Passing shots

It's official: Vera Zvonareva has hired Karen Krotov to be her coach, at least for the U.S. hard court season; sources differ as to whether Krotov will work with Zvonareva in that capacity during clay season. Krotov did coach Zvonareva during the Fed Cup semifinals. The world number 2 parted with coach Sergei Demekhin because, she said, he didn't want to work with a team. Says Demekhin: "I have experience and I know girls' psychology, so let's wait for offers."

You can get to know Nadia Lalami.

"Neither as muscular nor as deep-voiced as she appears on television, she was strikingly normal, if that makes any sense." Yeah, Malcolm, we get it.

Rebecca Marino has begun taking Pilates classes.

James LaRosa has a fantasy about the WTA and on-court coaching.

Marino out in 1st round of Miami qualifying

Rebecca Marino, the number 2 qualifying seed at the Sony Ericsson Open, lost today in the first round of qualifying. Marino was defeated 6-1, 7-5 by Jamie Hampton. 3rd seed Magdalena Rybarikova also went out in the first round. Rybarikova lost to wild card Michelle Larcher De Brito.

Passing shots

Andrea Petkovic, who is blogging from Indian Wells, recently had a 45-minute practice hit with Steffi Graf. Petkovic says she plans to "reinvent" herself.

You can now get to know Rebecca Marino.

News flash! Reuters has learned that Kim Clijsters balances motherhood with a career! Because women, like trained seals, have to "balance" everything.

Dinara Safina considered retiring from professional tennis after the Australian Open.

Getting a beating when you lose a set, getting slapped when you have a bad practice, seeing the father of one of your peers physically assaulted...some of the WTA's drama hasn't been the good kind.

Anna Chakvetadze, who passed out during her second round match in Dubai, retired today in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open because of dizziness.

Passing shots

Serena Williams has withdrawn from the March 8 Nike Clash of Champions exhibition. Williams has been replaced by Victoria Azarenka. (It should be noted, however, that Williams is now walking without her boot.)

Rebecca Marino has withdrawn from the Monterrey tournament because of the abdominal injury that forced her to retire in the Memphis final.

Note to Tennis Channel and Fox Sports: The USSR does not exist; it was dismantled a couple of decades ago, and Ukraine is a country, not "the Ukraine."

Could the commentary of the Doha semifinal between Vera Zvonareva and Jelena Jankovic have been more sexist? Kevin Cusick and his fellow commentator continually referred to the players as "girls" and "young ladies." Cusick also delivered a speech about how important it is for the "young ladies" to receive support, and not be pushed by their coaches, when they do not play well. Any reasonable person will acknowledge that an athlete needs to get both support and to be pushed hard by a coach, but Skinner's implication--he went on and on about it--was that the "girls" really need that paternal care. Well, what they need is to be treated like adult athletes. (This post corrected to reflect correct Kevin; it was Cusick talking down the tour, and Skinner talking down Ukraine.)

WTA live scores are now available free on Android mobile devices.

You can get to know Greta Arn, who blogged this week from Acapulco.

Passing shots

Recently retired Tathiana Garbin plans to work with the Italian Tennis Federation, and she will also do some television work.

I learned a lot about Rebecca Marino by reading her Memphis blog this week. The rising Canadian player was born in Toronto, raised in Vancouver, and trains in Montreal. She is a big hockey fan, as one would expect, and she likes reading, going to movies, and hanging out in coffee shops. She doesn't go in for tanning (smart Rebecca!), and she is big into shoelaces. I learned more from reading Bobby Chintapalli's interview with her: As a child, Marino was a Jennifer Capriati fan, her coach thinks she is an inch taller than she actually is, and she really likes Alison Riske.

Serena Williams, who loves all things Green Day, recemtly got to tour the Broadway set of American Idiot.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands attributes a lot of the injuries on the tour to over-practicing.

Jarmila Groth is the top qualifying seed in Doha, and she has made it to the second round of qualifying. Also into the second round is Viktoriya Kutuzova, whom we haven't seen in a long time.

Rybarikova wins Memphis championship

It was a pleasure to watch Magdalena Rybarikova dip into her considerable bag of tricks during the Memphis final tonight. What wasn't a pleasure was watching the match end after the first set. 6th seed Rebecca Marino, who suffered a left abdominal strain in the semifinals, just wasn't herself, and had to retire at 2-6 because of the pain. (Tennis Channel commentators said they didn't know anything about the injury. I did, as I'm sure many fans did. Business as usual with commentators.) It was too bad for Marino, for fans--and for Rybarikova.

The good part is that Rybarikova, having fallen out of the top 100, really needed this career boost. This is her second WTA Tour title: She won the Birmingham tournament in 2009.

Between them, Rybarikova and Marino hit 63 aces during the tournament, with Marino hitting 40 of those. Both women have really fine serves, and I look forward to watching both of them throughout the season.

The doubles title was won by 2nd seeds Olga Govortsova and Alla Kudryavtseva, who defeated 4th seeds Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 6-3, 4-6, 10-8.

Marino goes to Memphis final

Rebecca Marino, seeded at a tournament for the first time, has made it to the final of the Cellular South Cup in Memphis. Marino, seeded 6th, defeated Evgeniya Rodina 6-7, 6-4, 6-1 in the semifinals. Also going to the final is Magdelena Rybarikova, who defeated Lucie Hradecka in the semifinals.

In the doubles semifinals, 2nd seeds Olga Govortsova and Alla Kudryavtseva defeated 3rd seeds Vania King and Michaella Krajicek. In the final, they will play 4th seeds Andra Hlavakova and Lucie Hradecka, who defeated Ksenia Pervak and Ipek Senoglu.

Zvonareva out of Dubai competition

Today was a big day in Dubai. Alisa Kleybanova upset 2nd seed Vera Zvonareva, Jelena Jankovic defeated Kaia Kanepi, Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated Francesca Schiavone (Schiavone again saved six match points), and--not surprisingly--Agnieszka Radwanska defeated Marion Bartoli. Top seed Caroline Wozniacki cruised into the quarterfinals, and Yanina Wickmayer, who worked so hard to upset Li Na, lost to Shahar Peer. Sam Stosur (def. Patty Schnyder) and Flavia Pennetta (def. Victoria Azarenka) also advanced to the quarterfinals.

Wozniacki will play Peer in the next round. If Wozniacki wins, she will again take over the number 1 ranking.

In Memphis, 6th seed Rebecca Marino hit fourteen aces in her quarterfinal match, and defeated Coco Vandeweghe. This is the first time that Marino has been seeded in a tournament. She will play Evgeniya Rodina in the semifinals.

Miscellany

Former tour player Leila Meshki is the director of the Baku Cup tournament.

Alina Jidkova, as expected, has retired from professional tennis. When she played (and lost in the final) of the U.S. Open qualifying playoffs, she said it was her last opportunity to play in the U.S. Open. Jidkova, who defeated Serena Williams in 2004 in Linz, attained her highest ranking in 2005, when she was ranked number 51 in the world. Her career-high doubles ranking was number 50. The Russian veteran is getting married next month. She and her fiance sell fine pearl jewelry.

"I'm not even 20 and there's someone who's 40 who could kick my butt," Rebecca Marino says of you-know-who.

Tennis Channel's latest "Tennisography" feature is about Vera Zvonareva. Using Leo Tolstoy's work as a backdrop, the story of Zvonareva's tennis life--her performance and her feelings--is told by her mother, her coach, and by Zvonareva herself. It sounds a bit cheesy, but it comes off well. What doesn't come off well is Tennis Channel's decision to use white subtitles on a lot of light background--a persistent problem on U.S. television.

And in tribute to Vera, here's the great Joan Armatrading:

Miscellany

Rafael Nadal is coached by his Uncle Toni, to whom he is reported to be quite close. Novak Djokovic's father attends a great number of his son's tournaments, and has behaved in such a way that Djokovic has had to clean up after him. But it was Andy Murray, whose mother (a coach and a significant figure in British tennis) attends his matches, who was criticized today by Boris Becker. Becker accused Murray of being too close to his mother. He also criticized Murray for being with "pretty much the same girlfriend for the last three or four years" (Murray's girlfriend broke up with him, he was with another woman for a time, and then he got back together with his original girlfriend), which Becker considers "immature" for a 23-year-old. Recently (and I was waiting for it), John McEnroe made fun of Denis Istomin, who is coached by his mother. McEnroe made a "joke" about the relationship, but it wasn't funny--and he would never have made it if Istomin were coached by his father. Sexism affects more than just the WTA.

Aaress Lawless, who has published On the Baseline for five years, has sold the site to Justin Pohn. On the Baseline is a mainstay of women's tennis news and features. Women Who Serve wishes Aaress the very best in her future endeavors, and also--welcome Justin!

Heather Watson won the $50k ITF tournament in Toronto last week.

Here's a doubles team I can get really get behind: Martina Navratilova and Elisabeth Shue played together on Sunday in the Chris Evert Pro-Celebrity Tournament in Delray Beach, Florida. Anna Kournikova was there, too.

Rebecca Marino is close to earning direct entry into the Australian Open main draw. (Thanks to On the Baseline for this news.)

Miscellany

Victoria Azarenka has qualified as the final woman to play in the WTA Championships, which begin on Doha on October 27. (Not to put too fine a point on it, but the alternate should be practicing seriously.)

The New Haven tournament has been saved, but in the future, it will be a women's only event. Unlike many, I consider this a good thing. Now that Pilot Pen is gone, there will be no main sponsor; the sponsorship will be shared by several entities, including Yale University, Aetna and American Express. The tournament has been re-named the New Haven Open.

Yanina Wickmayer has received a Fed Cup Heart Award.

Rebecca Marino and Alison Riske have been grabbing ITF titles right and left. Marino is now Canada's number  1 player.

As previously mentioned by a reader of this blog, Svetlana Kuznetsova's relationship with coach Loic Courteau has ended after only two months. Courteau did not want to go to Moscow to train with Kuznetsova during the off-season. Don't you sort these things out before your hire someone?

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.

Miscellany

A reminder to U.S. viewers: Unmatched, a documentary about the rivalry between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, will have its premier showing tomorrow night, September 14, at 8 p.m. EST on ESPN. It will also be shown at 11 p.m. on the 14th on ESPN2. Viewers can also watch at 8 p.m., Thursday, September 16 on ESPN Classic, and Saturday, September 18 at 1 a.m on ESPN 2.

Navratilova was given the Eugene L. Scott Award on Friday at the Legends Ball in New York.

USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier says that putting a roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium would mean there would be no money available to fund grassroots tennis in the U.S.

Vania King says that she began playing doubles with Yaroslava Shvedova because Anna-Lena Groenefeld, with whom she had been playing, sustained a stress fracture in her foot. She expected Groenefeld to return for the clay season, but that didn't happen. King and Shvedova formed a team during the grass season and decided--for obvious reasons--to stay together.

This is the second year in a row that Esther Vergeer has won the U.S. Open women's wheelchair singles final with a score of 6-0, 6-0. 

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour "Looking Back at a Legend" series continues with a look back at Tracy Austin.

Wild card Rebecca Marino has advanced to the second round of the Bell Challenge in Quebec. She defeated countrywoman and wild card Heidi El Tabakh 7-6, 7-6.

Top seeds advance to 3rd round at U.S. Open

For Kim Clijsters, Venus Williams, Sam Stosur, and Francesca Schiavone, the second round of the U.S. Open was a straight-set affair. Clijsters, the second seed and defending champion, defeated Sally Peers in the night match, and 5th seed Stosur--who I thought would have more trouble dealing with her countrywoman--defeated Anastasia Rodionova. Schiavone defeated Maria Elena Camerin.

Venus Williams' match was interesting. For many of us, it was a first look at Rebecca Marino, the Canadian qualifier who had never before competed against a top-50 player. Marino is six feet tall with long legs, and she can fire a forehand in a most impressive way. Her serve looked good, too. She hit eight aces, and her kick serve was high enough to reach Williams' head on at least one occasion. Also, Marino's demeanor was calm and composed throughout the match; even when she became a little upset, she got past it quickly.

The match, not surprisingly, presented a scenario we have seen many times before: Marino was good enough to force a first-set tiebreak, but when she failed to win it, a straight-set loss was practically an inevitability. In fact, it was hard to imagine her winning the tiebreak because of the speed, efficiency and experience of her opponent. Williams knew how to win the tiebreak, reeling off six points in a row, and she knew how to get through the second set pretty quickly. I wouldn't say that Marino wilted--"wilted" just doesn't seem to fit her persona--but she became less sure-footed after she lost the first set.

She did have a bit of a comeback, though, getting a break point when Williams served for the match at 5-3 in the second set. Marino hit a wild forehand, though, and that was the end of her break chance. Marino hit 27 winners and made 23 unforced errors, compared with Williams' twelve.

Williams won, 7-6, 6-3, and moves to the third round, in which she will not play Tsvetana Pironkova. It can't hurt the 3rd seed's mood that Pironkova, a nemesis on the court, was taken out (and served a New York bagel) by qualifier Mandy Minella. Minella defeated Polona Hercog in the opening round, so she's having a nice run. As for Marino--I hope I get to see her again soon. She played well, and she had a great attitude.

Elena Dementieva, Flavia Pennetta and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova also advanced in straight sets. Pavlyuchenkova was troubled by an elbow injury (it's always something, lately), but it didn't appear to be very serious.

Wild card Virginie Razzano upset 13th seed Marion Bartoli, and Sara Errani upset 28th seed Alisa Kleybanova. Ana Ivanovic ran over 21st seed Zheng Jie, 6-3, 6-0...and then there was Daniela Hantuvhova. She and Vania King went at it for two hours and 51 minutes, with King taking the first set 7-5. I enjoy watching both of these players because they throw in a little bit of everything. Hantuchova, the 23rd seed, won the second set 6-3, and served for the match at 5-2 in the third, but was broken. She eventually won the set 6-4, and hit a lovely drop shot for match point. Hantuchova served nine aces and hit 50 winners.