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 Tuesday, at 10am on the outer courts, 11am on the Stadium and Grandstand courts.
2013: On Tuesday, March 19 at Miami, players visiting the Miami Seaquarium for this year's dolphin rides included Angelique Kerber, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Varvara Lepchenko, Lucie Hradecka and Andrea Hlavackova... Also on Tuesday, players meeting the press included 2013 Indian Wells champ Maria Sharapova & 2-time Miami champ Victoria Azarenka, row 2: Agnieszka Radwanska, Angelique Kerber and Li Na...
row 3: Young ladies looking darned good at the player party on Tuesday night at at JW Marriott Marquis included
Caroline Wozniacki, Sloane Stephens, Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova, Agnieszka Radwanska and Elena Vesnina...
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Miami, 1st Rd, Tue-Wed 10am & 11am
loser's prize: $8,425; points: 5
Wednesday: play resumed after rain delay
*n42 Jie Zheng CHN d n34 Yaroslava Shvedova KAZ 7-5, 6-4 Wed
n35 Su-Wei Hsieh TPE d n74 Lesia Tsurenko UKR 6-4, 7-6(15) Tue
*n56 Simona Halep ROU d n36 Sabine Lisicki GER 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 Wed
n37 Urszula Radwanska POL d n66 Annika Beck GER 6-3, 6-1 Wed
n38 Shuai Peng CHN d n49 Sofia Arvidsson SWE 6-3, 6-2 Tue
*n52 Ayumi Morita JPN d n39 Heather Watson GBR 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 Tue
Ayumi serving, Heather driving a backhand, and Ayumi following a forehand
Ayumi won after trailing 1-6, 1-4 in the 2nd set.
Heather said: "[The first part of the match] I was playing really well, probably the best I've played this year, and I think I lost my concentration a bit, but that was enough for her to gain some confidence and step forward, and it kind of pushed me back and I started to play a lot worse...
"This year I've been going a bit too long so I'm a bit burnt out. I've been thinking about it for a while now and I'm definitely going to take a break from tennis." BBC story
On Wednesday Heather amended her remarks, saying that she would be playing at Charleston (the week following Miami) and in Fed Cup matches in April.
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*n177 wc Andrea Petkovic GER d n40 Bojana Jovanovski SRB 6-3, 6-1 Tue
n43 Laura Robson GBR d n80 Camila Giorgi ITA 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 Wed
Laura watching her backhand fly
It was Laura's first win since this year's Australian Open. She had lost her last three matches.
Laura said: "I've been getting quite nervous in my matches, but today I managed to deal with that better and just grind out the win. Also by the end of the match there was this huge storm coming, so I basically tried to finish before it started. I'm really happy I was able to play through the nerves...
"You know when you hear thunder and see huge rain drops falling on the court that you don't have that much time. About 30 seconds after we finished it started pouring. We were lucky to finish." WTA story
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n44 Kiki Bertens NED d n61 Anna Tatishvili GEO 6-0, 6-1 Tue
*n51 Kristina Mladenovic FRA d n45 Aleksandra Wozniak CAN 7-5, 6-2 Tue
Aleksandra was playing in her first match following a six-month layoff due to a right shoulder injury.
Aleksandra said: "It was a good match. A good test after six months of rehab and everything. I played well at times today but couldn't keep it going consistently the whole time, because I haven't played a real match in such a long time. And the big thing was just trusting my shoulder on my serve, but it's doing really well and I just need to play more matches and mentally build on the confidence. I'm really happy to be back on the tour and I hope my game will be back soon." WTA story
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n46 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d n54 Lourdes Dominguez Lino ESP 6-3, 6-3 Wed
Svetlana's backhand drive
n47 Francesca Schiavone ITA d n89 q Jana Cepelova SVK 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 Wed
n48 Christina McHale USA d n362 wc Anett Kontaveit EST 6-2, 6-1 Wed
*n73 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d n50 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL 6-2, 6-4 Wed
Tsvetana and Daniela driving backhands
n53 Irina-Camelia Begu ROU d n63 Marina Erakovic NZL 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 Tue
n55 Magdalena Rybarikova SVK d n125 q Mallory Burdette USA 6-2, 6-4 Wed
*n84 q Karolina Pliskova CZE d n57 Lucie Hradecka CZE 6-2, 6-1 Wed
*n64 Jamie Hampton USA d n58 Monica Niculescu ROU 6-4, 6-3 Wed
n59 Romina Oprandi SUI d n70 Arantxa Rus NED 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 Wed
*n75 Kimiko Date-Krumm JPN d n60 Chanelle Scheepers RSA 6-2, 6-0 Tue
Chanelle and Kimiko driving backhand and forehand
n62 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP d n491 sr58 A Dulgheru ROU 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(3) Wed
*n370 wc Victoria Duval USA d n65 Andrea Hlavackova CZE 7-6(4), 6-4 Wed
n67 Olga Govortsova BLR d n97 q Melinda Czink HUN 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 Wed
n68 q Silvia Soler-Espinosa ESP d n78 Pauline Parmentier FRA 6-0, 6(2)-7, 6-2 Wed
*n92 Flavia Pennetta ITA d n69 Johanna Larsson SWE 6-4, 6-1 Tue
Flavia and Johanna driving forehand and backhand
n71 q Stefanie Voegele SUI d n91 Petra Martic CRO 6-3, 6-3 Wed
n77 wc Madison Keys USA d n423 q Allie Kiick USA 6-0, 6-0 Wed
*n253 wc Ajla Tomljanovic SRB d n93 Ksenia Pervak KAZ 6-2, 6-2 Tue
n95 wc Garbine Muguruza ESP d nNR q Katerina Siniakova CZE 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 Wed
Garbine following a forehand
*n132 q Bethanie Mattek-Sands USA d n102 wc Monica Puig PUR 6-4, 7-5 Wed
n123 wc Eugenie Bouchard CAN d n128 q Shahar Peer ISR 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 Wed
*n98 q Donna Vekic CRO d n94 q Yulia Putintseva KAZ 7-6(4), 6-0 Wed
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Miami, 2nd Rd, Thu-Fri 10am & 11am
loser's prize: $13,750; points: 50
Friday: play resumed after rain delay & power failure
n1 s1 Serena Williams USA d n92 Flavia Pennetta ITA 6-1, 6-1 Thu
Flavia driving a backhand, and Serena reaching for a forehand
It is Serena's first tourney in over a month. Serena said: "I don't think it was too much rust. I think I missed a few shots, but only because I was off footwork-wise. It's always just good to win a match and stay in the tournament and keep going." AP story
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n3 s3 Maria Sharapova RUS d n123 wc Eugenie Bouchard CAN 6-2, 6-0 Fri
Genie ready to slice a backhand, and Maria driving a forehand
4-time Miami finalist Maria said: "I've had good success at this tournament. I haven't won it, but I've been to a few finals. I'd love to take it further and win this tournament. It would really mean a lot to me. Today was a good start." WTA story
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n4 s4 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d n35 Su-Wei Hsieh TPE 6-3, 6-2 Thu
Su-Wei driving a backhand, and Agnieszka following one
Agnieszka said: "I was happy to have a quick match. The first match is always a little bit tough and tricky, especially after Indian Wells, where we had a little bit of different conditions." WTA story
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n5 s5 Na Li CHN d n44 Kiki Bertens NED 6-3, 6-1 Thu
It was Na's first match since she was injured during the final of this year's Australian Open.
Na said: "I wasn't nervous before the match today, I was excited. For the last six or seven weeks I haven't played any tournaments so I was happy to win my first match after such a long time... My game was pretty good today, I followed the plan of what I should do. I just had to believe in myself that I could do it."
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n6 s6 Angelique Kerber GER d n47 Francesca Schiavone ITA 6(5)-7, 6-3, 6-2 Fri
Angelique driving a backhand
n7 s7 Petra Kvitova CZE d n38 Shuai Peng CHN 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 Thu
n8 s8 Sara Errani ITA d n73 Daniela Hantuchova SVK 6-3, 6-1 Fri
n10 s9 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d n84 q Karolina Pliskova CZE 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 Thu
*n177 wc Andrea Petkovic GER d n11 s10 Marion Bartoli FRA 6-3, 4-1 retired—left foot injury Thu
n12 s11 Nadia Petrova RUS d n42 Jie Zheng CHN 6-3, 6-1 Fri
n13 s12 Ana Ivanovic SRB d n37 Urszula Radwanska POL 6-2, 6-1 Fri
n14 s13 Dominika Cibulkova SVK d n51 Kristina Mladenovic FRA 6-2, 6-3 Thu
n15 s14 Maria Kirilenko RUS d n132 q Bethanie Mattek-Sands USA 6-1, 6-4 Fri
Maria stalking the elusive forehand
n16 s15 Roberta Vinci ITA d n48 Christina McHale USA 6(2)-7, 6-1, 6-3 Fri
Roberta ready to swat a backhand, and Christina driving one
n17 s16 Sloane Stephens USA d n67 Olga Govortsova BLR 0-6, 6-4, 6-4 Thu
Sloane driving a backhand
About the 0-6 1st set, Sloane said: "It's not that I wasn't playing great, I was just asleep out there. I definitely needed to wake up and start playing. I thought I played some good points even in the first set when I was not there. It was a lot of battling and just hanging in there, and I think after I won a game in the beginning of the second set I was much better and thought, 'I'm just going to go ahead and play.' I was just happy to get through in the end."
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*n59 Romina Oprandi SUI d n18 s17 Lucie Safarova CZE 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(5) Thu
*n46 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d n19 s18 Ekaterina Makarova RUS 6-4, 6-4 Fri
n20 s19 Venus Williams USA d n75 Kimiko Date-Krumm JPN 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-4 Thu
Venus and Kimiko driving forehand and backhand
n21 s20 Carla Suarez Navarro ESP d n64 Jamie Hampton USA 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(3) Fri
n22 s21 Klara Zakopalova CZE d n62 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP 6-3, 7-6(3) Fri
n23 s22 Jelena Jankovic SRB d n370 wc Victoria Duval USA 6-3, 7-5 Fri
*n95 wc Garbine Muguruza ESP d n24 s23 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 Thu
*n253 wc Ajla Tomljanovic SRB d n25 s24 Julia Goerges GER 7-6(4), 6-2 Thu
Ajla ready to swat a forehand
n26 s25 Varvara Lepchenko USA d n53 Irina-Camelia Begu ROU 6-3, 6-4 Thu
*n56 Simona Halep ROU d n27 s26 Tamira Paszek AUT 6-1, 6(4)-, 7-5 Fri
*n55 Magdalena Rybarikova SVK d n28 s27 Mona Barthel GER 6-3, 7-6(5) Thu
n29 s28 Sorana Cirstea ROU d n68 q Silvia Soler-Espinosa ESP 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 Fri
n30 s29 Elena Vesnina RUS d n98 q Donna Vekic CRO 6-4, 6-2 Fri
n31 s30 Kirsten Flipkens BEL d n71 q Stefanie Voegele SUI 6-4, 6-2 Thu
*n52 Ayumi Morita JPN d n32 s31 Yanina Wickmayer BEL 7-6(2), 2-6, 6-3 Thu
n33 s32 Alize Cornet FRA d n43 Laura Robson GBR 5-7, 7-5, 6-1 Fri
Laura driving a backhand, and Alize ready to slice one
n72 LL Lauren Davis USA d n77 wc Madison Keys USA 6-1, 5-7, 7-6(7) Fri
Lauren driving a backhand, Madison following one, and Lauren after winning a point
Lauren, the highest ranked player to lose in the qualifying finals, replaced Victoria Azarenka in the draw when Vika could not play due to an ankle injury.
Lauren said: "I came here this morning with like no hope left that I was going to get in, but I just hoped and wished and prayed I would get in. I got a call at 10 o'clock saying I got in. I was just so happy. I didn't care if I won or lost, I was just so grateful for the opportunity to play in the tournament. I had never signed up to be a lucky loser. It's my first time..."
"I had momentum at 6-1, 3-1, but I started thinking a bit too much and let [Madison] in the door a little bit. I just relied on my fighting instincts to pull me through. I'm just really happy I won today.
"We kind of have opposite games. I'm a grinder and a good baseliner. She likes to keep the points shorter, big serve, big forehand. So my game plan was just to go out there and I guess exploit her backhand and hit down the line when she tries to run around the forehand, and keep balls in play." WTA story
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Miami, 3rd Rd, Sat-Sun 10am & 11am
loser's prize: $25,450; points: 80
n1 s1 Serena Williams USA d n52 Ayumi Morita JPN 6-3, 6-3 Sat
Ayumi and Serena driving forehand and backhand
Serena said: "I've played [Ayumi] before and she's tough. She plays well, stays really focused and stays really pumped up, which I think is a really good feature. I've said it before: I think she's a really good player." WTA story
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n3 s3 Maria Sharapova RUS d n30 s29 Elena Vesnina RUS 6-4, 6-2 Sun
Elena serving, Maria driving a backhand, and Elena congratulating Maria after match point
Maria said: "[Elena is] very capable of playing good tennis. Maybe her ranking is not where she wants it to be right now, but she's beaten me before. I think the last time we played in Beijing [2010, 1st rd, Elena won 7-6(3), 6-2]. I know what type of tennis she can produce.
"In situations like this where it's tough and it's hot, it kind of levels out the game a little bit as well, with the windy conditions, because you have to be a bit more patient. That was really important today." postmatch interview
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n4 s4 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d n55 Magdalena Rybarikova SVK 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-3 Sat
Magda about to fire a forehand, and Aga's backhand drive
n5 s5 Na Li CHN d n26 s25 Varvara Lepchenko USA 6-2, 6-4 Sat
Na said: "I played really well in the first set. The second set was really tough to close out and [Varvara] really pushed me. She definitely lifted her level and intensity and made me work for it today. I'm glad to have won in straight sets. The conditions were tough. It's hot and sticky out there." WTA story
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*n29 s28 Sorana Cirstea ROU d n6 s6 Angelique Kerber GER 6-4, 6-0 Sun
Sorana about to slice a backhand
Sorana said: "Today I played quite solid and was consistent from the beginning until the end. I was trying to do the plan my coach gave me, and I think everything worked like it was supposed to... When you work so hard on everything, it's nice to see the results coming... I love this sport, and I love moments like this." WTA story
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*n31 s30 Kirsten Flipkens BEL d n7 s7 Petra Kvitova CZE 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 Sat
n8 s8 Sara Errani ITA d n56 Simona Halep ROU 6-1, 6-0 Sun
Sara said: "I think I played a really good match. I was very focused from the beginning and it went very well for me. I did very well in pretty much everything today: from the baseline I was running very fast—and I had to be running fast because she was always trying to push me from the backhand—but I was at every ball and was able to take it from my forehand a lot on that side." WTA story
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*n95 wc Garbine Muguruza ESP d n10 s9 Caroline Wozniacki DEN 6-2, 6-4 Sat
Garbine and Caro driving forehand and backhand
*n23 s22 Jelena Jankovic SRB d n12 s11 Nadia Petrova RUS 7-6(6), 6-4 Sun
Jelena watching her backhand fly
It was Jelena's best win (by rank) since she defeated then #5 Samantha Stosur in the quarterfinals at Dubai in February of last year.
Jelena said: "It was a battle in the first set, but thankfully I was able to get that first set in the tie-breaker. The beginning was really tight, but once we got to the second set I was more comfortable, and I think [Nadia] was getting a little bit tired, and I took advantage of that. It was a very tough match."
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n13 s12 Ana Ivanovic SRB d n46 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS 6-3, 6-3 Sun
Ana said: "I really had to stay focused on every point and stay in the moment, and I'm very happy I was able to win tonight. I always love coming here and competing here. It's always fun. And this year I really felt I was playing good tennis coming in, so I'm really enjoying my time here this year."
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n14 s13 Dominika Cibulkova SVK d n59 Romina Oprandi SUI 6-3, 6-4 Sat
n22 s21 Klara Zakopalova CZE d n15 s14 Maria Kirilenko RUS 6-2, 7-6(4) Sun
Maria and Klara about to launch forehands
n16 s15 Roberta Vinci ITA d n21 s20 Carla Suarez Navarro ESP 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 Sun
Roberta said: "It was a tough match. It was tough conditions out there, especially with a lot of wind at the beginning, and [Carla] has an unbelievable backhand too. I had a lot of chances in the first set but lost it, but from the second set I stayed very focused and just played my game, staying aggressive. This is my first victory against her, so I'm very happy."
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n17 s16 Sloane Stephens USA d n20 s19 Venus Williams USA walkover—low back injury Sat
Venus said: "I was having some pain yesterday and wanted to see how I felt in the warm-up today. After my warm-up I realized I wouldn't be able to be competitive at all today.
"It's really disappointing. I've faced disappointments in my life and my career. It's not the first, probably not the last. But I just have to get through this one now, stay positive and move forward."
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n33 s32 Alize Cornet FRA d n72 LL Lauren Davis USA 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 Sun
Lauren and Alize driving forehand and backhand
After the match, both players were taken from the court in wheelchairs due to heat illness and fatigue Lauren was also stung by a wasp during the match.
Alize said: "Back in the locker room, I asked my coach if I won or lost the match." story in French
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*n253 wc Ajla Tomljanovic SRB d n177 wc Andrea Petkovic GER 0-6, 6-4, 7-6(1) Sat
Ajla while playing Yaroslava Shvedova at Key Biscayne exactly three years ago
Andrea was playing in only her second tournament since being sidelined by a knee injury early this year.
Ajla said: "[Andrea] came out hitting the corners and it took me some time to get used to. We had a really long first game and I couldn't convert on the break points. It was a pretty slow start for me. In the second set I thought, 'If I'm going to lose, I want to lose the right way.' So I really tried to play better and get into the match more and I fought my way through the second set.
"I had a really great start to the third set, going up 3-0, and I had so many chances to close the set out easier than it was, but it turned into a battle. I think we both played really well at the end."
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Miami, 4th Rd, Mon 11am
loser's prize: $47,575; points: 140
n1 s1 Serena Williams USA d n14 s13 Dominika Cibulkova SVK 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
Domi and Serena driving forehand and backhand
Serena trailed 2-6, 1-4 in the 2nd set. Serena said: "I was playing a really good opponent and I was making so many unforced errors out there...
"I just thought to myself, 'Well I've been down worse. It's nothing new. Just keep fighting.' I never give up. It doesn't matter whether it's in life or on the tennis court, I keep fighting. That's what I kept doing today." postmatch interview
Domi also lost in the 4th round last year at Miami, to Victoria Azarenka, after leading 6-1, 5-2.
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n3 s3 Maria Sharapova RUS d n22 s21 Klara Zakopalova CZE 6-2, 6-2
Klara and Maria driving backhands
Maria said: "I thought I did a much better job today at being aggressive and playing a bit more consistently than in the previous match. The conditions today were a little bit easier as well. I'm really happy to be through to the quarterfinals of this tournament again." WTA story
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n4 s4 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d n17 s16 Sloane Stephens USA 4-6, 6-2, 6-0
Sloane and Aga driving forehand and backhand
Agnieszka said: "I think I was a bit tight in the first set, just too defensive, and she really started very well. But then after the first set I started to play much better, point by point, and it got better and better until the end. I really started playing more aggressively after the first set.
"Sloane is a very good, young player, and she's always difficult to play against." WTA story
Sloane said: "I played well at the beginning, but [Agnieszka] raised her level and played some pretty good tennis. I definitely felt I should have held serve at 3-2 in the second set, but it didn't happen and it is what it is. You can always take something from it and just move forward and try to get better."
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n5 s5 Na Li CHN d n95 wc Garbine Muguruza ESP 7-6(6), 6-2
Garbine about to swat a forehand, and Na driving a backhand
Na led 5-1 in the 1st set, and also led 6-1 in the 1st set tiebreaker. Na said: "I started pretty good until 5-1, but then maybe I was thinking of too many things other than the match, like how windy it was and the heat. Suddenly it was 5-6. I knew I had to think point by point again so I started doing that and when it was 6-1 for me in the tie-breaker, I just thought to myself, 'Don't do the same thing again.' But then the same thing did come back again!
"From 6-all I thought, 'This is it, anyone can win.' But I knew even if I lost the first set there were still two sets to go. I just tried not to think about the score, just the tennis, and I made it."
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n8 s8 Sara Errani ITA d n13 s12 Ana Ivanovic SRB 1-6, 6-4, 6-2
n16 s15 Roberta Vinci ITA d n33 s32 Alize Cornet FRA 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
n23 s22 Jelena Jankovic SRB d n29 s28 Sorana Cirstea ROU 6-0, 6-4
Jelena said: "As soon as I got on court tonight I was able to focus from the first point, and play my game." WTA story
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n31 s30 Kirsten Flipkens BEL d n253 wc Ajla Tomljanovic SRB 6(6)-7, 6-4, 6-3
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Miami, QFs, Tue-Wed 11am
loser's prize: $90,250; points: 250
n1 s1 Serena Williams USA d n5 s5 Na Li CHN 6-3, 7-6(5) Tue
Serena and Na driving forehands
After winning the 1st set by a single break of serve, Serena took a 2-0 lead in the 2nd set. Then Na won the next 5 games. Serena then held serve, and broke Na as she was serving for the 2nd set. Serena won 79 points in the match and broke Na's serve 3 times; Na scored 69 point and broke Serena twice.
Serena said: "[Na] plays so well - we always have such intense matches. I love it. She always improves, and that always keeps me motivated. I just had to get more consistent and hang in there." WTA story
Na said: "I had chances but I didn't hold. She's the best player in the world, so if you don't take your chances, she will never give you a chance again.
"But I still have to see it in a positive way. I played well here. I just have to continue to work with my team and get ready for the clay court season. I'm looking forward to the clay court season because I'm healthy and hitting the ball well."
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n3 s3 Maria Sharapova RUS d n8 s8 Sara Errani ITA 7-5, 7-5 Wed
Sara serving, Maria driving a forehand, and after match point
The match was not pretty. Maria fired 45 winners (including 6 aces), but was plagued by 49 unforced errors (including 14 double faults). Sara struck 13 winners (no aces) with 25 UEs (4 DFs).
Maria scored on 6 of the 17 break points she reached against Sara while totaling 106 points; Sara converted 4 of her 12 break points against Maria, while amassing 100 points.
Maria said: "[Sara] really made me work for this match. I had to dig deep. So many opportunities, a few ups and downs. I'm definitely happy to get through another one." AP story
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n4 s4 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d n31 s30 Kirsten Flipkens BEL 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 Tue
Agnieszka's "shot of the year" turnaround volley winner off of a netcord from Kirsten was #1 on ESPN SportCenter's top 10— click pic for video
About her 2nd set turnaround volley winner, Agnieszka said: "It was all so fast, it was really just one second to react. The ball hit the net cord and changed direction and I couldn't play a normal backhand, so I just turned around and did it. It was a bit of luck but I had no choice. I just put my racquet on it and that was it! It was pretty funny." WTA story
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*n23 s22 Jelena Jankovic SRB d n16 s15 Roberta Vinci ITA 6-4, 6(6)-7, 6-3 Wed
Roberta serving, Jelena driving a backhand, and after match point
Jelena said: "In the first set I was down 2-0, and managed to come back and get the set. In the second set I was playing pretty well in a lot of games but was losing a lot of them, especially at the beginning when I went down 3-0. I managed to come back but in the tie-break [Roberta] played some really good points at the net. And in the third I was down again, 2-0, but thankfully I managed to get control in the end.
"Her game is difficult. It's tough to get underneath the ball when you play her. It was a difficult match and not an easy match at all for me, but again I'm happy to win and make the semifinals." WTA story
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Miami, SFs, Thu 1pm & 9pm
loser's prize: $177,000; points: 450
n1 s1 Serena Williams USA d n4 s4 Agnieszka Radwanska POL 6-0, 6-3
Agnieszka and Serena driving forehands, and Serena after match point
Serena struck 40 winners (including 12 aces), with only 21 unforced errors (including 1 double fault) while scoring on 4 of the 9 break points she reached against Agnieszka. Serena totaled 59 points in the match; Agnieszka scored 37.
Serena said: "It definitely felt really good today. I kept my unforced errors rather low. On a couple shots out there I think I got pretty lucky, but I've been practicing really hard and it's all just paying off... I believe in hard work." WTA story
Agnieszka said: "Serena really had an answer for everything. The first set just went too quickly. In the second set I was really trying to make something happen, but she was playing too well. She served too well. It seemed like nearly three aces every game. I really couldn't do anything out there today."
Serena leads Maria Sharapova 11-2 in career matches, but Maria has won her last 11 matches, in 22 straight sets. About the final, Serena said: "I definitely expect a tough match. [Maria is] a great player. What else can you expect? She hasn't lost in a long time, so I have to be ready. One thing about her is she constantly improves. I actually learn a lot from her from that. Hopefully I can do the same as her."
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n3 s3 Maria Sharapova RUS d n23 s22 Jelena Jankovic SRB 6-2, 6-1
Jelena and Maria driving forehands, and Maria after match point
Maria struck 18 winners (including 2 aces), with only 11 unforced errors (including 3 double faults) while scoring on 6 of the 11 break points she reached against Jelena. Maria totaled 59 points in the match; Jelena scored only 29.
Maria had struck 57 unforced errors (in 24 games) in her previous match.
Maria said: "I thought I needed to step it up from my last match and play a little better. I was really happy with the way I focused." AP story
Jelena may have been tired; her quarterfinal win took 2½ hours on Wednesday evening; Maria's quarterfinal lasted as long, but was 6 hours earlier.
Jelena said: "Maria played really well today. She was playing her best tennis from the start. But I think the opponent plays as much as you give her, and from my part, I didn't do my job. I didn't do what I was supposed to do. I wasn't on top of my game, and I wasn't playing the way I wanted to, especially on a big occasion like the semifinals here. But all the credit to Maria. She was the better one today." WTA story
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Miami, Final, Sat, 12 noon
loser's prize: $353,200; points: 700
winner's prize: $724,000; points: 1000
n1 s1 Serena Williams USA d n3 s3 Maria Sharapova RUS 4-6, 6-3, 6-0
Serena serving, Maria and Serena driving forehand and backhand, and Serena after match point
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Miami, Doubles Final, Sun after ATP singles final, 1pm
losers' prize: $122,997
winners' prize: $245,000
s3 Nadia Petrova & Katarina Srebotnik d Lisa Raymond & Laura Robson 6-1, 7-6(2)
Miami, Qualifying Finals, Tue Mar 19 10am
losers' prizes: q1 $1,285 1pt; q2 $2,515 20pts; qualifier 30 points
n68 Silvia Soler-Espinosa ESP d n120 Sesil Karatantcheva KAZ 6-4, 6-2
n71 Stefanie Voegele SUI d n105 Galina Voskoboeva KAZ 6-2, 6-2
*n125 Mallory Burdette USA d n72 Lauren Davis USA 6(0)-7, 6-4, 6-4
n84 Karolina Pliskova CZE d n99 Coco Vandeweghe USA 6-2, 6-3
*n97 Melinda Czink HUN d n88 Elina Svitolina UKR 7-6(5), 6-4
n89 Jana Cepelova SVK d n106 Kristyna Pliskova CZE 1-6, 6-2, 7-5
n94 Yulia Putintseva KAZ d n110 Nina Bratchikova RUS 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
n98 Donna Vekic CRO d n133 Valeria Savinykh RUS 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
*n128 Shahar Peer ISR d n103 Tatjana Malek GER 6-4, 6-0
*n423 Allie Kiick USA d n113 Vania King USA 6-4, 0-6, 6-3
*n132 Bethanie Mattek-Sands USA d n116 Shuai Zhang CHN 6-2, 6-3
*nNR Katerina Siniakova CZE d n121 Alexa Glatch USA 6-4, 6-3
Miami, Withdrawals
n2 s2 Victoria Azarenka BLR right ankle injury
n9 Samantha Stosur AUS right calf injury
n41 Kaia Kanepi EST right achilles injury
n76 Petra Cetkovska CZE left foot injury
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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.
: the current top 20 Women's Tennis rankings with player photos, links, and bio info.
