Women Tennis Update – Doha Friday, February 15, 2013

Written by: Staff on 14th February 2013

Women Tennis Update - Doha Friday, February 15, 2013

epa03583779 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus returns the ball to Christina McHale of the USA during their third round match of the WTA Qatar Ladies Open tennis tournament at the International Khalifa Tennis Complex Doha, Qatar, 14 February 2013. Azarenka won 6-0 and 6-0. EPA/STRINGER |

Doha

Singles – Third Round: (1) Victoria Azarenka def. Christina McHale 6-0 6-0

Victoria Azarenka will probably find out on Friday whether she gets to keep the #1 ranking. In the meantime, she does what she can to stay there. Christina McHale, a quarterfinalist last year, falls to just above #50.

Singles – Third Round: (2) Serena Williams def. Urszula Radwanska 6-0 6-3

One more win and Serena clinches #1.

Singles – Third Round: (3) Maria Sharapova def. Klara Zakopalova 6-3 6-3

Forgotten in the Azarenka/Serena contest is the fact that Maria Sharapova still has a shot at #1 also. Not much, though, since she needs both Azarenka and Serena to get out of her way — and they don’t seem to want to. For Klara Zakopalova, this means no Top Twenty spot.

Singles – Third Round: (4) Agnieszka Radwanska def. (13) Ana Ivanovic 6-1 7-6(8-6)

This was a pretty easy day in Rankings Spreadsheet Land: Take the top eight players in action and advance them to the quarterfinal; eliminate everyone else. Ana Ivanovic will stay at #13.

Singles – Third Round: (6) Sara Errani def. Daniela Hantuchova 7-5 5-7 6-2

Daniela Hantuchova will have to settle for a ranking around #70.

Singles – Third Round: (7) Petra Kvitova def. (11) Nadia Petrova 4-6 6-4 6-3

Petra Kvitova seems to be having one of her good events. She leaves Nadia Petrova still at #12.

Singles – Third Round: (8) Samantha Stosur def. Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4 7-5

Svetlana Kuznetsova is back in the Top Fifty, but just barely.

Singles – Third Round: (10) Caroline Wozniacki def. Mona Barthel 7-6(8-6) 6-3

Mona Barthel has put herself in the Top Thirty, but this means no Top 25 spot. With everyone below her out, Caroline Wozniacki has now clinched her Top Ten spot.

Doubles – Second Round: (4) Llagostera Vives/Zheng def. Naydenova/Schiavone 7-5 6-0

Doubles – Second Round: (6) Groenefeld/Peschke def. Jurak/Marosi 1-6 7-5 10-6

Doubles – Second Round: (7) Hlavackova/Safarova def. Black/Rodionova 6-3 3-6 10-5

It appears likely that Cara Black will be returning to the Top Hundred, although her margin will be small.

Doubles – Second Round: Hantuchova/Medina Garrigues def. Garcia/McHale 6-1 6-2

Doubles – Second Round: Raymond/Stosur def. Husarova/Zhang 6-4 4-6 10-6

Player News

At least tennis catches some players with steroids in their systems….

Czech player Barbora Zahlavova Strycova failed a drug test taken last October 15. She was found to have taken a banned stimulant. Zahlavova Strycova attributed it to a supplement. The ITF has suspended her through April 15.

Zahlavova Strycova failed the test at Luxembourg, and her only singles result since then was a second round at the Ismaning Challenger at the end of October; her last WTA doubles event was at Linz 2012. So she won’t lose much money. But her ranking will be very much in the pits.

©Daily tennis news wire

Topics: Christina Mchale, Klara Zakopalova, Maria Sharapova, Sara Errani, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, Victoria Azarenka, women tennis update