of Belarus (residence: Scottsdale, Arizona), won the biggest victory of her career by handily defeating the the 2002, '03, '04, '07 & '08 Miami champion, 27-year-old top-seeded # 1
Victoria's prize is $700,000; Serena's is $350,000. On Monday, Victoria's WTA ranking will rise to # 8, the highest of her career. Serena will remain at # 1.
Victoria converted 5 of 12 break points against Serena—Serena converted only 1 of 4 break points against Victoria. Serena also put only 49% of her 1st serves in the box (Victoria: 67%), and Victoria scored on 72% of Serena's 2nd serves.
"I was just so happy to finish that match, because I was getting a little bit nervous in the end... I was getting overexcited of winning the match, because here is the match point. I think, "Yeah, okay, I got it now," and then [Serena] plays a good shot or I make a double fault. So just after the second one, I thought that I have to put first serve in, because it was tough serving with the sun, and I just had to keep going the same way no matter what."
Serena was troubled by left ankle and right thigh strains.
"It was hurting probably in my quarterfinal, and it just progressively got worse... It was a little difficult moving to the left and a little bit to the right. A little forward was also difficult [laughter].
"I think [Victoria has] really, really improved. I actually look forward to playing her again... She's an all-round good player. It actually makes my feel good, because it makes me want to do better and work harder."
in Charleston, South Carolina. But,
"I should probably take a couple weeks off. I don't know. We'll see."
, when Victoria, who won the 1st set, could not continue due to stomach illness.
is now 3-4 in WTA singles finals; she won first title in Brisbane in January, and her second in Memphis in February. Vika has a 23-2 match record this year.
last year, and also won titles at Charleston, Bangalore & Miami. Serena is 21-3 in 2009.
WTA SCOREBOARD: The Sony Ericsson Open at Key Biscayne (Miami)
Sony Ericsson Open, Miami, Florida
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NWS weather radar
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tourney time: = GMT -4 hours
= US EDT
= US PDT +3 hours
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Miami news
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Miami: The main draw for this 96-player, two week, seven round tourney has 32 seeds, with 32 1st-round byes. There are 12 qualifiers and 8 wild cards in the main draw. Qualifying (2 rounds) is on Monday & Tuesday.
Main draw play begins on Wednesday, at 10am on the outer courts, 11am on the Stadium and Grandstand courts.
2009: On Tuesday, March 24, Venus Williams, who won the first of her three Miami titles in 1998 by defeating Anna Kournikova 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, stopped traffic on Ocean Drive by playing tennis against Andy Murray from the top of a car... Meanwhile, Ana Ivanovic played a little golf at Crandon Park with Rafael Nadal...
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2009: Players alerting the media on Wednesday, March 25, included 2009 Indian Wells champ Vera Zvonareva, 2002, '03, '04, '07 & '08 Miami champ Serena Williams, 1998, '99 & 2001 Miami champ Venus Williams (whose new haircut is not only more aerodynamic, but also makes her look more like Rod "ChooChoo" Carew, which might be useful if she has a chance to steal second), 2008 finalist Jelena Jankovic, Dinara Safina, row 2: Ana Ivanovic, and Elena Dementieva...
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2009: JJ attended a Miami Heat game on Monday... On Wednesday, Na Li visited Miami's Jungle Park, and endeavored to set a
parrot perching record... On Thursday, Maria Sharapova, her right shoulder still no go due to a rotator cuff tendon tear, signed autographs...
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2009: Darned good looking healthy young ladies at the players party on Wed, Mar 25, included Dominika Cibulkova, Serena Williams,
Agnieszka Radwanska, Caroline Wozniacki, row 2: Mary Joe Fernandez, Maria Sharapova, Anastasia Pivovarova, & Jelena Jankovic...
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2009: Jie Zheng was among the ladies arriving for the player awards on Thursday; awards for 2008 were issued to Dinara Safina (Most Improved), Elena Dementieva (Sportsmanship), Caroline Wozniacki (Newcomer), Ana Ivanovic (Humanitarian), Jie (Comeback Player), and Cara Black & Liezel Huber (Doubles Team); Serena Williams won Player of the Year, but did not make the photo op...
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Miami, 1st Rd, Wed-Thu 10am & 11am
loser's prize: $7,050; points: 5
#35 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d #158 wc Melanie Oudin USA 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 Wed
Daniela serving to Melanie
#36 Gisela Dulko ARG d #88 Lourdes Dominguez Lino ESP 6-2, 6-4 Thu
Gisela serving, Lourdes about to lightly tap a forehand, and Gisela volleying a backhand
#37 Maria Kirilenko RUS d #59 Kateryna Bondarenko UKR 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 Wed
Kateryna and Maria driving backhand and forehand
*#96 q Mariya Koryttseva UKR d #38 Sorana Cirstea ROU 6-2, 6-1 Wed
*#175 wc Anastasia Pivovarova RUS d #39 Bethanie Mattek-Sands USA 7-6(1), 6-3 Wed
Anastasia eyeing a backhand, and Bethanie driving one
*#113 q Julia Goerges GER d #40 Virginie Razzano FRA 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(4) Thu
#41 Samantha Stosur AUS d #99 Sofia Arvidsson SWE 6-1, 2-0 retired—illness Wed
#42 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS d #97 q Aravane Rezai FRA 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 Wed
#43 Tamarine Tanasugarn THA d #60 Nathalie Dechy FRA 6-3, 7-5 Thu
Nathalie watching her serve fly, and Tammy following a backhand
#44 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #50 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 Wed
#45 Na Li CHN d #107 q Urszula Radwanska POL 6-4, 5-7, 6-1 Thu
*#55 Sabine Lisicki GER d #46 Petra Kvitova CZE 6-2, 6-4 Thu
#47 Magdalena Rybarikova SVK d #146 wc Arantxa Rus NED 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 Wed
Magdalena volleying a backhand, and Arantxa's forehand drive
#48 Lucie Safarova CZE d #51 Anne Keothavong GBR 6-4, 7-5 Wed
#49 Shahar Peer ISR d #281 wc Tamaryn Hendler BEL 6-1, 7-6(5) Thu
Tamaryn following a backhand, and Shahar driving one
Shahar said: "I get a lot, a lot of support here in the States, and I really appreciate it. I like playing here. I like to play in New York a lot. I've got a lot of support in Indian Wells, too, in the big tournaments.
So I'm really enjoying, and this is one of the biggest tournaments, of course, so it's a good tournament. And today, you know, I was thinking it would be less full than today. It was quite crowded, so it was very nice to play in the stadium." postmatch interview
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*#68 q Tamira Paszek AUT d #52 Monica Niculescu ROU 7-5, 6-2 Wed
#53 Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP d #73 Yanina Wickmayer BEL 6-0, 6-4 Thu
Maria Jose serving to Yanina
#54 Ekaterina Makarova RUS d #63 Yung-Jan Chan TPE 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 Thu
Yung-Jan ready to swat a backhand, Ekaterina driving a forehand, and after winning a point
#57 Tathiana Garbin ITA d #89 Klara Zakopalova CZE 6-3, 6-4 Thu
*#95 q Anastasiya Yakimova BLR d #58 Olga Govortsova BLR 6-2, 6-1 Wed
#61 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE d #131 Karin Knapp ITA 7-6(2), 6-3 Thu
Karin driving a backhand, and Barbora after winning a point
*#81 Galina Voskoboeva KAZ d #62 Vera Dushevina RUS 6-4, 6-4 Wed
#64 Mathilde Johansson FRA d #87 wc Sania Mirza IND 1-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(8) Wed
#65 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER d #102 q Jill Craybas USA 6-4, 6-1 Thu
*#80 wc Jelena Dokic AUS d #66 Edina Gallovits ROU 6-3, 7-6(5) Wed
Edina showing slice on a backhand, and Jelena following a forehand
*#112 q Karolina Sprem CRO d #70 Marina Erakovic NZL 6-0, 6-2 Thu
#72 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS d #117 q Mariana Duque Marino COL 6-4, 7-6(6) Thu
*#125 sr 35 Mara Santangelo ITA d #76 Pauline Parmentier FRA 6-1, 7-5 Thu
Mara about to connect with a backhand
*#79 Nicole Vaidisova CZE d #78 q Patricia Mayr AUT 6-4, 6-2 Wed
*#159 q Michaella Krajicek NED d #84 q Ayumi Morita JPN 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) Thu
*#136 wc Alexa Glatch USA d #100 Timea Bacsinszky SUI 6-4, 6-1 Thu
#121 Nuria Llagostera Vives ESP d #520 wc Coco Vandeweghe USA 6-0, 6-3 Wed
Nuria driving a backhand, Coco following a forehand, and Nuria after match point
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Miami, 2nd Rd, Fri-Sat 10am
loser's prize: $11,500; points: 50
#1 s1 Serena Williams USA d #136 wc Alexa Glatch USA 6-2, 6-3 Sat
Serena driving a backhand, Alexa volleying one, and Serena after winning a game
Serena said: "I think I played okay. I definitely think I could have played better. But just a little jitters going out there—the first round no one wants to go out." postmatch interview
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#2 s2 Dinara Safina RUS d #64 Mathilde Johansson FRA 6-1, 6-3 Fri
Mathilde and Dinara driving forehand and backhand, and Dinara after winning a game
*#36 Gisela Dulko ARG d #3 s3 Jelena Jankovic SRB 6-4, 7-6(5) Sat
Gisela serving to Jelena, Jelena driving a backhand, and two views of Gisela after match point
It was the biggest victory of Gisela's career. Gisela, thus far this year, has been playing her best tennis since 2005, when she recorded wins over then # 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova, # 5 Elena Dementieva, and # 8 Nadia Petrova.
Gisela said: "It was a very, very good match for me... I knew [Jelena is] a great player, No. 3 in the world. She's not going to give you so many chances all the time, so I had to play good the big points and hopefully I could take my chance well...
"I tried to mix it up, especially with her. She has I think one of the best backhands on the tour, and if you give her the ball always the same, it's impossible. At least for me. So I tried to mix it up, you know, with dropshot, high balls with my slice, and I think it worked very well for me tonight." postmatch interview
Jelena said: "Now the clay season starts, and hopefully I will begin my season, because I still haven't begun at all. For three months I haven't been doing well at all, and I hope to begin my season sometime soon. Hopefully I can do it on the clay. I just have to—it's very hard, you know—to stay positive and just keep working and keep believing that you can do it, and hopefully find my form." postmatch interview
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#4 s4 Elena Dementieva RUS d #175 wc Anastasia Pivovarova RUS 6-0, 3-6, 6-3 Fri
Anastasia about to slice a backhand, Elena driving one, and after match point
#5 s5 Venus Williams USA d #49 Shahar Peer ISR 6-3, 6-3 Sat
Venus serving, and Shahar and Venus driving backhands
Shahar took a 3-0 lead at the start of the match. Venus said: "At that point I'm thinking I've got to get started. So it was only one break. Hold serve, break. It's even. Back on serve.
"And I haven't played in almost four weeks, so just a little bit of a slow start. But I always felt confident." postmatch interview
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#6 s6 Vera Zvonareva RUS d #57 Tathiana Garbin ITA 6-4, 6-1 Sat
#7 s7 Ana Ivanovic SRB d #96 q Mariya Koryttseva UKR 6-0, 6-3 Fri
Ana serving, Mariya driving a forehand, Ana following a backhand, and after match point
Ana said: "]Mariya] started playing much better [in the 2nd set]. It was also a big stage for her, a night session, so probably she was nervous. She started playing better in the second set.
"I didn't think I dropped too much. Maybe I was not as aggressive as I was from the beginning, but still stepped up in important moments and managed to get the break in the second." postmatch interview
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#8 s8 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #68 q Tamira Paszek AUT 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 Fri
Tamira and Sveta driving backhands, and Svetlana after winning a point
#9 s9 Nadia Petrova RUS d #159 q Michaella Krajicek NED 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 Sat
#10 s10 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #43 Tamarine Tanasugarn THA 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 Sat
Agnieszka and Tammy driving backhands
#11 s11 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #42 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS 6-2, 6-2 Fri
*#95 q Anastasiya Yakimova BLR d #12 s12 Marion Bartoli FRA 6-4, 6-3 Fri
Marion about to connect with a backhand, and Anastasiya after winning a point
#13 s13 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d #80 wc Jelena Dokic AUS 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 Fri
Caroline about to slice a backhand, and Jelena driving one
#14 s14 Alize Cornet FRA d #61 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE 6-4, 7-6(4) Sat
#15 s15 Flavia Pennetta ITA d #37 Maria Kirilenko RUS 6-4, 7-5 Fri
Flavia firing a forehand, and Maria's backhand drive
#16 s16 Dominika Cibulkova SVK v #112 q Karolina Sprem CRO Sat c2 m5
#17 s17 Jie Zheng CHN d #113 q Julia Goerges GER 6-4, 6-2 Sat
#18 s18 Patty Schnyder SUI d #48 Lucie Safarova CZE 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 Fri
Lucie and Patty driving backhands
#19 s19 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP d #72 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS 7-6(3), 6-4 Sat
#20 s20 Amelie Mauresmo FRA d #47 Magdalena Rybarikova SVK 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 Fri
Amelie driving a backhand, and Magdalena following one
#21 s21 Kaia Kanepi EST d #53 Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP 4-6, 6-4 7-5 Sat
#24 s22 Anna Chakvetadze RUS d #35 Daniela Hantuchova SVK 6-3, 6-1 Fri
Daniela and Anna driving forehands
*#54 Ekaterina Makarova RUS d #25 s23 Ai Sugiyama JPN 6-3, 6-4 Sat
Ekaterina watching her serve fly, and Ai's forehand drive
#26 s24 Alisa Kleybanova RUS d #81 Galina Voskoboeva KAZ 6-2, 6-4 Fri
#27 s25 Agnes Szavay HUN d #44 Francesca Schiavone ITA 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 Fri
Agnes after winning a point
#28 s26 Iveta Benesova CZE d #55 Sabine Lisicki GER 6-2, 6-4 Sat
*#41 Samantha Stosur AUS d #29 s27 Sybille Bammer AUT 6-1, 6-1 Fri
*#79 Nicole Vaidisova CZE d #30 s28 Alona Bondarenko UKR 6-1, 6-0 Fri
*#45 Na Li CHN d #31 s29 Aleksandra Wozniak CAN 7-5, 6-3 Sat
Aleksandra driving a backhand, and Na after match point
*#65 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER d #32 s30 Sara Errani ITA 6-4, 6-3 Sat
#33 s31 Carla Suarez Navarro ESP d #121 N Llagostera Vives ESP 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) Fri
#34 s32 Shuai Peng CHN d #125 sr 35 Mara Santangelo ITA 7-5, 6-3 Sat
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Miami, 3rd Rd, Sun 11am
loser's prize: $18,740; points: 80
#1 s1 Serena Williams USA d #34 s32 Shuai Peng CHN 7-5, 6-2
Shuai and Serena driving backhands, and Serena after match point
Serena said: "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." postmatch interview
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*#41 Samantha Stosur AUS d #2 s2 Dinara Safina RUS 6-1, 6-4
Samantha serving to Dinara, Dinara driving a backhand, and Sam firing a running forehand
Samantha said: "Today, I played well and really did exactly what I needed to do... 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." postmatch interview
Dinara said: "It was just a disaster match. I just started to play a little bit better at 6-1, 3-Love...
[Samantha is] a great player. She played very good, but from my side, I just can say it was sad the way I played today." postmatch interview
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#4 s4 Elena Dementieva RUS d #33 s31 Carla Suarez Navarro ESP 6-2, 6-2
Carla and Elena driving backhands
#5 s5 Venus Williams USA d #65 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER 7-5, 6-3
Venus driving a backhand, Anna-Lena following a forehand, and Venus after match point
*#45 Na Li CHN d #6 s6 Vera Zvonareva RUS 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
Vera and Na driving forehands
*#27 s25 Agnes Szavay HUN d #7 s7 Ana Ivanovic SRB 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
Ana and Agnes driving backhands, Ana inquiring as to whether a call might possibly have been in error, and Agnes after match point
Agnes said: "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...
"I hope my sister is going to be the next [successful Hungarian WTA player]. She's 15, and she's playing junior tournaments. Really. [Her name is] Blanka. She's playing very good, so I hope she's going to be on the tour." postmatch interview
Ana said: "I'm really disappointed with today's game. I hardly did anything well today. 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." postmatch interview
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#8 s8 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #79 Nicole Vaidisova CZE 6-1, 6-4
*#54 Ekaterina Makarova RUS d #9 s9 Nadia Petrova RUS 7-5, 6-1
#10 s10 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #21 s21 Kaia Kanepi EST 6-4, 6-3
#11 s11 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #24 s22 Anna Chakvetadze RUS 6-1, 6-4
Vika about to swat a backhand, and Anna following a forehand
#13 s13 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d #18 s18 Patty Schnyder SUI 6-4, 6-4
Caroline lining up a backhand, Patty serving, and Caroline after match point
*#17 s17 Jie Zheng CHN d #14 s14 Alize Cornet FRA 6-4, 6-0
Alize congratulating Jie after match point
*#20 s20 Amelie Mauresmo FRA d #15 s15 Flavia Pennetta ITA 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-2
Amelie and Flavia driving forehand and backhand
#19 s19 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP d #16 s16 Dominika Cibulkova SVK 7-6(4), 1-6, 5-5
retired—cramping
#26 s24 Alisa Kleybanova RUS d #95 q Anastasiya Yakimova BLR 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
#28 s26 Iveta Benesova CZE d #36 Gisela Dulko ARG 6-3, 6-2
Iveta driving a backhand, Gisela serving, and tired after her Saturday night win over Jelena Jankovic, and Iveta after winning a point
Gisela said: "That win over Jankovic was the biggest win of my career, but I didn't have time to enjoy it. I would have preferred to have had a day to rest, but this is how the schedule was set up, so I had to comply. I slept only four hours, which wasn't enough. It's hard to sleep when your adrenaline is through the roof. To be perfectly honest, I was hoping for a rain delay, but I wasn't lucky." Miami Herald story
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Miami, 4th Rd, Mon 11am
loser's prize: $32,000; points: 140
#1 s1 Serena Williams USA d #17 s17 Jie Zheng CHN 7-5, 5-7, 6-3
Serena serving, Jie about to slice a backhand, Serena driving one, and Serena after match point
Serena said: " I don't think I played great. I thought [Jie] played probably her best tennis yet. I think I started out great and then maybe my focus lost. Next thing I know, I was in a 5-All in the first set, which should have never been.
"Just happy to get through it, because at one point I hit a ball in the bottom of the net and I thought, 'Wow, I haven't done this since I was a junior.' Actually, since I played Sydney." postmatch interview
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*#13 s13 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d #4 s4 Elena Dementieva RUS 7-5, 6-4
Elena and Caroline driving forehands, and Caroline after match point
It was Caroline's 2nd win over a # 4 ranked player, matching the best win (by rank) of her career.
Caroline said: "[My strategy] was just to stay in the point and wait for my own chance. I'm also trying to hit big from the baseline, so I knew it was going to be a match with long rallies.
"I've played [Elena] before. Last time I lost to her 7-6 in the third set, so I knew what I was going into. It was just keep fighting." postmatch interview
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#5 s5 Venus Williams USA d #10 s10 Agnieszka Radwanska POL 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
Agnieszka and Venus driving backhands, and Venus after match point
Agnieszka almost drew even late in the 3rd set.
Venus said: "[Agnieszka] is a fighter. Obviously I was up 4-1 and she had some chances to tie at 5-All. She plays smart and tries to take advantage of the ball and points, so she is very experienced." postmatch interview
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#8 s8 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #26 s24 Alisa Kleybanova RUS 6-2, 6-1
Alisa and Svetlana launching serves
#11 s11 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #27 s25 Agnes Szavay HUN 6-2, 6-4
*#28 s26 Iveta Benesova CZE d #19 s19 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP 6-4, 6-1
*#41 Samantha Stosur AUS d #20 s20 Amelie Mauresmo FRA 6-4, 6-4
Samantha watching her serve fly, and Amelie driving a forehand, and Sam following one
#45 Na Li CHN d #54 Ekaterina Makarova RUS 6(3)-7, 6-2, 6-2
Na driving a forehand, and Ekaterina volleying a backhand
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Miami, QFs, Tue-Wed 11am
loser's prize: $64,700; points: 250
#1 s1 Serena Williams USA d #45 Na Li CHN 4-6, 7-6(1), 6-2 Wed
Serena volleying a forehand, Na driving a backhand, and Serena after match point
Serena lost the first five games of the match. Although she won the next four games, it was too late to save the 1st set.
About her slow start, Serena said: "Maybe I was tired, but still not an excuse really... Definitely wasn't moving my feet at all. I just wasn't doing anything that made a lot of sense at all...
"I don't think I played great, but I'm glad to have gotten through... I definitely played better in the third set, which was good. I needed to play pretty well to win the match." postmatch interview
Na said: "I have chances in the second set. I have like maybe six or seven breakpoint, but I didn't hold for one point. [Serena] didn't gave me any chance... In final set she played much better." postmatch interview
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#5 s5 Venus Williams USA d #28 s26 Iveta Benesova CZE 6-1, 6-4 Wed
Iveta and Venus driving backhands, and Venus after match point
Venus trailed 1-4 in the 2nd set. Venus said: "I think sometimes when things aren't going your way... it can be a few points. And then before you know it, the the games go fast because everyone out here is good. Unfortunately it was wasn't a double break. That may have been a little tougher to come back. For me, I look at it as one break. I don't always look at it as the score is 1-4." postmatch interview
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#8 s8 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #13 s13 Caroline Wozniacki DEN 6-4, 6(5)-7, 6-1 Tue
Svetlana and Caroline driving backhands, and Sveta after winning a point
Svetlana became exhausted during the match. Svetlana said: "[Caroline] was running and she was recovering many balls. She force me to miss. But I think when I was playing the right tactics and the right game, and mixing her up, I was in control of everything.
"I was till score 5-3 feeling very comfortable out there, but I got so dizzy and tired. The conditions played a big role in my game... I just play the same all the way, hitting it instead of mixing it up." postmatch interview
Prior to the start of the Sony Ericsson Open, Svetlana had a 7-3 record for the year, and had lost her last two matches: to # 75 Elena Vesnina in Dubai (6-4, 3-6, 6-0) and to # 107 Urszula Radwanska at Indian Wells (6-2, 4-6, 6-3). Now Svetlana has raised her 2009 record to 11-3.
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#11 s11 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #41 Samantha Stosur AUS 6-1, 6-0 Tue
Victoria's forehand, Sam and Vika driving backhands, and Vika after match point
Victoria said: "I think was very important my return today, because Sam has a great serve and it's really tough to return. I was just returning very well and starting to put pressure on her right from the return, so I think that was the key for me today." postmatch interview
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Miami, SFs, Thu 1pm & 9pm
loser's prize: $150,000; points: 450
#1 s1 Serena Williams USA d #5 s5 Venus Williams USA 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Serena twisting a serve Venusward, Venus driving a backhand, Serena about to swat one Venus volleying a forehand, Serena following a forehand drive, Serena after match point, and Venus congratulating Serena
Serena won despite converting only 6 of 19 break points against Venus—Venus converted only 2 of 7 break points against Serena.
Serena said: "I've got to work on my breakpoint opportunities a little more. I had so many. I think it could have been a different score.
[Venus is] always hitting big serves and playing really well. When she's down breakpoints, I think that's when she plays her best tennis." postmatch interview
Venus said: "It was a well-fought match. I definitely would have liked to get a few more points off my serve. I think my serve wasn't going as well as I wanted today. But [Serena] brought a lot have balls back and played tough." postmatch interview
Serena and Venus are now tied at 10-10 in career matches. Venus had won their previous two meetings, both on hardcourts. In the round robin of last year's WTA Championships in Doha, Qatar, Venus defeated Serena 5-7, 6-1, 6-0. And this year, in the semifinals in Dubai, Venus won again, 6-1, 2-6, 7-6(3).
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*#11 s11 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #8 s8 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS 6-3, 2-6, 7-5
Victoria serving, Svetlana and Victoria driving backhands, Sveta and Vika driving forehands, Victoria after match point of a 2hr 40min match at 85° F, and Sveta congratulating Vika
Temperatures were in the mid-80s; the match lasted 2 hours and 40 minutes. Late in the 3rd set, Victoria failed to convert a match point while serving at 5-4; then lost that game on a double fault. But she broke Svetlana's serve to reach 6-5, and, again serving for the match, won on her 4th match point.
Victoria said: "When it was a match point Svetlana played great. She was more active and more aggressive, and I just went a little bit back and I wasn't that aggressive, which I should have done." postmatch interview
Svetlana had been struggling this year prior to this tourney. Last October she switched her coaching from Barcelona's Sánchez-Casal Academy (where she had her primary training) to Olga Morozova, who formerly coached Elena Dementieva. But Sveta parted ways with Olga after the Indian Wells tourney last month, and is currently coachless.
Svetlana said: "I have not been winning a lot. Coming here I've been a bit lost on the court. I didn't know what I was doing, so I was trying some new stuff and then some old stuff and I was a little bit messed up.
"I feel like I gave everything today... I've got to improve some things, but I definitely got back in the game. I feel the ball and I do things on the court... I was fighting, and for me it's the main thing.." postmatch interview
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Miami, Final, Sat, 12:30pm
loser's prize: $350,000; points: 700
winner's prize: $700,000; points: 1000
*#11 s11 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #1 s1 Serena Williams USA 6-3, 6-1
Victoria serving, Serena following a backhand, Victoria and Serena driving forehand and backhand, Vika driving another forehand, Serena asking her Wilson "Why?", Victoria driving a backhand, and after match point
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Miami, Doubles Final, Sun after ATP singles final, 1pm
losers' prize: $118,500
winners' prize: $237,000
*cdr377 Svetlana Kuznetsova & Amelie Mauresmo d cdr14 s3 Kveta Peschke & Lisa Raymond 4-6, 6-3, (10-3)
Miami, Qualifying Finals, Tue Mar 24 10am
losers' prizes: q1 $1,050 1pt; q2 $2,100 20pts; qualifier 30 points
#68 Tamira Paszek AUT d #103 Melanie South GBR 6-1, 6-0
*#102 Jill Craybas USA d #74 Severine Bremond FRA 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
*#107 Urszula Radwanska POL d #75 Melinda Czink HUN 6-3, 6-1
*#95 Anastasiya Yakimova BLR d #77 Jarmila Groth SVK/AUS 6(7)-7, 6-4, 6-2
#78 Patricia Mayr AUT d #101 Marta Domachowska POL 6-2, 1-6, 6-3
#84 Ayumi Morita JPN d #92 Vania King USA 7-5, 6-4
*#112 Karolina Sprem CRO d #94 Akgul Amanmuradova UZB 6-1, 6-1
#96 Mariya Koryttseva UKR d #133 Anastasia Rodionova RUS/AUS 6-2, 6-2
#97 Aravane Rezai FRA d #119 Stephanie Voegele SUI 7-6(1), 6-3
*#159 Michaella Krajicek NED d #98 Camille Pin FRA
*#113 Julia Goerges GER d #105 Iona Raluca Olaru ROU 6(5)-7, 6-3, 7-6(3)
#117 Mariana Duque Marino COL d #170 Tatjana Malek GER 6-4, 6-4
Miami, Withdrawals
#22 Katarina Srebotnik SLO left achilles injury
#23 Maria Sharapova RUS 2008 torn right shoulder tendon
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, about two-thirds to three quarters of the matches played on the show courts each day were ATP (in the later rounds things even up, because there are not enough ATP matches to fill the show courts). As of Wednesday, of the 47 interview transcripts posted at the SEO website, 19 have been WTA (including Larry Scott), and 28 have been ATP. Considering that the principal sponsor of this tourney is the WTA's title sponsor, it makes a joke of the concept of equal treatment for the ladies.
Link to many postmatch interview & match highlight videos of WTA players at the
: the current top 20 Women's Tennis rankings with player photos, links, and bio info.
