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Miami Sony Ericsson Open Monday 3/30 Results

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:17:00 +0000

Miami Sony Ericsson Open Monday 3/30 Results

WTA Main Draw Singles - Fourth Round

[8] S Kuznetsova (RUS) d [24] A Kleybanova (RUS) 62 61
[1] S Williams (USA) vs [17] J Zheng (CHN)
[13] C Wozniacki (DEN) d [4] E Dementieva (RUS) 75 64
[10] A Radwanska (POL) vs [5] V Williams (USA)
[25] A Szavay (HUN) vs [11] V Azarenka (BLR)
[26] I Benesova (CZE) vs [19] A Medina Garrigues (ESP)
[20] A Mauresmo (FRA) vs S Stosur (AUS)
E Makarova (RUS) vs N Li (CHN)

Watch Tennis Online Live WTA Miami Sony Ericsson Open Online Free Video Streaming

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:31:00 +0000

Watch Tennis Online Live WTA Miami Sony Ericsson Open Online Free Video Streaming

Monday 3/30
WTA Miami Sony Ericsson Open

11:00 ET- Link 1 - Link 2 - Link 3

Ana Ivanovic Miami Sony Ericsson Open Interview - March 29

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:13:00 +0000

Ana Ivanovic Miami Sony Ericsson Open Interview - March 29

A. SZAVAY/A. Ivanovic 6-4, 4-6, 6-1

Q. Ana, talking about the match. You must be pretty frustrated?
ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, I'm really disappointed with today's game. You know, I hardly did anything well today. You know, I was trying to come in, and I was volleying pretty well at times, but I was really disappointed.
I couldn't really hold my serve. And just the way I started, I felt like I had so many chances early on in the match. I always was missing by a little bit, and got really down on myself.
It was kind of hard to pick up from there.

Q. Do you think that because you played for so long at Indian Wells you didn't have the time to prepare for this tournament?
ANA IVANOVIC: No, I don't think so. I mean, I had plenty of time. I came here on Monday, had the day off, and then practiced a couple days. I think I had, you know, enough time to prepare.
It's just that today I felt I was struggling a lot mentally. I wasn't really, you know, in the moment in a match, and very disappointed with that, yeah.

Q. Can you look back until after the French when everything was on a high and maybe you lost some momentum with the injury and things haven't quite settled for you, even with last week's good result?
ANA IVANOVIC: I mean, definitely. I did lose the momentum with injury and everything. But, yeah, I mean, it's just passed me. It was experience, you know.
I felt really good coming into this week. Yesterday I had really good practice and was on a high, feeling pretty confident, and you just -- I think maybe that was the reason that I sort of, you know, expected some things would come easier today on the court than they actually did.
So, yeah, it was tougher than I expected. Yeah.

Q. How are things with Craig, and what are his thoughts after the match?
ANA IVANOVIC: It's working great really. We enjoy working with each other. We have great communication on the court, so that's really good. Yeah, obviously he's still getting to know me and I'm still getting to know him.
Yeah, he thought I volleyed pretty well and maybe should have used that even a little bit more today. But, yeah, I mean, we both agree that it was really a little bit about tennis today. It was more just my mental state and, just, yeah, not accepting certain things.

Q. You've talked about struggling with separating your tennis life and your personal life and staying up thinking about it when you go to bed. Is that related today that?
ANA IVANOVIC: Well, it's kind of funny, because last night I couldn't really fall asleep. Now looking back, I've been thinking about my game, because like I said, I had a really good practice yesterday and I was so excited about my game and I felt really good.
You know, I thought, Oh, this is great. I started already, you know, projecting the future. You know, This is so good. I just have to keep like this.
Before I knew it, it was like 12:30, 1:00 a.m. and I was still thinking about that. I was like, Jesus, just try to relax and try to fall asleep.
So, yeah, I didn't have a good night of sleep, and you see what happens. I have to try to concentrate. I didn't realize it.

Q. In a few weeks, Jelena and you will be trying to get Serbia into the World Group for the first time. Can you talk about what that would mean for you and also for Serbia?
ANA IVANOVIC: I think, you know, first of all, we're going back to clay, which is, you know, a nice change. I think we have pretty good chances.
It's going to be great achievement for Serbia. People are very excited about it. It just showed how many people showed up for our last Fed Cup match in Belgrade. It was more than 15,000 people, which is great.
I think they're hoping we're going to bring it once again to play in Serbia. If we win we will have chance to do it again next year. I think we're all pretty excited about it. We, you know, rate it as one of the priority weeks, I would say.

Q. That was the largest Fed Cup crowd ever.
ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah.

Q. What was that like? What did it feel like?
ANA IVANOVIC: It was actually amazing, because Serbia, we have such a big culture. We're famous our football or basketball or water polo, but, you know, not for tennis before maybe last few years.
And I was really expecting that they would cheer a lot during the points, like they do in basketball matches, but they were actually really, really well behaved.
It was a lot of kids, which was great to see. It was very inspiring for me, you know, to play. I was very motivated. It was the first time I played official match in front of the home crowd. It was amazing experience. They were really fair. They were applauding for opponents, as well. Really, really interesting experience.

Q. Do you like that team? Because when Jelena and you are basically competitors. I mean, most of the year. Then you have to kind of come together as a team. Do you like that concept? Is it hard for you or what?
ANA IVANOVIC: Because tennis is individual sport, so we spend so much time with our team. Sometimes it's like, Just give me a break. You know, Fed Cup, it's a great week to, you know, hang out with other girls and, you know, be, you know, for one.
And we had actually a very young girl. She's 15 and she's going to be really, really good. She was on the team with us. I think it was great experience for her as well to be around Jelena and myself and learn a lot about, you know, what it takes to be at the top.
And, you know, I sort of felt so old trying to mentor her and give her some advices [sic.] It was still really, really fun. Lots of people, like even officials in the team I know for a long time. It's great to be also around Serbians.

Q. Is that just solely playing for Serbia? Some countries, their federations have a lot of money to pay the players. I assume your federation doesn't. It could be an expense-only thing. Does it matter to you?
ANA IVANOVIC: Doesn't matter. I try to represent my country every time I play and I compete, but I think Fed Cup is something, you know, very special. You know, I don't request much.
I know they went through some tough times, and if they have they will give. And really, they organized it really well. The Fed Cup that was held in Belgrade, it was really nicely organized.
Everything was perfect, so I have a good relationship with them.

Q. Speaking about something very special in a few weeks, you have opportunity to defend your title at the French Open. How excited are you about that?
ANA IVANOVIC: I love playing French Open. I mean, my first, you know, Grand Slam quarterfinal actually came there, and then first final, Grand Slam final and the title. I just enjoy playing in Paris in front of the French crowd. It's always amazing experience.
Yeah, I'm looking forward to go back there. You know, the first time I step on Philippe Chatrier to practice all the emotions come back. It's a great experience.

Q. Do you see any parallels with you and Jelena with the struggles at the start of this year and last year when you both got to No. 1, first Grand Slam? Are there some parallels there?
ANA IVANOVIC: Well, you know, I think in every person's career there is always up and downs. It's just important to, you know, catch yourself and, you know, don't be too tough. Because, you know, loss is a part of the game.
You just have to accept them and don't make them your defeats. Try to work hard. Use it as incentive to work even harder and achieve even greater things.
It's also very personal, but I think it's also a matter of accepting you're not going to feel great and try to work through these tough times.
Yeah, you know, we really did so good for a long time. Also, it takes time to actually realize this and accept it that, you know, we're one of the top players.
It's completely different, because in Serbia, we don't have such a great history of tennis. We didn't have opportunity to talk with any top players before, you know, what it takes to get there and to stay there. So we have to sort of go through it on our own.
You know, when you are at the top, you don't realize that it's even harder to stay there. That's something we have to probably accept.

Q. Do you see a new wave of young Serbian girls wanting to follow in your footsteps that you have a chance to mentor like you haven't had?
ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, I would love if I can inspire some, you know, young kids or girls, boys to play, because I know how it feels because I started playing tennis because of Monica Seles.
So if I can inspire anyone, I would be more than happy to. And, yeah, I think it was great to see, like I mentioned already during our Fed Cup matches, half of the people in the crowds were actually kids, younger than 10. It was great to see them.

Q. Who was the 15 year old?
ANA IVANOVIC: Alexandra Krunic. She is actually like a fifth player. She was around and practiced with us and was in the team. Yeah, she's competing. She's playing juniors.

Q. You've also created a name for yourself on the humanitarian side. Can you talk to us a little bit about your humanitarian efforts and what causes are specifically important to you?
ANA IVANOVIC: Yeah, I mean, for me, I feel so fortunate, you know, that tennis open up new door for me. I love to help people, and kids in particular.
So a couple of years ago, I joined the UNICEF program for a school without violence in Serbia, so UNICEF in Bosnia and Serbia. Every time I'm there I trying to visit some schools and talk with the kids or organize -- we had few exhibitions in Serbia, or I wrote a couple of articles also for charity and raise money for it.
You know, I really hope in the future I would have opportunity to do it worldwide, but it's something that really inspires me. Like I said, I feel very fortunate that tennis gave me the opportunity to do this.

Interview from Sony Ericsson
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Serena Williams Miami Sony Ericsson Interview - March 29

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:09:00 +0000

Serena Williams Miami Sony Ericsson Interview - March 29

S. WILLIAMS/S. Peng 7-5, 6-2

Q. How concerned were you down 5-4 in the first there?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don't even remember being down 5-4, to be honest. I mean, obviously I must have been concerned, but until my hitter was like, You were down 5-4, I didn't remember.

Q. How do you feel you played? Did you feel you played better as the match went on?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I definitely played better as the match went on. I didn't play great. I had a lot of unforced errors. I haven't made that many unforced errors in a while.

Q. You and Venus have dominated at this tournament. Why do you think that is? Is it the home crowd? Is it the home court? What does it for you?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Home crowd, home court, I don't know. I mean, we just really enjoy playing, and we just, I don't know, get up for this tournament.

Q. Do you have one year that you can look back and say, wow, that was spectacular, that stands out?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Um, hmmm. Um, I don't remember. It's too late, you know. I don't quite remember. There's so many. I mean, I remember playing Capriati a couple times in the final. I don't know who else I played in the final.

Q. What about the year you came back against Henin? Does that kind of stand out as a big win?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I didn't have a spectacular year that year, so not really.
Hmm, I remember when I played Venus. I don't know if it was the final, and I think I lost. I think it was the final. I think I lost.
I remember the traffic was so much, it was from the toll booth all the way to the tennis, and that stood out for me.

Q. Coming in before the match?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Uh-huh. It was crazy. And we had to wait a long time to start the match because it was so much traffic.

Q. Does the night crowd do anything for you, the energy? Does it kind of help you feel your game a little bit?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think every player loves to play at night. I don't care when I play, really. So I think it's always -- always really fun.

Q. You have to turn right around and be right back at again tomorrow afternoon. Three days in a row. Is that a problem, concern? Are you happy to just keep going?
SERENA WILLIAMS: No, not anymore. I'm used to playing every day. And, you know, I like to play matches every day, because it kind of keeps your energy up and kind of keeps you going and keeps you motivated.

Interview from Sony Ericsson
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Venus Williams Miami Sony Ericsson Interview - March 29

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:02:00 +0000

Venus Williams Miami Sony Ericsson Interview - March 29

V. WILLIAMS/A. Groenefeld 7-5, 6-3

Q. I'm writing a book entitled, The Intangibles of Tennis, and I wondered if you could recall when you reached your first Wimbledon final against Lindsay Davenport.
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah.

Q. When you were going on court, what went through your mind, what did you think? Can you recall?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I was obviously so focused, but I was determined to win that match. It was my turn. No one else was getting it. And I think the match count was I had three wins, she had nine.

Q. This was in 2000 you're talking about?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yes. Head to head. I didn't care if she had 1000. It was my turn.

Q. That's what you felt?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I went in pretty positive.

Q. When you were walking on the court, on the center court.
VENUS WILLIAMS: I have no idea what I was thinking at that point. Probably just reviewing last-minute strategies.

Q. Okay. May I give you this from last night?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Okay. Thank you.

Q. During the years, your development, you've developed this inner strength that comes across. Whenever you do something that you're not happy with, you immediately make eye contact with your father on the court. Can you explain that?
VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't agree with that. I hardly look up to my box. Rarely.

Q. No, not recently, not over the last few...
VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't know. I've never been a box person. On the court -- I like to do my own thing. If anything, if too much noise comes from the box it bothers me.
So I've always been really independent on the court. That has been my attitude.

Q. I've noticed that. Now, your father, of course, has said recently that he doesn't have the nerve to watch you when you're playing in the game. Tell me about it. What is your reaction to that?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Ah, yeah, his whole heart is in it. He gets a little bit nervous. It's easy when it's going easy, but when things get a little tough, you know, he gets a little nervous. You know, he's just a parent and stuff. He's a coach, too, but a parent first.

Q. Well, not just that, with you and your sister, with your doubles -- congratulations, by the way.
VENUS WILLIAMS: Thank you.

Q. The gold, they do go a long way. What do you feel inside about the honor, the strength, to win that?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Those titles are actually an honor for me because I wasn't alone. I was with my sister, so those doubles a very, very special to me, you know, very close to my singles titles. So I enjoy playing with her.

Q. You said you think it was my turn. What did you stand with Lindsay Davenport when you went on the court and you felt it was my turn?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, it was my first Slam title in 2000. It was just my turn to win a Slam, so it was my turn. That's what I meant.

Q. I thought you said you stood at something or other.
VENUS WILLIAMS: 3 and 9. She just had a big advantage in the head-to-head.

Q. At that point. I think you overtook her eventually.
VENUS WILLIAMS: Eventually, I did.

Q. Do you ever go back and look at some of your old games?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I do. I actually learn from the old Venus, but the old Venus would learn from the new Venus, too.

Interview from Sony Ericsson
Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images

Dinara Safina Miami Sony Ericsson Interview - March 29

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:59:00 +0000

Dinara Safina Miami Sony Ericsson Interview - March 29

S. STOSUR/D. Safina 6-1, 6-4

Q. Any thoughts on the match today? You made a lot of mistakes. What was going on?
DINARA SAFINA: Well, I think just bad match for me. It was just a disaster match. I mean, I just started to play a little bit better at 6-1, 3-Love. I gave everything in her hands, but it's too late.
She's a great player. She played very good, but from my side, I just can say it was sad the way I played today. It was nothing in my body.
Just basically I wasn't playing. I mean, I just played the second set.

Q. What did she do well?
DINARA SAFINA: Well, was not much to do well if one doesn't play, so the other one, she just have to bring the ball back.
I would say too bad from my sides.

Q. Did all the rain delays affect your concentration and make it more difficult?
DINARA SAFINA: No. You know, I'm experienced enough so it has nothing to do. There is no excuse. Just very bad from my side.

Q. Are you surprised by the way you played, or did you feel it going into the tournament that you weren't quite on top of your game?
DINARA SAFINA: Well, actually, it's strange, you know. I feel pretty good practicing. Serving great. Once I step on the court in the match, changes. I've very passive. I just, I don't know. I mean, it's disappointing, you know. I'm not playing my tennis. I'm pushing myself and practicing hard.
I just want to have some break now, you know. I will have at least a week off and just do other things now and just step back a little bit, rest, and with a new, you know, new will to go back and practice.
Because I'm just going, going, and just tired. I just want to get back this like hungriness for the tennis.

Q. Do you feel it's just been one thing coming after another and you don't have time to stop?
DINARA SAFINA: Yeah, I just want to stop, step back, and just take a breath, you know. I'm going from tournament to tournament. One day here in Moscow, one day in Monaco, five days there, and I'm just -- I just want to be at least two weeks somewhere. Just rest, you know, like, okay, I have two weeks of practice. I can sit down and practice, you know. This is what I want to do.

Q. You had a chance to get to No. 1 this week. Is it even more disappointing for you because of that?
DINARA SAFINA: Of course, you know, it's very disappointing. That's what I'm playing for. I want to be there. Suddenly I go to the court, and I don't even fight for it. So it's just bad behavior from my side. The champions, they don't do this.
So I have to -- you know, it's a good punishment, you know, for myself. So I have to get smarter.

Interview from Sony Ericsson
Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images

Samantha Stosur Miami Sony Ericsson Open Interview - March 29

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:54:00 +0000

Samantha Stosur Miami Sony Ericsson Open Interview - March 29

S. STOSUR/D. Safina 6-1, 6-4

Q. Can you talk about your match, generally how you're feeling?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, yeah, really happy. Just I thought I played really well, and I executed exactly what I wanted to do out there.
It was a little bit testing, I guess, with a little bit of a rain delay at 5-4, but I came out and played a really good game.

Q. Before your injury layoff last year you were consistently beating the top players again. How does it feel to be back to where you were prior to getting sick?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, great. Yeah, since I came back I haven't been able to get a top-10 win. I came close a few times. Today I got over the line, and just really pleased. I thought I could do it and I knew I could. It was just a matter of when it was going to happen.
Today, I played well and really did exactly what I needed to do. So it's a great feeling to beat a top-10 player again.

Q. What specifically did you do well? What shots worked for you today?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: I think my shots that usually work well for me: forehand and my serve.
At 5-4 in that second set I made four first serves in a row and played a really good game. It's not always easy to serve out matches like that. Today I thought I did that really well.
I ran down a lot of balls, especially at the start, and got off to a good start. It's always great to get that. But playing someone like Dinara, you have to be aware they're capable of coming back. It's certainly not over.
I'm just really happy with how I stayed in it mentally, and I guess kept my foot down right from the first point and tried to do that to the last point.

Q. Is this your biggest win?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yep. Yeah, it would be.

Q. Did you sense early on from the way she was playing that she wasn't perhaps on the top of her game and that this was a day you could really get one over on her?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, I guess I don't know if she wasn't on top of her game or if I didn't allow her to do that. I mean, I tried to mix it up as much as I could with heavy topspin on my forehands, a few slice backhands, and tried to not give her as much rhythm as possible. I think that worked really well.
So yeah, she shanked a few balls, missed a few balls. Who knows whether that was because of what I was doing or not. I don't know. But I'm just glad that I was able to consistently do that throughout the whole match.

Q. Did you change your approach at all when you saw that she was making a lot of errors, a lot of double faults, a lot of just bad shots?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: No, not really. I mean, that's -- what I did at the start of the match is what I wanted to do throughout, and I thought I did that well today.

Q. You're playing doubles later?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Uh-huh.

Q. Is that tough in one day?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, we're used to playing singles and doubles in one day. I guess it's a bit tough in the sense that we haven't played a first-round doubles match yet. This is going to be the first round, and that's not going to be an easy draw.
I mean, I guess I can enjoy this as much as possible. But, yeah, in a couple of hours' time I'm going to be out there trying to focus on playing doubles and then coming back tomorrow, as well.

Q. You didn't play here last year, right?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: No.

Q. But you won in 2007.
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah.

Q. Is this kind of a special tournament for you, or you've won a lot of doubles titles?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I've won quite a few doubles titles. I've had great doubles success here. I think we won in 2006, as well. It's always nice to be playing in finals, and Miami has been pretty good to me out there. So I'm looking forward to getting out there again this afternoon.

Q. I'm curious, are you prepared to play someone ranked that highly? Do you actually have time after the draw to sit down and do any sort of video work on them, or is it all in the memory bank? You've seen them quite a few times.
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I guess tennis is one of those funny sports where I don't know if too many people do do a bit -- do a lot of video analysis. I didn't do anything on Dinara for this match, but I tried to watch a little bit of her game in the round before.
And, yeah, I guess we've all played each other quite a few times whether it's singles or doubles. We've all got coaches that we can go out and try and scout with. I guess that's where most of the tactics and preparation for each match kind of happens.

Q. Are you trying to concentrate more on your singles game now or, you know, when you're such a strong doubles player, or are you always focused on both the same?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: No, I mean, probably since I came back from being sick, my priority has been singles. It always has been. I just had great success in doubles, which is, I mean, fantastic. I'm not going to say I don't want it, because it's -- I mean, it's always nice to be winning titles.
But from when I came back, singles has definitely been the No. 1, and that's what I'm always trying to focus on. It's always nice to go out there and try and play doubles.
Stubbsy and I are friends off the court, so it's good. It's sometimes relaxing to go out there and be able to play a bit more tennis and work on a few more things for my singles and all that.
We'll see how it goes today, and then I'll be getting ready for tomorrow's singles match as early as I can.

Q. Also happy almost-birthday, correct?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, exactly. Nice little early present. I'll be playing again tomorrow, which is my birthday, so hopefully I can do it again.

Q. Do you know what you're going to do on your birthday if you do well tomorrow? Do you have any plans?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: No, I don't. Last time I was here it was my birthday. I played second night match, so I didn't do a lot that time. I've had a few birthdays in Miami. It's always tough during a tournament, but hopefully get some friends together and go out to dinner or something like that.

Q. With your new focus on singles, how satisfying is this win in terms of making a name for yourself in singles?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, it's great. I've been trying to get a win like this for a long time. For me, personally I was happy I was able to do it, and hopefully there will be more to come. It's never easy out there. I know it's always going to be tough, but today I'm just going to really enjoy it.

Q. Also, Safina is kind of an emotional player. Can you use that to your advantage, or do you have to just not look at that at all and focus on yourself when you're playing?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: I guess against someone like her you try to use it to your advantage, but we all know she's like that. She's like that nearly every match she plays, so I think somewhere along the line she's gotten used to that and tries to use that to her advantage, as well, whether it's hitting balls or yelling out, whatever it is.
I think it's not -- we're all used to seeing that happens. I try and use it, but I think she tries to use that as a bit of an outlet as well to try and get herself back into the match.

Q. How can you use that? How can the opponent take that?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, I guess if you see anyone, not just her, but in general, your opponent kind of going off a little bit, you can tell that they're rattled. I guess that's a time where you have to try and keep your foot down and know that they're not feeling great out there.
So it gives you a little bit of an opportunity to really kick your foot down and try and step up and win a few more games quickly in that situation.

Q. Last thing. How far can you let yourself look ahead, or not at all?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: No, I don't think so. I think every match is tough. I mean, fourth round of this kind of tournament is not going to be easy, whoever you're playing.
So, yeah, you can't really look ahead. It's just one match at a time, and go from there.

Q. After the illness last year, did you ever think you'd be back here at this point, beating the No. 2 players in the world?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, I always hoped I would. When I first started playing again, I started playing well towards the end of last year, I thought that it was possible. Now that's kind of all in the back of my head. I don't think about that anymore, and I've been playing well since.
So it's just -- I guess it's nice to have wins like that pretty soon after coming back and all that kind of thing, so, yeah, I'm just really happy.

Interview from Sony Ericsson
Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images

Agnes Szavay Miami Sony Ericsson Open - March 29

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:50:00 +0000

Agnes Szavay Miami Sony Ericsson Open - March 29

A. SZAVAY/A. Ivanovic 6-4, 4-6, 6-1

Q. Did you have a feeling before today that this was going to be a good day for you?
AGNES SZAVAY: Well, I was just playing my game. I had a really tough match in the first round -- or second round on my first match against Schiavone, because she was playing really good.
I didn't play my best tennis that day, but I survived the match, and I could won. I was really looking forward to this match.

Q. You've had a string of good results after several losses. How does it feel to begin to feel that your game is coming back, that you're able to struggle with and beat the top players on the tour? How does it feel?
AGNES SZAVAY: Well, it's a very good feeling, obviously. I'm really happy that I came out from this position, because I was playing really bad. I played like two months in the row like every week just to have some matches and matches, because I didn't want to lose first round everywhere.
So I was playing since the first week of February. I'm going home after this, so I'm going to have a good preparation for three weeks, and we will see how it goes on clay.

Q. Do you enjoy playing on clay? What do you consider to be your best surface?
AGNES SZAVAY: Doesn't really matter, but I really like to play on clay, because in Hungary we mostly have only clay and I grown up on clay, so I like to play on it.

Q. Looking at the draw for the rest of the tournament, do you think you've got a good chance here of getting far?
AGNES SZAVAY: Well, I'm playing Azarenka tomorrow, and she's really in a good shape. She just went to the top 10, so she's obviously playing very good now.
I'll just try to do my best, what I can, and we will see if it's enough or not.

Q. Did you see anything in Ana's game today that made you think during the game that, Wow, this is a day I can really do it? Was there something she was not maybe at her top today?
AGNES SZAVAY: Well, it was tough to play today because it was windy, like usually here. Like almost every day it's very windy. She's playing very strong and all the balls are coming very fast.
So she can miss easily I think if it's windy, but I was concentrating on my game.

Q. Would you consider this to be the biggest win of your career or top 5 when it comes to wins or how would you rank today?
AGNES SZAVAY: Top 5, but not the biggest.

Q. What would you consider your biggest?
AGNES SZAVAY: Biggest? Probably when I beat Jankovic.

Q. In Hungary, we've seen some countries like Serbia, for example, where one player breaks through and then suddenly coming after are three or four others. Is there many indications that in Hungary there are some players ready to follow you through?
AGNES SZAVAY: I hope my sister going to be the next. She's 15, and she's playing junior tournaments. Really.

Q. What's she called?
AGNES SZAVAY: Blanka. She's playing very good, so I hope she's going to be on the tour.

Q. Would you play doubles with her?
AGNES SZAVAY: Yeah, for sure. That's our plan.

Interview from Sony Ericsson
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Miami Sony Ericsson Open Monday 3/30 Order of Play

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:18:00 +0000

Miami Sony Ericsson Open Monday 3/30 Order of Play

Stadium (from 11.00hrs)
1. ATP: Tipsarevic vs. del Potro
2. ATP: Nadal vs. Gil (NB 13.00hrs)
3. ATP: Murray vs. Massú
4. S.Williams vs. Zheng (NB 16.30hrs)
5. ATP: González vs. Stepanek (NB 19.00hrs)
6. Makarova vs. Li (NB 20.30hrs)

Grandstand (from 11.00hrs)
1. Wozniacki vs. Dementieva
2. A.Radwanska vs. V.Williams
3. ATP: Ferrer vs. Cilic (NB 14.00hrs)
4. ATP: Andreev vs. Wawrinka
5. ATP: López vs. Verdasco
6. ATP: López/Nadal vs. Soares/Ullyett (NB 17.30hrs)

Court 1 (from 11.00hrs)
1. ATP: Phau vs. Troicki
2. Groenefeld/Schnyder vs. Martic/Vandeweghe
3. ATP: de Voest/Reynolds vs. Benneteau/Tsonga (NB 14.00hrs)
4. Benesova vs. Medina Garrigues
5. ATP: Knowle/Melzer vs. Almagro/Ferrer
6. Stosur/Stubbs vs. Pavlyuchenkova/Vesnina

Court 2 (from 11.00hrs)
1. Kuznetsova vs. Kleybanova
2. Szavay vs. Azarenka
3. Mauresmo vs. Stosur
4. ATP: Bryan/Bryan vs. Karlovic/Vemic
5. Black/Huber vs. Kuznetsova/Mauresmo
6. Kirilenko/Pennetta vs. Chuang/Mirza

WTA Women's Tennis Message

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:10:00 +0000

WTA Women's Tennis Message

Hi Everyone,
We wanted to drop a quick note first of all to say THANK YOU for coming and visit our Tennis Blog :)

Second, We wanted to let you know that yesterday we had some problems with the blog because someone tried to hack it... So maybe some of you saw a warning message saying that this tennis blog was not good and things like that but fortunately Google was able to solve the issue and everything is back to normal and we didn't lose anything on our tennis blog :)

We really don't understand why someone would try to hack a tennis blog with just information about tennis but anyways we are happy that we got protection and nothing serious happened :)

We hope you all keep coming to our blog and keep enjoying all the thing we post for you :)

Have a nice day :)
WTA Women's Tennis stuff

Video: Maria Sharapova - Sony Ericsson Releases The T707

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:08:00 +0000

Video: Maria Sharapova - Sony Ericsson Releases The T707

Photos HERE

Maria talks about her partnership with Sony Ericsson and their latest mobile phone, the T707.

Video: Wilson On Tour with Ekaterina Makarova

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:08:00 +0000

Video: Wilson On Tour with Ekaterina Makarova

Video: Miami 2009 - Day 4 Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:06:00 +0000

Miami 2009 - Day 4 Highlights

The Williams sisters triumph on home soil at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.

Video: Miami 2009 - Day 4 Shot of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:06:00 +0000

Miami 2009 - Day 4 Shot of the Day

Serena Williams at her very best.

Video: School kids toss the coin for Venus Williams

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:04:00 +0000

School kids toss the coin for Venus Williams

Two lucky school kids win the chance to get up close and personal with their tennis heroes.

Video: Maria Sharapova Signing Autographs at Sony Ericsson Open

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 23:33:00 +0000

Video: Maria Sharapova Signing Autographs at Sony Ericsson Open

Ana Ivanovic upset by Szavay at Sony Ericsson Open

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 22:23:00 +0000

Ana Ivanovic upset by Szavay at Sony Ericsson Open

It was not a good weekend for the Serbian WTA tennis players. On Saturday Jelena Jankovic was beaten by Gisela Dulko while on Sunday Ana Ivanovic said goodbye to the Sony Ericsson Open after losing to Agnez Szavay.

Ivanovic was upset by the Hungarian 6-4 4-6 6-1.

"I'm really disappointed. I hardly did anything well. I couldn't really hold my serve. I had so many chances early on. I always was missing by a little bit, and got really down on myself. It was kind of hard to pick up from there." Ivanovic said.

Szavay will next meet Victoria Azarenka, who beatAnna Chakvetadze 6-1 6-4.

Photo Getty Images

Dinara Safina out of Sony Ericsson Open in Miami

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 22:03:00 +0000

Dinara Safina out of Sony Ericsson Open in Miami

Dinara Safina was upset by Samantha Stosur 6-1 6-4 in the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open.

Stosur, who scored the biggest win of her career, will face the winner of the match between Flavia Pennetta and Amelie Mauresmo.

"I've been trying to get a win like this for a long time. I was happy I was able to do it and hopefully there will be more to come. When I started playing well again I thought it was possible. Now I'm going to really enjoy it." Stosur said.

"I'm really happy," Stosur said, "I played really well. I executed exactly what I wanted to do. It was a little bit testing with a little rain delay at 5-4 but I came out and played a really good game.

"I came close a few times. Today I got over the line and I'm just really pleased. I knew I could do it. It was just a matter of when it was going to happen. It's a great feeling to beat a top-10 player again."

Safina praised Stosur but blamed herself mostly for the "disaster" defeat.

"Just a bad match for me. It was just a disaster match. I started to play a little better at 6-1 3-0 but it was too late. I put everything in her hands.
She's a great player. She played very good, but from my side, I just can say it was sad the way I played. No excuse from my side. Just basically I wasn't playing." Safina said.

Safina missed a chance to become the women's world No.1 by winning the tournament.

"Of course it's very disappointing. That's what I'm playing for. I want to be there. Suddenly I go to the court and I don't even fight for it. It's just bad behaviour from my side. The champions, they don't do this.
It's a good punishment for me. I have to get smarter." she said.

Safina also said she needed to have some time off after a heavy load of matches and travel for months, having left her best tennis on practice courts.

"It's strange. I feel pretty good practising. Once I step on the court it changes. I'm very passive. It's disappointing. I'm not playing my tennis. I'm pushing myself and practising hard. I will have some time off now. I just want to get back the hungriness for tennis." Safina added.

Photo Getty Images

Photos: Ana Ivanovic vs Agnes Szavay - Sony Ericsson Open Third Round

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 21:11:00 +0000

Ana Ivanovic vs Agnes Szavay - Sony Ericsson Open Third Round

Check out some pictures from the third round match between Ana Ivanovic and Agnes Szavay... The former world number 1 was upset by the Hungarian in Key Biscayne...

Continue reading for more pictures...

Photos from Getty Images/AP

Photos: Elena Dementieva - Sony Ericsson Open Third Round

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 19:57:00 +0000

Photos: Elena Dementieva - Sony Ericsson Open Third Round

Check out some pictures of Elena Dementieva during her third round win over Carla Suarez Navarro at the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne...

Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images

Photos: Safina vs Stosur - Sony Ericsson Open Third Round

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 19:32:00 +0000

Photos: Safina vs Stosur - Sony Ericsson Open Third Round

Dinara Safina was upset in the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne by Samantha Stosur... Check some pictures from their tennis match...

Continue reading for more pictures...

Photos from Getty Images

Photos: Azarenka vs Chakvetadze - Sony Ericsson Open Third Round

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 18:39:00 +0000

Photos: Azarenka vs Chakvetadze - Sony Ericsson Open Third Round

Victoria Azarenka had no problems to beat Anna Chakvetadze at the Sony Ericsson Open today... check out some action pictures from their third round tennis match...

Photos by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Miami Sony Ericsson Open Sunday 3/29 Results

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 17:50:00 +0000

Miami Sony Ericsson Open Sunday 3/29 Results

WTA Main Draw Singles - Third Round

S Stosur (AUS) d [2] D Safina (RUS) 61 64
[4] E Dementieva (RUS) d [31] C Suarez Navarro (ESP) 62 62
[5] V Williams (USA) d A Groenefeld (GER) 75 63
N Li (CHN) d [6] V Zvonareva (RUS) 64 36 62
[25] A Szavay (HUN) d [7] A Ivanovic (SRB) 64 46 61
[8] S Kuznetsova (RUS) d N Vaidisova (CZE) 61 64
E Makarova (RUS) d [9] N Petrova (RUS) 75 61
[10] A Radwanska (POL) d [21] K Kanepi (EST) 64 63
[11] V Azarenka (BLR) d [22] A Chakvetadze (RUS) 61 64
[13] C Wozniacki (DEN) d [18] P Schnyder (SUI) 64 64
[20] A Mauresmo (FRA) d [15] F Pennetta (ITA) 67(5) 62 62
[17] J Zheng (CHN) d [14] A Cornet (FRA) 64 60
[24] A Kleybanova (RUS) d [Q] A Yakimova (BLR) 63 36 64
[26] I Benesova (CZE) d G Dulko (ARG) 63 62
[1] S Williams (USA) vs [32] S Peng (CHN)
[19] A Medina Garrigues (ESP) vs [16] D Cibulkova (SVK)

WTA Main Draw Doubles - First Round

[3] K Peschke (CZE) / L Raymond (USA) d A Kudryavtseva (RUS) / A Rodionova (RUS) 62 64
[4] S Stosur (AUS) / R Stubbs (AUS) d Z Yan (CHN) / J Zheng (CHN) 36 63 10-5
[6] N Llagostera Vives (ESP) / M Martinez Sanchez (ESP) d M Koryttseva (UKR) / G Voskoboeva (KAZ) 63 57 10-8
A Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) / E Vesnina (RUS) d L Hradecka (CZE) / V Uhlirova (CZE) 76(5) 64
R Kops-Jones (USA) / A Spears (USA)* d K Jans (POL) / A Rosolska (POL) 64 64

*replaced [7] Y Chan (TPE) / F Schiavone (ITA)

Photos: Jankovic vs Dulko - Sony Ericsson Open

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 17:06:00 +0000

Photos: Jankovic vs Dulko - Sony Ericsson Open

Check out some pictures from the match between Jelena Jankovic and Gisela Dulko where the Argentine surprised the world number 3 in the second round of the Sony Ericsson Open...

Photos Getty Images/AP

Photos: Maria Sharapova Sony Ericsson T707 Promotion

noreply@blogger.com (WTA and ATP Tennis Blogs) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:20:00 +0000

Photos: Maria Sharapova Sony Ericsson T707 Promotion

Maria Sharapova is promoting the Sony Ericsson T707 cell phone... We already showed you some pictures but here we have tons more for you and I'm sure you will enjoy them... Once again thanks to Marie for sending the pictures of Maria Sharapova...

Continue reading for more pictures...