Marion Bartoli, on what she likes about Moscow
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Quote of the day
"I love the Russian food. I think especially your pancakes... I had some in the morning, I had some at lunch, I had some at tea time, and some at dinner!...I love everything here. I love the snow, it's beautiful. I love the food. And I'm trying to read the language too...."
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Passing shots
Tennis competition is in progress at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. Top seed Christina McHale will play 7th seed Monica Puig in the semifinals, and 4th seed Florencia Molinero will play 2nd seed Irina Falconi.
Peng Shuai has been given a wild card to play in the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions in Bali. Peng and partner Hsieh Su-Wei won the Bali doubles competition in 2008. Defending champion Ana Ivanovic already has a wild card. Ivanovic is currently experiencing joint inflammation in her back.
Marion Bartoli, Sabine Lisicki, Andrea Petkovic, Roberta Vinci, and Daniela Hantuchova have all qualified to play in Bali. Anabel Medina Garrigues, Jarmila Gajdosova, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, and Nadia Petrova are competing for the final spot.
I'm still not that much of a fan of the Tournament of Champions, but what I'm really opposed to is holding it after the WTA Championships have been played.
The U.S. Open may officially end on a Monday in the future.
Get to know Ksenia Pervak.
Kim Clijsters says her rehab is going well.
Peng Shuai has been given a wild card to play in the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions in Bali. Peng and partner Hsieh Su-Wei won the Bali doubles competition in 2008. Defending champion Ana Ivanovic already has a wild card. Ivanovic is currently experiencing joint inflammation in her back.
Marion Bartoli, Sabine Lisicki, Andrea Petkovic, Roberta Vinci, and Daniela Hantuchova have all qualified to play in Bali. Anabel Medina Garrigues, Jarmila Gajdosova, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, and Nadia Petrova are competing for the final spot.
I'm still not that much of a fan of the Tournament of Champions, but what I'm really opposed to is holding it after the WTA Championships have been played.
The U.S. Open may officially end on a Monday in the future.
Get to know Ksenia Pervak.
Kim Clijsters says her rehab is going well.
Radwanska loses to Safarova in Moscow
Today at the Kremlin Cup, Lucie Safarova upset 2nd seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. This means that Radwanska still hasn't qualified to take the last spot at the WTA Championships in Istanbul. Competing for that spot is Marion Bartoli, who needed three things to get it: 1. to win Osaka (she did it), 2. for Radwanska to lose in her first round (the second round of the tournament) in Moscow (she did), and 3. to win Moscow. Chances are that Radwanska will still be the one to compete in Istanbul, but things have gone Bartoli's way so far.
4th seed Francesca Schiavone was beaten in the first round by Kaia Kanepi.
In Luxembourg, Anastasija Sevastova upset 4th seed Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 6-2, and top seed Victoria Azarenka won her first round match against Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.
4th seed Francesca Schiavone was beaten in the first round by Kaia Kanepi.
In Luxembourg, Anastasija Sevastova upset 4th seed Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 6-2, and top seed Victoria Azarenka won her first round match against Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Upsets in Moscow and Luxembourg
5th seed Jelena Jankovic was knocked out of the first round of Kremlin Cup play today by Ekaterina Ivanova, who defeated the Linz semifinalist 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.
Meanwhile, in Luxembourg, 2nd seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova was defeated by 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 by Rebecca Marino, and 8th seed Daniela Hantuchova lost to lucky loser Lucie Hradecka. Hradecka was seeded number 1 in the qualifying draw, but was defeated by Anne Keothavong in the final round of qualifying. She became the lucky loser when Sabine Lisicki withdrew because of illness.
Meanwhile, in Luxembourg, 2nd seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova was defeated by 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 by Rebecca Marino, and 8th seed Daniela Hantuchova lost to lucky loser Lucie Hradecka. Hradecka was seeded number 1 in the qualifying draw, but was defeated by Anne Keothavong in the final round of qualifying. She became the lucky loser when Sabine Lisicki withdrew because of illness.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Not over 'til it's over
After the U.S. Open, there tends to be a bit of a let-down among tennis fans. All the majors have been played, a lot of players are injured, and maybe we're a bit tired, too. But this post-U.S. Open season has had plenty of drama. The Kremlin Cup has only just begun, and we still have the WTA Championships to be played. But consider, in this final part of the season, what has already occurred:
Petra Kvitova delivered a shockingly bad performance in the Tokyo semifinals.
Agnieszka Radwanska won both Beijing and Tokyo--just like that--making her the hottest player of the post-Flushing Meadows season.
Marion Bartoli, in a never-give-up attempt to get to Istanbul, won her second title of the year, in Osaka, and she beat Sam Stosur in the final to do it.
Petra Kvitova banished her clumsy doppelganger and won Linz "Kvitova-style."
Agnieszka Radwanska did the Petco Dance!
We still have few weeks to go, and we still have a Fed Cup final to be played, not to mention the events in Istanbul and Bali. Who knows what drama remains?
Petra Kvitova delivered a shockingly bad performance in the Tokyo semifinals.
Agnieszka Radwanska won both Beijing and Tokyo--just like that--making her the hottest player of the post-Flushing Meadows season.
Marion Bartoli, in a never-give-up attempt to get to Istanbul, won her second title of the year, in Osaka, and she beat Sam Stosur in the final to do it.
Petra Kvitova banished her clumsy doppelganger and won Linz "Kvitova-style."
Agnieszka Radwanska did the Petco Dance!
We still have few weeks to go, and we still have a Fed Cup final to be played, not to mention the events in Istanbul and Bali. Who knows what drama remains?
Doubles field set for Istanbul
Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova have qualified for the WTA Championships draw. The other teams are Kveta Peschke/Katarina Srebotnik, Liezel Huber/Lisa Raymond and Gisela Dulko/Flavia Pennetta.
The Championships begin October 25 in Istanbul, with singles competitors playing round-robin, and doubles teams playing in a regular knock-out format. There is one player yet to be named in the singles draw. Agnieszka Radwanska is the most likely woman to qualify. To get to Istanbul, Marion Bartoli has to win the Japan Open (something she did last week) and the Kremlin Cup, and Radwanska would have to lose in her first round of Moscow play.
Whoever does not qualify will be one of the two alternates; the other alternate is Andrea Petkovic.
Last year, Kim Clijsters won the WTA Championships. Clijsters defeated Caroline Wozniacki in the final. Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta won the doubles competition when they beat Peschke and Srebotnik in the final. Clijsters is off the tour right now because of injury. Dulko and Pennetta are both dealing with injuries, but plan to be in Istanbul.
Last year, the only player to win every match in her round-robin group was Vera Zvonareva, but she lost to Wozniacki in the semifinals. Wozniacki's one round-robin loss was to Samantha Stosur.
The Championships begin October 25 in Istanbul, with singles competitors playing round-robin, and doubles teams playing in a regular knock-out format. There is one player yet to be named in the singles draw. Agnieszka Radwanska is the most likely woman to qualify. To get to Istanbul, Marion Bartoli has to win the Japan Open (something she did last week) and the Kremlin Cup, and Radwanska would have to lose in her first round of Moscow play.
Whoever does not qualify will be one of the two alternates; the other alternate is Andrea Petkovic.
Last year, Kim Clijsters won the WTA Championships. Clijsters defeated Caroline Wozniacki in the final. Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta won the doubles competition when they beat Peschke and Srebotnik in the final. Clijsters is off the tour right now because of injury. Dulko and Pennetta are both dealing with injuries, but plan to be in Istanbul.
Last year, the only player to win every match in her round-robin group was Vera Zvonareva, but she lost to Wozniacki in the semifinals. Wozniacki's one round-robin loss was to Samantha Stosur.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Kvitova wins Linz, Bartoli wins Osaka
Top seed Petra Kvitova said in Linz yesterday that she was tired and hoped that the final would be short. She played for almost an hour and a half today to defeat 7th seed Dominika Cibulkova 6-4, 6-1, and thereby won her fifth title of the year. 4th seeds Marina Erakovic and Elena Vesnina won the doubles title when they defeated Julia Goerges and Anna-Lena Groenefeld 7-5, 6-1.
In Osaka, where there have been rain delays, both the semifinals and the final were played today. Top seed Sam Stosur defeated Zheng Jie, and 2nd seed Marion Bartoli defeated 3rd seed Angelique Kerber. Bartoli then defeated Stosur 6-3, 6-1.
The Osaka title is Bartoli's second of the season. She won her other title, in Eastbourne, also by playing the semifinals and the final on the same day. In that tournament, she beat Stosur in the semifinals (and Kvitova in the final).
Kimiko Date-Krumm and Zhang Shuai won the Osaka doubles title by defeating Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova 7-5, 3-6, 11-9 in today's final.
In Osaka, where there have been rain delays, both the semifinals and the final were played today. Top seed Sam Stosur defeated Zheng Jie, and 2nd seed Marion Bartoli defeated 3rd seed Angelique Kerber. Bartoli then defeated Stosur 6-3, 6-1.
The Osaka title is Bartoli's second of the season. She won her other title, in Eastbourne, also by playing the semifinals and the final on the same day. In that tournament, she beat Stosur in the semifinals (and Kvitova in the final).
Kimiko Date-Krumm and Zhang Shuai won the Osaka doubles title by defeating Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova 7-5, 3-6, 11-9 in today's final.
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