Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Not so lucky, lucky day.
Reminds me of a shot I hit in the Inaugural Portsea Spring Lawn Tennis Championships in the Under 9's division...Ahhh good times.
History Writer - An Autobiography by Li Na...
Australian Open runner-up Li Na reached the quarterfinals of the French Open with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 win over Petra Kvitova on Monday and became the first Chinese player to advance that far at the clay-court Grand Slam.
Li has reached the quarterfinals at all four major tournaments and will next play either Victoria Azarenka or Ekaterina Makarova.
Kvitova broke the sixth-seeded Li twice in the opening set, but the ninth-seeded Czech dropped serve twice in the second set as Li won five games in a row to even the score.
Li lost her serve in the second game of the deciding set when she double-faulted, but Kvitova failed to extend her lead as the Czech player lost the final six games of the match.
Kvitova was also looking for a maiden quarterfinal appearance on the Parisian clay.
Three other Asian women have reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in the Open era: Kazuko Sawamatsu and Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan, and Kazakh player Yaroslava Shvedova
Monday, May 30, 2011
Pavs makes first slam quarter, Bartoli keeps home crowd hopes alive.
It was an impressive performance from the 19-year-old, who at 15th in the rankings is officially the world's best teenager, as she fought back from breaks down in the first and third sets.
After Pavlyuchenkova won the first two games, Zvonareva went on a run of five games in a row but she could not close out the set and in the end it was her young opponent who dominated the tie-break.
Zvonareva, the beaten finalist at both Wimbledon and the US Open last year, struggled to cope with the weight of Pavlyuchenkova's ground strokes but she made a good start to the second set and this time she held her nerve to level.
When the 26-year-old broke in the third game of the decider, it looked like her greater experience might tell, but she did not win another game. Pavlyuchenkova, whose previous best run was to the fourth round of the US Open last year, proved by far the steadier and she clinched victory on her third match point after two hours and 27 minutes.
Pavlyuchenkova used to live and train in France, and the victory could be a watershed moment for the teenager. She said: "This is my first grand slam quarter-final so it really means a lot to me, especially beating Vera. I knew it would be tough. She's very experienced and fights until the end.
"I just believed and tried to play my best every point. I wanted to win so badly so I did everything to do it. The French Open is my favourite grand slam so of course my goal is to do really well here, and it is my dream to win at Roland Garros."
The Russian felt the key to the victory was her improved mental strength, comparing her performance to last year's third-round defeat by Serena Williams. Pavlyuchenkova added: "Against Serena Williams, it was the third set and she broke me once, and then I didn't really believe that I could come back. It was 6-2 in the third for her. This time I think that was the main key."
Zvonareva's exit means the fourth seed Victoria Azarenka is now the highest-ranked player left in the women's draw, and the Russian admitted she struggled to find her best form throughout the tournament.
The third seed said: "Potentially I can play much better tennis. But overall I fought well. I tried my best and I gave myself the best chance. I had chances in the first set and I had chances in the third set but I couldn't take them."
Zvonareva praised her opponent, adding: "She played a great match. She's been very consistent, she's young and she's got great potential. I'm sure we will see her a lot in the future."
Bartoli may not be the most popular French tennis player but she did give her home crowd something to cheer about making the final eight here for the first time in her career. Bartoli has made quarter finals or better twice before (2007 Wimbledon Final, 2009 Australian Open QF) and won her 4th round match here with a 7-5 1-0 victory over Gisela Dulko. Dulko upset eight seeded Samantha Stosur in the previous round and is not 0-9 in matched after defeating a top ten player.
Defending champion Francesca Schiavone and 2009 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova advanced the Quarter Finals with three set wins over Jelena Jankovic and Daniela Hantuchova respectively.
Today's matched will see Li Na, Petra Kvitova, Ekaterina Makarova, Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova, Agnieszka Radwanska, Andrea Petkovic and Maria Kirilenko all battle for a spot in the last eight at Roland Garros. Makarova will be the only player playing for her first slam Quarter Final.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
And the seeds came tumbling down...
Hantuchova def Wozniacki 6-1 6-3
Bartoli def Goerges 3-6 6-2 6-4
Dulko def Stosur 6-4 1-6 6-3 :D
Makarova def Kanepi 6-4 7-5
Radwanska def Wickmayer 6-4 6-4
Well I don't know if Radwanska winning is so much of an upset, but I thought Wicmayer would win...so yes, it's an upset.
But for the most part it was routine wins for my favourites...particullarly Li and Azarenka who eased into the round of 16;
Chinese sixth seed Li Na and Belarusian fourth seed Victoria Azarenka have both reached the French Open last 16 on Saturday.
Li, who made history this year when she became the first Chinese player to make a grand slam final at the Australian Open, posted a comfortable 6-2 6-2 win over Romania's Sorana Cirstea.
29-year-old Li has never made the last eight at Roland Garros.
Azarenka also won in straight sets, defeating Italian 30th seed Roberta Vinci 6-3 6-2 to set up a fourth round match-up against Estonia's Kaia Kanepi or Russia's Ekaterina Makarova.
She will next face either Czech ninth seed Petra Kvitova for a spot in the quarter-finals.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Clijsters shocked in Roland Garros 2ns round.
In assessing her 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 loss to Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands yesterday, the second-seeded Clijsters could have pointed to her heavily taped right ankle, which she hurt while dancing barefoot at her cousin’s wedding last month.
In recounting how she managed to waste two match points and drop 11 of the last 12 games after leading, 5-2, in the second set, the Belgian could have mentioned that she last entered the French Open in 2006, and had played a total of five clay-court matches anywhere since.
And in explaining her 65 unforced errors — 43 more than her opponent — and 10 double faults, Clijsters could have reminded everyone that she hadn’t competed at all since late March because of that bum ankle and previous injuries to her right shoulder and wrist.
Instead, the winner of the last two Grand Slam titles, and four overall, pointed a finger squarely at herself.
“I started doubting a little bit,’’ said Clijsters, the French Open runner-up in 2001 and 2003. “When you start doubting yourself on any surface — but for me, definitely on clay — it’s the wrong attitude to have.’’
The 27-year-old Clijsters also gave credit to the 20-year-old Rus, who entered the day with a 3-4 career record in major tournaments.
After delivering one of the most surprising tennis results in recent years, Rus acknowledged she was nervous at the outset, perhaps because Clijsters is one of her favorite players.
“She obviously started building up more confidence, started playing a lot better, and was really kind of putting me on my back foot all the time,’’ Clijsters said. “I couldn’t really play my aggressive tennis anymore in that third set.’’
A similar scenario played out later in that stadium, except it was the heavy favorite, three-time major champion Maria Sharapova, who appeared to be down and out against 17-year-old wild-card entry Caroline Garcia, before reeling off the final 11 games to win, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0.
Sharapova said she had trouble dealing with wind that gusted at upward of 20 miles per hour, making the balls move unexpectedly at times and occasionally kicking up clouds of loose clay into players’ eyes.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Zvonareva survies massive scare in Roland Garros second round.
Lisicki, the former world No.22, spurned a match point at 5-2 up in the third set before the injury jinx that kept her off the courts for five months last year returned, prompting a long injury time-out that left her in tears.
Her momentum then evaporated as she needed to have her blood pressure taken courtside and Zvonareva proceeded to win the next five games to reach the last 32.
A weeping Lisicki departed the scene on a stretcher.
Francesca Schiavone continued her title defence with a 6-1 6-2 victory over Russian main draw debutant Vesna Dolonts in the second round.
The fifth-seeded Italian, who beat Australia's Samantha Stosur in last year's final, will meet Chinese 29th seed Peng Shuai in the last 32.
The centre court was pock-marked by empty seats by the time Schiavone arrived to tackle world No.101 Dolonts in the early evening, despite warm sunshine illuminating proceedings on the western edge of the French capital.
Dolonts, making her main draw debut at Roland Garros, broke Schiavone in her opening game but the tenacious 30-year-old broke straight back and took a 3-1 lead when the Russian found the net with a backhand from the back of the court.
Schiavone promptly sewed up the first set and was quickly on the front foot in the second, breaking Dolonts three times in succession and then overcoming a brief late flurry from her opponent to complete a 72-minute victory.
Top seed Caroline Wozniacki felt the wrath of the fans when she disputed a line call in her 6-3 7-6(6) defeat of Aleksandra Wozniak.
After winning the first set 6-3, Wozniacki found herself 6-3 down in a second-set tie-break when an attempted lob was called long by a line judge, handing Wozniak three set points and a huge chance to level the match.
Wozniacki, the 20-year-old world number one, took exception to the decision and a stand-off with the umpire ensued, prompting jeers to ring out around the Court Philippe Chatrier arena.
But the delay appeared to unsettle Canadian qualifier Wozniak and when play resumed she conceded the next five points in succession to hand Wozniacki a place in round three.
"The ball was going very fast, it wasn't slow, and if both the linesman and the umpire didn't see it when it was going like this, I wanted the linesman to confirm it was the mark that was shown," Wozniacki explained.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Conspiracy Theory - Separated at birth?
While tuning into Radio Roland Garros (following Lucinda's advice) they mentioned something that got me thinking. Now they don't look like triplets, but these three women do look very very similar! Of course they are, Jarmilla Gajdosova, Natalie Portman and Martina Hingis. And yes I do believe they do look quite similar, so the only logical solution is they were separated at birth! Or because they are all different ages, their mothers had the same milkman!
Now in all seriousness they do look similar...to me anyway! What do y'all think?
Kim wins on Roland Garros return.
The reigning U.S. and Australian Open champion has been a losing finalist in Paris on two occasions (2001 and 2003) and hasn't made an appearance since she lost in the semi-finals to her compatriot Justine Henin in 2006.
Clijsters faces Arantxa Rus from the Netherlands in the next round.
Maria Sharapova wasted little time on court Tuesday brushing aside the challenge of Croatia's Mirjana Lucic 6-3 6-0 is just under an hour.
Seeded seventh, the Russian is also looking to secure her first French Open title and is in good form after her recent victory in Rome.
"It was a tough beginning because she started off serving really big, and I didn't get too many looks on second serves. But once I got a good rhythm I felt like I started playing better and better," Sharapova said, AFP reported.
Sharapova will face France's Caroline Garcia on Thursday.
Fourth seed Victoria Azarenka recorded a straight-sets victory over Andrea Hlavackova of the Czech Republic 6-3 6-3 and will now play either Pauline Parmentier of France or Russia's Ksenia Pervak.
Sixth seed Li Na made heavy weather of her match against Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova but eventually won 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 to set up a tie against Silvia Soler Espinosa from Spain.
Britain's Elena Baltacha joined her compatriot Heather Watson in the second round at Roland Garros with a 7-5 6-2 win over Sloane Stephens, a qualifier from the United States.
Former World No.1 Ana Ivanovic lost 7-6 (7-3) 0-6 6-2 to Swede Johanna Larsson.
The 2008 champion revealed after the match that a wrist injury, which kept her out of last week's Strasbourg event, had restricted her on court during the match.
"It is very frustrating. It's inflammation of the wrist but I didn't suffer it playing, I woke up with the problem. The bone has slipped and has caused friction. I'm very upset," the Serbian said, AFP reported.
It was also an emotional day for France's Virginie Razzano, whose fiance and coach Stephane Vidal died eight days ago after a long battle against a brain tumor.
The 28-year-old, who said afterwards that Vidal had encouraged her to play at Roland Garros before he passed away, was defeated by 24th seed Jarmila Gajdosova 6-3 6-1.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
So I was mentioned on Radio Roland Garros...Oh there were some matched played too.
And now to the tennis; nearly all the seeds advanced as they should with the exception of Petrova and Zakopalova, sorry but I can't even pretend to be surprised here. Petrova was sent packing by Australian Anastasia Rodionova 6-7 6-3 6-4 and Zakopalova was beaten by Chinese Taipei qualifier 7-5 6-1. The only pleasing note of Petrova's career at the moment is that she has toned down her attire sporting a much more subtle outfit than what she would normal...and it was a nice breath of fresh air for her. And I would now be able to view her match with out holding back laughter at her chosen or not-so chosen attire. There was one more on-paper upset as the spiraling down Aravane Rezai was bounced from Roland Garros 6-3 6-3 by Irina-Camelia Begu. Again, one positive Rezai along with other French players will be wearing a black ribbon in honour of Virginie Razzano's late fiance.
Things went easier for the other seeds in action led by top seed Caroline Wozniacki who defeated Japanese come back Queen Kimiko Date Krumm 6-0 6-2 and third seeded Vera Zvonereva showed a better performance on clay scoring a 6-3 6-3 victory over Lourdes Dominguez Lino. Zvonereva's result is relieving as she has struggled to transfer smoothly to clay and is yet to really have a solid performance on the red dirt this year.
12th and 25th seeds Agnieszka Radwanska and Maria Kirilenko advanced with routine 6-1 6-2 and 7-6 6-2 victories respectively. Sania Mirza advanced easily and will now play Radwanska in the second round. Other winners included 16th seed Kaia Kanepi, 9th seed Petra Kvitova, 29th seed Peng Shuai and 28th seed Daniela Hantuchova.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Day one ends in Pennetta's upset.
The women's tournament kicked off on Sunday with a solid win by 2010 runner-up Samantha Stosur and ended with a stunning upset of Flavia Pennetta by Varvara Lepchenko. In between, all the relevant seeds survived despite being pushed at and there were some impressive moves by new names.No. 10 and three-time semi-finalist Jelena Jankovic thrashed Alona Bondarenko 6-3, 6-1, former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova ran past Magdalena Rybarikova 6-2 6-3, no. 14 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova struggled yet beat Yaroslava Shvedova and no. 17 Julia Goerges flattened Mathilde Johansson 6-1 6-4.
There was only one other upset on paper when Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez overcame No 19 Shahar Peer 7-6(4) 6-1, but the Spanish serve and volleyer has won a WTA Premier title on clay before and Peer is no lover of the surface, so the result did not come as total surprise. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, the highest-ranked American in the tournament due to the absence of the Williams sisters, came back to best Arantxa Parra Santonja, 2-6 7-6(5) 6-3, finally winning a tough three-setter at a major after a year of struggles. Young Canadian Rebecca Marino bested Kateryna Bondarenko 6-3, 6-3.
There was also an emotional win by France's Alize Cornet who wore a black ribbon on her dress in her 6-4, 6-2 win over Renata Vorakova as a tribute to Stephane Vidal, the coach and fiancé of fellow French player Virginie Razzano, who just passed away due to a brain tumour. "I will not be the only one to wear this black ribbon," Cornet said. "It's really moving for all of us and, I'm a good friend of Virginie's. The French players paid a tribute to Stephane to show Virginie that we would support her daily because we're always by her side."
Stosur, who reached the final of Rome last week, seems to have recovered from a virus which affected her in the final at the Foro Italico and pounded serves and forehands past Iveta Benesova 6-2, 6-3. Jankovic, who said on Roland Garros radio that she is starting to feel her age even though she is only 26, had few problems with Bondarenko, but has been less than satisfied with her clay court season. At 2010 Roland Garros, she admittedly did not show up mentally against Stosur in the semis and was crushed. But hopes springs eternal, even for the tired Serbian. " I really love playing in Roland Garros," said Jankovic, who also reached the 2007 and 2008 semis. "I really love these courts. Hopefully I can do well here again. Obviously my dream is to one day win it."
After winning Stuttgart and taking down no. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, Goerges is one of the tournament's dark horses and showed it in win over Johansson, pasting forehands, moving quickly and rarely backing off the ball. She is more of a known quality now, and whether or not she can produce consistent, stunningly good tennis at a major with the pressure on remains to be seen, but she has the game to go very far. "I don't think I have a big chance for the title here because I have never reached further than the third round in a Grand Slam, so we shouldn't be talking here about winning a Grand Slam," she said.
Marino has very little familiarity with clay but has a big enough serve and forehand to hurt anyone on a good day and hit through Bondarenko, who is just back from injury. She will have a much more difficult time against the net rushing and tricky Martinez, but does not appear fearful of the lefty. "She is a clay-court player, so that's always difficult playing someone who is so used to the surface. I'm lucky. My dad's a lefty, so I grew up with that."
Mattek-Sands and Lepchenko will face off and while they have played each other in the past, this time both will be brimming with confidence, having beaten a competent Spanish clay-courter and stunned an excellent Italian seed respectively. Mattek played aggressive and vowed not to let go of another close three-setter like she did at the 2010 US Open against Andrea Petkovic or at the 2011 Australian Open against Arantxa Rus, where on both occasions she fell 7-5 in the third set. "I thought about my Australian Open three set match that I lost and thought 'I am not doing that again, I am going to win this match'. For me it was mental, because a lot of times I like to feel good when I win. I like to hit winners. Today I had to grind," said Mattek after the match.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
And shes baaaaaack.
Tennis commentary just hasn't been the same, but here's some good news! Every one's favourite tennis commentator (speaking from personal preference only) Mary Carillo is back. And give us all an incentive to renew Tennis Channel subscriptions.
Carillo will be joining the team for Roland Garros and the US Open. For Roland Garros, Carillo’ll join a roster of on-air talent including John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, Lindsay Davenport, Justin Gimelstob, and Corina Morariu. Mary will also work with Bill Macatee on “French Open Tonight.”
And that's why I love her!
Source: Tennis Served Fresh
Its time for the dirt to fly...Roland Garros draw analysis and prediction
Of course as it has now become a regular theme at the slams lately the top seed Caroline Wozniacki will be searching for her first Grand Slam title and to be honest, She is going to have to keep waiting. Her ride is pretty cruzy to the 4th round just the possibility of a few encounters with dirt balers (Wozniak and Martinez Sanches) she will probably play Kuznetsova in the 4th round, and that will come down to which Kuztnestova decides to show up. Her quarter final opponent will be Görges and we all know what happens when Wozniacki and Görges play on clay during the 2011 season :) Julia will be challenged by Bartoli in the 3rd round but will easily get to the QF with a routine win over Dulko or Stosur.
Predicted QF - Caroline Wozniacki vs Julia Görges
This quarter is a little more interesting with Zvonerava leading the way. She will have a juicy 2nd round match up with Sabine Lisicki but will most likely advance to the 4th round where she could play Kleybanova, Cornet, Pavlyuchenkova or Shvedova, where any one could win but Ill tip Vera to take the spot in the QF where again she could play anyone. Jelena Jankovic has a first round match with A. Bondarenko and she always struggles with Bondarenko's and then could play the dangerous Jelena Dokic in the 2nd round and the possibly "dirt baler" Matek-Sands in the 3rd round! I want to say Dokic will make to the 4th round but don't think I can, I don't know who will be playing her in the 4th round but I think Peng will make to the 4th round, or maybe, just maybe Francesca Schiavone will be able to make to the 4th round but either Peng or Schiavone will be advancing to the QF
Predicted QF - Vera Zvonerava vs Francesca Schiavone*
Now we get to the bottom half of the draw and by far my favourite quarter. This draw promises the most interesting 3rd round match ups with Li to play Dulgheru, Kvitova to play Cibulkova and Ivaonvic (if she can conquer Makarova) to play Kanepi. And now let me say this, cover your eyes if your an Ana fan, she will stay in the top 20 but she will probably never win another Grand Slam, she will be good for a few QFs maybe a SF or maybe a Final but her winning time has past, Ill be happy for you to prove me wrong Ana...prove me wrong! (Sorry if that sounds to harsh, I do like Ana, but I just can't see her lifting another slam trophy) Okay now your back. For some reason in the quarter I see Kvitova and Li playing such a high intense 4th round match, after intense 3 setter 3rd round match it doesn't matter which one of them wins, they won't get past Azarenka. Yes Azarenka elbow and all, including the tantrums, the kicks and the drama will advance to the QF in straight sets.
Predicted QF - Petra Kvitova** vs Victoria Azarenka
The fourth and final quarter, how exciting. Rome champion Maria Sharapova, Aggie Radwanska, Sania Mirza, Yanina Wickmayer, Andrea Petkovic, Jarmilla Gajdosova, Anabel M-G, Maria Kirilenko and Kim Clijsters. Whhhhhhhhy? Why would they put so many of my favourites into one quarter! Why would the French Tennis Federation do this to me? Well this going to be challenging to predict. Firstly I would like to say that I respect Virginie Razzano's bravery, don't know if you know what happened but that's not easy, my thoughts go out to her and her family and wish she could have won the whole damn thing, if she wasn't playing Jarka in the 1st round. Back to the draw now, Maria Sharapova should advance to the 4th round easily where she will play Wickmayer I think, or Radwanska, I don't know based on current form I will have to go with...um, well...errr, ummmm Wick- no umm Rawan- well ummmm no Wi- umm Wickmayer. Yes Maria Sharapova will player her 4th round match where she will play Yanina Wickmayer. And the Jarka and Petko will probably play a pretty intense 3rd round match which is even more impossible to pick a winner from and then down below them is potentially injurd Kim Clijsters. This is a challenge, I am not sure I can bring my self to predict the QF but here it goes...
Predicted QF - Maria Sharapova vs Jarmilla Gajdosova***
QF's Prediction
Caroline Wozniacki vs Julia GörgesWozniacki has struggled with Görges all year, and the hard hitting German has been the delightful surprise of the clay court season. Expect a big match from the German who will head into the match fearless which should bring her third victory over the world number one for the season and advance to her first slam semi
Vera Zvonerava vs Francesca Schiavone*
Clay may not be her favourite surface but Zvonerava is a tough competitor and if her A-game decides to show up she will be far to strong for the 2010 champion, Francesca is very capable of winning but I see Vera walking away victorious in this match.
Petra Kvitova** vs Victoria Azarenka
Kvitova may have been the victor in Madrid but on the Parisian clay it will be a different story, Azarenka will be hungry for revenge and her first slam semi. Azarenka the inform player of the Spring will bring her ball bashing and storm into the semi final.
Maria Sharapova vs Jarmilla Gajdosova***
There is not a doubt in my mind Sharapova will this match, weather she is playing Jarmilla, Andrea or Kim. Maria has found her feet on clay and proved in 2007 she can go deep on clay making the semi here. Winning Rome and hungry for her career Grand Slam, Maria will win here with no real issues.
SF's Prediction
Julia Görges vs Vera Zvonerava
Julia will bring everything she has to this match and will be bursting with confidence after once again downing Caroline Wozniacki. Görges playing better on clay that Zvonerava will taker her into her first even final in a major. It wont be an easy battle but it will be a battle that Görges emerges victorious from.
Victoria Azarenka vs Maria Sharapova
Azarenka will be here to avenge her loss via retirement to Sharapova in Rome just last week. Azarenka has dominated Sharapova when she has been at her best. most recently winning Miami over the Russian 6-1 6-4 also she defeated Sharapova only losing 5 games as well in Stanford final last year. Azarenka should win this match with out too many problems.
Runner-Up
Julia Görges
Winner
Victoria Azarenka
*Francesca Schiavone - I know I said Peng earlier, don't argue my logic
**Petra Kvitova could also mean Cibulkova, Li or Dulgheru
***Jarka could also mean Kim or Petko
****I will have to check that stat out too
PS on a previous post you were talking about sources for draws well - here's mine!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
A brief look at a, so far draw-less, Roland Garros.
Again, too lazy to click the link, I'll do the leg work for you;
The footprints Francesca Schiavone left on the Roland Garros red clay last June were more than tracks tracing her trip to a historic triumph -- they were marks of her mentality.
Rather than loitering behind the baseline for the entire match, the 17th-seeded Schiavone focused on forward thinking. In a match of first-time major finalists, Schiavone won 14 of 15 trips to the net in subduing Samantha Stosur in straight sets to become the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam title and the biggest underdog to rule Roland Garros since ninth-seeded Iva Majoli toppled top-seeded Martina Hingis in the 1997 final.
It marked the second time in three years a woman won her first career major at the French Open. Given the absence of four-time French Open champion Justine Henin, 2002 champ Serena Williams and former finalist Venus Williams, as well as the fact that Kim Clijsters' wedding dance accident will leave her short on clay play and long on adhesive tape wrapped around her injured ankle, will we see another major breakthrough in Paris this year?
Playing the waiting game can be vital on the slow surface that often rewards patience, but winning a major title for the first time often requires players to come out of their comfort zones. Mastering the moment between the lines often starts with managing the pressure between the ears.
"I would like to see more of the mentally tougher players in women's tennis," says Tennis Channel analyst Mary Carillo, who won the 1977 French Open mixed-doubles title, partnering with a kid from her New York neighborhood named John McEnroe. "[Maria] Sharapova always had that; the Williams sisters were always great for that, and so was the best clay-court player of this generation, Justine Henin. Players like Caroline Wozniacki and Jelena Jankovic play so much alike, in my opinion, they don't quite squeeze the trigger when they need to. Victoria Azarenka, who played really well to win Key Biscayne, pulled out again with injury in Rome last week. These players make a big splash and go away for one reason or another. If I had to guess [a French Open favorite] right now, I would probably give the edge to the veterans like Sharapova and Clijsters, but there's no real edge so anything could happen."
Indeed, this might well be the most wide-open French Open field in years. With that in mind, let's preview notable players who are seeking to fulfill a first major in the City of Light.
No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki
Strengths: Consistency, quick court coverage and competitive spirit. One of the best movers in women's tennis, Wozniacki operates under the assumption that no ball is beyond her reach. Her dazzling defensive skills can shrink the court and coerce opponents into going for too much. Wozniacki has played deep into the draw in nearly every tournament this season, reaching seven semifinals in 10 tournament starts and collecting three titles: Dubai, Indian Wells and Charleston.
Weaknesses: While her backhand down the line is her kill shot, Wozniacki sometimes struggles to finish points on slower surfaces. Her second serve is attackable, and her topspin forehand can land short in the court against the tour's heaviest hitters. Wozniacki is not nearly as comfortable hitting her forehand down the line as she is on the backhand side; consequently right-handed opponents can cheat to their forehand side when engaging her in forehand exchanges, well aware she does not like to drive the forehand down the line.
Question Marks: How will she cope with the pressure of being the top seed in a draw devoid of former champs Henin and Serena Williams? In light of her recent clay-court losses to Julia Goerges (in the Stuttgart final and Madrid fourth round) and her semifinal setback to Sharapova in the Rome semis, how will the blonde Dane deal with the firepower from flat-ball hitters who have pushed her around the dirt this season?
Outlook: Coming off the French Open quarterfinals last year, Wozniacki is quite capable of going even further this time around.
No. 3 Vera Zvonareva
Strengths: Well-balanced off both the forehand and backhand, the 26-year-old Russian is fit, feisty and capable of playing all-court tennis. Zvonareva has played some of her best tennis in majors the past year, reaching three straight Grand Slam semifinals, including consecutive major finals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
Weaknesses: While she's become a much more mentally stable competitor in recent years, Zvonareva is still prone to periods of volatility on court. She's an emotional player whose inferno of intensity has alternately fueled her competitive fire and consumed her in creating implosions.
Question Marks: Clay is Zvonareva's least favorite surface; she has not won a clay-court crown since Prague in 2008 and began this week with a 3-2 clay-court record on the season. Since reaching the 2003 Roland Garros quarters, Zvonareva has failed to survive the fourth round in her past five trips to Paris.
Outlook: While Zvonareva can be a tough out, she has only one top-10 win in 25 career Roland Garros matches. A trip to the second week would be a good result for the woman who was a second-round casualty last year.
No. 4 Victoria Azarenka
Strengths: The 21-year-old Belarusian's bold, flat strikes enable her to overpower virtually any woman in the world when she's on her game and maintaining her competitive composure.
Weaknesses: Playing with passion without losing purpose or her temper has been a challenge for Azarenka, who is soft-spoken off court but can degenerate into screaming self-destruction on court. When stressed out, Azarenka sometimes struggles to finish what she starts: She's retired from nine matches in the past 17 months, including pulling the plug after the first set in two of her past three tournaments.
Question Marks: The 2009 French Open quarterfinalist has been bounced of the French Open first round in three of her five career appearances in Paris.
Outlook: Six of Azarenka's seven career titles have come on hard court, but she captured her first clay-court crown in Marbella last month and reached a career-high rank of No. 4. If she can keep her head together and not beat herself up emotionally or physically, a quarterfinal return is possible.
No. 6 Li Na
Strengths: Athleticism, agility and her ability to hit clean, fast flat shots. Li is proficient playing first-strike tennis.
Weaknesses: Clay has been a bit of a mental sinkhole for the 29-year-old Chinese player, who has never won a title on dirt and who has yet to surpass the French Open fourth round.
Question Marks: Will we see the Li who started the season on an 11-1 tear, reaching her first major final at the Australian Open, where she held a one-set lead before bowing to Clijsters? Or will the Li who endured a near three-month winless drought show up in Paris?
Outlook: Fresh off successive semifinals in Madrid and Rome, Li has had the best Roland Garros preparation of her career and could challenge for the quarters for the first time.
No. 8 Samantha Stosur
Strengths: A hellacious kick serve that sets up her formidable forehand. Stosur plays with the heavy topspin that can terrorize even offensive opponents and push them back into defensive positions well behind the baseline. Stosur was one of only two women to hit more than 300 aces last season and showed her clay-court skills in knocking off three current or former world No. 1 players -- Henin, Serena and Jankovic -- before bowing to Schiavone in the 2010 French Open final. The former top-ranked doubles player knows her way around the net: Stosur won the 2006 French Open doubles title with Lisa Raymond.
Weaknesses: Stosur routinely gives up wide expanses of court to run around her backhand and hit her favored forehand. Consequently, she's vulnerable to opponents who can go hard at her forehand, then force her to hit her backhand on the run. Nerves have gotten the best of the athletic Aussie at times.
Question Marks: How will Stosur respond to defending her ranking points from reaching the 2010 final? While she's a capable clay-court contender, Stosur simply does not match up well with some top-10 opponents. She is 0-8 versus Maria Sharapova, 0-4 versus Azarenka and 0-2 versus Petra Kvitova.
Outlook: If the draw breaks her way and she keeps her nerve in check, a final four return is within reach for the third straight season.
No. 9 Petra Kvitova
Strengths: A lethal left-handed serve that can drive opponents off the doubles alley on the ad side. Kvitova's curling cross-court forehand and soft hands around the net make her one of the most dangerous players in the top 10 when she's hitting her spots with her shots. She's won three titles this season, beating No. 2 Kim Clijsters to capture the Paris Indoors and defeating three top-10 players to win Madrid.
Weaknesses: The 6-foot Czech is not the quickest player around the court, so she doesn't consistently defend as well as other top-10 players. Fitness was not her forte last season, but her endurance has improved this season; she is 7-3 in three-set matches.
Question Marks: Typically, Kvitova gets stronger as a tournament progresses, but she has been vulnerable in early-round matches against lower-ranked players. Four of her six losses have come in the first or second round. Can she sustain consistency and concentration from the first match of the tournament?
Outlook: A year ago, Kvitova was wearing braces, was ranked No. 62 and had never won a grass-court match when she stormed to the Wimbledon semifinals. Although she's sometimes susceptible to surprising early-round upsets, she might well have the biggest upside of any woman younger than 21. If she can survive the first week, she is a threat against any woman in the field.
Courtesy of Richard Pagliaro
PS. If you read Wally Masur's picks, its safe to say hes on drugs.
PSS. Betting odds
BETTING
Caroline Wozniacki - $5.00
Victoria Azarenka - $6.50
Maria Sharapova - $8.00
Samantha Stosur - $10.00
Kim Clijsters - $11.00
Vera Zvonareva - $11.00
Petra Kvitova - $12.00
Francesca Schiavone - $13.00
Julia Goerges - $16.00
Jelena Jankovic - $16.00
* odds courtesy of TAB Sportsbet. Correct as of 1pm EST May 19th
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Lucic sets up fromer prodigies match up with Dokic in Strasbourg.
After a superb junior career that included Grand Slam titles, Mirjana Lucic was 15 when she won the first WTA event she played at Bol in 1997, becoming the fifth-youngest titlist in WTA history. In her next event, she was runner-up at Strasbourg. She defended her Bol title in 1998, the same year she rose to her career-high ranking of No.32. She was a semifinalist at Wimbledon in 1999, upsetting Monica Seles along the way. However, since then she has failed to reach the quarterfinals of a tournament, and did not even play in a WTA event from 2004 through 2006. She showed signs of a turnaround in 2010, though, finishing the year ranked No.105, her highest season-ending ranking since 1999.
Now, after winning three qualifying matches and then beating Christina McHale, 7-5 7-6(7), on Tuesday in Strasbourg, Lucic is into the second round of an event for the second time this year, having also gotten that far in Barcelona. It was her first win in three career meetings with McHale and she had to work for it, as she had a set point against her at 7-6 in the second set tie-break. Standing in her way of her first quarterfinal in almost 12 years is Jelena Dokic, the 2000 Wimbledon semifinalist who got as high as No.4 in the world and who won her first title in almost nine years at Kuala Lumpur in April.
As for the seeds, all of them other than No.3 seed Ana Ivanovic - who withdrew - are into the second round without having dropped a set. No.1 seed Marion Bartoli routed Kimiko Date-Krumm, 6-2 6-1, and No.2 seed Andrea Petkovic and No.3 seed Lucie Hradecka both beat qualifiers. Hradecka is enjoying a fine clay court season, having been runner-up in Barcelona and having won an ITF Women's Circuit event in Prague earlier this month.
In addition to Dokic against Lucic, Wednesday's schedule includes fourth-seeded Nadia Petrova versus Alizé Cornet.
EDIT - I would like to apologize, I formally said Lucic played Dokic in the 1999 Wimbledon QF, Dokic played fellow qualifier Alexandra Stevenson (losing 3-6 6-1 3-6) Lucic did make the SF that year where she lost to Setffi Graf 7-6 4-6 3-6, however she defeated 8th seeded Nathalie Tauziat not Dokic.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Sharapova wins Rome. I rant about little things that bug me.
Again I say Stosur can't play ball bashers, tall people or blondes.
1. Stosur saying the Clay season it too short! Well Sam no its not, you have 13 weeks of the year to play on the clay...there are four for the grass court season. Get over it.
2. How amazing Novak is, I mean I love him but seriously, HOW GOOD DO YOU WANT TO BE? (don't take this thw wrong wat, he may just be my new fave man player hes creeping up on Rafa)
3. Sharapova becoming a now favourite to win RG, she described her self as a "cow on ice" shes not a clay courter, she won't win the clay grand slam. Save you money and put it all on her to win Wimbledon.
Yeah, that explaines the cow on ice.
4. The ranking system even more so than usual. I mean, with the switch up between Rome and Madrid, MJMS was defending her Rome title in Madrid and Rezai was defending her Madrid title in Rome...is it just me that thinks that is the stupidest thing ever?
5. Back to grass, why is the Copenhagen tournament being played as a warm up to Wimbledon? Its a hard court tournament people! Seriously.
On hines site I have fallen in love with Sasha...
Saturday, May 14, 2011
WTA launches Strong Is Beautiful campaign.
The set of 30-second television and digital ads focuses on women's tennis stars' lives and the intense and sometimes difficult social undercurrents of realizing their dreams as professional athletes. The campaign's overall focus is on the global nature of women's tennis and reveals unique and heartfelt storylines that include Serbia's Ana Ivanovic having to practice in a war-torn Belgrade; Chinese star Li Na having the pressure and hope of 1.3 billion Chinese people on her shoulders; and Belgium's Kim Clijsters being torn about giving her all to tennis while raising a young daughter. Serena Williams' ubiquitous self-confidence comes through while assuring the viewer that the only reason she brings seven tennis outfits to each Grand Slam is because she intends on wearing them all, for each match she plans on winning.
My Personal favourite is Li Na, just the way shes like "No Pressure"
Photos 1 and Photos 2 - Kiri is in there so I suggest you check it out!
Vika had a bad day...
If you're to lazy to click the link;
The new, improved, calm, zen-like Victoria Azarenka – the one who has arguably been the best player on form heading into the French Open, fell off the wagon a little bit Friday after winning the first set against Maria Sharapova.
The on-court microphones didn’t really pick it up – probably shell-shocked by all the screeching that had been going on for an hour from both sides of the court.
But even if you can’t lip-read, this one was pretty hard to miss.
But then, not long afterward, tennis karma bit her in the bee-hind.
Poor thing, really. One false move on a shot and a grip her arm doesn’t deal with all that often – and that was pretty much it.
Later, she tried her version of a Twit-pology, claiming she was talking about herself.
Okay, she did fail to serve out the first set the first time of asking. But she got it done. Probably no more than a “silly girl,” was called for, certainly not a “f.b.”
And she didn’t actually say it to Sharapova’s face or anything, more out loud into the night as she headed to her chair.
At least she didn’t claim she was misunderstood, that she said “freezing itch,” or something.
As much as Azarenka has done to bring herself back into the conversation after being that “so much talent, hasn’t broken through” girl for a couple of years, you can’t help for feel for her.
The girl has done everything she can. She has toned down the going-postal behaviour (although not the screeching). An earlier encounter with the chair umpire about a judgment call on a point replay was civilized in tone and calm.
She’s not beating herself any more by losing her mind.
But she still can’t stay healthy.
Look at this: in her last six tournaments, starting at Indian Wells, she has retired three times, won twice, and reached the final in the sixth. Twice, she was ahead when she retired.
Since the beginning of 2010, Azarenka has had 10 retirements, for all kinds of reasons.
But the elbow being buggered is a bit of a problem. She could barely hold her racquet after it happened on Friday.
Serena, Venus and Dinara withdraw from French Open, Kim still doubtful.
Former world number one Serena Williams on Thursday was forced to pull out of the French Open, the tournament she won in 2002, after failing to recover from a long-term foot injury while former World No. 1 Dinara Safina announced that she was taking an indefinite break.
Williams, a 13-time Grand Slam singles champion, has not played a top-level match since winning last year’s Wimbledon title after cutting her right foot on broken glass last July, an injury that required two operations.
“While I am making good progress, unfortunately I won’t be able to compete in Roland Garros as I am continuing to rehab my foot and recover from the pulmonary embolism,” 29-year-old Williams said in a statement issued through her agent.
“I am grateful for every moment I have and the fact that I have returned to the court. I am hopeful that I will be back competing this summer. Thank you all for your continued prayers.”
As well as her foot injury, Williams suffered a pulmonary embolism in February that led to an emergency operation to remove a blood clot from her lung, a health concern she called the scariest moment of her life.
Safina, the three times a losing grand slam finalist, suffered another setback on her return from a serious back injury when she abandoned her quarter-final against Victoria Azarenka at the Andalucia Tennis Championships last month.
“I don’t know how long my time out (from the game) is going to last because I don’t want to torture myself and my body anymore,” Safina was quoted as saying by Russian media.
“I’m just tired of hearing constant questions from my coach during training ‘How is your back? Can you do this exercise?’ I’m just tired of fighting with myself,” said the younger sister of former men’s world number one Marat Safin.
“At the moment I can’t do anything tennis-wise. When I can do certain moves without feeling lots of pain, then I would consider resuming my training,” she added.
She has been criticised for reaching the top without winning a grand slam title, losing all three of her major finals (French Open in 2008 and 2009 and 2009 Australian Open).
After missing much of last year, she made a comeback at the Australian Open in January but suffered an embarrassing 6-0 6-0 defeat by Kim Clijsters in the opening round and soon after contemplated quitting.
“Right now I don’t care when I might return – this summer during the American hardcourt series, towards the end of the season or next year,” Safina said.
“I’ll take as much time as I need.”
Veus williams has also withdrawn from the Clay Grand Slam failing to recover from a hip injury sustained in Janurary in the Australian Open, and Kim Clijsters still is in doubt after injuring her ankle at a wedding and is now in a serious fitness race against the clock.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Please take the time, to take this survey!
This is a survey I have constructed for my studies! Please take the time to fill it out, it will only take a few minutes...and if you don't I'll make it a pop-up window, so you can't avoid it!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/29CXR98
Its just genral about tennis and such!
Please take it, I need all the results I can get.
Thankyou!
Mattek-Sands continue to shine on caly
Schiavone, Italy's highest-ranked player in WTA history and the No.2 seed this week, rebounded from an early loss in Madrid with a routine 6-3 6-1 win over American qualifier Christina McHale. McHale, who took out one of the hottest players of the year in the first round - China's Peng Shuai - was no match for the all-court attack of Schiavone, who lost 12 points in eight service games.
At night, No.7 seed Sharapova had an even more comprehensive victory, beating Ekaterina Makarova, 6-1 6-1. Last week Makarova pushed Sharapova to three sets in the same round of Madrid, but this time there were no cracks whatsoever in Sharapova's game, as she won almost exactly twice as many points as Makarova (51 to 26) and cruised past her countrywoman in 54 minutes.
Mattek-Sands beat No.15 seed Flavia Pennetta, 6-4 4-6 6-3, just her second win in seven career meetings with the Italian. "Flavia's a big favorite here - it was almost like a Fed Cup match. I hit a blazing winner and there was silence," Mattek-Sands said. "I had my crew cheering for me though. Obviously you want people to cheer for you but it's Italy, it's understandable. I don't mind. Flavia's such a tough competitor, too - it just came down to a break of serve today."
Mattek-Sands reached the quarterfinals of Madrid last week, upsetting former French Open champions Ana Ivanovic and Schiavone along the way. "I'm a dirtballer now," she said. "I'm still playing my game, aggressive on the red clay. They say Americans don't do well on clay - I'm trying to prove them wrong."
Next for Mattek-Sands is Slovakia-born Australian Jarmila Gajdosova. "She smacks the ball hard. I lost to her in Hobart this year, but I'm ready. I'll get some protein and have a good night's sleep tonight and I'll be ready tomorrow."
Photography - LIFE
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Azarenka close to Belarusian tennis history. Kvitova storms into top 10.
Azarenka hadn't lost a set to Safarova in five meetings, and although she would lose one this time it was all the ground she was willing to give, as she won four straight games from 2-all in the third set to craft a 6-3 3-6 6-2 victory.
It has been an incredible two months for Azarenka, winning 18 of 20 matches. She won titles in Miami and Marbella and the only losses came via retirement - in the Indian Wells quarterfinals (a hip injury against Caroline Wozniacki) and in her first match in Stuttgart (a shoulder injury against Julia Goerges).
If the 21-year-old Azarenka is able to reach the final here, she will rise from No.5 to No.4 when the new rankings come out, making her the highest-ranked Belarusian player in WTA history - Natasha Zvereva was No.5 in the world.
Standing in the way of Azarenka and national history will be Goerges, who won an all-unseeded quarterfinal against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-4 6-2. They both pulled off big upsets a round before, Goerges beating No.1 seed Caroline Wozniacki and Pavlyuchenkova No.5 seed Sam Stosur; but it was Goerges who backed it up, firing six aces and saving all six break points against her.
Only a month ago, Goerges reached her first Premier quarterfinal in Charleston; now she is into her second straight Premier semi, having won Stuttgart and now this. "I'm still a long way to becoming a Top 10 player. It's never easy and you have to work for it. I just want to focus on being solid and consistent."
"Julia has been playing great tennis against top players recently," Azarenka said of the German. "I need to stay focused and take my chances."
The only previous match Azarenka and Goerges played came in Stuttgart a few weeks ago. Azarenka led, 5-2, and eventually won the first set, 6-4, before a right shoulder injury made it too tough for her to continue the match.
Kvitova, ranked No.18, survived No.28-ranked Dominika Cibulkova in a two-hour, 14-minute war, coming back from a set and a break down to push it to a third set then holding off her determined opponent to make the semis, 3-6 6-3 7-5.
Twice in the third set Kvitova was up a break and got broken back, but in the end she broke again for 6-5 then served it out, finishing it with an ace on match point. Cibulkova actually won more points in the match, 94 to 92.
"It was tough to play Dominika because we are good friends," Kvitova said after the match. "We'll be playing doubles at Roland Garros together."
Kvitova will rise to No.10 on next week's rankings, her Top 10 debut. She will be the sixth Czech ever to grace that elite, following Martina Navratilova, Hana Mandlikova, Helena Sukova, Jana Novotna and Nicole Vaidisova.
Awaiting Kvitova in the semifinals will be No.6 seed Li Na, who also won a marathon quarterfinal match, taking out Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 6-4 3-6 6-4. Mattek-Sands, who had beaten No.15 seed Ana Ivanovic and No.3 seed Francesca Schiavone en route to the quarters, was up a break twice in the third but Li broke back in the next game each time; the Chinese ended up winning the last 10 points of the match from 3-4, 30-all to finish it off.
World No.6 Li is the highest-ranked Chinese player of all time, in fact China's only Top 10 player in WTA history. If she wins this title she could raise the bar even higher - she would rise to No.5 in the world on the new rankings.
Li and Kvitova will be playing against each other for the first time.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Tweet up WTA Tour Insights!
Lucinda will still be blogging, just twitting more often!
@WTATennisTwits yeah, her decison, not mine! Hahaha
If you don't have twitter sign up, to conect with your friends, family and favourite celbrities!
There will also be a twitter box on the top of the blog, I just hope it works!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
One word...Beepa!
Vera battled back from 0-6 start to win her 2nd round match 0-6 6-3 6-3. She amazed me...not that I watched the match but Vera from this time last year would have crumbled and cried and probably have been doubled bageld.
I am not saying anything but maybe just maybe this new found fight could taker to holding up a nice trophy in a few weeks!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Azarenka flawless in Magic Box.
Russian Vera Zvonareva and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus highlighted Saturday's first-round winners at the $4.5 million Madrid Open.Victoria Azarenka, ranked No.5 in the world and seeded No.4 in Madrid, took just 49 minutes to beat Vera Dushevina in her first match of the tournament, 6-0 6-0. Several of the games were close, with both players holding seven break points in the match - but Azarenka shone through on the big points, winning six of those seven opportunities while Dushevina went zero for seven.
"I felt very good out there," Azarenka commented after the match. "It was a bit cold and windy but I managed to play well in those conditions anyway."
Azarenka won back-to-back titles in Miami and Marbella in early April, but she was forced to retire during her first match in Stuttgart due to a shoulder injury. She seemed in perfect health Saturday. "My shoulder is good," the 21-year-old Belarusian said. "It was a smart decision to take a break, so I'm happy."
Vera Zvonareva and Samantha Stosur both struggled against tricky clay court veterans but managed to move through as well. No.2 seed Zvonareva was the first of the pair to advance, getting past Patty Schnyder, 6-2 1-6 6-2.
No.10 seed Agnieszka Radwanska, No.13 seed Andrea Petkovic, No.16 seed Petra Kvitova and unseeded players Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Dominika Cibulkova, Jarmila Gajdosova and Agnes Szavay also won first round matches. Cibulkova pulled off the only upset of the day, taking out No.12 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-3 6-2. Gajdosova had the narrowest win of them all, saving two match points down 6-5 in the third set to beat Maria Kirilenko, 7-5 3-6 7-6(4) - the match featured 25 aces: Gajdosova 15, Kirilenko 10.