Getting to Know Varvara Lepchenko

I was not able to see Varvara Lepchenko play last week in her run through the quarterfinals in the Madrid Open.  It was quite an achievement, considering she was only ranked #77 and had to qualify to enter the tournament.  Her first round opponent was no pushover either - 2010 French Open champion, Francesca Schiavone.  Well, she disposed of her then went on to defeat Shahar Peer of Israel.  In the third round, she stunned veteran clay courter Anabel Medina Garrigues. 

However, she ran into in-form player Agnieszka Radwanska in the quarters, thus ending her remarkable run.  The score 46 46. Not bad!

Roger Wins Madrid As Rafa and Novak Whine

It's not like he still needed anything to prove, but Roger Federer edges Tomas Berdych 63 75 75 today in the finals of the Madrid Open.  During the week, both Rafa and Novak were complaining about the clay, and got bundled out in the earlier rounds, Roger most likely saw the opportunity and took it - winning yet another Masters 1000 title, tying him with Rafa Nadal at 20.  Nadal won his 20th last week in Monte Carlo.

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The Sublime Tipsarevic Topples Djokovic

When I was watching Janko Tipsarevic play Gilles Simon last night, the hush in the stadium was so palpable since both guys just went on their business quietly.  In the end, Janko dominated Gilles 61 in the third set.  While both Rafa and Novak were very vocal about their complaints re the clay in Madrid, the taciturn Janko Tipsarevic took advantage of the sluggish play of Djokovic this whole week, and upended him in the first set, 76.  He then proceeded to hold his grip even tighter in the second set, winning it comfortably 63.  I guess, Janko is the beneficiary of all these complaining Novak has been doing this whole week. Not that Tipsarevic is not playing well, he's just concentrating more on the task at hand while Novak was getting himself distracted.

Whoever he faces in the semifinal round is a tough customer - take your pick - Federer or Ferrer?

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Hradecka and Hlavackova Should Play Singles

I've heard that these two very talented Czech players, Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka, are doubles players who've won last year's French Open doubles title.  I don't live under a rock in terms of tennis, since it's one sport that I try to follow religiously - so when I saw these girls play in Madrid this week - I got myself to asking, WHY AREN'T THEY CONCENTRATING ON THEIR SINGLES!??  What I saw on the court was enough to tell me that with a little bit more coaching and help, these two girls can easily land in the top 10, if guided properly!  Hradecka, especially, looks stronger than Kvitova!  Her aces are just awesome to watch! Hlavackova's ground strokes are so precise and she's so comfortable on the net, she can really be dangerous.

Oh well, I hope they do well in the singles circuit more, since these two girls can add so much to the excitement of the competition - and any sport needs that!

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Match I Saw Today: Serena Williams vs. Caroline Wozniacki

This is the first time I've seen Caro play aggressive tennis - and she had to - because across her was 13-times Grand Slam champion, Serena Williams.  Although not a clay courter, Serena's power game allows her to dominate in any surface. However, today, I really thought she would lose because she looked out of sorts and Caro was very aggressive - that is, until 61 21.  After that, the tigress woke up, and ended the second set at 63.  She was ruthless in the third set and finished it at 62, as Caro desperately tried to match Serena toe to toe on the power game.  Better luck next time dear!

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Another Czech Rises: Lucie Hradecka

Like the Germans, the Czech women also populate the Top 100 in women's tennis now, and they're led by 2011 Wimbledon champion, Petra Kvitova.  One of their rising stars was Petra's conqueror yesterday, Lucie Hradecka.  Today, Lucie outplayed Russian Ekaterina Makarova, 62 76. 

Lucie ruled the first set but Ekaterina came alive in the second set and took it to a tiebreaker.  There, it seemed like Ekaterina had the second set in the bag when she had a 40 lead, but Lucie came roaring back winning the next five points.  Eventually, she closed everything out at 75!

Match I Saw Today: David Ferrer vs. Nicolas Almagro

When you see the names of David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro drawn together in a match, especially on clay, you know you are in for a tight, scintillating match!  And that is EXACTLY what we got today, as almost nothing separated both players.  On paper though, David had won every single match they had before at a dismal 9 wins to zero against Almagro.

Anyway, the match was quite enjoyable to watch as both players elevated their games when they needed to.  Eventually, each player took a seat from each other.  In the third set, it was not surprising that they reached a tiebreak - and I really thought Almagro was going to win it at 55 since he had the momentum. But not to be, Ferrer came out of nowhere and won the match at 75.  Such a heartbreaking loss to Almagro since he really tried his best! But kudos to both for giving such a high level of performance!