Serena N'Est Parle Pas Plus Français Cette Année

A day after up-and-coming Kristina Mladenovic took out world No.2 and reigning Australian Open champion, Na Li, another rising star produced the shock of the tournament when she dismissed none other than the undisputed queen herself, American Serena Williams. Spanish Garbine Muguruza produced the performance of her lifetime to bruise aside the world No.1, 6-2,6-2.

Although Garbine has been pilling up great results this season—winning her maiden title in Hobart and reaching the fourth round in Melbourne—there was really nothing to announce this victory. The American seemed in solid form going into the meeting, having won in Rome just a week ago before crushing French teenager, Alizé Lim,  6-2,6-1 in the opening round. Plus, having lost in the fourth round Down Under, Williams was hungry to add another Grand Slam to her already impressive collection. And when she is hungry, there usually nothing standing in her way. Nothing but this talented, uninhibited Spanish player who took full advantage of her opponent’s error-strewn display to score the biggest win of her career. 

"It was one of those days," Williams said. "You know, you can't be on every day. I hate to be off during a Grand Slam, but it happens. It's not the end of the world. It is what it is.

"I love it here, but there's always next year. At least I won't have any points to defend next year, so I look forward to it.

"I'm going to go home and work five times as hard to make sure I never lose again."

What promised to be a family affair in the third round was quickly dismissed in a matter of hours, with both Williams sisters going out at more or less the same time—Venus lost a close battle to Slovakian teenager Anna Schmieldlova. 

Similar to what happen in 2012 when she was stunned by Virginie Razzano, Serena sees her Parisian adventure come to a sudden, early ending. It remains to be seen if she can make amends like she did last season when she went on to capture the title. The American did lose a bit of her invincibility this year, so I am curious how she will regroup for Wimbledon and if she will indeed fulfill her promise and go on to win the title. In the meantime, congrats to Garbine for keeping a clear head and closing out an amazing victory. It's never easy to beat Serena in a major!

A strong favourite to defend her crown, Serena saw her Parisian adventure come to an shocking end when she was defeated 6-2,6-2 by Spanish Garbine Muguruza.

While Serena was making tons of errors, Garbine remained focus and mentally strong to close out a pretty straight-forward win over her childhood idol.

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Ambitious Kiki Gets Biggest Win

France's young star Kristina Mladenovic has long been searching for a big breakthrough in singles. The two-time Grand Slam mixed-doubles champion is already a reputed doubles specialist, but Kiki has fallen behind in the last 12 months, being unable to establish herself as one of the leading ladies of the game.

So far this season has not been promising. In addition to winning the mixed-doubles title in Melbourne with Daniel Nestor, there's pretty much nothing to stand out in her resume. Nevertheless, tennis can be surprising at times, and sometime you get to win the lottery. All it takes is one great performance to put your career back on track. Just look at Halep's unbelievable rise after Rome 2013. Hopefully the same will happen with Mladenovic, who today stunned world No.2 and reigning Australian Open champion, Chinese Na Li, in the first round of the French Open.

"Look at this season. I went down in the rankings. I was in the Top 50 in the middle of last year, and I'm not longer in the Top 100. But it's only on paper. I've always believed in myself, and I still believed in myself today, and that's how I could put up such a good fight and play so well out there.

"I knew I had this in me. I'm very ambitious. I've never hidden that. And this is such a good win."

It was an extremely tough match for the Frenchwoman who held her nerve after a second set hiccup to eventually close out a 7-5,3-6,6-1 victory over her more prestigious opponent.

"It's definitely a huge thing for me, first round of a Grand Slam and at home at Roland Garros, and it's Li Na," Mladenovic said. "She's such a tough player, an amazing player, a Grand Slam champion. This is really big. You don’t beat Li Na every day."

Next up for Kiki is American Alison Riske and she the 2009 French Open junior champion is  determined to progress deep into the tournament. She has a huge game, a whipping serve and powerful groundstrokes on both wings. If she becomes more consistent, she can surely make the big jump. Hope she can keep up the momentum. Allez, Kiki!

Cheered by the partisan crowd, Kiki Mladenovic got the biggest win of her career, stunning world No.2 and reigning Australian Open champion, Chinese Na Li, 7-5,3-6,6-1 to progress to the second round of the French Open.

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Genie Wins Maiden Crown

After her dream run in Australia—where she reached her first Grand Slam semifinal—Genie Bouchard was expected to consolidate her place amongst the elite. Although she still lacks consistency, the young Canadian sensation has been pilling up great results lately. And with a ranking inside the top 20, it was just a matter of time before she would achieve that goal.

After a series of mixed performances on clay—highlighed by wins over Jelena Jankovic and Venus Williams en route to the semifinals in Charleston—Eugenie remained strong when it mattered most and managed to win her maiden WTA crown in Nürnberg. Seeded second at the start of the tournament, Bouchard did not drop a set until the final, bruising aside Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, Anastasia Rodionova, Yaroslava Shvedova, and Karin Knapp. In the final, she showed great nerves, recovering from the loss of the second set to eventually serve out a marathon 6-2,4-6,6-3 win over Czech Karolina Pliskova.

"Today it was important to just keep at it," said the Canadian. "She's a great player, and she can be very dangerous at times, so I'm really glad I stayed with it and kept fighting for it during the third set.

"This is kind of like a stepping stone for me. Winning a WTA title is of course a goal I've had, and I'm so happy to accomplish it, but I still want to achieve more - more titles, bigger titles—so this is a step in the right direction, and it's part of the dream, but I want to move forward and keep going from here.

"I love Nürnberg. This city will always be special to me because it's where I won my first title."

This triumph represents a huge confidence booster ahead of the French Open scheduled to start in just a few hours. She may not be the most natural clay-court player on the tour, but Genie has the game and the mental strength to cause a few upsets in Paris. Being the charismatic person that she is, the Canadian will surely be a fan favourite at this year's Roland Garros. Go, Genie!

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Time to Say Goodbye: Battling Safina Exits the Battlefield

Long known as Marat Safin's little sister, ambitious Dinara started to make a name for herself in 2008 when she stunned a few of the world's best to claim the title in Berlin. Amongst her victims were none others than the world No.1 and undisputed queen of clay, Justine Henin—who would go on and shock the world by announcing her first retirement after that match—her soon-to-become biggest rival, American Serena Williams, Vika Azarenka, respectively Elena Dementieva, in the final. 

That week saw the birth of Dinara Safina, one of the game's biggest hitters. Nothing was the same after Berlin. It was like Dinara was a completely different player. She carried on the huge momentum into the French Open, beating her more famous compatriots, Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva, and Svetlana Kuznetsova to reach her first Grand Slam final. Nerves took their toll and the Russian ended up succumbing to the inspired Ana Ivanovic who won in straight sets.
Safina remained focus on the positives and the great performances kept pilling up, as she won titles in Los Angeles, Montreal, and Tokyo. She also won the silver medal at the Beijing Olympics, losing a tough battle against Dementieva. That was probably the time she got labelled as a bit of a mental wreak, the Russian lacking the strength to conquer the really important trophies. Her quick dismissal at the hands of Serena Williams in the 2009 Australian Open final didn't do much for her reputation—especially as she won just three games on that occasion.

Safina really caught fire in the spring of 2009. After losing to Kuznetsova in the Stuttgart final, the Russian would go on a 17-match winning streak that saw her collect titles in Rome and Madrid, reach the world No.1 on April 20th, and make her second consecutive final at the French Open. With Serena Williams out of the way, Dinara looked poised to grab the elusive Slam. But for the first time in such an important final she was the big favourite and that really worked against her. Her weak mental strength surfaced once more and she ended up almost gifting the trophy to Svetlana Kuznetsova. This defeat was, I believe, the beginning of the end for Safina. 

Hindered by injuries, the Russian slowly drifted away from the top of the rankings. The remainder of 2009 was pretty miserable, the only highlights being the semifinal at Wimbledon, the final in Cincinnati, and the title in Portoroz—which would be the 12th and last trophy of her short-lived career.

Battling a recurring back injury, Dinara was just a shadow of herself throughout 2010. Early exits and extensive recovery breaks pretty much sum up the season. She came back in 2011 and tried to give it one more try, but her ailing body had the final say. After an early exit in Madrid, the Russian decided to take an indefinite break. In October that year, Marat announced that his sister would not be returning to the tour. After years of silence, Safina made the official announcement this month, She was honored at the Mutua Madrid Open, a tournament she won on its first edition.

Although her career was short-lived, Dinara Safina will always be remembered for her stellar achievements. She emerged from his brother's shadow to become the best player in the world. Although she did not win a Grand Slam in singles, she is amongst the very select few who held the No.1 spot. Thank you, Dinara for all the great lessons you'd taught us and the best of luck going forward! It's always sad to part ways, but I am sure this is not the last we've heard from this ambitious lady.

A look back at Dinara's golden career

Before establishing herself as a singles player, Dinara Safina was a veritable doubles expert. In 2007, she teamed up with Nathalie Dechy to claim her sole Grand Slam title at the US Open.

Berlin 2008 witnessed the birth of Dinara Safina. The Russian beat Justine Henin, Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, and Elena Dementieva to claim the most important title of her career.

Keeping up the stunning form, Safina bruised aside her more famous compatriots, Sharapova, Dementieva, and Kuznetsova to reach her maiden Grand Slam final at the French Open. She lost to Ana Ivanovic.

She continued to pill up great results during the summer. In Los Angeles, she beat Italian Flavia Pennetta for the title.

She bagged a second consecutive title, dismissing Dominika Cibulkova in Montreal.

The winning streak came to an end in the Olympic final, her compatriot, Elena Dementieva, winning the gold medal after a dramatic battle.

The fourth and final title of what has been an amazing breakthrough season came in Tokyo where she defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final.

In 2009, Dinara teamed up with brother Marat to reach the final of the Hopman Cup. They lost the championship battle to Slovaks Dominika Cibulkova and Dominik Hrbaty.

Her nerves once again prevented her from playing her best tennis in the 2009 Australian Open final. She would win just three games against her nemesis, American Serena Williams.

A week after losing to Kuznetsova in the Stuttgart final, Dinara got her revenge. She dismissed her compatriot in the Rome final to claim her first title of the season.

She carried on the winning streak to Madrid where she defeated Dane Caroline Wozniacki for the title. 

The 2009 Roland Garros was Safina's chance to slap the critics and claim the elusive Grand Slam title. Riding on a 17-match winning streak, the Russian once again fell victim to her nerves and ended up losing the final to Kuznetsova.

Dinara knew she'd hit rock bottom when she lost to a player twice her age in the first round at the 2010 French Open. Although she won the first set, she had no answer to Kimiko Date's inspired play. 

Determined to battle injury and recapture her place amongst the elite, the Russian was cruelly humiliated by Kim Clijsters who double-bagelled her in the first round of the 2011 Australian Open. A few months later, Dinara hang up her racquet.

After years of being sidelined by a nasty back injury, the Russian announced her official retirement from professional tennis. The ceremony took place at the Mutua Madrid Open, a tournament she won on its first edition.

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Tennis LOVEBirds: Sharapova & Dimitrov

She is a multiple Grand Slam champion and one of the most influential sports celebrities in the world. He a rising star that has long been labelled as the next big thing in men's tennis. Maria Sharapova and Grigor Dimitrov form the hottest, most powerful tennis couple of the moment. 

The two hooked up last spring, just around the time Grigor was making headlines with his stunning win over world No.1, Novak Djokovic. Interesting enough, their careers went in different directions since. The young Bulgarian took off, winning his first ATP titles, breaking into the top 20, and reaching his maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open earlier this year. Sharapova on the other hand went through some rather dark times, battling a nasty shoulder injury and going titleless since Stuttgart, last April. 

If Grigor has been rumored to have dated none other than Sharapova's nemesis, American Serena Williams, Maria has a rich history of celebrity boyfriends—ranging from Andy Roddick, to Maroon 5's Adam Levine or long-time fiancee, Slovenian pro basketball player, Sasha Vujacic.

Although a bit surprising, this couple is threatening to take over the tennis world. Sharapova is renowned for her determination and iron will, while Grigor is just beginning to fully unleash his lethal games. Just last week, the two love birds were victories in Stuttgart, respectively Bucharest, proving they are game on for a deep run at the French Open later this spring.

A powerful week for this power couple

Grigor Dimitrov stormed through victory in Bucharest without dropping a set. In the final, the Bulgarian beat defending champion, Czech Lukas Rosol 7-6,6-1 to claim his third ATP title.

Just a few hours later, Maria Sharapova recorded a come-from-behind victory over Serbian Ana Ivanovic to claim her third straight Stuttgart crown. 

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Dimitrov Storms to Victory in Rainy Bucharest

A late entry into the main draw, Grigor Dimitrov made the most of his wildcard as he stormed through victory in Bucharest without dropping a set. 

The young Bulgarian has been putting together some solid performances lately, highlighted by the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and the title in Acapulco. Seeded first in Bucharest, Dimitrov was game on since the beginning of the tournament, battling not only his on-court opponents, but also the moody weather—heavy rain showers disrupting play several times throughout the week.
It's been a relatively uneventful ride for Grigor in the Romanian capital, as he claimed straight-sets victories over Jiri Vasely and Sergiy Stakhovski to set a star-studded semifinal showdown with fan favourite Gael Monfils. Unfortunately, the much anticipated clash ended sooner than expected, the Frenchman pulling out because of a twisted ankle while trailing 5-1. 

With his family cheering in the front rows, Dimitrov delivered an exquisite display against defending champion, Czech Lukas Rosol, in the final. He sealed a tense first set tiebreak before cruising through the second act to close out a convincing 7-6,6-1 triumph. “It feels good to have won,” said the Bulgarian. “I lifted my game, not having been happy with my previous matches in the tournament. I knew I had to lift my level, especially after the first set. Lukas is a very good winner, who hit some outstanding winners. It was a pleasure to play in front of Ilie Nastase and other greats.

“I have worked really hard to start winning titles. I have put in enough effort, time and sacrifices to get here,” said the Bulgarian who bagged his second crown of 2014. 

What's next in store for Dimitrov? A first Grand Slam maybe. He is proving stronger as the season progresses, so I wouldn't be surprised to see his take that ultimate step anytime soon. 

Dimitrov put together a solid performance to beat not only his on-court opponents, but also the moody Bucharest weather. The Bulgarian denied defending champion, Czech Lukas Rosol, 7-6,6-1 in the final to bag his second title of 2014.

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Wawrinka Wins All-Swiss Encounter in Monte Carlo

At the beginning of the clay-court season, all eyes were on the Nadal-Djokovic rivalry. The Spaniard, the all-time greatest player on this surface, looked poised to continue his dominance, while the Serb hoped to peg back his nemesis and claim the elusive Roland Garros crown. But, surprise, surprise! The Swiss duo of Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka turned the tables on their rivals, setting up an all-Swiss final in Monte Carlo, Nadal's favourite playground.

Last year, Djokovic denied Rafa a ninth consecutive title and—after the Spaniard's shock exit in the quarterfinals—seemed set for a successful defense. But the two Swiss had another plans. Wawrinka, the reigning Aussie Open champion, bruised aside Ferrer—Nadal's conqueror—to be the first to advance into the final. Federer quickly followed, digging himself out of some early trouble to defeat an ailing Djokovic 7-5,6-2. 

The all-Swiss affair started with Federer in control, the all-time great winning the first set 6-4. Stan has been untouchable in a few matches this year and was able to replicate that form at the start of the second act, giving Roger no chance to break. With both players holding serve, the set was decided in a tiebreak, where a mini-break was all it took for Wawrinka to level the dispute. Back on equal terms, he was not to be denied. Firing winners on both sides, Stan was able to stun Federer, winning 4-6,7-6,6-2 to claim his maiden Masters 1000 crown—following runner-up showings at Rome 2008 (lost to Djokovic) and Madrid 2013 (lost to Nadal).

"It's always special to play Roger," said Wawrinka. "We know it's always a strange match, especially being in the final here. He's my best friend on the tour. We respect each other so much. I'm just trying on the court to win the match. Before and after, we are still very good friends. During the match, we just try everything to win. Today I'm really happy to take that one.

"I can see that when mentally I'm there and I'm fighting, I can play tennis, I can beat all the player. I did an amazing job. I'm really happy after winning my first Grand Slam to win a Masters 1000 so quick. I didn't expect to. When I came here, for me it was more like a test. I knew I was playing good tennis, but I didn't expect to win because the draw was so strong."
Stan's season keeps getting better. With three titles already to his name, he is now leading the race to London. Federer failed in his fourth attempt to grab the Monte Carlo title, one of the three Masters 1000 trophies eluding him. The Swiss is now 1-3 in finals this season, winning in Dubai, but losing in Brisbane and Indian Wells.

This was the first time that the two best friends have met in an ATP final and I hope it marks just the beginning of a really beautiful rivalry at the highest level. Stan is in the form of his life, while Federer is just rediscovering his winning touch. Chances are we could be in for a first all-Swiss Grand Slam final this season. #Letsdoit! #AllSwiss #BFF

#BFF FOREVER! Wawrinka and Federer and not only compatriots, they are also best friends. Roger has been paramount to Stan's recent success, supporting his friend and always believing in his talent. The two train together and are long-term doubles partners.

Although he started slower, Stan Wawrinka got his act together to stun BFF Federer to win his first Masters 1000 crown. It was an extremely entertaining encounter, which Stan won 4-6,7-6,6-2.

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Cornet Wins Marathon in Poland

After a dream week in Dubai—where she stunned world No.1, American Serena Williams, en route to the final—rejuvenated Alize Cornet confirmed her good run of form with another strong performance in Katowice. A wildcard into the draw, Cornet dramatically dismissed  Italian Camila Giorgi to lift her fourth career title. Although she looked poised for a straight sets victory, the Frenchwoman found herself match point down in the decider. She kept a clear head, fought off the match point, regained control, and managed to turn the match around, ultimately closing out a thrilling 7-6,5-7,7-5 triumph over first-time finalist Giorgi.

If there's one thing Cornet proved recently, that's the fact that she is going to fight until the very end. She has shown it so many times already this season, and she did it again in Katowice. Except for her first round match, all other encounters went the distance. Her most notable performance came in the semifinals where she denied home hope Agnieszka Radwanska in absolutely amazing fashion. Not only did she come back after a nightmare first set, but she regrouped again after going down 0-3 in the decider. Showing extreme mental toughness and fierce determination she sealed out a hard-fought 0-6,6-2,6-4 victory. This was her second straight top 3 win.

I am really impressed by how well she is now able to cope with these big matches. In the past, Alize had developed a sort of reputation for losing on the important occasions. Things changed considerably in the past 12 months and, as a result, the Frenchwoman is now on the verge of breaking into the top 20 again. She has been as high as No. 11 in February 2009 and, provided she maintains this excellent run of form, she can maybe climb even higher till the end of the season.

With young hope, Caroline Garcia, winning in Bogota, this has been a sensational week for French tennis. Allez les bleus!

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Garcia's Big Breakthrough in Bogota

She has been labelled as the next teen sensation for quite a while, but it was only this week that French rising star, Caroline Garcia, came of age. Inspired by a courageous performance against world No.1, American Serena Williams, in Miami—where she barely lost 4-6,6-4,4-6—Caroline caught wings. 

Playing in Bogota, the talented Frenchwoman finally got his big breakthrough, winning her maiden crown in style by defeating world No.9 and defending champion, Jelena Jankovic, in the final. Caroline also won the doubles title, becoming the first player since Serena at the 2012 London Olympics to ensure the singles-doubles sweep at a WTA-level event. 

"I'm very happy to win my first WTA title," Garcia said. "It was a good week for me. It's never easy playing with the altitude—it's hard to adapt, and my level was going up and down throughout the week—but I think I adjusted well and I probably played my best match of the week today in the final.

"I'm also really happy I was able to beat Jelena in the final. She's a really nice girl and a great player - she was the No.1 player in the world—and I had to play the best I could today to beat her.

"To win a WTA title is always a goal. Today is the best day I could imagine."

After a few tough years—years of relative frustration in which she had to adjust to the rigors of the WTA tour and to learn how to cope with the high expectations—Garcia looks to have found the maturity needed to fulfill her potential. Like Simona Halep did last summer, I am positive this is just  the beginning for this talented youngster. We will surely hear more of her in months to come. I bet!

With Alize Cornet winning in Katowice, this was a dream week for French tennis. It seems like French players can win after all ;).

Caroline Garcia won her maiden title by stunning defending Bogota champion, Jelena Jankovic, to score her first top 10 victory. The Frenchwoman also won the doubles crown, becoming the first player since Serena at the Olympics to ensure a clean sweep at a WTA-level event.

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Ana's Revival Gathers Steam in Mexico

After a sensational start to 2014, Ana's season keeps getting better as the Serbian added a second crown in Monterrey. 

Seeded second, Ivanovic played solid tennis throughout the week, beating a few up-and-coming players, as well as former world No.1, Dane Caroline Wozniacki, to reach the final. Having taken out her fiercest competitor, Ana cruised through the final, easily dismissing her compatriot, Jovana Jaksic, 6-2,6-1.

It's been a few tough years for the 2008 French Open champion. A few years spent in the wilderness that have completely destroyed her stunning game and crushed her self-confidence. It took tons of patience, endless hard work, a few of the world's best coaches, plus a burning desire to return to the top, but after all these trials and tribulations, the ever-exciting Ivanovic seems to be finally rediscovering her former self. Monterrey is an international stop, but nevertheless, a title is a title, and with two crown already to her name (also Auckland), a Grand Slam quarterfinal, and wins over both Williams sisters—especially against world No.1 Serena—2014 is shaping out nicely for the Serbian. I still look forward to seeing her back in contention for the biggest prizes in women's tennis. She has it in her to add a second Slam to her resume. Go Ana!

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