WTA Previews: Filderstadt Filled with Russians; Sharapova Goes to Tokyo
Posted on October 4, 2004The WTA stop in Filderstadt this week has a strong field with six Top 10 players, but fell beneath all-star status over the weekend with the withdrawals of three former No. 1s in last year's runner-up Justine Henin-Hardenne (mystery illness), Serena Williams (knee) and Jennifer Capriati (back). Last year's winner, Kim Clijsters, is also out with injury.
World No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo will get the chance to prove her worth as the top seed, joined by American Lindsay Davenport, Russians Anastasia Myskina, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Elena Dementieva, Vera Zvonareva and Nadia Petrova, and Japan's Ai Sugiyama.
The top four seeds receive byes, but a few early-round matches of interest remain in (1) Mauresmo vs. Patty "Handshake" Schnyder second round, (5) Dementieva vs. Karolina "The Spreminator" Sprem second round, (4) Kuznetsova vs. countrywoman Bovina second round, (6) Zvonareva vs. countrywoman Elena Likhovtseva (winner to potentially face Mary Pierce), (3) Myskina vs. Top 25 Nathalie Dechy or Maggie Maleeva second round, (7) Petrova vs. Daniela Hantuchova second round, and (2) Davenport vs. Top 20 Alicia Molik or Francesca Schiavone second round.
Former champs in the field are Davenport (2001) and Pierce (1993).
WTA Preview: Sharapova Open Moves from Seoul to Tokyo
Top 10-ranked Maria "Grunt-o-rama" Sharapova, competing for her second consecutive week in a field without another Top 30 player, leads the seeds at the WTA stop in Tokyo, joined by Tatiana Golovin, Shinobu Asagoe, Kristina "You're a Fine Girl" Brandi, Meghann Shaughnessy, Nicole Pratt, Klara "Kouky" Koukalova, and No. 8 seed Arantxa "Not That Arantxa" Parra Santonja, who is ranked outside the Top 50.
Sharapova and Golovin receive first-round byes, with first round match-ups of marginal interest including (3) Asagoe vs. Tanasugarn in an all-Asian, (6) Pratt vs. another "next Russian" Evgenia Linetskaya, Obata vs. (WC) Fujiwara in an all-Japanese, and a potential second-round meeting between (2) Golovin and Czech teen sensation Nicole Vaidisova.
Former champions in the field are Sharapova (2003) and Jill Craybas (2002).
On court Monday at Tokyo are (WC) Fujiwara vs. Obata in an all-Japanese, Kleinova vs. (4) Brandi, Sanchez Lorenzo vs. Mashona "Little Sis" Washington, (7) Kouky vs. Sequera, and Kurhajcova vs. Jidkova.
World No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo will get the chance to prove her worth as the top seed, joined by American Lindsay Davenport, Russians Anastasia Myskina, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Elena Dementieva, Vera Zvonareva and Nadia Petrova, and Japan's Ai Sugiyama.
The top four seeds receive byes, but a few early-round matches of interest remain in (1) Mauresmo vs. Patty "Handshake" Schnyder second round, (5) Dementieva vs. Karolina "The Spreminator" Sprem second round, (4) Kuznetsova vs. countrywoman Bovina second round, (6) Zvonareva vs. countrywoman Elena Likhovtseva (winner to potentially face Mary Pierce), (3) Myskina vs. Top 25 Nathalie Dechy or Maggie Maleeva second round, (7) Petrova vs. Daniela Hantuchova second round, and (2) Davenport vs. Top 20 Alicia Molik or Francesca Schiavone second round.
Former champs in the field are Davenport (2001) and Pierce (1993).
WTA Preview: Sharapova Open Moves from Seoul to Tokyo
Top 10-ranked Maria "Grunt-o-rama" Sharapova, competing for her second consecutive week in a field without another Top 30 player, leads the seeds at the WTA stop in Tokyo, joined by Tatiana Golovin, Shinobu Asagoe, Kristina "You're a Fine Girl" Brandi, Meghann Shaughnessy, Nicole Pratt, Klara "Kouky" Koukalova, and No. 8 seed Arantxa "Not That Arantxa" Parra Santonja, who is ranked outside the Top 50.
Sharapova and Golovin receive first-round byes, with first round match-ups of marginal interest including (3) Asagoe vs. Tanasugarn in an all-Asian, (6) Pratt vs. another "next Russian" Evgenia Linetskaya, Obata vs. (WC) Fujiwara in an all-Japanese, and a potential second-round meeting between (2) Golovin and Czech teen sensation Nicole Vaidisova.
Former champions in the field are Sharapova (2003) and Jill Craybas (2002).
On court Monday at Tokyo are (WC) Fujiwara vs. Obata in an all-Japanese, Kleinova vs. (4) Brandi, Sanchez Lorenzo vs. Mashona "Little Sis" Washington, (7) Kouky vs. Sequera, and Kurhajcova vs. Jidkova.