Dubai and Rio – Venus Williams Wins, Serena Had A Bye

Written by: on 18th February 2014
Women Dubai Tennis Championships
Dubai and Rio - Venus Williams Wins, Serena Had A Bye

epa04085847 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark returns the ball to Sabine Lisicki of Germany during the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis WTA Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 18 February 2014. EPA/ALI HAIDER  |

DUBAI

Lucie Safarova produced 31 winners and broke serve five times in a defeat of former Australian open semi-finalist Sloane Stephens 6-3, 7-5, the second first-round loss in as many week for the American. Ekaterina Makarova beat fellow Russian Alisa Kleybanova 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-4 to earn a second-round place against Williams. Spain’s Carla Suárez Navarro defeated Russian wild card Nadia Petrova 6-3, 6-2.

Venus Williams reached the second round over Elena Vesnina 6-3, 6-2 while Sorana Cirstea put out Italy’s Roberta Vinci 6-4, 6-3. Sister Serena Williams only made a late entry into the field as a wild card after deciding that the back problem suffered at the Australian Open during a fourth-round loss to Ana Ivanovic had healed enough for her to test it in competition.

“I get bored training, I’d much rather play a match,” the 17-time grand slam champion said after confirming that she will partner sister Venus in the doubles to get more matches after playing only eight times so far in 2014. My back feels better than it did in Australia, I still have to take it a day at a time. I’ll do my best this week, but my goal is to lift the trophy. I always set higher goals, I always want to improve.”

 

RIO

Third Paula Ormaechea of Argentina made a winning start at the new event as she defeated American Nicole Gibbs 6-2, 6-1. But Italy’s Nastassja Burnett upset sixth seed Maria Teresa Torro of Spain 7-5, 6-4 at the relatively weak event on a week in which many top women prefer playing in Dubai halfway around the world.

Unknowns filled the programme on opening day as Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck beat Sweden’s Johanna Larsson 6-4, 6-3 and Pole Katarzyna Piter put out local Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-3, 6-3. Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands stopped Danka Kovinic of Montenegro 7-5, 6-0 while Spaniard Silvia Soler Espinosa reached the second round at the expense of Brazilian Laura Pigossi 6-0, 6-1.

 

RIO OPEN

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

February 17-February 23, 2014

$250,000/International

Clay/Outdoors

 

Results – Monday, February 17, 2014

Singles – First Round

(3) Paula Ormaechea (ARG) d. (Q) Nicole Gibbs (USA) 62 61

(Q) Nastassja Burnett (ITA) d. (6) María-Teresa Torró-Flor (ESP) 75 64

Sílvia Soler-Espinosa (ESP) d. (WC) Laura Pigossi (BRA) 60 61

Katarzyna Piter (POL) d. (WC) Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA) 63 63

Kiki Bertens (NED) d. (Q) Danka Kovinic (MNE) 75 60

(Q) Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) d. Johanna Larsson (SWE) 64 63

 

Doubles – First Round

(3) Babos/Gajdosova (HUN/AUS) d. Molinero/Thorpe (ARG/FRA) 62 60

 

Order Of Play – Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Center Court (from 10.00hrs)

1. Klara Zakopalova vs. Mariana Duque-Mariño

2. ATP: Almagro vs. Dolgopolov (NB 12.00hrs)

3. ATP: Robredo vs. Carreño Busta

4. Alexandra Cadantu vs. Teliana Pereira (NB16.30hrs)

5. ATP: Chardy vs. Ferrer (NB 19.00hrs)

6. ATP: Nadal vs. Gimeno-Traver

 

Court 1 (from 10.00hrs)

1. Dinah Pfizenmaier vs. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova

2. Lourdes Domínguez Lino vs. Francesca Schiavone

3. ATP: Mónaco vs. Zeballos (NB 14.00hrs)

4. ATP: Bedene vs. Fognini

5. Verónica Cepede Royg vs. Paula Cristina Goncalves

6. ATP: Montanes vs. Haase

 

Court 2 (from 10.00hrs)

1. Timea Babos vs. Chanelle Scheepers

2. ATP: Sousa vs. Granollers

3. Alves/Haddad Maia vs. Kichenok/Kichenok (NB 13.00hrs)

4. Irina-Camelia Begu vs. Vania King

5. ATP: Dolgopolov/García-López vs. Cabal/Farah

6. Yaroslava Shvedova vs. Patricia Mayr-Achleitner

 

Court 4 (from 10.00hrs)

1. ATP: Reister vs. Andújar

2. ATP: Mayer vs. Ramos

3. Zahlavova Strycova/Zakopalova vs. Hsieh/Hsieh (NB 13.00hrs; after suitable rest)

4. ATP : Cuevas vs. González

5. ATP: Delbonis/Mayer vs. Huey/Inglot

6. Begu/Irigoyen vs. Cadantu/Soler-Espinosa (NB 17.00hrs; after suitable rest)

Topics: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,








10sBalls Top Stories

In Case You Missed It

EUGENIE BOUCHARD NAMED 2018 TENNIS CANADA FEMALE PLAYER OF THE YEAR / EUGENIE BOUCHARD NOMMÉE JOUEUSE DE L’ANNÉE 2018 DE TENNIS CANADA thumbnail

EUGENIE BOUCHARD NAMED 2018 TENNIS CANADA FEMALE PLAYER OF THE YEAR / EUGENIE BOUCHARD NOMMÉE JOUEUSE DE L’ANNÉE 2018 DE TENNIS CANADA

Tennis Canada announced on Wednesday that Eugenie Bouchard is the winner of the 2018 Excellence Awards in the Female Player of the Year and Singles Player of the Year categories.
TENNIS NEWS • CALIFORNIA CHAMPIONSHIPS • TOMMY HAAS, TAYLOR FRITZ, STEVE JOHNSON, MARDY FISH AND MORE thumbnail

TENNIS NEWS • CALIFORNIA CHAMPIONSHIPS • TOMMY HAAS, TAYLOR FRITZ, STEVE JOHNSON, MARDY FISH AND MORE

Time to get tickets to watch! Surly you have heard about The Largest Open Tennis Event in America!
TENNIS NEWS • RAFA NADAL CONFIRMS RETURN TO PRACTICE, EYES ABU DHABI EXHIBITION AND AUSTRALIAN SUMMER thumbnail

TENNIS NEWS • RAFA NADAL CONFIRMS RETURN TO PRACTICE, EYES ABU DHABI EXHIBITION AND AUSTRALIAN SUMMER

According to Uncle Toni, Rafael Nadal was supposed to be back at practice on either Dec. 4 or 5. Well, better late than never!
Conchita Martínez prepara la temporada 2019 de Karolina Pliskova en Tenerife thumbnail

Conchita Martínez prepara la temporada 2019 de Karolina Pliskova en Tenerife

Española y checa ya trabajaron juntas durante el pasado Open de Estados Unidos
ALEJANDRO’S FAVORITE PHOTOS FOR 10SBALLS FROM SOME OF THIS YEAR’S TOURNAMENTS thumbnail

ALEJANDRO’S FAVORITE PHOTOS FOR 10SBALLS FROM SOME OF THIS YEAR’S TOURNAMENTS

Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia hits a forehand to Kaia Kanepi of Estonia during her second round match at the Nature Valley International tennis tournament in Eastbourne, Great Britain, on Tuesday, June 26, 2018.