WTA Feb 14-21: Dubai, Mem., Bog. Dubai Tennis Champ UAE PREMIER 5 $2mil 56m/32q/28d outdoor: hard (DT II) Free Live Video: 1 - 2 - 3 Live Scores - in popup window draws: WTA: Q - main - D - OOP pics: DL - Y!: sports - news | WTA video | Dubai: weather #3 C Wozniacki, #4 S Kuznetsova Cellular South Cup, Memphis, TN INTL $220,000 32m/32q/16d indoor: hard (Plexipave) Live Scores - in popup window draws: WTA: Q - main - D - OOP pics: DL - Y!: sports - news | WTA #16 M Sharapova, #53 M Oudin Copa Colsanitas, Bogota, COL INTL $220,000 32m/32q/16d outdoor: red clay Live Scores - in popup window draws: WTA: Q - main - D - OOP pics: DL - Y!: sports - news | WTA video | Bogota: weather forecast #35 G Dulko, #42 C Suárez Navarro

Dubai, Mem., Bog.: 2009   Dubai & Memphis: 2008 - 2007 - 2006   Dubai: 2005 - 2004 Memphis: 2005 - 2004   Bogota: 2008 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 previous other tourney pages next Bogota: #176 M Duque Marino 5' 7" 128lb RH 2H-BH Dubai: #5 Venus Williams 6'1" 160lb RH 2H-BH Memphis: #16 Maria Sharapova 6' 2" 130lb RH 2H-BH

On Saturday in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships, last year's Dubai champ (and 5-time Wimbledon champion), 29-year-old #6 (and former #1) Venus Williams from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, won again, defeating the 2009 champion in Miami, Memphis, and Brisbane, 20-year-old 4th-seeded #6 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus (residence: Scottsdale, Arizona), 6-3, 7-5 (photo shown).     Venus's prize is $350,000, Victoria's is $175,000.     Venus said: "It was definitely very competitive. I expected [Victoria] to come out and play very well. Of course, I respect her game. Just the effort that she gives into it. Even though I was leading in the second set, she just never gave up. So she played really well. Obviously happy to close the tournament out." tourney story     Victoria said: "It's not about power. It's more about precision: that [Venus] was making it on the lines, close to the lines... Very high quality of tennis from both of us. Just a little bit of bad luck on a few balls. But I'm proud of what I did today."     Venus and Vika had met only once before, on a Deco Turf hardcourt in the 3rd round of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, when Venus won, 6-3, 6-2.     7-time Grand Slam tourney champion Venus is now 42-25 in WTA singles finals; she won the Dubai and Acapulco titles last year. Venus has a 9-1 singles match record this season, including her 4 wins this week.     Victoria is now 3-5 in WTA singles finals. She won all of her titles last year; this was the first final she has reached since she defeated Venus's sister Serena in the Miami final last march, 6-3, 6-1. Vika has a 11-3 match record this year.

    In the Memphis Cellular South Cup final on Saturday night, last year's Tokyo Pan Pacific Open champ (and three-time Grand Slam champion), 22-year-old #16 (and former #1) Maria Sharapova of Russia (with residences in Manhattan Beach, California & Bradenton, Florida) defeated the 2006 Memphis champion, 26-year-old qualifier #105 (career-high: #29) Sofia Arvidsson from Halmstad, Sweden, 6-2, 6-1 (Maria is shown holding the glassware after the match).

    Maria's prize is $37,000, Sofia's is $19,000.

    Maria put 65% of her 1st serves in the box, and won 81% of her 1st serve points, with 4 aces and only 1 double fault (Sofia: 63% in, 59% won, 2 aces, 1 DF). Sofia did not break Maria's serve during the match (she had only 3 opportunities to do so), Maria converted 4 of the 5 break points she held against Sofia.

    Maria said: "Coming in here, I asked for matches and I got five of them and I got the win, so I'm certainly happy. I felt like I played consistent tennis throughout the week and did the right things against all my opponents. I guess that's a good week." AP story

    Sofia said: "You need to be on fire when you play [Maria]. She was just too good."

    Maria and Sofia had met only once before, on an indoor hardcourt in the 2nd round in Luxembourg in 2003, when 16-year-old Maria defeated 19-year-old Sofia, 6-1, 7-6(4).

    2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open, and 2008 Australian Open champion Maria is now 21-8 in WTA singles finals. Due to right shoulder rotator cuff tendon tears, she played only one match (a doubles match) between August, 2008, and May, 2009. She says that her shoulder has now completely healed; she has changed both her racquet and her service motion to avoid further shoulder injuries. Maria, who was bounced in the 1st round at the Australian Open by Maria Kirilenko, but won all her matches this week in straight sets, has a 5-1 match record this season.

    2006 Memphis champ Sofia is now 1-2 in WTA singles finals; she reached her other final in Quebec City in 2005. Sofia has also won 16 ITF singles titles. Sofia, having won 6 matches this week (including 2 qualifying rounds), has a 12-4 match record in 2010.

    In the Bogota Copa Colsanitas final on Sunday, 20-year-old locally-born-and-residing #176 (career-high: #99) Mariana Duque Marino of Colombia defeated 22-year-old 5th-seeded #85 (career-high: #67) Angelique Kerber from Kiel, Germany, 6-4, 6-3 (Mariana is shown with the hardware after the match).

    Mariana and Angelique had never before met on the field of combat. Both ladies were playing in their first WTA singles final; in fact, both Angelique and Mariana had only played in one WTA singles quarterfinal before this week; neither had ever reached a WTA singles semifinal.
    Mariana, now 1-0 in WTA singles finals, has won 8 ITF singles titles, and 5 ITF doubles titles, and has a 15-3 match record this year.
    Angelique, now 0-1 in WTA singles finals, has won 11 ITF singles titles, and 3 ITF doubles titles, and has a 9-2 singles match record in 2010. Angelique has played in one WTA doubles final: at 's-Hertogenbosch in 2008, teamed with Liga (from Riga) Dekmeijere.

Memphis player's blog by Melanie Oudin

WTA SCOREBOARD: Dubai, Memphis & Bogota s=seed, #=rank, *=upset, LL=lucky loser ranks are for the previous week How do players get into the "draw"? Dubai Tennis Championships,  Dubai, United Arab Emirates   tourney time:        = GMT +4 hours        = US EDT +9 hours        = US PDT +12 hours United Arab Emirates News Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar     Dubai: The main draw for Dubai has 16 seeds, with 8 1st-round byes. There are 8 qualifiers in the main draw. Qualifying (2 rounds) starts on Friday, qualifying finals are on Saturday, and main draw play begins on Sunday.   click for broader view   Dubai Tennis Stadium at top center Latitude: 25.24243 Longitude: 55.342475 goto link for World Wind 2010: On Sunday, Feb 14, Na Li, Victoria Azarenka, Caroline Wozniacki, Jelena Jankovic, and 2009 tourney champ Venus Williams did the Meet the Press thing in Dubai... 2010: Players shot on arrival at the Dubai player party on Tuesday night included Victoria Azarenka, Caroline Wozniacki, Svetlana Kuznetsova & Alicia Molik, Agnieszka Radwanska, and Jelena Jankovic... row 2: Caroline and Agnieszka befriended the camel, Francesca Schiavone appears to have been taken for a ride, Jelena donned native threads, and Virginie Razzano did the "hold the falcon" thing...

Dubai, 1st Rd, Sun-Mon noon loser's prize: $5,400 US; points: 1 *#57 Tathiana Garbin ITA d #11 s9 Samantha Stosur AUS 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(4) Mon Samantha serving, Tathiana firing a forehand on the run, and after match point #12 wc Flavia Pennetta ITA d #41 Melinda Czink HUN 6-4, 6-1 Mon Flavia following a backhand, and Melinda's forehand drive #13 s10 Marion Bartoli FRA d #58 q Ekaterina Makarova RUS 6-2, 6-0 Sun Ekaterina and Marion driving backhands #14 s11 Vera Zvonareva RUS d #29 Elena Vesnina RUS 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 Mon Vera, who won the Pattaya, Thailand, title on Sunday before hustling to Dubai for this 2hr19min match, watching her backhand fly *#22 Shahar Peer ISR d #15 s12 Yanina Wickmayer BEL 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 Mon Shahar serving, Yanina following a forehand, and Shahar's backhand drive     In 2009, Shahar was unexpectedly denied a visa to enter the United Arab Emirates to play in the Dubai Tennis Championships. The UAE has no diplomatic relations with Israel, but tourney officials did not expect the border folks to deny Shahar admission. The tourney was fined $300,000 for the error; this year Shahar was admitted without difficulty, though tourney officials, concerned for her safety, are restricting her to the tennis facilities and her hotel. AP story #18 s13 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #39 Sorana Cirstea ROU 6-2, 7-5 Sun Francesca fielding a drop shot, and Sorana about to swat a backhand *#69 wc Stefanie Voegele SUI d #19 s14 Nadia Petrova RUS 7-6(5), 7-6(5) Mon *#170 q Alicia Molik AUS d #20 s15 Jie Zheng CHN 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 Sun Jie and Alicia driving forehand and backhand #21 s16 Aravane Rezai FRA d #50 Sybille Bammer AUT 6-3, 5-7, 7-5 Mon #24 Virginie Razzano FRA d #277 wc Selima Sfar TUN 6-2, 6-2 Mon Selima and Virginie delivering backhands #25 Sabine Lisicki GER d #100 q Yung-Jan Chan TPE 6-1, 6-4 Sun Sabine after match point *#49 Andrea Petkovic GER d #26 Alona Bondarenko UKR 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 Mon #27 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d #123 q Vesna Manasieva RUS 6-4, 6-4 Sun Vesna and Daniela driving backhands #28 Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP d #72 LL Alberta Brianti ITA 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 Mon #30 Dominika Cibulkova SVK d #48 Yaroslava Shvedova KAZ 6-4, 6-4 Mon *#66 q Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER d #31 Alisa Kleybanova RUS 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 Sun #32 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP d #59 Sania Mirza IND 6-3, 6-4 Mon Sania and Anabel driving their respective best shots, forehand and backhand #33 Kateryna Bondarenko UKR d #47 Magdalena Rybarikova SVK 6-3, 6-1 Sun *#98 q Regina Kulikova RUS d #37 wc Maria Kirilenko 6-3, 6-0 Sun Maria serving, and Regina driving a forehand #38 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS d #425 sr20 K Srebotnik SLO 6-2, 6-1 Sun *#80 q Anastasija Sevastova LAT d #40 Vera Dushevina RUS 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 Sun *#55 Olga Govortsova BLR d #43 Iveta Benesova CZE 6-4, 6-1 Mon *#54 Alexandra Dulgheru ROU d #44 Patty Schnyder SUI 6-2, 6-2 Mon *#81 q Kirsten Flipkens BEL d #52 Timea Bacsinszky SUI 6-3, 6-4 Sun

Dubai, 2nd Rd, Mon noon, Tue 11am losers' prize: $10,275 US; points: 70 #3 s1 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d #30 Dominika Cibulkova SVK 6-2, 7-6(2) Tue Domi driving a forehand, and Caro about to swat a backhand #4 s2 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #32 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP walkover—low back injury Tue #5 s3 Venus Williams USA d #25 Sabine Lisicki GER 6-2, 6-3 Tue Sabine and Venus driving forehand and backhand, and Venus after match point #6 s4 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #33 Kateryna Bondarenko UKR 4-1 retired—left knee sprain Tue Vika serving to Kateryna *#27 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d #7 s5 Elena Dementieva RUS 6-4, 1-1 retired—right shoulder injury Tue Elena driving a forehand, and Daniela fielding one on the run #8 s6 Jelena Jankovic SRB d #21 s16 Aravane Rezai FRA 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 Tue Jelena driving a forehand, and Aravane about to lightly tap one #9 s7 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #80 q Anastasija Sevastova LAT 6-3, 6-3 Mon #10 s8 Na Li CHN d #28 Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP 7-6(7), 2-6, 6-4 Tue Maria Jose driving a backhand, and Na about to connect with a forehand #12 wc Flavia Pennetta ITA d #49 Andrea Petkovic GER 6-3, 6-3 Tue #13 s10 Marion Bartoli FRA d #54 Alexandra Dulgheru ROU 6-2, 6-1 Tue Alexandra serving, and Marion following a backhand drive #14 s11 Vera Zvonareva RUS d #81 q Kirsten Flipkens BEL 6-0, 6-0 Tue *#55 Olga Govortsova BLR d #18 s13 Francesca Schiavone ITA Tue #22 Shahar Peer ISR d #24 Virginie Razzano FRA 6-2, 6-2 Tue Virginie following a backhand, and Shahar getting ready to swat one #38 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS d #57 Tathiana Garbin ITA 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 Tue #66 q Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER d #170 q Alicia Molik AUS 6-4, 6-4 Tue *#98 q Regina Kulikova RUS d #69 wc Stefanie Voegele SUI 6-3, 6-0 Tue

Dubai, 3rd Rd, Wed losers' prize: $20,000 US; points: 125 *#22 Shahar Peer ISR d #3 s1 Caroline Wozniacki DEN 6-2, 7-5 Caroline and Shahar following backhands, and Shahar after winning a point     Shahar was 0-3 against Caroline in previous matches, and had never won a set from her.     Shahar said: "I played very, very good, and I'm really happy. I was dominating from the first game until the end. When I played [Caroline] in Australia, I played well in the first set, and I had my chances but I didn't take them. So I knew the next time I have to play her, I really need to take my chances because she never gives up. She's always there. I'm really happy I could manage it." AP story     Caroline said: "[Shahar] played really well. She kept changing the rhythm all the time. I had a few unforced errors early in the match and never managed to put her under pressure."     In 2009, Shahar was unexpectedly denied a visa to enter the United Arab Emirates to play in the Dubai Tennis Championships. The UAE has no diplomatic relations with Israel, but tourney officials did not expect the border folks to deny Shahar admission. The tourney was fined $300,000 for the error; this year Shahar was admitted without difficulty, though tourney officials, concerned for her safety, are restricting her to the tennis facilities and her hotel.     Shahar's matches are being played on Court 1 because it is more secure than Center Court. Spectators made to pass through metal detectors; press photographers were kept from their usual courtside positions.     Caroline said: "If there is a threat to her, there is a threat to me as well. So I completely agree with the fact that the match was scheduled on Court No. 1. I'd rather be safe than sorry. The change of court did create a bit of a problem, since it was a little faster than the Center Court. But the conditions were the same for both of us and I really can't complain." *#98 q Regina Kulikova RUS d #4 s2 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-4 Svetlana tossing the ball for her serve, Regina driving a backhand, and after match point     It was Regina's biggest win, earning the largest prize money and most ranking points of her career. She has won 8 ITF singles titles, but had never before reached the quarterfinals of a WTA main draw. #5 s3 Venus Williams USA d #55 Olga Govortsova BLR 7-5, 6-0 Venus following a forehand, and Olga reaching for one #6 s4 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #66 q Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 *#14 s11 Vera Zvonareva RUS d #8 s6 Jelena Jankovic SRB 6-3, 6-2 Jelena and Vera driving forehands, and Vera holding the falcon (sans hood, yet) at the players' party on Tuesday night #9 s7 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #12 wc Flavia Pennetta ITA 6-3, 6-0 Agnieszka and Flavia driving forehand and backhand #10 s8 Na Li CHN d #13 s10 Marion Bartoli FRA 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 Na reaching for a backhand, and Marion following a forehand *#38 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS d #27 Daniela Hantuchova SVK 6-3, 6-4 Daniela serving, and Anastasia driving a backhand

Dubai, QFs, Thu 2pm losers' prize: $40,000 US; points: 225 #5 s3 Venus Williams USA d #38 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS 6-3, 6-4 Anastasia about to swat a forehand, and Venus fielding a drop shot #6 s4 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #14 s11 Vera Zvonareva RUS 6-1, 6-3 Victoria and Vera driving forehands, Vika driving a backhand, and after match point #9 s7 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #98 q Regina Kulikova RUS 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 Agnieszka and Regina driving forehand and backhand, and Agnieszka after match point *#22 Shahar Peer ISR d #10 s8 Na Li CHN 7-5, 3-0 retired—back injury Shahar and Na following backhand and forehand

Dubai, SFs, Fri 2pm & 7pm loser's prize: $87,500 US; points: 395 #5 s3 Venus Williams USA d #22 Shahar Peer ISR 6-1, 6-4 Venus twisting a serve, Shahar following a forehand, Venus driving one, and Shahar congratulating Venus after match point     The match was played on Court 2 due to concerns for Shahar's security.     Shahar said: "I will remember this tournament for the rest of my life. I have made many friends in Dubai. Unfortunately I couldn't manage to win it, which will be my dream. But there will be no complaints. I achieved a lot in this tournament, professionally and mentally and for myself...     "I am sure for Venus it was not ideal to come to court two and I told her afterwards that I really appreciated her support. I think she has a really good heart and understands a lot of things, and I really appreciate her. It's not ideal to be on court two, but we have to do what we have to do." AFP story     Venus said: "I can't even speak of what it must be like for [Shahar]... I wondered what it would be like playing on that court. How would it feel playing against her? [I wondered] if I would feel the pressure she might feel. But when I was on the court, honestly, I was focussed on the match. I didn't think about anything else. Just looking across at her it seemed she was doing the same thing." #6 s4 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #9 s7 Agnieszka Radwanska POL 6-3, 6-4 Victoria twisting a serve, Agnieszka and Victoria driving backhand and forehand, and Vika after match point

Dubai, Final, Sat 7pm loser's prize: $175,000 US; points: 620 winner's prize: $350,000 US; points: 900 #5 s3 Venus Williams USA d #6 s4 Victoria Azarenka BLR 6-3, 7-5 Victoria twisting a serve, Agnieszka and Victoria driving backhand and forehand, and Vika after match point

Dubai, Doubles Final 5pm losers' prize: $50,000 US winners' prize: $100,000 US cdr13 s2 Nuria Llagostera Vives & Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez d Kveta Peschke & Katarina Srebotnik 7-6(5), 6-4 Nuria (left) and Maria Jose (right) with Princess Haya bint al-Hussein, junior wife of UAE Vice President and Dubai ruler Sheik Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum (he has two), and daughter of the late King Hussein I of Jordan & Queen Alia Baha ad-Din Touqan Dubai, Qual Finals, Sat Feb 13 losers' prizes: q1 $1,500 1pt; q2 $2,900 20pts; qualifier 30 points #58 Ekaterina Makarova RUS d #152 Shuai Zhang CHN 6-1, 6-4 #66 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER d #171 Tamira Paszek AUT 6-3, 7-5 *#100 Yung-Jan Chan TPE d #72 Alberta Brianti ITA 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 *#98 Regina Kulikova RUS d #77 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS 6-2, 7-5 #80 Anastasija Sevastova LAT d #97 Anastasia Rodionova AUS 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 #81 Kirsten Flipkens BEL d #916 Fatma Al-Nabhani OMA 6-0, 6-4 *#170 Alicia Molik AUS d #103 Maria Elena Camerin ITA 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 #123 Vesna Manasieva RUS d #136 Nuria Llagostera Vives ESP 3-6, 6-2, 7-61 Dubai, Withdrawals #1 Serena Williams USA #2 Dinara Safina RUS low back injury #23 Ana Ivanovic SRB #51 Shuai Peng CHN reportedly had surgery #96 Jelena Dokic AUS

Regions Morgan Keegan Championships & Cellular South Cup (Kroger St. Jude),  Memphis, Tennessee   NWS weather radar tourney time:        = GMT -6 hours        = US EDT -1 hour        = US PDT +2 hours Tennessee news Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar   click for broader view   Racquet Club of Memphis Lat.: 35.116135 Long.: -89.890534 goto link for World Wind     Memphis: The main draw for Memphis has 8 seeds, with no 1st-round byes. There are 4 qualifiers in the main draw.     Qualifying (2 rounds) starts on Friday, qualifying finals are on Saturday.    Memphis Commerical Appeal: Tennis 2010: 2006 Memphis champion Sofia Arvidsson signed autographs for young fans...

Memphis, 1st Rd Sun-Tue 10am loser's prize: $1,725 US; points: 1 #16 s1 Maria Sharapova RUS d #102 Shenay Perry USA 6-0, 6-2 Mon Maria and Shenay driving backhand and forehand, and Maria after winning a point #53 s2 Melanie Oudin USA d #149 q Alexa Glatch USA 6-2, 6-2 Tue Melanie driving a backhand, Alexa chasing a forehand, and Melanie after winning the 1st set #61 s3 Kaia Kanepi EST d #117 Arantxa Rus NED 6-0, 6-4 Mon *#88 Karolina Sprem CRO d #64 s4 Lucie Hradecka CZE 6-4, 6-4 Tue #68 s5 Petra Kvitova CZE d #137 Stephanie Cohen Aloro FRA 6-4, 6-0 Sun *#127 Anne Keothavong GBR d #70 s6 Kristina Barrois GER 6-1, 6-3 Mon #73 s7 Vania King USA d #124 Kathrin Woerle GER 6-3, 6-4 Sun #83 s8 Elena Baltacha GBR d #114 Renata Voracova CZE 7-5, 6-1 Tue *#138 wc Bethanie Mattek-Sands USA d #84 Katie O'Brien GBR 6-2, 6-1 Sun #105 q Sofia Arvidsson SWE d #135 Marta Domachowska POL 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 Mon *#246 wc Ajla Tomljanovic CRO d #109 Kristina Kucova SVK 6-4, 6-4 Mon *#126 Lilia Osterloh USA d #110 Stephanie Dubois CAN 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 Tue *#122 q Valerie Tetreault CAN d #115 Monica Niculescu ROU 6-3, 6-4 Mon #116 Michelle Larcher de Brito POR d #188 q Madison Brengle USA 6-3, 6-3 Mon #120 Michaella Krajicek NED d #133 Julia Schruff GER 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 Mon #192 wc Nicole Vaidisova CZE d #286 sr84 Laura Granville USA 6-4, 6-2 Tue

Memphis, 2nd Rd Wed 10am loser's prize: $2,950 US; points: 30 #16 s1 Maria Sharapova RUS d #138 wc Bethanie Mattek-Sands USA 6-1, 6-1 Maria driving a forehand and following a backhand #53 s2 Melanie Oudin USA d #126 Lilia Osterloh USA 6-2, 6-1 Melanie following a forehand #61 s3 Kaia Kanepi EST d #192 wc Nicole Vaidisova CZE 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 #68 s5 Petra Kvitova CZE v #120 Michaella Krajicek NED 6-4, 7-5 *#105 q Sofia Arvidsson SWE d #73 s7 Vania King USA 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 #83 s8 Elena Baltacha GBR d #122 q Valerie Tetreault CAN 6-4, 6-4 #88 Karolina Sprem CRO d #246 wc Ajla Tomljanovic CRO 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 #127 Anne Keothavong GBR d #116 Michelle Larcher de Brito POR 6-3, 6-1

Memphis, QFs, Thu 10am Memphis Commercial Appeal story loser's prize: $5,380 US; points: 70 #16 s1 Maria Sharapova RUS d #83 s8 Elena Baltacha GBR 6-2, 7-5 Elena and Maria driving forehand and backhand, and Maria after match point *#105 q Sofia Arvidsson SWE d #53 s2 Melanie Oudin USA 6-1, 6-3 Melanie and Sofia driving forehands     Melanie has been slowed by a cold. However, Melanie said: "[Sofia] played a really, really good match. She's a really good player. I think she's got a good chance to do well in this tournament. I give her all the best for her match...     "I've had a really good two weeks. I've played a lot of matches. It was good for me. Now I just want to get well and start being able to train hard and do fitness again and get ready for the next tournament." Memphis Commercial Appeal story     Sofia said: "[Melanie is] young and I think experience helped me. She's going to be a good player. I think she's hitting the ball very good, very clean. I think she's a fighter. Even though she was down 5-1, she was saying, 'C'mon.' She has a good attitude." *#68 s5 Petra Kvitova CZE d #61 s3 Kaia Kanepi EST 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(0) Kaia and Petra driving forehand and backhand *#127 Anne Keothavong GBR d #88 Karolina Sprem CRO 6-4, 6-3 Karolina driving a forehand, and Anne reaching for one     Anne was also in the Cellular South Cup semis last year, shortly before she was sidelined for the season by an anterior cruciate ligament injury and subsequent surgery.     Anne said: "I'm pleased to be in another semifinal here in Memphis. I was just pleased about every match I got this week. It was kind of unexpected. I'm looking forward to [the] match.     [The knee is] holding up. It's still a bit of a shock to the system, playing matches. I've had a lot of matches since Fed Cup. These last two or three weeks, I've had more matches than I could have hoped for, or expected. I've exceeded my expectations. I'm just enjoying it. It's good to be back and just to be in this kind of environment again."

Memphis, SFs, Fri 10am loser's prize: $10,200 US; points: 130 #16 s1 Maria Sharapova RUS d #68 s5 Petra Kvitova CZE 6-4, 6-3 Maria's forehand drive, Petra and Maria driving backhands, and Maria after match point #105 q Sofia Arvidsson SWE d #127 Anne Keothavong GBR 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 Sofia and Anne driving forehand and backhand

Memphis, Final Sat 7pm loser's prize: $19,000 US; points: 200 winner's prize: $37,000 US; points: 280 #16 s1 Maria Sharapova RUS d #105 q Sofia Arvidsson SWE 6-2, 6-1 Maria about to swat a forehand, Sofia and Maria driving forehands, and Maria after match point

Memphis, Doubles Final, Sat eve2, after singles final loser's prize: $5,750 US winner's prize: $11,000 US s3 Vania King & Michaella Krajicek d Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Meghann Shaughnessy 7-5, 6-2 Memphis, Qual Finals, Sat Feb 13 11am losers' prizes: q1 $350 1pt; q2 $700 6pts; qualifier 10 points #105 Sofia Arvidsson SWE d #168 Angela Haynes USA 6-0, 6-4 #122 Valerie Tetreault CAN d #173 Rebecca Marino CAN 6-2, 6-4 #149 Alexa Glatch USA d #179 Yulia Fedossova FRA 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 #188 Madison Brengle USA d #NR Krista Hardebeck USA 6-1, 7-6(3) Memphis, Withdrawals

Copa Colsanitas,  Bogota, Colombia   tourney time:        = GMT -5 hours        = US EDT        = US PDT +3 hours Colombia News Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar     Bogota: The main draw for Bogota has 8 seeds, with no 1st-round byes. There are 4 qualifiers in the main draw. Qualifying (3 rounds) starts on Saturday, qualifying finals are on Monday.   click for broader view   Club Campestre El Rancho Latitude: 4.77497 Longitude: -74.046736 goto link for World Wind 2010: Players being pretty at the Bogota party at the Hotel Casa Dann Carlton on Tuesday night included Mashona Washington, Mariana Duque Marino & Catalina Castano, and Imnot Quitesurewho, >Klara (Koukalova) Zakopalova, Sandra Zahlavova, and Petra Cetkovska (Klara and Petra shown twice)...

Bogota, 1st Rd Mon-Tue 10:30am loser's prize: $1,725 US; points: 1 #35 s1 Gisela Dulko ARG d #142 Mathilde Johansson FRA 6-4, 6-4 Tue *#197 q Kristina Antoniychuk UKR d #42 s2 Carla Suarez Navarro ESP 6-1, 6-4 Tue Kristina driving a forehand #45 s3 Sara Errani ITA d #108 Anastasiya Yakimova BLR 6-0, 6-4 Mon *#244 wc Catalina Castano COL d #63 s4 Polona Hercog SLO 7-5, 6-2 Tue Catalina's backhand drive #85 s5 Angelique Kerber GER d #130 Sharon Fichman CAN 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 Mon #86 s6 Sandra Zahlavova CZE d #155 Alexandra Panova RUS 6-3, 6-2 Mon #90 s7 Klara Zakopalova CZE d #194 Lauren Albanese USA 4-6, 7-6(0), 6-1 Tue Klara driving a forehand #93 s8 Arantxa Parra Santonja ESP d #167 O Savchuk UKR 6(5)-7, 6-4, 6-2 Mon #99 Rossana de Los Rios PAR d #113 Masa Zec Peskiric SLO 6-4, 6-1 Tue Rossana's forehand drive #104 Pauline Parmentier FRA d #184 q Corinna Dentoni ITA 6-3, 6-2 Tue #107 Patricia Mayr AUT d #370 wc Paula Zabala COL 6-1, 6-3 Tue #129 Edina Gallovits ROU d #144 Lourdes Dominguez Lino ESP 6-2, 6-1 Mon #111 Mariya Koryttseva UKR d #532 q Laura Pous Tio ESP 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 Tue #147 Petra Cetkovska CZE d #343 wc Bianca Botto PER 6-4, 7-5 Mon #176 Mariana Duque Marino COL d #225 q Greta Arn HUN 2-6, 6-0, 6-3 Tue *#207 Silvia Soler Espinosa ESP d #189 Lenka Wienerova SVK 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 Tue

Bogota, 2nd Rd Wed-Thu 10am loser's prize: $2,950 US; points: 30 #35 s1 Gisela Dulko ARG d #129 Edina Gallovits ROU 6-2, 7-5 Wed Gisela ready to swat a backhand, and Edina's forehand drive #45 s3 Sara Errani ITA d #207 Silvia Soler Espinosa ESP 6-3, 6-1 Wed #85 s5 Angelique Kerber GER d #99 Rossana de Los Rios PAR 7-6(2), 6-4 Wed #86 s6 Sandra Zahlavova CZE d #147 Petra Cetkovska CZE 6-2, 6-2 Wed #90 s7 Klara Zakopalova CZE d #111 Mariya Koryttseva UKR 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 Thu #93 s8 Arantxa Parra Santonja ESP d #107 P Mayr AUT 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-4 Wed #104 Pauline Parmentier FRA d #244 wc Catalina Castano COL 6-2, 6-4 Pauline driving a forehand #176 Mariana Duque Marino COL d #197 q Kristina Antoniychuk UKR 7-6(3), 7-6(10) Thu Mariana about to connect with a high-topspin forehand, and Kristina's backhand drive

Bogota, QFs, Fri 10:30am loser's prize: $5,340 US; points: 70 #35 s1 Gisela Dulko ARG d #86 s6 Sandra Zahlavova CZE 6-2, 6-3 Gisela and Sandra driving forehands *#93 s8 Arantxa Parra Santonja ESP d #45 s3 Sara Errani ITA 7-5, 6-2 Arantxa driving a backhand #85 s5 Angelique Kerber GER d #104 Pauline Parmentier FRA 6-1, 6-4 *#176 Mariana Duque Marino COL d #90 s7 Klara Zakopalova CZE 6-0, 7-6(4) Mariana's service toss

Bogota, SFs, Sat 10am loser's prize: $10,200 US; points: 130 *#85 s5 Angelique Kerber GER d #35 s1 Gisela Dulko ARG 7-5, 6-3 Angelique driving a backhand, and Gisela about to slice one *#176 Mariana Duque Marino COL d #93 s8 Arantxa Parra Santonja ESP 6-4, 7-5 Arantxa's service toss, and Mariana about to swat a forehand

Bogota, Final Sun 1pm loser's prize: $19,000 US; points: 200 winner's prize: $37,000 US; points: 280 *#176 Mariana Duque Marino COL d #85 s5 Angelique Kerber GER 6-4, 6-3 Angelique and Mariana driving backhands, and Mariana after winning a point

Bogota, Doubles Final, Sat m3 loser's prize: $5,750 US winner's prize: $11,000 US cdr128 s2 Gisela Dulko & Edina Gallovits d Olga Savchuk & Anastasiya Yakimova 6-2, 7-6(6) Edina and Gisela Bogota, Qual Finals Mon Feb 15 10:30am losers' prizes: q1 $265 1pt; q2 $460 6pts; q3 $860 10pts; qualifier 16 points #184 Corinna Dentoni ITA d #232 Estrella Cabeza Candela ESP 6-2, 1-6, 6-2 #197 Kristina Antoniychuk UKR d #269 Beatriz Garcia Vidagany ESP 6-4, 6-2 #225 Greta Arn HUN d #316 Natalia Ryzhonkova RUS 6-3, 6-0 *#532 Laura Pous Tio ESP d #437 Elena Bogdan ROU 6-2, 7-6 Bogota, Withdrawals #150 Heidi El Tabakh CAN

(Feb 15-19, 2009 re-revised) Shahar Peer of Israel was unexpectedly denied a visa to enter the United Arab Emirates to play in the Dubai Tennis Championships. The UAE has no diplomatic relations with Israel. Shahar played in the Qatar Total Open in Doha last year without any difficulty.     The incident will place the future of the Dubai tourney in jeopardy. WTA CEO Larry Scott said: "Ms Peer has earned the right to play in the tournament and it's regrettable that the UAE is denying her this right... No host country should deny a player the right to compete in a tournament for which she has qualified by ranking."     On Feb 17, The Tennis Channel, which had been scheduled to broadcast later rounds of the tournament, announced that it would not do so because Shahar was denied a visa. On Feb 18, the Wall Street Journal Europe, a corporate sponsor of the Dubai Tennis Championships, withdrew their sponsorship from the tourney.     On Feb 19, it was announced that the UAE would grant Israeli ATP player Andy Ram a visa for the ATP tourney in Dubai the week following the ladies' tourney. And WTA CEO Larry Scott said that UAE authorities had assured him that all Israeli athletes henceforth would be given "a special permit" to enter the country if they have qualified for a tournament. Reuters story - Statements by Shahar Peer & Larry Scott     On Friday, Feb 20, the WTA announced:     • That the Dubai Tennis Championships would be fined $300,000 due to the denial of a visa to Shahar Peer, the largest tourney fine in WTA history.     • $44,250 of the fine will be awarded to Shahar, the average prize money she earned per tournament in 2008. The WTA is also awarding Shahar 130 ranking points.     • Shahar's intended doubles partner in Dubai, Anna-Lena Groenefeld, who had to withdraw from the doubles, will be awarded $7,950 of the fine. The balance of the fine will go to charity.     • The Dubai tourney will have to prove there is an approved entry permit for any Israeli player at least 8 weeks prior to the 2010 Dubai tourney.     • If Shahar does not qualify for the Dubai tourney by ranking next year, she must be awarded a wild card entry. WTA story - LA Times story - BBC story     Dubai tourney organizers are considering whether to appeal the fine, or simply pay it. Managing director of Dubai Duty Free Colm McLoughlin said: "If we decide we have to pay the fine then we will pay it. But we have not made that decision. We have to sit down and just look at it... Neither Dubai Duty Free nor the tournament issues visas. We request them. It is the immigration authorities and sometimes the security people who make the decisions." Reuters story

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

Current WTA Results & Tennis News (tennis home page) - 2010 WTA Schedule with links & photos

Link to many postmatch interview & match highlight videos of WTA players at the 2009 WTA Player Videos page.

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