Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Trash-talking begins as Serena warns Henin Hewitt opens Australian Open series with win

Cynthia Lum/WireImage.com Serena Williams may be No. 7 but she tells No. 1 Justine Henin to watch out in 2008.

SERBIA V. FRANCE AT HOPMAN CUP: In what should be an enticing match-up between two of the WTA's chattiest players, Serbia's Jelena Jankovic and France's Tatiana Golovin will face off. Golovin, who ended 2007 red hot, says she's taking aim at the Top 10, while No. 3 and play-aholic Jankovic vowed to play less this year, even though she started the season as early as possible. Jankovic leads their head-to-head 2-1. In other Hopman Cup news, India knocked off Australia behind Sania Mirza.

ROBREDO FALLS IN QATAR: Can Tommy Robredo maintain his place in the Top 10? Considered one of the most vulnerable veterans among the world's best, Robredo fell 6-4, 6-4 to Agustin Calleri. However, Russian top-seed Nikolay Davydenko and third-seed Andy Murray posted easy wins.

NADAL OPENS SEASON WITH WIN: Despite rumors that he's still not 100 percent fit, Rafael Nadal defeated Mathieu Montcourt 6-2, 6-4 at the Chennai Open. Nadal will face American Rajeev Ram in the second round, who qualified and bested Russian Yuri Schukin 7-6(6), 7-6(2) to win his first ATP match outside of Indianapolis.

Mark Lyons It's been 10 years since Lleyton Hewitt won in Adelaide.

HEWITT NO LONGER SPUNKY TEEN: Lleyton Hewitt celebrated his 10th anniversary of his Adelaide title by besting Israeli Dudi Sela 6-2, 6-2. Last year's runner-up, Aussie Chris Guccione, will meet No. 2 Paul-Henri Mathieu, who reversed a two-match losing streak against French compatriot Julien Benneteau. In a battle of oldies and somewhat goodies, 33-year-old Vince Spadea beat Sebastien Grosjean 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.

VAIDISOVA STILL SHAKY: Top-seed Nicole Vaidisova, who spent much of last summer battling a virus, survived a scare from Aussie Casey Dellacqua in a tight 5-7, 7-5, 6-0 win at the Gold Coast. Seventh-seed Sybille Bammer, who started 2007 so well Down Under, joined second-seed Nadia Petrova as a first-round victim when she was beaten 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 by China's Li Na. Two matches of note on Wednesday are Flavia Pennetta v. Dinara Safina and Nathalie Dechy v. Amelie Mauresmo.

VERA VEXES IN AUCKLAND: Top-seed Vera Zvonareva cracked New Zealand teenager Sacha Jones 6-0, 6-1 in the first round of the Auckland Classic, but No. 2 Maria Kirilenko had to struggle in a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 victory over Kaia Kanepi. The enigmatic fourth-seed Michaella Krajicek went down 7-5, 6-7, 6-2 to Sara Errani. On Wednesday, tournament favorite Lindsay Davenport should face a tough test in Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues.

POLITICKING, AUSSIE STYLE: This a watershed year for the Aussie summer circuit as in 2009 – with the advent of the Sony Ericsson WTATour's radical calendar changes and some changes to the ATP side – the men's tournament at Adelaide and the women's at the Gold Coast will be history. Those tournaments will be replaced by a combined event in Brisbane, which the Heralds Sun's Leo Schlink described as a "tennis wasteland for much of the past 20 years apart for the family-funded emergence of Pat Rafter."

Schlink, a longtime tennis writer who is close to the Hewitt family, decried the demise of Adelaide and took dead aim at the Hopman Cup in Perth, calling it "an overblown exhibition event that haughtily parades itself as legitimate." Schlink added that the Hopman Cup has become "pretentiously narcissistic … it remains a joke. And it is time for it to go."

Paul McNamee, who heads the Hopman Cup, doesn't appear to have any intention of disbanding the event and is angry at Tennis Australia for downgrading its status as part of the Australian Open Series. He and his event are also under siege by Brisbane, which will debut a new $71 million stadium. "I don't appreciate this treatment and I can promise we're not going away," he said. Tennis Australia says it wishes the Hopman Cup no ill will.

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