Medina Garrigues and Vinci win titles

Anabel Medina Garrigues won her tenth WTA title today in Estoril. Medina Garrigues defeated Kristina Barrois 6-1, 6-2 in the final. Nine of the Spaniard's titles have come on clay. Medina Garrigues recently overcame a losing streak comprised of ten consecutive first round losses.

Alisa Kleybanova and Galina Voskoboeva won the Estoril doubles championship. They defeated Elena Daniilidou and Michaela Krajicek 6-4, 6-2 in the final.

Roberta Vinci won her fourth title today when she defeated Lucie Hradecka 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. Vinci was the champion in 2009, and the runner-up in 2010.

The doubles title went to the top seeds, Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova. They defeated Natalie Grandin and Vladirimira Uhlirova 5-7, 6-4, 11-9. Benesova and Zahlavova Strycova have won eleven titles together. 

Vinci and Hradecka to meet in Barcelona final

Roberta Vinci and Lucie Hradecka have made it to the final of the Barcelona Open. Vinci, the 6th seed, defeated Laura Pous-Tio 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 in the semifinals. Hradecka defeated 5th seed Sara Errani 6-1, 7-5.

Top seeds Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova will meet Natalie Grandin and Vladamira Uhlirova in the doubles final.

At the Estoril Open, Kristina Barroi and Anabel Medina Garrigues will compete in the final. In the doubles final, Alisa Kleybanova and Galina Voskoboeva will compete against Eleni Daniilidou and Michaela Krajicek.

Kleybanova out of Estoril in quarterfinals

Top seed Alisa Kleybanova was upset today in Estroril by Kristina Barrois, who defeated Kleybanova 6-4, 6-2. 2nd seed Jarmila Gajdosova was defeated by 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 by Monica Niculescu, and 3rd seed Klara Zakopalova was defeated 6-3, 7-5 by Anabel Medina Garrigues. Also advancing to the semifinals was Johanna Larsson, who defeated Alla Kudryavtseva 6-2, 7-5.

In the meantime, Kleybanova and her doubles partner, Galina Voskoboeva, have reached the final of the doubles competition.They defeated the 2nd seeds, Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears.

In Barcelona, Roberta Vinci, Sara Errani and Lucie Hradecka all made it to the semifinals today.

Sevastova wins first tour title in Estroril

Anastasija Sevastova won her first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title today, defeating Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-2, 7-5. Sevasova is currently ranked number 74 in the world, and will be ranked higher when the new numbers are published next week. She is having a breakthrough season this year.

The top-seeded doubles team, Sorana Cirstea and Anabel Medina Garrigues, won the doubles title. In the final, they defeated Vitalia Diatchenko and Aurelie Vedy 6-1, 7-5.

Sevastova and Parra Santonja to meet in Estoril final

There were two upsets today in the Estoril Open semifinals. Anastaija Sevastova defeated 7th seed Peng Shuai 6-7, 6-1, 6-3, and Arantxa Parra Santonja upset 2nd seed Sorana Cirstea 6-1, 6-4.

Neither Sevastova nor Parra Santonja has ever won a Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title.

Medina Garrigues upset in Estoril quarterfinal

4th seed Anabel Medina Garrigues, who is not having a good season, was defeated in the Estoril Open quarterfinals today, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, by Peng Shuai. In doubles, however, Medina Garrigues and partner Sorana Cirstea, seeded 1st, defeated Peng and Zhang Shuai 6-2, 7-6.

Date Krumm retires in Estoril

Kimiko Date Krumm retired in Estoril today during her match with Anastasija Sevastova; Date Krumm sustained a right calf strain.

Arantxa Rus advanced to the quarterfinals when she defeated Kirsten Flipkens 7-6, 6-1, and Anastasia Rodionova also advanced, with her defeat of Stephanie Voegele. Both the 2nd and 3rd seeds were upset in doubles play today.

Czink and Rybarikova out of Estoril Open in 1st round

5th seed Melinda Czink and 6th seed Magdalena Rybarikova were both upset today at the Estoril Open. Stephanie Voegele defeated Czink 6-4, 6-3, and Jarmila Groth defeated Rybarikova, also 6-4, 6-3.

Also leaving in the first round was Alize Cornet, who lost to Michelle Larcher De Brito in a match that lasted almost 2 hours and 47 minutes. De Brito emerged the victor, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. Cornet hit nine aces, but had a lot of trouble with her second serve. Larcher De Brito double-faulted nine times, which is characteristic of her. This was probably a frustrating event to watch. Cornet once had such promise, and Larcher De Brito was considered a star on the rise. To her credit, Larcher De Brito is a very good ball-striker who finds a lot of angles, but the double faults and the sometimes wild hitting get her into trouble. She's still quite young, though, and has time to clean up those problems.

Top seed out of Estoril in 1st round

Today in Estoril, Anastasija Sevastova upset top seed Agnes Szavay 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

It wasn't the only upset. Julia Goerges defeated 3rd seed Aleksandra Wozniak 6-1, 6-1, and Kirsten Flipkens defeated 8th seed Sybille Bammer 6-1, 6-3.

Of interest was the three hour and twelve minute match between Petra Martic and Kimiko Date Krumm. Date Krumm won it, 6-7, 7-5, 7-6. Date's comeback doesn't get the publicity that the top name comebacks get, but it is quite an impressive accomplishment, nonetheless.

There was also an upset in doubles play. Wild cards Michelle Larcher De Brito and Arantxa Rus defeated 4th seeds Jill Craybas and Julia Goerges 6-4, 6-1.

Wickmeyer wins the Estoril Open

Depending on how you want to look at it, it's been either a terrible or a very good two weeks for Ekaterina Makarova. Losing in the Fes final to Anabel Medina Garrigues last week, today she lost in the Estoril final, to Yanina Wickmeyer. Wickmayer claimed her first tour title by defeating Makarova 7-5, 6-2. On her way to the final, the 6th seed defeated Petra Kvitova, Olga Govortsova and Sorana Cirstea, and received a retirement from Shahar Peer.

The 2009 doubles champions are Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears, who defeated Sharon Fichman and Katalin Morosi, 2-6, 6-3, 10-5. It is their first tour doubles title as a team.

Peer wins match on one foot, and Lisicki retires

After she defeated Jarmila Groth today--6-2, 0-6, 6-3--in the Estoril Open quarterfinals, 7th seed Shahar Peer had to obtain crutches in order to walk off the court. Peer injured her ankle during the match, and is expected to withdraw from the tournament.

That wasn't the only injury: 4th seed Sabine Lisicki retired against Anna-Lena Groenefeld because of a right shoulder injury. I hope it isn't very serious; I am quite keen on seeing how Lisicki does on European clay courts.

Number 2 seed Maria Kirilenko was upset by 6th-seeded Ekaterina Makarova, and number 3 seed Sorana Cirstea was upset by Yanina Wickmayer. Top seeds Kirilenko and Cirstea were also upset in doubles by Julie Coin and Marie-Eve Pelletier.

Top seed out in Estoril

Yesterday, in her Estoril blog, number 1 seed Iveta Benesova remarked that she had played poorly in her first round. Whatever was wrong, she apparently did not overcome it. Jarmila Groth defeated her in the second round, 7-5, 6-4.

Sabine Lisicki (don't you wish she were in Rome?) defeated Elena Bovina 6-4, 7-5. Bovina made it through qualifying and won one match. It must be so tough for a player who was once number 14 in the world to be lucky to squeak out once match. I miss Bovina, and am sorry that she has had so much misfortune.

Kirilenko wins Estoril

Number 2 seed Maria Kirilenko has defeated Iveta Benesova, 6-4, 6-2 at the Estoril Open. The doubles title also went to Kirilenko and number 1 singles seed Flavia Pennetta, who defeated Mervana Jugic-Salkic and Ipek Senoglu, 6-4, 6-4.

Larcher de Brito to focus on Sony Ericsson WTA matches

In her Estoril blog, Michelle Larcher de Brito, who lost in the first round of her first clay tournament, says that she has no more ITF matches and few, if any, junior matches planned for the rest of the year.

Pennetta knocked out of Estoril

I am interrupting my coverage of the Family Circle Cup long enough to report that top seed Flavia Pennetta, who traditionally plays in Charleston this time of year, has been defeated in Estoril by Iveta Benesova. Benesova won their second round match 6-2, 6-2.