Saturday's Back on Top
Samantha Stosur began her semifinal match against Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska in a determined fashion, playing precise and aggressive tennis. Her opponent seemed sluggish and allowed Stosur to dictate the pace and take the first set, 6-2. In the second set, however, Radwanska awakened, returning better and running Stosur around the court, opening it up. "She kept me under a lot of pressure," the Australian said of her opponent, "... all that pressure kind of built up, and I played a pretty sloppy game." Stosur lost the second set, 5-7.
Breaking things can sometimes alleviate stress, and it was the same for Stosur, as breaking Radwanska's serve early in the third set was "comforting" for her. Her opponent, who noted Stosur improved her serve in the deciding set, again became somewhat lethargic, pushing Stosur into the Final with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 scoreline.
With the win, Stosur will re-enter the Top 10 in Monday's rankings.
Saturday's Things Fall Apart
Radwanska, whose injured shoulder was taped heavily, also had Kinesio tape on her back due to soreness from playing many matches. Last week's winner in Carlsbad complained of being tired and said, "I was falling apart... I think I just need few days just to fix it." She proceeded to tell us that she is still planning on participating in next week's tournament in Cincinnati, "I go there, and I will see how it's going to be."
Saturday's Staying Away from Ohio
Serena Williams, who came into Rogers Cup ranked, as she referred to it, "a humble 80," said a year-long layoff full of health issues has driven her to become more focused on "every match and every tournament" she plays. Concentrating on tennis beyond the Grand Slams has paid off, as Williams, a title already under her belt since coming back, plays sometime nemesis Stosur in the Final on Sunday. If she wins the tournament, Williams will trade her humble No. 80, for a less modest No. 31 in the world.
In today's Semifinal against another difficult opponent, Victoria Azarenka, Williams appeared the weaker player very early on in the match, with Azarenka both serving and returning solidly. However, as is common when these two meet, Azarenka allowed Williams an opportunity to dictate a point, which turned into a game, a set, and then, the match. After they traded breaks, Williams broke Azarenka once again, then served out the set, 6-3. Azarenka was never a real threat in the second set, although she continued to produce one-off great shots to keep the match interesting, if not competitive. Williams won, 6-3, 6-3.
"I knew I was playing a really, really good player today, and I basically had to step up my game or go to Cincinnati," said Williams after the match.
Saturday's In Stable Condition
Stacey Allaster, WTA Chairman and CEO, as well as a former Rogers Cup Tournament Director, was inducted into the Rogers Cup Hall of Fame Saturday and met with the media Saturday afternoon.
"It's incredible. I'm living quite an incredible dream," the Canadian said, referring to her journey from a tennis fan who, "used to hang out at the practice courts" of this tournament to the top of women's tennis. At the end of her media interview, Allaster said a thank you to a few mentors who guided her through her career in Tennis Canada, but before that, she answered questions about the status of the WTA Tour.
Allaster noted that the Tour is experiencing a growth in revenue and sponsorship and is faring well in the recession. She emphasized her focus on making the Tour both fan-friendly and sponsor-friendly, but went to the "players aren't complaining about it," argument when responding that neither a change to the rankings system nor an enforcement against players' grunting are in the WTA's near future.
Saturday's Stepping Out
As much as Allaster may proclaim the reign of the WTA, men's tennis is still inescapable here in Toronto. Arriving at the tournament site, PTN was greeted by Milos Raonic, with his coach and physio. Later, Raonic went out to practice on an outside court. The Canadian, who is recovering from hip surgery, was quickly winded.
Raonic's practice session did not gather as many people as those watching the concurrent Stosur warm-up. Perhaps this was a sign of the success of women's tennis, but maybe it was misdirection? When a passerby asked a volunteer which player was on court, she answered, "Milos Rios."
Saturday's Tip of the Day
Overheard from teenagers while watching the Semifinal between Azarenka and Williams: "This girl, the one besides Serena, is she wearing makeup?.. Some of them are so muscular, you know. Put on some mascara or something. It's not gonna run."
Saturday's Sass
We leave the sass to the master:
Q: How much do you let your ranking get into your head? I mean, you are No. 80, but do you feel like you're a top 10 player just disguised in a No. 80 ranking, given your layoff?
Serena Williams: You think? Maybe I'm, like, a changeling, and, like, maybe I am really top 10 and, like, I am disguised. I don't know. That's a good theory. I'm gonna look into that.
Saturday's Fearless
Because Azarenka had to play the Doubles Semifinal following her singles loss to Williams, the Belarussian submitted quotes to a few pre-selected questions to the media instead of coming in for an interview. The last question was, "When she's on her game, is there any player in the world that you think is more intimidating or more difficult than Serena?"
Azarenka's answer, recorded in the official transcript? "No comment on this question."
To see more photos from Semifinal Saturday, CLICK HERE
