Maria Awaits Her Challengers
Preview: Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships presented by Porsche
November 6, 2005
LOS ANGELES, California, USA - The stars of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour will collide in Los Angeles, California this week at the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships presented by Porsche. The $3-million season-ending event will feature an elite eight-player field, including current world No.1 Lindsay Davenport, reigning US Open champion Kim Clijsters and defending champion Maria Sharapova (pictured with her 2004 championship trophy).
Davenport and Clijsters, arguably the hottest players on the Tour this year, will look to do their best this week, as the year-end No.1 ranking is on the line and whoever performs better in Los Angeles will clinch it. The two players lead the Tour this year not only in titles won (Clijsters has nine, Davenport six) but also in match wins (Clijsters has won 66, Davenport 58) and win-loss percentage (Clijsters is .904, Davenport is .879). They have faced each other three times this year, with all three matches going to three sets and the American owning a slight 2-1 advantage. Should they continue playing the way they have been, particularly in the latter half of the season, they could very well have their fourth meeting in the final.
Sharapova, who consolidated her 2004 Wimbledon title with an exciting run here at the Tour Championships last year, could be the biggest obstacle this week for Davenport and Clijsters. The Russian teenager is the only player other than Davenport to have held the No.1 ranking this year, spending seven weeks at the top spot between August and October. She is also the only player to have reached the semifinals at three of the tennis calendar's four biggest stages, the Grand Slams, featuring in the final four at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, falling to the eventual champion each time, twice in thrilling three set matches. Sharapova is undoubtedly a big-match player, and there is no bigger time to shine than here.
Hoping to put France on the Tour Championships map for the first time will be Amélie Mauresmo and Mary Pierce, who have travelled very different paths to get here. Mauresmo has been an exceptionally consistent performer throughout the year, reaching the quarterfinals or better at 13 events, capturing three titles and reaching three other finals. Pierce qualified on the strength of an inspiring second half of the season, reaching Grand Slam finals at both Roland Garros and the US Open and capturing two Tier I titles. Both Frenchwomen have reached finals at the Tour Championships in the past, and will likely crave the taste again.
Rounding out the participants this week will be resurgent Swisswoman Patty Schnyder, talented Russian Nadia Petrova and the always-dangerous Elena Dementieva. All three players have been enjoying standout seasons in 2005. Schnyder has worked her way back into the Top 10 with incredibly consistent results, including winning two titles and reaching two Tier I finals; Petrova has also had impressively consistent results, and recently captured her career-first Tour singles title; Dementieva has been playing some of her best tennis in the latter half of 2005, highlighted by her heroic Fed Cup final performance and notching wins over both Davenport and Clijsters. While Dementieva actually qualified in ninth position, sixth-placed Justine Henin-Hardenne, the Roland Garros champion, was unable to compete in Los Angeles due to an ongoing hamstring injury. Fellow 2005 major winners - Wimbledon titleholder Venus Williams and Australian Open champ Serena Williams - finished in 10th and 11th positions respectively, hampered by knee injuries towards the end of the season.
The eight qualifying players were placed into two groups of four at the draw ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday, with the Green Group comprising Davenport, Sharapova, Schnyder and Petrova, while the Black Group consists of Clijsters, Mauresmo, Pierce and Dementieva.
Between Tuesday and Friday, round robin play (in which each woman plays the other three in her group) will determine the four semifinalists (the two best-performed players from each group). The semifinals are scheduled for Saturday with the final set to take place on Sunday at 15.00hrs.
The doubles event will be contested by four teams in a knockout format, with the first round/semifinals taking place on Saturday and the final to follow the singles final on Sunday. The four qualifying teams are Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur; Conchita Martinez and Virginia Ruano Pascual; Cara Black and Rennae Stubbs; and Elena Likhovtseva and Vera Zvonareva.
Black had also qualified with Liezel Huber (having won the Wimbledon title together), but the South African underwent knee surgery in July and Black reunited with Stubbs, reaching five finals and winning two titles. Ruano Pascual had also qualified with another partner - Argentina's Paola Suarez - but Suarez recently underwent hip surgery and won't be returning to the Tour until next year.
It would be an understatement to say the stakes are high this week in Los Angeles. With eight of the world's best singles players and Top 4 doubles teams fighting hard for the season-ending title, the 2005 season is sure to come to an exciting conclusion at the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships presented by Porsche.
Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships presented by Porsche
Los Angeles, CA-USA
November 8-13, 2005
$3,000,000
Tuesday, November 8, 2005
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STAPLES Center (from 18.00hrs)
1. Clijsters vs. Pierce
2.
Sharapova vs. Schnyder (NB 19.30hrs) 3. Davenport vs. Petrova
Wednesday, November 9, 2005
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STAPLES Center (from 18.00hrs)
1. Pierce vs. Dementieva
2. Davenport vs. Schnyder (NB 19.30hrs)
3. Mauresmo vs. Clijsters
