The AELTC has released the seedings for the 2009 Championships.  They follow the ranking almost exactly, except Maria Sharapova has been seeded #24 despite her current ranking of 59.  There is no disputing Sharapova’s grass court prowess, having won the title in 2004 and made the Semifinals on other occasions, and the All England Club [...]

Svetlana Kuznetsova’s 6-4 6-2 drubbing of a tight Dinara Safina in the French Open final served as a particularly unfitting conclusion to what was one of the most enjoyable majors in recent years.  Coming back from a relatively bland 2008 edition, where the story of choice was who wasn’t playing, the 2009 event was at [...]

Many people, including me, thought Maria Sharapova’s decision to return to the tour in Warsaw was misguided.  A premier level event on her worst surface in the week immediately prior to the French Open did not seem like the place to gain momentum or confidence.  She would probably crash out early against a middling clay [...]

The second major of the year is already upon us as qualifying for the French Open gets underway today.  With just a few days to go until main draw play begins this Sunday, all the talk on the men’s side is about Rafael Nadal’s quest for his 5th consecutive French title and whether Federer or [...]

The WTA players are in Stuttgart, Germany this week for the first major stop on the European clay court swing.  Just like all the other events in Europe this time of year, the tournament is on red clay.  Unlike all the other events, though, this one is indoors.  This Stuttgart event used to be part [...]

The season’s second weekend of Fed Cup is nearly upon us, with 10 ties being contested in three different sectors that will determine the landscape of Fed Cup next year.  The first group is the World Group Semifinals.  These four teams are already safe to play in the World Group next year, and their sole [...]

A major critique of the current teen generation on the WTA Tour has been their inability to win big matches. Players like Azarenka, Wozniacki, Radwanska, Cornet, and Cibulkova have no problem racking up points by playing a full schedule and making a fairly deep run at each of their tournaments, but they crumble in the [...]

The clay court season gets underway this week with International level events in Marbella, Spain and Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.  While the crucial clay court hardware will not be given out until May and June, the beginning of this new part of the year seems an opportune time to break down the women’s field as [...]

The early rounds at Indian Wells were marked by a number of notable upsets, and this trend looks to be continuing in Miami as a fairly depleted field heads toward the final rounds.  With the introduction of the Williams sisters into the field in Miami, many felt that the tournament would retain the best players [...]

Larry Scott announced today that he would be leaving his post as CEO of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, effective July 1st.  Scott will instead be taking over the job of Pac-10 Commissioner upon the retirement of current commissioner Tom Hansen.  Larry Scott began his work with the WTA in 2003, after a successful stint [...]

In January 2006, at the age of 14, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova won the Australian Open Junior title.  Even though she had never before won a match at a Junior Slam, she stormed to the title, not dropping a set until her final encounter with current top-20 mainstay Caroline Wozniacki.  With the talent and presence to win [...]

Mashona Washington, who advanced to the doubles Quarterfinals in Indian Wells, was arrested earlier this week on the charge of felony vandalism.  The arrest occurred Monday at the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort in Indian Wells on a charge relating to damages estimated at at least $5,000.  Washington was detained at the Riverside County Jail in [...]

The first week of the women’s draw at the BNP Paribas Open from Indian Wells has been marked by major upsets.  First, #6 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova was taken out in three sets by Polish teen Urzula Radwanska, sister of Agnieszka Radwanska.  Urszula moves into the top-100 for the first time in her career with this [...]

Reports surfaced today that Maria Sharapova will pull out of the singles event at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, CA.  The event begins next week and will feature all of the top players in both men’s and women’s tennis aside from the Williams sisters.  Sharapova pulled out of the singles because of concerns [...]

Serena Williams showed championship form as she won the cumbersomely titled BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup at Madison Square Garden last night.  The event showcased four of the best players in women’s tennis as Serena, Venus Williams, Ana Ivanovic, and Jelena Jankovic faced off in an abbreviated tournament format, with the [...]

The International Level event in Monterrey, Mexico kicks off this week boasting a field headlined by world #10 Agnieszka Radwanska and former Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli.  With many players resting up for the four week run through Indian Wells and Miami, this event could be a golden opportunity for an unheralded player to take home [...]

The WTA Tour just finished a three-tournament week with simultaneous tour stops in Dubai, Memphis, and Bogota.  The Dubai event was held on an outdoor hardcourt, Memphis was on an indoor hardcourt, and Bogota was on clay.  This smorgasbord of court surfaces may seem ideal, but it is an overloaded week that creates an awkward [...]

On Friday, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour announced a series of penalties for the Dubai Tennis Championships  due to the UAE’s refusal to allow Israeli Shahar Peer to enter the country.  Whether the tournament would exist next year has been the subject of much speculation, but these actions indicate that the tour is willing to [...]

The WTA Tour suffers from a huge ranking point gap right now between the top 8 players and everyone else.  Ana Ivanovic, at #8, currently has a 1600 point lead on Petrova in 9th.  Petrova has actually done well to remain in the top 10 as she has been struggling with injury and illness for [...]

This week, officials in the United Arab Emirates refused to grant a visa to Israeli player Shahar Peer . This action will prevent her from playing in the $2 million Barclay’s Dubai Tennis Championships, which began Monday.  Peer has never attempted to play in the UAE before, but she was granted access to Qatar last [...]