Aga into second week of Roland Garros in singles and playing for the quarterfinals in doubles with Ula tomorrow! They are facing Kveta Peschke/Lisa Raymond next.
Agnieszka Radwanska won her second round match with Maria Koryttseva easily 61 64, and today defeated Katerina Bondarenko 62 64 advancing to the fourth round. Agnieszka and Ula are the last Poles standing, after Jans/Rosolska upset in the second round to Yan/Zheng and Fyrstenberg/Matkowski losing their second round match to Tommy Robredo and Marc Lopez. Lukosz Kubot with Oliver Marach were also eliminated by German pair Michael Kohlmann/Alexander Waske.
Boys are also playing mixed doubles. Marcin Matkowski with Lisa Raymond and Lukasz Kubot with Sibille Bammer advanced to the second round.
Along with Aga Aleksandra Wozniak advanced in the last 16, she won her matches with Lourdes Dominquez Lino and Petra Martic. Karolina Wozniacki defeated Vera Dushevina, Jill Craybas and is playing next with Sorana Cirstea. Sorana could be a tough opponent, but still I doubt she is capable of eliminating Karo. Ups, Karolina lost - Sorana defeated her in two tight sets 76 75.
The young Aussie Pole, Olivia Rogowska fighted really good, but she lost in the third set to Katerina Bondarenko, to give Aga the chance to revenge for AO, which she did. I think Olivia put in a great effort and we will hear about her more in the future!
So next for Agnieszka is another encounter with Sveta. Kuznetzova is leading 43 in their head to head meetings, winning 3 times in 2007 and 1 time in Indian Wells last year. Aga won with Sveta 3 times last year, recently in Championships in Doha. Svetlana is playing good recently, she won Stuttgart and lost in the final to Dina in Rome. The whole tennis world is saying that she is the clear favorite, because of her recent form and her powerful style of play. The style of play which is falling apart in game against Radwanska. So we'll see, if Sveta is going to deny Aga another GS QF. So far Aga won easily her matches and looks good, so is Sveta. Here come the test for both of those players. I am looking forward to it! Bring it on!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Roland Garros
There was 8 players representing Poland in Paris, and 7 are still playing. Marta Domachowska lost her first round single match to Na Li. She was also playing double with Tamira Paszek and she also lost. No surprise there, Marta is continuing her inconsistent ways and cannot string together more than a couple of good matches. She is going to be outside top 100 after RG. Bummer, but I am losing all hope I had left left for her. She is pretty, but not a smart tennis player. She may deliver some better results in the future, but I doubt she will ever do anything significant.
I am also starting to wonder about Urszula Radwanska. Everybody is saying she is stronger physically, more talented, more aggressive than Agnieszka. But her head is missing in the matches. She lets herself to be bothered by court surface, spectator's behaviour, lost points, bad strokes, match not going her way, and she is not able to use all her potential. This is not the stuff the champions are made of. She lost her first round to Yanina Wickmayer, after winning the first set 64. What else is new? (She lost in Warsaw to Daniela Hantuchowva in the second round, not showing much!) I wonder how she managed to win that double Junior Roland Garros championship a couple years back?! I certainly hope she will do better on grass, which she insist is more her surface along with hard courts.
Ula and Aga are playing doubles and they won easily their first round match with Ukrainian Victoria Kutuzova and French Aravane Rezai, 62 61. Uff, at least no sweat for Aga here, she needs to stay healthy for her singles matches!
Aga won her first match 63 61 beating Rossana de Los Rios and is facing Maria Koryttseva in the second round. She is definite favorite leading their head to head count 4:0. Let's hope no surprise there! If she wins there maybe interesting encounter in the next round. Her opponent maybe Katerina Bondarenko (revenge for AO) or wild card entrant Polish/Australian Olivia Rogowska. This promising junior (whose parents immigrated to Australia in about the same time Wozniak and Wozniacki families did) defeated Maria Kirilenko in straight sets 64 64. Whoa!
Speaking of Polish immigrants and their children Karolina Wozniacki won her match with Vera Dushevina in three (64 57 16) spanned over two days. She is facing Jill Craybas next and I don't expect surprise there, Jill is not doing good so far this season.
Ola Wozniak also won her match, beating 46 64 36 Monica Nicolescu. Next for Aleksandra will be Martic.
On the men side Frytka/Matka won their first match, and they are facing Marc Lopez/Tommy Robredo next. In case they won they can be facing Lukasz Kubot/Olivier Marach. Still, Lukasz did not played his doubles match yet, so it is a big if for both teams. Kubot/Marach are playing Frenchies Mathieu Montcourt/Edouard Roger Vasselin tomorrow.
Lukasz won qualifying matches and got into the main draw in singles, but lost his first round match to Victor Troicki. It was pretty long match, five sets with the score 36 63 64 67 64. Good effort for Lukasz, maybe he is learning in the latter part of his carrier how to be a better single player, after all.
Agnieszka, Karolina, Ola, and Olivia are all playing tomorrow. I am waiting for the good news!
I am also starting to wonder about Urszula Radwanska. Everybody is saying she is stronger physically, more talented, more aggressive than Agnieszka. But her head is missing in the matches. She lets herself to be bothered by court surface, spectator's behaviour, lost points, bad strokes, match not going her way, and she is not able to use all her potential. This is not the stuff the champions are made of. She lost her first round to Yanina Wickmayer, after winning the first set 64. What else is new? (She lost in Warsaw to Daniela Hantuchowva in the second round, not showing much!) I wonder how she managed to win that double Junior Roland Garros championship a couple years back?! I certainly hope she will do better on grass, which she insist is more her surface along with hard courts.
Ula and Aga are playing doubles and they won easily their first round match with Ukrainian Victoria Kutuzova and French Aravane Rezai, 62 61. Uff, at least no sweat for Aga here, she needs to stay healthy for her singles matches!
Aga won her first match 63 61 beating Rossana de Los Rios and is facing Maria Koryttseva in the second round. She is definite favorite leading their head to head count 4:0. Let's hope no surprise there! If she wins there maybe interesting encounter in the next round. Her opponent maybe Katerina Bondarenko (revenge for AO) or wild card entrant Polish/Australian Olivia Rogowska. This promising junior (whose parents immigrated to Australia in about the same time Wozniak and Wozniacki families did) defeated Maria Kirilenko in straight sets 64 64. Whoa!
Speaking of Polish immigrants and their children Karolina Wozniacki won her match with Vera Dushevina in three (64 57 16) spanned over two days. She is facing Jill Craybas next and I don't expect surprise there, Jill is not doing good so far this season.
Ola Wozniak also won her match, beating 46 64 36 Monica Nicolescu. Next for Aleksandra will be Martic.
On the men side Frytka/Matka won their first match, and they are facing Marc Lopez/Tommy Robredo next. In case they won they can be facing Lukasz Kubot/Olivier Marach. Still, Lukasz did not played his doubles match yet, so it is a big if for both teams. Kubot/Marach are playing Frenchies Mathieu Montcourt/Edouard Roger Vasselin tomorrow.
Lukasz won qualifying matches and got into the main draw in singles, but lost his first round match to Victor Troicki. It was pretty long match, five sets with the score 36 63 64 67 64. Good effort for Lukasz, maybe he is learning in the latter part of his carrier how to be a better single player, after all.
Agnieszka, Karolina, Ola, and Olivia are all playing tomorrow. I am waiting for the good news!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Warsaw (not so) open
The tournament I was looking forward so much is getting more and more bizarre. Agnieszka withdrew with back injury, and now there is this big issue about money/cars/star treatment...
http://www.polskieradio.pl/thenews/news/artykul108420_radwanska_coach_smashes_tournament_organizers.html
Things are unfolding quickly, and it all started with Maria Sharapova announcing that she is playing Warsaw as her comeback tourney. The list of names of players dropping out gets longer and longer. First disappearance, Nicole Vaidisova, then Azarenka (injury), Lisicki (injury), Peer (injury). Right after Agnieszka, the higher seat and Madrid star, Karolina Wozniacki was the latest casualty. Now, this maybe not the end of this, because with RG quali draws being announced any minute now, some girls maybe faced with the tough choice, stay in Warsaw and face much higher opponent and possibly loose, or fly to Paris. So I really wonder what Ula and Marta are going to do? Marta just won her first round match with Amanmuradova. Ula is supposed to play tomorrow. When I think of timing of this tournament, the whole idea of squeezing it as third in a row week to week right before RG - it was not clear thinking on part of organizers. But what clear thinking I expect of Stefan Makarczyk, its director, the guy who is coming with the idea of Parking for Suzuki only, not allowing the biggest Polish star park her car on the grounds? She was his biggest star according to tour officials a couple of weeks ago! Injured or not injured, she is still the most successful Polish tennis player and could do a lot PR for the tournament, and make some fans happy by signing autographs or similar things! By the way, she is supposed to sign the sponsoring deal with Longines... on Wednesday! Good for her!
I only wish that all of it would not happened at all! Now it will be salt in my wounds if Maria with the draw wide open will win this tournament! It was not supposed to be that way!
http://www.polskieradio.pl/thenews/news/artykul108420_radwanska_coach_smashes_tournament_organizers.html
Things are unfolding quickly, and it all started with Maria Sharapova announcing that she is playing Warsaw as her comeback tourney. The list of names of players dropping out gets longer and longer. First disappearance, Nicole Vaidisova, then Azarenka (injury), Lisicki (injury), Peer (injury). Right after Agnieszka, the higher seat and Madrid star, Karolina Wozniacki was the latest casualty. Now, this maybe not the end of this, because with RG quali draws being announced any minute now, some girls maybe faced with the tough choice, stay in Warsaw and face much higher opponent and possibly loose, or fly to Paris. So I really wonder what Ula and Marta are going to do? Marta just won her first round match with Amanmuradova. Ula is supposed to play tomorrow. When I think of timing of this tournament, the whole idea of squeezing it as third in a row week to week right before RG - it was not clear thinking on part of organizers. But what clear thinking I expect of Stefan Makarczyk, its director, the guy who is coming with the idea of Parking for Suzuki only, not allowing the biggest Polish star park her car on the grounds? She was his biggest star according to tour officials a couple of weeks ago! Injured or not injured, she is still the most successful Polish tennis player and could do a lot PR for the tournament, and make some fans happy by signing autographs or similar things! By the way, she is supposed to sign the sponsoring deal with Longines... on Wednesday! Good for her!
I only wish that all of it would not happened at all! Now it will be salt in my wounds if Maria with the draw wide open will win this tournament! It was not supposed to be that way!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Back to normal?...
The Polish double team Rosolska/Jans just lost in Madrit second round match, Agnieszka lost to Stosur in the first round. She is talking about back/shoulder pain and being tired and is not sure if she will play in Warsaw! Playing in Warsaw is something Maria Sharapova considers, as first tournament after coming back from 9 months injury/vacation/semi retirement. I am not a happy camper!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Lucky days for Polish tennis!
It has been an exciting last couple of days in tennis for Poland. In Rome Agnieszka Radwanska won match with Ana Ivanovic. It went up and down, with first Aga taking first set, than Ana picking her game to take the second and leading 4 games in the third. But than Aga started playing much better and Ana couln't do anything about it. Aga took next six games and won the set 64 and match advancing into the quarterfinal. She played two very long matches in two days, and her next opponent was no other than one of the Williams sisters, this time Venus. Aga was already feeling the toll those matches took on her, having back pain which forced her to withdraw from doubles competition with Agnes Szavay. The match with Venus was rather short, and the score would suggest, easy win for Venus. It wasn't the best match for Aga, but still, the games were pretty close, but Aga was losing crucial points, being unsuccessful when coming to the net, or out of range with her groundstrokes. Venus on the other hand was really focused, not making many UE and serving pretty consistently. No chance for Aga this time, and again, she did awesome job with her first three matches, but she couldn't continue on the highest level required to beat the top player Venus herself. I was disappointed thou, that even after she played with Venus, the Tennis Channel showed the other 3 quarterfinals and not Aga! But that win over Ana, still considered top player (former Rolland Garros champion) made me very happy!
The young WTA stars this week did so so. Azarenka won with Wozniacki in 3 round, and than defeated Kanepi in Qt. She finally was eliminated by Kuzniecova in SF. She apparently played poorly and showed a lot of immaturity in handling the situations on the court. I guess she is still growing up and learning, but I wonder if that rage of her she is not always able to handle is leading her in the right direction. She won three titles with that explosiveness of her this year, so far she is considered the next big thing. Time will tell.
The current big thing is of course the consolidation of the current no 1 and possible the next GS champion, Dinara Safina. Dinara won the epic match with Venus, denying the veteran the good result on clay. She showed so much ability and maturity, that I am impressed! Everybody is saying that if she continue that way, it looks very promising for Rolland Garros. Personally, I am really rooting for Safina, so she continue be no 1 and prove that she is better than many other players on the tour. I am tired of reading and hearing about the greatness of WS and how they are above the rest! I am really hoping that someone will step up to the task!
While the young guns shot themselves out of the tournaments early (Lisicki retired in QF in Estoril, Michelle Larcherde Brito lost to Shahar Peer in the first round even after LL entry, later Peer retired in her match with Yanina Wickmayer of Belgia- who won tournament in the end) the other veteran, Svetlana Kuznecova did go all the way to the final week after her Stuttgart victory. This time she did not have any more weapons left for Safina, and so title went to the computer generated, not the "real number one", Dina!
While all of this was going on, the really surprising news were coming from Belgrade, where ATP tournament is being played, with the culmination of single and double finals tomorrow. Each day Lukasz Kubot of Poland was playing and when he lost in the final round of qualifying to Dominik Hrbaty , he got surprised lucky looser entry into the main draw, thanks to retirement of Darcis. Then he won the first round match, in the second round Igor Andreev retired with injury, Lukasz won the QF match with Kristor Vliegen, getting himself into semifinal competition with huge serving giant Ivo Karlovic. And Lukasz did impossible, at least for the Polish tennis, after 26 years when Wojciech Fibak played in the final of Basel in October 1983 we have the Polish player in the ATP tournament final. But not only that, he also did reach the final of the doubles competition with his partner Oliver Marach of Austria! He is facing Novak Djokovic in the final, and then after that match he will be playing the the doubles against Swede Johan Brunstrom and Jean-Julien Rojer of Curacao.
The Polish Sunday is going to spiced with the first round match in Madrit, where Agnieszka Radwanska is playing Samatha Stosur. If she wins, Anna Chakvetadze is awaiting her. Her quarter includes two recent double champions/finalists Kuzniecova and Safina. Not a good prognostic, if they continued their winning ways.
And after losing to Aga, Ana Ivanovic decided, that her injury is too much (or losing to Aga is too much, as many of her fans cried ) and decided to skip Madrit Open. I guess she can make more money doing photo shoots (she is losing her share of bonus pool payment if she is skipping mandatory event). But if she is not going to start winning immediately, she is probably on her way out of the top ten, so maybe it doesn't matter anyway...
The rest of the field is showing up in Madrit, and the third chapter of the "Dirt Drama in the Spring" is just about to unveil. The first victim - Marion Bartoli lost in the first round to Aleksandra Wozniak. Go Ola!
So I wonder how many wins for Polish players I wake up to tomorrow. Go Aga, go Lukasz!
The young WTA stars this week did so so. Azarenka won with Wozniacki in 3 round, and than defeated Kanepi in Qt. She finally was eliminated by Kuzniecova in SF. She apparently played poorly and showed a lot of immaturity in handling the situations on the court. I guess she is still growing up and learning, but I wonder if that rage of her she is not always able to handle is leading her in the right direction. She won three titles with that explosiveness of her this year, so far she is considered the next big thing. Time will tell.
The current big thing is of course the consolidation of the current no 1 and possible the next GS champion, Dinara Safina. Dinara won the epic match with Venus, denying the veteran the good result on clay. She showed so much ability and maturity, that I am impressed! Everybody is saying that if she continue that way, it looks very promising for Rolland Garros. Personally, I am really rooting for Safina, so she continue be no 1 and prove that she is better than many other players on the tour. I am tired of reading and hearing about the greatness of WS and how they are above the rest! I am really hoping that someone will step up to the task!
While the young guns shot themselves out of the tournaments early (Lisicki retired in QF in Estoril, Michelle Larcherde Brito lost to Shahar Peer in the first round even after LL entry, later Peer retired in her match with Yanina Wickmayer of Belgia- who won tournament in the end) the other veteran, Svetlana Kuznecova did go all the way to the final week after her Stuttgart victory. This time she did not have any more weapons left for Safina, and so title went to the computer generated, not the "real number one", Dina!
While all of this was going on, the really surprising news were coming from Belgrade, where ATP tournament is being played, with the culmination of single and double finals tomorrow. Each day Lukasz Kubot of Poland was playing and when he lost in the final round of qualifying to Dominik Hrbaty , he got surprised lucky looser entry into the main draw, thanks to retirement of Darcis. Then he won the first round match, in the second round Igor Andreev retired with injury, Lukasz won the QF match with Kristor Vliegen, getting himself into semifinal competition with huge serving giant Ivo Karlovic. And Lukasz did impossible, at least for the Polish tennis, after 26 years when Wojciech Fibak played in the final of Basel in October 1983 we have the Polish player in the ATP tournament final. But not only that, he also did reach the final of the doubles competition with his partner Oliver Marach of Austria! He is facing Novak Djokovic in the final, and then after that match he will be playing the the doubles against Swede Johan Brunstrom and Jean-Julien Rojer of Curacao.
The Polish Sunday is going to spiced with the first round match in Madrit, where Agnieszka Radwanska is playing Samatha Stosur. If she wins, Anna Chakvetadze is awaiting her. Her quarter includes two recent double champions/finalists Kuzniecova and Safina. Not a good prognostic, if they continued their winning ways.
And after losing to Aga, Ana Ivanovic decided, that her injury is too much (or losing to Aga is too much, as many of her fans cried ) and decided to skip Madrit Open. I guess she can make more money doing photo shoots (she is losing her share of bonus pool payment if she is skipping mandatory event). But if she is not going to start winning immediately, she is probably on her way out of the top ten, so maybe it doesn't matter anyway...
The rest of the field is showing up in Madrit, and the third chapter of the "Dirt Drama in the Spring" is just about to unveil. The first victim - Marion Bartoli lost in the first round to Aleksandra Wozniak. Go Ola!
So I wonder how many wins for Polish players I wake up to tomorrow. Go Aga, go Lukasz!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Things got interesting in Rome today. Jankovic, Ivanovic, Wozniacki, Zheng, Penneta, Kanepi along with the bunch of Russians all came through. Aga won a thriller against Rezai, but Bartoli, Wozniak, and Cornet weren't so lucky. Guess who is missing: Miss "I am the best player in the world and true #1" lost in the first round to Patty Schnyder- ungraceful looser Serena Williams! After declaring herself the best, she again cannot deliver (after loosing in the first round in Marbella). So what will be her excuse this time?
Aga won her first match with Alona Bondarenko 60 61 in under an hour. The match with Aravene went completely opposite. She lost the first set, picked up her game and even out in the second, got to 51 lead in the third and than started falling apart. Rezai even out, they score a tie and went to play tie breaker which Aga was already down to 3. Finally she escaped with 97 score but that match put me on the roll coaster!
So next for Agnieszka is Ana Ivanovic, who defeated her 3 times with one walkover in Doha last year for Aga. Is Aga going again to serve as confidence builder for Ana like last year in Linz? I hope not, but Ivanovic looked good today in her match with Schiavione.
On the men side we got one surprise today, with lucky looser Lukasz Kubot winning his first round match in Belgrade, setting up a match with Andreev.
And down there in Bukarest Marta Domachowska playing ITF tournament won her first match also, I really hope she can do something good with that little tournament!
Ladies playing in Estoril got seeds through, and Michelle Larcherde Brito didn't do much with that lucky looser opportunity, she lost to Shahar Peer. It took three sets, but almost maybe two separate matches, since the score was really strange, 46 60 60. So the seeds and the stars are on their way to second round confrontation.
Let's hope the weather holds in Rome tomorrow, since some interesting matches are scheduled: Kuzniecova (Stuttgart winner) against in form Penneta, Venus Chakvetadze (who won today with Wozniak) Azarenka Wozniacki (which one ladies is going to perform on this red stuff better?) Martinez Sanchez Petrova (is Nadia going to eliminate another Spanish player of multiple names?). Of course the most exciting one is Aga against Ana. The consensus is Ana wins this one. I will say, wait a minute, not so fast...
Aga won her first match with Alona Bondarenko 60 61 in under an hour. The match with Aravene went completely opposite. She lost the first set, picked up her game and even out in the second, got to 51 lead in the third and than started falling apart. Rezai even out, they score a tie and went to play tie breaker which Aga was already down to 3. Finally she escaped with 97 score but that match put me on the roll coaster!
So next for Agnieszka is Ana Ivanovic, who defeated her 3 times with one walkover in Doha last year for Aga. Is Aga going again to serve as confidence builder for Ana like last year in Linz? I hope not, but Ivanovic looked good today in her match with Schiavione.
On the men side we got one surprise today, with lucky looser Lukasz Kubot winning his first round match in Belgrade, setting up a match with Andreev.
And down there in Bukarest Marta Domachowska playing ITF tournament won her first match also, I really hope she can do something good with that little tournament!
Ladies playing in Estoril got seeds through, and Michelle Larcherde Brito didn't do much with that lucky looser opportunity, she lost to Shahar Peer. It took three sets, but almost maybe two separate matches, since the score was really strange, 46 60 60. So the seeds and the stars are on their way to second round confrontation.
Let's hope the weather holds in Rome tomorrow, since some interesting matches are scheduled: Kuzniecova (Stuttgart winner) against in form Penneta, Venus Chakvetadze (who won today with Wozniak) Azarenka Wozniacki (which one ladies is going to perform on this red stuff better?) Martinez Sanchez Petrova (is Nadia going to eliminate another Spanish player of multiple names?). Of course the most exciting one is Aga against Ana. The consensus is Ana wins this one. I will say, wait a minute, not so fast...
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Agnieszka lost to Dinara at Stuttgart. It was not a bad match, but I was expecting a little more of a battle. Still Aga is not doing bad in matches with lower rank opponents, but cannot deliver a stunning/breakthrough performance with serious contenders. Her next match can be a tricky one, too. She is playing Alona Bondarenko, who last year on clay recorded her best results. Teoretically Aga has an upper hand in this one, but somehow I think she is not happy when playing any of Bondarenko sisters, especially after this year AO. So I don't even look further into the draw.
The Stuttgart champion added another quizzical turn to WTA maze. Veteran with the most lost finals wakes up and grabs a title! Kuzniecova got the course down to Safina, or maybe Safina got the number 1 spell (I am #1, I have to prove I'm worth it! OMG, I forgot how to play that game!)
So Act I of the drama " Spring clay season in Europe" got all the favorites underperform. Some of them got some decent matches, most of them lost too early to consider it a good start. In the beginning of Act II Amelie got early exit by Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (I just know she is not CSN, but with so many of them with such a long names, I am always lost, which Spanish player is this time) I wonder if this is beginning of the end for Mauresmo, she gets inspired and plays a few good matches and then goes again into her loosing ways (too bad she met Aga in Paris in her draw when she was into her winning ways!) The rest of the field performed accordingly, maybe with the exception of Na Li, but I somehow don't see Li always coming through (unless she plays one of the polish players...)
Tomorrow matches which may turn either way: Szavay/Wozniacki (Agnes coming back it seems, Caro not showing the signs that she maybe dangerous on clay), William/Safarova (what form is Venus in?) Cornet/Sugiyama (Alize is loosing everything these days!)
Question? Are we going to see Dinara in Rome? She mentioned she wasn't feeling good in the final, but she is not playing tomorrow, so she gets some rest after traveling from Stutgart. Anyway, with Serena showing up in Rome I expect Safina will try to defend some of her points and will be playing, regardless of her conditions.
The other tournament in Estoril holds some interesting possibilities for couple of ladies, Lisicki among them along with Kirilenko, Groenefeld, Peer, Benesova, Kvitova, Cirstea, and trying to win the main draw entry from qualies Michelle Larcher the Brito. It will be interesting to see if Kimiko Date Krum can win with Peer (the battle of old glory with unfullfilled potential) or how Sabine is going to handle Kirsten Flipken (should be easy win, no?)
On paper, after all the buzz about WTA next shooting star, Sabine should win this tournament, let's see how this one is going to play.
Of course the question of the day for me: is Aga going to stumble, or is this one going to be the beginning of something good? Let's hope for the latter!
The Stuttgart champion added another quizzical turn to WTA maze. Veteran with the most lost finals wakes up and grabs a title! Kuzniecova got the course down to Safina, or maybe Safina got the number 1 spell (I am #1, I have to prove I'm worth it! OMG, I forgot how to play that game!)
So Act I of the drama " Spring clay season in Europe" got all the favorites underperform. Some of them got some decent matches, most of them lost too early to consider it a good start. In the beginning of Act II Amelie got early exit by Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (I just know she is not CSN, but with so many of them with such a long names, I am always lost, which Spanish player is this time) I wonder if this is beginning of the end for Mauresmo, she gets inspired and plays a few good matches and then goes again into her loosing ways (too bad she met Aga in Paris in her draw when she was into her winning ways!) The rest of the field performed accordingly, maybe with the exception of Na Li, but I somehow don't see Li always coming through (unless she plays one of the polish players...)
Tomorrow matches which may turn either way: Szavay/Wozniacki (Agnes coming back it seems, Caro not showing the signs that she maybe dangerous on clay), William/Safarova (what form is Venus in?) Cornet/Sugiyama (Alize is loosing everything these days!)
Question? Are we going to see Dinara in Rome? She mentioned she wasn't feeling good in the final, but she is not playing tomorrow, so she gets some rest after traveling from Stutgart. Anyway, with Serena showing up in Rome I expect Safina will try to defend some of her points and will be playing, regardless of her conditions.
The other tournament in Estoril holds some interesting possibilities for couple of ladies, Lisicki among them along with Kirilenko, Groenefeld, Peer, Benesova, Kvitova, Cirstea, and trying to win the main draw entry from qualies Michelle Larcher the Brito. It will be interesting to see if Kimiko Date Krum can win with Peer (the battle of old glory with unfullfilled potential) or how Sabine is going to handle Kirsten Flipken (should be easy win, no?)
On paper, after all the buzz about WTA next shooting star, Sabine should win this tournament, let's see how this one is going to play.
Of course the question of the day for me: is Aga going to stumble, or is this one going to be the beginning of something good? Let's hope for the latter!
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