TennisToday

Julia Goerges has Big Upset Win for Title at Stuttgart

Stuttgart WTA - Final

Julia Goerges d 1 Caroline Wozniacki - 76(3) 63

Well, that's a good way to spike your ranking up from #32.

Suddenly Germany: Could this be the start of something big for Julia?

She had a great tourney beating 3 top 10 players: Caro, Sam & Vika.

Julia: I had goosebumps at match point.

It was an unbelievable feeling playing a final with so many people watching.

This is Julia's 2nd tour title following Bastad last year.

As for Caro - her 1st red clay title will have to wait a little longer.

She will next play at Madrid - let's see what she brings to Spain.

Photo: Reuters

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Drag in Monte-Carlo Player Party

This has been a crazy couple of days for crazy outfits.

But ding ding ding, we have a clear winner...

Caro tweeted this of Jo-Willy early from the MC player party.

Ok, we sooooo need video of this...

ATP & WTA Weekend Winners for April 10, 2011

The ATP saw Pablo Andujar & Ryan Sweeting win their 1st tour titles today.

***

Marbella WTA: 1 Victoria Azarenka d Q Irina-Camelia Gebu - 63 62

Vika makes it 2-in-a-row after winning at Miami last week.

Welcome to the top 5 girl!

Casablanca: Pablo Andujar d 5 Potito Starace - 61 62

Pablo is currently ranked #69. He is the 12th ranked Spaniard.

After today's win he should be up to #9 in Spain.

Charleston: 1 Caroline Wozniacki d Elena Vesnina - 62 63

This is Caro's 3rd title of 2011. And, yes, solidifies her #1 ranking.

Jet lag: She is playing an exo in Monte-Carlo tomorrow at 3. Phew.

Houston: WC Ryan Sweeting d 6 Kei Nishikori - 64 76(3)

Title #1 was accompanied with a jump in the River Oaks pool.

Ryan will see his ranking jump to just outside the top 50.

Quallies are gonna be a thing of the past.

Photos: AP/Reuters

Caroline Wozniacki into WTA Charleston Final

Charleston WTA - Semifinal

1 Caroline Wozniacki d 3 Jelena Jankovic - 64 64

Love her or not Caro sure does win a LOT of matches.

In her last 10 tournaments she has made the finals of 7 - winning 4.

She is a clear #1 in the rankings but many still refuse to give her props.

Including Chris Evert saying, "She needs to win the French."

Chris also said that Caro would "for sure" win a Slam in her career.

She'll next play Elena Vesnina - H2H: 4-1/CW - including the last 3.

Don't know about you but I'm ready for all the players to be in Europe.

Caroline Wozniacki Found Fernando Gonzalez in Miami

Oh, she found Andy Murray as well. But that Gonzo sighting is a happy one!

I hope this means he's on his way back to the tour.

He is currently ranked #255 - his last match was a 1st R loss at the USO.

Caro tweeted: Really nice to see Fernando back on court!

***

As for Andy Murray - he's in a crazy weird slump at the moment.

He reached the Aussie Open final and has lost 4 straight matches.

Caroline Wozniacki Wins WTA Title at Indian Wells

Indian Wells WTA Women's Final

1 Caroline Wozniacki d 15 Marion Bartoli - 61 26 63

Boy after the first set that sure became a highly entertaining match.

The win makes it 2 titles on the year and the 14th of her young career.

This is Caro's 2nd straight Premier Mandatory title - following Beijing '10.

The win also increases her ranking points at #1 by a wider margin over Kim.

Caro: I just love playing matches. I like winning. I like holding the trophy.

As for Marion she moves up to #10 - top 10 for the 1st time since July '08.

Marion: It has been a while since I was in the Top 10.

I really want to be at the Championships at the end of the year.

That's one of my main goals.

Both ladies are headed to Miami and have 1st round byes.

***

Below is Caro's heartfelt tribute to Japan from earlier in the week.

 

Photos: Getty Images

Caroline Wozniacki & Victoria Azarenka Tribute to Japan

Caro & Vika paid tribute to Japan moments ago as they took the court.

Wonderful move ladies.

Photo: Tennis Channel screen-capture. Please don't sue me.

Novak Djokovic & John Isner Engage in Twitter Battle Over Dinner with Caroline Wozniacki

Happening now. This shiz is funny.

Caro: Home alone in the house, my parents went out for dinner with some friends. Going to cook some Chicken curry with broccoli on the side for dinner.

John: @Caro We are cooking out as well. Come on over Woz!! ;)

Caro: @John what are you cooking?

John: @Caro Chicken, steak, salad, pasta, and berries. You're missing out. Just saying...

Caro: @John that sounds good :) who is "we"? who are you eating dinner with?

John: @Caro my coach and Kyle (the dude with the mullet)

***butting in...

Novak: @Caro @John And you are leaving me hungry? :-)

Caro: @Novak hahaha!!! Come over :) i have soo much food and you are only a few meters away ;) there is enough for the rest of the team too;)

John: @Novak baahahahah. Plenty of food for everyone!

Caro: @John haha Kyle with the cool hair lol.. Sounds very nice, but think i will skip this time.. Next time :)

John: @Caro OKKK. Suit yourself. Wrestling will be on at 9. How are you gonna skip out on that?

Caro: @John haha!! WoW yes Wrestling, HOW on earth can i miss out on that?? *sarcastic* ;) is it the girl again?

John: @Caro I don't know what you're talking bout Woz!

Caro: @John of course you do! The woman wrestler you are in love with ;) forgot her name :) sorry;)

Novak: @John Ok John,i am taking over now. So, @Caro where is that dinner? Ehehehehehe!

*** Boom, and just like that John is the CB victim...

Caro: @Novak here at home :) Just bring some dessert.. :)

John: @Novak Go crash her dinner.. And make sure the she doesn't burn the meat!

Caro: @John hahahaha!!! do i hear anger in your message?? lol

John: @Caro No anger but Kyle is a helluva cook and u are missing it!

Caro: @John if he is such a good cook why are you so desperately trying to eat dinner with me ;) hahaha

***Yea... that's what I was just thinking...

John: @Caro OUCH OUCH OUCH!!! geeeeeeeeeeez

***Novak with the win.

ATP & WTA Weekend Winners for Feb 27, 2011 - Welcome Back to Winners Circle Juan Martin Del Potro!

Dubai: 2 Novak Djokovic d 1 Roger Federer - 63 63

Very impressive win for Novak as he remains undefeated this year.

This marks the first time in his career he's done a 3-peat.

He also becomes the 7th active player to win at least 20 titles.

A lot of tennis headlines have been sounding the Fed & Nadal 'end of era'.

Too soon: Let's hold off and revisit that after Wimbledon, shall we?

***

Acapulco: 1 David Ferrer d 3 Nicolas Almagro - 76(4) 67(2) 62

David makes it 2 in-a-row in Acapulco - he likes that giant pear trohpy!

As he denies Nico a 3rd title in this years Golden Swing thru Latin America.

***

Delray: Juan Martin Del Potro d Janko Tipsarevic - 64 64

Look out guys: Someone's comeback just got a solid shot in the arm.

This is Juan's 1st title since winning the US Open in '09.

He was sidelined for most of 2010 with a career-threatening wrist injury.

Delray Beach represented his 5th tournament this season.

He's rocking a nice 13-4 W/L - which includes Sf's in San Jose & Memphis.

His ranking just spiked to #89 - FOUR weeks ago he was ranked #485.

It was a matter of time - but who knew it would be this fast?

Doha: 2 Vera Zvonareva d 1 Caroline Wozniacki - 64 64

Vera improves her finals record to 11-16 and H2H with Caro to 4-4.

Acapulco: 4 Gisella Dulko d Arantxa Parra Santonja - 63 76(5)

This is Gisella's 4th WTA title - but perhaps she had a bigger week for this:

She & Flavia became co-#1's on the the women's doubles rankings.

Photos: AP/Reuters/Getty Images

Vera Zvonareva Wins Doha WTA Title

Doha WTA - Final

2 Vera Zvonareva d 1 Caroline Wozniacki - 64 64

Oddly enough, this is Vera's first title in just over a year.

This is her 11th WTA title as she levels her H2H against Caro to 4-4.

The win won't help Vera's ranking as she remains a solid #3.

She's a little stuck behind Caro & Kim - for awhile at least.

After the match Vera took to her Twitter page:

I got so many fans supporting me here in Doha, it is an amazing feeling!

Thank you everyone!!!

Both gals will take a week or so off before heading to Indian Wells.

Vera was the winner at IW in '09, Caro the losing finalist last year.

Cali: She you in a different desert ladies!

Photos: Getty Images

Wozniacki & Zvonareva to Play for Doha WTA Title

Doha WTA - Final Preview

1 Caroline Wozniacki vs 2 Vera Zvonareva - H2H: 4-3

This is easily the hottest rivalry in women's tennis. Here comes #8.

And they only played their 1st match less than 2 years ago - Indian Wells '09.

This will be their third final together - Caro won the previous two.

They played 5 times last year: 3-2/Caro.

However, their biggest match was a Vera win last year in the Sf's at USO.

Both are still looking for their maiden Grand Slam title.

***

Semifinal Results

1 Caroline Wozniacki d Marion Bartoli - 61 61

In 15 matches played this year Caro has won 9 sets at 61 or 60.

2 Vera Zvonareva d 5 Jelena Jankovic - 61 26 64

Boy, JJ had 3 break points to go and serve for the match - brain fart.

But good for her, she needed a good result this week. Done.

Photos: Getty Images

Caroline Wozniacki Takes Court in Doha Wearing Steven Gerrard's Jersey

Doha WTA - Quarterfinal

1 Caroline Wozniacki d Flavia Pennetta - 62 60

Admittedly, I have no idea who Steven Gerrard is...

Cut me some slack - born and raised in So Cal. I'm not suppose to know!

I do know from following her on Twitter he's a footballer for Liverpool.

And that he sent her an autographed jersey the other day.

It's very cute that she wore it for her warm-up today in Doha.

Caro has improved her W/L for the year to a healthy 12-2.

She will next face Marion Bartoli in the Sf's - H2H: 3-2/CW.

Amazingly tho, Marion has won their last 2 meetings.

They have met once before in Doha - Caro taking that one in '08.

Fun fact: Caro has lost only 5 sets this year and...

In the 25 sets she's won only 6 times has she lost 4 or more games.

That worthy of a big yowza.

Photos: Getty Images

Caroline Wozniacki Wins WTA Title in Dubai

Dubai WTA - Final

1 Caroline Wozniacki d 16 Svetlana Kuznetsova - 61 63

That was a 75 minute thumper. And boring as all get-out.

Caro's win this week moves her back to #1 for at least a few more weeks.

This is her 1st title of the season and her 13th career WTA trophy.

Caro has now won the last 3 Premier 5 titles: Montreal, Tokyo & Dubai.

She will play as the #1 seed in Doha next week with a 1st round bye.

***

Sveta is now 13-19 in WTA finals - her last title being San Diego in Aug '10.

Right direction tho: Sveta's showing will move her up to about #13 from #23.

She too heads to Doha and will play the #8 seed Shahar Peer - H2H: 4-3/SK.

Photo: Reuters

Caroline Wozniacki Wins Qf in Dubai and Regains #1

Dubai WTA - Quarterfinal

1 Caroline Wozniacki d 9 Shahar Peer - 62 64

And just like that Caro returns to #1 after losing it to Kim for a week.

Caro post match: Of course, it's nice to be back to #1. It's a good feeling.

I gave Kim one week. Hopefully, now I will have it for a few more weeks.

Kim replied on Twitter: Congrats :-) ha ha

I was hoping Peer would win this match... For one reason:

I'm just not in the mood to listen to all the 'who's the real #1' crap.

It's boring. And tired.

Last year it was Serena, now it's Kim - both essentially part-time players.

Not hard to wrap your mind around. End of story.

Photo: From the players party the other night.

Anna Chakvetadze Collapses on Court in Dubai

Dubai WTA - 2nd Round

1 Caroline Wozniacki d Anna Chakvetadze - 61 3-5 ret.

Anna went to serve for the 2nd set and fainted after a long rally.

She was given a 7 minute medical time-out, played 1 more point & retired.

Tourney officials later said that Anna was suffering from a stomach illness.

Caro: It was a shock. It was scary. To see someone collapse on other side,

it's not a nice sight. I just want to make sure she was OK.

BTW, Caro needs only reach the Sf's to regain the #1 ranking.

Hmmm, I'm not seeing that not happen. Your move Kim.

Women's Semifinals All Set for Australian Open

Australian Open - Women's Semifinal Preview

1 Caroline Wozniacki vs 9 Li Na - 1-2

R'uh r'oh: The 2 played twice last year and Li won them both.

And both of them were in Australia - including at the AO in the 4th round.

Li is also the only undefeated player of 2010.

Caro: By making the Sf's she is assured the #1 ranking on Monday.

***

2 Vera Zvonareva vs 3 Kim Clijsters - 3-6

They played 4 times last year: 3-1/VZ. But Kim won the big one at the USO.

This is the 5th time they've played at a Slam: 3-1/KC.

Their 1st match was a 3-setter way back at USO '02 which went Kim's way.

5 of their 9 matches have gone the distance. I'm thinking tonight too.

Photo: AP/Reuters/Getty Images

Caroline Wozniacki into Semifinal at Australian Open

Australian Open - Women's Quarterfinal

1 Caroline Wozniacki d 6 Francesca Schiavone - 36 63 63

For a moment there it looked like Fran was gonna do the improbable.

She was up a set & a break - then she ran into that mean bitch: exhaustion.

The scoreline doesn't really reflect the effort Fran put into this thing.

Her fight was inspiring.

***

As for Caro, the win secures her #1 ranking no matter who takes the title.

She's still seeking a maiden Slam - which many feel will justify her ranking.

Caro advances to her 3rd Slam Sf: 1-1.

Advancing to her 2nd Slam final won't be easy - as she faces inform Li Na.

And she'll need to steer clear of those pesky kangaroos.

Caro on being down: Well, I don't mind playing three setters in general.

I feel in good shape, and I can keep playing out there.

So I was just thinking just try to stay in the match. She still hasn't won it.

When I went to the third set, I was really pumped and

ready to go out there and fight until the last ball.

Photo: Getty Images

Caroline Wozniacki 1st Quarterfinalist at Australian Open

Australian Open - Women's Fourth Round

1 Caroline Wozniacki d Anastasija Sevastova - 63 64

Yea, that scoreline does not accurately reflect the closeness of this match.

Given a little more time I'm gonna need to know how to spell her name.

And add a category.

This is Caro's 4th Slam Qf: 2-1. Haters: That's not bad for a 20 year-old.

She only needs to make the Sf's to leave Australia with the #1 ranking.

No gimme: In the Qf's she'll next face the winner of Kuznetsova/Schiavone.

Things are starting to get very interesting in Melbourne.

Photo: Getty Images

Australian Open Day 5: A Quick Summary

The following are all third round matches, natch.

8 Andy Roddick d Robin Hasse - 26 76(2) 62 62

Rough start. Picked it up in the 2nd. Then cruised to victory.

Remember Robin was voted 'most improved' by the ATP last season.

Semi bound year: Odd years find A-Rod in the Sf's: '03, '05, '07, '09.

To get there he'll need to get thru Wawrinka next & probably Federer.

Andy vs Stan - H2H: 2-1/SW. Both Stan wins were from Andy retirements.

14 Maria Sharapova d Julia Goerges - 46 64 64

Talk about gutting one out. This was a thriller from 1st to last ball struck.

This is furtherest she's been at the Aussie Open since she won in '08.

This is also her 3rd straight 4th round showing at a Slam.

I've said it here many times last year: She's due a good Slam result.

9 Fernando Verdasco d Kei Nishikori - 62 64 63

He picked this up right where he left us with Tipsarevic.

And in his Clavin's no less.

The '09 Sf'ist has now matched last years result.

To improve on that he'll have to get thru Tomas Berdych - H2H: 6-4/TB.

That will be a really great 4th rounder for sure.

1 Caroline Wozniacki d Dominika Cibulkova - 64 63

Caro turned the tables on the half-pint that beat her last week in Sydney.

Then went into the presser and wowwed the journos by interviewing herself.

Google it. It's funny.

6 Francesca Schiavone d Monica Nicolescu - 60 76(2)

Has she yet been on a bigger court tha Margaret Court?

This is Fran's 14th visit to a Slam 4th round: 5-8.

She have a fun one next against Svetlana Kuznetsova: 8-4/SK.

6 Tomas Berdych d 28 Richard Gasquet - 62 76(3) 62

Here's a shocker: Tomas is 3-9 in Slam 4th round matches.

Two of those 3 wins came last year at Roland Garros & Wimbledon.

And he followed them up with Sf & RU runs respectively.

Also, he has David Ferrer breathing down his neck for that #6 ranking.

And nothing is certain with Verdasco next.

23 Svetlana Kuznetsova d 11 Justine Henin - 64 76(8)

Shocker #1: This is only Sveta's 3rd win over Justine in 19 matches.

Shocker #2: This is the very first time she won a tie-break over Justine.

Shocker #3: Sveta really tried to give this match away to Justine.

Ok, that last one isn't a shocker - but when you serve for it twice...

***

Photos: Reuters/Getty Images

Caroline Wozniacki, Justine Henin & Svetlana Kuznetsova All Advance at Australian Open

Australian Open - Women's Second Round

1 Caroline Wozniacki d Vania King - 61 60

11 Justine Henin d Elena Baltacha - 61 63

Svetlana Kuznetsova d Arantxa Rus - 61 64

This quarter of the draw is rich with star-power...

It also includes Bartoli & Schiavone - who have yet to play today.

Caro, Justine & Sveta all offered near total crushing beatdowns today.

Justine & Sveta will play each other in the next round - H2H: 16-2/JH.

Caro could face Cibulkova next - who beat Caro last week in Sydney.

This quarter, as they say, is hotting up. Unlike the weather.

Photos: Getty Images