Women Tennis Update – Kuala Lumpur,Florianopolis, and Acapulco Sunday, March 3, 2013

Written by: Staff on 2nd March 2013

Women Tennis Update - Kuala Lumpur,Florianopolis, and Acapulco Sunday, March 3, 2013

epa03605461 Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova returns the ball to Australia's Ashleigh Barty during their quarter final match of the WTA Malaysian Open tennis tournament in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 01 March 2013. EPA/AHMAD YUSNI |

Kuala Lumpur

Singles – Semifinal: Bethanie Mattek-Sands def. (3) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4 6-1

This place just keeps getting stranger. This was surely Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova’s tournament to win. Instead… this. Let’s hope this means Bethanie Mattek-Sands is finally back. She leaves Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at #24.

Singles – Semifinal: Karolina Pliskova def. (4) Ayumi Morita 6-0 6-2

This is even stranger than the preceding. At least Bethanie Mattek-Sands had some history. Karolina Pliskova wasn’t even the higher-ranked Pliskova, and here she is in her first final! This should put her in the Top Hundred, while leaving Ayumi Morita still a little below #50.

Doubles – Semifinal: (1) Husarova/Zhang def. Kumkhum/E Sema 4-6 6-3 10-5

Florianopolis

Singles – Final: Monica Niculescu def. Olga Puchkova 6-2 4-6 6-4

The first set of this really was a blowout. Olga Puchkova seemed to have nerve problems even when she was gunning for the Top Twenty years ago, and now she’s had years of failure to go with that. The only question was whether Monica Niculescu — who didn’t have a WTA title either — would clutch up at the end. And it appears she did. Which meant that suddenly the pressure was on Puchkova…. By the end, no lead was safe.

Puchkova can at least console herself with two Top Fifteen wins and a return to the Top Hundred. But the more dramatic move is Niculescu’s. #75 coming in, it appears she will be rising above #60.

Acapulco

Friday:

Singles – Semifinal: (1) Sara Errani def. (3) Alize Cornet 6-2 6-1

Sara Errani returns to the Acapulco final — but still hasn’t earned enough points to count. She leaves Alize Cornet probably #33.

Singles – Semifinal: (2) Carla Suarez Navarro def. Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-2 6-1

Not much evidence that Carla Suarez Navarro had been on the court for three hours the round before…. She is now up to #21. That is as high as she can go this week, but she’s suddenly playing like a Top Twenty player.

Doubles – Semifinal: (4) Dominguez Lino/Parra Santonja def. Foretz Gacon/Hrdinova .6-2 6-2

Doubles – Semifinal: Castano/Duque-Marino def. Panova/Thorpe 4-6 6-2 10-8

Saturday:

Doubles – Final: (4) Dominguez Lino/Parra Santonja def. Castano/Duque Marino 6-4 7-6(7-1)

This was a very weak tournament, so winning it isn’t exactly a huge accomplishment. But it breaks a long title-less streak for both players. Arantxa Parra Santonja hadn’t won a title since Brisbane 2012; Lourdes Dominguez Lino last picked up a title at Bastad 2011 — where she beat Parra Santonja in the final! It’s a small world, these little clay-court events….

©Daily tennis news wire

Topics: Acapulco, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, BETHANIE Mattek-Sands, Florianopolis, Kuala Lumpur, Sara Errani, Sports, Tennis, women tennis news

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ChuckVine says:

March 2, 2013 at 9:29 pm

RT @10sBalls_com: Women Tennis Update – Kuala Lumpur,Florianopolis, and Acapulco Sunday, March 3, 2013 : http://t.co/NG2Vdi7RvS #tennis