Daniilidou v Sugiyama In Seoul Final
Posted on October 1, 2006SEOUL, Korea -- Four players battled through a packed draw to reach the semifinals but for two of them, that run came to a crashing halt on Saturday. In two of the quickest matches of the entire tournament, Eleni Daniilidou and Ai Sugiyama cruised past their opponents in straight sets to reach the Hansol Korea Open Tennis Championships final.
Daniilidou pulled off the most lopsided victory of the week in terms of games played, dispatching a weary Marion Bartoli, 61 60. Bartoli seemed to lack the energy she had displayed the night before in her three set quarterfinal win over Akiko Morigami and Daniilidou pounced, moving the tired Frenchwoman around with heavy topspin forehands and tricky slice backhands en route to a runaway victory over the No.3 seed.
"Despite the score, it wasn't an easy match," said Daniilidou, a former Top 20 player who came into Seoul ranked No.58 and unseeded. "I had to fight for each point. I had fun. I was Top 20 a few years ago. That's how I am playing right now. It's hard to keep that level up. As I said, tomorrow is tomorrow."
"I didn't feel 100% today," Bartoli said."I played late last night. I had a fever in the middle of the night, and didn't sleep well, either. I've played a lot of matches and was feeling tired, but Eleni played well. The surface here suits her game. It was hard physically but it was a great tournament. I made the semifinals."
This will be Daniilidou's first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles final in over two and a half years. She is 3-1 lifetime in finals, winning titles at 2002 's-Hertogenbosch and Auckland in 2003 and 2004, and finishing runner-up at Bahia in 2002. After a few years of hovering among the Top 100 without any standout results, the Greek is regaining the form that has seen her compete with the Top 10 in the past.
"I had a cyst on my thumb; it was bothering me for eight to 10 months, and I finally had it removed," Daniilidou continued. "I am enjoying playing again. I have improved on a lot of things. I have changed coaches. It has been a tough year but every match I get better and better. Tomorrow is a new day. I will be like I was today -- quiet, calm and positive. I will be aggressive. I will focus."
Not too long after Daniilidou completed her win, Sugiyama polished off a rout of her own, defeating Virginia Ruano Pascual, 60 63. The No.4-seeded Japanese veteran took the offensive throughout the victory, coming into net often to finish off the points and cracking open rallies with her flat, two-handed backhand.
"In the first set she didn't have her rhythm," Sugiyama said, "in the second set she was playing better. I tried to hit to her backhand, even though her slice stays very low. It feels really good to be here; it's comfortable like home. I like Korean food. The tournament, the hotel, just everything has been great. My physical and mental condition are good. Eleni is playing great. I look forward to tomorrow."
Sugiyama is also seeking a return to one of the higher ranking classes. Formerly in the Top 10, she came here ranked No.27. But her results throughout this year have shown she still has what it takes: she has reached rounds of 16 or better at 10 events now, including this tournament, and she has had wins over the likes of Anastasia Myskina, Martina Hingis and, most recently, Nicole Vaidisova.
"I was in the Top 10 two years ago, and now I am in the Top 30. I'd like to get back to the Top 10, if possible. Also, Grand Slams are important to me. My best result at the Grand Slams is the quarterfinals. I would like to go further."
Sugiyama leads her head-to-head against Daniilidou, 4-2. That includes a 3-0 mark on hardcourts for the Japanese veteran and 2-0 for the Greek on grass. Their only other meeting was a first round battle on the red clay of Roland Garros earlier this year, a battle from which Sugiyama emerged victorious, 67(1) 60 63.
Straight after Daniilidou and Sugiyama face off for the singles title, Ruano Pascual and Paola Suarez will chase the doubles title. The top-seeded Latin duo, which beat non-seeds Maria Vento-Kabchi and Angelique Widjaja on Saturday, 57 61 61, play another unseeded pair, Chuang Chia-Jung and Mariana Diaz-Oliva.
-- WTA
Daniilidou pulled off the most lopsided victory of the week in terms of games played, dispatching a weary Marion Bartoli, 61 60. Bartoli seemed to lack the energy she had displayed the night before in her three set quarterfinal win over Akiko Morigami and Daniilidou pounced, moving the tired Frenchwoman around with heavy topspin forehands and tricky slice backhands en route to a runaway victory over the No.3 seed.
"Despite the score, it wasn't an easy match," said Daniilidou, a former Top 20 player who came into Seoul ranked No.58 and unseeded. "I had to fight for each point. I had fun. I was Top 20 a few years ago. That's how I am playing right now. It's hard to keep that level up. As I said, tomorrow is tomorrow."
"I didn't feel 100% today," Bartoli said."I played late last night. I had a fever in the middle of the night, and didn't sleep well, either. I've played a lot of matches and was feeling tired, but Eleni played well. The surface here suits her game. It was hard physically but it was a great tournament. I made the semifinals."
This will be Daniilidou's first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles final in over two and a half years. She is 3-1 lifetime in finals, winning titles at 2002 's-Hertogenbosch and Auckland in 2003 and 2004, and finishing runner-up at Bahia in 2002. After a few years of hovering among the Top 100 without any standout results, the Greek is regaining the form that has seen her compete with the Top 10 in the past.
"I had a cyst on my thumb; it was bothering me for eight to 10 months, and I finally had it removed," Daniilidou continued. "I am enjoying playing again. I have improved on a lot of things. I have changed coaches. It has been a tough year but every match I get better and better. Tomorrow is a new day. I will be like I was today -- quiet, calm and positive. I will be aggressive. I will focus."
Not too long after Daniilidou completed her win, Sugiyama polished off a rout of her own, defeating Virginia Ruano Pascual, 60 63. The No.4-seeded Japanese veteran took the offensive throughout the victory, coming into net often to finish off the points and cracking open rallies with her flat, two-handed backhand.
"In the first set she didn't have her rhythm," Sugiyama said, "in the second set she was playing better. I tried to hit to her backhand, even though her slice stays very low. It feels really good to be here; it's comfortable like home. I like Korean food. The tournament, the hotel, just everything has been great. My physical and mental condition are good. Eleni is playing great. I look forward to tomorrow."
Sugiyama is also seeking a return to one of the higher ranking classes. Formerly in the Top 10, she came here ranked No.27. But her results throughout this year have shown she still has what it takes: she has reached rounds of 16 or better at 10 events now, including this tournament, and she has had wins over the likes of Anastasia Myskina, Martina Hingis and, most recently, Nicole Vaidisova.
"I was in the Top 10 two years ago, and now I am in the Top 30. I'd like to get back to the Top 10, if possible. Also, Grand Slams are important to me. My best result at the Grand Slams is the quarterfinals. I would like to go further."
Sugiyama leads her head-to-head against Daniilidou, 4-2. That includes a 3-0 mark on hardcourts for the Japanese veteran and 2-0 for the Greek on grass. Their only other meeting was a first round battle on the red clay of Roland Garros earlier this year, a battle from which Sugiyama emerged victorious, 67(1) 60 63.
Straight after Daniilidou and Sugiyama face off for the singles title, Ruano Pascual and Paola Suarez will chase the doubles title. The top-seeded Latin duo, which beat non-seeds Maria Vento-Kabchi and Angelique Widjaja on Saturday, 57 61 61, play another unseeded pair, Chuang Chia-Jung and Mariana Diaz-Oliva.
-- WTA