© 2012 Daily Tennis News Wire -
INTERNAZIONALI BNL D'ITALIA
Rome, Italy
Tuesday Women's Tennis Summary


Singles - First Round: (9) Serena Williams def. Galina Voskoboeva 6-2 6-3
Twelve straight wins for Serena, who still hasn't lost on clay this year. Galina Voskoboeva may lose her Top Fifty place as a result of this.

Singles - First Round: Marina Erakovic def. (11) Sabine Lisicki 7-6(7-4) 4-6 6-3
Add Sabine Lisicki to the list of players who evidently came back a little too soon. She may rise to #12 despite the loss, but some points here would have made it a lot easier to clinch the #12 Roland Garros seed. The win may well put Marina Erakovic back in the Top Forty.

Singles - First Round: (14) Dominika Cibulkova def. (Q) Mirjana Lucic 6-1 6-2
Mirjana Lucic was defending 86 points, so it appears she will be falling below #120.

Singles - First Round: Sorana Cirstea def. (15) Jelena Jankovic 6-3 4-6 7-6(7-4)
Is Jelena Jankovic ever going to come out of this funk? Historically, clay has been her best surface, but lately it has been her worst. Of course, it may be that her worst surface is whatever she is playing on at the time.... She may lose her Top Twenty spot; certainly she will not rise above her current #20.

Singles - First Round: Flavia Pennetta def. (16) Maria Kirilenko 6-1 7-6(7-2)
Not too surprising, given that Maria Kirilenko is hurting, but it's bad news for her -- if Dominika Cibulkova can win one more match, she will pass Kirilenko, which would probably mean that Cibulkova will earn the #16 Roland Garros seed. Flavia Pennetta is now two wins from the Top Twenty.

Singles - First Round: Sara Errani def. Timea Bacsinszky 6-0 3-0 retired (Left Abdominal Injury)
Is Timea Bacsinszky ever going to get healthy again? It seems as if she never lasts more than an event or two without getting hurt.

Singles - First Round: Petra Cetkovska def. (Q) Olga Govortsova 7-5 6-4
Hard to believe as it sounds, two more wins would likely earn Petra Cetkovska a Top 24 Roland Garros seed.

Singles - First Round: Nadia Petrova def. (Q) Andrea Hlavackova 6-3 6-3
This effectively clinches Nadia Petrova's Top Thirty spot. Her Roland Garros seed is absolutely guaranteed.

Singles - First Round: (Q) Silvia Soler-Espinosa def. (WC) Alberta Brianti 6-2 6-1
Silvia Soler-Espinosa is now just below #55.

Singles - First Round: (Q) Sloane Stephens def. (Q) Anna Chakvetadze 6-2 2-6 6-4
It is beginning to seem as if Anna Chakvetadze is having endurance problems. She beats pretty good players in qualifying, but then runs out of gas early in the main draw. Still, just making it through qualifying should take her to around #310.

Singles - First Round: (WC) Venus Williams def. Simona Halep 6-3 6-4
Venus looked a little tired in the middle of this, but still, she's Venus. She leaves Simona Halep still just above #50.

Singles - First Round: (WC) Karin Knapp def. Roberta Vinci 6-4 2-6 6-2
Karin Knapp really seems to have her comeback in high gear. This will probably be enough to put her back in the Top Hundred. She eliminates Roberta Vinci from the contest for the #16 Roland Garros seed; Vinci will be no higher than #19 next week.

Singles - Second Round: (2) Maria Sharapova def. Christina McHale 7-5 7-5
This almost certainly means no Roland Garros seed for Christina McHale. She'll be high on the alternates list -- but not high enough.

Singles - Second Round: (4) Petra Kvitova def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5 6-4
Petra Kvitova becomes the first player to reach the third round. Rather surprising, given her terrible form of late. But Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has been struggling, too. The Russian has a shot at the #24 Roland Garros seed -- a pretty good shot, in fact -- but she loses the chance to clinch.

Doubles - First Round: (6) Goerges/King def. Jans-Ignacik/Kudryavtseva 7-5 6-2

Doubles - First Round: Benesova/Medina Garrigues def. Klepac/Rosolska 6-0 6-1

Doubles - First Round: (6) Goerges/King def. Jans-Ignacik/Kudryavtseva 7-5 6-2

Doubles - First Round: Benesova/Medina Garrigues def. Klepac/Rosolska 6-0 6-1

Doubles - First Round: Dulko/Suarez def. Arvidsson/Gajdosova 6-4 6-2
One more win would probably take Paola Suarez back above #60.

Doubles - First Round: Makarova/Vesnina def. Llagostera Vives/Martinez Sanchez 7-5 7-6(8-6)
What a horrid first round draw! Perhaps the hottest unseeded team against what was once one of the best teams in the world. Too bad Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez still seems rusty.

Doubles - First Round: Hampton/Tatishvili def. Hsieh/Zheng 1-6 6-3 11-9 (Match TB)