“He was very angry with me and I changed my game completely,” Safina said. “It was smart to call him.”

Two stunning results this weekend transformed a bland-looking Fed Cup weekend into a shocker.

Apparently not expected enough. Although the Russian squad had a better part of a week to train in the conditions, Kuznetsova also complained about the court. Blowing away Schiavone 6-1 in the first, Kuznetsova nonetheless blamed the court and alternating sunny/shady weather after letting the Italian back in the match before losing 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.

In the final Serena will face Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka, who overcame a bout of choking to defeat another mentally-challenged opponent, Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5.

“I came here after losing first round two tournaments in a row,” Kuznetsova said. “I was practicing and preparing well, so when I came here I was so disappointed. I haven’t lost two first rounds in a row as long as I can remember. So for me here, it was really important to just play match by match.”

Venus Williams got her younger sister again today, beating Serena 5-7, 6-1, 6-0 to qualify for the semifinals in the season-ending WTA Championships in Doha, Qatar.

There’s an age-old saying in the financial markets that the “trend is your friend.”

Waking up to Roland Garros today has turned into waking up to rain, again. Roger Federer was up two sets on Julien Benneteau before the rain hit.