Medina Garrigues, Dulko Headline WTA Fes
Posted on April 27, 2008FES, Morocco -- Anabel Medina Garrigues is the class of the field this week in Fes as the European clay court season begins with the Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem, one of two concurrent events this week, alongside the ECM Prague Open.
Medina Garrigues, who, at No.34, is the highest-ranked Spaniard in the world, will be the top seed this week. Medina Garrigues has been a staple in clay court winner's circles throughout her career, winning six of seven singles titles on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour on the surface, including one in each of the last four years. She has had mixed results on clay so far this year, reaching the third round at Amelia Island and losing in the first round of Charleston, but this is her first on red clay, on which she won all of the aforementioned titles. She will begin against Lourdes Dominguez Lino.
Fellow Top 50 players Gisela Dulko and Tathiana Garbin are seeded No.2 and No.3, respectively. Dulko had a strong showing on clay last year, claiming her first career Tour singles title at the Tier III event in Budapest, and Garbin also had a breakthrough season in 2007, cracking the Top 30 for the first time and making it all the way to a career-high of No.22. Dulko will face friend and regular doubles partner Maria Elena Camerin in her opening match; Garbin takes on Colombia's Catalina Castano in her first match.
Rounding out the seeds are Aravane Rezai (No.4), Timea Bacsinszky (No.5), Alisa Kleybanova (No.6), Sorana Cirstea (No.7) and Ekaterina Makarova (No.8). Dangerous unseeded threats include New Zealander Marina Erakovic and Bulgaria's Sesil Karatantcheva. Even the qualifying draw packs star power, with last year's runner-up Aleksandra Wozniak in action as the top seed and a blockbuster Sunday clash between former Top 5 player Jelena Dokic and Portuguese wunderkind Michelle Larcher de Brito.
This is the eighth staging of the Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem and Fes is its third location. Prior to 2005 it was held in Casablanca, followed by two years in Rabat and now two years in Fes. Past champions include Milagros Sequera, Meghann Shaughnessy, Nuria Llagostera Vives and Emilie Loit.
-- Sony Ericsson WTA Tour
Medina Garrigues, who, at No.34, is the highest-ranked Spaniard in the world, will be the top seed this week. Medina Garrigues has been a staple in clay court winner's circles throughout her career, winning six of seven singles titles on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour on the surface, including one in each of the last four years. She has had mixed results on clay so far this year, reaching the third round at Amelia Island and losing in the first round of Charleston, but this is her first on red clay, on which she won all of the aforementioned titles. She will begin against Lourdes Dominguez Lino.
Fellow Top 50 players Gisela Dulko and Tathiana Garbin are seeded No.2 and No.3, respectively. Dulko had a strong showing on clay last year, claiming her first career Tour singles title at the Tier III event in Budapest, and Garbin also had a breakthrough season in 2007, cracking the Top 30 for the first time and making it all the way to a career-high of No.22. Dulko will face friend and regular doubles partner Maria Elena Camerin in her opening match; Garbin takes on Colombia's Catalina Castano in her first match.
Rounding out the seeds are Aravane Rezai (No.4), Timea Bacsinszky (No.5), Alisa Kleybanova (No.6), Sorana Cirstea (No.7) and Ekaterina Makarova (No.8). Dangerous unseeded threats include New Zealander Marina Erakovic and Bulgaria's Sesil Karatantcheva. Even the qualifying draw packs star power, with last year's runner-up Aleksandra Wozniak in action as the top seed and a blockbuster Sunday clash between former Top 5 player Jelena Dokic and Portuguese wunderkind Michelle Larcher de Brito.
This is the eighth staging of the Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem and Fes is its third location. Prior to 2005 it was held in Casablanca, followed by two years in Rabat and now two years in Fes. Past champions include Milagros Sequera, Meghann Shaughnessy, Nuria Llagostera Vives and Emilie Loit.
-- Sony Ericsson WTA Tour