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Post by jimm on Feb 6, 2008 18:07:18 GMT
Razzano ousts Bondarenko in Paris Wed Feb 6, 2008 5:04pm GMT
PARIS, Feb 6 (Reuters) - France's Virginie Razzano thrilled her home fans by fighting back from 3-1 down in the decisive set to oust eighth seed Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine 6-2 4-6 7-5 in the first round of the Paris Open on Wednesday.
On a good day for France, wild card entrant Nathalie Dechy beat Peng Shuai 6-4 7-6 to gain a measure of revenge for the country's Fed Cup quarter-final defeat by China in Beijing last weekend.
Dechy goes on to meet Russia's Anna Chakvetadze, the top seed in the indoor event. (Reporting by Chrystel Boulet-Euchin; Writing by Patrick Vignal; Editing by Alison Wildey)
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Post by jimm on Feb 6, 2008 18:09:28 GMT
India's Mirza stays a top brand, advertisers say Wed Feb 6, 2008 5:37am GMT NEW DELHI, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Asia's top tennis player Sania Mirza will retain her strong brand value despite her decision to shun Indian tournaments in protest at being dragged into needless controversies, Indian advertisers say.
The 21-year-old Indian is skipping next month's Bangalore Open, rattled by a court case last month which alleged she showed disrespect to her national flag, an offence punishable by jail.
"Sania has become a brand not because she won a few matches in India or because of her ranking," Santosh Desai, CEO of India's Future Brand, told the Hindustan Times daily.
"It is because of her success worldwide, and if she continues to play well and make us buy into the idea of her international success, sponsors will continue to support her."
Mirza's popularity has rivalled cricketers in India since she became the first Indian woman to win a tour event in 2005 and the articulate player enjoys many commercial endorsements. She is ranked 29th in the world.
The Muslim player has also had to pay a price for her popularity, however, and has been at the centre of a series of controversies.
She faced an edict from a Muslim group for playing in normal tennis attire soon after her rise to prominence.
In December, she apologised to Mosque officials in hometown Hyderabad following a police complaint for trespass after she shot an advertisement film in its premises.
Mirza said last month she even contemplated quitting tennis because of the issues.
Her boycott decision has won support from doubles specialist Mahesh Bhupathi, her mixed doubles partner and manager, but Davis Cup captain Leander Paes has urged Mirza to handle such issues better.
(Reporting by N.Ananthanarayanan, editing by Ossian Shine)
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Post by SuperMarion on Feb 8, 2008 9:23:59 GMT
It's easy for Leander to say that. But he has never been in Sania's shoes. None of us have. To endure that degree of fanaticism and scrutiny. Leander is best known for his mixed doubles pairing with Martina. That's it! His claim to fame! And he's male... Sorry, but it's a wee bit different when your a pretty young girl! For good or ill Sania is idolised.
If it was only Sania, then Leander may have a point. But Aishwarya Rai and Shilpa Shetty have had to endure the same harrasment and hysteria.
Give Sania a break.
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Post by jimm on Feb 9, 2008 9:39:36 GMT
"The 33-year-old Craybas is the oldest player left in the draw at the Dusit Resort, but she proved she is anything but a spent force when she conquered Andreja Klepac - a player 12 years her junior - 64 64 to reach her first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour semifinal for more than a year." Great too see "Ol Jill" teaching the whippersnappers a thing or 6
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Post by SuperMarion on Feb 9, 2008 10:09:21 GMT
Yes when I think of Craybas. Its always Serena at Wimbledon lol.
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Post by jimm on Feb 10, 2008 8:29:25 GMT
Chakvetadze : "I'm prepared" 19:37 - 09/02/2008 - Cécile Verin After qualifying for the final with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 win on France's Marion Bartoli, Anna Chakvetadze of Russia stopped by the press room to talk about her match and tomorrow's big final. (Photo : Panoramic) You had a slow start in the first set. Were you tired from your match against Mauresmo last night? I can't really say I was tired but my body hadn't completely recovered. And the trainer helped me a lot with that, I'm not sure I could have kept playing until the end if I hadn't had that help, the match could have been very different in the end. I felt like I wasn't able to move fast enough and that I wasn't able to run as much as I wanted to. Marion Bartoli had lower back issues and she also called the trainer. When did you first realize she had that problem? At 3-0 in the final set, I could tell she was really having problems. But it's always very tough on this surface, if you have a long match, you know you back is going to feel sore and stiff. I hope her situation is not too serious and she will recover very soon.You will play the final against Agnez Szavay, a player you've faced before and won... Yes, but it was on a different surface and she plays much better on indoors courts. She's a tough opponent, who had a tough match today against Elena. Her serve and backhand are really good, her game is dangerous in indoors tournaments. It won't be easy, I will have to be ready as soon as the first point starts, which is what I've had troubles doing in my previous two matches. A final is always a different match, and I'm prepared. " Thanks for that Anna, and good luck against Aga S
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Post by jimm on Feb 10, 2008 8:33:07 GMT
February 9, 2008
Chakvetadze Beats Bartoli; Szavay Edges Dementieva
PARIS, France - Anna Chakvetadze and Agnes Szavay, two of the youngest players currently among the upper echelon of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, battled their way past wily semifinal opponents on Saturday and on Sunday will square off in the title match of the $600,000 Open Gaz de France.
Szavay followed up her quarterfinal upset of No.2 seed Daniela Hantuchova with a 63 16 75 upset of No.4 seed Elena Dementieva, rallying back from 3-1 down in the third and eventually breaking the Russian at love to win the match.
"She really likes when someone hits flat against her, she never misses; when I was down I tried to mix it up a little bit more and it worked," Szavay said. "I am always trying to come back - in games, sets - I never give up. She was playing too well in the second set but I was able to get control again in the third."
"I had a lot of chances in the third set, and I just couldn't hold my serve," said Dementieva, who was up a break three times in that deciding set. "I just wasn't playing the way I was supposed to play. I was making too many errors. I wasn't playing aggressively enough either. She's a good player and was playing really well today. I think she has a good chance to win this tournament."
Szavay played her first three finals in her breakthrough 2007 season, capturing titles at Palermo and Beijing and finishing runner-up in New Haven. She is no stranger to finals at this level - both Beijing and New Haven were Tier II events.
"It's always good to be in a final especially when it's a big tournament like this," Szavay said. "I'm really looking forward to playing tomorrow's final. I didn't play well at the beginning of this year, so this is a great result."
Awaiting No.7 seed Szavay in the final will be No.1 seed Chakvetadze, who made it past No.3 seed Marion Bartoli in Saturday's second semifinal, 26 62 60. The contest seemed headed in Bartoli's favor as she blew through the first set and broke for 2-1 in the second. She even had points for 3-1 after building a 40-15 lead in her next service game, but that's when things fell apart - Chakvetadze seized her opportunities and rattled off the next 11 games in a row, needing a mere 26 minutes to claim a third set bagel over the French No.1.
"It was kind of weird, because in the first set I wasn't feeling too well; but then things changed quickly," said Chakvetadze, who avenged a loss in her only prior encounter with Bartoli, in the quarterfinals of Luxembourg last fall. "I want to recover and try to be fresh for tomorrow. Agnes is a very tough opponent. She's has a very good backhand. It won't be easy but I'll try to do my best."
"I'm feeling pretty disappointed," Bartoli said. "I was really excited to play here. I started off really well and was leading in the second set but then all of a sudden, everything started going wrong. But it was still a great week for me, the first time I got to the semifinals here in Paris."
Chakvetadze and Szavay have played once before, with Chakvetadze prevailing in the second round of Roland Garros last year, 64 67(1) 64. It was Szavay's very first encounter with one of the world's 10 best, and since then she has been a sensational 4-2 against Top 10 opponents, with one of those two defeats coming from an injury retirement to Svetlana Kuznetsova in last summer's final at New Haven (she won the first set and had to stop trailing 3-0 in the second).
Preceding the singles final on Sunday will be the doubles title match, pitting No.3 seeds and recent Australian Open champions Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko against unseeded Czech pairing Eva Hrdinova and Vladimira Uhlirova.
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Post by jimm on Feb 10, 2008 12:18:46 GMT
Radwanska digs deep to win title Polish teenager Agnieszka Radwanska defied Jill Craybas' gallant fightback to win the Pattaya Open in Thailand. The 18-year-old top seed eased through the first set but seventh seed Craybas hit back quickly to take the second. Radwanska stormed into a 5-1 lead in the decider, only for the American to fight back and save two championship points and then surge 6-5 ahead. But Radwanska triumphed in a tense tie-breaker to take her second career title with a 6-2 1-6 7-6 (7-4) victory. Well done young Aga, and great Ol Jill
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Post by SuperMarion on Feb 10, 2008 14:15:34 GMT
February 9, 2008 Chakvetadze Beats Bartoli; Szavay Edges Dementieva PARIS, France - Anna Chakvetadze and Agnes Szavay, two of the youngest players currently among the upper echelon of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, battled their way past wily semifinal opponents on Saturday and on Sunday will square off in the title match of the $600,000 Open Gaz de France. Szavay followed up her quarterfinal upset of No.2 seed Daniela Hantuchova with a 63 16 75 upset of No.4 seed Elena Dementieva, rallying back from 3-1 down in the third and eventually breaking the Russian at love to win the match. "She really likes when someone hits flat against her, she never misses; when I was down I tried to mix it up a little bit more and it worked," Szavay said. "I am always trying to come back - in games, sets - I never give up. She was playing too well in the second set but I was able to get control again in the third." "I had a lot of chances in the third set, and I just couldn't hold my serve," said Dementieva, who was up a break three times in that deciding set. "I just wasn't playing the way I was supposed to play. I was making too many errors. I wasn't playing aggressively enough either. She's a good player and was playing really well today. I think she has a good chance to win this tournament." Szavay played her first three finals in her breakthrough 2007 season, capturing titles at Palermo and Beijing and finishing runner-up in New Haven. She is no stranger to finals at this level - both Beijing and New Haven were Tier II events. "It's always good to be in a final especially when it's a big tournament like this," Szavay said. "I'm really looking forward to playing tomorrow's final. I didn't play well at the beginning of this year, so this is a great result." Awaiting No.7 seed Szavay in the final will be No.1 seed Chakvetadze, who made it past No.3 seed Marion Bartoli in Saturday's second semifinal, 26 62 60. The contest seemed headed in Bartoli's favor as she blew through the first set and broke for 2-1 in the second. She even had points for 3-1 after building a 40-15 lead in her next service game, but that's when things fell apart - Chakvetadze seized her opportunities and rattled off the next 11 games in a row, needing a mere 26 minutes to claim a third set bagel over the French No.1. "It was kind of weird, because in the first set I wasn't feeling too well; but then things changed quickly," said Chakvetadze, who avenged a loss in her only prior encounter with Bartoli, in the quarterfinals of Luxembourg last fall. "I want to recover and try to be fresh for tomorrow. Agnes is a very tough opponent. She's has a very good backhand. It won't be easy but I'll try to do my best." "I'm feeling pretty disappointed," Bartoli said. "I was really excited to play here. I started off really well and was leading in the second set but then all of a sudden, everything started going wrong. But it was still a great week for me, the first time I got to the semifinals here in Paris." Chakvetadze and Szavay have played once before, with Chakvetadze prevailing in the second round of Roland Garros last year, 64 67(1) 64. It was Szavay's very first encounter with one of the world's 10 best, and since then she has been a sensational 4-2 against Top 10 opponents, with one of those two defeats coming from an injury retirement to Svetlana Kuznetsova in last summer's final at New Haven (she won the first set and had to stop trailing 3-0 in the second). Preceding the singles final on Sunday will be the doubles title match, pitting No.3 seeds and recent Australian Open champions Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko against unseeded Czech pairing Eva Hrdinova and Vladimira Uhlirova. why did it all of a sudden go wrong..
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Post by jimm on Feb 12, 2008 18:09:45 GMT
Proximus Diamond Games Women's Tennis Update - Feb 12 Antwerp, Belgium Total Prize Money: $600,000 TUESDAY'S SECOND ROUND MATCHES
Karin Knapp def. Yaroslava Shvedova, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 TUESDAY'S FIRST ROUND MATCHES
Alisa Kleybanova def. Agnes Szavay (6), 6-2, 6-3 Tsvetana Pironkova def. Anne Kremer, 6-1, 6-1 Julie Ditty def. Kateryna Bondarenko, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 Caroline Maes vs. Ai Sugiyama Dominika Cibulkova def. Tzipora Obziler, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 Sofia Arvidsson def. Meilen Tu, 6-1, 6-2
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Post by jimm on Feb 12, 2008 18:11:19 GMT
Cachantun Cup Women's Tennis Update - Feb 12 Vina del Mar, Chile Total Prize Money: $200,000 TUESDAY'S FIRST ROUND MATCHES
Flavia Pennetta (1) def. Greta Arn, 6-2, 6-2 Martina Muller (5) vs. Karina Andrea Koch Benvenuto Sara Errani (6) def. Olivia Sanchez, 1-6, 6-2, 6-1 Kaia Kanepi (7) def. Evgeniya Rodina, 6-3, 6-4 Maria Elena Camerin vs. Melisa Miranda Otarola, 2-2 Rossana De Los Rios def. Carla Suarez Navarro, 7-6 (10-8), 6-4 Nuria Llagostera Vives def. Camille Pin, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) Bethanie Mattek leads Jelena Kostanic Tosic, 6-4, 4-4
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Post by jimm on Feb 12, 2008 18:12:11 GMT
Dulko advances to second round at Vina del Mar Vina del Mar, Chile (Sports Network) - Second-seeded Gisela Dulko advanced to the second round at the inaugural $200,000 Cachantun Cup on Monday, cruising past Camila Silva in straight sets. Dulko needed just over an hour to beat Silva, from Chile, 6-4, 6-1. Dulko's second round opponent will be Spaniard Lourdes Dominguez Lino, who also notched a first-round win Monday. In other first-round action at Vina del Mar, third-seeded Emilie Loit of France was ousted by Czech Petra Cetkovska 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) at this clay-court event. Additionally, fourth-seeded Pauline Parmentier of France defeated Argentina's Maria Emilia Salerni, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3. Other first-round wins came for German Julia Schruff and Ukrainian Mariya Koryttseva, who handled Colombian veteran Catalina Castano 7-6 (7-3), 6-1. Koryttseva will meet Cetkovska in the second round. This week's top seed is Italian Flavia Pennetta. The 2008 Vina del Mar champion will take home $30,500.
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Post by jimm on Feb 13, 2008 21:03:16 GMT
Li Na, Patty Schnyder reach quarterfinals at Diamond Games in Antwerp February 13, 2008
ANTWERP, Belgium (AP) -- Fourth-seeded Patty Schnyder moved into the quarterfinals of the Diamond Games by defeating Ai Sugiyama 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday.
Ninth-seeded Li Na downed Dominika Cibulkova 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the final eight.
In the first round, Kateryna Bondarenko outlasted Tatiana Perebiynis 7-6 (1), 6-3, and Timea Bacsinszky edged Olga Govortsova 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.
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Post by jimm on Feb 14, 2008 7:40:09 GMT
February 13, 2008
First Round Ends, Second Round Begins in Chile
VIÑA DEL MAR, Chile - The last two first round matches and the first three second round matches were all on the order of play at the Cachantun Cup on Wednesday. Among those in action were seeded players Pauline Parmentier and Martina Müller and the Czech-American tandem of Iveta Benesova and Bethanie Mattek, currently the favorites for the doubles title at the Tier III stop.
First on Court Central and Cancha 1 were the final two first round matches of the week, and they were amongst the most competitive matches of the whole day. In a mirror image of Ana Ivanovic's victory against Daniela Hantuchova in the semifinals of the Australian Open, France's Mathilde Johansson rallied back from 60 20 down to get past Spanish qualifier María José Martínez Sánchez, 06 63 64. Johansson looked down and out in the 20-minute first set, taking just 11 points from Martínez Sánchez, but hung tough for a three set win.
Just across the way, No.8 seed Klara Zakopalova was grinding out a victory of her own, losing six straight games to let go of the second set but then regrouping for a 76(4) 26 63 triumph over Ekaterina Bychkova. Bychkova was coming off one of the best results of her career, having reached the semis at Pattaya City last week. Zakopalova is looking for her third career Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title, having won at 's-Hertogenbosch and Portoroz in 2005.
The first three second round matches came later in the day, with No.5 seed Müller among the winners, moving past Julia Schruff, 63 62. Fourteen of the 17 games ended in service breaks but it was Müller who claimed the three holds, in the eighth game of the first set (though she did face three break points in that game) and in the third (held at 15) and seventh (saved four break points) games of the second set. Moments earlier Mariya Koryttseva also moved into the quarterfinals with a 63 64 win over Petra Cetkovska, rallying from 3-1 down in the second set.
No.4 seed Parmentier squared off with Rossana de los Ríos under the lights, and despite losing a lopsided first set tie-break she blew through the second and third sets for a 67(0) 61 61 win. Parmentier will play Müller in what will be her second career Sony Ericsson WTA Tour quarterfinal, having reached this stage - and gone all the way to the title - at Tashkent last fall.
Three more doubles matches were played, including that of the tournament's favorites Benesova and Mattek, who downed wildcard team Maria Irigoyen and Karina Andrea Koch Benvenuto, 64 62. After top-seeded pairing Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta were forced to pull out of the draw due to Dulko's left hamstring injury, No.2 seeds Benesova and Mattek assumed the frontrunners position.
Thursday's schedule includes the final four second round singles match-ups, with top seed Pennetta in action. However, No.2 seed Dulko, who was hoping to keep going in singles, has announced she has withdrawn from the singles draw as well, handing Lourdes Domínguez Lino a walkover into the quarterfinals.
"I'm very sad that I have to withdraw from the Cachantun Cup. The organizers and the fans are great and I really enjoy being here in Chile. I hoped I could stay in the tournament longer. Unfortunately, I hurt my left leg during my first match. I hoped that it would get better but it's not 100 percent and after speaking with the doctor, it was decided that I need more time to heal. Again, I'm disappointed but plan to be back next year."
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Post by jimm on Feb 14, 2008 7:41:03 GMT
February 13, 2008
Hantuchova, Li, Schnyder All Advance in Straight Sets
ANTWERP, Belgium - Wednesday's play at the Sportpaleis Antwerpen was devoid of any significant upsets as all three seeds on display made their way into the quarterfinals of the Proximus Diamond Games. No.3 seed Daniela Hantuchova was responsible for ending the dreams of home favorite Yanina Wickmayer, while No.4 Patty Schnyder and No.9 Li Na also progressed courtesy of straight-set victories.
Hantuchova made a bright start to 2008 when she reached her maiden Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open, but she made hard work of her opening match in Antwerp. After receiving a first-round bye, the Slovak star came up against talented Belgian wildcard Yanina Wickmayer, who pushed her higher-ranked opponent all the way for two entertaining sets.
There was nothing to separate the pair at the start of the match, but just as it appeared the spectators were to be treated to a tie-break, Wickmayer suffered a fatal lapse in concentration. Serving to stay in the set, the 18-year-old threw away a 40-0 lead and duly lost the game. Despite this psychological blow, the partisan home crowd rallied behind their compatriot and she responded admirably, engaging the world No.8 in several thrilling rallies, before eventually succumbing to a 64 63 defeat.
"The first match of a tournament is always difficult, so I'm very happy to have won," Hantuchova said. "Wickmayer played and served well, it certainly wasn't easy. The crowd was behind her a lot, which is logical, but I'm glad I managed to overcome this and make the next round."
Joining Hantuchova in Friday's quarterfinals will be Schnyder and Li. Swiss No.1 Schnyder was given a stern examination by the experienced Japanese player, Ai Sugiyama, but a run of five consecutive service breaks towards the end of the first and beginning of the second set proved enough to guide her to a 63 64 win. China's Li was also made to dig deep for her quarterfinal berth, recovering from a 4-1 opening set deficit, before eventually progressing, 64 63.
Undoubtedly the match of the day was the first-round clash between Timea Bacsinszky and Olga Govortsova. Switzerland's Bacsinzky came through three rounds of qualifying just to take her place in the main draw and this extra match practice paid dividends in the opener, as she broke her opponent at will to capture the set in style. When the 18-year-old broke once more to take a 3-1 lead in the second set, Govortsova appeared to be heading for an ignominious defeat, however, the Belarusian hit back in spectacular fashion to reel off the next five games and level the match up.
The decider was a see-saw affair. Bacsinszky was the first to seize the initiative by surging 4-1 ahead, but Govortsova had an immediate riposte, turning the tables spectacularly to take the following four games and at 5-4 even held a match point. This chance came and went though and it was the Swiss underdog who held her nerve to hold on, before taking the next two games to close out an epic 62 36 75 victory.
The only other opening round encounter was an all-Ukrainian affair between Kateryna Bondarenko and Tatiana Perebiynis. The in-form Bondarenko made a bright start, but, after frittering away a 5-2 lead, a tie-break was required to decide the opening set. Despite her profligacy earlier in the set Bondarenko upped her level to storm through the tie-break and soon after wrapped up a 76(1) 63 triumph.
In the doubles competition top seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber continued their return to form as they powered into the semifinals courtesy of a dominant 62 61 victory over Stéphanie Foretz and Selima Sfar. Other teams to enjoy sucess were the No.2 seeds, Kveta Peschke and Sugiyama, and the all-Belarusian team of Ekaterina Dzehalevich and Govortsova.
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