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.

Zvonareva survives in Paris

I watched the 2nd round French Open match between 3rd seed Vera Zvonareva and Sabine Lisicki with a growing sense of dread because it seemed as though nothing too good could come of it. Zvonareva looked flustered and too defensive against Lisicki, but I was feeling something more than frustration over the 3rd seed's performance. Because I knew that Lisicki might choke away her opportunities, and I was right. It wasn't that I wanted an upset--it was just that watching one player under-perform and the other one lose her nerve was like watching some type of accident from which I wanted to turn away my sight.

Lisicki was two points away from winning the match in the second set, but she was simply not mentally up to the task. At that point, it was easy to believe that the German would just get discouraged and Zvonareva would take charge. But I still had that sinking feeling, which proved to be reliable. Lisicki led 5-2 in the third, and had a match point on Zvonareva's serve, but she didn't convert it. When Lisicki served for the match at 5-3, she was broken.

By this time, it was apparent that Lisicki wasn't feeling too good. She wound up seeing both a trainer and a doctor and getting ice packs and a lot of water; she was cramping. She was easily broken at 5-6, but then two of Zvonareva's match points faded away--one because of a massive, "last gasp" forehand from Lisicki, and one because Zvonareva made an error. Zvonareva finally won, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, and Lisicki managed to do the handshake, then collapsed into a heap of pain and was hauled away on a stretcher.

That was a lot of drama. The drama earlier in the day was more fun, however. 11th seed Marion Bartoli, fully pumped up and carried by the crowd, won a three-hour match against Olga Govortsova, who hit 46 winners. Bartoli defeated Govortsova 6-4, 6-7, 6-2. Bartoli outlasted her opponent, but one wonders what effect the length and intensity of the match will have on the ever-fragile Frenchwoman.

Meanwhile, the world number 1 advanced, as did the defending champion and the 2009 runner-up. Julia Goerges got the tough match from Lucie Safarova I expected her to get, and came from behind to win, 2-6, 7-5, 6-2. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez went out, defeated by Rebecca Marino (I didn't see that coming), and Bethanie Mattek-Sands defeated countrywoman Varvara Lepchenko.

There was a significant upset in doubles. The Czech team of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka defeated the Czech team (and 8th seeds) of Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova. Benesova, by the way, is playing mixed doubles with Leander Paes (the injured Cara Black is his regular partner).

In other mixed doubles news, 2nd seeds Vania King and Daniel Nestor were defeated by Chan Yung-Jan and Eric Butorac.

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.

Bartoli retires, and Petkovic wins Strasbourg

Those who follow Marion Bartoli know that, as a tournament progresses, a retirement could come. It came today, in the final of the Internationaux de Strasbourg. Top seed Bartoli had to stop playing because of a left thigh injury, and 2nd seed Andrea Petkovic won the match 6-4, 1-0. This is Petkovic's second WTA title. When the new rankings come out next week, she will be number 12 in the world.

4th seeds Akgul Amanmuradova and Chuang Chia-Jung won the doubles title by defeating 2nd seeds Natalie Grandin and Vladamira Uhlirova 6-4, 5-7, 10-2.

Bartoli and Petkovic to compete for Strasbourg title

Top seed Marion Bartoli advanced to the final of the Internationaux de Strasbourg today by defeating three-time champion Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-1, 6-2. Medina Garrigues' formerly slumping career has turned around recently, but she was stopped short in France by Bartoli. Medina Garrigues was seeded 7th in this year's tournament.

Bartoli will play 2nd seed Andrea Petkovic in the final. Petkovic defeated 6th seed Daniela Hantuchova 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in a match that lasted over two hours and 42 minutes.

Doubles 2nd seeds Natalie Grandin and Vladamira Uhlirova have also reached the Strasbourg final, in which they will play 4th seeds Akgul Amanmuradova and Chuang Chia-Jung.

Jankovic upset in Brussels tournament

Jelena Jankovic just can't stop the bleeding. Today, in the 2nd round of the Brussels Open, she was defeated 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 by Sofia Arvidsson. Jankovic was seeded 4th at the new WTA International event.

Top seed Caroline Wozniacki was challenged by Varvara Lepchenko, but won her 2nd round match, 6-4, 7-6.

5th seed Shahar Peer was defeated by Casey Dellacqua in the first round.

In Strasbourg, both Kimiko Date-Krumm and Sania Mirza went out in the first round. Date-Krumm was defeated by top seed Marion Bartoli, who will play Lucie Hradecka in the second round.

Bartoli upset in 1st round in Barcelona

Marion Bartoli, who took a wild card into the Barcelona Ladies Open and became the top seed, was upset today in the opening round of the tournament. Memphis champion Magdalena Rybarikova defeated Bartoli 6-4, 6-1.

Passing shots

Andrea Petkovic has hired Heinz Gunhardt on a part-time basis. Petar Popovic will continue to be her regular coach.

According to Matt Cronin, Caroline Wozniacki plans to hire Martina Navratilova as a consultant.

Hannah Wilks writes about Heather Watson.

Marion Bartoli has accepted a wild card into the Barcelona tournament, and is the top seed.

Victoria Azarenka, who has been dealing with a shoulder injury since before Fed Cup, reports that she hopes to be back on the court in Madrid.

Top seeds ready for Charleston play, but the weather may not cooperate

Daniel Island, where the Family Circle Cup is played, has unpredictable weather in April. The days can be hot, and the nights quite cold. A tornado can hit. But--most of the time--there isn't much rain during the event. A big storm is supposed to come through in the morning, however, so there is no telling how many matches can be played on the second day of the tournament.

Top seed Caroline Wozniacki

The player party was held in Charleston last night, and the top seeds were on the tournament site today. Most of them talked about the adjustments they have to make when they begin the clay court season, or, as 7th seed Alisa Kleybanova put it: "Sometimes you just have that hard court game in your head." Marion Bartoli, the tournament's 4th seed, said that she has to put more spin on the ball and change the angles she uses on the court. 

Defending champion Samantha Stosur

I asked defending champion Sam Stosur (who said she looks at the draw "a little bit") whether she would be coming forward more, since that appears to be an element often missing from her game. "It's one of those things I want to keep working on," she said, and added "It's not part of my comfort zone."

I think we'll definitely see Jelena Jankovic coming forward more. "I have to gradually get comfortable," she said about her decision to work on coming to the net. Jankovic, the 3rd seed and the 2007 champion, said that she is giving herself time to work on some new techniques. The world number 8 seemed really relaxed, and was in her usual very good humor. Jankovic said that her new coach, Andri Pavel, is like her in that they are both perfectionists.

Shahar Peer is playing her first tournament with coach Harold Solomon, whom she hired on a trial basis after her loss in Miami. Peer, who said she needs to work on being more intense on the court, just missed getting into the top 10 when she went out in the second round of the Sony Ericsson Open.

Bartoli enters Family Circle Cup

World number 10 and Indian Wells runner-up Marion Bartoli has entered the 2011 Family Circle Cup. The upcoming event will be Bartoli's seventh appearance in Charleston, where she has gone as far as the semifinals. Bartoli holds five WTA singles titles, and was the runner-up at Wimbledon in 2007. She is generally considered one of the best returners of serve on the tour.

The Family Circle Cup will be played April 2-11 at the Family Circle Tennis Center on Daniel Island. The field includes world number 1 Caroline Wozniacki, defending champion Sam Stosur, Jelena Jankovic, Shahar Peer, Daniela Hantuchova, Nadia Petrova, and Maria Sharapova.

Passing shots

Joel Drucker wishes other WTA players would emulate Marion Bartoli's strong offensive game.

Kim Clijsters, who has been troubled by a shoulder injury, has been practicing in Miami for the Sony Ericsson Open.

The Fed Cup tie between Japan and Argentina, scheduled for April 16-17 in Tokyo, has been postponed for three months. Japan will have an opportunity to choose the venue.

The top ten has changed a bit since the completion of the BNP Paribas Open. Francesca Schiavone went from 5 to 4, Sam Stosur went from 4 to 5, Li Na went from 7 to 6, Victoria Azarenka moved from 9 to 8, and Venus Williams went from 8 to 9. The significant move, however, was Indian Wells runner-up Marion Bartoli's. She went from 17 to 10. Former number 10 Agnieszka Radwanska is now number 14.

Serena Williams is out and about in Los Angeles, probably on a limited basis.

"Xperia Hot Shots," the YouTube show that follows selected players on the tour, begins tomorrow. Participating are Sabine Lisicki, Dominika Cibulkova, Heather Watson, Alize Cornet, Sorana Cirstea, and Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

Sunshine in the desert

World number 1 Caroline Wozniacki won her 14th WTA title today, and it's a big one: Wozniacki defeated 15th seed Marion Bartoli 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 in a highly entertaining final that had just about everything a fan could want. Wozniacki's speed and Bartoli's aggression created a good deal of drama on court, at least in the two final sets.

Bartoli's on again-off again serve failed her in the first set, and as a result, all her otherwise-good effort could not save her from a 1-6 loss. But she came roaring back in the next set, serving in high form and spending a lot of time at the net, where she hit a number of successful volleys that she set up with the aggression that marks her game when she is in top form.

But in the third set, we saw a tired Bartoli. Broken right away, she was down 0-2, 0-40, yet held, which seemed to put breath back into her. Down 2-4, Bartoli went up 40-0, then found herself at deuce, but she held then, too. Wozniacki's forehand became shaky in the third set, and Bartoli--broken twice--got one of the breaks back. But the Frenchwoman looked too exhausted to continue playing at the high level necessary to compete against Wozniacki. The top seed got frustrated a few times, and she looked fragile now and then, but she was so fast and got back so many balls, Bartoli just couldn't stay with her.

Despite its ups and downs--maybe because of them--this match displayed, at various times, the very best of both players. Bartoli now returns to the top 10, though she will be busy defending semifinal points in Miami next week.  As for Wozniacki--she has now won a very big tournament, which puts her an important step closer to winning a major. The world number 1 is a model of fitness, and when I say that she's a human backboard, I mean it in a very good way. Like the great Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Wozniacki rarely meets a ball she can't run down, and she almost always appears energized. Shots that would be clear winners against most other players find their way to the Dane's racquet, and--more often than not--she returns them cleanly.

Last year, Wozniacki lost to Justine Henin in the Miami quarterfnals. Anything can happen, of course, but it doesn't seem like much of a stretch to say that she will do better this year.

The heat was hot, and the ground was dry

But the air was full of sound.

The screams of Maria Sharapova seemed to take on a new meaning last night in the California desert, as she won only three games and made 41 unforced errors in her semifinal match against world number 1 Caroline Wozniacki. Sharapova. seeded 16th in Indian Wells,  looked lost--almost from the first moment--and failed to hold serve in the first set. She waited longer than is her custom to strike, she flubbed what few volleys she set up, she had repeated service problems, and she missed the lines on many occasions. Wozniacki did not find it necessary to do much more than serve as a backboard for the Russian's errant shots. After an hour and 20 minutes, she advanced to the BNP Paribas Open final.

Yesteday's other semifinal match featured Marion Bartoli at her absolute best, serving and returning at a very high level against 23rd seed Yanina Wickmayer. Bartoli had a moment, at the beginning of the second set, in which she double-faulted three times consecutively, but other than that, her serve was on fire, and she ended the match with ten aces and an 83% first serve win percentage. The 15th seed defeated Wickmayer 6-1, 6-3.

Should Bartoli (who dealt with a stomach virus earlier in the tournament) play in the final the way she did in the semifinals, there will be an exciting contest tomorrow. But between Bartoli's physical fragility and the ever-changing success of her service game, all we can do is be optimistic that she repeats her performance. Wozniacki, on the other hand, has taken consistency to its highest level.

In doubles, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Meghann Shaughnessy will compete today in the final against Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina.  Mattek-Sands and Shaugnessy received a walkover in the semifinals from 6th seeds Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko. Mirza and Vesnina defeated Daniela Hantuchova and Agnieszka Radwanska 6-0, 6-4.

Bartoli and Wickmayer go to BNP Paribas Open semifinals

It wasn't easy for her, but Marion Bartoli became the first player to advance to the semifinals in Indian Wells today. Troubled by the heat, the 15th seed engaged with 19th seed Ana Ivanovic in a match that contained thirteen breaks serve, eight of which occurred in the second set. Bartoli said that the cooler weather in the first set definitely helped her, and in the second set, she just had to slow down and take her time. Bartoli is, of course, known for a certain degree of physical fragility; today, she fought through it and defeated Ivanovic 6-4, 7-6. Ivanovic, I should add, certainly wasn't the player she was in the previous round.

The second quarterfinal match was a more efficient affair. 23rd seed Yanina Wickmayer took control of the match right away, and never let go. She defeated 10th seed Shahar Peer 6-3, 6-3. Wickmayer had a solid 74/60 first and second serve win percentage.

In doubles quarterfinal play, 3rd seeds Liezel Huber and Nadia Petrova were defeated 6-4, 6-3 by Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Meghann Shaughnessy. Also, 4th seeds Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova were stunningly upset 6-1, 6-0 by Daniela Hantuchova and Agnieszka Radwanska. (Last year, Daniela Hantuchova said that she was dropping doubles, but she has evidently changed her mind; you have to have a chart to keep up with who's who on the doubles teams.)

Wozniacki and Zvonareva go to Doha final

Marion Bartoli, who played exceptionally well this week in Doha, broke that pattern (sound familiar?) today when she played top seed Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals. Wozniacki defeated the error-prone Bartoli 6-1, 6-1. Her opponent in the final will be 2nd seed Vera Zvonareva, who defeated 5th seed Jelena Jankovic 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 in a rather interesting match.

Jankovic injured her knee yesterday, and seemed to be moving a bit gingerly on it at first. However, she got into the groove of the match and put her signature backhand down-the-line shot on display over and over to dominate in the second set. At 4-all in the third, Zvonareva served at 0-40, but Jankovic was not able to break her. Instead, Jankovic was broken in her next game. This was, in general, a good week for the Serbian player, and one hopes her knee problem is minor. (She also got stuck on the surface and hurt her ankle slightly and momentarily, but it wouldn't be a JJ match without some type of spill.)

Zvonareva hit nine aces in the match. She will need to keep serving well because she has her work cut out for her in the final. Wozniacki is now shifting from outstanding defense to aggression when she needs to, and it's getting harder and harder to beat her. The Great Dane's timing and accuracy have become laser-like this season.

The doubles final will also feature the top two seeds: Number 1 seeds Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik will compete against number 2 seeds Liezel Huber and Nadia Petrova. Peschke and Srebotnik defeated 4th seeds Nuria Llagostera Vives and Anastasia Rodionova in the semifinals. Huber and Petrova defeated 3rd seeds Chan Yung-Jan and Zheng Jie.

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?

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.

Wozniacki, Zvonareva and Stosur all out of Sydney

World number 1 and top seed Caroline Wozniacki played her first round in Sydney yesterday, and lost to Dominika Cibulkova. Cibulkova's 6-3, 6-3 victory follows the unseeded Slovak's 6-3, 6-3 win over Maria Kirilenko.

Wozniacki played in the Hong Kong Classic prior to arriving in Sydney; the Hong Kong Classic is a world team exhibition event and not part of the tour. This year, team Russia defended its title, and Vera Zvonareva defeated Wozniacki 6-1, 6-0 in that event.

Exhibition matches are generally not taken too seriously, but the Hong Kong Classic is, like the Hopman Cup tournament, a significant team event. And Wozniacki's two straight-set losses in a row make her look a bit vulnerable.

Zvonareva, seeded 2nd in Sydney, also went out yesterday, in the second round (also her first round). She was defeated 7-5, 7-5 by Flavia Pennetta. 4th seed Sam Stosur was defeated 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 by Svetlana Kuznetsova; Stosur had a second round loss to Jarmila Groth in Brisbane. 3rd seed Kim Clijsters advanced to the third round.

Of note in the Medibank International is the young Serb, Bojana Jovanovski, who defeated Kaia Kanepi in the first round, and Aravane Rezai (7-6, 7-6) in the second. Her next opponent will be Pennetta.

Play in Hobart has been hampered by rain. Top seed Marion Bartoli, who lost only one game to Dinara Safina in the first round, will play Elena Vesnina in the second round.

Sharapova out of ASB Classic

2008 Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova made her 2011 debut in Auckland as the top seed, but today, she lost to Greta Arn in the quarterfinals. Arn--the veterans who has played some of her best tennis in the last year--defeated Sharapova 6-2, 7-5 in a match in which Sharapova won only 25% of points on her second serve. This is the same Sharapova who, arguably, once had the best second serve on the tour. Sharapova had only three break opportunities, and was able to take advantage of just one. Arn broke her five times.

What does this mean, aside from the obvious fact that Arn held her nerve and played well? It's hard to know, but an educated guess is that Sharapova may need what Francesca Schiavone calls a "mental trainer." She's been through a lot, and clearly isn't the player she used to be. She has an extra coach helping her, and the season is very young, but one has to wonder about her confidence level.

2nd seed Yanina Wickmayer had no such problems, beating Simona Halep 6-0, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, it's raining in Brisbane, and a lot of match play has been suspended. 4th seed Marion Bartoli, however, has already advanced to the semifinals.

Top seed Bartoli upset in Quebec City

Rebecca Marino, who impressed spectators when she played her first-ever match against a top 50 player (Venus William) at the U.S. Open, took out number 1 seed Marion Bartoli in the second round of the Bell Challenge this evening. Wild card Marino, who hit numerous forehand winners and ten aces (three of them came in her first game), defeated Bartoli 6-3, 6-1. "I felt she could put the ball wherever she wanted to," Bartoli said, "and I had no chance to win the match with her playing like that."

Bethanie Mattek-Sands defeated 6th seed Julia Goerges, 5th seed Melanie Oudin defeated Anna Tatishvili, and 3rd seed Lucie Safarova defeated Johanna Larsson. Safarova is the highest seed still in the tournament.

In Guangzhou, Sania Mirza defeated 3rd seed Akgul Amanmuradova; the 5th, 7th and 8th seeds were all upset, also.