Caro Wozniacki, Sorana Cristea, Venus Williams All Win, Serena And Venus Lose In Dubs In Dubai

Written by: Staff on 19th February 2014

Caro Wozniacki, Sorana Cristea, Venus Williams All Win, Serena And Venus Lose In Dubs In Dubai

epa04088818 Sorana Cirstea of Romania returns the ball to Sara Errani of Italy during their second round match of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis WTA Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 19 February 2014. EPA/ALI HAIDER |

PRO TOUR NEWS – WOMEN

* Radwanska out in Dubai opener

* Errani also upset; won’t rise above #10

* Defending champion Kvitova loses in marathon; ranking to tumble

* Venus hits Top Forty with win over Ivanovic

Dubai

Singles – Second Round: (Q) Flavia Pennetta def. (2) Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4 6-1

Is Agnieszka Radwanska already running out of gas this year? She made the Australian Open semifinal, and also the semifinal at Doha — but she was seeded for the final, and here she is out again, half a week later. She’ll stay #3, but she loses the chance to open a significant lead on Victoria Azarenka; Azarenka could easily get back to #3 if she can ever return to action. Flavia Pennetta will probably make the Top Twenty if she can win her next match.

Singles – Second Round: Carla Suarez Navarro def. (3) Petra Kvitova 1-6 6-4 7-6(7-4)

We make jokes about “Anna Kournikova Disease” or “Elena Dementieva Disease,” but illness is no joke for Petra Kvitova, and it appears it struck again here. And she was defending champion. She falls from #6 to #9 (and it might have been worse, had it not been for the next result). Carla Suarez Navarro has now clinched a Top Fifteen spot.

Singles – Second Round: Sorana Cirstea def. (4) Sara Errani 6-2 5-7 6-1

At least Sara Errani fought pretty hard this time; it’s better than the 6-2 6-0 pasting she took at Doha. But this means she will stay stuck at #10. Sorana Cirstea is still at #27, although she should hit the Top 25 if she wins her next match. Funny to note that she has beaten both the Italian doubles partners, Vinci and Errani, both in their openers.

Singles – Second Round: (5) Jelena Jankovic def. Lucie Safarova 7-5 6-4

Jelena Jankovic is defending 280 points, so she still needs two more wins to retain the #7 ranking. She leaves Lucie Safarova probably still at #28.

Singles – Second Round: (8) Caroline Wozniacki def. (Q) Annika Beck 6-4 6-4

Annika Beck has had a great tournament. She beat Eugenie Bouchard and Samantha Stosur to get here — but, because this is a low Premier and the WTA doesn’t award quality points, the most she can hope for is to rise from #50 to #48.

Caroline Wozniacki finds herself in a very nice situation; she is now the only seed left in the bottom half of the draw. But it appears there is no possibility of her rising in the rankings; indeed, she might still fall.

Singles – Second Round: (WC) Venus Williams def. Ana Ivanovic 6-2 6-1

Ana Ivanovic came in at #12. She still has a chance to overtake Wozniacki and rise to #11, but the odds are a lot worse. Venus Williams is now sure to return to Top Forty.

Singles – Second Round: Alize Cornet def. Kirsten Flipkens 6-3 6-4

There is a very good chance this will put Alize Cornet in the Top 25. And a pretty fair chance, as we saw above, that Flavia Pennetta will replace Kirsten Flipkens in the Top Twenty.

Doubles – First Round: (2) Makarova/Vesnina def. (WC) Williams/Williams 6-4 4-6 10-4

Interesting paybacks here: Serena Williams beat Ekaterina Makarova in singles; Venus Williams beat Elena Vesnina. Which probably isn’t why the stands were full for this…. A lot of people probably think of this as an upset, but the Williams Sisters really do seem to have lost something in doubles lately, and Makarova/Vesnina, despite being seeded #2, are the top doubles team in the field here — and might well be the top team in the world if they didn’t clutch up so much. Here, they didn’t.

Doubles – First Round: Pennetta/Stosur def. (3) Peschke/Srebotnik 6-1 1-6 10-6

This raises a very faint possibility that Katarina Srebotnik could lose the #5 ranking she just gained.

Rio de Janeiro

Singles – First Round: (5) Kurumi Nara def. Hsieh Su-Wei 6-3 6-2

Hsieh Su-Wei was in Doha last week, earning the #2 doubles ranking. Which didn’t give her much time to adjust to clay, even if you ignore jet lag. Makes you wonder if she shouldn’t go all-out in doubles and try to get to #1.

Singles – First Round: Anna-Lena Friedsam def. Nadiya Kichenok 6-2 6-3

A very minor upset, but it probably means Nadiya Kichenok will stay short of the Top Hundred.

Singles – Second Round: (1) Klara Zakopalova def. Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-4 6-1

Not many points for Klara Zakopalova yet, and no rankings movement, but she can rise a lot if she wins her next match.

Singles – Second Round: (3) Paula Ormaechea def. Kiki Bertens 7-5 7-5

Paula Ormaechea is half way to defending her points. Which still leaves her in danger of falling to around #80.

Singles – Second Round: Katarzyna Piter def. Dinah Pfizenmaier 5-7 6-3 6-1

A modest upset, but Katarzyna Piter has been playing quite well lately. She’s getting close to hitting the Top Hundred.

Singles – Second Round: (Q) Nastassja Burnett def. (Q) Alison van Uytvanck 0-6 6-3 6-2

It appears Alison van Uytvanck will not be making the Top Hundred at this time.

Doubles – First Round: Larsson/Scheepers def. (2) Jurak/Klepac 6-0 6-3

This is an incredibly weak doubles draw, so don’t expect the seedings to mean much.

Doubles – First Round: Olaru/Panova def. Adamczak/Vogt 6-2 7-6(7-4)

Doubles – First Round: Kania/Solovyeva def. (WC) Goncalves/Pigossi 6-3 6-3

****** TODAY’S FEATURE ******

This Week’s Movers — Women

Each week, Daily Tennis will look at the biggest movers of the week, looking at how they did what they did.

Biggest Upward Mover — Most Places Moved (Top 100)

Leader: Petra Cetkovska — Moved 43 places, from #134 to #91.

Cetkovska qualified for Doha and made it all the way to the quarterfinal, beating top seed Li Na along the way.

Runner-Up: Mirjana Lucic-Baroni — Moved 24 places, from #110 to #86

Lucic-Baroni qualified for Doha and made the Round of Sixteen.

Biggest Percentage Mover — Cut Ranking By Highest Percent (Top 100)

Leader: Li Na — Moved 1 place, 33%, from #3 to #2

Li didn’t do much at Doha, falling to Cetkovska in the third round, but because Victoria Azarenka couldn’t defend her points, Li reaches a career high.

Runner-Up: Cetkovska, cut ranking 33%

Biggest Loser — Most Places Lost (Top 100)

Loser: Lara Arruabarrena — Dropped 31 places, from #95 to #126

Last year at this time, Arruabarrena won the Cali $125K event, which isn’t there any more.

Biggest Percentage Loser — Worst Percentage Increase in Ranking (Top 100)

Loser: Victoria Azarenka, ranking increased 2 places, 100%, from #2 to #4.

Azarenka was’t able to defend her Doha title, so we knew all along that Li Na would pass her. And Agnieszka Radwanska, by reaching the semifinal, also earned enough to pass her.

Ranking Notes

It was a week of big career highs. Especially in doubles. As we expected, Peng Shuai is the new doubles #1, and Hsieh Su-Wei is #2. Elena Vesnina is #3, Ekaterina Makarova #4, Katarina Srebotnik #5. Last week’s co-#1 players, Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci, have fallen all the way to #6. We can’t recall the last time we saw anyone’s ranking increase 600% in a week….

In singles, the big upward move was Li Na’s, which put her at a career-high #2. Simona Halep hit a career high of #9, but that was only a 10% move (and she is injured badly enough that she may well lose the spot soon). But we had plenty of other big percentage moves. Cetkovska, up 33%. Agnieszka Radwanska, up 25%, to #3. Lucic-Baroni, up 22%. We might also note that Heaver Watson rose 24%, but that still reaves her a mere #122. Alisa Kleybanova, who made the Doha third round, rose 21%, but that leaves her still at #143.

On the down side, Azarenka’s 100% drop would seem huge were it not for the fall that Errani and Vinci suffered in doubles. In singles, Errani fell 43%, from #7 to #10. Arruabarrena dropped 33%. And on a day when Agnieszka Radwanska made it to #3, long-injured sister Urszula fell 22%, to #55.

Our Personal Picks for “Best Mover of the Week”

These are subjective picks!

An interesting situation. Li Na hit a career high, and was our biggest percentage mover, but lost early. The player who beat her, Cetkovska, had almost exactly the same percentage move, but she isn’t at a career high. On the other hand, she beat Li. If anyone else had been the one to defeat Li at Doha, we’d have given the mover award to Li. But surely Cetkovska deserves recognition for beating the top seed, so we’ll go with Cetkovska.

KEYWORDS: Movers Women Cetkovska

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

THIS WEEK ON THE WTA:

Dubai (Premier/Hard). Defending Champion: Petra Kvitova

Rio de Janeiro (International/Clay). Defending Champion: New Event

NEXT WEEK ON THE WTA:

Florianopolis (International/Clay). Defending Champion: Monica Niculescu

Acapulco (International/Hard). Defending Champion: Sara Errani

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

Rankings

Estimated WTA Rankings As of February 19, 2014

Rank &

Prior

Rank …Name …………. Points

1..(1) SWILLIAMS ……… 12380*

2..(2) Li ……………..6690

3..(3) ARADWANSKA ………5705

4..(4) Azarenka ………..5681

5..(5) Sharapova ……… 5206

6..(8) KERBER ………….4490

7..(9) HALEP …………. 4435

8..(7) JANKOVIC ………..4380*

9..(6) KVITOVA ……….. 4365

10.(10) ERRANI ………….4195

11.(12) IVANOVIC ………..3155

12.(11) WOZNIACKI ……… 3100*

13.(13) Cibulkova ……… 3056

14.(14) VINCI …………. 2940

15.(16) SUAREZ NAVARRO …..2725*

16.(15) LISICKI ……….. 2650

17.(17) STOSUR ………….2605

18.(18) STEPHENS ………..2415

19.(19) BOUCHARD ………..2366

20.(20) FLIPKENS ………..2285

21.(22) PENNETTA ………..2260*

22.(21) Pavlyuchenkova …..2240

23.(24) MAKAROVA ………..2065

24.(23) Kirilenko ……… 2046

25.(26) CORNET ………….2015*

26.(25) KANEPI ………….1991

27.(27) CIRSTEA ……….. 1980*

28.(28) SAFAROVA ………..1820

29.(29) Kuznetsova ………1598

30.(30) Hampton ……….. 1532

Draws

Dubai — week of February 17, 2014

…………….QF

1 S Williams….(1)S.Williams

5 Jankovic……(5)Jankovic

3 Kvitova…….Suarez Navarro

7 Halep………Cornet

8 Wozniacki…..(8)Wozniacki

4 Errani……..Cirstea

6 Kerber……..V.Williams(WC)

2 A Radwanska…Pennetta(Q)

STATUS OF SEEDS

1 S Williams

2 A Radwanska….lost 2R (Pennetta)

3 Kvitova……..lost 2R (Suarez Navarro)

4 Errani………lost 2R (Cirstea)

5 Jankovic

6 Kerber………lost 1R (Ivanovic)

7 Halep……….lost 1R (Cornet)

8 Wozniacki

Rio de Janeiro — week of February 17, 2014

…………………..QF

1 Zakopalova………..(1)Zakopalova

7 Zahlavova Strycova…Piter

4 Cadantu

8 King

6 Torro-Flor………..Burnett(Q)

3 Ormaechea…………(3)Ormaechea

5 Nara

2 Schiavone

STATUS OF SEEDS

1 Zakopalova

2 Schiavone…………lost 1R (Dominguez Lino)

3 Ormaechea

4 Cadantu…………..lost 1R (Pereira)

5 Nara

6 Torro-Flor………..lost 1R (Burnett)

7 Zahlavova Strycova…lost 1R (Pfizenmaier)

8 King……………..lost 1R (Begu)

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

WEDNESDAY

Dubai

Singles – Second Round

(Q) Flavia Pennetta def. (2) Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4 6-1

Carla Suarez Navarro def. (3) Petra Kvitova 1-6 6-4 7-6(7-4)

Sorana Cirstea def. (4) Sara Errani 6-2 5-7 6-1

(5) Jelena Jankovic def. Lucie Safarova 7-5 6-4

(8) Caroline Wozniacki def. (Q) Annika Beck 6-4 6-4

(WC) Venus Williams def. Ana Ivanovic 6-2 6-1

Alize Cornet def. Kirsten Flipkens 6-3 6-4

Doubles – First Round

(2) Makarova/Vesnina def. (WC) Williams/Williams 6-4 4-6 10-4

Pennetta/Stosur def. (3) Peschke/Srebotnik 6-1 1-6 10-6

Rio de Janeiro

Singles – First Round

(5) Kurumi Nara def. Hsieh Su-Wei 6-3 6-2

Anna-Lena Friedsam def. Nadiya Kichenok 6-2 6-3

Singles – Second Round

(1) Klara Zakopalova def. Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-4 6-1

(3) Paula Ormaechea def. Kiki Bertens 7-5 7-5

Katarzyna Piter def. Dinah Pfizenmaier 5-7 6-3 6-1

(Q) Nastassja Burnett def. (Q) Alison van Uytvanck 0-6 6-3 6-2

Doubles – First Round

Larsson/Scheepers def. (2) Jurak/Klepac 6-0 6-3

Olaru/Panova def. Adamczak/Vogt 6-2 7-6(7-4)

Kania/Solovyeva def. (WC) Goncalves/Pigossi 6-3 6-3

Ed Note : Great to see Monique Adamczak is the draw. Great Auzzie player and person.

Topics: 10sballs, Agnieszka Radwanska, Alize Cornet, Ana Ivanovic, Annika Beck, Caroline Wozniacki, Flavia Pennetta, Kirsten Flipkens, Lucie Safarova, Petra Kvitova, Sara Errani, Serena Williams, Sorana Cirstea, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, Venus Williams, Wta

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10sBalls_com says:

February 19, 2014 at 7:35 pm

Caro Wozniacki, Sorana Cristea, Venus Williams All Win, Serena And Venus Lose In Dubs In Dubai- http://t.co/jjtuRD4IlK #tennis #WTA #results