Stuttgart
Singles – Quarterfinal: (1) Maria Sharapova def. Ana Ivanovic 7-5 4-6 6-4
Maria Sharapova can’t seem to pick up an easy victory here, but she keeps winning, pushing her lead over Victoria Azarenka to more than 800 points. Of course, she has more to defend this spring. Ana Ivanovic loses her chance to return to the Top Fifteen.
Singles – Quarterfinal: (2) Li Na def. (8) Petra Kvitova 6-3 7-5
Petra Kvitova just can’t seem to win the big matches — and, as a result, will stay stuck at #8.
Singles – Quarterfinal: (3) Angelique Kerber def. Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3 7-6(7-2)
Maybe Angelique Kerber merely needed to come back to Germany to get her game back in order. She has finally gone far enough to start earning points. Not enough to really matter yet, but they’re points. She leaves Yaroslava Shvedova at probably #35.
Singles – Quarterfinal: Bethanie Mattek-Sands def. Sabine Lisicki 6-4 6-2
Bethanie Mattek-Sands had been showing signs of life lately — she had her ranking up to #104 — but nothing to indicate that she could reach the semifinals of an event this strong! She increases her point total by almost exactly a third; she will rise to probably slightly above #75. Sabine Lisicki will be just above #40.
Doubles – Quarterfinal: Mattek-Sands/Mirza def. Huber/Husarova 7-5 6-4
Liezel Huber is not having a good year at all, but still — what an event for Bethanie Mattek-Sands!
Doubles – Quarterfinal: Barthel/Lisicki def. Jankovic/Lucic-Baroni 6-1 2-6 10-4
Marrakech
Singles – Quarterfinal: (6) Francesca Schiavone def. (3) Alize Cornet 6-4 6-4
Francesca Schiavone has been struggling terribly, but Alize Cornet is anything but consistent, and of course Schiavone still gives her opponents a game unlike anyone else’s. Cornet loses her Top Thirty chance; Schiavone — who is the only seed left in the draw — is up to probably #42.
Singles – Quarterfinal: Lourdes Dominguez Lino def. (5) Kiki Bertens 6-4 4-6 6-3
It looked as if Kiki Bertens was finally starting to think about the fact that she was defending the title here. She was making errors in bunches. That will drop her to around #60 — well behind Lourdes Dominguez Lino, who might rise as high as #50.
Singles – Quarterfinal: Chanelle Scheepers def. (7) Kristina Mladenovic 6-1 6-2
Kristina Mladenovic is up to around #45, but she won’t be hitting the Top Forty. She didn’t have much chance of a Roland Garros seed, obviously, and this makes it even harder.
Singles – Quarterfinal: Mandy Minella def. Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-3 3-6 6-3
This made it four matches played, four upsets. Mandy Minella had been struggling lately. Maybe she is finally getting over it.
Doubles – Semifinal: (3) Babos/Minella def. Dominguez Lino/Parra Santonja 3-6 7-6(8-6) 10-8
It really does seem as if Timea Babos has a big future in doubles. Not much evidence of it in singles, though.
****** TODAY’S FEATURE ******
KEYWORDS: No Feature Today
******** THIS WEEK IN TENNIS ********
THIS WEEK ON THE WTA:
Stuttgart (Premier 700/Clay). Defending Champion: Maria Sharapova
Marrakech (International/Clay). Defending Champion: Kiki Bertens
NEXT WEEK ON THE WTA:
Oeiras (International/Clay). Defending Champion: Kaia Kanepi (at Estoril)
************ STATS AND FACTS ************
**RANKINGS
Estimated WTA Rankings As of April 26, 2013
Rank &
Prior
Rank….Name…………..Points
1..(1) SWilliams ……… 11115
2..(2) SHARAPOVA ……… 9970*
3..(3) Azarenka ………..9130
4..(4) ARadwanska ………6845
5..(5) LI ……………..5880*
6..(6) KERBER ………….5420*
7..(7) ERRANI ………….5350
8..(8) KVITOVA ……….. 5225
9..(9) STOSUR ………….3790
10.(10) WOZNIACKI ……… 3760
11.(11) PETROVA ……….. 3075
12.(12) VINCI …………. 2925
13.(13) Kirilenko ……… 2911
14.(14) Bartoli ……….. 2710
15.(15) Cibulkova ……… 2615
16.(17) IVANOVIC ………..2585
17.(16) Stephens ………..2520
18.(18) JANKOVIC ………..2335
19.(19) PAVLYUCHENKOVA …..1875
20.(20) Zakopalova ………1860
21.(21) VWilliams ……… 1850
22.(22) FLIPKENS ………..1816
23.(23) SUAREZ NAVARRO …..1805
24.(24) MAKAROVA ………..1770
25.(25) SAFAROVA ………..1730
26.(26) CIRSTEA ……….. 1660
27.(27) Lepchenko ……… 1657
28.(29) VESNINA ……….. 1598
29.(30) GOERGES ……….. 1585
30.(28) BARTHEL ……….. 1575
**DRAWS
Stuttgart — Week of April 22
…………..QF…………….SF
1 Sharapova…(1)Sharapova……Sharapova
8 Petrova…..Ivanovic
3 Kerber……(3)Kerber………Kerber
7 Wozniacki…Shvedova
6 Stosur……Lisicki
4 Errani……Mattek-Sands(Q)…Mattek-Sands
5 Kvitova…..(5)Kvitova
2 Li……….(2)Li………….Li
STATUS OF SEEDS
1 Sharapova
2 Li
3 Kerber
4 Errani……lost 2R (Mattek-Sands)
5 Kvitova…..lost QF (Li)
6 Stosur……lost 1R (Jankovic)
7 Wozniacki…lost 1R (Suarez Navarro)
8 Petrova…..lost 2R (Ivanovic)
Marrakech — Week of April 22
……………..QF……………..SF
[9 Pironkova]….Dominguez Lino…..Dominguez Lino
5 Bertens……..(5)Bertens
4 Kanepi………Minella…………Minella
[Honcova(Q)]…..Soler Espinosa
6 Schiavone……(6)Schiavone…….Schiavone
3 Cornet………(3)Cornet
7 Mladenovic…..(7)Mladenovic
2 Cirstea……..Scheepers……….Scheepers
STATUS OF SEEDS
1 Cibulkova (WC)….WITHDREW (replaced by Pironkova)
2 Cirstea………..lost 1R (Scheepers)
3 Cornet…………lost 3R (Schiavone)
4 Kanepi…………lost 2R (Minella)
5 Bertens………..lost QF (Dominguez Lino)
6 Schiavone
7 Mladenovic……..lost QF (Scheepers)
8 Oprandi………..WITHDREW
9 Pironkova………lost 2R (Dominguez Lino)
******** SCORES ********
FRIDAY
Stuttgart
Singles – Quarterfinal
(1) Maria Sharapova def. Ana Ivanovic 7-5 4-6 6-4
(2) Li Na def. (8) Petra Kvitova 6-3 7-5
(3) Angelique Kerber def. Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3 7-6(7-2)
Bethanie Mattek-Sands def. Sabine Lisicki 6-4 6-2
Doubles – Quarterfinal
Mattek-Sands/Mirza def. Huber/Husarova 7-5 6-4
Barthel/Lisicki def. Jankovic/Lucic-Baroni 6-1 2-6 10-4
Marrakech
Singles – Quarterfinal
(6) Francesca Schiavone def. (3) Alize Cornet 6-4 6-4
Lourdes Dominguez Lino def. (5) Kiki Bertens 6-4 4-6 6-3
Chanelle Scheepers def. (7) Kristina Mladenovic 6-1 6-2
Mandy Minella def. Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-3 3-6 6-3
Doubles – Semifinal
(3) Babos/Minella def. Dominguez Lino/Parra Santonja 3-6 7-6(8-6) 10-8
©Daily tennis news wire
Topics: Ana Ivanovic, Li Na, Maria Sharapova, Maybe Angelique, Petra Kvitova, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, Victoria Azarenka, Yaroslava Shvedova