Aussie Open Continues Hot Streak

That may appear to be Svetlana Kuznetsova doing the splits during her defeat at the Australian Open to Serena Williams. Incorrect: that is actually Kuznetsova shortly after the 130 degree heat disintegrated the ligaments in her legs, causing her to collapse awkwardly to the ground.

Kuznetsova was not the only one to have trouble with the Aussie heat, the worst on record in Melbourne in over 100 years. After a week of playing tough with the heat and practicing without complaint on uncovered courts in the sun, even Serena Williams gave up the act yesterday and admitted to nearly hallucinating during her quarterfinals match with Kuznetsova.

"I felt I was watching someone play in a blue dress, and it wasn't me, because it was so hot out there...And I kept trying to tell myself that it's not hot. But it got hotter."

Kuznetsova was outraged after officials closed the roof after the first set, a set where Williams struggled in the heat and Kuznetsova had Williams on the run. The roof closing--determined by the mysterious-sounding "Wet Bulb Globe Test" to determine heat safety--allowed Williams time to recover, said Kuznetsova. (She's right, but absurd ruling or not, Kuznetsova had equal time to recover from the blistering heat, too. It should have been a push.)

Williams advances to the semis to meet Elena Dementieva; on the other side of the women's bracket, Dinara Safina will play Vera Zvonareva in an all-Russian semi. They will all take breaks following the Australian Open to cool off somewhere more temperate--Death Valley, for example, or perhaps in the refreshingly cool middle of a frying pan full of bacon.

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.