Schiavone advances to French Open quarterfinals

On the one hand, it was a great match to watch--filled with tension, swinging momentum and wonderful shot-making. On the other, it was a tough one for me to watch because I couldn't bear to see either Jelena Jankovic or defending champion Francesca Schiavone lose. One of them had to, however, and 10th seed Jankovic lost more than the match: She will now go out of the top 10 for the first time in over four years.

Schiavone, seeded 5th, defeated Jankovic 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. There was a time when you could all but guarantee that Jankovic would win any match that went to three sets; these days, the opposite seems to be the case. The stylish Italian struggled with some things during the match, but she kept her serve strong, and she brought the emotional energy that she's kept bottled up for a long time. The match lasted two hours and 38 minutes, and it would have made a great final. Schiavone and Jankovic going at each other is somewhat different than the drama of Schiavone and Kuznetsova going at each other (and we may get to see that again), but quite entertaining, nonetheless.

Some of us thought Jankovic would one day win the French Open, but--well, that's a discussion for another day.

Kuznetsova, a former French Open champion, also advanced to the quarterfinals. She defeated Daniela Hantuchova 6-7, 6-3, 6-2, and will play Marion Bartoli in the quarterfinals. Bartoli's opponent, Gisela Dulko, retired shortly after the second set began. Dulko took a medical timeout at 3-4 in the first set, had her thigh worked on and wrapped, and returned to holdthen and break for 5-all. Bartoli broke and won the set 7-5, and after only one game was played in the second set, she had to stop. Almost any player benefits from a retirement at this point in a big tournament, but Bartoli--who has a history of physical fragility--may be especially fortunate.

In the other round of 16 match played today, 14th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova reached her first major quarterfinal by upsetting 3rd seed and countrywoman Vera Zvonareva. Zvonareva just hasn't looked too comfortable in Paris, so her upset isn't altogether a surprise. Pavlyuchenkova defeated her 7-6, 2-6, 6-2. The young Russian will play Schiavone in the next round.

Two-time French Open doubles champion Anabel Medina Garrigues and her partner, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, seeded 11th, were defeated today in the third round by 7th seeds Elena Vesnina and Sania Mirza.

Defending champion and world number 1 advance to 2nd round of French Open

Defending champion Francesca Schiavone easily advanced to the second round of the French Open today with a 6-2, 6-0 defeat of Melanie Oudin. Schiavone is seeded 5th at the tournament.

Top seed Caroline Wozniacki also had an easy win, against Kimiko Date-Krumm. Wozniacki defeated Date-Krumm 6-0, 6-2.

11th seed Marion Bartoli had a bit of a scare when Anna Tatishvili took the first set from her at 6-1. But Bartoli was able to prevail, and allowed Tatishvili to win only three more games in the match.

Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai, who has had all kinds of problems lately, lost her first-round match, as did 26th seed Nadia Petrova, who was defeated by Anastasia Rodionova. Chan Jung-Jan defeated 31st seed Klara Zakopalova, and lucky loser Anastasia Pivovarova lost to Nuria Llagostera Vives.

Tomorrow, Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters, Li Na, and Victoria Azarenka will play their first round matches. Also playing tomorrow are Andrea Petkovic, Yanina Wickmayer and 2009 semifinalist Dominika Cibulkova.

Passing shots

23rd seed Alisa Kleybanova has withdrawn from the French Open because of illness. Lucky loser Anastasia Pivovarova has replaced Kleybanova in the draw.

Marion Bartoli hopes to be able to play her French Open first round on Monday. She had to retire in the Strasbourg final today because of a thigh injury.

The Brisbane International tournament has been upgraded to Premier status.

ESPN.com recently posted a poll so that people could vote for who they think is the greatest tennis player of all time. All of the players listed were men. So instead of asking "Who is the greatest male player of all time?" ESPN just went with the usual sexist approach of presuming that "tennis players" are male and "great" tennis players are male. Big surprise.

Babolat is the official ball of the 2011 French Open. Defending champion Francesca Schiavone will be using a customized version of the Babolat AeroPro Drive.

Jillian Michaels is leaving the cast of NBC's "The Biggest Loser," but there's "good" news: Anna Kournikova is joining the cast.

It's not how you play the game, but whether you win or lose

Anyone looking for a handy lesson on how to beat Caroline Wozniacki on red clay certainly could have gotten one from Francesca Schiavone today in Brussels. Only most of the tour's players don't possess Schiavone's amazing variety of shots. Oh, and Schiavone lost. As is too often the case with the Italian, her cleverness and athleticism were neutralized by her propensity to make a high volume of unforced errors.

Schiavone, the 3rd seed in Brussels, hit 44 winners in the 2-hour and 33-minute semifinal match, but she also made 53 unforced errors. Many of those errors were made right after Schiavone set up winners against her opponent. And speaking of winners--Wozniacki hit 20, which is quite a high number for the world number 1. There were nine breaks of serve in the match, which Wozniacki won 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

Wozniacki's opponent in the final will be 8th seed Peng Shuai. This is the first time that Peng has reached a Premier level final, and the way she has been playing lately, such a development seemed inevitable. Peng upset 2nd seed Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-3 today. She played a remarkably clean match and served extremely well, giving Zvonareva few opportunities to take an offensive stance.

Peng has never won a tournament, a fact that stands out as one of the oddities of the WTA. She reached the semifinals in Charleston last month, but was hampered by fatigue and a very in-form Elena Vesnina. Now she faces the world number 1, and this could be a very good final.

In doubles, 2nd seeds Klaudia Jans and Alicja Rosolska defeated Sofia Arvidsson and Andrea Klepac 6-4, 6-4. in the semifinals today. In yesterday's semifinal match, Andrea Hlavackova and Galina Voskoboeva defeated Elena Bovina and Kaia Kanepi 7-5, 6-1.

Jankovic and Schiavone out of Italian Open

Blogger has been down for maintenance for a couple of days, so I haven't been able to post anything. The tournament in Rome has really captured my attention, however. It's now close to being in the semifinals, so--before we forget--there are a couple of players who made noteworthy runs, even though they've been beaten.

Polona Hercog, who went out in the first round of qualifying in Madrid, upset 15th seed Andrea Petkovic in straight sets in the second round in Rome. Hercog, who had to go through qualifying, also defeated Alexandra Dulgheru, who is known for her clay court savvy. Hercog lost to 6th seed Sam Stosur in the third round.

Greta Arn had a good run, too. Arn upset 12th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 3-6, 7-6, 7-6 in a first round match that lasted three hours and 22 minutes. Arn then defeated wild card Alberta Brianti, and she defeated (an injured) Elena Vesnina in the third round (also, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6). Finally, Arn met her match in 4th seed Li Na.

Rome is, of course, generally where Jelena Jankovic "finds herself." She lost the final last year, but her run was nevertheless top form--she defeated both Williams sisters. Today, however, she was beaten in three sets by top seed Caroline Wozniacki. Jankovic made an abundance of unforced errors, helping Wozniacki to send her out of her beloved Rome.  The top seed will play Li in the quarterfinals.

Also making it to the semifinals was Sam Stosur, who took out home favorite and 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone in straight sets. Stosur will face wither Victoria Azarenka or Maria Sharapova next.

Passing shots

The WTA site has a feature story on Patty Schnyder's emotional farewell in Charleston.

Francesca Schiavone has withdrawn from Stuttgart because of exhaustion. Yanina Wickmayer has also withdrawn, in order to give her knee some rest.

"I’m a younger player with not as much experience and I played some stupid things," Bojana Jovanovski said of her Fed Cup loss to Dominika Cibulkova.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands reports that competitive shooting is her latest interest.

You know about her skills with a soccer ball, but here, you can learn even more about Sara Errani.

Passing shots

Kim Clijsters, already off of the tour for a month because of shoulder and wrist injuries, now has an ankle injury, too. Clijsters hurt her ankle while attending her cousin's wedding. She is walking on crutches, and her French Open participation is now in question. Clijsters had already withdrawn from the Belgian Fed Cup team.

Withdrawing from the Australian Fed Cup team is Jelena Dokic, who cites exhaustion as the reason. Sam Stosur, Australia's lead player, had already announced that she would not play in the upcoming Fed Cup tie.

Irina-Camelia Begu was the runner-up in Marbella  this past week, so you may want to know more about her.

"I dream of being as consistent as Caroline Wozniacki for the whole season, not just clay courts or whatever," Svetlana Kuznetsova told Guy McCrae in Marbella.

Some good news: Dinara Safina's back problem in Marbella was strictly nerve-related, and not serious. Her stress fracture continues to heal nicely.

Francesca Schiavone won an exhibition set 6-4 against Caroline Wozniacki in Monte Carlo.

Venus and Serena Williams are opening a clothing store called "Courture" in Miami.

Dokic upsets Schiavone at Malaysian Open

Very recently, world number 5 Francesca Schiavone told the tennis media that she probably needed to take some time off but felt that she couldn't. She entered the Malaysian Open as a wild card and became the top seed, but she lost today in the first round to Jelena Dokic. There was a rain delay in the match, and, in the third set, Schiavone injured her ankle. She said, after the match, that perhaps she made the injury worse by continuing to play, but she didn't want to retire.

Now the Italian star will probably get some time off. Dokic's 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 win included fifteen double faults, three of which were made consecutively. She also managed to hit eight aces (Schiavone hit eleven).

Marion Bartoli is seeded 2nd in Kuala Lumpur. The draw also includees Alisa Kleybanova, Jarmila Groth, Bojanai Jovanovski, Lucie Safarova, Kimiko Date Krumm, and Dinara Safina.

Quote of the week

"So how much does she earn in endosements? I can tell you what she doesn’t earn, and that’s Sharapova money. And I don’t mean Sharapova money today. The Catholic Church doesn’t earn that."

James LaRosa, on Francesca  Schiavone

It's shaped like a boot

And it must feel like one to Fed Cup opponents. The Fed Cup defending champions traveled halfway around the world to "give the boot" to Australia in this season's World Group quarterfinals. Despite being up a set, a break, and two break points, Francesca Schiavone lost to Jarmila Groth on the first day of play, but that turned out to be Australia's only victory. At the end of day 1, after Flavia Pennetta defeated Sam Stosur, the two countries were tied 1-1. On the second day, Schiavone defeated Stosur 7-6 (1), 3-6, 7-5 in a very tight match in which Stosur saved four match points. Pennetta then defeated Groth, which put Italy into the semifinals.

The doubles rubber was played, and even though it had no meaning in terms of points, it had other significance. For one thing, it was the last professional match of Rennae Stubbs, whose partner was Anastasia Rodionova. Also, the doubles rubber put Roberta Vinci's perfect Fed Cup doubles record on the line. She and partner Sara Errani won the championship in Hobart earlier this year, so there was certainly a comfort level there with the court and the surroundings. Team Australia went up a set and break, but the Italians were a1ble to claim the victory with a 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4 score.

Roberta Vinci is now 16-0 in Fed Cup doubles play. And the Queen of Fed Cup, aka Flavia Pennetta, has now won ten straight Fed Cup singles matches (and eleven straight matches); she has a career record of 20-4 in Fed Cup singles play.

Schiavone and Stosur to face each other in Fed Cup play

Scheduled as the third rubber in weekend Fed Cup competition between World Group teams Australia and defending champion Italy is a match between Sam Stosur and Francesca Schiavone. Schiavone defeated Stosur, who was favored to win the tournament, in the final of the 2010 French Open. Stosur will also play Flavia Pennetta. Australia's Jarmilla Groth will play the other singles rubbers against Schiavone and Pennetta. The Australian team of Anastasia Rodionova and Rennae Stubbs is scheduled to compete in doubles against Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci.

The Australian team should give the two-time defending champions some good competition. Meanwhile, 2010 finalist, team USA, will play Belgium. Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters and Yanina Wickmayer will handle the singles rubbers for Belgium, and Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Melanie Oudin will play singles for the USA.

Russia will play France, and--in what should be a close contest--the Slovak Republic plays the Czech Republic. Daniela Hantuchova and Dominika Cibulkova are scheduled to handle singles for the Slovak Republic, and Lucie Safarova and Petra Kvitova will play for the Czech Republic. Should the tie go to a deciding doubles rubber, Hantuchova and Magdelena Rybarikova will play Kveta Peschke and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova. Hantuchova and Zahlavova Strycova are doubles experts, and Peschke is a doubles specialist.

Observations about the Australian Open

Martina Navratilova is a great commentator. Her ability to see detail and the big picture at the same time is  impressive.

Note to Chris McKendry: There were lots of countrywomen in the stands, too. What century are you living in? (Also, as much as I like him as a commentator, why is it so hard for Darren Cahill to say the "w" word?)

Francesca Schiavone is a tennis god.

Fireworks, cannons and buzzing planes are distractions, not entertainment.

The chair umpires appear to be taking a closer look at coaching from the stands.

Australian fans really know how to do it with the costumes, makeup and body painting!

Can we please keep the "all Chinese men are short and all Chinese people are quiet" interviewer out of press conferences?

The performances of both Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki do not bode well. Time will tell.

World number 1 fights her way into Australian Open semifinals

It was obvious that Caroline Wozniacki got a lot more than she bargained for in her Melbourne quarterfinal match against 6th seed Francesca Schiavone. Schiavone wasn't expected to have any physical or mental energy left, but she came out blazing, and--using all of her beautiful signature slices and volleys--took the first set from a lackluster Wozniacki. Wozniacki, in fact, looked like she had an appointment somewhere else and needed to get away.

At the end of the first set, Wozniacki called for the trainer and came back with her thigh wrapped; later, between points, she would tear off all the tape. Schiavone, constantly moving forward and taking risks that usually paid off, went up 3-1, and then we knew that Wozniacki had to change something or she would be out of there in straight sets. She did. She became unusually aggressive, and began hitting winners with the precision for which she is known.

She had some help from her opponent, too. Serving at 4-3, Schiavone made all the right moves and did all the right things. She expertly set up four more winners, but instead, she produced four errors, and was broken at love. From that time on, Schiavone's ability to hit the lines was greatly reduced, as both her round of 16 match and a switched-on Wozniacki overtook her. Wozniacki won the second set, and broke Schiavone in the first game of the third set. The final set revealed a tired (no matter what she says) Schiavone who tried to end many of the points too soon, and got errors as a result.

Wozniacki served for the match at 5-2, but Schiavone went all out--just as she did against Svetlana Kuznetsova--and put on a performance that, for me, comprised the most memorable game in the match. She saved three match points and broke Wozniacki in a flurry of dazzling shot-making. It seemed too much to think that the Italian could go on much longer, though, and she couldn't: Wozniacki broke her in the next game, and claimed the match at 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 on her fourth match point.

It was a great set and a half for Schiavone, and a great set and a half for Wozniacki. Wozniacki really has to be pushed to play aggressively, but in this case, she was really up to the task.

The other quarterfinal was less dramatic. Andrea Petkovic went up 2-0 on Li Na, and then Li spun off six consecutive games. Petkovic, seeded number 30, broke early in the second match, too, but she ultimately could not stop the steady and accurate rhythm of Li's hitting; the 9th seed was just too good. Li defended her status as a semifinalist in 2010, and she made it look easy.

Li's semifinal opponent will be Wozniacki.

Schiavone and Kuznetsova give new meaning to the term "thriller"

During the French Open, Francesca Schiavone compared herself with Capricciosa pizza. "I don't give you margherita," she said. "I give you Capricciosa, different kind of ingredient." Schiavone needed all the spicy ingredients she could locate in her round of 16 match against seed 23rd Svetlana Kuznetsova. The match lasted four hours and 44 minutes, which makes it the longest women's match in the Open Era, and the second-longest women's match of all time. It also produced desperate, beautiful, edge-of-the-seat tennis, even toward the end, when both players took turns looking punch-drunk as they struggled mightily in the Australian heat.

The match was acutally a "you had to be there" experience--hard to describe in a brief report. Schiavone won the first set 6-4. She served for it at 5-3, was broken, but broke back to win.  But the 6th seed's level of play dropped in the second set, as Kuznetsova's rose. Kuznetsova became more aggressive, and took the second set 6-1. At this point, an hour and 44 minutes had gone by, and no one could have guessed what was about to transpire. Both players had physical issues: Earlier in the month, Schiavone injured her groin and had to retire from Hopman Cup play, and Kuznetsova's feet were covered in blisters. At the end of the second set, Kuznetsova had her blisters treated and her feet re-wrapped, while Schiavone took a break to change into some dry clothes.

Throughout the third set, Schiavone experienced obvious groin pain. As the hours passed, Kuznetsova's eyes glazed over; she later said she had trouble keeping up with the score and with whose turn it was to serve. The 23rd seed remained the aggressor, however, and--to make it even harder for her opponent--she served first, so Schiavone was always in the position of trying to keep up. There were some ridiculously good rallies, with perhaps the most memorable occurring at 4-all. Kuznetsova continued to put the pressure on Schiavone, but Schiavone continued to find an answer.

And so it went. At 7-8, Schiavone was down 0-40, and that looked like it would be the end of it, but she saved three straight match points. She then hit what appeared to be a winning volley, but she lost her balance (not hard to understand) and her body touched the net before the ball had bounced a second time, so she did not get the point. She did hold, however, for 8-all. Kuznetsova then held for 9-8, and Schiavone then went down 15-40. She saved another two match points, and then--a moment later--she saved a sixth match point. But when she served for the match, the Italian was broken.

Schiavone also had an opportunity to serve for the match at 11-10, but instead of serving, she called for the trainer. She was cramping, and the trainer called for the doctor, just in case. (By this time, there was probably an ambulance parked at the gate.) A few moments later, Kuznetsova called for a trainer, too. Schiavone had some treatment and some liquids, and was even smiling and carrying on with the medical staff. She then served for the match--and was broken again.

Later, serving a 13-14, Schiavone held at love. By this time, Kuznetsova was hitting only two kinds of shots--brilliant winners and sloppy errors. I was exhausted, just watching the two of them. At 14-all, Schiavone broke her opponent, and served for the match a third time. She went down 0-30, and it was natural to think "here we go again," but she made two more points, then had her first match point at 40-30. Kuznetsova saved that match point. The Russian would go on to save a second match point, but when she reached her third match point, Schiavone put an end to what is likely to be the stand-out match of the year.

The third set lasted exactly three hours. The pair wound up hitting a total of 128 winners and 135 unforced errors, and there were seventeen breaks of serve. The quality of tennis remained very high, even when both players were practically depleted in every way. It was a contest of epic proportions, and a credit to the athleticism and mental strength of both players.

Curiously, up until this match was played, the longest women's match in the Open Era was played only last year, also at the Australian Open. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova defeated Regina Kulikova 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in the first round in a four hour and 19-minute match. The longest women's match in history lasted six hours and 31 minutes, and included a 643-shot ralley.

Bartoli out for 6 weeks

15th seed Marion Bartoli was expected to defeat Vesna Manasieva fairly easily. In fact, when she went up 5-1 in the first set, it looked as though the match might not last long. But in the course of play, Bartoli sustained a calf muscle tear. She continued to play, and Manasieva won the match 3-6, 6-3, 6-0. The Fragile One hasn't been injured lately, but this latest piece of bad fortune shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who follows Bartoli's career.

Looking a bit fragile herself, 6th seed Francesca Schiavone got into some deep trouble when she failed to convert three match points in the second set of her match against Rebecca Marino. Marino, who had looked a bit slow and awkward against the clever and athletic Schiavone, seized the moment, and won the second set. The third set lasted and hour and nine minutes, with Schiavone eventually prevailing. Her 6-3, 5-7, 9-7 victory gets her into the third round against Monica Niculesu. That's a good thing, but Schiavone can't be too pleased with how she got there.

The unfortunate exit of Bartoli did not comprise the only upset on the third day of play. 20th seed Kaia Kanepi lost (here we go again) to Julia Goerges, 21st seed Yanina Wickmayer lost to Anastasija Sevastova, and 29th seed (and perennial heartbreaker) Tsvetana Pironkova lost to Monica Niculescu. Wild card Jelena Dokic was also defeated, by Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.

14th seed Maria Sharapova got past Virginie Razzano, 7-5, 6-3. Justine Henin, Caroline Wozniacki and Li Na had a fairly easy time of it, and Victoria Azarenka defeated a spirited Andrea Hlavackova 6-4, 6-4.

Hopman Cup injury update

Ana Ivanovic has withdrawn from the Medibank International in Sydney because of a strained abdominal muscle. Ivanovic pulled the muscle when she played her match against Justine Henin during Hopman Cup competition. This also means that Serbia, scheduled to play in the Hopman Cup final, will be replaced by Belgium. Belgium's opponent will be team USA.

Also hurt during Hopman Cup play was Francesca Schiavone, who sustained a groin injury during her match against Kristina Mladenovic.

Yaroslava Shvedova, who injured her right knee in Perth, has already announced that she is out of the Australian Open.

Quote of the week

"Six months later, I remember. Six months later, it still feels good. Grazie to you, Francesca."

 Steve Tignor, who chose the French Open women's final as his favorite match of the year

Miscellany

Maria Sharapova is considering accepting a wild card to play in the Medibank International in Sydney. She is already scheduled to play in the Auckland Classic, which begins on January 3. Sharapova has never played in Sydney, and the tournament's organizers say that they are willing to give her a wild card at the last minute. The Medibank International begins on January 9.

Alex Williams says that Serena Williams is the Player of the Year for 2010, and that Francesca Schiavone gave us the Performance of the Year.

Mary Carillo, who does sports reporting for NBC, Tennis Channel, CBS, and HBO, has--at her request--ended her ESPN contract a year early.

Yaroslava Shvedova has hired Dimitri Zavialoff as her coach. Zavialoff coached ATP star Stanislas Wawrinka for fifteen years.

Zheng Jie, who reached the semifinals of the 2010 Australian Open, has withdrawn from the 2011 tournament because of her wrist injury.

Finally--though this has nothing at all to do with the WTA--for those needing a holiday pick-me-up, here is a compilation of all the Roger Federer on-camera break-up moments captured on video.

Ladies with an attitude

It's the video of the year. C Note got it from ziamiki, so thanks to both of them--and now I'm sharing it with you. In a moment that is somewhere beyond camp, the members of the Italian Fed Cup team (take special note of Roberta Vinci) give us their interpretation of Madonna's "Vogue" video.

Quote of the week

"A Nero d’Avola, strong enough to make your head spin."

Francesca Schiavone, on what she would be if she were a wine

(Thanks to Forty Deuce for this interview.)