Nicole Vaidisova retires from pro tennis

Nicole Vaidisova has retired from professional tennis. The 20-year-old from the Czech Republic, who, at one time, was known for her on-court temper tantrums, fell down the rankings some time ago. Despite playing in challengers and occasional qualifying rounds and main-draw first rounds, the once-heralded Vaidisova was not able to regain her former place in the pro tennis heirarchy. Indeed, she was not able to gain any place at all.

Last year, an associate of the Czech player's told the press it was her firm belief that Vaidisova simply had no competitive drive at all. I accepted this statement as the most likely explanation for Vaidisova's fall from the top. Hailed as prodigy, she had considerable talent, but a fragile mentality.

Vaidisova turned pro in 2003. She won six Sony Ericsson WTA Tour career singles titles, and was ranked as high as number 7 in the world. In 2006, she reached the semifinals of the French Open, and in 2007, she reached the semifinals of the Australian Open. She got to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon twice, and generally did quite well at the majors, beginning in 2005.

For a few years, it looked as though Nicole Vaidisova was on her way to being a truly big name in women's tennis, but it just didn't happen for her. Of course, given her age and the popularity of comebacks, we could certainly see her again.

Vaidisova turns 21 next month. In July, she will marry ATP star Radek Stepanek.

Vaidisova out in first round in Stuttgart

Probably to no one's surprise, Nicole Vaidisova has been eliminated early from competition in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. She was defeated, 6-1, 6-2, by Li Na. It is, of course, no shame to be defeated by Li. Now that Li is entering tournaments without a seed, she is probably the most dangerous floater on the tour. But this was more than a defeat--it was a runover--and there have been so many other early defeats for Vaidisova.

I have never found Nicole Vaidisova to be an especially interesting player. That view is subjective, of course, and part of my indifference toward her has to do with her attitudes about women's roles on the tour. But what really bothers me most about her--from a strictly-tennis standpoint--is that I have not seen her develop mental strength to match her obvious tennis talent. Vaidisova has always been somewhat of a hot-head, and like pre-Berlin Safina, this trait has gotten in her way (I'm not convinced it gets in everyone's way--some hot-heads can use their anger well on court).

I haven't seen Nicole Vaidisova play in a while, so I really don't know what is going on with her. But she is having such a disappointing season. She is still quite young, so she has time to get her head together and start fresh.

Wimbledon day 7--the upsets continue

Nicole Vaidisova came from behind to defeat Anna Chakvetadze at Wimbledon today

Anna Chakvetadze's meltdown in her Wimbledon round of 16 match against Nicole Vaidisova was as tragic as anything in sports that you could call tragic (which is actually nothing, but this was pretty bad). Chakvetadze played a brilliant first set, with a service game--first and second serves--that would be the envy of any player on the tour. She also played a very clean set, disguised her shots beautifully, and used the court savvy that got her to the top 10.

In the second set, Vaidisova became more focused, and made it harder for Chakvetadze to make points. This should not have really bothered Chakvetadze that much, considering the level at which she was playing, but we are talking about Anna Chakvetadze here. Vaidisova took control and even handed her opponent a bagel in the tiebreak. One of the commentators said he expected Vaidisova to surge ahead in the second set, then wilt a bit, and we would see Chakvetadze take over again. That is exactly what I expected.

What actually occurred was that Chakvetadze went to pieces. We used to see Chakvetadze do this a long time ago, but--despite being perennially inconsistent--she had gotten more of a grip on herself. But since the traumatic event that occurred in her life in December, Chakvetadze has not been able to do much of anything. She continued her decline in the third set until near the end, when some switch was turned on in her head, and she began to be competitive again. When Vaidisova was serving at 4-2, I thought Chakvetadze would break her, but she didn't. She did hold, though, and managed to bring Vaidisova's next game to deuce. She had a great opportunity to get a break point, too, but she blew it, and in another moment, Vaidisova won the match, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3.

A few days ago, Chakvetadze told the press that she was no longer troubled by the violent break-in that occurred at her house the end of last year. Perhaps she said that so she would not sound like she was making an excuse for her problems. Always a bit fragile, Chakvetadze is now in really bad shape, and it is hard to believe that her current state is not a result of the terrible thing that happened to her and her family six months ago.

Meanwhile, the trainers worked overtime in the match between Jelena Jankovic and Tamarine Tanasugarn. Jankovic's knee was giving her trouble again, and Tanasugarn complained about her back. It looked like a walk-in clinic out there. It also looked like a disaster for Jankovic, who was never in control of the match. Tanasugarn, for her part, stayed steady and let her grass skills glide her to a straight set victory--6-3, 6-2.

So the number 8 seed and the number 2 seed went out, but that wasn't the end of it. Wild card Zheng Jie, who removd top seed Ana Ivanovic from the tournament, defeated number 15 seed Agnes Szavay, 6-3, 6-4. I didn't see any of this match, but Zheng's grass skills are considerable, so it was not a total surprise.

Later, number 14 seed Agnieszka Radwanska took advantage of a mentally fragile (imagine that) Svetlana Kuznetsova, and the fourth seed went out, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5.

Nicole Vaidisova: Here today, gone...today

I wasn't suprised to see Iveta Benesova take Nicole Vaidisova out in the first round of the French Open--I kind of expected her to. Back in the day, Benesova could play some decent tennis. Her career took a bad tumble, but this season, she has worked her way back to a better place. The 15th-seeded Vaidisova, on the other hand, has become more fragile as the days go by. Always a high-risk player, Vaidisova's game can get messy and her mentality can go awry rather easily.

Vaidisova was the first seed to leave, and--sadly--she was followed by Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano. Razzano had a wonderful season last year, and is having a poor one this year. The 24th seed was defeated by Klara Zakopalova, who--like Benesova--is from the Czech Republic.

Benesova def. Vaidisova, 7-6, 6-1
Zakopalova def. Razzano, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2

Wimbledon, Day 10

The last two quarterfinals were played today--one rather efficiently, the other with some thrills. Venus Williams defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-4. Despite her struggles in early Wimbledon matches, Williams has looked more and more like a champion in the last few days. Kuznetsova herself was in danger of going out in the first round when she played an ever-improving Julia Vakulenko, but since that difficult win, she cruised through until she got to Williams. Williams served well, and was successful in her net approaches. Kuznetsova is a great all-around, all-surface player and a gifted athlete, but Williams on grass was too much for her today.

The other semifinal was less predictable, with two of the tour's younger stars, Nicole Vaidisova and Ana Ivanovic, battling it out in three sets. Vaidisova took the first, Ivanovic took the second, and then the fun started. Like Serena Williams, Vaidisova is a high-risk player, willing to chalk up errors in exchange for getting in some big, decisive winners. That was the kind of game she was playing today, and it looked like it was going to work for her. She broke Ivanovic immediately in the third set, and held that break until Ivanovic served at 3-5 and Vaidisova held three match points. Ivanovic, determined not to give her opponent the match on her own serve, saved all three match points in rallies that were thrilling.

She then had an easy hold to even it up at 5-all. Vaidisova, not known for her calm manner on court, proceeded to go to pieces mentally, an occurrence that did not elude Ivanovic, who broke her in the next game, with Vaidisova throwing in a double fault for good measure. Ivanovic then had a mental moment on her first match point, but prevailed on her second. Final score: 4-6, 6-2, 7-5

Fans of Sam Stosur--take note: She and Bob Bryan withdrew from mixed doubles today because Stosur has come down with a viral infection. She and Lisa Raymond are scheduled to play a quarterfinal match tomorrow in women's doubles.

Player of the day: Ana Ivanovic, who refused to lose the match on her own serve, then sensed her opponent's crack-up, and moved in skillfully for the victory.

Remember Vaidisova?

Nicole Vaidisova--yesterday's phenom, today's world number 80--has always been a head case. Of course, she has a lot of company in that department, as far as the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour goes. But it is past the time that her age can be used as the reason for her mental lapses and temper tantrums. Vaidisova, who showed great promise at age 15, did not turn out to be Chris Evert or Martina Hingis. Rather, she turned out to be streaky, temperamental, and given to meltdowns at important moments.

The 19-year-old Czech player split with coach David Felgate earlier this year, will not play in challenger tournaments, according to a Globe and Mail feature by Tom Tebbutt. Tebbutt reports that a source close to Vaidisova says of her: "She basically cannot compete. And there's a difference between that and trying. The minute things go wrong, she can't handle it. There's a complete irrationality about her when that starts to happen on court."

This is an important year for Vaidisova--the year that she either gets it together or disappears from the top 100.

Family Circle Cup first round matches of interest

Michaella Krajicek signs autographs after her 2007 victory over Nicole Vaidisova

At least of two of the first round matches in Charleston have grabbed my interest:

Radwanska v. Domachowska: Marta Domachowska was off the tour for quite a while, and returned with a flourish during the Australian Open, when she got to the round of 16 and made things difficult for Venus Williams. However, despite being the top qualifying seed, Domachowska failed to qualify in Vina del Mar. She then made it to the second round of the Sony Ericsson Open, but was defeated there by Williams.

Domachowska will play her countrywoman, Agnieszka Radwanska, in the first round of the Family Circle Cup. And while Radwanska is clearly the favorite, Domachowska is capable of performing an upset.

The other first round of interest features last year's Charleston wild card star Michaella Krajicek and young French star Alize Cornet. Krajicek stormed through Daniel Island last year, taking out both Nicole Vaidisova and Sybille Bammer before falling to her own anxiety and an in-form Vera Zvonareva. Of all the young talented players, none is more inconsistent than Krajicek, and it is impossible to guess who will win the contest against Cornet.

Nicole Vaidisova out of Indian Wells

Casey Dellacqua, who showed a big improvement in form at the Australian Open, whacked twelve aces tonight, and won a slot in the third round of the Pacific Life Open, upsetting Nicole Vaidisova, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4. Dellacqua will have her work cut out for her in the next round, when she plays Tamira Paszek.

My Wimbledon top10

Here are the occurrences, in ascending order, that were--for me--the most significant things (good or bad) about Wimbledon 2008:

10. I can't hear you with those propellers whirring: Jelena Jankovic, the number 2 seed, said she needed a helicopter to get to her round of 16 match. Both she and defending champion Venus Williams were shunted off to outer courts, an act for which there was simply no excuse.

9. Even more mod than tube socks: Bethanie Mattek, already a hit in London because of her socks, has spent the last year re-tooling her game and getting much fitter. At Wimbledon, she showed us all a greatly improved player (and she promised not to get too dignified to put away her wild clothes forever).

8. Help! I think I'm winning...: The talented but oh-so-fragile Anna Chakvetadze had another of her major meltdowns, this time against Nicole Vaidisova, whom she should have beaten.

7. This clay doesn't look right to me: French Open winner Ana Ivanovic became one of Zheng Jie's many victims, as the grass expert befuddled the world number 1 at every turn.

6. Champagne and strawberries in order: For the first time in ages, Brits looked pretty good at Wimbledon. Naomi Cavaday and Anne Keothavong were both taken out in early rounds by Venus Williams, but they played well against her and had every reason to feel proud. Elena Baltacha, likewise, had the misfortune to to play Zheng Jie, but she, too, performed admirably. The big winner, however was 14-year-old Laura Robson, who came into the junior championships unseeded, and won the whole thing. Robson has a mature game, is mentally tough, and is so cheeky, I can't wait to hear more interviews with her.

5. Tanasugarn makes her biggest Wimbledon run of all: Tammy Tanasugarn had made it to the Wimbledon round of 16 six times in her career, though not since 2004. Then, last month, she won the Ordina Open, a Wimbledon warmup tournament. Tanasugarn entered that tournament as a qualifier and defeated Dinara Safina in the final. I felt then that she was getting ready to impress at Wimbledon, and--sure enough--for the first time, she made it to the quarterfinals. It was at that point that nerves finally took her over, and what should have been a very competitive match against Venus Williams wound up otherwise. Tanasugarn's third round match against Marina Erakovic, by the way, was one of the top two or three matches I saw.

4. You're supposed to make every shot a power shot: Some commentators like to tell us that Maria Sharapova has no nerves, that she always displays great tennis, that she can rise to any occasion. Not so. I have a lot of regard for Sharapova, but she is prone to having these odd occurrences of going to pieces. Unfortunately, she had one in the second round of Wimbledon, when she was taken out by her countrywoman, the skilled (and equally droll) Alla Kudryavtseva. Sharapova kept double-faulting and making errors, and Kudryavtseva cleaned up. It has now been four years since Sharapova won Wimbledon, and that must be scary for her.

3. An exciting--but maybe not recommended--way to make history: For the first time in the Open Era, the top four seeds failed to make it to the quarterfinals.

2. The incredible run of Zheng Jie: Last spring, Zheng injured her left ankle and was out of the picture for months. Both her singles and her impressive doubles rankings tumbled, and she had a terrible time even qualifying for tournaments early this year. But she did fairly well at the French Open, then showed up and took Wimbledon by storm. Her draw was very difficult. In order to get to the semifinals, she beat Dominika Cibulkova, Elena Baltacha, Ana Ivanovic, Agnes Szavay, and Nicole Vaidisova. How many players could have survived that draw? She looked a bit lost in her first semifinal set against Serena Williams, but the second round was one of the best sets of tennis I saw in two weeks. Zheng is a born grass player, with her fast uptake, low balls and laser-like backhand. I have always thought she had a lot of potential, and this Wimbledon tournament gave us all a chance to see how talented she is.

1. Sister Act 2: Back on Centre Court: The people who said that the Williams sisters should retire, that they are injured too much to continue on the tour, that they are not focused on tennis--can now please shut up, yes? It had been a long time since we had an all-Williams final at a major--I didn't think we would have one at Wimbledon, but as I said a few days ago, what do I know? It wasn't a great final, but it was better than any other Williams vs. Williams major tournament finals we've seen. Venus won her fifth title, Serena was the finalist; they had a little rest, then won the women's doubles championship, too.

Down to the last 4--will there be any surprises?

The questions being asked now are: How many games will Marion Bartoli take off of Justine Henin, and how many games will Ana Ivanovic take off of Venus Williams? The chances for an upset on either court are slim, and that speaks especially well of Williams, who has to play the tournament's number 6 seed.

I think Williams will continue to play the way she played during the round of 16 and the quarterfinals, which could mean a straight set exit for Ivanovic. In her recent Eastbourne semifinal against Henin, Bartoli won five games. Considering how good Bartoli's grass game has become, she should be able to take a few games in her Wimbledon semifinal--unless physical exhaustion gets the best of her; she is not exactly a picture of fitness. Or unless she freezes at the sight of Henin across the net, which I do not think will happen.

Contingency factors:

1. At any time, Williams' forehand can go wild, which could allow Ivanovic to take control of the match, at least for a while.

2. People who saw Ivanovic's quarterfinal match against Nicole Vaidisova report that Ivanovic's movement was not too good. Poor movement was the weakest link in Ivanovic's game for a long time, but she appeared to have overcome it. Whether she has a minor injury or is just returning to a bad habit, a continuation of inadequate court movement would make it easy for Williams to grab a quick victory.

3. Ivanovic had a great French Open run, but froze in terror when she faced Justine Henin across the net during the finals. However, she displayed a lot of grit today in saving match points and going on to grab what looked like a certain victory from the shaky hands of Nicole Vaidisova.

4. If you make a list of Justine Henin's tennis flaws, you will have plenty of room left on the page to compile your grocery list and a complete set of errands for the week. But Henin does have one weakness which occurs when she is a bit anxious (for the first couple of years after her long ilness break, it happened all the time, but the tennis press ignored it)--she double-faults. Multiple double faults do not seem to affect the outcome of her matches, but in such a seemingly one-sided contest as the one coming up, a double-fault string could give Bartoli some cheap points.

5. One of the players could sustain an injury--imagine that. (The most likely candidate is Marion Bartoli, who may hold the match retirement record for the tour.)

6. Rain delays are likely. Bartoli has come back after two rain delays to play her best tennis of the match, so a rain delay in her semifinal might give her more games. Isolated heavy showers are expected tomorrow.

7. High winds are also predicted for tomorrow, and a strong wind can either serve as somewhat of an equalizer, or it can knock one player out altogether. All four players hit the ball hard; however, Bartoli's beautiful angle shots are extremely flat, and therefore vulnerable to being swept away.

Where are they now?, Where are they going?

The Next Big Thing in tennis is not always the Next Big Thing. Here are are a few players who were "anointed" way too early in their careers:

Michelle Larcher De Brito
The Portuguese teenager broke through at such an early age that she was immediately called a "prodigy." When she was 12, Larcher De Brito won the Eddie Herr tournament, and she won the Orange Bowl when she was 14. Sadly, she became better known for her on-court screaming than she did for her tennis, although--in 2013, playing as a qualifier, she beat Maria Sharapova in the second round at Wimbledon. This victory fueled a possible resurgence for Larcher De Brito, but it wasn't to be. She has yet to win a WTA tournament, and is currently ranked number 245 in the world.

Tamira Paszek
The Austrian player was also considered a tennis prodigy by many. She reached the round of 16 at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2007, but that remains the peak of her career. That career has, at times, been interrupted by injury and other issues. Paszek has won three titles, but none since 2012, when she defeated Angelique Kerber for the Eastbourne title. She is clearly talented, but has not been able to reach anything near the success that was frequently predicted for her. She is currently ranked number 105 in the world.

Nicole Vaidisova
Vaidisova is a bit of a different story. The Czeck player actually rose to a number 10 ranking in 2006. She won six WTA events, and reached the semifinals of both the Australian Open and the French Open, as well as the quarterfinals (twice) at Wimbledon. An undeniable talent, Vaidisova sometimes struggled to control her temper. She retired from professional tennis in 2010. I recall that someone who knew her well remarked that the Czech star simply had a dislike for competition. In 2014, however, Vaidisova came back to the tour, but retired again not long ago.

It's hard to imagine the tremendous pressure--both internal and external--that is placed on a young player who has been chosen as The Next Big Thing. In some cases, perhaps that player just couldn't handle the rigors of tennis life after junior competition. In other cases, the family or public pressure may get in the way.

Recall Andrea Jaeger, who had a top 10 career, reaching the finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon, and the semifinals of both the Australian Open and the U.S. Open. Jaeger's career was cut very short by injury, but it also came out that she had little interest in competing; after retiring, she revealed that she had tanked some very big matches. Jaeger  (who had endured significant parental abuse), made it clear that her heart was just never in it--She would go on to become Sister Andrea, a member of the Anglican Order of Preachers, though she allegedly left the order several years ago.

And while tennis doesn't have a dramatic story of "failed prodigy shows them all," golf does. Michelle Wie was hailed as the ultimate gold prodigy, and had some very impressive sponsorships contracts, but when she didn't meet public expectations, she was treated very harshly by the sports media and by fans. But Wie hung on. She went to Stanford, made exceptional grades, and earned a degree. She also began painting, and--not surprisingly--experienced healing and a sense of focus from creating art.

In 2014, Wie won the U.S. Open, showing the world that she was indeed a very fine golfer, and doing it on her terms (she is still criticized for her putting style). So far, Wie has won four LPGA events, with the U.S. Open being the only major. She may never be a Lydia Ko or an Inbee Park, but one never knows--Wie is only 26, and the career of a professional golfer can last many years.

Every year, I wonder which of tennis's Next Big Things will "make the cut." Obviously, Garbine Muguruza has already done so, and time will tell about the likes of Karolina Pliskova, Madison Keys and Belinda Bencic.

Vaidisova wins close contest with Pennetta

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote that Flavia Pennetta was definitely on her way back after enduring a long injury and recovery time-out. She went on to win in Bangkok. Today, she lost in the first round in Linz, but her performance was nevertheless impressive. In a tight three-set match against Nicole Vaidisova, Pennetta lost--according to the stats--because her second serve was vulnerable.

I didn't get to the scoreboard until the third set, and it involved deuce game after deuce game. Vaidisova broke Pennetta at 4-all, but when she went to serve for the match, Pennetta broke her at love. It went to a tiebreak, Vaidisova broke at 4-all, and that was the end of the Italian.

Those who saw the match on television said that during the break, when players are allowed to have coaching, Pennetta had her friend and former doubles partner (why are they no longer playing doubles together?) Gisela Dulko, come give her some advice.

Henin wins high-quality semifinal

I kept waiting for Nicole Vaidisova to crumble mentally during her well-played Zurich semifinal match against Justine Henin, but it never happened. Vaidisova lost the match, but she kept her cool throughout all three sets. Not only did she not wilt, she thought her way through some of the toughest points. Is this a new Vaidisova? If it is, it's one who's going to be dangerous from now on. Final score: Henin def. Vaidisova, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5

The other semifinal started out as a disaster, with Francesca Schiavone unable to find her game and giving up the first set at love. But she came to life in the second set and gave Tatiana Golovin a run for it, hitting with heavy topspin, showing her extraordinary athleticism, and giving a lesson in net play. It wasn't enough, though, and the final score was Golovin def. Schiavone, 6-0, 6-4.

Dushevina upsets Vaidisova in Moscow

It's down to "'Fill in the blank' upsets Vaidisova" now, isn't it? This is just a terrible season for a player who has shown so much promise in the past. My guess is that Vaidisova will be glad when 2008 is over, and she can have a clean slate.

Vera Dushevina (on her birthday) def. Nicole Vaidisova, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3

Zheng makes history

Today, Zheng Jie became the first Chinese woman in history to get to the semifinals of a major tennis tournament. She defeated Nicole Vaidisova, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 in the quarterfinal I enjoyed the most today (though I did not see every moment of it). I was not surprised that Zheng won. She has used her wild card to great advantage, and taken out not only the world's number 1 player, but also the number 15 seed, Agnes Szavay. Her draw has been difficult, and she has held up well, playing her excellent grass court game very steadily, and hanging in during bad patches.

Vaidisova, for her part, is not the most mentally tough player around. She has talent, but she can fold under pressure. It was a bit surprising, in fact, to see her not fold during her round of 16 third set against Anna Chakvetadze; however, one then remembers that Chakvetadze is even more mentally fragile than Vaidisova.

Zheng's next opponent is Serena Williams. If Zheng does not succomb to nerves the way Tamarine Tanasugarn did today, that could be an entertaining semifinal match.

Vaidisova falls to Sugiyama, and Domachowska has one of her good days

Number 16 seed Nicole Vaidisova, who is definitely not having a good season, became yet another victim of resurgent veteran Ai Sugiyama in Montreal today. The former top 10 player defeated Vaidisova, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.

Los Angeles semifinalist Bethanie Mattek lost to one of the most inconsistent players on the tour--Marta Domachowska. Domachowska has a lot of talent, but she can't seem to bring it to the court very often. She did today, though, defeating Mattek, 7-5, 6-2. Domachowska's next opponent will be none other than Maria Sharapova.

Vera Zvonareva, who had an excellent early season and looked as though she might make a big mark this year, has had problems lately. Today in Montreal, she was defeated by a player who appears to be on the upswing again--Virginie Razzano. Razzano had a great late 2007, but has not looked as good this year. Lately, however, she has shown signs of gaining momentum again. She won the match, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6.

Vaidisova withdraws from both San Diego and Los Angeles

Citing continued injury, Nicole Vaidisova has withdrawn from both the Acura Classic and the East West Bank Classic. She will be replaced in Los Angles by Martina Hingis. Ana Ivanovic has also withdrawn from the tournament in San Diego.

Meanwhile, the field in Cincinnati shrinks more every day. The latest two players to withdraw are Meilen Tu, with a left wrist injury, and Severine Bremond, who is ill. The tournament had already lost Vaidisova, Marion Bartoli, Serena Williams, and several others.

Kleybanova serves out of her mind--takes Vaidisova out of Miami

When you have a 70 first serve percentage, an 80 first serve points won percentage, a 69 second serve points won percentage, and you hit thirteen aces--chances are, you have won the match. That's what qualifier Alisa Kleybanova did, and number 12 seed Nicole Vaidisova has now been eliminated from the Sony Ericsson Open.

Kleybanova def. Vaidisova, 6-4, 6-0

Speaking of aces, Anna Chakvetadze hit seven of them in her 6-3, 6-2 victory over Tamira Paszek, but she also double-faulted nine times.

Craybas goes to 4th round of BNP Paribas Open

Jill Craybas, the American veteran who is ranked number 102 in the world, defeated Nicole Vaidisova today in Indian Wells. Granted, Vaidisova is ranked number 79, but there is more to her story than her current ranking. But even that wouldn't be such a big deal in itself; it is the bigger picture that is impressive. Before taking out Vaidisova, Craybas dismissed both Jelena Dokic and 16th seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues. Craybas gets top seed Dinara Safina next, and it is likely that her most impressive run will end, but it even if it does, it will be a memorable story from this year's BNP Paribas Open.

Craybas's victory was n0t the only upset. Shahar Peer upset number 19 seed (how crazy is that?) Anna Chakvetadze, and Li Na upset number 17 seed Amelie Mauresmo.

I was quite interested in the match between Caroline Wozniacki and Kaia Kanepi; it appears that Kanepi couldn't handle the pressure, and we can only hope that she does something about this problem soon, or she is going to lose a lot of matches she shouldn't lose. The other match of interest to me was the one between wild cards Alexa Glatch and Urszula Radwanska. It appeared that Glatch put up quite a fight, but the match went to her opponent.

Schnyder and Vaidisova upset in Berlin

Number 9 seed Patty Schnyder lost her second round match to Vera Dushevina, 6-2, 6-3, today in Berlin. From the looks of the stats, Schnyder was having trouble with her serve, which can go from outstanding to dismal in the course of a few matches.

Also upset was Nicole Vaidisova, seeded number 12. Not surprisingly, Vaidisova was defeated by clay specialist Gisela Dulko, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.