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Filed under: Backporch Features

Dear Annual Giving Office,

Recently, I received a letter in the mail asking to contribute to the annual giving office to help alleviate the financial hardships the school has undergone in the current economic recession. This marks my first donation request as a Middlebury Alumnus -- a time that should be a happy and joyous occasion celebrating the long journey from acceptance to graduation to joining a proud group of Alumni who contribute to the school to ensure the College upholds its high standards of learning.

Yet, this is no such time.

Before I decide to donate some of my hard-earned dollars to the College I love, I would like to express a few grievances about the financial allocations process, mainly about the absurdity of providing funding to Harry Potter wannabees who trounce around with brooms that don't fly between their legs and put my beloved Middlebury on the national radar for its Quidditch 'team.'

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]]> Chris Sesno chris-sesno 2009-11-13T09:00:00 00:00 Andre Agassi Remorseful on '60 Minutes' http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/11/08/andre-agassi-remorseful-on-60-minutes/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/11/08/andre-agassi-remorseful-on-60-minutes/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/11/08/andre-agassi-remorseful-on-60-minutes/#comments

Filed under: ATP

A reflective Andre Agassi gave his first TV interview on CBS' 60 Minutes since the shocking excerpts from his autobiography were released to the public less than two weeks ago.

Katie Couric pressed Agassi on many of the revelations from his book, including the pressure he felt from his father, his secret sentiments toward the sport that made him famous and the admission that he frequently used crystal meth with his trainer in 1997.

"I have to call it like it is," Agassi said when asked about the motivations behind revealing his past. "And hating tennis was a deep part of my life for a long, long time."

Agassi was visibly emotional -- saying he was scared, isolated and "living a fraud" during his years in the tennis spotlight.

More: Couch: Shamefully, Agassi Fails the Trust Test
Mariotti: For Andre, Truth is Everything

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]]> andre agassiAndreAgassi Chris Sesno chris-sesno 2009-11-08T21:16:00 00:00 7-Foot-4 Brenden Adams Joins Middle School Football Team http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/11/06/7-foot-4-brenden-adams-joins-middle-school-football-team/ http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/11/06/7-foot-4-brenden-adams-joins-middle-school-football-team/ http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/11/06/7-foot-4-brenden-adams-joins-middle-school-football-team/#comments

Pardon the pun, but the Morgan Middle School football team just gained a huge advantage over future opponents when 7-foot-4 Brendan Adams joined their team.

At just 14-years-old, Brendan is listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest teenage boy in the world. Brendan told Melissa Luck, an executive producer for KXLY4 in Spokane, Wash., "It was my 12th chromosome that broke in half and flipped over and reattached," although doctors have not yet diagnosed what exactly caused his rapid growth after birth.

While Luck's story does go into the medical details of Brendan's condition, he also told her that football is his favorite sport despite his mother previously prohibiting him from playing the game.

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]]> Chris Sesno chris-sesno 2009-11-06T19:07:00 00:00 Serena Williams On Two Weeks' Notice http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/11/06/serena-williams-on-two-weeks-notice/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/11/06/serena-williams-on-two-weeks-notice/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/11/06/serena-williams-on-two-weeks-notice/#comments

Filed under: WTA, WTA Rankings

Serena Williams was just two points away from a semifinals exit from the U.S. Open back in September when she began her now infamous tirade at the lineswoman who helped make her departure a reality by calling a foot fault that sparked the meltdown.

Now, nearly two months later, the ITF has announced they will make a ruling on her further punishment within two weeks. She was originally fined $10,500 -- $10,000 maximum on-court fine allowed plus $500 for racquet abuse -- but potentially faces more fines and a possible suspension from the WTA.

"It's in the hands of the Grand Slam administrator, who I believe has now completed his investigation and will be making a ruling within the next two weeks," United States Tennis Association President Lucy Garvin told The Associated Press on Friday. "That's what we have been told -- that Serena would hear, we would hear."

Greg Couch: ITF Let Serena Off the Hook

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]]> Chris Sesno chris-sesno 2009-11-06T16:55:00 00:00 'Horse' Play Ends in 25 Suspensions http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/horse-play-ends-in-25-suspensions/ http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/horse-play-ends-in-25-suspensions/ http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/horse-play-ends-in-25-suspensions/#comments

Filed under: High School

Every high school has a rivalry. Every rivalry has bitter moments in history. In Jefferson County La., this is one of those moments.

Twenty-five Male High school students -- including six football players -- were suspended Friday for their involvement in a school prank against Manual High that involved six toilets, a lot of waste and many cans of spray paint.

Gross you say? Well, the prank was in response to one supposedly pulled by Manual students who dumped a truckload of manure in the parking lot and spray-painted curse words on the football field.

Let's just say the manure really hit the fan for the 25 suspended Male students, but what about those responsible for the manure pile in the Male parking lot? So far, they have not been able to prove who was responsible.

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]]> Chris Sesno chris-sesno 2009-10-30T23:32:00 00:00 Serena Stays Unbeaten in Doha http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/10/28/serena-stays-unbeaten-in-doha/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/10/28/serena-stays-unbeaten-in-doha/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/10/28/serena-stays-unbeaten-in-doha/#comments

Filed under: WTA

Serena and Venus Williams have plenty of experience playing against each other. But you wouldn't have been able to tell that by the way the two played when they faced off for the 22nd career time on Wednesday in the WTA Tour Championships in Doha.

It took Serena almost three hours and a full three sets (including a third set tiebreak) to top her older sister 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(4) in a somewhat sloppy match. They didn't play well at the same time until the last three games of the match, where the two finally seemed to put forth their best effort.

With Serena trailing 5-6 in the third, both players turned on the jets and provided the fans in Doha with a brief glimpse of what they were hoping to see throughout the match. Asked what changed for her late in the third, Serena said, "I just tried to relax. Whenever I relax, I play better." Seems simple enough.

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]]> caroline wozniackidinara safinaelena dementievaserena williamssvetlana kuznetsovavenus williams Chris Sesno chris-sesno 2009-10-28T18:30:00 00:00 Shanghai Masters Semifinals Preview http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/10/16/shanghai-masters-semifinals-preview/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/10/16/shanghai-masters-semifinals-preview/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/10/16/shanghai-masters-semifinals-preview/#comments

Filed under: ATP

Five days and eight injury retirements later, the Shanghai Masters semifinals are set.

In the last quarterfinals match on Friday, Ivan Ljubicic pulled out of his match against Rafael Nadal in the third set with noticeable pain in his left thigh. He joined an absurdly long list of players to withdraw due to injury in Shanghai, including reigning U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro and world No. 6 Andy Roddick.

Ljubicic withdrew in the first game of the third set and handed Nadal a spot in the semifinals where he will take on fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, who topped the No. 9-seeded Robin Soderling in straight sets on Thursday.

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]]> nikolay davydenkoNikolayDavydenkonovak djokovicNovakDjokovicradek stepanekRadekStepanekrafael nadalRafaelNadal Chris Sesno chris-sesno 2009-10-16T12:30:00 00:00 Injury List Grows, Players Want Change http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/10/15/injury-list-grows-players-want-change/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/10/15/injury-list-grows-players-want-change/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/10/15/injury-list-grows-players-want-change/#comments

Filed under: WTA, ATP

On Monday, Andy Roddick spoke out against the ATP for the lack of a normal tennis offseason. On Tuesday, he retired from the Shanghai Masters with knee pains.

Fast-forward to Thursday, the injury count at Shanghai has grown to seven after just four days of play. The latest additions are Gael Monfils of France and Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland, who retired from their matches earlier today.

The Shanghai injury list includes reigning U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, Tommy Haas, Jose Acasuso and Mischa Zverev. Not included are Roger Federer (fatigue) and Andy Murray (wrist), who opted out of the tournament before it began to recuperate.

Greg Couch: Hellish Schedule Breaking Down Players

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]]> andy roddickrafael nadalroger federerserena williamstommy haas Chris Sesno chris-sesno 2009-10-15T11:55:00 00:00 Despite Health Concerns, Serena Wants to Play in Fed Cup Finals http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/10/09/despite-health-concerns-serena-wants-to-play-in-fed-cup-finals/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/10/09/despite-health-concerns-serena-wants-to-play-in-fed-cup-finals/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/10/09/despite-health-concerns-serena-wants-to-play-in-fed-cup-finals/#comments

Filed under: WTA, WTA Rankings

The soon to be No. 1 women's tennis player in the world says she wants to play in the Fed Cup finals against Italy next month. But before she can commit, Serena Williams wants to be sure sure she is healthy enough.

Serena is holding off on making a decision until after the season-ending championships in Qatar.

"I definitely want to play again. I am just trying to get there," Williams said. "It's just really hard to see how my body is going to be after Doha, (Qatar) -- if I am going to be walking or if I am going to be in a wheelchair."

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]]> liezel hubermelanie oudinserena williamsvenus williams Chris Sesno chris-sesno 2009-10-09T19:30:00 00:00 Freestylin' Federer Should Stick to Tennis http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/10/07/freestylin-federer-should-stick-to-tennis/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/10/07/freestylin-federer-should-stick-to-tennis/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/10/07/freestylin-federer-should-stick-to-tennis/#comments

Filed under: Davis Cup, ATP

There are a lot of professional athletes these days who try their luck in Hollywood -- as an actor, fashion designer or other form of entertainer outside the realm of sports. After seeing his attempted freestyle improvisation of 'We are the Swiss', Roger Federer should quickly abandon any hopes of becoming tennis' next John Riggins and really focus on tennis.

Federer -- the No. 1 men's tennis player in the world -- was gathered at a celebration with the Swiss Davis Cup team and members of the French media when he was encouraged to break out in song. It is fair to say, hilarity ensues.

Check out the video after the jump.

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]]> juan martin del potroroger federer Chris Sesno chris-sesno 2009-10-07T15:54:00 00:00 Melanie Oudin Enjoying Celebrity Status http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/23/melanie-oudin-enjoying-celebrity-status/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/23/melanie-oudin-enjoying-celebrity-status/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/23/melanie-oudin-enjoying-celebrity-status/#comments

Filed under: WTA

Melanie Oudin's magical run at the U.S. Open is over. Her career as a professional tennis player is just beginning. Her spot as an American celebrity? Well, it's just starting to emerge.

The 17-year-old American from Marietta, Georgia captured the hearts of tennis fans when she knocked off three top-ranked Russians in the U.S. Open, beating Elena Dementieva, Maria Sharapova and Nadia Petrova before finally losing to another teenager, 19-year-old Caroline Wozniacki, in the quarterfinals.

You would think it would be back to training for the young star. But in the weeks since the conclusion of the Open, Oudin has made a run on a different tour. Her journey on the celebrity circuit has landed her on Conan O'Brien and Ellen DeGeneres, as well as enjoying some time in the spotlight of other professional sports.

Her schedule, and some enjoyable accompanied video, can be found after the jump.

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]]> melanie oudin Chris Sesno chris-sesno 2009-09-23T22:05:00 00:00 Nadal Falls in Semis to Del Potro http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/13/nadal-falls-to-first-time-finalist-del-potro/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/13/nadal-falls-to-first-time-finalist-del-potro/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/13/nadal-falls-to-first-time-finalist-del-potro/#comments

Filed under: U.S. Open, ATP

Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal had absolutely no chance against Juan Martin del Potro in the U.S. Open semifinals on Sunday.

The Spaniard lost in straight sets to del Potro (2-6, 2-6, 2-6) and seemed to be bothered by his nagging abdominal injury. With Nadal unable to put everything into his serve and forehand, del Potro was simply taking target practice out there as he crushed 33 winners past Nadal.

The No. 6-seeded del Potro was content to sit behind the baseline and rally it out with the injured Nadal, who wasn't moving well and had absolutely no answer for del Potro's strong first serve. The Argentine won an amazing 79% of points when he got his first serve in.

U.S. Open: Women's Scoreboard | Men's Scoreboard | Photos

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]]> rafael nadal Chris Sesno chris-sesno 2009-09-13T14:37:00 00:00 Serena Knocked Out in Bizarre Finish http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/13/serena-knocked-out-in-bizarre-finish/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/13/serena-knocked-out-in-bizarre-finish/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/13/serena-knocked-out-in-bizarre-finish/#comments

Filed under: U.S. Open, WTA

Serena argues with judge

Serena Williams lost to Kim Clijsters in an out-of-character meltdown when she lashed out at a lineswoman for calling a foot fault.

On Saturday night, Serena was down 5-6 after losing the first set to Kim Clijsters. At 15-30, she was called for a second-serve foot fault and suddenly found herself serving to stay in the U.S. Open. That didn't last long as she yelled something quite vulgar at the line judge and cost herself an unsportsmanlike conduct call, resulting in a forfeited point.

The Associated Press quoted her as saying "If I could, I would take this ... ball and shove it down your ... throat and kill you." Although I certainly do not claim to be a professional lip reader, it is pretty clear from the replay that the pauses in that quote were expletives of the F variety.

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]]> kim clijstersserena williams Chris Sesno chris-sesno 2009-09-13T00:50:00 00:00 Rainy Days at the US Open http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/11/rainy-days-at-the-us-open/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/11/rainy-days-at-the-us-open/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/11/rainy-days-at-the-us-open/#comments

Filed under: U.S. Open, WTA, ATP

Action has yet to resume in Flushing, N.Y. as rain and winds are continuing to prevent playable conditions at the U.S. Open.

Earlier, U.S. Open officials were hopeful that they would get a window from the weather at 3 pm and announced that they would try to play all three matches simultaneously. Such an opening has yet to happen and the battering of rain at the venue does not leave much hope that it will happen any time soon.

Last night, Rafael Nadal was taking on Fernando Gonzalez when play was suspended at 2-2 in the second set to let a light drizzling pass. A light drizzle turned into a 75-minute rain delay, but they were able to resume the match and were nearly able to finish the second set. With Nadal leading 3-2 in the tiebreak, all the hard work the ground crew had put into thoroughly drying the courts was undone when the rain picked back up.

On Friday -- in addition to resuming the Nadal-Gonzales quarterfinals matchup -- Serena Williams was set to play Kim Clijsters and Caroline Wozniacki was scheduled to take on Yanina Wickmayer to settle the women's semifinals. Since only the weather can truly say when these matches might move forward, in the meantime why not enjoy some rainy tennis photos after the jump.

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]]> caroline wozniackifernando gonzalezkim clijstersrafael nadalserena williamsyanina wickmayer Chris Sesno chris-sesno 2009-09-11T15:58:00 00:00 Roger Federer Continues to Dominate http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/10/roger-federer-continues-to-dominate/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/10/roger-federer-continues-to-dominate/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/10/roger-federer-continues-to-dominate/#comments

Filed under: U.S. Open, ATP

Wednesday was set to be an exciting night for tennis. The main focus was on Melanie Oudin, who tried to extend her push into the late rounds of the U.S. Open with a victory over Caroline Wozniacki. Well, that didn't work.

But after a disappointingly boring Oudin-Wozniacki match, Roger Federer and Robin Soderling put together a late-night thriller.

In four sets, Federer beat Soderling 6-0, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 to advance to the men's semifinals on Saturday. Federer will battle Novak Djokovic for the chance to enter the finals, a place where Federer has won the past five years in a row.

In the first set, it looked as if Federer was going to make a quick match out of it as he cruised past Soderling without any resistance. Soderling picked up momentum as the match progressed, and the final two sets came down to two exciting tiebreaks.

U.S. Open: Women's Scoreboard | Men's Scoreboard | Photos

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]]> roger federer Chris Sesno chris-sesno 2009-09-10T02:05:00 00:00 John McEnroe Returns to Tennis http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/08/john-mcenroe-returns-to-tennis/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/08/john-mcenroe-returns-to-tennis/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/08/john-mcenroe-returns-to-tennis/#comments

Filed under: U.S. Open, ATP

Johnny Mac is back.

After Nojak Djokovic took down Radek Stepanek in straight sets (6-1, 6-3, 6-3) on Monday, he tried to take a shot at one of the greats. Djokovic embarked on a rather accurate and extremely amusing impression of John McEnroe, complete with a "You can't be serious!" yelled at an (empty) chair umpire.

McEnroe has had many contributions to the 2009 U.S. Open, but stepping onto the court with a tennis racket instead of a microphone tops the list. He played this point well, and it didn't look like Djokovic was taking it easy on him. McEnroe just caught him off guard and hit a perfect winner.

The No. 15 seed in the world gave him no trouble, but John McEnroe came down from the press box in his tennis shoes and khakis with the same old racket and showed Djokovic and the world that he still has the touch.

Video evidence after the jump.

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]]> john mcenroeJohnMcenroenojak djokovicNojakDjokovic Chris Sesno chris-sesno 2009-09-08T01:23:00 00:00 Venus Falls to Kim Clijsters at US Open http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/06/venus-falls-to-kim-clijsters-at-us-open/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/06/venus-falls-to-kim-clijsters-at-us-open/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/06/venus-falls-to-kim-clijsters-at-us-open/#comments

Filed under: U.S. Open, WTA

In a bizarre match of U.S. Open women's tennis Sunday, Kim Clijsters pulled off a major upset of No. 3 Venus Williams, winning 6-0, 0-6, 6-4. To put it in perspective of how strange this match was, the third set took longer than the first two put together.

Clijsters came out on fire in the first set, shutting out Venus in 28 minutes. Venus looked restricted by her heavily bandaged left knee and could not move well enough to hold even just one service game.

After getting rolled in the first set, things warmed up for Venus in the second. She started moving better and looked much more comfortable putting pressure on the knee. She relied on her raw power to send a shutout right back at Clijsters.

It also helped that Clijsters coughed up 10 unforced errors in the second set to Venus' two.

U.S. Open: Women's Scoreboard | Men's Scoreboard | Photos

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]]> Chris Sesno chris-sesno 2009-09-06T17:47:00 00:00 Rafael Nadal Advances Despite Injury http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/06/rafeal-nadal-advances-despite-injury/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/06/rafeal-nadal-advances-despite-injury/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/06/rafeal-nadal-advances-despite-injury/#comments

Filed under: U.S. Open, ATP

Rafael Nadal ousted fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro in the U.S. Open on Sunday, beating him out in straight-sets 7-5, 6-4, 6-4.

Rafa cruised past his compatriot without major resistance. Almagro did show some signs of a fight, using his powerful forehand to prove that the No. 32 seed should not be overlooked.

Nadal's health has constantly been brought into question during the Open, but there were no signs that his nagging knee injuries were holding him back. Instead, Nadal was revisited by an abdominal injury that has reared its head in the past.

U.S. Open: Women's Scoreboard | Men's Scoreboard | Photos

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]]> rafael nadalRafaelNadal Chris Sesno chris-sesno 2009-09-06T16:04:00 00:00 Melanie Oudin Upsets Maria Sharapova http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/05/melanie-oudin-upsets-maria-sharapova/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/05/melanie-oudin-upsets-maria-sharapova/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/05/melanie-oudin-upsets-maria-sharapova/#comments

Filed under: U.S. Open, WTA

Melanie Oudin

Melanie Oudin has struck again. On Saturday, Oudin upset No. 29-seeded Maria Sharapova 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 to advance to the round of 16 in the U.S. Open.

After upsetting No. 4 seeded Elena Dementieva on Thursday, the 17-year-old American expressed nothing but excitement to be playing in New York. Asked how she would feel to play Sharapova, Oudin humbly said it would be an honor to match up against the usual crowd-pleaser.

Although maybe for different reasons, the crowd was certainly pleased with the match they got on Saturday afternoon.

U.S. Open: Women's Scoreboard | Men's Scoreboard | Photos

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]]> Chris Sesno chris-sesno 2009-09-05T17:33:00 00:00 Jelena Jankovic Falls Early http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/03/jelena-jankovic-falls-early/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/03/jelena-jankovic-falls-early/ http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2009/09/03/jelena-jankovic-falls-early/#comments

Filed under: U.S. Open, WTA

Jelena Jankovic became the second highly seeded player on the women's side to be eliminated on Thursday, after losing 3-6, 7-6, 6-7 to Yaroslova Shvedova.

Down 5-6 in the third set, No. 5 seeded Jankovic was able to break Shvedova, who was serving for the match, to force a decisive tiebreak.

Despite Jankovic's two match points in the tiebreak, Shvedova battled back and won four straight points. Jankovic was unable to hold her serve at 6-6 and the upset was complete with a Shvedova ace on the next point.

More U.S. Open: Women's Scores | Men's Scores | Watch Live Coverage

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]]> jelena jankovicyaroslava shvedova Chris Sesno chris-sesno 2009-09-03T17:27:00 00:00