Dechy honored in France

Nathalie Dechy, who retired from professional tennis last year, was honored today in Lievin, France by the French Federation of Tennis. The ceremony was part of this weekend's Fed Cup competition between France and the USA.

Dechy played in eighteen Fed Cup ties during a ten-year period. "Fed Cup gave me my best emotions, biggest moments of my career," the former world number 11 told the crowd in Lievin.

Miscellany

Retired French player Nathalie Dechy gave birth to a boy on January 25. Dechy and her husband have named the baby Lucas.

Jelena Dokic has withdrawn from the Pattaya Open.

Kim Clijsters says she's flattered that Mattel made a Barbie of her. Only they didn't, Kim....

Li Na and Zheng Jie were given the full treatment when they returned to China after reaching the Australian Open semifinals. Li said she expected to make a quiet entry, but was greeted by flowers, banners, and a bevy of reporters and camerapeople at the airport.

Justine Henin has been given a wild card into the main draw of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

Victoria Azarenka says she retired in her Fed Cup match because of illness. She said she thinks she may not ever have felt this bad, which is saying something, considering the 2009 food poisoning incident.

Miscellany

Here is a photo retrospective of Nathalie Dechy's career.

Li Na may have to skip the U.S. Open Series because of her knee.

Nicole Vaidisova is now ranked number 140 in the world.

Here is some new Lacoste clothing.

Olga Pouchkova has been fined for her role in the WWT debacle that took place last week.

Au revoir, Nathalie

Nathalie Dechy retired from professional tennis today. The 30-year-old French player is pregnant, and is leaving the tour in order to further establish a family. With her goes one of tennis's most elegant games, and I am one fan who will really miss her.

French flair really does exist, and Dechy had it. Sadly, she was also one of the tour's most obvious under-achievers. She has only one singles title to her name, yet it feels like she should have several. Nevertheless, it was always a pleasure to watch Dechy play her understated, clever and lovely game.

Ranked as high as number 11 in the world, Dechy had her share of injuries, and in the last few years of her career, she placed more emphasis on doubles. She did well, too, winning a total of seven titles. Those wins included the 2006 (with Vera Zonvareva) and 2007 (with Dinara Safina) U.S. Open. In addition, Dechy won the 2007 French Open mixed doubles title with Andy Ram. She and Ram were the Australian Open finalists this year. Dechy was also on the French Fed Cup team for ten years, and was twice on the French Olympic team.

Dechy's 2005 Australian Open semifinal experience was an exciting one, yet perhaps our most poignant memory of Dechy concerns her experience at the 2008 Wimbledon tournament. In what was the most dramatic match of the tournament, Dechy played Ana Ivanovic in the second round, as very high winds whirled around them. She put on quite a show of tennis that day, but the show ended in what Virginia Wade called "cruel fate." Dechy held two match points in the second set, and Ivanovic saved one of them when a netcord ball hit from her racquet tumbled ever so slowly over the net. Dechy was already on her way to the net to shake hands when she realized she had not won the match. The Frenchwoman went on to save two match points in the third set, but Ivanovic prevailed, 6-7, 7-6, 10-8.

Dechy left the court to a standing ovation. She said she cried for an entire day. When a reporter asked her if she knew what Ivanovic did when the match was over, Dechy correctly guessed "Kissed the net?" When her guess was confirmed as correct, she replied, "The net deserved it."

Nathalie Dechy is also one of the most charming players with whom I have ever spoken, and I was fortunate to speak with her on a few occasions. There is a natural warmth that emanates from her, and I think that made her a special favorite among fans. Tennis Channel did a mini-documentary on Dechy once, and her personality shone through that, also.

I always hate losing a French player. Emilie Loit retired this year, and now Dechy has retired, too. Though I wish she had won more singles trophies, she did have a long and very good career. I am sure that many others join me in wishing her well. We will miss her.

Cibulkova upset in first round at Ordina Open

Top seed Dinara Safina needed just an hour to defeat Anna-Lena Groenefeld, 6-0, 6-3 in s'Hertogenbosch today. 2nd seed Dominika Cibulkova, however, lost in three sets to Nathalie Dechy--who, though she is not the singles player she used to be--can still put on a lovely display of tennis from time to time. Both were first round matches.

There were two other upsets in the second round. Yanina Wickmayer defeated 4th seed Sorana Cirstea 6-4, 6-3, and Tammy Tanasugarn--always a threat on grass--defeated 7th seed Iveta Benesova.

Doubles results

I never thought I would see a 6-1, 6-1 scoreline against Yan Zi and Zheng Jie, but the former top five players have had their work cut out for them, getting match-tough again after injury problems. The 2nd seeds were defeated today in the final of the Warsaw Open by 3rd seeds Raquel Kops-Jones and Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

In Strasbourg, 2nd seeds Nathalie Dechy and Mara Santangelo took the title, defeating Claire Feuerstein and Stephanie Foretz, 6-0, 6-1.

Bartoli wins in Monterrey

Taking advantage of Li Na's problems with her second serve, 2nd seed Marion Bartoli won the Monterrey Open in straight sets today. Breaking Li six times, Bartoli took the match, 6-4, 6-3.

In doubles, the victorious team was that of number 4 seeds Nathalie Dechy and Mara Santangelo, who defeated Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-3, 6-4.

Frenchwomen get business done in Paris

Three of the Open GDF SUEZ second round winners who emerged in Paris today are French--Amelie Maruesmo, Alize Cornet and Nathalie Dechy. Mauresmo defeated Monica Niculescu 6-1, 6-2; Cornet defeated Daniela Hantuchova 1-6, 6-4, 6-2; and Nathalie Dechy defeated Patty Schnyder 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Yesterday, Emelie Loit defeatd Kaia Kanepi 2-6, 6-3, 6-1.

I am never happy to see Schnyder defeated, yet I am always glad to see Dechy win. Dechy has an elegant game I like to watch. Following an inury a few years ago, she had trouble getting back into form, so she changed her focus to doubles. She has been quite successful in doubles, but I miss having her in the top 20 in singles.

In 2006, Dechy was number 11 in the world, in fact, and I wish she could have made her way to the top ten. People got to see her at her best during her 2007 Wimbledon match against Ana Ivanovic. That was the match Dechy thought she had won, and then Ivanovic's ball rolled over the net, keeping her in the match, which she eventually won. It was probably the best match of the tournament.

In the meantime, Jelena Jankovic defeated Li Na, something she has done only once before in five previous meetings. The final score was 6-0, 3-6, 6-2.

The other winners were Serena Williams (def. Karolina Sprem), Elena Dementieva (def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova),

Dechy and Ram to meet Mirza and Bhupati in final

Nathalie Dechy and Andy Ram will play Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupati in the 2009 Australian Open mixed doubles final.

Mirza and Bhupati were the finalists last year.

Australian Open doubles--the thrills keep coming

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the quarterfinal that Nathalie Dechy and Mara Santangelo played against 11th seeds Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, but I saw the scoreboard, and that was enough to tell me there was a second three-hour thriller today. Dechy and Santangelo saved a match point and won the match, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6.

Black & Huber out of Sydney

Tops seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber were defeated today in the Medibank International semifinals. Nathalie Dechy and Casey Dellacqua defeated them, 7-6, 1-6, 10-5.

Meanwhile, in Hobart, Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko won their semifinal match against Edina Gallovits and Arantxa Parra Santonja, 6-4, 6-3.

Peschke and Raymond defeated in Sydney quarterfinals

Nathalie Dechy and Casey Dellacqua have defeated number 3 seeds, Kveta Peschke and Lisa Raymond, at the Medibank International tournament in Sydney. Dechy and Dellacqua took the match, 6-3, 6-2. All three top seeds are now out.

Ditty and Dechy enjoy success in Bell Challenge first round

Julie Ditty, who reached the semifinals of the Bell Challenge last year, made a strong start this year by defeating Urzula Radwanska, 7-6, 6-2, in the first round. Today, veteran (and now doubles specialist) Nathalie Dechy defeated comeback player Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-3, 6-1. 

Also today, Melinda Czink upset Sabine Lisicki, 6-2, 5-7, 6-3.

Petrova wins Cincinnati--all of it

Nathalie Dechy's very impressive run in Cincinnati ended today when Nadia Petrova defeated her in the final, 6-2, 6-1. The unseeded Dechy had taken out Katarina Srebotnik, Maria Kirilenko and Aleksandra Wozniak to get to the final.

This is Petrova's first title of 2008. She and her partner, Maria Kirilenko, also won the doubles title, defeating Hsieh Su-Wei and Yaroslava Shvedova, 6-3, 4-6, 10-8.

Petrova to compete against Dechy for Cincinnati title

Nadia Petrova was too good for Maria Kirilenko tonight, defeating her 1-6, 6-2, 6-1 in their Cincinnati semifinal. The tournament's second seed, Petrova will face unseeded Nathalie Dechy in the final tomorrow. Dechy is one of the tour's significant under-achievers, and her situation was not helped when she was out a long time with an injury a couple of years ago. This is a chance for her to do something she has done only once before--win a singles title. Yes, though it may seem hard to believe, Dechy has won only one tournament--Gold Coast in 2003. That is somewhat of a puzzle.

For her part, Petrova (who was once considered the most promising of all the Russians) went on a hot streak in 2006, literally slipped from it, and has never come back. The talent is there, however.

The Cincinnati tournament, a Tier III, is not part of the U.S. Open Series. However, this year it attracted a number of excellent players, including two--Dechy and Kirilenko--who have lovely and fluid games I especially enjoying watching.

Dechy moves on to Cincinnati final

Nathalie Dechy defeated Amelie Mauresmo today in Cincinnati--6-4, 3-6, 6-2 to become a finalist at the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open. Dechy broke Mauresmo six times to emerge the victor. The unseeded Frenchwoman will play either Nadia Petrova or Maria Kirilenko in the final.

Dechy upsets again

Having already upset the top seed in the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open, unseeded Nathalie Dechy continued her mission today by upsetting seed number 6, Aleksandra Wozniak, 7-6, 7-5 in the quarterfinals. Next, she will face her countrywoman, former world number 1 and 5th seed, Amelie Mauresmo, who defeated Vania King, 6-2, 6-4.

The other semifinal match will be between 3rd seed Maria Kirilenko and 2nd seed Nadia Petrova.

Dechy takes Srebotnik out of Cincinnati

Top seed Katarina Srebotnik hit eleven aces against Nathalie Dechy in their second round match in Cincinnati, but that was not enough to take the match. After two hours and twenty minutes, Dechy emerged the winner, 7-5, 2-6, 7-6.

Moments like this, and like Dechy's epic match against Ana Ivanovic at Wimbledon remind us of how much talent she has. When she returned from a major injury some time ago, she was not able to get her ranking back (it was as high as 11 in 2006), and she was getting older, so she began concentrating on doubles, which really paid off for her. But I like to watch her smart, elegant singles game, and I would really like to see her advance in the rankings again.

Szavay, Radwanska, Bondarenko, Kirilenko,and Bartoli say goodbye

In addition to Michelle Larcher de Brito's upset of Agnieszka Radwanska at the Sony Ericsson Open today, there were some other notable upsets. Elena Vesnina defeated Agnes Szavay, the always dangerous Kaia Kanepi defeated Alona Bondarenko, Sara Errani defeated Maria Kirilenko, and Caroline Wozniacki beat Marion Bartoli.

Vesnina def. Szavay, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
Kanepi def. Bondarenko, 7-6, 1-6, 6-3
Errani def. Kirilenko, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6
Wozniacki def. Bartoli, 6-3, 6-1

Dechy and Safina out in the first round

Nathalie Dechy and Dinara Safina, the 5th seeds in the Australian Open women's doubles competition, have been defeated, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4 by Jelena Jankovic and Bethanie Mattek. Also, number 9 seeds Lisa Raymond and Francesca Schiavone were defeated, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 by Nicole Vaidisova and Barbara Zahlavova.