Today’s Women’s News (4/27) – Stuttgart/Marrakech

Written by: Staff on 26th April 2013

Today's Women's News (4/27) - Stuttgart/Marrakech

epa03621113 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus hits a return against Urszula Radwanska of Poland in the first set during the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California, USA, 12 March 2013. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO |

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.