Chuang & Yan win Los Angeles championship

The team of Chuang Chia-Jung and Yan Zi defeated Maria Kirilenko and Agnieszka Radwanska today in Los Angeles to win the LA Women's Tennis Championships doubles title. Chuang and Yan (whom most people know from their respective pairings with Chan and Zheng) won the match in a super-tiebreak, 6-0, 4-6, 10-7.

Neither team was seeded.

Non c'è problema!--Pennetta wins L.A. championship in straight sets

Serving well, returning extremely well, and--most of all--holding her nerve, 10th seed Flavia Pennetta overcame 13th seed Samantha Stosur today to win the LA Women's Tennis Championships. This was Pennetta's 17th tour final, her 8th tournament win, and her first victory at a premier tournament.

It was a long time coming. The Italian player, who does well on both clay and hard courts, has it all--a good serve, a good return of serve, physical power, exceptional movement, and some nice strategy. Sometimes she has lost because her opponent was just better, but often, she has failed to win a big match because of a mental lapse.

Having a mental lapse at big moments has also been the hallmark of Stosur, who has now lost five finals. She allowed Pennetta to dictate the match today, and as she became increasingly frustrated, she made more errors. Her serve, usually the finest feature of her game, got her out of a few tough spots today, but was not the strength it has been throughout the tournament.

It's interesting that the first two victories in the 2009 U.S. Open Series have gone to very good players (Marion Bartoli won Stanford) who have had problems realizing their potential on the tour. To get to the final, Pennetta defeated--among others--Nadia Petrova, Vera Zvonareva and Maria Sharapova.

Stosur and Pennetta to play for Los Angeles championship

Though Sorana Cirstea was hardly hobbling around the court today in her Los Angeles semifinal against Samantha Stosur, she looked kind of flat, and it is logical to conclude that yesterday's foot injury played a role in today's performance. It didn't help that Stosur was putting on a serving clinic. The Australian was crisp and efficient, and in just over an hour, she won the match, 6-3, 6-2.

Not so crisp and efficient was the semifinal played between Flavia Pennetta and Maria Sharapova. The first set was as fine a display of tennis as we have seen Pennetta demonstrate. She served extremely well and defended cleverly, which led to a 6-2 win.

Sharapova became more aggressive in the second set, and Pennetta's level dropped off. At 4-all, there was a turning point for the Russian: Serving at 0-40 after double-faulting twice, she found a way to win the game. She then brilliantly broke Pennetta, showing off all the old Sharapova moves and Sharapova spirit, and taking the set.

The final set was a jumble of double-faulting (Sharapova), unsteady nerves, shifting momentum, unforced errors, shaky service games, and tough rallies. Sharapova went up a break early in the set, but Pennetta caught up. By this time, Pennetta's service game had eroded. We often see this decline in service from Pennetta, who is capable of serving extremely well (as she did in the first set). Pennetta did well to tolerate her own third set shortcomings and continue to take advantage of Sharapova's double faults (16 for the match) and unforced errors. Her 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 victory puts her in the final for the second year in a row.

Pennetta and Stosur have never played one another, which should make this Los Angeles final especially interesting. This is one of those championships in which I hate to see either of them lose.

Top 3 seeds out in Los Angeles doubles competition

We are down to the semifinals at the Los Angeles Women's Tennis Championships, and only one seeded team--Hsieh Su-Wei and Peng Shuai--remain in competition. Hsieh and Peng are seeded 4th.

3rd seeds Flavia Pennetta and Lisa Raymond lost in the first round. In the quarterfinals, top seeds Sam Stosur and Rennae Stubbs were eliminated, as were 2nd seeds Daniela Hantuchova and Ai Sugiyama.

In the semifinals, Hsieh and Peng will play Maria Kirilenko and Agnieszka Radwanska, the team who defeated Stosur and Stubbs. In the other semifinal contest, Vania King and Monica Niculescu--who got a walkover from the quarterfinals--will play Chuang Chia-Jung and Yan Zi, who defeated Hantuchova and Sugiyama.

Pennetta upsets Zvonareva in Los Angeles

Last year's Los Angeles finalist, Flavia Pennetta, is just one match away from having another chance to win the LA Women's Tennis Championships. Last night, she defeated number 2 seed Vera Zvonareva, 6-4, 6-2. Pennetta, who is seeded 10th, will next play Maria Sharapova.

Sharapova through to Los Angeles semifinals, but it wasn't pretty

In her first set against Urszula Radwanska in their LA Women's Tennis Championships quarterfinal match, Maria Sharapova served well and won the set 6-4. In the second set, her serve went to pieces, and she double-faulted 11 times (as opposed to twice in the first set). The ESPN commentators had a field day analyzing the psychological, physiological and sociological aspects of Sharapova's condition. She would probably have been amused if she had heard them.

Sharapova didn't have to worry, though. Radwanska, who--unfortunately--emulates her sister's second serve--went to pieces in the latter part of the second set, squandering almost every good opportunity she had. She muttered and stumbled and generally made it easy for Sharapova to dig herself out of a hole. After she won the match 6-4, 7-5, Sharapova looked and sounded subdued. In an interview with Pam Shriver, she said that during the period when her shoulder was bothering her a lot, she developed many bad habits while compensating. It will take her a while, she explained, to unlearn those bad habits.

In the semifinals, she will face either 2nd seed Vera Zvonareva or 10th seed Flavia Pennetta, either of whom will return her serve better than it was returned last night. Stay tuned...

Stosur too good for Zheng in Los Angeles

A shaky Sam Stosur lost her first set to a focused Zheng Jie in their LA Women's Tennis Championships quarterfinal today. But when the second set began, Stosur was a different player, gradually finding her rhythm against Zheng, and eventually using her mighty serve to dominate, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Stosur's next opponent is Sorana Cirstea, assuming Cirstea is able to play.

Cirstea goes to Los Angeles semifinals, but not without drama

There was a medical time-out. There was foot wrapping and unwrapping. There were tears. There was conflict with the chair umpire. And there was a brief, but impressive, tantrum.

Sorana Cirstea, who does not have a good record against Agnieszka Radwanska, entered the court today in Los Angeles with a good game plan, and was even able to carry most of it out in the first set, which she won in a tiebreak, after losing a chance to serve for it. Some time during that set, she hurt her right heel, and she had to have treatment for it. She looked to be quite troubled by it, and later, she told her coach she could not push off on it. "Then you have to change your tactics," he said.

Cirstea crumbled in the second set, which she lost, 1-6. Even a more than casual observer would have expected her to either retire or just slog through the last set and leave the court "a winner," as Sven Groenefeld advised her. She was hurting. She was frustrated. She was angry. And it did wonders for her. She steadied herself in a way that did not seem possible, and which appeared to unglue her opponent.

Cirstea did what any smart opponent of Radwanska's should do--she took advantage of Radwanska's throwaway second serve. Her first set confidence returned, but Radwanska fought back. Then, when Radwanska served for the match at 5-4, Cirstea broke her. Cirstea then held, and on her third match point on Radwanska's serve (which included a double fault), she won the match--probably as much to her surprise as to anyone's. It is unknown whether Cirstea's foot will permit her to perform well (or to perform at all) in the next round, but she has to be pleased with her effort today, and she has to be pleased with Groenefeld, who obviously helped her believe in herself.

Los Angeles quarterfinals to be played Friday

Here is the lineup for the quarterfinals in Los Angeles:

Zheng Jie (14) vs. Samantha Stosur (13)

Sorana Cirstea vs. Agnieszka Radwanska (8)

Urszula Radwanska vs. Maria Sharapova

Flavia Pennetta (10) vs. Vera Zvonareva (2)

Injuries and upsets in Los Angeles--top seed out in 3d round

It wasn't a good day for Li Na, Francesca Schiavone and Sabine Lisicki. All three had to forfeit matches in Los Angeles because of injury. Schiavone and her partner, Tathiana Garbin, gave their quarterfinal opponents a walkover because of Schiavone's right hamstring strain, and Lisicki retired against Sorana Cirstea in the third round because of a right shoulder injury.

Not surprisingly, it was her knee that led Li to give Urszula Radwanska a walkover in their third round match. Li's injury problems--especially regarding her knee--have effectively shut her out of having the career many of us presumed she would have when she returned to the tour after her retirement (strange that her name is never mentioned among those of retired players who have returned to the tour). We can hope that she is able to solve her knee problem, but it certainly doesn't look good for her.

There were four upsets today. 13th seed Sam Stosur defeated 6th seed Ana Ivanovic, 6-3, 6-2 and 10th seed Flavia Pennetta upset 5th seed Nadia Petrova. Also, the team of Maria Kirilenko and Agnieszka Radwsanska upset 1st seeds Stosur and Rennae Stubbs, 6-3, 7-6.

And finally, number 1 seed and defending champion Dinara Safina was defeated 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 by 14th seed Zheng Jie. There were 13 breaks of serve in this match. The last one occurred when Safina served at 4-all and was broken at love. Zheng then held at love to win the match.

Sharapova passes 2nd round test in Stanford

There was some anticipation about Maria Sharapova's second round match against Victoria Azarenka at the LA Women's Tennis Championships last night. Sharapova, obviously still struggling with her serve (as are so many) double-faulted twelve times, but she defeated the 3rd seed 6-7, 6-4, 6-2.

There were two other upsets yesterday. Urszula Radwanska defeated 7th seed Dominika Cibulkova, 6-4, 6-7, 6-4. And Sorana Cirstea defeated 4th seed Caroline Wozniacki, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6. Cirstea also defeated her friend Wozniacki in the third round of the French Open.

Wozniak and Lisicki brush past opponents in Los Angeles

Last week, I wrote that Sabine Lisicki--since her return from injury and illness--cannot stop double-faulting. And so it goes...Today, in her first round in Los Angeles, she double-faulted eleven times against Kimiko Date Krumm. Krumm served for the match at 5-4 in the third set, but was broken, and Lisicki wound up winning 7-6, 2-6, 7-5. But this madness has to stop.

Aleksandra Wozniak defeated Bethanie Mattek-Sands 7-5, 7-5. Ayumi Morita retired because of a GI illness, and seven of the qualifiers are out in the first round; only Jill Craybas is still standing.

Szavay out in first round in Los Angeles

Just when Agnes Szavay was ending her slump and returning to form, she met Elena Vesnina in the first round of the LA Women's Tennis Championships. Vesnina, who is having her best season to date, defeated Szavay 6-1, 6-0. As good as Vesnina has become, that is still a most puzzling score.

Also in the first round, Anna Chakvetadze upset 11th seed Virginie Razzano, Lucie Safarova upset 15th seed Kaia Kanepi (who is not having a good season), and Jill Craybas upset 16th seed Francesca Schiavone. Nicole Vaidisova won two games against Yanina Wickmayer, Coco Vandeweghe defeated Tathiana Garbin, and Anastasia Rodionova retired from her match with a left ankle injury.