Schnyder Teams with Klemenschits in Istanbul
Patty Schnyder and Sandra Klemenschits make for a compelling story as the third-seeded pair at the Istanbul Cup. Schnyder, who’s potentially retiring after this year, is out of the singles, but looked strong with Klemnschits in their first round match. The duo won over Johanna Larsson — the player that defeated Schnyder in singles — and Tatjana Malek in two sets, advancing 6-3, 6-4.
Klemenschits made news not necessarily for her doubles play, although she did win 20 titles on the ITF circuit, but more so for the cancer that took the life of her doubles partner and twin sister Daniela in 2008.
Seeing both players come together in doubles must be a special thing to watch. I hope they go far in the tournament.
Here’s a recap of some of the highlights on the WTA tour at both the Istanbul Cup and in the US Open Series tournmanet at Stanford:
- Wimbledon semifinalist Tsvetana Pironkova continues to be a rollercoaster ride on tour after her amazing run. She lost to Anastasia Rodionova 6-1, 3-6, 6-2.
- The Latvian teenager Anastasija Sevastova, who beat Petra Kvitova in the first round, was ousted from Istanbul with a three-set loss to Vera Dushevina, 6-3, 6-7 (8), 6-2.
- At the Stanford tournament, Sam Stosur reached a career-high ranking of 5 in the world after beating American qualifier Christina McHale in two sets. Stosur advanced with her 6-1, 7-5 win.
- Agnieszka Radwanska and Yanina Wickmayer both needed two sets to advance. Melanie Oudin, however, needed a tough three-setter to close out Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada. The teenage Oudin eked through 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-3.
Henin Downed by Dulko; Sharapova Squeaks Through; Sevastova Surprises; Cilic Out
Wildcard Justine Henin, my pick to take home the Indian Wells title, was ousted by the thirty-first seed, Gisela Dulko in three sets in the first round, 6-2, 1-6, 6-4. The score says it all: Henin let the first set slip away, came firing in the second, and then looked to clinch the win before falling in a close third set. With Henin out of the way, look for Elena Dementieva to capitalize on her section of of the draw. There, only Agnieszka Radwanska, the fifth seed, has a chance to touch Dementieva, although even that is questionable given the Polish player’s lack of power.
In other results, Maria Sharapova, a blackhorse selection, locked in a close three-set win over Vera Dushevina, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. While she isn’t playing at her best so far, I see Sharapova winning comfortably against the surprise Australian Open semifinalist, Jie Zheng in the next round. Although Zheng won her match easily, 6-3, 7-5, Sharapova has the tenacity and the hunger for a large title. Sharapova will need to make the first strike and take advantage of Zheng’s weak serve to ensure victory.
Another match of note is Latvian Anastasija Sevastova’s win over Ana Ivanovic, 6-2, 6-4. The win means that Sevastova has defeated both former Serbian world number ones within the same couple weeks. She recently took out Jelena Jankovic in the first round of the Monterrey Open before losing in the semifinals to the eventual champion, Anastasia Pavyluchenkova. Look to see Sevastova continue her strong showings on the WTA tour and put up a good fight against the number twelve seed, Vera Zvonareva in the round of 32.
On the ATP side, Marin Cilic, another of my blackhorse selections, bowed out in two lopsided sets, 7-6(1), 6-0, against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. With Gilles Simon of France also out, Novak Djokovic will have a much easier time making it to the quarterfinals, where he’ll meet Rafael Nadal. Although coming off of serious knee injury, Nadal looked strong in his 6-4, 6-4 win over qualifier Rainer Schuettler.
Pavyluchenkova Prevails, Sevastova Continues to Impress
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova won her first title on the WTA tour today, playing two matches in one day at the Monterrey Open. On the way, she took out Latvian up-and-comer, Anastasija Sevastova in the semifinal. Both the semifinal and final match were lopsided affairs for the Russian, including her 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 win over Sevastova, and her 1-6, 6-1, 6-0 win in the final versus Daniela Hantuchova.
Pavlyuchenkova, currently ranked 25 in the world for singles, was long overdue a title given her impressive wins over the past couple years. With her confidence at an all time high, it will be fascinating to see her performance at next week’s Indian Wells tournament, especially as Serena Williams and Venus Williams open the draw by not appearing at the event. With her aggressive baseline game and obvious momentum, it’d be no surprise to see Pavlyuchenkova make it to the quarterfinals. In fact, last year, the Russian made it to the quarterfinals, eventually losing to the defending champion, Ana Ivanovic.
Parallel to Pavyluchenkova’s success story is that of Sevastova, who was taken out of this year’s Australian Open by the former at the event’s first round. Getting to the semifinals was no easy feat for the Latvian, who defeated Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic in the first round, 5-7 6-4 6-4. With a current ranking of 72 that will certainly rise based on her success along with wins over the former world number one and the three-set fight against Pavlyuchenkova, a top 30 player, look out for Sevastova to finish the year inside the top 50.
Should she make it to Indian Wells along with Pavyluchenkova, it will be compelling to keep an eye out for these Eastern European tennis stars. Both are looking strong going into the fifth major.
Safina, Jankovic Continue to Disappoint
Current number two player in the world, Dinara Safina, and former world number one, Jelena Jankovic, continue to disappoint with the former sidelined by injury, while the later exits from a tournament early.
Safina, who had a rocky Australian Open, pulled out of the Indian Wells tournament recently. After fizzling out at the finals of the 2009 Australian Open and French Open, Safina has simply not looked the same. Citing injury, it seems that mentally, she’s also suffering. Big time. Not quite to the same extent as former top-ten player and French Open semifinalist, Nicole Vaidisova, but if things don’t being looking up for the Russian, she just may end the year outside of the top ten. There will inevitably be a slippery slop back into the top-tier of the woman’s game, especially with Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters, and Maria Sharapova making strong comebacks. Safina needs to regain the power and mental toughness that took her to the number one ranking. It won’t be easy, but I believe she still has the ability to make it to a Grand Slam final. The only question is, can she actually win one?
Like her struggling compatriot is the Grand Slam-less and other former world number one, Jankovic, who bowed out early to Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, at the Monterrey Open. She lost to…who exactly? Apparently, Sevastova is a 19-year old player currently at her career-high ranking of #73 in the world. With solid play like she took to Jankovic, maybe there’s a strong career from her for the future. She might be someone to keep an eye out for.
Anyway, Jankovic needs to get back on track and possibly take advice from her compatriot, Ana Ivanovic who, although struggling, is showing signs of life by recruiting Heinz Gunthardt, Steffi Graf’s former coach, to her team. I don’t see things picking up for Jankovic, or Ivanovic for that matter, before Indian Wells.
