WTA Mar 20-Apr 1: Miami

Sony Ericsson Open
Key Biscayne, Miami, FL + ATP
PREMIER M $4,828,050 96m/48q/32d
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n1 Victoria Azarenka
n2 Maria Sharapova
n3 Petra Kvitova
n4 Caroline Wozniacki
n5 Agnieszka Radwanska
n6 Samantha Stosur
n7 Marion Bartoli

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Key Biscayne:

#2 Maria Sharapova
6'2" 130lb RH 2H-BH

Key Biscayne:

#5 Agnieszka Radwanska
5'7" 139lb RH 2H-BH

On Saturday at Key Biscayne, Miami, Florida, in the final of the Sony Ericsson Open, last month's champion at Dubai (and the 2011 champ at Beijing, Tokyo, and San Diego), 23 year old 5th seeded #5 (last week, this week at a career high: #4) Agnieszka Radwanska from Krakow, Poland, defeated last year's Miami finalist (and champion at Rome and Cincinnati), 24 year old 2nd seeded #2 (and former #1) Maria Sharapova of Russia (residences: Manhattan Beach, CA & Bradenton, FL), 7-5, 6-4 (Maria is shown during the match; Agnieszka is shown holding the glassware afterward).

Agnieszka's prize is $712,000; Maria's prize is $350,000.

Agnieszka scored on 2 of the four break points she reached against Maria; Maria was unable to break Aga's serve on any of her three opportunities.

Agnieszka said: "Today was a very tight match. I think I was just better for couple of points each set... I'm playing against a really good player, second in the world right now. I had pretty much nothing to lose. It's just a great feeling to beat those kind of players, especially in the final playing great tennis." AP story

Maria said: "[Agnieszka] hit a lot of good balls on the run, and they were deep. She didn't just bring them back; she had something on them. Then the few errors on important points that I made, I thought maybe I shouldn't have gone for the line so much, and aimed a little bit closer to the middle... Obviously I would have loved to be the winner, but that's just the way it goes."

Agnieszka is now 9-2 in WTA singles finals, and she has won the last five finals she has reached, including one last month in Dubai and three last year. Aga has a 26-4 singles match record this season; all four losses were against #1 Victoria Azarenka.

2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open, and 2008 Australian Open champion Maria is now 24-16 in WTA singles finals (including 0-4 in Miami finals); she won last year at Rome and Cincinnati. Due to right shoulder rotator cuff tendon tears, Maria played only one match (a doubles match) between August, 2008, and May, 2009. Maria had a 43-14 singles match record last season; she is 18-4 in 2012, losing only to Agnieszka, Victoria Azarenka (in the Australian Open and Indian Wells finals) and Angelique Kerber.

Maria still leads Agnieszka 7-2 in career matches; Maria had won their last six encounters. Their previous meeting was last year on red clay in the 4th round at Roland Garros, when Maria defeated Agnieszka 7-6(4) 7-5.

WTA SCOREBOARD: The Sony Ericsson Open at Key Biscayne (Miami)

s=seed, n=rank, *=upset, LL=lucky loser
ranks are for the previous week
How do players get into the "draw"?

Sony Ericsson Open, Miami, Florida

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Lat.: 25.708962 Long.: -116.304295 goto link for World Wind

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 Tuesday, at 10am on the outer courts, 11am on the Stadium and Grandstand courts.

2012: On Monday, March 19 at Key Biscayne, Alisa Kleybanova told the media about returning to play this week after a successful recovery from Hodgin's Lymphoma, and Angelique Kerber did the player rep thing at the main draw ceremony... On Tuesday, players meeting the press included 2011 Miami finalist Maria Sharapova & champ Victoria Azarenka (fresh from occupying the same positions last week at Indian Wells), Agnieszka Radwanska & Marion Bartoli... row 2: Also on Tuesday, players visiting the Miami Seaquarium for this year's dolphin rides included Elena Vesnina, Paola Suarez, who returned from retirement this year to play doubles in the London Olympics, and Paola's partner Gisela Dulko...

Miami, 1st Rd, Tue-Wed 10am & 11am
loser's prize: $7,700; points: 5
n34 Jie Zheng CHN d n61 Lucie Hradecka CZE 6-1, 6-4 Tue
n35 Christina McHale USA d n53 Galina Voskoboeva KAZ 6-3, 6-4 Wed

Galina and Christina driving backhands

n36 Kim Clijsters BEL d n52 Jarmila Gajdosova AUS 4-6, 6-1, 6-0 Wed

Kim and Jarmila driving forehands, and Kim's backhand drive

Kim had not played since January due to a left ankle injury. Kim said: "It's always tough to get that first match rhythm under your belt. When it comes down to my game I felt I wasn't quite going through my shots as I should have. I was just trying to find that rhythm, but on the other hand maybe forgetting to still play aggressive tennis. But as I started to feel more comfortable with the conditions and being in a match situation again I was hitting better, and that definitely showed in the second and third sets." WTA story

n37 Mona Barthel GER d n70 Greta Arn HUN 6-1, 6-0 Tue
n38 Polona Hercog SLO d n99 q Jamie Hampton USA 6-1, 6-3 Wed
n40 Shahar Peer ISR d n114 q Alize Cornet FRA 6-4, 6-2 Wed

Alize and Shahar following forehands

n41 Ksenia Pervak KAZ d n65 Anastasiya Yakimova BUL 6-4, 6-0 Wed
n42 Ekaterina Makarova RUS d n118 Jelena Dokic AUS 6-1, 7-5 Tue

Jelena and Ekaterina serving

n43 Iveta Benesova CZE d n54 Elena Vesnina RUS 7-6(5), 6-1 Wed

Iveta driving a forehand

n44 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL d n55 Petra Martic CRO 6-3, 6-2 Tue
n45 Marina Erakovic NZL d n105 Mathilde Johansson FRA 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 Tue
*n47 Chanelle Scheepers RSA d n46 Irina-Camelia Begu ROU 3-6, 6-3, 6-0 Tue
*n123 wc Heather Watson GBR d n48 Sorana Cirstea ROU 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(4) Tue

Heather and Sorana driving backhands

Heather said: "When it got to 5-0 I just thought I might as well just go for it. I just kept fighting for every single point and, in the end, it worked out in my favour." BBC story

*n73 Anna Tatishvili GEO d n49 Tamira Paszek AUT 6-4, 4-3 retired—back injury Tue
n50 Simona Halep ROU d n69 Carla Suarez Navarro ESP 6(5)-7, 6-3, 6-3 Tue
*n109 q Valeria Savinykh RUS d n51 Klara Zakopalova CZE 6-3, 7-5 Wed
n56 Sofia Arvidsson SWE d n126 Gisela Dulko ARG 6-4, 7-5 Wed
n58 Vania King USA d n94 Laura Pous-Tio ESP 6-2, 7-6(12) Wed
n59 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE d n81 q Vera Dushevina RUS 7-6(3), 6-4 Wed
*n90 q Sloane Stephens USA d n60 Pauline Parmentier FRA 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 Wed

Sloane following a forehand

*n160 wc Shuai Zhang CHN d n62 Elena Baltacha GBR 6(5)-7, 6-3, 6-2 Tue

Shuai driving a forehand

*n124 q Melinda Czink HUN d n63 Alberta Brianti ITA 6-1, 6-2 Wed
*n86 wc Aleksandra Wozniak CAN d n66 Eleni Daniilidou GRE 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 Wed

Aleksandra driving a forehand

*n177 wc Alisa Kleybanova RUS d n67 Johanna Larsson SWE 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 Tue

Johanna driving a forehand, and Alisa serving

It was Alisa's first match since May of last year, when, ranked #26, she stopped playing to undergo treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The treatment was successful, prompting her return to play.

Alisa said: "The first match back from anything is always difficult, but especially this time I really had no idea how it was going to be out there. Tennis-wise I felt pretty good from the beginning but Johanna has a difficult game to play against, she makes you run a lot out there—she makes you tired even if you're in your best shape.

"But I'm looking at my matches differently now. It's my work, but I really just wanted to enjoy every point and every moment. Even when I lost the first set I wanted to stay positive and just enjoy myself out there, and that's why I was able to stay out there and change the way the match was going." WTA story

*n209 wc Garbine Muguruza Blanco ESP d n71 Ayumi Morita JPN 6-3, 2-6, 3-0 retired—shoulder injury Wed
n72 q Kateryna Bondarenko UKR d n85 q Urszula Radwanska POL 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 Wed
*n136 wc Venus Williams USA d n74 Kimiko Date-Krumm JPN 6-0, 6-3 Wed

Kimiko reaching for a backhand, taking it as a lefty forehand, and Venus driving one

Venus had not played since last September due to Sjögren's Syndrome, which causes fatigue and joint pain. Venus said: "Just to be in this tournament is a huge win for me. Just to be here is a win. You know, that’s what I told myself going in, that this is a win. I have nothing to lose. Just, you know, to gain. Just to get back at this level is a win for me." AP story

n76 Silvia Soler-Espinosa ESP d n127 q Misaki Doi JPN 6-3, 6-4 Wed
n80 Michaella Krajicek NED d n107 q Eva Birnerova CZE 5-7, 6-4, 6-0 Wed
*n255 q Madison Keys USA d n83 Magdalena Rybarikova SVK 6(4)-7, 6-2, 6-1 Wed

Madison serving

n89 q Stephanie Foretz Gacon FRA d n111 wc Olivia Rogowska AUS 6-4, 6-1 Wed
n110 Lourdes Dominguez Lino ESP d n119 wc Bojana Jovanovski SRB 6-3, 6-3 Tue

Miami, 2nd Rd, Thu-Fri 10am & 11am Thu WTA story 1 - 2 - Fri WTA story 1 - 2
loser's prize: $12,725; points: 50
n1 s1 Victoria Azarenka BLR d n80 Michaella Krajicek NED 6-3, 7-5 Fri

Victoria serving, and Misa and Vika driving backhands

After trailing by a break in the 2nd set, Michaella broke Victoria's serve twice, and served for the 2nd set at 5-4. Vika said: "She started to really go for her shots. I was up a break and she had nothing to lose, so she just went for her shots. She was really aggressive. I kind of stepped back and was maybe waiting for her mistakes instead of creating my opportunities. I have to give her credit—she played great. I had to raise my level when I really needed it." WTA story

n2 s2 Maria Sharapova RUS d n40 Shahar Peer ISR 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 Thu

Maria and Shahar driving forehand and backhand

*n136 wc Venus Williams USA d n3 s3 Petra Kvitova CZE 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 Fri

Petra and Venus driving backhands, and Venus after match point

n4 s4 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d n59 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE 6-4, 6-0 Thu

Caroline following a backhand, and Barbora reaching for a forehand

Caroline said: "I was struggling a little bit with the rhythm out there today. Barbora's the kind of player who doesn't really give you too much rhythm—but I'm just happy I was able to make it through this one, and I'm hoping I can play better in my next round."

n5 s5 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d n255 q Madison Keys USA 6-1, 6-1 Fri

Madison serving, and Agnieszka driving a forehand

n6 s6 Samantha Stosur AUS d n109 q Valeria Savinykh RUS 6-4, 6-0 Thu

Samantha volleying a backhand

n7 s7 Marion Bartoli FRA d n38 Polona Hercog SLO 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 Fri
n8 s8 Na Li CHN d n124 q Melinda Czink HUN 7-5, 6-2 Thu

Na driving a backhand

*n209 wc Garbine Muguruza Blanco ESP d n9 s9 Vera Zvonareva RUS 6-4, 6-3 Fri

Garbine and Vera driving forehand and backhand

It was the first time 18-year-old Garbine has played in a WTA main draw. Garbine said: "I was nervous at the start but as the match went on I felt more comfortable. I felt like by the end I was playing much better. I was able to play all my tennis. It is really a great result for me."

n11 s10 Serena Williams USA d n160 wc Shuai Zhang CHN 6-2, 6-3 Thu

Serena' service toss, and Shuai and Serena driving forehands

Serena missed the Miami tourney the past two years due to injury and illness. Serena said: "I think [Shuai] played really well. She's pretty young. She's doing really well. I was a little bit rusty and a little bit nervous too, for whatever reason. I haven't played here for so long and I wanted to do well. So I was really nervous out there, but I think now I've gotten one under I'll be better."

*n41 Ksenia Pervak KAZ d n12 s11 Francesca Schiavone ITA 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 Fri
n13 s12 Sabine Lisicki GER d n56 Sofia Arvidsson SWE 6-3, 6-2 Thu
*n37 Mona Barthel GER d n14 s13 Jelena Jankovic SRB 6-0, 6-3 Thu

Mona serving, and Jelena driving a forehand

Mona said: "I don't think [Jelena] was playing her best tennis, but I'm happy I took my opportunity. I had never played her before but I played a solid match. I just played my game and I'm happy it worked out."

*n36 Kim Clijsters BEL d n15 s14 Julia Goerges GER 6-2, 7-5 Thu

Julia and Kim driving forehands

High winds affected play. Kim said: "With these weather conditions it's tough serving. I don't think there's anybody who plays a whole tournament with perfect tennis, so you have to try and battle through, and find the solutions when you're not playing your best."

Julia said: "Of course [Kim is] a great player and a great champion. I watched her a bit yesterday and today she definitely played better. I stepped it up in the second set and had my chances, but I just couldn't manage it."

n16 s15 Ana Ivanovic SRB d n58 Vania King USA 6-4, 7-5 Fri

Vania driving a forehand, and Ana ready to swat one

n17 s16 Dominika Cibulkova SVK d n73 Anna Tatishvili GEO 7-5, 6-1 Fri
n18 s17 Shuai Peng CHN d n89 q Stephanie Foretz Gacon FRA 6-1, 6-2 Thu
*n34 Jie Zheng CHN d n19 s18 Angelique Kerber GER 7-6(4), 6-1 Fri

Angelique and Jie driving backhand and forehand

Jie said: "[Angelique] has done so well the last half year and her ranking has been going up so fast, so I knew she was a dangerous player. It was my first time playing her so at the start I didn't really know how to play against her. But I really wanted to win this match so I knew I had to change something. In the first set I was making many mistakes, so in the second set I started putting the ball in the court more, but I was still playing aggressively."

*n42 Ekaterina Makarova RUS d n20 s19 A Pavlyuchenkova RUS 6-1, 6-2 Thu
n21 s20 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d n72 q Kateryna Bondarenko UKR 6(4)-7, 6-2, 7-6(4) Fri
n22 s21 Roberta Vinci ITA d n44 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL 7-5, 6-1 Thu
n23 s22 Maria Kirilenko RUS d n177 wc Alisa Kleybanova RUS 7-6(1), 6-3 Fri

Alisa said: "Even if I lost I can't say I'm disappointed with what I've done here. It was already a miracle for me to be back so quickly, and winning my first match too, and then playing so close with someone like Maria. This has been a good achievement for me."

n24 s23 Yanina Wickmayer BEL d n45 Marina Erakovic NZL 6-3, 6-4 Thu
n25 s24 Flavia Pennetta ITA d n110 Lourdes Dominguez Lino ESP 6-4, 2-6, 6-0 Fri

Flavia's backhand drive

*n47 Chanelle Scheepers RSA d n26 s25 A Medina Garrigues ESP 1-6, 6-4, 6-0 Thu
*n43 Iveta Benesova CZE d n27 s26 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS 1-6, 7-6(7), 7-6(7) Thu
*n123 wc Heather Watson GBR d n28 s27 Lucie Safarova CZE 6-2, 6-1 Fri

Heather after match point (Lucie is the highest ranked player Heather has defeated)

*n86 wc Aleksandra Wozniak CAN d n29 s28 Monica Niculescu ROU 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 Fri

Aleksandra driving a backhand

n30 s29 Petra Cetkovska CZE d n35 Christina McHale USA 0-6, 7-5, 6-1 Thu

Petra lost the first 10 games of the match—then won 13 of the last 15. Petra said: "In the middle of the second set, when I was down 3-0 or 4-1, I changed my game a little bit. I took more risks and played a bit more aggressively, and then the game changed completely. Things that were missing in the first set were starting to go in and the match started turning around."

*n90 q Sloane Stephens USA d n31 s30 Sara Errani ITA 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 Thu
*n76 Silvia Soler-Espinosa ESP d n32 s31 Kaia Kanepi EST 7-5, 6-3 Fri
*n50 Simona Halep ROU d n33 s32 Nadia Petrova RUS 6-3, 6-2 Fri

Miami, 3rd Rd, Sat-Sun 10am & 11am Sat WTA story - Sun WTA story - Sun 2
loser's prize: $21,000; points: 80
n1 s1 Victoria Azarenka BLR d n123 wc Heather Watson GBR 6-0, 6-2 Sun

Victoria driving a forehand, Heather levitating for a backhand, and Vika driving one

n2 s2 Maria Sharapova RUS d n90 q Sloane Stephens USA 6-4, 6-2 Sat

Maria serving, Sloane stalking the elusive forehand, and Maria driving a backhand

n4 s4 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d n30 s29 Petra Cetkovska CZE 6-3, 7-5 Sat

Caroline driving a forehand

n5 s5 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d n76 Silvia Soler-Espinosa ESP 6-1, 6-2 Sun
n6 s6 Samantha Stosur AUS d n47 Chanelle Scheepers RSA 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 Sat

Samantha and Chanelle driving forehand and backhand

n7 s7 Marion Bartoli FRA d n50 Simona Halep ROU 6-4, 7-6(6) Sun

Simona driving a forehand and Marion following a backhand

n8 s8 Na Li CHN d n43 Iveta Benesova CZE 7-5, 6-2 Sat

Na driving a forehand

n11 s10 Serena Williams USA d n22 s21 Roberta Vinci ITA 6-2, 6-1 Sat

Serena's forehand drive

The match was first of the day on Stadium Court. Serena said: "I'm not a morning person. I actually hate morning matches, but I always do my best at 11 o'clock matches." AP story

n13 s12 Sabine Lisicki GER d n18 s17 Shuai Peng CHN 6-4, 7-5 Sat

Sabine driving a forehand

Sabine said: "[Shuai] hits the ball very hard, so you have to run down a lot of balls and be very consistent against her. I saved lots of break points too, and four set points in the second set, so I'm glad I closed it out in two sets."

n16 s15 Ana Ivanovic SRB d n21 s20 Daniela Hantuchova SVK 6-2, 7-6(2) Sun

Ana serving, and Daniela driving a backhand

Ana said: "Daniela and I have played a lot of times in the past. Even in practice it's always tight. I played really well in the first set. I think I started to rush a little more in the second—I started wanting to close out the match and wanted to rush and rush. I was focused more on the end than staying in the moment. But I'm really happy I managed to keep composed and then win the tie-breaker. It was a very, very important win for me today."

n17 s16 Dominika Cibulkova SVK d n34 Jie Zheng CHN 6-2, 6-0 Sun

Dominika and Jie driving forehands, and Domi after match point

Domi said: "Finally after a long time I was just playing my tennis, which is really aggressive tennis. [Jie] usually hits fast and low, and I was hitting faster than her today. I was really going for my shots and I'm very satisfied with this win."

n23 s22 Maria Kirilenko RUS d n41 Ksenia Pervak KAZ 6-2, 6-1 Sun
n24 s23 Yanina Wickmayer BEL d n36 Kim Clijsters BEL 6-4, 7-6(5) Sat

Kim driving a forehand, and Yanina about to swat one

Kim said: "Yanina definitely started off much better and was more consistent throughout the two sets, and I wasn't. It was still close. In a way it's a little bit frustrating knowing you're playing not even 50% but it's still close. On one hand you're like, 'Ah, I could have beaten her.' But she played well today."

*n209 wc Garbine Muguruza Blanco ESP d n25 s24 Flavia Pennetta ITA 6-2, 1-6, 7-6(6) Sun

Garbine serving, and Flavia and Garbine driving forehands

*n42 Ekaterina Makarova RUS d n37 Mona Barthel GER 6-2, 6-4 Sat
n136 wc Venus Williams USA d n86 wc Aleksandra Wozniak CAN 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) Sun

Aleksandra and Venus driving backhands, and Venus after match point

Venus said: "I was just trying to win. [Aleksandra] was playing great, she was unrelenting, so this was really sweet. I don't know what happened but I hope I can do that every time."

Miami, 4th Rd, Mon 11am WTA story 1 - 2 - 3
loser's prize: $39,000; points: 140
n1 s1 Victoria Azarenka BLR d n17 s16 Dominika Cibulkova SVK 1-6, 7-6(7), 7-5

Dominika and Victoria driving forehand and backhand, and Vika after the match

It was Victoria's 26th consecutive match victory. Dominika led 6-1, 4-0 before Victoria got into the match.

Victoria said: "I have to give all the credit to [Domi]. She played some splendid tennis and was hitting every possible line there was. A match like this gives you a little bit of understanding that no matter what, you still have a chance. You just have to keep fighting until they call it game, set and match."

n2 s2 Maria Sharapova RUS d n42 Ekaterina Makarova RUS 6-4, 7-6(3)

Ekaterina following a backhand, Maria driving a forehand, and after match point

Maria said: "I was up a set and a break and played a bit sloppy—a combination of that and her stepping up, being much more aggressive. [Ekaterina] had some opportunities, serving for the second set, but I just hung in there and stayed consistent. I played a much smarter tie-break, which helped me extremely."

n4 s4 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d n24 s23 Yanina Wickmayer BEL 7-6(6), 6-0

Caroline serving

Caro ended the tiebreaker with an ace. Caroline said: ""In the second set I just took off from the first point. The first set was a very high level from both of us. I wasn't able to take my chances at 6-5, but I'm happy I finished it in the tie-break. I was going for that ace."

n5 s5 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d n209 wc Garbine Muguruza Blanco ESP 6-3, 6-2

Garbine driving a backhand, and Agnieszka driving one

n11 s10 Serena Williams USA d n6 s6 Samantha Stosur AUS 7-5, 6-3

Serena serving, Samantha running down a forehand, and Serena driving a backhand

Serena struck 20 aces in the match (tying her personal record) with 4 double faults (Samantha: 4 aces, 7 DFs).

Samantha had defeated Serena in their previous meeting, on a Deco-Turf hardcourt in the final of last year's US Open, 6-2, 6-3. Serena now leads Samantha 5-3 in career matches.

Serena said: "I was down a little bit and my serve was able to pull me through. For the most part things are working pretty decently. I honestly feel I can do better— but my serve was hot."

n7 s7 Marion Bartoli FRA d n23 s22 Maria Kirilenko RUS 6-1, 6-2

Marion's backhand drive

Marion said: "I had a really tough match yesterday against Simona Halep but it helped me to come out onto the court sharper today. Maria's game suits me well, which helped too. But it was still a tough match. There were some close games and I had to win them to make the score look easier than it really was."

n8 s8 Na Li CHN d n13 s12 Sabine Lisicki GER 3-6, 6-4, 6-2

Sabine serving, and Na ready to lightly tap a forehand

*n136 wc Venus Williams USA d n16 s15 Ana Ivanovic SRB 6(4)-7, 6-2, 6-2

Venus and Ana driving forehands, and Venus driving a backhand

Venus said: "Ana played so well in the first set. She was really on her game. Every ball was falling in for her, and every challenge was going her way too—but I figured if I just hung in there, I could find an opening... My serve kept getting better as the match went on, which was good news for me."

Ana said: "Venus was serving really well, and on the important points played even better."

Miami, QFs, Tue-Wed 11am
loser's prize: $79,000; points: 250
*n7 s7 Marion Bartoli FRA d n1 s1 Victoria Azarenka BLR 6-3, 6-3 Wed

Marion driving a backhand, Victoria about to swat a forehand, Marion following a flying backhand, and after match point

The loss ended a 26 game winning streak by Victoria, who had been undefeated this year. Marion scored on 6 of the 10 break points she reached against Vika; Vika converted only 3 of the 10 break points she held against Marion. It was Marion's third win over Victoria in 11 times they have played.

Marion said: "When you play someone who has been winning so much, it's even harder because she has so much confidence. And it was a very demanding match on the fitness side too, because [Victoria] hits it extremely early and puts a lot of pressure on you, and makes you run a lot, especially side to side." WTA story

n2 s2 Maria Sharapova RUS d n8 s8 Na Li CHN 6-3, 6-0 Tue

Maria serving, Na and Maria driving forehand and backhand, and Maria after winning a point

Maria, who had been troubled by double faults in earlier rounds, hit none on Tuesday, and put 70% of her 1st serves in the box. The match, although DF free on both sides, was sloppy: Maria struck 6 winners with 18 unforced errors; Na, 4 winners, with 41 errors.

Na had defeated Maria the last four times they played, each time in straight sets.

Maria said: "I came into this match losing to [Na] the last few times. I really wanted to change that. I was really consistent today in conditions where it was a little gusty and blowing around, and I faced a tough opponent too. I did a good job of maintaining my consistency throughout the whole match." WTA story

n4 s4 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d n11 s10 Serena Williams USA 6-4, 6-4 Tue

Caroline about to swat a forehand, Serena driving a backhand, Caro after match point, and Serena congratulating Caroline

Caroline struck 12 winners with 13 unforced errors; Serena hit 34 winners, but with 36 errors.

Caroline said: "For me to go out and win against [Serena] is great. I had lost the three previous times. I thought I played a very good match out there. I'm pleased the way I played—I didn't make too many unforced errors and I made her run." WTA story

Serena said: "[Caroline] did well, she moved well, and I just made too many errors. Sometimes you're not playing well. But you have to be able to play better."

n5 s5 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d n136 wc Venus Williams USA 6-4, 6-1 Wed

Agnieszka serving, Venus driving a backhand, Agnieszka ready to slice one, and after match point

Agnieszka said: "When you play against top players, you have to be focused on the important moments, and I played very consistently today and especially in the tight moments. I really did some great shots today." WTAP story

Venus said: "It was disapointing not to feel my best today... Agnieszka's a great player though. With someone like her you have to be really consistent and move forward at the same time... Normally it has been a great match-up for me, but today she had more answers."

Miami, SFs, Thu 1pm & 9pm
loser's prize: $164,000; points: 450
n2 s2 Maria Sharapova RUS d n4 s4 Caroline Wozniacki DEN 4-6, 6-2, 6-4

Maria driving a forehand, Caroline fielding one on the fly, Maria driving a backhand, and after match point

It was Maria's 17th win in her last 18 3-set matches, dating back to the beginning of 2011.

Maria struck 55 winners with 46 unforced errors; Caroline hit 13 winners, with 25 errors.

Maria said: "Being aggressive is really the key. If you let [Caroline] play many, many balls, she's such a great mover around the court and she can be out here for many hours, and that's not really my game." AP story

Caroline said: "Maria started off really well and played aggressively. She played some good tennis out there. I tried to do my best, and it just wasn't enough."

n5 s5 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d n7 s7 Marion Bartoli FRA 6-4, 6-2

Agnieszka about to swat a forehand, Marion and Agnieszka driving backhands, and Aga after match point

Both players struggle to hold serve: 15 of the 18 games in the match ended in service breaks. A power outage during the second set resulted in a 20 minute delay while the lights were out.

Marion was troubled by a hip injury. Agnieszka said: "I know how it is to be playing with injury and playing with pain, but it's always weird when someone else is struggling with it. Today [Marion] was still playing and moving very well, though. So I really had to do my 100% in the end." WTA story

Miami, Final, Sat, 12:30pm
loser's prize: $352,000; points: 700
winner's prize: $712,000; points: 1000
*n5 s5 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d n2 s2 Maria Sharapova RUS 7-5, 6-4

Agnieszka serving, Maria and Agnieszka driving backhands, and Aga after match point

Miami, Doubles Final, Sun after ATP singles final, 1pm
losers' prize: $121,000
winners' prize: $241,010
s5 Maria Kirilenko & Nadia Petrova d s6 Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci 7-6(0), 4-6, (10-4)

Maria doing the "Zero-G and I feel fine" thing after match point, and Maria and Nadia with glassware and headware

Miami, Qualifying Finals, Tue Mar 20 10am
losers' prizes: q1 $1,140 1pt; q2 $2,280 20pts; qualifier 30 points
n72 Kateryna Bondarenko UKR d n116 Mirjana Lucic CRO 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
*n114 Alize Cornet FRA d n78 Su-Wei Hsieh TPE 6-3, 5-7, 6-4
n81 Vera Dushevina RUS d n135 Yung-Jan Chan TPE 6-3, 6-3
*n109 Valeria Savinykh RUS d n82 Varvara Lepchenko USA 6-3, 6-2
n85 Urszula Radwanska POL d n129 Andrea Hlavackova CZE 4-6, 7-5, 6-1
n89 Stephanie Foretz Gacon FRA d n125 Aravane Rezai FRA 6-4, 6-3
n90 Sloane Stephens USA d n130 Sania Mirza IND 6-2, 6-4
*n99 Jamie Hampton USA d n93 Mandy Minella LUX 6-3, 6-2
*n127 Misaki Doi JPN d n98 Arantxa Rus NED 7-6(4), 6-2
*n255 Madison Keys USA d n101 Anastasia Rodionova AUS 2-6, 6-1, 6-4
n107 Eva Birnerova CZE d n146 Anastasia Pivovarova RUS 6-4, 6-3
*n124 Melinda Czink HUN d n120 Laura Robson GBR 7-6(4), 6-2

Miami, Withdrawals
n10 Andrea Petkovic GER low back stress fracture
n39 Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP right thigh injury
n57 Alexandra Dulgheru ROU right knee injury
n64 Romina Oprandi SUI right knee injury
n75 Bethanie Mattek-Sands USA left hip injury
n112 Rebecca Marino CAN personal reasons
n321 sr59 Anna Chakvetadze RUS back injury
n335 sr47 Timea Bacsinszky SUI

(Apr 2, 2009) Second Fiddle: In the first four rounds of the Sony Ericsson Open, 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.

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2012 Miami-Key Biscayne WTA Singles Results

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WTA Mar 20-Apr 1: Miami