Aces and Faults: Svetlana Kuznetsova and Martina Hingis Win Finals
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Sep 25, 2006 | Print
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Aces
Svetlana Kuznetsova scored a huge upset and her eighth Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title yesterday at the China Open in Beijing. Second-seeded Kuznetsova handed top seed Amelie Mauresmo a tough loss in straight sets 6-4, 6-0.
Martina Hingis won the second singles title of her comeback and forty-second overall at the Sunfeast Open with a crushing 6-0, 6-4 win over Olga Poutchkova.
Fifteen year-old qualifier Tamira Paszek won her first career title at the Banka Koper Slovenia Open yesterday. Paszek defeated sixth-seed Maria Elena Camerin 7-5, 6-1.
The latest rankings were released this morning on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour website. Svetlana Kuznetsova moved up to No. 4, bumping injured Kim Clijsters down to No. 5. Martina Hingis also moved up a spot to No. 8, knocking Patty Schnyder down to No. 9.
Former WTA player and current Tennis Channel commentator Katrina Adams has some words of wisdom for aspiring tennis players. (Former pro Adams has some advice for young players)
Faults
Maria Sharapova may have won the US Open, but it does not look like she will be getting any awards for her blogging anytime soon. Be sure to check out the US Open champion’s website if you are interested in reading about her post-NYC chills and fever, trouble with the humidity, and her friend Estelle’s visit. (Too Many Movies)
It looks like the WTA will be trying out on-court coaching again later on this season. Stuttgart, Zurich, and Linz will be adding this new “innovation” to their tournaments, but on a better note, it has also been announced that instant replay will be used at the season-ending championships in Madrid. I just wish that they would clarify the chair umpire’s role in the challenge system much better. (WTA to experiment more with in-match coaching)
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Sapphisto | Sep 25, 2006 | Reply
I can’t stand the whole on-court coaching thing - leave it alone! And enforce the dang rules!
And does anyone know what they were talking about when they mentioned “no-ad scoring” for doubles??!! What are they trying to do to our favorite sport???? (Doubles rocks - don’t mess with it - and bring back the third set, ******! Sorry for flirting with bad language, Aaress, but you have to admit the provocation is extreme….)
Having vented thusly, let me also say I’m definitely in favor of the instant replay / Hawkeye innovation - that’s a good thing. Although I do agree that the chair umpires need to have a bit more spine - technology doesn’t relieve them of the ultimate responsibility on the court.
Aaress | Sep 25, 2006 | Reply
No apologies needed Sapphisto.
On-court coaching is bad enough, but I still cannot even believe that they are considering no-ad scoring for doubles!!!
As soon as I get a decent grasp of the story, I’ll be writing on it, as it looks like the WTA is really headed down the wrong path. Just because the ATP is trying it out, it does not mean that the WTA should just blindly follow.
But, I guess that’s what happens when you hire someone who used to be one of the head-honchos for the ATP . . . .
Sapphisto | Sep 25, 2006 | Reply
But what exactly *is* no-ad scoring? Are they talking about doing away with the Advantage point after Deuce?
Somebody needs to be taken outside and shot. Or maybe subjected to a replay of the “Eleventh Commandment” at close range - the players would probably all line up to do their share of serving, Amelie wouldn’t have to do it all!!