Women Tennis Update – Oeiras Saturday, May 4, 2013

Oeiras

 

Singles – Semifinal: (3) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Romina Oprandi 0-6 6-3 6-1

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has been working with Martina Hingis, and based on the results so far, it’s looking like a good idea. Although still no rankings movement for Pavlyuchenkova, who remains at #19. It looks as if Romina Oprandi will be #46.

Singles – Semifinal: (4) Carla Suarez Navarro def. Kaia Kanepi 6-4 6-1

The rematch of last year’s final obviously wasn’t all that exciting — but then, Kaia Kanepi is still trying to rediscover her game. She did well to get this far, but she will fall to just a little below #50. Carla Suarez Navarro will keep the #23 ranking, and of course she gets another chance at the title. Should she earn it, she will rise to #20.

Doubles – Semifinal: (2) Chan/Mladenovic def. Kudryavtseva/Rodionova .6-3 6-4

****** TODAY’S FEATURE ******

 

Women’s Look Forward: Madrid

 

Apparently it is possible to get everyone to turn up for a non-Slam.

In singles, at least. We have the entire Top Fifteen in the Madrid draw. Interestingly, the world’s top doubles team, Errani/Vinci, isn’t in the field — they seem to be hurting a little. But they’re both in the singles draw. So is Victoria Azarenka, playing her first clay event of the year.

And, of course, Serena Williams, the #1 seed. And they could hardly have given her a better draw had they fixed it: A qualifier, then a wildcard — there are three wildcards in Serena’s eighth of the draw?

In a little bit of symmetry, #2 Maria Sharapova also opens against a qualifier, although her second round opponent is likely to be Peng Shuai — a much tougher proposition.

#3 Azarenka, who is in Serena’s half, isn’t so lucky; she will open against a tired but strong-looking Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, with Lucie Safarova or Ekaterina Makarova to follow.

#4 Agnieszka Radwanska gets to start against clay-hating Tsvetana Pironkova, then Laura Robson or Magdalena Rybarikova. In the quarterfinal, she would face #6 Angelique Kerber. Serena’s quarterfinal opponent is #5 Li Na (or maybe sister Venus, who might well face Li in the second round); Azarenka would face #7 Sara Errani, while Sharapova is drawn against #8 Petra Kvitova.

In the Round of Sixteen, it’s Serena against #13 Maria Kirilenko; Li against #10 Caroline Wozniacki; Azarenka versus #14 Marion Bartoli (who has really been struggling); Errani against her doubles partner Vinci, the #12 seed; Kerber versus #11 Nadia Petrova; Agnieszka Radwanska against #16 Ana Ivanovic, Kvitova against #9 Samantha Stosur, and Sharapova taking on #15 Dominika Cibulkova.

Quite a few seeds may fall early in such a tough draw, of course. Kirilenko starts against Klara Zakopalova, who likes clay and didn’t miss seeding by much. Wozniacki, no fan of clay, faces first Yaroslava Shvedova then Mona Barthel or Kirsten Flipkens. Li has to open against Tamira Paszek, then maybe Venus. Bartoli starts against Elena Vesnina, then maybe Francesca Schiavone. Vinci’s path runs through Varvara Lepchenko and Julia Goerges. Errani starts against Urszula Radwanska, then perhaps Sorana Cirstea. Kerber might face Alize Cornet in round two. Petrova’s second round will be against a faded star — either Svetlana Kuznetsova or Zheng Jie. Ivanovic is likely to face her countrywoman Jelena Jankovic in the second round — and Jankovic just missed seeding and right now is playing better than Ivanovic. Kvitova opens against Yanina Wickmayer. Stosur starts against red-hot Carla Suarez Navarro. And Cibulkova is likely to face Sabine Lisicki in round two.

The Rankings

After many weeks of not much movement, this might finally be the week in which something happens — because Serena Williams has a lot to defend and Maria Sharapova relatively little. Serena was last year’s Madrid champion, beating Victoria Azarenka 6-1 6-3 in the final. Agnieszka Radwanska was one of the semifinalists; Lucie Hradecka, who didn’t even earn direct entry this year, was the other. (In the absence of Errani/Vinci, Hradecka is seeded #1 in doubles with Hlavackova, so at least she is around.) Li Na, Varvara Lepchenko, Samantha Stosur, and Sharapova were the quarterfinalists. Of the other top players, Kerber and Wozniacki made the third round; Errani and Kvitova lost second round.

Hradecka seems certain to fall hard; almost half her points are on the line. She could end in the #115 range. Lepchenko could easily fall to around #40; she needs to do well to have a real shot at a Roland Garros seed.

Our first approximation of the Top Fifteen looks like this:

 

1..(1) SWILLIAMS ………10120

2..(2) SHARAPOVA ……… 9995

3..(3) AZARENKA ………..8435

4..(4) ARADWANSKA ………6400

5..(5) LI ……………..5755

6..(6) KERBER ………….5285

7..(7) ERRANI ………….5195

8..(8) KVITOVA ……….. 5150

9.(10) WOZNIACKI ……… 3625

10..(9) STOSUR ………….3545

11.(11) PETROVA ……….. 3000

12.(12) KIRILENKO ……… 2836

13.(13) VINCI …………. 2730

14.(14) BARTOLI ……….. 2710

15.(15) CIBULKOVA ……… 2615

Note that the gap between Serena and Sharapova is only 125 points. So the #1 ranking is very much on the line. Sharapova can gain the #1 ranking by winning Madrid, or by making at least the semifinal and outlasting Serena by one round, or by making the third round and outlasting Serena by two.

Serena and Sharapova are certain to remain the Top Two. Azarenka will stay at #3. We do have a contest at #4, although not a close one. Li Na can take the #4 spot by making the Madrid final if Agnieszka Radwanska loses her opener, or Li can earn #4 with a title if Radwanska loses by the quarterfinal.

On the other hand, Li could still lose the #5 spot to Kerber or Errani or Kvitova, although only if one of them makes the final. As between Kerber and Errani and Kvitova, they remain closely bunched up; as has been the case several times already this year, the one who lasts longest will probably be #6. All three are guaranteed to stay #8 or higher.

Odds are that Wozniacki and Stosur will be the two remaining Top Ten players; the one who lasts longer will likely be #9.

It appears safe to say that Serena, Sharapova, Azarenka, Agnieszka Radwanska, Li, Kerber, Errani, Kvitova, Wozniacki, Stosur, Petrova, Kirilenko, Vinci, Bartoli, Cibilova, Stephens, Ivanovic, and Jankovic will be Top Twenty when this is over. That leaves two spots. Pavlyuchenkova has the inside track on one of them; if she wins Oieras, she’ll be close to set. The other one is wide open.

KEYWORDS: Preview Madrid

******** THIS WEEK IN TENNIS ********

 

THIS WEEK ON THE WTA:

Oeiras (International/Clay). Defending Champion: Kaia Kanepi (at Estoril)

NEXT WEEK ON THE WTA:

Madrid (Premier Mandatory/Clay). Defending Champion: Serena Williams

************ STATS AND FACTS ************

 

**RANKINGS

 

Estimated WTA Rankings As of May 3, 2013

 

Rank &

Prior

Rank….Name…………..Points

1..(1) SWilliams ……… 11115

2..(2) Sharapova ……… 10240

3..(3) Azarenka ………..9130

4..(4) ARadwanska ………6845

5..(5) Li ……………..6000

6..(6) Kerber ………….5420

7..(7) Errani ………….5270

8..(8) Kvitova ……….. 5225

9..(9) Stosur ………….3790

10.(10) Wozniacki ……… 3760

11.(11) Petrova ……….. 3075

12.(13) Kirilenko ……… 2911

13.(12) Vinci …………. 2865

14.(14) BARTOLI ……….. 2710

15.(15) CIBULKOVA ……… 2615

16.(16) Ivanovic ………..2585

17.(17) Stephens ………..2511

18.(18) Jankovic ………..2335

19.(19) PAVLYUCHENKOVA …..2005*

20.(20) Zakopalova ………1860

21.(21) VWilliams ……… 1850

22.(22) Flipkens ………..1816

23.(23) SUAREZ NAVARRO …..1805*

24.(24) Makarova ………..1770

25.(25) Safarova ………..1730

26.(26) CIRSTEA ……….. 1660

27.(27) LEPCHENKO ……… 1657

28.(29) GOERGES ……….. 1585

29.(30) Barthel ……….. 1575

30.(31) PASZEK ………….1573

**DRAWS

 

Oeiras — Week of April 29

 

……………….QF……………….SF…………..F

1 Bartoli……….Oprandi…………..Oprandi

6 Lepchenko……..Kuznetsova

3 Pavlyuchenkova…(3)Pavlyuchenkova….Pavlyuchenkova..Pavlyuchenkova

7 Vesnina……….(7)Vesnina

 

8 Goerges (WC)…..Puig

4 Suarez Navarro…(4)Suarez Navarro….Suarez Navarro..Suarez Navarro

5 Cirstea……….Kanepi……………Kanepi

2 Cibulkova (WC)…Morita

 

STATUS OF SEEDS

1 Bartoli……….lost 1R (Peng)

2 Cibulkova (WC)…lost 1R (U. Radwanska)

3 Pavlyuchenkova

4 Suarez Navarro

5 Cirstea……….lost 2R (Kanepi)

6 Lepchenko……..lost 1R (Kuznetsova)

7 Vesnina……….lost QF (Pavyluchenkova)

8 Goerges (WC)…..lost 1R (Puig)

Madrid — Week of May 6

 

1 S Williams

Qualifier

Dominguez Lino (WC)

Halep (WC)

Mladenovic

Soler Espinosa (WC)

Zakopalova

13 Kirilenko

 

10 Wozniacki

Shvedova

Barthel

Flipkens

V. Williams

Medina Garrigues (WC)

Paszek

5 Li

 

3 Azarenka

Pavlyuchenkova

Safarova

Makarova

Qualifier

Schiavone

Vesnina

14 Bartoli

 

12 Vinci

Lepchenko

Goerges

Jovanovski

Morita

Cirstea

U Radwanska

7 Errani

 

6 Kerber

Hsieh

Cornet

Bertens

Zheng

Kuznetsova

Qualifier

11 Petrova

 

16 Ivanovic

Qualifier

Jankovic

Qualifier

Rybarikova

Robson

Pironkova

4 A Radwanska

 

8 Kvitova

Wickmayer

Stephens

Hantuchova (WC)

Pennetta

Kanepi

Suarez Navarro

9 Stosur

 

15 Cibulkova

Qualifier

Lisicki

Arvidsson

Qualifier

Peng

Qualifier

2 Sharapova

******** SCORES ********

 

FRIDAY

Oeiras

Singles – Semifinal

(3) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Romina Oprandi 0-6 6-3 6-1

(4) Carla Suarez Navarro def. Kaia Kanepi 6-4 6-1

Doubles – Semifinal

(2) Chan/Mladenovic def. Kudryavtseva/Rodionova .6-3 6-4

©Daily tennis news wire

Topics: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Carla Suarez Navarro, Kaia Kanepi, Martina Hingis, Oeiras, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, women tennis news

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