Friday, February 14, 2014

Semifinals set in Doha

Petra Kvitova and Venus Williams gave us a real thriller in the second round of the Qatar Total Open, which Kvitova won in three sets. The 3rd seed then went on to beat countrywoman Lucie Safarova 7-6, 5-7, 6-2 in the third round, but today, a tired-looking Czech was sent home in straight sets by a very in-form Jelena Jankovic. The tournament's top seed, Li Na, was upset by Petra Cetkovska in the third round; today, Cetkovska won one game against Angelique Kerber.

Kerber will play Jankovic in the semifinals, and Simona Halep will play Agnieszka Radwanska. Halep practically ran over Sara Errani in the quarterfinals. Kerber and Jankovic have played each other only twice (that seems odd), both times on hard courts, and they are 1-1. Radwanska has a 3-1 record against Halep. Jankovic has dropped only nine games in three matches (she had a bye in the first round).

Top-seeded Errani and partner Roberta Vinci have advanced to the semifinals in doubles.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kvitova seems to wait until she is close to disaster to bring her A-game to the fore. Often that is too late.
It was today. Could she possibly believe that this approach is good in any way?

Diane said...

Makes me think of Thrill Ride, but because Kvitova's skill level is so high, watching her do this is more painful than watching Safina was. This is a mental issue, having to do with needing pressure and to come from behind, I suppose. But it isn't working.