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by Priya Prasad As expected, Paradorn Srichapan couldn't pull through another match and was felled by the big serve-and-volley game of Max Mirnyi in the first match of center court. The 6-3 6-2 win brings the Belarussian one match closer to the final, with Julien Boutter waiting in the next round. Unlike in his previous match, Guillermo Canas didn't get any free points against Nicolas Escude, and the French Davis Cup hero took the last remaining seed out from the top of the draw. At the bottom of the draw, Marcelo Rios, Roger Federer and Andy Roddick all went through their second round matches easily, while qualifier Hyung-Taik Lee continued his stellar run against a struggling Karol Kucera. Between the four of them, they only dropped 18 games in total. It looks increasingly like someone from the bottom of the draw will end up taking the title. Andy Roddick will have the luxury of sitting back and watching Rios and Federer tire each other out before taking the winner of that match out in the semis. Meanwhile, the fearless play of Alexandra Stevenson was causing havoc with Jennifer Capriati's preparation for the Aussie Open. Looking increasingly relaxed and confident in the last two weeks, the American has certainly hit her stride, and played a loose match against a step-slow Capriati. Jennifer did more than her fair share of scrambling, but was simply out-hit by her opponent, who was literally painting the lines with her strong forehands and single-handed backhands. The main difference was in Jennifer's reluctance to move forward, and for every net approach Alexandra made, Jennifer backpedaled to the baseline from halfway to the service line. One major kink in the Stevenson armour was her single-handed backhand, which couldn't stand up to the weight of the shots coming at her. Nothing a bit of strength training can't take care off, though, and after this 7-6(5) 3-6 6-4 over America's darling, it might not be long before she wins the hearts of the American public, especially with the uncertainties in Lindsay's health and the Williams' soap opera episodes. Kim Clijsters came close to an exit herself, but managed to escape with a 6-7(4) 6-4 6-1 win over Silvia Farina Elia. The score does not do the Italian justice, though, and she made Clijsters work really hard to take the second set. She was once again foiled by a handful of untimely unforced errors, and once the second set slipped through her hands, the Italian suffered an emotional letdown and succumbed to her opponent's aggressive play. Meanwhile, Daniela Hantuchova's confidence and enthusiasm from the day before soon evaporated in her shocking 6-4 6-1 defeat to Meghann Shaughnessy. Meghann didn't do anything particularly special against the Slovak, who pretty much gave the match away, over-hitting her shots and letting her frustration take her down. Henrieta Nagyova unsurprisingly lost 6-1 6-2 to Sandrine Testud, and the Slovak will need to either follow her shots to the net more often or get her groundies landing beyond the service line if she is to realize the potential she has. In the featured night match, Serena Williams took advantage of Amelie Mauresmo's shoulder problems by attacking the Frenchwoman's backhand, and became the first player to move into the semifinals with a 6-4 7-6(6) win. Amelie's performance was encouraging, and had she not been reduced to merely slicing her backhands, she would certainly have had the match taken care of. Serena continues to disappoint, and despite her bravado in the interview room, she must be well aware that her game is not at a Slam-winning level yet. A good start might be to lose the extra weight hanging around her hips and thighs. That leaves the quarterfinal lineup for the men and women, and here are a few predictions: Men's draw: Max Mirnyi will get through to the final against Andy Roddick, who will take out Roger Federer in the semis. Women's draw: Alexandra Stevenson will suffer from a letdown and lose to Meghann Shaughnessy. Kim will chalk up another win over Justine, only to fall to Hingis in the semis. Final: Hingis vs.Williams. |