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.

Black & Paes win Wimbledon mixed doubles championship

The number 2 seeds, Cara Black and Leander Paes, won the Wimbledon mixed doubles championship today, defeating 11th seeds Lisa Raymond and Wesley Moodie 6-4, 7-6.

Black won the mixed doubles championship with in 2004 with her brother, Wayne.

Vesnina & Zvonareva advance to Wimbledon doubles final

The unseeded team of Elena Vesnina and Vera Zvonareva advanced to the Wimbledon final today, with a 6-3, 6-1 defeat of 4th seeds Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta. That means that Zvonareva will play in both the singles and doubles final. She has one major title; in 2006, she and Nathalie Dechy won the U.S. Open.

The Russians' opponents in the final will be the unseeded team of Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova, who upset the 5th seeds, Liezel Huber and Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

In the mixed doubles semifinals, 2nd seeds Cara Black and Leander Paes defeated 9th seeds Iveta Benesova, and Lukas Dlouhy, and 11th seeds Lisa Raymond and Wesley Moodie defeated 10th seeds Rennae Stubbs and Marcelo Melo. Raymond and Stubbs are women's doubles partners (Dlouhy and Paes are partners in men's doubles, also).

Black & Huber talk about their split

Doublas Robson interviewed both Cara Black and Liezel Huber about the dissolution of their partnership. It's an interesting read--a story of frustration, disappointment and bitterness.

The article, by the way, speculates that Huber may play doubles with Lindsay Davenport later in the season. That partnership has since been confirmed: They will play together in Stanford and San Diego.

Black & Huber end their partnership

 Photo courtesy of After Atalanta

Putting an end to the rumors, Liezel Huber has confirmed that she and partner Cara Black have parted ways as doubles partners. Huber called it a "mutal break" (whatever that is), and said that "We might get back together and we might not."

The team of Black and Huber was no longer dominant last year, with both the teams of Llagostera Vives/Martinez Sanchez and Williams/Williams getting in on the big victories. Huber said that she and Black may still play together in the future, but not exclusively.

Black and Huber have been a team since 2005, though Black played for an extended time with Rennae Stubbs when Huber had to have surgery, followed by a period of recuperation, and Black was not certain that her partner would return to the tour.

Huber says that she will be playing with different partners this season. She will team with Nadia Petrova, with whom she won this year's Family Circle Cup, in Rome. Petrova is now Sam Stosur's regular doubles partner, but Stosur has made it clear that she is going to limit the number of doubles events that she enters. When Stosur does not play doubles in a tournament, Petrova is free to play with Huber, or with whomever she would like.

Black also said that she may play with Melanie Oudin during the U.S. hard court season.

In Stuttgart, Black is playing doubles with Shahar Peer, and Huber is playing with Jelena Jankovic.

(A little) More news on the Black & Huber situation

Several people have asked whether Cara Black and Liezel Huber have split up. Huber and Nadia Petrova won the doubles championship in Charleston; however, both Petrova and Sam Stosur made it clear that they will be a team this year, though Stosur will limit her doubles play. Gene Sapakoff of The Post and Courier (via Bobby Chintapalli) quotes Huber as saying her status is "up in the air," but that she will most likely continue to play with Black.

Black & Huber out of Miami in 1st round

The unseeded team of Nathalie Grandin and Abigail Spears has upset top seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber in the first round of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. Grandin and Spears were a mini-break down in the super-tiebreak, but held on, and won the match 3-6, 6-4, 10-7.

Black and Paes win Australian Open mixed doubles championship

Top seeds Cara Black and her partner, Leander Paes, won the Australian Open mixed doubles title yesterday, defeating the unseeded team of Ekaterina Makarova and Jaroslav Levinsky 7-5, 6-3.

This is Black's fourth major mixed doubles title. She said that, last year, Paes promised her they would win the 2010 Australian Open.

Williams sisters defend Australian Open doubles title

The good news for Cara Black and Liezel Huber is that they were not quickly dismissed from the court in their latest contest with Venus and Serena Williams. The bad news is that they lost again. The Williams sisters won the Australian Open women's doubles championship today by defeating the world number 1 team 6-4, 6-3. Such was their dominance, they dropped only one set the entire tournament.

Black and Huber did everything they could think of to get the defending champions off their game. They lobbed, hit balls down the middle, and focused on being aggressive. They played well, in fact--better than they did the last couple of times they played the sisters. But their efforts were not sufficient to win the title.

Venus and Serena have now won eleven major doubles titles. If they enter the remaining majors this year--and especially if they can pull off a French Open win--they have a good chance to win the Grand Slam.

Dementieva defends Sydney title

Defending champion and 5th seed Elena Dementieva won the Medibank International today by defeating top seed Serena Williams 6-3, 6-2. Williams was very error-prone and also appeared to be having trouble with her knee again, although she downplayed the problem in her post-match interview.

Number 1 seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber won the doubles title, defeating Tathiana Garbin and Nadia Petrova 6-1, 3-6, 10-3.

Williams sisters win U.S. Open women's doubles championship

The U.S. Open championship match between Serena and Venus Williams and the world number 1 team, Cara Black and Liezel Huber, had featured entertaining moments. With Cara Black unable to hold her serve, however, the Williams team found it relatively easy to win the championship, 6-2, 6-2.

Serena and Venus Williams have won three of the four major tournaments this year; Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual defended their French Open.

Serena and Venus Williams now hold ten major doubles titles and two Olympic gold medals in doubles. They also have also earned the career Grand Slam in doubles.

Williams sisters join Black & Huber in U.S. Open semifinals

Since the U.S. Open began, I have generally watched two matches at once (a practice I don't recommend). This afternoon, however, it was hard to take my eyes off of the quarterfinal match between the Williams sisters and the comeback Chinese team of Yan Zi and Zheng Jie. Venus Williams had a consistently troublesome serve, which opened the door for the aggressive team of Yan and Zheng. Zheng is the showier of the two, and some of her volleys are stunning, but many times, they are set up expertly by the quiet and steady Yan.

Serena Williams served for the first set at 5-2, and was broken. Yan and Zheng held, as they continued their aggressive tactics. Up to this point, Venus was the only player who had not been broken, but when she served for the set at 5-4, she double-faulted twice. Serena rushed the net and saved a break point, but the team was broken when Venus double-faulted a third time.

When Yan and Zheng served at 5-all, there was a thrilling rally which ended when Zheng went to the net to save a break point. The Chinese team was broken on the next break point, however, and the Williams team held to take the set 7-5. The Williams sisters went up an early break in the second set, but were broken, then Yan and Zheng were broken right back. When the Williams team served again, Yan and Zheng had a break point, but Zheng over-hit a volley, which went long, and the Williams sisters were able to hold for 6-4 and the match.

(Note to Doug Adler: Four women on the court do not "man" their positions.)

In the other quarterfinal, top seeds and defending champions Cara Black and Liezel Huber faced Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. Black and Huber took the first set 6-3, and the Spanish team took the second, 6-2. In the final set, Black and Huber went down 4-5, 0-30, but found a way to hold--because that's what Black and Huber do. At 5-6, sitting on the bench during the changeover, Liezel Huber turned to her box and gave a thumbs-up to her team. The team then faced another break point, but saved that one, too, then broke the Spanish team. Black and Huber then held for a 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 victory.

In the semifinals, Black and Huber will play 3rd seeds Sam Stosur and Rennae Stubbs. The Williams sisters, who are seeded 4th, will play the 13th seeds, Alisa Kleybanova and Ekaterina Makarova.

Black & Huber upset in Stanford

Top seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber, the number 1 doubles team in the world, were upset in the Stanford quarterfinals last night by Chan Yung-Jan and Monica Niculescu. Chan and Niculescu will play Venus and Serena Williams in the final. The Williams sisters defeated Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Nadia Petrova, the team who took them out of the French Open.

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.

Black and Huber upset by Williams sisters

Top seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber gave it all they had, but still won only three games today in their Wimbledon semifinal against Venus and Serena Williams. The Williams sisters posted a score of 6-1, 6-2, and will play Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs in the final. Number 3 seeds Stosur and Stubbs defeated 2nd seeds and French Open champions Anabele Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual, 6-7, 6-4, 6-2.

Black and Huber upset in Eastbourne semifinal

Top seeds and defending champions Cara Black and Liezel Huber were defeated today in the AEGON International semifinals by 4th seeds Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs, 6-4, 7-6. Stosur and Stubbs will meet Amanmuradova and Ai Sugiyama in the final. Akgul Amanmuradova and Sugiyama defeated Vania King and Zheng Jie 6-3, 6-4.

Rybarikova upsets Li for Birmingham title

Magdalena Rybarikova won her first Sony Ericsson WTA title today. The Birmingham 13th seed defeated 4th seed Li Na 6-0, 7-6. Rybarikova, who is ranked number 58 in the world, was the junior Wimbledon finalist in 2006.

Defending champions Cara Black and Liezel Huber took the doubles title, defeating Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears 6-1, 6-4.

Li and Rybarikova to compete for AEGON Classic title

In today's Birmingham semifinals, 4th seed Li Na defeated Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-4, and 13th seed Magdalena Rybarikova defeated Sania Mirza 3-6, 6-0, 6-3.

Kateryna Bondarenko won the tournament last year.

In doubles, 4th seeds Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears defeated Francesca Schiavone and Roberta Vinci 6-1, 7-6, and top seeds and defending champions Cara Black and Liezel Huber defeated number 3 seeds Chuang Chia-Jung and Sania Mirza, 7-5, 6-3.

Navratilova receives Philippe Chatrier Award

The International Tennis Federation's highest honor, the Philippe Chatrier Award, was presented this week to Martina Navratilova. The award was presented at the World Champions Dinner in Paris. Champions' awards went to Jelena Jankovic, Cara Black and Liezel Huber.

Black and Huber out of French Open

Today at Roland Garros, the 2008 French Open champions--Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual--defeated the top seeds, Cara Black and Liezel Huber, 7-5, 5-7, 6-2. Medina Garrigues and Ruano Pascual now go to the final, in which they will play 12th seeds Victoria Azarenka and Elena Vesnina. Azarenka and Vesnina defeated 9th seeds Hsieh Su-Wei and Peng Shuai 6-3, 7-5.

Black and Huber, the number 1 team in the world, have never won the French Open.