Date Krumm wins in Toyota

Kimiko Date Krumm won another tournament yesterday--the $75,000+H in Toyota. She defeated Bojana Jovanovski 7-5, 6-2 in the final, and--along the way--she also defeated Marina Erakovic and Tammy Tanasugarn. Date Krumm was seeded number 2.

Quote of the week

"Because Prince [has] no money. Crisis. I know Prince give everything to Sharapova and no money anymore."

Nikolay Davydenko, on why he has no racquet endorsement

Williams receives fine and probation

As expected, Serena Williams has been levied a hefty fine--$82,500--for her behavior at the 2009 U.S. Open. In addition, Williams was put on a two-year probationary period. If she should commit another "major offense" at one of the four major tournaments within this period, she would be barred from the next U.S. Open, and her fine would be increased to $175,000.

Serena Williams hits most aces in 2009

Not surprisingly, world number 1 Serena Williams hit the most aces in the 209 season. Here are the top 10:

1. Serena Williams--346
2. Nadia Petrova--306
3. Samantha Stosur--277
4. Sabine Lisicki--243
5. Venus Williams--240
6. Alisa Kleybanova--215
7. Lucie Safarova--202
8. Flavia Pennetta--199
9. Magdalena Rybarikova--189
10. Svetlana Kuznetsova--186

Final decision on Serena Williams is close

The ITF's Grand Slam Committee is expected to deliver a final verdict on the Serena Williams U.S. Open incident very soon. Most sources of information close to the decision-making contend that Williams is not likely to be banned from the Australian Open; rather, she will face a heavy fine (the figure of $1,000,000 is being circulated) and also be levied a good behavior bond.

Other options include having Williams give back her U.S. Open prize money and take away her U.S. Open ranking points. The committee could also ban her from the 2010 U.S. Open.

The final recommendation will come from ITF Grand Slam administrator Bill Babcock, but the committee has to power to overturn his verdict.

Friday cat blogging--relaxing at home edition

Miscellany

Alexa Glatch will not be competing for a wild card into the Australian Open main draw, after all. The latest contenders announced are Julia Cohen and Ester Goldfield. One more contender will be announced at a later date.

Jarmila Groth has been granted Australian citizenship.

Yanina Wickmayer will know within four months whether the appeal of her one-year suspension is successful. One hopes that "within four months" will be sooner than later.

Sun Tiantian recently married, and there is speculation that she will retire soon.

The second BNP Paribas Showdown, better known as the Billie Jean King Cup, will be played March 1 in Madison Square Garden. The competitors are Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Kim Clijsters, and Svetlana Kuznetsova. Serena was last year's winner.

Miscellany

Svetlana Kuznetsova says she has outgrown the nickname "Kuzy."

Remember Samantha "Get those lesbians away from my daughter" Stevenson? Last week, she was acting out again, this time in Toronto.

Sony Ericsson is trying to turn things around.

WTA Backspin's final five of the list of Players of the Decade are now being revealed. Number 5 is Kim Clijsters and number 4 is Venus Williams.

Sabine Lisicki has some new photos on her Facebook page.

Patty Schnyder has a new website, which is currently under construction.

Friday cat blogging--songwriter edition

Ruano Pascual ends outstanding career

Virginia Ruano Pascual, one of the greatest doubles players of the Open era, is retiring. Ruano Pascual, who is 36 years old, holds 42 doubles titles and three singles titles on the tour. Ten of the Spanish player's women's doubles titles are majors, and eight of those were won in partnership with the great Argentine player, Paola Suarez.

Ruano Pascual won the French Open six times. The last two victories, in 2008 and 2009, she shared with countrywoman Anabel Medina Garrigues. Ruano Pascual also has a mixed doubles major title; she and Thomas Carbonell won the French Open in 2000.

Ruano Pascual played on the Spanish Fed Cup team a total of 14 years, and was on the Spanish Olympic team three times. "Vivi," as she is known to fans and friends, always made playing championship doubles look so easy. She and Suarez were known as much for their humor and enthusiasm as they were for their crack doubles skills.

Australian wild card playoff initial list published

The U.S. wild card playoffs for the Australian Open begin December 5. So far, entered in the playoffs are: Alexa Glatch, Madison Brengle, Christina McHale, Asia Muhammad, Alison Riske, and Coco Vangeweghe.

Last year's winner was Christina McHale, whose main draw experience turned out to be an unfortunate one.

Miscellany

The Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic just concluded; four former number 1 players were on hand to help Evert raise money for at-risk children. Evert, Martina Navratilova, Monica Seles, and Lindsay Davenport all participated.

Yanina Wickmayer has begun an appeal of her one-year suspension.

Virginia Ruano Pascual is expected to retire in the near future. The word is that her doubles partner, Anabel Medina Garrigues, will team with Caroline Wozniacki.

In case you were wondering...Sam Sumyk is still Vera Zvonareva's coach; he was just unable to accompany her during the last part of the season. Zvonareva is currently resting after having ankle surgery in Rotterdam.

ESPN is preparing a documentary on the rivalry between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova.

Who is Ms. Backspin for 2009? Find out here.

2009--a look back at a year of drama

At the end of last year, I called 2008 a "strange" season. 2009, however, was just as strange, if not more so. The year did not lack drama; in fact, there was too much of it. The U.S. Open alone provided enough drama to fill an entire season, but there was even more to come after the last ball was struck in Flushing Meadows.

There was quite a bit of coming and going: Larry "I don't sell sex" Scott resigned as CEO of the tour, and was succeeded by Stacey Allaster. Justine Henin announced her return to the tour, and U.S. Open semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer was given a one-year suspension for violating an anti-doping rule.

The perennially popular Ai Sugiyama retired, after enjoying a long and excellent career, and Maria Sharapova made a shaky, but hopeful, return after being out for months with shoulder problems. Then there was Kimiko Date Krumm, who punctuated her comeback by winning the Korea Open the day before her 39th birthday.

Some of the tour's best players had significant problems this year. Former world number 1 Dinara Safina continued to go to pieces in major finals, losing both the Australian Open and French Open, and losing the former in a spectacular fashion. Jelena Jankovic finally got everything just about right, including the addition of a very respectable first serve, but--for various reasons--didn't get beyond the quarterfinals of a major event. Ana Ivanovic, who won the 2008 French Open, continued to slide down the rankings.

Some players did especially well this year. Flavia Pennetta became the first Italian woman in the Open era to enter the top 10. And Caroline Wozniacki moved to the elite top 5 in the world and was a finalist at the U.S. Open. Wozniacki, who probably entered too many tournaments this season, nevertheless played very smart tennis against a variety of opponents.

Sabine Lisicki, whose entire season was filled with injury and illness, nevertheless stunned the crowds in Charleston when she won the tournament as the 16th seed. Lisicki defeated Venus Williams, Marion Bartoli and Caroline Wozniacki. After last year's superb 35th anniversary tournament, fans might have expected a letdown in 2009, but Lisicki's out-of-nowhere victory added a fresh layer of excitement. Lisicki, despite her physical problems, would go on to advance to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, but would then succumb to a bad case of match anxiety.

Also in 2009, some fans were able to watch more matches through the introduction of Tennis TV, the online service. I was able to see many matches I would not normally have been able to watch. At the same time, however, most of us lost the Wimbledon Live service, which was very disappointing. Both the U.S. Open and Tennis Channel sites offered several free online matches during the Open, which was a great addition.

Unfortunately, the general public may remember 2009 for the U.S. Open foot fault incident in which Serena Williams behaved in a menacing manner toward a line judge. Williams' failure to grasp the meaning of "apologize" was possibly topped by the behavior of both fans and members of the sports media, many of whom had not seen footage of the incident (including the foot fault). There was also a veritable festival of sexism and racism, directed equally at both Williams and the line judge. In short, a great number of people behaved in a disgusting manner, logic and reason went out the window, and narcissism and bigotry ruled.

And there was much more. Here are my own top 10 occurrences, in ascending order:

10. Shahar Peer is forbidden from playing in Dubai.
Dubai officials, fearing a fan boycott, denied a visa to Shahar Peer, who was entered in the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships. There was no boycott by anyone on the tour, and unofficial tour spokeswoman Venus Williams was somehow hailed as "brave" for saying that there would be no boycott, sponsors were important, etc. The officials of Tennis Channel, who showed no spine at all when they retained the openly misogynistic Justin Gimelstob, suddenly developed one and refused to broadcast the tournament. That was an admirable move, but it was topped by defending ATP champion Andy Roddick's withdrawal from the tournament because of the Peer ban.

9. The Williams sisters win three major doubles titles.
Serena and Venus Williams, who do not play doubles very often, won three of the four major titles this year. The sisters won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. They have now won ten major doubles titles, as well as two Olympic gold medals in doubles. They also hold a career grand slam in doubles.

8. A new Spanish team becomes a major force in doubles.
Though they had played together now and then, Spaniards Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez didn't become a committed team until this year. The next thing we knew, they were challenging the dominance of Black and Huber. Llagostera Vives and Martinez Sanchez won seven tournaments, including the Sony Ericsson Championships. To win that title, they defeated both the Williams sisters and Black and Huber.

7. Kuznetsova finally wins the French Open.
On paper, Svetlana Kuznetsova "should" have won the French Open long ago, but she was hampered by such details as a shaky mentality and Justine Henin. In 2009, though, she did it. Kuznetsova defeated then-world number 1 Dinara Safina to take her second major.

6. Dokic has a dream comeback run in Australia.
Jelena Dokic, one of Australia's "adopted daughters," had one of the most emotional runs I can recall at a major tournament. The former world number 4, off the tour for 3 1/2 years, received a wild card to the main draw of the Australian Open, and she used it to go all the way to the quarterfinals. Dokic, playing three sets each time, defeated Tamira Paszek, Anna Chakvetadze, Caroline Wozniacki, and Alisa Kleybanova. By the time she reached the quarterfinals, she was clearly exhausted, and lost to Dinara Safina. Neither woman played well, but Dokic--who had considerable chances--simply ran out of steam. The backstory involving the abuse Dokic had endured from her father, and her emotional recovery, added to the high emotion of this wonderful run.

5. 2009 U.S. Open--Oudin def. Russia
Nicknamed "Little Miss Upset," Melanie Oudin knocked out four tall and formidable Russians--Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, U.S. Open Series winner Elena Dementieva, Maria Sharapova, and Nadia Petrova--in a row, to get to the U.S. Open quarterfinals. She did it the hard way, too, coming from behind over and over, and providing delectable thrills for fans both in Flushing Meadows and at home. Part of the excitement, of course, had to do with the fact that an American not named "Williams" was putting on such a great show. But there was more to it than that: Oudin is only five and a half feet tall, which--in pro tennis--is considered a major liability. And then there were those shoes, and that almost indomitable spirit. I say "almost" because when she played under the lights in the quarterfinals, Oudin finally caved to the pressure--and to a very clever Caroline Wozniacki. Still, it was a run that will never be forgotten.

4. Italy wins Fed Cup.
While I'm on the subject of defeating Russia, Oudin wasn't the only one who had a go at the Russian players. Italy, having defeated France 5-0 in the Fed Cup quarterfinals, enjoyed a 4-1 victory over the defending champions and dominant Fed Cup team. The Italian team then went on to defeat the USA 4-0 in the final, and to become the number 1 ranked country in the world. When it comes to Fed Cup, no one is more fun to watch than Flavia Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone. And the doubles team of Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci is top-notch, too.

3. Serena Williams wins 2 majors and the SEC.
After all these years, who is still winning the big titles? Serena, of course. This year, Williams won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the Sony Ericsson Championships. She didn't win any other titles, which is interesting, but in the majors, she dominated.

2. Clijsters puts the "back!" in "comeback.
For so many years, Kim Clijsters struggled--usually against Justine Henin--to win major titles. Then she went away, had a baby, came back, and beat the likes of Marion Bartoli, Li Na, both Williams sisters, and a red-hot Caroline Wozniacki, to win her second U.S. Open. In a tournament already filled with drama of every sort, Clijsters' amazing comeback victory was a moment of very high drama, not just for tennis, but for all women's sports.

1. 2009 Wimbledon semifinals--Williams def. Dementieva, 6-7, 7-5, 8-6
"Instant classic" doesn't begin to describe the 2-hour-and-49-minute extravaganza that was the Serena Williams-Elena Dementieva Wimbledon semifinal. The longest women's semifinal in Wimbledon history, this match had just about everything--brilliant shot-making, big serving, constant changes of momentum, significant netcord points, and some tense challenges. There was a hardly a moment that didn't provide precision, artistry, excitement--or all three. Each woman elevated her game to such an extent that almost every groundstroke or volley seemed more important than the last. Williams would go on to defeat her sister, the defending champion, and win the tournament.

Friday cat blogging--rare moment edition

Tarzan and Roxie aren't exactly the best of friends, but sometimes, when they're really tired, they wind up sharing bed space.

Raymond and Stubbs, together again...

As you always wanted to see them.

Recently, a reader tipped me off to the rumor of a Raymond/Stubbs reunion, but I didn't want to say anything until I had confirmation. Was this inevitable, or is it just what comes of another big turnover in women's doubles?

For those who are new to women's tennis, or who have just stopped keeping up with doubles, here is the short version:

In 2000, Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs won the Australian Open, the first of three majors they would win as a team. They also won the 2001 Sony Ericsson Championships. After the team split, Raymond played with various partners, then settled on Sam Stosur, with whom she also won a number of titles, including two majors.

In the meantime, Stubbs played with various partners, then formed a stable team with Cara Black. They won six titles, including Wimbledon. Stubbs then played with Kveta Peschke, and they won four titles.

At the beginning of 2009, Stosur announced that she and Stubbs would play doubles together, but only during the Australian season. That idea went out the window, and they remained a team all year. Raymond then teamed with Peschke, but then Peschke sustained a serious injury and could not play for much of the season. Stosur and Stubbs did not win any titles, but they qualified for the Sony Ericsson Championships.

The word is that Stosur, a very accomplished doubles player, wants to concentrate on singles now that she has finally made a singles breakthrough. I have no word yet on her doubles schedule.

"We’re both on the same page, trying to be aggressive, and when we’re both in at the net it’s pretty hard to get the ball through us or around us because most people would consider us two of the better volleyers in the world," says Stubbs.

They won't get any disagreement about that.

Wickmayer not talking about possible appeal

Yanina Wickmayer spoke with the press today, but evaded the question of whether she will appeal her one-year suspension. Given that the Belgian anti-doping tribunal prosecutor recommended she get a warning for violating the ADAMS "whereabouts" rule, most observers think Wickmayer would have a good chance if she appealed the decision. Perhaps she has not made up her mind, or perhaps her attorneys have advised her to not talk about her decision.

Wickmayer said that anti-doping officials are "are not really conscious of what this means for my future."

When she received the suspension, Wickmayer explained that she had had problems using her password when she tried to alert anti-doping officials of her whereabouts. Now--at least according to the not always reliable Associated Press--she is saying she was not sufficiently educated about the process.

Most of us, I think, are sympathetic to Wickmayer's plight. A year's suspension is very harsh, and also very suspicious, coming on the heels of Andre Agassi's "I took crystal meth and lied" world tour. But Wickmayer does need to take some responsibility; no one else has complained about not being educated about the rule. Also--probably because she is young and perhaps does not have sufficient guidance--Wickmayer does not appear to realize that having password problems does not mean that one stops trying to contact the anti-doping authorities.

I hope Wickmayer appeals, I hope she wins, and I hope she learns that she is ultimately responsible for abiding by the rules, no matter how silly some of them are.

Living in Slump City

Players get into slumps for various reasons, some physical, some mental, some emotional, and maybe even some that defy explanation. A number of players are in some type of slump as the season ends, and fans hope that off-season training and/or relaxation will remedy the situation:

Relative Slumps

Dinara Safina: It may sound strange to describe a world number 2 as being in a "slump," but she is. Safina went from winning big tournaments but not winning any of the majors to not even winning the big tournaments. She's been living with a back injury, which has contributed to her decline. Her mental issue with the finals of majors could only feed on themselves, and one wonders what Safina has to do to get back on top.

Jelena Jankovic: Her fans have waited a long time for to finally put everthing together. This year--even more than 2008--she did, by significantly improving her first serve. But she returned from her off-season with a bulked-up body that made her movement (and Jankovic's movement is her greatest gift) sluggish, so she had to drop the weight, get a new fitness coach, and re-train. Then her mother became seriously ill, a fact which preoccupied her for months. Finally, she won Cincinnati, and looked good for the U.S. Open, but during that tournament, her grandmother died, which (understandably) distracted her.

Jelena's plight, sadly, makes me think of Roseanne Roseannadanna: "It's always something."


All-out slumps

Ana Ivanovic: What happened here? She had some injury issues, and then she never really came back to where she was when she won the French Open in 2008. Ivanovic always sounds hopeful about her career, but opponents now see her as someone they can beat.

Agnes Szavay: Szavay's 2008 slump was probably the biggest on the tour. Things got a bit better this year, but not consistently so. Szavay was once considered one of the most promising young players on the tour, but something has happened.

Yan and Zheng: Zheng Jie's injuries have taken a big toll on this team, which--just a couple of years ago--was winning big. She and Yan Zi are playing more these days, and we can only hope that in 2010, they return to the elite section of doubles players.

Alize Cornet: Cornet looked to be a real talent, at least on clay, but her performances have been lackluster this season.

Kaia Kanepi: Just when Kanepi was getting noticed, she went into a major slump, and has yet to show signs of getting out of it.

Anabel Medina Garrigues: The Spaniard had a poor season, and did not even do as well as usual in doubles. This was a surprise to me, and I have no idea what caused it.

Daniela Hantuchova: Hantuchova's comeback a few years ago was most impressive, but things haven't gone as planned. She has always had issues in big matches (like our next player), but now she is struggling to compete at the high level which formerly defined her game.


Not exactly slump:

Patty Schnyder: Schnyder, a player who--in my opinion--never reached her considerable potential, has finally started her slide down the rankings. To the delight of many, however, she had some very good wins in the latter part of the season, proving that perhaps she isn't done yet. And, playing with Anna-Lena Groenefeld, she's had a solid doubles career lately. In general, though, I think we are looking at the winding down of an excellent, if frustrating, career.

Vera Zvonareva: It's not easy to slump in your biggest year on tour, but thanks to a terrible injury she sustained in Charleston, Zvonareva has done just that. She continues to have trouble with her ankle, and her emotional issues--of which she had taken control--have crept in again. Zvonareva said, not that long ago, that she had learned to let her anger out and then move on, but ever since the U.S. Open, there appears to have been a regression. Nevertheless, I don't think any of the emotional untangling would have occurred if the talented Russian had not seen her best season ruined by an injury.

Zvonareva had arthroscopic ankle surgery in Rotterdam this week, and should be back on the court in four or five weeks. One hopes she can take up where she left off right before the Charleston incident.

Jelena Dokic: Dokic's Australian Open run filled fans with hope, but the comeback player became exhausted and ill, and had problems competing. The good news is that lately, she has been doing extremely well in challengers. If she can stay healthy, she has a chance to make 2010 a good season.


Beyond slump:

Amelie Mauresmo: Mauresmo may retire at the end of this season. Despite winning in Paris during the early part of the season, she has had another disappointing year, and it is probably time, or nearly time, for her to move on to her next career.

Michaella Krajicek: Krajicek's career has been plagued with injury. Just when she gets it going, she gets hurt. Some players are just like that. At this point, after so many tries, it's hard to imagine Krajicek in the mix.

Nicole Vaidisova: Vaidisova, in case you're wondering, still travels with the tour--the other tour. She is often seen at ATP tournaments where Radek Stepanek plays, but we don't see her much anymore in matches of her own. An acquaintance of the Czech player said earlier this year that Vaidisova is constitutionally incapable of engaging in competition, and that explanation was good enough for me.

Miscellany

WTA Backspin's list of the top 25 best players of the last decade now includes players 6-10.

Serena Williams has set a goal of winning an Olympic gold medal in 2012 (via On the Baseline).

2010 will be Pilot Pen's last season to sponsor the U.S. Open Series tournament in New Haven. The tournament is looking for a new sponsor.

In clarifying her remarks about Andre Agassi, Martina Navratilova makes it clear that she does not think players should be penalized for using recreational drugs.

On a similar subject, Sony Ericsson WTA Tour CEO Stacey Allaster has called for some changes to be made in the ADAMS "whereabouts" rule. Her remarks come in response to the one-year suspension of Yanina Wickmayer. Wickmayer's countrywoman Kim Clijsters referred to the suspension as "extremely harsh."

Sharapova enters Family Circle Cup

Maris Sharapova has entered the 2010 Family Circle Cup in Charleston. Sharapova played in Charleston in 2008, during the tournament's 35th anniversary, and was defeated in the quarterfinals by eventual champion Serena Williams. She also made it to the first round as a qualifier in 2003, when she was 15 years old.

Sharapova, ranked number 14 in the world, is the second player to enter the tournament, which will be held April 10-18 on Daniel Island. Melanie Oudin was the first to enter.

Last year's Cup was awarded to Sabine Lisicki, who--seeded 16th--defeated Venus Williams, Marion Bartoli and Caroline Wozniacki.

Italy!

Italy won the 2009 Fed Cup today, and in doing so, became number 1 in the world in ITF rankings for the first time in history. The Italian team of Flavia Pennetta, Francesca Schiavone, Sara Errani, and Roberta Vinci defeated the USA 4-0 to take the title. Even more impressive--the Italians defeated Russia 4-1 to get to the final. Prior to that, they also took France out of the competition with a 5-0 score.

Yesterday, Pennetta defeated Alexa Glatch and Schiavone defeated Melanie Oudin. Today, Pennetta defeated Oudin 7-5, 6-2, which gave Italy the win. It was the fourth time that Pennetta has scored the winning point in a Fed Cup tie.

The fourth singles rubber was skipped, and the doubles match was played as a dead rubber. Italy won that, too, defeating Liezel Huber and Vania King 4-6, 6-3, 11-9.

To me, Schiavone and Pennetta are Fed Cup. There is nothing quite like the attitude they bring to every event, and Schiavone in particular captures the spirit of Fed Cup like no one else.

Some special Fed Cup awards were also presented today. Mary Joe Fernandez, USA Fed Cup captain, and Silvia Farina, who has the most Italian Fed Cup wins in history, were given the Fed Cup Award of Excellence today. The award is presented by the ITF Hall of Fame & Museum and the ITF.

Fernandez, a member of the winning 1996 USA Fed Cup team, coached the USA to its first final in six years. Farina played on nine Italian teams, and recorded 23 Fed Cup victories.

On Thursday, Melanie Oudin was presented with the inaugural Fed Cup BNP Paribas Heart Award. The new award recognizes "a player who has represented her country with distinction, shown exceptional courage on court and demonstrated outstanding commitment to the team during Fed Cup by BNP Paribas." Oudin was selected by fans to be the first recipient. She was given a silver bracelet and $5,000 to donate to the cause of her choice. Oudin gave the money to Children's at Egleston, the hospital where her younger sister had open-heart surgery.

Tennis Channel reaches new depths of sexism

Tennis Channel has a series called "Best of Five." This series includes the five biggest upsets, five worst calls, five best one-slam wonders, etc. This morning, for the first (and only) time, I saw "Five Best Breakups." Rated at number 3 was "black widow" Martina Hingis, whose ATP romantic partners' careers tended to dive after they became involved with her. Of course, with the exception of Radek Stepanek, she was not involved with players who had especially high rankings, anyway.

I don't have any problem with the whole "black widow" thing. It's mildly amusing (though I can think of tennis breakups more deserving of being in the top five--the other breakups all involved parnters, coaches, etc.). But Tennis Channel, just like Tennis magazine, made the segment all about how Hingis "went through men" on the tour. Not only did she "go through" a "lot" of men--she was a "good date" because she "took care" of them.

In short, the segment is a disgusting piece of sexism. So Hingis dated men on the tour. So she had sex with them--oh, no!--that makes her a slut, doesn't it? Because that's close to what Tennis Channel (and Tennis) said. But she gets a bit of a pass because she "took care" of them.

Sexism aside for a moment, it's only logical that tennis players are likely to date one another; it's not like they have time to hang out in their hometowns and meet romantic partners socially. There are several men on the ATP Tour who date women on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, and there are a few who dated several WTA players, but the sports media does not crudely imply that they are trashy and indecent, or announce that they "go through a lot of women."

The fact that--with regard to the sexual double standard (and all gender double standards)--nothing has changed since the 1950s is maddening. Tennis Channel should be ashamed, but hey--we're talking about the organization that kept Justin Gimelstob on its payroll.

Rezai wins CommonwealthBank Tournament of Champions

How surprised was I when I woke up this morning and read that Marion Bartoli had retired in the CommonwealthBank Tournament of Champions final in Bali?

Not at all.

This is the story of Bartoli's career--get some momentum, and then sustain an injury. In this case, it was her thigh, which began troubling her toward the end of the first set. Rezai won that set 7-5, and then Bartoli retired. I have written extensively for a long time about Bartoli's injury problems, so I won't address that issue here.

Aravane Rezai is a player who has endured some unpleasant times on the tour. She survived those times, and it is really nice to see her win a title that carries some prestige. Rezai is a big hitter, and this has been a really good season for her. She won her first tour title in Strassbourg, and she also reached the round of 16 at the French Open.

Italy 2-0 in Fed Cup final

Flavia Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone won their matches against the USA in Reggio Calabria today, giving Italy a 2-0 lead in the 2009 Fed Cup final. Pennetta defeated Alexa Glatch 6-3, 6-1, and Schiavone defeated Melanie Oudin 7-6, 6-2.

I didn't see the match between Pennetta and Glatch, but I did see about 2/3 of the other match. Oudin--though she dropped a 4-2 lead--looked good in what I saw of the first set; my understanding is that she was rattled by a rain delay that occurred earlier. In the second set, she made too many unforced errors to have any real momentum, and her ability to move on a clay court is clearly a liability when playing someone like Schiavone.

Pennetta will play Oudin in the third rubber. Italy needs one more win to take the title.

All-French final in Bali

Top seed Marion Bartoli defeated Kimiko Date Krumm 6-1, 6-3 today to advance to the final of the CommonwealthBank Tournament of Champions in Bali. Bartoli, who played a clean match, hit seven aces, and had a 78 first serve win percentage.

Her opponent will be countrywoman Aravane Rezai, who defeated Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-2, 6-3. Rezai, with an 82 first serve win percentage, kept her errors low and thrived on hitting winners throughout the match.

Fed Cup final draw announced

The 2009 Fed Cup final, featuring team USA and team Italy, takes place this weekend on a clay court in Reggio Calabria, in southern Italy. After completing the draw ceremony, the players had their photos taken and did some buffet dining, and they are now ready for the main event:

Round 1: Flavia Pennetta vs. Alexa Glatch
Round 2: Francesca Schiavone vs. Melanie Oudin
Round 3: Flavia Pennetta vs. Melanie Oudin
Round 4: Francesca Schiavone vs. Alexa Glatch
Round 5: Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci vs. Liezel Huber/Vania King

In case you are not that familiar with Fed Cup, here are some things you should know:

• The USA has a 9-0 head-to-head record against Italy in Fed Cup play.
• Italians are clay court specialists; North Americans are not.
• Roberta Vinci has a 13-0 doubles win record in Fed Cup play.
• Flavia Pennetta has had some injury issues lately.
• Melanie Oudin is probably under as much pressure as we think she is under.
• Francesca Schiavone has been known to turn into an Italian Superwoman in Fed Cup matches.
• Alexa Glatch won both of her matches against the Czech Republic earlier this season.
• The team captains may make substitutes, provided official rules are followed.
  

Bali semifinals to be played tomorrow

Top seed Marion Bartoli, who represents Group A, increased her Bali round robin record to 2-0 today, which puts her into the semifinals. Bartoli defeated Shahar Peer 6-3, 6-2.

In Group B, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez got a ticket to the semifinals when she defeated Sam Stosur, 7-6, 7-5.

In Group C, Vera Dushevina defeated Anabel Medina Garrigues, which gives Medina Garrigues a 0-2 record. However, Dushevina--who, as an alternate, replaced Yanina Wickmayer--does not get Wickmayer's one win to count as part of her record, so she is out of the running. Kimiko Date Krumm has a 1-1 record and goes to the semifinals.

Group D's winner today was Sabine Lisicki, who defeated Melinda Czink 6-2, 6-7, 6-4. The semifinalist from that group is Aravane Rezai.

Here are the standings, after three rounds:

GROUP A
Bartoli: 2-0
Peer: 1-1
Rybarikova: 0-2

GROUP B
Stosur: 1-1
Martinez Sanchez: 2-0
Szavay: 0-2

GROUP C
Wickmayer: 1-0
(Dushevina: 1-0)
Medina Garrigues: 0-2
Date Krumm: 1-1

GROUP D
Lisicki: 1-1
Czink: 0-2
Rezai: 2-0

In the semifinals, Bartoli will play Date Krumm, and Rezai will play Martinez Sanchez.

Friday cat blogging--That's what friends are for edition

Wickmayer gets 1-year suspension

Just a little over a week ago, I reported that Yanina Wickmayer was unlikely to be suspended for violating the anti-doping "whereabouts rule." Though a warning was recommended by the Belgian anti-doping tribunal prosecutor, the tribunal voted in favor of a one-year suspension.

The International Tennis Federation reported today that it had not received written notification from the Belgian tribunal about the suspension, and therefore could not comment on it.

Wickmayer, who is playing in the CommonwealthBank Tournament of Champions in Bali this week, was told that the suspension begins immediately, but that she may appeal it, which she intends to do. The Belgian has maintained for some time that she attempted to make her whereabouts known to anti-doping authorities, but the computer password system malfunctioned. Registered mail sent to her house could not be opened because she was traveling and could not sign for it.

Rezai successful in Bali

Aravane Rezai, who defeated Sabine Lisicki earlier this week at the CommonwealthBank Tournament of Champions, defeated Melinda Czink today. Rezai's 6-3, 7-5 victory in Group D puts her into the semifinals.

In Group A, Shahar Peer defeated Magdalena Rybarikova 6-1, 7-6. This was Rybarikova's second loss in as many rounds. In Group B, the winner was Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, who defeated Agnes Szavay. And in Group D, Kimiko Date Krumm defeated Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-4, 6-3.

Here are the standings so far:

GROUP A
Bartoli: 1-0
Peer: 1-0
Rybarikova: 0-2

GROUP B
Stosur: 1-0
Martinez Sanchez: 1-0
Szavay: 0-2

GROUP C
Wickmayer: 1-0
Medina Garrigues: 0-2
Date Krumm: 1-1

GROUP D
Lisicki: 0-1
Czink: 0-1
Rezai: 2-0

Bartoli succeeds in 1st day round robin play in Bali

Top seed Marion Bartoli, a member of the CommonwealthBank Tournament of Champions Group A, began her tournament well today with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Magdalena Rybarikova.

In Group B, Samantha Stosur defeated Agnes Szavay 6-2, 3-6, 6-1. Stosur hit 10 aces; Szavay, unfortunately, double-faulted 12 times.

The winner in Group C was Yanina Wickmayer, who defeated wild card Kimiko Date Krumm 7-5, 6-3. And in Group D, Aravane Rezai defeated wild card Sabine Lisicki 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. Lisicki is also seeded 4th in competition.

Tomorrow's competition:

Group A: Shahar Peer vs. Magdalena Rybarikova
Group B: Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez vs. Agnes Szavay
Group C: Anabel Medina Garrigues vs. Kimiko Date Krumm
Group D. Melinda Czink vs. Aravane Rezai

2010 season doubles pairings a bit of a mystery

In her Doha blog, Liezel Huber hints that big changes are in store for doubles teams next season. Of course, that really wouldn't be anything new--for various reasons, many players change doubles partners quite a bit. A few players have consistent partners, and some--like Gisela Dulko--have more than one partner, and rotate, depending on the tournament.

Huber says that she will remain with Cara Black, and I think we all know that the Williams sisters will also remain a team. Katarina Srebotnik lost her partner, Ai Sugiyama, to retirement, and will play with Kveta Peschke next season. Peschke has been out for a long time with injury (like Srebotnik, until recently), so her 2009 partner, Lisa Raymond, has done without her for the past several tournaments. It is unknown right now who Raymond's new partner is; she has not revealed the name, as far as I know.

Will Sam Stosur and Rennae Stubbs continue to play together? They were supposed to have been a team for the 2009 Australian season only, but they stayed together for the year, and did well. Alicia Molik is back in the mix, too. She did well in the past with Svetlana Kuznetsova, who has been playing doubles only at major tournaments, and always with Amelie Mauresmo. Right now, Mauresmo's plans are unknown.

One can safely predict that Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez will stay together, and--if Virginia Ruano Pascual continues to play--that she and Anabel Medina Garrigues will stay together. Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Patty Schnyder did well this year, as did Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Nadia Petrova, but there is no word as to whether these teams will compete next season.

I miss the team of Chan Yung-Jan and Chuang Chia-Jung. Yan Zi and Zheng Jie, though still together, have faded from the spotlight for various reasons, and I haven't heard whether they will be playing together next season.

Miscellany

Unless the proposed expansion of Roland Garros takes place soon, there are threats to move the French Open.

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and Sony Ericsson are approaching a contract extension deadline, but no agreement has been reached. This comes as no surprise, considering how poorly Sony Ericsson has fared lately.

World number 1 Serena Williams has set a single-season prize money record. In 2009, she was paid $6.5 million.

Chris Bowers and Craig Gabriel are on Fed Cup Radio now, hosting a show that previews the 2009 Fed Cup final.

Laura Robson will team with Andy Murray to represent Great Britain in Hopman Cup competition.

Bali draw announced

The singles draw has been completed for the CommonwealthBank Tournament of Champions, which begins Wednesday in Bali. Round robin play will occur in four groups, as follows:

GROUP A

Marion Bartoli

Shahar Peer

Magdelena Rybarikova

GROUP B

Samantha Stosur

Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez

Agnes Szavay

GROUP C

Yanina Wickmayer

Anabel Medina Garrigues

Kimiko Date Krumm

GROUP D

Sabine Lisicki

Melinda Czink

Aravane Rezai

Bartoli is the top seed; Date Krumm and Lisicki have wild cards.

The composition of the groups is causing me to slightly warm up to this tournament, whose existence I oppose, simply because I think the Sony Ericsson Championships should be it. I also think that scheduling the Bali tournament after Doha erodes and compromises the meaning of the SEC. (And on a more personal note, I resented the SEC being changed to the week I take my vacation.)

Dokic wins 100k tournament in France

Jelena Dokic defeated Sofia Arvidsson 6-4, 6-4 today in Poitiers to win the 100k tournament there. Also entered were Dominika Cibulkova, Alla Kudryavtseva and Michaella Krajicek.

Bien hecho!

Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez had never before been to the Sony Ericsson Championships. It was only this year, in fact, that they began playing together exclusively. Yesterday, they defeated Serena and Venus Williams in the semifinals, and their opponents in today's final were Cara Black and Liezel Huber, who make up the number 1 team in the world.

Llagostera Vives and Martinez Sanchez won, 7-6, 5-7, 10-7, and the first set tiebreak score was 7-0. This very big title is the seventh of the season for the Spanish team. It would have been impressive enough to have defeated either the Williams sisters or Black and Huber: Llagostera Vives and Martinez Sanchez defeated them both, making for a memorable championship.

Serena wins Sony Ericsson Championships

The world number 1 put some impressive icing on the cake today when she defeated her sister, Venus, also the defending champion, in the final of the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha. Serena won in straight sets--6-2, 7-6--to take her second SEC title.

It took Serena just over half an hour to win the first set, but the second set was very competitive. Serena had a 5-1 lead in the tiebreak, Venus took it to 4-5, but Serena was able to win with a three-point lead.

Serena Williams had already regained her number 1 ranking, but winning in Doha certainly puts some emphasis on her status on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.