From Stanford at least. Which incidentally has turned out to be be a good little event.
If only we here were able to have seen more of it.
Managed to catch bits'n snippets of Serena and Venus last night. Both through, in their own very different ways.
With us being at or around the QF stages both here and in LA, me thinks it's time to be resurrecting those match previews.
So who's left?
Serena V Stosur
Haven't seen anything of Stosur since Wimbledon, and playing all of two rounds to make it to the quarters, is an indication of precisely nothing. Though she has gotten through both those encounters rather more cleanly than Serena has, and she took out Cibulkova 6-4, 6-3 in round one.
I normally bare my teeth menacingly at anyone who takes out any of my faves in straight sets -- Dominika's the type of player we could do with more of -- anyone except Stosur that is; hers is a game so well rounded I consider it a macrobiotic to the WTA's digestive tracts.
Serena, by her own admission, has been playing with a view to peaking at the US Open, though that sometimes has no bearing on how one sided things can still get out there.
Serena in three.
Jankovic V Bartoli
Anyone who's heard of the pre match mud pies these two have been slinging at each other knows what a potential cat fight we have on our hands.
I like what I've been seeing (and hearing) from JJ this event. Getting past Lisicki was a good achievement, even though it adds further fuel to my growing belief that Sabine has issues (physical and otherwise) with three set matches.
Bartoli has had mixed results this year, though she's subdued JJ quite easily in their last two encounters.
JJ in three, though expect sparks and quite a lot of fur to fly.
Hantuchova V Dementieva
Getting the better of Radwanska was an excellent result, though I suspect Dani managed that because Aggie gave her space to play and breath. I expect Elena to suffocate her, however.
Elena in two. And be nice.
Sharapova v Venus
I have no idea of the scheduling in Stanford, but they should put on the 'catfight' above as a precursor to the main event. No don't look around, that's this match right here!
To be honest I have no idea how it'll turn out. Venus looked far from secure yesterday, storming through the first set (like she sometimes does), and having a let down in the second (like she always does).
But it'd be a mistake to read too much into the way Maria got the better of Petrova, whom I reckon sometimes has only a quarter of a half life on court, and as great as the Shaza comeback appears to be going, it's difficult to bet against Venus as the form player coming into this.
Venus in three.
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