McHale upsets Kleybanova in Charleston

It was a big day for Christina McHale. Not only was she selected as a member of the USA Fed Cup team, but she also pulled off the first big upset of the 2011 Family Circle Cup. McHale, a qualifier, defeated 8th seed Alisa Kleybanova 6-1, 6-0 in the second round. This was Kleybanova's first match on the green clay of Charleston, and it wasn't a comfortable experience. McHale, for her part, gave her opponent only one break opportunity, and Kleybanova could not convert it. The 8th seed won only 43% of her first serves, and a dismal 9% of her second.

In the first round, qualifier Eva Birnerova won the first set against 12th seed Julia Goerges 6-1, and held five match points in the second, but was overtaken 7-5 by the German player. Unfortunately, at 0-2 in the third, Birnerova had to retire because of an ankle injury.

Barbora Zahlavova Strycova really had to work to get her victory. She defeated Andrea Hvlavackova 6-2, 2-6, 7-6(8). Zahlavova Strycova is the tournament's 15th seed.

6th seed Yanina Wickmayer looked very sharp today in her second round match against Zheng Jie, which she won 6-4, 6-0. Also getting a decisive win was 9th seed Maria Kirilenko, who defeated Varvara Lepchenko 6-4, 6-0.

Sabine Lisicki and Irina Falconi made appearances on the new stage on the Great Lawn this evening. Falconi  defeated Memphis champion Magdalena Rybarikova in the first round. In the second round, she plays world number 1 and top seed Caroline Wozniacki.

Conditions were windy today after a big storm passed through the Charleston area. Good, mostly sunny, weather is predicted for the rest of the week. Only one match--a doubles event--had to be postponed.

Passing shots

The use of Hawk-Eye has been extended at Fed Cup.

I don't call her Thrill Ride for nothing.

The BBC is considering taking Wimbledon off of its broadcasting schedule. Any such change would not occur until 2014.

Thank goodness for Tennis TV, which is now easier than ever to use, and which keeps me from having to watch Tennis Channel with the sound off.

Venus Williams will return to the tour at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.

You can get to know Christina McHale here.

Passing shots

Conchita Martinez has been hired by Tennis Australia to give some guidance to some of the players.

Christina McHale, who received a wild card into the BNP Paribas Open main draw, is currently working with USTA coach Jay Gooding.

Surely by now, readers have heard about the Northwestern University computer study that generated the result that Jimmy Connors is the greatest tennis player of all time. Aside from the fact that discussions of who is "the greatest of all time" are ridiculous to begin with, this particular study has another flaw not being talked about: Connors, according to the study, is actually the greatest male player of all time, but the assumption by those who designed the study was that only men could even be considered. Such an assumption once again promotes the false (but very popular, with such players as Tim Henman, John McEnroe, Andy Murray, and John Isner "ranking" WTA players within the ATP) notion that the men's game and the women's game are the same. So please add sexism to the flaws in the study that are being discussed throughout the tennis media. The scientists at Northwestern are, of course, not alone. Members of the sports media constantly talk about the "greatest player of all time" when they are actually referring to the "greatest male player of all time."

bleacher report picks Jennifer Capriati's defeat of Martina Hingis in the 2002 Australian Open final as number 34 in the "The 50 Greatest Comebacks in Sports History." There are three tennis moments in the top 50.

Here are some photos from Maria Sharapova's Tatler photo shoot.

Retired doubles great Virginia Ruano Pascual has been named the new director of the Open Castilla Y Leon Villa de El Espinar. Ruano Pascual won 43 titles, including ten majors.

From Jon Wertheim: "...a recently retired player was telling me that she's observed a rash of eating disorders among her colleagues. 'If I see a player's results suddenly fall, the first thing I assume is that she either has an eating disorder or a complicated relationship with her coach.' She says that if it weren't for eating disorders, the top 20 would look very different."

Miscellany

Christina McHale has withdrawn from French Open junior competition, but may play in the U.S. Open junior tournament. McHale, who has a wild card into the main draw at Roland Garros, has not yet given up her amateur status.

You can see and hear the Women's Tennis Blog interview with Chris Evert here.

The Queen (not Evert--the other queen) will attend Wimbledon on June 23, for the first time in 33 years.

The last time an unseeded woman won the French Open was 1933.

Heather Watson turned 18 yesterday.

Here is Anne Keothavong's new Wilson Apparel photo.

McHale gets wild card into French Open

Christina McHale came back from being a set and a break down to defeat Beatrice Capra 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 today and win a wild card into the French Open main draw. The playoffs to determine who gets the wild card were held this week in Boca Raton, Florida. McHale, the number 1 seed, beat Julia Boserup and Asia Muhammad to get to the final.

McHale said that at the beginning of the match that she was thinking too much about the French Open, and it took her a while to relax. The top seed said of her opponent, "She wasn't missing at all the first set and a half. She made a couple of mistakes and got startled and I was able to find my rhythm."

Still no fourth member of USA Fed Cup team, but a decision should come soon

Sloane Stephens practiced in Birmingham's BJCC, the site of this weekend's Fed Cup semifinal, on Monday. Christina McHale, another possible USA team member, was at home catching up on school assignments; McHale made it to the third round in Charleston last week. Captain Mary Joe Fernandez says that she hopes McHale can come to Birmingham soon so she can observe her. She also indicated that there is at least one other player whom she wants to observe in the BJCC arena.

In terms of being able to handle the pressure of Fed Cup, I think McHale is the better choice of the two mentioned; I don't know who the other players are.

Venus Williams, after a hitting session on Sunday, told Fernandez that she felt "so-so."

McHale advances to 2nd round of Family Circle Cup

Qualifier Christina McHal--who saved two match points when she was down 2-5--defeated Alla Kudryattseva 3-6, 7-6, 6-3 today in Charleston to advance to the second round of the Family Circle Cup. McHale's next opponent will be 3rd seed Victoria Azarenka. Azarenka sustained a thigh strain last week in Marbella and had to retire in her quarterfinal match.

Michelle Larcher De Brito fought hard to defeat Vesna Manesieva. Manesieva had to receive treatment during the match for what appeared to be some type of illness. Larcher de Brito won the match 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. Vocals aside, Larcher De Brito is a very dynamic player, releasing a lot of energy in every movement. Like some other big hitters, she goes for too much too often. If she can learn to pull back, she should be competitive.

I realized this morning that Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova had withdrawn from the tournament; I was so looking forward to seeing her play.

 Michaella Krajicek served her team's way to victory in the first round of doubles

In doubles play, last year's finalists--Liga Dekmeijere and Patty Schnyder--lost in the first round to Vania King and Michaella Krajicek. King and Krajicek dominated Dekmeijere and Schnyder throughout, and defeated them 6-2, 6-1 in less than an hour.

Vandeweghe gets wild card to Australian Open

Coco Vandeweghe, playing in the first three-set match of the Australian Open wild card playoff tournament in Atlanta, defeated Christina McHale 7-6, 0-6, 6-3 in today's final.

McHale was last year's wild card playoff winner, but she had to retire in the first round of the Open because of severe cramping. Vandeweghe, the 2008 U.S. Open junior champion, turned 18 yesterday.

Vandeweghe and McHale to compete for Australian Open wild card

The second round of the Australian Open wild card playoffs was held today in Atlanta. Coco Vandeweghe defeated Julia Boserup 6-4, 6-4, and Christina McHale defeated Alison Riske 6-4, 6-2. Vandeweghe and McHale will play tomorrow to determine who goes to the main draw of the Australian Open. McHale won last year's wild card playoffs.

Wimbledon miscellany

So-called journalists continue to ask inane/offensive questions:
It looked like mirror images. You had your left leg all taped and she had her right leg all taped. Is this for the cripple's championship or what?
Do you think about the girls ahead of you? Steffi Graf has seven; Martina has nine.
Unfortunately, players very rarely call these people out. It would make a difference if they did.

9th seed Christina McHale was upset in the first round of junior girls competition today.

128 people had to be treated for heat illness at Wimbledon today--128 if you count Jelena Jankovic. And one had to be taken to the hospital. The temperature went up as high as 28C, which--where I live--would constitute a mercifully cool day right now. I remember, decades ago, traveling to London in the summer, and feeling so relieved that the temperature was much lower than it was here. Imagine my surprise when I saw heat wave precautions posted everywhere.

Here's a unique take on Melanie Oudin.

Though I generally try to avoid Sports Illustrated, I was relieved to find someone there who, like I, cannot understand why screaming is called "grunting."

Can someone please tie up Brad Gilbert, put a sock in his mouth, and lock him in a closet until Wimbledon is over? Actually, the sock part would be good enough. There is probably no greater philistine or yahoo on the sports airwaves--and that's saying something. It isn't just his constantly calling the French Open champion "KOOnetSOva" his "Double J" moniker for Jelena Jankovic, or the fact that he calls Tammy Tanasugarn "Tammy Sue Garden." His extreme "masculine" posturing, matched only by his tiny frame of reference, can be maddening.

Today, he was astonished by the idea of moving outer court matches to Centre Court if there is rain and Centre Court is not being used. Seriously, he was amazed that someone suggested this clever probability. And he made a series of lame "Simon says" jokes about Gilles Simon, whose name, of course, is not pronounced "SImon."

He also tried to "reassure" Tommy Haas that it just wasn't so when Haas described himself as emotional. Patting him on the back, Gilbert said in an avuncular tone, "No, you're not." It wasn't irony--he needed for Haas to stop thinking of himself as "feminine," I suppose.

If you've ever been to a gathering--maybe just your office--and noticed there is one man who just has to blurt out anything, no matter how inane it is, then you know what Gilbert is like. Several of the commentators are annoying, but next to Gilbert, they're all class acts.

Interview with McHale

Thanks to Zoo Tennis for this link to an interview with Australian Open junior doubles champion Christina McHale.

McHale and Tomljanovic win junior girls doubles title

Christina McHale, whose cramping led to her exit from the first round of the main draw of the Australian Open, has--with her partner, Ajla Tomljanovic--won the Australian Open junior girls doubles title. McHale and Tomljanovic defeated Alexandra Krunic and Sandra Zaniewska, 6-2, 2-6, 10-4 in the final.

McHale out in first round of Australian Open juniors

Christina McHale, who won the Australian Open wild card playoff in the U.S. and went out in the first round because of cramping, is now out of junior competition, also. She was defeated, 7-5, 6-3, by 2008 junior Wimbledon champion Laura Robson.

Drama on Court 6, and other heated issues

Christina McHale, the U.S. wild card into the Australian Open main draw, showed everyone today what a good tennis player she is. McHale played Australia's Jessica Moore in a match that became dramatic in the third set, when McHale developed a bad leg cramp. Toward the end of the set, after getting treatment, she was limping, and she was showing signs of cramping in other parts of her body.

What then ensured was a meltdown by Moore, who looked totally lost. The ESPN commentators stirred up their own drama when they had a heated discussion about the unfairness of the cramping rule (Pam Shriver dissented, saying that lack of fitness is not the only reason for cramping--that some people just sweat more). Somehow, McHale remained standing, though she eventually lost, 7-9 in the third. It was frustrating to see the better player go out, but it also appeared that McHale had not properly prepared for the intense Australian heat.

In the meantime, the 15-year-old French wild card, Kristina Mladenovic, threw everything she had at 14th seed Patty Schnyder and took the first set, 6-2. Schnyder took the second set at the last moment--undoubtedly causing her fans to sweat like the players in Melbourne--then cruised through the third. Mladenovic hit more than twice as many winners as Schnyder, but she also committed twice as many unforced errors.

Yesterday, it was Julia Goerges who impressed us with her forehand and her angles. Today, we had the pleasure of watching Kristina Barrois, who lost to Elena Dementieva, but who displayed a lot of finesse, had a nice court presence, and even threw in some serve and volley. Barrois eventually let nerves get the best of her, which was a lucky thing for Dementieva, who looked unprepared and sluggish.

Those watching the comeback progress of Anna-Lena Groenefeld will be unhappy to learn that she is out of the Australian Open. Groenefeld was defeated by Elena Baltacha, the last Brit standing. Nicole Vaidisova is also out, defeated by Severine Bremond.

And finally, Melinda Czink, who is already having the best season of her career, added to her success by defeating Sorana Cirstea in straight sets.

McHale wins wild card to Australian Open

Christina McHale of New Jersey has won the Australian Open wild card playoffs in the U.S. (the U.S. has a reciprocal agreement with Australia concerning wild cards). McHale defeated Gail Brodsky, 6-1, 6-0 in the final. 16-year-old McHale was 4-0 in the round-robin tournament.