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Nick Bollettieri's tennis picks for the Women's Singles Semifinals of the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. Featured: Venus Willaims v. Marion Bartoli.
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Venus Williams (USA) vs. Marion Bartoli (FRA)
Venus wasn’t tested in the quarterfinals, as she beat sixth-seeded Aggie Radwanska 6-3, 6-1. She is a three-time champion in Miami, and loves playing here as she lives right around the corner! She reached the semis here last year before losing to sister, Serena, and in 2008 she was a quarterfinalist.
Bartoli is playing extremely well right now. She beat top-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-0 in the fourth round and then knocked out Yanina Wickmayer in straight sets in the quarters. This is already her best result of 2010 and this is the first time she has been to the semis in Miami.
Match-up:
Bartoli and Venus have met twice before with each winning a match. Venus won the first time they played which was in the finals of Wimbledon in 2007 and Bartoli won last year in the finals of Stanford. Bartoli has had a great run thus far, but I don’t think Venus will be impressed by that. As far as Venus is concerned, the only thing that matters is this match. Bartoli is one heck of a fighter and she really will take it to her opponent. She hits the ball on the rise and catches her opposition out of position and off-balance. This is going to be extremely difficult against Venus though, because Venus has the ability to put more pace on the ball and cover more of the court than basically any woman on the tour. With Venus’ serve being what it is, and with her aggressive style, I have to give the edge to her.
Nick’s Pick – V. Williams in 3 sets
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Seventeen-year old IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy student, Michelle Larcher de Brito, won her first round match at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston yesterday. Larcher de Brito beat Vesna Manasieva 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 and will face either Patty Schnyder or Chanelle Scheepers in the second round.
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Also playing in the tournament is IMG Bollettieri student Heather Watson. The young Brit qualified and will face 10th-seeded Elena Vesnina in the opening round. Watson, the 2009 Junior US Open champ, is also part of Team AEGON, the elite squad of British players. Last week she reached the quarters of an ITF event in Mississippi and this is only her second main draw match on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.
“I’m so happy that I was able to qualify for a Premiere event. From my last tournament to yesterday I have played eight matches in eight days and won seven of them so I’m feeling very confident in my game. I’m excited about playing Vesnina. I just want to go out there and do all the right things and just gain more experience against the top players,” said Watson.
Congrats to Michelle for her win and good luck to both girls in their next match!
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Legendary player, coach, and announcer Brad Gilbert was at IMG Academies last week to visit his old stomping-grounds and do a little coaching. We were able to steal him from the court for a few minutes to chat…
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Brad Gilbert and Mark Dalzell at IMG Academies
What are you up to this week at IMG Academies?
“The biggest thing is you’re trying to inspire these kids, trying to tap into something to try to make them a little bit better. A lot of these kids are putting a lot on the line out here, so we’re trying to help give them that extra push. Since I only come once per semester, I can see some big leaps in some players. I’d like to think that I ooze with passion. Every day I’m blessed to be doing something that I’ve been doing my whole life, and I love this game. A couple kids I work with individually, I work with groups, I kind of go where they want me to go. Sometimes they have me talk to a kid that’s going through a rough patch. I’m not a yeller or a screamer, I just try to expel a little wisdom on kids to help them as much as I can.”
What are some things you tell them specifically?
“Sometimes you see kids that want to be there (at the pro level) at 10 or 11 because they’re working hard. The one thing this game takes when you’re little is patience. The most important thing is to focus on progress– ‘let’s make it from this group to that group, one tournament to the next.’ One of the most important things this game teaches you is patience.”
You were a student here when it was practically just a few banks of tennis courts. What’s your take on the ever-expanding IMG Academies as it is currently?
“I met Chris Weinke the other day, the guy’s running football. They’ve got lacrosse, all these different sports. My friend’s son came here to play basketball at the same time mine came to play tennis. He’s now just finished his junior year at Colorado (University), and has got a chance to make the NBA. Seeing all of these kids with the passion and enthusiasm to succeed, it’s just a great feeling.”