Birmingham
Singles – Final: Daniela Hantuchova def. Donna Vekic 7-6(7-5) 6-4
This was an incredibly close match — except, somehow, at the moments which really counted. Daniela Hantuchova won only 51% of the points — but she won the first set tiebreak, and she broke in the last game of the match (one of three breaks she earned), and that gave her the title.
It also earned her a return to the Top Fifty; we show her up to #48.
It wasn’t really a very impressive win; Hantuchova didn’t face a single Top Thirty player. Still, she picks up her sixth career title, and her first since Pattaya City 2012. Considering how low she had fallen — #60 coming in, and that is actually an improvement — this must have been a thrill.
Donna Vekic picks up her first final since Tashkent 2012, which was a rather weaker event, but she still doesn’t have a title. We’ll have to see if that starts to get to her. Still, she rises about two dozen places — and shows that Tashkent was no fluke; she remains a player to watch.
Doubles – Quarterfinal: Date-Krumm/Parra Santonja def. (4) Hantuchova/Hsieh walkover
They didn’t actually announce this yesterday, but you pretty well knew it was coming after Daniela Hantuchova made the singles final….
Doubles – Semifinal: Black/Erakovic def. Date-Krumm/Parra Santonja 7-5 4-6 10-6
Doubles – Final: (3) Barty/Dellacqua def. Black/Erakovic 7-5 6-4
This was a very close-run thing; Barty/Dellacqua won only 52% of the points. But they seemed to be better at the big moments. Perhaps Black/Erakovic were a little tired?
It’s the first actual WTA title for Ashleigh Barty, although she has several Challenger wins. Casey Dellacqua picks up her second career title. The points table says this isn’t as big a deal as reaching the Australian Open final. On the other hand, winning a title isn’t quite like anything else.
Cara Black is still seeking her first title since Auckland, and Marina Erakovic her first since Dallas 2012. Still, they seem like they could be a real threat at Wimbledon. At least as long as they don’t have to play multiple matches in one day….
‘s-Hertogenbosch
When we saw that An-Sophie Mestach qualified here, we were pretty shocked — until we realize that that was because opponent Vesna Dolonc had retired after six games….
The other qualifying matches were a lot more interesting. Two fairly promising young players, #2 seed Garbine Muguruza and #5 Yulia Putintseva, made it through; they were joined by veteran #6 seed Andrea Hlavackova, who edged #3 Lesia Tsurenko 4-6 6-3 6-4. Tsurenko will still reach the main draw as a Lucky Loser; #6 seed Romina Oprandi has withdrawn.
Singles – First Round: (7) Urszula Radwanska def. Olga Govortsova 6-2 6-0
Last week, Urszula Radwanska lost her opener at Birmingham, and we wondered if she was losing her grass touch. But she lost to Donna Vekic, who of course sliced through the Birmingham draw. This makes it look as if Radwanska is fine after all.
Singles – First Round: Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Kiki Bertens 6-1 6-2
Hardly the scoreline we would have expected from Anabel Medina Garrigues on grass. On the other hand, she’s been playing on it for almost as long as Kiki Bertens has been alive….
Singles – First Round: Michaella Krajicek def. Silvia Soler-Espinosa 7-5 6-4
That’s Michaella Krajicek’s first WTA match since last year’s U. S. Open. It’s her first win since Miami 2012. We frankly don’t know where she will be ranked on next week’s rankings list (since it isn’t out yet), but given how low she has fallen, this will surely take her substantially higher.
Doubles – First Round : Hogenkamp/Rus def. Klemenschits/Oprandi 6-2 3-6 10-4
Doubles – First Round : Arvidsson/Larsson def. Cabeza Candela/Cadantu 7-5 6-0
****** TODAY’S FEATURE ******
KEYWORDS: No Feature Today
******** THIS WEEK IN TENNIS ********
THIS WEEK ON THE WTA:
Eastbourne (Premier/Grass). Defending Champion: Tamira Paszek
‘s-Hertogenbosch (International/Grass). Defending Champion: Nadia Petrova
NEXT WEEK ON THE WTA:
Wimbledon (Slam/Grass). Defending Champion: Serena Williams
************ STATS AND FACTS ************
**RANKINGS
Estimated WTA Rankings As of June 16, 2013
Rank &
Prior
Rank….Name…………..Points
1..(1) SWilliams ……… 13615
2..(2) Azarenka ………..9625
3..(3) Sharapova ……… 9415
4..(4) ARadwanska ………6465
5..(5) Errani ………….5335
6..(6) Li ……………..5155
7..(7) Kerber ………….4915
8..(8) Kvitova ……….. 4435
9..(9) Wozniacki ……… 3565
10.(10) Kirilenko ……… 3436
11.(11) Vinci …………. 3060
12.(12) Ivanovic ………..2920
13.(13) Petrova ……….. 2910
14.(14) Stosur ………….2905
15.(15) Bartoli ……….. 2905
16.(16) JANKOVIC ………..2770
17.(17) Stephens ………..2530
18.(18) Cibulkova ……… 2140
19.(19) Suarez Navarro …..2095
20.(20) FLIPKENS ………..1978
21.(21) Pavlyuchenkova …..1950
22.(24) CIRSTEA ……….. 1760
23.(26) LISICKI ……….. 1750
24.(25) Peng ……………1685
25.(22) MAKAROVA ………..1682
26.(27) Kuznetsova ………1662
27.(28) Lepchenko ……… 1566
28.(30) SAFAROVA ………..1560
29.(29) PASZEK ………….1552
30.(23) CORNET ………….1545
**DRAWS
Birmingham — Week of May 10
WINNER: Daniela Hantuchova
………………3R……………..QF…………SF………….F
1 Flipkens……..(1)Flipkens
16 Rybarikova…..(16)Rybarikova…..Rybarikova….Rybarikova
10 Hsieh……….Keys……………Keys
6 Barthel………(6)Barthel
3 Cirstea………(3)Cirstea………Cirstea
13 Jovanovski…..(13)Jovanovski
11 Morita………Sanchez(Q)
8 U. Radwanska….Vekic…………..Vekic………Vekic………Vekic
5 Lisicki………(5)Lisicki………Lisicki
9 Wickmayer…….Lucic-Baroni
14 Watson………Kudryavtseva(Q)
4 Paszek……….Riske(Q)………..Riske………Riske
7 Robson……….Hantuchova………Hantuchova….Hantuchova….Hantuchova
12 Mladenovic…..(12)Mladenovic
15 Schiavone……(15)Schiavone……Schiavone
2 Makarova……..Erakovic
STATUS OF SEEDS
1 Flipkens……..lost 3R (Rybarikova)
2 Makarova……..lost 2R (Erakovic)
3 Cirstea………lost QF (Vekic)
4 Paszek……….lost 2R (Riske)
5 Lisicki………lost QF (Riske)
6 Barthel………lost 3R (Keys)
7 Robson……….lost 2R (Hantuchova)
8 U. Radwanska….lost 2R (Vekic)
9 Wickmayer…….lost 2R (Lucic-Baroni)
10 Hsieh……….lost 1R (Hampton)
11 Morita………lost 1R (Van Uytvanck)
12 Mladenovic…..lost 3R (Hantuchova)
13 Jovanovski…..lost 3R (Cirstea)
14 Watson………lost 2R (Kudryatvseva)
15 Schiavone……lost QF (Hantuchova)
16 Rybarikova
Nurnberg — Week of May 10
WINNER: Simona Halep
………………….QF……………….SF………..F
1 Jankovic (WC)…….(1)Jankovic……….Jankovic
6 Dominguez Lino……(6)Dominguez Lino
4 Goerges………….Petkovic………….Petkovic…..Petkovic
8 Beck…………….(8)Beck
7 Halep……………(7)Halep………….Halep……..Halep
3 Cornet…………..Voskoboeva
5 Safarova…………(5)Safarova……….Safarova
2 Zakopalova……….Hercog
STATUS OF SEEDS:
1 Jankovic (WC)……..lost SF (Petkovic)
2 Zakopalova………..lost 1R (Hercog)
3 Cornet……………lost 2R (Voskoboeva)
4 Goerges…………..lost 2R (Petkovic)
5 Safarova………….lost SF (Halep)
6 Dominguez Lino…….lost QF (Jankovic)
7 Halep…………….WON TOURNAMENT
8 Beck……………..lost QF (Beck)
Eastbourne — Week of May 17
1 A Radwanska
Qualifier
Konta (WC)
Hsieh
Zakopalova
Safarova
Stosur (WC)
8 Petrova
3 Kerber
Cirstea
Qualifier
Makarova
Qualifier
Robson
Paszek
5 Wozniacki
6 Kirilenko
Jovanovski
Baltacha (WC)
Qualifier
McHale
Wickmayer
Niculescu
4 Kvitova
7 Ivanovic
Vesnina
Lepchenko
Watson
Pennetta
Bartoli
Cornet
2 Li (WC)
‘s-Hertogenbosch — Week of May 17
1 Vinci
Kanepi
Beck
Halep
Voegele
Putintseva (Q)
Hantuchova (WC)
[Tsurenko(LL)]
3 Suarez Navarro
Larsson
Arvidsson
Morita
Mestach (Q)
Begu
Pironkova
8 Mladenovic
7 U Radwanska
Govortsova
Rybarikova
Rus (WC)
Krajicek (WC)
Soler-Espinosa
Schiavone
4 Flipkens
5 Barthel
Muguruza (Q)
Hlavackova (Q)
Davis
Bertens
Medina Garrigues
Dominguez Lino
2 Cibulkova
******** SCORES ********
SUNDAY
Birmingham
Singles – Final
Daniela Hantuchova def. Donna Vekic 7-6(7-5) 6-4
Doubles – Quarterfinal
Date-Krumm/Parra Santonja def. (4) Hantuchova/Hsieh walkover
Doubles – Semifinal
Black/Erakovic def. Date-Krumm/Parra Santonja 7-5 4-6 10-6
Doubles – Final
(3) Barty/Dellacqua def. Black/Erakovic 7-5 6-4
‘s-Hertogenbosch
Singles – Qualifying – Final Round
(2) Garbine Muguruza def. (7) Estrella Cabeza Candela 6-3 6-2
(6) Andrea Hlavackova def. (3) Lesia Tsurenko 4-6 6-3 6-4
(5) Yulia Putintseva def. Nina Bratchikova 6-3 1-6 6-1
An-Sophie Mestach def. (8) Vesna Dolonc 3-3, retired
Singles – First Round
(7) Urszula Radwanska def. Olga Govortsova 6-2 6-0
Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Kiki Bertens 6-1 6-2
Michaella Krajicek def. Silvia Soler-Espinosa 7-5 6-4
Doubles – First Round
Hogenkamp/Rus def. Klemenschits/Oprandi 6-2 3-6 10-4
Arvidsson/Larsson def. Cabeza Candela/Cadantu 7-5 6-0
©Daily tennis news wire
Topics: An-Sophie Mestach, Birmingham, Daniela Hantuchova, Donna Vekic, S Hertogenbosch, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, Vesna Dolonc, women tennis news