Article:2008 Hottest Female Athlete Tournament - Third Round Voting (Regions 1 & 2)

=REGION 1= {| |- | valign="top" | {| width="150px" |- | Amanda Beard |- | (Swimming) |- | |} | valign="top" | {| width="150px" |- | Kari Traa |- | (Skiing) |- |  |} | valign="top" | {| width="250px" |- |  |} |}

{| |- | valign="top" | {| width="150px" |- | Gabriela Sabatini |- | (Tennis) |- | |} | valign="top" | {| width="150px" |- | Niki Gudex |- | (Mount biking) |- |  |} | valign="top" | {| width="250px" |- |  |} |}

{| |- | valign="top" | {| width="150px" |- | Tamara Jenkins |- | (Kayaking) |- | |} | valign="top" | {| width="150px" |- | Ashley Force |- | (Racing) |- |  |} | valign="top" | {| width="250px" |- |  |} |}

{| |- | valign="top" | {| width="150px" |- | Allison Stokke |- | (Pole vaulting/Track) |- | |} | valign="top" | {| width="150px" |- | Haley Cope |- | (Swimming) |- |  |} | valign="top" | {| width="250px" |- |  |} |}

Predictions (Region 1)
====Amanda Beard vs. Kari Traa==== Amanda Beard has not been seriously challenged yet and Kari Traa barely squeaked by the much maligned Danica Patrick in Round 1. Beard's opponents have combined for only 24 votes through the first two rounds, a comfortable 4-1 margin for the highly decorated swimmer. But this will be Beard's toughest out yet. The Norwegian skiing bombshell has a shot, all be it slim, at beating the highly ranked Beard. Beard should win but this one could be close.

Advantage Beard: A luscious Playboy spread, top finishes in multiple hotness countdowns, name recognition

Advantage Traa: Blond bombshell, terrific smile, Google the girl and you'll get a couple steamy pics

Prediction: Beard by 15%

Gabriela Sabatini vs. Niki Gudex
Gabby Sabatini has performed better than expected, as few thought she'd make it past Ashley Harkelroad in Round 2. But advanced she did, in [surprisingly] easy fashion, beating Harkelroad by 20 percentage points/votes. Niki Gudex has surprised no one by blitzing her first two opponents. Gudex has not been challenged as of yet but faces a rough out in the eminently hot Sabatini.

Advantage Sabatini: Old school hotness, smoldering Brazilian sensuality

Advantage Gudex: Extreme hotness, a willingness to expose her fleshy bits, a gaze that could melt steel

Prediction: Gudex by 5%

Tamara Jenkins vs. Ashley Force
Tamara Jenkins crushed Vonetta Flowers in Round 1 and beat the highly touted Heather Mitts rather handily in Round 2. Ashley Force had an easy Round 1, but was pushed by Misty May-Treanor in Round 2, eventually winning by 15%/votes. This is an intriguing matchup as neither has a substantial pre-match edge. Force was expected to advance fairly deep into the tourney while Jenkins has come from out of nowhere to assert her hotness... God love her.

Advantage Jenkins: Timeless face, she has a certain look that evinces a raw sensuality

Advantage Force: Can probably fix anything with four wheels, an amazing smile, freakin' stacked

Prediction: Force by 3%

Allison Stokke vs. Haley Cope
No one has stormed through the first two rounds like Allison Stokke. Altogether, her opponents have mustered a microscopic 14 total votes and neither Steffi Graf nor Swin Cash got more than 14%. Haley Cope pulled off a huge upset in Round 1 by knocking off German goddess Katarina Witt by a 25% margin. Cope then followed by cruising past Sophie Sandolo in Round 2.

Advantage Stokke: Momentum, a body by Botticelli, girl-next-door hotness

Advantage Cope: Topless FHM Magazine spread, not afraid to bear all on camera

Prediction: ''Stokke is just too hot... Stokke by a wide margin, 25% at least''

=REGION 2= {| |- | valign="top" | {| width="150px" |- | Maria Sharapova |- | (Tennis) |- | |} | valign="top" | {| width="150px" |- | Ekaterina Gordeeva |- | (Figure skating) |- |  |} | valign="top" | {| width="250px" |- |  |}


 * }

{| |- | valign="top" | {| width="150px" |- | Ana Paula Mancino |- | (Volleyball) |- | |} | valign="top" | {| width="150px" |- | Milka Duno |- | (Racing) |- |  |} | valign="top" | {| width="250px" |- |  |} |} {| |- | valign="top" | {| width="150px" |- | Jill Wittenwyler |- | (Pole vaulting) |- |  |} | valign="top" | {| width="150px" |- | Alina Kabayeva |- | (Gymnastics) |- |  |} | valign="top" | {| width="250px" |- |  |} |} {| |- | valign="top" | {| width="150px" |- | Tara Dakides |- | (Snowboarding) |- |  |} | valign="top" | {| width="150px" |- | Jeanette Lee |- | (Billiards) |- |  |} | valign="top" | {| width="250px" |- |  |} |} {| |- | valign="top" | {| width="150px" |- | Jennie Finch |- | (Softball) |- |  |} | valign="top" | {| width="150px" |- | Lisa Anderson |- | (Surfing) |- |  |} | valign="top" | {| width="250px" |- |  |} |}

Predictions (Region 2)
====Maria Sharapova vs. Natalie Gulbis==== Maria Sharapova is on a roll. She killed her first two opponents and enters Round 3 as a big favorite. Her new found willingness to appear in skimpy swim wear has cemented her status as arguably the hottest female athlete alive. Natalie Gulbis brings two rather easy victories to the table, along with a plethora of bikini clad calendar photos. Far from the best golfer in the LPGA, and maybe not even the hottest, but she may be the most photogenic.

Advantage Sharapova: Name recognition, championship pedigree, Russian accent, jaw dropping physique

Advantage Gulbis: Unbelievably cute, extremely photogenic, bikini pics

Prediction: (To be announced)

Karina Petroni vs. Amy Taylor
Um, yeah, this just in; girls from Florida and Australia are gorgeous. One need look no further than this epic 3rd round match between two of the hottest blondes in sports for proof. Petroni had a surprisingly tough 1st rounder against Martina Hingis but bounced back in style by cruising past Dara Torres in Round 2. Amy Taylor destroyed Serena Williams in Round 1 [no surprise there]. Then in Round 2 Taylor went up against the most beautiful triathlete on earth: Lokelani McMichael. Now before the tourney McMichael was expected to possibly challenge for the regional title, but then she ran into the lusciousness that is the hottest export from Australia this side of Nicole Kidman: Amy Taylor. What was tragic is that one had to lose, what was shocking was the 25% cushion that Taylor won by.

Advantage Petroni: A slick website replete with Petroni bikini shots, an angel's face

Advantage Taylor: A handful of topless photos, dazzling smile, the Australian mystique

Prediction: (To be announced)

Ana Paula Mancino vs. Alina Kabayeva
The blonde tour-de-hotness that is Ana Paula Mancino has not received less than 83% of the votes in either of her first two victories. In Round 1 she crushed gymnast Mary Sanders, and in Round 2 she crushed fellow Brazilian Mika Duno. Alina Kabayeva has been an early round juggernaut, easily beating Krissy Wendal and Jill Wittenwyler. Now her road to immortality gets significantly tougher as Mancino represents a substantially more difficult out.

Advantage Mancino: Legs you want to wear as a necklace, stunning good looks

Advantage Kabayeva: Smoldering Russian beauty, definitely not camera shy

Prediction: Mancino may roll through the region... Mancino by 20%

Tara Dakides vs. Jennie Finch
One is a highly decorated snowboarder and all around bad arse chica, the other is arguably one of the best pitchers in United States softball history and the most famous name in the sport's history. Together they've won an Olympic gold medal, multiple Winter X-Games gold, and have polar opposite personas. Dakides is an unabashed in-your-face girl while Finch epitomizes sweet, down home goodness. Dakides cruised past Nancy Kerrigan and Jeneatte Lee while Finch had no trouble with Laura Wilkinson or Lisa Anderson.

Advantage Dakides: That bad girl persona, a couple as-yet-to-be-revealed really good pics

Advantage Finch: She's 6'1" and blond, an electric smile, lots of bikini shots

Prediction: Many here have said, "Have you seen Finch recently? Ewwwwwwww". Not buying it... Finch by 20%

As always, we are planning to end the voting at around one week from now, which means that the voting for this region will close at about 12:30 AM on December 2, 2008 (Tuesday). And (again) feel free to add more pictures of these lovely ladies to help convince other people that one's hotter than the other.