Jamie Hampton’s Awesome Auckland Ride Abated by Aga
Jamie Hampton played in her first WTA semifinal tonight, and despite a sloppy performance by both players in Auckland, she managed to take 12 games from world #4 Agnieszka Radwanska before falling in two close tiebreaks where both players had chances. At a career high ranking of #70, she is certain to improve on that leading into the final week before the Australian Open. This was a run of which to be proud and poises her for great expectations in Melbourne Park.
Jamie is poised to crack the top 50 before she leaves the Southern Hemisphere
A. Radwanska d. J, Hampton 7-6 (4), 7-6(3)
It also appears that Yanina Wickmayer is finally back. She’ll face Aga in the final after dispatching Mona Barthel in a tight three setter.
AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA FORCED TO WITHDRAW FROM FAMILY CIRCLE CUP (The Official Word) #FCC2012
CLICK FOR THE NEW DRAW! MDS (1)
Some Seeded Players to be Repositioned in Singles Draw as Prescribed by WTA Regulations
Charleston, S.C. (April 01, 2012) – Agnieszka Radwanska was forced to withdraw from the Family Circle Cup due to a back injury. Marking the tournament’s 40th year, the Family Circle Cup is being held through April 8, 2012 at the Family Circle Tennis Center in the Best Tennis Town in America, Charleston, S.C.
“We’re as disappointed as our fans to lose our top seed, and we wish Agnieszka a quick recovery”said Bob Moran, Family Circle Cup Tournament Director. “We have an outstanding player field that includes six former champions and many of today’s biggest names in women’s tennis.”
Several seeded players within the Singles Main Draw will be repositioned as prescribed by WTA regulations:
If the No. 1 seed withdraws the following must take place.
The 3rd seed ( MARION BARTOLI ) will take that spot
The 5th seed ( SERENA WILLIAMS ) takes the open 3rd seed position,
The 9th seed ( LUCIE SAFAROVA ) takes the 5th seed position,
The 13th seed ( NADIA PETROVA ) takes the 9th seed position.
The next player to be seeded ( MARINA ERAKOVIC ) will take the open 13th seeded position, and
The next eligible player into the draw ( a QUALIFIER or LUCKY LOSER as qualifying is currently in progress ) takes the remaining position created by this move.
These moves are done to create a balanced draw prior to the release of the schedule of play
“’I'm very sorry that I can’t play in Charleston this year. I played there a few years ago and was really looking forward to returning,”said Radwanska. “I know it is a great event and a beautiful city, so hopefully I can come back and play there next year.”
“While I am excited that I won the Sony Ericsson Open I am disappointed that I have to withdraw from the Family Circle Cup in Charleston. I was really looking forward to playing the event this year.”added Radwanska.
Family Circle Cup: Agnieszka Radwanska withdraws; Back Injury cited #FCC2012
Sony Ericsson Open Champion Agnieszka Radwanska has withdrawn from the Family Circle Cup tournament, according to tournament officials. Radwanska, the #1 seed at the tournament, had not disclosed a reason for the withdrawal at the present time. But we imagine she’s suffering from dehydration, exhaustion and jubilation. WTA Rules require a reshuffling of position, whereby Marion Bartoli will move into Aga’s spot in the draw. Instead of playing the winner of Vesnina and Dubois, she will now move to Aga’s place and face the winner of Dushevina/Qualifier. More details to follow and FamilyCircleCup.com is working on the big story right now.
UPDATE: It apparently WAS a back injury as a twitter follower pointed out yesterday. The draw will be affected for many players, including Bartoli, Serena Williams, Safarova, Petrova and Erakovic.
“I’m very sorry that I can’t play in Charleston this year.” Radwanska added.
Family Circle Cup: Early Predictions #FCC2012 @FamilyCircleCup
Marion Bartoli
Seven of the women playing today in the Sony Ericsson Sweet 16 are headed to Charleston next week for the Family Circle Cup. Of the Charleston top seeds, only Vera Zvonareva, Jelena Jankovic and Julia Goerges have been eliminated from contention in Miami. Zvonareva looked terrible in a career-low loss to Muguruza-Blanco and Jankovic lost to Mona Barthel last week after having been bounced from Indian Wells two weeks earlier by Jamie Hampton. At least Julia Goerges doesn’t have to hang her head low after suffering defeat from Kim Clijsters in Key Biscayne. Based on their most recent past performances, we’re definitely not picking Bepa or Jelena in our Family Circle Cup bracket.
It’s early, but I’d look for a Sony Ericsson semi-finalist to win it all in Charleston. Too often the winner (or finalist) of a two-week tournament is too weakened to make another run to raise a second consecutive trophy.
Wicky is our Wild Card Picky
Sam Stosur, Marion Bartoli and Agnieszka Radwanska should all be able to make deep runs at Charleston given their recent play. Our wild card will be Yanina Wickmayer. She’s had her ups and downs of late, but it is good to see her playing in the second week of a tournament for the first time in a long time. Besides, she could put those 470 WTA points for the winner to the best use of all the contenders.
The main draw selection show for Family Circle Cup will be covered at this site and tweeted @TennisEastCoast next Saturday from 3:00 p.m. EDT on the Grand Lawn of the Family Circle Tennis Center.
Tennis Maryland to Do the Charleston; Chakvetadze, Mattek-Sands, Oprandi Will Not
Family Circle Tennis Center
Tennis Maryland is pleased to announce that we’ll be providing on-site coverage of the first half of the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina from March 31-April 3, 2012. We’ll be there for all 36 qualifying matches and the first two days of main draw play. If there’s a player you’d like to see featured, speak up now. The draw ceremony will also be covered next Saturday afternoon.
Unfortunately, Anna Chakvetadze, Romina Oprandi and Bethanie Mattek-Sands have withdrawn from the tournament due to injuries. Chakvetadze was also forced to throw in the towel at Indian Wells and Miami due to back pain and Oprandi previously took a pass in Miami with a right knee injury. Mattek-Sands announced her intention to withdraw on Twitter last week due to a “hip/back injury”.
Though she won't be doing the Charleston, Bethanie did sing Danny Boy on St. Patrick's Day
In the case of Mattek-Sands, she was a Tennis Maryland interview waiting to happen. Alas, it will not. She was even set to take part in a charity auction whereby one lucky bidder would practice with her, lunch with her, toss the coin at her first match and walk off with a signed racquet. All proceeds were to benefit MUSC Children’s Hospital in Charleston. There’s been no word yet on whether Mattek-Sands will be replaced by another WTA player in the charity auction.
The withdrawals don’t exactly weaken the field. 16 of the top 35 players in the world remain in the draw, including notable top 20s Agnieszka Radwanska (#4), Sam Stosur (#5), Marion Bartoli (#7), Vera Zvonareva (#10), Serena Williams (#11), Sabine Lisicki (#13), Jelena Jankovic (#15) and Julia Georges (#17).
Cardiac Kid Christina McHale Barely Fails to Repeat as Quarter Finalist at Indian Wells; Hampton Retires #bnppo12
What a day of ups and downs for the USA WTA contingent. The sole surviving American interests in the women’s part of the BNP Paribas Open faced significant drama and yes, ’swings’ of all kinds.
First, Jamie Hampton, the New South’s new tennis darling (after ignominious hard times for Melanie Oudin), had placed #5 Agnieszka Radwanska in a difficult spot. After giving away the first set, Hampton rallied to win the second in the breaker and clearly had the momentum. Then, Hampton gave way and retired in the third set, yet another victim of the Infamous Indian Well Water Bug.
But the toughest news of today is that Christina McHale, our Mid-Atlantic sister, lost in dramatic style against 2011 US Open Semi-finalist Angelique Kerber of Germany. It was another topsy-turvy match for McHale, who won a comeback three-setter on Sunday against 2011 Wimbledon Champion Petra Kvitova. Today’s final score of 3-6, 6-3, 6-7(4) was even a tighter loss than the tight win McHale notched against Kvitova. McHale and her Navy failed to sail forward to face the winner of Kirilenko/Petrova, who play later tonight. Kerber will face that winner. But tonight, it was McHale who showed an aura of grit and determination about her that suggests that she will do much greater things in her career than simply getting back to a second straight Quarterfinal in Indian Wells.
