World number seven Samantha Stosur of Australia overwhelmed the 33rd ranked Spaniard, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in the opening round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix played at the Porsche Tennis Arena at Stuttgart, Germany. To step into the second round of the $721,000 WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) tournament, the fifth seed Australian took 80 minutes to wrap up her straight sets triumph at 7-5, 6-1.

Stosur tended to put forth pressure upon her adversary early and she ignited the contest with her typical belligerence. She opened her shoulders on both wings and securing the opening set appeared to fill Stosur with confidence. She was able to read Martinez Sanchez’s intentions at will and winners flew off both the backhand and forehand side.

Last year at Stuttgart, the runner-up Stosur registered her fourth successive triumph over the Spanish rival. During the last year, the Aussie overwhelmed Sanchez three times and now leads the all time head-to-head record against her by 4-1. In the opening set of the contest, Stosur had some difficulties as she took time to get her eye in the game. In the second set, Stosur blew away the Spaniard to seal win for himself.

Last year, with triumph over Henin at Roland Garros, Stosur took revenge her Stuttgart final defeat before beating top seed Serena Williams and fourth seed Jelena Jankovic on the way to the final.

Stosur in the second round will meet Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova. The Australian defeated Romanian Alexandra Dulgheru 7-5 6-3.

The internet sports picks are offering great tennis odds. Stosur is favorite to go into the next round. The tennis betting odds for Stosur are 4/9 and Hantuchova are 2.

Jelena Jankovic · Porsche Tennis · Samantha Stosur · Serena Williams · WTA

Victoria Azarenka looks up to the challenge after qualifying for the WTA Tour Championships, that attracts tennis betting, for the second straight year, although she has big shoes to fill.

In the second round of the Kremlin Cup on Wednesday, Azarenka beat Andrea Petkovic 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 and the No. 10-ranked Azarenka will replace Serena Williams in the eight-player, season-ending event that starts next week in Doha, Qatar.

Azarenka said, “Every player wants to play in Doha, and I’m happy I turned the match my way in the third set”.
On Tuesday, Williams withdrew because of a re-torn tendon in her right foot, which she injured when stepping on broken glass at a restaurant shortly after winning Wimbledon in July.

The two substitutes for the tournament were Azarenka and Li Na of China. But Li lost in the first round in Moscow and she was five points ahead of Azarenka in the championships race. She remains as the top substitute.

Azarenka won the last five games of a match that featured 16 breaks of serve, although she committed 11 double-faults. In the third set, Petkovic called for a doctor to have blisters on her right hand treated.

Azarenka said, “The courts here are extremely slow and it’s hard to serve a winner”.

Serena Williams · Tennis · Victoria Azarenka · WTA Tour Championships

The 2010 French Open continued to see lesser-ranked opponents eliminate the top seeded tennis players. By seventh, seed Samantha Stosur of Australia, who has been playing her best tennis in her recent matches, top seed Serena Williams was knocked out of the tournament. Stosur was able to defeat the number one player in three sets, 6-2, 6-7 (2), 8-6. To move into the semi-final round of the French Open holding match point at 5-4, it seemed apparent that Williams was positioned to move into the semi-final round of the French Open. However, unfortunately her service point fell one inch long giving Stosur the opening advantage she needed.

The tennis community saw another early exit by a top seeded player, just a day after top seed Roger Federer was eliminated by Robin Soderling in the men’s quarterfinal of the French Open; the tennis community saw another early exit by a top seeded player. By Austrian Jurgen Melzer in five sets, 6-3, 6-2, 2-6, 6-7(3), 4-6, number three, Novak Djokovic was ousted. Digging deep from a two set deficit, Melzer was able to rally in the third set, winning and giving him the confidence to challenge Djokovic for a spot in the semi-finals. For an incredible 79 minutes, the epic fourth set lasted. Melzer played quite well, hitting 68 winners in the set giving the French Open spectators some thrilling tennis.

With a three set win over Nicolas Almagro, 7-6(2) 7-6(3) 6-4, Rafael Nadal from Spain moves into the semi-finals. With two sets ending in tiebreaks, the two Spaniards played a tight match. Nadal, known by many as the Clay Court King, was able to successfully break Almagro in both tiebreaks to give him the two set lead. In the third set at 5-4 to move into the semi-finals, Nadal was then able to break Almagro.

Fourth seed Jelena Jankovic over unseeded Yaroslava Shevdova. Jankovic won in two sets, 7-5, 6-, are other winners in today’s tennis matches. From dropping an opening set, sisters Serena and Venus Williams were able to rally to defeat Liezel Huber and A. Medina Garrigues in women’s doubles are other winners in today’s tennis matches.

With Elena Dementieva playing Francesca Schiavone for spots in the women’s final, the French Open women’s semi-finals will have Stosur taking on Jankovic. Men’s semi-finals action will include Soderling versus Tomas Berdych and Nadal playing Melzer, each vying for a coveted spot in the men’s French Open final.

2010 French Open · Elena Dementieva · Rafael Nadal · Serena Williams