Southern & Western - Cincinnati - Day Two

Day two of the Southern and Western Open and Maria Sharapova beat Madison Keys in three sets.

 I thought this match was going to be difficult for Maria but in the third set Maria showed her true championship quality. 

Lucie Safarova beat Venus Williams in three sets and whilst Lucie has improved her game. 

Venus simply ran out of energy and this would have been her third consecutive tournament which is probably too much when factor in the medical condition that she has got 

I hoping she will get lots of rest from now until the US Open and show some of the form that got her to the Montreal final. 

Sloane Stephens beat Andrea Petkovic in straight sets and this was a very good win for Sloane. 

Who has had a very indifferent summer and is hoping for a good run in this tournament. 

The Bank of West Classic - Day six

Day six at The Bank of West Classic and it is semi-finals day and Serena Williams best Andrea Petkovic in straight sets.

The first set was reasonably competitive but the second set was all Serena and she completely bossed the game. 

Serena put on a real display and this should hopefully have silenced her critics for at least another day. 

The second semi-final Angelique Kerber Varvara Lepchenko in three sets. I was expecting Angelique to have a rather more routine win. 

It shows Vavara has really developed her game because this time last year she was getting knocked out in round one. 

Angelique has had a good year too has made it to finals of key tournaments and has now established herself as top ten player. 

The Bank of West Classic - Day five

Day five at The Bank of West Classic and Andrea Petkovic beat Venus Williams in three sets. Venus had several opportunities to win this match but she simply ran out of energy. 

Once her energy levels dropped she was   unable to compete at the highest level and this situation ultimately led to Andrea winning the third set and the match. 

Angelique Kerber beat Garbine Muguruza in straight sets and this was good win for Angelique and she is now hoping to be the First German to win this title in over twenty years. 

Serena Williams beat Ana Ivanovic in three sets. This was a good win for a Serena chance for her to retain her title. 

Varvara Lepchenko beat Sachia Vikoery in three sets and this was good experience for Sachia who can hopefully build on it. 

Bank of West Classic - Stanford - Day three

Day three at The Bank of West Classic and Andrea Petkovic beat Naomi Osaka in straight sets. As Naomi best Samantha Stosur in the first round I was expecting this match to be a little more competive. 

But it was not meant to be, Naomi is only sixteen years old and will hopefully have many more years on the tour to get the big wins. 

Sachia Vickery beat Monica Puig in three sets and this was a big win for Sachia who had to play three tough qualifiers to make it to the main draw. 

Sachia is still only a teenager so is gaining valuable experience with every round. 

The shock of the day was Vavara Lepchenko beating Agnieszka Radwanska in three sets. Before this match Vavara had only recorded one win against Agnieszka in there six meetings.

This was a bad loss for Agnieszka who has had a bad year and I don't think the year will get any better for her unless she changes her game strategy and plays a more attacking game. 

Serena Williams beat Karolina Pliskova in straight sets and this was Serena first match back since Wimbledon and it was a good solid win. 

I hoping that she can retain the title she won last year and this would be excellent preparation for the defence of her US Open title.  

Wimbledon - Day six

Day six at Wimbledon and it was a bit of a rainy day so not all the matches where completed. However Maria Sharapova beat Alison Riske in straight sets. 

It was a routine win for Maria who has yet to lose a set and Alison did get an early break but was unable to consolidate and Maria went on win the set and the match.

Eugene Bouchard beat Andrea Petkovic in straight sets and this was a good routine win for Eugene who will face tougher challenges as the tournament progresses. 

The shock of the day was Alize Cornet beating Serena Williams in three sets. It was a weird match Serena barely moved her feet and took all the power out of hitting the ball. 

I suspect that either there is a lingering injury or things are not great with her current coach Patrick. 

However it was a good win for Alize and her second consecutive win against Serena this year. This should give her the confidence to believe that she can do well this year. 

In the men's draw Rafael Nadal beat Mikhail Kukushin in four sets and Rafa dropped the first set on a tie break but on the next three sets and the match with ease. 

Roger Federer beat Santiago Giraldo in straight sets and this was a nice routine win for the seven time champion.

French Open - Day twelve

Day twelve at the French Open and it ladies semi-finals day and Maria Sharapova beat Eugenie Bouchard in three very close sets. 

Eugenie played incredibly well but at the end of the day Maria has been in semi-finals alot in her career and I think her experience and confidence definitely helped her to win this match. 

But I think Eugenie is one player that I think is going win a grand slam within the next five years.

Simona Halep beat Andrea Petkovic in straight sets and it was a reasonably close match but Simona never looked like she was going to lose this match. 

Simona's athleticism definitely help her to win this match in straight sets and she is now in her first grand slam final of where she faces Maria Sharapova. 

French Open - Day eleven

Day eleven at the French Open and Simona Halep beat Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets. 

This was a good win for Simona as Svetlana is a former Roland Garros champion. However Svetlana was carrying an injury so that probably helped Simona to get a more straight forward victory. 

Andrea Petkovic beat Sara Errani in straight sets and this was a good win for Andrea as Sara was definitely a contender for this year title. 

In the men's draw Rafael Nadal beat David Ferrer in four sets and this was an emphatic win for Rafa. 

He even managed to bagel David in the third set and David played well but simply could not deal with skill that Rafa presented to him. 

Andy Murray beat Gael Monfils in five sets and this was a strange match. Andy was crusing at two sets to love up and then took his foot of the pedal and was mighty fortunate to be able to complete the match today as the light was fading. 

WTA Generali Ladies Linz -Second round

The second round of the Generali Ladies Linz tournament took place yesterday. Sloane Stephens beat Andrea Petkovic in three sets and this was a good win for Sloane.

As Sloane has not been playing her best tennis, so this tournament gives Sloane an opportunity to win her first WTA title. 

I do think Sloane is one of the few teengers on the WTA tour that can win big. But that the moment she lacks that hunger and even come accross as someone who sees tennis a hobby and not a profession.

If Sloane wants to win this tournament she is going have to up her game. As Anglique Kerber, Ana Ivanovic and Kirsten Flipkens all had good second round wins.

There is still one spot left for the end of year tournament and I am hoping that if Sloane wins this tournament she will get the last spot.

                                                   (sportsillustrated.com)