Peschke & Srebotnik make second straight first-round exit

Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik, seeded 2nd at the Sony Ericsson Open, were defeated 7-5, 7-6 yesterday in the first round by Shahar Peer and Peng Shuai. They were also defeated in the first round in Indian Wells, where they were the defending champions.

Indian Wells champions Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina upset 5th seeds Chan Yung-Jan and Zheng Jie, and advanced to the second round.

In singles, Daniela Hantuchova came back from a 1-6 first set loss against Caroline Wozniacki, and sent the second set into a tiebreak. Both before and during the tiebreak, Hantuchova had opportunities to win the set, but she was unable to utilize them. Serving at 7-8 in the tiebreak, she double-faulted, giving the top seed the victory. This dynamics of this match were not unusual for Hantuchova: She figured out how to beat her opponent, but she could not go the extra step and execute her plan.

16th seed Maria Sharapova had an easy time of it against wild card Sabine Lisicki, who is less than a shadow of the player she was in 2008. Lisicki has been troubled by illnesses and injuries since winning Charleston, and has not been able to make any type of comeback. Sharapova's next opponent is 4th seed Sam Stosur.

Zvonareva wins Doha championship

Vera Zvonareva, known for her command of windy conditions, put that command on display today in the Qatar Ladies Open final in Doha. Never wavering in the presence of top seed Caroline Wozniacki's relentless ball retrieval and accuracy, Zvonareva eventually wore Wozniacki down. Zvonareva broke Wozniacki four times to achieve a 6-4, 6-4 victory, her first tournament win since February of 2010.

Zvonareva, seeded 2nd at the tournament, was clearly delighted with her victory, and hit balls into the stands for an unusually long time. The Doha win was not easy. In the quarterfinals, the Russian had to play for over three hours and nine minutes to defeat Daniela Hantuchova, and in a very competitive semifinal match against Jelena Jankovic, she won a game in which she served at 4-all, 0-40 in the final set.

Top seeds Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik won the doubles title, defeating 2nd seeds Liezel Huber and Nadia Petrova  7-5, 6-7, 10-8.

Nestor & Srebotnik--what they said

Nenad has her locked up forever. He was supposed to play with Ivanovic here in preparation for the Olympics, so that opened the door for us playing together. Maybe if he plays with her again some time in the future we can play again.
Yeah, definitely. U.S. Open was the one he was still questioning. So, for sure, you're the first in line, absolutely. But since we already made an agreement, I like to keep the word, you know. If I say, that's it.
I have no problems with her stabbing Nenad in the back at all.

Srebotnik & Nestor win Australian Open mixed doubles title

Katarina Srebotnik and Daniel Nestor, seeded 2nd at the Australian Open, have won the 2011 mixed doubles championship. They defeated Chan Yung-Jan and Paul Hanley 6-3, 3-6, 10-7. Srebotnik's usual partner is Nenad Zomonjic, but she stepped aside for this major to allow Zimonjic to get in some practice with Ana Ivanovic, with whom he plans to play at the Olympic Games. That didn't work out because Ivanovic withdrew from mixed doubles. Daniela Nestor, up until recently, was Zimonjic's partner in men's doubles, and they spent time ranked as the number 1 team in the world. (Sometimes you need a chart to get through the labyrinthine makeup of doubles teams.)

Srebotnik, who is now a doubles-only player, claims this title as her first Australian Open mixed doubles title. She has won the French Open title three times, and the U.S. Open title once, and she has been the runner-up five times--twice at the French Open, twice at the U.S. Open, and once at Wimbledon.

Passing shots

According to the Marion Bartoli Fan Blog (I know updating is inevitable, but I really miss "Looking For a Cult Hero?"!), Bartoli's calf tear, which she sustained in Melbourne, is pretty serious. There is a lot of interesting information on this page, about Bartoli's injury, the nature of calf tears, and some history and other miscellaneous information--all worth reading.

Beatrice Capra has signed a letter of intent to play for Duke University's tennis team.

Andrea Petkovic and Kevin Rolland--separated at birth?

Elena Dementieva recently participated in an exhibition in Moscow for the benefit of children's homes and orphanages. Former tour player Elena Likhovtseva participated, also.

I just realized something: Katarina Srebotnik, Nenad Zimonjic's usual mixed doubles partner, stepped aside at the Australian Open so that Zimonjic and Ana Ivanovic could play together in preparation for the Olympic Games. Srebotnik played instead with Daniel Nestor (who, until recently, was Zimonjic's men's doubles partner), but Zimonjic wound up playing mixed with Maria Kirilenko. Does anyone know what transpired?

Srebotnik and Chan to vie for mixed doubles title in Australia

2nd seeds Katarina Srebotnik and Daniel Nestor and will play Chan Yung-Jan and Paul Hanley in the Australian Open mixed doubles championship match. Srebotnik and Nestor defeated 3rd seeds Maria Kirilenko and Nenad Zimonjic 6-4, 7-5 in the semifnals. Chan and Hanley defeated Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Horia Tecau 2-6, 6-3, 11-9 (mixed doubles is played with a tiebreak set).

2011 starts with a great story: Arn wins Auckland

Greta Arn was supposed to play in the ASB Classic qualifying rounds, but some late withdrawals opened a slot for her in the main draw. That was a piece of good fortune, and Arn needed it--she arrived in Auckland without her coach (he didn't want to make the long trip), and without her luggage (it was lost).

Until last year, Arn had become an almost forgotten journeywoman. The 31-year-old Hungarian has played for both Germany and Hungary, and, for a few years, she didn't play at all. Then, in 2007, with a ranking of 176, she qualified for and won the Estoril tournament by defeating Victoria Azarenka in the final. Last year, she reached the third round of a major (Wimbledon) for the first time in her career.

Today, Arn became the first title-winner of 2011: She defeated defending Auckland champion Yanina Wickmayer 6-3, 6-3. After winning the first set, Arn got a break in the second, but was unable to win a match point on Wickmayer's serve. She then got a match point on her own serve and double-faulted. The "turnaround" looked like it was about to happen, as it does so many times when a better-ranked player is losing, and then takes advantage of an opponent's nerves. At 3-5, Wickmayer appeared to have her service game under complete control, but the determined and still-confident Arn crept in, and won the match--and the tournament--on her third match point.

"I'm 31, you're only 21, believe me, you have so much time," the new champion told her opponent during the trophy ceremony. Her opponent did not appear to be amused.

To win the title, Arn defeated Zuzana Ondraskova, 8th seed Sofia Arvidsson, 1st seed Maria Sharapova, 4th seed Julia Goerges, and 2nd seed Wickmayer. The defending champion had a few long and tough matches in her draw, including an almost three-hour semifinal against Peng Shuai.

The doubles title was won by top seeds Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik. They defeated Sofia Arvidsson and Marina Erakovic 6-3, 6-0.

Srebotnik's shoulder takes her out of singles competition

When an older player has sustained a significant and recurring injury, it is sometimes a wise decision to concentrate on doubles only--assuming the player has a decent doubles career. Nathalie Dechy did it, and was successful. Now Katarina Srebotnik is doing it, and--while fans will miss Srebotnik's singles play, just as we missed Dechy's--this is a decision Srebotnik has made regarding her health.

Srebotnik put Slovenia on the map in terms of women's tennis. She was ranked as high as number 20 (2008) in the world, and she is a fan favorite because of her athleticism, volleying skills, and playful, easygoing manner. In singles, she is especially remembered for her third round upset of Serena Williams at the 2008 French Open.

In the last few years, Srebotnik had to face some professional misfortune. She was out for most of 2009 after injuring her Achilles tendon. Her rehab was also unfortunate, in that she sustained another injury while trying to get stronger. When she finally returned to the tour in good health, her long-term relationship with her coach ended. Srebotnik began to focus on doubles, and it seemed very likely that she would make the decision that she announced last week--that she would end her singles career. This decision came about because of a recurring shoulder injury.

Tennis fans have plenty to look forward to, however. Srebotnik and her current doubles partner, Kveta Peschke, won Indian Wells this year, and made it to the final of the French Open. They also got to the semifinals of the WTA Championships.

Prior to teaming with Peschke, Srebotnik had success playing with a variety of partners, the most notable being Ai Sugiyama. Srebotnik holds 23 women's doubles titles, and four mixed doubles titles (three French Open and one U.S. Open). She also played in the finals of the U.S. Open, Wimbledon and The French Open (twice). Her highest doubles ranking, number 3 in the world, came in 2008. She is currently ranked number 6.

Miscellany

Katarina Srebotnik will stand aside, and Ana Ivanovic will play mixed doubles with Nenad Zimonjic at the Australian Open. It is assumed that Ivanovic and Zimonjic will pair for the 2012 Olympic Games, and the Australian Open will give them a chance to compete as a team. According to Women's Tennis Blog, Zimonjic will resume playing with Srebotnik at the other three 2011 majors.

Jelena Jankovic underwent minor eye surgery on Thursday; her stitches will be removed in about a week.

"Your matches were never boring...." That's one (and perhaps my favorite) of the many things fans said to Elena Dementieva after she announced her retirement.

Anastasia Rodionova recently relaxed for a couple of days at Port Sea with Cara Black and her husband.

Daniela Hantuchova spent some time in Hungary, where she did a photo shoot for a calendar to support her work for House of the Smile, a hospital in Cambodia for children with HIV.

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.

Peschke & Srebotnik win Pilot Pen

Top seeds Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik won the doubles title in New Haven tonight. They defeated Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Meghann Shaughnessy 7-5, 6-0 in the final.

This is the second title of the year for Peschke and Srebotnik.

Dulko & Pennetta win Rogers Cup championship

Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta have done it again. The hottest doubles team of the year has won the Rogers Cup championship, defeating Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik 7-5, 3-6, 12-10 in Montreal today.

The semifinals and the final were all played indoors today because of the unrelenting Montreal rain. 2nd seeds Dulko and Pennetta defeated Monica Niculescu and Shahar Peer in the semifinals, and Peschke and Srebotnik defeated Anabel Medina Garrigues and Yan Zi.

Seeds upset in first round in both Slovenia and Bad Gastein

Top seed and defending champion Andrea Petkovic won her first round in Bad Gastein today, defeating Iveta Benesova 6-4, 6-0, but 3rd seed Anabel Medina Garrigues, 4th seed Klara Zakopalova, 5th seed Sybille Bammer, and 6th seed Barbora Zahlavova Strycova were all upset.

Yesterday, in Bad Gastein, Mariya Koryttseva saved eight match points and defeated Tatjana Malek in a match that lasted almost three hours.

In Slovenia, hometown star Katarina Srebotnik got off to a good start by defeating Petra Martic 6-3, 6-1. Top seed Jelena Jankovic defeated countrywoman Bojana Jovanovski, but 2nd seed Petra Kvitova was upset by Stepanie Voegele. Also upset in the first round were 5th seed Dominika Cibulkova and 8th seed Sophia Arvidssson. Cibulkova lost in straight sets to Ksenia Pervak.

In first round play yesterday, Virginie Razzano made her post-injury return by defeating Zuzana Kucova.

Williams sisters win French Open doubles championship

Serena and Venus Williams, the top seeds at Roland Garros, have won the 2010 French Open, defeating 12th seeds Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik 6-2, 6-3 in the final.

The Williams sisters are now the number 1 doubles team in the world, and are halfway through a 2010 effort to win the Grand Slam.

Srebotnik and Zimonjic win French Open mixed doubles title

Katarina Srebotnik and Nenad Zimonjic, match point down in both the semifinals and the final, won the French Open mixed doubles championship today. The 6th seeds defeated Yaroslava Shvedova and Julian Knowle 4-6, 7-6, 11-9.

Srebotnik and Zimonjic won the title in 2006, and were finalists in 2007 and 2008. In 1999, Srebotnik won the title with Piet Norval.

Srebotnik, with partner Kveta Peschke, will now play in the women's doubles final against Serena and Venus Williams.

Top 2 seeds to meet in Stuttgart doubles final

The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix number 1 seeds, Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta, advanced to the final today by defeating 3rd seeds Cara Black and Shahar Peer 7-5, 6-4 in the semifinals. Their opponents in the final will be 2nd seeds Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik. Peschke and Srebotnik defeated 4th seeds Olga Govortsova and Alicja Rosolska 6-1, 6-2.

Peschke & Srebotnik win Indian Wells doubles championship

In this evening's BNP Paribas Open doubles championship, each player made some good shots, and there were several momentum swings, but there was no doubting who the star of the championship was. Kveta Peschke, known in doubles circles for her stinging forehand, also controlled the court with a very formidable backhand. And as if that weren't enough, Peschke's volleys were superior. As the match went on, it was Peschke's game that got better, and she and partner Katarina Srebotnik--an unseeded team--defeated 3rd seeds Nadia Petrova and Samantha Stosur 6-4, 2-6, 10-5.

Srebotnik, of course, has only recently returned to the tour, but she and Peschke have already shown that they are a force with which to be reckoned.

Spaniards back on top in Dubai

Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, after losing in straight sets in the third round of the Australian Open and losing to Australia in straight sets in Fed Cup, found their winning ways again today in Dubai. The 2nd seeds defeated Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik 7-6, 6-4 in the final of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships.

There were nine breaks of serve in the championship match. Llagostera Vives and Martinez Sanchez came back from being 2-5 down in the first set, and were in danger of going down 3-5 in the second.

Black & Huber upset in Dubai semifinals

The team of Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik may be unseeded in Dubai, but both are accomplished doubles players who, today, took out the number 1 seeds in the semifinals. Peschke and Srebotnik defeated Cara Black and Liezel Huber 6-4, 2-6, 11-9 and advanced to the final. Their opponent will be number 2 seeds Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez.

Oudin and Schnyder make good starts in Paris

Playing in her first match since she returned from surgery, Patty Schnyder upset 7th seed Virginie Razzano 6-3, 7-6 in Paris today. Schnyder hit 24 forehand winners in what was described by fans as a exceptional performance in a high-quality match.

Also doing well was Melanie Oudin, who defeated Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 6-0.

Andrea Petkovic, who didn't have such a good week in Fed Cup play, defeated Katarina Srebotnik 7-5, 6-2. Srebotnik, who was out for a very long time--first with an achilles injury and then with a shoulder injury--has a protected ranking at the moment, and she will be able to use it at the French Open. She also has a new coach, Jens Gerlach, former coach of Anastasia Myskina. The former world number 20 says that she is pain-free and in very good physical shape.