Tennis: Australian open: Hantuchova watch ends

The women's fourth round saw another tough opponent for Hantuchova in Maria Sharapova, her almost siamese twin. The game was a very closely contested one, with Hantuchova taking a lead in the first set, but eventually being clawed down. One blunder by the line-person when Sharapova was serving at 30-40, break-point was to award a clean-out ball as an ace, it left Hantuchova visibly annoyed and distracted. Hantuchova lost the set 4-6. The second set also saw a good start (3-0) by Hantuchova, but an injury (seemed like a strain) slowed her down, and crippled the movement a bit. She lost the set 6-4. The Hantuchova campaign was over, but the career shows incredible promise.

What stood out in the game were the Sharapova grunts; loud in the first set, louder in the second. Contrast it with the ease and elegance of Roger Federer. A person usually grunts / groans in discomfort, and one wonders if the game is now so to-the-limit that it is a pain (literally) to play. One other game where people play through the pain is American football. I wonder if the rules of tennis can be bend to side-track the trend, but fall short of ideas on the actual changes. With the attrition of the hard hitting girls like Venus, Serena, Capriati the sustainability of the power game is in question. All said and done, it is assured that I am going to watch the next Sharapova match in mute.