Serena Williams looking good says Darren Cahill

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Even if Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer were the ones who made the 2009 Australian Open so memorable, it is a bunch of women who are making anticipation for the 2010 event so delicious.

Already the newly unretired Justine Henin and sort-of-newly unretired Kim Clijsters provided three sets of compelling tennis at a tournament in Brisbane last week.

Clijsters, who stunningly won the U.S. Open in her first major tournament after her retirement, beat Henin, who will have this Australian Open as her first major after a nearly two-year retirement, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (6). It was a 2-hour, 24-minute match that ESPN commentators Darren Cahill and Pam Shriver described as intriguing and enthralling.

‘It is amazing to already have a match on the women’s side being talked about for both quality and drama like very few matches the women have had in the last couple of years,’ Shriver said in a conference call Tuesday. ‘Maybe the Serena Williams-(Elena) Dementieva semifinal at Wimbledon last year. I’ve never seen a match like this, so early in the year, talked about for such great quality.’

This will be the first major appearance for Serena Williams since her notorious outburst in last year’s U.S. Open semifinal when she lost to Clijsters in part because of a controversial foot fault call that resulted in Williams’ directing a profane and threatening outburst toward the lineswoman and eventually being fined $82,500 but not suspended from any major events, a punishment that was viable.

Williams is playing this week at the Medibank International Sydney event where she won her first match, 6-1, 6-2, over Spain’s Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. Cahill saw the match in person and said he was impressed with Serena’s appearance. ‘Leading in to the Aussie, she’s always been a little scratchy,’ Cahill said. ‘This year she looks in good shape, looks as if she really put in a good offseason. I think Henin’s return will force her and drive her to be better. From the looks of it, I think we will see the best of Serena.’

-- Diane Pucin