Family Circle Cup day 1--Wow!

Gisela Dulko put on a clay court clinic in her first round match

The first match we saw today was a contest between Gisela Dulko and Alicia Molik, and Dulko was very impressive with great serving and the use of clever clay court strategy. So expertly did Dulko play that Molik was left with virtually nothing but her good serve, and today, Dulko's serve was just as good. Dulko def. Molik, 6-2, 6-3

Then we saw Yuliana Fedak take on Agnes Szavay. Fedak is a player I like to watch, both for her tennis and her court personality. "Ai-yi-yi-yi--come on, come on" is her ritualistic chant before serving, and sometimes before receiving, too. She was clueless in the first set and was bageled, but in the second, Fedak brought her game up to an entirely different level, hitting deep, accurate groundstrokes and serving quite well. Her second serve--unlike Szavay's--was very good, and she hit some impressive passing shots. But in the end, Szavay prevailed. Unfortunately, Fedak and her partner lost their doubles match, too. Szavay def. Fedak, 6-0, 7-6

Finally, we saw Agnieszka Radwanska play Marta Domachowska. I was really looking forward to this match, and it more than met my expectations. Whoever plays in the final will have to put on quite a show to top what went on this afternoon between the two Polish women on the Althea Gibson Club Court. Both women hit breathtaking groundstrokes, and both served extremely well. Domachowska was strong on both sides, and Radwanska used the defensive lob successfully over and over. There was also some good volleying. I was cheering for Domachowska and was disappointed when she lost, but it was so close--a point here and a point there made the difference. When the 2008 Family Circle Cup is over and done, I may still think that this was the best match of all. Radwanska def. Domachowska, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3

We watched Patty Schnyder and Virginia Ruano Pascual practice, and we saw Serena Williams on the grounds, going to and from her practice session. We also watched Elena Dementieva hit with Anastasia Rodionova for a while. The wind picked up now and then, making the stadium grounds very chilly, and some spectators had on jackets.

We saw a few nice tennis outfits today. Vania King was once again dressed in something really different--a pastel floral/tropical dress with orange trim. She looked nice. And the always well-dressed Yuliana Fedak was wearing a fitted hot pink T with a navy skirt with free-form hot pink diagonal stripes. However...

The tennis outfit of the day nod goes to Gisela Dulko, looking chic and classic in a pale aqua fitted polo with white trim and a pleated white skirt.