Relentless Rezai wins Madrid title

Today in Madrid, Aravane Rezai became the second consecutive unseeded woman to win a premier tournament. Rezai upset 4th seed Venus Williams, 6-2, 7-5, in the final, adding a surprise (to some) ending to the dramatic story she has unfolded all week in Spain.

Rezai began her Madrid effort by defeating Justine Henin in the first round, and adding a 6-0 final set as a flourish. That was just the beginning.

All I could do was shake my head when Tennis Channel commentator Brian Webber said that Rezai "cruised" through the rest of the tournament. What tournament was he watching? Rezai defeated Klara Zakopalova in the second round, then--in the third round--the Frenchwoman had to contend with a very tough Andrea Petkovic in what was probably the thriller of the tournament. She had to work  hard again in the quarterfinals, especially in the grueling first set, to defeat Jelena Jankovic. Rezai got a break in the semifinals when opponent Lucie Safarova retired after the first set, but there were a lot of tense moments in other matches.

Being unseeded and upsetting Henin, Jankovic and Williams is big. As big as Rezai's hitting. Her personality is big, too. In the past, she has made public statements about her distaste for Jankovic, and she didn't hesitate to expand that rhetoric in Madrid. (Those who wondered why Jankovic was distant during the handshake might take this history into consideration; I'm not judging or justifying anyone--just pointing out that, right or wrong, it may not be that easy to behave warmly toward someone who publicly denounces you.) She also had some less than flattering things to say to the media about Henin. For better or worse, Rezai clearly has no inner editor.

Rezai's on-court presence became increasingly fiery throughout the week, too. The harder and deeper she hit the ball, the larger her persona seemed to be.  And then there was the black and gold lame outfit. A friend designs Rezai's tennis outfits, and I will now refrain from making obvious observations about that.

In her first set against Williams, Rezai was dominant on serve, and also she broke Williams twice, quickly attacking Williams' second serves. Rezai held at love in her last service game, and appeared fully in charge of the match. In fact, she was so dominant that her first serve win percentage for the set was 100.

That type of momentum can be hard to maintain, especially against a top player, and--sure enough--Rezai was broken right away in the second set. Her serve went to pieces, and Williams took full advantage, breaking Rezai again, and taking a 5-2 lead. But just when a third set seemed inevitable, Rezai started to scratch her way back. She held for 3-5, then broke Williams. Rezai then held again, and--once again in a psychological comfort zone--she broke Williams to go up 6-5. By this time, she had saved six set points, and just like that--she found herself with three match points. She needed only one to take the biggest win of her career.

Rezai is not that good of a mover and doesn't appear to be comfortable at all at the net, but her in-the-zone, laser-like ball-striking can be overpowering. It certainly was this week. And it should be noted that being down 2-5 in a final and refusing to let a third set occur reflects the mindset of a winner.

For me, the Madrid tournament leaves much to be desired. I've long complained about having female models be "ballgirls," and this year's concession to the women--having male models be "ballboys"--I find only a tiny improvement. The heterosexist tone of the arrangement aside--there are children and adolescents who are being robbed of the opportunity of to be real ballgirls and ballboys.

Then there is the Madrid website, which is almost useless.

And finally, poor Rezai will have to tell her friends and family, "I won the Madrid Open, and all I got was this tacky plate."

For many reasons, I'm already nostalgic for the good old days in Rome.

But I digress. Rezai's win confirms why she's been on my "watch" list for a while. She's been working for four months with a new coach, and has been steadily improving. One hopes that, in the future, she'll add more dimensions to her game. In the meantime, she moves into the top 20, and Venus Williams--who is having a fine clay season--moves into the number 2 spot in the rankings.

Williams sisters win Madrid doubles title

The very hot streak of Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta came to an end tonight in Madrid, where they were defeated for the doubles title by number 1 seeds Serena and Venus Williams. The Williams team broke the 8th seeds six times to win 6-2, 7-5.

Dulko and Pennetta won the title last week in Rome, and before that, they won in Stuttgart. Prior to the start of the clay court season, they also won the title in Miami.

Williams and Rezai to meet in Madrid final

As expected, 4th seed Venus Williams has advanced to the final of the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open. Today in the semifinals, she easily defeated Shahar Peer, 6-3, 6-0, to set up a final match against Aravane Rezai. Rezai won her match against Lucie Safarova when Safarova, suffering from a left thigh strain, retired after the first set. Rezai won that set 6-1.

Williams and Rezai have played each other only twice, both matches were played in 2007, and both matches were played on clay. Williams defeated Rezai in straight sets in the first round at Amelie Island, and Rezai defeated Williams in straight sets in the third round in Istanbul.

This has the makings of a really good final. Both women hit hard off the ground, Williams is a very good volleyer, and she is certainly the better mover. If she can move Rezai around a lot, she has an advantage. Rezai hits flat and goes for broke. If she senses the weakening of Williams' forehand, she will waste no time exploiting it. The Frenchwoman's hitting has become more and more explosive. Against a player like Williams, will that work for her or against her?

Quote of the day

"To be honest, I've never played a player who hits every ball like that. Some players hit the ball really hard, but no one hits every single ball like that. Doesn't matter if it's a high ball or a low ball. It was tough to read."

Jelena Jankovic, speaking of Aravane Rezai

Jankovic, Li and Petrova all upset in Madrid quarterfinals

Those of us who were looking forward to another Jelena Jankovic-Venus Williams match this weekend are out of luck. Williams may still go to the Madrid final, but her Serbian rival is out of competition. Aravane Rezai defeated Jankovic 7-5, 6-4 in a sometimes-thrilling match that showcased Rezai's relentlessly big ball-striking. In two sets, the Frenchwoman hit 38 winners, which--on red clay--is quite a number.

The second half of the first set was as wild as it gets. Jankovic saved two set points, one with a netcord ball. She broke Rezai and saved three more set points, then went down 0-30, but held. At 5-all, it became very tense. There were 11 deuces, with Rezai finally converting on the seventh break point. Rezai then took the first set 7-5, on her sixth set point.

There was an exchange of breaks early in the second set, then Rezai broke again. When Jankovic held at love for 3-4, a third set appeared to be in the making. But Rezai never let up, overcoming the 7th seed 6-4, and advancing to the semifinals.

Earlier in the day, Shahar Peer knocked out 13th seed Li Na, who hit 43 winners, but made 78 unforced errors. Peer took the match at 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Both players suffered with nerves, and Li fans got to see more of what makes the Chinese number 1 so inconistent.

A third unseeded player showed the exit to 16th seed Nadia Petrova. Lucie Safarova, who is having a wonderful clay court season, defeated Petrova 6-1, 1-6, 6-4. Petrova hit nine aces.

The only seeded player who won her quarterfinal match was 4th seed Venus Williams, who defeated 8th seed Sam Stosur 6-3, 6-3. Williams served really well, hitting eight aces and producing serving stat percentages of 68 and 55.

Williams, now the favorite to win the title, will play Peer in the semifinals. The more interesting semifinal match, in my opinion, will be the one between Rezai and Safarova.

In doubles, the current hot team--Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta--defeated last season's hot team (and number 2 seeds) Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals. The number 8 seeds will play Serena and Venus Williams in the final. The top-seeded Williams sisters defeated Shahar Peer and Francesca Schiavone 7-5, 6-2.

Quarterfinal draw set for Madrid

There have been so many upsets in Madrid this week, but today, things went more or less the way one might expect. 7th seed Jelena Jankovic needed just an hour and eight minutes to defeat Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-2, 6-0, 8th seed Sam Stosur defeated Patty Schnyder 7-6, 6-2, and 13th seed Li Na defeated Alona Bondarenko 6-3, 6-4. Shahar Peer had a 7-5, 6-2 victory over wild card Arantxa Parra Santonja, and--in what had to be the match of the day--Aravane Rezai defeated Andrea Petkovic 6-4, 7-6.

Here is the quarterfinal draw:

Nadia Petrova vs. Lucie Safarova: Both women play their best on clay. Both are capable of serving very well, and both are inconsistent, though Safarova is having a fine clay season. I expect a good match.

Aravane Rezai vs. Jelena Jankovic: This would be what is known as the popcorn match, but it probably wouldn't hurt to bring a few sandwiches, too. Jankovic should be able to exploit Rezai's errors; she is the steadier of the two players. But Rezai isn't one to give up, and she is also able to motivate herself at crucial moments.

Sam Stosur vs. Venus Williams: Williams is looking very good this week, and is enjoying her status as the upcoming number 2 player in the world. If each player gets her way, it will be forehand vs. backhand. Both players are good servers, hard hitters and talented volleyers.

Shahar Peer vs. Li Na: In the past, I'd have automatically given this match to Peer, but out of nowhere, Li has become much more comfortable on clay.

Rezai defeats Petkovic in Madrid thriller

I could hardly wait to see the Madrid third round match between Aravane Rezai and Andrea Petkovic; fortunately, for me, it was on Tennis TV at a time I could watch it. My expectations were met when the two big hitters engaged in what turned out to be quite a thriller.

Both Rezai and Petkovic can hit screaming winners, and both are dramatic on the court. And while my preference is to watch more Evert-like players, a bit of drama now and then is good, too. Rezai laid on the drama even more by wearing a black and gold lame outfit, which captured my attention several days ago because--well, how could it not?

Rezai also hit nine double faults, which is another matter altogether, and one which she needs to address.

It took Petkovic a while to get going, and Rezai took a 5-2 lead in the first set. But when the Frenchwoman served for the set at 40-0, she was not able to get a set point, and was broken by a spot-on overhead shot from Petkovic. This moment in the match turned out to be oddly prescient of what was to come later, when matters really became tense.

Petkovic held for 4-5, but then, on her fourth set point, Rezai took the first set 6-4. Both women played really well in the second set, and the drama began right away, when Petkovic was broken in the first, very long, game. She broke back and saved set points to force a tiebreak, in which she went down 1-6. Maybe it was that 5-2, 40-0 game I still had on my mind, or maybe it was just that I know what a fighter Petkovic is, but I had a strong feeling that 6-1 probably didn't mean a lot.

It didn't. Petkovic went on a tear, and saved one match point after another. At 6-3, she engaged Rezai in an amazing rally in which she had to reach--Jankovic style--to unknown places to get back a number of balls, and eventually, her performance paid off when she got an error from Rezai. Petkovic held five set points in the tiebreak, but failed to convert any of them. She saved six match points, but on the seventh, Rezai won the tiebreak 10-8, and the match was hers. Petkovic left the court in tears.

And while I'm talking about this match--shame on the people in the Spanish crowd who applauded when Petkovic double-faulted during the tiebreak. I, too, am a fan of David Ferrer, but the idea of wanting such a high quality match to end so he could get onto the court is an insult to Petkovic, Rezai, and the women's tour. It is also unspeakably rude.

Miscellany

There will be no roof over the main stadium of the China Open until 2011.

Some of us have not been pleased with the use of models as ballwomen for the men in Madrid. I'd prefer it if the organizers got rid of models altogether, but this year, they have at least provided models for the women, too.

Check out Diane Fishburne's story. Fishburne, who is a tennis instructor in Charleston, is the number 1 women's 50 player in the world.

Serena Williams says the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open is not a player favorite.

Kim Clijsters is on the court and hitting again.

Here is an interview with Yaroslava Shvedova.

Petrova upsets top seed Williams in Madrid

Big-serving Nadia Petrova has had her ups and downs, but today in Madrid--no matter what came her way--she held her nerve, something she hasn't always done. Petrova defeated number 1 seed Serena Williams 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. The 16th-seeded Russian, who is capable of excellent play on clay courts, gave Williams plenty of opportunities to break her, however--11 in the second set, and 18 in all. Williams failed to convert any of the break points in the second set, which undoubtedly gave Petrova a boost of confidence as she entered the final set of play.

Petrova, who advances to the quarterfinals, also hit 11 aces along the way.

I enjoyed watching Venus Williams play 15th seed Francesca Schiavone in their third round match; there were some good rallies of the sort than one generally sees only on clay. Williams prevailed, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. The 2nd seed will now play the winner of the match between Sam Stosur and Patty Schnyder.

7th seed Jelena Jankovic defeated wild card Ana Ivanovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in a match that contained 19 breaks of serve. Wild card Arantxa Parra Santonja won her second round match against wild card Peng Shuai, 1-6, 7-6, 6-3, and saved two match points in the process. And in the late-night match, Lucie Safarova defeated Alexandra Dulgheru 6-7, 6-1, 7-6. The match lasted over 2 hours and 40 minutes, and Dulgheru held a match point.

In the second round of doubles, there were multiple upsets. Chuang Chia-Jung and Vania King defeated 4th seeds Liezel Huber and Anabel Medina Garrigues, Shahar Peer and Francesca Schiavone defeated 6th seeds Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs (who won only two games), and Virginia Ruano Pascual and Meghann Shaugnessy defeated 7th seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Yan Zi 6-7, 6-3, 10-8.

2nd seeds Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez advanced to the third round with an easy win over Liga Dekmeijere and Alisa Kleybanova. 8th-seeded Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta advanced to the quarterfinals when they defeated Anastasia Rodionova and Patty Schnyder 6-4, 7-5.

Madrid, where the upsets keep happening

Second round play continued in Madrid today, and why should today have been any different from the other days? 2nd seed Caroline Wozniacki was sent packing by Alona Bondarenko, who put on a display of hitting that was most impressive. The longer the rallies went, the more angles Bondarenko found, and she overcame Wozniacki 6-2, 6-3.

6th seed Elena Dementieva played a 14-break three-setter against Alexandra Dulgheru, which Dulgheru won, 6-1, 3-6, 7-5. The match went on for almost 2 hours and 33 minutes, though the outcome look much better for Dementieva was she was up 4-1 in the third set, with two break points.

It has taken Dulgheru a long time to put herself back on the tour radar since she accomplished the unusual feat of winning the very first tour tournament she ever entered. After she won Warsaw (as a qualifier) last year, Dulgheru faded into the background. But this clay season, she has made quite a resurgence, getting to the semifinals in Barcelona, and the third round of the Italian Open, where she defeated both Sara Errani and Dinara Safina.

Patty Schnyder, playing 9th seed Agnieszka Radwanska for the second time on clay, had her second clay court victory against her today. Schnyder, who relied on her second serve, defeated the 9th seed 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Schnyder's other clay win over Radwanska occurred a couple of years ago in Charleston, and was one of the most entertaining matches of the tournament.

Anabel Medina Garrigues perked up her season considerably by taking out 12th seed Marion Bartoli 6-2, 6-0. And Andrea Petkovic, who is also making herself known on the tour, upset 14th seed Flavia Pennetta 7-6, 6-3. She had to work hard, too, saving nine set points in the first set.

Patty Schnyder wasn't content with pulling off just one upset. She and partner Anastasia Rodionova went on to defeat 3rd seeds Nadia Petrova and Sam Stosur  4-6, 6-4, 10-6. Petrova and Stosur had a bye in the first round, so this was their first match.

Rome champion Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez held a set point in her first set against 8th seed and Charleston champion Sam Stosur, but did not convert it. Stosur went on to win, 7-6, 6-4.

More drama on day 3 in Madrid

On Saturday, it was 5th seed and French Open defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. On Sunday it was French Open favorite Justine Henin. And today it was defending champion Dinara Safina who went out in the first round of the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open. Klara Zakopalova, when she's focused, is a fine hitter. She was very focused today, and Safina couldn't handle her. Zakopalova's deep ball-striking did in Safina's forehand, and the world number held on to take the match 7-6, 7-6. Safina was up 4-1 in the first set, and served twice for the second set, but simply could not make her game work today.

Meanwhile, the top seed, Serena Williams, played the longest match of her career today, spending  3 hours and 26 minutes on the court with Vera Dushevina, who just wouldn't go away. Dushevina went up 4-0 in the third set tiebreak, but anyone who has ever watched Dushevina knew what was about to happen; closing matches is simply not her strong suit. Williams won, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, and advances to the third round.

8th seed Sam Stosur barely made it out of the first round. She survived a predictably tough contest against Gisela Dulko. There was only one break in the match, which Stosur took 7-6, 7-5.

Agnes Szavay and 10th seed Victoria Azarenka both retired, both with right thigh problems. The beneficiaries of these retirements were Patty Schnyder and wild card Peng Shuai, respectively.

Petra Kvitova and Caroline Wozniacki played a first round match that pretty well summed up their playing styles: Kvitova hit exactly four times the winners Wozniacki hit--and lost in straight sets.

Henin upset by Rezai in 1st round of Madrid Open

Lately, I've been concerned about both Sara Errani and Aravane Rezai, two players who--at the end of last year--appeared poised to have really good 2010 seasons, but who have fizzled out this year. Errani went out in the first round in Madrid on Friday, losing a three-setter to Andrea Petkovic.

Rezai, however, pulled off one of the upsets of the clay season today, defeating Justine Henin 4-6, 7-5, 6-0. Between them, they double-faulted 17 times, which is unfortunate. And speaking of double faults, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova double-faulted only once in her victory over Daniela Hantuchova.

11th seed Maria Sharapova was also upset--by Lucie Safarova--but there is hardly anything shocking in that score, considering the surface, Sharapova's issues, and Safarova's recent good form. 

Venus Williams had service win percentages of 85 and 75 in her first round match against Stephanie Voegele, which she won 6-4, 6-2.

In doubles, 5th seeds Cara Black and Elena Vesnina were defeated 6-0, 7-6 by Chan Yung-Jan and Zheng Jie.

Kuznetsova out in 1st round in Madrid

Main draw play began today in Madrid, and we already have a major upset. 5th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova was defeated 6-3, 2-6, 6-0 by Shahar Peer. Things haven't been going well at all for the French Open defending champion.

Things haven't been going well for Sara Errani, either. Andrea Petkovic defeated her today, 6-7, 6-1, 7-5. I'm not sure why Errani is having so much trouble lately.

Vera Zvonareva and Melanie Oudin broke each other ten times in their first round match. Zvonareva prevailed, 6-3, 6-4.

Top Madrid qualifying seed out in 1st round of qualifying

Timea Bacsinszky, the number 1 seed in Madrid qualifying, was upset in the first round today by Mariana Duque Marino. Duque Marino defeated Bacsinszky 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.

2nd and 3rd qualifying seeds Iveta Benesova and Tathiana Garbin advanced to the next round of qualifying.

Wild cards announced for Madrid

Five wild cards have been awarded for the main draw of the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open. Receiving wild cards are Ana Ivanovic, Sybille Bammer, Virginia Ruano Pascual, and Arantxa Parra Santonja. A fifth wild card, determined by fan vote on Marca, goes to Peng Shuai.

Safina wins two in a row

No Thrill Ride today. Except for a bump near the end, the world number 1 cleanly and efficiently managed a straight set win over Caroline Wozniacki, and claimed the Mutua Madrelena Madrid Open championship.

Serving better than she has in a while, Safina put the kind of pressure on Wozniacki that she put on Svetlana Kuznetsova in the Rome final last week. It wasn't until the second set that Wozniacki became creative enough to respond to that pressure, but her efforts were insufficient. In the seventh game of that set, serving at 40-0, Safina suddenly found herself at deuce. There would be six more deuces, but ultimately, no turning point for Wozniacki, as Safina calmly pulled herself out of trouble and went on to win the match, 6-2, 6-4.

Black and Huber win Madrid title

Cara Black and Liezel Huber, who have looked a bit vulnerable lately, managed their top seed billing well today in Madrid by taking the title. They defeated 3rd seeds Kveta Peschke and Lisa Raymond 4-6, 6-3, 10-6.

Wozniacki to meet Safina in Madrid final

I haven't gotten enough sleep lately, so I made the decision to skip the semifinals this morning. However, a marauding tabby cat woke me up at 5 a.m., and the temptation to turn on the television was too great. I wish now that I hadn't done so. I tuned in just in time to see Mauresmo--generally an outstanding tiebreak competitor--become unglued in a tiebreak. Then I learned that she had failed to convert two set points on her own serve, and two on Caroline Wozniacki's serve. Mauresmo did not pull herself together for the second set (what was that about?), which Wozniacki won, 6-2.

With bleary eyes, I watched the second semifinal between Dinara Safina and Patty Schnyder, which Safina won 6-4, 6-2, though the scoreline of the second set is somewhat deceptive. Schnyder looked down on herself in that set, and her frustration appeared to trigger many of her errors, something we have seen before.

The world number 1 may get a spirited challenge from Wozniacki, and she needs to remember that patience is her key.

Veterans' Day in Madrid

Amelie Mauresmo, written off again and again by both fans and the media, advanced to the semifinals of the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open today, with a 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 win over Agnes Szavay. Mauresmo will next play Caroline Wozniacki, who defeated Vera Dushevina, 6-0, 6-4.

Top seed Dinara Safina defeated Alona Bondarenko in straight sets (6-3, 6-4) and will play Patty Schnyder, who knocked out Jelena Jankovic, also in straight sets (7-6, 6-3).

The Jankovic-Schnyder match featured Schnyder on her best game a good deal of the time, though there was a definite drop in her level at the beginning of the second set. However, when Jankovic began making errors, Schnyder saw the opening and again raised her level. It was the kind of match you expect on clay--many breaks of serves, and plenty of lobs, change-ups and drop shots. No one executes the drop shot as well as Schnyder, and today, she used it to great advantage against Jankovic. That isn't an easy thing to do, since Jankovic is such a good mover.

Both players missed several golden opportunities; twice, Schnyder double-faulted on break point. But in the end, it was Schnyder who played a cleaner match, and who was better able to exploit the weaknesses of her opponent. She also hit 29 winners.

Schnyder is 30 years old, and Mauresmo will be 30 in July. Sometimes experience is the key.

Madrid quarterfinals set

This is the lineup for the Madrid quarterfinals, which take place on Friday:

Car0line Wozniacki vs. Vera Dushevina
Dinara Safina vs. Alona Bondarenko
Agnes Szavay vs. Amelie Mauresmo
Jelena Jankovic vs. Patty Schnyder

Number 7 seed Victoria Azarenka was upset today by Agnes Szavay, who is making a nice comeback this year. It is only fair to say, however, that Azarenka and her partner, Elena Vesnina, retired near the beginning of their doubles quarterfinal because of a knee injury sustained by Azarenka. I think that if Azarenka had been totally healthy, she would still have lost to Szavay, but we won't know much about that until the next time the two of them meet on red clay. Szvay, for her part, appears to have returned to form after enduring a dreadful 2008 season.

Two players served bagel sets today. Dinara Safina took her first set against Lucie Safarova, 6-0, and Alona Bondarenko served a 6-0 first set to Anna Chakvetadze. Both matches went three sets.