Madrid Wrap Up: Day Three at the Sony Ericsson Championships
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Nov 8, 2007 | Print
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The final four spots in the 2007 Sony Ericsson Championships have been confirmed with Justine Henin, Ana Ivanovic, Maria Sharapova, and Anna Chakvetadze headed into Saturday’s semifinals.
Maria Sharapova fought off a resilient Svetlana Kuznetsova in the opening match of day three in Madrid. Kuznetsova captured the first set 7-5, only to wither against Sharapova’s assault in the final two sets 6-2, 6-2.
World number one Justine Henin advanced into the semifinals with a perfect 3-0 match, 6-0 set record. Revenge was exacted upon an ill-fated Marion Bartoli as Henin dismissed her in less than an hour in straight sets 6-0, 6-0.
Anna Chakvetadze got the better of her own nerves and Jelena Jankovic in the final match of the day at the Recinto Ferial Casa de Campo. After a three set battle, Chakvetadze prevailed 6-4, 0-6, 6-3.
Friday’s schedule features the remaining three singles matches between Jelena Jankovic and Marion Bartoli, Ana Ivanovic and Maria Sharapova, and Svetlana Kuznetsova against Daniela Hantuchova.
Ivanovic and Sharapova have already qualified for the semifinals, but the winner of their match will be the champion of the red group. The winner will face Anna Chakvetadze and the loser will have to play Justine Henin in the semifinals.
Match Reports
Maria Sharapova d. Svetlana Kuznetsova
Justine Henin d. Marion Bartoli
Anna Chakvetadze d. Jelena Jankovic
Current Standings
Final Update: November 9, 2007 at 10:15 pm ET
| Seed | Player Name | Matches W/L | Sets W/L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justine Henin | 3-0 | 6-0 |
| 3 | Jelena Jankovic | 0-3 | 1-6 |
| A | Marion Bartoli | 1-1 | 2-2 |
| 7 | Anna Chakvetadze | 2-1 | 4-3 |
Final Update: November 9, 2007 at 10:13 pm ET
| Seed | Player Name | Matches W/L | Sets W/L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Svetlana Kuznetsova | 0-3 | 2-6 |
| 4 | Ana Ivanovic | 2-1 | 4-3 |
| 6 | Maria Sharapova | 3-0 | 6-1 |
| 8 | Daniela Hantuchova | 1-2 | 2-4 |
Friday’s Television Listings
Singles Round Robin (3 Matches) - VERSUS - 12:00 pm to 7:00 pm (LIVE)
Match of the Day - VERSUS - 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm (Match re-aired)
Did You Know?
- On 19 occasions finalists at the Championships have reached the final without the loss of a set; the most recent player to do so was Kim Clijsters in 2002 (she went on to win the title).
- Only eight times has a Championships winner not dropped a set en route to the title; Chris Evert achieved 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.
Justine Says:
About her win over Marion Bartoli: “Almost everything was perfect. I had a lot of determination because I wanted to take revenge. I am happy to finish the round robin like that.
When you are feeling confident everything goes well. I was lucky to have had two matches before Marion had played. It was very difficult for her. She didn’t know till yesterday that she would be playing. But I played solid tennis and I really enjoyed it.”
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