Surprises, disappointments, and newsmakers from the first three rounds of the 2009 Australian Open, before the business end of the tournament begins on Sunday in Melbourne:

Surprise: Jelena Dokic, Australia. The 25-year-old has traveled from tennis oblivion–and the very possible end of a once-promising career–to the fourth round and a chance to be a darkhorse finalist… all in one week. This is a phoenix rising from the ashes, to be sure.

Disappointment: Venus Williams, United States. Yes, Carla Suarez Navarro deserved every good thing that came to her in a second-round stunner, but her opponent–a seven-time Grand Slam champion–had a 5-2 lead in the third and a match point, and couldn’t close the door. Venus didn’t have the proverbial bad day at the office, when nothing went right; she merely failed to finish off a less-credentialed player. After blowing 10 of 10 set points in the U.S. Open quarterfinals to sister Serena, Venus is giving indications that her big-point yips are becoming a bit chronic. Not good.

Newsmaker: Alize Cornet, France. The teenager just celebrated her 19th birthday on Jan. 22. One day later, a third-round victory over 19th-seeded Daniela Hantuchova–a semifinalist last year in Melbourne Park–gave the Frenchwoman her first fourth round apperance in a slam event. Cornet’s career is progressing properly.

Surprise: Fernando Verdasco, Spain. Sure, the lefty with the potent groundstrokes has been to the round of 16 before in a slam tournament. Yet, a recent breakup with women’s superstar Ana Ivanovic led a number of observers to think that Verdasco wouldn’t last very long Down Under. After a straight-set annihilation of the formidable Radek Stepanek, the Spaniard has quieted a number of his critics.

Disappointment: David Nalbandian, Argentina. So much talent, so little to show for it. Rarely has a player with such abundant and evident skill become so mind-numbingly feeble in Grand Slam events. Consider this: At least fellow headcase, the wasteful and unfocused Marat Safin, won two slam titles. Nalbandian hasn’t yet won a single slam, and after losing in the second round to an unknown player from Chinese Taipei, it’s very likely he’s not about to sniff any hardware in 2009.

Newsmaker: Gilles Simon, France. The diminutive player with the fabulous retrieval skills caught fire last summer and fall, rolling through an extended hardcourt circuit (outdoors in the United States, indoors in Europe) to crack the top 10. Entering this year’s tournament, many experts doubted that Simon would be able to stay ahead of the pack. While it’s still very early in the tennis season, Simon has already made a statement in Melbourne by reaching his first round of 16 in a slam. Defense wins championships in team sports, and it has taken Simon to new heights in the tennis cosmos.

Surprise:  Amer Delic, Croatia. The lucky loser made the most of his late entry into the men’s field, winning a pair of five-set matches and earning a date with Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic in the third round. Delic acquitted himself well by serving from a tree and pounding a lethal forehand that often caught Djokovic off guard. The third seed did play the big points well, showing the championship toughness that defined his run to the 2008 title in Australia, but while Djokovic won the match, Delic won respect on the ATP Tour. This was a terrific coming-out party for a youngster who has enough game to become a factor in men’s tennis. It’s all about the mind for this Delic-ious new talent.

Disappointment: Bosnian and Serbian tennis fans. The chair-throwing incident that followed the Delic-Djokovic match marred what has been dubbed “The Happy Slam” by many journalists, players and fans. The Australian Open is the ultimate feel-good event on the tennis calendar, but this display of outrageous behavior–fueled as it was by the twin demons of alcohol and runaway nationalism–sucked the happiness right out of Melbourne Park. Davis Cup-level intensity has its limits.

Newsmaker:  Alisa Kleybanova, Russia. In a women’s field where a number of teenagers were supposed to make a run into the second week, the 19-year-old Kleybanova didn’t figure to be one of the party-crashers. While highly-regarded Agnieszka Radwanska bowed out in the first round, and top-15 resident Caroline Wozniacki crashed out of the tournament in the third round, Kleybanova–the No. 29 seed–overcame her nerves to knock out No. 5 Ana Ivanovic in a grueling three-set match. The victory gave Kleybanova her first fourth-round appearance at the Australian Open, a supremely successful result for someone who has existed in the shadows of other teenage competitors.

Best Performer, women’s singles: Carla Suarez Navarro, Spain. While Venus Williams didn’t play her best, her 20-year-old opponent displayed a gorgeous backhand and an even more impressive abundance of willpower. Navarro’s win didn’t appear likely until the very end of the final set, but with that having been said, the victory wasn’t exactly a fluke–it was thoroughly earned with high-level shotmaking and pronounced poise under pressure. Navarro’s 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 win was not part of a parade of errors (see Svetlana Kuznetsova’s awful third-round win over Alona Bondarenko for a real example of an error-fest), but the result of superior play, particularly on big points.

Best performer, men’s singles: Tie, Rafael Nadal, Spain, and Roger Federer, Switzerland. Should this be surprising? Nadal merely blasted 58 winners in his Saturday stomping of the talented Tommy Haas, all while committing a mere 8 errors. Federer’s footwork sparkled in a straight-set smackdown of always-dangerous (yet eternally fragile) Marat Safin in Friday’s third round. Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are very much alive and well, but if you want to pick the hottest players in the men’s draw, the two titans are still the ones to watch. The more things change, the more they stay the same.  Don’t be blown away if Roger and Rafa are the only men standing when Sunday night’s final is contested in Rod Laver Arena.