Szavay defends Budapest title

Agnes Szavay defended her title in Budapest today by defeating Patty Schnyder 6-2, 6-4 in the final. Szavay was the 7th seed. Szavay defeated Schnyder in last year's final, also.

Timea Bacsinszky and Tathiana Garbin won the doubles title, defeating top seeds Sorana Cirstea and Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3, 6-3. Bacsinszky and Garbin were seeded 2nd.

Szavay and Schnyder return to Budapest final

Last year's Budapest final will be repeated tomorrow, at least in terms of the participants. Defending champion and 7th seed Agnes Szavay defeated 2nd seed Alexandra Dulgheru 6-1, 5-7, 7-5 today in the semifinals. Patty Schnyder defeated qualifier Zuzana Ondraskova 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. Schnyder is last year's runner-up; Szavay defeated her 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the 2009 final. Schnyder was last year's top seed.

In doubles, 2nd seeds Timea Bacsinszky and Tathiana Garbin will compete for the title against top seeds Sorana Cirstea and Anabel Medina Garrigues.

Dulgheru advances to Budapest semifinals

2nd seed Alexandra Dulgheru defeated Anastasja Savastova 6-7, 6-2, 7-6  in the Budapest semifinals today in a match that lasted two hours and 41 minutes. Also advancing were Agnes Szavay, who defeated wild card Alize Cornet, and Zuzana Ondraskova, who defeated 4th seed Anabel  Medina Garrigues in a mactch that lasted almost two hours and 58 minutes.

Patty Schnyder took advantage of a shaky Polona Hercog, and defated her 7-5, 1-6, 6-4.

Dulko & Pennetta to play in Bastad semifinals

Friends and doubles partners Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta will oppose one another in the semifinals in Bastad tomorrow. 4th seed Dulko won her quarterfinal match today when her opponent, Ana Vrljik, retired with a hamstring muscle strain. Top seed Pennetta defeated Jill Craybas 6-4, 6-4 in a match that lasted two hours.

The other semifinal will feature two of the most prominent players of the clay court season--3rd seed Lucie Safarova and 2nd seed Aravane Rezai.

Meanwhile, in Budapest, there were two upsets today in the second round. Wild card Alize Cornet defeated 3rd seed Timea Bacsinszky 6-0, 6-4, and Zuzana Ondraskova defeated 6th seed Roberta Vinci 6-4, 6-0.

Top seed out of Budapest

Number 1 seed Alisa Kleybanova was upset in the second round of the GDF Suez Grand Prix in Budapest today. Patty Schnyder defeated Kleybanova 6-4, 6-3.

Meanwhile, in Bastad, 4th seed Gisela Dulko saved five match points and defeated Tatjana Malek 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (1). Top seed Flavia Pennetta advanced to the third round with a 6-1, 6-1 win over wild card Sloane Stephens.

Kanepi out in 1st round of Swedish Open

Wimbledon quarterfinalist Kaia Kanepi was defeated 7-5, 6-4 today by 5th seed Arantxa Parra Santonja in Bastad, Sweden. The tournament is played on red clay. Also losing was Anastasia Rodionova, who was defeated by Tatjana Malek.

Meanwhile, in Budapest, 5th seed Peng Shuai--who has been out a lot with illness lately--won her first round. The GDF Suez Grand Prix is also played on red clay.

Szavay and Schnyder to meet in Budapest final

4th seeded Agnes Szavay, playing in her home country, will compete with Patty Schnyder for the GDF SUEZ Gran Prix title tomorrow. Szavay defeated 6th seed Alona Bondarenko, and Schnyder defeated Edina Gallovits, in the semifinals.

This will be the first meeting between Szavay and Schnyder.

Szavay gets past Garbin

I like to watch Tathiana Garbin play, and I wish I could have seen her three-hour match against Agnes Szavay in Budapest today. Szavay won, 7-6, 5-7, 7-5. Szavay double-faulted thirteen times; there's a lot of that going around.

A day of upsets in Bastad

Several seeds were eliminated today in the second round of the Swedish Open in Bastad. Gisela defeated 5th seed Sorana Cirstea, Maria Kirilenko defeated 6th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and Alla Kudryavtseva defeated 8th seed Iveta Benesova.

Yesterday, 4th seed Kai Kanepi lost to Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, and 3rd seed Flavia Pennetta was the winner of a clash of Italian clay specialists when she defeated Wimbledon quarterfinalist Francesca Schiavone.

Meanwhile, in Budapest, at the GDF Suez Grand Prix, Edina Gallovits upset 3rd seed Sybille Bammer today in the second round of play, and Shahar Peer upset 2nd seed Alize Cornet, 6-2, 6-0. Yesterday, in the first round, 8th seed Lucie Safarova was defeated by Petra Martic.