Today’s Women’s News (11/01) – Sofia & Taipei Challenger

Written by: Staff on 1st November 2012

Today's Women's News (11/01) - Sofia & Taipei Challenger

epa03333000 Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia in action against Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark in their third round match during the London 2012 Olympic Games Tennis competition in Wimbledon, Greater London, Britain, 01 August 2012. EPA/ANDY RAIN |

Sofia

Round Robin – Group Serdika: Caroline Wozniacki def. Daniela Hantuchova 3-6 7-6(7-4) 6-4

The new, back-to-the-past version of Caroline Wozniacki continues her resurgence. She is 3-0, wins her group, and looks like she intends to end the year in the Top Ten. Daniela Hantuchova, though, falls to 0-2; she could still move up in the rankings if she wins her final match (against Hsieh Su-Wei, who — amazingly — is now ranked ahead of Hantuchova), but she won’t be making the semifinal. Which means the best she can hope for is to be around #30.

Round Robin – Group Serdika: Roberta Vinci def. Hsieh Su-Wei 6-1 6-2

And so Group Serdika, at least, follows form: Wozniacki, the top player in the group, wins it, and Roberta Vinci, the #2, comes in second and gets the other semifinal spot. Make the final and Vinci will end the year in the Top Fifteen. Hsieh Su-Wei and Daniela Hantuchova have still to play to settle the last two spots in the group, but they’re playing for points and money only; they can’t make the final.

Round Robin – Group Sredets: Nadia Petrova def. (WC) Maria Kirilenko 3-6 7-6(7-4) 6-3

Interestingly, the WTA’s live scoreboard refers to the groups here by English color names. Whatever that tells you. What this match tells us is that Nadia Petrova (who beats her doubles partner) is 2-0 and on her way to the semifinal. She also earns enough points to count, although she has not yet improved her ranking. Maria Kirilenko is at #14; she can’t go higher. Particularly since she is chasing Petrova. And, even more so, since she is out. She has withdrawn due to respiratory illness, leaving her spot to Sofia Arvidsson. It won’t help Arvidsson; with only one match to play, she can’t earn enough points to matter and of course can’t reach the semifinal.

Taipei Challenger

Another pretty routine day. #2 seed Olga Govortsova, #5 Chang Kai-Chen, and #7 Misaki Doi all made the quarterfinal; so did unseeded Zarina Diyas. So six of eight seeds made the quarterfinal; the only ones who failed to make it were #1 Peng Shuai and #8 Greta Arn.

It turned out to be an especially good day for Doi. #3 seed Ayumi Morita hurt her knee and won’t be playing the quarterfinal, so Doi is in the semifinal.