Maria Sharapova Wins 2014 Mutua Madrid Open

The early season struggles of Maria Sharapova seem like ages ago. The career Grand Slam winner earned her 2nd straight tournament victory, besting Simona Halep in the final of the 2014 Mutua Madrid Open, 1-6 6-2 6-3. Early on, it seemed the fates were favoring Simona as the rising Romanian ripped through a 6-1 first … Continue reading →

WTA 40 Love Celebration At Wimbledon 2013

Before I talk about what the WTA means for me, how many players can you name in the photo above? One hint, most are former number 1s in singles except for two of them. Another is the current WTA CEO. Other than those three, the rest are WTA 1s. There are some 1s missing in … Continue reading →

Kim Clijsters Breezes In Second Round Of 2011 Sony Ericsson Open; Vera Zvonareva Beats Former #1 Dinara Safina In Three

Coming off an injury retirement at Indian Wells, Kim Clijsters wasted no time dispatching Anastasiya Yakimova in the second round of the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open, 6-1 6-1. However, there are some cautionary details in Kimmie’s win. While it’s good to see her on court after a shoulder injury, her serve, which is very dependent … Continue reading →

Ana Ivanovic Wins Battle of the Serbs, Maria Sharapova Crushes Dinara Safina At 2011 BNP Paribas At Indian Wells

Ana Ivanovic found her serve in the fourth round of the 2011 BNP Paribas Open, just in time to dismiss fellow Serbian superstar Jelena Jankovic 6-4 6-2. The former French Open champion and world #1 served up 7 aces, and more importantly, won 71% of points on her first serves in. Ana also showed a … Continue reading →

Former Russian #1s Maria Sharapova and Dinara Safina Show Best Form of the Year In Third Round Of 2011 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells

Maria Sharapova and Dinara Safina are the only two Russian WTA players to-date that have been ranked #1 in singles. But that seems like another lifetime ago as both have fallen far short of former glory in recent years. Sharapova, while showing signs of life in 2010, had not started 2011 as well as she … Continue reading →

Caroline Wozniacki, Samantha Stosur Advance To Third Round Of 2011 BNP Paribas At Indian Wells To Set Up Intriguing Match-Ups

I am not suggesting at all that I expect top seeded Caroline Wozniacki or 4th-seeded Samantha Stosur to lose their third round matches. But after Caroline defeated Sloane Stephens 6-3 6-2 in the second round, she now goes on to face Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. No big deal, right? A 2 and 1 victory for … Continue reading →

WTA Video: Indian Wells Is Warming Up

A nice little montage of players practicing, warming up and training

Maria Sharapova and Team Russia Fed Cup Practice and Press Conference

With so many great Russian players on tour, Russia could have fielded a great number of superb team combinations. That said, I am a little surprised Dinara Safina is on the team. She is a former #1, but she is currently out of the top 100. She has played two matches this year, against Marion … Continue reading →

Australian Open Day 2: Clijsters Obliterates Safina; Zvonareva, Stosur, Jankovic Advance; Ivanovic Upset In Heartbreaker

Kim Clijsters was supposed to be in for a potentially tough first round match against Dinara Safina in a match-up of two former #1 ranked players. Instead, it was Clijsters who emphatically showed that she, not Safina, is far closer to still being a #1 player as the Belgian completely dominated the Russian 6-0 6-0, … Continue reading →

WTA Video: Kim Clijsters Pre-Australian Open Interview

Kim Clijsters is a fan favorite in many places, but very well received especially in Australia. It would be a great addition to her career resume to win a Grand Slam title other than the US Open. Tough first round draw, but that’s how tennis is. I still expect Clijsters to beat Dinara Safina.