Miscellaneous

Chelsey Gullickson, sister of Carly, has won the 2010 NCAA women's singles championship. Gullickson, a sophomore at the University of Georgia, is the third woman from her school to win the title.

Martina Navratilova, with partner Jana Novotna, is into the second round of the French Open's Women's Legends doubles competition. Navratilova and Novotna defeated Mary Joe Fernandez and Conchita Martinez. Navratilova is also working as a commentator for Tennis Channel, and--in her spare time--receiving breast cancer radiation treatment in Paris. Also winning their first round were Iva Majoli and and Nathalie Tauziet, who defeated Gigi Fernandez and Natasha Zvereva.

Anna-Lena Groenefeld says that her goal is to be able to play at Wimbledon.

Saying that women who manage homes and take care of children "don't work" is a common insult made to thousands of women; it's a shame that it's repeated by Chris Evert in the June issue of Tennis. Evert is at least "fair" in her put-downs, though. In the same article in which she says that a lot of women in the 70s "didn't work," she goes on to take a sideways swipe at women who do work outside the home and utilize the tennis club as "something to occupy a child's time." Fathers, of course, get a pass. I have complained in the past about this magazine's ongoing (sometimes really nasty) sexist content, as well as content that has been both homophobic and ageist (the latter in an issue "dedicated" to older people). Publisher Evert needs to do some clean-up, starting with herself, and outgoing editor-in-chief James Martin also bears some of the responsibility. (For those who may be wondering: The magazine arrives in our mailbox because of a USTA membership; I would not otherwise spend my money on it.)

When the new rankings come out, Serena and Venus Williams will be ranked number 1 in doubles.

Top junior girls seed Monica Puig is out of the French Open in the quarterfinals. Puig was defeated 6-0, 3-6, 6-3 by Silvia Njiric.

Rybarikova and Groenefeld both upset in Bad Gastein

6th seed Magdalena Rybarikova and 7th seed Anna-Lena Groenefeld were upset in the Bad Gastein quarterfinals today, by Ioana Raluca Olaru and Andrea Petkovic, respectively. Olaru, however, along with her partner Mariya Koryttseva, (number 4 seeds) was upset by Tatjana Malek and Petkovic in their semifinal doubles match.

Joining Olaru and Petkovic in the semifinals will be 1st seed Alize Cornet and Yaroslava Shvedova.

The last four women standing in Portoroz are top seed Dinara Safina, Alberta Brianti, Stefanie Voegele, and 5th seed Sara Errani.

Groenefeld and Knowles win Wimbledon mixed doubles title

The 9th-seeded team of Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Mark Knowles upset top seeds Cara Black and Leander Paes today to win the 2009 Wimbledon mixed doubles title. Groenefeld and Knowles won the championship match 7-5, 6-3.

Black and Groenefeld to meet in Wimbledon mixed doubles final

Cara Black and Liezel Huber played doubles twice today. They lost their semifinal to the Williams sisters, and they had to play each other in mixed doubles. Huber and Jamie Murray lost to 9th- seeded Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Mark Knowles. However, Cara Black and her partner, Leander Paes, defeated Virginia Ruano Pascual and Stephen Huss.

Stosur and Bryan upset in Wimbledon mixed doubles

Number 2 mixed doubles seeds Samantha Stosur and Bob Bryan were upset today by 9th seeds Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Mark Knowles. Groenefeld and Knowles posted a score of 0-6, 7-5, 6-3. Also upset were 4th seeds Hsieh Su-Wei and Kevin Ullyett, who lost to 12th seeds Virginia Ruano Pascual and Stephen Huss.

Top seeds upset in first round of Ordina Open

Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Monica Niculescu were upset in the first round of the Ordina Open today by Sorana Cirstea and Dinara Safina. Cirstea and Safina won the match 6-2, 6-2.

Mauresmo out of French Open in first round

We can all relax now, and stop wondering how far Amelie will go at Roland Garros. It's over. The 16th seed was upset by Anna-Lena Groenefeld, 6-4, 6-3, in an hour and seventeen minutes. Though they both had the same number of unforced errors, Groenefeld hit 32 winners to Mauresmo's 13, and her service stats were better. I expected Mauresmo to stick around longer, and I certainly wish she had.

Hers was not the only upset today. Kaia Kanepi, seeded 19th, lost to Yaroslava Shvedova, 7-6, 3-6, 6-2. I didn't see that coming, either.

Unfortunately, Julia Goerges had to retire against Iveta Benesova because of heat illness.

Though Frenchwomen Mauresmo, Mathilde Johansson, Olivia Sanchez, Emilie Loit, and Severine Bremond Beltrame went out today, the home crowd did get one victory: Julie Coin defeated clay specialist Nuria Llagostera Vives, 7-5, 6-2.

Groenefeld and Schnyder upset in Stuttgart

There was only one upset today in Stuttgart, and it was in doubles. The unseeded team of Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova defeated 4th seeds Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Patty Schnyder, 6-0, 6-4. Earlier in the day, Benesova lost a close match to 7th seed Caroline Wozniacki in singles, and Groenefeld lost a three-setter to Elena Dementieva.

Top seed Dinara Safina introduced herself by allowing her opponent, Sara Errani, to win only one game.

Tour sets conditions and fines Dubai

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour has fined the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships $300,000 for its refusal to allow Shahar Peer into the country to play in the tournament. The tour has also made plans to provide Peer with ranking points and payment, and to compensate her doubles partner, Anna-Lena Groenefeld. There are several new caviats involved in the tour's agreement with Dubai, which you can read about here.

Top seeds to face wild card team in Zurich final

Top seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber won their semifinal match today in Zurich. They defeated Maria Kirilenko and Flavia Pennetta, 6-2, 4-6, 10-6. They will play the wild card team of Patty Schnyder and Anna-Lena Groenefeld.

Semifinals set in Zurich

Flavia Pennetta added another chapter to her comeback story today when she defeated Katarina Srebotnik, 7-5, 6-2, to reach the semifinals of the Zurich Open. Anabel Medina Garrigues also advanced when her opponent, Victoria Azarenka, retired from play because of a right shoulder injury. Medina Garrigues's second round opponent, Vera Zvonareva, also retired in the middle of their match.

Meanwhile, Venus Williams defeated Francesca Schiavone, 6-3, 6-3, and Ana Ivanovic defeated Petra Kvitova, 6-1, 6-4.

In doubles, the team of Groenefeld and Schnyder continued to rise as they defeated 2nd seeds Srebotnik and Sugiyama, 6-4, 0-6, 10-8.

Groenefeld and Schnyder should just keep that wild card

A couple of weeks ago, Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Patty Schnyder--playing as a wild card team in Stuttgart--defeated the number 1 seeds, Kveta Peschke and Rennae Stubbs, in straight sets to win the title. Today, again playing as wild cards, they defeated 4th seeds Peschke and Stubbs in the first round of the Zurich Open, 3-6, 6-4, 12-10.

Top qualifying seed out in Zurich

Zheng Jie, the number 1 seed among qualifiers (it sounds so crazy to even see the word "qualifier" next to her name) in Zurich, has gone out in the first round, a victim of the resurgent Anna-Lena Groenefeld. Groenefeld defeated her, 6-2, 6-3.

Groenefeld and Schnyder win Porsche Tennis Grand Prix

The recently formed doubles team of Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Patty Schnyder has taken the 2008 title in Stuttgart. Groenefeld and Schnyder defeated the number 1 seeds, Kveta Peschke and Rennae Stubbs, 6-2, 6-4.

Groenfeld is in the midst of what looks like an important comeback, and Schnyder is playing some very good tennis at the time, so this partnership can only increase the confidence of both players, and give them some valuable time at the net.

Wild card team into Stuttgart finals

The wild card team of Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Patty Schnyder defeated number 3 seeds Victoria Azarenka and Agnieszka Radwanska in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix semifinals today, 2-6, 6-4, 11-9. In tomorrow's final, they will play number 1 seeds Kveta Peschke and Rennae Stubbs. Peschke and Stubbs defeated Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka, 6-4, 7-5.

Clash of the comeback players in Bali

Tamira Pazsek, whose fortunes have gone up and down all year, defeated Anna-Lena Groenefeld today, 6-4, 7-5, at the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic in Bali. Groenefeld made a stunning comeback from near-obscurity at the U.S. Open, and got a wild card to play in Bali. Paszek lost in the second round of the U.S. Open.

Groenefeld is playing doubles with Patty Schnyder, her U.S. Open partner, in Bali. And Patty is writing the Bali blog.

Groenefeld is out, but....Groenefeld is back

Dinara Safina did what she had to do today at the U.S. Open, and--breaking her pattern of providing non-stop three-set thrills--did it in straight sets.--7-5, 6-0. But even though Anna-Lena Groenefeld's U.S. Open run has ended in the round of 16, her comeback is significant news for the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.

Groenefeld reached her career-high ranking of 14 in 2006, but then faced some personal problems which led to her fading away. She played challengers to get herself back on the tour, and I don't think there is any doubt that she is now officially back. In the course of the U.S. Open, she took out both Daniela Hantuchova and Alize Cornet, and she hit a 128 mph serve.

Here in the U.S., CBS--in its wisdom--did not show one second of the match.

Groenefeld upsets Hantuchova at the U.S. Open

A bit over two years ago, Anna-Lena Groendfeld was number 14 in the world, and she fell on hard times. Those hard times had to do with a bitter split from a coach, and probably some other issues. Her weight changed from bloated to rail-thin, and she just looked troubled in every aspect. Groenefeld has been working her way back in challengers, and she announced her return today at the U.S. Open by defeating the number 11 seed, Daniela Hantuchova, in straight sets.

Hantuchova has had some hard times herself lately. She had bones spurs in her foot that simply would not heal, so she was out for a long time. It is very unfortunate that she is out in the first round of the season's final major, but nice that Groenefeld can take some confidence from this match.

Groenefeld def. Hantuchova, 6-4, 6-2

Groenefeld playing on ITF circuit

Anna-Lena Groenefeld, four months removed from competition, entered a $25,000 tournament near Lisbon last week, and lost to a qualifier. Her last tournament before the one in Spain was a Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Tier IV tournament in Stockholm, in which she was defeated in the second round by the often-crafty Tsvetsana Pironkova.

Currently coached by Dirk Dier, Groenefeld's problems have traced to her relationship with former coach, Rafael Font de Mora, whom she accused of taunting her while she played, and of helping her opponents. The unconfirmed word is that Groenefeld and de Mora filed suits against each other.

The German player is currently seeing a sports psychologist, and is working on both the physical and mental aspects of her game. She went from being rail-thin to obese (for an athlete) within a year, and de Mora stated bluntly that it was easy to beat her because she was "so fat."

Groenefeld was number 14 in the world before she took her terrible slide down the rankings.