2007 Proximus Diamond Games Preview
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Feb 12, 2007 | Print
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February 12-18, 2007
Antwerp, Belgium
Tier II
2006 Results: (2) Amelie Mauresmo d. (1) Kim Clijsters 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
The Proximus Diamond Games tournament is traditionally known for its magnificent diamond tennis racquet, but this year’s event will be overshadowed by the retirement of Belgium’s own Kim Clijsters.
If Kim Clijsters is one of the most beloved players on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, you can only imagine how much her nation loves her. Tickets for her opening match have been selling furiously, and those fortunate enough to get a ticket will also receive a limited edition bobblehead doll of Clijsters.
The top seed at the event is Amelie Mauresmo, followed by Clijsters, Open Gaz de France champion Nadia Petrova, and Elena Dementieva.
As a Tier II event, the Proximus Diamond Games has a main draw of twenty-eight singles players and sixteen doubles teams competing for $600,000 in prize money.
Seeded Players
1. Amelie Mauresmo
2. Kim Clijsters
3. Nadia Petrova
4. Elena Dementieva
5. Patty Schnyder
6. Dinara Safina
7. Anna Chakvetadze
8. Ana Ivanovic
A Quick Look at the Draw
Top Quarter
For Amelie Mauresmo, a title at the 2007 Proximus Diamond Games would mean much more than just her twenty-fourth career singles trophy. Should she win the tournament, she will get to bring home the highly-coveted diamond racquet. Her draw is looking a little tricky, with a possible first-round match against Anna-Lena Groenefeld and a quarterfinal meeting with Dinara Safina. Groenefeld is in the middle of a slump, but if her powerful two-handed backhand is on, she may be able to give Mauresmo a scare. Unfortunately for Mauresmo, the draw is not her only concern. She is nursing a thigh injury from last week in Paris, but hopefully her opening round bye will give her enough time to recover.
Second Quarter
Nadia Petrova successfully put her third round loss in Melbourne to Serena Williams behind her by capturing the title in Paris, and I would not be surprised if she turns in another strong performance at Antwerp as well. Playing back-to-back events is normally not a problem for the Russian, and fortunately her ranking was good enough to ensure a bye. The biggest test for Nadia in this quarter will probably come in the quarterfinals against Anna Chakvetadze, who has defeated her in all three of their meetings.
Third Quarter
Tatiana Golovin is once again a dangerous floater in the draw of any event and she may be able to give Patty Schnyder a tough match in the second round. Schnyder has reached the quarterfinals for the past four years straight, losing to Mauresmo twice in 2005 and 2006. Fortunately, Amelie is on the other side of the draw this year, giving Schnyder a chance against Elena Dementieva, granted that she makes it past Tatiana.
Bottom Quarter
This is essentially Kim Clijsters’ tournament to win. She loves playing in front of a home crowd, and even has a museum dedicated to her on the grounds. There is no telling just how bad her hamstring injury is at this stage, but the No. 2 seed could not have received a better draw. Ana Ivanovic, the second seed in the quarter, is quickly maturing into a solid player, but has never played Clijsters before. Clijsters reached the final last year before losing to Mauresmo, and should have no problem reaching at least the semifinals for a meeting with either Elena Dementieva or Patty Schnyder.
Proximus Diamond Games Links
Official Website
Main Draw
Photo Gallery
Ticket Information
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