Quick Links
|
| Recent News...
|
|
 |
| See Also...
|
|
| |
|
|
| Rankings |
|
|
 |
|
|
Venus, Ivanovic, Gasquet Among Weekend Title WinnersView Discussions
Posted on October 1, 2007
Williams Outlasts Kirilenko for 3rd 2007 Title
SEOUL, Korea -- She blazed through her first four matches with few to no problems, and once she got into the final she snapped the nine-match winning streak of Maria Kirilenko in a three set nail-biter. Former world No.1 Venus Williams captivated the crowds all week long in Seoul, and on Sunday afternoon earned her third title of the season.
The battle was tight with the exception of a few select patches, namely the No.1-seeded Williams capturing three straight games from 3-3 in the first set and No.4 seed Kirilenko winning six straight to earn the second set. But it was Williams whose best gear kicked in when it mattered most, breaking one last time in the seventh game of the third set and eventually serving out a hard-fought 63 16 64 championship victory.
"Sometimes in the match I was a little disappointed with the errors I was making, and it made it a lot tougher for me," Williams said. "But at the end, I guess in the last few games, I started to play much better."
"In the second set I won two important games in the beginning, and she got a little bit down and started to miss," Kirilenko said. "In the third set we both kept holding serve but then she broke me, and I think maybe it was bad luck for me."
The two-hour, 21-minute duel was so evenly matched that the two women were separated by just two points, with Williams winning 100 and Kirilenko 98.
"I thought she played fantastic," said Williams on Kirilenko. "I've never seen her play that well, and so aggressive, and not so many errors. I think that was really, really good on her part. She was just playing so well that the only choice I had was to try to play better than her."
After Sunday's final, Williams and Kirilenko donned customized traditional Korean dresses for the trophy presentation.
"Oh wow, the dress was so exciting," Williams continued. "They told us that they expected us to wear the dress, but I mean you're so focused on the match that afterwards, it was a great surprise. It was fantastic."
Neither Williams nor Kirilenko had dropped a set en route to the final -- Williams lost just 17 games in four matches while Kirilenko lost 22. Arguably the biggest test for either player prior to the final was Kirilenko's 75 60 win against No.5 seed and defending champion Eleni Daniilidou in the semifinals, where she let go of five set points at 5-3 in the opening set before running away with it from 5-5.
Williams earned her third title of the season, having already won at Memphis and Wimbledon. The American now owns 36 career Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles titles, tying her for 11th place all-time with Belgium's Justine Henin.
"I love winning titles," the American declared. "I'm excited about adding this title to my name, and it's very, very exciting every time."
When asked whether she planned on coming back next year, Williams seemed to have already made the decision.
"I'd definitely love to return. I've had a great time here and I really hope that I have the opportunity to come more often, because everyone is really sweet, and everyone is so genuine, and the people are really interested in tennis. It makes me feel good. I love the appreciation from the fans. I'd love to come back."
Kirilenko was playing her fourth final and is now 2-2 in those, having won Beijing two years ago and Kolkata just last week, and finished runner-up at Hyderabad in 2004. This was the first time the Russian played two finals in the same season.
For the second straight week, Chuang Chia-Jung and Hsieh Su-Wei earned title glory in doubles. The top-seeded pair downed No.2 seeds Daniilidou and Jasmin Woehr handily, 62 62, for their second straight title, having won in Beijing just last week. It is Chuang's fifth Tour doubles title of the year and the sixth of her career; it is Hsieh's second, the Taiwanese winning her first last week in Beijing.
-- WTA Tour
Ivanovic Tops Hantuchova for Luxembourg Title
LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg -- Like she has done so many times in the past, Ana Ivanovic summoned her best tennis when she was down and pulled it out. The Serbian teenager rallied back from a set and 3-0 down against Daniela Hantuchova to claim her third Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title of the year at the FORTIS Championships Luxembourg.
The two players seemed evenly matched through the first several games of the final but Hantuchova, the No.4 seed, reeled off seven games in a row from 2-3 to lead by a set and 3-0. She would bring up two points for a 4-2 second set lead too; things didn't look so peachy for the No.2-seeded Ivanovic at that mid-second set juncture, but forced aggression -- which had gotten Ivanovic out of binds before -- was brewing.
"Daniela started off really well, playing aggressive and just going for her shots," Ivanovic said of her early match struggles. "I struggled to find my rhythm; I told myself when I was 3-0 down in the second set that I needed to play much more aggressive. It was a riskier approach but it's better that way, and it worked."
Ivanovic won six of the next seven games to capture the second set, then after the two stayed on serve through 3-3 in the third she drew blood again, breaking in the seventh game for a 4-3 lead. They held their serves from there on, until Ivanovic was able to serve it out comfortably for a 36 64 64 comeback victory.
"It was a really tough match today, and I expected one!" Ivanovic said. "The third set was probably more mental than anything. I managed to hold serve which was very important, and I took my opportunities to break her. The public was really amazing today, too. They really helped me to get through the second set."
"I played very well at the beginning, but then Ana started to go for her shots and put more pressure on me," Hantuchova said. "I didn't have much time to go for mine. But Ana played really well and in the third set maybe a few points here and there decided the match. It was just a great match."
While Ivanovic made it through to the final without losing a set, Hantuchova was pushed to the limits in her quarterfinal match with Patty Schnyder, squandering three match points leading 5-3 in the second set and three more while ahead 5-4 in the third before finally closing out her long-time rival, 63 57 75.
"I have played quite a few tough matches this week and probably my energy was down today; but Ana played really well. I've enjoyed this week. I'm pleased with my game and hope to keep it this way and have another good one next week."
Ivanovic avenged losses in her last three rounds. She had lost to Tatiana Golovin in their last match (at Amelia Island in April) and beat her in the quarterfinals; she had lost her last two with Vera Zvonareva (at the Australian Open in January and at Charleston in April) before defeating her in the semis; and she had lost her only previous meeting with Hantuchova handily, 63 61, on the grass courts of 's-Hertogenbosch this past June.
Ivanovic now has three titles this year, after winning at Berlin and Los Angeles; she has five in her career, having won Canberra in 2005 and Montreal in 2006.
The icing on the cake came after her quarterfinal win, which helped her clinch the fourth berth in the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships.
"I haven't got much to complain about today!" an elated Ivanovic said Friday after dismissing Golovin. "I won the match and I've also qualified for the Sony Ericsson Championships. I am very happy. Everything worked my way today."
In the doubles final, No.3 seeds Iveta Benesova and Janette Husarova defeated unseeded combo Victoria Azarenka and Shahar Peer, 64 62, for their first title together. It is Benesova's second career Tour doubles title and Husarova's 23rd. Azarenka was a standout in the singles draw this week, notching her first career Top 10 win (over Nadia Petrova) en route to her equal-biggest career quarterfinal (she also reached the last eight at the Tier II stop in Los Angeles in August).
-- WTA Tour
Razzano Beat Obziler for 1st Career Title at Guangzhou
GUANGZHOU, China -- The rumblings of something big could be felt throughout the summer, and in her first fall venture this past week she made it happen. Virginie Razzano was in strong form throughout her week at the Jinjiannan Guangzhou International Women's Open but on Sunday she was unstoppable, crushing Tzipora Obziler 60 63 in the final and walking away with her first career Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title.
Razzano came into Guangzhou as one of the clear favorites for the title on paper, but having not played a match since a second round loss at the US Open, she was unsure of how she would fare against a field that had mostly played a few weeks since.
"I came here with the goal of getting used to the conditions in Asia, to prepare for this part of the season," Razzano said. "I didn't play Beijing; instead I came here early to practice, and didn't really expect to play well until Tokyo and Bangkok. But I'm pleasantly surprised to play so well this week. I'm very excited to win."
Razzano's star began rising during the summer hardcourt season; she went 10-4 through her last four events, earning two Top 20 wins, reaching her first Tier I quarterfinal and making her second career final at Forest Hills. Now she finally has a title to her credit, and pointed to a change in competitive mentality.
"My objective at the beginning of the year was to get back in the Top 40 or Top 30; I have done that and will keep working toward my future objectives," she said. "This is my first title after eight years on the Tour; it's a special moment."
Whilst the No.2 seed was tearing up the bottom half of the draw, the unseeded Obziler was fighting for her life on the top half. She pulled off one of the biggest stunners of the week with a 46 64 76(5) second round win over No.3 seed Peng Shuai, but had to fight back from a set and 3-0 down to do so. She then dug out of a 4-1 third set hole during a quarterfinal win over Ioana Raluca Olaru.
At the end of it all, the 34-year-old Obziler was in her first Tour final, and even had a shot at becoming the third-oldest in Tour history to claim a singles crown.
"I had a very good week; it's disappointing to lose, but maybe next time I can manage it better," the Israeli veteran said. "I beat some higher ranked players and it was a great feeling to get to the final. A year ago I made my first semifinal here and this year I went one better, so I'm very pleased with my week."
Razzano wasn't the only player to hoist a trophy on Championship Sunday; Peng and Yan Zi stormed through the doubles draw without the loss of a set, upsetting Vania King and Sun Tiantian in the final, 63 64. The No.3-seeded Chinese team had to battle back from a 4-2 second set deficit against their No.1-seeded foes.
"It's great to get our first title together, and to do it in our home country is very satisfying," said Peng, who won her first Tour title of any kind while her partner won her third doubles title of the year (11th overall). "We enjoyed our week."
-- WTA Tour
Gasquet Completes Surface Slam with ATP Mumbai Title
Top seed Richard Gasquet beat Olivier Rochus 6-3, 6-4 Sunday in the final at the Kingfisher Airlines Tennis Open in Mumbai, achieving career titles on all four surfaces, grass, clay, indoor and hard.
"I'm very happy to have won a title on hardcourt," Gasquet said. "I had won on grass, clay and indoor, so it shows I can play on every court, which is very important for me. It's my first title of the year and my first title in India, so I will have great memories of this tournament for sure. The conditions were tough here with the humidity -- it's not the same in France -- and maybe I got a little tired. I didn't lose a set all week, which was very good."
Gasquet is now 5-4 in career finals. Rochus was playing his sixth ATP singles final and drops to 2-4.
"It was close," Rochus said. "I didn't serve as well as I did in the previous match. At 2-1, 15-30, he made a hard volley on the line. If I had won that game it could have been a new match. Richard has a lot of experience and he never makes stupid errors. He makes you play and he makes you run. He's not No. 14 in the world for nothing."
Tursunov Wins Second Title of 2007
Russian Dmitry Tursunov won his second title of the year Sunday, defeating Benjamin Becker 6-2, 6-1 in the Thailand Open final.
Tursunov improved to 3-1 in finals, following up his title earlier this year at Indianapolis.
"The final looked pretty one-sided if you look at the statistics, but I did a lot to achieve that," Tursunov said. "This week I've been pretty composed and haven't been panicky about missing my shots. I tried to win with what was working and I've been getting through the rough patches. Every title is special in its own way. The previous two or three finals I played definitely helped me out a lot experience-wise and to control the jitters. Today I was a little more relaxed. I'd be hard pressed to find something that wasn't working today."
Becker came into the tournament on a run of seven consecutive first-round losses.
"It was a good week for me to make my first final ever," Becker said. "I would have liked to have won the title, but you can't have everything. Dmitry played too good for me today. I felt like he couldn't miss. He put a lot of pressure on me and he won all the important points."
Stellar Field at WTA Stuttgart
STUTTGART, Germany -- The second week of the European indoor season sees a stellar cast assemble in southern Germany for the 30th staging of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. Eight of the world's Top 10, including No.1 Justine Henin, are in the draw for the $650,000, Tier II event in what promises to be an absorbing week's tennis.
Top seed Henin has enjoyed a truly magical year to date, compiling a magnificent 50-4 win-loss record on her way to seven more career titles. Among these triumphs were championship runs at both Roland Garros and Flushing Meadows, form which has cemented her position at the summit of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. The 25-year-old Belgian is a two-time Porsche Tennis Grand Prix runner-up -- although both of these finishes came at the event's previous home in Filderstadt -- and in her current rich vein of form she will arrive at the Porsche Arena in buoyant mood.
The No.2 seed this week is Svetlana Kuznetsova, who has been one of the most consistent players on Tour in 2007. The 22-year-old Russian has produced numerous outstanding performances, including a title run in New Haven and a runner-up finish at the US Open. These successes have seen Kuznetsova rise to a career-high ranking of No.2 and after winning 12 of her last 13 matches, she will be confident on bettering the semifinal finishes she recorded at her past two appearances in the tournament.
Serbian star Jelena Jankovic is the No.3 seed in Baden-W?berg and she will be hoping to add the prestigious indoor title to her burgeoning trophy cabinet. The 22-year-old from Belgrade has enjoyed a magnificent season to date, securing four Tour titles -- including the Tier I events in Charleston and Rome -- and rising to a career-high ranking of No.3. Jankovic's best showings in her previous visits to the tournament were quarterfinal finishes in 2004 and 2006 and she will be eager to improve on this record when she gets her campaign underway against either Francesca Schiavone or Shahar Peer.
This week's No.4 seed will be the high-flying Russian, Anna Chakvetadze. The 20-year-old Muscovite has enjoyed a tremendous season to date, recording four tournament wins -- including the hardcourt titles at Hobart, Cincinnati and Stanford -- and recently breaking into the world's Top 5 for the very first time. Chakvetadze's only previous appearance at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix came back in 2005 when she was knocked out in the very first round, however, after racking up 56 wins already this season, few would bet against her improving this record in the coming week.
There is certainly no shortage in quality in this year's field and with such strength in depth, the 2007 champion could come from anywhere in the draw. The No.5 seed Ana Ivanovic comes into the tournament fresh from a title run in Luxembourg, while eight-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams is No.6. The final two seeds are defending champion Nadia Petrova (No.7) and 2002 runner-up Daniela Hantuchova (No.8). Yet with such a high-calibre draw, even the unseeded players such as former runners-up Amelie Mauresmo and Tatiana Golovin have the potential to trouble the favorites this week.
The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is back in Stuttgart for the second consecutive year after spending two decades in the neighbouring town of Filderstadt. Former champions include Kim Clijsters (2002, 2003), Martina Hingis (1996, 1997, 1999, 2000), Anke Huber (1991, 1994), Mary Pierce (1993) and Martina Navratilova (1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988). This year's winner will receive a cheque for $92,410, while the runner-up will take home $49,570.
-- WTA Tour
Venus Headlines WTA Tokyo
TOKYO, Japan -- The fourth week of this year's Asian swing will see six of the world's Top 50 head for Tokyo to battle it out for the AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships. Venus Williams is top seed at the $175,000, Tier III event and after her success in Seoul she will be hoping to record back-to-back title runs when she heads across the Sea of Japan.
Williams will be making her debut appearance at the Ariake Colosseum and after triumphing at last week's Hansol Korea Open, she will be confident of notching up her third title of 2007 in the Japanese capital. The 27-year-old American struggled with injuries and inconsistency for the first half of the year, but her season finally burst into life at the All England Club when she stormed through the draw to capture her sixth Grand Slam title. Since then Williams has racked up a 15-2 win-loss record and she will get her campaign up and running with an opening round clash against compatriot and 2002 champion Jill Craybas.
However, Williams is likely to face some stiff opposition for the title, particularly from the No.2 seed, Sania Mirza. The Indian starlet enjoyed a promising summer on the North American hardcourts, finishing runner-up in Stanford as well as embarking upon semifinal and quarterfinal runs in Cincinnati and San Diego respectively. These successes have seen the 20-year-old break into the Top 30 for the first time in her career and if this rich vein of form is maintained for the duration of the week, she has every chance of improving on the semifinal finish she achieved back in 2005.
Another player likely to have a considerable say in the destination of the trophy, is the No.3 seed and Williams' victim in Sunday's Seoul final, Maria Kirilenko. After a disappointing first half of the year, the 20-year-old Muscovite has come into her own since the start of the summer hardcourt season, winning 18 of her last 23 matches -- highlighted by a second career title in Kolkata.
The remaining seeds this week are comprised of home favorite and two time AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships winner Ai Sugiyama (No.4), last week's Guanghou champion Virginie Razzano (No.5), Japan's Akiko Morigami (No.6), 2006 runner-up Aiko Nakamura (No.7) and gifted Italian Flavia Pennetta (No.8). There are also several dark horses lurking in the draw, including the talented teenage trio of Ayumi Morita, Urszula Radwanska and Caroline Wozniacki.
This is the 26th staging of the AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships, although neither of the past two champions has entered this year. 2005 winner Nicole Vaidisova is currently recuperating from a viral infection, while 2006 victor Marion Bartoli has elected to play in Stuttgart this week. Several other stellar names have also lifted the trophy in the past, including Maria Sharapova (2003, 2004), Monica Seles (2001), Kimiko Date (1992, 1993, 1994, 1996) and Gabriela Sabatini (1985). The winner of this year's title will take home $25,840, while the runner-up will receive $13,520.
-- WTA Tour
Azarenka Top Seed at WTA Tashkent
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- Several of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's brightest young stars will head to the landlocked central Asian country of Uzbekistan this week for the 2007 Tashkent Open. The high-flying Victoria Azarenka will top the bill at the $145,000, Tier IV event, but with her fellow teenagers Dominika Cibulkova and Olga Govortsova also in the draw she is sure to be pushed hard for the title.
Azarenka is one of the game's brightest young stars and will view this week as a golden opportunity to capture her maiden title. The 18-year-old Belarusian has enjoyed an encouraging season on Tour to date, finishing runner-up in Prague, making her maiden Grand Slam fourth round appearance at the US Open and subsequently breaking into the Top 40. Azarenka lost to eventual champion Sun Tiantian in the semifinals at the Tashkent Tennis Centre 12 months ago and will be eager to improve on this when she gets her campaign underway against Chinese Taipei's Hsieh Su-Wei.
No.2 seed Cibulkova is another player to have made significant strides this season and arrives in the Uzbek capital fresh from a maiden Tour semifinal finish in Guanghou last week. At last year's Tashkent Open the 18-year-old Slovak battled her way through qualifying, before falling to Azarenka in the second round and she will be confident on bettering this performance when she kicks off her title challenge against France's Pauline Parmentier.
This week's draw is a youthful one and only one of the seeds in Uzbekistan is over 21-year-old. Belarusian teenager and No.3 seed Olga Govortsova has been one of the biggest movers in the rankings this year and after starting the year at No.334, currently sits just outside the Top 50. The remaining seeds are comprised of the ever-improving Romanian Ioana Raluca Olaru (No.5), the popular Russian Elena Vesnina (No.4) and her compatriots Alla Kudryavtseva (No.6), Olga Poutchkova (No.7) and Guanghou semifinalist Anastasia Rodionova (No.8).
This is the 12th staging of the Tashkent Open and players to have lifted the trophy in the past include Michaella Krajicek (2005), Nicole Vaidisova (2004), Virginia Ruano Pascual (2003), Iroda Tulyaganova (2000) and Anna Smashnova (1999). The winner this year will receive $21,165, while the runner-up takes home $11,395.
-- WTA Tour
Sampras Beats Martin for Seniors Charlotte Title
Pete Sampras defeated Todd Martin 6-3, 6-4 Sunday to win the Championships at The Palisades and claim his third tournament title for
the year on the Outback Champions Series, a collection of tennis events around the world featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. Sampras, in fact, is undefeated in 12 matches on the circuit since he ended his five-year hiatus from competitive tournament tennis in Boston last May in his debut event on the Outback Champions Series.
In addition to the $50,000 first prize paycheck for defeating Martin and going 3-0 in round-robin play, Sampras earned 800 Stanford Champions Ranking points that determines the year-end champion on the Outback Champions Series. Martin earned $32,000 and 600 Stanford Champions Ranking points for his runner-up showing. After five events on the 2007 Outback Champions Series, Martin remains in the No. 1 position with 2600 total points, followed by Sampras with 2400 points.
"I'd rather not play enough than play too much," said Sampras of his return to tennis after an ATP career that included a record 14 Grand Slam men's singles titles. "These events are competitive, fun and it's real tennis. There is prize money on the line and pride...It's nice to win. I've won the big things and it's still nice to go out and perform well."
Sampras, 36, defeated Martin in the finals of his two previous Outback Champions Series events in Boston and Athens, Greece, but his win over Martin in Charlotte was his only win over Martin of the three in straight sets. Despite the relatively routine match score, Sampras said he found Martin difficult to play on the slippery but fast clay court.
"Todd, on this court, was very tough to play," said Sampras. "Todd's got a game I still don't feel totally comfortable with. His serve bounces so high."
-- Outback Champions Series
TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Russian Dmitry Tursunov added his name to the list as a player approached by tennis gambling match-fixers: "I was approached in Madrid in the middle of the season last year, and at some other tournament," Tursunov told the daily Izvestia...The U.S. Davis Cup team will host defending champion Russia in Portland's Memorial Coliseum in the Nov. 30-Dec. 2 Davis Cup final...Brit player Arvind Parmar says he was also offered money to tank a match by gamblers...Michael Chang is playing in the California State Open Golf Championship...From PTI: "Alleging that ATP's present tour structure was favourable only to European and American pros, Asian Tennis Federation (ATF) has decided to launch its own closed circuit men's tournament to help the players from the continent. ATF will hold the inaugural edition of the Tennis Asia Cup, with a hefty prize money of US$ 100,000, in Bangkok from November 28 to December 2 and the top-eight Asian players will be invited to compete in the event."...From The Telegraph: "A secret dossier, compiled by a bookmaker, and shown to The Sunday Telegraph has raised suspicions over no fewer than 138 tennis matches on the international circuit dating back to 2003."...According to the Globe and Mail, Lindsay Davenport is considering playing the small WTA Tour Quebec City event at the end of October...The former No. 1-ranked Patrick Rafter is now the publisher for Australian Tennis magazine, and in his latest publisher's letter is critical of Lleyton Hewitt who dropped out of the Top 20 after a US Open loss to Argentine Agustin Calleri: "Lleyton was defiant in sticking to his game plan in trying to beat Calleri by grinding him down -- just like he used to. Unfortunately for Lleyton, this tactic no longer works and has not worked for some time. The players are no longer scared of his game and they also believe that he cannot hurt them. In order for Lleyton to get back inside the Top 10, he needs to show his versatility and start employing it in matches."...Wilson Sporting Goods announced that Sean O'Brien has been named Global Footwear Director for Racquet Sports. O'Brien comes to Wilson from New Balance where he was the Senior Product Manager for tennis, walking and training footwear...At this year's US Open the number of challenges using the electronic linecalling video-replay system was up 40 percent from 2006, with an average of 3.11 challenges per match, and a 31 percent success rate for players (same as 2006)...Spain's Rafael Nadal has been added to the Roger Federer-Pete Sampras series of exhibition events in November, where he will face Richard Gasquet in warm-ups to the main event. The exhibition matches are part of celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Malaysia's independence...Brazilian player Marcelo Melo has been suspended for two months after he tested positive for the banned stimulant isometheptene at the Queen's Club tournament in June. The International Tennis Federation says the short suspension reflects that the drug wasn't performance-enhancing as isometheptene is used to treat migraines...Novak Djokovic pulled from Bangkok mid-tournament last week citing a back injury and was fined $40K for the late withdrawal. Andy Roddick withdrew before his first match in Bangkok citing a foot injury during practice...Maria Sharapova pulled from Stuttgart citing a shoulder injury...The International Tennis Hall of Fame will celebrate Hall of Famer Bud Collins Thursday evening, Oct. 4 at the Marriott Boston Copley Place in newport, RI...Israeli Davis Cup captain Eyal Ran on beating Chile for a place in the World Group: "After the match, I do not remember what I dreamed, because I had too much alcohol in my system, but it is clear to me now that the next dream is to win one tie in the World Group, or to survive at the end of next season."...The ATP announced its partnership with Mercedes-Benz would conclude at the end of 2008...Ana Ivanovic has qualified for the WTA Tour year-end championship...From former player Justin Gimelstob: "Many top players can secure huge financial guarantees to just show up and participate in fall events, especially some in remote locations. When you look at draws and see Lleyton Hewitt in Mumbai, India; Andy Roddick in Lyon, France; and James Blake in Tokyo, don't think it is solely because of their love of the game."
View Discussions
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
