Stosur upset by Dulko in 3rd round of French Open

Before the French Open began, I mentioned that three dangerous floaters--Lucie Safarova, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez and Gisela Dulko--were all placed in the same quarter of the draw. Safarova and Martinez Sanchez are now out, but Dulko--playing the game she "should be" capable of playing all the time (but she lacks consistency, especially with her serve) proved today to be as dangerous as they come. Dulko upset 8th seed and 2010 runner-up Sam Stosur 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.

Stosur saved seven set points in the first set. In the second, she advanced to a quick 3-0 lead, and proceeded to serve her way to a set victory in just 31 minutes. In the third set, Dulko wisely attacked Stosur's backhand over and over. Dulko broke at 2-all, got her own service game on track, and then controlled the rest of the match, holding at love for a 5-2 lead, then winning on her last service game.

Dulko will play 11th seed Marion Bartoli in the round of 16. Bartoli defeated Julia Goerges in three sets. The Frenchwoman's physical stamina is always in question, but so far, she has come through, and she says she feels great.

Also winning today were 10th seed Jelena Jankovic (def. Bethanie Mattek-Sands), 14th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkov (who had to go three sets against Nuria Llagostera Vives), 13th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova (def. Rebecca Marino), 3rd seed Vera Zvonareva (def. Anastasia Rodionova), and defending champion and 5th seed Francesca Schiavone, who won when her opponent, Peng Shuai, retired because of illness. Schiavone was up 6-3, 1-2  at the time.

Birthday in the Bahamas

Maria Sharapova turned 24 a few days ago. She celebrated her birthday in the Bahamas with a triple-tiered pink cake, and, on April 16, she also played an exhibition match with Gisela Dulko. The All-Star Tennis Weekend, hosted by Atlantis, took place on Paradise Island, and included a clinic for kids.

You can see a lot of Paul Hage-Chahine's photos of Maria at the kids' clinic at tenniswiz-art.com, and you can also see his photos of Maria on the court during the exhibition match, which she won, 6-3, 6-1. While you're there, check out the other galleries and enjoy!

Dokic reaches semifinals of Malaysian Open

Jelena Dokic upset 8th seed Bojana Jovanovski today in straight sets to reach the semifinals of the Malaysian Open. Also going out was 2nd seed Marion Bartoli, who lost in straight sets to 5th seed Lucie Safarova. The other semifinalists are Michaella Krajicek (def. Anne Kremer) and Jarmila Groth (def. 6th seed Ayumi Morita). Groth has a wild card and is also seeded fourth.

Meanwhile, in Monterrey, top seed Jelena Jankovic has advanced to the quarterfinals, as has Gisela Dulko, who has now won seven straight matches in Mexico.

Dulko beats Benesova and advances to Monterrey 2nd round

The last four times they have played, Iveta Benesova has defeated Gisela Dulko, but today in Monterrey, the Mexican Open champion had her second-ever win against the Czech player. Dulko served well (as I mentioned in a previous post, she has a great serve, but it isn't always available to her) and defeated 7th-seeded Benesova 6-2, 7-6.

6th seed Sara Errani was also defeated in the first round. Greta Arn took that match 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. Wild card and 2nd seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova defeated Melanie Oudin. (These two were ranked 1 and 2 as juniors, and have a bit of a history: Pavlyuchenkova was, in fact, Oudin's first Russian victim in her memorable 2008 U.S. Open run.) The Russian player is the defending champion.

Top Monterrey seed Jelena Jankovic also advanced to the second round.

Dulko wins Mexican Open

She did it the hard way, but Gisela Dulko defeated 6th seed Arantxa Parra Santonja today to win the Acapulco final. Dulko, seeded 4th at the tournament, took the first set 6-3 and quickly went up 5-1 in the second, and served for the match, only to have Parra Santonja stage a comeback that resulted in a tiebreak, won by Dulko. Both players struggled with their serves. Dulko is one of those players who has a really good serve--when it's working. Today, it gave her trouble, but she was nevertheless able to win her fourth singles title. The Argentine player is ranked number 1 in the world in doubles.

Parra Santonja took home the runner-up trophy in doubles, too. She and partner Lourdes Dominguez Lino were defeated 3-6, 6-1, 10-4 in the final by Mariya Koryttseva and Ioana Raluca Olaru.

Parra Santonja to play in both Acapulco finals

Arantxa Parra Santonja, the 6th seed in Acapulco, has reached the final by defeating Johanna Larsson 6-2, 6-0 in the semifinals. Her opponent will be 4th seed Gisela Dulko, who defeated Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-0, 6-2.

With partner Lourdes Dominguez Lino, Parra Santonja has also reached the final in doubles. Dominguez Lino and Parra Sontonja will play Mariya Koryttseva and Ioana Raluca Olara.

Dulko & Pennetta win Australian Open doubles championship

When Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta left the court after their semifinal victory, right before they went into the tunnel, they did one final "keep the faith" high-five. On Friday, as they came out of the tunnel and walked onto the court to play the final, they turned and looked at each other for just a moment. It was subtle, but it was an unmistakable "this is it" exchange, maybe with a touch of "let's kick some ass" thrown in. The top seeds served so well and played so well in the semifinal against Liezel Huber and Nadia Petrova, it was easy to believe they had the confidence to win their first major.

But it didn't play that way--not for a while, anyway. Dulko, in particular, looked like a shadow of herself, and had a hard time serving. Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko, on the other hand, played very aggressively. Azarenka hit the ball really hard, and made a number of flashy volleys. In no time, the 12th seeds had won the first set 6-2.

The pattern continued, with Dulko and Pennetta occasionally showing their number 1 style, but they just didn't have enough going for them to resist the speed and precision of Azarenka, and it didn't seem to occur to them to launch an attack on Kirilenko, who was not playing quite up to her partner's level. Azarenka and Kirilenko went up 4-1, and were a point from going up 5-1, when--perhaps inspired by Li Na--Dulko woke up, so to speak, and went all crazy on them at the net. For the next few games, Dulko was unstoppable.

Azarenka and Kirilenko weren't the same after that, and neither were Dulko and Pennetta. The signature Dulko lobs and Pennetta steady groundstrokes and penetrating volleys began to appear in great numbers, as Azarenka increasingly missed her volleys and hit balls outside the lines. The top seeds won the second set 7-5, and they cruised throught the third, winning it 6-1.

I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone as happy lifting a trophy as Dulko and Pennetta were, especially Pennetta, who is the first Italian player to win a championship at the Australian Open. The two have been very close friends for many years, and they have always played doubles together when they felt like it. Last year, however, they made a commitment to be a regular doubles team, and they shot up to the number 1 spot in the world. This is their first major championship, however, and they won it in a very dramatic way.

Vergeer makes great start in Australian Open

Esther Vergeer made a statement in her opening Australian Open match on Wednesday: The top seed defeated Sharon Walraven 6-0, 6-0. 2nd seed Daniela Di Toro also won her quarterfinal match, allowing her opponent to win only three games. Vergeer is on a 405-match winning streak, and she has a 610-25 career record.

Players and former players like to hit with Vergeer during majors. During the U.S. Open, Martina Navratilova hit with her. In Melbourne, Rohan Bopanna hit with Vergeer, and he did it while sitting in a wheelchair.

Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik, seeded second in women's doubles, were upset in straight sets in the semifinals by 12th seeds Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko. Their opponents in the final will be Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta, who served really well--and played really well--against 3rd seeds Liezel Huber and Nadia Petrova. The top seeds defeated Huber and Petrova 6-4, 7-5, and are now a match away from winning their first major.

The Australia Day crowd was quite noisy and spirited. As Pennetta attempted to serve for the first set, fans broke into song. When she tried to serve again, other fans broke into laughter because of the song. Later, a loud quacking sound could be heard in the stands. There was also a lot of very enthusiastic cheering; if you didn't know better, you would have thought it was a Fed Cup match.

Huber beats Black in doubles

Long-time partners (and bitterly-split ex-partners) Cara Black and Liezel Huber competed against each other in doubles at the Australian Open quarterfinals on Tuesday, with Huber and Nadia Petrova defeating Black and Anastasia Rodionova 6-1, 6-4. Top seeds Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta also advanced, with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Natalie Grandin and Vladimira Uhlirova.

2nd seeds Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik won in straight sets over 9th seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Meghann Shaugnessy, and 12th seeds Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko defeated Chuang Chia-Jung and Hsieh Su-Wei.

I assume that the Azarenka-Kirilennko pairing is a temporary one. Agnieszka Radwanska, Kirilenko's usual partner, was not expected to play, and was not able to make a firm decision about playing until the last minute.

Clijsters named WTA Player of the Year

For the second time in her career, Kim Clijsters has been named WTA Player of the Year. Clijsters defended her U.S. Open title, won the WTA Champioships, and also won titles in Brisbane, Miami and Cincinnati. Clijsters was also the recipient of the Player Service Award.

Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta were named the Doubles Team of the Year. Dulko and Pennetta won seven titles together in 2010.

The remaining awards follow:

Comeback Player of the Year--Justine Henin
Newcomer of the Year--Petra Kvitova
Humanitarian of the Year--Maria Sharapova
Karen Krantzche Sports(wo)manship Award--Elena Dementieva

Once again, the players chose the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart as their favorite premier tournament. The Pattaya Open was chosen as the favorite international tournament.

Clijsters wins WTA Championships--Dulko & Pennetta win, too

Kim Clijsters, who has won every final in which she has competed this year, didn't disappoint in Doha Sunday. Clijsters defeated world number 1 Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in the WTA Championships. Clijsters went up 4-1 in the second set, but Wozniacki won a series of games and forced a third set. The world number 1 immediately broke in that final set, but Clijsters broke back, and continued to hold the momentum until the end of the match. "It seemed like it would never end," the champion said later.

This was the third time that Clijsters has won the Championships. The Doha victory was her fifth title of 2010; Clijsters won the U.S. Open for the second year in a row.

Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta continued their winning ways, too, defeating Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik 7-5, 6-4 in the doubles final, and saving a set point in the first set. Dulko and Pennetta are the number 1 doubles team in the world, and when the new rankings come out, Dulko will be number 1 in the world.

Long-time friends Dulko and Pennetta have played doubles together on and off for years, but decided to be a committed team in 2010. The Doha victory gives them seven titles for the year; Dulko won an eighth title with Edina Gallovits.

Clijsters and Wozniacki to play for Doha title

In the film, Whip It, when the end-of-season championship bout takes place, announcer Johnny Rocket reminds spectators that it has all come down to competitors Iron Maven and Babe Ruthless, and "Would you want it any other way?" It is also no surprise that the WTA Championships have come down to Kim Clijsters and Caroline Wozniacki. Clijsters, a member of the white group and the tournament's 3rd seed, defeated Sam Stosur 7-6, 6-1 today. Maroon group member and top seed Wozniacki defeated Vera Zvonareva 7-5, 6-0. Both Stosur and Zvonareva had problems with their second serves. Prior to the semifinals, Zvonareva was the only player with a perfect round-robin record.

Would we have wanted it any other way? Some of us, yes. But it is certainly fitting that Clijsters and Wozniacki meet on a hard court to determine who wins the Championships.

In doubles semifinal play, Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik defeated Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs 7-5, 6-3. Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova, who have suprised fans this season with their victories in really big events, apparently didn't find Doha quite big enough: They were defeated 6-4, 6-4 by Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta, this year's top doubles team. Dulko and Pennetta defeated Peschke and Srebotnik in the finals in both Stuttgart and Montreal.

Doubles draw made in Doha

The doubles draw has been made in Doha, and Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta will play Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova in the semifinals. Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik will play Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs in the other semifinal match.

The first semifinal is of particular interest. Dulko and Pennetta--close friends who have been occasional doubles partners for years and decided to play as a consistent team this year--are the top-ranked team, with six 2010 doubles titles. They won Miami, Stuttgart, Rome, Bastad, Montreal, and Moscow. They also reached the finals in Madrid and Beijing.

King and Shvedova, on the other hand, had played together in only two tournaments--both this year--when they won the 2010 Wimbledon title. In their next three events, they failed to get beyond the second round. But then they won the U.S. Open, defeating Dulko and Pennetta along the way.

Azarenka and Vinci win Moscow & Luxembourg titles

There was no report yesterday on the Moscow and Luxembourg matches because I was traveling and did not have Internet access. As everyone knows by now, 6th seed Maria Kirilenko defeated Vera Dushevina in the Kremlin Cup semifinals, and 2nd seed Victoria Azarenka defeated 8th seed Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez.

Today, Azarenka won the Kremlin Cup by defeating Kirilenko 6-3, 6-4. Top seeds Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta won the doubles title, defeating 3rd seeds Sara Errani and Martinez Sanchez 6-3, 2-6, 10-6.

Roberta Vinci won the Luxembourg Open, defeating 8th seed Julia Goerges 6-3, 6-4. In the semifinals, Vinci defeated Anne Keothavong, and Goerges defeated Angelique Kerber. The doubles title was won by 2nd seeds Timea Bacsinzky and Tathiana Garbin. They defeated top seeds Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-4, 6-4.

Li and Pennetta beaten in Moscow 1st round

Li Na, whose WTA Championships status hangs in the balance, didn't help her cause today by losing in the first round of the Kremlin Cup. Li was defeated 6-4, 6-2 by Anna Chakvetadze, who said she thought Li might have been a bit stressed about the Championships, and Li agreed. Li is still in the running to go to Doha, but her first round loss today lowers her chance. She had a wild card into Moscow, and was also seeded third.

Moscow is traditionally a place with a big home court advantage, and it wasn't just Chakvetadze who came through. The quite talented, but sometimes shaky, Elena Vesnina upset 5th seed Flavia Pennetta 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.

The other victory of note was the defeat of Gisela Dulko by qualifier Zarina Diyas. I have seen Diyas play on clay, and though I've tried, I can't think of a more aggressive tour player. Diyas runs to the net and hits every type of volley in circumstances when other players would wait for the bounce. I was impressed when I saw her play because of her willingness to keep going forward.

In doubles, the streaky Bondarenko sisters were defeated 6-4, 3-6, 10-4 by Algul Amanmuradova and Darya Kustova.

In Luxembourg, all the seeds advanced today. Top seed and wild card Elena Dementieva defeated Peng Shuai 7-5, 7-6.

Chuang & Govortsova win Beijing title

Chuang Chia-Jung and Olga Govortsova, unseeded at the China Open, won the title today by defeating top seeds Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta 7-6, 1-6, 10-7. Chuang and Govortsova got off to a quick start and looked as though they might easily win the first set, but Dulko and Pennetta caught up and forced a tiebreak. Chuang and Govortsova won the tiebreak in the same quick fashion they had begun the match. However, they were able to win only one game in the second set. But they prevailed in the super-tiebreak, and denied Dulko and Pennetta a sixth title for the season.

Top seeds Dulko & Pennetta out of U.S. Open

1st seeds Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta were taken out of the U.S. Open today in the quarterfinals. The number 6 seeds, Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova, defeated Dulko and Pennetta 6-3, 6-3. Dulko and Pennetta looked a bit shaky yesterday, so this wasn't a complete surprise. Their opponents were simply too aggressive for them today. In the last game, the top seeds were broken at love when Flavia Pennetta double-faulted.

King and Shvedova won the Wimbledon championship.

Top seeds falter, but advance to U.S. Open quarterfinals

It's probably a good thing that Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta are close friends. Dulko showed the expected (but perhaps hard to come by) restraint and support today when Penenetta hit volley after volley into the net, and then hit a few volleys long. The Italian's volley nightmare occurred in a U.S.Open round third round match the top seeds played against 13th seeds Monica Niculescu and Shahar Peer. I lost count of the number of volleys Pennetta missed in that set, and I have no idea what happened to her.

It was no surprise, given the net issues, that Dulko and Pennetta failed to convert several set points (five or six--I lost count of that, too), and lost the first set in a tiebreak. Pennetta arrived on court for the next set a different player, and she and Dulko won it 6-1. They won the final set 6-2. The stand-out player in this match was Dulko, whose returns were often inspired, and who moved fluently around the court, operating with keen doubles instinct.

The other stand-out doubles player I saw today was Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who--backed up by Meghann Shaughnessy's big serving--helped take her team to a 6-4, 6-1 upset of 4th seeds Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik. Mattek-Sands and Shaughnessy are seeded 15th.

2009 mixed doubles champions out in 1st round of U.S. Open

Carly Gullickson and Travis Parrot, the surprise winners of last year's U.S. Open mixed doubles title, were defeated in the first round today in Flushing Meadows. The team of Gisela Dulko and Pablo Ceuvas won the match with a score of 6-2, 6-4.

Azarenka sustains concussion, collapses on court

It was a scary moment today, when we saw Victoria Azarenka--who was clearly suffering from some malady--suddenly just go limp and drop to the court surface during her first set against Gisela Dulko at the U.S. Open. Though it was very hot, it appeared from the beginning of the set that something else was bothering the 10th seed. It was easy to flash back to the 2009 Australian Open, when Azarenka--who had vomited incessantly the night before because of food poisoning--became exceedingly weak and had to retire, after winning the first set against Serena Williams.

Azarenka, who has now been discharged from a hospital, says that she not only felt weak--she had a headache and some vision problems. Those are symptoms of a concussion, and that's exactly what she has. Prior to beginning the second-round match, Azarenka fell and banged her head on the court when she fell while running a sprint in a training session.

Victoria Azarenka is either quite fragile, or she has a lot of bad luck. She retired during a Fed Cup match in February, saying she felt sicker than she had ever felt. She has also had a run of leg and thigh injuries this season.

Azarenka was among the players favored to win the U.S. Open. I hadn't counted her out at all, though--just last night--I remarked to someone that I thought Dulko might give her trouble. Instead, Dulko gave her ice as she lay crumpled on the baking hard court in Flushing Meadows. This is a most unfortunate turn of events, but the good news is that Azarenka is not seriously ill.