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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 06/29/2011

Tsonga vs. Federer: Unexpectedly mortal at times in his four-set victory over Youzhny, Federer nevertheless arrived in his 29th consecutive Slam quarterfinal and must eagerly await the opportunity to erase the memory of last years defeat to...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 06/28/2011

Lisicki vs. Bartoli: Rarely has a beneficiary of a Slam wildcard seized the opportunity with both hands as has Lisicki, who has arrived at her second Wimbledon quarterfinal in three years. Frequently hammering serves above 120 mph, the former...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 06/27/2011

Murray vs. Gasquet: If history offers a reliable guide, this opening clash of Centre Courts second week should tie Judy Murrays stomach into knots. At two previous majors, Gasquet led the British home hope by two sets to none before the latter...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 06/19/2011

Gentlemen:First quarter: Just one major after he narrowly escaped from Isner, Nadal may find himself forced to topple two more giants in the precocious Raonic and the resurgent Del Potro in order to reach the quarterfinals. The world #1 at least...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 06/13/2011

Ad-in:Birmingham finalists: Contesting her second final of the season, Hantuchova extended her impetus from a second-week surge at Roland Garros to her favorite surface. Ideally suited for grass are her pinpoint angles, risky shot-making, and...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 06/12/2011

Nadal: Losing in a Queens Club quarterfinal for the second straight year, Rafa would relish repeating his Wimbledon result as well. His only recurrent nemesis in the last several months, Djokovic, does not pose as formidable a threat on this...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 06/11/2011

Williams, Inc.: Ruling the All England Club for most of this millennium, they become de facto contenders despite nearly disappearing since last years Wimbledon. Still the best servers in the WTA by a wide margin, Serena and Venus will win more...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 06/06/2011

Li: Narrowly denied in Melbourne, she finished what she started in style this time by sweeping the final nine points of the womens tournament. Like Schiavone last year, Li accumulated momentum with each round and metamorphosed almost visibly from...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 06/04/2011

Schiavone vs. Li: After 40 million Chinese watched their countrywoman defuse Sharapova in the semifinals, how many will watch her pursue the accomplishment that eluded her in Melbourne? On that occasion, Li dominated the clearly favored Clijsters...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 06/03/2011

Nadal vs. Murray: Not a round too soon, the five-time Roland Garros champion muscled aside the pallid impersonation of himself that had crept more than charged through the first four rounds. In a resounding victory over his previous Paris...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 05/23/2011

Oudin vs. Schiavone: Returning to defend a notable title, surprise champions often falter at the first obstacle as the task of repeating their feat looms large in their minds. On Sunday, Stosur overcame a similar test with aplomb, delivering one...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 05/21/2011

First quarter: Handed a disorienting opener against Isner, Nadal should tower over the towering but clay-averse American while acquiring valuable confidence for the challenges ahead. Among the talented rivals that riddle this quarter is former...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 05/19/2011

We attempt to make at least some sense of the anarchic WTA field at Roland Garros, which looks primed for another Schiavone. Fasten your seatbelt and hold your breath as we race through the staggering (and perhaps still incomplete) list of...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 05/17/2011

This article originally appeared on the Australian Open website at http://www.australianopen.com. You can continue to find more Roland Garros coverage by me there in the coming days.Nadal: Since an injury-induced exit in Australia, the Spaniard...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 05/15/2011

Asked to explain his straight-sets loss in the Madrid final, a dejected Nadal mused that he must unravel the reasons why Djokovic has conquered him three times this year. Just a week later, the Spaniard has earned another opportunity to crack the...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 05/14/2011

Nadal vs. Gasquet: Troubled by similarly unexpected surges from Gulbis in Rome and Almagro in Madrid last year, Nadal might experience stiffer resistance than usual from a player whom he has dominated routinely. The world #1 has won all eight of...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 05/13/2011

Nadal vs. Cilic: One win away from securing the #1 ranking at least through Roland Garros, the Spaniard must conquer not only a Croatian tower of power but the illness that befell him this week. Although Cilic defeated Nadal in Beijing 2009, the...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 05/10/2011

Propping up dilapidated regimes late in the Roman Empire were lavish festivals and athletic competitions with which rulers placated their subjects even as the world around them crumbled, a tactic known as panes et circenses. Although contemporary...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 05/09/2011

Probably the slowest surface of any significant event, Rome poses a stern challenge to the offense-oriented elite atop the WTA and offers an opportunity for underdogs to shine. On the dusty battlegrounds of the Foro Italico, Martinez Sanchez...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 05/08/2011

Far from a foregone conclusion at times on Saturday, an encore of the championship matches in Indian Wells and Miami will oppose a 33-match winning streak and a 37-match clay winning streak. From Nadals perspective, of course, encore serves as a...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 05/07/2011

Nadal vs. Federer: Among the oddest moments of the 2010 season was the final shot (or non-shot) of their meeting last year in Madrid, a whiff by the 16-time major champion on the twelfth point of the second-set tiebreak. Rarely has a Masters 1000...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 05/06/2011

Lifting the lid to the magic box, we catch sight of several familiar faces on Friday but not quite the cast that one initially expected to assemble at this stage. We examine the quarterfinals in the semi-predictable ATP draw and its wildly...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 05/01/2011

Having divided the four most important titles of the season so far, the ATP top two could meet again on the Madrid plateau where they dueled so valiantly two years ago. But first they must negotiate a draw bristling with more dragons teeth than...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 04/30/2011

First quarter: Her momentum somewhat drained by Goerges in Stuttgart, Wozniacki still enters this Premier Mandatory event with her glass half full of European earth. With a green-clay title and red-clay final behind her, the 2009 Madrid runner-up...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 04/25/2011

As two marquee events hover just beyond the horizon, we unfold some of the potential narratives to consider at this week's small tournaments, overtures to the clay symphonies in Rome and Madrid.The march to 28-0 (Belgrade): Notably absent from...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 04/24/2011

For the third time in four years, Barcelona audiences thrill to the spectacle of an all-Spanish final at a tournament that has not crowned a foreign champion since 2002. Aligned to challenge five-time champion Nadal for the second time in two...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 04/23/2011

After a Good Friday ceasefire, the four surviving contestants for a Porsche reconvene. A tournament that once featured seven of the WTA top eight has witnessed several unexpected plot twists over the past few days, including four quarterfinalists...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 04/22/2011

Awaiting the proud citizens of Barcelona is a Friday filled with compatriots on the court. No fewer than five Spaniards have reached the quarterfinals of this ATP 500 tournament, which could feature all-Spanish semifinals and probably will feature...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 04/19/2011

Ad-in:Spain: For the second straight year, Nadal snapped a three-final losing streak in the principality on the Mediterranean promontory by conquering a compatriot in the title match. Not at his classic best throughout the week, Rafa battled...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 04/16/2011

After a week only slightly less tranquil than the Mediterraneans azure calm, three players nurse flickering hopes of thwarting Nadals march to a seventh consecutive Monte Carlo title. Can any of them quell the terror of the terre battue? Or...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 04/15/2011

Italy at Russia: Bereft of its leading ladies Schiavone and Pennetta, the decimated Italian squad ventures to Moscow with perhaps more hope than conviction. Crushing Italy on home soil in the 2007 final, Russia looks fully equipped to pummel the...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 04/11/2011

Ad-in:Wozarenka: When the surface changed, the champions stayed the same. While she didnt quite tower over the Charleston draw, Wozniacki elevated her performance as the week progressed and satisfyingly erased the memory of her ankle sprain here...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 04/10/2011

Perched above the Mediterranean, Monte Carlo has spent the last six years as the undisputed stronghold of Rafael Nadal. Terminating an 11-month title drought there last season, the Spaniard swept to the title in especially emphatic style by losing...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 04/04/2011

Out with the old, in with the new: Just two days apart, spectators caught glimpses of the last decades dominant ATP rivalry and the rivalry that has crystallized in its place. More striking a contrast one could scarcely imagine than the gulf that...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 04/03/2011

Twice a runner-up in Miami, the all-time leader in Masters Series shields now eyes a third opportunity to add this coveted crown to his collection. Across the net looms an opponent who seeks to not only complete the elusive Indian Wells-Miami...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 04/02/2011

Like all successful sorceresses, the Siberian siren has acquired an apprentice who now aspires to dethrone her. A reluctant runner-up in 2005 and 2006, Sharapova will contest her third Miami final as an underdog on paper but perhaps not in...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 04/01/2011

Fish vs. Djokovic: Having operated a flourishing bakery on Key Biscayne, the omnivorous Serb now plans to open a sushi bar at the seasons second Masters 1000 event. Impeccable on serve throughout the tournament, Djokovic stands within two...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 03/31/2011

Sharapova vs. Petkovic: Entrenched in the top 10 for the first time since February 2009, the Russian aims to dispel the memories of two previous losses this year with a single mighty blow. Eager to counterbalance a lackluster performance in her...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 03/30/2011

Radwanska vs. Zvonareva: Despite their crowded schedules over the last several years, they have met on only one prior occasion, a 2007 meeting that the Russian routinely collected. Since both players have developed so substantially since that...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 03/29/2011

Sharapova vs. Dulgheru: Emphatically delivering her first victory over a top-5 opponent since shoulder surgery, the two-time Miami finalist now hopes to replicate her semifinal surge at Indian Wells as her confidence grows with each victory....

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 03/28/2011

Sharapova vs. Stosur: More accustomed to late nights than early mornings, the three-time major champion opens proceedings against a player whom she has dominated but has faced just once since shoulder surgery and the Aussies renaissance. On that...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 03/26/2011

At first glance, the scorekeeper appeared to have committed an egregious error. A fortnight after falling to Donald Young in Indian Wells, world #5 Andy Murray had toppled to the even more anonymous qualifier Alexander Bogomolov, Jr. But in fact...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 03/24/2011

First quarter: While Nadal may loom above the competition here, the sections most intriguing storyline concerns 2010 runner-up Berdych, whose surge into the top 10 began in Key Biscayne last year with victories over Federer, Verdasco, and...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 03/23/2011

First quarter: Tested occasionally but not intensely during her Indian Wells title run, Wozniacki should have the physical reserves and mental focus to launch a deep run at this second Premier Mandatory tournament. On the other hand, the top seed...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 03/22/2011

Before shifting to preview the Miami draws, we reflect upon some of the more memorable events at Indian Wells. Not a comprehensive recap, this article merely sketches the storylines that most piqued our interest during the last week.First among...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 03/20/2011

As the finals of the season's first major non-major loom, the two #1s eye the last obstacles in their quest for the prestigious Indian Wells crown. Can the challengers spring an ambush, or will the top seeds receive their just deserts?Wozniacki...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 03/19/2011

Nadal vs. Del Potro: Reaching the semifinals or better at four consecutive American tournaments, the 2009 US Open champion has progressed more swiftly in his comeback from wrist surgery than we had expected. Without the luxury of first-round bye,...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 03/18/2011

Blondes:Sharapova vs. Wozniacki: A virtual final, this marquee semifinal nearly did not happen and would not have happened had not Sharapova flashed a glimpse of the fortitude that has formed the foundation for her three major titles. Serving at...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 03/17/2011

Continuing our Indian Wells daily preview series, we separate the four favorites on Thursday into the punchers and the counterpunchers. Or, in a more picturesque phrase, swords and shields.Swords:Sharapova: After an uncertain opening game against...

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By ChrisSkelton @ Sharapovanovic- Your Ticket to Tennis! 03/16/2011

Serbs:Ivanovic vs. Bartoli: Skipping to the net after a comprehensive victory over compatriot, rival, and defending champion Jankovic, Serbias merry maiden exuded delight with her most impressive performance of the season so far. Now, Ivanovic...

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