Today’s Women’s News (09/29) – Pan Pacific, Beijing, & Las Vegas Challenger

Written by: Staff on 29th September 2012

Today's Women's News (09/29) - Pan Pacific, Beijing, & Las Vegas Challenger

epa03281091 Anastasia Rodionova of Russia returns to compatriot Maria Sharapova during their first round match for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 25 June 2012. EPA/GERRY PENNY |

Pan Pacific

Singles – Final: (17) Nadia Petrova def. (3) Agnieszka Radwanska 6-0 1-6 6-3

Agnieszka Radwanska just doesn’t like pressure. That is the one clear conclusion we can draw from her history. Nadia Petrova declared that she played “perfect” tennis in the first and third sets — but Radwanska, we note, produced two double-faults in the eighth game of the final set, and that cost her a break, and that cost her the match. Radwanska was definitely in a fragile state….

And that fragility cost her her chance to defend her title. She remains #3 for now, but she is now almost certain to lose that spot next week — she has to defend at Beijing to have any chance at retaining the #3 spot.

Nadia Petrova picks up her second title of 2012 — but her first Premier title of the year. It is, in fact, her first Premier-level title since Paris 2007, and her first really high-level title since she won Doha, Amelia Island, Charleston, Berlin, and Stuttgart in 2006. She can’t hope to return to that level any time soon, obviously, but this will take her from #18 to #14. Definitely her best year in a long while.

Doubles – Final: Kops-Jones/Spears def. (4) Groenefeld/Peschke 6-1 6-4

What a run for Racquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears — eight straight matches, two straight titles. This is, of course, the biggest title of their careers. And they now have three titles this year (they also won San Diego), plus finals at Brisbane and Doha and a quarterfinal at Wimbledon. If they hadn’t lost their openers at Indian Wells and Miami, who knows where they would be now? It is nearly certain that they will go to Istanbul as alternates even if they don’t qualify directly — and, if they can keep up this streak at Beijing, they might well qualify directly.

For the losing finalists, of course, it is extremely frustrating. Anna-Lena Groenefeld hasn’t won a title since Copenhagen 2010, and hasn’t won a big one since Stuttgart 2008. Kveta Peschke hasn’t won since Sydney 2012, and hasn’t won a high premier since 2011. Making the final of a big event is a help, but it’s hard to make a living as a doubles specialist if you can’t win titles.

Beijing

Nadia Petrova probably isn’t going to be sending Kaia Kanepi a get well card.

Kanepi has withdrawn from Beijing; her heel is hurting. Not her “bad” heel; it’s the other one. A compensation injury, perhaps. Unfortunately, she waited long enough to withdraw that seed promotion at Beijing was not possible. Petrova should have gotten her seed, but it was too late. Petrova remains unseeded, and a Lucky Loser got Kanepi’s spot.

That Lucky Loser — the de facto #14 seed — was Olga Govortsova. Govortsova, the #2 qualifying seed, lost 6-2 6-4 to #9 Elena Vesnina. Mostly, though, it was a good day for high qualifying seeds; #3 Bojana Jovanovski beat #16 Galina Voskoboeva, #4 Laura Robson beat #15 Johanna Larsson, and #7 Lourdes Dominguez Lino topped #10 Pauline Parmentier.

Robson is sure to remain Britain’s top player; #12 Heather Watson lost to Camila Giorgi. Other qualifiers are Ayumi Morita, Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino, and Polona Hercog.

Singles – First Round: (4) Petra Kvitova def. Daniela Hantuchova 6-2 6-3

We aren’t going to try to calculate the new week’s rankings until the WTA releases the numbers from last week, but we’re pretty sure this means no Top Thirty spot for Daniela Hantuchova.

Singles – First Round: (11) Ana Ivanovic def. Christina McHale 6-3 6-2

No Top Thirty spot for McHale, either, but Ana Ivanovic keeps alive her faint hopes for a Top Ten ranking.

Singles – First Round: Yaroslava Shvedova def. (12) Dominika Cibulkova 6-4 4-1 retired (hip injury)

That formally and finally eliminates Dominika Cibulkova from the WTA Race. She won’t even be an alternate.

Singles – First Round: Varvara Lepchenko def. Tsvetana Pironkova 7-5 6-4

Varvara Lepchenko starts another run at the Top Twenty, although this surely won’t be enough by itself to get her there.

Singles – First Round: Hsieh Su-Wei def. (WC) Zheng Saisai 6-2 6-3

Hsieh Su-Wei continues her great upward move — she has a pretty good chance to qualify for Bali, and if she can do well enough there, she might even get an Australian Open seed.

Singles – First Round: Carla Suarez Navarro def. Timea Bacsinszky 6-4 6-1

Poor Timea Bacsinszky really needs to rethink her schedule. She isn’t ready to be playing Premier events yet, and she isn’t getting in any matches because she keeps getting bounced early.

Singles – First Round: Romina Oprandi def. Urszula Radwanska 7-5 6-2

It appears Urszula Radwanska will have to wait a little longer to hit the Top Thirty.

Singles – First Round: (WC) Zhang Shuai def. (WC) Wang Qiang 6-3 6-2

These two are both wildcards, but Zhang Shuai has a definite edge in experience.

Singles – First Round: Tamira Paszek def. (LL) Olga Govortsova 7-5 0-6 7-6(8-6)

Olga Govortsova can’t have been too happy about being handed two matches in one day when the organizers could perfectly well have postponed this — indeed, given that it lasted two and a half hours, they almost certainly should have. Govortsova mostly handled it well — she even served for the match at 6-5 in the third set. But between weariness and nerves, she couldn’t finish things off. Talk about a tough day.

Doubles – First Round: (WC) Jankovic/Petkovic def. Jurak/Marosi 6-3 6-1

At least Andrea Petkovic can win in doubles….

Las Vegas Challenger

It was quite a day for Anastasia Rodionova: She is in the doubles final and the singles semifinal. She and sister Arina, the top doubles seeds, beat #3 Pegula/Pelletier 6-2 6-4. And Rodionova beat #8 Heidi El Tabakh 6-3 5-7 6-3 in the singles quarterfinal.

Elena Bovina had a more mixed day. She and Edina Gallovits-Hall are in the doubles final, but Bovina lost 6-3 6-4 to Shelby Rogers in the singles. Rogers will take on qualifier Adriana Perez, who edged Jessica Pegula in a third set tiebreak.

#7 seed Mallory Burdette experienced her first loss as a professional. #2 seed Lauren Davis beat her 6-3 7-5. Davis has now won seven of her last eight matches and has put herself firmly in the Top Hundred.