Daily Tennis Women News Update – Birmingham, Bad Gastein

Written by: Staff on 12th June 2012

Marina Erakovic of New Zealand and Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden

Daily Tennis Women News Update - Birmingham, Bad Gastein

epa03122120 Marina Erakovic of New Zealand hists a backhand return to Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden during the final match in the Memphis International tennis tournament in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, 25 February 2012. EPA/TANNEN MAURY |

Birmingham

Singles – First Round: (9) Marina Erakovic def. Ayumi Morita 5-0 retired

This was to prove a day on which few seeds managed to play all the way to a proper win. In this case, it hardly matters, since this isn’t enough points to count for Marina Erakovic anyway.

Singles – First Round: (Q) Melanie Oudin def. (10) Sorana Cirstea 3-6 6-3 6-2

It took them two days to get started here, but once they did, the upsets came fast — the first two matches both eliminated seeds. Sorana Cirstea will almost certainly stay within one spot of #50.

Singles – First Round: (WC) Tara Moore def. (11) Iveta Benesova 6-1 6-2

The previous result was a little surprising, but at least Melanie Oudin has been making something of a comeback; her win ought to take her back above #200. This result is just plain stunning. Iveta Benesova loses her Top Fifty chance.

Singles – First Round: Anne Keothavong def. (12) Tamira Paszek 6-2 7-5

Anne Keothavong is once again Britain’s #1 player, and Tamira Paszek is of course always fragile. And Paszek lost her opener at Nottingham; grass doesn’t seem to agree with her. So this is perhaps no surprise. Paszek loses a few points and will be around #60.

Singles – First Round: Stephanie Foretz Gacon def. (16) Eleni Daniilidou 6-4 6-2

Long ago, there was a time when Eleni Daniilidou liked grass a lot — it was a good surface for her backhand. But that was a long time ago…. She will probably be around #85. That’s well below Stephanie Foretz Gacon, who came in ranked ten places above Daniilidou; based on this week’s rankings, this was not an upset.

Singles – First Round: (Q) Zheng Jie def. (LL) Alla Kudryavtseva 6-4 4-6 6-3

Talk about a match that shouldn’t have happened! Zheng Jie shouldn’t have been in qualifying (she should have been the #8 seed) and Alla Kudryavtseva shouldn’t have been in the main draw at all! It looks as if this will put Zheng in the Top Thirty

Singles – First Round: Urszula Radwanska def. (WC) Samantha Murray 6-4 6-4

Six straight wins for Urszula Radwanska, although five of them were in a Challenger.

Singles – First Round: Casey Dellacqua def. Garbine Muguruza Blanco 6-2 3-6 6-2

This has to be just about the first time Garbine Muguruza Blanco encountered grass. Perhaps not too surprising she had trouble against a veteran, but it costs her her Top Hundred chance.

Singles – First Round: Melinda Czink def. Anna Tatishvili 7-6(7-5) 3-6 6-3

Melinda Czink came in at #102, so there is a very good chance this will put her in the Top Hundred.

Singles – First Round: Laura Robson def. (Q) Grace Min 6-4 6-1

This will take Laura Robson to about #110. She is about 60 points away from the Top Hundred. It’s looking at least possible that Britain will have four Top Hundred players after Wimbledon. On the other hand, it probably still won’t have any Top Fifty players.

Singles – First Round: Misaki Doi def. (Q) Noppawan Lertcheewakarn 6-4 3-6 6-3

Misaki Doi too has a shot at the Top Hundred in the next month. She’ll need to do about as well as Robson — probably a semifinal here or a second or third round at Wimbledon.

Singles – First Round: (Q) Michelle Larcher de Brito def. Bojana Jovanovski 3-6 7-5 6-4

Bojana Jovanovski was defending 80 points, so she will fall to around #130.

Singles – First Round: Elena Vesnina def. Olivia Rogowska 6-3 6-2

Not many points for Elena Vesnina, but we’d guess she’ll make it to #80 or higher. Unfortunately for her, she faces Christina McHale next.

Singles – First Round: Andrea Hlavackova def. Michaella Krajicek 6-2 6-7(6-8) 4-0, retired (viral illness)

Grass is probably Michaella Krajicek’s favorite surface, so this is not the outcome she wanted just now….

Singles – First Round: (LL) Sesil Karatantcheva def. Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-4 6-2

Tamarine Tanasugarn probably won’t want to admit it, but this looks close to career-ending. Grass kept her ranking afloat for years — and here she is out to a player ranked #116. Tanasugarn just fell out of the Top Hundred, and she won’t make it back this week, and if she can’t do something at Wimbledon, it’s hard to believe she’ll make it back on hardcourt.

Singles – First Round: (WC) Melanie South def. Mirjana Lucic 6-1 4-6 6-3

More evidence that Mirjana Lucic is stalled, too. She will probably fall to around #130 — and she has always had her best results on grass and clay, so she won’t have many chances after this.

Singles – First Round: Anastasia Rodionova def. (Q) Abigail Spears 7-6(7-3) 1-6 6-1

Abigail Spears is almost exclusively a doubles player these days. Just getting through qualifying here is mildly impressive.

Singles – First Round: Virginie Razzano def. Alberta Brianti 6-4 7-5

Alberta Brianti will remain outside the Top Hundred.

Singles – First Round: Heather Watson def. Paula Ormaechea 6-4 3-6 6-3

The large draw here means that the points in the early rounds are very small. Not enough to matter to Heather Watson. Still, she is within a hundred points of the Top Hundred. As we said above, there could be four British players there after Wimbledon. Especially since Watson, Robson, and Keothavong all won on Tuesday….

Singles – First Round: Irina Falconi def. Alexandra Cadantu 6-2 6-0

Irina Falconi was lucky to win as fast as she did — just minutes after she finished, they suspended the match between Timea Babos and Alison Riske, and Elena Baltacha’s match was stopped soon after. Two first round matches never even took the court.

Bad Gastein

The rain continues to cause fits here. They still couldn’t complete a full schedule. There was a four hour delay at one point. But at least this is a 32-draw; they have more time to catch up….

Singles – First Round: (Q) Richel Hogenkamp def. (1) Julia Goerges 3-6 6-3 6-3

Results like this really make you wonder about appearance fees…. Julia Goerges loses what would have been a real shot at the Top Twenty.

Singles – First Round: (2/WC) Yanina Wickmayer def. Mariana Duque-Marino 6-3 6-4

Yanina Wickmayer doesn’t have much hope of a Wimbledon seed — she almost certainly needs a title — but she keeps that faint hope alive.

Singles – First Round: (4) Carla Suarez Navarro def. Marta Domachowska 6-4 7-5

Carla Suarez Navarro is in about the same situation as Yanina Wickmayer: Her only hope for a Wimbledon seed is a title. On the other hand, the draw has already started to open up, plus she likes the surface….

Singles – First Round: (7) Alize Cornet def. Edina Gallovits-Hall 7-5 7-5

Edina Gallovits-Hall loses her chance for a return to the Top Hundred.

Singles – First Round: Mandy Minella def. Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3 6-4

This was the one main draw match to start on Monday. The resumption took almost no time; there isn’t much to say about it.

Singles – First Round: Estrella Cabeza Candela def. Laura Pous-Tio 3-6 6-3 6-3

These two are the sorts of players you’d expect to see playing on clay at a time when anyone else would be on grass. Little wonder, perhaps, that it was so long and tough….

Singles – First Round: Sarah Gronert def. Eva Birnerova 6-2 6-0

This may prove to be the most efficient WTA win of Sarah Gronert’s career. It is only her second WTA win, her first (and her most recent WTA match) having been at Birmingham last year.

Singles – First Round: Sacha Jones def. Yuliya Beygelzimer 4-6 6-3 6-1

Sacha Jones has very little clay experience, and Yuliya Beygelzimer has a lot, so this is a pretty big surprise. Certainly bigger than their relative rankings imply.

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