Brisbane, Shenzhen, Auckland: Kvitova, top player no more?

Results:

Brisbane:

Daniela Hantuchova def. Sara Errani 4-6 6-1 7-5
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Petra Kvitova 6-4 7-5
Ksenia Pervak def. Urszula Radwanska 3-6 6-2 7-6
Serena Williams def. Alize Cornet 6-2 6-2

Shenzhen:

Zhou Yi-Miao def. Jessica Pegula 6-4 6-2
Klara Zakopalova def. Elina Svitolina 6-4 6-3
Bojana Jovanovski def. Duan Ying-Ying 6-3 6-1
Monica Niculescu def. Laura Robson 6-2 6-3
Li Na def. Mandy Minella 6-4 6-0
Peng Shuai def. Ayumi Morita 6-1 6-1
Annika Beck def. Hsieh Su-Wei 6-3 6-0

Auckland:

Romina Oprandi def. Nudnida Luangnam 6-0 6-2
Yaroslava Shvedova def. Lara-Arruabarrena Vecino 6-3 6-2
Mona Barthel def. Grace Min 6-1 6-3
Agnieszka Radwanska def. Greta Arn 6-2 6-2
Marina Erakovic def. Stephanie Dubios 6-1 6-2
Julia Goerges def. Anastasija Sevastova 6-3 6-4


Upsets:

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Petra Kvitova 6-4 7-5

Someone has been working her butt off during off season and it's not Petra Kvitova. Pavlyuchenkova shows the commitment to improve her fitness and it shows in her game. Petra obviously hasn't put in the work and still plays with zero margin for error. Not to mention her poor fitness in the heat, maybe her days as a top player are over. Pavlyuchenkova is looking very good with this win and hopefully will fulfil her full potential as a top player.

Daniela Hantuchova def. Sara Errani 4-6 6-1 7-5

Although Errani fights like hell, her lack of serve will always hinder her progress. Hantuchova for once, didn't choke and took out the pesky Italian in a tight 3 setter. Daniela will be turning 30 this year but it seems like she still has the game to stick around. With a final appearance to defend, I think the Slovak is extra motivated this year to defend her points. The second set was vintage Daniela, taking the ball early and with deadly accuracy, it was a marvel to watch. Good to see older players still having the belief to continue among the younger upstarts.

Monica Niculescu def. Laura Robson 6-2 6-3

Like I mentioned, Laura is a rhythmic player. Niculescu is the nemesis of players like Laura, who likes to hit powerful balls without much spin. Monica held her serve throughout the match and Laura just couldn't hit through the Romanian. It resulted in ugly errors as Laura tried to hit almost impossible shots. Looks like the teenager still has much to learn on how to handle players who really junk the ball.