Top Four Good Enough In Stuttgart Semis

(April 28, 2012) For the first time since Wimbledon 2009, the top four ranked women converged in the semifinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. And while we've come to expect stellar matches when the top four guys in the ATP Tour collide, today's matches between the elite quartet of the WTA had some great moments, but not enough of them.

Top seed Victoria Azarenka squared off in the first semi against No. 4 seed Agnieszka Radwanska, but the only drama in this one was the anticipation of what the handshake would be like between these two former friends.

Radwanksa, who has only lost to Azarenka all year, really had few answers today on the indoor clay as the World No. 1 went up an early break and from them romped through the first set 6-1.

When both women traded early breaks in the second set, there was a glimmer of hope Radwanska might make a match of it, but Radwanska's inability to win few points from her second serve (she was 2 of 17 in the match) followed by a medical time out to deal with a lower back issue, suggested the day would end early for the Polish star.

But with Radwanska serving down 2-5, a rather protracted complaint from Azarenka at the umpire about a serve that was called in that Azarenka thought looked long, seemed to fire up Radwanksa as she smoked two aces to close out the game. Azarenka stepped up and eventually served out the match 6-1, 6-3 and as both women approached the net, one wondered what the handshake might be like, if there would be one at all.

But yet it did happen, cordial if a tad frosty between the pair as Azarenka then proceeded to point at her box of supporters and celebrate reaching her fourth final of the year.

The second semi featured No. 2 seed Maria Sharapova against No. 3 seed Petra Kvitova in a rematch of their nervy yet entertaining semifinal in Melbourne. Despite both women going for their serves and groundstrokes with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer cracking against a concrete block, there wasn't any sense of tension or drama in either woman’s face.

With each player going for their serve, it was Kvitova who had a harder time reading Sharapova's deliveries. Down an early break, Kvitova proceeded to hit five returns in a row long. When she hit another shot long to give Sharapova the set, the television commentators wondered aloud why Kvitova couldn't just keep the ball in play, not seeming to realize that's never been the Czech's style of play at all.

Kvitova certainly had her chances in the second set as she had break points chances in every one of Sharapova's service games. Unfortunately, she kept blowing her chances, either because of Sharapova hitting a smart serve to save the point or from Kvitova hitting an error, especially when she had a sitter of a forehand on set point that she blew wide for no good reason.

Kvitova eventually did convert on her 11th break point chance when Sharapova served for the match at 6-5 to force a tiebreak, but the tiebreak went all the Russian's way as she willed herself to a 6-4, 7-6 victory thus ending Kvitova's 27 win streak indoors.

Sharapova now takes on Azarenka in their third meeting in a final this year with Azarenka winning the last two in comfortable style in Melbourne and Indian Wells. Their only match on clay was in the quarters of Rome last year, a match Sharapova won when Azarenka had to retire due to injury.