WTA Oct 11-17 Kremlin Cup, Moscow, Russia (+ATP) Tier I $1,300,000 - 28 players - indoor: supreme Live Scores - order of play & results draws & schedule .pdf Video & Webcam Photos: Yahoo! news - tourney gallery - WTA gallery Gazeta.ru: Tennis english from World Lingo s2 # 2 Lindsay Davenport s3 # 4 Anastasia Myskina s4 # 5 Svetlana Kuznetsova Tashkent Open, Tashkent, Uzbekistan Tier IV no official website, try: UZ Sport $140,000 - 32 players - outdoor: hard draws & schedule .pdf WTA Photo Gallery s1 # 41 Marion Bartoli s2 # 46 Meghann Shaughnessy s3 # 56 Marta Marrero s4 # 60 Arantxa Parra Santonja

Tourney pages: Moscow: 2005 - 2003 Tashkent: 2005 - 2003 previous other tourney pages next Moscow: #4 Anastasia Myskina 5'8½", 130½ lbs, RH, 2H-BH Moscow: 9th WTA singles title 2nd WTA doubles title

    Still Champion of All the Russians: On Sunday in Moscow in the final of the Kremlin Cup, last year's champ, locally-born-and-residing 23-year-old 3rd-seeded # 4 Anastasia Myskina, made it two in a row by defeating one of her training partners at Moscow's Spartak Club, just-turned-23-years-old 5th-seeded # 6 Elena Dementieva, 7-5, 6-0.

    Anastasia trailed 3-5 in the 1st set, then settled down and won 10 straight games to finish the match. Anastasia said: "It was very hard to hold my nerves in the beginning. But later, I was able to calm down and played my average tennis... It's great to win at home. I was seriously motivated to win today to prove my home fans that I deserved my high rankings." story

    Elena said: "I missed my chance when 5-3 up on my serve [in the first set], I should have risked it and put pressure on her, but I played passive and Nastya [short for Anastasia] was able to overturn that scoring... It was important today to win the first set because all was to be decided in it. In the second set, she found her game and I couldn't resist."
    Elena said she would continue to work to improve her game, and win more finals. Elena said: "I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to overcome my nerves [and] my poor serve." story

    Anastasia also won the Kremlin Cup doubles, teamed with fellow Muskovite Vera Zvonareva. With a combined doubles ranking of 47, they defeated the top 2 doubles players in the WTA, Paola Suarez & Virginia Ruano Pascual (combined doubled ranking: 3), 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. It was Anastasia's 2nd WTA doubles title; both have been against very tough opposition (last time, in Bali, Anastasia & doubles expert Ai Sugiyama defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova & Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario). It was Vera's 1st doubles title, and in a very nice place for a Moscow girl to win.

    Anastasia now leads Elena 6-4 in career matches, also winning the last time she played Elena, in the French Open final at Roland Garros, 6-1, 6-2.
    Born in Moscow on July 8, 1981, Anastasia Myskina still picks up her mail there. She has now won 9 of the 14 WTA singles finals she has played in, including this year's French Open. Anastasia once wore Puma togs, but last year she became "Property of Nike," and she chops with a Head axe. She is coached by Jens Gerlach, who reportedly was once but is no longer her significant male other as well. She has also worked with Dutchman Robert Lansdorp, who coaches Maria Sharapova. Strong off both wings, Anastasia says she thinks her backhand is stronger. Her mobility is excellent, she observes and reacts to her opponents very well, and although she doesn't appear to be walloping the ball as much as some other players, it still leaves her racquet with plenty of pace on it at times. Although Anastasia's serve is not particularly powerful, she gets it in with something on it fairly consistently.
Myskina record - Myskina Wallpaper

    Elena Dementieva was also born in Moscow, on October 15, 1981, and also still "resides" there during her few weeks a year off of the WTA Tour. Elena has won 4 of her 12 WTA singles finals; winning 2 weeks ago in Hasselt and last year at Amelia Island, Bali, and Shanghai. Elena reached the US Open and French Open final this year, losing to compatriots both times. Elena's garb and her bat are both labeled "Yonex". Elena formerly used their "MP Tour-1" model racket, but she now uses the more recent vintage "RDX 500". Elena's mother Vera travels with her on the tour, and so does former Russian great Olga Morozova, her current coach, obviously providing Elena with an ontour environment somewhat different from Anastasia's. Also unlike Anastasia, Elena really slugs the ball, wallops it both from the forehand and backhand side. She prefers her forehand; says Elena: "I really like to be aggressive on my forehand side.". Her mobility is good, but her serve really lets her down. Her toss is ungainly, her first serve is unreliable and her 2nd generally weak, and she frequently double faults. But not so frequently as to stop her from winning a whole lot.
Dementieva record - Dementieva Wallpaper

Moscow:
    The main draw for Moscow had 8 seeds, with 4 1st-round byes. There were 4 qualifiers and 2 wild cards in the main draw.
    The time in Moscow is UCT (GMT, Zulu, Greenwich...) plus 4 hours. That is US Eastern Daylight Time +8 hours, =PDT +11 hours.

    In the Tashkent final on Sunday, 15-year-old # 174 Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic (residing in Florida at the Bollettieri Academy) defeated 21-year-old # 83 Virginie Razzano of France 5-7, 6-3, 6-2. Nicole is now 2-0 in WTA singles finals having won her 1st in Vancouver earlier this year; Virginie has 4 ITF titles, but was playing in her 1st WTA singles final.

    Nicole said: "I was a bit nervous, felt stiff, in the beginning. I wasn't moving well. [Virginie] played very well, moved and served well at points, but in the end I overpowered her." story

    Virginie said: "I played my game and I tried to win every point but [Nicole] is tough. I moved her around in the first set but she kept hitting the lines all the time. She had good concentration and she was very strong mentally."

Tashkent:
    The main draw for Tashkent had 8 seeds, with NO 1st-round byes. There were 4 qualifiers, 3 Lucky Losers (the highest ranked player to lose in qualifying), and 2 wild cards in the main draw.
    The time in Tashkent is UCT (GMT, Zulu, Greenwich...) plus 5 hours. That is US Eastern Daylight Time +9 hours, =PDT +12 hours.

WTA SCOREBOARD: Moscow & Tashkent s=seed, #=rank, *=upset, LL=lucky loser ranks are for the previous week How do players get into the "draw"?

Moscow, 1st Round, Mon-Weds loser's prize: $8,300 US; points: 1 #6 s5 Elena Dementieva RUS d #15 Patty Schnyder SUI 6-2, 6-3 Tues Elena Dementieva     Elena said: "[Patty] is not an easy opponent. I like to trap my opponents in the corners and she forced me to play what is not my tennis." story #11 s6 Vera Zvonareva RUS d #24 Nathalie Dechy FRA 6-0, 6-2 Tues Vera Zvonareva #12 s7 Venus Williams USA d #72 Alina Jidkova RUS 6-4, 6-4 Tues Venus Williams #13 s8 Nadia Petrova RUS d #16 Paola Suarez ARG 7-5, 6-4 Tues Nadia Petrova signed autographs after her win on Tuesday *#144 Michaela Pastikova CZE d #14 Ai Sugiyama JPN 6-2, 7-5 Tues Michaela Pastikova was interviewed by Czech radio after the match #17 Elena Bovina RUS d #34 Daniela Hantuchova SVK 6-2, 6-3 Tues Elena Bovina met with former Russian President Boris Yeltsin after her match, then posed for a photo with her sister Irina, left #18 Karolina Sprem CRO d #31 Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi ISR 6-1, 6-3 Tues *#79 wc Vera Douchevina RUS d #19 Magdalena Maleeva BUL 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 Mon Vera Douchevina *#22 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #21 S Farina Elia ITA 6-7(5), 6-2, 7-5 Mon *#27 Elena Likhovtseva RUS d #25 Fabiola Zuluaga COL 6-1, 6-2Tues Elena Likhovtseva did a TV interview after the match *#121 Sandra Mamic CRO d #26 Mary Pierce FRA 6-0, 6-4 Tues #57 wc Dinara Safina RUS d #90 Anna Chakvetadze RUS 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 Wed Dinara Safina also was interviewed after her match

Moscow, 2nd Round, Weds-Thur loser's prize: $15,600 US; points: 42 #2 s2 Lindsay Davenport USA d #57 wc Dinara Safina RUS 6-4, 6-2 Thu Lindsay Davenport     The win gave Lindsay the points she needed to be assured of the # 1 ranking next week, overtaking current # 1 Amelie Mauresmo, who was seeded first at this tourney but could not play due to a leg injury. This is the 5th trip to the top for Lindsay, who reached # 1 in 1998, 1999, 2000, & 2002.     Lindsay said: "I'm amazed that I was able to get back to No. 1 after a tough couple of years... I'm excited. But I'd like to be able to keep on going and win the tournament as a new No. 1 and not be completely satisfied just by winning today's match." story     About today's match, Lindsay said: "Conditions here are much different than last week in Germany and it took me a number of games to feel comfortable on the court. In the beginning I made a lot of errors but got better as the match went on and was able to end the match better then I started."     Dinara said: "I served badly today and when you serve this way against such opponents they start to press you. [Lindsay] served hard. She fired three aces in a game--I couldn't even see where she was serving." #4 s3 Anastasia Myskina RUS d #27 Elena Likhovtseva RUS 2-6, 6-1, 6-0 Thu Anastasia Myskina went to chat with former Russian president Boris Yeltsin & wife after the match #5 s4 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d #144 Michaela Pastikova CZE 6-2, 6-4 Wed Svetlana Kuznetsova won with daily attendent Yeltsin watching     Svetlana said: "It was rather difficult to play my first match on this surface, as it's very slow and I didn't had the right feeling of the ball at the beginning... I feel responsibility but not pressure when I'm playing in Russia. I would like to perform at my best here and win." story #6 s5 Elena Dementieva RUS d #121 Sandra Mamic CRO 6-3, 6-3 Thu #11 s6 Vera Zvonareva RUS d #18 Karolina Sprem CRO 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 Wed Vera Zvonareva #12 s7 Venus Williams USA d #79 wc Vera Douchevina RUS 6-0, 6-4 Thu Venus Williams *#22 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #13 s8 Nadia Petrova RUS 0-6, 6-3, 6-4 Wed Francesca Schiavone     Nadia said: "In the second set, [Francesca] began to play much tougher, running down the baseline for every ball and managed incredible returns." #17 Elena Bovina RUS d #62 LL Claudine Schaul LUX 7-5, 6-3 Wed Elena Bovina signed autographs and met fans on Thursday

Moscow, QFs, Fri loser's prize: $29,000 US; points: 75 #2 s2 Lindsay Davenport USA d #22 Francesca Schiavone ITA 6-4, 6-1 Lindsay Davenport #4 s3 Anastasia Myskina RUS d #11 s6 Vera Zvonareva RUS 4-6, 6-0, 7-5 Anastasia Myskina *#6 s5 Elena Dementieva RUS d #5 s4 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS 6-1, 6-3 Elena Dementieva     Elena said: "For the first time in my life I won on my birthday. It was very important for me to take revenge for last month's defeat." story *#17 Elena Bovina RUS d #12 s7 Venus Williams USA 6-3, 6-2 Elena Bovina     Elena said: "I wouldn't say it was easy. I opened well and my task was not to allow [Venus] to get into her game. I did it." story     Venus said: "My serve wasn't there the way I wanted it to be today."

Moscow, SFs, Sat loser's prize: $54,300 US; points: 135 *#4 s3 Anastasia Myskina RUS d #2 s2 Lindsay Davenport USA 6-4, 7-6(1) career matches: Lindsay leads 4-1 Anastasia Myskina     It was Anastasia's first victory ever over Lindsay, and it ended a streak of 7 matches in which Anastasia had lost the 1st set. Although she lost the match, Lindsay will take over the # 1 ranking on Monday due to points she had earned in earlier round victories.     Anastasia said: "I desperately wanted to win today. It helped me a lot that Lindsay was feeling ill, while I have just recovered from a fever. The surface is also rather slow which is better for me as Lindsay doesn't like long rallies." story     Lindsay said: "I wanted to keep the points short today as I wasn't feeling well. I made too many errors at the wrong time as I had to go for the big shots because I knew I couldn't stay very long on the court today. I had a hard time with my chest and with my head... I tried to make good shots early in the rally and it didn't work out... [Anastasia] was running very well and getting a lot of balls back." story #6 s5 Elena Dementieva RUS d #17 Elena Bovina RUS 6-4, 7-5 career matches: Dementieva leads 5-2 Elena Dementieva

Fierce competitors Elena and Anastasia displayed their usual animosity toward one another on Saturday in Moscow Moscow, Final, Sun loser's prize: $ 102,000 US; points: 210 winner's prize: $ 189,000 US; points: 300 #4 s3 Anastasia Myskina RUS d #6 s5 Elena Dementieva RUS 7-5, 6-0 career matches: Anastasia leads 6-4 Anastasia & Elena

Moscow, Doubles Final losers' prize: $59,000 US winners' prize: $31,450 US cdr47 s4 Anastasia Myskina & Vera Zvonareva d cdr3 s1 Virginia Ruano-Pascual & Paola Suarez 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 Moscow, Qual Finals, Mon Oct 11 *#121 Sandra Mamic CRO d #62 Claudine Schaul LUX 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 #72 Alina Jidkova RUS d #139 Alyona Bondarenko UKR 6-1, 6-1 #90 Anna Chakvetadze RUS d #534 Ekaterina Makarova RUS 6-4, 6-0 *#144 Michaela Pastikova CZE d #138 Galina Voskoboeva RUS 6-3, 6-4 Moscow, Withdrawals # 1 s1 Amelie Mauresmo FRA left thigh adductor strain

Tashkent, 1st Round, Mon-Wed 11am+ loser's prize: $1,000 US; points: 1 *#NR wc Iroda Tulyaganova UZB d #41 s1 Marion Bartoli FRA 6-4, 6-4 Tue Iroda Tulyaganova and Marion Bartoli     Former WTA #16 Iroda is no longer ranked after missing over a year of play following surgery for an elbow injury, which is why her right arm has the wrap on it.     Iroda said: "I wanted to make my comeback here, in Tashkent, my hometown, where my fans will come to watch me... I practiced only for one month and that is not enough. My serve is only 50 percent of what it was when I was at my peak." story #46 s2 Meghann Shaughnessy USA d #281 LL Ryoko Fuda JPN 6-2, 6-2 Tue #56 s3 Marta Marrero ESP d #205 Tatiana Poutchek BLR 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 Wed Marta Marrero     Marta won the ITF Women's Circuit event in Girona, Spain last week, but was troubled during this match by blisters on her right foot, which helped make Tatiana confident she could take the match.     Tatiana said: "I had it, but I didn't make it." story #60 s4 Arantxa Parra Santonja ESP d #87 Mara Santangelo ITA 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 Tue #67 s5 Anca Barna GER d #188 S Viratprasert THA 6-2, 6-4 Mon     Anca said: "It's always difficult to play a first-round match. I've never played Viratprasert before and didn't know what to expect from her." #71 s6 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER d #229 LL Antonia Matic GER 6-4, 6-4 Wed *#114 Evgenia Linetskaya RUS d #76 s8 Tamarine Tanasugarn THA 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 Tue     Evgenia said: "I was the better player today. I played the match point by point. I played my best all the time." story     Tammy said: "[Evgenia] played very well, hit every ball back, hit very hard. I tried to come back but she didn't allow me." #83 s9 Virginie Razzano FRA d #301 q Katerina Bondarenko UKR 7-6(6), 6-1 Tue #102 Antonella Serra Zanetti ITA d #119 Julia Schruff GER 6-3, 3-0 retired-- upper respiratory infection Wed *#526 LL Olga Savchuk UKR d #104 Anne Kremer LUX 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-1 Tue *#234 LL Ekaterina Bychkova RUS d #107 Silvija Talaja CRO 6-1, 6-4 Tue #111 Nicole Vaidisova CZE d #124 Cara Black ZIM 6-4, 6-3 Wed     Nicole said: "I didn't play that well. I worked at it, keeping the ball in play, was patient. I didn't have the high percentage of serves I should have." #157 Yulia Beygelzimer UKR d #182 Martina Muller GER 6-0, 6-1 Mon #211 Anatasiya Yakimova BLR d #228 A Serra Zanetti ITA 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-0 Mon #305 q Maria Goloviznina RUS d #327 wc A Amanmuradova UZB 7-5, 7-6(4) Tue *#302 q Nadejda Ostrovskaya BLR d #221 q Ivana Abramovic CRO 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 Tue

Tashkent, 2nd Round, Weds-Thurs loser's prize: $1,825 US; points: 12 #46 s2 Meghann Shaughnessy USA d #157 Yulia Beygelzimer UKR 6-1, 6-1 Thu     Meghann said: "I'm happy with the way I played. With each match, I'm playing better and better, and I'm getting more consistent too." story #56 s3 Marta Marrero ESP d #302 q Nadejda Ostrovskaya BLR 6-3, 6-1 Thu #60 s4 Arantxa Parra Santonja ESP d #211 Anatasiya Yakimova BLR 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 Wed     Arantxa said: "I was feeling down, but in my mind I was trying to keep fighting and I had to keep on trying. The fifth game of the final set was the most important of the match. After that, she started to miss the ball more." story #67 s5 Anca Barna GER d #234 LL Ekaterina Bychkova RUS 7-5, 6-1 Wed     Anca said: "I was very confident at the start. But I lost concentration and at 4-all I began to worry. But then I fought for every point. I really enjoyed this victory." *#111 Nicole Vaidisova CZE d #71 s6 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER 6-2, 6-3 Thu Nicole Vaidisova     Nicole said: "By the score, it doesn't seem a close match. [Anna-Lena is] a very good player and this is a good win for me." #83 s9 Virginie Razzano FRA d #305 q Maria Goloviznina RUS walkover-- upper respiratory infection Thu #102 Antonella Serra Zanetti d #NR wc Iroda Tulyaganova UZB 6-4, 6-2 Thu     Antonella said: "I didn't see [Iroda] play in the first match, I didn't know what to expect, whether she was 100 percent fit or not. The first set was tough, she played well, but in the second, her service was weak."     Iroda said: "I was very tired after my first-round effort. I didn't have the power like I had then. I made far too many mistakes throughout."     Iroda also said that now that she is back from injury, she will play fewer tourneys than the 25 a year she was playing before she was hurt. Iroda said: "I will play for my pleasure and earn some money. I am professional tennis player after all... I am in a good shape, and my new coach Dmitriy Tomashevic helps me a lot." story *#526 LL Olga Savchuk UKR d #114 Evgenia Linetskaya RUS 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 Thu     Olga said: "I really served well today, especially the second set... In the third, when I was trailing, I told myself, 'Come on, you can do it'. Many matches before, I have come back after trailing. I've always said to myself, 'I'm a good player, I can do it.'"     Evgenia said: "I didn't expect [Olga] to play so well, especially in the third set. Maybe she just relaxed and played without pressure. I did everything I could, but then that's sport."

Tashkent, QFs, Fri loser's prize: $3,400 US; points: 24 #46 s2 Meghann Shaughnessy USA d #526 LL Olga Savchuk UKR 6-2, 6-3     Start of play was delayed by 90 minutes due to snow. Meghann said: "It's the first time in my life I've played a match a couple of hours after it stopped snowing; it was freezing. The circumstances were difficult for both of us, difficult to feel the ball, difficult to move."     Olga said: "Maybe I could have done better if it was not so cold. My hands were so cold I couldn't feel anything. I'm very, very happy. This is the best result of my life. This tournament has been good for me." *#83 s9 Virginie Razzano FRA d #56 s3 Marta Marrero ESP 7-5, 6-4     Virginie said: "I started taking the ball early to put pressure on her. [Marta] was finding it difficult to move. She's a good player; I play well but she's tough and rallies a lot. *#111 Nicole Vaidisova CZE d #60 s4 A Parra Santonja ESP 5-7, 6-4, 6-0     Nicole said: "At crucial points in the first and second set, I didn't serve well. But from the first point of the third set, I picked up my game. I returned very well." #67 s5 Anca Barna GER d #102 An. Serra Zanetti ITA 7-5, 6-3     Anca said: "I started playing better as the match progressed. Even if I had lost the first set, I was confident of coming back as my game, especially my service, started to come together."

Tashkent, SFs Sat loser's prize: $6,300 US; points: 43 *#111 Nicole Vaidisova CZE d #46 s2 Meghann Shaughnessy USA 6-1, 5-7, 7-6(1)     Meghann said: "I couldn't play in the tiebreak and I wish I knew what happened to me. I made too many double-faults... [Nicole] is young but plays strong. She played a great game today. She's an aggressive player." story *#83 s9 Virginie Razzano FRA d #67 s5 Anca Barna GER 6-2, 6-2

Tashkent, Final Sun loser's prize: $12,000 US; points: 67 winner's prize: $22,000 US; points: 95 *#111 Nicole Vaidisova CZE d #83 s9 Virginie Razzano FRA 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 Nicole and Virginie received their awards in traditional Uzbek attire

Tashkent, Doubles Final, Sat loser's prize: $3,475 US winner's prize: $6,500 US *Adriana Serra Zanetti & Antonella Serra Zanetti d s2 Marion Bartoli & Mara Santangelo 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 Tashkent, Qual Finals, Mon Oct 11 11am #221 Ivana Abramovic CRO d #526 Olga Savchuk UKR 6-4, 6-2 *#305 Maria Goloviznina RUS d #229 Antonia Matic GER 6-3, 7-5 *#301 Katerina Bondarenko UKR d #234 Ekaterina Bychkova RUS 6-1, 6-1 *#302 Nadejda Ostrovskaya BLR d #281 Ryoko Fuda JPN 6-1, 7-5 Tashkent, Withdrawals #73 s7 Lubomira Kurhajcova SVK illness #170 Bahia Mouhtassine MAR right shoulder

    (Oct 11, 2004) Top-seeded # 1 Amelie Mauresmo withdrew from the Kremlin Cup due to the strained left thigh adductor muscle she incurred in Filderstadt on Sunday. Amelie was replaced in the draw by "Lucky Loser" Claudine Schaul, the highest ranked player to lose in qualifying.

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