Go, Pretties!

My three favorite tennis players are playing their first-round U.S. Open matches today. I really was tempted to fly to New York last night and spend the day with them at the U.S. Open. But, I decided to stay home from work today and watch them from the comfort of my air-conditioned bedroom instead.

JEREMY CHARDY vs. Gael Monfils

MARAT SAFIN vs. Jurgen Melzer

ROBBY GINEPRI vs. Andrei Pavel

Allez/Vamos/Go, PRETTIES!!!

Eye-Candy Match

Safin vs. Ginepri in Cincinatti right NOW! Yummy.

Wish it was televised... :(

Tonight's The Night!

Marat Safin takes on Robby Ginepri in the first round of the LA Tennis Open tonight at 7:30pm PST at UCLA.

Pretty vs. Pretty

An LHK dream match-up!

LA Tennis Open

I just got back from the LA Tennis Open at UCLA.

I had the pleasure of seeing Marat Safin take on Pete Sampras in a exhibition match called the Millennium Challenge. Marat won!

Then, I got to see Marat play again in doubles, pairing up with compatriot Igor Kunitsyn and beating the team of Dudi Sela & Marcos Baghdatis in a very exciting 1st round match. Marat won again! YAY!

LHK Heaven!!!

YOWZA!!! My head and heart are about to explode! Have you seen the draw for the LA Tennis Open?

Marat Safin and Robby Ginepri, my two favorite OG tennis players (Jeremy Chardy is a fairly recent fav), are meeting in the first round! I'm not sure of the exact day and time that they'll be playing, but I WILL be there!

Marat! Robby! UCLA (my alma mater)! Pretty vs. Pretty! Ahhhhhhhhh!

They've only met twice before (with Robby winning both meetings), but I've never seen them play against each other in the flesh. I can barely contain myself! Not to jinx it, but one of my biggest Lady Hooligan dreams is coming true (please see LH Webzine Archive More Important But: Eye-Candyland)!

I need to breathe.

BTW, congrats to Robby on just recently beating John Isner in the semis of the Indianapolis Tennis Championships. He plays Sam Querrey in the final tomorrow (7/26 on ESPN2 at 12pm PST).

Marat, I'm looking forward to seeing you on Monday night as well when you take on Pete Sampras in the Millennium Challenge (also a part of the LA Tennis Open).

Argh!

It's official. All three of my beloveds were knocked out of Wimbledon in the first round. What a pisser!

Oh well, I hope they're all coming to my hometown to play at the L.A. Tennis Open in July. I'll be there cheering for them if so!

Wimbledon!

ooh-OOH! The WIMBLEDON draw was released today! The tourney starts on Monday, June 22nd, and I CANNOT wait!!!

Here are my beloveds' first-round match-ups:

Robby Ginepri faces Lleyton Hewitt; this might be a tough one for Gineps.

Jeremy Chardy faces Andy Roddick; argh! Allez, Jeremy!

Marat Safin faces Jesse Levine; here's hoping Marat will be as inspired as last year!

Vamos, Pretties!

LHK Tennis Update

The French Open is over, and I'm surprisingly not feeling too much withdrawal. Thankfully, the grass court season has started, and Wimbledon is right around the corner (starting on June 22nd).

For now, a cool tune-up tourney at the Queen's Club in London has started. All three of my favorite players are there at the AEGON Championships.

I wish I was there too! Robby Ginepri and Jeremy Chardy have back-to-back matches on Court 9 today. Oh, a Lady Hooligan can dream...

Hopefully, one of my beloveds will at least progress to the quarters on Friday (when Tennis Channel will start airing live matches).

The Frenchies

ROLAND GARROS aka THE FRENCH OPEN starts today!!!!!!!

Coverage starts on Tennis Channel at 2am PST; set your DVRs!

As far as the men's draw, my beloveds drew the following first-round opponents:

1) Marat Safin has drawn Frenchie Alexandre Sidorenko
2) Robby Ginepri has drawn Spainard Pablo Andujar
3) Jeremy Chardy has drawn German Bjorn Phau [*but ended up playing Brazilian Thiago Alves*]

ALLEZ, PRETTIES!!!

LA Tennis Open

The crew and I just secured our tix to the opening night of the LA Tennis Open (formerly the Countrywide Classic). I know it's still a few months away, but I wanted to be sure to have tix for the awesome exhibition match taking place on the opening night of the tourney (Monday, July 27th).

Marat Safin is taking on Pete Sampras in a re-match of their 2000 US Open final, and I can't wait!

LHK Tennis Update

The Madrid Masters started this week (live coverage available on Tennis Channel).

Unfortunately, Marat Safin has already lost to Jo-Wilfreid Tsonga in the first round. But, my other beloved, Jeremy Chardy has yet to play. He takes on Jose Acasuso in the first round. Allez, Jeremy!

LHK Tennis News

1) Rafa Nadal continues his domination on clay, winning yet another title today. He beat Novak Djokovic in the final of the Rome Masters. Even though I miss his sleeveless shirts, I'm really looking forward to seeing if he can win the French Open title again (it's only three weeks away)!

2) My two favorite female players, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Dinara Safina, met in the final of the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart today, with Sveta ending up the victor. Congrats to them both!

3) My belovedEDs Jeremy Chardy and Marat Safin are also currently in Germany at the BMW Open in Munich.

Eye-Candy ALERT!

Marat Safin is currently playing Tommy Robredo at the Rome Masters. Later in the day, Jeremy Chardy takes on Fernando Gonzalez.

VAMOS, PRETTIES!

LHK Tennis Update

The Barcelona Open started this week, and Marat Safin received a wild card entry in what will be his last appearance at the tournament. He meets Juan Monaco in the first round. VAMOS, MARAT!

The Champions!

Chelsea takes on Liverpool today in the 2nd-leg of their quarterfinal Champions League match-up (on ESPN2 @ 11:30am PST).

COME ON, CHELSEA!!!

COME ON, CHELSEA!!!

COME ON, CHELSEA!!!

COME ON, CHELSEA!!!

In other LHK sporting news, Marat Safin is currently playing Lleyton Hewitt in the Monte Carlo Masters (airing on Tennis Channel). Vamos, Marat!

And speaking of Monte Carlo, Jeremy Chardy unfortunately lost yesterday to Juan Monaco.

P.S. Happy Birthday, Todd!!

LHK Weekend Round-Up

Lots to report, Kids:

1) First of all, HAPPY EASTER!

2) On Friday night, Soph and I decided (rather last minute) to check out TRAVIS at the Wiltern. I'm a huge TRAVIS fan, but I unfortunately didn't love their recent album. In any case, they always put on a great show, and they didn't disappoint on Friday night. Their bass player Dougie's groovy bum-shaking always cracks me up. Oh and their opening act, The Republic Tigers, were really cool live too.

4) Chelsea beat Bolton 4-3 in a nerve-racking match on Saturday. Bravo, Chelsea!

5) On the tennis front, there's been a good amount of TV coverage on TENNIS CHANNEL this weekend. Unfortunately, none of my beloveds were on air. But, I'm looking forward to this coming week, as the Monte Carlo Masters has begun (and coverage starts tonight on TC at 1am PST)!!

Speaking of my beloveds and Monte Carlo, Marat Safin meets Leyton Hewitt in the first round. Jeremy Chardy meets Juan Monaco, and I didn't see Robby Ginepri on the draw sheet. I'm assuming he's still recovering from his appendicitis??

6) Last night, I had the pleasure of going to the KCRW Radioactive Spring Dance Party.
It was so fun to dance the night away to the tunes of all their great DJs. A big thanks to EJL and Shimmy for hooking me up.


7) As far as tonight, I'm planning to finally see a movie sequel (on DVD) that I've been dying to see:

LHK Tennis News

1) oooh-OOOH! I just ordered my tix for the ATP World Tour Finals in London this November! I can't wait!

2) Marat Safin takes on Oscar Hernandez at the Sony Ericsson Open today. Vamos, Marat! Unfortunately, one of my other beloveds, Jeremy Chardy, lost in the first round.

3) And YES! I won my company dubz tournament last night! Look out, playaz!

Tennis in Mee-Jammy!

The Sony Ericsson Open starts today in Miami (aka Mee-Jammy)!!!

As I mentioned before, Robby Ginepri is out of the tourney. As far as my other beloveds, Marat Safin has a first-round bye, and Jeremy Chardy takes on Mikhail Youzhny today in the first round.

Vamos, Pretties!

P.S. Unfortunately, TV coverage of the tourney doesn't start on FSN until this Saturday, March 28th.

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!