Posts Tagged ‘Grand Slam’

Safina disappointed to prove the tennis significance

Russia’s tennis star Dinara Safina, who will put back Serena Williams as world top ranked later this month in spite of never having won a Grand Slam title, insists she will provide evidence she belongs on top of the rankings.

Dinara Safina, whose brother Marat was the men’s tennis top player in the world in 2000, will substitute Williams, who has been on top for 11 successive weeks, and 72 in all, on April 20.

Safina, who is the runner up to the American at the Australian Open year, said, “There’s no question that while I am very proud of my consequences over the past year, I would have wished to arrive at this achievement in an unusual way. I expect to demonstrate to everyone over the coming months that I deserve the honor of being world number one.

She further said by expressing her feelings, “It’s a big honor to get the top ranking and it is a dream that each girl who has ever wanted to play professional tennis shares. It is yet extra ordinary for me since my brother Marat was capable to obtain the number one ranking and I am excited and happy to share this triumph with him.”

Safina is the only second Russian woman, along with Maria Sharapova, to hold the top spot. Her elevation was declared just after Williams endured a shock 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 first round conquer against world number 95 Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic in Marbella.

Safina has gained four WTA Tour singles titles over the past year. Montreal, Los Angeles, Berlin and Tokyo and was runner-up five times, including the Australian Open and Roland Garros. She was also a silver medalist at the Beijing Olympics. Her constantly move up the rankings will symbolize the first time a brother and sister have been number one in the world.

In the Meanwhile, Williams fell off to beat in Marbella in her initial clay court outing of the season handing her Czech rival a first win over a top 10 player since 2003. Williams had been downed in the final of the Miami hard-court occasion on Sunday when her performance in opposition to Victoria Azarenka was harshly handicapped by a thigh injury which required serious strapping.

Williams who once more was wearing a bandage on her left leg said, “I am very disappointed about my defeat. She further said, “In face I wanted to play my excellent tennis and best performance but because of my injury I couldn’t perform well.”

Roger Federer and Djokovic takeover in Miami

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic former top world champions stepped up their game with irresistible opening wins to power into the third round of the Miami Masters as seeds got centre stage.

And on the other hand Federer, who prevailed in 2005-2006 at Crandon Park, obtained his form in a runaway second set as he beaten American Kevin Kim 6-3, 6-2. Djokovic, who dominated in 2007, punch Canadian Frank Dancevic 6-3, 6-2. Federer is also attempting to get well and trying to recover his loss in the semi-finals at Indian Wells last weekend, with the Swiss, 31-8 in Miami, looking for his first title of the season. Federer’s conquest in just 64 minutes improved his 2009 record to 14-3.

Djokovic can have figured out the mystery of the slow beginning which has specified his year so far. He enhanced and improved to 18-7 throughout a season which built-in his 12th career title in Dubai.

France’s Gael Monfils sustained the achievement of sows, all of whom earned benefit from first-round byes. The number 9 hit American Michael Russell 6-2, 6-7 while number 13 James Blake blocked Julien Benneteau 6-4, 6-4.

Blake who equated the strength of the Masters 1000 competition to that of the Grand Slams said, “It’s a little bit breezy a little moisture, but the type of environment and situations you suppose here in Miami. It was excellent to get a win. Out Masters 1000s, they’re all enormous because you got the top players. I think they might be just as rough or almost as tough as a Slam to win because you’re playing a lot of enormous players so rapidly.

After the retirement of Russian Marat Safin she connected and joined his sister, women’s second seed Dinara Safina, in advancing, with the two-time Grand Slam champion defeating Spaniard Oscar Hernandez 6-4, 2-6, 6-1.

German Nicolas Kiefer presented a fight back over Frenchman Fabrice Santoro 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 to earn a third-round place against Federer. Russia positioned four women into the third round, with second seed Safina foremost the way past France’s Mathilde Johansson 6-1, 6-3.

Safina, who lost an opportunity to grab the No.1 WTA ranking from Serena Williams last week at Indian Wells when the American did not play, stepped fourth-seeded compatriot Elena Dementieva, a winner over Anastasia Pivovarova 6-0, 3-6, 6-3.

The former US Open winner Svetlana Kuznetsova returned marvelous and thrilling scored over teenaged Austrian Tamira Paszek 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 while Alisa Kleybanova punch Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakstan 6-2, 6-4 to complete the Russian winning quartet.

Zvonareva beats Azarenka and ready for Indian Wells final

Recently on Friday’s competition between Zvonareva and Azarenka the Russian Fourth seeded Vera Zvonareva got a unique conquest with the directly sets triumph over doubles partner Victoria Azarenka and now she gets ready to face the Indian Wells final hard-court tournament.

Zvonareva the top and uppermost seed gone in the draw, brought down the eighth seed from Belarus 6-3, 6-3. And now she gets ready for the Well’s final on Sunday in which she’ll face moreover opposing champion Ana Ivanovic from Serbia or Russian teenager Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Earlier of this year Zvonareva who gained and won her succeeded eighth career title at Pattaya City, kept her full pressure and dominance with Azarenka, who has unfortunately never got and taken a set from the Russian in four meetings.

Zvonareva in a shortly speech prescribed “I remains pretty happy with my game at all ,” Zvonareva further said by expressing her feelings, “I did few mistakes and errors, few double faults here and there on various places but I was going for my shots.”

In the second set of the first game she broke Azarenka down and once more time in the final game to avoid her from defeat showed great excellency and to seal the victory in one hour and 20 minutes.

19 years old Azarenka,who succeeded in gaining the first two titles of her career this year in Brisbane and Memphis, distress the highest-seeded Russian Dinara Safina in the quarter-finals, rallying from a set down. “A wasted match,” was the hopeless Azarenka’s appraisal as she bewailed her 37 unforced faults. “Vera played good. I didn’t do yet 10 percent of my game today.”

Even in both two rounds against Zvonareva she had her lucks and chances but her failure made her unsuccessful to alter the two break points in the ninth game to make bigger the first set and she also had three break chances in the eighth game of the second.

In spite of the beat, the 11th-ranked Azarenka is predictable to break into the top 10 when the new WTA rankings are released on Monday. On Saturday Azarenka and Zvonareva will be get back again on the similar side of the net on Saturday, when they challenge the women’s doubles final. The second one semi-final was determining up as a fight of youth versus experience and practice.

Zvonareva said “I imagine it going be a hard and tough challenge between those two girls” “Because Anastasia, who is a young, youthful, brilliant talented upcoming player. She undoubtedly has a superior serve. She has an excellent big game, so for Ana it’s going to be very tough and difficult for Ana. But Ana who is a Grand Slam Champion has already all this experience and know about the finger tennis tips and indeed unique skills. She’s fighting and defending champion here.”

Ivanovic got victory in the French Open last year and detained the world number one ranking for a total of 12 weeks, but this semi final appearance is her most excellent and very well result of 2009. In the World she now ranked on seventh, Ivanovic qualified for the semis with no beating a stroke when adversary Sybille Bammer withdrew with a shoulder injury.