Sunshine in the desert

World number 1 Caroline Wozniacki won her 14th WTA title today, and it's a big one: Wozniacki defeated 15th seed Marion Bartoli 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 in a highly entertaining final that had just about everything a fan could want. Wozniacki's speed and Bartoli's aggression created a good deal of drama on court, at least in the two final sets.

Bartoli's on again-off again serve failed her in the first set, and as a result, all her otherwise-good effort could not save her from a 1-6 loss. But she came roaring back in the next set, serving in high form and spending a lot of time at the net, where she hit a number of successful volleys that she set up with the aggression that marks her game when she is in top form.

But in the third set, we saw a tired Bartoli. Broken right away, she was down 0-2, 0-40, yet held, which seemed to put breath back into her. Down 2-4, Bartoli went up 40-0, then found herself at deuce, but she held then, too. Wozniacki's forehand became shaky in the third set, and Bartoli--broken twice--got one of the breaks back. But the Frenchwoman looked too exhausted to continue playing at the high level necessary to compete against Wozniacki. The top seed got frustrated a few times, and she looked fragile now and then, but she was so fast and got back so many balls, Bartoli just couldn't stay with her.

Despite its ups and downs--maybe because of them--this match displayed, at various times, the very best of both players. Bartoli now returns to the top 10, though she will be busy defending semifinal points in Miami next week.  As for Wozniacki--she has now won a very big tournament, which puts her an important step closer to winning a major. The world number 1 is a model of fitness, and when I say that she's a human backboard, I mean it in a very good way. Like the great Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Wozniacki rarely meets a ball she can't run down, and she almost always appears energized. Shots that would be clear winners against most other players find their way to the Dane's racquet, and--more often than not--she returns them cleanly.

Last year, Wozniacki lost to Justine Henin in the Miami quarterfnals. Anything can happen, of course, but it doesn't seem like much of a stretch to say that she will do better this year.

The heat was hot, and the ground was dry

But the air was full of sound.

The screams of Maria Sharapova seemed to take on a new meaning last night in the California desert, as she won only three games and made 41 unforced errors in her semifinal match against world number 1 Caroline Wozniacki. Sharapova. seeded 16th in Indian Wells,  looked lost--almost from the first moment--and failed to hold serve in the first set. She waited longer than is her custom to strike, she flubbed what few volleys she set up, she had repeated service problems, and she missed the lines on many occasions. Wozniacki did not find it necessary to do much more than serve as a backboard for the Russian's errant shots. After an hour and 20 minutes, she advanced to the BNP Paribas Open final.

Yesteday's other semifinal match featured Marion Bartoli at her absolute best, serving and returning at a very high level against 23rd seed Yanina Wickmayer. Bartoli had a moment, at the beginning of the second set, in which she double-faulted three times consecutively, but other than that, her serve was on fire, and she ended the match with ten aces and an 83% first serve win percentage. The 15th seed defeated Wickmayer 6-1, 6-3.

Should Bartoli (who dealt with a stomach virus earlier in the tournament) play in the final the way she did in the semifinals, there will be an exciting contest tomorrow. But between Bartoli's physical fragility and the ever-changing success of her service game, all we can do is be optimistic that she repeats her performance. Wozniacki, on the other hand, has taken consistency to its highest level.

In doubles, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Meghann Shaughnessy will compete today in the final against Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina.  Mattek-Sands and Shaugnessy received a walkover in the semifinals from 6th seeds Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko. Mirza and Vesnina defeated Daniela Hantuchova and Agnieszka Radwanska 6-0, 6-4.

Bartoli and Wickmayer go to BNP Paribas Open semifinals

It wasn't easy for her, but Marion Bartoli became the first player to advance to the semifinals in Indian Wells today. Troubled by the heat, the 15th seed engaged with 19th seed Ana Ivanovic in a match that contained thirteen breaks serve, eight of which occurred in the second set. Bartoli said that the cooler weather in the first set definitely helped her, and in the second set, she just had to slow down and take her time. Bartoli is, of course, known for a certain degree of physical fragility; today, she fought through it and defeated Ivanovic 6-4, 7-6. Ivanovic, I should add, certainly wasn't the player she was in the previous round.

The second quarterfinal match was a more efficient affair. 23rd seed Yanina Wickmayer took control of the match right away, and never let go. She defeated 10th seed Shahar Peer 6-3, 6-3. Wickmayer had a solid 74/60 first and second serve win percentage.

In doubles quarterfinal play, 3rd seeds Liezel Huber and Nadia Petrova were defeated 6-4, 6-3 by Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Meghann Shaughnessy. Also, 4th seeds Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova were stunningly upset 6-1, 6-0 by Daniela Hantuchova and Agnieszka Radwanska. (Last year, Daniela Hantuchova said that she was dropping doubles, but she has evidently changed her mind; you have to have a chart to keep up with who's who on the doubles teams.)

Close matches in Tuesday Indian Wells competition

There were some long, close matches at the BNP Paribas Open yesterday. 8th seed Victoria Azarenka defeated 9th seed Agnieszka Radwanska 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, Peng Shuai defeated 18th seed Nadia Petrova 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 10th seed Shahar Peer defeated 5th seed Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, and 23rd seed Yanina Wickmayer defeated 25th seed Dominika Cibulkova 7-5, 7-5. The first three of these matches lasted from two and a half to three hours.

Some matches weren't so close. 6th seed Jelena Jankovic appeared flat and very out of sorts in her match against 19th seed Ana Ivanovic. Jankovic likes to get on with things (her peers used to call her "JJ Express"), but the way she was rushing along, she appeared to not even want to be on the court. Ivanovic defeated her  6-4, 6-2, and we are left--yet again--to ask: What's the matter with JJ?

Dinara Safina's great run was halted by 16th seed Maria Sharapova, who defeated her 6-2, 6-0. Safina had all kinds of problems with her serve, and was outplayed from start to finish by Sharapova. One hopes that Safina doesn't take this loss to heart too much, since she has worked hard to get herself out of a big slump brought on my serious injury and lack of confidence.

Top seed Caroline Wozniacki needed three sets to defeat 22nd seed Alisa Kleybanova, but she got the job done. And 2nd seed Kim Clijsters won her first set against 15th seed Marion Bartoli, then retired in the second set because of a shoulder injury she has had for a while (Tennis Channel called the retirement "shocking," meaning that, as usual, they were unaware--in fact, they even said they were unaware--of an injury Clijsters has spoken about for several weeks now). Clijsters was considered a favorite to win the BNP Paribas Open, and now she is out, along with the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th seeds.

The two highest remaining seeds, Wozniacki and Azarenka, will play each other in the quarterfinals.

Thrill Ride dumps Stosur in the desert

Dinara Safina made it to the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open tonight by defeating 4th seed Sam Stosur 7-6, 6-4. Safina played extremely well in the first set, though she wasn't able to exploit opportunities to close the set before it went to a tiebreak. Her failure to close didn't get her down, though; she blew past Stosur 7-2 in that tiebreak. The former world number 1 lost her way in the second set, but kept herself together and--in classic Thrill Ride fashion--eventually came back (and took advantage of an error-prone Stosur). The problematic part is that Safina double-faulted 16 times. Nevertheless, her victory over a top seed at a premier tournament made her obviously happy, and it was a lovely moment.

Maria Sharapova looked an awful lot like herself when she defeated 20th seed Aravane Rezai in straight sets. 22nd seed Alisa Kleybanova upset 13th seed Flavia Pennetta, who had defeated the Russian in their four previous matches. Nadia Petrova ended wild card Christina McHale's run, and 9th seed Agnieszka Radwanska beat her former doubles partner, 24th seed Maria Kirilenko. Also advancing were top seed Caroline Wozniacki (def. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez), 8th seed Victoria Azarenka (def. Urszula Radwanska), and Peng Shuai (def. Lucie Hradecka, who served for the match at 5-4 in the third set).

In doubles, 7th seeds Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova were upset by Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina in 2nd round play.

Zvonareva upset by Cibulkova in Indian Wells

It took her over three hours, and she had to go through a lot of match points, but Dominika Cibulkova--a bundle of nerves as she tried to eliminate the 3rd seed Sunday night in the 3nd round of the BNP Paribas Open--finally defeated Vera Zvonareva 4-6, 7-6, 6-4. Cibulkova, the 25th seed, slowly built up momentum, and by the middle of the second set, she was hitting stinging groundstrokes off both sides, brushing the lines, and effectively catching Zvonareva off-guard over and over.

Zvonareva served at 15-40 at 1-3 in the third set, but Cibulkova could not break her. Again, at 2-4, the 3rd seed served at 15-40, and this time, she was broken at 30. But the Cibulkova's resolve collapsed, and she was quickly broken back when she served for the match. Zvonareva had an easy hold, hitting two consecutive aces, and Cibulkova served for the match again at 5-4. Up 40-0, Cibulkova saw the easy win melt away as she struggled to even develop her service motion. At that point, it appeared that nerves had so overtaken her that she would be broken again, but she prevailed.

Zvonareva, who won the event in 2009, wasn't the only one to go. Earlier in the week, in the 2nd round, 7th seed Li Na was dismissed by countrywoman Peng Shuai, two-time champion Daniela Hantuchova was defeated by Dinara Safina, and wild card Christina McHale upset 11th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-6, 7-6.

In 3rd round play, 2nd seed Kim Clijsters, who's having a lingering problem with her shoulder, looked all out of sorts against Sara Errani, and was lucky to get out of three sets and move on. And--though she held two match points on her opponent's serve--17th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova lost to 10th seed Shahar Peer.

Defending champion and 6th seed Jelena Jankovic won her match against Julia Goerges in straight sets, and executed match point with her signature backhand down the line. Jankovic was expressive, often smiling, throughout the match, just like old times. Her next opponent will be Ana Ivanovic.

In doubles 2nd round play, 6th seeds Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko defeated Francesca Schiavone and Sam Stosur, and 5th seeds Chan Yung-Jan and Zheng Jie were upset by Daniela Hantuchova and Agnieszka Radwanska.

Tops teams out of Indian Wells in 1st round

Yesterday in Indian Wells, 2nd seeds Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik were upset in the first round by Klaudia Jans and Alicja Rosolska. Today, top seeds Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta were upset by wild cards Jelena Jankovic and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Jankovic and Pavlyuchenkova defeated the number 1 seeds 7-5, 7-5.

3rd seeds Liezel Huber and Nadia Petrova, and 4th seeds Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova both advanced to the second round.

Zahlavova Strycova knocks Kvitova out of Indian Wells

Though the upset of the 12th seed in the second round of a big tournament may not sound--on the face of it--like news, Barbora Zahlavova Strycova's upset of Petra Kvitova at the BNP Paribas Open is notable. Kvitova, who impressed the tennis world last season, and who has already won two tournaments this season, was expected by many tennis fans to make it to the more serious stages in the draw in Indian Wells.

On the other hand, there probably isn't a more "dangerous floater" than Zahlavova Strycova these days. In Paris, Kvitova defeated Zahlavova Strycova 6-4, 6-7(6), 7-6(9) in a dramatic three hour and fourteen-minute match; this time, Zahlavova Strycova prevailed, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5. She went on to win her 2nd round doubles match, too. She and partner Iveta Benesova defeated Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez and Anabel Medina Garrigues 7-6, 6-7, 10-5. The Czech team is seeded 7th.

3rd time a charm for Radwanska

For three consecutive tournaments, Urszula Radwanska and Bojana Jovanovski have faced each other. Jovanovski won the first two, but today in Indian Wells, Radwanska was the winner. It wasn't easy, though. She served for the match twice, then Jovanovski served for, and finally--after almost two hours and 50 minutes--Radwanska won 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (6).

Wild cards Sloane Stephens and Christina McHale won their first round matches, as did qualifiers Laura Pous-Tio, Zhang Shuai and Lucie Hradecka. Elena Baltacha saved four match points and beat Roberta Vinci, and 4th seeds Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova defeated the wild card team of Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva.

Yesterday, wild cards Sania Mirza and Coco Vandeweghe won their matches, and qualifiers Alize Cornet and Monica Niculescu also won (Mirza won by retirement). Both Melanie Oudin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands advanced to the second round, as did the wild card team of Jelena Jankovic and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Passing shots

The WTA site, in recognition of International Women's Day, has posted a gallery of black and white photos of former tennis stars. The first one is of great interest because it is a portrait of Suzanne Lenglen, and we are so accustomed to seeing her in action shots. Also, be sure to check out Frankie Durr and Topspin.

Venus Williams recently joined the 311 cruise and added to her karaoke routine.

Sony has purchased Hawk-Eye. (Good luck to the ITF if they ever need to get a part replaced.)

You can get to know Zhang Shaui.

En route to Indian Wells, Caroline Wozniacki visited Serena Williams at Williams' house, and reports that the former number 1 is in good spirits as she recuperates from illness and surgery.

Main draw play begins tomorrow in Indian Wells. Defending champion Jelena Jankovic is in the same quarter as Petra Kvitova, Marion Bartoli and Kim Clijsters. Andrea Petkovic and Jarmila Groth are in that quarter, too.

Passing shots

Here is an interview with Venus Williams from the recent Women of Influence luncheon in Toronto. Williams was one of the speakers.

Not surprisingly, Christopher Clarey gives us a reasoned and educational glimpse into what the future may hold for Serena Williams.

Pardon the noise--but I just won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open!

Remember when Yanina Wickmayer recently wore knee socks while playing, and we joked that she looked like Bethanie Mattek-Sands, and maybe she wanted to cover up her leg after a wall fell on her? This happened weeks ago, but I thought it was worth mentioning: Those were Mattek-Sands' socks, and yes, according to Mattek-Sands, Wickmayer's leg "looked like a Hollywood war casualty prop."

The BNP Paribas Open Pre-Qualifier begins today in Indian Wells. The winner will receive the remaining wild card into the main draw.

Wild cards announced for Indian Wells

The following players have received wild cards into the main draw of the BNP Paribas Open:

Coco Vandeweghe
Christina McHale
Lauren Davis
Sloane Stephens
Vania King
Jill Craybas
Sania Mirza

She's...back! Jankovic wins Indian Wells championhip

For many months, some of us have been asking "When is she coming back?" Jelena Jankovic answered that question this week in Indian in Indian Wells. Today, decked out in her oh-so-JJ lime tennis dress, she answered it emphatically. The 6th seed, who had not won a title since last fall, came out blazing today in her final against 2nd seed Caroline Wozniacki. She went up 3-0 in the first set, and looked like he might go up 4-0, but Wozniacki then held serve.

Jankovic, serving well enough, and putting on a clinical display of the defensive play for which she is known, took the first set 6-2. She immediately went up a break in the second set, too, but in that set, Wozniacki began to hit the ball with more precision. But Jankovic won that set 6-4, and thereby claimed one of the biggest titles in pro tennis.

Jankovic's movement was as good as it has ever been, she spent more time at the net than usual, took the ball very quickly, and repeatedly attacked Wozniacki's forehand. The precision of Jankovic's groundstrokes was, in fact, too much for Wozniacki to handle.

Jankovic has not had an easy time of it the last year and a half. She came back from the off-season in 2009 very bulked up, and said that the additional weight inhibited her movement. She changed her training regimen and dropped the weight, but then her mother became quite ill. Snezana recovered, then JJ's grandmother died. Jankovic did win a couple of titles, but both last year and at the beginning of this season, she just didn't look like herself--something was missing. Then she traveled to the California desert and found those missing pieces. Confidence is a fragile entity, and one which Jankovic now obviously has back in her possession.

Peschke & Srebotnik win Indian Wells doubles championship

In this evening's BNP Paribas Open doubles championship, each player made some good shots, and there were several momentum swings, but there was no doubting who the star of the championship was. Kveta Peschke, known in doubles circles for her stinging forehand, also controlled the court with a very formidable backhand. And as if that weren't enough, Peschke's volleys were superior. As the match went on, it was Peschke's game that got better, and she and partner Katarina Srebotnik--an unseeded team--defeated 3rd seeds Nadia Petrova and Samantha Stosur 6-4, 2-6, 10-5.

Srebotnik, of course, has only recently returned to the tour, but she and Peschke have already shown that they are a force with which to be reckoned.

Wozniacki to play Jankovic in Indian Wells final

The BNP Paribas Open semifinal match between 2nd seed Caroline Wozniacki and 5th seed Agnieszka Radwanska was my kind of match. There were very long rallies (one went 34 shots), both players carefully constructed points, and both consistently used their brains. Unfortunately, in this age of "hit opponents off the court and smack three dozen winners" (not that there's anything wrong with that), such a match does not appeal to all tennis fans. But it appealed to me. Radwanska, however, for all her lovely touch and strategy, saw her forehand deteriorate, and she missed many opportunities to take control of the match.

Wozniacki, on the other hand, played with keen precision, and also put enough spin on the ball to give Radwanska trouble. She emerged the winner, 6-2, 6-3, and will play 6th seed Jelena Jankovic in the final on Sunday. Jankovic defeated 8th seed Sam Stosur earlier today. Jankovic has a career head-to-head of 3-0 against Wozniacki.

In doubles, 3rd seeds Nadia Petrova and Samantha Stosur will play Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik in the final. Petrova and Stosur defeated Chan Yung-Jan and Zheng Jie in the semifinals, and Peschke and Srebotnik defeated 6th seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Yan Zi.

Jankovic advances to Indian Wells final

Look who's back. BNP Paribas Open 6th seed Jelena Jankovic, who has had a hard time of it on the tour for months, now finds herself in the final of Indian Wells. Jankovic, serving better than usual and returning very well, defeated semifinal opponent Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-4 today to reach the final. Jankovic was more than up to the task, while Stosur--struggling with her backhand, and  sometimes even with her dangerous forehand--played too carelessly to get past the 6th seed.

Jankovic has not been in a final since the Tokyo tournament of 2009, in which she had to retire.

Jankovic will face either 2nd seed Caroline Wozniacki or 5th seed Agnieszka Radwanska.

Jankovic and Stosur advance to Indian Wells semifinals

aAlisa Kleybanova finally ran out of fuel, and no wonder, with the battles she has fought in this year's BNP Paribas Open. Kleybanova has provided the most entertainment in Indian Wells, however, and she has a lot of which to be proud. Today, though, she just didn't have as much to give, and 6th seed Jelena Jankovic hung with her and took advantage, winning their quarterfinal match 6-4, 6-4. Kleybanova, as usual, hit a lot of winners, but also made a lot of unforced errors.

The other quarterfinal match featured two players known for their great serves and their expert volleys, but you might not have known that if you saw them for the first time today. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, who got to the quarterfinals by taking out both 3rd seed Victoria Azarenka and 13th seed Yanina Wickmayer, was obviously a bundle of nerves in this, her first really big quarterfinal appearance. I thought that--as the match went on--Martinez Sanchez would relax more and get into a groove, but she never really did. There were flashes of her wonderful serving and her quickness at the net, but those were neutralized by multiple errors, both forced and unforced. The Spaniard held a set point in the second set tiebreak, but could not convert.

As for 8th seed Stosur, she was not at her best, but she was certainly good enough, and between her cracking forehand and her opponent's anxiety, she had a 6-3, 7-6 win.

Jankovic and Stosur will play one another in the semifinals. The other semifinal match will feature 5th seed Agnieszka Radwanska and 2nd seed Caroline Wozniacki, who are close friends.

Spaniards upset in Indian Wells quarterfinal

Yesterday, BNP Paribas top seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber were upset in the quarterfinals by Chan Yung-Jan and Zheng Jie. Today, 2nd seeds Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez were knocked out by Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Yan Zi (Zheng's former doubles partner). However, the 3rd seeds, Nadia Petrova and Samantha Stosur, prevailed, defeating Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.

In the semifinals, Chan and Zheng will play Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik, who defeated Maria Kirilenko and Agnieszka Radwanska in the quarterfinals. Petrova and Stosur will play Mattek-Sands and Yan.

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 goes to Indian Wells quarterfinals

Slow courts and heavy tennis balls. That sounds like a positive formula for someone like Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, and--sure enough--the Spanish clay court and doubles specialist has worked her way into the Indian Wells quarterfinals. Martinez Sanchez, who took out 3rd seed Victoria Azarenka in the third round, defeated 13th seed Yanina Wickmayer in the fourth round today. Martinez Sanchez, seeded 28th, is an aggressive player with a lot of shot variety who has had outstanding service stats throughout the tournament. She defeated Wickmayer 6-4, 6-4.

Defending champion Vera Zvonareva, seeded 12th, also made an exit today. She was defeated by 8th seed Samantha Stosur. Stosur's 6-2, 7-5 victory places her in the top 10. Stosur is now 4-2 head-to-head against Zvonareva, and has beaten her four times in a row.

6th seed Jelena Jankovic defeated 17th seed Shahar Peer 6-2, 6-2; Peer had serious problems with her serve throughout the match. Also winning were 5th seed Agnieszka Radwanska (def. 11th seed Marion Bartoli), 4th seed Elena Dementieva (def. 19th seed Aravane Rezai), 18th seed Zheng Jie (def. wild card Alicia Molik), and 23rd seed Alisa Kleybanova (def. Carla Suarez Navarro).

2nd seed Caroline Wozniacki defeated 16th seed Nadia Petrova 6-3, 3-6, 6-0. Wozniacki has obviously been working on her serve, and is looking sharp in this tournament.

Here is the quarterfinal draw:

Alisa Kleybanova vs. Jelena JankovicMaria Jose Martinez Sanchez vs. Samantha Stosur
Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Elena Dementieva
Zheng Jie vs. Caroline Wozniacki