Russians Lead the Charge at Moscow’s Kremlin Cup
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Oct 8, 2007 | Print | Email | Bookmark | Free Subscription
With the season rapidly drawing to a close, the Kremlin Cup in Moscow is one of the final major stops on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in 2007.
Despite its Tier I status, the Kremlin Cup has only attracted four top 10 players - Svetlana Kuznetsova, Maria Sharapova, Anna Chakvetadze, and Serena Williams.
Heading the field of twenty-eight singles players are world No. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova and No. 4 Maria Sharapova. Kuznetsova stunned Serena Williams with a straight sets loss in the quarterfinals of last week’s Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, only to self-destruct against Tatiana Golovin 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals.
Sharapova is returning to the Tour for the first time since losing to Agnieszka Radwanska at the US Open.
After taking a stint as a practice partner with the winning Russian Fed Cup team, Sharapova pulled out of Stuttgart because of a persistent injury in her right shoulder. She accepted a wildcard into the Kremlin Cup, and if she wants a shot at qualifying for the season-ending Championships, she will need to go deep into the draw, or to further boost her chances, capture her second title of 2007.
Third seed Anna Chakvetadze stands next in line to qualify for the season-ending Championships, and will most likely join Justine Henin, Jelena Jankovic, Kuznetsova, and Ana Ivanovic in the field for Madrid. She is in the same quarter of the draw as two-time Grand Slam champion Amelie Mauresmo, but given the state of the sixth seed’s game, Chakvetadze is the favorite to reach the semifinals.
Amelie Mauresmo’s 2007 season has been one of her worst in recent years. During the first part of the year she defeated Kim Clijsters for the Proximus Diamond Games title, only to falter in the following months after having appendectomy surgery. The Kremlin Cup is only her third event since Wimbledon.
Fourth seed Serena Williams has failed to go past the quarterfinals of a tournament since April’s Sony Ericsson Open. The former world No. 1 is in the same quarter as Czech teenager Nicole Vaidisova, who has yet to recapture her form after a difficult bout with mononucleosis post-Wimbledon. If Serena can get past Vaidisova, she could setup a rematch with Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semifinals.
Other players to watch in the Kremlin Cup main draw include Russians Elena Dementieva, Maria Kirilenko, and Vera Zvonareva.
As a Tier I tournament, the Kremlin Cup features a main draw of twenty-eight singles players and sixteen doubles teams competing for $1,340,000 dollars in prize money.
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Nick | Oct 8, 2007 | Reply
Another exciting week of Tennis in Moscow.
And Jennifer Capriati will make her official comeback this month at the Bell Challenge!
Aaress | Oct 8, 2007 | Reply
Hey Nick, where did you read that?
I saw the following linked to from http://www.tennisnews.com and the headline completely took this article out of context.
“With a roster of past champions that includes Maria Sharapova and Jennifer Capriati, the 2007 Bell Challenge in Quebec City, from October 29 to November 4, looks to have a very promising field.” (Tiny URL Link)
I’ve noticed that Tennis News has since removed the headline, but I’m just wondering if you read it somewhere else, in case it is true. Odd though, I remember reading somewhere only a few weeks ago that Capriati just had another surgery.
Nick | Oct 8, 2007 | Reply
Here’s hoping it’s true!
I read it on Tennis News, I saw on the Web Site of WTA Tour that Sharpoava’s name is not on the Bell Challenge either, so now my hope is a bit dashed!
Aaress | Oct 8, 2007 | Reply
Sorry to disappoint you!
Maybe sometime in 2008 we may hear that Jennifer - and Monica - may attempt a comeback. Neither one of them has taken the steps to officially say they are retired, so it is possible that they may consider returning when they get healthy.
Personally, I think Seles may attempt coming back, but from what I’ve heard, Capriati physically may not be able to withstand the rigors of professional tennis again.
Nick | Oct 8, 2007 | Reply
The years are definitely not going to be kinder to Seles or Capriati, but I think if they love the game enough they’ll play again even if it’s not Pro.
As for Moscow, I think Serena and Maria should take advantage of Henin’s absent and win it to have a good head-up toward the Championship!