Passing shots

23rd seed Alisa Kleybanova has withdrawn from the French Open because of illness. Lucky loser Anastasia Pivovarova has replaced Kleybanova in the draw.

Marion Bartoli hopes to be able to play her French Open first round on Monday. She had to retire in the Strasbourg final today because of a thigh injury.

The Brisbane International tournament has been upgraded to Premier status.

ESPN.com recently posted a poll so that people could vote for who they think is the greatest tennis player of all time. All of the players listed were men. So instead of asking "Who is the greatest male player of all time?" ESPN just went with the usual sexist approach of presuming that "tennis players" are male and "great" tennis players are male. Big surprise.

Babolat is the official ball of the 2011 French Open. Defending champion Francesca Schiavone will be using a customized version of the Babolat AeroPro Drive.

Jillian Michaels is leaving the cast of NBC's "The Biggest Loser," but there's "good" news: Anna Kournikova is joining the cast.

Medina Garrigues and Vinci win titles

Anabel Medina Garrigues won her tenth WTA title today in Estoril. Medina Garrigues defeated Kristina Barrois 6-1, 6-2 in the final. Nine of the Spaniard's titles have come on clay. Medina Garrigues recently overcame a losing streak comprised of ten consecutive first round losses.

Alisa Kleybanova and Galina Voskoboeva won the Estoril doubles championship. They defeated Elena Daniilidou and Michaela Krajicek 6-4, 6-2 in the final.

Roberta Vinci won her fourth title today when she defeated Lucie Hradecka 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. Vinci was the champion in 2009, and the runner-up in 2010.

The doubles title went to the top seeds, Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova. They defeated Natalie Grandin and Vladirimira Uhlirova 5-7, 6-4, 11-9. Benesova and Zahlavova Strycova have won eleven titles together. 

Kleybanova out of Estoril in quarterfinals

Top seed Alisa Kleybanova was upset today in Estroril by Kristina Barrois, who defeated Kleybanova 6-4, 6-2. 2nd seed Jarmila Gajdosova was defeated by 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 by Monica Niculescu, and 3rd seed Klara Zakopalova was defeated 6-3, 7-5 by Anabel Medina Garrigues. Also advancing to the semifinals was Johanna Larsson, who defeated Alla Kudryavtseva 6-2, 7-5.

In the meantime, Kleybanova and her doubles partner, Galina Voskoboeva, have reached the final of the doubles competition.They defeated the 2nd seeds, Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears.

In Barcelona, Roberta Vinci, Sara Errani and Lucie Hradecka all made it to the semifinals today.

Top seeds ready for Charleston play, but the weather may not cooperate

Daniel Island, where the Family Circle Cup is played, has unpredictable weather in April. The days can be hot, and the nights quite cold. A tornado can hit. But--most of the time--there isn't much rain during the event. A big storm is supposed to come through in the morning, however, so there is no telling how many matches can be played on the second day of the tournament.

Top seed Caroline Wozniacki

The player party was held in Charleston last night, and the top seeds were on the tournament site today. Most of them talked about the adjustments they have to make when they begin the clay court season, or, as 7th seed Alisa Kleybanova put it: "Sometimes you just have that hard court game in your head." Marion Bartoli, the tournament's 4th seed, said that she has to put more spin on the ball and change the angles she uses on the court. 

Defending champion Samantha Stosur

I asked defending champion Sam Stosur (who said she looks at the draw "a little bit") whether she would be coming forward more, since that appears to be an element often missing from her game. "It's one of those things I want to keep working on," she said, and added "It's not part of my comfort zone."

I think we'll definitely see Jelena Jankovic coming forward more. "I have to gradually get comfortable," she said about her decision to work on coming to the net. Jankovic, the 3rd seed and the 2007 champion, said that she is giving herself time to work on some new techniques. The world number 8 seemed really relaxed, and was in her usual very good humor. Jankovic said that her new coach, Andri Pavel, is like her in that they are both perfectionists.

Shahar Peer is playing her first tournament with coach Harold Solomon, whom she hired on a trial basis after her loss in Miami. Peer, who said she needs to work on being more intense on the court, just missed getting into the top 10 when she went out in the second round of the Sony Ericsson Open.

Krajicek upsets Kleybanova in Kuala Lumpur

Michaella Krajicek, once heralded as a future star of the WTA Tour, has had so many injuries and slumps that she is one of the tour's forgotten women. Today in Kuala Lumpur, however, Krajicek put her talent on display by upsetting 3rd seed Alisa Kleybanova 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Krajicek served well, hitting thirteen aces, and she broke Kleybanova four times. Kleybanova, for her part, hasn't gotten off to a very good start this season.

Krajicek's next opponent will be tour veteran Anne Kremer. If she gets past Kremer (who upset Kimiko Date Krumm in the first round), she will play either Jelena Dokic or Bojana Jovanovski.

Lucie Safarova also won today. She defeated Dinara Safina 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

Kvitova wins Brisbane

Petra Kvitova, who caused a stir last year at Wimbledon, got her 2011 season off to a roaring start today by winning the Brisbane International. Kvitova defeated Andrea Petkovic 6-1, 6-3 in the final. Both players were unseeded. On her way to the final, Kvitova upset 3rd seed Nadia Petrova and 5th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and also Dominika Cibulkova. This is Kvitova's second WTA Tour title.

Klaudia Jans and Alicja Rosolska had a difficult season last year, often having to play with other partners in order to obtain points. In Brisbane, however, the Polish team took out both the 2nd and 3rd seeds, and made it to the final. That was the end of their run, however; the unseeded team of Alisa Kleybanova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova defeated them 6-3, 7-5, and won the title. This was only the second time that Kleybanova and Pavlyuchenkova had played together in doubles.

Ivanovic wins Bali championship

Ana Ivanovic won the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions today, defeating Alisa Kleybanova 6-2, 7-6. With this result, Ivanovic will enter the top 20 again.

A match to determine third place was also played, and that distinction was earned by Kimiko Date Krumm, who defeated Daniela Hantuchova 7-5, 7-5. Date Krumm now goes to the Asian Games, which begin November 12 in Guangzhou.

Ivanovic and Kleybanova to meet in Bali final

The two wild cards at the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions were sent packing today in the semifinals--both taken out by the only two unseeded players in the small tournament. Ana Ivanovic defeated Kimiko Date Krumm 7-5, 6-7, 6-2 in a contest that delighted spectators, and Alisa Kleybanova defeated Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 6-1.

Ivanovic (whose birthday is today) and Kleybanova are 3-3 against each other, with Ivanovic winning the last two times they met. Ivanovic, a former world number 1, is currently ranked number 24 in the world. Kleybanova is ranked number 27.

2nd seed Rezai out of Bali competition

Alisa Kleybanova made short work of 2nd seed Aravane Rezai today in Bali. Kleybanova defeated the defending champion 6-1, 6-2.

The Russian's opponent in the semifinals will be wild card Daniela Hantuchova, who prevailed 6-4, 7-6 over 4th seed Yanina Wickmayer.

All four seeded players have been eliminated from the tournament, leaving two unseeded players--Kleybanova and Ana Ivanovic--and the two wild cards, Hantuchova and Kimiko Date Krumm.

Kleybanova wins Seoul championship

Alisa Kleybanova won the Korea Open today. She defeated Klara Zakopalova 6-1, 6-3. Kleybanova was seeded fifth at the tournament.

Julia Goerges and Palona Hercog won the doubles title. They defeated 4th seeds Natalie Grandin and Vladamira Uhlirova 6-3, 6-4.

Zakopalova & Kleybanova to play in Seoul final

Top seed Nadia Petrova retired with a gastro-intestinal illness today during the first set of her semifinal match in Seoul. Her opponent, Klara Zakopalova, will play 5th seed Alisa Kleybanova in the final. Kleybanova defeated 8th seed Agnes Szavay 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals.

The doubles final will be contested between the teams of Natalie Grandin and Vladamira Uhlarova and Julia Goerges and Palona Hercog. Grandin and Uhlirova are seeded fourth in the tournament.

Pennetta moves smoothly to San Diego semifinals

Flavia Pennetta, seeded 5th in San Diego, played Samantha Stosur for the third time today, and for the third time, she won in straight sets. Pennetta, serving cleverly and playing a clean match, defeated the 2nd seed 6-4, 6-3. Stosur had only one break opportunity, on which she capitalized. Pennetta, on the other had, had thirteen break opportunities, and converted four of them. The Italian made 14 unforced errors, compared with Stosur's 37.

In the other early quarterfinal, Svetalana Kuznetsova found herself down 2-5 against Coco Vandeweghe in their first set, but she came back to win that set 7-5. She then easily won the second set 6-2. Vandeweghe, who has a formidable forehand, made a lot of backhand errors, and became more careless as the match went on. She concluded the match with 24 winners and 44 unforced errors.

In the third quarterfinal of the day, Daniela Hantuchova defeated Alisa Kleybanova 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. Hantuchova was 0-3 down in the second set, but came back with a better serve for the latter half of that set and the rest of the match. Kleybanova made the final set close, but Hantuchova prevailed.

Miscellany

Kamakshi Tandon takes a thoughtful look at the tour's injury problem.

Women's Tennis Blog reports that EleVen is returning soon.

Here is an interview with Johanna Larsson.

Ana Ivanovic has been given a wild card to play in the Pilot Pen tournament in New Haven.

Sweat a lot when you play? You're not alone.

Anastasia Rodionova and Cara Black will be doubles partners in Cincinnati.

Top seed Jankovic upset in San Diego

1st seed Jelena Jankovic, playing in San Diego after a short break to rest a sprained ankle, led 4-0 last night in her first set against Alisa Kleybanova. But despite having set points, Jankovic lost both that set and the next one. Kleybanova's 7-56-2 upset of Jankovic puts her into the quarterfinals.

Dinara Safina's first round win gave fans hope, but yesterday, she, too, went out in the second round. 4th seed Agnieszka Radwanska defeated Safina 6-1, 6-3.

7th seed Shahar Peer fought off a challenge from Yaroslava Shvedova and defeated her 7-5, 6-4, and 2nd seed Sam Stosur defeated Melanie Oudin 6-4, 6-4.

Top seed out of Budapest

Number 1 seed Alisa Kleybanova was upset in the second round of the GDF Suez Grand Prix in Budapest today. Patty Schnyder defeated Kleybanova 6-4, 6-3.

Meanwhile, in Bastad, 4th seed Gisela Dulko saved five match points and defeated Tatjana Malek 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (1). Top seed Flavia Pennetta advanced to the third round with a 6-1, 6-1 win over wild card Sloane Stephens.

French Open miscellany

With her advancement to the quarterfinals, Francesca Schiavone--that would be "the amazing Francesca Schiavone"--will enter the top 10 for the first time in her career.

In case you missed it, here is Steve Tignor's poignant piece on Maria Sharapova's French Open run.

Yaroslava Shvedova is handling the cold Paris weather by wearing an old-school tennis sweater. Very nice.

In mixed doubles, Nuria Llagostera Vives and Oliver Marach defeated Alisa Kleybanova and Max Mirnyi 7-6 (7), 7-6 (7).

If you don't have Tennis Channel, or if you missed the feature on Shahar Peer, you can see it on the Tennis Channel website. Go to the Video On Demand page, and select "Shahar Peer Feature."

I want what SHE'S drinking

I miss Thrill Ride. I really do. But in her absence, we have Alisa Kleybanova, who keeps digging herself out of holes and winning matches just when you think she is going to go away.

Kleybanova's last two matches each went on for over two and a half hours. The match before that lasted just under three hours. She makes a lot of errors, and--in her last match--her serve abandoned her. But she just keeps going, doing crazy things like winning seven points in a row in a tiebreak in which she is down 0-4.

The question is: How long can Kleybanova keep this up? And even if she can hold up physically, how tired is she mentally? Her next opponent is Jelena Jankovic, who suddenly appears to be remembering who she is, and who is likely to be a tough opponent for Kleybanova and her everything-all-the-time approach to the game.

All the same, one has to wonder what type of reserves Kleybanova has that enable her to keep going for hours and hours, making errors and yet still finding ways to win matches.

Martinez Sanchez upsets Azarenka in 3rd round of BNP Paribas Open

Hitting seven aces and prevailing in a tiebreak, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez pulled off the second biggest upset yet tonight in this year's BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. She defeated 3rd seed Victoria Azarenka 7-6, 6-2. The 28th seed is a doubles specialist (and co-winner of the 2009 Sony Ericsson Championships) with an attractive singles game that includes a very good serve.

9th seed Flavia Pennetta also dropped out today, a victim of 17th seed Shahar Peer, who defeated Pennetta 6-4, 6-7, 6-1. Pennetta looked very good when the season began, but she has gone out earlier than expected in most tournaments this year.

14th seed Kim Clijsters will likely be asking herself "What happened?" for some time to come. Clijsters played 23rd seed Alisa Kleybanova, who--at first glance--appears to personify what Mary Carillo long ago defined as "big babe tennis." Kleybanova is a hard hitter who is happy to go head-to-head with other big ball-strikers. But there is more to Kleybanova's game than just hard hitting, as Clijsters learned tonight. Kleybanova can volley, she can do quick change-ups, and she can hit some difficult angles.

Kleybanova won the first set 6-4. The second set was all about Clijsters, who performed so well that she grabbed the set 6-1 in no time at all. Then she went up 3-0 in the third, and it looked like she was going to make short work of winning the match. But things changed. Kleybanova appeared troubled but determined, and Clijsters started getting sloppy. Before long, it was 3-all. The pair stayed on serve, and there were some tense moments, especially for Kleybanova, who still looked a beat behind Clijsters. When Kleybanova served at 4-5, Clijsters was two points from winning the match. But she didn't. When Kleybanova served at 5-6, Clijsters as two points from winning the match. But again, she didn't.

The match went to a tiebreak, and Clijsters went up 4-0. And then Kleybanova won seven straight points, and that was that.

Kleybanova did a great job of moving Clijsters around the court, and she also did a good job with her second serve, which often kicked up high enough to give Clijsters problems.

In other third round matches, Carla Suarez Navarro defeated 27th seed Agnes Szavay, 13th seed Yanina Wickmayer defeated Roberta Vinci, Jelena Jankovic defeated Sara Errani, defending champion and 12th seed Vera Zvonareva defeated Anastasija Sevastova, and 8th seed Sam Stosur defeated 25th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The scoreline for that match, 6-3, 6-0, was somewhat of a surprise.

Miscellany

Dinara Safina has withdrawn from Indian Wells.

Belated birthday (it was yesterday) wishes to Jelena Jankovic, who is playing in Monterrey this week.

Zheng Jie and Chan Yung-Jan had never played doubles together until they combined to win the Malaysian Open championship. After they won the title, they said that they intend to keep playing together. Zheng played successfully for a long time with Yan Zi, and Chan played for quite some time, also successfully, with Chuang Chi-Jung.

Alisa Kleybanova, who was world number 29 before she won the Malaysian Open title, is now ranked number 26.

Kim Clijsters continues to go on and on about the horrible Barbie created "in her likeness" and--as one blogger noted--the equally horrible "baby beauty pageant contestant" little girl supposedly created in her daughter's likeness. Clijsters has mentioned that she is flattered by Mattel's latest attempt to promote body dysmorphic disorder in girls and young women.

Kleybanova wins Malaysian Open

Alisa Kleybanova won the Malaysian Open today. The 4th seed, playing in her first tour final, had to withstand both a rain delay and the opposition of top seed Elena Dementieva, but she came through, 6-3, 6-2. Kleybanova had solid service stats, and also broke Dementieva four times.

Chan Yung-Jan and Zheng Jie, the 2nd seeds, won the doubles title. They defeated Anastasia and Arina Rodionova 6-7, 6-2, 10-7. The unseeded Rodionova sisters took out the top seeds, Kleybanova and Yan Zi, in the second round.