Cheers from Indian Wells!

Bravo, Jeremy!

Jeremy Chardy and his dubz pard, Marc Gicquel, won the men's doubles title at the 2010 Brisbane International!

Here's hoping I can catch Jeremy play again in Indian Wells this year in March!

P.S. The Australian Open is just a week away!

Allez, Jeremy!

Bravo to Jeremy Chardy for reaching the final of the Mercedes Cup in Stuggart! Jeremy is gunning for his 1st ever ATP title, and he takes on Victor Hanescu (who he's beaten before; I witnessed it myself in Indian Wells earlier this year).

Allez, Jeremy!!!

Random LHK News

1) The men's and women's FINALS of the BNP Paribas Open take place today (at 12pm PST on FSN).

2) Chelsea missed their chance to close the gap with Man U yesterday by losing to Tottenham (booooo!). But, Liverpool certainly didn't miss their chance today against Aston Villa; yowza!

3) Tonight's the season finale of FLIGHT OF CONCHORDS (at 10pm on HBO); sniff, sniff. A lot of the hilarious songs from this season are already available via iTunes.

Come on, Chelsea!

Chelsea takes on Tottenham today (on FSC at 8am PST).

COME ON, CHELSEA!

P.S. The BNP Paribas Open Men's semi-finals take place today too.

My Weekend with Jeremy Chardy

I am smitten. Plain and simple.

As I mentioned before, Frenchman Jeremy Chardy has been on my radar for a while now, and my trip to Indian Wells this past weekend has solidified his new status as one my favorite tennis players. I am by no means kicking my beloved duo of Marat Safin and Robby Ginepri to the curb. It's just that my PRO TENNIS LOVE sandwich has turned into a threesome or trinity if you will.

Here's how the rendezvous played out:

This was my first year going to i-Dub on the first Friday, and I'm so glad I did because I was able to catch Jeremy's first round match versus Victor Hanescu, which was the second match of the day scheduled on Court #5 (one of the smaller outer courts). Since Jeremy and Victor are not very famous yet, there wasn't much of a crowd at the match, and I was able to score a front row seat (right on top the baseline; practically on the court).

As soon as Jeremy started warming up right in front of me, I was DONE. The shaggy hair; the gypsy eyes; the lean yet toned physique; the slight resemblance to Robby Ginepri... I was so close to him that I could hear him exhale as he struck each ball and noticed his nervous tick of dragging his feet as he walked to the corner of the court between points. He won his first-round match (thankfully) in three sets. It wasn't a super-convincing win, but the kid's (he's only 22) definitely got talent. His serve is beautiful, and when he unleashes on a forehand, you can't figure out how all that power comes from such a slim guy.

I heartily clapped for Jeremy at the end of his match, unsure if I'd see him again but happy to have watched him play in person. I called Bill on my way to my host's home that night and told him of my new love. Of course, we thought it was hilarious that Jeremy's last name could also be pronounced SHARTY (after one of the funniest words ever coined = shart). Our friend, Amanda, then took it even further by singing it to the tune of Flo Rida's hit song "Low"; "Shorty got low, low, low..." Too funny and perfect!

But, I digress....

On Saturday, I was a little disappointed that Marat Safin's 2nd-round match wasn't in the order of play for the day, but I ended up seeing a whole bunch of great tennis. The Ljubicic vs. Ancic match that I was planning to settle in for during the late afternoon however only lasted 6 games when Ancic retired at 3-3.

BUT, perhaps Ancic's retirement was kismet because without a match to watch, I strolled over to the practice courts (as I liked to do every couple of hours between matches). AND lo and behold, Monsieur Chardy was there practicing with his coach. There were only about three other people watching him practice, so I knew my chances of getting a picture with him (or as Soph calls it "some face time") were good.

Not sure of when his practice would be over and not wanting to be a complete nerd/stalker, I strolled around the nearby area of his court instead of parking it right at the steps of his practice. To pass the time, I chatted with a fellow Chelsea fan; checked out some other pros practicing; and caught some of the Sania Mirza vs. Flavia Pennetta match (all the while keeping an eye on Jeremy's session). Almost an hour later as Jeremy and his entourage (well, just his coach and his girlfriend - both French FYI) were leaving the practice court, I somewhat confidently went up to him and asked for a picture with him. He obliged, and (after a millisecond of annoyance at having to be a fan photographer) his girlfriend kindly offered to take the picture for us.Of course, I dislike the way I look in the pic (I knew I should have worn my prom dress that day), and it doesn't do Jeremy justice. But, I'm happy to have it. SCORE!

If I had any doubts about whether I was going stay an extra night in the Desert and attend the tourney on Sunday, they disappeared as soon as I realized that I could see both Marat and Jeremy's second-round matches in one day. I bought yet another grounds pass and looked forward to another sun-filled day of tennis indulgence.

I arrived to the grounds on Sunday at 10am (the earliest I've ever been). Jeremy's match versus the popular American, Mardy Fish, was scheduled for 11am in Stadium 2. I settled into a seat in the first row of the general admission section (on the baseline again). I made some small talk with the other early-bird fans, who were all there to cheer on Fish. I told them that I was a Chardy fan, and some of them told me that they saw him play doubles on Friday night on center court.

Jeremy and his dubz partner, Gilles Simon, had taken on Fish and Andy Roddick on Friday night. Due to my dinner plans that night, I couldn't make it to Jeremy's doubles match (believe it or not). But, I was happy to hear that Jeremy was the best net player of the four in that match (even though the Frenchmen lost).

Anyway, Jeremy's match against Mardy was really exciting, and he played really well. I cheered my head off during the match, and Jeremy thankfully won it in 2 tie-break sets. And after the match, when Jeremy (as all match winners do) hit some autographed game balls into the stands, I CAUGHT ONE!


Well actually, the people a few rows above me spilled it, and it rolled right to me! I jumped up and down gleefully and waved at Jeremy's girlfriend who sort of recognized me from the day before. My fellow fans all thought it was apropos that I got one! Me too.

It was such a perfect way to cap off my weekend with Jeremy Chardy. Merci!


P.S. At post-time, I'm very sorry to report that Jeremy just lost his third-round match to David Ferrer tonight. Tres sad...

The Legendary Marat

Y'all know that I j'adore (sic) Marat Safin. He is a legend in my eyes. Not only is he an adonis, but the tennis that he's graced us with was often surreal. Some say that his fiery attitude and mental break-downs on court prevented him from having a career on par with Roger Federer. I think his passion only made him that much more spectacular, and everyone knows that injuries were to blame in his struggle to win more than 2 grand slams.

I'm still in a tiny bit of denial that this may his last year on the ATP tour. But, since I have to realize that his retirement is a fact of life, I really wanted to see him in Indian Wells this year. And thankfully, I did!

Since I stayed in the Desert through Sunday, I saw him practicing (shirtless!) with Janko Tipsarevic that afternoon; HEY NOW!

Then, as Marat left the practice court, he was mobbed. But, I caught some good pics:


As I mentioned to my friend, Sophie, I don't know why I didn't just drop my camera and attempt to hug him.
Oh well. At least, I got this yummy torso shot:


Anyway, later that evening, I was able to catch Marat's second-round match against Nicolas Massu. Even though I was exhausted (and had to drive back to L.A. for work the next day), I hung in there, and the players took the court at around 7pm. The Chilean Massu fans were really rowdy, but most of the fans were there to see Marat in his last Indian Wells showing. Marat did not disappoint! He won it in 2 sets, showing us every bit of that talent and passion.

We'll miss you, Marat! Please don't retire!

i-Dub Highlights

Even though one of my favorite players, Robby Ginepri, wasn't at the tournament this year, I ended up seeing dozens and dozens of tennis pros and so much amazing tennis! Let me share the highlights in short-hand broken down by day:

FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2009

- Andy Murray playing dubz with fellow Brit, Ross Hutchins
- Jeremy Chardy's 1st round match versus Victor Hanescu (please see My Weekend with Jeremy Chardy post)

- The Ladies; Shahar Peer's fighting spirit and Dinara Safina's power were inspiring.

- Met up with my pals, the McCreary's!

- James Blake practicing with Leyton Hewitt

- DUBZ Eye-candy: Fernando Gonzalez teaming up with Tommy Robredo; Ay Mami!

- And, OF COURSE, I drank an infamous and delicious Indian Wells Bloody Mary


SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2009

- Tommy Robredo (sporting a really cute buzz cut)

- Fernando Verdasco; HIS hairstyle wins the LHK prize for the FOXIEST! I cannot resist a faux-hawk!
- Paul-Henri Mathieu vs. Potito Starace. This match lasted for 3 exciting sets, and I was pleasantly surprised by Potito's sexy machismo; very Italian!
- In honor of my sister-in-law's heritage, I got a front row seat to an all-Croatian match: Ivan Ljubicic vs. Mario Ancic. Talk about tall drinks of water! The powerful aces being served on tiny Court #4 were dangerous to be near. But, this match only lasted 6 games due to the fact that Mario Ancic was under the weather and retired at 3-3.

- Met fellow Chelsea FC super-fan and tennis aficionado, Ron (from Orange County)

- Ran into my pal, Christian, from grad school

- Got a pic with JC! (again, please see My Weekend with Jeremy Chardy post)


SUNDAY, MARCH 15, 2009

- Got to the grounds early (10am) to score a good seat to the Jeremy Chardy versus Mardy Fish match (again, please see My Weekend with Jeremy Chardy post)

- More DUBZ Eye-candy: Feliciano Lopez teamed up with Fernando Verdasco; Ay Dios Mio!

- Marat Safin practicing shirtless! (please see The Legendary Marat post)

- Met up with my blog pal, Erwin (from TENNIS SERVED FRESH), and we inadvertently (no joke) ended up in VIP seats during the John Isner vs. Gael Monfils match

- Rafael Nadal hitting unbelievable shots versus Michael Berrer in the main stadium

- Marat's 2nd round match versus Nicolas Massu (from Chile); (again, please see The Legendary Marat post)

- Made it home, safe and sound at about 11:15pm

i-Dub Eye-Candy

As I walked into the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells on Friday, March 13th, the first thing I noticed was that some of the smaller match courts that were by the South entrance last year were now being used as practice courts. And the first person I noticed was (Russian player) Teimuraz Gabashvili practicing shirtless in the hot desert sun. Next to his court, two other ATP players were practicing shirtless, (Frenchmen) Julien Benneteau and Paul-Henri Mathieu!

What a beautiful way to start my weekend tennis adventure; shirtless tennis pro eye-candy greeting me at the entrance!

Unfortunately, I was too gun-shy to start snapping pics. But, not to worry, I soon warmed up my trigger-finger and start scoring pics of pros practicing (sans shirts). Aside from the obvious beauty of the desert landscape, Indian Wells is such an amazing tournament for the access you have to the pros. Please TO (sic) enjoy the following pics (as always, click on any pic to enlarge):

David Ferrer (Spain)






Tommy Haas (Germany)

And the PIECE DE RESISTANCE: Marat Safin (Russia)
(Please also see The Legendary Marat post)

And, at the risk of being cliche, I have to throw in some scenic pics:

i-Dub Round-Up

Instead of writing a multi-paged article about my 3-day weekend in Indian Wells and posting a pdf version of it here, I've decided to break my i-Dub adventure into the following separate postings:

1) i-Dub Eye-candy

2) i-Dub Highlights

3) The Legendary Marat

4) My Weekend with Jeremy Chardy

Hope you enjoy them!

Back from i-Dub!

I just got back from Indian Wells a little while ago, and I'm exhausted. I put in about 8 hours at the tourney on both Friday and Saturday, and I put in about 11(!) hours today! I'll post my pics and news soon.

Speaking of news, I finally found out why Robby Ginepri wasn't in the draw. He has appendicitis and will be out of Miami as well. Even without Gineps though, I had an absolute blast!

Get well soon, Robby.

Soccer & Tennis Today

I'm in i-Dub today; in tennis mode.

But, there's a big EPL game between Liverpool and Manchester United today (on Setanta at 5:45am PST). Good luck to McFresh and his team Liverpool!

P.S. Tracy Morgan is hosting Saturday Night Live (with musical guest, Kelly Clarkson); should be a good one.

Off to the Desert!

I leave for i-Dub this morning, and I'm very happy to have the day off to indulge in tennis! Although the order of play for today isn't mind-blowing, there are some matches that I definitely want to catch. So, I will report upon my return, and I hope you have a great weekend, Playaz!

P.S. Did you hear that Roger Federer is going to be a baby-daddy?!

Am I missing something?

I can't seem to find Robby Ginepri's name on the ATP draw sheet for the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. As my co-worker, Karen, would say, "Deflate!" I was really hoping to see Gineps this weekend when I head to the early rounds of the tourney.

Oh well, the rest of the draw isn't too shabby. My main aim is to see Marat Safin play (he and Gineps are always my top targets). Then, if possible, I'm going to try and sneak a peak of Andy Murray (among other top 10 players) in action. For some additional eye-candy, Feliciano Lopez and Tommy Robredo are always nice treats.

The one new player I'm curious about is Frenchman, Jeremy Chardy. He's been on my radar for about a year now, and he's been playing really well this season. It's been said (and I would agree) that he sort of looks like Robby Ginepri (in a younger, skinnier, French kind of way)! Hmm... I'd like to see him play in person and check him out for myself. HEY NOW!

i-DUB!

Ooh-OOH!!! The BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells (aka i-Dub) starts today! I am so excited! I've gone to this tournament for the past 3 years, and it's a tradition that I just live for every March. I'll be heading to the Desert this Friday to catch some early round action, and I hope to have plenty of news and pics for the blog upon my return.

Speaking of tennis travel, there was a cool article in USA TODAY on 10 great tennis tournament destinations. I have one 1 down, and 9 more to go!

Ooh-OOH!

Sorry to brag, but CHECK ME OUT!! My pic with Robby Ginepri is the ATP World Tour Insider's FAN PHOTO OF THE WEEK! I'm SO excited and honored!

(Preesh Photo Credit: Lady Lorelei and Mc Fresh)

Speaking of Robby, he unfortunately recently lost to fellow American, John Isner, in the 2nd round of the Heineken Open in New Zealand. But, the Aussie Open is just around the corner, and I can't wait!

LHK Sporting News

1) England takes on France today in an international friendly. David Beckham will earn his 100th cap for England in the game (yay!), but Rio Ferdinand will be given the captain's armband in place of John Terry (BOO!).

2) The Sony Ericsson Open starts in Miami (pronounced Mee-jamy) this week. Marat Safin meets qualifier Bobby Reynolds in the first round (potential yay!), but unfortunately Robby Ginepri won't be in the tournament due to a bicep injury he sustained in Indian Wells (boo!). Ahh, those guns... Get well soon, Robby!

Biggies of the Day

1) Liverpool vs. Manchester United (on Setanta at 6:30am PST). Please beat them Liverpool...

2) Chelsea vs. Arsenal (on FSC at 9am PST).
Come on Chelsea!

3) Pacific Life Open Women's and Men's FINALS (on FSN starting at noon PST). Go Sveta and Mardy!

4) David Beckham on 60 Minutes; with Anderson Cooper (or "Andy" as Kathy Griffin calls him) checking out his tattoos (on CBS at 7pm)!

P.S. Happy Easter!

Until next year, i-Dub...

Just got back from Indian Wells...

For today's adventure, Lady Stacy and I drove down early (about 8:30am) and fortunately had no trouble with traffic or parking. We got into the grounds by 10:45am; had our cocktails in hand and were watching Rafael Nadal on the practice courts by 11am! Just a little while later, we saw Rafa's semi-final opponent, Novak Djokovic (aka Nole), practicing in a nearby court too! What a way to start the morning!

Eventually, we headed to our nose-bleed seats in the main stadium to catch the 2nd set and super 3rd set tiebreak of the women's doubles finals. By the way, the weather was quite hot today (about 90), but our seats were in the shade (which made the tennis viewing so pleasant all day). Excellent work, Lady Stacy, on picking great seats on the South side of the stadium!

Anyway, Dinara Safina (Marat Safin's younger sister) and her dubz partner ended up winning the women's doubles Pacific Life Open title, and I was very happy for them. After their match, we had a quick bite before seeing Nole beat Rafa in two sets in the first semi-final of the day.

But, the most exciting match of the day was the second semi-final between (#1 ranked) Roger Federer and American Mardy Fish (ranked #98). Although I'm not a Mardy Fish fanatic, I was completely rooting for him because he's pals with players I really dig (e.g. Robby Ginepri, James Blake), and I also always enjoying seeing Roger Federer upset. And upset he was; Mardy played brilliantly to beat Roger 6-3, 6-2!!! Wooh! Well, another March tennis season has come and gone for me, and I certainly had a blast! Vegas two weeks ago (met Robby Ginepri!); Indian Wells last weekend (met Robby Ginepri again!), and Indian Wells again this weekend (saw R-Fed upset). Life ain't too shabby! Now, I can't wait for July, when pro tennis comes back to the L.A. area!

i-DUB!

I'm heading back to Indian Wells tomorrow morning. Report to follow...