JJ steps onto the court, tornado warnings follow

photo by Daniel Ward

Those of us who have gone to the Charleston tournament for many years know that tornadoes and media tent-rattling storms are always possible. I've been through several of them. Our theory is that Jelena Jankovic, by her very presence, sets them off. That theory was confirmed in 2015 and 2016 when JJ had to withdraw at the beginning of the tournament, and all we had were calm, sunny days.

The Serb played her first round match today, and--like clockwork--a tornado warning appeared on our phones and computers. While JJ was in the stadium hitting and sliding, the rest of us were trying to figure out a safe exit strategy.

There was a lot of rain, but it didn't last a long time. However, as long as Queen Chaos (Todd Spiker's perfect nickname for Jankovic) is in the draw, I'm not letting my guard down.

2007 champion Jankovic won her match, as did 2014 champion Andrea Petkovic. And the tornado warning, as tense as it was, wasn't the most exciting thing that happened today: That would be the three-hour and 19-minute battle fought between Lesia Tsurenko and 2016 quarterfinalist Laura Siegemund on the Althea Gibson Club Court.

Laura Siegemund (photo by Daniel Ward)

I anticipated that this would be a very good match, and it was. If it were made into a movie, it might be given the working title, "Drop Shot Me to Hell." There was a lot of drama, too, and the spectators were exhausted from watching. Tsurenko won an 87-minute first set in a tiebreak, then sustained a thigh injury that put her in obvious pain. Siegemund won the second set 6-2.

The third set was about as tense as they come. Tsurenko was grimacing in pain, sometimes stopping to bend and stretch her thigh. Her opponent's drop shots were often lethal, but Tsurenko returned the favor on several occasions, giving the German a bitter dose of her own medicine. Siegemund served for the match twice, and both times, she got tight and double-faulted her chances away.

In the meantime, Tsurenko, sensing her chances, loosened up; she was obviously now running on adrenalin and able to ignore the pain. But in the third set tiebreak, the Ukrainian player still came up short, and a very animated Siegemund was able to hit an emphatic match point and advance to the second round.

This match reminded me of a match played last year, also on Althea Gibson, between Mirjana Lucic-Baroni and Kiki Mladenovic. The atmosphere was similar, and it appeared that neither player could grab a victory until finally, Lucic-Baroni sealed it in a 15-13 third set tiebreak.

Family Circle Cup, day 1--in and around the grounds

We expected rain on this first day of the tournament, and we got some, but not enough to delay or interrupt any matches. There is a tornado watch right now in the Charleston area, and it just wouldn't be Family Circle Cup without a tornado, or at least a few watches or warnings.

There was a Venus sighting this morning, but not by me. I saw a lot of players, but not Venus. We did get to see Elena Dementieva do some practice hitting, and she signed a tennis ball for us.

When we got to the tournament site, we decided to watch the match between Tamira Paszek and Julia Schruff. We stood waiting for entry, and I looked next to me: There was Dominika Cibulkova, who had come to check out Paszek, her probable second round opponent. She and her coach were there, but Cibulkova did not stay too long. Paszek was not exactly impressive, so Cibulkova probably felt she had other things to do.

I spoke with Kateryna Bondarenko, who was in the stands, watching her sister, Alona. She said her wrist injury wasn't too bad, and the doctor told her she could begin practicing again in a week. Both Bondarenko sisters signed some photos for us. It is very disappointing for us that we will not get to see them play doubles together. Instead, Alona will be playing doubles with Anastasia Rodionova. One of the "fighting Bondarenkos," as I call them, once said that the best possible situation is for them to have a third person along, "so we can fight with that person!" Given her history, Rodionova is a pretty good pick.

Tennis outfit of the day: Marta Domachowska, in a bright yellow tank and a khaki/olive split-pleat skirt. Today was the only day to see it, though--the ever under-achieving Domachowska is already out of the tournament, knocked out by qualifier Anastasija Sevastova.

Day 2 of U.S. Open brings significant upsets

Your average 15-year-old doesn't wipe out a Tornado, then turn around and diffuse a Pocket Rocket, but CiCi Bellis does not appear to be your average 15-year-old. The teenager from California, who upset 12th seed Dominika Cibulkova today, is the youngest player to win a main draw match at a major since Anna Kournikova did it 18 years ago at the Australian Open.

Bellis earned a wild card into the U.S. Open main draw when she beat Tornado Alicia Black in the final of the USTA Girls' 18s National Championship. Appearing nerveless in her opening match in Flushing Meadows, Bellis went all aggressive with Cibulkova's second serve and beat her 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. Her next opponent will be another aggressive player, Zarina Diyas.

20th seed (and 2004 champion) Svetlana Kuznetsova went out in the first round today, too. The Russian lost a third set tiebreak to Marina Erakovic. The Kuznetsova Curse remains a very reliable reality.

Donna Vekic seemed to go to pieces after her successful first set against Coco Vandeweghe, and Kiki Mladnovic won one game against 3rd seed Petra Kvitova.

Other than Elina Svitolina's loss to Polona Hercog, everything else went pretty much as it was expected to go. Genie Bouchard, Sam Stosur, Vika Azarenka, and Flavia Pennetta all advanced, as did Ekaterina Makarova. Top seed Serena Williams, looking like her "real self" in a leopard print and hot pink, advanced to the second round when she defeated Taylor Townsend 6-3, 6-1.

2009 champion Lisicki advances to 2nd round in Charleston

Sabine Lisicki serves in her 1st round match

There was a time, just a few years ago, when the names "Tamira Paszek" and "Sabine Lisicki" were synonymous with "future WTA star," then things turned kind of sour for both of them. Lisicki, the 2009 Family Circle Cup champion, needed three sets today to defeat Renata Voracova, but her 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory took her into the second round. Lisicki's opening round match was postponed for two hours because--and don't say I didn't warn you--a big storm came in, following a tornado watch. Because this is Charleston in April.

Paszek also advanced to the second round when she defeated Melanie Oudin 6-1, 7-5. I saw the second set, which was pretty high quality, with both players painting the lines, and with Oudin actually winning more points with her backhand.

While the names Lisicki and Paszek stir memories of unkept promises, another name--Jelena Dokic--stirs memories of everything from world-class hitting to heart-breaking personal crisis. Today, Dokic lost her first round to qualifier Anna Tastishvili. The former world number 4 double-faulted ten times, and appeared preoccupied with too many matters that were not really urgent. Dokic yelled in frustration, and struggled to keep from breaking her racquet. There were 17 breaks of serve in the match, which Tatishvili won, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4.

Sharapova and Bouchard advance to French Open semifinals

During the first set of the French Open quarterfinal match between Garbine Muguruza and Maria Sharapova, it seemed as if Serena Williams--by virtue of the blessing she bestowed on the Spaniard at the net last week--was more or less beating Sharapova all the way from the beach in Miami. A blessing is a powerful thing, to be sure, but so is the will of Maria Sharapova.

Beaten down 6-1 in the first set, in exactly the same fashion as Williams was, Sharapova then found herself serving at 4-5 in the second. Wait! Hadn't we just seen this, or something very much like it? So, Sharapova held--emphatically. And then she broke Mugaruza, and then she won the set.

There's a lesson in this, and one that, as fans, we know well. On these occasions, you're advised to beat Sharapova in straight sets, or the outcome won't be one that you'll like. It will be kind of like closing a screen door to keep out a tornado.

Sure enough, in the third game of the final set, Muguruza seriously blinked. It was a long blink, lasting twelve minutes.The Spaniard failed to convert five game points, and that was that. Sharapova won the set 6-2. I didn't find the match very interesting--I never find these types of matches very interesting. I was much more entertained by what was going on on Suzanne Lenglen, where Muguruza's countrywoman, Carla Suarez Navarro, was engaged in a battle against Eugenie Bouchard. However, curiosity kept me returning to the Sharapova match. It apparently never occurred to those in charge of scheduling to not put both quarterfinals on at the same time.

Suarez Navarro led 5-2 in the first set, which Bouchard won 7-2 in a tiebreak. The Spaniard won the second set 6-2, then went up 4-1 in the third. 4-1 can be such a deceptive lead, and especially for a player like Suarez Navarro, whose nerves are her greatest enemy. Bouchard won ten consecutive points, then suddenly, it was 4-all. The Canadian rising star won the final set 7-5 on her third match point. She was simply too mentally stable to go away.

Bouchard reached the semifinals at the Australian Open, and now here she is again, on clay at the French. Are there any doubters remaining? In Melbourne, Bouchard's run was halted by eventual champion Li Na. Now she will have to face Sharapova, which is no small feat. And even if she should lose that match, Bouchard will have made a big announcement about herself to the tour.

Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci did some beating down of their own. The 2nd-seeded Italians defeated Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua 6-0, 6-1 to advance to the semifinals. And top seeds Hsieh Su-Wei and Peng Shuai defeated Cara Black and Sania Mirza to also go to the semifinals.

In mixed doubles, Kiki Mladenovic and Daniel Nestor were defeated in the quarterfinals by Yaroslava Shvedova and Bruno Soares.

"I feel embarrassed sometimes with what I do on court"

Photo by Daniel Ward

Jelena Jankovic told the press today in Charleston that she saw recent video of herself repeatedly falling down on the court, and it made her say "Oh my god--who is that?" "I was smiling more," she said about her past court demeanor, and noted that these days, she's more apt to be yelling at her box or falling down. The Serbian star also remarked that these antics have come about since her brother began coaching her, and that she thinks she performs them because he lets her get away with it.

Jankovic made a point of explainng that she wants to be able to express emotion on court--that not to do so would be detrimental to her performance--but that she needs to find a balance between expressing emotion and going "over the limit." "At times when I get so frustrated I just lose control and my game falls apart…."

"Sometimes I turn into kind of a beast," Jankovic said. "My evil twin comes on court." Jankovic said she was working on restoring the balance, but wasn't specific about how she was doing so.

The world number 8, who is seeded second in Charleston, said that she can't run quite as fast as she used to, and that the physical demands of the game take a bit more out of her now, yet she feels she is a better and physically stronger player than she used to be. She acknowledged that she was a good mover on the court even when she was very young and just learning, even when she had "toothpick legs."

Jankovic brought up an interesting point--that when a player is going from tournament to tournament and playing a lot of matches, she doesn't have time to train and work on weaknesses and can sometimes lose training momentum.

Jankovic won the Family Circle Cup in 2007 when she defeated Dinara Safina in an extremely windy, post-tornado final. She was the runner-up last year, losing in three sets to Serena Williams. Jankovic will begin her Charleston campaign with a second round contest against Lauren Davis.

Sweeping the court

Melanie Oudin has received a wild card into the main draw of the Family Circle Cup. Receiving wild cards into the quaifying event are Taylor Townsend, Grace Min, Ellie Halbauer, and Tornado Alicia Black.

Thanks to The Slice for this "Lightning Round" with Petko.

And here's the Lightning Round with Dominika Cibulkova.

You can get to know Kurumi Nara and Lauren Davis.

A "Thank you" tweet from Elena Baltacha.

I know what it means to miss--Charleston

Patty Schnyder in 2005 (photo by Diane Elayne Dees)

The first time I attended the Charleston Open, which was the Family Circle Cup back then, was in 2005. I went for the latter half of the tournament, and on a very chilly morning, I saw my first match, in which Patty Schnyder played Klara Koukalova. It was so cold that the players kept their warmup clothes on throughout the match. I was a Schnyder fan, so this third round match was perfect for me, especially since Schnyder won it.

I stayed in Summerville that year, and--for several years after that--I stayed in Mount Pleasant. You can watch the tournament on television, but you can't really experience the vibe that is the Charleston Open unless you're there. With the exception of 2020, when the event was canceled, and 2021, when a few of us covered the tournament (plus an extra WTA 125 tournament) virtually, I attended every year. Until this year. I tried to make it work, but this year, I was unable to go, so I'm watching it on TV, and it's rather emotional for me because I really want to be there.

(photo by Diane Elayne Dees)

The event, which used to be held in Hilton Head, has a long and rich history. The longest-running women's tournament in the U.S., it's also the only green clay tournament. The palm and palmetto trees of Daniel Island give the Charleston Open a different look from other tennis events, and the green of the trees--along with the green of the court surfaces--adds to the beauty of the venue. The players love it: For the last three years, they've voted it the best 500 tournament on the tour. That's because the atmosphere is very relaxing, the grounds are beautiful, and the players are given the kind of  personalized, special treatment that makes them want to return.

(photo by Diane Elayne Dees)

Before the already-attractive tournament site got a beautiful re-do with significant upgrades, the media worked in a building known as the "media tent," which shook during thunderstorms. Once, while Jelena Jankovic (who--though not quite as big a Charleston rock star as Schnyder became--was nevertheless a huge crowd favorite) was in the stadium playing a night match, the building shook so hard that a couple of us--remembering the famous 2011 New Haven earthquake incident--simply looked at each other and said "Jankovic." 

The weather could be crazy--blazing hot in the daytime, and freezing at night. In 2007, a tornado hit the stadium, knocking down several items (though, many of us noted, not the Justine Henin banner--it wouldn't dare). And in 2017, a combination rain-hail storm forced us to evacuate the media tent--but only after we had each donned a garbage bag.

just hanging out behind the media tent (photo by Diane Elayne Dees)

I'm not a fan of exhibition matches, but I saw one, many years ago, in Charleston that was so funny I laughed about it for weeks. The two stand-out participants were Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta, who were hilarious. 

Charleston crowds tend to be different from other crowds. When Vera Zvonareva performed her famous racket break--surely the greatest such break in WTA history--other crowds would have booed her, but the people in the Charleston stands cheered her on. And when Yulia Putintseva started yelling in the middle of a match, the crowd yelled along with her. Charleston fans also love doubles, and the stands are always packed. And Charleston Open attendees are quick to support lesser known players.

I could go on and on, but really, you have to be there. As a member of the tennis media, I should point out that Charleston's media volunteers are the cream of the crop. Again, you have to be there to truly appreciate the vibe. I'll get through this, and I'll keep watching the tournament on television while the camera-toting half of Women Who Serve, my friend Daniel Ward, keeps me supplied with his wonderful photos. But I miss being there. I miss Charleston.

tournament grounds at night (photo by Diane Elayne Dees)

Vika and Serena, together again

As you always wanted to see them.

Last year, Victoria Azarenka took Serena Williams right to the brink in the U.S. Open final. She served for the match, in fact, but--when doing so--made three consecutive errors and was broken. And that was pretty much that. In other words, she was done in by nerves.

This year, Azarenka has had to battle all kinds of tennis demons to even get to the final, while Williams has blasted her way through. It looks like a fifth U.S. Open championship for Serena is just a day away, but.....Azarenka could raise her level and make a real contest out of it.

Paths to the final:

WILLIAMS
1st round--def. Francesca Schiavone
2nd round--def. Galina Voskoboeva
3rd round--def. Yaroslava Shvedova
round of 16--def. Sloane Stephens (15)
quarterfinals--def. Carla Suarez Navarro (18)
semifinals--def. Li Na (5)

AZARENKA
1st round--def. Dinah Pfizenmaier
2nd round--def. Aleksandra Wozniak
3rd round--def. Alize Cornet (26)
round of 16--def. Ana Ivanovic (11)
quarterfinals--def. Daniela Hantuchova
semifinals--def. Flavia Pennetta

Today, top seed Sabine Ellerbrock and 2nd seed Aniek Van Koot both advanced to the women's wheelchair singles final. Van Koot and partner Jiske Griffioen, the top seeds, won the women's wheelchair doubles competition. They beat 2nd seeds Ellerbrock and Yui Kamiji in straight sets.

Martina Navratilova and Rennae Stubbs won the Women's Champions Doubles event when they defeated Chanda Rubin and Iva Majoli in straight sets.

Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova won the junior girls doubles title, defeating Belinda Bencic and Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-3, 6-4. Krejcikova and Siniakova, the top seeds, also son the doubles titles at the French Open and Wimbledon.

Finally, in junior girls singles, Tornado Alicia Black of the USA advanced to the final when she defeated 7th seed Antonia Lottner today in the semifinals. Also advancing to the final was Ana Konjuh. Black is unseeded. Lottner took out top seed Belinda Bencic in the quarterfinals.

Charleston--what they said

...it was kind of almost like picking up from last year, which was a nice feeling.

Sam Stosur, after her second round match on stadium court

Do you still get asked a lot of questions, I guess about once being number 1 and didn't win...
You still want to ask that?
I'm asking, yeah.
You still want to ask that?
Wozniacki, are you?
Why not Wozniacki do you ask that?

Jelena Jankovic

You know, sometimes as tennis players we go four seasons in one day in some tournaments....

Shahar Peer

Can they be quiet, or is this social hour? Are you going to tell them, or will I?

Anastasia Rodionova, talking to the chair umpire

...I think it's pretty cool. It's a nice color for spring, and I have these flowers, so it's kind of like the spring blossom. I'm blossoming.

Jelena Jankovic, talking about her dress

What are her weaknesses, do you think, now that you've played her?
You know, I don't what her weaknesses are, so when you find out, let me know.

Irina Falconi, referring to Caroline Wozniacki

"My game is more like Kim's--it's pretty hard to match up with Justine."

Yanina Wickmayer, discussing Belgian tennis

Maybe the windier it is the better I play. Maybe we need another tornado to come.

Jelena Jankovic (referencing to her 2007 championship match)

Remembering my early years in Charleston

Patty Schnyder (photo by Diane Elayne Dees)

Watching the Volvo Car Open on television feels really weird, but there was a time when I always watched it on television. Finally, in 2005, I decided to attend part of it. I booked a room in Summerville and arrived in time to watch the round of 16.

The first match I saw couldn't have pleased me more because it featured Patty Schnyder, a big favorite of mine. She played Klara Koukalova, and it was so cold, the players kept their warmup clothes on for the entire match. Schnyder won. Later in the morning, Justine Henin played Lindsay Davenport, and Davenport was winning when she sustained an injury. I don't recall whether she retired (I think she did), or whether she was just hampered for the remainder of the match. Henin would go on to win the tournament.

My place in Summerville was quite nice, and the resident cat stayed in my room at night. There was also a resident parrot who talked to the cat. My host told me a hilarious story about the parrot which I cannot repeat on this blog, but which I've told many times. 

I liked everything about what was then the Family Circle Cup--the green clay, the proximity to the players, the beautiful Althea Gibson Club Court, the Grand Lawn.

The next year, my then-husband accompanied me, and this time, we attended the entire event. Summerville was a bit dull and far away, so we stayed in Mount Pleasant, and would continue to do so for many years.  

I forget what year it was, but on one occasion, the night doubles match was canceled because of a walkover. I don't care for exhibition matches, as a rule, but I'll never forget the one that was thrown together for us that night. Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta played Liezel Huber and Katerina Srebotnik. Lynn Welch was the chair umpire. Dulko and Pennetta's antics were so hilarious that I was in tears half the time; they could have put their show on the road. I wanted a video of the match, but none was available.

One year, Schnyder was playing on one of the outer courts, and was quite irritated about her performance. Her coach was nowhere to be found, but she spotted me in the stands near the court and began yelling at me. This went on for the remainder of the match.

Back in those days, it would get very hot in the daytime, but then extremely cold at night, and if you didn't have a blanket, you were in trouble. And then, of course, there were the storms. In 2007, we were walking on King Street on the weekend before main draw play began, and--having experienced many hurricanes--I saw the color of the sky and smelled the flint-like odor I know only too well. I insisted that we drive to the hotel immediately.

Sure enough, a tornado hit Charleston, and very strong winds rocked the stadium, blowing down all sorts of things, but not the banner with Justine Henin's photo on it. No storm would dare mess with Henin. The final that year was wild, with strong winds blowing all over the court and debris flying. Jelena Jankovic handled the wind like a boss, and won the title, defeating Dinara Safina (who yelled at the wind a lot).

I also met my friend Daniel during those early years (though we "knew" each other from my blog), and he went on to take photos for Women Who Serve.

Photo by Diane Elayne Dees

It's hard to explain the Charleston tournament to someone who has never attended it. The grounds are beautiful, the vibe is very laid back, and the event is run with great efficiency. The crowd is very savvy and the people who attend place a premium on having a sense of humor. When Vera Zvonareva performed what was the greatest racket break of all time, the crowd--instead of booing her--cheered her on. (A few years ago, when Yulia Putintseva began yelling on the court the way she sometimes does, the crowd yelled with her.)

It will be so nice, next year, to not have to watch the Volvo Car Open on television, but in the meantime, I'm grateful to be able to watch it any way I can.

What a day it was

The rain came down violently and relentlessly, and the front part of my property flooded for only the second time since I've lived here. We were under a flash flood watch and a tornado watch for most of the day. The power went out--no television, no lights, no Internet.

My trainer kept checking his phone, since he assumed I wouldn't be able to get to the gym. But I put on some beach shoes (I can't find rain boots or rain shoes that I can wear) and made my way through the water and over the familiar route so that I could keep my appointment.

All in all, it was a difficult and drama-filled day. Rain, flooding, no lights. What else? Oh, yeah--Garbine Muguruza decided she should kick her childhood idol's butt out of Roland Garros.

In just over an hour, the young Spaniard, who had to miss most of last season because of an ankle injury, put the big hurt on defending champion and top seed Serena Williams. Muguruza just about couldn't do anything wrong. She pounded the ball down the center of the court over and over, taking away Williams' potential to harm her, while zoning in on invisible--and perfect--targets, much the way that Petra Kvitova used to do all the time. Muguruza never let up. She served steadily, she won at the net, she stayed calm, and she broke Williams five times.

For her part, Williams looked flummoxed, as though she needed a moment to figure things out. Only Muguruza wouldn't give her a moment, so Williams just kept making errors. There are a couple of images from this match that will stick in my mind for a while. One was watching Williams make a complete turn around the court in an attempt to do something with a return, only to find herself--just twirling. The other was the look in the defending champion's eyes as Muguruza served at 40-0 for match point. The look said "just kill me now."

The Spaniard obliged, taking the match 6-2, 6-2.

When was the last time that Serena Williams won only four games in a match at a major tournament? The answer is "never." This was, in fact, only the third time that Williams has gone out of a major before the third round. With Li Na's loss yesterday and Williams' loss today, another statistic has been created: This is the first time in the Open Era that the two top seeds have lost in the first round.

Perhaps Li isn't feeling quite so bad today. And perhaps Maria Sharapova is feeling--optimistic.

Venus Williams made an exit, too. The older Williams sister lost to Anna Schmiedlova, who beat her 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Shmiedlova had never before taken a set off of a top-30 player, but today, she held fast, and used her impressive backhand to advance to the third round, in which she'll play Muguruza.

How crazy is this tournament going to get?

Without a doubt, the day belonged to Garbine Muguruza, but if she's willing to share a little corner of it, then the rest of the day would have to belong to Taylor Townsend. In what turned out to be an absolute thriller of a match, the wild card upset 20th seed Alize Cornet 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. This match had everything--the drama (in a good way) of Cornet, the admirable determination of the talented Townsend, an insanely wild French crowd, and crazy momentum swings. The third set was practically heart-stopping, as Cornet scratched and clawed her way from 1-5 to 4-5, carried by her own spirit and by the full-out emotion of her countrywomen and -men.

It seemed, in fact, practically fated that the Frenchwoman would find a way to prevail, but Townsend didn't let that happen. Playing in the first major main draw of her career, the wild card from the USA stood up to not only a Safina-like impossible comeback player, but to a stadium full of screaming French fans.

18-year-old Townsend is the youngest player from the United States to reach the third round of Roland Garros in eleven years. I have to be honest: As pleased as I was for Townsend, I hated to see her opponent go. I was hoping Cornet would be around in the second week, not only because I've followed her career for a long time, but--well, mainly--because I find her so extremely entertaining in every way.

There's more. Maria Sharapova had to contend with Tsvetana Pironkova, but what was distracting about this match was listening to the Tennis Channel commentators express shock that Pironkova could be so good and could win Sydney, and then kind of disappear. Hello! Once again, I ask, do they even watch women's tennis? It doesn't matter what Pironkova does--continually beat Venus Williams in majors, win Sydney, or maybe, in the future, take out the top three seeds in consecutive matches at the U.S. Open. She's always going to be the "now you see her, now you don't" Bulgarian Woman of Mystery.

She gave 'Pova a good first set, too. But then Pironkova had some bad luck. Some really bad luck. Down 5-6, 15-40, the Bulgarian player saved a set point. She then hit a tricky high return that skimmed the line but was called "out." The chair umpire inspected the mark and corrected the call, but the point had to be replayed, which kept Pirnokova from reaching deuce. On the replay, Sharapova hit a ball that struck the net cord--and then just dribbled over. The Russian then won the second set 6-2, and that was that.

Other things happened today, but they were hardly noticed because of the exit of the Williams sisters, and especially the exit of Serena. But other things did happen. Genie Bouchard advanced to the third round, as did Aga Radwanska, Angelique Kerber, Sam Stosur, Carla Suarez Navarro, Dominika Cibulkova, and Daniela Hantuchova. Gone are Flavia Pennetta and Karolina Pliskova. Sabine Lisicki is gone, too; she retired with a wrist injury.

9th seeds Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Safarova lost, as did 10th seeds Alla Kudryavtseva and Anastasia Rodionova.

And it's supposed to rain here all day tomorrow.

Charleston-bound

I'm leaving Sunday for Charleston, and will do my best, as always, to keep all of you up to date on what's happening at the Family Circle Cup. The withdrawals of Elena Vesnina, Heather Watson and Sara Errani are unfortunate (I especially wanted to see these players, too), but the good news is that both Andrea Petkovic and Caroline Wozniacki have been added to the list of entrants.

I'm very pleased to note that Daniel Ward will be the photographer for Women Who Serve in Charleston this year.

If any of you have questions about the tournament or the players, just post them here and I'll do my best to find the answers. Some rain is expected, but the weather should be pleasant throughout the week. For April in Charleston, anything less than a tornado is good weather!

Six former champions will be competing next week: Venus Williams, Jelena Jankovic, Serena Williams, Sabine Lisicki, Samantha Stosur, and Caroline Wozniacki.

Here are the top seeds:

1. Serena Williams
2. Caroline Wozniacki (replaces Errani)
3. Samantha Stosur
4. Sloane Stephens
5. Venus Williams
6. Lucie Safarova
7. Carla Suarez Navarro
8. Mona Barthel

Errani and Vinci a match away from Career Slam

Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci, whose doubles fame was somewhat eclipsed last year, are very much in the thick of things again and have reached the 2014 Wimbledon final. If they win it, they will have achieved a Career Slam since they already have titles at the Australian Open (two), the French Open and the U.S. Open.

Standing in their way are Timea Babos and the ever-pesky Kiki Mladenovic. Babos and Mladenovic, seeded 14th, defeated Andrea Petkovic and Magdalena Rybarikova today to reach the final. Errani and Vinci, the 2nd seeds, defeated 9th seeds Andrea Hlavackova and Zheng Jie.

Mladenovic and partner Daniel Nestor, the defending champions, are also still alive in mixed doubles, in which they have reached the semifinals.

In women's wheelchair doubles, the top seeds, Yui Kamiji and Jordanne Whiley, will compete for the title against the 2nd seeds, Jiske Griffioen and Aniek Van Koot.

In junior singles competition, the highest seed remaining, after the third round, is Tornado Alicia Black, who is seeded 3rd.

They call the wind Maria

Conditions were so windy at the U.S. Open today that players had to tone down their best shots, stay away from the lines, and deal with both with-the-wind and against-the-wind pressure. This seemed to do Jelena Jankovic in; however, I once saw Jankovic play expertly in post-tornado winds that were worse than what we saw in Flushing Meadows today. Granted, that court was slower, but that was also another Jankovic.

Today, Jankovic had to handle not only the wind, but also her opponent, Kaia Kanepi. The Tall One from Tallinn manged the wind, if not expertly, with considerably more control than Jankovic, and ran over her in a second set tiebreak. Kanepi, who was a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon, defeated the 4th seed 6-2, 7-6. To say that Jankovic has been "out of sorts" in this tournament would be to teeter on the brink of understatement. She's been rolling her eyes, yelling at the people in her box, and--more unusual (we are talking about JJ)--missing shots, even in good weather conditions, that are usually her keys to victory.

Top seed Caroline Wozniacki had an easy time of it--again--today, defeating Chan Yung-Jan 6-1, 6-0. Dominika Cibulkova  also had an easy match, defeating Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-0, 6-1.

And then there was Maria Sharapova, who blew Beatrice Capra over, 6-0, 6-0. The wind was really strong, of course, making the occasion especially difficult for Capra. Sharapova's next task is to play Wozniacki. Neither player has had any real difficulty so far; Sharapova's first match became easy when Jarmila Groth self-destructed.

Sharapova is seeded 16th, but the number--in this case--is not relevant. The 2006 champion appears to have overcome both her shoulder injury and her consequent service issues. Of course, under pressure, she could have problems again, and we won't know about that until she is standing across the net from Wozniacki. The two have played each other twice, and Sharapova won both matches in straight sets. However, these matches were played in 2008, and in tennis time, that's very old news. One thing is practically certain--the Sharapova-Wozniacki clash is going to be an exciting one.

Pliskova escapes trouble, Rybakina is upset, and the weather proves to be not too tough an opponent

Karolina Pliskova (photo by Daniel Ward)

Karolina Pliskova had to fight hard today to hold on to her place in the Credit One Charleston Open draw. Katarina Zavatska took the first set off of the 3rd seed, and led 5-3 in the second set. The players had to stop play at 3-2 in the second set yesterday because of rain, which only added to the drama. It took her two hours and 48 minutes, but Pliskova was able to end the match with a 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 victory. The Czech star missed the first two months of the season because of a right hand injury. For her part, Zavatska, who is from Ukraine, was out for six months because of a forearm injury.

Fifth seed Elena Rybanika was upset today by another Ukrainian player, Anhelina Kalinina, who defeated Rybanika 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. 

Madison Keys (photo by Daniel Ward)

Aryna Sabalenka (photo by Daniel Ward)

Top seed (and wild card) Aryna Sabalenka defeated Alison Riske 7-6, 6-4, 2nd seed Paula Badosa defeated Anna Bondar 6-1, 6-4, 6th seed Jessica Pegula defeated Jasmine Paolini, 9th seed Madison Keys defeated Ulrikke Eikeri 6-3, 6-1, and 10th seed Belinda Bencic defeated Linda Fruhvirtova 6-1, 7-6. Other seeds who won were Alize Cornet (12), Ajla Tomljanovic (14), and Amanda Anisimova (15). Lucky loser Coco Vandeweghe also won her match, Claire Liu upset 16th seed Zhang Shuai, and Kaia Kanepi won her match this evening.

Alize Cornet (photo by Daniel Ward)

Ekaterina Alexandrova advanced to the next round when her opponent, Zheng Qinwen, had to retire in the third set.

After the rain delay, things went well--until we were under a tornado warning. But--in keeping with a very fortunate Charleston tennis tradition--that warning turned into a watch, and the severe thunderstorm warning loomed over us, but nothing bad happened. After a break, late afternoon matches resumed.

Paula Badosa (photo by Daniel Ward)

Jankovic to play Serena Williams in Charleston final

(photo by Daniel Ward)

2007 Family Circle Cup champion Jelena Jankovic made it to her second Charleston final in six years today when she defeated Stefanie Voegele 6-4, 6-7, 6-2 in a semifinal that lasted over two hours, and in which the wind was often a factor. Jankovic is skilled at playing in the wind; she won her 2007 title in post-tornado high winds that had debris swirling around the court.

In today's match, Jankovic was broken straightaway, but she broke back, then broke again to take the lead. Voegele saved a set point, but lost the first set, though she saved a set point. The second set featured a more animated Voegele, who appeared to have settled into the match, much as she did last night after losing the first set. The Swiss player was broken in her service game, and then had two break points against Jankovic, but failed to convert either of them.

When Jankovic served for the match at 5-3 in the second set, she was broken when Voegele attacked her second serve. Voegele then held at love in her next service game. She had a break opportunity when Jankovic served at 4-5, but Jankovic saved it with a huge serve. What followed was the best rally of the set, with both players barely skimming the net. Jankovic held when Voegele hit a forehand down the line that went long.

(photo by Daniel Ward)

During the second set, Jankovic showed some anger when a ballboy just stood in a corner instead of giving her a towel. She gave the towel an angry toss back at him, and--still muttering--walked to her seat while the crowd vocalized their disapproval of her display of temper. Crowd support--which was divided prior to the towel incident--shifted sharply to Voegele.

At 5-6, Jankovic saved another break point, this time with a sharp forehand pass. Though still handling the wind better than her opponent, she was also forced to handle
Voegele's aggression. The Swiss player was in form by this time, and was hitting her backhand down the line (long known as Jankovic's signature shot) with the same accuracy she had hit it against Caroline Wozniacki the night before. Over and over, Voegele gave Jankovic a difficult ball to return, and then moved smoothly forward to put Jankovic's shot away--just as she had done against Wozniacki.

(photo by Daniel Ward)

The set proceeded to a tiebreak, which Voegele won, 8-6. Cheers erupted from the crowd. Not only had they begun to favor Voegele, but they were also getting a third set, which was a relief after the earlier semifinal match. As for Jankovic, she slumped into her seat (wicker sofas are used on court in Charleston), threw her head back against the cushion, and proceeded to look weary.

Jankovic broke in the first game of the final set. She also managed to get in another (short) tirade about the ball crew because they weren't getting the balls to her fast enough. After complaining to chair umpire Eva Asderaki, Jankovic won her first service game with her well-known backhand down-the-line. She then elevated her serve to the point that Voegele was left behind. All was forgiven at this point, as the Serb again received a lot of crowd support. The Swiss upstart would win only one more game, while Jankovic earned a spot in the final.

After the match, Jankovic said she had been angry with herself because she had lost control of her serve in the second set.

This was a great tournament for Stefanie Voegele, whose down-the-line shots and skillful net play earned the admiration of Charleston fans. Currently number 63 in the world, Voegele will have a much better ranking next week. In her press conference last night, she talked about her injuries, and how she had lost belief in herself. She said it took a lot of work, but eventually, she regained her confidence. Her Charleston performance can only boost that confidence some more.

Looking forward to Charleston--the good and not-so-good

There is a lot to be excited about regarding the upcoming Family Circle Cup. The 35th anniversary celebration going to be great, and having some of the past champions (we don't know which ones yet) hang around for a few days sounds wonderful. Also, we are expecting Maria Sharapova, Justine Henin, Jelena Jankovic, Serena Williams, Anna Chakvetadze, and Charleston's favorite, Patty Schnyder. Also entered are favorites like Katerina Srebotnik and Anabel Medina Garrigues, as well as a number of hot young players.

The down side is that there is now uncertainty over whether Elena Dementieva, Venus Williams, Sybille Bammer, and Vera Zvonareva will be there. All of them have withdrawn from Amelia Island. And of course, Nadia Petrova, Tatiana Golovin and Sam Stosur cannot be there because of injury and illness; all of them have withdrawn from Amelia Island. Unfortunately, Julia Vakulenko has also withdrawn.

Another disappointment for me is that, for the second year in a row, the Bondarenko sisters will not be in Charleston. And Flavia Pennetta, generally a delightful fixture at the Cup, has decided to play in Estoril this year instead. We will miss her; Pennetta's presence adds so much.

The weather forecast for the tournament has not been very good, but today, it changed, and if the current, revised forecast stays in place, the courts should be dry most of the time. However, if you plan to come to Daniel Island, you should know that the weather is very, very unpredictable. The first year I went, the nights were unbearably cold (because none of us had the appropriate clothing). The last couple of years, it has been quite chilly, but not freezing cold.

But it does get unbearably hot during the day, and for the last two years, there have been tornadoes in the area. In 2006, a tornado hit the stadium and bounced off of the Justine Henin banner--Justine saved the tournament! Last year, tornadoes hit the day of the finals, which were almost cancelled. Power went out, trees were blown down, and court conditions on Daniel Island were next to impossible, with all the wind and moisture. So if you plan to attend, please bring several layers of clothing, and make sure you being rain wear.

The tournament is expertly run, by the way, and very fan-friendly. The food is good, the bars are good, there is a lot of player access, everything runs on time, and even when things go wrong, tournament director Robin Reynolds finds a way to turn them around, as she did by organizing last year's "exhibition" match.

Here comes 2015, but Im not ready

Am I the only one having trouble getting a "feel" for the 2015 season?

Maybe it's because the 2014 season was a bit odd, maybe it's because I'm rather distracted these days. Or maybe it's because as I write this, I'm living under tornado and flash flood warnings. Whatever. I just don't feel quite ready for the Australian season. The fun part is that I really have no idea who will win the Australian Open.

I think there will be Azarenka drama. I think there will be Princess drama (well, there already is, isn't there?). There is no Li Na, but there is Serena. Yet Serena doesn't appear invincible like she used to. This is a big chance for Kvitova, and a better chance for Halep than some may think. But what of Sharapova? Ivanovic? Wozniacki? And the increasingly dangerous Makarova?

Heat is always a factor in Melbourne, so fitness (and a certain inborn tolerance of extreme heat) is key. The heat issue can be a bit of a mess. Ice, IV fluids and stretchers have all served as props at the Australian Open. Before the officials got rid of the Rebound Ace surface and replaced it with Plexicushion, rolled and sprained ankles were part and parcel of the event.

Meanwhile, action has begun in Brisbane, where Maria Sharapova is the top seed and Ana Ivanovic is the second seed. (And JJ is playing as I write!) Simona Halep and Petra Kvitova are the top two seeds in Shenzhen, and Caroline Wozniacki and Sara Errani are the top seeds in Auckland.

(And one wonders whether Lucie Safarova, competing in Perth, is serving cream cheese or Vegemite with that bagel.)

U.S. Open--what they said

She really made it happen. In that particular moment, she was tougher today. She was more consistent, and she deserved to win.

Victoria Azarenka

In the third set, Serena really found a way to calm down and restart from zero and quickly erase what happened.

Patrick Mouratoglu

If there was one player that you could meet and have a conversation with, maybe not even a hit with, somebody either on the tour now or who played before, who would that be?
Maybe like Federer. Yeah.
What would you ask him?
I don't know. I'd just be like, I love you.

Tornado Alicia Black

...I have never felt better. I feel really fit. I can play a tournament like this, singles, doubles, with tough, tough schedules. For the most part, I felt really good. You know, I haven't felt like this in a number of years. I'm excited about the possibilities. I don't know what can happen. I just keep playing and do the best that I can.

Serena Williams

...It hurts really bad. I'm not gonna lie. It hurts bad. But to just take the most positive out of that and, you know, see that light in the tunnel, as you can say, is good. I can see a lot of positive things from that. So I'm just gonna go back out and work my ass off, you know, to go and fight hard again, to put myself in this opportunity again.

Victoria Azarenka

You just said you stayed calm, but obviously the crowd were behind your opponent. How tough it gets for you to stay calm?
Well, it's always tough. I mean, she's American. I mean, that's normal. But somehow that gave me even more power to win, and I'm really happy that I had my team out there. They were like also loud for me, so, yeah.

Ana Konjuh

You handled Serena's serve pretty well for the most part all day. Were you happy with your own serve? Do you think the wind affected it?
Didn't help. Didn't help, for sure. You can always pinpoint what could have been better. I'm just trying to look overall. And, yes, I'm going to try to improve that particular aspect, because the gap between Serena's serve and my serve is pretty big. But I don't want to compare that because, you know, I think she has the best serve of all time, definitely. I'm just trying to find the way to raise my level on that.

Victoria Azarenka

What was particularly unique about this Grand Slam journey?
Well, I don't know. I just felt so good playing the doubles. I felt like it really was able to help me a lot in my singles matches. I was so focused these two and a half, three weeks really. I have just been so focused and so, you know, just really kind of crazy where I'm not losing, I'm never leaving my room and just really trying to stay in the zone and stay in the spirit. What's unique is just the fact of finally reaching number 5 at the Open, so that's pretty cool.

Serena Williams