Michael Joyce, Maria Sharapova’s former coach, is greatly disappointed in Caroline Wozniacki, saying in a recent interview for Bleacher Report, which I heartily recommend, that she "has to get more weight on her ball" because right now she "can’t break an egg with her forehand". What could have the Dane done better in her career? Joyce believes that her father should have stepped away more and she should have given more time to other coaches to prove themselves and let the relationship develop.

Talking about Piotr as an obstacle, Joyce mentioned Sharapova’s father Yuri as a person who did give a free reign to his daughter’s coaches, even though it didn’t seem so: Read more »

Ana Ivanovic was ahead in both sets of her third-round encounter with Maria Sharapova at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, but she displayed her brilliant ability to let a match slip away and you know how well Sharapova can smell prey.

Sharapova made a terrible start to the match, making a total of four double faults in her first two service games to assist Ivanovic in taking a 3-0 lead which comprised of two breaks. Ivanovic had a game point in the following game, but Sharapova started winning. Still, Ivanovic earned a set point at 5-3 and five set points at 5-4, aaaand Sharapova saved them all to level at 5-5! In the tiebreak it was again Ivanovic who first established a lead, but again Sharapova clawed back from 4-4 in the tiebreak to win the set with a shot right on the line.

Even though Ivanovic started the second set by dropping serve, she again built a lead, 3-1. However, the history repeated, the lead was not enough, as Sharapova took charge and won all the remaining games. Final score: 7-6(4) 6-3.

In the quarterfinals, the second-seeded Sharapova will face wildcard Venus Williams, who overcame Samantha Stosur 6-4 6-3. Other quarterfinal pairs are: Dominika Cibulkova vs. Li Na, Serena Williams vs. Flavia Pennetta, and Angelique Kerber vs. Petra Kvitova. (photo: Ralf Reinecke)

Jelena Jankovic and Anna Chakvetadze both suffered first-round exits at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, but luckily the fact that they are in one of the most beautiful cities in the world has helped them ease their woes to an extent. As Jankovic shared on Twitter, she went sightseeing and shopping with Chakvetadze. Also, the fun-loving Jankovic showed a photo of them looking "cool trying out some sunglasses".

The former world No.1 Jankovic, who has this week dropped to the edge of Top 20, followed up her Stuttgart and Madrid first-round exits with the same outcome in Rome, crashing out to Sorana Cirstea in a 6-3 4-6 7-6(4) nail-biter. Former world No.5 Chakvetadze, currently ranked 337th, lost to Sloane Stephens 6-2 2-6 6-4.

Not looking troubled by health problems, world No.1 Victoria Azarenka dominated Shahar Peer in the late night match at the Italian Open. But soon after advancing to the third round with a 6-1 6-2 victory earned in just 55 minutes, Azarenka surprised with a withdrawal from the tournament, stating a right shoulder injury. Oh, it seems that another clash of Azarenka and Radwanska was really not meant to be.

Azarenka’s pullout gives the 14th-seeded Dominika Cibulkova an easy way into her first Rome quarterfinals. (photo: © Neal Trousdale)

Agnieszka Radwanska has still not defeated Victoria Azarenka this year, but has finally lost to a player other than the Belarusian! The Pole entered the second-round match of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia with a 32-6 win-loss record in 2012 and all the six losses came at the hands of top-ranked Azarenka, who was again lurking in her half of the draw. However, Radwanska escaped the unpleasant taste of losing to her nemesis again, by exiting the tournament in an opening match, falling to Petra Cetkovska 6-4 4-6 6-1.

After the match, Cetkovska praised Radwanska's intelligent game, saying that it was her ability to perform better in important moments that decided the match. Radwanska, Dubai and Miami champion this season, was half-hearted, exhausted and injured:

Losing at the beginning of the tournament is disappointing. I'm tired from all the matches I've been playing and I have some problems with my back. I'm going to take a few days off then play Brussels. I still have some matches before Paris.

Radwanska is now actually 0-4 in head-to-head against the 28th-ranked Cetkovska, but this is the first time that the 27-year-old Czech beat her as a Top 10 player, even more so, Radwanska is now world No.3. Three of those four defeats to Cetkovska happened in the last 12 months. (via WTA Tour, photo: Ralf Reinecke)