Osaka
Singles – Second Round: Pauline Parmentier def. (2) Zheng Jie 6-3 6-4
What a week for upsets! At this week’s two events, eight of sixteen seeds didn’t even make it to the second round, and the rapid elimination continues in the second round. Zheng Jie was defending semifinalist points, so she will be falling out of the Top 25.
Singles – Second Round: Heather Watson def. (6) Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-7(4-7) 6-2 6-3
Anabel Medina Garrigues was in a better position than Zheng Jie; she doesn’t lose any points, and will stay at or just below #40.
Singles – Second Round: (7) Chanelle Scheepers def. Mirjana Lucic 6-2 6-2
Chanelle Scheepers has defended her points, but that still leaves her only #60 or so.
Singles – Second Round: (8) Laura Robson def. (Q) Zhou Yi-Miao 6-4 6-4
Laura Robson is now just one win away from the Top Fifty, and she faces an unseeded opponent next.
Doubles – Quarterfinal: (1) Kops-Jones/Spears def. Kumkhum/Miyamura 6-3 6-1
Most of the remaining interest in the WTA Race is in the doubles, and Kops-Jones/Spears are doing their best to keep it lively; see today’s Feature.
Doubles – Quarterfinal: (2) Medina Garrigues/Zheng def. Fujiwara/Wongteanchai 6-3 7-5
So what was wrong with Medina Garrigues/Zheng in the singles?
Doubles – Quarterfinal: (3) Jurak/Marosi def. Lykina/Puchkova 6-1 6-2
Linz
Singles – Second Round: (1) Victoria Azarenka def. Simona Halep 6-1 6-1
Still no letdown for Victoria Azarenka, who wins her eighth straight match. She can’t earn any points here — she has enough big results that International events are meaningless to her — but she’s getting in some good indoor practice.
Singles – Second Round: (2/WC) Ana Ivanovic def. (WC) Andrea Petkovic 6-4 6-3
This is surely going to be a year Andrea Petkovic wants to forget. Perhaps Ana Ivanovic will, too — she is starting to add points, but she can’t rise above #12 this week.
Singles – Second Round: Petra Martic def. (WC) Patricia Mayr-Achleitner 6-2 3-6 6-0
This, frankly, is more like what we’d expect of Patricia Mayr-Achleitner indoors. The surprise is that she did as well as she did.
Singles – Second Round: (Q) Kirsten Flipkens def. (Q) Mallory Burdette 4-6 6-1 7-5
Even with the loss, Mallory Burdette will rise above #150.
Singles – Second Round: (Q) Bethanie Mattek-Sands def. Carla Suarez Navarro 6-3 6-3
Pretty shocking based on recent results — maybe Carla Suarez Navarro was feeling some jet lag. She loses her Top Thirty chance, and just maybe her Australian Open seed. Bethanie Mattek-Sands ought to rise above #170.
Singles – Second Round: (LL) Irina-Camelia Begu def. Kiki Bertens 6-4 7-6(9-7)
What an event! We have only three seeds in the quarterfinal (Azarenka, Ivanovic, and Goerges) — and two qualifiers and a Lucky Loser! Kiki Bertens is still below #55.
Doubles – Quarterfinal: (1) Groenefeld/Peschke def. Pliskova/Pliskova 7-5 7-6(7-5)
Doubles – Quarterfinal: (2) Goerges/Zahlavova Strycova def. Cirstea/Paszek 6-1 6-4