Charleston photos available for viewing

We took a lot of photos in Charleston this year. You can see a sample of them here.

Charleston miscellany

A journalist for the Charleston newspaper wrote that--now that Patty Schnyder has played her final Charleston tournament--Caroline Wozniacki is the new Charleston "favorite." I've been attending this tournament for a long time, and I have doubts about whether anyone will ever be embraced the way Schnyder was. Also, unless I'm having auditory hallucinations, a major portion of the crowd was going crazy for JJ during her semifinal match against Wozniacki.

Wozniacki, by the way, has taken confidence to a new level. After the final, she dashed in to a press conference, and then almost immediately dashed right out. The champion had to catch a flight to the ATP tournament in Monaco, where she's playing tomorrow in an exhibition match against Francesca Schiavone. So I'm left with a couple of questions: What if the second set in Charleston had gone to a tiebreak? What if it had gone to three sets? Considering the level at which Elena Vesnina played this week, either of those things could easily have happened. For that matter, either of those things could have happened against anyone.

Virginia Wade was interviewed on the Grand Lawn this morning, but, unfortunately, I missed the occasion.

Charleston fans are quirky in a good way. They absolutely cherish Patty Schnyder, they cheered wildly during Vera Zonareva's 2010 epic racquet destruction, and they come out in big numbers for doubles matches.

For the past seven years, a Russian has appeared in every final in Charleston except for the 2009 championship match in which Sabine Lisicki defeated Caroline Wozniacki. The only Russian to win the tournament, however, was Nadia Petrova, who defeated Patty Schnyder in the 2006 final.

The only retirement (no one retired against Wozniacki!)  in Charleston this year occurred when Vania King had to stop playing doubles because of a foot blister.

Elena Vesnina has never won a WTA singles title. She's played in five finals, two of which she lost to Caroline Wozniacki. She has, however, now won five doubles titles, and she was a runner-up in doubles at both the French Open and Wimbledon. Vesnina had a really great week in Charleston this year, and probably gained some new fans. Singles and doubles combined, the unseeded Russian played a total of ten matches. After today's doubles final, Vesnina said that she isn't going to touch a tennis racquet for a week.

I've said it before, but it bears saying again: The Family Circle Cup staff is wonderful, and the facility is beautifully maintained. The players really enjoy the tournament, too. They get a lot of personal assistance and attention (including the delivery of homemade cookies), and they enjoy the atmosphere in and around Charleston.

Mirza & Vesnina win Charleston doubles title

"Hello again," Elena Vesnina said to the crowd when she made a speech at the Family Circle Cup for the second time in one day. This speech, however, represented an even nicer occasion for the unseeded singles runner-up. She and partner Sania Mirza defeated Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Meghann Shaughnessy 6-4, 6-4 to win the doubles championship.  Mirza and Vesnina, also unseeded, broke the 4th seeds five times.

The winning team served for the first set at 5-3, but were broken. Shaughnessy then served two consecutive aces, and she and Mattek-Sands held at love, but they were unable to break Mirza and Vesnina when they served a second time for the set.


Mirza and Vesnina went up 2-0 in the second set, and a big forehand from Mirza set the team up to get a second break. They went up 3-0 when, suddenly, a ballboy collapsed. Play was suspended while a trainer came out to treat the ballboy, who was then carried off of the court (he recovered quite nicely, and returned to the match). Mattek-Sands and Shaughnessy held for 1-4, then broke Mirza and Vesnina on their second break point. They then held for 3-4.

The next game went to deuce, and Mirza and Vesnina were broken when Mirza double-faulted on the deciding point. Mattek-Sands and Shaughnessy were broken in the next game, however, and Vesnina--serving for the match--hit a forehand down the line for match point.

After the match, Mirza said that she and Vesnina get along so well off the court that it helps them stay calm on the court. Vesnina added that she thought Mirza had the best forehand on the tour. It's a really formidable forehand, and I should add  that Vesnina is now very strong on both sides.

Both Mirza and Vesnina were models of fitness during the tournament. Mirza had to qualify for singles, and made it all the way to the quarterfinals, and Vesnina played in both finals. Both players have had issues in the past with wrist injuries, and Vesnina has had problems with her left thigh. This week, Mirza played with a slight groin/thigh injury, but persevered. She and Vesnina, having won Indian Wells, now have another impressive doubles title.

Sania Mirza's smoking forehand had a devastating effect

Wozniacki wins Family Circle Cup

All this week in Charleston, Elena Vesnina used her big serve to get out of trouble in matches. Today, however, the unseeded Russian's game-saving serve just wasn't there, and she was defeated 6-2, 6-3 by world number 1 Caroline Wozniacki. "My serve didn't help me today like it was helping me in the previous matches," Vesnina said after the final. "I was trying to go for the big serves, but it didn't go. It didn't fly that fast like it was flying before."

Wozniacki, on the other hand, won 75% of the time on her first serves, and hit six aces. She also broke Vesnina three times, but was never broken, though Vesnina saw four break opportunities. 

At the start of the match, each player held serve, then Wozniacki had to go through five deuces--with no break points--to win her next service game. The top seed then broke Vesnina. The seventh game was very close, and Vesnina appeared to be entering a zone for creating break opportunities, but she committed unforced errors at crucial times, and Wozniacki held for 5-2. Wozniacki then broke Vesnina and won the first set.

Vesnina became more aggressive in the second set, and continued her tournament-long pattern of using a lot of touch to win points. Her drop shots and lobs were well-placed, and when she served at 2-3 and went down a break point, she used a forehand slice to get back into the game and even the score. At this point, the fans broke into huge applause. 

Wozniacki then went down 0-30, but Vesnina missed a forehand that would have given her break point. She did get a break opportunity on the next point when she hit a forehand deep into the deuce court, but Wozniacki was able to save not only that break point, but also the next one. She used a relatively slow, high, serve to get to game point, then held. At 3-4, Vesnina saved one break point, but was broken on the next one. Wozniacki then had an easy hold to win the championship.

Vesnina said of her opponent: "...sometimes you feel that she's everywhere on the court, you know. Like she's covering the court, and she's changing a little bit of pace, and she's making you think and play, and that's why, I mean, she's tough."

Wozniacki now has a total of 15 titles. Today's victory was her third of the season.

Wozniacki and Vesnina--paths to the final

Tomorrow, top seed Caroline Wozniacki, the number 1 player in the world, will play Elena Vesnina in the final of the Family Circle Cup. Here is how each woman made it to the final:

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI
round 1--bye
round 2--def. Irina Falconi, 6-1, 6-1
round 3--def. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (15), 7-6, 7-6
quarterfinals--def. Yanina Wickmayer (6), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
semifinals--def. Jelena Jankovic (3), 6-4, 6-4

ELENA VESNINA
round 1--def. Rebecca Marino, 6-7, 6-2, 6-3
round 2--def. Bethanie Mattek-Sands (14), 6-4, 7-6
round 3--def. Sam Stosur (2, def. champ.), 6-4, 6-1
quarterfinals--def. Julia Goerges (12), 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
semifinals--def. Peng Shuai (11), 7-6, 6-3

Caroline Wozniacki has played four matches, whereas Elena Vesnina has played eight. Vesnina, who is unseeded, did not have a bye in the first round, and she has also played three doubles matches. The Russian player, who is ranked number 56 in the world, had not planned to play in Charleston this year because of a wrist injury. However, two-time Charleston runner-up Vera Zvonareva--who injured her wrist in Charleston a few years ago--advised Vesnina on getting treatment, which Vesnina said helped her a lot.

Also, Vesnina's coach (who is also her father) noticed that she had changed her technique, and that the change brought on the injury. "...if I'm going with the wrong movement again," Vesnina said, "mechanical, you know, shot, it starts hurting again. So I feel it only if I'm doing the wrong shot."

"...I'm just enjoying my time on the court," Vesnina said, "so I don't feel that I'm tired, or I'm trying to think that I'm not tired, and that's why everything is going my way."

Vesnina's highest singles ranking was number 22 in the world, which she held in 2009. She has a 1-4 record against Wozniacki. The last time they played was in 2010 on the green clay of Ponte Vedra Beach, in the semifinals, and Wozniacki won 1-6, 7-6, 6-4.

This is Vesnina's sixth year to enter the Family Circle Cup, and Wozniacki's third. In 2009, Wozniacki lost in the final to Sabine Lisicki, and in 2010, she injured her ankle and had to retire in the semifinals.

Vesnina beats Peng twice in one day and advances to both Charleston finals

Elena Vesnina won both of her matches again

Elena Vesnina has been a very busy woman in Charleston this week. Yesterday, she won both her singles and doubles matches, and today, in the semifinals, she repeated that accomplishment. In doing so, however, she had to defeat Peng Shuai twice.

In her singles semifinal, Vesnina defeated 11th seed Peng 7-6, 6-3. Unlike the earlier semifinal between Wozniacki and Jankovic, this match featured no break opportunities until Peng had a break point when Vesnina served at 4-5 in the first set. Vesnina held, then the players exchanged breaks. After Peng was broken, however, she began to walk with a slight limp. Her knee, which was taped, was bothering her, and she was tired, she would later reveal. After breaking her opponent, Peng held a set point, but did not convert it. The set went to a tiebreak, which Vesinina won.

Peng looked as though she might fade, but she immediately broke Vesnina in the second set, and then opened her own service game with an ace. Despite getting to 40-15, however, Peng was broken back. She remained competitive in the second set, but the momentum was with Vesnina, who used her serve--as she has all week--to get herself out of trouble. The Russian saved two break points at 3-all, then converted a second break point when Peng served at 3-4. Vesnina held to win the match.

Peng Shuai

Both Vesnina and Peng handled the wind well, and both displayed primarily error-free net play. This match had a bit of everything, including sharp volleys and well-executed drop shots. It was, in every way, the better ssemifinal match of the day, and quite entertaining.

After getting some rest, Vesnina and partner Sania Mirza played a semifinal doubles match against Peng and her partner, Zheng Jie. Mirza and Vesnina took the first set 6-2, and then endured a more competitive second set, which they won 7-5.

 "...today is a Chinese day for me," Vesnina told the press.

Shaughnessy and Mattek-Sands consult

Earlier in the day, 4th seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Meghann Shaughnessy defeated top seeds Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik 6-2, 6-4.

Top seed Wozniacki advances to Charleston final

The buzz around the tournament was that 3rd seed Jelena Jankovic was all set to win her second Family Circle Cup championship, but today, top seed Caroline Wozniacki had another take on the issue. Wozniacki defeated Jankovic 6-4, 6-4 in a semifinal match that should have had everything, but that was really not very satisfying.

Wozniacki was broken at the start of the match. Jankovic began coming forward, as she has been practicing, and went up an early break, though it took her a while. Wozniacki then held, and when the wind picked up, both players were broken at love. At 4-all, Wozniacki held at love. Serving at 4-5, 30-40, Jankovic kicked in a big serve which set her up for a winning volley, but she hit the ball into the net and was broken on the next point.

Jankovic, who used to be known for her expert movement and her ability to find wicked angles--especially with her backhand down the line--has not been herself since she suffered an ankle injury. She is serving much better (though not so much in today's match), but she doesn't have the transition game she used to have. Today, she made so many errors, it was hard to believe that this was the same player who handled the wind (a lot more wind, in fact) so expertly in the 2007 final. The 3rd seed did try to mix things up, but the strategy didn't work too well for her; her drop shots, for example, only drew passing shots from Wozniacki.

There were eight breaks of serve in the match, which lasted close to an hour and 48 minutes. Jankovic said later that "...sometimes I come to the net and I construct the points and I do all the things and then I'm just about to finish it and then I either make a  mistake or she does a great passing shot." That about sums it up.

Jankovic said of Wozniacki: "She makes very few errors. She doesn't go for winners. She doesn't even make mistakes, so you really have to beat her if you're going to win the match against her."

That sums it up pretty well, too.

Charleston miscellany

View of the grounds

Sania Mirza talked with Bobby Chintapalli about cricket, marriage, Twitter, and her comeback from a wrist injury.

"Family Circle Cup presented by Dove" became a reality yesterday when a dove landed on Jelena Jankovic's side of the court. A few moments later, a dove perched on top of the net. The seagulls were calling loudly during this match, too.

The women sitting in front of me yesterday looked and acted like the cast of The Real Housewives of Charleston (I hope I'm not starting something here).

Elena Vesnina reports that she received a (probably much needed) ice massage for her legs at 1 a.m.

Four women have won both the singles and doubles final in the same year--Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, and Martina Hingis. Navratilova made this accomplishment an amazing four times.

Caroline Wozniacki, who wears Stella McCartney-designed court outfits, says that she has yet to meet Sir Paul McCartney, but is looking forward to an introduction.

Sculpture in Mount Pleasant

Peng and Vesnina each win--then win again--in Charleston

Peng Shuai and Elena Vesnina have confounded any attempt to create an orderly schedule at the Family Circle Cup because they both keep winning singles and doubles. Today, Peng defeated qualifier Sania Mirza 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the singles quarterfinals. She and partner Zheng Jie then defeated Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears in straight sets in doubles. Peng, who is seeded 11th, has now won more singles matches this season than anyone else on the tour.

"Honestly, I don't want to think now because just off the singles, doubles, and I'm really tired and I want to get some treatment, dinner and rest, and then this is tomorrow, so I think tomorrow," Peng said when she was asked to talk about her upcoming singles semifinal. Peng credited her coach for her 2011 breakthrough, which came after a year in which the Chinese player had a lengthy illness and was injured.

Elena Vesnina backed up her upset of defending champion Sam Stosur by upsetting 12th seed Julia Goerges in the quarterfinals. It took Vesnina a set to steady herself, but then she began serving with real conviction, and hitting winners off of both sides. Vesnina defeated Goerges 2-6, 6-2, 6-2, then--about an hour later--she and partner Sania Mirza defeated the team of Alla Kudryavtseva and Anastasia Rodionova 3-6, 6-2, 10-8. Mirza and Vesnina were down 4-7 in the super-tiebreak, but made a comeback and won on their first match point. By the time the match was over, it was no longer Friday in Charleston.

What all this means is that both Peng and Vesnina will each play twice tomorrow, and both times, they will play against each other. Peng will play Vesnina in the singles semifinals, and she and Zheng will play Mirza and Vesnina in the doubles semifinals. This is an unusual situation, it probably goes without saying. The winner of the singles match will play either 1st seed Caroline Wozniacki or 3rd seed Jelena Jankovic in the final. Neither of those players is entered in doubles competition. Peng, by the way, has a 4-1 record against Vesnina; that record includes a defeat of the Russian last year in Charleston.

The winner of the doubles match will play either top seeds Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik or 4th seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Meghann Shaughnessy.

"Sunshine mixed with clouds"

That was the weather forecast I heard on the radio on the way to the Family Circle Cup today. The "clouds," it turned out, came in the form of 6th seed Yanina Wickmayer, who pushed world number 1 Caroline Wozniacki to three tough quarterfinal sets in Charleston. Taking the ball quickly and hitting forehand winners up the line and crosscourt, Wickmayer won the first set 6-4.

The Belgian player then went up a break in the second set, but lost her serve at 3-2 when she made an ill-timed decision to hit a drop volley. Wickmayer remained very competitive, but she missed a number of volleys after setting them up as potential winners. At 4-5, Wickmayer was broken at love. She went up a break in the third set, and hit a crowd-thrilling stab volley when she attempted to take a second break over Wozniacki.

That break of serve did not happen. Wickmayer's net game improved somewhat in the third set, but Wozniacki became more aggressive. Wickmayer served at 4-5, and then--just like that--she appeared lost. Her service game declined, and she attempted one last drop shot with little commitment, giving Wozniacki a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory.

Throughout the match, Wickmayer hit solidly when she was being instinctual, but when she had a moment to think, things didn't go as well. She said, afterwards, that she had made a decision to add more dimensions to her game, and that she feels good about adding them. Clearly, she isn't comfortable with her new game yet, but she sounded positive about continuing to do more than "hitting, hitting." Wickmayer is working on a trial basis with  Vladimir Platenik, who is helping her expand her game. A former top 20 player, the Belgian would have had to reach the final in Charleston to return to the top 20.

I spoke with Wickmayer a few days ago about her physical health (a wall fell on her last year). She said that her leg is better, but that she is still having problems with the nerve, and she has been told by her doctors that it could take up to a year for the nerve damage to heal. (She also said that she enjoys skiing, but she can no longer ski because it's too risky: "I want to go too fast.")

Wozniacki has now been seriously challenged in two consecutive matches, but has prevailed in the usual Wozniacki way--by getting almost every ball back, waiting for her opponent to make errors, and turning to aggression when she believes it's necessary. Her next opponent is Jelena Jankovic, who ended the exciting run of Christina McHale with a 6-2, 6-0 win. Wozniacki is 1-4 against Jankovic. The two have never before faced each other on clay.

The match between Wozniacki and Wickmayer was a really noisy affair. Near me, there was action going on with some type of tournament equipment, a walkie-talkie-type communication somehow got amplified, and there was loud talking and laughing from some fans (something you usually hear at night matches). And of course, there was the repeated "Om-pah," "Whoopee!" exchange from the players.

Charleston--what they said

It's like you have a bionic wrist now. What did they put in that?

Nothing. I just took five and a half months off. I think that really did it.

Sania Mirza

...I had first set, set point, and second, set point, and if you don't make these set points, though, it's tough to win these matches. And I played pretty good and I didn't make it, so it hurts a lot.

Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, on her close loss to the top seed

I really like beating USTA girls because the USTA doesn't help me at all.

Alexandra Stevenson

...I've been going and going and going and sliding and sliding and sliding up to those drop shots in practice just to remind myself and my feet and my brain that nothing will happen. And plus, I have both of my legs taped so nothing can happen. Or nothing should happen. 

Caroline Wozniacki (injured last year in Charleston)

Do you think you're playing the best tennis of your career?

I don't know yet.

Peng Shuai

You know, part of the reason why I had that wrist problem is because I have such a hyper-mobile wrist, but because of that I get the power and I get the precision and stuff, but it's also a disadvantage because I get injured in my joint. But the fact is that I feel like I've made myself stronger and I've made other parts of my body stronger to kind of compensate a little bit, and not depend completely on my wrist.

Sania Mirza

...my game was hitting, hitting until I made a mistake or a winner, and I think today was different. I could do different things, I could mix it up. I could make her run. I could do different stuff, and that's why it was such a good match today because I didn't do only one thing, and yeah, I think that's going to help me a lot in the future and going to make me win a lot of matches more than I used to lose before.

Yanina Wickmayer

Caroline played two hours and 33 minutes yesterday, and had another match today two hours and 22 minutes. That's a lot of tennis.
She's getting fit.

Jelena Jankovic

Charleston quarterfinals to be played today

Here is the quarterfinal draw for the Family Circle Cup:

Caroline Wozniacki (1) vs. Yanina Wickmayer (6)
Peng Shuai vs. Sania Mirza
Jelena Jankovic (3) vs. Christina McHale
Julia Goerges vs. Elena Vesnina

Jankovic, who was the champion in Charleston in 2007, is the only previous winner still standing. Nadia Petrova (2006), Sabine Lisicki (2009) and Sam Stosur (2010) were all defeated in the third round.

Today's quarterfinal doubles matches:

Raquel Kops-Jones/Abigail Spears vs. Peng Shuai/Zheng Jie
Alla Kudryavtseva/Anastasia Rodionova vs. Sania Mirza/Elena Vesnina

Last night, 4th seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Meghann Shaughnessy defeated Daniela Hantuchova and Maria Kirilenko 7-5, 7-6. Mattek-Sands and Shaughnessy will play top seeds Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik in the semifinals. The match lasted two hours and included nine breaks of serve.

Charleston miscellany

Nadia Petrova was very busy during her match on Thursday. The gnats were swarming, so Petrova took her towel and set about vigorously swatting, for which she received a round of applause. Then she took it upon herself to supervise the chair umpire's repair of the net, which had become unstable. The 2006 champion is now out of both singles and doubles, so someone else will have to take over. Petrova, by the way, is still dealing, to some extent, with the dizziness and fatigue that caused her to retire in Miami.

The Ketel One Racquet Club is a new feature at the Family Circle Cup tournament. The facility allows fans to enjoy indoor seating and a bar, as well as musical entertainment. It is located not far from the Great Lawn stage, where Open Access interviews are held during Happy Hour.

Jelena Jankovic is ritualistic about her clay court shoe-tapping--right, then left, then right, every time.

I missed this, but Bobby Chintapalli caught it: When Caroline Wozniacki called for her coach, the song "Independent Woman" blared through the speakers. I did hear "Sweet Caroline" start after Jankovic won a game and sat down early in her set last night.

Overheard from a sports writer: That it would be nice if all the "pretty" players won.

Among fans and members of the tennis media, there is an ongoing discussion about whether Caroline Wozniacki is boring. Some have strong feelings about the subject:

Seeds of doubt

Elena Vesnina upsets the defending champion

The 2nd, 5th, 7th, and 10th seeds were upset in the 3rd round of the Family Circle Cup on Thursday, and 1st seed Caroline Wozniacki barely escaped when she had to win two long tiebreaks against a clever, net-rushing Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.

Defending champion Sam Stosur, seeded 2nd, was dominated by Elena Vesnina, who defeated her 6-4, 6-1. Stosur's backhand was unreliable, and Vesnina did not appear to be especially bothered by the Australian's forehand. After the match, Stosur said that her opponent's flat, low strokes rushed her during points. Vesnina said that winning the doubles championship (with Sania Mirza) in Indian Wells gave her increased confidence.

Jelena Jankovic goes to the quarterfinals

5th seed Shahar Peer was defeated 6-2, 6-3 by 12th seed Julia Goerges, who stunned her with forehand winners. 11th seed Peng Shuai defeated 7th seed Nadia Petrova 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, and Christina McHale upset 10th seed and 2010 semifinalist Daniela Hantuchova. McHale's 7-6, 6-1 victory puts her into the quarterfinals against 3rd seed Jelena Jankovic, who defeated Chanelle Scheepers in straight sets. 2009 champion Sabine Lisicki, who upset 4th seed Marion Bartoli in the second round, was defeated in the third round by Sania Mirza.

Wozniacki's 7-6(6), 7-6(9) victory over 15th seed Zahlavova Strycova came after the top seed was seriously tested. Zahlavova Strycova took away Wozniacki's rhythm by continually changing the pace of the rallies. Zahlavova Strycova also took over the net for much of the match, and hit a number of decisive forehand winners. Unfortunately, the Czech player's strength was also her weakness: Her forehand produced multiple errors, too.

Down 2-5 in the first set tiebreak, the 15th seed made five straight points, but then made an unforced error on set point. She also held a set point in the second set tiebreak, and she went on to save three match points. Zahlavova Strycova played with a lot of touch and savvy, and she came in with a solid game plan, but she couldn't win the big points when she needed to.

Qualifier Anna Tatishvili's run ended yesterday--respectably. 6th seed Yanina Wickmayer defeated the gutsy Tatishviili 6-4, 7-5.

"That has nothing to do with me"

A Change of Ends had the nerve to go where no one else would during All Access Hour Monday in Charleston. Here is the transcript of an interview with Nadia Petrova about her recent tennis outfits. (Only the actual quotations do it justice.)

Petrova appeared on the court in simple, attractive clothing for her chilly morning match yesterday, but arrived in an Ellesse outfit for her doubles match in the afternoon.

Tatishvili goes to 3rd round in Charleston

Anna Tatishvili

It took her almost three hours, but qualifier Anna Tatishvili managed to take out the 9th seed at the Family Circle Cup Wednesday. Tatishvili advanced to the third round when she defeated Maria Kirilenko 5-7, 7-5, 6-3.

Defending champion Stosur serves to her opponent

Elena Vesnina pulled off upsets in both singles and doubles. She defeated 14th seed Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-4, 7-6, and she and partner Sania Mirza took out 2nd seeds Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond, 6-3, 6-4.

Julia Goerges and Nadia Petrova defeated Alisa Kleybanova and Yan Zi 2-6, 6-4, 10-3 in the first round of doubles play. Petrova won the doubles championship in both 2009 and 2010, but until yesterday, she had never played doubles with Goerges. In fact, as of Monday, Petrova and Goerges had never even practiced together, and Petrova was understandably concerned about the defense of her title. The Russian, who is also the 7th seed in singles, was troubled by an episode of vertigo in Miami, and is still undergoing treatment. She won her second round singles match easily yesterday morning.

Daniela Hantuchova

Top seeds Caroline Wozniacki, Sam Stosur and Jelena Jankovic all won in straight sets on Wednesday, and 10th seed Daniela Hantuchova dropped only one game in her second round match.

Lisicki upsets 4th seed Bartoli in Charleston

Wild card Sabine Lisicki, who won the championship in Charleston in 2009 when she was seeded 15th, pulled another unexpected stunt tonight when she defeated 4th seed Marion Bartoli 6-2, 6-3. Lisicki has been plagued by illness, injury and an apparent lack of confidence for so long, fans wondered if the once-heralded German would just fade away. Tonight, though, she often looked like the player who cruised through the tournament without dropping a set two years ago.

Lisicki's serve, forehand and drop shot were all there. Bartoli tried to stay away from the forehand, but Lisicki was able to defend well enough with her backhand to stay in rallies, and then strike with forehand passing shots and forehands up the line. She took control of the match right away, and never gave it up for very long.

In 2009, Bartoli lost to Lisicki in the semifinals. Currently ranked number 182 in the world, Lisicki--who could not play at the Family Circle Cup last year because of injury--has now won eight consecutive matches in Charleston.

Charleston says goodbye to Patty Schnyder

Tonight, after the featured doubles match was played at the Family Circle Cup, there was a brief ceremony to honor Patty Schnyder, a huge Charleston favorite who has played in the tournament for fifteen consecutive years. This is Schnyder's final year in Charleston, where she was twice a singles finalist and was also a doubles finalist. Schnyder is so popular in Charleston, it's hard to imagine the tournament without her. The crowds always go wild with enthusiasm for her, and her rock star status at the Family Circle Cup is one of those things that makes the tournament unique. It's certainly hard for me to accept the reality that Patty won't be here anymore, and the ceremony was quite sad for me. Schnyder received roses and a piece of customized tournament art, and she gave a touching farewell speech.

Schnyder and Daniel Island native Shelby Rogers played in the preceding doubles match, which was highly entertaining and very close. Schnyder and Rogers were defeated 6-4, 7-6, 10-6 by Alla Kudryavtseva and Anastasia Rodionova.

Charleston--what they said

...it was kind of almost like picking up from last year, which was a nice feeling.

Sam Stosur, after her second round match on stadium court

Do you still get asked a lot of questions, I guess about once being number 1 and didn't win...
You still want to ask that?
I'm asking, yeah.
You still want to ask that?
Wozniacki, are you?
Why not Wozniacki do you ask that?

Jelena Jankovic

You know, sometimes as tennis players we go four seasons in one day in some tournaments....

Shahar Peer

Can they be quiet, or is this social hour? Are you going to tell them, or will I?

Anastasia Rodionova, talking to the chair umpire

...I think it's pretty cool. It's a nice color for spring, and I have these flowers, so it's kind of like the spring blossom. I'm blossoming.

Jelena Jankovic, talking about her dress

What are her weaknesses, do you think, now that you've played her?
You know, I don't what her weaknesses are, so when you find out, let me know.

Irina Falconi, referring to Caroline Wozniacki

"My game is more like Kim's--it's pretty hard to match up with Justine."

Yanina Wickmayer, discussing Belgian tennis

Maybe the windier it is the better I play. Maybe we need another tornado to come.

Jelena Jankovic (referencing to her 2007 championship match)

Charleston miscellany

The weather was much calmer today. It was sunny and cool, and--for the most part--slightly breezy without the constant wind we had yesterday at the Family Circle Cup.

Althea Gibson Club Court has been changed a bit to provide stadium-type seating (without sacrificing any of the club court intimacy), and a new stage has been constructed on the Grand Lawn.

The tournament sells a lot of gear, of course, and this year's stand-out item is a T-shirt whose retro design celebrates the rivalry between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. Both players will be here Saturday night for the Game, Set, Rock! Tennis. Amplified. event.

Yanina Wickmayer had an autograph session today, but not many people showed up for it. The Aussie cheering section did show up for defending champion Sam Stosur, but where were they when Jelena Dokic really needed them?

A couple of days ago, we saw Nadia Petrova practicing her serve by knocking down bottles; today, Shahar Peer thrashed a number of tennis ball cans.

Melanie Oudin and Anna Tatishvili don't look so much like kids anymore. Also, Tatishvili is free of her ankle brace. Today, she upset 9th seed Maria Kirilenko.

Family Circle Cup trivia: The oldest player to ever win a singles match in Charleston was Renee Richards, who was 46years and 8 months old when she won.

Irises growing on tournament grounds