This Just In..

I've been watching the live-scoring module at the mother ship's website and the score just came over: Venus Williams d. Martina Hingis, 4-6,7-5,6-4. In light of elements in the discussion still going in a post below ("Champagne Supernova"), I thought it relevant to note this.

I think this is a huge win for Venus Williams on all kinds of fronts.

First, the conventional wisdom has been that Venus's technique has been breaking down; it was considered a symptom of her lack of committment to the game and her susceptibility to distraction. But it's hard to imagine anyone without a very solid foundation beating Hingis on clay.

Second, Venus fitness has been questioned by some (of course, this is related to technical breakdowns as well), and this result suggests that she can't be very far - if at all - out of shape.

Third, this is a huge confidence builder. Going into this match, the general feeling has been that Hingis, in the midst of her comeback, is fresh, rested, and firing on all cylinders. By contrast, Venus seemed to many to be heading downhill.

Fourth, there's that little Hingis-Williams rivalry thing. . . to quote from "New Hen at the Party" post of Nov. 30, 2005 (you can find it via the search button):

In fact, wasn’t Venus and Serena Williams vs. Martina Hingis cast as Armageddon—the final battle between the finesse and strategy on one hand, and naked power and aggression on the other? And didn’t the Williams sisters utterly eclipse her? I was surprised to learn that Hingis retired with a 10-8 edge on Venus and respectable 6-7 record against Serena.

This is great news out of Warsaw for tennis fans, and especially for the intense and combative Williams' KADs.