Stosur and Sharapova to meet in Rome final

Never known for her acumen on clay courts, and considered by many to be "finished" because of injury and confidence issues--Maria Sharapova, the self-proclaimed clay court Cow on Ice--has made it to the final of the Italian Open. Sharapova defeated top seed Caroline Wozniacki 7-5, 6-3 in the semifinals, hitting 36 winners along the way. Of course, this isn't the first time that Sharapova has "failed to meet expectations" on clay. Last year, she played a gritty third round French Open match against Justine Henin, and took Henin to three sets.

The world number 1 has never won a red clay tournament. During this year's red clay season, she has fallen to Julia Goerges twice, and now to Sharapova. Wozniacki did win this year's Family Circle Cup, which is played on green clay.

Sharapova's opponent in the final will be 2010 French Open runner-up Sam Stosur, who defeated Li Na 7-6, 6-0 in the semifinals. Stosur has looked kind of flat lately, but her game has come to life in Rome, and the final will probably be a good one.

In the doubles semifinals, 3rd seeds Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova defeated 2nd seeds Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik 7-6, 62, and Peng Shuai and Zheng Jie defeated Alexandra Dulgheru and Jarmila Gadjosova 3-6, 6-4, 10-5.

Peng defeats Kuznetsova in Miami

Peng Shuai continued her 2011 success today by upsetting 11th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-1 at the Sony Ericsson Open. Peng, who has yet to drop a set, advances to the Miami quarterfinals for the first time. Kuznetsova won the tournament in 2006.

In second round play yesterday, seeds Kaia Kanepi, Alisa Kleybanova and Tsvetana Pironkova were all defeated. Wild card Dinara Safina took a set off of 3rd seed Vera Zvonareva, but Zvonareva prevailed. Yaroslava Shvedova strained a muscle near her knee--the one in which she sustained the injury--and had to retire against Jarmila Groth. Shvedova reports that she needs to do even more leg strengthening.

In doubles, recently retired Rennae Stubbs showed up, but she and partner Jill Craybas were defeated. Top seeds Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta advanced to the second round.

Combined (as in, the WTA and the ATP are both playing on the same days) tournaments are supposed to be good for the WTA. They certainly aren't good for me, as a fan.Tennis TV, the only venue I like to watch with the sound on, is showing 42 ATP matches in Miami, and 12 WTA matches.

Passing shots

A member of Aravane Rezai's family (one can reasonably assume that this is her father, since he has caused so much trouble throughout her career) has been banned from WTA events. The tour reports that its investigation is of a "serious safety matter" that affects the French player's "health and well being."

Thanks to Jon Wertheim, I came across this slide show, which provides an entertaining look (but not the look you might expect) at women's tennis fashions through the years.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands reports that the courts are so hot at the Australian Open, she had "a second degree burn on my thumb from crouching down in an 'I' formation in doubles!"
 
Here are 10 Burning Questions for Agniesza Radwanska.

Yaroslava Shvedova is back on the court, and reports that she is feeling good.

Passing shots

Sony Ericsson has launched Xperia Hot Shots, an entertainment show that will be streamed online and to mobile devices. Xperia Hot Shots, which begins in March, follows the lives of six aspiring WTA Tour players as they strive toward sports stardom. The featured stars will have access to the worlds of music, film, gaming, and fashion. Maria Sharapova helped Sony Ericsson make the announcement yesterday. Sharapova worked with Melbourne street artist Dvate to create the show's logo and to tag a specially-made mural. Xperia Hot Shots will be shown on YouTube.

The Australian Open Bracket Challenge has begun. You can go to On the Baseline and fill out the bracket form with your predictions. A dozen prizes will be awarded to those who come closest to predicting the outcomes, and the major prize is a pair of tickets to the 2011 major tournament of your choice. The contest will close on Sunday, January 16 at 6 p.m. EST.

So far, every tennis expert and major writer I've come across has picked Kim Clijsters to win the Australian Open.

Get ready to pay James LaRosa's Australian Open drinking game.

Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, the 2011 Sydney doubles champions, played match tiebreaks in each of their four matches.

Yaroslava Shvedova reports that she has begun post-surgical rehab for her knee, and she is already walking up stairs.

Hopman Cup injury update

Ana Ivanovic has withdrawn from the Medibank International in Sydney because of a strained abdominal muscle. Ivanovic pulled the muscle when she played her match against Justine Henin during Hopman Cup competition. This also means that Serbia, scheduled to play in the Hopman Cup final, will be replaced by Belgium. Belgium's opponent will be team USA.

Also hurt during Hopman Cup play was Francesca Schiavone, who sustained a groin injury during her match against Kristina Mladenovic.

Yaroslava Shvedova, who injured her right knee in Perth, has already announced that she is out of the Australian Open.

Shvedova to miss Australian Open

Doctors have confirmed that Yaroslava Shvedova's right knee injury is serious enough to require surgery. She will be out six weeks, which means she will miss the Australian Open. Shvedova tore her meniscus during the first round of Hopman Cup competition.

Shvedova and her doubles partner, Vania King, won both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2010.

Serbia expected to play in Hopman Cup final

Serbia's Hopman Cup team, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic, have gone undefeated so far in Hopman Cup competition. Serbia has won all three rubbers against both Australia and Kazakhstan, and will face the team from Belgium next. Belgium, however, would have to win all three rubbers in order to keep Group A team Serbia out of the final, and that isn't likely to happen.

Group B consists of Italy, France, Great Britain, and the USA. In women's singles, the USA's Bethanie Mattek-Sands has defeated both Kristina Mladenovic of France and Italy's Francesca Schiavone. Mattek-Sands' defeat of Schiavone is her first top-10 win (though the Hopman Cup tournament is not part of the tour).

Kazakhstan waa originally represented by Yaroslava Shvedova, but she injured her right knee in the first rubber when she played Ivanovic, and she was replaced by Sesil Karatantcheva. Shvedova is currently in rehab for her knee injury.

Miscellany

Maria Sharapova is considering accepting a wild card to play in the Medibank International in Sydney. She is already scheduled to play in the Auckland Classic, which begins on January 3. Sharapova has never played in Sydney, and the tournament's organizers say that they are willing to give her a wild card at the last minute. The Medibank International begins on January 9.

Alex Williams says that Serena Williams is the Player of the Year for 2010, and that Francesca Schiavone gave us the Performance of the Year.

Mary Carillo, who does sports reporting for NBC, Tennis Channel, CBS, and HBO, has--at her request--ended her ESPN contract a year early.

Yaroslava Shvedova has hired Dimitri Zavialoff as her coach. Zavialoff coached ATP star Stanislas Wawrinka for fifteen years.

Zheng Jie, who reached the semifinals of the 2010 Australian Open, has withdrawn from the 2011 tournament because of her wrist injury.

Finally--though this has nothing at all to do with the WTA--for those needing a holiday pick-me-up, here is a compilation of all the Roger Federer on-camera break-up moments captured on video.

Miscellany

World number 1 Caroline Wozniacki is rumored to be making a racquet change in 2011. Her contract with Babolat expires at the end of this month, and there is speculation that she will switch to Yonex next year. Wozniacki played a recent exhibition match with a Yonex racquet whose brand name was blacked out.

Flavia Pennetta, who plays with a Wilson Blade racquet, will be using the new Wilson Blade 98 Pink BLX, which is described by Wilson as "aggressive yet feminine." Thank goodness.

Yaroslava Shvedova has a new website.

More than half of Martina Navratilova's fundraising goal for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation has been reached. Navratilova plans to raise $134,000 for the foundation as she climbs Mount Kilimanjaro. Kilimanjaro is over 19,000 feet high, and Navratilova has never climbed higher than 12,000 feet; she said she is not concerned about fitness, but about the lack of air at that height. Should she reach the top as planned, she will be hitting tennis balls. "With the air being that thin, they should go a long way."

Jelena Dokic has received a wild card into the main draw of the Brisbane International.

Doubles draw made in Doha

The doubles draw has been made in Doha, and Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta will play Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova in the semifinals. Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik will play Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs in the other semifinal match.

The first semifinal is of particular interest. Dulko and Pennetta--close friends who have been occasional doubles partners for years and decided to play as a consistent team this year--are the top-ranked team, with six 2010 doubles titles. They won Miami, Stuttgart, Rome, Bastad, Montreal, and Moscow. They also reached the finals in Madrid and Beijing.

King and Shvedova, on the other hand, had played together in only two tournaments--both this year--when they won the 2010 Wimbledon title. In their next three events, they failed to get beyond the second round. But then they won the U.S. Open, defeating Dulko and Pennetta along the way.

They did it again! King & Shvedova win U.S. Open title

Yesterday, the rain came when Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova were down 2-6, 6-4, 4-5, 0-15. It was also Shvedova's birthday, but, as it turns out, she had to wait a day to receive her most lavish gift. Today, at 3 p.m. New York time, King and Shvedova--and their opponents, number 2 seeds Liezel Huber and Nadia Petrova--returned to Arthur Ashe Stadium to complete the U.S. Open championship match.

The circumstances could not have been more tense. Huber and Petrova were only three points from the title, and suddenly, King was serving at 30-40. King saved that championship point (the second onw the team saved) with a ferocious forehand swipe down the line. Later, spectators would cheer loudly when Shvedova hit a backhand lob with heavy topspin and painted the back line. Despite increased aggression by Petrova, some formidable volleys from Huber, and a fast service game for the 2nd seeds at 5-all, King and Shvedova were able to force a tiebreak. Under the most challenging conditions, they held serve.

This match "deserved" a tiebreak, so to speak, for only a tiebreak could increase the drama for spectators who had waited overnight for a result. Throughout the match, but especially during the tiebreak, King and Shvedova did the same thing they did at Wimbledon--they enjoyed themselves. And when Shvedova hit yet another line-skimming lob--this one with her forehand--at match point, it was the perfect ending to a great doubles championship match.

King and Shvedova had a quite a tournament. They defeated the top seeds, Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta, in straight sets in the quarterfinals.  And in the third round, they won a wild three-hour thriller against Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.

King and Shvedova had played together only twice when they entered the 2010 Wimbledon tournament and won it. Now they have done it again. In her speech, King said that, two years ago, she wasn't sure she wanted to play tennis anymore, and she didn't know if she believed in herself. How fortunate--for us, and for Yaroslava Shvedova--that King decided to keep going.

King & Shvedova 1 match away from back-to-back championships

The surprise champions of the 2010 Wimbledon tournament, Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova, advanced to the final of the U.S. Open today with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win over 9th seeds Cara Black and Anastasia Rodionova. The third set was especially entertaining, as Rodionova brought up the level of her play and challenged the 6th seeds. Shvedova blew some volleys by being over-eager, but then steadied herself.

There was one amazing moment when a ball flew through the center of the court. King yelled "me!" but Shvedova, who probably didn't hear King, went for it. Standing side by side, each woman--one with a backhand and one with a forehand--was a mirror image of the other. Shvedova's racquet got the ball over the net. For just a moment, though, the synchronized swings created a really beautiful sight.

In the women's wheelchair singles quarterfinals, Esther Vergeer had to fight harder than usual to defeat Florence Alix-Gravellier 7-5, 7-5. Korie Homan is not playing in the U.S. Open (I'm not sure why--possibly continued wrist problems), so the Vergeer-Homan team will not be competing. Vergeer's partner will be Sharon Walraven. Vergeer was hitting today with Martina Navratilova.

Top seeds Dulko & Pennetta out of U.S. Open

1st seeds Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta were taken out of the U.S. Open today in the quarterfinals. The number 6 seeds, Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova, defeated Dulko and Pennetta 6-3, 6-3. Dulko and Pennetta looked a bit shaky yesterday, so this wasn't a complete surprise. Their opponents were simply too aggressive for them today. In the last game, the top seeds were broken at love when Flavia Pennetta double-faulted.

King and Shvedova won the Wimbledon championship.

King & Shvedova win 3-hour thriller

If ever there were a match you hated to see someone lose, it was the riveting 3rd round doubles match played at the U.S. Open today by Wimbledon champions Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova and their opponents, Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova. It lasted over three hours, and featured play that was, at times, breathtaking. Seeded 6th, King and Shvedova won the first set in an 11-9 tiebreak, and Benesova and Zahlavova Strycova won the second, 6-3.

The final set was tension-filled, like a tightrope walk between two buildings that appear to be close together--unless you're on the rope. Benesova was a stand-out throughout much of the set, using her strong forehand to attack her oppenents' serve, and Zahlavova Strycova often shone at the net. At times, King and Shvedova put on the same kind of show they put on at Wimbledon, though not as consistently. King is steady and calm and can retain focus and accuracy for an extended period of time, and Shvedova is a risk-taker who moves splendidly at the net.

King and Shvedova served for the match at 5-3, but were broken. Serving a 6-5, Zahlavova Strycova double-faulted twice during the game, and a tiebreak ensued. The Czech went up a quick mini-break in the tiebreak, but then Benesova, who had served very well throughout the match, double-faulted twice in a row. Later in the tiebreak, each team held a match point but could not convert it. The Czech team held a match point at 7-6, but Benesova hit an easy volley into the net. Benesova and Zahlavova Strycova held another match point at 8-7, but that one was saved by Shvedova.

Benesova then mis-hit a ball, but got her team back on track with a huge serve. There was another big serve from the Benesova at 9-all, but King--stretched out wide at the net--hit an even bigger return. It was then Shvedova's turn to serve, and this time, she hit it long and flat, got an error in return, and she and King won the match 7-6, 6-3, 7-6.

This match had everything, and all four players are to be commended for providing the ultimate in excitement for fans. Both tiebreaks went to 11 points, and the momentum swung relentlessly. Commentators and writers pay attention to singles only, but the real thriller of the tournament, so far, was this one.

Wimbledon champions upset in New Haven 1st round

Since they won the championship at Wimbledon, Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova have had a hard time getting past early rounds in tournaments. They were knocked out in the first round in Cincinnati; in Montreal, they lost in the second round. And yesterday, they lost their opening match to Chuang Chia-Jung and Olga Govorstova.

Gisela Dulko, the tour's current leader in doubles wins, played with Ipek Senoglu this week, and they lost in the first round to top seeds Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik. 4th seeds Cara Black and Anastasia Rodionova also lost in the first round. They were defeated 6-4, 3-6, 12-10 by Anabel Medina Garrigues and Yan Zi.

King & Shvedova win Wimbledon doubles championship

A casual observer who had just turned on the television could never have guessed that Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova were playing doubles with the 2010 Wimbledon championship at stake. They were having so much fun, smiling so much, it looked more like two friends were just out to have a good time on a Sunday evening.

Those two friends defeated Elena Vesnina and Vera Zvonareva 7-6, 6-2 to become the first unseeded team to win Wimbledon since 1977, when Helen Gourlay Cawley and JoAnne Russell won the trophy. Both of the teams in today's final were unseeded, in fact, and both played very impressively throughout the tournament. To get to the final, the champions defeated Alberta Brianti & Alexandra Dulgheru, 14th seeds Monica Niculescu & Shahar Peer, 3rd seeds Nadia Petrova & Sam Stosur, 6th seeds Kveta Peschke & Katarina Srebotnik, and 5th seeds Liezel Huber & Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

The Russian team also pulled some big upsets, including the defeat of top seeds Serena and Venus Williams, in a match that featured a consistently stunning performance from Vesnina. Today, however, was not the team's brightest day. Zvonareva lost the singles championship to Serena Williams, and the mood on the Russian side of the net was a decided contrast to the good cheer emanating from the other side.

The first set was so close that it went to a tiebreak, which King and Shvedova won 8-6 after saving a set point. Zvonareva was never quite the same after that, and--set up by the steady baseline play of King, Shvedova proceeded to become a one-woman attack force, repeatedly slamming unreturnable volleys from the net. She didn't look too shabby in other parts of the court, either, serving forcefully, and hitting winners down the line. She and King got better as the match wore on, and won the second set 6-2, which gave them the match.

The champions' interview was as entertaining as their performance on the court. Apparently, Shvedova and King invited practically everyone they met recently--at the French Open, in an English pub, etc.--to come to Wimbledon. They came, too, and were part of a huge cheering section for the two women. I was quite disappointed that neither the champions nor the runners-up were invited to speak at the trophy ceremony, and cannot imagine why such a slight would be permitted to occur.

No matter whom you wanted to win the doubles title, it was almost impossible to be anything but excited for King and Shvedova, whose expert play and on-court charm made this a special championship.

Vesnina & Zvonareva advance to Wimbledon doubles final

The unseeded team of Elena Vesnina and Vera Zvonareva advanced to the Wimbledon final today, with a 6-3, 6-1 defeat of 4th seeds Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta. That means that Zvonareva will play in both the singles and doubles final. She has one major title; in 2006, she and Nathalie Dechy won the U.S. Open.

The Russians' opponents in the final will be the unseeded team of Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova, who upset the 5th seeds, Liezel Huber and Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

In the mixed doubles semifinals, 2nd seeds Cara Black and Leander Paes defeated 9th seeds Iveta Benesova, and Lukas Dlouhy, and 11th seeds Lisa Raymond and Wesley Moodie defeated 10th seeds Rennae Stubbs and Marcelo Melo. Raymond and Stubbs are women's doubles partners (Dlouhy and Paes are partners in men's doubles, also).

Wimbledon miscellany

Semifinalists Vera Zvonareva and Tsvetana Pironkova have met only once, in Moscow last year in the round of 16. Pironkova won the match 6-0, 6-2. Serena Williams and Petra Kvitova have also met only once--at this year's Australian Open, where Williams defeated Kvitova 6-2, 6-1.

Here is a brief history of surprise semifinalists at Wimbledon.

Retiring women's master of ceremonies Jane Poynder says that Maria Sharapova is always ready ahead of time and "wonderfully prepared," that Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters are "very organized," but that her blood pressure can "rise very slightly" when it's time for the Spanish players to head for the courts.

Doubles semifinalist Yaroslava Shvedova's business affairs are managed by doubles player and friend Ipek Senoglu.

Today, in Wimbledon Village, a 15-minute preview of Unmatched was shown, with Martina Navratilova in the audience. The film, a documentary about the friendship/rivalry of Navratilova and Chris Evert, premieres September 15 on ESPN.

Williams sisters upset in Wimbledon doubles

The William sisters' attempt to win the Grand Slam in 2010 was derailed in the Wimbledon quarterfinals today by the unseeded team of Elena Vesnina and Vera Zvonareva, who defeated them 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. The Russian pair had not played together since 2008, but they quickly found their groove this month at the All England Club, and Vesnina's serve was not broken once by the Williams sisters. Zvonareva has now reached the semifinals in both singles and doubles.

Also on quite a roll are Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova, who upset the 6th-seeded team of Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik today. In the third round, they upset 3rd seeds Nadia Petrova and Samantha Stosur. Also winning in the quarterfinals were 4th seeds Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta, who defeated Julia Goerges and Agnes Szavay, and 5th seeds Liezel Huber and Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who defeated 7th seeds Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs.

In mixed doubles, Kim Clijsters and Xavier Malisse upset top seeds Stosur and Nenad Zimonjic in straight sets. Also advancing were the teams of Iveta Benesova and Lukas Dlouhy, Chan Jung-Jan and Paul Hanley, and 2nd seeds Cara Black and Leander Paes.

Petrova & Stosur upset in 3rd round of Wimbledon

Today at Wimbledon, the unseeded team of Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova upset 3rd seeds Nadia Petrova and Sam Stosur, 6-4, 6-4.

There were no other upsets. However, of interest is the 6-2, 6-2 defeat of 11th seeds Cara Black and Daniela Hantuchova by the 7th-seeded team of Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs.

In mixed doubles, the top-seeded team of Sam Stosur and Nenad Zimonjic advanced, as did the team of Kim Clijsters and Xavier Malisse, who defeated 15th seeds Elena Vesnina and Andy Ram. 2nd seeds Cara Black and  Leander Paes also won their second round match today.