Jankovic the highest seed left in Doha

Today, Qatar Total Open number 1 seed Ana Ivanovic had to withdraw because of a sprained ankle, and number 2 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova was defeated by Sybille Bammer. Number 3 seeds Jelena Jankovic and number 4 seed Maria Sharapova are still around, but number 6 seed Venus Williams fell to Dominka Cibulkova today. Number 5 seed Anna Chakvetadze lost in the first round.

The quarterfinals feature three very sharp young players--Dominka Cibulkova (whose photo has now become this blog's number one search target), Agnieszka Radwanska and Caroline Wozniacki.

Meanwhile, at the ATP tournament in Rotterdam, seeds have been falling like rain, making the goings-0n in Doha look tame: All eight top seeds have been eliminated.

Hantuchova withdraws from Doha

Daniela Hantuchova, who had to retire during a match at the Proximus Diamond Games because of breathing difficulties, has withdrawn from the Qatar Total Open. It turns out she has respiratory virus and needs to rest.