Hsieh and Peng win Bali title

Number 3 seeds Hsieh Su-Wei and Peng Shuai defeated Marta Domachowska and Nadia Petrova today to win the title in Bali. Domachowska and Petrova were unseeded.

This is the first time that Hsieh and Peng have played doubles together.

Hsieh/Peng def. Domachowska/Petrova, 6-7, 7-6, 10-7

Dr. Navaratnam receives Sony Ericsson WTA Tour award

Dr. Dharmendran Navaratnam, the tournament physician of the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic in Bali, has received the Dr. Glick Award from the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. The award, named after Dr. Irving Glick, former chief medical officer of the U.S. Open and founder of the USTA's Sports Medicine Advisory Committee. Dr. Navaratnam was chosen for being the physician who--during the past season--most demonstrated the standards of Dr. Glick.

Schnyder wins Bali--the curse is broken

After Patty Schnyder won in Cincinnati in 2005, she went to seven finals and lost them all. Most of them were big contests--Nadia Petrova beat her in Charleston (after Schnyder had defeated Justine Henin in the semifinals), old rival Daniela Hantuchova beat her in Zurich, and Serena Williams beat her in San Diego.

As a fan, I was proud that she made the finals of the top tournaments, rather than playing in smaller ones. In fact, her consistency was excellent. But I was also frustrated that she did not win even one of these finals.

Schnyder's run at the 2008 U.S. Open seems to have filled her with confidence, and she went to Bali in very fine form, defeating her friend Tamira Paszek today to take the title. To get to the final, Patty defeated Yuan Meng, Marta Domachowska and Nadia Petrova. Paszek's path to the final was impressive, especially for an unseeded player: She defeated Anna-Lena Groenefeld, Sara Errani, Flavia Pennetta, and top seed Daniela Hantuchova.

Schnyder's victory was also her 500th career match win. Her back was bothering her in Bali, so she has withdrawn from the tournament in Guangzhou. She now goes into the European indoor season, which has always favored her. In fact, she was close to a win in Linz in 2005, but injured her hand during the final. Playing one-handed for the remainder of the match, she lost to Nadia Petrova. That was Petrova's first tournament win. And last year, of course, Schnyder lost to Hantuchova on an indoor court in Zurich.

You can read Patty's Bali blog here.

Schnyder def. Paszek, 6-3, 6-0

Schnyder and Paszek to meet in Bali final

Tamira Paszek continued her march through the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic draw today, defeating top seed Daniela Hantuchova, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. For her part, 2nd seed Patty Schnyder defeated Nadia Petrova, 7-5, 6-1.

Paszek and Schnyder have played twice. Last year, Paszek took Schnyder out of the U.S. Open in the third round. However, this year, in Doha, Schnyder defeated her in straight sets, including one set of 6-0.

Paszek upsets Pennetta in Bali

These days, we never know whether we're going to get whiz-kid Paszek or struggling Paszek. Flavia Pennetta, seeded 3rd at the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic in Bali, appears to have encountered the former: Paszek defeated her 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 today. Here is the semifinal lineup:

Top seed Daniela Hantuchova vs. Tamira Paszek

No. 4 seed Nadia Petrova vs. no. 2 seed Patty Schnyder

Should the top seeds win their semifinal matches, the final would feature one of the Sony Ericsson WTA's most long-standing rivalries.

Schnyder and Domachowska to play quarterfinal in Bali

It seems odd, but Patty Schnyder and Marta Domachowska have never played one another on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. But they will be playing each other soon, in the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic in Bali. As any reader of this blog knows, I like Schnyder's game a great deal--she is one of my favorites. I also like Domachowska's game, and I think that Schnyder and Domachowska are both under-achievers, though on different levels. Schnyder has gone to so many high-level finals, but--for the last several years--has lost most of them. Domachowska is very talented, but is terribly inconsistent.

I expect Schnyder to win; she is not only a more consistent player, she can also pose a major threat to someone who has never come up against her expert drop shots, looping backhands and swinging forehand. For that matter, she can pose a threat to players who have come up against them. But if Domachowska plays her best game, this could be an interesting match.

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.

Davenport wins in Bali

Linday Davenport, playing singles in her first tournament since she left the tour to have a baby, won the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic in Bali today, defeating Daniela Hantuchova, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2. As world number 234, Davenport is the fourth lowest-ranked woman to ever win a tour tournament.

Move over...Lindsay's back

Lindsay Davenport, playing her first singles tournament since returning to the tour, defeated Jelena Jankovic today, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. Davenport now advances to the semifinals of the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic in Bali, in which she will play Sara Errani, who upset 7th seed Aiko Nakamura to advance today. Errani upset Anabel Medina Garrigues yesterday.

Schnyder out of Bali

It's not pretty to be up 3-0 in the third set, have a game point to get up 4-0, and then lose the match, but Patty Schnyder did just that today against Sorana Cirstea at the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic in Bali. Cirstea had the lead in the second set, then lost it, but managed to squeeze out a 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 victory. It was the first top-20 win for the 137th-ranked Cirstea, who has gotten herself noticed lately.

Schnyder wasn't alone in getting upset. Anabel Medina Garrigues also had a third set lead, but lost her match against Sara Errani in their 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 match, which went on for almost three hours.