Sharapova wins Acura Classic

When Patty Schnyder took the Acura Classic final to a third set, I was filled with hope, but that was dashed quickly when Maria Sharapova dialed every part of her game up a notch and blew Schnyder away, 6-0 to defend her 2006 title. During the first half of the first set, Schnyder's game was error-filled (except for her serve); after that, it was actually pretty good. In their other six meetings, including that excruciating (may I never have to see it again) 2007 French Open match, their matches have been very close. Not this time.

Patty Schnyder has won only one Tier I tournament in her career, and she has been a finalist in four Tier I tournaments. She was a finalist twice in what has become "her" tournament--the Family Circle Cup. The first time, she was unseeded, and beat all the top players in the world to get to the final, where she was beaten by another unseeded player, Iva Majoli. The second time, 2006, I was there: She fell in three sets to Nadia Petrova, after having taken out defending champion Justine Henin. For a player of Schnyder's skill to have only one Tier I win is a real shame. I could write paragraphs about this subject, but I won't. As a diehard Schnyder fan, I find these Tier I final losses hard to take.

On another note, Sharapova's new service motion seems to suit her just fine, and she has a good chance of defending her U.S. Open title.

Final score today: Sharapova def. Schnyder, 6-2, 3-6, 6-0

The rivalry no one talks about

There isn't a rivalry with more depth in women's tennis than the one between Patty Schnyder and Elena Dementieva, yet it is rarely discussed. Prior to their Acura Classic semifinal yesterday, they had met twelve times, and each of them had won six of the matches. After last night, Schnyder now has a slight edge, with her 7-6, 6-0 win.

And what an odd win it was. Dementieva has been out with a training-induced injury, and though she has had trouble with her serve since she did a post-injury temporary service compensation some time ago, she has shown improvement throughout the Acura Classic. But last night, she had problems again. And there was a difference: Usually, Dementieva shrugs off her double faults and moves on. Last night, she became upset by them, possibly because she thought they were more or less behind her.

Schnyder, for her part, did all the things she does best--spinning, slicing, changing pace, and staying steady on the ground. Her serve was not as sharp as usual, however. And then there was the now-famous closing difficulty. She served for the first set at 5-3 and was broken. But that was nothing compared to the difficulty she had serving for the match. At 5-0, 40-0--a dream position--she saw Dementieva not only save six match points, but create three break points. Credit to Schnyder, though--the match ended on her seventh match point.

She now faces Maria Sharapova in the final. Schnyder has had a great week, looking like her old self again, and for her fans (and I am an enthusiastic one), that is great news.

How hard would it have been for the Acura Classic to swap the semifinal matches?

Anna Chakvetadze, who played a grueling, almost 3-hour match last night and had to have been both mentally and physically exhausted (she had an obvious leg cramp) was made to play in the early semifinal match today. An argument could be made that fitness is part of the game, but there aren't many players--if any--who could make that type of quick recovery from that type of match. The mental fatigue is probably as great as the physical.

A better argument is that Chakvetadze should have closed her first set against Venus Williams last night and saved some time. Because she should have.

But these arguments aside, it makes no sense to schedule any night match player for the early match the next day unless it is necessary, and it wasn't necessary today. Would a not-exhausted Chakvetadze have beaten Maria Sharapova? Maybe. But at least it would have been an interesting match, and the fans would have gotten their money's worth.

Final score: Maria Sharapova def. Anna Chakvetadze, 6-3, 6-2 (or, as someone on a tennis forum put it, San Diego Organizers def. Chakvetadze).

I love it when my favorites win, and hate it when they lose

I experienced both feelings tonight, when Patty Schnyder defeated Martina Hingis, 6-1, 6-7, 6-3 in San Diego. I was thrilled for Schnyder--she really needed this win. But I was disappointed to see Hingis go out. It is only her first tournament back from weeks of either playing injured or recovering from her injury, so perhaps she will do better in her next tournament. Had the score been the other way around, I would have had the same mixed feelings. And it was obvious--after the first set--that quite a battle ensued, with numerous breaks of serve. Hingis had a high first serve percentage, but not a high first serve success percentage. Her serve remains her biggest obstacle.

Hingis and Schnyder have played each other twice this year, and Schnyder has won both matches.

"She was a cute little girl"

Ten years ago, before the Acura Classic became the Acurac Classic (it was the Toshiba Tennis Classic then), Martina Hingis, entering the tournament with a 50-1 record, defeated Venus Williams 6-2, 6-1, and defeated Mary Pierce 6-0, 6-2. Her opponent in the final was crowd favorite Monica Seles, whom she defeated 7-6, 6-4. "She was a cute little girl," Seles said of Hingis.

Twenty years ago, when the tournament was Virginia Slims of San Diego, world number 20, Italy's Raffaella Reggi, defeatd unseeded world number 60 Anne Minter of Australia, 6-0, 6-4, to claim the title. Minter had upset top seed Lori McNeil in the semifinals. Jana Novotna was a member of the winning doubles team that year.

If you like, you can continue this walk down the Acura Classic's memory lane here.

A nice touch

If you haven't checked out the header on the Acura Classic website, be sure you do.

Acura Classic offers some tasty first round matches

Qualifying is complete in San Diego, and play begins tomorrow. Some first round matches of particular interest:

Gisela Dulko v. Tatiana Golovin--Golovin should win, but on those occasions when Dulko can still find her form, she can be dangerous.

Kateryna Bondarenko v. Sybille Bammer--Bondarenko's game has improved a whole lot; this should be a good one.

Alla Kudryavtseva v. Julia Vakulenko--This should go to Vakulenko, but Kudryavtseva gave Venus Williams a lot of trouble at Wimbledon. Can she be just as troublesome on a hard court?

Alona Bondarenko v. Peng Shuai--A match I wish I could see. Bondarenko has become a very solid player, but when Peng is on, she can take down almost anyone.

Michaella Krajicek v. Yuliana Fedak--Fedak's game has improved a lot this year, though she hasn't been so lucky lately. Still, the match could be interesting. Fedak had to win two qualifying rounds to get into the main draw, but she will have her hands full with Krajicek.

And finally...Shahar Peer v. Sania Mirza--It is quite unfortunate that the two some-time doubles partners must meet in the first round. Mirza just finished as a finalist in Stanford, and Peer, though inconsistent, has the ability to hang in and play very tough.

Latest withdrawals

Serena Williams has withdrawn from the Acura Classic in San Diego, which begins in about a week. The thumb injury that Williams sustained earlier this summer, and which kept her out of the tournaments in Cincinnati and Stanford, may keep her out of much of the U.S. Open Series.

Sam Stosur has also withdrawn from the Acura Classic, wisely opting to get more rest and not tempt a relapse of her virus.

Vaidisova withdraws from both San Diego and Los Angeles

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

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