WTA Apr 13-19: Charleston & Barcelona Family Circle Cup, Charleston, SC PREMIER 700 $1,000,000 56m/32q/16d outdoor: green clay Har-Tru Live Scores - in popup window WTA pdf.: draws & OOP - notes tourn.: draws - OOP - interviews pics: Y!: sports - news | tourney - WTA Post & Courier: FCC Charleston: radar - forecast # 3 E Dementieva, # 5 V Williams # 6 V Zvonareva, # 10 Petrova Barcelona Ladies Open, ESP David Lloyd Club Turó INTL $220,000 32m/32q/16d outdoor: red clay Live Scores - in popup window WTA .pdf: draws & OOP pics: Y!: sports - news | WTA Barcelona: radar - forecast # 14 A Cornet, # 15 F Pennetta # 21 K Kanepi, # 34 C Suarez N

Charleston: 2008 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004   Barcelona: 2008 - 2007 previous other tourney pages next Barcelona: #67 Roberta Vinci 5'4" 132lb RH 1H-BH Charleston: #62 Sabine Lisicki 5'10" 154lb RH 2H-BH

    On Sunday in Charleston, South Carolina, in the final of the Family Circle Cup, big-serving Bollettieri Academy-trained 19-year-old 16th-seeded # 62 Sabine Lisicki from Berlin, Germany, won her first ever WTA singles title by defeating last weekend's champ at Ponte Vedra Beach, 18-year-old 5th-seeded # 12 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark (residence: Monte Carlo, Monaco), 6-2, 6-4 (Sabine is shown with the glassware after the match).

    Sabine's prize is $187,815; Caroline's is $97,418. Sabine will move up to # 43 in Monday's WTA rankings; Caroline to # 11. Both are at new career highs.

    Sabine fired 9 aces (with 5 double faults), and though she put only 56% of her 1st serves in the box, she won a whopping 86% of her 1st serve points (Caroline: 3 aces, 2 DFs, 67% of 1st serves in, won 63% of 1st serve pts).
    Sabine also converted all three of the break points she held on Caroline's serve; Caroline scored on none of the three break points she held against Sabine.
    Sabine took a 40-love lead while serving for the match at 5-4, but Caroline fended off all three match points. When Sabine gained another advantage, Caroline fended off another match point. And another...

    Sabine said "I really couldn't believe I won, because I didn't use my first match points. When I finally won—I don't know which match point it was, seventh, eighth, it felt like 30th—I was so happy. I've worked so hard the last couple of weeks and months and it's finally paying off. I knew I had the game to beat those players, and now I think I'm more mature to win the whole tournament." WTA story

    Caroline said: "I wasn't moving well today like I have been in other tournaments, but Sabine was playing really well, attacking and not making a lot of errors. It was tough for me today. This is a fantastic tournament. It was great to be here and play the final. Sabine played really well. Congratulations to her."

    Caroline and Sabine had met only once before, on a Plexipave hardcourt in the 3rd round of this year's Australian Open, when Caroline won, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

    Sabine is now 1-1 in WTA singles finals; she reached the Tashkent final last year. Sabine is 13-6 in matches for the season, and 6 of her 13 wins occurred during the past 6 days in Charleston.
    Caroline is now 4-3 in WTA singles finals; she won the Ponte Vedra title last Sunday, reached the Memphis final earlier this year, and won in Stockholm, New Haven, and Tokyo (the Japan Open) last year. Caroline has a 27-8 record in 2009.

    On Sunday in Barcelona, Spain, in the final of the Barcelona Ladies Open, 26-year-old unseeded # 67 Roberta Vinci from Taranto, Italy, defeated the 2008 Barcelona champion, 22-year-old 6th-seeded # 38 Maria Kirilenko from Moscow, Russia, 6-0, 6-4 (Roberta is shown with the hardware after the match).

    Roberta won 60% of her 1st serve points and 64% of her 2nd serve points, and scored on 6 of 7 of the break points she held on Maria's serve.
    Maria had a terrible day, winning only 38% of her 1st serve points and 44% of her 2nd serve points, while converting just 2 of 7 break points against Roberta.

    Roberta's prize is $37,000; Maria's is $19,000.

    Roberta said: "I am so happy! It's such a great feeling to win again. It has been a long time since I played well. I felt good after Marbella - I had a good match against Jankovic and it gave me confidence coming here to Barcelona." WTA story

    Roberta and Maria are now tied at 2-2 in career matches. Maria had won their last two meetings: on red clay, in the 1st round of the 2006 German Open, Maria defeated Roberta 6-4, 6-3, and last year, on a hardcourt in the 2nd round in Portoroz, Maria defeated Roberta again, 6-1, 6-2.
    However, recently Roberta has been playing her best tennis since recovering from a shoulder injury last year, including wins earlier this week over her higher-ranked compatriots # 15 Flavia Pennetta and # 47 Francesca Schiavone.

    Roberta is now 2-0 in WTA singles finals; she won her first title in Bogota in 2007. Roberta has a 14-8 match record in 2009.
    Maria is now 5-3 in WTA singles finals; she won in Estoril, Barcelona, and Seoul last year. Maria had a slow start this year before arriving in Barcelona; she now has a 6-7 match record for the season, earning 4 of the 6 Ws in Spain this week.

    YouTube videos: 2009 Barcelona Ladies Open

    An 1893 New York Times story describing Barcelona can be read at the Spain News and Links page.

WTA SCOREBOARD: Charleston & Barcelona s=seed, #=rank, *=upset, LL=lucky loser ranks are for the previous week How do players get into the "draw"? The Family Circle Cup  Charleston, South Carolina   NWS weather radar tourney time:        = GMT -4 hours        = US EDT        = US PDT +3 hours Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar   click for broader view   Family Circle Tennis Center on Daniel Island Latitude: 32.862241 Long.: -79.902041 goto link for World Wind     Charleston: The 56 player main draw for Charleston has 16 seeds, with 8 1st-round byes. There are 8 qualifiers and 5 wild cards in the main draw. Qualifying (2 rounds) is on Saturday & Sunday. Main draw play begins on Monday at 10am.     The Family Circle Cup, one of the longest-running WTA-only events in the US, was held at Hilton Head until the Family Circle Tennis Center was opened in the spring of 2001. A 32-acre facility with a 10,200 seat stadium, the Family Circle Tennis Center has 13 green clay (Har-Tru) and 4 hard courts, all lighted for night play. A 10,000 square foot clubhouse also serves as the corporate headquarters for the Family Circle Cup. The FCTC was built with public help at a cost of $15 million. 2009: On Monday, April 13, Caroline Wozniacki, last week's champ at Ponte Vedra Beach, got right to work in Charleston signing autographs along with top seed Elena Dementieva... Players alerting the media on Monday at the press "All-Access Hour" included Venus Williams and Nadia Petrova... row 2: Dominika Cibulkova, Marion Bartoli, Vera Zvonareva, and Patty Schnyder also met the press in Charleston on Monday, when they were photographed by someone apparently seeking employment with Sergio Leone...

Charleston, 1st Round, Mon-Tue 10am loser's prize: $$2,377 US; points: 1 #35 s9 Aleksandra Wozniak CAN d #197 q Abigail Spears USA 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 Tue #36 s10 Shuai Peng CHN d #156 wc Anastasia Pivovarova RUS 6-0, 6-2 Mon Shuai while hitting balls to the crowd after the match #37 s11 Alona Bondarenko UKR d #819 sr127 Anne Kremer LUX 6-4, 6-0 Mon Alona following a backhand, Anne at ready, and Alona driving another backhand #39 s12 Bethanie Mattek-Sands USA d #116 Mariana Duque Marino COL 7-6(3), 7-5 Tue #41 s13 Virginie Razzano FRA d #382 wc Mallory Cecil USA 6-1, 6-2 Mon Virginie about to swat a backhand *#118 Vania King USA d #57 s14 Olga Govortsova BLR 6(3)-7, 7-6(5), 6-3 Mon Vania and Olga driving forehands, and Vania after match point     Vania said: "I was really trying to mentally stay consistent, but it was difficult. And then I looked at my coach [Tarik Benhabiles] and he was like, 'Come on, just fight.' And I was like, 'Okay, I'll fight.' Not that I wasn't fighting, but it was difficult to get my adrenaline and my focus consistent. I was kind of in a slump, but he kind of picked me up and I finished out a good second set."     Vania has been recovering from a bruised bone in her foot. Vania said: "I took nine days off and didn't know whether I would come here or not. And I was able to practice only four days, which is not ideal preparation. So I felt very up and down mentally in today's match, a very back- and-forth match. I was nervous, because I had not played in a while and I had not played on clay in a while. So it was a good result for me." Post & Courier story #223 q Shenay Perry USA #60 s15 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE 7-5, 6-1 Tue #62 s16 Sabine Lisicki GER d #309 q Marie-Eve Pelletier CAN 7-5, 6-4 Tue #63 Elena Vesnina RUS d #133 Evgenia Rodina RUS 6-0, 6-2 Tue #69 Tamira Paszek AUT d #138 Julia Schruff GER 7-5, 6-2 Mon #76 Patricia Mayr AUT d #243 Zi Yan CHN 6-2, 6-2 Mon #80 Melinda Czink HUN d #85 Jill Craybas USA 6-2, 6-4 Mon #81 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS d #141 q Angela Haynes USA 6-4, 5-7, 6-0 Tue *#123 Julie Ditty USA d #82 Ayumi Morita JPN 6-1, 6-1 Mon *#115 Varvara Lepchenko USA d #90 Galina Voskoboeva KAZ 6-1, 6-3 Mon *#128 Viktoriya Kutuzova UKR d #91 Mariya Koryttseva UKR 6-1, 6-1 Tue #93 Akgul Amanmuradova UZB d #196 wc Alexandra Stevenson USA 6-2, 6-4 Tue Former # 18 Alexandra driving a forehand, and her father, "Dr. J" Julius Erving, watching her play for the first time     Alexandra learned when she was 4 that her father was Julius Erving, but they did not meet until after he called her up on the phone in October, 2008. Dr. J lives in Atlanta; this was his first chance to come and see her play.     Alexandra said: "He actually wanted to come to one of the [ITF] Challenger tournaments. And I was like, 'I don't think you should come there. We play on public parks, and some of them are a bit sketchy.'     "This is a nice tournament to come to. And I think he knows the tournament director, Bob Moran, and he just picked this tournament...     "We were never in a bad place. I just didn't know him. So it's good now. I mean, obviously, it's still odd, because you are getting to know somebody. But it's nice that I know him, and he is supporting me out here, coming to watch me play." Post & Courier story #100 Sania Mirza IND d #131 Sesil Karatantcheva KAZ 6-4, 6-4 Tue *#183 q Anastasija Sevastova LAT d #104 Marta Domachowska POL 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 Mon #105 Rossana de los Rios PAR d #159 Carly Gullickson USA 6-1, 6-4 Mon *#157 q Lenka Wienerova SVK d #111 Alexa Glatch USA 6-4, 7-5 Mon #112 Stephanie Dubois CAN d #127 Katie O'Brien GBR 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 Tue *#177 q Melanie Oudin USA d #135 Olga Savchuk UKR 6-4, 6-0 Mon #151 Anastasia Rodionova RUS/AUS d #198 q Madison Brengle USA 6-2, 7-6(4) Mon

Charleston, 2nd Round, Tue-Wed 10am loser's prize: $4,634 US; points: 40 #3 s1 wc Elena Dementieva RUS d #123 Julie Ditty USA 6-0, 6-2 Tue Julie driving a backhand, Elena fielding a drop shot, and after match point     2005 Charleston finalist Elena won 24 of the 33 points played in the 1st set. Elena said: "It was a good warm-up. Let's say it was a good first round, and I have a day off, so I am going to watch my next round [opponent], and get ready for the next round...     "I think it is very important to stay focused, especially when you're playing a match like that, when you're always up in the score, like 6-0, 3-0 and I still need to be focused. You still need to play your game, be aggressive 'til the end because it's very easy to lose your concentration when you're winning so easily...     "It feels very good to be back here. It's my first tournament [this year] on clay court, so I was practicing for 10 days on the clay surface, and I was trying to get ready for this tournament. So today was a good start for this tournament, and hopefully, it's going to give me confidence for the next round...     "I know it's going to be a tough tournament. There are a lot of good players, a lot of players who won this tournament before like Venus Williams and Nadia Petrova. So I'm just focusing on my game and trying to play as good as I can on clay court." Post and Courier story #5 s2 Venus Williams USA d #100 Sania Mirza IND 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 Wed Sania and Venus driving forehands     2004 Charleston champion Venus said: "It's always fun out there. These kind of matches are great to pull out. It was a great opening round. I'm ready for the next one...     "[To win the 3rd set, I had to] just focus on my shots. I have a lot of experience, so I rely on that, too. I've been in these situations before, so I rely on that, that I have done that and come through...     "I think when [Sania is] playing against me, she's gotta go for it. I think there's a sense of nothing to lose, because when you look at the number and the rankings and the statistics, I'm supposed to win this match. So I think that gives her an opportunity to swing freely." Post & Courier story #6 s3 Vera Zvonareva RUS d #105 Rossana de los Rios PAR 6-3, 6-2 Tue Vera fielding a forehand on the run     2008 Charleston finalist Vera said: "I sort of like this tournament. I think it gives you a lot of confidence to remember all those great matches and great wins...     "It was my first match [this year] on clay, so I didn't expect myself to play my best game. It was a little bit of a struggle on a few points, maybe a couple of wrong choices. But overall, it was pretty good." Post and Courier story #10 s4 Nadia Petrova RUS d #76 Patricia Mayr AUT 6-1, 2-6, 6-2 Tue Patricia and Nadia driving backhands #12 s5 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d #81 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS 6-3, 6-3 Wed Caroline and Alla driving forehand and backhand #13 s6 Marion Bartoli FRA d #183 q Anastasija Sevastova LAT 6-1, 6-3 Tue Marion's backhand drive #16 s7 Dominika Cibulkova SVK d #69 Tamira Paszek AUT 6-4, 6-0 Tue Dominika about to lightly tap a forehand *#63 Elena Vesnina RUS d #18 s8 Patty Schnyder SUI 6-2, 6(5)-7, 7-5 Wed Elena reaching for a backhand, and Patty's forehand drive     It is Elena's fourth visit to Charleston. Elena said: "I was losing in the first round all the time. I really love Charleston. The first three years, I'm coming here and losing in the first round. 'What was going on?' I like the tournament. I like the green clay. Maybe I was a little unlucky, the draw, the way I was playing? Now, I'm pretty happy with my game."     Patty has played at Charleston 12 times, reaching the final twice. Elena said: "[Patty is] a great player, and she's been coming here how many years? So, of course, people know her and people like her. She's a very nice girl. I didn't think about the crowd. I heard my team, my supporters who were cheering for me. I was just trying to win this match. It doesn't matter who the people are cheering for, Patty or me...     "In the third set, I was 2-up, then down 4-2, then I have a match point on 5-4 and I lost the match point... I had to focus on my game again. I never give up. I'm always fighting." Post & Courier story *#177 q Melanie Oudin USA d #35 s9 Aleksandra Wozniak CAN 7-5, 6-0 Wed Aleksandra and Melanie driving forehand and backhand #36 s10 Shuai Peng CHN d #93 Akgul Amanmuradova UZB 7-5, 2-6, 7-5 Wed Shuai after winning a point *#128 Viktoriya Kutuzova UKR d #37 s11 Alona Bondarenko UKR 6-4, 7-5 Wed Kateryna Bondarenko, out with a forearm strain, watching her sister play, Alona and Viktoriya driving forehands, and Viktoriya after winning a game *#151 Anastasia Rodionova RUS/AUS d #39 s12 Bethanie Mattek-Sands USA 6-2, 6-4 Wed #41 s13 Virginie Razzano FRA d #112 Stephanie Dubois CAN 6-3, 7-6(3) Wed #62 s16 Sabine Lisicki GER d #157 q Lenka Wienerova SVK 6-4, 6-3 Wed Sabine at ready #80 Melinda Czink HUN d #118 Vania King USA 6-4, 6-2 Wed #115 Varvara Lepchenko USA d #223 q Shenay Perry USA 6-2, 6-3 Wed Shenay and Varvara driving forehands

Charleston, 3rd Round, Thu 11am ESPN2-TV & Eurosport loser's prize: $9,195 US; points: 60 #3 s1 wc Elena Dementieva RUS d #115 Varvara Lepchenko USA 6-1, 6-1 Elena driving her righty forehand, Varvara spinning her lefty forehand, and Elena after match point     2005 FCC finalist Elena said: "I think I played well. I was very aggressive. I was focused all the way, which is important when you're winning easily. I'm satisfied.     "I think [Varvara] was a little bit nervous, made a lot of mistakes. But I was trying to be focused on my game and trying to attack all the time. It really worked today...     "It's a very special atmosphere [at the Family Circle Cup]. It feels like home. I know people who work here for so many years, so when you come here it's like a place that you know very well. So it's always a pleasure to be here. It just feels like a very nice, homey atmosphere, and it's always nice to be here." Post and Courier story *#62 s16 Sabine Lisicki GER d #5 s2 Venus Williams USA 6-4, 7-6(5) Venus and Sabine driving forehand and backhand, and Sabine while hitting balls to the crowd after match point     Both players put 61% of their 1st serves in the box. Sabine, who hit a 123 mph (196 kph) serve at this year's Australian Open (2nd fastest on the Tour this year), scored on 76% of her 1st serve points, and 50% of her 2nd serve points (Venus: 70% and 39%). Sabine converted 4 of 7 break points against Venus; Venus scored on 3 of the 4 break points she held against Sabine.     Sabine said: "I'm confident with my serve. Sometimes I'm struggling, but you know, in the important points I could really count on my serve, which was very good." AP story - Post and Courier story     Venus said: "I made a few errors at the wrong time and [Sabine] played some great shots."     Sabine's best previous win (by rank) was over then # 6 Anna Chakvetadze in the 3rd round at Miami last year. She has also recorded wins over Dinara Safina and Lindsay Davenport, but had previously reached the quarterfinals of WTA events only three times. *#41 s13 Virginie Razzano FRA d #6 s3 Vera Zvonareva RUS 1-1 retired—right ankle injury Vera reaching for a backhand, Virginie driving one, and Vera, her ankle iced, after the injury     Vera fell after only 10 minutes of play while chasing a ball along the baseline, twisting her right ankle. She was obviously in very bad pain. Ice was applied, and Vera was taken from the stadium on a golf cart.     Virginie said: "It's very difficult, a big disappointment. I know she's not feeling good now. She went down on the court and has a lot of pain, and it's difficult to win this way.     "When I played my forehand across the court, she tried to get the ball, but she couldn't and she went down and was in a lot of pain. I don't like to win like this, because we are human and I like Vera. She's a very nice girl, and it's difficult for both of us." Post and Courier story *#80 Melinda Czink HUN d #10 s4 Nadia Petrova RUS 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 Melinda and Nadia launching backhands, and Melinda's forehand drive     It was the biggest win of Melinda's career (by rank). Her best previous win was over then # 19 Daniela Hantuchova in the 1st round in Bali in 2006, 7-5, 6-2. 26-year-old Melinda has made $679,598 in prize money since 2000; the highest ranking she has reached in her career was # 63 in 2004. If she can defeat Marion Bartoli in the quarterfinals, she will likely reach a new career-high rank. #12 s5 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d #36 s10 Shuai Peng CHN 6-3, 6-4 Shuai and Caroline driving forehand and backhand #13 s6 Marion Bartoli FRA d #177 q Melanie Oudin USA 6-4, 6-1 Marion and Melanie driving backhands     Melanie will be playing on the US Fed Cup team against (and in) the Czech Republic next weekend.     Melanie said: "This is like a stepping stone for me. I'm glad I played qualifying, so I got some matches in. My win yesterday (over Wozniak), I played maybe flawless tennis, so it's kind of hard to play better than that ... I was happy with my week. I played five good matches, and I'm just hoping that I just keep getting better." Post and Courier story #16 s7 Dominika Cibulkova SVK d #151 Anastasia Rodionova RUS/AUS 6(6)-7, 6-2, 6-3 Dominika and Anastasia driving forehands #63 Elena Vesnina RUS d #128 Viktoriya Kutuzova UKR 7-6(4), 7-5 Elena and Viktoriya driving backhands

Charleston, QFs, Fri 11am ESPN2-TV & Eurosport loser's prize: $17,936 US; points: 120 #3 s1 wc Elena Dementieva RUS d #16 s7 Dominika Cibulkova SVK 6-4, 1-0 retired—left adductor strain Elena serving, Dominika, unfortunately stressing her adductor muscles while fielding a forehand, and Elena driving a backhand #12 s5 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d #41 s13 Virginie Razzano FRA 6-2, 6-0 Caroline driving a forehand, Virginie and Caroline driving backhands, and Caroline after match point #13 s6 Marion Bartoli FRA d #80 Melinda Czink HUN 6-4, 6-1 Melinda following a backhand, Marion about to connect with one, and after winning a point #62 s16 Sabine Lisicki GER d #63 Elena Vesnina RUS 6-4, 6-0 Elena volleying a backhand, Sabine driving one, and after match point

Charleston, SFs, Sat 1pm ESPN2-TV & Eurosport loser's prize: $50,464 US; points: 200 *#12 s5 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d #3 s1 wc Elena Dementieva RUS 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 Caroline driving a forehand, Elena driving a backhand, and Caroline after match point *#62 s16 Sabine Lisicki GER d #13 s6 Marion Bartoli FRA 6-3, 6-1 Marion serving, Sabine driving a backhand, and after match point

Charleston, Final, Sun 1pm ESPN2-TV & Eurosport loser's prize: $97,418 US; points: 320 winner's prize: $187,815 US; points: 470 *#62 s16 Sabine Lisicki GER d #12 s5 Caroline Wozniacki DEN 6-2, 6-4 Sabine serving, Caroline following a forehand, Sabine driving a backhand, and after match point

Charleston, Doubles Final 11am, before singles losers' prize: $21,293 US winners' prize: $41,134 US s4 cdr69 Nadia Petrova & Bethanie Mattek-Sands d cdr115 Patty Schnyder & Liga Dekmeijere 6(5)-7, 6-2, (11-9) Nadia and Bethanie demonstrating having too much fun Charleston, Qual Finals, Sun Apr 12 10am losers' prizes: q1 $629 1pt; q2 $1,210 8pts; qualifier 12 points #141 Angela Haynes USA d #191 Chin-Wei Chan TPE 6-2, 6-2 *#197 Abigail Spears USA d #147 Betina Jozami ARG 6-1, 6-1 #157 Lenka Wienerova SVK d #280 Lilia Osterloh USA 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 *#177 Melanie Oudin USA d #158 Anna Tatishvili GEO 6-4, 7-5 *#223 Shenay Perry USA d #174 Kristina Kucova SVK 7-5, 6-2 #183 Anastasija Sevastova LAT d #415 Vanessa Henke GER 7-6(5), 6-1 #198 Madison Brengle USA d #204 Catalina Castano COL 3-6, 6-2, 5-2 retired #309 Marie-Eve Pelletier CAN d #327 Mashona Washington USA 6-4, 6-4 Charleston, Withdrawals: #1 Serena Williams USA left thigh quadriceps strain #8 Victoria Azarenka BLR right shoulder injury #27 Sybille Bammer AUT neck/shoulder injury #65 Kateryna Bondarenko UKR right forearm strain #71 Jelena Dokic AUS sports fatigue syndrome #73 Edina Gallovits ROU left foot injury

Barcelona KIA,  Barcelona, Spain   tourney time:        = GMT +1 hours        = US EDT +5 hours        = US PDT +8 hours Spain News Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar     Barcelona: The main draw for Barcelona has 8 seeds, with no 1st-round byes.     There are 4 qualifiers and 3 wild cards in the main draw. Qualifying finals are on Monday.   click for broader view   David Lloyd Club Turó Latitude: 41.382484 Longitude: 2.108216 goto link for World Wind Barcelona KIA venue address: David Lloyd Club Turó, Avinguda Diagonal, 673-685, 08028, Barcelona, Spain TEL:933342012     Barcelona, a new tourney in 2007, was held at the Barcelona Olympic Tennis Center the first year, but for 2008 it was moved to the David Lloyd Club Turó (there is no shortage of red clay courts in Barcelona). 2009: On Saturday, April 11, in Barcelona, co-tourney director and former WTA # 3 Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario was at the main draw... On Monday, Maria Kirilenko, last year's tourney champ, was interviewed at David Lloyd Club Turó...

Barcelona, 1st Round, Mon 10am, Tue 11am loser's prize: $1,725 US; points: 1 *#96 Stephanie Cohen-Aloro FRA d #14 s1 Alize Cornet FRA 6-0, 6-3 Mon #15 s2 wc Flavia Pennetta ITA d #45 Petra Kvitova CZE 6-3, 6-3 Mon Flavia driving a forehand *#125 LL Masa Zec Peskiric SLO d #21 s4 Kaia Kanepi EST 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 Tue #34 s5 Carla Suarez Navarro ESP d #167 wc Estrella Cabeza Candela ESP 6-2, 6-0 Tue #38 s6 Maria Kirilenko RUS d #103 Camille Pin FRA 6-2, 6-0 Tue Maria's forehand drive #40 s7 Sara Errani ITA d #59 Mathilde Johansson FRA 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 Mon *#74 q Anastasiya Yakimova BLR d #42 s8 Sorana Cirstea ROU 7-6(2), 7-6(5) Tue #47 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #86 Lourdes Dominguez Lino ESP 7-6(4), 6-4 Tue #48 Magdalena Rybarikova SVK d #95 wc Klara Zakopalova CZE 6-1, 7-6(7) Mon #49 Lucie Safarova CZE d #50 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 Mon #52 Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP d #101 Kirsten Flipkens BEL 6-2, 6-2 Tue *#68 Severine Bremond FRA d #55 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER 7-6(4), 6-2 Tue #58 Nicole Vaidisova CZE d #248 q Yevgenia Savranska UKR 6-2, 6-4 Tue #67 Roberta Vinci ESP d #78 Pauline Parmentier FRA 6-4, 7-6(7) Mon *#153 q Tatjana Malek GER d #88 wc Nuria Llagostera Vives ESP 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 Tue #120 LL Emilie Loit FRA d #179 q Mervana Jugic-Salkic BIH 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-2 Tue

Barcelona, 2nd Round, Wed 11am, Thu noon loser's prize: $2,950 US; points: 30 Thu: play resumed after rain delay *#67 Roberta Vinci ITA d #15 s2 wc Flavia Pennetta ITA 6-1, 6-2 Wed #34 s5 Carla Suarez Navarro ESP d #120 LL Emilie Loit FRA 6-2, 7-5 Thu #38 s6 Maria Kirilenko RUS d #68 Severine Bremond FRA 7-5, 6-2 Wed Maria volleying a forehand *#49 Lucie Safarova CZE d #40 s7 Sara Errani ITA 6-3, 6-3 Thu #47 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #58 Nicole Vaidisova CZE 6-2, 6-3 Thu *#74 q Anastasiya Yakimova BLR d #48 Magdalena Rybarikova SVK 3-6, 6-3, 6-0 Wed #52 Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP d #125 LL Masa Zec Peskiric SLO 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 Wed Maria Jose following a backhand *#153 q Tatjana Malek GER d #96 Stephanie Cohen-Aloro FRA 5-0 retired—right thigh strain Thu

Barcelona, QFs, Fri noon & 1pm; Sat (due to rain Fri) 10:30am loser's prize: $5,340 US; points: 70 Fri: rain stopped play #34 s5 Carla Suarez Navarro ESP d #153 q Tatjana Malek GER 6-4, 6-0 ppd-Sat #38 s6 Maria Kirilenko RUS d #52 Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 Fri-rain-Sat Maria Jose congratulating Maria after match point #47 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #49 Lucie Safarova CZE 6-3, 7-5 Fri #67 Roberta Vinci ITA d #74 q Anastasiya Yakimova BLR 6-3, 6-3 Fri

Barcelona, SFs, Sat 2:30pm+ loser's prize: $10,200 US; points: 130 *#38 s6 Maria Kirilenko RUS d #34 s5 Carla Suarez Navarro ESP 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 Maria after match point; this pic might be from either the SF or the QF (same day) *#67 Roberta Vinci ITA d #47 Francesca Schiavone ITA 0-6, 7-6(2), 6-4

Barcelona, Final, Sun 1pm+ loser's prize: $19,000 US; points: 200 winner's prize: $37,000 US; points: 280 *#67 Roberta Vinci ITA d #38 s6 Maria Kirilenko RUS 6-0, 6-4 Roberta serving, Maria following a backhand drive, Roberta watching her slice (drop shot?) fly, and after match point

Barcelona, Doubles Final, Sun 11am loser's prize: $5,750 US winner's prize: $11,000 US cdr31 s1 Nuria Llagostera Vives & Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez d cdr139 Sorana Cirstea & Andreja Klepac 3-6, 6-2, (10-8) Maria Jose & Nuria Barcelona, Qual Finals, Mon Apr 13 11am losers' prizes: q1 $265 1pt; q2 $460 6pts; q3 $860 10pts; qualifier 16 points #74 Anastasiya Yakimova BLR d #125 Masa Zec Peskiric SLO 6-3, 6-0 *#179 Mervana Jugic-Salkic BIH d #146 Corinna Dentoni ITA 6-4, 6-4 #153 Tatjana Malek GER d #139 Angelique Kerber GER 6-1, 6-3 *#248 Yevgenia Savranska UKR d #120 Emilie Loit FRA 6-3, 6-4 Barcelona, Withdrawals #20 s3 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP abdominal strain #25 Iveta Benesova CZE #64 Petra Cetkovska CZE allergic skin reaction

    The total compensation for the 2009 Family Circle Cup was raised from $700,000 to $1,000,000 at a late date. The increase is mostly in the later rounds: 1st round qualifying losers (who usually really need the money) will receive $629 instead of $520 (a 21% increase), but the tourney champion (who usually doesn't need the money) will receive $187,815 instead of $107,000 (a 76% increase).

See also: QuickShop: Sporting Goods - Martina Hingis - Anna Kournikova

Current WTA Results & Tennis News (tennis home page) - 2009 WTA Schedule with links & photos

Link to many postmatch interview & match highlight videos of WTA players at the 2008 WTA Player Videos page.

WTA PhotoRankings: the current top 20 Women's Tennis rankings with player photos, links, and bio info.