Madrid Wrap Up: Day Two at the Sony Ericsson Championships
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Nov 7, 2007 | Print | Email | Bookmark | Free Subscription
World number one and defending champion Justine Henin became the first women on Wednesday to clinch a berth in the 2007 Sony Ericsson Championships semifinals.
Overshadowing today’s impressive wins by Henin and Ana Ivanovic was Serena Williams’ injury retirement and subsequent decision to withdraw from the tournament.
Henin crushed Jelena Jankovic in straight sets 6-2, 6-2 to advance into the third and final round robin match with a perfect 2-0 record. Because of Serena Williams’ retirement against Anna Chakvetadze, Henin is already assured of reaching Saturday’s semifinal round.
Ana Ivanovic proved that after Henin, she is the player to beat at this year’s event. The twenty year-old played dazzling tennis on Wednesday to get past Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 7-6(9).
The day’s proceedings in Madrid were marred by the injury retirement of Serena Williams. The 2001 champion was trailing Anna Chakvetadze 6-4 when she quit because of an injury to her left knee. Williams sought medical attention after the tournament, and after inflammation was discovered she made the tough decision to withdraw from the event.
First alternate Marion Bartoli will take Williams’ place in the singles draw, with her first match scheduled for tomorrow against Justine Henin. Bartoli, fans will remember, was the last player to defeat Henin in one of the biggest upsets of the year at Wimbledon.
Match Reports
Justine Henin d. Jelena Jankovic
Anna Chakvetadze d. Serena Williams
Ana Ivanovic d. Daniela Hantuchova
Current Standings
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Thursday’s Television Listings
Singles Round Robin (3 Matches) - VERSUS - 12:00 pm to 7:00 pm (LIVE)
Match of the Day - VERSUS - 12:30 am to 2:00 am (Match re-aired)
Did You Know?
- Two players have been offered a wild card entry into the Championships: Tracy Austin in 1980 and Monica Seles in 1995.
- Only eight times has a Championships winner not dropped a set on her way to the title; Chris Evert accomplished the feat three times (1972, 73, 75) and Martina Navratilova did it twice (1984, 85); Gabriela Sabatini did not drop a set in 1988, while Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters did the same in 2001 and 2002 respectively.
- In 36 stagings, 15 different women have won the Championships: Evert (4 times), Goolagong (2), Navratilova (8), Austin, Hanika, Graf (5), Sabatini (2), Seles (3), Novotna, Hingis (2), Davenport, S.Williams, Clijsters (2), Sharapova, Mauresmo and Henin.
Serena Says
About her injury: “I have had issues with my knees before, especially with my left knee since that’s the one I had surgery on in 2003. It’s beyond unfortunate this has happened and I can’t even stress how disappointed I am.”
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