Sorana's 2009 season got off to a shaky start with early exits in Syndey (l. to 2nd seed Dinara Safina), the Australian Open (l. to Melinda Czink), Paris (l. to Nathalie Dechy), Dubai (l. to 12th seed Dominika Cibulkova), Indian Wells (l. to Elena Vesnina) and Miami (l. to Mariya Koryttseva). Things picked up in April with a semi-final in Marbella (l. to 5th seed Carla Suarez Navarro, but beat 3rd seed Kaia Kanepi in the quarter-finals). That result was followed by a quarter-final appearance in Estoril (l. to Yanina Wickmayer). Roland Garros became her real break-through tournament though as it was the first time in her career that she has reached the quarter-final of a Grand Slam. The win over Jankovic was her second consecutive win over a top 10 player after Caroline Wozniacki was dispatched in the previous round.
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
Spotlight On ... Sorana Cirstea
She isn't a new name to the WTA Tour as such, but Sorana Cirstea caused a notable upset at Roland Garros yesterday when she defeated Jelena Jankovic in three sets. The Romanian is currently ranked # 41, but looks set to better her career-high ranking of # 36 when Roland Garros is over.
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
Spotlight On ... Michelle Larcher de Brito
Currently ranked in the world's top 150 (and the youngest player to end the year in the top 200), Michelle Larcher de Brito is widely thought of as one of the biggest teenage talents for the future. The teenager burst onto the scene when she defeated Meghan Shaughnessy in her first WTA tournament in Miami before losing to Daniela Hantuchova. She became the 7th youngest player in WTA history to win a main draw match at a WTA tournament. The rest of 2007 was spent on the ITF circuit. She reached the second round of WTA Memphis (l. to Caroline Wozniacki) and the third round of Miami (l. to 16th seed Shahar Peer, but beat 17th seed Agnieszka Radwanska for her first top 20 scalp). Following that, she qualified for WTA Montreal and beat American Vania King in her first round match.
As you might expect from a teenager, she is yet to find her real consistency. The three-set loss to Serena Williams (after beating Gisela Dulko in the first round as a qualifier) in the second round of WTA Stanford was quickly followed by a loss in the first round of qualifying in WTA Los Angeles to a far lesser ranked player. She has also been knocked out in qualifying for Fes (l. to Jelena Dokic) and Wimbledon. At WTA Tashkent, she reached the quarter-finals before losing to 3rd seed Sorana Cirstea.
In May 2009, she qualified for the Roland Garros main draw and was handed a favourable first round match-up against Melanie South, who she dispatched in three sets after being handed a first set bagel. In the second round, she defeated # 15 Jie Zheng in straight sets to book her place in the third round of Grand Slam for the first time in her fledgling career.
Michelle is coached by her father, Antonio. In 2005, she became the youngest player to win the prestigious Eddie Herr junior tournament (in the U16 category) at the age of 12.
Click here to read Michelle's WTA blog from Estoril
As you might expect from a teenager, she is yet to find her real consistency. The three-set loss to Serena Williams (after beating Gisela Dulko in the first round as a qualifier) in the second round of WTA Stanford was quickly followed by a loss in the first round of qualifying in WTA Los Angeles to a far lesser ranked player. She has also been knocked out in qualifying for Fes (l. to Jelena Dokic) and Wimbledon. At WTA Tashkent, she reached the quarter-finals before losing to 3rd seed Sorana Cirstea.
In May 2009, she qualified for the Roland Garros main draw and was handed a favourable first round match-up against Melanie South, who she dispatched in three sets after being handed a first set bagel. In the second round, she defeated # 15 Jie Zheng in straight sets to book her place in the third round of Grand Slam for the first time in her fledgling career.
Michelle is coached by her father, Antonio. In 2005, she became the youngest player to win the prestigious Eddie Herr junior tournament (in the U16 category) at the age of 12.
Click here to read Michelle's WTA blog from Estoril
Spotlight On ... Polona Hercog
Polona Hercog is an up-and-coming tennis player from Slovenia. In May 2009, she reached a career high ranking of # 167.
In 2008, she won two ITF circuit titles (both in Mallorca in February) and three ITF doubles titles. She also reached the quarter-finals (in Bosnia Herzegovina, and in the Czech Republic, beating top seed and top 100 player Yvonne Meusberger in the first round), semi-finals (in Croatia, beating 2nd seed Anne Keothavong) and finals (in Italy, beating 2nd seed Mathilde Johansson en route) of ITF events.
She has yet to make her Grand Slam main draw debut. She entered US Open qualifying but lost in the first round. In WTA events, she received a wildcard for WTA Portoroz and took then top 100 player Julia Vakulenko to three sets in the first round. Back on the ITF circuit, she notched up a second round showing in Maribor (Slovenia) (l. to 3rd seed Angelique Kerber) and a quarter-final in Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina) (l. to 6th seed Alexandra Dulgheru). She ended her 2008 season with first round exits in ITF events in Mestre (Italy), Ortisei (Italy) and Podolsk (Russia).
In 2009, she has won ITF titles in Civitavecchia (Italy) and Zagreb (Croatia), as well as notching up a second round appearance in WTA Marbella and WTA Fes on the clay. She qualified for the Roland Garros main draw in May and won a round against 23rd seed Alisa Kleybanova before losing in three sets to Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai in the second round.
In 2008, she won two ITF circuit titles (both in Mallorca in February) and three ITF doubles titles. She also reached the quarter-finals (in Bosnia Herzegovina, and in the Czech Republic, beating top seed and top 100 player Yvonne Meusberger in the first round), semi-finals (in Croatia, beating 2nd seed Anne Keothavong) and finals (in Italy, beating 2nd seed Mathilde Johansson en route) of ITF events.
She has yet to make her Grand Slam main draw debut. She entered US Open qualifying but lost in the first round. In WTA events, she received a wildcard for WTA Portoroz and took then top 100 player Julia Vakulenko to three sets in the first round. Back on the ITF circuit, she notched up a second round showing in Maribor (Slovenia) (l. to 3rd seed Angelique Kerber) and a quarter-final in Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina) (l. to 6th seed Alexandra Dulgheru). She ended her 2008 season with first round exits in ITF events in Mestre (Italy), Ortisei (Italy) and Podolsk (Russia).
In 2009, she has won ITF titles in Civitavecchia (Italy) and Zagreb (Croatia), as well as notching up a second round appearance in WTA Marbella and WTA Fes on the clay. She qualified for the Roland Garros main draw in May and won a round against 23rd seed Alisa Kleybanova before losing in three sets to Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai in the second round.
Monday, 25 May 2009
Spotlight On ... Alexandra Dulgheru
Not too many players win a WTA title at their first attempt, but Alexandra Dulgheru can claim that honour. She won her first WTA title in Warsaw as a qualifier, beating the likes of Sara Errani, Daniela Hantuchova and Alona Bondarenko en route. Prior to this triumph, the Romanian was ranked outside of the top 200 with two ITF singles titles to her name. The Warsaw win saw her ranking jump over 100 places in just one week and propelled her into the world's top 100.
Just before she embarked on her impressive run in Warsaw, Alexandra had won an ITF title in Italy, lost in qualifying in Estoril (l. to Michelle Larcher de Brito in the second qualifying round) and reached the quarter-finals of an ITF event in France (l. to 5th seed Yanina Wickmayer).
Alexandra started playing tennis at the age of four after enrolling in the local tennis club. Perhaps unsurprisingly (given the Warsaw triumph), her favourite surface is clay.
Saturday, 23 May 2009
Spotlight On ... Arantxa Rus
Arantxa Rus has been making a few waves on the WTA tour since 2008. Her best result came in September 2008, when she qualified and reached the quarter-finals in WTA Ghangzhou (China) with wins over Yanina Wickmayer and 5th seed Gisela Dulko before losing out to Camille Pin. The event was only her second WTA event. She followed that up with a second round in WTA Tashkent (l. to top seed Shuai Peng).
Despite the slightly Spanish-sounding first name, Arantxa actually hails from the Netherlands. She gained the world number one ranking in the juniors after junior Wimbledon, and has broken into the world's top 200 in the seniors. The left-handed teenager has won two ITF singles title this year in Bari (Italy) and Opole (Poland), to go with the two that she won in her native Holland in 2007.
She has been awarded wildcards into the WTA tournament in s'Hertogenbosch (Holland) for the last two years, but has lost in round one on both occasions (to 8th seed Alona Bondarenko in 2007, and Mariya Koryttseva in 2008).
During the 2009 season, she has been trying to find success at a higher level and so far this has not paid off. She lost in qualifying for the Australian Open, Bogota and Acapulco. She was part of the Dutch Fed Cup team in Estonia, where she beat Mandy Minella (Luxembourg) but lost to Anne Keothavong (Great Britain) in her singles matches.
Things picked up a bit after this, and she made it through qualifying in Monterrey but exited in the first round (l. to Roberta Vinci). Following this, she made it into the main draw in Miami (l. to Magdalena Rybarikova), reached the second round of Marbella as a qualifier (l. to Kaia Kanepi). She qualified for the Roland Garros main draw in May, drawing French wildcard Olivia Sanchez in the opening round.
Arantxa started playing tennis when she was five years old. As a junior, her achievements have included winning the 2008 Australian Open in singles (d. Jessica Moore in the final), and reaching the final of the same event in doubles (w/ Lesley Kerkhove).
Despite the slightly Spanish-sounding first name, Arantxa actually hails from the Netherlands. She gained the world number one ranking in the juniors after junior Wimbledon, and has broken into the world's top 200 in the seniors. The left-handed teenager has won two ITF singles title this year in Bari (Italy) and Opole (Poland), to go with the two that she won in her native Holland in 2007.
She has been awarded wildcards into the WTA tournament in s'Hertogenbosch (Holland) for the last two years, but has lost in round one on both occasions (to 8th seed Alona Bondarenko in 2007, and Mariya Koryttseva in 2008).
During the 2009 season, she has been trying to find success at a higher level and so far this has not paid off. She lost in qualifying for the Australian Open, Bogota and Acapulco. She was part of the Dutch Fed Cup team in Estonia, where she beat Mandy Minella (Luxembourg) but lost to Anne Keothavong (Great Britain) in her singles matches.
Things picked up a bit after this, and she made it through qualifying in Monterrey but exited in the first round (l. to Roberta Vinci). Following this, she made it into the main draw in Miami (l. to Magdalena Rybarikova), reached the second round of Marbella as a qualifier (l. to Kaia Kanepi). She qualified for the Roland Garros main draw in May, drawing French wildcard Olivia Sanchez in the opening round.
Arantxa started playing tennis when she was five years old. As a junior, her achievements have included winning the 2008 Australian Open in singles (d. Jessica Moore in the final), and reaching the final of the same event in doubles (w/ Lesley Kerkhove).
Sunday, 19 April 2009
Spotlight On ... Roberta Vinci
Technically speaking, Roberta Vinci isn't a rising star on the WTA Tour. Back in March 2006, the Italian was ranked at a career-high # 37 but injuries saw her slip out of the world's top 100. Since then, she hasn't been able to match her best performance at a major (a third round showing at the 2006 Australian Open and 2005 Wimbledon), but has clawed her way back to the outskirts of the top 50.
Roberta has a game that many people have described as old-school. By that, I am referring to the fact that she isn't a big hitter and likes to come forward to the net frequently. Serve-and-volley players are few and far between on the WTA Tour these days, but she is one of the few who still does.
Despite only really coming to the fore in 2005, she has suffered from her fair share of injuries. In 2006, she missed six weeks during the summer after injuring her wrist. On her return, she won one WTA doubles title (w/ Flavia Pennetta) and two ITF singles titles. In 2008, she withdrew from numerous WTA events with shoulder problems. The 2009 season has seen her withdrew Bogota with a left foot injury, although she has since returned to action.
Her best result so far this season has been a quarter-final in Malaga (d. 8th seed Tsvetana Pironkova, l. to top seed and eventual champion Jelena Jankovic) but she has reached second rounds in Brisbane, Acapulco and Monterrey. She won a WTA event in Barcelona in April, beating 2nd seed Flavia Pennetta in the second round and 6th seed Maria Kirilenko for the loss of just four games in the final. This was her second career WTA title.
Roberta has a game that many people have described as old-school. By that, I am referring to the fact that she isn't a big hitter and likes to come forward to the net frequently. Serve-and-volley players are few and far between on the WTA Tour these days, but she is one of the few who still does.
Despite only really coming to the fore in 2005, she has suffered from her fair share of injuries. In 2006, she missed six weeks during the summer after injuring her wrist. On her return, she won one WTA doubles title (w/ Flavia Pennetta) and two ITF singles titles. In 2008, she withdrew from numerous WTA events with shoulder problems. The 2009 season has seen her withdrew Bogota with a left foot injury, although she has since returned to action.
Her best result so far this season has been a quarter-final in Malaga (d. 8th seed Tsvetana Pironkova, l. to top seed and eventual champion Jelena Jankovic) but she has reached second rounds in Brisbane, Acapulco and Monterrey. She won a WTA event in Barcelona in April, beating 2nd seed Flavia Pennetta in the second round and 6th seed Maria Kirilenko for the loss of just four games in the final. This was her second career WTA title.
Saturday, 18 April 2009
Spotlight On ... Jarmila Groth
Jarmila Groth (formerly Jarmila Gajdosova) is a Slovakian-born tennis player, who is now married to Australian ATP player Sam Groth. She hit a career-high ranking of # 64 in September 2006 after reaching the third round of the US Open. This was the season in which she first achieved a ranking in the world's top 100. Her 2007 season was not as successful and this saw her drop out of the top 100.
In 2008, things picked up again and she made her first semi-final appearance at WTA level in Tokyo as a lucky loser, beating 6th seed Shahar Peer en route.
Her 2009 season has yet to really get going and she has not been able to progress past the second round of any tournament. She has had several first round exits, including losses to Elena Dementieva, Virginie Razzano, Galina Voskoboeva and Petra Cetkovska.
In 2008, things picked up again and she made her first semi-final appearance at WTA level in Tokyo as a lucky loser, beating 6th seed Shahar Peer en route.
Her 2009 season has yet to really get going and she has not been able to progress past the second round of any tournament. She has had several first round exits, including losses to Elena Dementieva, Virginie Razzano, Galina Voskoboeva and Petra Cetkovska.
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