September 18-25, 2006
Tier II
Beijing, China
2005 Results: Maria Kirilenko d. Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-3, 6-4
The 2006 China Open is the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s first big stop in Asia, and four members of the current top ten have arrived in Beijing in hopes of taking home the Tier II title. Amelie Mauresmo is headlining the tournament as the top seed, followed by Svetlana Kuznetsova, Nadia Petrova, and Nicole Vaidisova. Lindsay Davenport is seeded fifth and will be trying to join Meghann Shaughnessy as the only American women to win a singles title this season.
As a Tier II event, the China Open has a main draw of twenty-eight singles players and sixteen doubles teams competing for $600,000 (USD) in prize money.
Seeded Players
1. Amelie Mauresmo
2. Svetlana Kuznetsova
3. Nadia Petrova
4. Nicole Vaidisova
5. Lindsay Davenport
6. Jelena Jankovic
7. Na Li
8. Maria Kirilenko
A Quick Look at the Draw
Top Quarter
Amelie Mauresmo may be one of the top favorites to win the trophy next weekend, but she will have a tough time just reaching the quarterfinals. She has a first round bye, but will then be up against either Tiantian Sun or Vera Zvonareva. If she gets past the second round, a possible meeting with Lindsay Davenport lurks in the third round. Even though she was beaten in the semis last week by Svetlana Kuznetsova, Lindsay has been playing very well since she returned to action from her back injury. Amelie Mauresmo is the world’s number one player, but she still has a depressing 3-12 record against Davenport.
Second Quarter
Nadia Petrova won her first match in four months only a few weeks ago at the US Open, but she still lost in the third round to Tatiana Golovin. Petrova should be able to get past her second round match against a qualifier or Sofia Arvidsson, but a rested and rejuvenated Jelena Jankovic has an excellent chance of knocking her out in the quarterfinals.
Third Quarter
The tennis world started to pay attention to Maria Kirilenko when she played her way to the title in Beijing last season, but she has not been able to back that title up with any other big wins since last year. Kirilenko’s first match will be against Argentina’s Gisela Dulko, who reached the quarterfinal round in 2004. Nicole Vaidisova is playing her first match since she lost in the third round to Jelena Jankovic and will open against either Ai Sugiyama or a qualifier.
Fourth Quarter
Svetlana Kuznetsova has the best draw out of all the top seeds and should have no problems reaching the quarterfinals for a possible meeting with Na Li. Kuznetsova is hot off her win at the Wismilak International, but Li defeated her in three sets in their last meeting at Wimbledon.
China Open Information Online
Tournament Website
Main Draw
Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Profile
Television Listings
