Pin Pops Bartoli at WTA Vancouver

Posted on August 13, 2004

Top-seeded Marion Bartoli was upset by unseeded French countrywoman Camille Pin in three sets Thursday at the WTA stop in Vancouver, with Pin advancing to her first career WTA quarterfinal.

Also into the quarters was (2)Milagros Sequera (d. Castellvi), and two 15-year-old qualifiers in Bulgarian Sesil "The Mouth" Karatantcheva (d. (7)Groenefeld), and Czech Nicole Vaidisova (d. (5)Irvin).

On tap today in the Canuck quarters are Rita "Ain't It" Grande vs. Jidkova, Pin vs. Karatantcheva, Granville vs. Lee-Waters, and Vaidisova vs. Sequera.

Polish wildcard Marta Domachowska kept her unlikely run alive Thursday at the WTA stop in Sopot, ousting No. 7 seed Marta Marrero to become the only unseeded player to gain the semifinals.

Sopot is the first career WTA semifinal for Domachowska.

The Pole was joined in the semis by (1)Anastasia Myskina (d. (5)Benesova), (6)Flavia "Of the Day" Pennetta (d. Nuria Llagostera "Pancho" Vives), and (8)Klara "Kouky" Koukalova (d. Kurhajcova).

Friday's semifinals line up as (6)Pennetta vs. (WC)Domachowska, (1)Myskina vs. (8)Koukalova, and the doubles final of Llagostera Vives/Marrero vs. Jans/Rosolska.

ATP REVIEW/PREVIEW
The qualifiers reigned at Sopot Thursday with two into the quarterfinals in Spaniard Felix Mantilla (d. countryman Al "The Dropshot Dragon" Portas in three) and Czech Jan Vacek (d. Koubek).

"I don't have the big serve that someone like (Marat) Safin has," Mantilla said. "I'm smaller, but I have a big heart and a lot of courage."

Two other un-seeds moved into the quarters in Argentina's Jose Acasuso (d. (3)Ferrer) and Chile's Adrian Garcia (d. Olivier "Mucus" Mutis).

Friday's quarters line up as the lone remaining seed (6)Rafael "The Prodigy" Nadal vs. (Q)Franco "The Squirrel" Squillari, M.Lopez vs. Juan "The Tax Haven" Monaco, (Q)Vanek vs. Acasuso, and (Q)Mantilla vs. Garcia.

FREE DAILY TENNIS-X NEWSLETTER
Our free gift to you. Go to www.Tennis-X.com. Sign up today and we'll attach the Anna Kournikova virus, free of charge.

NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
When it was announced that Maria Sharapova was to compete in the China Open this September, according to a newspaper in China, tournament officials proudly announced her arrival by hanging up a poster of Anna Kournikova by mistake...Why did Serena Williams wait until just hours before her plane left for Greece to visit her doctor about her knee, resulting in a late withdrawal that cost the U.S. a spot in the women's singles draw? Time to stop talking like a team player and start acting like one, don't wait until after the pull deadline to visit the doctor, costing your country an Olympic penalty...Andy Roddick on being in the Olympic Village: "It's cool, it's a different experience for me. We're extremely spoilt normally. You do feel kind of like a student. You're in a room together, you're sharing bathrooms, it's fun. It's a good change. It's all part of the whole Olympic experience." Roddick is pairing with pal Mardy Fish in the Olympic doubles, but faces an early exit in the first round against one of the all-time doubles team greats in the Open Era in Indians Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes...The WTA headquarters in Florida was forced to comply with a mandatory evacuation Thursday with the approach of Hurricane Charlie...Along with Swiss Roger Federer, Paradorn "The Thai Fighter" Srichaphan will carry the Olympic flag for his country...Results Thursday from the senior tour stop in Graz, Austria were Sergi Bruguera d. Jim Courier, and Alex Antonitsch d. Mikael Pernfors. Today's final round robin bouts are Thomas Muster vs. Mats Wilander, Boris Becker vs. Pernfors, and Antonitsch vs. Guy Forget...Martina Navratilova is pumped to be representing in Athens, her first Olympics: "There's a lot more attention on (Americans) at the Olympics. But I think the philosophy is always the same: Represent ourselves in the best way possible, be good role models for young girls and boys growing up. And we also are Americans."...Just to reiterate, John McEnroe's talk show is pulling in a 0.0 Nielsen rating on MSNBC. McEnroe, always the extremist -- if you can't be the best, may as well be the worst...Irakli "Freak Show" Labadze has withdrawn from the Athens Olympics with a wrist injury, and has been replaced in the draw by Vladimir Voltchkov...Someone sent this our way, for all you fans of female Marilyn Manson look-alikes, here's the adult link that Anastasia Myskina is suing GQ magazine over:
http://www.bestruscan.ru/Scanners/SMiLey/2k4/smiley2k4_039_anastasiya_myskina.jpg