2011 Entrant List

Starts June 5... goodbye wind and hello rain. no time sobbing co's the grass courts are calling

sorry... i just noticed that the thread for Aegon was not up yet... it's been a while since i started a thread

This doesn't surprise me a bit. It's typical Sharapova. In the past, whenever she's pulled out of a tournament....and she's pulled out of a lot..... its because she happened to pick up a virus (Paris from Moscow), or she's sprained an elbow, or she has an ear infection...etc, etc, etc. Fact is, 6 tough matches in a row ...the first time she's ever worked so hard since AO 2008, was too much for her body. All a question of Fitness and Stamina. Also giving an excuse, naturally, why she lost...'I've not been feeling well since the beginning of the second week'...Yeah Right. We are not seeing a new Sharapova, just the old one being made to work harder by her new coach. She will be fit enough, of course, to go to London early and do a lot of sponsor shoots before Wimbledon, but mark my words, she is not strong enough to hold it together for 7 matches on grass so dont get your hopes up too high. And after Wimbledon ...probably a month off before she has to find excuses to avoid playing too much before the US Open.

I was really prepared to give her credit for getting herself back to 2006 form, but now I see that nothing has changed.  And, as regards a possible WC for Eastbourne....Never in a million years would she go to Eastbourne.  That Tournament is one of the hardest tournaments of the year with so many top players attending.  Just the kind she likes to and always has avoided.

Probably not this year  though I will follow Holland's tourney all the same. 

Birmingham draw. http://www.wtatennis.com/SEWTATour-Archive/posting/2011/504/MDS.pdf 

Arina Rodionova (Anastasia's still-Russian younger sister) has qualified. Be interesting to see where they put her in the main draw.

 Incessant rain interruptions. Apart from Alison Riske 63 over Gronet, no first set had yet been completed on Wednesday by 16:00 BST. (Play then resumed. Riske won her match & Dani is beating Cirstea 60 43.)

Just look at this stupid WTA item. No genuine interest whatsover in Arina Rodionova's successes--just consternation at the "anomaly" of top seeds ousted:

BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom - Arina Rodionova's 64 62 defeat of Kaia Kanepi in second round action Tuesday at the AEGON Classic was shocking for several reasons.

For one, the 21-year-old Russian Rodionova had only two WTA main draw wins in her career prior to the match, the second coming just a day earlier against Virginie Razzano. Also, her triumph over the 97th-ranked Razzano had been the biggest victory of her career in terms of ranking, so taking on the 17th-ranked and top-seeded Kanepi looked to be beyond a formidable challenge. Plus, Kanepi had proven she was comfortable on grass, having gone all the way to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon last year.

Nevertheless, Rodionova was up to the challenge, making this the fifth time this year a No.1 seed has lost her opener and the first time her conqueror was a qualifier. Here are the circumstances of each:

Event Result Winner's Final Result

It doesn't get much easier for Rodionova, as in the round of 16 she takes on 14th-seeded Magdalena Rybarikova, who won this event in 2009 and has a 10-1 match record here.

Go figure: Had Masha played Birmingham & been dumped out in the first round, you know you'd have seen screaming headlines questioning the "meaning" of it for her career & total worth as a human being.  

 Fortunately for Kaia, the Estonian doesn't have to put up with that silliness. But you'd think an upcomer like Arina, starting knock off top-twenty players would warrant a little more extensive positive commentary, hunh? 

http://www.wtatennis.com/news/20110607/rodionova-topples-top-seed-kanepi_2256076_2373035

FRIDAY: Alison Riske vs. Daniela Hantuchova Eurosport 2 http://www.fromsportcom.com/v-2/8/88/v-288824.html 

Gail Gregory in chair. Yank ump for a Yank contender?  That how it works here?

Riske's hottie sister is her coach.  I'm in the Shoutbox.