Friday, January 13, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Li defeats Kvitova and advances to Sydney final
If you got mixed up yesterday, and thought Sydney was Paris, don't worry--Petra Kvitova probably did, too. Because, just like at the French Open, Kvitova let go of a third set lead against Li Na, and lost the match, only this time, it was a semifinal.
For a set and a half, the defending champion was at Kvitova's mercy, and there wasn't much of it. Kvitova could just about do no wrong, and Li--though she had the right ideas--made a lot of errors and squandered a lot of opportunities. But then the Czech's level came down a bit, and she appeared more flustered than concerned. Li saw that little crack, and she straightened herself out and drove right through it.
Kvitova had taken the first set 6-1 and Li took the second, 7-5. And while Kvitova continued to look unraveled in the third set, she, too, pulled herself together, and went up 3-1. But Li made her run--a lot--and pinned her to the corners. Movement isn't Kvitova's strong suit, and now, both her speed and footwork were being exploited by the force of Li's momentum. Throughout the second half of the match, we saw Kvitova throw her racquet twice. She won only two games in the final set. She looked disgusted. This was not the Cool Czech of recent tennis history.
What happened? Only Kvitova knows, and she may not be clear about it, herself. When Li gets switched on, however, she can do a lot of damage. Was the French Open match being viewed in Kvitova's head? Was the looming top ranking creating too much pressure? Or was it all of the above?
Li will try to win consecutive Sydney championships when she plays Victoria Azarenka in the final. Azarenka defeated Agnieszka Radwanska 1-6, 6-3, 6-2. I didn't see the match, but there seems to be agreement that Radwanska showed quite a bit of fatigue as the match wore on. Here's hoping she feels fresh for her Melbourne competition.
In the doubles semifinals, top seeds Kveta Peshke and Katarina Srebotnik ended the impressive run of Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears, 6-7, 6-3, 10-5. Their opponents in the final will be 2nd seeds Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond, who defeated Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova 7-6, 6-4.
For a set and a half, the defending champion was at Kvitova's mercy, and there wasn't much of it. Kvitova could just about do no wrong, and Li--though she had the right ideas--made a lot of errors and squandered a lot of opportunities. But then the Czech's level came down a bit, and she appeared more flustered than concerned. Li saw that little crack, and she straightened herself out and drove right through it.
Kvitova had taken the first set 6-1 and Li took the second, 7-5. And while Kvitova continued to look unraveled in the third set, she, too, pulled herself together, and went up 3-1. But Li made her run--a lot--and pinned her to the corners. Movement isn't Kvitova's strong suit, and now, both her speed and footwork were being exploited by the force of Li's momentum. Throughout the second half of the match, we saw Kvitova throw her racquet twice. She won only two games in the final set. She looked disgusted. This was not the Cool Czech of recent tennis history.
What happened? Only Kvitova knows, and she may not be clear about it, herself. When Li gets switched on, however, she can do a lot of damage. Was the French Open match being viewed in Kvitova's head? Was the looming top ranking creating too much pressure? Or was it all of the above?
Li will try to win consecutive Sydney championships when she plays Victoria Azarenka in the final. Azarenka defeated Agnieszka Radwanska 1-6, 6-3, 6-2. I didn't see the match, but there seems to be agreement that Radwanska showed quite a bit of fatigue as the match wore on. Here's hoping she feels fresh for her Melbourne competition.
In the doubles semifinals, top seeds Kveta Peshke and Katarina Srebotnik ended the impressive run of Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears, 6-7, 6-3, 10-5. Their opponents in the final will be 2nd seeds Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond, who defeated Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova 7-6, 6-4.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Staggering toward Melbourne
It would be nice if the first major of the season featured a draw of healthy players, but sadly, that isn't the reality of the situation. Andrea Petkovic (stress fracture in back) and Venus Williams (complications of Sjogren's Synrome) have withdrawn from the tournament, and other players--Serena Williams (ankle), Kim Clijsters (thigh muscle spasm), Maria Sharapova (ankle), Sabine Lisicki (back) Flavia Pennetta (back), and Caroline Wozniacki (wrist)--have already sustained injuries. Julia Goerges has been sick lately, Svetlana Kuznetsova was brought down by heat illness, and Petra Kvitova--because of her asthma--is vulnerable in humid conditions.
Williams and Sharapova are reported to be doing well. Sharapova, of course, could have used some more match play. Pennetta has been playing doubles, which could indicate that she's okay, too, or maybe she's overdoing it. Clijsters, the defending champion, says she's ready to play.
Now that the Australian Open court surfaces are safer, the players aren't quite as vulnerable as they used to be in Melbourne. The heat can be overwhelming, however, and adds another element of physical stress.
Not all of the fitness issues are physical. Sam Stosur, Australia's number 1 player, has already crashed out in her initial rounds of both Brisbane and Sydney. She lost to Iveta Benesova and to friendly nemesis Francesca Schiavone. And while there's no shame in losing to either of those players, this is the 2011 U.S. Open champion warming up for her country's big tournament--and it just doesn't look too good for her. Stosur, though, is nothing if not umpredictable, so we'll all have to wait and see how she does.
Williams and Sharapova are reported to be doing well. Sharapova, of course, could have used some more match play. Pennetta has been playing doubles, which could indicate that she's okay, too, or maybe she's overdoing it. Clijsters, the defending champion, says she's ready to play.
Now that the Australian Open court surfaces are safer, the players aren't quite as vulnerable as they used to be in Melbourne. The heat can be overwhelming, however, and adds another element of physical stress.
Not all of the fitness issues are physical. Sam Stosur, Australia's number 1 player, has already crashed out in her initial rounds of both Brisbane and Sydney. She lost to Iveta Benesova and to friendly nemesis Francesca Schiavone. And while there's no shame in losing to either of those players, this is the 2011 U.S. Open champion warming up for her country's big tournament--and it just doesn't look too good for her. Stosur, though, is nothing if not umpredictable, so we'll all have to wait and see how she does.
Quote of the week
"...For the husband, he always doing good job. For a coach, yeah, sometimes I feeling he was doing good, but sometimes I feeling he was doing some stupid thing. But if I can't win the match, I have to listen to what he say."
Li Na
Semifinals set in Sydney
2011 Sydney champion Li Na will play world 2nd seed Petra Kvitova in the Sydney semifinals on Friday. Li, seeded 4trh, defeated quarterfinal opponent Lucie Safarova in straight sets, and Kvitova defeated Daniela Hantuchova, also in straight sets.
In the other semifinal, 7th seed Agnieszka Radwanska will take on 3rd seed Victoria Azarenka. Radwanska defeated top seed Caroline Wozniacki, and Azarenka defeated 8th seed Marion Bartoli. Wozniacki has a wrist injury, and we should get more news about that soon.
In doubles, seeds 1, 2 and 4 are into the semifinals, as is the unseeded team of Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears.
It's been raining a lot in Hobart, so play has been delayed several times. U.S. Open semifinalist Angelique Kerbe has reached the quarterfinals, as have top seed Yanina Wickmayer and Anna Chakvetadze. Chakvetadze will play Shahar Peer on Friday. 2nd seed Anabel Medina Garrigues was upset by Mona Barthel in the second round.
In the other semifinal, 7th seed Agnieszka Radwanska will take on 3rd seed Victoria Azarenka. Radwanska defeated top seed Caroline Wozniacki, and Azarenka defeated 8th seed Marion Bartoli. Wozniacki has a wrist injury, and we should get more news about that soon.
In doubles, seeds 1, 2 and 4 are into the semifinals, as is the unseeded team of Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears.
It's been raining a lot in Hobart, so play has been delayed several times. U.S. Open semifinalist Angelique Kerbe has reached the quarterfinals, as have top seed Yanina Wickmayer and Anna Chakvetadze. Chakvetadze will play Shahar Peer on Friday. 2nd seed Anabel Medina Garrigues was upset by Mona Barthel in the second round.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Passing shots
Bojana Jovanovski was recently involved in a motor vehicle accident, but was not hurt. The courtesy car in which Jovanovski was riding to the Sydney International Airport was hit by a car whose driver ran a red light. Witnesses say the Serbian player was rather shaken by the accident, in which a man was trapped and later taken to a hospital.
Serena Williams is practicing in Melbourne, preparing for the Australian Open. Williams is one of several players on the tour to face injury or illness at the beginning of the season. She sprained her ankle, but appears to be fine.
I reported a couple of days ago that Sofia Arvidsson and Alexandra Dulgheru had to play each other twice in Sydney. Arvidsson beat Dulgheru in qualifying, but then Dulgheru got into the main draw as a lucky loser, and defeated Arvidsson in the first round. That wasn't the end of it, however: the two also had to play each other in doubles in the first round (Arvidsson and Jelena Dokic defeated Dulgheru and Michaella Krajicek. Though players have met twice in one tournament before, I wonder if there's another pair who met three times in one event!
Victoria Azarenka is no longer playing with a Head racquet. The world's number 3 player has changed to Wilson. She'll have a Juice 100 BLX in Melbourne.
Here is a photo of Agnieszka Radwanska, from a photo shoot for a Polish style website.
Mike Tierney writes about Grace Min.
Serena Williams is practicing in Melbourne, preparing for the Australian Open. Williams is one of several players on the tour to face injury or illness at the beginning of the season. She sprained her ankle, but appears to be fine.
I reported a couple of days ago that Sofia Arvidsson and Alexandra Dulgheru had to play each other twice in Sydney. Arvidsson beat Dulgheru in qualifying, but then Dulgheru got into the main draw as a lucky loser, and defeated Arvidsson in the first round. That wasn't the end of it, however: the two also had to play each other in doubles in the first round (Arvidsson and Jelena Dokic defeated Dulgheru and Michaella Krajicek. Though players have met twice in one tournament before, I wonder if there's another pair who met three times in one event!
Victoria Azarenka is no longer playing with a Head racquet. The world's number 3 player has changed to Wilson. She'll have a Juice 100 BLX in Melbourne.
Here is a photo of Agnieszka Radwanska, from a photo shoot for a Polish style website.
Mike Tierney writes about Grace Min.
Petkovic withdraws from Australian Open
World number 10 Andrea Petkovic has withdrawn from the 2012 Australian Open. Petkovic has a stress fracture in her lower back, and her doctors say that it will take six to eight weeks for her to recover. She has been in pain since the season began, but says that she thought she could just play through the pain and be fine to compete in Melbourne.
Last year, the German star, seeded 30th, reached the quarterfinals, but was defeated by eventual runner-up Li Na.
Last year, the German star, seeded 30th, reached the quarterfinals, but was defeated by eventual runner-up Li Na.
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