Maroon Grouup
(2) Serena Williams (USA) d. (5) Elena Dementieva (RUS) 62 64
(7) Venus Williams (USA) d. (3) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 62 67(3) 64
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AP
Serena Williams of the United States reacts during her singles match against sister Venus Williams of the United States at the WTA Tennis Championships, in Doha, Qatar Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009.
DOHA, Oct 28 (Reuters) - American Serena Williams will end the year as world number one for the first time since 2002 after Dinara Safina withdrew from the WTA Championships with a back injury on Wednesday.
Williams, who began the elite year-ending tournament 155 points behind the Russian in the rankings, won her opening match on Tuesday against Svetlana Kuznetsova, guaranteeing enough ranking points to overtake Safina even if she lost her remaining contests here.
With each victory in the round-robin phase at the $4.5 million tournament earning 230 points, Safina began her first group match against Jelena Jankovic 75 points adrift.
She earned 70 points just for taking to the court against Jankovic but was forced to retire after just two games clutching her lower back before announcing in a news conference that she would take no further part in the tournament.
It seems to me the WTA had a choice several years ago. They could either put the year-end championships in a major media market, invest in the marketing/promotion and use it as a platform for women's tennis and the top players. (New York was ideal. Madrid seemed to be working well.) Or the WTA could simply go to sell themselves out -- literally -- to the highest bidder.
Regrettably, the executives chose Door No. 2. The result? The tour is making many millions from the good folks in Dubai and Istanbul, no small consideration, particularly in these austere times. Yet the year-end event, which should be a real showcase event, exists in a virtual vacuum and a literal desert. Buzz and media coverage is non-existent here in the U.S. and, judging from a lot of you, in Europe and Asia as well. The ESPN coverage is long gone. From what I saw, the attendance was dreadful. Sharapova and Henin were MIA, and two other top stars, Serena Williams and Ivanovic, couldn't even get through their matches.
So, now that the election is over, I can pay attention to tennis again. (And keep my sidebars updated in a much more timely fashion!)
But I need to be briefed first. Who's injured? Who's exhausted? Who's playing well? Who do you expect to win the Season Ending Championships?
I see the sisters go at it later today, so I'll be watching that one for sure.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL, USA - Russia's Vera Zvonareva and American Venus Williams have clinched the two remaining singles spots in the Sony Ericsson Championships - Doha 2008, set to take place at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex in Doha, Qatar, from November 4 to 9, 2008. The world's Top 8 singles players and Top 4 doubles teams from the 2008 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour season will compete for the season-ending title and a share of the record prize money of $4.45 million.
Venus Williams will be making her third appearance at the event, having reached the semifinals in her first two appearances, in 1999 and 2002. Zvonareva will be making her second appearance, having fallen in the round robin stage in 2004.
The final qualifiers join an acclaimed list of players competing at this season's Championships, held for the first time in Doha. Previous qualifiers are world No.1 Jelena Jankovic, Roland Garros champion Ana Ivanovic, US Open champion Serena Williams, new world No.2 Dinara Safina, Olympic singles gold medalist Elena Dementieva and former US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova.
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It was a battle royale.
It was ugly.
Justine prevailed 5-7, 7-5, 6-3.
Immenga(Davydenko’s lawyer) claimed the ATP's investigators had told him that among the account-holders to have bet against Davydenko in the match against Vassallo were nine people based in Russia. He said the nine stood to make £725,000 from Davydenko's failure, adding that another two account-holders whose location was not known had increased that figure to £3.3m. Davydenko Probe Continues
The Others
World No. 1 Justine Henin plays Ana Ivanovic in one semifinal after Maria Sharapova plays Anna Chakvetadze in the other.
Yawn.
Then again, this seems to be the event of revenge, so in that case, AnaI will kill Justine for the Roland Garros final and AnnaC will finally beat Maria for all their other matches.
And then I woke up.
If these matchups get you excited, raise your hand.
Wanna know how weak is the WTA? World No. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova didn't win a single match at the Championships.
Well, as oddman stated, I woke up today to find that the twilight zone is indeed real.
I'd like to write a long string of cuss words but I'll show some decorum. For now. Decorum is certainly not my strong suit, but I might not be able to stop the vulgarity once I start it, so I'm just going to think it instead of write it.
Ugh.
Serena Williams was in pain. Her inflamed knees were taped with Kinesio tape in such a way as to unload the patello-femoral joint and the patello tendon on her left knee. Whenever she contracted her quad muscles her knees were in pain. Thus the double faults. Perhaps she ought not have taken the court in the first place. Perhaps she's feeling the pressure of those who say she isn't committed and she's forging ahead to play before her body is ready. Spirit willing; flesh weak.
She's withdrawn from the Championships to be replaced by Marion Bartoli, who's first match will be against Justine Henin.
Ugh.
Here's the thing. Marion goes into this match cold. Justine, hot. What exactly is on the line for Justine except, perhaps, her ego? She'll win and everyone will proclaim Marion's upset of Justine at Wimbledon a fluke. It wasn't, no matter what the scoreline is tomorrow.
I'd have liked to have seen a rematch between the two in the quarterfinals or semifinals of, say, a Slam. But alas, we get it in Madrid later today.
Ugh.
Did I mention I was in a pissy mood? Maybe I need to fly down to the Cayman Islands and see karen. Oh, how I wish I could.
At least Andy Roddick, despite all the speculation that he would withdraw from the Masters Cup to practice for Davis Cup, got his ass to Shanghai and is apparently ready to play. He better actually play. His draw is such that he can make the semifinals once again.
More on that in another post.
I'm still tired. Perhaps I'll watch Madrid later; perhaps not. I just can't seem to get excited about tennis between certifiable headcases and a blatant cheater.
Ugh.
I just returned home safely from the Netherlands to read reports that Serena Williams was wrapped like a mummy during her match against Anna Chakvetadze and had to withdraw from the Championships with a left knee injury even after stating how healthy and happy and determined she was to make good at the end of an injury-plagued last three quarters of the year, that Jelena Jankovic ought to have been warned for lack of effort against Justine Henin, that Gustavo Kuerten's paraplegic brother passed away today, and that Tommy Haas was told that he was poisoned before his Davis Cup match against Russia back in September with the ITF about to launch an investigation?
Tennis has officially entered the twilight zone.
I'm going to take my travel-weary behind to bed and maybe, just maybe, when I wake up tomorrow I'll find out that this was all a big practical joke.
Serena Williams began the year ranked at 95 in the world. Currently, she sits at No. 5. Thanks to a strong first quarter when she captured the two biggest tournaments in tennis to date, the Australian Open and the Sony Ericsson Open, she launched a comeback that seemed to prove she was destined to reclaim her seat atop women's tennis.
But a groin injury halted her momentum. She only played one event before Roland Garros where she lost to eventual champion Justine Henin in two sets of uninspired tennis. This after playing relatively well through four rounds. I couldn't help but wonder if 2003 was still on her mind, despite her proclamations that it was all in the past.
Wimbledon used to be Serena's garden, and it appeared as though she was ready to prevail once more on the lawns of tennis most genteel event. But a calf spasm and a thumb injury reared their ugly heads in he fourth round and once again in the next, she fell to archrival Henin, this time in three sets. On one leg with one hand tied behind her back.
She withdrew from every summer hardcourt event she'd entered apparently to let her thumb heal. But in her opening match at the US Open, it was painfully clear she also suffered from a right leg injury. I couldn't tell for sure if it was her thigh or her knee, but as the tournament played out, it looked to be her knee. For the third time, she lost to Henin, this time after holding a set point on Justine's serve in the first set that a timid second-serve return into the net wiped away.
Justine went on to take out Venus Williams in the semifinals and that paragon of mental virility Svetlana Kuznetsova in the finals and the world was talking of Jusine as the WTA's answer to Roger Federer.
Whatever.
Anna Chakvetadze, Ana Ivanovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Maria Sharapova, Justine Henin, Daniela Hantuchova, Jelena Jankovic, Serena Williams
Just when we thought the sisters would make their marks at the Season Ending Championships in Madrid, Wimbledon champion Venus Williams has announced her withdrawal due to fatigue.
Her announcement means that Maria Sharapova won't need any favors from the WTA to qualify outright for the championships. Daniela Hantuchova tied Maria's race total with her victory in Linz today and theoretically ousted Maria by playing more tour events this season. Still, the WTA could've chosen Maria over Dani based upon the rule that states "at their sole discretion and taking into account extraordinary circumstances, the WTA Tour may select the 8th player for participation in the singles draw."
But no such shenanigans were necessary. Venus underwent tests after both the US Open and her Asian campaign and her doctors have advised her to rest.
"This year has been a great one for many reasons," said Venus. "I am pleased that I finished the year in the top eight and in recent weeks I have remained optimistic about participating in the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships. Nevertheless, the accumulation of matches has taken its toll and I have received several medical opinions to delay my return to competitive tennis. As a result, I will miss the Sony Ericsson Championships. I look forward to playing in the New Year for what will hopefully be an even better 2008."
I've never understood Venus' playing schedule. Perhaps some of her fans could shed some light. I know she loves playing in Asia, but had she played one Tier 1 event and advanced to the quarterfinals she'd have earned as many race points as she did by winning Seoul. That would've meant less effort and more rest. As my mother would say, that would've also been too much like right.
And we spectators can only assume that Venus' desire to play in Bangkok the week after injuring her right hip in the Tokyo final had everything to do with her wanting to qualify for Madrid. In Bangkok her right calf was taped from ankle to knee.
Again, it seems, the calendar is to blame. Players on the qualification bubble wear themselves out at the end of the year to qualify for the Big Event and often can't play or compete well if and when they get there because they're entirely fried.
Here's hoping rest is all Venus needs in order to get healthy and prepare for 2008.
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