Kirilenko upset first day in Fes

4th seed Maria Kirilenko was defeated in the first round in Fes today by Marta Domachowska. Domachowska, as readers of this blog know, is a player I consider to be a major under-achiever on the tour. She is capable of playing some very solid tennis, but has trouble stringing together victories. Her next opponent will be either Petra Cetkovska or Eva Fernandez-Brugues.

Family Circle Cup, day 1--in and around the grounds

We expected rain on this first day of the tournament, and we got some, but not enough to delay or interrupt any matches. There is a tornado watch right now in the Charleston area, and it just wouldn't be Family Circle Cup without a tornado, or at least a few watches or warnings.

There was a Venus sighting this morning, but not by me. I saw a lot of players, but not Venus. We did get to see Elena Dementieva do some practice hitting, and she signed a tennis ball for us.

When we got to the tournament site, we decided to watch the match between Tamira Paszek and Julia Schruff. We stood waiting for entry, and I looked next to me: There was Dominika Cibulkova, who had come to check out Paszek, her probable second round opponent. She and her coach were there, but Cibulkova did not stay too long. Paszek was not exactly impressive, so Cibulkova probably felt she had other things to do.

I spoke with Kateryna Bondarenko, who was in the stands, watching her sister, Alona. She said her wrist injury wasn't too bad, and the doctor told her she could begin practicing again in a week. Both Bondarenko sisters signed some photos for us. It is very disappointing for us that we will not get to see them play doubles together. Instead, Alona will be playing doubles with Anastasia Rodionova. One of the "fighting Bondarenkos," as I call them, once said that the best possible situation is for them to have a third person along, "so we can fight with that person!" Given her history, Rodionova is a pretty good pick.

Tennis outfit of the day: Marta Domachowska, in a bright yellow tank and a khaki/olive split-pleat skirt. Today was the only day to see it, though--the ever under-achieving Domachowska is already out of the tournament, knocked out by qualifier Anastasija Sevastova.

Why isn't she ranked higher?

We have probably all asked that question about certain gifted players who appear to be stuck in the rankings, usually because of inconsistency. And inconsistency can be caused by several things, but I think it is usually caused by a lack of mental strength, chronic injury, or--in some cases--both, because having injuries causes players to lose confidence.

The players on my own list include Gisela Dulko, Michaella Krajicek and Marta Domachowska. Other players who probably pop up on such lists are Carla Suarez Navarro and Kirsten Flipkens.

Who is on your list?

Domachowska to come back earlier than expected

Marta Domachowska, you'll recall, was recently diagnosed with probable appendicitis, missed both Fed Cup and Paris, and was expected to be off the tour for some time. However--whatever it is that was wrong with her her--doctors say that no surgery is required, so Domachowska will most likely return at Indian Wells.

Top 2 qualifying seeds out in Hobart

Francesca Schiavone, the number 1 qualifying seed (how strange does that sound?) in Hobart, was defeated in the first round of qualifying yesterday by Urzula Radwanska, 6-3, 7-6.

The number 2 qualifying seed, Marta Domachowska, was also defeated in the first round of qualifying by Lourdes Dominguez Lino, 7-5, 6-3.

Another great childhood photo

Fans often post or link to photos of Sony Ericsson WTA Tour players when they were children. I really like this one of Marta Domachowska.

I am waiting to see how Domachowska does in 2009. She is my runner-up for biggest under-achiever on the tour (sadly, Patty Schnyder is my title-holder).

Hsieh and Peng win Bali title

Number 3 seeds Hsieh Su-Wei and Peng Shuai defeated Marta Domachowska and Nadia Petrova today to win the title in Bali. Domachowska and Petrova were unseeded.

This is the first time that Hsieh and Peng have played doubles together.

Hsieh/Peng def. Domachowska/Petrova, 6-7, 7-6, 10-7

Schnyder and Domachowska to play quarterfinal in Bali

It seems odd, but Patty Schnyder and Marta Domachowska have never played one another on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. But they will be playing each other soon, in the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic in Bali. As any reader of this blog knows, I like Schnyder's game a great deal--she is one of my favorites. I also like Domachowska's game, and I think that Schnyder and Domachowska are both under-achievers, though on different levels. Schnyder has gone to so many high-level finals, but--for the last several years--has lost most of them. Domachowska is very talented, but is terribly inconsistent.

I expect Schnyder to win; she is not only a more consistent player, she can also pose a major threat to someone who has never come up against her expert drop shots, looping backhands and swinging forehand. For that matter, she can pose a threat to players who have come up against them. But if Domachowska plays her best game, this could be an interesting match.

Not her fault

In her Rogers Cup match against Maria Sharapova tonight, Marta Domachowska served 13 double faults. But wait--Sharapova served 17. The match was not on television here, so I have no idea what was wrong with Domachowska, but Sharapova's problem is no puzzle--it is her now chronically bad shoulder. In addition to having problems with her serve because of the injury, Sharapova also suffers from bouts of bursitis.

The world number 3 always sounds positive when she talks about her shoulder problem, but it is obvious that something is quite wrong. I hope she does whatever she needs to do to make things better; I hope there is something that can be done.

Vaidisova falls to Sugiyama, and Domachowska has one of her good days

Number 16 seed Nicole Vaidisova, who is definitely not having a good season, became yet another victim of resurgent veteran Ai Sugiyama in Montreal today. The former top 10 player defeated Vaidisova, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.

Los Angeles semifinalist Bethanie Mattek lost to one of the most inconsistent players on the tour--Marta Domachowska. Domachowska has a lot of talent, but she can't seem to bring it to the court very often. She did today, though, defeating Mattek, 7-5, 6-2. Domachowska's next opponent will be none other than Maria Sharapova.

Vera Zvonareva, who had an excellent early season and looked as though she might make a big mark this year, has had problems lately. Today in Montreal, she was defeated by a player who appears to be on the upswing again--Virginie Razzano. Razzano had a great late 2007, but has not looked as good this year. Lately, however, she has shown signs of gaining momentum again. She won the match, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6.

Family Circle Cup first round matches of interest

Michaella Krajicek signs autographs after her 2007 victory over Nicole Vaidisova

At least of two of the first round matches in Charleston have grabbed my interest:

Radwanska v. Domachowska: Marta Domachowska was off the tour for quite a while, and returned with a flourish during the Australian Open, when she got to the round of 16 and made things difficult for Venus Williams. However, despite being the top qualifying seed, Domachowska failed to qualify in Vina del Mar. She then made it to the second round of the Sony Ericsson Open, but was defeated there by Williams.

Domachowska will play her countrywoman, Agnieszka Radwanska, in the first round of the Family Circle Cup. And while Radwanska is clearly the favorite, Domachowska is capable of performing an upset.

The other first round of interest features last year's Charleston wild card star Michaella Krajicek and young French star Alize Cornet. Krajicek stormed through Daniel Island last year, taking out both Nicole Vaidisova and Sybille Bammer before falling to her own anxiety and an in-form Vera Zvonareva. Of all the young talented players, none is more inconsistent than Krajicek, and it is impossible to guess who will win the contest against Cornet.

Domachowska to get another crack at Williams

Marta Domachowska, who some of us thought had dropped out off the face of the Earth, made a stunning comeback in Melbourne by getting to the round of 16 and giving Venus Williams a very tough fight. Williams won, 6-4, 6-4, but Domachowska, who is a good athlete, was entertaining and memorable.

Today in Miami, Domachowska beat Jill Craybas, 6-4, 0-6, 7-6, and now she goes to the second round to play--you guessed it--Venus Williams.

Domachowska fails to qualify in Vina del Mar

Marta Domachowska, whose comeback took such a wonderful turn when she made it to the Australian Open round of 16 and played a close match against Venus Williams, was derailed today when she lost her final qualifying round at the new Cachantun Cup tournament in Chile. Top qualifying seed Domachowska was defeated by Maria Sanchez, 6-2, 7-5.

Meanwhile, main draw number 3 seed Emilie Loit was defeated by Petra Cetkovska, 6-2, 7-6.

Marta's back!

So far had Marta Domachowska tumbled down the rankings, I wasn't even sure she was still playing. Then, at the beginning of this season, her name started popping up again, and I was glad to see it. Apparently, some personal problems threw her off her game in a big way. She showed everyone she was back in the Australian Open round of 16 by giving Venus Williams a spirited fight. Domachowska competed with steady serving, great court sense and fine athleticism. Errors crept in , though, and Williams took the match, 6-4, 6-4. Domachowska was most impressive, however, and it was a pleasure to see her on such a big stage.

Bud Collins had never heard of her, which surprised me.

3 qualifiers left in Melbourne

Among the qualifiers who entered the main draw of the Australian Open, only three are left, and they are not the three many of us would have guessed: Hsieh Su-wei, Marta Domachowska and Sabine Lisicki.

Hsieh, who won a gold medal in the 2006 Asian Games, has reached the third round by defeating qualifier Klara Zakopalova (formerly Kukalova) and the talented and seeded Sybille Bammer. Lisicki, who is ranked number 194 in the world, defeated Dinara Safina, of all people, and then defeated Mariya Koryttseva.

Most surprising is the veteran Marta Domachowska, who has been on a long slide down the rankings for some time. Domachowska has never before gotten beyond the second round of a Grand Slam tournament, and she has seen her ranking slip from number 36 (in the spring of 2006) to number 146. In order to get out of the qualifying rounds, she had to beat talented young Ayumi Morita, and when she reached the main draw, she defeated Mathilde Johansson and Sofia Arvidssson, who had taken out Marion Bartoli.

What's next for these qualifiers? Hsieh faces Aravane Rezai, who has been on somewhat of a roll lately, and who eliminated Tatiana Golovin from the Australian Open just the other day. Lisicki gets talented Caroline Wozniacki, who made it through the second round by defeating Alona Bondarenko. And Domachowska gets the toughest challenge of all: She plays Li Na, whose return to pro tennis after a very long lay-off was punctuated by her winning at Gold Coast.

Meanwhile, the lowest seed standing is Sania Mirza, who next faces Venus Williams.

The seeded players who have already been elimnated are: Marion Bartoli, Tatiana Golovin, Patty Schnyder, Dinara Safina, Sybille Bammer, Agnes Szavay, Alona Bondarenko, Lucie Safarova, and Julia Vakulenko.