Family Circle Cup: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova’s Exhausted Exit #FCC2012
The Draw was such a blast, everyone wanted to do it again
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who was awarded not one two but two wild cards to Charleston’s 2012 Family Circle Cup, lost to Nadia Petrova in singles yesterday. Pavs was all over the grounds this week, seemingly on a practice court at all hours.
She also hosted the main draw party. Due to an error whereby too many chips were added to the bucket, the draw had to be re-done after it had been posted on the board. The do-over led her right to Petrova, the 2006 Champion, in the draw. The extra shift picking the draw chips must have exhausted her.
It wasn't her fault.
In the video below, she discusses injury, motivation and the important stuff, like whether she reapplies polish after every match.
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.
