BOB
LARSON'S TENNIS NEWS
http://www.tennisnews.com/
Monday,
November 7, 2011
PRO TOUR NEWS -- WOMEN
****** EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ******
*
Ivanovic, who won no International events, wins event for International event
winners (say that three times fast)
* Czechs win doubles to take Fed Cup from Russians
****** TODAY'S WOMEN'S NEWS ******
Bali
Singles
- Final:
Ana Ivanovic (WC) def. Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3 6-0
When Anabel Medina Garrigues finally had to face a healthy opponent, the
result wasn't pretty. Frankly, there wasn't much to say about this; Ana
Ivanovic lost just seven points in the second set! We show Medina Garrigues
ending the year at #27.
Ana Ivanovic didn't win a title -- International or otherwise -- all year,
but she decided to give herself a nice sendoff. And a nice present for her
24th birthday. Not only is it her first title of 2011, it is also the first
time she has defended a title.
Too bad for Ivanovic that the event is moving to Bulgaria next year; she
declared, "I'm super relaxed here, and that helps. I come here to
compete, but I also spend lots of time on the beach and in the spa, and the
people are so friendly -- I've made many new friends. It's just so enjoyable
here."
The result should take Ivanovic to #22.
Singles
- Third Place Play-Off: Nadia Petrova def. (3) Sabine Lisicki Walkover
(Mid Back Injury)
Pretty predictable, after Saturday's result. There isn't much to say about
this; Nadia Petrova earned a few points, but not enough to budge her ranking.
We show her at #29. 
Fed Cup
We
started Sunday's action with the score tied 1-1. Which, in practice, meant
that the Czechs led 2-1, because the first match involved Petra Kvitova. And,
yes, she did her thing, beating Svetlana Kuznetsova by the surprisingly close
score of 4-6 6-2 6-3. She came back from 3-0 down in the final set to do it.
Then it
was strategy time. And, yes, we had the Russian strategy right: Instead of
playing Maria Kirilenko in the reverse singles, they brought in their #1
singles player, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, to face the Czech Lucie Safarova.
It
looked as if Safarova suffered from nerves at key times. She fell apart
completely in the first set, steadied at the beginning of the second, then
melted down again at the end. Pavlyuchenkova won 6-2 6-4 to put the tie in
the hands of the doubles teams.
There
was never any question about the Czech lineup; it was Kveta Peschke and Lucie
Hradecka. But which team would the Russians play?
Once
again, we read them right. The announced lineup was Pavlyuchenkova/Vesnina.
But they played Kirilenko/Vesnina, giving them two Top Ten doubles players --
although a pair with little experience together. (They are, reportedly, good
friends.)
The two
Russians actually have a combined ranking higher than the Czechs. They also
have a history of nerves. It perhaps showed. The Czechs won a close first set
6-4, then went up 4-1 in the second. They split games to reach 5-2. The
eighth game was long, but the Czechs finally broke Vesnina to put away a 6-4
6-2 victory.
It is
the first Fed Cup title for the Czechs as an independent nation separate from
Slovakia. Talk about a big time for Czech tennis: Kveta Peschke was #1 in
doubles earlier this year. Petra Kvitova is likely to reach #1 in singles
next year. And they have won Fed Cup. What do they do for an encore?
****** TODAY'S FEATURE ******
KEYWORDS:
No Feature Today
******** THIS WEEK IN TENNIS ********
THIS
WEEK ON THE WTA:
Challengers only
NEXT
WEEK ON THE WTA:
Challengers only
******** STATS AND FACTS ********
ESTIMATED
WTA RANKINGS
As of November 6, 2011
Rank &
Prior
Rank ...Name ............. Points
1..(1) Wozniacki ......... 7485
2..(2) Kvitova ........... 7370
3..(3) Azarenka ...........6520
4..(4) Sharapova ......... 6510
5..(5) Li .................5720
6..(6) Stosur .............5585
7..(7) Zvonareva ......... 5435
8..(8) Radwanska ......... 5250
9..(9) BARTOLI ........... 4710
10.(10) Petkovic ...........4580
11.(11) Schiavone ......... 3900
12.(12) SWilliams ......... 3180
13.(13) Clijsters ......... 3161
14.(14) Jankovic ...........3115
15.(18) LISICKI ........... 2879
16.(15) Pavlyuchenkova .....2865
17.(16) PENG ...............2825
18.(17) Cibulkova ......... 2755
19.(19) Kuznetsova .........2606
20.(20) Pennetta ...........2490
21.(21) Goerges ........... 2325
22.(26) IVANOVIC ...........2260*
23.(22) VINCI ............. 2125
24.(23) HANTUCHOVA .........2095
25.(24) Safarova ...........2070
26.(25) Wickmayer ......... 2050
27.(28) MEDINA GARRIGUES ...1950
28.(27) Kirilenko ......... 1930
29.(31) PETROVA ........... 1765
30.(29) Niculescu ......... 1715
**DRAWS
Bali -- Week of
October 31
........................SF................F...........WINNER
1 Bartoli
Medina Garrigues......Medina Garrigues..Medina G
3 Lisicki...............Lisicki
Hantuchova
Ivanovic (WC).........Ivanovic..........Ivanovic....Ivanovic
4 Vinci
Petrova...............Petrova
2 Peng (WC)
******** SCORES ********
SUNDAY
Bali
Singles - Final
Ana Ivanovic (WC) def. Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3 6-0
Singles - Third Place Play-Off
Nadia Petrova def. (3) Sabine Lisicki Walkover (Mid Back Injury)
FED CUP
Russia hosts Czech Republic (indoor hard)
Saturday - tied 1-1
Petra Kvitova def. Maria Kirilenko 6-2 6-2
Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Lucie Safarova 6-2 6-3
Sunday - Czech Republic wins 3-2
Petra Kvitova def. Svetlana Kuznetsova 4-6 6-2 6-3
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Lucie Safarova 6-2 6-4
Hradecka/Peschke def. Kirilenko/Vesnina 6-4 6-2
***
Bob
LARSON - Publisher
Cort LARSON - Editor
Robert Waltz - Contributor
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