Note to Flavia: Watch the video

I was just browsing over at Women's Tennis Blog, and I saw this comment from Flavia Pennetta on her loss to Venus Williams in the Acapulco final:

What happened to me? Venus Williams is what happened to me. The number 5 player in the world is what happened to me! She was just playing so strong, serving so well, it was hard to fight against her power. I didn’t feel I played badly, she just overpowered me.

I beg to differ. Pennetta played terribly throughout much of the match, including the entire first set. As well as Williams played--and she played very well--almost any good tour player could have beaten Pennetta in that match.

Venus Williams is a very good and powerful player who is really in form these days, but--and I say this as a Pennetta fan--it doesn't work to say "she overpowered me" when you give her the match on a plate. Oddly, many fans came to the same conclusion, and I have to wonder whether they actually saw the match, or just followed it on the scoreboard.

Williams wins in Acapulco

Remember the pod people in Invasion of the Body Snatchers? During the first set--and much of the second set--of tonight's final in Acapulco, I felt that someone had invaded Flavia Pennetta's body and taken it over. Someone who couldn't move and couldn't hit, and whose feet were hopelessly weighted down with Mexican clay. This was the worst performance I have seen from Pennetta in a very long time.

It didn't help Pennetta that Venus Williams was playing about as well as a person could play. It took her only an hour to defeat the defending champion 6-1, 6-2. I do not speak Spanish and could not follow, but it was obvious that Pennetta was very good-humored in her award-ceremony speech. I have no idea what happened to her--maybe it was just one of those bad days. Williams and Pennetta are now 3-3, head-to-head.

Llagostera Vives and Martinez Sanchez win all-Spanish final

Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez have won the doubles title at the Aierto Mexicano TELCEL tournament in Acapulco. They defeated Lourdes Dominguez Lino and Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-4, 6-2 in the final. Llagostera Vives and Martinez Sanchez are ranked number 18 and 21 respectively in the world

Williams and Pennetta to meet in Acapulco final

When Venus Williams defeated Flavia Pennetta in Zurich in 2008, she reversed a winning streak by Pennetta that had gone on since 2007. Pennetta had defeated Williams in Bangkok in 2007, and in the French Open (round of 16) and Moscow in 2008. Williams had defeated her once before--in Seoul in 2007, and tomorrow, she will try to bring the rivalry to three matches apiece.

Pennetta defeated Iveta Benesova today to reach the final, and Williams defated Barbora Zahlavova Strycov.

Pennetta recently said that Williams's game has never particularly bothered her. It gives many other players fits, of course, but Pennetta likes to play Williams. Their paths to the final have been quite different: Williams has struggled somewhat, and Pennetta has cruised through. Pennetta is the defending champion, so the pressure is on her to retain the title. This is her sixth consecutive Aierto Mexicano TELCEL final.

One bit of pressure is off, however: The top Italian player and her doubles partner, Gisela Dulko, were eliminated in the semifinal today by Lourdes Dominguez Lino and Arantxa Parra Santonja.