First it was Marion Bartoli and Angelique Kerber. I didn't see their first set in Indian Wells, but the second was not a pretty sight, with Bartoli losing a 5-1 lead, and Kerber looking like she was trying to figure out a way for Bartoli to win, anyway. I have been watching Kerber for a while and I think she has talent, but that set was painful to watch. Bartoli finally won it, and won the match, 6-3, 7-6.
This evening, it was Maria Sharapova and Alona Bondarenko. Each had moments of brilliance, but the overall match (or at least the first two sets) was fraught with errors and inconsistency. Both players had major service problems, and Bondarenko tended to follow a winner with an error. Sharapova, for her part, had trouble keeping the ball in the court. She finally prevailed, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4, after an entertaining final set.
Barry Tompkins, one of the commentators for FSN, talked about Bondarenko's negative body language. Obviously, he has not watched her before. Alona Bondarenko is restrained at her best moments, and somewhat dour at others, but that's just her court personality.
Notable in today's play was Ashley Harkleroad, who took Agnieszka Radwanska to three sets before being defeated, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
