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Post by Admin on Jan 6, 2015 21:06:35 GMT
 Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova were playing in tournaments on opposite sides of Australia, their form veering in opposite directions. The second-ranked Sharapova opened her 2015 season by winning nine straight games in a 6-0, 6-1 win over Yaroslava Shvedova on Tuesday in the second round of the Brisbane International. The Russian had a bye in the first round at the season-opening WTA event in the sub-tropical east coast city, where Serena Williams won the title in 2014 but skipped this year in favor of the Hopman Cup in Perth, Western Australia state. Sharapova needed little more than an hour to oust Shvedova, a qualifier from Kazakhstan. Sharapova wrapped up the first set in 23 minutes and led 3-0 in the second before Shvedova held serve, raising her arm in mock triumph. Shvedova had a break-point opportunity in the next game, but couldn't put away an overhead and Sharapova responded with a backhand winner down the line.  "It certainly felt good to start, after not playing a match for a couple of months," said Sharapova, who is into the quarterfinals in her first competitive tournament since the season-ending WTA Finals in Singapore in October. "I wanted to start off sharp and try to do the right things ... and I think I did a good job of that. "There were moments where I saved a few important break points, which was crucial. That gave me good confidence." |
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Post by Admin on Jan 10, 2015 21:17:34 GMT
 Maria Sharapova claimed her 34th career title and closed the gap on the No. 1 ranking with a 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3 win over Ana Ivanovic on Saturday in the Brisbane International final. Top-seeded Sharapova raced to a 4-1 lead and had set points in the 11th game but No. 2-seeded Ivanovic fought back to take the hour-long set in a tiebreaker. Sharapova earned early service breaks in the next two sets and held for victory, giving her the chance to overhaul Serena Williams for top spot in the rankings depending on results at the Australian Open, starting Jan. 19. "I played four good matches against very different types of opponents. Couldn't have asked for better preparation," Sharapova said, playing down the importance of the rankings. "Now that I won a tournament, maybe I have a better chance of going higher in the ranking. Right now I am No. 2; the next spot is 1." Sharapova not only beat Ivanovic in the 2008 Australian Open final but both women are in devastating form heading towards the first grand slam of the season, starting on January 19. 'I played four good matches against very different types of opponents,' Sharapova said. 'I couldn't have asked for better preparation.'  The Russian dropped just nine games in getting to the final while Ivanovic showed nerves of steel to see off her opponents to join Sharapova, ranked number two in the world. It was a match that could have gone either way but Sharapova proved too strong once she got her nose in front in the deciding third set at the Pat Rafter Arena. 'She deserved to win the first set, no doubt, but I hung in there,' Sharapova said. 'It was important to get that break. I held that and the third set came down to a few points really.' Winning the Brisbane International provided Sharapova with her 34th WTA career title and her fifth in the last nine months, a red-hot span in which she also captured a second French Open and a first China Open.  |
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Post by Admin on Jan 11, 2015 20:37:56 GMT
 The Romanian showed why she is among the favourites to lift a first grand slam at the Australian Open later this month by dominating her giant-killing opponent in a 6-2 6-2 rout. Swiss Bacsinszky had beaten double Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic in the semis but she couldn't make an impression on an unwell Halep. "I wasn't feeling very well before the match - I was a little bit sick - so I told myself I have nothing to lose, just go on court, be relaxed, stay focused and fight for every point," Halep explained. "It worked, and I felt really relaxed today. I'm happy I could play better day by day and match by match here. I'm looking forward to playing like today in the next tournament, maybe even better." Halep becomes only the second winner of the Shenzhen Open after Li Na claimed the first two editions. The retired Chinese great followed each victory by going on to make the final at the year's first grand slam but Halep was cautious when asked if she could replicate the feat.  "It's tough to answer that question. You never know what will happen day by day," said the 23-year-old, who reached the final of the French Open and the quarters in Melbourne last year. "But I don't want to put any pressure on myself for the Australian Open. I have to be focused there, and I hope to win many matches there, but it'll be tough. I'll just try to do everything I did here." |
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Post by Admin on Feb 16, 2015 20:59:18 GMT
 Kim Clijsters showed she has still got what it takes as the retired four-time Grand Slam champion dusted off her racket to beat world No 12 Andrea Petkovic in an exhibition match at the WTA Diamond Games. Clijsters, who is the tournament director in Antwerp, stepped in after Carla Suarez Navarro had to withdraw before the final with a neck injury, handing the title to German Petkovic. And the 31-year-old Belgian thrilled the home crowd by beating the new champion 5-3 in a shortened set. Former world No 1 Clijsters retired after the 2012 US Open, in which she suffered defeat in her last ever singles match against Great Britain's Laura Robson. Petkovic took the exhibition defeat in good spirits. She said: 'I hope you don't take any offence Kim, but I'm glad you are done playing on tour.'   Petkovic will return to the top 10 on Monday after winning her sixth WTA title and she certainly had to work hard earlier in the week, saving eight match points against wildcard Alison Van Uytvanck in the second round. The 27-year-old said: 'You can never really enjoy the win when you don't fight for it [in the final]. I had a great week and I'm leaving as the champion, but definitely mixed emotions.'  |
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Post by Admin on Mar 2, 2015 21:07:41 GMT
Fed Cup winner Lucie Safarova beat Victoria Azarenka in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3 to clinch the Qatar Open on Saturday. It was her sixth career title and first since Quebec City in 2013 as well as her first at the Premier-level. The Czech snapped Azarenka's 14-match winning streak in Doha and also foiled the Belarusian's attempt to clinch a record third Qatar Open title. "It's an amazing feeling. I'm really excited and I've been working towards this for a long time. I'm happy at the way season has progressed," said Safarova, who along with Bethanie Mattek-Sands had won their first grand slam doubles titles at the Australian Open last month.  This year, top 10 world-ranked women’s tennis players including number five seed Ekaterina Makarova, number six seed Andrea Petkovic and number nine seed Carla Suárez Navarro competed in the 2015 tournament. As part of Qatar Airways’ sponsorship, this year the airline invited spectators to visit its pavilion at the event where they were offered the opportunity to have their photograph taken against a choice of backdrops (the Doha skyline, the Airbus A350 XWB or the Airbus A380) and then given a print of the photograph as a gift from the five-star airline.  During the tournament, Qatar Duty Free invited spectators to visit its dedicated pavilion and collect a 10% discount voucher, which they can redeem against their purchases the next time they shop at Qatar Duty Free in Hamad International Airport. “Qatar Duty Free was delighted to be the official retail sponsor of the Qatar Total Open 2015. We look forward to welcoming all the spectators, who came to our pavilion and collected their 10% discount voucher during the tournament, at our Duty Free shops in Hamad International Airport the next time they travel,” said Qatar Duty Free Senior Vice President, Keith Hunter. Having lost all her six previous encounters to Azarenka, the Wimbledon semifinalist Safarova, raised her game to a new level at the Khalifa Tennis Complex in the match which lasted one hour and twenty seven minutes. "I mean, it's up there. Obviously semifinals at Wimbledon was a very high achievement for me as well. It's the first premier WTA win of a tournament, so I'm really excited. I think it's like I'm playing more consistent. "My game improved a lot throughout the last couple of years. It took me quite a few years to get to this point. I hope it's not a finish point and I can still improve that," added Safarova, who will move four places up to 11 when the latest WTA rankings are released on Monday. |
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