Francesca Schiavone — TennisGrandstand

Dust in the Wind: Schiavone and Kuznetsova Continue Their Downward Slides

May 14, 2013 By David Kane Leave a Comment

Tennis is a cruel sport. A seemingly endless grind, a single season spans nearly ten months across six continents. Where athletes on team sports sign contracts guaranteeing a paycheck, the math is much simpler for a tennis player. Win, and collect ranking points and prize money. Lose, and be content with the minimum of each. [...]

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Filed Under: David Kane, Lead Story Tagged With: 2011 Australian Open, 2013 Rome, decline, fourth round, Francesca Schiavone, injuries, longest Slam matches, marathon third set, motivation, protected seedings, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Tennis, veterans, WTA, WTA Tour News

All Roads Lead to Rome: WTA Rome Draw Preview

May 13, 2013 By Chris Skelton 1 Comment

Starting one day later than the simultaneous ATP tournament, the second WTA Premier Five tournament of 2013 brings all of the top ten women to the Foro Italico. Many of them will seek a fresh start following weeks in Madrid that ended sooner than they had hoped, although the world No. 1 will aim simply [...]

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Filed Under: Chris Skelton, Latest News, Lead Story, Live Coverage Tagged With: Agnieszka Radwanska, Ana Ivanovic, angelique kerber, Caroline Wozniacki, Dominika Cibulkova, Flavia Pennetta, Foro Italico, Francesca Schiavone, Garbine Muguruza, Jelena Jankovic, Laura Robson, li na, Maria Kirilenko, Maria Sharapova, Nadia Petrova, Petra Kvitova, Premier Five, Rome tennis, Sabine Lisicki, Samantha Stosur, Sara Errani, Serena Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Tennis, Venus Williams, Victoria Azarenka, WTA

Opening the Magic Box: WTA Madrid Draw Preview

May 3, 2013 By Chris Skelton 7 Comments

Rare is the non-major that features every woman in the WTA top 10, but Madrid can lay claim to that honor this year. In another rare quirk, all of the top three women arrive there on winning streaks. Only one of those streaks can survive Madrid. Whose will it be? Or none of the above? [...]

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Filed Under: Chris Skelton, Latest News, Lead Story, Live Coverage Tagged With: Agnieszka Radwanska, Alize Cornet, Ana Ivanovic, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, angelique kerber, Caja Magica, Carla Suarez Navarro, Caroline Wozniacki, Dominika Cibulkova, Francesca Schiavone, Jelena Jankovic, julia goerges, kaia kanepi, li na, Lucie Safarova, Madrid tennis, Maria Kirilenko, Maria Sharapova, Marion Bartoli, Nadia Petrova, Petra Kvitova, Premier Mandatory, Roberta Vinci, Samantha Stosur, Sara Errani, Serena Williams, Sloane Stephens, Sorana Cirstea, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Urszula Radwanska, Varvara Lepchenko, Venus Williams, Victoria Azarenka, WTA

What to Watch in the WTA This Week: Portugal Open Preview

April 29, 2013 By Chris Skelton 3 Comments

Sandwiched between busy weeks in Stuttgart and Madrid is a lovely smaller event between Lisbon and the ocean. Formerly known as the Estoril tournament, the Portugal Open has moved to nearby Oeiras and a location more convenient for those traveling from the capital. It lacks top-ten entrants or other names familiar to the casual fan, [...]

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Filed Under: Chris Skelton, Latest News, Lead Story, Live Coverage Tagged With: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Carla Suarez Navarro, Dominika Cibulkova, Elena Vesnina, Francesca Schiavone, Marion Bartoli, Oeiras tennis, Portugal tennis, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Tennis, Varvara Lepchenko, WTA, WTA International

WTA Plotlines to Ponder: Clay Season Edition

April 26, 2013 By Chris Skelton 1 Comment

Two weeks ago, on the eve of Monte Carlo, my column offered some thoughts on intriguing storylines to follow during the ATP clay season. Midway through the first key WTA tournament on clay, Stuttgart, this companion article discusses a group of narratives that could prove crucial to the next several weeks in the women’s game. [...]

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Filed Under: Chris Skelton, Latest News, Lead Story, Live Coverage Tagged With: Francesca Schiavone, Grand Slams, li na, Maria Sharapova, Roland Garros, Sara Errani, Serena Williams, Tennis, Victoria Azarenka, WTA

What to Watch in the WTA This Week: Stuttgart and Marrakech Previews

April 22, 2013 By Chris Skelton Leave a Comment

After a weekend filled with Fed Cup, the ladies of the WTA dig into the clay for the first time this year with a prestigious event in Stuttgart that features most of the top ten. In North Africa, meanwhile, a smaller International tournament attracts a group of clay specialists and younger stars. Stuttgart: [...]

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Filed Under: Chris Skelton, Latest News, Lead Story, Live Coverage Tagged With: Alize Cornet, Ana Ivanovic, angelique kerber, Caroline Wozniacki, Daniela Hantuchova, Dominika Cibulkova, Francesca Schiavone, Kiki Bertens, li na, Maria Sharapova, Marrakech tennis, Nadia Petrova, Petra Kvitova, Samantha Stosur, Sara Errani, Sorana Cirstea, Stuttgart tennis, Tennis, WTA

My Friend, My Foe, My Countrywoman

March 7, 2013 By Victoria Chiesa Leave a Comment

Flavia and Francesca. While the two might be in the wrong business to be known by a single stage name, there is no doubt that Flavia Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone have been the faces of Italian women’s tennis for the better part of a decade. Despite having contrasting styles, each brings something unique to women’s tennis. [...]

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Filed Under: Lead Story, Victoria Chiesa Tagged With: changing of the guard, drama, Fed Cup, Flavia Pennetta, Francesca Schiavone, intensity, italian tennis, italy, passion, Roberta Vinci, Sara Errani, WTA

Their Just Deserts: The Mega WTA Indian Wells Draw Preview

March 6, 2013 By Chris Skelton 1 Comment

Read about what to expect from the first Premier Mandatory tournament of 2013 as we break down each quarter of the WTA Indian Wells draw in detail! First quarter: For the second straight year, Azarenka arrives in the desert with a perfect season record that includes titles at the Australian Open and the Premier Five [...]

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Filed Under: Chris Skelton, Latest News, Lead Story, Live Coverage Tagged With: Agnieszka Radwanska, Ana Ivanovic, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, angelique kerber, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, BNP Paribas Open, Bojana Jovanovski, Carla Suarez Navarro, Caroline Wozniacki, Christina McHale, Daniela Hantuchova, Dominika Cibulkova, Ekaterina Makarova, Flavia Pennetta, Francesca Schiavone, Hsieh Su-Wei, indian wells tennis, jamie hampton, Jelena Jankovic, julia goerges, Kirsten Flipkens, Klara Zakopalova, Ksenia Pervak, Laura Robson, Lucie Hradecka, Lucie Safarova, Madison Keys, Maria Kirilenko, Maria Sharapova, Marion Bartoli, Mona Barthel, Nadia Petrova, Peng Shuai, Petra Kvitova, Premier Mandatory, Samantha Stosur, Sara Errani, Sloane Stephens, Sofia Arvidsson, Sorana Cirstea, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Tamira Paszek, Tennis, Tsvetana Pironkova, Varvara Lepchenko, Victoria Azarenka, WTA, Yanina Wickmayer, Yaroslava Shvedova, Zheng Jie

What to Watch in the WTA This Week: Previews of Acapulco, Florianopolis, and Kuala Lumpur

February 24, 2013 By Chris Skelton Leave a Comment

While eight of the top ten men are active in the week before Indian Wells, only two of the top ten women have chosen live matches over practice sessions. Two clay tournaments in the Western Hemisphere accompany an Asian hard-court tournament as the last chance to reverse or extend momentum before the March mini-majors. Acapulco: [...]

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Filed Under: Chris Skelton, Latest News, Lead Story Tagged With: Acapulco tennis, Ajla Tomljanovic, Alize Cornter, Anabel Medina Garrigues, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Arantxa Rus, ashleigh barty, Ayumi Morita, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Carla Suarez Navarro, Carolina Garcia, Caroline Wozniacki, Casey Dellacqua, chanelle scheepers, donna vekic, eleni daniilidou, Flavia Pennetta, Florianopolis tennis, Francesca Schiavone, Garbine Muguruza, Hsieh Su-Wei, irina camelia-begu, Kiki Bertens, Kimiko Date-Krumm, Kirsten Flipkens, Kristine Mladenovic, Kuala Lumpur tennis, Lourdes Dominguez-Lino, Misaki Doi, Olivia Rogowska, romina oprandi, Sara Errani, Sesil Karatantcheva, Shahar Peer, Tennis, timea babos, Venus Williams, WTA, WTA International, WTA Premier, Yaroslava Shvedova

What to Watch in the WTA This Week: Previews of Dubai, Memphis, and Bogota

February 17, 2013 By Chris Skelton Leave a Comment

Shifting down the Persian Gulf, eight of the top ten women move from Doha to Dubai for the only Premier tournament this week. In North and South America are two International tournaments on dramatically different surfaces. Here is the weekly look at what to expect in the WTA. Dubai: Still the top seed despite her [...]

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Filed Under: Chris Skelton, Latest News, Lead Story, Live Coverage Tagged With: Agnieszka Radwanska, Alize Cornet, Ana Ivanovic, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, angelique kerber, Arantxa Rus, Bogota tennis, Caroline Wozniacki, chanelle scheepers, Coco Vandeweghe, Dominika Cibulkova, Dubai tennis, Ekaterina Makarova, Flavia Pennetta, Francesca Schiavone, heather watson, jamie hampton, Jelena Jankovic, julia goerges, Kirsten Flipkens, Krstine Mladenovic, Lourdes Dominguez-Lino, Lucie Hradecka, Lucie Safarova, Magdalena Rybarikova, Mariana Duque-Marino, Marion Bartoli, Melanie Oudin, memphis tennis, Paula Ormaechea, Petra Kvitova, Roberta Vinci, Sabine Lisicki, Samantha Stosur, Sara Errani, Serena Williams, Shahar Peer, Sloane Stephens, Sofia Arvidsson, timea babos, Varvara Lepchenko, Victoria Azarenka, WTA