Black Tennis Pros

American Venus Williams was ousted today by German Sabine Lisicki at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina 6-4, 7-6(5).

While the Wimbledon champion gave Lisicki quite a bit of help in defeating her today, Lisicki never backed down and basically took her game to Venus, whose response was inadequate.

Post match Venus said, "I wasn't expecting that and, you know, I'll try to come back next year and win. "I made a few errors at the wrong time and she played some great shots."

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CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Second-seeded Venus Williams struggled to advance at the Family Circle Cup on Wednesday, beating Sania Mirza of India 6-1, 3-6, 6-2.

It took the fifth-ranked Williams almost 2 1/2 hours to defeat the 100th-ranked Mirza on the green clay of stadium court at the tennis center on Daniel Island. Williams, who won the Family Circle five years ago, is now 3-0 against Mirza.

"When she's playing against me, she's got to go for it and I think there's also a sense of nothing to lose," Williams said. "When you look at the numbers and the rankings and statistics, you know, I'm supposed to win this match, so I think that gives her an opportunity to swing freely."

It appeared Williams had the match well in hand, winning the first set 6-1, although it took 46 minutes to do so. She led 3-1 in the second before Mirza rattled off five straight games, including breaking Williams at love to take a 5-3 lead and holding serve in the final game, which went to deuce eight times.

Williams recovered to easily win the third set.

"These kind of matches are great to pull out," she said. "I've been in these situations before, so I rely on that."

Photos by AP

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American Alexandra Stevenson had the pleasure of having more than the Charleston, South Carolina tennis fans observe her match against Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan - dear old dad was in the stands.

Former NBA superstar Julius 'Dr. J' Erving sat in the stands of the Family Circle Cup and for the first time witnessed Alexandra play a tour match. As depicted in ESPN's "Outside The Lines, Reaching Out: Alexandra Stevenson And Julius "Dr. J" Erving," the father and daughter have been slowly building their newfound relationship.




Of Erving's visit Stevenson said, “He actually wanted to come to one of the challenger tournaments, and I was like, I don’t think you should come there. We play on public parks, and some of them are a bit sketchy.”

“This is a nice tournament to come to, and I think he knows the tournament director, Bob Moran, and he just picked this tournament.”

“We were never in a bad place, I just didn’t know him. So it’s good now. I mean, obviously, it’s still odd, because you are getting to know somebody. But it’s nice that I know him, and he is supporting me out here, coming to watch me play."

Stevenson was not able to bring in a win in front of her father, as she was defeated by Amanmuradova 6-2, 6-4. When asked if having Erving present made her nervous Stevenson said, “I actually didn’t even see him until the second set.”

“And he can see how hard tennis is. It’s not like basketball where you have a whole team of support. So it’s nice that he came out here.”

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American Shenay Perry, a qualifier, upset 15th-seeded Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic 7-5, 6-1 on Tuesday to advance to the second round of the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina.

At the same tournament, 'can't stop won't stop' American Angela Haynes had her marathon of tennis halted by Russian Alla Kudryavtseva 6-4, 5-7, 6-0.

This is usually not a good thing, but in Haynes' case, the opportunity to rest just might be.

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I'm tired and energized for her!

American Angela Haynes was unable to compete on Saturday for day one of qualifying at the Family Circle Cup, Charleston, South Carolina because she was in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida playing a doubles semifinal match.

Haynes and doubles partner Liga Dekmeijere of Latvia were knocked out of the MPS Group Championships by the team of Sania Mirza and Chia-Jung Chuang 6-4 6-3.

So what does Haynes do next? She make her way to Charleston, South Carolina where she has to play two rounds of qualifying on Sunday, and of course win both, for a potential slot in the main draw.

And damn it, she does it!

Haynes will meet Russian Alla Kudryavtseva in the first round.

American Shenay Perry also prevailed in the qualifying rounds to secure a spot in the main draw. Ahsha Rolle, Danielle Mills, and Mashona Washington were all eliminated.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Defending champion Serena Williams has withdrawn from the Family Circle Cup because of an injury to her left leg.

The world's No. 1 player announced in a statement Tuesday that she still plans to attend some tournament events.

Williams said she originally hurt her leg at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, where she lost to Victoria Azarenka earlier this month.

Azarenka withdrew from the Family Circle Cup on Tuesday because of an injured right shoulder.

Williams' sister Venus and No. 3-ranked Elena Dementieva are among those slated to play in the tournament.

Qualifying play begins Saturday.

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What can you say about the Family Circle Cup fans and the popularity of you and Serena in Charleston?

"I have enjoyed playing in Charleston. The fans are very knowledgeable about tennis and really seem to rally around the event. Over the years, I look forward to returning to markets where the fans are so excited about our sport."

Why do you think the fan support for you guys is different here?

"There is such a rich tradition of tennis with Charleston, and this market has seen so many of the very best players here. I guess Serena and I are seen as a continuation of the great history at the Family Circle Cup and we are proud of that. The event organizers and Family Circle also deserve a lot of credit for making sure that the fans and players continue to have a great experience."

What do you think you will be doing in 10 years?

"I hope that I have transitioned into a successful career that will focus on my fashion and design interests."

Why is charity work so important to you and what are the projects closest to your heart?

"I realize that my access to the media gives me a chance to help bring awareness to the good work that so many people are doing to help others. I am always impressed on the charitable projects that I work on to see people commit their time to selflessly help others who are in need. I have worked closely with the WTA to establish a gender equality initiative with UNESCO (which is a United Nations charitable organization) to help educate and empower women around the world. This has been a great experience. I have also lent my time to a variety of educational initiatives as well as supporting the Women's Sports Foundation."

When can we expect to see a Venus Starr Interiors outlet open in Charleston?

"Hopefully within the next 10 years."

What do you like so much about interior design?

"The creative process has always intrigued me. Every project is a new creative challenge and I really enjoy seeing my ideas come to life."

What are your favorite things to do in Charleston when you are not playing tennis or watching Serena play tennis?

"The restaurant and food scene is something that I always look forward to. I don't think many people know about how great the culinary tradition is in Charleston."

Why do you think there are not more Americans near the top of the WTA Tour rankings?

"Young people in America have so many options that pursuing a career in sports is not always the first priority. The educational system is great and there are so many great job opportunities. Having said that I have seen some talented young American players. I also believe that things come in cycles and we will see another generation of great American players before long."

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River Oaks U. S. Men's Clay Court Championship, Houston, Texas

Final Round - Singles

James Blake, USA defeated by Marcel Granollers-Pujol, ESP
4-6, 6-1, 5-7


Estoril Open, Estoril Portugal

Final Round - Doubles

Jeff Coetzee, RSA and Wesley Moodie, RSA
defeated
Jamie Murry, GBR and Kevin Ullyett, ZIM
6-2, 4-6, 10-8


Family Circle Cup, Charleston, South Carolina

Final Round - Singles

Serena Williams, USA defeated Vera Zvonareva, RUS
6-4, 3-6, 6-3


USTA Pro Circuit

St. Vincent Auxillary Men's Professional Tennis Tournament, Little Rock, Arkansas

Semifinal Round - Singles

Marcus Fugate, USA defeated by Artem Sitak
6-7(1), 6-7(4)

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Thanks to a good match, good food, and good friends (all of which were in different areas of the country), watching Serena Williams win the 2008 Family Circle Cup was a great time.

Joining me yesterday for a live blogging experience was BlogPassion of "We Need To Stop: Black Blog On African American Issues, News, Celebrity Gossip And More," Harlem Writer of "Harlem Writer", Dave of "Welcome Back Rosenthal," Aunk (The Cultural Health Guy) of The "Cultural Health News Blog," Cooper, of "Wonderland Or Not," and Hasheem.

Thank you all so much, it was such a fun time! We will be doing this periodically throughout the tennis season, I look forward to it.


"I feel like I have some momentum behind me and I just want to keep going." The words of the lady of the hour post match.

Serena Williams and her first Family Circle Cup Championship in five attempts. It was a rocky match for Serena. She had a very worthy opponent in Russian Vera Zvonareva, who came out with every intention of becoming the title holder too.

Serena seemed to be very unsure of herself and not present in the first set, although she can have a tendency to start slow. The problem was, Zvonareva was firing on all cylinders, and that reality could not be taken lightly. Nonetheless, Serena took the first set.

Into the second set, Serena's game took an even deeper lull, and enabled Zvonareva to get back into the match and take the set. Serena was suffering true struggles.

As she has done so many times before, Serena picked herself up, dusted herself off and got back into the groove in the third set. It wasn't perfect, but she did what she needed to do to pull out in front of Zvonareva and ride the winning set in at 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

"I just wanted to get that first set under my belt, and thank God I did because I lost the second. I've played her a few times, so I really know her game and she's a real fighter and she never stops."

"She never made a mistake when I was up," Zvonareva said. "I think I could have done a little better job about holding my serve, which I wasn't able to do."

"She always puts pressure on you, so you always have to go for a bigger serve and eventually your serve percentage goes down," said Zvonareva, who ended with eight double-faults. "I accepted I would have some double-faults today and I knew it was going to happen when I was coming into the match. It's just too bad to have two of them in a row."

Serena won $197,000 and a crystal cup at the $1.3 million tournament.

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Grab your favorite snacks, take off your church clothes, or keep them on, fire up that CPU and join me!!

Black Tennis Pro's will be blogging live on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. while watching the Serena Williams and Vera Zvonareva final at the 35th Anniversary Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina.

Simply click the comments link to this post, come on in and speak up.

See ya' tomorrow!

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River Oaks U. S. Men's Clay Court Championship, Houston, Texas

Quarterfinal Round - Singles

James Blake, USA defeated Augustin Calleri, ARG
6-4, 6-3


Estoril Open, Estoril Portugal

Semifinal Round - Doubles

Jeff Coetzee, RSA and Wesley Moodie, RSA
defeated
Yves Allegro, SUI and Nicolas Mahut, FRA
5-7, 6-4, 10/6


Family Circle Cup

Quarterfinal Round - Singles

Serena Williams, USA defeated Maria Sharapova, RUS
7-5, 4-6, 6-1


USTA Pro Circuit

Ballenisles Women's Challenger, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Semifinal Round

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA and Sunitha Rao, IND
defeated by
Ekaterina Afinogenova, RUS and Lauren Albanese, USA
6-4, 6-1


St. Vincent Auxillary Men's Professional Tennis Tournament, Little Rock, Arkansas

Quarterfinal Round

Marcus Fugate, USA defeated James Ward, GBR
7-6(3), 6-3

Phillip Simmonds, USA defeated by Julio Peralta, CHI
6-4, 6-2

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American Serena Williams may have looked and played a bit tentatively during the first 15-20 minutes of the quarterfinal match at the $1.34-million 35th Anniversary Tournament of the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina, but from then on out, it was on.

Both Serena and Russian Maria Sharapova produced a variety of wicked shots in the first and second sets. Shots that led to Serena capturing the first and Sharapova the second. Once the ladies hit the third set, it was all over but the shouting for Sharapova, she was defeated 7-5, 4-6, 6-1.

Serena moved into another gear for set three and there was nothing Sharapova could do to alter the course, she was going down. Sharapova made some efforts to get back into the set, but they were futile. She did manage to hold one game, it's better than a goose egg.

"It was definitely emotion," Williams said on her third set form. "I think I was more focused. I was ready to get off the court at that point, and I just was ready to play. I felt like I wasn't even playing before - I was just out there."

"I think she's playing really well on the clay; she's sliding better than she was last year, so it's good for her," Williams said. "I think I'm doing well on the clay too. It was a different experience than on hard or grass, obviously."

Serena will meet the winner of the Frenchwoman Alize Cornet and Hungarian Agnes Szavay match in Saturday's semifinals.

Cornet, an 18-year-old in her second season on the tour, also reached the semifinals at Amelia Island last week. Ranked No. 40, she has never faced Williams but watched her play Friday.

"I said 'Oh my God, if I play Serena tomorrow, I hope not to be ridiculous,'" she said. "I think I will do what I do usually. I will use my topspin forehand. I will run everywhere I can and I will just do my best and fight on every point."

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River Oaks U. S. Men's Clay Court Championship, Houston, Texas

Round 3 - Singles

James Blake, USA defeated Ryan Harrison, USA,
6-3, 6-2


Estoril Open, Estoril Portugal

Round 1 - Doubles

Jeff Coetzee, RSA and Wesley Moodie, RSA
defeated
Robert Lindstedt, SWE and Jarkko Nieminen, FIN
6-2, 6-7(4), 10/6


Family Circle Cup

Round 2 - Singles

Serena Williams, USA defeated Katarina Srebotnik, SLO
4-6, 6-4, 6-3


USTA Pro Circuit

Ballenisles Women's Challenger, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Round 2 - Singles

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA defeated by Anna Tatishvili, GEO
6-4, 6-0

Quarterfinal Round

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA and Sunitha Rao, IND
defeated
Asia Muhammad, USA and Ashley Weinhold, USA
6-2, 7-6(4)


St. Vincent Auxillary Men's Professional Tennis Tournament, Little Rock, Arkansas

Round 2 - Singles

Marcus Fugate, USA defeated Luigi D'Agord, ITA
6-3, 4-6, 6-4

Phillip Simmonds, USA defeated Guillermo Rivera-Aranguiz, CHI
6-2, 3-6, 6-2

Quarterfinal Round - Doubles

Marcus Fugate, USA and Adam Fass, USA
defeated by
Haydn Lewis, BAR and Bjorn Munroe, BAH
6-1, 7-6(5)


Tallahassee Tennis Challenger, Tallahassee, Florida

Round 3 - Singles

Scoville Jenkins, USA defeated by Alex Kuznetsov, USA
4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3

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Round 1 - Singles
Alexandra Stevenson, USA vs. Alina Jidkova, RUS*
*Stevenson defeated Jidkova 7-6(6), 6-1

Milagros Sequera, VEN vs. Arevane Rezai, FRA

Ahsha Rolle, USA vs. Tiantian Sun, CHN*
*Sun defeated Rolle 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-2

Serena Williams, USA vs. BYE


Round 1 - Doubles

Angela Haynes, USA and Milagros Sequera, VEN
vs.
Vania King, USA and Tiantian Sun, CHN

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