Look out Agni--here comes Maria!

Maria Sharapova will get her chance to at least partially avenge her 2007 U.S. Open loss to Agneiszka Radwanska when the two meet in the Qatar Total Open semifinals tomorrow in Doha. Sharapova ran over the talented Caroline Wozniacki like a fast truck, and I expect her to put her foot a little harder on the gas pedal when she encounters Radwanska.

The other semifinal features Li Na, who defeated Jelena Jankovic (don't even get me started on that subject), and Vera Zvonareva, who beat Sybille Bammer. The Li-Zvonareva match should be interesting: Former top-ten player Zvonareva has an under-rated and stinging double-handed backhand that can do a lot of damage. Li can be a bit wobbly in the head part, but she has been holding up pretty well lately, and is capable of getting back a lot of balls. Zvonareva and Li, both of whom were out for a long time last season with injuries, have played each other twice before--including once in Doha--and Li won both times.

Guess who had the Radwanska moment?!

A week ago, I asked if anyone would have a "Radwanska moment"--referring to Agnieszka Radwanska's third round upset of Maria Sharapova in the 2007 U.S. Open--at the Australian Open. Well, someone did--Agnieszka Radwanska. The young Polish player defeated world number 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-3, 6-4. Both players looked bad in the first set, but in the second, Radwanska played with precision and cleverness.

Shortly after that, number 6 seed Anna Chakvetadze fell to Maria Kirilenko in three sets. Chakvetadze--who has been suffering with an injured hand--went away in the second set, but came back strong in the third. A pivotal moment occurred toward the end when she mysteriously failed to question an incorrect overrule from the (less than reliable) chair umpire. (It brought back memories of Linday Davenport's failing to challenge a bad call on a match point a couple of years ago.) The mistake caused her to go down 2-4, and that was pretty much it. Despite the second set slump, there were some very fine moments in this match, with the players frequently delivering thrilling rallies. Chakvetadze and Kirilenko are two players I very much enjoy watching. Final score: Kirilenko def. Chakvetadze, 6-7, 6-1, 6-2.