Davenport, Venus Leads Winners Tuesday at WTA Amelia Island
Posted on April 6, 2005World No. 1 Lindsay Davenport (d. (Q) Brandi) and contender to the throne and No. 5 seed Venus Williams (d. Sucha) won their claycourt openers Tuesday at the WTA stop in Amelia Island.
Davenport struggled to a 6-4, 6-3 win over the Puerto Rican Brandi, looking to find her clay feet coming off the hardcourt stop in Miami
"I was a little bit rusty out there," Davenport said. "I didn't feel that comfortable on the court, my movement wasn't what I'd like and I was letting her dictate points. When I'm playing my best no one does that, but I think it's more the first match on clay after so long on hardcourts, it just takes time to adjust."
Venus, who said her ascension to No. 1 is a "given" after her win over sister Serena in Miami, was in shining form as she fed a breadstick and bagel to Slovak Martina Sucha in a 6-1, 6-0 win.
"I think it's just the change from the faster surface," said Venus of her thigh being wrapped for the match. "Today was my third day on clay and I woke up with a sore groin, so it was nice this match was quick."
Other seeded winners Tuesday were (9) Elena Likhovtseva (d. Smashnova from a set down), (12) Silvia Farina Elia (d. Italian countrywoman Garbin), and (13) Ai Sugiyama (d. Strycova from a set down), with the lone upset victim (10) Karolina Sprem, who blew a one-set lead in falling to Spanish doubles standout Virginia Ruano Pascual.
Unseeded players into the second round were China's Shuai Peng (d. Shaughnessy, who retired in the second with a back injury), American Lisa Raymond (d. (Q) Obziler, bagel in the second), former Top 5-ranked Bulgarian Maggie Maleeva (d. Groenefeld), and qualifiers Marta Domachowska of Poland (d. (Q) Morigami) and Czech Kveta Peschke (d. (Q) Castano).
Wednesday's line-up in Amelia is Vera "The Crying Game" Zvonareva vs. Peng, Pierce vs. Daniilidou, Myskina vs. Peer, Razzano vs. Molik, Randriantefy vs. Serena, Maleeva vs. Petrova, Patty "Handshake" Schnyder vs. Chladkova, Raymond vs. Asagoe, Jankovic vs. Martinez, Anabel "Funky Cold" Medina Garrigues vs. Farina Elia, in doubles Morariu/Pierce vs. Raymond/Stubbs, Peschke vs. Amy "Joltin' Joe" Frazier, Gisela "Sgt." Dulko vs. Likhovtseva, and Ruano Pascual vs. Domachowska.
Davenport struggled to a 6-4, 6-3 win over the Puerto Rican Brandi, looking to find her clay feet coming off the hardcourt stop in Miami
"I was a little bit rusty out there," Davenport said. "I didn't feel that comfortable on the court, my movement wasn't what I'd like and I was letting her dictate points. When I'm playing my best no one does that, but I think it's more the first match on clay after so long on hardcourts, it just takes time to adjust."
Venus, who said her ascension to No. 1 is a "given" after her win over sister Serena in Miami, was in shining form as she fed a breadstick and bagel to Slovak Martina Sucha in a 6-1, 6-0 win.
"I think it's just the change from the faster surface," said Venus of her thigh being wrapped for the match. "Today was my third day on clay and I woke up with a sore groin, so it was nice this match was quick."
Other seeded winners Tuesday were (9) Elena Likhovtseva (d. Smashnova from a set down), (12) Silvia Farina Elia (d. Italian countrywoman Garbin), and (13) Ai Sugiyama (d. Strycova from a set down), with the lone upset victim (10) Karolina Sprem, who blew a one-set lead in falling to Spanish doubles standout Virginia Ruano Pascual.
Unseeded players into the second round were China's Shuai Peng (d. Shaughnessy, who retired in the second with a back injury), American Lisa Raymond (d. (Q) Obziler, bagel in the second), former Top 5-ranked Bulgarian Maggie Maleeva (d. Groenefeld), and qualifiers Marta Domachowska of Poland (d. (Q) Morigami) and Czech Kveta Peschke (d. (Q) Castano).
Wednesday's line-up in Amelia is Vera "The Crying Game" Zvonareva vs. Peng, Pierce vs. Daniilidou, Myskina vs. Peer, Razzano vs. Molik, Randriantefy vs. Serena, Maleeva vs. Petrova, Patty "Handshake" Schnyder vs. Chladkova, Raymond vs. Asagoe, Jankovic vs. Martinez, Anabel "Funky Cold" Medina Garrigues vs. Farina Elia, in doubles Morariu/Pierce vs. Raymond/Stubbs, Peschke vs. Amy "Joltin' Joe" Frazier, Gisela "Sgt." Dulko vs. Likhovtseva, and Ruano Pascual vs. Domachowska.