Preview of the 2007 FORTIS Championships Luxembourg
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Sep 22, 2007 | Print |
The FORTIS Championships will be showcasing the talents of several rising stars on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour over the next week in Luxembourg.
Besides the stars of the future, the Tier II tournament is also expected to feature the skills of a five-time champion in the past, former world number one Kim Clijsters.
Unlike Lindsay Davenport, Clijsters has not announced plans to return to the Tour in the future, but she will be participating on Sunday in a charity match. She officially retired from professional tennis in May, and is currently expecting her first child.
The top four seeds at this week’s biggest event are Anna Chakvetadze, Ana Ivanovic, Nadia Petrova, and Daniela Hantuchova. All four received first round byes.
Top seed Anna Chakvetadze is scheduled to open her pursuit of a seventh career title against Julia Vakulenko or Meilen Tu.
If it is Vakulenko, Chakvetadze may have a difficult second round match because the Ukrainian has already scored wins this season over Amelie Mauresmo, Daniela Hantuchova, and the now-retired Clijsters. Should the draw hold, Chakvetadze could face fourth seed Daniela Hantuchova or sixth seed Patty Schnyder in the semifinals.
Second seed Ana Ivanovic could possibly meet Nadia Petrova or Shahar Peer in the semifinals. Since reaching the final at Roland Garros, Ivanovic’s consistency has led her into the top five, and she should be one of the next players to qualify for the season-ending Championships in Madrid.
Other players to watch in the draw include Marion Bartoli, Francesca Schiavone, and Tamira Paszek.
You can view the main draw at the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour website.
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