Schiavone advances to French Open quarterfinals

On the one hand, it was a great match to watch--filled with tension, swinging momentum and wonderful shot-making. On the other, it was a tough one for me to watch because I couldn't bear to see either Jelena Jankovic or defending champion Francesca Schiavone lose. One of them had to, however, and 10th seed Jankovic lost more than the match: She will now go out of the top 10 for the first time in over four years.

Schiavone, seeded 5th, defeated Jankovic 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. There was a time when you could all but guarantee that Jankovic would win any match that went to three sets; these days, the opposite seems to be the case. The stylish Italian struggled with some things during the match, but she kept her serve strong, and she brought the emotional energy that she's kept bottled up for a long time. The match lasted two hours and 38 minutes, and it would have made a great final. Schiavone and Jankovic going at each other is somewhat different than the drama of Schiavone and Kuznetsova going at each other (and we may get to see that again), but quite entertaining, nonetheless.

Some of us thought Jankovic would one day win the French Open, but--well, that's a discussion for another day.

Kuznetsova, a former French Open champion, also advanced to the quarterfinals. She defeated Daniela Hantuchova 6-7, 6-3, 6-2, and will play Marion Bartoli in the quarterfinals. Bartoli's opponent, Gisela Dulko, retired shortly after the second set began. Dulko took a medical timeout at 3-4 in the first set, had her thigh worked on and wrapped, and returned to holdthen and break for 5-all. Bartoli broke and won the set 7-5, and after only one game was played in the second set, she had to stop. Almost any player benefits from a retirement at this point in a big tournament, but Bartoli--who has a history of physical fragility--may be especially fortunate.

In the other round of 16 match played today, 14th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova reached her first major quarterfinal by upsetting 3rd seed and countrywoman Vera Zvonareva. Zvonareva just hasn't looked too comfortable in Paris, so her upset isn't altogether a surprise. Pavlyuchenkova defeated her 7-6, 2-6, 6-2. The young Russian will play Schiavone in the next round.

Two-time French Open doubles champion Anabel Medina Garrigues and her partner, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, seeded 11th, were defeated today in the third round by 7th seeds Elena Vesnina and Sania Mirza.

Doubles update

There was another doubles upset today at the French Open. Julia Goerges and Andrea Petkovic defeated Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Meghann Shaughnessy 6-1, 1-6, 7-6.

On Saturday, Flavia Pennetta will play her Fed Cup team members as the top-seeded team of Gisela Dulko and Pennetta take on the Italian team of Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci. Errani and Vinci are the 15th seeds.

In mixed doubles, tops seeds Katarina Srebotnik and Nenad Zimonjic advanced to the second round with a win over Kaia Kanepi and Robert Linstedt.

Speaking of mixed doubles--Amelie Mauresmo had planned to compete with Michael Llodra this year, but the French Tennis Federation forbade her to play because she is no longer part of the anti-doping system. 

Sharapova thwarts upset-minded Garcia

During the first set and half of the second, 17-year-old Caroline Garcia gave the crowd what they wanted today in Paris in the second round of the French Open. The little-known French player stepped onto the court a picture of confidence, and took it to Maria Sharapova. Garcia hit laser-like forehands and backhands, and ran the 7th seed all over the court; she was in charge of the proceedings--until she held a set point in the first set. That was when we saw the first drop in confidence, though the French player pulled herself together rather easily and won the first set 6-4.

Garcia started the second set the same way she started the first, and I couldn't help but wonder: When is the choke coming? Sharapova was surely wondering this, too, and at 4-1--that perennially deceitful scoreline--it happened. On some level, Garcia realized she was about to defeat Maria Sharapova at the French Open, and that was pretty much the end of her. As soon as the crack opened, Sharapova was ready. She cleaned up her game and reeled off eleven straight games, leaving Garcia in the red dust. The Russian, like Vera Zvonareva before her, survived to play another round.

Garcia, at age 17, wasn't able to do what Sharapova did when she was 17, but she was nevertheless very impressive, and her set and a half will be remembered as an interesting highlight of this tournament.

Aside from Kim Clijsters, the only seed who lost today was Alexandra Dulgheru, who was defeated by countrywoman Sorana Cirstea. Jarmila Gajdosova won a close (7-6, 6-4) match against Anabel Medina Garrigues, and Victoria Azarenka, Li Na and Petra Kvitova advanced in straight sets.

Dulgheru, though she lost in singles, was part of an upset in doubles. She and partner Magdalena Rybarikova defeated 10th seeds Peng Shuai and Zheng Jie.

Zvonareva survives in Paris

I watched the 2nd round French Open match between 3rd seed Vera Zvonareva and Sabine Lisicki with a growing sense of dread because it seemed as though nothing too good could come of it. Zvonareva looked flustered and too defensive against Lisicki, but I was feeling something more than frustration over the 3rd seed's performance. Because I knew that Lisicki might choke away her opportunities, and I was right. It wasn't that I wanted an upset--it was just that watching one player under-perform and the other one lose her nerve was like watching some type of accident from which I wanted to turn away my sight.

Lisicki was two points away from winning the match in the second set, but she was simply not mentally up to the task. At that point, it was easy to believe that the German would just get discouraged and Zvonareva would take charge. But I still had that sinking feeling, which proved to be reliable. Lisicki led 5-2 in the third, and had a match point on Zvonareva's serve, but she didn't convert it. When Lisicki served for the match at 5-3, she was broken.

By this time, it was apparent that Lisicki wasn't feeling too good. She wound up seeing both a trainer and a doctor and getting ice packs and a lot of water; she was cramping. She was easily broken at 5-6, but then two of Zvonareva's match points faded away--one because of a massive, "last gasp" forehand from Lisicki, and one because Zvonareva made an error. Zvonareva finally won, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, and Lisicki managed to do the handshake, then collapsed into a heap of pain and was hauled away on a stretcher.

That was a lot of drama. The drama earlier in the day was more fun, however. 11th seed Marion Bartoli, fully pumped up and carried by the crowd, won a three-hour match against Olga Govortsova, who hit 46 winners. Bartoli defeated Govortsova 6-4, 6-7, 6-2. Bartoli outlasted her opponent, but one wonders what effect the length and intensity of the match will have on the ever-fragile Frenchwoman.

Meanwhile, the world number 1 advanced, as did the defending champion and the 2009 runner-up. Julia Goerges got the tough match from Lucie Safarova I expected her to get, and came from behind to win, 2-6, 7-5, 6-2. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez went out, defeated by Rebecca Marino (I didn't see that coming), and Bethanie Mattek-Sands defeated countrywoman Varvara Lepchenko.

There was a significant upset in doubles. The Czech team of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka defeated the Czech team (and 8th seeds) of Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova. Benesova, by the way, is playing mixed doubles with Leander Paes (the injured Cara Black is his regular partner).

In other mixed doubles news, 2nd seeds Vania King and Daniel Nestor were defeated by Chan Yung-Jan and Eric Butorac.

Wozniacki wins inaugural event in Brussels

Caroline Wozniacki won her 16th title today, at the new WTA Brussels Open. This win is special, however, since it is the world number 1's first time to win a championship on red clay.

It wasn't an easy win. A 12-deuce game early in the second set gave spectators a taste of how tough both players were. Each player experienced ups and downs in quality and energy, but in the end, it was Peng whose game became error-strewn, and Wozniacki who was able to take advantage of those errors. The world number 1 continued her new trend of playing more offensively and hitting more winners. After two hours and 35  minutes, she defeated Peng 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to become the first Brussels champion.

The doubles champions are Andrea Hlavackova and Galina Voskoboeva, who defeated 2nd seeds Klaudia Jans and Alicja Rosolska 3-6, 6-0, 10-5.

Patty Schnyder blogged during the tournament, and on Thursday, she described her visit to the Atomium. Schnyder also writes about her own tennis, and about her anticipation of the French Open.

Bartoli retires, and Petkovic wins Strasbourg

Those who follow Marion Bartoli know that, as a tournament progresses, a retirement could come. It came today, in the final of the Internationaux de Strasbourg. Top seed Bartoli had to stop playing because of a left thigh injury, and 2nd seed Andrea Petkovic won the match 6-4, 1-0. This is Petkovic's second WTA title. When the new rankings come out next week, she will be number 12 in the world.

4th seeds Akgul Amanmuradova and Chuang Chia-Jung won the doubles title by defeating 2nd seeds Natalie Grandin and Vladamira Uhlirova 6-4, 5-7, 10-2.

Bartoli and Petkovic to compete for Strasbourg title

Top seed Marion Bartoli advanced to the final of the Internationaux de Strasbourg today by defeating three-time champion Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-1, 6-2. Medina Garrigues' formerly slumping career has turned around recently, but she was stopped short in France by Bartoli. Medina Garrigues was seeded 7th in this year's tournament.

Bartoli will play 2nd seed Andrea Petkovic in the final. Petkovic defeated 6th seed Daniela Hantuchova 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in a match that lasted over two hours and 42 minutes.

Doubles 2nd seeds Natalie Grandin and Vladamira Uhlirova have also reached the Strasbourg final, in which they will play 4th seeds Akgul Amanmuradova and Chuang Chia-Jung.

It's not how you play the game, but whether you win or lose

Anyone looking for a handy lesson on how to beat Caroline Wozniacki on red clay certainly could have gotten one from Francesca Schiavone today in Brussels. Only most of the tour's players don't possess Schiavone's amazing variety of shots. Oh, and Schiavone lost. As is too often the case with the Italian, her cleverness and athleticism were neutralized by her propensity to make a high volume of unforced errors.

Schiavone, the 3rd seed in Brussels, hit 44 winners in the 2-hour and 33-minute semifinal match, but she also made 53 unforced errors. Many of those errors were made right after Schiavone set up winners against her opponent. And speaking of winners--Wozniacki hit 20, which is quite a high number for the world number 1. There were nine breaks of serve in the match, which Wozniacki won 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

Wozniacki's opponent in the final will be 8th seed Peng Shuai. This is the first time that Peng has reached a Premier level final, and the way she has been playing lately, such a development seemed inevitable. Peng upset 2nd seed Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-3 today. She played a remarkably clean match and served extremely well, giving Zvonareva few opportunities to take an offensive stance.

Peng has never won a tournament, a fact that stands out as one of the oddities of the WTA. She reached the semifinals in Charleston last month, but was hampered by fatigue and a very in-form Elena Vesnina. Now she faces the world number 1, and this could be a very good final.

In doubles, 2nd seeds Klaudia Jans and Alicja Rosolska defeated Sofia Arvidsson and Andrea Klepac 6-4, 6-4. in the semifinals today. In yesterday's semifinal match, Andrea Hlavackova and Galina Voskoboeva defeated Elena Bovina and Kaia Kanepi 7-5, 6-1.

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.

Dulko and Pennetta out of Italian Open

Defending champions Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta, the number 1 seeds at the Italian Open, were upset today in the quarterfinals. The ad hoc team of Alexandra Dulgheru and Jarmila Gajdosova defeated Dulko and Pennetta 7-6, 6-4.

2nd seeds Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik advanced, as did 3rd seeds Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova. Peschke and Srebotnik defeated 6th seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Meghann Shaughnessy; King and Shvedova defeated Nadia Petrova and Anastasia Rodionova. Peng Shuai and Zheng Jie defeated 8th seeds Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez and Anaabel Medina Garrigues.

Azarenka and Kirilenko win Madrid doubles title

5th seeds Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko won the doubles championship in Madrid today. They defeated 2nd seeds Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik 6-4, 6-3 in the final.

Azarenka isn't finished, however; she will play against Petra Kvitova in the singles championship match tomorrow. Azarenka defeated Julia Goerges 6-4, 6-2 in the semifinals, ending the German player's 10-match win streak. Goerges appeared to be in a state of mental, if not physical, fatigue throughout much of the match.

Kvitova, seeded 16th, easily defeated 6th seed Li Na 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals. Kvitova's quarterfinal victory puts her in the top 10 for the first time. When the rankings are published next week. she will be number 10 in the world. Azarenka will be number 4.

Goerges and Azarenka to play in Madrid semifinals

People who saw Julia Goerges play (I didn't) in the third round of the Madrid Open said she looked pretty tired. She wasn't too tired to defeat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarterfinals, however. Goerges' 6-4, 6-2 victory places her in the semifinals against 4th seed Victoria Azarenka. In the last two months, Azarenka has either retired from events or won them. She had to retire in the quarterfinals of Indian Wells because of a hip injury (an ongoing problem), and she retired with a shoulder injury in the second round in Stuttgart. Azarenka won titles in Miami and Marbella.

To get to the semifinals, Azarenka defeated Lucie Safarova 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. The Belarusian is now 6-0 against Safarova, who took her first set off of Azarenka today.

Li Na--who has never been known for her performance on clay, and who had experienced quite a downfall since her big Australian Open run--is somewhat of a surprise semifinalist, despite being seeded 6th. Li defeated Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Mattek-Sands gave Li a lot of opposition, but then was easil broken at love in the final game.

Li's opponent will be Petra Kvitova, the 16th seed. Kvitova is a bit of a surprise, too, in that one might not expect her to perform at a high level on red clay. But she defeated a very good clay performer, Dominika Cibulkova, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. Kvitova is just full of surprises, however, and I look forward to seeing what the next one will be.

Azarenka and her partner, Maria Kirilenko, seeded 5th in doubles, defeated the 3rd seeds, Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova, in today's semifinals. Their opponents in the Madrid final will be 2nd seeds Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik. Peschke and Srebotnik defeated Casey Dellacqua and Rennae Stubbs 6-1, 4-6, 10-2.

Quarterfinal draw set for Madrid

The top three seeds are no longer around, but the Madrid Open quarterfinal draw is nevertheless an intriguing one. Yesterday, 2nd seed Vera Zvonareva was beaten in straight sets by Petra Kvitova, and today, 3rd seed Francesca Schiavone was defeated by Bethanie Mattek-Sands. 5th seed Sam Stosur is also gone: She was upset 7-5, 6-3 by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

The biggest news today, however, was the knock-out of top seed Caroline Wozniacki,  6-4, 1-6, 6-3, by Julia Goerges, the player who defeated Wozniacki in the Stuttgart final. In the meantime, Lucie Safarova continued her fine run, defeating Jarmila Gajdosova in straight sets; she has also taken out Anabel Medina Garrigues and 7th seed Jelena Jankovic.

Top doubles seeds Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta were defeated yesterday by 5th seeds Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko. Today, 2nd seeds Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik advanced to the semifinals, as did 3rd seeds Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova. Pesschke and Srebotnik defeated Charleston champions Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina. Also moving to the semifinals was the team of Casey Dellacqua and Rennae Stubbs.

Here is the singles quarterfinal draw:

Julia Goerges vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Victoria Azarenka (4) vs. Lucie Safarova
Li Na (6) vs. Bethanie Mattek-Sands
Dominika Cibulkova vs. Petra Kvitova (16)

Gajdosova goes for the thrills in Madrid

Jarmila Gajdosova has done a pretty good imitation of Thrill Ride since she arrived in Madrid. In the first round, she hung in while her opponent, Maria Kirilenko, served for the match twice and held two match points. In the second round, Gajdosova upset 12th seed Agnieszka Radwansska after Radwanska came close to going up 4-0 in the third set.

Thrill Ride, by the way, is still standing, and will play Stuttgart champion Julia Goerges in the next round. 9th seed Shahar Peer went out in the first round, as did Spanish clay court star Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, who lost to 6th seed Li Na. Wild card Arantxa Parra Santonja upset 13th seed Andrea Petkovic in the second round, and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova upset 11th seed Marion Bartoli.

Petra Kvitova will take on 2nd seed Vera Zvonareva on Wednesday. Up next for top seed Caroline Wozniacki will be the winner of the Safina-Goerges match.

In doubles, 4th seeds Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond were defeated by Casey Dellacqua and Rennae Stubbs, who makes an occasional appearance in tournaments, despite her "retirement" from pro tennis. Also, 3rd seeds Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova defeated wild cards Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva in the second round.

Medina Garrigues and Vinci win titles

Anabel Medina Garrigues won her tenth WTA title today in Estoril. Medina Garrigues defeated Kristina Barrois 6-1, 6-2 in the final. Nine of the Spaniard's titles have come on clay. Medina Garrigues recently overcame a losing streak comprised of ten consecutive first round losses.

Alisa Kleybanova and Galina Voskoboeva won the Estoril doubles championship. They defeated Elena Daniilidou and Michaela Krajicek 6-4, 6-2 in the final.

Roberta Vinci won her fourth title today when she defeated Lucie Hradecka 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. Vinci was the champion in 2009, and the runner-up in 2010.

The doubles title went to the top seeds, Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova. They defeated Natalie Grandin and Vladirimira Uhlirova 5-7, 6-4, 11-9. Benesova and Zahlavova Strycova have won eleven titles together. 

Kleybanova out of Estoril in quarterfinals

Top seed Alisa Kleybanova was upset today in Estroril by Kristina Barrois, who defeated Kleybanova 6-4, 6-2. 2nd seed Jarmila Gajdosova was defeated by 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 by Monica Niculescu, and 3rd seed Klara Zakopalova was defeated 6-3, 7-5 by Anabel Medina Garrigues. Also advancing to the semifinals was Johanna Larsson, who defeated Alla Kudryavtseva 6-2, 7-5.

In the meantime, Kleybanova and her doubles partner, Galina Voskoboeva, have reached the final of the doubles competition.They defeated the 2nd seeds, Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears.

In Barcelona, Roberta Vinci, Sara Errani and Lucie Hradecka all made it to the semifinals today.

Brianti wins Fes title

Alberta Brianti won the championship in Fes today. Unseeded, Brianti defeated 7th seed Simona Halep 6-4, 6-3 in a fnal that was interrupted by rain. Halep was also the runner-up last year.

The doubles title went to top seeds Andrea Hlavackova and Renata Voracova, who defeated Nina Bratchikova and Sandra Klemenschits 6-3, 6-4.

Brianti received a walkover in the semifinals when her opponent, Dinara Safina, had to withdraw because of illness. The Italian player is currently ranked number 94 in the world. This is her first WTA title.

Goerges wins Stuttgart championship

The German fans in Stuttgart got to see two of their countrywomen pick up trophies and bouquets today at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. German wild card Sabine Lisicki and her partner, Sam Stosur, won the doubles championsip when they defeated the all-German team of Kristina Barrois and Jasmin Woehr 6-1, 7-6.

Julia Goerges got more than a trophy and flowers. She not only won her first premier WTA event, but she did it by defeating the world number 1. She was given a shiny silveer Porsche, too, which she drove across the court after her 7-5, 6-3 victory.

Goerges has played great tennis all week. She took out Lisicki in the quarterfinals, and 5th seed Stosur in the semifinals. (She was also the recipient of a second round retirement from the ever-fragile Victoria Azarenka.) The match against Stosur was an especially good one, and Goerges had to push herself both mentally and physically to overcome the 5th seed. Today, playing in the biggest match of her career, she kept a cool head, served extremely well, and forced errors from Caroline Wozniacki by repeatedly throwing the Dane off of her rhythm and targeting the Wozniacki forehand.

The unseeded German won 72% of her first serve points, and 65% of her second serve points (she also won 72% of her first serve points against Stosur, and 68% against Lisicki); she hit 38 winners to 29 unforced errors. Strong on both sides, Goerges was aggressive throughout both sets, and wasn't afraid to go to the net to finish points.

The Stuttgart tournament is played indoors, so we will all be watching Goerges to see if she can maintain her progress outdoors on red clay. In Charleston, the clay surface is faster than it is in Europe, and Goerges ran hot and cold on it. Her forehand was in top form at the Family Circle Cup, but she also experienced what appeared to be mental lapses during some of her games. On the other hand, Charleston is the first tournament of the clay season, and it isn't unusual to see players struggle to make the adjustment from hard courts.

Goerges won the Bad Gastein title in 2009, and she is now 2-1 in finals. Wozniacki has yet to win a title on red clay. The world number 1, however, owns 16 titles, including the 2011 green clay event in Charleston. Goerges is the the second German to win in Stuttgart. Anke Huber won the tournament on an indoor hard court in 1991 and 1994.

Goerges and Wozniacki to meet in Stuttgart final

The home crowd in Stuttgart has something big to cheer for this year: Julia Goerges, who is unseeded, upset 5th seed Sam Stosur today in the semifinals. Goerges defeated Stosur 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in a very well-played contest between two forehand-favoring players. The Goerges forehand, with its elaborate preparation, works well on clay, and Goerges moved expertly throughout the match.

Goerges will have plenty to do in the final. Her opponent is world number 1 Caroline Wozniacki, who defeated her friend Agnieszka Radwanska 7-5, 6-3 in the semifinals. Radwanska's serve was the best I have ever seen it, and I thought the match was going to three sets. Radwanska saved six match points, which added some excitement to the latter part of the match.

Stosur, by the way, is still in the doubles competition. She and Sabine Lisicki won their semifinal match against Vitalia Diatchenka and Mariya Koryttseva. In the final, they will play Kristina Barrois and Jasmin Woehr, who defeated Kathrin Woerle and Katalin Marosi. Lisicki and Stosur are wild cards; Barrois and Woehr are unseeded.

Stosur goes to first semifinal of the season in Stuttgart

The phrases "Vera Zvonareva" and "broken racquet" go together in the lexicon of women's professional tennis, but today in Stuttgart, it was a case of Vera Zvonareva and broken strings. The 2nd seed's strings broke repeatedly, sometimes more than once during a game. At one point, she had to use her coach's racquet. And for the sixth time in a row, Stosur beat her. The 5th seed--who is again showing signs that clay is the surface on which she is most comfortable--won 2-6, 6-3, 7-6, and will play Julia Goerges in the semifinals.

Goerges, who is the last German standing, broke countrywoman Sabine Lisicki at 4-all in both the first and second set, and walked away with a 6-4, 6-4 win. She and Andrea Petkovic lost in the doubles quarterfinals, however. They were defeated in straight sets by wild cards Stosur and Licsicki.

A lot of people probably expected Andrea Petkovic to be the last German standing. On paper, she should be. The "old Petkovic" used to choke away leads, and--just when we thought she had been banished--she showed up today in Stuttgart. Petkovic was up 4-1, 40-0 in the first set, and somehow managed to lose it 4-6. After that, top seed Caroline Wozniacki simply took over; Petkovic won one game in the second set.

Wozniacki's opponent in the semifinals will be Agnieszka Radwanska. I really wanted to watch Radwanska's match against Kristina Barrois because I so enjoy both of their games. In the middle of the first set, though, I had to leave. Radwanska won, 7-5, 6-3.