Pan Pacific
Singles – Third Round: (1) Victoria Azarenka def. (14) Roberta Vinci 6-4 6-2
Roberta Vinci will almost certainly be returning to the Top Fifteen, but she also finds herself out of the WTA Race. In singles, that is; she will be playing the Istanbul doubles along with Sara Errani. Who, improbably enough, will be the only player to qualify in singles and doubles. There is more on the singles Race in the feature.
Victoria Azarenka suffered dizziness during this match, so we perhaps can’t expect her to play like this on Thursday. But she did a fine job of being aggressive on Wednesday.
Singles – Third Round: (2) Maria Sharapova def. (16) Lucie Safarova 6-2 7-6(7-5)
We won’t settle the year-end #1 today, at least. Maria Sharapova keeps her faint hopes alive. Lucie Safarova will not make the Top Fifteen at this time.
Singles – Third Round: (3) Agnieszka Radwanska def. (Q) Jamie Hampton 6-4 6-3
Two more wins and Agnieszka Radwanska will stay #3 (for one more week). For now, she is still almost 300 safe points behind Serena Williams.
Singles – Third Round: (5) Angelique Kerber def. Urszula Radwanska 6-1 6-1
We won’t have two Radwanskas in the Top Thirty — at least not yet. Urszula will be #32. But it still appears we will have two seeded Radwanskas in Melbourne next year. As for Angelique Kerber, we’d say she qualifies for Istanbul if she wins her next match. (Maybe not officially, but in practical terms.) If she loses, then Petra Kvitova clinches.
Singles – Third Round: (6) Sara Errani def. (9) Marion Bartoli 3-6 6-2 6-2
A big, big blow to Marion Bartoli’s Istanbul hopes — and hence a significant boost to Sara Errani’s. Bartoli will not rise above #10 in the Race…
Singles – Third Round: (10) Caroline Wozniacki def. (7) Li Na 4-6 6-3 6-4
…indeed, Bartoli may fall to #11. Caroline Wozniacki, who wins her eighth straight match, is now close on her heels (and can take the #10 WTA ranking, as well as the #10 Race spot, by winning her next match). Li Na, who was #8 in the Race, is now in real danger of losing her spot in Istanbul…
Singles – Third Round: (8) Samantha Stosur def. (12) Dominika Cibulkova 6-4 7-5
…and if Li loses her spot, it will probably be to Stosur, who is #9 in the Race. Dominika Cibulkova remains #13 in the rankings, #12 in the Race — but appears to have been eliminated from the contest for Istanbul.
Singles – Third Round: (17) Nadia Petrova def. Petra Martic 7-6(7-2) 6-7(1-7) 6-4
Interestingly, every player left in the field here has an interest in Istanbul — although, in Nadia Petrova’s case, it’s an interest in doubles only. OUr rough cut is that she is now #17 in the Race, but that’s just too far back. And she is still only #18 in the rankings.
Doubles – First Round: (WC) Pavlyuchenkova/Safarova def. (1) King/Shvedova 6-3 7-6(7-5)
Sometimes it seems as if Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova just can’t get “up” at the same time any more. Shvedova, after a good summer, seems to be pretty off right now.
Doubles – First Round: (4) Groenefeld/Peschke def. (WC) Hantuchova/Peng 6-1 6-2
Doubles – Quarterfinal: Lisicki/Raymond def. Jurak/Marosi 6-4 6-2
Lisa Raymond is half way to defending her title, but she hasn’t faced much real opposition yet. The next round is the first real test, when Lisicki/Raymond are likely to face Srebotnik/Zheng.
Las Vegas Challenger
With only one WTA event this week and next, and that in Asia, the Challenger circuit is busy. Las Vegas is hosting a $50K Challenger, and the fact that the WTA is playing in Asia makes it unusually strong.
At least, it was strong. They played only three main draw singles matches Tuesday, but tthose cost the event two of its three top seeds. Petra Rampre, who is having the best year of her career as she approaches the age when most players retire, beat top seed Edina Gallovits-Hall 6-1 6-1, while Chi Chi Scholl beat #3 seed Michelle Larcher de Brito 6-4 6-0.
The one seed to win was #7 Mallory Burdette. The Big Surprise of the U. S. Open won her first match as a professional, beating Amra Sadikovic 7-5 6-1.