The Daywalker

^ I'm not sure I like the lavender toenail polish... but I can fix that for her

Hot Rod

I didn`t know that Dani painted her toenails lavender. I was too busy staring in awe at how hot she looks in that bikini. I`m more into the traditional red nail polish.

Here`s an update on today`s matches in Marbella. First of all Sorana defeated Andreja Klepac 4-6, 6-1, 6-1. Good win for Sorana. It`s nice to see bounce back after losing the first set with a double breadstick in the last two sets. Unfortunately Nikki was defeated by Roberta Vinci 3-6, 3-6. Disappointing performance from Nikki. Today`s match showed that there`s still a lot of work for her to do to get back to where she was a while ago.

So that`s an early update on today`s matches. Right now in Ponte Vedra Beach, the clash of the Bondarenko sisters is underway, with Kat leading Alona 6-4, 3-3. The match has been pretty competitive as expected. I hope that Alona can win the second set so that we can have a third set. Also Elena and Domi will be in action later this afternoon in singles along with Caroline and Sania in doubles. Hopefully they will do well later on.

Anyway here are some new pics of Masha from last night.


While i think that Masha looks very good as usual, that hairdo isn`t a good look for her.

Hot Rod

Here`s an update on today`s matches in Ponte Vedra Beach.

First of all in the battle of the Bondarenko sisters, Alona defeated Kat 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. This match was pretty competitive for a while with a lot of breaks of service. However Alona stepped up her game late in the match to get the win. Good win for Alona. I`m glad that we got a nice competitive match between the Bondarenko sisters today. Of course i hope that Kat will pay for dinner this evening.

Also Elena defeated Patricia Mayr 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 and Domi routed Anastasia Rodionova 6-1, 6-3. Good wins for both ladies. I`m especially pleased with how well Elena played after a terrible first set.

Meanwhile in doubles, Caroline and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova defeated Jill Craybas and Mashona Washington 6-2, 1-6, 10-7 and Sania and Chia-Jung Chuang defeated Melinda Czink and Lilia Osterloh 6-0, 3-6, 10-5. Good wins for Caroline and Sania. They both played well in these tough matches.

So in all it was a pretty good day for most of our favorites with Nikki`s loss being the only blemish.

Here are tomorrow`s schedules.

First of all in Marbella, JJ will take on Selima Sfar. Also in doubles, Sorana and Ioana Raluca Olaru will face Polona Hercog and Vladimira Uhlirova.

Meanwhile in Ponte Vedra Beach, Caroline will play Virginie Razzano, Sabrine will take on Aleksandra Wozniak and Dani will face Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Also in doubles, three of our favorites will face off as the Bondarenko sisters will play Caroline and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.

As usual, i hope that all of our favorites will do well tomorrow.

Anyway here are a couple of pics of Sorana from her match earlier today along with a couple of offcourt pics of her.

Hot Rod

Here`s an update on today`s matches.

First of all in Marbella, JJ routed Selima Sfar 6-3, 6-0. Good win for JJ. It`s nice to see her deliver very good performance. In doubles, Sorana and Ioana Raluca Olaru were crushed by Polona Hercog and Vladimira Uhlirova 0-6, 1-6. What a performance there for Sorana getting taken to the bakery. Hopefully she can shake it off.

Meanwhile in Ponte Vedra Beach, Caroline defeated Virginie Razzano 6-3, 7-5 and Dani also defeated Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-3, 7-5. Good wins for both ladies. I`m especially pleased with the improvement Dani showed earlier this evening. Unfortunately it wasn`t all good news as Sabrine was defeated by Aleksandra Wozniak 6-3, 6-7(4), 4-6. Tough loss there for Sabrine. She got off to a good start, but just couldn`t that break or two that would`ve turned the match in her favor. Also in doubles, we were supposed to get a matchup involving The Bondarenko sisters and Caroline. Instead Caroline and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova wins via walkover due to Kat having a right forearm strain. I hate that this happened to Kat. Hopefully this isn`t serious and will only require some rest.

So in all it was another good day for most of our favorites.

Tomorrow will be the quarterfinals.

First of all in Marbella, JJ will take on Roberta Vinci. Following that match, Sorana will face Kaia Kanepi.

Meanwhile in Ponte Vedra Beach, the day will be highlighted by a couple of all hotties matchups. Elena will play Domi in the first one. Then in the marquee match later in the evening, Caroline will take on Dani. Also Alona will face Nadia Petrova and in doubles, Sania and Chia-Jung Chuang will play Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Nadia Petrova. Both of the all hotties matchups look very intriguing, especially the marquee match between Caroline and Dani, which is the classic grizzled vet vs. young gun matchup.

I really hope that all of our favorites will do well tomorrow and that the Elena-Domi and Caroline-Dani matches will be pretty competitive.

Lastly in other news, Ashley gave birth to a healthy baby boy named Charlie last week. Congrats to her and Chuck. I also read that Ashley plans on returning to the court likely in June. Hopefully she`ll train hard and be ready. It would be nice to see Ash back in action. Of course i do hope that she`ll start out with doubles, preferably teaming up with a fellow hottie like Caroline or maybe even Masha.

Anyway here are some pics from today`s matches along with another new pic of Dani from her recent photoshoot.

Hot Rod

Here`s an update on yesterday`s quarterfinal matches.

First of all in Marbella, we got a couple of our wild matches over there as JJ defeated Roberta Vinci 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(6) and Sorana defeated Kaia Kanepi 6-4, 2-6, 7-5. Good wins by both ladies. JJ really had a lot of trouble finishing off Roberta Vinci, needing at least seven match points before she finally closed it out. Sorana also had trouble closing out her match against Kaia Kanepi, blowing a 5-2 lead and being broken twice before she finally got it going and finished off Kanepi.

Meanwhile in Ponte Vedra Beach, the day was highlighted by a couple of all hotties matchups. In the first one, Elena defeated Domi 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-3. This was very competitive match for a while. Then Domi jumped out to a 3-0 lead before Elena made a strong comeback to win the last six games to close out the match. Good win for Elena. I`m really proud of the way she came back from down 0-3. As for Domi, obviously this is a very tough loss for her, especially after being up 3-0 in the third set. In the other all hotties matchup earlier this evening, Caroline routed Dani 6-2. 6-2. Good win for Caroline. She really came out strong right away and delivered a very good performance. As for Dani, i`m disappointed that she couldn`t make tonight`s episode more competitive. It was clear right from the start that she didn`t have anything for Caroline. Also Alona was defeated by Nadia Petrova 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(5). What a tough loss for Alona. She had a golden opportunity to close out the match, serving up 5-3, but was broken. Then she made a comeback from down 2-5 in the third set tiebreakers, but sadly came up short. I really was hoping that Alona was going to pull off the upset. Also in doubles, Sania and Chia-Jung Chuang defeated Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Nadia Petrova 6-4, 7-5. Good win for Sania.

So in all it was a good day for most of our favorites. We got a couple of wild matches and a nice competitive all hotties matchup. The only blemishes was Alona`s tough and Dani being blown out.

Here`s the schedule for today`s semifinals matches.

First of all in Marbella, Sorana will take on hometown favorite Carla Navarro Suarez and then JJ will face hometown favorite Anabel Medina Garrigues. Obviously these will be very tough matches for JJ and Sorana playing the hometown favorites.

Meanwhile in Ponte Vedra Beach, we`ll get another all hotties matchup as Caroline will play Elena. This will be their second meeting of the year, with Elena upsetting Caroline at Auckland earlier this year. Caroline will be the favorite in the match, but we can`t rule out Elena, who has really played well in some tough matches this week. Also in doubles, Caroline and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova will take on the top seeded team of Lisa Raymond and Kveta Peschke and Sania and Chia-Jung Chuang will face Angela Hayes and Liga Dekmeijere.

I really hope that all of our remaining favorites will do well later today. These are great opportunities from them and hopefully they can take full advantage of them.

Anyway here are some pics from yesterday`s matches.
















Good job Elena.

Hot Rod

Here`s an update on today`s semifinals matches.

First of all in Marbella, JJ defeated Anabel Medina Garrigues 7-5, 6-2. Good win for JJ. She played better than expected against one of the hometown favorites. In the other semifinal match, Sorana was defeated by Carla Suarez Navarro 2-6, 7-6(5), 2-6. Tough loss there for Sorana.

Meanwhile in Ponte Vedra Beach, we got another all hotties match, this time it was a rematch between Caroline and Elena. The match went the full three sets with Caroline pulling out 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(4). The match was very competitive as expected, especially in the third set where the ladies elevated their play and went back and forth in it. Good win for Caroline. She did a good job of battling back in this tough match, especially when she saved four match points. As for Elena, obviously this is a very tough loss for her. She had a golden opportunity to make it to her second final of the year, but sadly couldn`t convert on any of the match points. You hate to see her lose like this. Meanwhile in doubles, Sania and Chia-Jung Chuang defeated Angela Hayes and Liga Dekmeijere 6-4, 6-3. Good win for Sania. Nice to see her deliver a solid performance today. Unfortunately in the other semifinal match, which just ended a few minutes ago, Caroline and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova were defeated by Lisa Raymond and Kveta Peshke 6-4, 5-7, 13-15. Tough loss there for Caroline, which ended her chances of a title sweep.

So in all it was a mixed bag today with Caroline, JJ and Sania winning their matches. However Sorana`s loss in singles and Caroline`s in doubles denies obviously blemish the day.

Tomorrow will be the finals.

First of all in Marbella, JJ will take on Carla Suarez Navarro. Obviously this looks like a tough match for JJ, going up against the hometown favorite Suarez Navarro, who has really moved up the ranking this year thanks for her great run at the Australian Open, where she upset Venus Williams, which obviously shows how dangerous she is.

Meanwhile in Ponte Vedra Beach, Caroline will face Aleksandra Wozniak. I`m sure the organizers are already calling it the Battle of the Wozes. Also in doubles, Sania and Chia-Jung Chuang will play the top seeded team of Lisa Raymond and Kveta Peschke.

I really hope that Caroline, JJ and Sania will do well tomorrow. Obviously their matches look pretty tough, but at the same time, these are great opportunities for them to get titles. Hopefully they can come through tomorrow. BTW both of the singles finals will be televised live on the Tennis Channel. I hope that those of you that have it will catch both matches tomorrow.

Anyway here is a pic of Alize, Makiri and Flavia from the draw ceremony in Barcelona earlier today.


What a lovely sight that is to see Alize, Makiri and Flavia together.

Hot Rod

Well it was a very successful Easter for some of our favorites.

First of all in Marbella, JJ defeated Carla Suarez Navarro 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to win the singles title over there. Good win for JJ. The match was a tough one as expected, but JJ did a great job of using her experience and superior condition in the third set to seal the win, which is her first title of the year and 10th career singles title. I really hope that this will be a nice confidence booster for JJ after all the struggles she had this season.

Meanwhile in Ponte Vedra Beach, we got a title sweep there. First in the doubles final, Sania and Chia-Jung Chuang upset Lisa Raymond and Kveta Peschke 6-3, 4-6, 10-7. Good win for Sania. She played well throughout the match and had the nice forehand going. Following that match, the singles final was played, where Caroline crushed Aleksandra Wozniak 6-1, 6-2. Good win for Caroline. She played a near flawless match today where her serve was absolutely outstanding and she did a great job of taking advantage of Wozniak`s mistakes.

So in all it was a great Easter Sunday with JJ and Caroline winning their first singles titles of the year and Sania winning her first doubles title of the year to go along with the mixed doubles title she won at the Australian Open. This is a great start to the clay court season. I`m really proud of the ladies for their good play this past week in winning their titles. I really hope that this will be a nice confidence boost for them starting the clay court season. The next tournaments this week will be the Family Circle Cup in Charleston and The Barcelona Ladies Open, where Makiri is the defending champion. I`ll have the draws for both tournaments later tonight. In the meantime, here are some from today`s matches to celebrate JJ, Caroline and Sania`s title wins.




Very nice view there.


Great job JJ. BTW we have first candidate for Worst Trophy of the Year.




Good job Caroline.

Hot Rod

Sorry i`m late doing this, but here are the draws for the Family Circle Cup and the Barcelona Ladies Open:

Family Circle Cup singles:

(1/wc)Elena Dementieva v BYE
Julie Ditty v Ayumi Morita
Varvara Lepchenko v Galina Voskoboeva
(Q)Shenay Perry v (15)Barbora Zahlavova Strycova

(12)Bethanie Mattek-Sands v Mariana Duque Marino
Anastasia Rodionova v (Q)Madison Brengle
Julia Schruff v Tamira Paszek
(7)Dominika Cibulkova v BYE

(3)Vera Zvonareva v BYE
Rossana de los Rios v Carly Gullickson
Stephanie Dubois v Katie O´Brien
(wc)Mallory Cecil v (13)Virginie Razzano

(10)Shuai Peng v (wc)Anastasia Pivovarova
Akgul Amanmuradova v (wc)Alexandra Stevenson
(Q)Angela Haynes v Alla Kudryavtseva
(5)Caroline Wozniacki v BYE

(6)Marion Bartoli v BYE
(Q)Anastasija Sevastova v Marta Domachowska
(Q)Melanie Oudin v Olga Savchuk
(Q)Abigail Spears v (9)Aleksandra Wozniak

(14)Olga Govortsova v Vania King
Melinda Czink v Jill Craybas
Zi Yan v Patricia Mayr
(4)Nadia Petrova v BYE

(8)Patty Schnyder v BYE
Elena Vesnina v Evgeniya Rodina
Mariya Koryttseva v Viktoriya Kutuzova
Anne Kremer v (11)Alona Bondarenko

(15)Sabine Lisicki v (Q)Marie-Eve Pelletier
Alexa Glatch v (Q)Lenka Wienerova
Sania Mirza v Sesil Karatantcheva
(2)Venus Williams v BYE

Barcelona Ladies Open singles:

(1)Alize Cornet v Stephanie Cohen-Aloro
Q v (wc)Nuria Llagostera Vives
Petra Cetkovska v Q
(wc)Estrella Cabeza-Candela v (5)Carla Suarez Navarro

(4)Kaia Kanepi v Q
Maria-Jose Martinez Sanchez v Kirsten Flipkens
Anna-Lena Groenefeld v Severine Bremond
Camille Pin v (6)Maria Kirilenko

(7)Sara Errani v Mathilde Johansson
Tsvetana Pironkova v Lucie Safarova
Francesca Schiavone v Lourdes Dominguez-Lino
Nicole Vaidisova v (3)Anabel Medina Garrigues

(8)Sorana Cirstea v Q
Magdalena Rybarikova v Klara Zakopalova
Roberta Vinci v Pauline Parmentier
Petra Kvitova v (2/wc)Flavia Pennetta

First of all, the field in Charleston looks pretty tough with Elena Dementieva and Venus Williams in it. However we still have some hope with Caroline in it and Vera Z making her return. Meanwhile in Barcelona, the field looks a bit more favorable for Alize, Makiri, Flavia and Sorana. However i`m very wary of the Spaniards and Kaia Kanepi. In fact Nikki will play Anabel Medina Garrigues in the first round. Obviously this is a potential brutal match for her, especially when she`s trying to get back to the good form from a couple of years ago. I really hope that all of our favorites will do well in Barcelona and Charleston. This is a great opportunity for some of her favorites returning to action like Vera Z, Alize, Makiri and Flavia get the clay court season off to a good start.

Here is today`s schedule.

First of all in Barcelona, Flavia will take on Petra Kvitova and then Alize will face compatriot Stephanie Cohen-Aloro.

Meanwhile in Charleston, Alona will play Anne Kremer and Marta will take on Anastasija Sevastova.

I really hope that some of our favorites will do well and get off to good starts today.

Hot Rod

Here`s the first update from this week`s tournaments.

First of all in Barcelona, Flavia defeated Petra Kvitova 6-3, 6-3. Good win for Flavia. She had some trouble with her serve, but did a good job of keeping it together to win the match in straight sets. Unfortunately Alize`s troubles continue as she was shockingly routed by compatriot Stephanie Cohen-Aloso 3-6, 0-6. What a disappointing performance from Alize. I was really hope that she could get back in the direction in Barcelona, but sadly it`s another early exit for her. Also in doubles, Sorana and Andreja Klepac upset the second seeded team of Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Ipek Senoglu 2-6, 6-4, 10-4. Good win for Sorana. I`m very pleased with the improvement she has shown in doubles lately.

Meanwhile in Charleston, Alona defeated Anne Kremer 6-4, 6-0. Good win for Alona. I`m very pleased with the way she dominated the second set. It`s nice to see her serving a bagel. Unfortunately it wasn`t all good news as Marta was defeated by Anastasija Sevastova 1-6, 6-1, 4-6. Tough loss for Marta. She can`t seem to buy a win lately.

So in all it was a mixed bag in the first day of action for some of our favorites.

Here is tomorrow`s schedule in Barcelona.

First of all, Nikki will take on Yevgenia Savranska, who is taking Anabel Medina Garrigues` place after she withdrew due to abdominal strain, in one of the first matches of the day. Later on Makiri will face Camille Pin and Sorana will play Anastasiya Yakimova.

Anyway here is another pic of Caroline with her latest trophy.

Hot Rod

Here is tomorrow`s schedule in Charleston.

First of all, Sabrine will take on Maria-Eve Pelletier in one of the first matches of the day. Following that match Sania will face Sesil Karatantcheva and Domi will play Tamira Paszek. Also Vera Z will return to action as she`ll take on Rossana de Los Rios and Elena will face Evgeniya Rodina.

I really hope that all of our favorites will do well tomorrow.

Anyway here is a new pic of Masha.

Hot Rod

Here`s an update on today`s matches.

First of all in Barcelona, Makiri routed Camille Pin 6-2, 6-0 and Nikki defeated Yevgenia Savranska 6-2, 6-4. Good wins for both ladies. Hopefully this will be nice confidence builder for them. Unfortunately it wasn`t all good news as Sorana was upset by Anastasiya Yakimova 6-7(2), 6-7(5). Tough loss there for Sorana. I was hoping that she could make another nice run, but sadly it`s not the case.

Meanwhile in Charleston, Sabrine defeated Maria-Eve Pelletier 7-5, 6-4; Sania defeated Sesil Karatantcheva 6-4, 6-4; Domi defeated Tamira Paszek 6-4, 6-0; Vera Z defeated Rossana de Los Rios 6-3, 6-2 and Elena routed Evgeniya Rodina 6-0, 6-2. Good wins by those ladies. I`m especially pleased with Domi and Elena`s performances.

So in all it was a pretty good day for most of our favorites.

Here is tomorrow`s schedule in Barcelona.

First of all, Makiri will take on Severine Bremond in the first match of the day. Following that match, Flavia will face Roberta Vinci. Meanwhile in doubles, Alize and Camille Pin will play Severine Bremond and Veronika Kapshay and Sorana and Andreja Klepac will take on Maret Ani and Renata Voracova.

Anyway here are a couple of pics from Vera`s match and a pic from Makiri`s match.

Hot Rod

Here is today`s schedule in Charleston.

First of all, Alona will take on Viktoriya Kutuzova and Sabrine will face Lenka Wienerova to start out the day. Also Sania will play Venus Williams and Elena will take on Patty Schnyder. Later in the evening, Caroline will face Alla Kudryavtseva. Meanwhile in doubles, Alona and Anastasia Rodionova, who is subbing for Kat, will play Alexa Glatch and Shenay Perry and Elena and Chia-Jung Chuang will take on Betina Jozami and Maria-Eve Pelletier.

As always i hope that all of our favorites will do well later today.

Anyway here are some pics of some of the ladies.






Makiri obviously has that "can we get this over with quickly" look on her face.

Hot Rod

Here`s an update on today`s matches.

First of all in Barcelona, Makiri defeated Severine Bremond 7-5, 6-2. Good win for Makiri. Nice to see her deliver another solid performance. Unfortunately the same couldn`t be said for her partner in crime Flavia, who was routed by Roberta Vinci 1-6, 2-6. What a terrible performance from Flavia. I had a bad feeling about this match, but i didn`t think that Flavia would get blown out like this. Also in doubles, Sorana and Andreja Klepac defeated Maret Ani and Renata Voracova 6-4, 6-3. Good win for Sorana. This is a nice bounce back after her upset loss yesterday. In the other match, Alize and Camille Pin were defeated by Severine Bremond and Veronika Kapshay 0-6, 6-4, 8-10. Tough loss for Alize. Even in doubles, she can`t get a win.

Meanwhile in Charleston, Caroline defeated Alla Kudryavtseva earlier this evening 6-3, 6-3, while earlier this afternoon, Sabrine defeated Lenka Wienerova 6-4, 6-3 and Elena upset Patty Schnyder 6-2, 6-7(2), 7-5. Good wins for those three. I`m especially pleased with Elena`s win. Unfortunately it wasn`t all good news as Alona was defeated by Viktoriya Kutuzova 4-6, 5-7 and Sania was defeated by Venus Williams 1-6, 6-3, 2-6. Tough loss there for Alona. As for Sania, she bounced back nicely after the first set, but unfortunately couldn`t keep it going in the third set. In doubles, Elena and Chia-Jung Chuang defeated Betina Jozami and Maria-Eve Pelletier 6-1, 6-4. Good win for Elena, which is obviously a nice bonus for her. Also Alona and Anastasia Rodionova were defeated by Alexa Glatch and Shenay Perry 6-2, 4-6, 7-10. Tough loss for Alona. She and Anastasia Rodionova got off to a good start, winning the first set and were up a break in the second, but unfortunately couldn`t keep the good momentium going.

So in all it was a good day for some of our favorites.

Here is tomorrow`s schedule.

First of all in Barcelona, Nikki will take on Francesca Schiavone.

Meanwhile in Charleston, Domi will face Anastasia Rodionova for the second straight week. Also Caroline will play Shuai Peng, Sabrine will take on Venus Williams, Elena will face Viktoriya Kutuzova and Vera Z will play Virginie Razzano. Also in doubles, Elena and Chia-Jung Chuang will take on Liga Dekmeijere and Patty Schnyder.

Obviously some tough matches for some of our favorites, especially Sabrine`s match against Venus Williams. I really hope that all of our favorites will do well tomorrow.

Lastly here`s some endorsement news for Masha:

PepsiCo, Tennis’s Maria Sharapova Have Ended Endorsement Deal
By Danielle Rossingh


April 15 (Bloomberg) -- PepsiCo Inc. and Maria Sharapova, a three-time Grand Slam tennis champion who’s dropped out of the top 50 because of a shoulder injury, have ended their two-year endorsement deal.

“There is no particular reason other than that the contract has ended, with both parties mutually deciding to go their own way,” Huw Gilbert, a Purchase, New York-based spokesman for the world’s second-biggest soft-drink maker, said in an interview. “We enjoyed our partnership and wish her well.”

In January 2007, Sharapova, 21, became the first tennis player to represent PepsiCo’s Gatorade sports drink and Tropicana fruit juice brands worldwide. That contract, signed after the Russian won the 2006 U.S. Open, expired at the end of last year.

Financial details of the agreement, which also consisted of Sharapova fronting a global hydration education campaign, weren’t disclosed. Sports Business Daily reported the deal to be worth close to $1 million a year at the time.

“Gatorade has a rich history of partnering with the world’s best athletes,” Pete Brace, director of communications at The Gatorade Company, said in an e-mail. “As a leading sports brand, we are consistently evaluating our portfolio of athletes and properties to ensure we have the right mix.”

Gatorade struck a deal with Serena Williams, the reigning U.S. Open and Australian Open champion, late last year to endorse its products in the U.S., Brace said. Williams joined other athletes including golfer Tiger Woods and retired basketball star Michael Jordan.

Max Eisenbud, Sharapova’s agent at IMG, wasn’t immediately available for comment.

So that`s why Masha wasn`t in those G commercials during the Super Bowl. Hopefully we`ll get to see her endorsing Powerade, which is a superior sports drink IMO.

Anyway here are some pics from today`s matches.










Good job Elena.




Nice to see a little peek of Caroline`s belly again.

The Daywalker

Tons of updates! Gracias, mi amigo.

Elena is becoming one of my favorites for sure. She's not too "over the top" like some of the others can be.

Hot Rod

Glad that you like them Chris.

In fact here`s an update on most of today`s matches.

First of all, we got a huge upset today in Charleston as Sabrine upset Venus Williams 6-4, 7-6(5). Good win for Sabrine. I was hoping that she could keep the match competitive, but she did a great job of getting out of some tough situations and using her big serve, which were over 110 MPH for the most part. Now that was a big surprise there. You hardly ever see any player outhit Venus. What else is there to say other than this is a huge win for Sabrine. Anytime one of our favorite beats either of the Williams sisters is always a cause to celebrate. Hopefully this win will be a huge stepping stone for Sabrine.

In the other matches in Charleston, Domi defeated Anastasia Rodionova 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-3; Caroline defeated Shuai Peng 6-3, 6-3 and just a few minutes ago, Elena defeated Viktoriya Kutuzova 7-6(4), 7-5. Good wins for those three. I`m especially with the way Elena played in another tough match.

Meanwhile in Barcelona, Nikki was defeated by Francesca Schiavone 2-6, 3-6. Not much of a surprise there. I`m very disappointed that Nikki couldn`t make the match more competitive.

So that`s the story on most of today`s matches. Coming up in a few minutes, Vera Z will take on Virginie Razzano. Also Elena will return to action for her doubles match. Hopefully they can end the day on a good note.

Anyway here are some pics from today`s matches.












Good job Sabrine.