WTA Oct 24-30 Generali Ladies, Linz, AUT Tier II $585,000 - 28 players - indoor: hard Intersport Arena Live Scores - English via Google draw & results, .html WTA .pdf: draws & OOP - match notes Linz: weather radar - forecast maps: Michelin - MapQuest - MultiMap photos: Yahoo! news - WTA Photo Gallery # 8 Elena Dementieva, # 9 Nadia Petrova # 10 Patty Schnyder, # 16 Elena Likhovtseva Gaz de France Stars, Hasselt, BEL Tier III $170,000 - 32 players - indoor: hard Ethias Arena, Grenslandhallen WTA .pdf: draws & OOP - match notes .html: OOP-results - draw Hasselt: weather radar - forecast maps: Michelin - MapQuest - MultiMap photos: tourney gallery - Yahoo! news - WTA Photos # 2 Kim Clijsters, # 14 Nathalie Dechy # 18 Francesca Schiavone, # 20 Dinara Safina

Tourney pages: Linz: 2004 - 2003 Hasselt: 2004 previous   other tourney pages     next Linz: #9 Nadia Petrova 5' 10¼", 143 lbs RH 2H-BH Hasselt: #2 Kim Clijsters 5' 8½", 150 lbs RH 2H-BH

    Got One!: On Sunday in the final of the Generali Ladies Linz, 23-year-old 3rd-seeded # 9 Nadia Petrova from Moscow, Russia, won the first WTA singles title of her career, defeating 26-year-old 4th-seeded # 10 Patty Schnyder from Wangen, Switzerland 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 (Nadia is shown with her goodies after the match).
    Nadia won her 1st WTA singles title while playing in her 5th final (she has been in many semifinals and countless quarters, and has won 11 doubles titles); Patty has won 10 WTA singles titles (3 this year) in 28 finals. Patty still leads Nadia 4-3 in career matches, although they hadn't played in two years. The last time they played was in the semis of the same tourney, Linz, in 2003; that time Nadia won, 6-2, 6-2.
    Nadia said: "It's a wonderful feeling. I have worked so hard for this to happen and now it's come true... I knew it would be tough, especially because Patty is playing in great form. But I beat her two years ago and I was certain I had the potential to repeat this success." AP story - WTA story
Petrova: wallpaper - career record
Schnyder: wallpaper - career record

    Losing Count...: Meanwhile in Hasselt, Belgium, 22-year-old top-seeded # 3 Kim Clijsters from nearby Bree, Belgium, defeated 25-year-old 3rd-seeded # 18 Francesca Schiavone of Italy 6-2, 6-3 (Kim is shown after match point).
    Kim said: "I played very well, played within myself because she forces you to go for a lot of different shots. I'm very happy with my week overall-- played some solid matches and put myself in a good position to go to [the WTA Championships in] L.A." WTA story
    Francesca will likely be ranked a career-high # 14 on Monday. Francesca said: "Physically I wasn't the best today. It's been a great week for me, but yesterday's match took a lot out of me, and it can't be like this when you play Kim."
    It was Kim's 30th WTA singles title (9th this year) in 43 finals; Francesca, like Nadia Petrova in Linz, was playing for her 1st WTA singles title in her 5th final. Although she has been playing very well lately, reaching 3 finals since the US Open, Francesca has never taken a set from Kim, and Kim leads Francesca 8-0 in career matches.
Clijsters: wallpaper - career record
Schiavone: career record

Linz: interactive satellite photo of Linz - Austria news
    The main draw for Linz 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 Linz is UCT (GMT, Zulu, Greenwich...) plus 2 hours. That is Eastern Daylight Time in the US + 6 hours, PDT+9 hours.

Hasselt: interactive satellite photo of Hasselt - Belgium news
    The main draw for Hasselt has 8 seeds., with NO 1st-round byes. There are 4 qualifiers in the main draw. Qualifying (2 rounds) starts on Sunday, qualifying finals are on Monday.
    The time in Hasselt is UCT (GMT, Zulu, Greenwich...) plus 2 hours. That is Eastern Daylight Time in the US + 6 hours, PDT+9 hours.

WTA SCOREBOARD: Linz & Hasselt s=seed, #=rank, *=upset, LL=lucky loser ranks are for the previous week How do players get into the "draw"? Domestic Tennis Association: 16-year-old Sesil Karatantcheva is shown (on Tuesday, apparently) in Linz, not decorating a cake, but learning to cook a local specialty. Sesil also took a field trip to the Gmunder Keramik studio, where Elena Dementieva, Sesil, and Daniela "Beany" Hantuchova painted pottery. Jelena Jankovic and others also participated in the cooking, and Marion Bartoli in the painting, but camera-hog Sesil elbowed them to the side of the photos (that's a joke, Sesil).

Linz, 1st Rd, Mon-Wed noon losers' prize: $4,025 US; points: 1 *#28 Ai Sugiyama JPN d #16 s5 Elena Likhovtseva RUS 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 Wed Ai belting a backhand, and after match point     Elena was playing with her left thigh heavily taped, and it appeared that she might have to retire from the match when Ai easily won the first five games. Then Elena was able to get into the match, but it was too late to stop Ai from winning. Reuters story #19 s6 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d #39 Klara Koukalova CZE 6-4, 6(4)-7, 7-6(9) Wed Klara's forehand; Daniela's backhand *#41 Vera (Douchevina) Dushevina RUS d #21 s7 Jelena Jankovic SCG 7-6, 3-6, 6-0 Mon     Jelena said: "I got sick when I was playing the semi-finals in Korea, and since then I've had a tough time playing. I couldn't practise at all, I didn't prepare, so obviously I cannot play, not even close to what I'm capable of. It wasn't me -- not even the J in Jelena.     "But I really love this tournament and wanted to come. I reached the semis here last year, so I thought I would give it a try. But it didn't work. I was asking myself what I was doing on the court." Reuters story #22 s8 Ana Ivanovic SCG d #34 Shinobu Asagoe JPN 7-6(4), 6-2 Tue #38 Sesil Karatantcheva BUL d #131 Yvonne Meusburger AUT 7-6(3), 6-3 Mon *#36 Kveta Peschke CZE d #26 Vera Zvonareva RUS 7-5, 7-5 Tue #29 Gisela Dulko ARG d #88 wc Lisa Raymond USA 6-7(2), 7-6(6), 6-2 Tue Gisela applying her way-out-western topspin forehand, and while being interviewed afterward by former WTA # 7, Austrian Barbara Schett, who retired from WTA play last January     Lisa had two match points when leading 6-4 in the 2nd set tiebreak, but could not convert them to victory. Gisela said: "Obviously it was a very close match for the first two sets, but even down those match points I stayed aggressive. I'm really happy to win a match like this, against someone as experienced as Lisa." WTA story #37 Conchita Martinez ESP d #44 Marion Bartoli FRA 6-1, 6-1 Mon *#89 wc Sybille Bammer AUT d #53 Virginie Razzano FRA 7-6(3), 6-3 Tue Sybille Bammer #55 Iveta Benesova CZE d #60 Marta Domachowska POL 6-3, 6-3 Tue Iveta Benesova #83 q Sofia Arvidsson SWE d #125 q Barbora Strycova CZE 6-1, 6-2 Wed *#NR wc Tamira Paszek AUT d #133 q Elena Vesnina RUS 7-6(6), 1-6, 7-5 Wed Elena's forehand, 15-year-old Tamira's backhand, and Tamira after match point

Linz, 2nd Rd, Wed-Thu noon losers' prize: $7,600 US; points: 25 *#36 Kveta Peschke CZE d #8 s2 Elena Dementieva RUS 6-3, 7-5 Wed Kveta firing a forehand, and after match point     Kveta said: "Before the match I knew I had a very good chance to win, because I was playing very well in my first match. We play similar games, and I knew I could match [Elena] from the baseline" WTA story     Elena said: "[Kveta] played very well today. It was a tough first match for me; she was playing very aggressively, and hitting the ball very flat... I wasn't playing my best today, but I have to respect her game. She didn't allow me to get into a rhythm, and she deserved to win... Vacation is starting for me. It was a long season and I just feel so tired of travelling and flying, so I need some time at home with my family." Reuters story     Elena, as it turned out, changed her mind and entered the Advanta in Philadelphia as a late-entry wild card-- she likely will qualify for the WTA Championships in LA the last week of the season as well. #9 s3 Nadia Petrova RUS d #83 q Sofia Arvidsson SWE 6-3, 6-3 Thu Nadia's forehand, and Sofia's backhand #10 s4 Patty Schnyder SUI d #55 Iveta Benesova CZE 6-2, 6-2 Thu Lefties: Patty's backhand, Iveta's forehand #19 s6 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d #37 Conchita Martinez ESP 2-6, 6-0, 3-1 retired-- right wrist strain Thu Conchita serving, Daniela fielding a low volley or drop shot, and Daniela signing autographs for some unusual fans     About ending the match, Conchita said: "My wrist was getting worse in the second set, and in the third my Achilles heel that has been bugging me since the summer was really bad, so there was no point." Reuters story     This may have been the last WTA singles match that 33-year-old 1994 Wimbledon champion Conchita will play. Conchita has been considering retiring at the end of this year, but has not yet decided. Conchita said: "I always said I would finish the year and the year is not finished yet. My main goal is to make the [WTA] Championships in doubles [partnered with Virginia Ruano Pascual] and obviously I'm going to take care of my injuries and that takes some time. During that time I'm going to think of what I want to do, if I want to continue or not... I still have some good tennis in me. It's just a matter of being fit and being 100 percent all the time. It's tougher to recover now and when you carry injuries it's tough to play."     If she retires, Conchita may look for a coaching position. Conchita said: "I love tennis and I love coaching... If a good opportunity comes my way, I think with all the experience and knowledge I have in this sport, I wouldn't like it to get lost out there. If I can tell it to somebody and they can learn from it, that's a good thing." #22 s8 Ana Ivanovic SCG d #NR wc Tamira Paszek AUT 7-5, 6-1 Thu Almost-18-year-old Ana's forehand, and 15-year-old Tamira's backhand #24 s9 Tatiana Golovin FRA d #38 Sesil Karatantcheva BUL 6-4, 7-6(2) Wed Sesil and Tatiana while belting backhands #28 Ai Sugiyama JPN d #29 Gisela Dulko ARG 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 Thu Ai delivering a forehand, and after match point *#89 wc Sybille Bammer AUT d #41 Vera (Douchevina) Dushevina RUS 7-5, 6-4 Thu Sybille and Vera show their "sinister" and "dexter" 2-handed backhands

Linz, QFs, Fri 2pm WTA story losers' prize: $14,100 US; points: 49 #9 s3 Nadia Petrova RUS d #89 wc Sybille Bammer AUT 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 Nadia cannonballing a serve to Sybille, and modeling later on Friday during the tourney fashion show: l to r Tournament Director Sandra Reichel, Austrian retired former WTA # 7 Barbara Schett, Gisela Dulko, and Nadia     Nadia said: "I started the match a little tense, because I knew [Sybille] was the home favorite and that she would have the crowd behind her. I expected she would play her best tennis and that she'd be inspired, being in the quarterfinals in her hometown event.     "However I think I played the first set really well, even though I lost my serve at the start of the match. I was playing very aggressively and I wasn't missing much, but in the second set she really improved. She wasn't missing anything; it was like playing against a wall. She's also very quick and she was getting to nearly every ball. Every time I attacked, I expected a short ball to come back, but she hit a nice, deep defensive ball, and I had to start all over again. I was beginning to lose a little patience." #10 s4 Patty Schnyder SUI d #19 s6 Daniela Hantuchova SVK 6-2, 6-1 Patty spinning a forehand, Daniela belting a backhand     Patty said: "I think it was a great performance today. [Daniela] stayed with me early in the first set, but after that I stepped it up and had a pretty comfortable win.     "I think you can see that we are both a little tired; you could see that sometimes with her shots. But she's a great champion and I needed to be careful today, especially since I lost to her the two times I played her this year [in New Haven and Filderstadt]." #22 s8 Ana Ivanovic SCG d #24 s9 Tatiana Golovin FRA 7-5, 6-3 Ana after match point, and while meeting fans at the tourney (possibly on Wednesday)     Ana said: "I'm very happy with the way I played today. I think everything in my game was going well, except maybe for my first serve, which wasn't so good at times." *#36 Kveta Peschke CZE d #28 Ai Sugiyama JPN 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 Kveta twisting a serve to Ai, and running down a forehand     Kveta said: "It is a great win for me. In the beginning of the match I don't think either of us were playing too well, but later on it became a lot better, and to reach the semifinals here is wonderful. It's been a great year for me, and I'm so happy that I'm playing well right until the end of the season."

Linz, SFs, Sat WTA story losers' prize: $26,500 US; points: 88 #9 s3 Nadia Petrova RUS d #36 Kveta Peschke CZE 6-3, 6-4 Nadia launching a backhand, and after match point     Nadia said: "It's not easy to play against Kveta. She hits the ball so hard and flat; she makes life pretty difficult out there. I just had to try and focus on playing each point, and even though I lost a bit of concentration in the second set, I found a way to get out of trouble...     "I would love to win my first title here, It's the end of the season and it would make me so happy if I could win, and finish the year on a high like this and play in Los Angeles in the WTA Championships. It would be great motivation for me to do even better next year." #10 s4 Patty Schnyder SUI d #22 s8 Ana Ivanovic SCG 7-5, 6-2 Ana delivering a backhand volley, Patty having her wrist treated, and Patty feeling better after match point     Left-handed Patty is shown with ice on her left wrist after an unfortunate injury. Patty got a bit miffed when her serve was broken for a second time in the 1st set, and hurt her wrist in the process of slamming her racket to the ground.     Patty said: "It was a pretty stupid thing to do, but also very unlucky. I was in a lot of pain after it happened, and I needed a pain killer and some treatment to keep playing. It's nothing severe; I'll be fine for my match tomorrow. I just need to take care of it." Reuters story     "Ana and I have played each other so many times recently, in Filderstadt and Zurich, I knew she was going to change her game plan against me. I dropped serve too many times today, but as the match went on we were rallying better. Even though I was playing in a little bit of pain I think my game was on today, and I'm looking forward to playing the final tomorrow."

Linz, Final, Sun 1:30pm loser's prize: $49,500 US; points: 137 winner's prize: $93,000 US; points: 195 #9 s3 Nadia Petrova RUS d #10 s4 Patty Schnyder SUI 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 Nadia running down a backhand, Patty spinning a forehand, and Nadia after match point

Linz, Doubles Final, Sun losers' prize: $15,500 US winners' prize: $29,000 US *cdr57 Gisela Dulko & Kveta Peschke d cdr16 s2 Virginia Ruano Pascual & Conchita Martinez 6-2, 6-3 Virginia & Conchita, and Kveta & Gisela Linz, Qual Finals, Mon Oct 24 losers' prize: $2,150 US #60 Marta Domachowska POL d #140 Yuliana Fedak UKR 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(7) #83 Sofia Arvidsson SWE d #131 Yvonne Meusburger AUT 6-4, 6-4 #125 Barbora Strycova CZE v #1205 Nicole Remis AUT 6-3, 6-3 #133 Elena Vesnina RUS d #142 Kateryna Bondarenko RUS 6-1, 6-1 Linz, Withdrawals #4 s1 Amélie Mauresmo FRA left adductor strain, rest #5 Mary Pierce FRA r quadriceps strain #6 Justine Henin-Hardenne BEL hamstring #23 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER ankle? #25 Flavia Pennetta ITA #549 Chanda Rubin USA knee?

Hasselt, 1st Rd, Mon-Wed noon WTA Wed story losers' prize: $1,300 US; points: 1 #2 s1 Kim Clijsters BEL d #70 Ekaterina Bychkova RUS 6-1, 6-3 Wed Kim Clijsters     Kim said: "There was definitely a bit of rustiness there tonight. [Ekaterina is] a good player, she beat Kuznetsova at the US Open, and she surprised me with her shots sometimes." #14 s2 Nathalie Dechy FRA d #101 Anastasiya Yakimova BLR 6-3, 6-1 Tue Nathalie Dechy #18 s3 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #123 q Kaia Kanepi EST 6-3, 6-4 Tue #20 s4 Dinara Safina RUS d #102 Stephanie Foretz FRA 6-2, 6-4 Tue *#84 Julia Schruff GER d #30 s5 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP 6-2, 6-1 Mon Julia Schruff *#259 wc Kirsten Flipkens BEL d #31 s6 Silvia Farina Elia ITA 6-3, 6-2 Mon Kirsten's backhand, and Silvia in the last match of her career     33-year-old Silvia Farina Elia is retiring after spending over half her life as a professional tennis player. Silvia turned pro in 1988, and was ranked in the top 20 at the end of 1998, 2001, and 2002. In 2002 she reached her career high rank of #11, the highest rank ever reached by an Italian woman. During her career she won 469 singles matches and 3 WTA singles titles, 269 doubles matches and 9 WTA doubles titles, and over $3.6 million in prize money.     Silvia said: "I have so many good memories. I really didn't expect to be ranked this high when I started out. I have to give all the credit to my husband for his love and support, especially for the last five or six years.     "I'm proud of coming back from the injuries and proving to myself that I could do it again. I'm proud of playing the final this year in Amelia Island against Lindsay. I never thought I would reach that level again. I'm delighted with my wins over Venus and Serena this year. Also I'm proud of my win over Seles when we played Fed Cup in my country, that meant a lot to me. The highlight has to be reaching the quarterfinals of Wimbledon two years ago and playing three sets against Kim [Clijsters]." WTA story WTA story: Farina Elia Retires from Professional Tennis Silvia Farina Elia WTA bio pages Silvia Farina Elia ITF career record Silvia Farina Elia wallpaper *#68 Michaella Krajicek NED d #35 s7 Anna Chakvetadze RUS 6-1, 3-1    retired-- r wrist strain Tue #43 s8 Katarina Srebotnik SLO d #95 Mara Santangelo ITA 6-3, 6-0 Wed #47 Roberta Vinci ITA d #257 q Mandy Minella LUX 6-4, 6-2 Wed #48 Jill Craybas USA d #72 Martina Sucha SVK 7-6, 6-1 Tue *#52 Samantha Stosur AUS d #51 Nuria Llagostera Vives ESP 6-4, 6-0 Tue #54 Lucie Safarova CZE d #122 Maria Emilia Salerni ARG 6-2, 6-1 Tue *#217 wc Els Callens BEL d #66 Eleni Daniilidou GRE 7-6, 6-4 Mon Els Callens #69 Karolina Sprem CRO d #156 q Olga Savchuk UKR 6-1, 6-1 Wed *#126 q Meilen Tu USA d #80 Emilie Loit FRA 6-3, 6-7, 6-1 Wed #104 Maria Elena Camerin ITA d #175 Lioudmila Skavronskaia RUS 6-1, 6-2 Mon Kim Clijsters runs to cover as Els Callens reaches to stop a lob while they defeat their compatriots Kirsten Flipkens and Caroline Maes 7-5, 6-1 in the 1st round of doubles on Tuesday.     Formerly a top-ranked doubles player, Kim Clijsters has stuck to singles since injuring her left wrist in 2004-- except for Fed Cup doubles earlier this year when she partnered with Els Callens, and this week in Linz, where she is playing with Els again, because her friend and compatriot Els, 35, is retiring after this tourney. Els has won 10 WTA doubles titles and $1,662,326 in prize money during her 15-year WTA career.     The last match of Els career came in the doubles semifinals on Saturday, October 29, when Els and Kim were narrowly defeated by Michaella Krajicek and Agnes Szavay, 6-7, 6-4, 5-7.     About retiring, Els said: "I'm lucky when I look back there are so many great memories in singles and doubles. In singles my best ever match was against Serena [Williams] in 2002 Wimbledon, we played on court two and she won in two tiebreaks. She had to reach a sixth gear that day, because I was playing at my very best level, and if she hadn't I'm sure I would have taken that match... My proudest moment has to be winning the Bronze Medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics with Dominique [Van Roost].     "Now that my playing career is over after this week, I am the teaching pro at a club 20 minutes outside of Antwerp called T.C. Piepel. My ambition is to run an academy of my own. I like the idea of sharing my experience with young people coming up, and it's a good time to capitalize on the boom in tennis interest in our country as well." WTA story Els Callens WTA bio page Els Callens ITF career record

Hasselt, 2nd Rd, Wed-Thu losers' prize: $2,200 US; points: 16 #2 s1 Kim Clijsters BEL d #69 Karolina Sprem CRO 6-2, 6-0 Thu Kim Clijsters #14 s2 Nathalie Dechy FRA d #47 Roberta Vinci ITA 6-0, 3-2 retired Thu #18 s3 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #104 Maria Elena Camerin ITA 7-5, 6-1 Wed #20 s4 Dinara Safina RUS d #48 Jill Craybas USA 6-1, 7-6(3) Thu #43 s8 Katarina Srebotnik SLO d #126 q Meilen Tu USA 2-2 retired--    left ankle sprain Thu #52 Samantha Stosur AUS d #259 wc Kirsten Flipkens BEL 7-6(7), 6-3 Thu Samantha Stosur *#68 Michaella Krajicek NED d #54 Lucie Safarova CZE 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 Thu Michaella Krajicek #84 Julia Schruff GER d #217 wc Els Callens BEL 6-3, 6-1 Wed Julia's forehand, and Els after the last singles match of her career

Hasselt, QFs, Fri noon losers' prize: $4,000 US; points: 30 #2 s1 Kim Clijsters BEL d #84 Julia Schruff GER 6-2, 6-3 "I've fallen, and I can't get up!"     Kim said: "Julia played well. She fought hard and ran a lot of balls down. I had some problems on serve in the second set and will look to improve that as the tournament goes on." WTA story *#68 Michaella Krajicek NED d #14 s2 Nathalie Dechy FRA 6-4, 6-3 Michaella after match point     16-year-old Michaella has now won 11 of her last 12 matches (including qualifying in Luxembourg and her 1st WTA title in Tashkent), and Nathalie is the highest-ranked player she has defeated so far. #18 s3 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #52 Samantha Stosur AUS 6-3, 6-2 Francesca's backhand #20 s4 Dinara Safina RUS d #43 s8 Katarina Srebotnik SLO 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(9) Dinara after winning a point

Hasselt, SFs, Sat losers' prize: $7,500 US; points: 55 #2 s1 Kim Clijsters BEL d #20 s4 Dinara Safina RUS 6-0, 6-1 Kim getting ready to slice a backhand #18 s3 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #68 Michaella Krajicek NED 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 Francesca and Michaella's forehands, and Francesca after match point

Hasselt, Final, Sun loser's prize: $14,500 US; points: 85 winner's prize: $27,000 US; points: 120 #2 s1 Kim Clijsters BEL d #18 s3 Francesca Schiavone ITA 6-2, 6-3 Kim delivering a backhand, Francesca dancing at net, and both ladies with their trophies

Hasselt, Doubles Final, Sun losers' prize: $4,250 US winners' prize: $8,000 US cdr60 s2 Emilie Loit & Katarina Srebotnik d cdr273 Michaella Krajicek & Agnes Szavay 6-3, 6-4 Michaella & Agnes, and Katarina & Emilie Hasselt, Qual Finals, Mon Oct 24 losers' prize: $650 US *#123 Kaia Kanepi EST d #113 Martina Muller GER 6-3, 7-5 #126 Meilen Tu USA d #190 Agnes Szavay HUN 7-5, 6-2 *#257 Mandy Minella LUX d #146 Shikha Uberoi USA 6-2, 6-7, 7-5 #156 Olga Savchuk UKR d #170 Anne Kremer LUX 6-3, 7-6 Hasselt, Withdrawals #13 Alicia Molik AUS vestibular neuronitis #27 Maria Kirilenko RUS #58 Mariana Diaz-Oliva ARG #59 Catalina Castano COL #64 Maria Vento-Kabchi VEN

2004 Linz-Luxembourg tourney page
2004 Hasselt-Guangzhou-Seoul tourney page

    (Oct 24, 2005) Top-seeded # 4 Amélie Mauresmo withdrew from the Generali Ladies Linz on Monday due to a left adductor strain.
    A fool like me would think that this would move s3 Nadia Petrova to the s1 spot (seeds 1&2 are virtually equivalent on a drawsheet), give s5 Elena Likhovtseva a 1st round bye, and place Elena in Nadia's former postion. Then Tatiana Golovin would be made s9, and play Ai Sugiyama, who was to play Elena L. Sesil Karatantcheva, who had been slotted to play Tatiana would play a qualifier or the Lucky Loser (the highest ranked player to lose in the qualifying finals).
    The folks in Linz didn't think so (and perhaps they had a good reason, but I don't know what it is). They made Tatiana s9 and not only gave her the 1st round bye, but also put her into Amelie's s1 position. This is fine for Tatiana (and not at all her fault), but seems rather unfair to Elena Likhovtseva and Nadia Petrova.

    (Oct 24, 2005) Just-turned-19-year-old # 41 Vera Douchevina from Khimki, Russia, has changed the English spelling of her name; she is now Vera Dushevina.

    (Oct 21, 2005 revised) # 13 Alicia Molik has withdrawn from next week's tourney in Hasslet, Belgium, due to her ongoing balance and vision difficulties caused by a viral infection of the middle and inner ear called vestibular neuronitis, which has plagued Alicia since April. As a result of the illness, 2004 Zurich champ Alicia retired from her match against Jelena Jankovic in Zurich on Monday. Alicia, who has been ranked as high as # 8, will drop out of the top 20 next week.
    Alicia said: "At this stage I think I need a long period of time away, first of all to become healthy again, to get over my illness, and second of all to remain happy and to do things to occupy myself.
    "I've been fighting this for a long time now. I've done the best I could possibly have done, and I think it's time to do something for myself for a change. I want to take a lot of stress out of my life.
    "This could improve, it could stagnate or it could remain with me for a lengthy period of time. I need to accept that, if that's the case." WTA story - Reuters story
    Alicia's agent, Lisa Chaffey said: "It's nowhere near any kind of retirement... There's not set time period in mind, she's just dedicated to having as long off as needed, because when she does come back she wants to be at the standard she was at." Reuters story

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