Strange Days in Tennis: Clijsters Loses, Schwank Fined, Odesnik Plays Thru
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Just five days after winning the Miami Sony Ericsson Open former World No. 1 Kim Clijsters got bounced earlier today by someone named Beatriz García Vidagany 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 in the second round at Marbella. ADHEREL
Give yourself a pat on the back if you’ve heard of Ms. Garcia Vidagnay because I have not. Turns out the 21-year-old Spaniard is ranked No. 258 in the world and she’s never played a single Grand Slam match before.
Amazing how a player like Clijsters can go from the top of the world on Saturday in Miami destroying Venus Williams to a stunning loss to a nobody a few days later.
Clijsters will now return to the Southern U.S. to play Charleston next week. I guess they pay well in Marbella. Why else would you go from South Florida to Spain then back to the U.S. in Charleston in 10 days?
In Houston, Eduardo Schwank was fined $1,000 for tanking yesterday in a three set loss 6-1, 6-7, 6-1 to Juan Ignacio Chela. True story.
The question is how the hell do you win a set and still get fined for tanking? Well, in the third set fans began to boo when “Schwank the Tank” started hitting drop shots on every point. He claims his back was bad – plausible, everyone is injured these days!
And going on court shortly is alleged druggie Wayne Odesnik who will play his second rounder against Kukushkin. Again, I give the guy credit for playing and taking the heat, but I just don’t understand why go through it (I believe he’s allowed to play until the ITF makes a ruling) and face the scrutiny.
Odesnik did release a statement that read:”The ITF is presently conducting an investigation of me regarding my possession of HGH while in Australia earlier this year. I have never used nor taken HGH or any other banned substance in my life. I am fully cooperating with their investigation and I will have no further comment on the matter until it is concluded.”
So I guess he only transports HGH, but never uses it? I don’t see that defense working. Then again I didn’t think the kissing defense worked either.
Strange days these are in tennis.
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