The Race to Madrid Heats Up

With about six weeks to go before the big year-end women's championships, only three of the tournament's precious eight spots are spoken for. So far Justine, Jelena and Sveta Kuznetsova are locked into for the big Spanish showdown, which offers Grand Slam-level prize money.Who else will be on the tennis tapas menu? As it stands now, Ivanovic, Sharapova, Chakvetadze and both Williams sisters are in position. But look for Bartoli to edge her way into the mix. Along with Hantuchova and Petrova, "Tippy Toes" Bartoli is in striking distance of the sisters, particularly considering the doubtful prospect that either Venus or Serena will show up at any of the tour's remaining tournaments.

Loose Cannons?

This week the WTA trotted out an intriguing new list, the Tour Power Index. Using all manner of computer machines, robot cameras and gizmos, tour sponsor Sony Ericsson was able to deduce which ten ladies—averaging their fastest serves, forehands and backhands—give the ball the biggest whooping. Elena Dementieva, the rippling Muscovite mistress of groundstrokes, naturally found a place in the power clique. Interestingly, Maria Sharapova was the only woman on the list who is also in the real top ten—you know, the list that, like, actually matters? So while this G-force gaggle is remarkable in a Guinness Book of World Records kind of way, it has nil to do with a player's real force on the court.

Who is the WTA's Steroid Starlet?

Ok, tennis heads. Time for a newsflash. Our beloved sport is not free from the wave of unscrupulous chemical tinkering that's tarnished so many other athletic pursuits. The Racqonteur is closely following the story of one young big-hitting babe on the tour who is known to dabble in performance-enhancing dope. Firing off weighty groundstrokes on both sides, this pretty young thing racked up some solid results late last year. 2007 hasn't been so stellar for her, and as she prepares to defend the bulk of her points in the coming months, one wonders whether she'll pay a visit to auntie Roida for some extra help. So who is this medicated marvel? Stay tuned...