Dulko wins Mexican Open

She did it the hard way, but Gisela Dulko defeated 6th seed Arantxa Parra Santonja today to win the Acapulco final. Dulko, seeded 4th at the tournament, took the first set 6-3 and quickly went up 5-1 in the second, and served for the match, only to have Parra Santonja stage a comeback that resulted in a tiebreak, won by Dulko. Both players struggled with their serves. Dulko is one of those players who has a really good serve--when it's working. Today, it gave her trouble, but she was nevertheless able to win her fourth singles title. The Argentine player is ranked number 1 in the world in doubles.

Parra Santonja took home the runner-up trophy in doubles, too. She and partner Lourdes Dominguez Lino were defeated 3-6, 6-1, 10-4 in the final by Mariya Koryttseva and Ioana Raluca Olaru.

Parra Santonja to play in both Acapulco finals

Arantxa Parra Santonja, the 6th seed in Acapulco, has reached the final by defeating Johanna Larsson 6-2, 6-0 in the semifinals. Her opponent will be 4th seed Gisela Dulko, who defeated Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-0, 6-2.

With partner Lourdes Dominguez Lino, Parra Santonja has also reached the final in doubles. Dominguez Lino and Parra Sontonja will play Mariya Koryttseva and Ioana Raluca Olara.

Schiavone and Li both upset in Doha 2nd round

Lucky loser Klara Zakopalova reached the quarterfinals of the Qatar Ladies Open today when she upset 4th seed Li Na 6-2, 6-1. 3rd seed Francesca Schiavone was also defeated in the first round, by qualifier Peng Shuai. Peng will play Marion Bartoli in the quarterfinals, so fans will have an opportunity to see a pair of two-handers compete against one another. Bartoli defeated 8th seed Shahar Peer, who won only one game, and who never saw one break opportunity in the match.

Top seed Caroline Wozniacki will play her quarterfinal match against Flavia Pennetta, who defeated Lucie Safarova for the first time today in the second round. She is now 1-3 against Safarova.

In Acapulco, the number 1 seed, Julia Goerges, was upset today by Anabel Medina Garrigues.

Venus defends her title in Acapulco

It wasn't exactly smooth going for Acapulco defending champion Venus Williams for much of this year's tournament. Pushed hard in the quarterfinals and the semifinals, she was pushed again--at least for a time--in the final. But Polona Hercog's serve deserted her often enough for Williams to move in and claim the title again. Her 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory gives her not only consecutive wins in Mexico, but also back-to-back consecutive wins, since she also defended her Dubai title last week.

"Never count out a Williams sister" is, as always, a good rule. Credit also, to Hercog. The world number 60 took out the 2nd seed and reached her first tour final. She and partner Barbora Zahlavova Strycova also won the doubles championship. Hercog and Zahlavova Strycova defeated clay court specialists Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci 2-6, 6-1, 10-2.

Williams and Hercog to meet in Acapulco final

Defending champion Venus Williams defeated Edina Gallovits 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 today, and will get a chance to defend her Acapulco title against first-time Polona Hercog. Hercog, seeded 8th, defeated 5th seed Carla Suarez Navarro 6-3, 7-5.

In doubles, both top teams were upset in the semifinals. Sara Errani and Roberta Vince took out first seeds Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka, and will play Hercog and her partner Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, the 4th seeds. Hercog and Zahlavova defeated 2nd seeds Vladamira Uhlirova and Renata Voracova.

Semifinals set in Acapulco

Here is the semifinal draw for Acapulco:

Venus Williams vs. Edina Gallovits
Carla Suarez Navarro vs. Polona Hercog

Williams had to work for almost two hours and twenty minutes to obtain her 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 score against Laura Pos Tio, who is making somewhat of a statement in her return to the tour. Pous Tio, in fact, was up 5-1 in the third set. She failed to hold when she served for the match at 5-3, and was finally broken in a very long game at 5-all.

Agnes Szavay had to retire during her quarterfinal match against Hercog because of a left adductor strain.

Errani and Vinci upset in Acapulco

Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci, seeded 6th and 7th in Acapulco, were both eliminated from competition today. Edina Gallovits defeated Errani 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, and qualifier Laura Pous Tio defeated Vinci 6-3, 6-2.

Errani and Vinci are partners in doubles, and have advanced to the semifinals.

Acapulco semifinals set for Friday

It took Venus Williams three sets to put away Agnes Szavay (6-2, 5-7, 6-1), and she is now into the semifinals of the Albierto Mexicano TELCEL in Acapulco. Her opponent will be Barbora Zahlavova Strycov, who defeated Maret Ani in the quarterfinals. The other semifinal will feature defending champion Flavia Pennetta and Iveta Benesova. Pennetta defeated Petra Cetkovska, and Benesova defeated Mathilde Johansson.

Fun In Acapulco--maybe not for Venus

Venus Williams struggled in her first round at the Abierto Mexicano TELCEL tournament, but did defeat Nuria Llagostera Vives, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. Llagostero Vives broke Williams' serve four times. Yesterday, she struggled again, this time with Greta Arn, who broke her serve only three times, but kept her on the court for two hours and forty-three minutes. Williams won the match, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4.

Next for Williams is Agnes Szavay, who has been struggling to play every opponent she sees for some time now. A lucky loser, Szavay has somehow managed to get herself into the quarterfinals, where she belongs. This is a player who badly needs a confidence boost, and the knowledge that Williams is having to work too hard on the Acapulco courts could help her out.

Szavay moves on, Dulko doesn't

Agnes Szavay had a bit of a difficult start, quickly falling to 1-4 down in the first set of her second round Acapulco match against Roberta Vinci. But she turned the set around, then won the match 7-6, 6-4.

Gisela Dulko did not have the same good fortune. The 4th seed fell to Maret Ani, 7-6, 6-3. Dulko's winning opponent in last week's Bogota final, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, is also out in the second round, losing to Petra Cetkovska. And 3rd seed Carla Suarez Navarro--probably still playing with an injury--lost to Barbora Zahlavova Strycov.

Lucky loser Szavay makes it to round 2 in Acapulco

Agnes Szavay, who became a truly lucky loser in Acapulco, has won her first round. She defeated 15-year-old Anna Orlik 7-5, 7-5. Her next opponent will be Roberta Vinci, who upset Lucie Safarova in the first round.

Pennetta wins Acapulco

Flavia Pennetta, playing in her fifth consecutive Abierto Mexicano TELCEL final, has won the title, defeating Alize Cornet, 6-0, 4-6, 6-1. Pennetta won the title in 2005, also, and is now 24-4 at at the event.

Llagostera Vives continues her nice run

Nuria Llagostera Vives won her fourth career doubles title today, as she and partner Maria Martinez Sanchez defeated Iveta Benesova and Petra Cetkovska in the final of the Abierto Mexicano TELCEL tournament in Acapulco. Last week, Llagostera Vives won her second career singles title in Bogota.

Llagostera Vives/Martinez Sanchez def. Benesova/Cetkovska, 6-2, 6-4

Pennetta reaches 300

Flavia Pennetta had her 300th career singles match win yesterday in Acapulco, and tonight she won her semifinal match against Kaia Kanepi, putting her into the Acapulco final for the fifth straight time. Pennetta won the tournament in 2005.

Pennetta def. Kanepi, 6-4, 6-2

Kanepi overcomes Cirstea

If I were in Acapulco, this is definitely the match I would have watched today--a close contest between two talented young players. Kaia Kanepi prevailed in the first set, Sorana Cirstea took the second, and Kanepi won a close tiebreak in the third. Next, Kanepi will meet top seed Flavia Pennetta in the semifinals.

Kanepi def. Cirstea, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6

Kvitova stopped in Memphis

As is often the case in professional tennis, a giant-killer has been vanquished. Petra Kvitova, who took Venus Williams out of competition in the Regions Morgan Keenan Tennis Championships, was defeated tonight--6-7, 7-5, 6-1--by Alla Kudryavtseva.

Meanwhile, in Acapulco, Italy's rising star, Sara Errani, was defeated in the second round of the Abierto Mexicano TELCEL by Mariya Koryttseva, 7-5, 6-1.

As I mentioned in a comment on this blog earlier today, how suddenly odd it is to see almost all big names in the quarterfinals of a tournament. The Dubai quarterfinals is a line-up of top players--Henin, Ivanovic, Jankovic, Chakvetadze, Mauresmo, Kuznetsova, and Dementieva. Also included is talented veteran Francesca Schiavone, whom you can never really rule out (or count in, for that matter).