Serena sent packing in Madrid; loses to Petrova

Top-ranked Serena Williams was knocked out of the Madrid Masters on Wednesday, falling 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 to Nadia Petrova of Russia in the third round.

Petrova, who has won 19 doubles titles, frustrated Williams into making 41 errors by hitting accurately from the baseline. The 16th-seeded Petrova served 10 aces to advance to the quarterfinals. Williams had looked out of form in a marathon match against Vera Dushevina on Tuesday, which lasted 3 hours, 26 minutes. It was the longest match of her career.

Last year, Williams was beaten in the opening round in her first appearance at the Madrid Masters. "I wasn't moving my fastest but all I could do was try and do the best I could. I don't know. I definitely wasn't at my best," said Williams, who criticized the tournament for its scheduling. "This isn't a player-favorite tournament, just to be honest. None of the players are really gung-ho about playing here."

Williams, who had to work hard to beat Vera Dushevina in the last round, looked down and out well before she sent a forehand over the baseline on the Russian's first match point.

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Madrid: 3rd Round (Wednesday)

3rd Round

[1] Serena Williams (USA) vs. [16] Nadia Petrova (RUS)
Serena leads Head-To-Head (6-2)
4th Match of the Day / Not before 5:30pm (11:30am EST)
Stadium 3

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Madrid: Serena wins longest match of her career

Serena Williams won the longest match of her career, playing 3 hours, 26 minutes in defeating Vera Dushevina of Russia 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) to reach the third round of the Madrid Open. "I definitely feel really proud because I definitely wasn't playing my best tennis and I was far off playing well," she said. "Also, at that point I wasn't going to lose. After three hours, I'd better win."

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Serena Saves Matchpoint; Advances to 3rd Round

Serena Williams drew on all her battling qualities to get past unseeded Vera Dushevina into the third round of the Madrid Open on Monday, coming back from a set down and saving a match point for a 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 7-6(5) success. This match lasted 3 hours and 26 minutes!

The American world No. 1, who won her 12th grand slam title at January’s Australian Open before injury sidelined her for three months, looked to be on her way out of the clay event when the Russian held a match point at 6-5 in the second set. Berating herself and appealing to watching coach and father Richard Williams throughout the match, she clawed her way back and took the deciding set despite having a long treatment break for what appeared to be right thigh and lower back problems.

Serena won 6 straight points after trailing 0-4 in the 3rd set tiebreak. She squandered one match point with a wild backhand at 6-4 in the third-set tiebreak, but a ninth ace on the next point prompted a bellow of delight from the pink-clad 28-year-old. Serena had 64 winners and 73 errors! Williams avoided the fate of three other grand slam champions, Justine Henin, Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova, who all exited in the first round.

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Madrid: 2nd Round (Monday)

2nd Round
[1] Serena Williams (USA) vs. Vera Dushevina (RUS)
Serena leads Head-To-Head (2-0)
1st Match of the Day @ 12pm (6am EST)
Court: Manolo Santana

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Serena surprised with clay court form upon return

MADRID (AP) Serena Williams is impressed with her clay court form since returning from an injury layoff and had not expected to fight for titles so quickly, she said Sunday. Williams played her first tournament since the Australian Open last week in Rome, losing in the semifinals of the Italian Open to Jelena Jankovic after squandering a match point. "I was surprised to do so well in Rome," Williams said at a news conference ahead of the Madrid Open. The top-seeded Williams has a bye in the first round in Madrid and then plays the winner between Vera Dushevina of Russia and Belarusian qualifier Kirsten Flipkens.

During her absence, the United States still managed to defeat Russia in the Fed Cup semifinals using a younger and less experienced lineup, as Williams' sister Venus was also nursing an injury. Williams hinted that she may sit out the final against Italy in November as well. "They obviously don't need the Williams sisters to be part of their team; they're doing really well without us," she said. "But it's great. It just shows that there are so many good players in the U.S. besides me and Venus."

Having a break from tennis wasn't all bad either. Williams said she used the extra spare time to improve her manicure skills. "I went to nail school, so that helped a lot," she said. "Everyone else should do it too."

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