WTA Oct 3-9 Porsche GP, Filderstadt, GER Tier II $650,000 - 28 players - indoor: hard Live Scores - draws & OOP, .pdf draw & results - order of play Photos: Yahoo! news - tourney gallery - WTA Filderstadt: radar - forecast - map # 2 Lindsay Davenport, # 3 Kim Clijsters # 4 Amelie Mauresmo, # 5 Justine Henin-Hardenne Japan Open, Tokyo Tier III (with ATP) $170,000 - 32 players - outdoor: hard Live Scores - draws & OOP, .pdf photos: Yahoo! news - WTA - week's sched Tokyo: radar - forecast - map - map2 # 22 Vera Zvonareva, # 24 Nicole Vaidisova # 26 Tatiana Golovin, # 28 Maria Kirilenko Tashkent Open, Uzbekistan Tier IV $140,000 - 32 players - outdoor: hard draws & schedule .pdf - WTA Photos Tashkent Weather - Asian Tennis Fed. - iroda-tulyaganova # 72 Ekaterina Bychkova, # 74 Alona Bondarenko # 77 Antonella Serra Zanetti, # 84 Emma Laine

Tourney pages: Filderstadt-Tokyo: 2004 Tashkent: 2004 Filderstadt-Tashkent: 2003 Tokyo: 2003 previous other tourney pages next Filderstadt: #2 Lindsay Davenport 6' 2½", 175 lbs RH 2H-BH Tokyo: #24 Nicole Vaidisova 5' 11", 139 lbs RH 2H-BH

    On Sunday in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix final in Filderstadt, 29-year-old top-seeded # 2 Lindsay Davenport from Laguna Beach, California, USA, handily defeated 26-year-old 3rd-seeded # 4 Amelie Mauresmo of France (residence: Geneva, Switzerland), 6-2, 6-4 (Lindsay is shown with the little bonus Porsche pays out along with the $98,500 check: this year the car is a Cayman S).
    It was a rematch of the 2004 Filderstadt final, in which Lindsay won 6-2, retired, when Amelie was forced to stop by a strained adductor muscle. Lindsay leads Amelie 11-3 in career matches, and has won the last eight times they have played, dating back to 2000. Lindsay has now won 50 WTA singles titles in 85 finals; Amelie has won 17 titles in 33 finals.
    Lindsay said: "This has been a really great week for me. I've been able to play at a high level and keep it up, very much the same as last year here. I was really fired up to play well and I'm glad I did that. I was in control of most of the match, dictating most of the rallies and played very well, winning those four games in a row in the middle of the first set and again to finish the match." WTA story
    Amelie said: "It was very tough today with the way [Lindsay] was serving. The only chance I had was in the sixth game of the second set and she played perfect again after that. I was disappointed with how I served, especially in the first set, and she's too good at returning when she gets a lot of chances on the second.
    "It is frustrating. Although I had a good week and beat some good players, but I really wanted to do better here. I'm disappointed I couldn't step it up when I led 4-2 in the second."
career records: Lindsay - Amelie
Lindsay Davenport Wallpaper

    In the Filderstadt doubles final, Daniela Hantuchova (who had reached the singles semis before hitting the Davenport wall) and partner Anastasia Myskina (who ran into Lindsay in the singles quarterfinals-- Daniela & Anastasia have a combined doubles ranking of 45) defeated Kveta Peschke & Francesca Schiavone (cdr84) 6-0, 3-6, 7-5. It was Daniela's 6th WTA doubles title, Anastasia's 4th, and their first together as a team.

    Meanwhile in the final of the Japan Open in Tokyo, 16-year-old 2nd-seeded # 24 Nicole Vaidisova from Prague, Czech Republic, who received her primary training at the Bollettieri Academy in Bradenton, Florida, defeated another Bollettierian, 17-year-old 3rd-seeded # 26 Tatiana Golovin from Paris, France, 7-6(4), 3-2 retired, when Tatiana could no longer continue due to pain from left achilles tendonitis (Nicole is shown hoisting her largest trophy so far).
    Nicole is now 4-1 in WTA singles finals; she won her third last Sunday in Seoul, Korea. Tatiana was playing for her first title in her second WTA singles final. Nicole and Tatiana had met on the field of combat only once before, one year ago in the 2nd round in Tokyo, when Nicole won, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
    Tatiana'a achilles had been hurting for the past 3 days. Tatiana said: "This is my first retirement, and hopefully my last... I'm sad that I couldn't play. Unfortunately, if it's your achilles, you feel it all the time; it's not a special movement." WTA story
    It was Nicole's first Tier III title. Nicole said: "I thought it was a good match. I hope that I would have won anyway, and I think I could have closed it out, but those are just 'maybes.' I thought [Tatiana] was moving really well, and got to a lot of balls. I hope that we'll meet again in a final."
career records: Nicole - Tatiana

    In the Tashkent final on Sunday, 16-year-old 5th-seeded # 89 Michaella Krajicek, from Delft, The Netherlands, won her first WTA singles title by defeating 18-year-old wild card # 252 Akgul Amanmuradova, a Tashkent resident, 6-0, 4-6, 6-3.
    Both young ladies were playing in their first WTA final. 2004 US Open juniors champ Michaella (5' 9", strong serve) returned to action last week in Luxembourg after having not played since suffering a knee injury at s'Hertogenbosch in June (which prevented her from playing doubles at Wimbledon this year with her half-brother, former Wimbledon singles champ Richard Krajicek). Akgul (6' 3¼", big serve, slice backhand), previously almost unheard of in WTA play, enjoyed a home court advantage: she won the Asian title a month ago on the very same court in Tashkent.
    Michaella said: "I was really nervous in the third set. Both of us were nervous... At 3-2 in the final set, I told myself, be calm, play normally." WTA story
career records: Michaella - Akgul

    It rained in Tokyo on Wednesday for a 2nd straight day, and although the Center Court stadium has a retractable roof, there was not time to finish all of the singles matches on one court. Rain will remain a possibility in Tokyo through the rest of the tourney; the forecast and radar links are above.

Filderstadt tourney photo gallery: Mon - Tue - Wed - Thu - Fri - Sat
    pics are large (600+ pixels wide) and sharp

Filderstadt: interactive satellite photo of Filderstadt - Germany news
    Filderstadt is south of Stuttgart in southwest Germany.
    The main draw for Filderstadt has 8 seeds, with 4 1st-round byes. There are 4 qualifiers in the main draw. Qualifying (3 rounds) starts on Saturday, qualifying finals are on Monday.
    The time in Filderstadt is UCT (GMT, Zulu, Greenwich...) plus 2 hours. That is Eastern Daylight Time in the US + 6 hours, PDT+9 hours.

Tokyo: interactive satellite photo of Tokyo - Japan news
    The main draw for Tokyo has 8 seeds. There are NO 1st-round byes. There are 4 qualifiers in the main draw. Qualifying (reduced to 2 rounds) starts on Saturday, qualifying finals are on Sunday.
    The time in Tokyo is UCT (GMT, Zulu, Greenwich...) plus 9 hours. That is Eastern Daylight Time in the US + 13 hours, PDT+16 hours. Early round play begins at 10am.

Tashkent: interactive satellite photo of Tashkent - Uzbekistan news
    The main draw for Tashkent has 8 seeds, with NO 1st-round byes. There are 4 qualifiers in the main draw. Qualifying (3 rounds) starts on Saturday, qualifying finals are on Monday.
    The time in Tashkent is UCT (GMT, Zulu, Greenwich...) plus 5 hours. That is Eastern Daylight Time in the US + 9 hours, PDT+12 hours.

WTA SCOREBOARD: Filderstadt, Tokyo & Tashkent s=seed, #=rank, *=upset, LL=lucky loser ranks are for the previous week How do players get into the "draw"? Anke Huber while winning her 1st round match in Filderstadt against Elena Wagner in 1996, and in her current position as Filderstadt Operating Tournament Director.     Former WTA # 4 Anke Huber won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in 1991 and 1994. In 1996, Anke reached the Filderstadt final (losing to Martina Hingis), the Australian Open final (losing to Monica Seles), and the LA final (losing to Lindsay Davenport), but won the titles in Rosmalen, Leipzig, and Luxembourg. A top-20 player for 11 years, Anke retired in Nov. 2001.

Filderstadt, 1st Rd, Mon-Wed 1pm Tue Reuters story losers' prize: $4,350 US; points: 1 #8 s5 Elena Dementieva RUS d #80 q Zuzana Ondraskova CZE 6-2, 6-4 Tue Elena following her backhand     Elena said: "I think it was a very good match. We were both playing very well, especially for the first round. There were some great rallies and I think the crowd really enjoyed the match." #9 s6 Nadia Petrova RUS d #23 Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-3, 6-2 Wed Nadia Petrova #10 s7 Patty Schnyder SUI d #18 Ana Ivanovic SCG 6-1, 6-2 Tue Lefty Patty's backhand #12 s8 Anastasia Myskina RUS d #219 q Stephanie Gehrlein GER 6-1, 6-4 Tue Anastasia's backhand     Anastasia said: "It was a pretty good match for me. I'm happy. I served okay, returned pretty good and just was really confident in the rallies because I was moving pretty good... I didn't know how [Stephanie] plays, but I know her as a girl and she's really nice." Porsche tourney press release     After the match, Anastasia told reporters she would not play Fed Cup for Russia in 2006. Anastasia said: "I'm really happy to have [helped win the Fed Cup in 2004 and 2005]...these last two years it was two really great teams and the atmosphere was unbelievable. We have so many good girls who can play, and who want to play, so I just wish them good luck. I want to step aside now and let others have the chance."     On Wednesday, Oct 5, Russian Tennis Federation president and Fed Cup Captain Shamil Tarpischev said: "Myskina has done it all for Russia, therefore she has earned the right to say no. But I don't think it's proper to say that she quit the team for good. Myskina is the ultimate team player and if we ever needed her to play, I'm sure she would say yes." Reuters story *#15 Nathalie Dechy FRA d #13 Alicia Molik AUS 6-3, 6-3 Tue cC m2 Nathalie's forehand #16 Elena Likhovtseva RUS d #27 Silvia Farina Elia ITA 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 Tue #17 Jelena Jankovic SCG d #30 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP 6-2, 6-2 Wed #19 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d #53 Meghann Shaughnessy USA 6-4, 6-0 Mon Daniela's backhand     Daniela said: "I missed a few opportunities early in the first set, but I just kept going for my shots and tried to stay calm and believe in what I was doing. [Meghann] serves hard, but I felt I was in control and it was just a matter of time.     "I was expecting a tough match, because definitely Meghann is very tough to play, especially on a court like this. It's so fast, and with her serve it's always tough to break her. I always thought it was going to be very close, and I'm really glad the way it went in the second set..." press release #21 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #36 Anna Chakvetadze RUS 6-3, 6-3 Tue #25 Dinara Safina RUS d #93 wc Sandra Kloesel GER 6-2, 6-2 Mon #29 Flavia Pennetta ITA d #81 wc Julia Schruff GER 7-5, 6-2Mon Flavia watching her forehand fly #67 Karolina Sprem CRO d #69 Eleni Daniilidou GRE 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 Wed

Filderstadt, 2nd Rd, Wed-Thu Wed Reuters story losers' prize: $8,100 US; points: 25 #2 s1 Lindsay Davenport USA d #21 Francesca Schiavone ITA 6-2, 6-2 Wed Lindsay's service toss     Lindsay said: "It felt great. I feel like I didn't allow [Francesca] to do too much with her game, and I was hitting a lot of winners and stepping in and hitting the ball hard." Reuters story #3 s2 Kim Clijsters BEL d #67 Karolina Sprem CRO 6-3, 6-2 Thu Kim's trademark splits forehand     Kim said: "It was quite a battle. I've played [Karolina] before and today she was a lot more steady. She's got a lot of power and really goes for her shots, and when it goes in it's very tough and you have to defend well. But I knew that once I could break her rhythm a little bit and keep getting enough balls back that eventually she would miss, and she did. I felt good and did what I had to to win, and that's important in these kind of matches." Reuters story #4 s3 Amelie Mauresmo FRA d #17 Jelena Jankovic SCG 6-0, retired-- viral illnessThu Amelie's backhand, and Jelena receiving treatment for illness     In addition to Jelena Jankovic, Elena Likhovtseva and Anastasia Myskina have also been hit by some kind of flu or whatever. Tournament doctor Lennart Sewigh said: "This is pure coincidence, just your average infections." AP story *#29 Flavia Pennetta ITA d #5 s4 Justine Henin-Hardenne BEL 6-4, 6-3 Wed Flavia's backhand, and after winning a point     It was the second time in Flavia's career that she has defeated a top-10 player; the first was on friendly dirt in Rome in 2004, where then # 72 Flavia upset then # 6 Nadia Petrova 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-4. Pennetta record     Although she won the French Open last spring, Justine has been hampered this year by a back/hamstring injury. Justine said: "[Flavia] played well but I wasn't at my best level. I wasn't moving well and I wasn't feeling well physically on the court. I was running a lot and was behind my baseline the whole point and it's difficult to win like this.     "I haven't had the best preparation the last few weeks with my injuries and it's not easy to be in a good rhythm. It's a difficult time for me right now but I'll have to be patient." Reuters story #8 s5 Elena Dementieva RUS d #15 Nathalie Dechy FRA 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 Thu Elena Dementieva #9 s6 Nadia Petrova RUS d #16 Elena Likhovtseva RUS 6-1, 6-1 Thu Nadia Petrova *#19 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d #10 s7 Patty Schnyder SUI 6-4, 6-3 Wed Daniela's forehand, and after match point #12 s8 Anastasia Myskina RUS d #25 Dinara Safina RUS 7-6(6), 6(3)-7, 7-5 Wed Anastasia's service toss, and a backhand     Anastasia said: "Dinara played pretty well. I give her all the credit because she moved well. Her serve was also very good and she knew what she wanted to do, so it was a good [match]."     At the post-match interview on Wednesday, Anastasia clarified her postion regarding 2006 Fed Cup competition, saying she would play if needed. Anastasia said: "I think it came out wrong in translation. I'm just stepping back for a while. It doesn't mean I will never play again. But it would be good to give other players a chance - like Dinara [Safina], who played superbly against me today." AFP story     Unfortunately, some press stories are again claiming that Anastasia has has a "bitter public squabble" with her compatriot # 1 Maria Sharapova, and doesn't want to play Fed Cup if Maria plays. In fact there has been no feud between Anastasia and Maria at all, although Anastasia (as do some others) finds Maria's father Yuri Sharapov's demeanor at matches disconcerting, and has said she would not want to play if Yuri is in the stands.

Filderstadt, QFs, Fri 1pm WTA story losers' prize: $15,155 US; points: 49 #2 s1 Lindsay Davenport USA v #12 s8 Anastasia Myskina RUS 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 Anastasia and Lindsay watching their backhands fly     Lindsay said: "It was a strange match with lots of ups and downs from both of us. I started off really well, but from 3-all in the second set, I missed a few and [Anastasia] stepped it up. I got off to a good start at the beginning of the third, and I think that settled the matter. Her level dropped again and I was able to take advantage." *#8 s5 Elena Dementieva RUS d #3 s2 Kim Clijsters BEL 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 Elena's forehand, Kim's backhand, and Elena after match point     This is a bigger upset than the rankings indicate, not only because US Open champ Kim has won 8 titles since March of this year (including last week in Luxembourg), but also because Kim had a 7-1 record against Elena, and had won the last seven times they played. It was only Kim's second loss in her last 29 matches.     Elena said: "This is the best match of my life. It's the kind of match I will always remember. I'm so excited the way I was playing the whole match and the way I was able to handle the very important moments. I did everything well. If you want to beat Kim you have to play 100 percent of your game. I was very aggressive, my serve finally was there, so I think my whole game was very solid.     "This match really gives me a lot of confidence for the future. I'm just a little worried that I'm going to be fresh enough for my semi-final." Reuters story     If Kim had won, she would have taken the # 1 ranking away from Maria Sharapova on Monday. Kim said: "I'm not disappointed at not becoming No. 1. This was the best [Elena] ever played against me, but my body wasn't up to it today. My footwork wasn't the same as in the previous weeks and months." AP story #4 s3 Amelie Mauresmo FRA d #9 s6 Nadia Petrova RUS 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 Amelie one-handed and Nadia's two-handed backhands     Amelie said: "It was definitely a tough match today. I had to fight all the way. I didn't start well at the beginning, and [Nadia] was very aggressive. I stepped it in the second set and fought hard until the end. She's improved a lot over the last few months and I had to be ready. I'm very happy to be in the semis here again, and another chance to take on Dementieva." #19 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d #29 Flavia Pennetta ITA 6-3, 6-4 Daniela contributing to the photographers' continuing love affair with backhands (news photos of backhands outnumber forehand pics by 3 or 4 to 1), and after match point     Daniela reached the final in Filderstadt in 2002. Daniela said: "I'm really pleased with my week so far. It's nice to do well here again. I think today's match was closer than the score reflected. There's no special secret to how I'm playing at the moment, I'm just making sure I'm doing the right things at the right time now."

Filderstadt, SFs, Sat 1pm WTA story losers' prize: $28,300 US; points: 88 #2 s1 Lindsay Davenport USA d #19 Daniela Hantuchova SVK 6-4, 6-3 career matches: Lindsay leads 5-0 Lindsay's forehand, Daniela's backhand, and Lindsay after match point     Lindsay said: "I was very happy with the way I served. [Daniela] was playing extremely well from the baseline, so it was even more important for me to be able to step it up on my serve.     "It's not a mission of mine to end the year No. 1. I know if I win everything I have a very good chance, but I just want to focus on the matches I have to win and the tournaments that I'm committed to for the remainder of this year. Of course I'd take another Grand Slam title over the No.1 ranking any day, but I am proud of the fact that I'll probably finish another season at least in the Top Three. That's no mean feat." #4 s3 Amelie Mauresmo FRA d #8 s5 Elena Dementieva RUS 6-3, 6-4 career matches: Amelie leads 6-4 Elena's backhand, and Amelie after match point     Elena had defeated Amelie in their last three meetings. Amelie said: "It's very satisfying to win against [Elena] after losing the last few times. I knew I would have opportunities on her serve, and I got a lot of double faults in the second set. I know she served well against Kim, but it's still inconsistent and I play a much more varied game than Kim. I knew that I could make it difficult for her. The key was being aggressive at the right moments and not giving her a chance to dictate, which I've done in our last few matches."

Filderstadt, Final, Sun loser's prize: $53,500 US; points: 137 winner's prize: $98,500 US; points: 195 #2 s1 Lindsay Davenport USA d #4 s3 Amelie Mauresmo FRA 6-2, 6-4 Amelie's backhand, Lindsay's backhand, and Lindsay after match point

Filderstadt, Doubles Final, Sun losers' prize: $16,500 US winners' prize: $31,000 US cdr45 Daniela Hantuchova & Anastasia Myskina d cdr84 Kveta Peschke & Francesca Schiavone 6-0, 3-6, 7-5 Angelique Kerber while defeating Selima Sfar 6-3, 7-6(13) in the 1st round of qualifying on Saturday Filderstadt, Qual Finals, losers' prize: $2,320 US *#69 Eleni Daniilidou GRE d #41 Kveta Peschke CZE 4-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(2) #67 Karolina Sprem CRO d #101 Tszvetana Pironkova BUL 6-3, 6(4)-7, 7-5 #80 Zuzana Ondraskova CZE d #167 Kathrin Woerle GER 7-5, 6-3 *#219 Stephanie Gehrlein GER d #90 Michaela Pastikova CZE 6-4, 6-4 Filderstadt, Withdrawals #1 Maria Sharapova RUS r pectoral strain #7 Venus Williams USA left knee pain #11 Serena Williams USA left knee #20 Elena Bovina RUS r shoulder

At the player's party (Monday night?), Japanese players Rika Fujiwara, Shinobu Asagoe, Akiko Morigami, Aiko Nakamura, Ai Sugiyama, Ayumi Morita and Erika Sema, and imports Tatiana Golovin and Nicole Vaidisova, were among the folks enjoying fine Morita brand sake

Tokyo, 1st Rd, Mon-Wed 10am WTA story: Tue - Wed losers' prize: $1,260 US; points: 1 #22 s1 Vera Zvonareva RUS d #65 Catalina Castano COL 6-1, 7-6(4) Tue Vera okays a forehand #24 s2 Nicole Vaidisova CZE d #50 Akiko Morigami JPN 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 Wed Nicole Vaidisova     Nicole said: "Akiko played very well in the first set, and I made some unforced errors and sort of let my game slip away. The courts were faster than in Korea, and I wasn't moving very well. But by the second set, I was in total control of the match. I was serving and returning very well. Akiko seemed to get tired and I was still fired up...     "My expectations are higher [than last year]. I think if I play my best, I can go at least to the final."     Akiko said: "I played [Nicole] in Korea, and she was in such good form. Today, I couldn't play my game at all. I didn't make too many errors in the first set, and I think I was able to throw her off, but she was able to switch gears so quickly after the first set. I don't think my game collapsed; she just got so much better. I maybe overshot the baseline and stepped in too much, but that was the way I had to play because she was serving so well." #26 s3 Tatiana Golovin FRA d #87 Abigail Spears USA 6-4, 6-2 Wed Tatiana Golovin     Tatiana said: "I lost to [Abigail] early this year at the Australian Open, so I knew it was going to be a tough match. She doesn't make too many mistakes and doesn't let you step in too much, so you can't get your rhythm. But I'm excited to win my first match, because last year [in Tokyo] I lost early.     "I served very well today; got a lot of first serves in. My serve is becoming a big part of my game now, and I hope it continues that way." #28 s4 Maria Kirilenko RUS d #362 wc Ayumi Morita JPN 6-4, 6-4 Tue Maria directing a backhand     About 15-year-old wild card Ayumi, Maria said: "She's a very good player and has a great future. I think she played very well today. Her groundstrokes are good and she's good at the net. If I were her, I would have come into the net more...     "The first match is always tough. I had to adjust because before the match I warmed up outside, but then they told me later that they were closing the roof [of the stadium due to rain], so the conditions changed a little bit for me." #32 s5 Ai Sugiyama JPN d #75 Alina Jidkova RUS 6-1, 7-6(5) Tue Ai walloping her backhand #33 s6 Gisela Dulko ARG d #176 Su-Wei Hsieh TPE 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 Tue #34 s7 Shinobu Asagoe JPN d #66 Maria Vento-Kabchi VEN 6-3, 6-3 Mon Shinobu during the match, and while meeting fans afterward #37 s8 Sania Mirza IND d #166 Vilmarie Castellvi PUR 6-1, 6-3 Tue     Sania said: "I'm happy with how I played. I think I was hitting the ball well and making my shots. I got to play two good matches today [also winning in the 1st round of doubles], and now I'll get to rest tomorrow." *#46 Shahar Peer ISR d #45 Marion Bartoli FRA 6-4, 6-4 Tue #54 Jill Craybas USA d #76 Jamea Jackson USA 1-6, 6-1, 6-1 Tue *#112 Camille Pin FRA d #62 Laura Granville USA 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 Tue *#151 wc Saori Obata JPN d #64 Martina Sucha SVK 6-1, 6-0 Mon *#71 Aiko Nakamura JPN d #68 Mashona Washington USA 6(6)-7, 6-1, 6-1 Tue     Aiko said: "I was leading 4-2 in the first set, but kind of froze up and [Mashona] caught up. I dropped the first set, but was able to mentally restart in the second. In the third set, I also became a little distracted but was finally able to win in the end. I'm just really happy to be past the first round." *#91 Rika Fujiwara JPN d #85 Sybille Bammer AUT 0-6, 7-5 retired--    left forearm tendon injury *#214 Henrieta Nagyova SVK d #86 Tathiana Garbin ITA 6(7)-7, 6-1, 6-2 #97 Sofia Arvidsson SWE d #113 Severine Bremond FRA 1-6, 6-3, 6-0 Tue

Tokyo, 2nd Rd, Wed-Thu 10am Thu WTA story losers' prize: $2,155 US; points: 16 #22 s1 Vera Zvonareva RUS d #46 Shahar Peer ISR 6-3, 7-5 Thu Vera Zvonareva #24 s2 Nicole Vaidisova CZE d #91 Rika Fujiwara JPN 6-4, 6-2 Thu Nicole Vaidisova     Nicole said: "I thought my rhythm was off today, and I didn't feel so good out there. After I was 4-3 down [in the 1st set], I tried to stay calm and get focused. I was able to get through the match, but I definitely need to improve my game." #26 s3 Tatiana Golovin FRA d #151 wc Saori Obata JPN 6-1, 6-4 Thu #28 s4 Maria Kirilenko RUS d #214 Henrieta Nagyova SVK 6-4, 6-2 Thu #32 s5 Ai Sugiyama JPN d #112 Camille Pin FRA 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 Thu Ai launching a backhand, and hitting autographed balls to the crowd after the match     Ai, the only Japanese player to reach the quarterfinals, was trailing 1-4 in the 3rd set before winning the last 5 games. Ai said: "The pace was very, very difficult. I was trapped in a pace that I didn't want to be in. I took back the rhythm of the game; it went back and forth. In the end, I was able to show my worth. My lesson - always keep the pace of my own game. My effort pulled me through.     "I feel my tennis is getting better and better. In tennis, you have good and bad days. I think in tennis, you have to make the best of it and turn a bad day in to a good day. That's what it's all about." *#54 Jill Craybas USA d #33 s6 Gisela Dulko ARG 6-3, 6-3 Thu *#97 Sofia Arvidsson SWE d #34 s7 Shinobu Asagoe JPN 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 Wed     Shinobu's unforced errors included three missed overhead smashes, one of which was on break point when she trailed 4-5 in the third set. Shinobu said: "In the first set, I was 100 percent, but I can't really specify what went wrong in the second set. I hit some really good shots that [Sofia] was able to get to, and it was a very close match. I made some basic errors. I gave her some important points that gave the match away.     "I wanted to play well in front of the Japanese fans and show them my game, so I'm very disappointed about today, but I will try my best next time." #37 s8 Sania Mirza IND d #71 Aiko Nakamura JPN 6-1, 6-4 Thu Sania after losing a point (sorry, Sania, it was the only photo available)     Sania said: "I thought I played a good match. I had a solid start to the match in the first set. In the second set, [Aiko] picked up her game, but I think I played well when it mattered on the important points. I knew that she can run well and that she likes a certain pace, so I tried to change the pace as much as possible. She hits a very solid ball and takes it early, so she can also make you run a lot. But I stuck to my game and played my shots."     Aiko said: "I knew that [Sania] was a hard-hitter, so I expected a lot of power. At the start of the match, I served out wide, and she had such a powerful return. Then, she followed with another strong return. I didn't have any time to react, and I dropped my first game.     "I tried to stay calm, but she kept attacking my serve and I was a little overwhelmed. By the third or fourth game, the match seemed to slow down, but I still couldn't find my chances and made a lot of unforced errors. I should have calmed down more and taken advantage of the important points."

Tokyo, QFs, Fri 10am WTA story losers' prize: $3,900 US; points: 30 *#37 s8 Sania Mirza IND d #22 s1 Vera Zvonareva RUS 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 Sania Mirza     About the 1st set, Sania said: "In the important points, [Vera] would play a great point with good groundstrokes, which kind of confused me... I think I played one of my best matches. She's the No.1 seed, and I'm happy that I was able to play my game."     Vera said: "I started out OK. I think I played well in the first set, but then I lost my concentration and couldn't get my game back.     "[Sania is] a good player. For me, it was important to concentrate on my game and do what I needed to do, but I couldn't play good tennis throughout the whole match." #24 s2 Nicole Vaidisova CZE d #97 Sofia Arvidsson SWE 2-6, 6-3, 6-2     As is too often the case, no photos of and no quotes from Nicole were available, which seems strange for a pretty 16-year-old who is about to become a top-20 player. #26 s3 Tatiana Golovin FRA d #32 s5 Ai Sugiyama JPN 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 Tatiana firing a forehand, and after winning a point     Tatiana said: "[Ai] put me under pressure right away in the first set. She was playing very aggressively. I was a little distracted also; that was a match that I would have lost last year, but now I was more focused, so I'm proud of myself that I was able to win.     "She's such a fighter. With her, you know it's not over until the last point. She moves very well, and it's hard to get the ball past her. My serve was the key again." #28 s4 Maria Kirilenko RUS d #54 Jill Craybas USA 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 Maria during the match, and posing for a comfy offcourt pic     Maria said: "I went to the net a lot, because it seemed every time I went to the net I won the point. I played aggressively, and I think that was the key to the match."

Tokyo, SFs, Sat 10am WTA story losers' prize: $7,400 US; points: 55 #24 s2 Nicole Vaidisova CZE d #28 s4 Maria Kirilenko RUS 6-4, 6-2 Nicole's serve, Maria watching her backhand, and Nicole after match point     Nicole said: "I think I played a lot better today than yesterday. I got into my rhythm and was hitting the ball better. I tried to play more to [Maria's] forehand because I noticed she was struggling with it." #26 s3 Tatiana Golovin FRA d #37 s8 Sania Mirza IND 6-2, 6-4 Tatiana's forehand, Sania's forehand, and Tatiana after match point     Tatiana had two match points when leading 5-0 in the 2nd set with Sania serving at 15-40, but then Sania won 4 straight games, almost forcing a third set. Tatiana said: "It was definitely tense. I had my chances at 5-0, but [Sania] played great to get those games. I just stayed in it and fought back and am happy to have gotten through.     "You never know what's going to happen against a player like her. She hits her forehand so hard, so I tried to mix it up and not give her much pace, step in when I had to and put pressure on her. She eventually broke down and starting making more unforced errors."     Sania said: "[Tatiana] was retrieving the balls so well. I started well, but then it got windy, and I think she adjusted to the conditions better than me. She was hitting winners and played a solid match.     "I don't think I played badly. When I had two match points against me, I played like I had nothing to lose. I just wanted to get a game, and then I saw an opening. At 5-4, it could have gone either way, but then I made a couple of loose shots."

Tokyo, Final, Sun 11am loser's prize: $14,280 US; points: 85 winner's prize: $27,000 US; points: 120 #24 s2 Nicole Vaidisova CZE d #26 s3 Tatiana Golovin FRA 7-6(4), 3-2 retired-- left achilles tendonitis Tatiana's forehand, Nicole's backhand, and Nicole with the hardware

Tokyo, Doubles Final, Sat losers' prize: $4,150 US winners' prize: $8,000 US cdr76 s2 Maria Kirilenko & Gisela Dulko d cdr64 s1 Shinobu Asagoe & Maria Vento-Kabchi 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 Gisela and Maria with the hardware-- it was the 2nd doubles title for each; their first as a team Tokyo, Qual Finals, Mon Oct 3 10am losers' prize: $630 US #97 Sofia Arvidsson SWE d #196 Carly Gullickson USA 6-4, 6-0 #113 Severine Bremond FRA d #277 Junri Namigata JPN 2-6, 7-6(8), 6-2 *#166 Vilmarie Castellvi PUR d #129 Ashley Harkleroad USA 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 #176 Su-Wei Hsieh TPE d #193 Shiho Hisamatsu JPN 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 Tokyo, Withdrawals #49 Evgenia Linetskaya RUS #51 Lucie Safarova CZE #52 Marta Domachowska POL #58 Magdalena Maleeva BUL #155 Paola Suarez ARG

Tashkent, 1st Rd, Mon-Wed 10am WTA Wed story losers' prize: $1,040 US; points: 1 #72 s1 Ekaterina Bychkova RUS d #139 Shikha Uberoi IND 6-3, 6-4 Wed     About playing a 1st round match on Wednesday, Ekaterina said: "All the waiting doesn't help. Neither of us played our best." *#252 wc Akgul Ammanmuradova UZB d #74 s2 Alona Bondarenko UKR 7-6(1), 6-4 Mon     Akgul, who won the Asian title at the same venue in September, had 8 aces in the match. Akgul said: "I knew that if I serve well I have a chance to beat her." WTA story     Alona felt that her late arrival at the tourney (on Sunday) had not given her time to adjust to local conditions. But, Alona said: "[Akgul] played very well, served very well." #77 s3 Antonella Serra Zanetti ITA d #134 Mariya Koryttseva UKR 6-2, 6-4 Tue #84 s4 Emma Laine FIN d #108 Anastasiya Yakimova BLR 6-2, 6-1 Wed #89 s5 Michaella Krajicek NED d #105 Hana Sromova CZE 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 Tue *#110 Melinda Czink HUN d #92 s6 Emilie Loit FRA 7-5, 6-0 Tue #95 s7 Maria Elena Camerin ITA d #128 Edina Gallovits ROM 6-2, 0-6, 6-1 Wed *#156 Tzipora Obziler ISR d #100 s8 Mara Santangelo ITA 7-6(1), 3-6, 7-5 Wed #111 Arantxa Parra Santonja ESP d #174 q Tatiana Poutchek BLR 6-3, 6-4 Tue *#474 wc Evgeniya Rodina RUS d #106 Tatiana Panova RUS 6-2, 6-4 Tue #109 Barbora Strycova CZE d #298 q Wynne Prakusya INA 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 Mon #154 Kateryna Bondarenko UKR d #197 q Olena Antypina UKR 6-2, 6-0 Tue #116 Emmanuelle Gagliardi SUI d #136 Yuliana Fedak UKR 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-2 Wed *#127 Galina Voskoboeva RUS d #120 Maria Emilia Salerni ARG 6-3, 7-5 Mon #143 Elena Vesnina RUS d #175 LL Anastassia Rodionova RUS 6-3, 6-3 Wed *#358 q Iroda Tulyaganova UZB d #145 Olga Savchuk UKR 6-2, 6-2 Mon Iroda while dining at the German Open player's party in Berlin in May, 2003     Former # 16 Iroda has had a long recovery from a right elbow injury and surgery in 2003; hopefully she will be ready to resume full-time WTA Tour play soon.     Iroda said: "It wasn't that easy. [Olga] has a hard serve, but I'm playing better and better."

Tashkent, 2nd Rd, Wed-Thu noon-11am WTA Wed story losers' prize: $1,915 US; points: 12 #72 s1 Ekaterina Bychkova RUS d #111 Arantxa Parra Santonja ESP 6-3, 6-1 Thu Ekaterina Bychkova #77 s3 Antonella Serra Zanetti ITA d #358 wc Iroda Tulyaganova UZB 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 Wed     Antonella said: "[Iroda is] very aggressive. When she's hitting winners, she's very dangerous. But she was making a lot of mistakes today. I played my game, making every ball. I also tried to move her around because she wasn't moving too well." *#154 Kateryna Bondarenko UKR d #84 s4 Emma Laine FIN 6-4, 6-2 Thu #89 s5 Michaella Krajicek NED d #109 Barbora Strycova CZE 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 Wed     Michaella said: "I was serving much better [than in the 1st round], but I made a lot of mistakes, and I am not happy with the way I played." #95 s7 Maria Elena Camerin ITA d #116 Emmanuelle Gagliardi SUI 6-2, 6-1 Thu *#474 wc Evgeniya Rodina RUS d #110 Melinda Czink HUN 7-6(2), 6-0 Wed     Melinda said: "[Evgeniya] played well, and I have no excuses. But if I had played even 60 percent of my game, I would have won." *#252 wc Akgul Ammanmuradova UZB d #127 Galina Voskoboeva RUS 6-4, 6-4 Wed     Akgul said: "I was very tight, found it tough to get a rhythm." #143 Elena Vesnina RUS d #156 Tzipora Obziler ISR 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 Thu

Tashkent, QFs, Fri 11am WTA story losers' prize: $3,525 US; points: 24 #72 s1 Ekaterina Bychkova RUS d #474 wc Evgeniya Rodina RUS 4-6, 6-1, 6-3     Ekaterina said: "First, I had to overcome myself, then my opponent. I was not able to control the ball, adjust to the bounce. I was only pushing the ball, never hitting it. Thank God my serve worked. That really helped me." *#95 s7 Maria Elena Camerin ITA d #77 s3 Antonella Serra Zanetti ITA 6-3, 6-2     Antonella said: "I didn't play very well today. I made too many mistakes. I think both of us played badly." #89 s5 Michaella Krajicek NED d #154 Kateryna Bondarenko UKR 6-2, 7-6(10) Michaella Krajicek     Michaella trailed 0-4 in the 2nd set before winning 5 straight games. Michaella said: "My first set was almost perfect. But then in the second, [Kateryna] played better than I did and in no time I was 0-4 down. Then I said to myself I could play better than that and started refocusing."     Michaella then failed to convert two match points when leading 5-4 on Kateryna's serve. "I didn't focus on the first, on her serve. I was looking at the next and I should have won it, an easy shot on my backhand. But I was nervous and I missed."     Michaella won on her fifth match point, after Kateryna had failed to convert three set points. Kateryna said: "I probably got a bit tired. Maybe a bit nervous, too. [Michaella] was playing good. It's difficult to play her. She hits hard, goes from line to line. She's tough." *#252 wc Akgul Ammanmuradova UZB d #143 Elena Vesnina RUS 7-6(4), 3-6, 7-6(4)     Akgul said: "I felt it was going to be my day."     Elena was broken while serving for the first set at 5-3. Elena said: "Amanmuradova hit two big returns and I got a bit nervous. And once it got to the tie-break, I knew it was going to be tough. Playing Amanmuradova in the tie-breaks is really difficult because of her service."

Tashkent, SFs, Sat 11am WTA story losers' prize: $6,495 US; points: 43 *#89 s5 Michaella Krajicek NED d #72 s1 Ekaterina Bychkova RUS 6-1, 6-3     Michaella said: "Today was a very good match. I played very well and am satisfied. Since I've beaten [Ekaterina] before, I was confident but I didn't think it would be so easy."     Ekaterina said: "It was a bad day... not my day. [Michaella] is a good player, played well, played smart." *#252 wc Akgul Ammanmuradova UZB d #95 s7 Maria Elena Camerin ITA 6-3, 6-4 Akgul after winning her first WTA semifinal     Akgul served six aces. Maria Elena said: "[Akgul] served very well. I didn't have too many chances."     Akgul said: "I played better than yesterday but that match was tougher. Camerin looked tired, didn't hit as hard as Vesnina. I was confident and I played relaxed... Right now I've played my first Tour semifinal and I won. I'm very happy."

Tashkent, Final, Sun 11am loser's prize: $12,000 US; points: 67 winner's prize: $22,000 US; points: 95 #89 s5 Michaella Krajicek NED d #252 wc Akgul Ammanmuradova UZB 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 Michaella Krajicek, a tourney official, and Akgul Ammanmuradova

Tashkent, Doubles Final, Sat losers' prize: $3,475 US winners' prize: $6,500 US cdr101 s1 Maria Elena Camerin & Emilie Loit d cdr 211 Anastassia Rodionova & Galina Voskoboeva 6-3, 6-0 Emilie & Maria Elena doing that local traditional garb thing     It was Maria Elena's 2nd WTA doubles title-- she won her first one week ago in Guangzhou with Emmanuelle Gagliardi. It was the 13th WTA doubles title for the more experienced Emilie. Tashkent, Qual Finals, Sun Oct 2 losers' prize: $565 US #174 Tatiana Poutchek BLR d #883 Vlada Ekshibarova UZB 6-2, 6-2 *#358 Iroda Tulyaganova UZB d #175 Anastassia Rodionova RUS 6-4, 6-3 *#298 Wynne Prakusya INA d #185 Agnes Szavay HUN 6-4, 6-2 #197 Olena Antypina UKR d #290 Julia Vorobeva RUS 7-5, 6-4 Tashkent, Withdrawals #114 Viktoriya Kutuzova UKR illness

    (Oct 3, 2005) Not a typo: The former Alyona Bondarenko, # 74 in WTA singles, has apparently become Alona Bondarenko. No one has alerted the media as to why; perhaps it is closer to the correct pronounciation. There is also no word on whether or not Alona's sisters Kateryna and Valeria are now Katryna and Valria.

    (Sep 29, 2005) The German press agency DPA has reported that # 1 Maria Sharapova (right pectoral muscle strain) and # 11 Serena Williams (left knee & ankle) have withdrawn from the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Filderstadt, Germany, which begins on Monday, October 3. # 7 Venus Williams, Serena's sister, had already withdrawn, also with a left knee problem.

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