Patty Schnyder retires

Many years ago, I was in a hotel room--I don't recall where--watching one of the majors. I think it was the U.S. Open. Suddenly, on the television screen, I saw a curly-haired young woman with a looping, lefty forehand. She put a lot of spin on the ball, and her body itself moved in a somewhat looping fashion. She was different from any other tennis player I'd ever seen, and I must have become an instant fan.

Later I would learn about the Schnyder drop shot, and I would watch the unconventionally athletic Swiss player slide vertically on clay from the baseline to the net. When she was good, she was confoundingly good, and when she was off, it was generally because of what was going on inside her head.

Patty Schnyder retired from professional tennis today. For some time now, I've wondered what it would feel like to write that sentence: It feels terrible.  Certainly, it was time for her to leave the tour; her results have not been that good for a while, despite an occasional return to form in this or that tournament. But from the standpoint of a fan, no time is a good time for a favorite player to leave the sport.

When I think of Patty, I think not only of her unusual and clever (the sports media wore out the word "crafty" in describing her) game, but also of her long history of serving as a representative of the WTA at draw ceremonies, hospital visits, children's clinics, and multiple meet-and-greet sessions. Schnyder clearly enjoyed every aspect of being on the tour, and she spent a lot of time with her fans.

She could be amusing. During a doubles match, I once saw her run to the net post and prop herself against it, arms crossed, waiting for a moonball to land. In that same match, she dragged Corina Morariu by the shirt collar, all the way to the baseline, to prevent her from engaging in a futile argument with the umpire. My funniest memory of Patty, though, was the time she was having difficulty in a match, her coach was nowhere to be seen, so--for an entire set--she yelled at me instead (she won, too).


The name Patty Schnyder will forever be linked to Charleston, where she had rock star status. Charleston fans were so enthusiastic about Schnyder that, in 2010, when Caroline Wozniacki defeated her in the third round, the famous Danish player was greeted by brief, lukewarm applause, only to hear the crowd go wild when Schnyder left the court.

In 2002 at the Family Circle Cup, an unseeded Schnyder defeated Amelie Mauresmo, Mary Pierce, Serena Williams, and top seed Jennifer Capriati in what remains her most remarkable run in a tournament. Unfortunately, she lost to Iva Majoli (also unseeded) in the final. In 2006, Schnyder had another great run in Charleston, defeating top seed Justine Henin in the semifinals. Once again, though, she lost in the final, this time to Nadia Petrova.

Schnyder, a 17-year veteran of the tour, played in Charleston for 15 consecutive years. This year was her last, and a farewell ceremony took place during the tournament. The Swiss player, obviously moved by the crowd's feelings for her, said that she has never been one to use phrases like "nothing is impossible," but sometimes, in Charleston, that was the way it felt for her.

On many occasions, when discussing her career, Schnyder stated that she simply didn't have the power to compete against some of the top players. And I have always taken the liberty of disagreeing somewhat with that statement. Though she may have been blown off the court from time to time, Schnyder's problem in so many big matches--including finals and matches she played in majors--was in her head. She did acknowledge having trouble dealing with her emotions on the court, and often--just when she was close to a win--she would make unforced errors.

No discussion of Patty Schnyder's career would be complete without mentioning Daniela Hantuchova. Schnyder and Hantuchova participated in the richest rivalry of the last several years, though tennis writers and commentators routinely ignored it. Hantuchova once said that she would rather play anyone than Schnyder. They played each other 19 times, and Schnyder won nine of those matches.

This year's French Open marked Patty Schnyder's 59th appearance in a major tournament. She reached the semifinals of the 2004 Australian Open, and was a six-time quarterfinalist in majors. Schnyder won eleven WTA singles titles and five doubles titles. A long-time  member of the WTA Players' Council, the Swiss player rose to a career-high ranking of number 7 in the world, and she was in the top 10 for 94 weeks. She also represented Switzerland in the Olympic Games on three occasions, and played in 37 Fed Cup ties. This year, her last to participate in Fed Cup, the Swiss star won both of her matches.

"It's overwhelming feelings, and I'm going to need some time," the 32-year-old Schnyder said of her decision to leave pro tennis, which she called "a very emotional" one. Schnyder said she was "...thankful and proud of all the moments I have been able to share on and off the court with fans from all over the world and with the champions and legends from many decades."

There are so many things I'll miss about Patty--her inimitable tennis style, her intellect, her humor, and her sense of realism about both herself and the game. There will never be another like her.

Schnyder gives Serena a Roman holiday

The feature second round match between Patty Schnyder and Serena Williams began late at night in Rome because there was so much rain there today. The court was damp and cold, conditions that Schnyder strongly dislikes. I saw part of the first set and thought Patty looked pretty good. I left my office, and by the time I got home, Patty had won that set, 6-2.

Then I started having more trouble with Tennis TV (what else is new?) and missed the beginning of the second set. When I did tune in, the conditions had become colder and damper, but Schnyder persevered. Williams, however, raised the level of her game and took the second set, 6-2.

As readers of this blog know, I consider Patty Schnyder to be the biggest under-achiever on the tour. She can do so many things--serve, return, move--so well, yet she is inconsistent about doing them--and especially about serving well. There was a time when she had that big looping forehand as a major strength, but not much of a backhand. In the past few years--late in her career--she has developed a much better backhand, and it was on display in today's match.

Commentators rarely mention Schnyder without using the word "crafty," and--though there is more to her tennis than craftiness--it is true that Patty's looping and dropping and spinning are major factors in her game. She said, in an interview last year, that she cannot compete with so-called power players, but she can, at least some of the time. (If you are a Schnyder fan, you are still hurting over that French Open match against Sharapova.) What Patty often lacks is confidence, and it seems to have been especially lacking lately.

In the third set of tonight's match, Schnyder saw the second seed lose her confidence, and she exploited that reality. She went up 5-0, then--after five deuces--Williams held to win her first game of the set. Schnyder then served for the match, and went down 15-40. The game went to deuce, and Schnyder saved a break point with a wide-out serve. There was another deuce and another break point, followed by a body serve, which gave Schnyder a match point. Williams saved that, and got a third break point, which Schnyder saved, and then--on her second match point--she won the match.

Schnyder's shot-making made the clay seem soft and sticky for Williams, who just couldn't get to the ball, and when she did get to it, she made errors. Schnyder wound up with a 71 first serve win percentage, and a 42 second serve win percentage. She also hit seven aces. She is always capable of serving that well, but many times--like in Charleston recently--it just doesn't happen.

This is the Patty we love to watch--the one who knows how good she is. She is now 3-0 against Williams on clay, though she is 4-8 against her overall. Her next opponent will be Kaia Kanepi, who defeated Sybille Bammer today.

Schnyder exits in dramatic round of 16 match

Swiss star Patty Schnyder served for the match three times today against Maria Sharapova, but could not win it


The only time Patty Schnyder had ever beat Maria Sharapova was on clay in Rome in 2005. With Schnyder playing extremely well lately and Sharapova still with a bad shoulder inhibiting her serve, there was every reason to think that Schnyder would prevail in their round of 16 match today at the French Open.

And prevail she did in the first set, taking easy advantage of Sharapova's vunlnerability on clay courts, and winning it 6-3. Sharavpova stepped it up in the second set, though, and took it 6-3, also.

The third set is one for the books. At all of the Grand Slams except for the U.S. Open, there is no third set tiebreak (or fifth set tiebreak, for the men)--players simply keep playing until someone wins by two games. When, after thirteen games had been played and there had been nine breaks of serve, it was hard to keep watching. On the one hand, the longer it went, the worse Sharapova would feel physically, but it was also more likely that Schnyder, a head case from way back, would start to fold.

Patty Schnyder is one of my very favorite players on the tour, but it isn't easy, being her fan. Some people say that she has not advanced more in her career because she is not a power player. And while it is true that she is not a power player, she has become very physically fit, is stronger than she looks, and is serving at between 114 and 120 mph. consistently. Some say she has not advanced farther because she does not have enough weapons. Again, I disagree. Schnyder is a lefty, which gives her an advantage, both her first and second serves are good, she has extremely good court sense (a fact Radio Roland Garros commentator Sandra Harwitt does not know, for some reason), she possesses a large variety of shots, and her forehand can be lethal. I confess to not being a tennis expert, but I have been watching tennis for a long, long time, and I do not think that Schnyder is short on weapons, despite the fact that she would, of course, be vulnerable to big power players like Serena Williams, and super-athletes like Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Schnyder's game is not very good on grass, and it is especially good on clay because of her tendency to loop, lob and slice the ball. Her backhand has always been her weakness, but most top players have weaknesses. Schnyder's problem is that she does not have a true winner's mentality. Last year in Charleston, when she was interviewed after a night match, she came right out and said "I have trouble with my feellings, my emotions."

It is a pity that a clay court player of Schynder's superiority has gotten to the quarterfinals of the French Open only once in her career, and it is a pity that--as many times as she has been a Tier I tournament finalist--she does not have a long string of Tier I wins.

Today, Schnyder served for the match three times (once at 5-4) and could not close. At the end, when she was down 7-8, she went up 40-15, and I breathed a sigh of relief. But she was quickly broken by Sharapova, and it was over.

Sharapova applauded Schnyder when she left the court, and indeed, both women played their hearts out. I take nothing away from Sharapova, who is a fighter to the last point. But really, this was Schnyder's match to lose, and lose it she did. The Swiss star is twenty-eight years old; to think of what she could have done is heartbreaking for me, and probably for all of her fans.

Patty Schnyder--Charleston's favorite--enters Family Circle Cup

Two-time finalist and perennial crowd favorite on Daniel Island, Patty Schnyder has officially entered the 2008 Family Circle Cup. The 35th anniversary Charleston event will mark Schnyder's twelfth consecutive appearance in a tournament she loves...and that loves her.

In 2002, Schnyder was unseeded, and had a stunning run, working her way through the draw from hell: number 6 seed Amelie Mauresmo, Mary Pierce, number 3 seed Serena Williams, and number 1 seed and defending champion Jennifer Capriati. She then lost a close final, 7-5, 6-4, to Iva Majoli, who was also unseeded. I imagine that this was the toughest loss of Schnyder's career.

In her 2006 semifinal, Schnyder defeated Justine Henin for the first time in her career, but lost to Nadia Petrova in the final. Last year, a change of weather threw Schnyder off her game, and she lost to Peng Shuai in the second round. She stuck around to play doubles with Corina Morariu, but the fans were clearly disappointed.

Patty Schnyder really shines in Charleston, and her many fans, myself included, can't wait to see her on the green clay again.

Shnyder out of Charleston in 1st round

Patty Schnyder played in her 15th consecutive Family Circle Cup today, and--to the disappointment of a very partisan crowd (Charleston loves Patty)--she went out. Chanelle Scheepers, who lost to Schnyder in the first round last year, defeated the 13th seed 6-4, 6-4. Schnyder looked a bit flat, and when she went down 1-4 in the second round, it looked like Scheepers might run away with the match. But some switch got turned on in Schnyder, who then proceeded to delight fans with her signature drop shots, lobs and spins. Her serve got better, too. I thought we were going to a third set, but Scheepers was able to close it in the second.

If you've never been to the Family Circle Cup, then it may be hard to appreciate how wild the crowd goes for Schnyder. Last year, there was quick, polite applause for Caroline Wozniacki when she beat Schnyder, then the crowd broke out in yells when Schnyder made her exit. Today was sad. Schynder is still around for doubles, but this was, she said, her last ever Charleston singles match. For Charleston, it is definitely the end of an era, and the Family Circle Cup just won't be the same without her.

Patty Schnyder was a finalist in Charleston in 2002, but lost in the final to Iva Majoli; both were unseeded. Before she reached the final, Schnyder had a remarkable run in which she defeated Amelie Mauresmo, Mary Pierce, Serena Williams, and Jennifer Capriati. In 2006, after upsetting Justine Henin in the semifinals, Schnyder lost the championship match to Nadia Petrova.

Schnyder vaults Pole out of Charleston

A skillful Patty Schnyder took Agnieszka Radwanska out of the Family Circle Cup tonight

Agnieszka Radwanska, searching for an answer--any answer--to the puzzle created for her by Patty Schnyder, threw so many defensive lobs in her round of 16 match in Charleston tonight, I grew tired of looking up. They were good defensive lobs, but all they did was buy the young Polish star some time. Looping backhands, sneaky approach shots, tricky drop volleys, constant change-ups--Schnyder opened a whole can of clay court whoopass on Radwanska, and left her just a beat behind for most of the match.

Schnyder had a lot of trouble getting her first serve in, but when she got it in, it was almost always successful. The Schnyder second serve is generally reliable, and tonight was no exception. Radwanska has been very impressive in Charleston, beating an extremely in-form Marta Domachowska and an aggressive Edina Gallovits. But Schnyder would not let her have any kind of rhythm, thus keeping her from winning points with the deadly groundstrokes she has delivered all week.

Schnyder was broken once in the first set, and she broke Radwanska twice. Radwanska began the second set with a 2-0 lead, but after that, it was all Schnyder, who won six games in a row. Schnyder def. Radwanska, 6-3, 6-2

Schnyder gets off to slow start, but prevails in Charleston 1st round

Patty Schnyder, a huge crowd favorite in Charleston and this year's 16th seed, was sluggish and error-prone in her opening set against qualifier Chanelle Scheepers today. The pair exchanged breaks at the beginning of the first set. At 3-all, the student schooled the teacher: Scheepers broke Schnyder by finishing the seventh game with a well-placed drop shot. Scheepers took that set 6-2, and--given the number of errors Schnyder was making--things didn't look too good for the Swiss veteran.

But when the second set began, the backwards-rearing, forehand-looping Patty--the real Patty--appeared on the court. Scheepers continued to play well, but Schnyder--who later remarked that crowd expectations in Charleston tend to make her first rounds here difficult--hit with much more authority after the first set. The last two sets were well-played by both opponents, but Schnyder's play was cleaner, and she was able to take control of more of the rallies. The crowd's support, which was loud and continuous, was a real boost, Schnyder said.

"I'm pretty much done, I think," the 16th seed responded to a question about where she is in her career. Schnyder said she now gets a bit tired part of the year, and it's harder for her to play in tournaments in which she doesn't feel at home. The Family Circle Cup is, of course, where she feels most at home. Even talking with fans during her practice sessions makes her work harder and longer while she is here, Schnyder said.

Next for Schnyder is Michelle Larcher De Brito. They played each other earlier this year in Fed Cup, on an indoor hard court. "She's hitting the ball and she's really trying to hit winners, but she came up with some good angles," Schnyder recalls. "We had some good rallies. I remember she had some double faults as well...."

Charleston says goodbye to Patty Schnyder

Tonight, after the featured doubles match was played at the Family Circle Cup, there was a brief ceremony to honor Patty Schnyder, a huge Charleston favorite who has played in the tournament for fifteen consecutive years. This is Schnyder's final year in Charleston, where she was twice a singles finalist and was also a doubles finalist. Schnyder is so popular in Charleston, it's hard to imagine the tournament without her. The crowds always go wild with enthusiasm for her, and her rock star status at the Family Circle Cup is one of those things that makes the tournament unique. It's certainly hard for me to accept the reality that Patty won't be here anymore, and the ceremony was quite sad for me. Schnyder received roses and a piece of customized tournament art, and she gave a touching farewell speech.

Schnyder and Daniel Island native Shelby Rogers played in the preceding doubles match, which was highly entertaining and very close. Schnyder and Rogers were defeated 6-4, 7-6, 10-6 by Alla Kudryavtseva and Anastasia Rodionova.

Family Circle Cup day 3--all kinds of heat

Patty Schnyder is through to the round of 16

One of the Charleston-style sofas used for players during matches

It was so hot today, at least for me, that my heat allergy kicked in and I was miserable part of the time. I was so miserable, in fact, that I had to get a cool pack to put on my eyes. The tennis was great, however, starting with a match between Patty Schnyder and Olga Govortsova. Schnyder was out of sorts, not getting her serve in, and making too many errors. At one point in the match, she became frustrated, and looked over at us with a "What the hell am I doing?" look. A bit later, she looked over and let out a few words we didn't understand, but we got the message. It turned out fine, though, with Schnyder winning, 7-6, 6-0. Obviously, she found her game in the second set. We are used to seeing Patty play in the main stadium, and this was the first time we have ever hung our Patty banner on the fence in the Althea Gibson Club Court.

When Schnyder was practicing Monday, I saw her point out something about her hip and lower back to her physio. Today, I noticed she was not using her very effective kick serve, and I am now suspicious that something may be going on physically.

I saw almost all of the match between Alize Cornet and Sara Errani. The quality was good, though it was far from the most exciting match I've seen. A big issue in this match was the line calling, which was all over the place. Cornet has a bit of a temper, which was on display several times during this grueling contest. The two players were well-matched, though Cornet was the better server, and she won, 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.

For thrills, the match to watch was the one between Agnieszka Radwanska and Edina Gallovits. I saw the first few games, then left. When I returned, the players were in a first set tiebreak, which Gallovits won. Gallovits then became a nervous bundle of errors, easily gave up the second set, then disappeared from the court. When she returned, she was a different player, serving up a storm, hitting beautiful drop volleys, and generally making life difficult for Radwanska. In the end, though, Radwanska played the big points better and eeked out a victory, 6-7, 6-2, 7-5.

I also watched Kveta Peschke and Rennae Stubbs for a while, and had photos signed by both Stubbs and Schnyder. And I caught Bud Collins' interview with Jelena Jankovic after her victory over Alex Stevenson. This evening, we watched Maria Sharapova do some warm-up excercises, then we had dinner, and returned to watch her serve two bagels to Bethanie Mattek. Not to worry, though: Mattek returned in half and hour, and--with partner Vladimira Uhlirova--won the featured doubles match against Lourdes Dominguez Lino and Sara Errani, 6-1, 3-6, 10-3.

A breakfast with Bud Collins and some of the past champions was scheduled for Thursday, but it has been postponed until Saturday. I hope this does not mean that none of the past champions will arrive early; we were expecting some of them to come tomorrow.

Tennis outfit of the day: Though it may surprise many--Bethanie Mattek, at least for her doubles match attire. Mattek had on a black pleated skirt, black capri tights and a black top with thin straps. For her doubles match, however, she kept her warm-up top on--black, with one 3/4 length sleeve, one long sleeve with a white cuff, and some kind of silver design embossed on the upper left sleeve. The effect was striking, and she looked good.

Bottom half of quarterfinals set

Patty Schynder played outstanding tennis to get to the quarterfinals of the French Open

A talented Spaniard got a chance to show people how good she is; a sniffling, aching contender did it the hard way; a clay master showed her absolute best stuff; and a top contender skipped the croissants and served bagels for brunch.

Carla Suarez Navarro, a player most people have never heard of, is very at home on clay, and today, she took another clay specialist--Flavia Pennetta--out of the French Open. This is a match I really wanted to see, but alas, I was not prepared to rise at 4 a.m., so I missed it. The stats indicate that Suarez Navarro's serve was very much on, and that she was quite successful at the net.

Jelena Jankovic has had trouble with her right arm throughout this tournament. It was better, but now she says it's hurting a lot, and she has a wrap on it. She also had shoulder problems, which, I think, would account for her poor serving. Jankovic's serving has improved significantly of late, which is why I suspect the shoulder and arm--and not technique--caused the problem. Her opponent Agnieszka Radwanska, had a lot of difficulty with her serve also. And Jankovic, as usual, has some type of cold or allergy irritation, which is hampering her success. I saw only the last quarter of this match, but apparently, Jankovic had a good first set and opportunities to close out the second, but things went wrong, and she had to wait for a tiebreak to finally end the thing. It could have been worse--it could have gone to a third set.

Patty Schnyder, for her part, could not have played better in her first clay court meeting with Katarina Srebotnik. She used her swinging forehand to throw a lot of heavy topspin at Srebotnik, and her backhand was working very well, too. Schnyder was at her clay court best--changing the pace, hitting drop volleys and lobs, keeping topspin on the ball. Schnyder fans (and I'm one of them) know, however, that with Schnyder, such brilliance does not often occur two matches in a row. Patty has been in so many Tier I and Tier II finals, and has won so few of them. The talent is there; the head is not. Schnyder fans--hold on to the sides of your chairs: She plays Ivanovic in the quarterfinals.

That would be Ana Ivanovic, who beat Petra Cetkovska 6-0, 6-0 today. Cetkovska, ranked number 77 in the world, has some more positive memories to take from this French Open, however: She upset 23rd seed (and good clay court player) Alona Bondarenko in the first round, and defeated Galina Voskoboeva in the second round.

Suarez Navarro def. Flavia Pennetta, 6-3, 6-2
Jelena Jankovic def. Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-3, 7-6
Patty Schnyder def. Katarina Srebotnik, 6-2, 6-4

My Charleston top 10

This year's Family Circle Cup, as usual, was an exciting and beautifully organized event. There were no tornadoes or other storms, and the staff--as always--was very helpful and hospitable. A few things could be improved:

The line calling was terrible. At one point in the Schnyder-Dementieva match, Patty Schnyder walked to the umpire's chair to ask the umpire how the linespeople could possibly do their jobs when their chairs were not even in the right places. What Schnyder may not have known was that--at that point in the match--some of the linespeople had actually stopped calling lines altogether, and were leaving the job to the umpire.

The chair umpires, at the very least, could learn to pronounce the players' names. This is not a Charleston problem, of course, but a tour problem. It's bad enough that television commentators cannot pronounce the players' names. (Credit to the match announcer, however; this year, he got most of the names right.)

The food selection is narrowing. Last year, the falafel disappeared, and this year, the veggie gyros were gone.

My top two favorites, Patty Schnyder and Jelena Jankovic, both made quarterfinal exits, destroying a lot of my pleasure and interest, and my third favorite, Vera Zvonareva, lost in the final.

There are a couple of mysteries I would like to solve:

Why wasn't Richard Williams in the stands during Serena's matches?

What happened to the huge Nadia Petrova banner outside the stadium? Justine Henin and Jelena Jankovic were still there, but Petrova had vanished.

What happened to Jennifer Capriati, Mary Pierce and Iva Majoli? They were all scheduled to make an appearance.


Here, in ascending order, is my Charleston top 10:

10. The blessed absence of both loud-mouthed Murphy Jensen and the obnoxious, offensive lawn bar master of ceremonies of 2006 and 2007.

9. The delightful and always-interesting presence of host, interviewer and legend Bud Collins, for the 35th anniversary celebration

8. The exciting, drawn-out quarterfinal match between Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova that ended with a big dose of Serena momentum

7. The surprise run of Edina Gallovits and Olga Govortsova, who had never before played doubles together, and who entered the tournament ten minutes before the entry deadline. They knocked out the number 3 seeds, then the number 1 seeds, but were stopped in the final by the number 2 seeds. They were feisty and clever, and made up somewhat for the absence of the entertaining Bondarenko sisters.

6. Serena Williams' championship victory over Vera Zvonareva, who--until an unfortunate choke at the end--made the match intensely competitive

5. Patty Schnyder's stunning clay court magic trick that knocked Agnieszka Radwanska out of the tournament in the round of 16

4. The amazing run of Vera Zvonareva, who beat five opponents, including Marion Bartoli, defending champion Jelena Jankovic and Elena Dementieva. Zvonareva was stopped in the final by Serena Williams and her own mental fragility

3. The magical presence of former champions Rosie Casals, Chris Evert, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Martina Navratilova, and Conchita Martinez for the 35th anniversary celebration

2. The emergence of Alize Cornet as a clay court (at the least) threat. Cornet was graceful, aggressive and high-spirited, and added a lot to the tournament

1. The first round match between Polish countrywomen Agnieszka Radwanska and Marta Domachowska. To quote Mary Poppins, it was "practically perfect in every way." The match had everything, and the quality was exceedingly high every moment of the three-set thriller. I don't know if I will see a better match this year.

The ones who kept winning--and the ones who didn't quite get there

Patty Schnyder (photo by Diane Elayne Dees)

There are several players who have won the Charleston Open (formerly the Family Circle Cup and the Volvo Car Open) twice, and Serena Williams won it three times (two of those victories were consecutive), but there are also a few players who won the event multiple times. 

Chris Evert holds the record, winning in Charleston eight times during a nine-year span. Martina Navratilova won it four times, and Steffi Graf also won it four times. In the 1986 final, she defeated Evert, who had reached her ninth Charleston final.

Kerry Reid was twice a finalist (in consecutive years), but never won the event. Natasha Zvereva was also twice a finalist, but never a champion, as were Vera Zvonareva, Elena Vesnina and Patty Schnyder. Schnyder's story is of particular interest. In 2002, the unseeded German player took out 6th seed Amelie Mauresmo, Mary Pierce, 3rd seed Serena Williams, and top seed Jennifer Capriati. Yet after all that heavy lifting, she was stopped in the final by the unseeded Iva Majoli, who defeated her 7-6, 6-4. 

In 2006, 3rd seed Schnyder upset top seed Justine Henin, but lost to 2nd seed Nadia Petrova in the final. Patty Schnyder was an absolute rock star at the Family Circle Cup, and it always seemed such a shame that she never won it.

Family circle cup, day 3

Sania Mirza shakes hands with Venus Williams, who defeated her today in Charleston

Elena Vesnina upset 8th seed Patty Schnyder in the second round of the Family Circle Cup

I began the day by watching Slovakian upstart, Lenka Wienerova, lose her match to Sabine Lisicki. I was glad for Lisicki, but I wanted to see Wienerova keep going. So did much of the crowd: There were yells of "Lenka! Lenka!" whenever she served. Lisicki--who has refined some of her hard hitting--won the first close set, 6-4. In the eighth game of the second set, Wienerova had some chances to break, but Lisicki got herself out of trouble twice by hitting two aces, and even stretched out wide to hit a one-handed backhand. Wienerova saved two match points, but Lisicki won--6-4, 6-3--on the third.

After the match, Wienerova sat alone, looking pretty disappointed. I had taken a photo of her I wanted her to sign, so I went down to have a chat with her. I reminded her that this was her first time to get to the second round of a main draw, and told her I expected to see more of her. I do--she is pretty impressive, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching her play.

While that match was going on, Alona Bondarenko's countrywoman, Victoriya Kutusova, was using a spot-on forehand to make life miserable for the 11th-seeded Bondarenko. Kutusova won, 6-4, 7-5, accomplishing one of four upsets on day 3.

When that match was over, I saw some of the match between Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Anastasia Rodionova. From the beginning, Rodionova looked sharp, and Mattek-Sands was a step behind. Rodionova took out the 12th seed in straight sets--6-2, 6-4.

By the time I got to the stadium Venus Williams had taken the first set off of Sania Mirza, 6-1, and the second set was in progress. Mirza was obviously a different player in that set, and was cracking returns left and right, eventually taking the set, 6-3, on her fourth set point. The third set was less than pleasant to watch. Mirza was the victim of a number of blatantly bad line calls, and eventually fell by the wayside. Williams fell, too--she twice landed on her rear just outside the deuce court while trying to return Mirza's serves. Williams, the 2nd seed and 2004 champion, won the match, 6-1, 3-6, 6-2.

Then came the thriller. Elena Vesnina's career has finally taken off, and it is painfully obvious this season that Patty Schnyder's is winding down. Still, Charleston is Schnyder's "home" tournament, and many of us had hopes for her.

The scoreboard stats indicate that the match lasted under two and a half hours, but for Schnyder fans, it felt like an eternity. Both players served inconsistently. Well, that's an understatement. Both players served brilliantly and terribly, sometimes within the same game. Patty won only two games in the first set, but came into the second set with a hold at love, and another hold at love at 4-all. Vesnina was smacking incredible backhand returns, but was missing a lot of approach shots. The set went to 6-all, and Schnyder won it with a tiebreak victory.

Vesnina was out of sorts in the third set, shrugging and muttering and smacking her racquet head on the ground. She began to make more unforced errors. At the same time, Patty dug herself out of 0-30 hole after 0-30 hole, and for some of us, things were looking up. At 4-5, Schndyer saved a match point, and the crowd went wild. At 5-6, she saved another one, and again--the overwhelmingly pro-Patty crowd went crazy. She needed to save one more to get to deuce, but it didn't happen. She hit a ball long, and Vesnina became the victor, with a score of 6-2, 6-7, 7-5. I don't expect to get over my disappointment for a while.

The last match I saw was the one between Caroline Wozniacki and Alla Kudryavtseva. No one held serve until the fifth game, which Wozniacki won. She got the momentum after that, and took the first set, 6-3. She also took the second set 6-3. Kudryavtseva had major problems getting decent serves in, but she should be credited for doing some very clean hitting throughout the match.

The other upset today was of 8th seed Aleksandra Wozniak, who was defeated by qualifier Melanie Oudin, 7-5, 6-0. Oudin is enjoying a real breakout in Charleston.

Other scores are available on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour site.

Sharapova wins Acura Classic

When Patty Schnyder took the Acura Classic final to a third set, I was filled with hope, but that was dashed quickly when Maria Sharapova dialed every part of her game up a notch and blew Schnyder away, 6-0 to defend her 2006 title. During the first half of the first set, Schnyder's game was error-filled (except for her serve); after that, it was actually pretty good. In their other six meetings, including that excruciating (may I never have to see it again) 2007 French Open match, their matches have been very close. Not this time.

Patty Schnyder has won only one Tier I tournament in her career, and she has been a finalist in four Tier I tournaments. She was a finalist twice in what has become "her" tournament--the Family Circle Cup. The first time, she was unseeded, and beat all the top players in the world to get to the final, where she was beaten by another unseeded player, Iva Majoli. The second time, 2006, I was there: She fell in three sets to Nadia Petrova, after having taken out defending champion Justine Henin. For a player of Schnyder's skill to have only one Tier I win is a real shame. I could write paragraphs about this subject, but I won't. As a diehard Schnyder fan, I find these Tier I final losses hard to take.

On another note, Sharapova's new service motion seems to suit her just fine, and she has a good chance of defending her U.S. Open title.

Final score today: Sharapova def. Schnyder, 6-2, 3-6, 6-0

Chakvetadze out of Luxembourg; Schnyder has a bad day

Number one seed Anna Chakvetadze was taken out of the FORTIS Championships today by Marion Bartoli, who defeated her, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. It was the first time they had ever played each other, and I wish I could have seen it. For several weeks, Bartoli has told the press that her post-Wimbledon stress issues are behind her, but she did nothing to prove that until she got to Luxembourg. Having beaten Both Sybille Bammer and Chakvetadze in succession, she now goes to the semifinals, in which she will face Daniela Hantuchova.

Hantuchova played Patty Schnyder today. Schnyder saved three match points in the second set, and three in the third, but Hantuchova prevailed, 6-3, 5-7, 7-5. Apparently, Schnyder had some problems with the umpiring, and things got a bit out of hand. I'm told she broke her racquet, gave Hantuchova a less-than-cordial handshake, and that her coach/husband, Rainer Hoffman, kicked some of Hantuchova's water bottles over after the match.

Schnyder has an undeserved reputation for poor sportswomanship. The fact is that her peers generally cite her as being a very good sport, and she is one of the few players I know who, as a rule, is very warm toward her opponents during the handshake, no matter how bad a loss she has suffered, and very gracious when she wins. But because of an incident involving Conchita Martinez several years ago at the Family Circle Cup, Schnyder has developed a reputation among some fans as being "rude."

Martinez, as many will recall, had a habit of insisting on using the same balls over and and over if she had won points with them (Henin has now developed this habit to some extent). During this particular match, she apparently slowed things down considerably because of her superstition, and Schnyder became very annoyed. When the match was over, Schnyder pulled her hand away as the handshake was about to take place. She later said, in an interview, that she pulled her hand away so that she could get Martinez's attention and say something to her. No one but Schnyder and Martinez knows what she said.

For her part, Hantuchova, though a charming and intelligent person, has also been known to annoy several opponents because of the way she stalls. Some think that tour umpires have been too kind to her. Schnyder, who is all business on the court, probably had her fill of the stall tactics, too.

My purpose here is not to defend Schnyder regarding today's activities; I'm sure she should have given Hantuchova a regular handshake. My purpose, rather, is to present facts in place of mythology. Yes, Schnyder possibly acted out of line; no, it is not usual behavior for her.

As for Hoffman, he is the latest of several coaches who misbehave; one never knows what to expect of him.

Charleston miscellany

A journalist for the Charleston newspaper wrote that--now that Patty Schnyder has played her final Charleston tournament--Caroline Wozniacki is the new Charleston "favorite." I've been attending this tournament for a long time, and I have doubts about whether anyone will ever be embraced the way Schnyder was. Also, unless I'm having auditory hallucinations, a major portion of the crowd was going crazy for JJ during her semifinal match against Wozniacki.

Wozniacki, by the way, has taken confidence to a new level. After the final, she dashed in to a press conference, and then almost immediately dashed right out. The champion had to catch a flight to the ATP tournament in Monaco, where she's playing tomorrow in an exhibition match against Francesca Schiavone. So I'm left with a couple of questions: What if the second set in Charleston had gone to a tiebreak? What if it had gone to three sets? Considering the level at which Elena Vesnina played this week, either of those things could easily have happened. For that matter, either of those things could have happened against anyone.

Virginia Wade was interviewed on the Grand Lawn this morning, but, unfortunately, I missed the occasion.

Charleston fans are quirky in a good way. They absolutely cherish Patty Schnyder, they cheered wildly during Vera Zonareva's 2010 epic racquet destruction, and they come out in big numbers for doubles matches.

For the past seven years, a Russian has appeared in every final in Charleston except for the 2009 championship match in which Sabine Lisicki defeated Caroline Wozniacki. The only Russian to win the tournament, however, was Nadia Petrova, who defeated Patty Schnyder in the 2006 final.

The only retirement (no one retired against Wozniacki!)  in Charleston this year occurred when Vania King had to stop playing doubles because of a foot blister.

Elena Vesnina has never won a WTA singles title. She's played in five finals, two of which she lost to Caroline Wozniacki. She has, however, now won five doubles titles, and she was a runner-up in doubles at both the French Open and Wimbledon. Vesnina had a really great week in Charleston this year, and probably gained some new fans. Singles and doubles combined, the unseeded Russian played a total of ten matches. After today's doubles final, Vesnina said that she isn't going to touch a tennis racquet for a week.

I've said it before, but it bears saying again: The Family Circle Cup staff is wonderful, and the facility is beautifully maintained. The players really enjoy the tournament, too. They get a lot of personal assistance and attention (including the delivery of homemade cookies), and they enjoy the atmosphere in and around Charleston.

Wickmayer wins thriller against Schnyder

If you're a fan of Patty Schnyder, I feel your pain.

Actually, I may be too preoccupied with feeling my own pain.

Wickmayer defeated Schnyder 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 today in Flushing Meadows, and now advances to the U.S. Open round of 16. Wickmayer, who was a semifinalist last year, was visibly relieved to escape Schnyder, who pulled out every shot for which she is known--and then some--against the 15th seed. The Swiss veteran dropped, spun, served out wide, changed pace, kicked the ball up in the wind, and generally made a nuisance of herself against a player who likes to play short  points.

The first set was tense, and Wickmayer won secured the tiebreak 7-5. In the second set, Schnyder appeared to conquer the wind, and was able to play her classic lefty, spinning, dropping, "I don't care how hard you want to hit the ball" game. She took the set 6-3.

The third set was so tension-filled, it was impossible to take your eyes away from it. Each player had multiple opportunities to get ahead, and--serving at 3-4--Schnyder saved three break points to hold serve. She then forced Wickmayer into a deuce service game, but the 15th seed hit a huge serve, which was followed by a point won on a mis-hit from Schnyder. Soon after, Wickmayer held a match point, which Schnyder saved, and the pair wound up in a second tiebreak.

As a viewer, I was exhausted at this point, and I could only imagine how the players felt, especially since the wind sometimes made it so hard for them to hit toward the lines. And just when you thought that one of them might let up mentally, a winner or a stunning defensive shot would be produced.

Schnyder went up 5-3 in the tiebreak, but could not hold on to the mini-break. Later, she held a match point, but Wickmayer saved it. Schnyder then saved another match point, and there was every reason to believe in her mental strength at that point. But at 6-7, she missed a serve out wide, and the second serve (which she either hit too far out wide, or it was carried a bit by the wind) went out, also. And just like that, it was over.

The match lasted two hours and 33 minutes, though it seemed to go on much longer. Schnyder hit 40 winners and made 41 unforced errors. Wickmayer hit 31 winners and made 47 unforced errors. It was hardly a clean match for the Belgian, but she fought impressively for every point she made, and was able to defeat not only a very clever opponent, but one whom she had never before played.

Wozniacki defeats Schnyder and advances to quarterfinals in Charleston

Patty Schnyder had all the right ideas about how to beat Caroline Wozniacki in their 3rd round match in Charleston this morning, but she was unable to execute enough of them. In the first set, Schnyder made too many errors to be competitive, and won only two games. In the second, though, the predominantly Schnyder-cheering crowd saw hope for a long match. After recovering from a break at 1-2, the 16th seed was broken back, then held for 3-4. Wozniacki then went down 0-40, brought the game to deuce, but was broken when Schnyder hit a successful drop shot.

At 4-all, Schnyder saved a break point with an ace, then saved the next break point with an ace. By this time, much of the crowd was cheering Schnyder on loudly, but she was nevertheless broken in that game. When Wozniacki served for the match, the crowd--contrary to custom--was silent. It isn't that fans in Charleston don't appreciate the top seed--they do. It's just that Schnyder is the tournament's most beloved star.

After going down 15-40, Wozniacki made the next two points, but two forehands down the line and a smash later, Schnyder found herself still in the match. She went down 0-40, however, and was broken at 30. Wozniacki then held for a 6-2, 7-5 victory.

Schnyder certainly had her share of opportunities to take the match to a third set, but was unable to do so. Wozniacki, as is her way, kept the ball inside the court and over the net so precisely and consistently that she was able to control the outcome of the match. Schnyder, who was twice a finalist at the tournament, acknowledged the sustained cheers as she left the stadium.

Schnyder out of Cincinnati

2005 Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open champion Patty Schnyder was eliminated from competition this evening when Akiko Morigami defeated her, 6-3, 6-1 in their quarterfinal match. The Monica Seles-style player from Japan is a dangerous floater wherever she goes (she almost took Venus Williams out of Wimbledon), and this evening, she was able to take advantage of Schnyder's service problems.

Next for Schnyder is the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, where she was the finalist last year. She had a great run, taking out Tatiana Golovin in the semifinals, but falling to Kim Clijsters in the final. Schnyder should have several Tier I and II titles by now, but instead, she has often wound up a finalist. Oh, how very frustrating it is to be a Patty Schnyder fan...

Schnyder wins Bali--the curse is broken

After Patty Schnyder won in Cincinnati in 2005, she went to seven finals and lost them all. Most of them were big contests--Nadia Petrova beat her in Charleston (after Schnyder had defeated Justine Henin in the semifinals), old rival Daniela Hantuchova beat her in Zurich, and Serena Williams beat her in San Diego.

As a fan, I was proud that she made the finals of the top tournaments, rather than playing in smaller ones. In fact, her consistency was excellent. But I was also frustrated that she did not win even one of these finals.

Schnyder's run at the 2008 U.S. Open seems to have filled her with confidence, and she went to Bali in very fine form, defeating her friend Tamira Paszek today to take the title. To get to the final, Patty defeated Yuan Meng, Marta Domachowska and Nadia Petrova. Paszek's path to the final was impressive, especially for an unseeded player: She defeated Anna-Lena Groenefeld, Sara Errani, Flavia Pennetta, and top seed Daniela Hantuchova.

Schnyder's victory was also her 500th career match win. Her back was bothering her in Bali, so she has withdrawn from the tournament in Guangzhou. She now goes into the European indoor season, which has always favored her. In fact, she was close to a win in Linz in 2005, but injured her hand during the final. Playing one-handed for the remainder of the match, she lost to Nadia Petrova. That was Petrova's first tournament win. And last year, of course, Schnyder lost to Hantuchova on an indoor court in Zurich.

You can read Patty's Bali blog here.

Schnyder def. Paszek, 6-3, 6-0