Josie Kuhlman wins SMASH Junior Cup, gets Charleston qualifying wild card

15-year-old Josie Kuhlman of Ponte Vedre Beach, Florida has been awarded a wild card into the qualifying rounds of the 2011 Family Circle Cup. Kuhlman, who was unseeded at the SMASH Junior Cup at the Family Circle Tennis Center , defeated 5th seed Leyla Erkan 6-1, 6-3 in the final on Tuesday. Kuhlman did not even find out about the tournament until the last minute, and thought she had waited too late to register. She lost 15 games in six matches, and now she will play in her first professional event. Kuhlman was given a wild card into last year's Ponte Vedre Beach event, but an injury caused her to withdraw.

The SMASH Junior Cup, presented by Dunlop Sports, is one of only two tournaments in the U.S. in which players compete for a wild card into a WTA Tour Premier event. Last year's winner was Shelby Rogers, who lost in three sets to Christina McHale in the first round of qualifying. Rogers, who is from Daniel Island, also played in an exhibition match, and enjoyed a lot of fan support.

Past SMASH Junior Cup winners include Mallory Cecil and Alison Riske.

Dunlop Sports also sponsors the annual Club Doubles Championship, which will be held during the Charleston tournament. This year, for the first time, there will be preliminary tournaments in eight cities.The Club Doubles Championship is a mixed doubles event.

Mestach wins two Australian Open juniors girls titles

16-year-old An-Sophie Mestach of Belgium won both the junior girls singles and doubles titles today at the Australian Open. In singles, 2nd seed Mestach, who is ranked 5th in the world in juniors, defeated 5th seed Monica Puig 6-4, 6-4.

In the doubles championship match, Mestach and her partner, Demi Schuurs, defeated Eri Hozumi and Miyu Kato 6-2, 6-3. The champions were seeded 6th at the tournament. Mestach and Silvia Njric reached the final of the U.S. Open junior girls doubles competition last year, but had to give their opponents a walkover.

Radwanska and Peng--together again as you always wanted to see them

Agnieszka Radwanska and Peng Shuai are incapable of stepping onto a tennis court together and quickly getting off. Every time they play one another, it's a knock-down, drag-out affair, with no shortage of entertainment for spectators. Old habits die hard: You can expect Peng to work extra hard to overcome her lack of a strong serve, you can expect Radwanska to have a very poor second serve, and you can look for Peng to most likely let match points slip by.

That was the case in the Australian Open round of 16 match which Radwanska won 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, but only after two hours and 44 minutes of tough, and often frustrating, competition. Radwanska, who became error-prone and passive in the second set, went up 3-1, 40-0 in the third. There was a questionable line call, and maybe that threw her off her rhythm, or maybe it was just inevitable that she and Peng drag the set out as long as possible. At any rate, Radwanska was broken in that game. Peng served for the match at 5-4, and Radwanska saved two match points. Finally, Radwanska won, on her second match point.

Radwanska wasn't even supposed to be in Melbourne. After having surgery in October for a stress fracture in her foot, she was told she could return to the tour in March, and that there was a one per cent chance she could play in the Australian Open. The straight-faced player from Poland provided the biggest laugh of the first week (and probably of the tournament) in an earlier round, when her racquet head flew off in the middle of a rally. After her fourth round match against Peng, Radwanska can probably be declared an official safety hazard: During the match, she hit a return which smacked a ballboy right in the head. Radwanska stopped play, checked on the ballboy, and shook his hand. Apparently, there was no real harm done.

Other round of 16 matches weren't as eventful, but they were certainly worth watching. 2nd seed Vera Zvonareva gradually worked her way into her match against Iveta Benesova, and eventually built up enough momentum to completely dominate the Czech player. Benesova, who had taken out two other Russian seeds, lost control of her serve, most likely because she was done in by the occasion. Zvonareva defeated her 6-4, 6-1.

And then there was Petra Kvitova, who defeated Flavia Pennetta 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Pennetta served extremely well in the first set, and looked as though she might make short work of the rising Czech player. But in the second set, Pennetta did not serve as well, and Kvitova's confidence shot up. The longer they played, the more deadly Kvitova's shot-making became, and she wore Pennetta down. Kvitova made 43 unforced errors, compared with Pennetta's 33. However, she also hit 46 winners, compared with Pennetta's 16. (You might call her the anti-Woz.)

A notable upset occurred in the junior girls' competition on Monday. Kanami Tsuji of Japan defeated top seed Daria Gavrilova 6-4, 6-3. Gavrilova won the U.S. Open in juniors, and also won a gold medal at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games.

Gavrilova wins U.S. Open junior girls championship

Daria Gavrilova, the top seed, won the U.S. Open junior girls' title today, defeating the unseeded Yulia Putintseva 6-3, 6-2. Both Gavrilova and Putintseva are from Russia.

Vergeer and Walraven win U.S. Open women's wheelchair doubles championship

2nd seeds Esther Vergeer and Sharon Walraven won the women's wheelchair doubles championship at the U.S. Open today. Vergeer and Walraven defeated Daniela Di Toro and Aniek Van Koot, the top seeds, 6-3, 6-3.

Vergeer, the top seed, will play Di Toro in the singles final.

In junior girls' competition, top seed Daria Gavrilova defeated 15th seed Sloane Stephens 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 in the semifinals. In the other semifinal, Yulia Putintseva defeated On Jabeur 6-4, 6-3. Both Gavrilova and Putintseva are from Russia.

In junior girls' doubles, Timea Babos and Sloane Stephens, the 3rd seeds, won the championship when they were given a walkover by An-Sophie Mestach and Silvia Njric.

Robson out of U.S. Open junior draw in 3rd round

Laura Robson, whose decision to not play in juniors somehow never come to pass, lost in the third round of the U.S. Open junior girls' competition today. Robson, seeded 8th, was defeated by the USA's Robin Anderson. Also going out was 4th seed Elina Svitolina, 6-4, 6-0. Stephens is seeded 15th.

Karolina Pliskova advanced to the quarterfinals. Her sister, Kristyna, lost in the second round.

Babos & Stephens win Wimbledon junior girls doubles championship

The 4th-seeded team of Timea Babos and Sloane Stephens won the junior girls Wimbledon doubles championship today. They defeated top seeds Irina Khromacheva and Elina Svitolina 6-7, 6-2, 6-2. Babos is from Hungary, and Stephens is from the USA. They also won the junior girls French Open doubles championship.

Pliskova wins junior Wimbledon championship

When Sachie Ishizu went up 4-2 in the third set in today's junior girls Wimbledon championship, her chances to win looked good. She was broken back, however, then Krystina Pliskova broke her again and served successfully for the championship 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. Pliskova was seeded 9th at the tournament, and Ishizu was seeded 10th.

Kriystina's twin, Karolina, won the junior girls Australian Open championship. Krystina, who plays left-handed, won the Wimbledon warmup tournament in Roehampton, and is now on an eleven-match winning streak on grass.

Robson defeated in semifinals

8th seed Laura Robson lost her semifinal match in Wimbledon junor competition today. She was defeated 7-5, 7-6by 10th seed Sachie Ishizu. Ishizu's opponent in the final will be 9th seed Krystina Pliskova, who defeated Yulia Putintseva 6-1, 6-4. Robson won the event in 2008.

In the doubles quarterfinals, the 2nd-seeded Pliskova sisters were upset by 5th seeds Veronica Cepede Royg and Cristina Dinu.

Wimbledon junior competition 2nd round news

Grace Min, the U.S. player who took out the top junior seed in the first round, advanced to the third round today at Wimbledon. Min defeated Polina Pekhova 7-5, 7-5. 8th seed Laura Robson also advanced, as did Sloane Stephens, who defeated the 16th seed. 4th seed Karolina Pliskova was upset by Nigina Abduraimova.

Svitolina wins French Open junior girls title

Elina Svitolina of Ukraine has won the 2010 French Open juniors girls championship. Earlier today, Svitolina defeated Ons Jabeur of Tunisia 6-2, 7-5. Neither player was seeded.

Babos & Stephens win French Open junior doubles title

Timea Babos and Sloane Stephens have won the junior girls French Open championship. 5th-seeded Babos and Stephens defeated the Spanish team of Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino and Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor 6-2, 6-3. Babos is from Hungary, and Stephens is from the USA.

Miscellaneous

Chelsey Gullickson, sister of Carly, has won the 2010 NCAA women's singles championship. Gullickson, a sophomore at the University of Georgia, is the third woman from her school to win the title.

Martina Navratilova, with partner Jana Novotna, is into the second round of the French Open's Women's Legends doubles competition. Navratilova and Novotna defeated Mary Joe Fernandez and Conchita Martinez. Navratilova is also working as a commentator for Tennis Channel, and--in her spare time--receiving breast cancer radiation treatment in Paris. Also winning their first round were Iva Majoli and and Nathalie Tauziet, who defeated Gigi Fernandez and Natasha Zvereva.

Anna-Lena Groenefeld says that her goal is to be able to play at Wimbledon.

Saying that women who manage homes and take care of children "don't work" is a common insult made to thousands of women; it's a shame that it's repeated by Chris Evert in the June issue of Tennis. Evert is at least "fair" in her put-downs, though. In the same article in which she says that a lot of women in the 70s "didn't work," she goes on to take a sideways swipe at women who do work outside the home and utilize the tennis club as "something to occupy a child's time." Fathers, of course, get a pass. I have complained in the past about this magazine's ongoing (sometimes really nasty) sexist content, as well as content that has been both homophobic and ageist (the latter in an issue "dedicated" to older people). Publisher Evert needs to do some clean-up, starting with herself, and outgoing editor-in-chief James Martin also bears some of the responsibility. (For those who may be wondering: The magazine arrives in our mailbox because of a USTA membership; I would not otherwise spend my money on it.)

When the new rankings come out, Serena and Venus Williams will be ranked number 1 in doubles.

Top junior girls seed Monica Puig is out of the French Open in the quarterfinals. Puig was defeated 6-0, 3-6, 6-3 by Silvia Njiric.

Both Pliskova sisters out in first round of French Open junior competition

Karolina Pliskova, who won the Australian Open junior girls title in January, went out today in the first round of French Open junior play. Pliskova, seeded 2nd, was defeated 6-3, 6-1 by the unseeded Morgane Pons of France. Pliskova's sister Krystina--an Australian Open semifinalist--was seeded 8th, and was defeated 7-6, 6-2 by Danka Kovinic.

Shelby Rogers wins SMASH Junior Cup

Charleston resident Shelby Rogers has won the SMASH Junior Cup. The tournament is one of only two in the U.S. that gives top juniors a chance to compete for a wild card into a Sony Ericsson WTA Tour premiere event. Rogers defeated Emily Gelber of Scarsdale, New York, 6-1, 6-2. For her win, she has received a wild card into the Family Circle Cup qualifying rounds.

Rogers is a resident of Daniel Island, where the Family Circle Cup is played. Qualifying takes place on April 8 and 9.

Karolina Pliskova wins Australian Open junior girls championship

For the second time in two years, Laura Robson is the junior girls Australian Open finalist. Robson was defeated 6-1, 7-6 by Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in a match that went terribly wrong for Robson at the end.

After winning the first set handily, Pliskova went up a break immediately in the second set. But when she served for the match at 5-4, Robson broke her. Robson then held at love, and the momentum of the match appeared to have turned dramatically. She was unable to break Pliskova, however, so the match went into a tiebreak.

Robson got a mini-break right away and went up 4-1, but Pliskova eventually got the score even at 4-all. When Robson committed her second double-fault of the match, Pliskova went up 6-4. Robson saved a match point with a down-the-line winner, but then double-faulted again on the second match point.

Robson defeated Pliskova's twin, Kristyna, in the semifinals.

The new junior champion, who was seeded 6th at the tournament, hit thirteen aces in the final.

Robson goes to Australian Open junior girls final

Laura Robson defeated Kristyna Pliskova 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals of junior competition in Melburne yesterday. Robson will play Pliskova's twin, the 6th-seeded Karolina, in the final. Karolina Pliskova ended the run of Tang Hao Chen by defeating her 2-6, 7-6, 6-2.

Babos upset in Australian Open quarterfinals

The top Australian Open junior girls seed, Timea Babos, was upset today by Kristyna Pliskova. The unseeded Pliskova defeated Babos 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.

Ester Goldfield took only one game off of 2008 junior girls Wimbledon champion Laura Robson, and Kristyna Pliskova's twin, Karolina Pliskova, defeated Daria Gavrilova. Also, Tang Hao Chen continued her impressive run with a win over 5th seed Silvia Njiric.

The Pliskova twins are in different halves of the draw, and could therefore play one another in the final.

Robson advances to the quarterfinals

Laura Robson defeated Cristina Dinu 6-3, 6-3 today in the third round of Australian Open junior competition. Robson's next opponent will be Ester Goldfield.

Tang Hao Chen, who upset 2nd seed Heather Watson in the first round, also advanced to the quarterfinals when her opponent, Yana Buchina, retired.

Australian Open miscellany

U.S. Open junior champion Heather Watson, seeded 2nd in junior girls' competition in Melbourne, was upset today in the first round by Tang Hao Chen, 6-1, 4-6, 6-1. Watson, by the way, is one of five finalists (there were 303 nominations) who could win the Sportingbet Sports Personality of the Year award.

Justine Henin has now won 500 career matches.

Laura Robson and Sally Peers have made it to the quarterfinals, after defeating Vera Dushevina and Anastasia Rodionova in straight sets. Robson turned 16 on January 21.

Yanina Wickmayer, who struggled with back pain in her third round match, has withdrawn from doubles competition.

U.S. Open mixed doubles champion Carly Gullickson and her Australian Open partner, Bernie Tomic, have gone out in the first round. They were defeated today by Agkul Amanmuradova and Rik De Voest.