Preview: Acura Classic

July 31-August 6, 2006
Tier I
San Diego, California
2005 Results: (6) Mary Pierce d. Ai Sugiyama 6-0, 6-3

Located at the beautiful La Costa Spa and Resort in sunny San Diego, California, the Acura Classic is a preferred stop on many of the top tennis player’s calendars. A total purse of over 1 million dollars certainly helps attract a stellar field, and this year will be no different. The entry list includes Kim Clijsters, Maria Sharapova, Nadia Petrova, Elena Dementieva, Patty Schnyder, and Martina Hingis.

Last year’s defending champion, Mary Pierce, is scheduled to make a long-awaited return to tennis at the Acura Classic, and although Lindsay Davenport was planning to come off the injury list here as well, she pulled out on Thursday in hopes of returning at the JPMorgan Chase Open. Venus and Serena Williams were also expected to play, but their withdrawal was announced on Friday.

A Tier I tennis tournament, the Acura Classic has a main draw of fifty-six singles players and sixteen doubles teams.

Top Ten Seeds

1. Kim Clijsters
2. Maria Sharapova
3. Nadia Petrova
4. Elena Dementieva
5. Patty Schnyder
6. Mary Pierce
7. Nicole Vaidisova
8. Martina Hingis
9. Dinara Safina
10. Anna-Lena Groenefeld

Draw Analysis

Top Quarter
Top seed Kim Clijsters received a first-round bye which will enable her to rest up from her week at the Bank of the West Classic. At the time of this writing, she reached final round at Stanford and will face Patty Schnyder. Her draw at the Acura Classic will not be easy, as she has Jelena Jankovic, who nearly knocked her out in Stanford, Jamea Jackson, Nathalie Dechy, and Martina Hingis, all of whom are dangerous floaters. Clijsters will most likely open against Dechy, unless Samantha Stosur is able to upset the Frenchwoman in the first round.

Second Quarter
Nadia Petrova is returning to action for the first time since her shocking first round loss at Roland Garros and not much is known about how well she has recovered from her groin injury. Nicole Vaidisova is the second highest player in this quarter, and she played well at Stanford this past week before losing to Kim Clijsters in the semifinals. Other players to watch in this quarter include Daniela Hantuchova, Ana Ivanovic, and Bank of the West Classic semifinalist Tatiana Golovin.

Third Quarter
Out of all the top seeds at the Acura Classic this season, Patty Schnyder may have the toughest draw. Not only is her stamina going to be questionable after reaching the final at Stanford, but she will play her first round match against either Gisela Dulko or Shahar Peer. Both players are capable of giving Schnyder a tough workout, and a meeting with Dinara Safina looms in the third round. Schnyder may be ranked in the top ten, but she still has a losing 0-2 record against Marat’s little sister.

Bottom Quarter
Second seed Maria Sharapova is headlining the bottom of the draw and should have an easy road to the quarterfinals, where she could run into defending champion Mary Pierce. Pierce is finally returning to competition after recovering from a difficult foot injury and has only played two tournaments this season, the Australian Open and the Open Gaz de France in February. She is barely holding on to her spot in the top ten, and she needs to get as much time on the court as possible between now and the US Open, where she is defending her runner-up points. Her first match will be against either Lucie Safarova or Sybille Bammer, and although she has a 1-0 record against Safarova, she has never before played Bammer.

Past Champions Entered in the Main Draw

Martina Hingis - 1997, 1999
Mary Pierce - 2005

Acura Classic Information Online

Official Tournament Website
Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Tournament Profile
Main Draw
Live Scoring
Television Listings

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