Overall champion:  J. Stewart !!!!!!

Men's Draw champion:  J. Stewart !!!!!!

Women's Draw champion:  Gavin Hotchin !!!!!!

Don't forget check the Grand Slam Cup standings. Thanks to all for playing. See you in Paris in the Spring!

• Overall Standings
• Men's Draw Standings
• Women's Draw Standings

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Overall standings

J Stewart catches Bill Walsh at the wire to take the Overall crown! Hearty congratulations to J, who is also the Men's Draw champion. The double title makes J our Contest Superstar!

J was one of only 5 contestants to pick Mauresmo to win the women's title. The pick stood him in good stead, since Bill picked Henin-Hardenne, losing a precious point which not only cost him the lead, but also the tie-break.

Here's how the tie-break was decided:

• Champion:
  Both J and Bill picked Federer on the men's side. In the women's draw Bill picked Henin-Hardenne while J picked Mauresmo. J comes out on top.

Bravo J!

J Stewart's Keys to Success:

See below for an appreciation of J's excellent picking on the men's side. While his strengh was in his men's score, J finished in 18th place on the women's side and made some fine distaff picks that helped his cause. Most notably, he was one of only 5 contestants to name Mauresmo as the champion, a decision that gave him the tie-break advantage over Bill.

Rank	Contestant	Total score
1.	J. Stewart	40 (20,20)
2.	Bill Walsh	40 (17,23)
3.	Gavin Hotchin	39 (14,25)
4.	Memo	38 (15,23)
	Babak Hejazi	38 (15,23)
6.	Larry Yonce	38 (16,22)
7.	Tony Fales	37 (16,21)
	Yoonho Ji	37 (16,21)
	Anthony Ellis	37 (14,23)
10.	Andrew McCarthy	37 (17,20)
11.	Amelie's Shorts	37 (15,22)
12.	Peter Smyth	36 (15,21)
13.	Barbara&David	36 (16,20)
14.	Chris Gerby	35 (13,22)
15.	Ed Toombs	35 (17,18)
16.	Eric Goll	35 (15,20)
17.	Gary Ellis	35 (17,18)
18.	Frederick Warburg	35 (18,17)
19.	Daisy Aye	34 (13,21)
20.	k i r i n	34 (15,19)
21.	Maydoosa	34 (16,18)
22.	Jeff Tagen	34 (15,19)
23.	Julio Morales	34 (14,20)
24.	Javier Camacho	33 (14,19)
25.	Stephen Spainhour	33 (13,20)
26.	Patrick van der Zee	33 (13,20)
27.	Sarah Halsted	33 (15,18)
	Jack Cunniff	33 (13,20)
	Michael Mungin	33 (15,18)
30.	Sanjeev Bordoloi	33 (12,21)
31.	Tim Wilson	33 (14,19)
32.	Fredrik Norström	33 (15,18)
33.	Peter Versteege	33 (16,17)
34.	Mark Wolbers	33 (15,18)
	Manuel Halkias	33 (16,17)
36.	Art Vaughn	33 (16,17)
37.	Cian O'Reilly	33 (16,17)
38.	Chi-Wai Lui	33 (14,19)
39.	Elizabeth Ashbury	33 (12,21)
40.	Ed Zafian	32 (11,21)
41.	Rich Glenn	32 (13,19)
42.	Joeri Kester	32 (12,20)
43.	Paul Peach	32 (15,17)
44.	Marcel Stok	32 (14,18)
45.	Andy Smith	32 (17,15)
46.	Steve Gocha	32 (12,20)
47.	Tom Brozo	32 (13,19)
48.	Dennis Uenk	32 (14,18)
49.	Emily Dura	31 (10,21)
50.	Heather Ryde	31 (13,18)
	Jacqueline "JD" Dupree	31 (12,19)
52.	Alex Macpherson	31 (12,19)
53.	Mike Cecilio	31 (16,15)
54.	Martin McLean	31 (14,17)
55.	Michael Grundy	31 (14,17)
56.	Erwin van Oorspronk	31 (13,18)
57.	Lawrence Toombs	31 (14,17)
58.	Andrew Peglau	31 (14,17)
59.	Bounces	31 (14,17)
60.	Dirk van Panhuis	31 (12,19)
61.	Colin Strudwick	31 (14,17)
62.	Lindsay Brown	31 (12,19)
63.	Michiel Vestjens	30 (12,18)
64.	Granger Huntress	30 (11,19)
65.	Kevin Eckert	30 (10,20)
66.	Luke Ghensi	30 (11,19)
67.	Mark Langley	30 (11,19)
68.	Jason Juzwiak	30 (14,16)
	Samuel Burton	30 (13,17)
70.	Michal Swiderski	30 (13,17)
71.	Paddy M	30 (12,18)
72.	Alison Dura	29 (10,19)
73.	Mark Zuckerman	29 (14,15)
74.	Rosemary Contompasis	28 (10,18)
75.	Jerry Balsam	28 (12,16)
76.	Freudocadoe	28 (13,15)
77.	Will Johnson	28 (12,16)
78.	Renato de Oliveira Almeida	27 (9,18)
79.	Jeff Sikes	27 (13,14)
80.	Martin Nicholson	27 (10,17)
81.	Richard Erickson	27 (8,19)
82.	Folkert Joling	26 (11,15)
83.	Byron McCrae	26 (11,15)
84.	Charo Molinari	26 (14,12)
85.	Craig Willeford	26 (7,19)
86.	Chris Wang	25 (9,16)
87.	Supersuper305	25 (13,12)
88.	Belmont305	24 (13,11)
89.	Seraina	16 (16,0)

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Men's draw

J Stewart was the first champion of the fortnight to be declared by the Contest Decision Desk. A magnificent performance! As you can see, his brilliance in the first and third quarters keyed his triumph.

J Stewart's Keys to Success!

• Tremendous top quarter:
  J picked Federer to advance the final. Duh! But he was perfect in this quarter, picking low seed Hrbaty and unseeded Haas to reach the round of sixteen, and anticipating the Federer-Davydenko quarterfinal.
• So-so second quarter:
  This was a problem for most of us because of Hewitt's failures, and J was no exception to the rule. But he did pick pick up a key point by picking eventual semifinalist and low seed Kiefer to reach the round of sixteen.
• Tip top third quarter:
  J totally nailed it here. He picked all four fourth round participants including unseedeed Santoro and unpopular seeds Robredo and Ferrer. He also called both quarterfinalists, Santoro and Nalbandian, with Nalbandian reaching the semis in accordance with prophesy.
• Limiting fourth quarter damage:
  While J missed out on Baghdatis's heroics, as did most of us, he did well to predict that Ljubicic would go further than Roddick. He lost only two points with those two fancied players.
• Bravo J Stewart!:
  J's stats:
  11 correct fourth round picks (including unseeded Santoro and Haas, and low seeds Hrbaty and Kiefer); 5 correct quarterfinal picks (including unseeded Santoro); 2 correct semifinal picks; 1 correct finalist pick; 1 correct championship pick.

Bravo J!

Congratulations also to our champion on the court:

Roger Federer (with Marcos Baghdatis)

As the overwhelming majority of us predicted, Federer reclaimed the Aussie Open title with a four-set win over the tournament sensation Baghdatis. Let's see... 12-0 this season, 7-0 in major finals, 52 straight wins on hard courts -- he's not too shabby! Neither is the Cypriot, and it will be interesting to see how the flashy and colourful lad follows up his breakthrough fortnight in Melbourne.

Rank	Contestant	Men's score
1.	J. Stewart	20
2.	Frederick Warburg	18
3.	Gary Ellis	17
4.	Bill Walsh	17
	Andrew McCarthy	17
6.	Ed Toombs	17
7.	Andy Smith	17
8.	Tony Fales	16
	Yoonho Ji	16
	Larry Yonce	16
	Manuel Halkias	16
	Cian O'Reilly	16
	Barbara&David	16
	Seraina	16
15.	Art Vaughn	16
	Mike Cecilio	16
	Maydoosa	16
18.	Peter Versteege	16
19.	Peter Smyth	15
	Memo	15
	k i r i n	15
	Paul Peach	15
	Babak Hejazi	15
	Jeff Tagen	15
	Eric Goll	15
26.	Mark Wolbers	15
	Michael Mungin	15
	Fredrik Norström	15
	Sarah Halsted	15
30.	Amelie's Shorts	15
31.	Andrew Peglau	14
32.	Lawrence Toombs	14
	Tim Wilson	14
	Javier Camacho	14
35.	Jason Juzwiak	14
36.	Anthony Ellis	14
	Michael Grundy	14
	Chi-Wai Lui	14
	Gavin Hotchin	14
	Bounces	14
	Marcel Stok	14
	Mark Zuckerman	14
	Julio Morales	14
44.	Martin McLean	14
45.	Charo Molinari	14
46.	Dennis Uenk	14
47.	Colin Strudwick	14
48.	Erwin van Oorspronk	13
49.	Stephen Spainhour	13
	Patrick van der Zee	13
	Heather Ryde	13
52.	Jeff Sikes	13
	Rich Glenn	13
	Chris Gerby	13
55.	Freudocadoe	13
	Daisy Aye	13
	Michal Swiderski	13
	Tom Brozo	13
59.	Jack Cunniff	13
	Samuel Burton	13
61.	Belmont305	13
	Supersuper305	13
63.	Joeri Kester	12
	Alex Macpherson	12
65.	Dirk van Panhuis	12
	Sanjeev Bordoloi	12
	Jerry Balsam	12
68.	Will Johnson	12
	Steve Gocha	12
	Jacqueline "JD" Dupree	12
71.	Elizabeth Ashbury	12
72.	Michiel Vestjens	12
73.	Paddy M	12
74.	Lindsay Brown	12
75.	Mark Langley	11
	Luke Ghensi	11
77.	Folkert Joling	11
	Byron McCrae	11
	Ed Zafian	11
80.	Granger Huntress	11
81.	Alison Dura	10
82.	Rosemary Contompasis	10
	Martin Nicholson	10
84.	Emily Dura	10
85.	Kevin Eckert	10
86.	Chris Wang	9
87.	Renato de Oliveira Almeida	9
88.	Richard Erickson	8
89.	Craig Willeford	7

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Women's draw

Gavin Hotchin is our Women's Draw winner! Gavin needed Mauresmo win the final in order to claim the title, and that she did. Congratulations Gavin! His countrymen Henman and Murray may have been flops in Melbourne, but England has a worthy champion in Gavin.

Gavin's Keys to Success!

• Solid first week:
  Gavin survived the early upsets fairly well, losing nothing with the Williams sisters or Pierce, and only 2 points with Dementieva. He was part of a three-way tie for first place as we headed to the round of sixteen. Among his fine choices were low seed Hantuchova and unseeded Hingis.
• Swiss and Francophone power!:
  Gavin assumed sole possession of the lead when Schnyder defeated Myskina in a key fourth round fixture. Hingis continued to pay dividends, as Gavin had Martina through to the quarters. He kept the lead by correctly picking Henin over Davenport and Mauresmo over Schnyder, giving him 4 of 4 correct semifinalists.
• Mauresmo keeps him afloat:
  Gavin lost one point in the semis with Sharapova's loss to Henin-Hardenne, but his minority pick of Mauresmo over Clijsters saved him from falling out of the lead. Just one more piece of the puzzle remained -- his championship pick Mauresmo needed to win the final in order for Gavin to claim the Women's Draw crown.
• Final brio!:
  When Amélie shook hands with the retiring Henin, Gavin could exult. He was the champion!
• Bravo Gavin!:
  Gavin's stats:
  12 correct fourth round picks (including unseeded Hingis and low seed Hantuchova); 7 correct quarterfinal picks (including Hingis); 4 correct semifinal picks; 1 correct finalist pick; 1 correct championship pick.

Congratulations also to our champion on the court:

Amélie Mauresmo with Justine Henin-Hardenne

The long-suffering Mauresmo finally claims a major title after years of disappointment at the Slams. Henin-Hardenne's much-criticized withdrawal with a tummy upset withdrawal robbed the final of a sense of closure, but perhaps it was meant to be -- Clijsters and Krajicek had also retired from matches against Mauresmo this fortnight. The Frenchwoman was on top her game in Melbourne and, regardless of the ending, was playing excellently and is a worthy champion. She now faces 2006 -- and her home Grand Slam in Paris -- with a sense of confidence and accomplishment.

Rank	Contestant	Women's score
1.	Gavin Hotchin	25
2.	Babak Hejazi	23
	Anthony Ellis	23
	Memo	23
5.	Bill Walsh	23
6.	Amelie's Shorts	22
7.	Chris Gerby	22
8.	Larry Yonce	22
9.	Emily Dura	21
10.	Ed Zafian	21
11.	Elizabeth Ashbury	21
	Peter Smyth	21
	Daisy Aye	21
14.	Yoonho Ji	21
	Tony Fales	21
	Sanjeev Bordoloi	21
17.	Kevin Eckert	20
18.	J. Stewart	20
19.	Stephen Spainhour	20
20.	Jack Cunniff	20
21.	Patrick van der Zee	20
22.	Joeri Kester	20
23.	Steve Gocha	20
	Julio Morales	20
	Barbara&David	20
	Andrew McCarthy	20
	Eric Goll	20
28.	Javier Camacho	19
29.	Granger Huntress	19
30.	Jacqueline "JD" Dupree	19
31.	Rich Glenn	19
	Richard Erickson	19
33.	Alison Dura	19
	Alex Macpherson	19
35.	k i r i n	19
	Luke Ghensi	19
	Craig Willeford	19
38.	Tim Wilson	19
39.	Jeff Tagen	19
40.	Mark Langley	19
	Chi-Wai Lui	19
	Lindsay Brown	19
43.	Tom Brozo	19
44.	Dirk van Panhuis	19
45.	Michiel Vestjens	18
46.	Rosemary Contompasis	18
47.	Sarah Halsted	18
	Michael Mungin	18
	Heather Ryde	18
50.	Marcel Stok	18
51.	Maydoosa	18
52.	Ed Toombs	18
	Renato de Oliveira Almeida	18
54.	Fredrik Norström	18
55.	Mark Wolbers	18
56.	Gary Ellis	18
	Erwin van Oorspronk	18
58.	Dennis Uenk	18
	Paddy M	18
60.	Martin McLean	17
61.	Paul Peach	17
	Colin Strudwick	17
63.	Michael Grundy	17
64.	Peter Versteege	17
65.	Manuel Halkias	17
66.	Samuel Burton	17
	Art Vaughn	17
	Martin Nicholson	17
	Lawrence Toombs	17
70.	Bounces	17
71.	Michal Swiderski	17
	Cian O'Reilly	17
73.	Andrew Peglau	17
74.	Frederick Warburg	17
75.	Jerry Balsam	16
76.	Will Johnson	16
77.	Jason Juzwiak	16
78.	Chris Wang	16
79.	Andy Smith	15
80.	Mike Cecilio	15
81.	Mark Zuckerman	15
82.	Freudocadoe	15
83.	Folkert Joling	15
84.	Byron McCrae	15
85.	Jeff Sikes	14
86.	Charo Molinari	12
87.	Supersuper305	12
88.	Belmont305	11

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E-mail Ed Toombs

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