Aussie Open Action Tonight, If You’re Into That

By Dave “Large” Larzelere
Second round gets under way in Melbourne tonight with some big names on the 7 p.m. (EST) docket at Rod Laver – Henin, Nadal, and then a quality second-round women’s matchup, Nicole Vaidisova v. Alicia Molik.
Also playing on the early schedule tonight are Serena, The Gambler (Davydenko), Amelie Mauresmo and the one and only M.C. Tsonga. Based on the order of play, I imagine the matches they’ll run on the Deuce starting at 7 will be Henin/Poutchkova (with a healthy dose of Tsonga/Warburg) followed by Nadal/Serra, to be interrupted as soon as Queen Serena takes the court for her second-rounder against Meng Yuan.
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Of course, all of this is merely an appetizer for your 3:30 A.M. wake-up call, when the second-round match of the tournament is scheduled to hit Rod Laver – Davenport/Sharapova. Myself, I’m torn as to whether to gut it out for this one. I’m on the west coast, so it’s a little less of a commitment for me than for my fellow east coast-ians, but then again I need about eleven hours of sleep these days to feel fresh, so it’s still an issue.
The fact that Lindsay looked shaky in her first-rounder doesn’t trouble me so much as the fact that she looked gimpy. Even in her prime, she lumbered around the court. I don’t like her chances at all against Maria Full of Grace, and if I hang in there and she gets pummeled I’ll be angry. Then again, if I bag it, head to bed at 11 with a cup of tea and a murder mystery, and then wake up to find that Lindsay pulled out an epic third-setter, well ... you understand the dilemma. It’s hard out here for a pimp.
P.S. Those of you Roddick fanatics out there (are there any of you left?) should know that A-Rod and his mojo take the court immediately after the Lindsay/Sharapova match.↵