WTA Rankings 3.17.2014: Flavia Pennetta On The Move After BNP Paribas Open Title

Flavia Pennetta moved up both the WTA singles and money list rankings following her title at the 2014 BNP Paribas Open. At #12 in singles, she is now 2 places shy of her career best ranking of #10, which she achieved in 2009. Also rising to a career high is Simona Halep, who cracked the … Continue reading →

2014 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Champions: Flavia Pennetta, Novak Djokovic, Peng Shuai & Hsieh Su-Wei and The Bryan Brothers

At the moment, the American sports mainstream associates the number 76 with losing. For example, how many more games will the Philadelphia 76ers lose to close out the season? Or, have the Philadelphia 76ers taken the concept of tanking to its most absurd level? As someone who grew up in Philadelphia, I am pleased that … Continue reading →

2014 BNP Paribas Open At Indian Wells Semifinal Wrap-Up: Li Na Falls To Flavia Pennetta; Agnieszka Radwanska Advances

“59 errors is a lot. Will her next opponent, Flavia Pennetta, be able to make her pay for sloppy play?”  That’s what I wrote about Li Na’s play in the quarterfinals against Dominika Cibulkova. She was advancing through the draw at the 2014 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, but not without erratic play that … Continue reading →

2014 BNP Paribas Open At Indian Wells Quarterfinals Wrap-Up: Li Na, Agnieszka Radwanska, Simona Halep and Flavia Pennetta Reach Semis

For all of the upsets and surprises at the 2014 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, at the end of the day the top 2 seeds, Li Na and Agnieszka Radwanska, are still in the draw and heading to the semifinals. They will be joined by Simona Halep and Flavia Pennetta. Halep is one of … Continue reading →

2014 BNP Paribas Open At Indian Wells Fourth Round Wrap-Up: Simona Halep Edges Eugenie Bouchard; Dominika Cibulkova Continues Strong Play

I anticipated a hotly contested match between upstarts Simona Halep and Eugenie Bouchard at the 2014 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. That’s exactly what they delivered. Early on, it didn’t look good for the Canadian as Genie came out very much off her game. She double faulted twice in the first game of the … Continue reading →

2014 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells 3rd Round Wrap-Up: Eugenie Bouchard and Simona Halep Advance To Set Up Showdown Of Rising Stars; Maria Sharapova Upset By Camila Giorgi

Round 3 of the 2014 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells saw two rising stars of the tour, Eugenie Bouchard and Simona Halep, advance to set up an intriguing 4th round match-up. When she’s on, Simona Halep is one of the best shot makers on tour. However, in her match against Lucie Safarova, Simona was … Continue reading →

Serena Williams Caps Stellar Year With 2013 TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships Singles Title

Dominance, thy name is Serena. Two Majors; Roland Garros and the United States Open. 11 singles titles, including Miami, Madrid and Rome. She probably would have won Indian Wells too, except that she doesn’t play that event. A WTA record $12,385,572 in prize money this year. Her 4th WTA Tour Championship, joining the Hall of … Continue reading →

Li Na Makes History As Highest Ranked Asian Tennis Player Ever In Singles; Reaches Final Of 2013 TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championship Against Serena Williams

Li Na has been a trailblazer for Asian tennis players in singles many times before, most notably as the first (and so far, only) Major winner in singles from an Asian country. Coming in to her semifinal match against Petra Kvitova at the 2013 TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships, Li Na was tied with Kimiko … Continue reading →

Petra Kvitova, Li Na and Jelena Jankovic Join Serena Williams In 2013 TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships Semifinals

With Li Na easily getting past an injury hobbled Victoria Azarenka, which not only sent Li Na into the semifinals of the 2013 TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships but also automatically advanced Jelena Jankovic, which meant she need not exert herself trying to beat Sara Errani, the final intrigue was who would emerge from the … Continue reading →

Serena Williams Earns Semifinal Berth At 2013 TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships; Agnieszka Radwanska, Sara Errani Eliminated

To nobody’s surprise, Serena Williams won all three of her round robin matches at the 2013 TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships to advance to the semifinals of the year end event. The world #1 was just too much for Petra Kvitova, winning 2 and 3. Add that to wins over Angelique Kerber and Agnieszka Radwanska, … Continue reading →