Surprise?

Geez. Where do I even start?

So Venus Williams was defeated by her Wimbledon nemesis Tsvetana Pironkova 6-2, 6-3; Serena Williams was beaten by Marion Bartoli with a more respectable 6-3, 7-6 (8); and Caroline Wozniacki fell to Dominika Cibulkova 1-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5.

The result that I'm least surprised about is actually Bart's win over ReRe. The Frenchie's been in stellar form ever since Paris and her win in Eastbourne gave her the confidence she needed on the slick stuff. Her serving was uber-impressive, though, so it's fitting she won on another unreturnable that the 4-time champ could barely get her racket on. As for ReRe the rust really showed today in her movement, shot selection and groundies. We really shouldn't be surprised since she's been out for a year but it's ReRe we're talking about here; she's like the tour's Wonder Woman. She can make anything happen on-court, right? But, if this tourney showed us one thing about her it's that she's human.

Woz's loss to Domi was somewhat surprising to me. No, I'm not surprised she ended up on the losing side because she's been susceptible to the big hitters in Slams these days. But she started off well playing pretty aggressively in the first set. Once the Slovak started feeling the forehand, though, Woz reverted back to her natural form: defense. And as we all know, once you're on defense on the grass it's hard to find your back on the front foot. In the end, Domi was the braver of the two and she won. Simple.

For me V's second consecutive loss by the same scoreline to Tsveta on Centre Court is mind boggling. The Bulgarian couldn't buy any match wins since last year's Championships but found the right formula to fuck up the 5-time champ once again. It almost seems like V can't even believe she's falling victim to Tsveta's peculiar mix of pace and spin and, when she does, it all starts to unravel. And to lose so meekly and not even push it to a third set? MIND BOGGLING.

But in the end I give kudos to the ladies who stood up to the big stars of the tour on a huge occasion and earned the win. Seriously, who wants this thing?

[Photo(s) credit: Getty Images]

SHE SAID/SHE SAID: Wimbledon Day Eight

Q. What memories do you have of Wimbledon growing up?

TSVETANA PIRONKOVA: Wimbledon has always been, you know, like a religion to me. And I don't think it's just for me. I think it's for all of the players.

Q. Why do you say that?

TSVETANA PIRONKOVA: Because Wimbledon is the first tournament. It's the oldest tournament. Growing up, every player is looking at Wimbledon. They say, One day I want to play there. That's like a dream.

Q. So when you think of yourself out there in the women's semifinals on Thursday, what is your reaction?

TSVETANA PIRONKOVA: Well, you know, honestly I still cannot believe that I reached the semifinals. This is truly like a dream to me, and I will try to enjoy it as much as I can.

Q. Do you think you have more to offer in the semifinal?

TSVETANA PIRONKOVA: I really hope that I have more to offer. I'll just try to do all the right things: to rest well, to prepare well for the next match. I'll just try to do my best and we'll see what happens.

Q. When you won yesterday, you said you felt you've been trying to play too many perfect shots, not settling for good shots. Was that something that affected you today at all?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I don't remember saying that. But, you know, I think a lot of those approach shots I was missing because I felt like I got a short ball literally every point.

I just felt, you know, you have to have the mentality on the short ball to hit the approach and be ready for the volley. And I felt like I didn't slow myself down enough, and I just kept trying to hit too good of a ‑‑ you know, you have to not want to win the point, especially when the ball's bouncing low.

On the grass, the bounce isn't always true, so you have to adjust your shot. I think I just let things start going too fast.

Q. Losses and wins both can be either triumphs of the emotions, mentality, technique, or strategy. Which would you say was most responsible today?

VENUS WILLIAMS: All (laughter.) Like I said, you know, I didn't bring my best tennis today. And sometimes, like I said, you really have to live in the moment. I got too caught up in the mistakes I was making instead of just letting it go and moving on.

I expect a lot from myself, especially at this tournament. When I missed a few shots, I think I just kind of, you know, maybe was a little too hard on myself.

Usually I stay, you know, for the most part, pretty positive. But, you know, yeah.

Q. What do you know about your semifinal opponent? Must be rather a surprise that you're not playing Venus, that you're playing Pironkova.

VERA ZVONAREVA: You know, obviously Venus is going to be always one of the favorite players here at Wimbledon. But if Tsvetana beat her today, she deserves to be in the semifinals. She played great tennis.

I played her in Moscow last year and I lost to her. I will try to remember that match. I know I was not playing my best tennis over there. I will just have to, you know, think about it a little bit and prepare myself the best I can.

I'm gonna try my best over there, just the way I was trying today, and then we will see what's going to happen.

Q. What were her strengths when you played her in Moscow?

VERA ZVONAREVA: I think she's all‑over‑the‑court player. You know, it's hard to predict what she's doing on the court. Sometimes she can slice; sometimes she can hit the ball; sometimes she can play slow; sometimes she can play fast. You never know what to expect, so you lose your rhythm. Then you start thinking maybe too much on the court.

I just know that in that match I will have to concentrate on myself and execute my game no matter what the score, no matter what she's trying to do. Just try not to look on the other side and try to concentrate on myself.

Q. What are the biggest things you think you need to work on between now and the Open?

KIM CLIJSTERS: Obviously what I always want to work on is my serve, and, you know, making sure that I get a higher first‑serve percentage.

But when you play girls who hit the ball hard, and especially women's tennis these days, everybody hits the ball hard and flat and deep.

I think I have the habit of probably not finishing my service motion to a full end because as soon as I land with my first foot, I'm already pushing back to be ready for that next shot.

So you have to make a choice. You want to be ready, you know, maybe a little bit later for the next shot because you want to have a higher percentage of serve. I'm really trying to work on that.

Obviously, you know, in practice it's going well. In matches, it's your habits that come back at the most important moments in the match.

Q. How do you feel about your next opponent, Kvitova?

SERENA WILLIAMS: She's a good player. I mean, I've actually thought she would get through in the early rounds. I'm not surprised that I'm playing her.

She is lefty. She's really, really good.

Q. What made you think she'd get through?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, early in the tournament, I saw her playing a couple rounds and I was like, Wow, she's doing really well. She was just hitting the ball so clean.

Obviously, when she beat Wozniacki I wasn't surprised, because I just saw how well she was doing and how well she was playing.

She's a really tough player, especially on grass.

Q. When you beat Azarenka 6‑0 in the second set, she said, I think Petra, that girl, played the best tennis of her life. Do you feel like you can play that kind of level all the time?

PETRA KVITOVA: So, yeah, I think so. I play now very well, my best tennis in my life, my career. But it's very, very hard to stay on this level. So I have to be focused for each match, for each point.

Yeah, we will see what will be in the future.

Q. The future is against Serena, who has won 12 Grand Slam titles. She has a lot of experience. She's very good on grass. How do you go into that match and play your best and not get so nervous playing on the big court against her?

PETRA KVITOVA: So, yeah, she is very good player, and she won here I don't know how many times. I lost against her in the Australian Open. So it was very quick.

But, yeah, I'm not favorite, so I can play just my game and just play and enjoy. So we will see.

Q. Do you think you can win the tournament here? Do you think you can be Wimbledon champion?

PETRA KVITOVA: No, I don't think. I don't think so, no (laughter.)

Q. Why not?

PETRA KVITOVA: So maybe it's two matches. But, yeah, maybe I can lose in the Serena. I don't know what I can tell. I don't think so, yeah.

Q. Martina, obviously with your skill level and with Anna, you could go into the main draw and be competitive.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: No, not me. She could be. Me, there's no way. I mean, I'm not ready for that at all.

Q. Why not just do it?

MARTINA HINGIS: No, I don't think we would be.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: You could for sure.

MARTINA HINGIS: I haven't played that much in the last three years. For me it's less time being away. It's only three years. But still, I mean, you have to commit. The commitment is totally different.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Different mental commitment also.

MARTINA HINGIS: Being on the tour full‑time, you can't pop up and say, I'm going to come back and win Grand Slams, even if you have a great partner.

It's great fun to be out there again with Anna. We had some great times. We're sharing some good time again. Totally different ballgame.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: For me it would be impossible really physically to be on the tour. It even bothers me a little bit playing like today. I mean, it wasn't strenuous match. It was quite fun and giggly. I'm sure I'm going to feel it tomorrow and I'll be sore. Even to prepare for the specific tournament, the last two months, I've had to have therapy, like real therapy, every day for an hour, hour and a half.

This is just for kind of the fun matches. I would have to live in the trainer's room for three hours every day. I have five different things wrong with my back from two herniated discs.

MARTINA HINGIS: It's a good day off tomorrow.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: From two herniated discs to four cracks that I have. The right side is smaller than the left side.

MARTINA HINGIS: I don't want to hear it.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: All kinds of weird stuff.

Q. What was the trainer coming on today for?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: (Holding her hand up.)

Q. What is it?

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: It's a blister that's like bleeding.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

ANNA KOURNIKOVA: Really, that's it? Suddenly when I'm older, I'm enjoying the press conferences (laughter). I thought we were just getting started.

[Photo(s): Getty Images]

Venus + Clijsters suffer shock losses in the Wimbledon quarterfinals

The major upsets continued today at Wimbledon with faves Venus Williams + Kim Clijsters getting shown the door in their quarterfinal matches.

The 5-time champ was all out of sorts today and went down with shocking ease to unseeded Tsvetana Pironkova 6-2, 6-3 - her worst lost EVAH at the All England Club. V never looked comfortable on court and couldn't cope with the Bulgarian's crafty play as evidenced by her stats including 22 winners/29 UEs, 57% first serve and 5 double faults. Tsveta used great variety in her shots which gave the American little in terms of rhythm and brought V forward into the court only to pass her. Smart playing for sure.

Though she credited her opponent, V believed she was her own worst enemy out there during this disappointing loss:

Q. She played well, obviously, but some of the errors were not as a result of her good play.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, you know, I felt like she played solid. But, I mean, you know, if I hadn't contributed to her effort, I'm not sure that it would have gone as well. So I definitely made too many contributions today to her.

Q. Obviously you've played mostly great matches all year. You have had a handful of these. You say you have to stop having these. What can you do during the match to fight this off?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I think it's important to stay in the moment. I think sometimes when you miss some shots you get caught up in the ones you miss, not the ones you need to make.

Obviously I expect a lot from myself. Of course, I'm disappointed if I'm not playing the tennis I think I can play. It's important to stay in that moment, and that's not always easy.

This loss was all the more shocking because of the easy scoreline, particularly on V's fave surface. Tsveta played solidly, yes, but V couldn't find the court with any of her shots. Plus, her footwork was lackadaisical and she seemed confused about what to do at the net. It was the V of old and not the one who's been playing consistent ball this season and who reached the second spot in the rankings behind sister Serena. Strange stuff.

And let's be honest: she hasn't really made an impact at any of the other majors besides Wimby in years and she now has gone two years without lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish. If she isn't winning here, where can she then?


Kimmie was also expected to reach the final four with relative ease after getting by nemesis Justine Henin in the last round. But Vera Zvonareva had other ideas upsetting the Belgian 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in their quarterfinal match. Kimmie made a slew of errors - 36 in fact against 33 winners - while Bepa was solid down the stretch keeping her winner/UE ratio at 23/19 for the match (not to mention converting 4 of 13 break chances.)

So what went wrong for Kimmie? She was asked about her tactics in her post-match presser:

Q. You talked about the adjustments you made against Henin. Were they not there today?

KIM CLIJSTERS: I think she was good at keeping me under pressure. She hits the ball very hard, flat and deep. It was up to me to try to go for the lines, open up the court a little bit more, especially to her forehand. I was trying to pull her out of the court a little bit.

But, yeah, she was really on top of my game I felt today. I mean, her backhand is her stronger shot. I mean, it's very hard to read the shot. Especially when she goes down the line, it's like a last‑second. You can't even read it.

I was kind of always on my toes, yeah, obviously trying to go to the forehand a little bit more. But it's not easy when the balls are coming from the cross‑court down the line. With the backhand I was trying to go down the line before she would.

But, yeah, I mean, I was trying to, like I said, go for the lines. But it's not easy when they're coming that hard and deep.

I really thought after she got past Justine she'd be mentally prepared to go all the way. But maybe that match, which is always an emotional affair between the two, affected the sensitive Kimmie more than she led on. I mean, it was her first win over Justine at a major since the Australian Open in 2002. She may have relaxed just a bit especially against someone she owned 5-0 in the H2H, and Bepa was there to take advantage of the moment.

So it's Tsvetana Pironkova vs. Vera Zvonareva, and one of these lady ballers will reach their first ever Grand Slam final. And it happens to be at Wimbledon. CRAZY.

Oh yeah, Serena Williams defeated Na Li 7-5, 6-3 and will take on another surprise semifinalist Petra Kvitova, who saved 5 match points and came back from 0-4 down in the decider to beat Kaia Kanepi 4-6, 7-6 (10), 8-6. Mental toughness much? I hope so because she'll need it against ReRe. Trust.

[Photo(s): Getty Images]