Bartoli, Venus advance in Miami

Venus Williams became the first woman into the final four of the $4.5-million Sony Ericsson Open, routing Agnieszka Radwanska, 63 61.

The match was tight early on, with the pair locked at 3-all and the No.6-seeded Radwanska actually holding break points; but the No.3-seeded Williams kicked it up about five notches from that moment, winning 11 of the next 13 points to take the first set, then barely looking back in a 33-minute second set.

"We had some interesting times in the first set, but it was straightforward," Williams said. "I was eager to clean up my act today. We had some good rallies and some good points, but I just see myself coming out on top."

Williams pounded eight aces in the match, including three in her last service game in the second set. Highlights: V.Williams vs. A.Radwanska

"Obviously I have a huge advantage with my serve. It has always kind of been that way," Williams said. "There were some I hit that came pretty fast, and it was pretty sunny out there, so there was glare coming off the court. I guess with those two things combined it may have been tough for her to return them."

Less than 24 hours earlier, Williams won her fourth round match against Daniela Hantuchova in a squeaker, 16 75 64, after being down, 61 20.

"Getting through a match like that gives me confidence. To beat a player like Daniela when she is playing so well and I'm not at my best helps a lot with my confidence moving forward in the tournament."

Awaiting Williams in the semifinals is No.13 seed Marion Bartoli, who, at night, edged No.12 seed Yanina Wickmayer, 64 75. Playing each other for the first time, the two players matched each other in the power department but it was the more experienced Bartoli who came out on top in the big moments, holding serve after six straight breaks to take the first set, then clawing her way out of triple set point at 4-5 in the second set (she was down 0-40) en route to taking the second set and the match.


Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Singles - Quarterfinals
(3) V Williams (USA) d. (6) A Radwanska (POL) 63 61
(13) M Bartoli (FRA) d. (12) Y Wickmayer (BEL) 64 75

Venus survives after first set loss; Justine, Kim advance after straight sets wins in Miami

It was very nearly derailed, but the Venus Williams winning streak kept on growing at the Sony Ericsson Open on Monday, as the No.3 seed and three-time former champion won her season-leading 13th match in a row with a 16 75 64 comeback victory against Daniela Hantuchova.

Williams, who is looking for her third straight Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title after triumphing in Dubai and Acapulco, had never lost in nine previous meetings with Hantuchova, but it was beginning to look like 10th time unlucky as the No.19-seeded Slovak used her pinpoint groundies to build a daunting 61 20 lead.

Never one to surrender, Williams fought through Hantuchova's relentless attack with her own offense, winning seven of the next 10 games to take the second set and edging her in the third as well. The American served the match out at love thanks to some huge serving - one of her serves into the body actually hit Hantuchova, but there were no hurt feelings.

"I haven't seen her play so well in a long time," Williams said. "She was really executing her game. Of course, I'd like to win in a more straightforward way, but when it counts and when times get tough, I always feel confident I'm going to find a way to win the point. When I hit it hard she got it back, when I hit it high she got it back. So, just a real testimony to how well she was playing today."

And that final game? "I'd like to play every game like that," she said. "I found a little extra something in myself. It was a perfect game to end it."

Williams narrowly avoided the upset, but some others weren't so lucky. No.1 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova fell to No.13 seed Marion Bartoli, 63 60; No.4 seed and defending champion Victoria Azarenka fell to No.14 seed Kim Clijsters, 64 60; and, in a minor upset, No.7 seed Jelena Jankovic lost to No.9 seed Samantha Stosur, 61 76(9). Jankovic, who had beaten Stosur just last week, held two set points in the second set tie-break before falling.

Holding form were No.2 seed Caroline Wozniacki, who eased past No.22 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 62 62; No.6 seed Agnieszka Radwanska, who beat Yaroslava Shvedova, 61 64; and No.12 seed Yanina Wickmayer, who rolled past Timea Bacsinszky in a 55-minute demolition, 60 61.

At night, Justine Henin - a wildcard into the draw - beat No.11 seed Vera Zvonareva, 61 64. It was her sixth straight set win in six career meetings with the Russian. Henin, ranked No.33, will return to the Top 30 after this event.


Monday, March 29, 2010

Singles - Fourth Round
(13) Marion Bartoli (FRA) d. (1) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 63 60
(2) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) d. (22) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) 62 62
(3) Venus Williams (USA) d. (19) Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 16 75 64
(14) Kim Clijsters (BEL) d. (4) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 64 60
(6) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) d. Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) 61 64
(9) Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. (7) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) 61 76(9)
(WC) Justine Henin (BEL) d. (11) Vera Zvonareva (RUS) 61 64
(12) Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) d. Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) 60 61

Azarenka advances; Clijsters, Henin cruise in Miami

Two of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's brightest young stars and two of its most accomplished were among the third round winners at the Sony Ericsson Open on Sunday, but it wasn't easy for all of them.

Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin, both Grand Slam champions and former No.1s, were among the players who moved into the round of 16 earlier in the day. Clijsters, the No.14 seed, was the first of the Belgian power pair to move through, crushing No.17 seed Shahar Peer in just 50 minutes, 60 61; Henin, a wildcard, got past No.26 seed Dominika Cibulkova in a tougher test, 64 64.

"Shahar isn't a player who is going to hit you off the court. She usually doesn't make a lot of errors, but I felt I was in control of a lot of the points," Clijsters said of Peer. "I was able to move her from side to side until I felt I could take a couple steps in and go for the winner."

"I was in trouble in the beginning of both sets, but I ended up doing what I had to do," Henin said of her match against Cibulkova. "Dominika plays with a good rhythm and played very well. She runs a lot, has a very good backhand and is a real fighter - she has a strong personality. It wasn't easy today."

Caroline Wozniacki and Victoria Azarenka, the No.2 and No.4 seeds and the two youngest players in the Top 10 at 19 and 20 years old, respectively, won later in the day. Azarenka, who is also the defending champion here, eased past Lucie Safarova, 64 62; Wozniacki had a bigger battle on her hands from Maria Kirilenko but wound up edging the No.32 seed in the end, 16 61 64.


Sunday, March 28, 2010

Singles - Third Round
(2) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) d. (32) Maria Kirilenko (RUS) 16 61 64
(4) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) d. Lucie Safarova (CZE) 64 62
(9) Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. Virginie Razzano (FRA) 46 75 61
(11) Vera Zvonareva (RUS) d. Sara Errani (ITA) 62 63
(14) Kim Clijsters (BEL) d. (17) Shahar Peer (ISR) 60 61
(22) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) d. (15) Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 75 63
(WC) Justine Henin (BEL) d. (26) Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) 64 64

Venus bests Cirstea to advance in Miami

Venus Williams extended her winning streak to 11 matches on Thursday night at the Sony Ericsson Open, defeating Sorana Cirstea in straight sets in her first match of the $4.5-million tournament, 64 63.

Williams, seeded No.3 and wearing a design made by a fan in a contest by Tide, was down a break to the Romanian in both sets but fought back each time, eventually winning their first duel in 78 minutes. She fired six aces during the night-time encounter. Although she isn't the top seed, Williams is largely considered the best pick for the Miami title this year. She has won it three times before - two more than anyone else in the draw - and has the fifth-best winning percentage of all time here too (84%).

"I hadn't played in a few weeks, so it took some time to get some rhythm going," Williams said. "She played extremely aggressively - when her shots were going in, it was good stuff. Toward the end my game got better and better."

The true top seed, Svetlana Kuznetsova, had a much more difficult time in her first match of the tournament, edging Peng Shuai in just under two hours, 62 36 64. Kuznetsova was two points away from losing serve at 4-all third set but held, then broke the Chinese at 15 to seal the deal in her opening match.

"I stopped moving my feet in the second set and lost a game, and then it all started to go wrong," Kuznetsova said. "I started talking to myself a bit better and stopped being so negative, and then cut down on my errors. Now I'm just going to try to get through my next round and go from there."

There were mixed results for the other Top 10 seeds in action. No.6 seed Agnieszka Radwanska advanced but the other two weren't so lucky, No.8 seed Li Na falling to Timea Bacsinszky, 64 46 76(3), and No.10 seed Flavia Pennetta falling to Andrea Petkovic after a 23-minute third set, 63 36 60.

No.12 seed Yanina Wickmayer, No.13 seed Marion Bartoli, No.16 seed Nadia Petrova and No.19 seed Daniela Hantuchova were also winners.

Earlier on, former world No.1 Ana Ivanovic - the No.25 seed here - got back on the winning track, beating qualifier Pauline Parmentier, 64 63.

"It was good to have a win," said Ivanovic, who came into this tournament on a four-match losing streak - and an eight-set losing streak. "I feel I am improving again. Obviously working with a new coach, Heinz Gunthardt, I can see the improvements on a daily basis. It's very encouraging for me going forward.

"I feel I've been playing better for a while now, so it was disappointing to lose so early at Indian Wells. But I'm just working hard and trying to do my best out there. I played well today. I stuck with what I've been working on."

Since I, the writer of this blog, live in Miami, I was there personally!


Thursday, March 25, 2010

Singles - Second Round
(1) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) d. Peng Shuai (CHN) 62 36 64
(3) Venus Williams (USA) d. Sorana Cirstea (ROU) 64 63
(6) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) d. Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 75 60
Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) d. (8) Li Na (CHN) 64 46 76(3)
Andrea Petkovic (GER) d. (10) Flavia Pennetta (ITA) 63 36 60
(12) Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) d. (Q) Elena Baltacha (GBR) 61 63
(13) Marion Bartoli (FRA) d. Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) 62 64
(16) Nadia Petrova (RUS) d. Kimiko Date Krumm (JPN) 63 76(7)
(WC) Petra Martic (CRO) d. (18) Aravane Rezai (FRA) 75 57 64
(19) Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) d. Patty Schnyder (SUI) 61 64
Gisela Dulko (ARG) d. (21) Alona Bondarenko (UKR) 75 62
Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) d. (23) Sabine Lisicki (GER) 63 01 ret. (left ankle injury)
(25) Ana Ivanovic (SRB) d. (Q) Pauline Parmentier (FRA) 64 63
(27) Agnes Szavay (HUN) d. (WC) Alicia Molik (AUS) 60 60
Roberta Vinci (ITA) d. (30) Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) 64 76(5)
Polona Hercog (SLO) d. (31) Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) 76(5) 63