Feature Article

Preview of the Main Draw at Bali’s Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic

Posted by Aaress Lawless on Sep 10, 2007 | Print | Email | Bookmark | Free Subscription

Bali has long been one of Lindsay Davenport’s favorite stops on the WTA Tour, so it was not a surprise that the three-time Grand Slam champion selected the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic as the location for her singles comeback.

The former world number one will not be the only star headlining in Bali; Jelena Jankovic, Daniela Hantuchova, and Patty Schnyder are also scheduled to participate in the Tier III event.

As a Tier III tournament, the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic has a main draw of thirty-two singles players and sixteen doubles teams competing for $225,000 dollars in prize money.

Lindsay Davenport, whose singles ranking has fallen to No. 234 after her yearlong absence, will play her first match against Greece’s Eleni Daniilidou on Tuesday. Fifth seed Daniilidou will be a good test for Davenport and if she can burn off her layoff rust quickly, Lindsay may be able to set up a quarterfinal meeting with top seed Jelena Jankovic.

The second quarter of the draw is the weakest section, despite the presence of fourth seed Anabel Medina Garrigues. The Spanish No. 1 has been extremely consistent this season, and will be favored to emerge out of the quarterfinals. Other players in the second quarter include Sara Errani, Tamarine Tanasugarn, and Aiko Nakamuri.

Patty Schnyder lost in the third round of the US Open to Tamira Paszek after blowing a first set 6-4 lead. She has reached the semifinals twice in the past at Bali, each time as the second seed. This year she will be entering as the third seed, but both of her previous conquerors are missing from this year’s tournament.

Despite competing on the Tour for eight years, Daniela Hantuchova’s only wins have come at the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells. She lost in the first round at Bali last year to Melinda Czink. This year she has received a first round bye (along with Jelena Jankovic) and will face the winner of the Jill Craybas/Elise Tamaela match in the second round.

The seeded players at this year’s tournament are (1) Jelena Jankovic, (2) Daniela Hantuchova, (3) Patty Schnyder, (4) Anabel Medina Garrigues, (5) Eleni Daniilidou, (6) Martina Muller, (7) Aiko Nakamura, and (8) Yaroslava Shevdova.