Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez wins Swedish Open; spoils Caroline Wozniacki's birthday

Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez beat top-seeded and defending champion Caroline Wozniacki 7-5, 6-4 Saturday to win the Swedish Open for her second WTA Tour title.

The unseeded Spaniard won her first title in Bogota in February.

“This was the most enjoyable tournament for me so far this season,” Martinez Sanchez said.

“I felt right at home here and I hope to come back next year. I played very well today and I’m happy I played my own game.”

“I’m sorry I spoiled your (birthday) celebrations, but I promise I will buy you something instead,” Martinez Sanchez told Wozniacki at the post-match news conference.

Wozniacki, who turned 19 Saturday, is ranked ninth in the world and has won five WTA titles.

“Maria played better than me. She played smart and it was difficult to get a rhythm with her stop volleys,” Wozniacki said.

“But I’m still happy to have reached the final.”

In the doubles final, Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta denied Martinez Sanchez a double, who partnered with Nuria Llagostera Vives with a 6-2, 0-6, 10-5 victory.

The men’s Swedish Open starts Monday.

(Via AP; Images via Swedish Open Women's Flickr photostream)

Jelena Jankovic has too much time to spend in Rome

Jelena Jankovic took time out while competing at the Italian Open to do some shopping at the GF Ferre boutique and visit the Piazza di Spagna or better known as the Spanish Steps in Rome.

Her mom Snezana accompanied her during the photo shoot.

Coming back to the court, Jankovic was leading 6-1, 1-0 when Kateryna Bondarenko called for the trainer and withdrew because of flu yesterday.

They were on court for only 35 minutes.

“I would have loved to finish the match, because I was playing pretty well in that first set,” Jankovic said.

“I felt the ball really well and I had good timing.”

Jankovic will play Svetlana Kuznetsova next, who ousted crowd favourite Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 3-6, 6-0.

(Images by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Not that I don't prefer women's tennis of late...

Too bogged down with work recently, I didn't have much time left to spend on women's tennis for the past weeks, missing the Fed Cup and Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.

At Stuttgart, looks like the new world no.1 Dinara Safina will play against Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final match tomorrow, after defeated Flavia Pennetta 3-6, 7-5, 6-0.

Earlier, Kuznetsova easily overcame compatriot Elena Dementieva 6-4, 6-2.

Meanwhile, Victoria Azarenka and Ana Ivanovic are already in Rome for a promotional event at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

Someone in tennis forum suggested that Vika was flipping off Ana.

Okay, they are friends again :P

(Images via Quotidiano.net)

Venus Williams wins at Zurich Open; Cara Black & Liezel Huber lift dubs title

Venus Williams won the Zurich Open on Sunday for her second singles title of the season.

Williams beat Italy’s Flavia Pennetta 7-6 (1), 6-2 to take the tournament she last won as a teenager in 1999.

The win should seal the 28-year-old American’s place at the season-ending WTA Tour Championship in Doha next month.

“I love the pressure,” Williams said.

“I need it in my life."

“It is great to come here and play my best tennis of the week in the final against someone who is playing as well as she is.”

Venus is being congratulated by her Dad and her dog, Herald.

Flavia Pennetta (far left), winner Venus Williams, Elmar Ledergerber the Mayor of Zurich, and tournament director Beat Ritschard (far right) pose after the Final Singles match at the Zurich Open tennis tournament.

Pennetta had upset top-ranked Jelena Jankovic in the second round and went in with a 3-1 career record against Williams after beating her in Moscow last week.

“She just played unbelievable today,” the 17th-ranked Pennetta said.

“It is tough to play against someone who serves like she did today. I didn’t have any chance to make any breaks.”

Williams said she would return to Florida before the Nov. 4-9 Tour finale in Qatar.

“I will go home and rest a little bit and continue to prepare and get ready for Doha,” she said.

Williams is expected to climb one place to No. 8 when the new WTA rankings are published Monday; Pennetta hopes to rise three spots to a career-best 14th.

Liezel Huber (left) and Cara Black collected their 9th doubles title of the year and
their first career Zurich trophy.

In the doubles final, Cara Black and Liezel Huber quickly bounced back to their title-winning ways when they clinched the Zurich Open yesterday.

Exactly a week after losing in the final of the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, Russia, top seeds Black and Huber were smiling again yesterday after beating home favourite Patty Schnyder and Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany in straight sets 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) in the final of the US$600 000 Tier II indoor tournament, according to reports from the Swiss capital.

This was Black and Huber’s ninth doubles title of the year.

For beating the wildcard pairing of Schnyder and Groenefeld in the final of this year’s Zurich Open, Black and Huber, will split US$30,000 which was at stake for the winners of the doubles title.

They are currently leading the Tour with 5 060 points, with more than 1 800 points over the third player (Katarina Srebotnik with 3 200 points) and with the level of tennis they have been playing these past two years, the domination of the African born duo is most likely to continue for quite some time.

(Via AP, herald.co.zw, Images via Yahoo! Sport, WTA official website)

Photo updates at the Zurich Open 2008

The Zurich Open tennis tournament which started on October 11, has a 28-player draw that includes the four top seeds – Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic, Venus Williams and Vera Zvonareva.

As usual, here are some of the photos to check out what the girls are doing.

World no. 1 Jelena Jankovic in Zurich.

Flavia Pennetta, Anna Chakvetadze, Rennae Stubbs and Stefania Boffa
taking part in the Pink Ribbon Charity Walk of Women.

Patty Schnyder and Venus Williams.

Ana Ivanovic at the Zurich Open Kids Day.

Swiss Timea Bacsinszky with the kids.

(Images via Zurich Open website, Jelena Jankovic official website)

I Kissed A Girl...

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Flavia Pennetta congratulates Dinara Safina (in pink) after Safina's two set victory during their quarterfinal match at the U.S. Open.


I can't help but to make this post when I see this picture. Hehe! The censored version of this song by Katy Perry is currently very popular on the radio.

(Image by AP Photo/Ed Betz)