Kuznetsova and Wickmayer out in 1st round in Madrid

Yesterday in Madrid, for the third consecutive time, Dominika Cibuulkova defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova. Cibulkova won 6-3, 6-2 over the 12th seed. Yanina Wickmayer, though unseeded, was undoubtedly expected by many to go deep in this tournament, but she, too, was defeated. Ekaterina Makarova beat Wickmayer 6-4, 6-4 in today's first round play.

Defending champion Aravane Rezai went out, too--6-3, 3-6, 6-4, to Sofia Arvidsson. Flavia Pennetta and Nadia Petrova were also beaten in the first round. Pennetta is just returning from rehab for a shoulder injury, and Petrova has been coping with an ongoing illness.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands lost the first set 6-0 to Ana Ivanovic, then went on to win the next two. And probably no one had to work as hard as Chanelle Scheepers, who served for the match at 5-3 in the third set served against Monica Niculescu, and then was broken twice. Scheepers broke back, which took the players to a tiebreak, and Scheepers prevailed. It took Scheepers two hours and 47 minutes to win at 4-6, 6-3, 7-6.

Of the three French Open champions playing in Madrid, only Francesca Schiavone survived the opening round. She defeated Peng Shuai 7-5, 7-6.

Schnyder gets off to slow start, but prevails in Charleston 1st round

Patty Schnyder, a huge crowd favorite in Charleston and this year's 16th seed, was sluggish and error-prone in her opening set against qualifier Chanelle Scheepers today. The pair exchanged breaks at the beginning of the first set. At 3-all, the student schooled the teacher: Scheepers broke Schnyder by finishing the seventh game with a well-placed drop shot. Scheepers took that set 6-2, and--given the number of errors Schnyder was making--things didn't look too good for the Swiss veteran.

But when the second set began, the backwards-rearing, forehand-looping Patty--the real Patty--appeared on the court. Scheepers continued to play well, but Schnyder--who later remarked that crowd expectations in Charleston tend to make her first rounds here difficult--hit with much more authority after the first set. The last two sets were well-played by both opponents, but Schnyder's play was cleaner, and she was able to take control of more of the rallies. The crowd's support, which was loud and continuous, was a real boost, Schnyder said.

"I'm pretty much done, I think," the 16th seed responded to a question about where she is in her career. Schnyder said she now gets a bit tired part of the year, and it's harder for her to play in tournaments in which she doesn't feel at home. The Family Circle Cup is, of course, where she feels most at home. Even talking with fans during her practice sessions makes her work harder and longer while she is here, Schnyder said.

Next for Schnyder is Michelle Larcher De Brito. They played each other earlier this year in Fed Cup, on an indoor hard court. "She's hitting the ball and she's really trying to hit winners, but she came up with some good angles," Schnyder recalls. "We had some good rallies. I remember she had some double faults as well...."