WTA Aug 8-14 JPMorganChase Open Los Angeles, CA Tier II $585,000 - 56 players - outdoor: hard draw, .pdf - draw, .html Yahoo! photos: JP Morgan - JPMorgan - WTA photos LA: weather radar - forecast # 2 Maria Sharapova # 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova # 6 Elena Dementieva # 9 Nadia Petrova Nordic Light Open, Stockholm, SWE Tier IV $140,000 - 32 players - outdoor: red clay Live Scores - draws, .pdf Stockholm: weather radar - forecast photos: tourney gallery - Yahoo! news - WTA # 12 Anastasia Myskina # 31 Vera Douchevina # 32 Anabel Medina Garrigues # 60 Katarina Srebotnik

Tourney pages: LA: 2004 Stockholm: 2004 LA & Helsinki: 2003 previous   other tourney pages     next Los Angeles: #10 Kim Clijsters 5' 8½", 150 lbs, RH 2H-BH Stockholm: #60 Katarina Srebotnik 5' 11", 137 lbs, RH 2H-BH

    Babolats in Blue: On Sunday in the final of the JPMorgan Chase Open in LA, 5th-seeded # 10 Kim Clijsters from Bree, Belgium, defeated 9th-seeded 22-year-old # 23 Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, 6-4, 6-0 (Kim is shown after match point on Sunday).
    Kim now leads Daniela 7-0 in career matches, including three straight-set wins this year.
    Kim said: "The more you keep pushing [your opponents], the more they have to go for risks. [Daniela] kept hitting the lines and going for shots; all credit to her. It's not that I'm hitting it harder, I'm making them think more." WTA story
    Daniela said: "I felt like in the first set I had a lot of chances. [Kim] proved that she really deserves to be one of the best players in the world. Certainly she is one of the toughest to beat. If she feels like she is getting on top; it's hard to stop her."

    In Stockholm on Sunday, 24-year-old 5th-seeded # 60 Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia took only three minutes to defeat Vera Douchevina from Khimki, Russia, in their rain-interrupted semifinal, 6-0, 7-5. Vera had been serving, trailing Katarina 0-6, 5-6, 15-30, on Saturday when play was suspended due to rain, then darkness.
    Katarina returned to the court Sunday afternoon and defeated top-seeded 24-year-old # 12 Anastasia Myskina from Moscow, Russia, 7-5, 6-2 (Katarina is shown after match point). Anastasia was plagued by unforced errors, particulary on her forehand.
    Surprisingly, Katarina now leads Anastasia 4-2 in career matches. Their previous meeting was earlier this year in the Antwerp quarterfinals, where Anastasia won 7-6(6), 6-2.
    Addressing Anastasia during the award ceremony, Katarina said: "I'm sorry I beat you, but I wanted to win this one really badly." WTA story
    Anastasia said: "I find it strange that [Katarina] isn't higher up in the rankings. She alwyas plays well when we meet..."
    "Even if I didn't win I'm very pleased with my visit here. I have had a wonderful week and everything has been perfect. Everybody have been so kind and helpful, and the audience has supported me throughout the tournament, not to mention I've been blessed with sunshine in each game."

LA:
    22-year-old Kim Clijsters has now won 26 WTA singles titles in 39 finals. Kim reached the # 1 ranking in WTA singles in August 2003, and although she was displaced by her compatriot Justine Henin-Hardenne, retained a solid # 2 position. Then Kim seriously injured her left wrist in her 2nd round match at Indian Wells in March 2004, and when she returned to play in October, she incurred another, separate left wrist injury, which required surgery. Since returning to play in the Spring of 2005, Kim has been playing very, very well again.
    Kim swings an axe called a Babolat "Pure Drive Team", a terrifically popular 11.2 oz (strung) 27" bat balanced head-light with a 100 sq." string area & stiffness 70, reportedly strung with 16 gauge Babolat VS Natural ThermoGut Touch. Kim wears Fila togs, and is coached by Marc Dehous.
Clijsters career record - Clijsters wallpaper - Kim's official website

    Daniela Hantuchova was born in Poprad, Slovakia, but her address is now Monte Carlo, Monaco. Daniela's big break came when she defeated Martina Hingis to win the Indian Wells title in 2002. She continued to play at a high level the rest of that year, and in January, 2003, reached her career-high rank of # 5. But she has not won a WTA singles title since then (this week in LA was the 4th WTA singles final she has reached in her career). By June, 2004, Daniela's rank had fallen to # 54, and false claims were reported in the press that her low weight was due to an eating disorder. Since then Daniela's game has again improved, albeit gradually. It appears that she will soon be in the top 20 again.
    Daniela wears Nike and swings a Yonex Nanospeed RQ-7 bat. The RQ-7 comes in 100" (MP) and 110" (OS) flavors; Daniela's 100" bat is 27.5" long, weighs 10.2 oz strung, is balanced 6pts head light, with a stiffness of 63. She reportedly uses the same string as Kim Clijsters, 16 gauge Babolat VS Natural ThermoGut Touch.
    Daniela spent a couple of years at the Bollettieri Academy in Florida, as have about a third of the most successful players in the WTA. She has been coached by Nigel Sears since mid-2001, except for a short stretch when she thought it best to try somebody else. Her strokes display exemplary form. Daniela says that grass is her favorite surface; her game is also well-suited to hard courts.
Hantuchova record - Hantuchova Wallpaper - Daniela's official website

Stockholm:
    23-year-old Katarina "Kata" Srebotnik was born in Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia, and resides in Velenje. She has now won 4 WTA singles titles in 6 finals (and 10 doubles titles as well). Katarina, whose designer is Diadora, once wielded a Wilson wacket, but now swings a Babolat Pure Drive bat, the racket that Clijsters built (well, some would say Roddick...), described above.
    Since December, 2004, Katarina has been coached by former Serbian Fed Cup coach Biljana Veselinovic.
Srebotnik record

    Anastasia Myskina was born in Moscow, Russia, and still picks up her mail there. "Nastya" has won 9 of the 15 WTA singles finals she has played in, including the 2004 French Open. Anastasia once wore Puma togs, but in 2003 she became "Property of Nike." Anastasia chops with a Head Flexpoint Instinct axe, 27" long with a 100 sq" head, weighing 11.2 oz strung and balanced 3 points head light, with a stiffness rating of 65. Anastasia reportedly has her bats strung with 18-gauge Luxilon Big Banger TiMO.
    Anastasia received her early training at Moscow's Spartak Academy (as did Elena Dementieva and Anna Kournikova, who says Anastasia is "a sweetheart"). At Spartak she was coached by Dinara & Marat Safin's mother until 1994, when Svitoslav Mirza took over Anastasia's training. Since 2002 Anastasia has been coached by Jens Gerlach. She has also worked with Dutchman Robert Lansdorp.
    Anastasia prefers her backhand, but she also has a fine forehand. Her mobility is excellent, and she observes and reacts to her opponents very well.
Myskina record - Myskina Wallpaper

    LA has no live scoring. The center court live scoring that Stockholm had last year was gone, but now has grown back somehow (the link is above-- you might have to refresh the page yourself).
    The LA website, as usual, is a piece of junk, all flash and little info (same crummy job that they do for the WTA Championships). You would think they would learn, eventually.

    The time in Carson (Los Angeles) is UCT (GMT, Zulu, Greenwich...) minus 7 hours. That is Pacific Daylight Time in the US, =EDT -3 hours. Early round play begins at 11am local time.
    The time in Stockholm is UCT (GMT, Zulu, Greenwich...) plus 2 hours. That is 9 hours ahead of PDT in the US, 6 hours ahead of EDT. Early round play begins at 10:30am local time (qualifying finals are first on Monday).

WTA SCOREBOARD: Los Angeles & Stockholm s=seed, #=rank, *=upset, LL=lucky loser ranks are for the previous week How do players get into the "draw"? California Girls, 1951:   Imports, 2005: left: May Sutton Bundy (left) and Helen Wills (right) are on hand to present Maureen Connolly with the trophy for winning the Pacific Southwest Championship in Los Angeles in 1951 photo from the Modern Encyclopedia of Tennis right: Belgian Kim Clijsters and Russians Svetlana Kuznetsova, Nadia Petrova, and Elena Dementieva posed for photos after meeting the press at the Home Depot Center in LA on Monday, August 8, 2005 Russian, Floridian, Californian Girl Maria Sharapova posed on Monday with this year's tourney bobblehead doll that looks kinda sorta like her-- if # 2 Maria reaches the semifinals in LA, she will likely become # 1 in the WTA for the first time in her career

Los Angeles, 1st Rd, Mon-Tues Mon Reuters story losers' prize: $1,675 US; points: 1 *#84 q Aiko Nakamura JPN d #24 s10 Flavia Pennetta ITA 6-3, 6-4 Mon *#78 Jie Zheng CHN d #25 s11 Shinobu Asagoe JPN 6(3)-7, 6-3, 6-0 Mon Jie Zheng #26 s12 Dinara Safina RUS d #70 Kristina Brandi PUR 7-6(5), 6-3 Mon Dinara after winning the 1st set     Dinara said: "I didn't play my best today. I had 20 chances to break serve and didn't. I really had to fight, and maybe that's good to win a match even though I didn't have my rhythm." #28 s13 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #51 Dally Randriantefy MAD 7-5, 6-3 Mon Francesca follows through on her 1-handed backhand #30 s14 Gisela Dulko ARG d #45 Fabiola Zuluaga COL 6-3, 6-3 Mon Gisela after match point #33 s15 Klara Koukalova CZE d #434 Maja Matevzic SLO 7-6(3), 6-1 Mon Klara Koukalova #34 s16 Anna Chakvetadze RUS d #40 Na Li CHN 7-5, 6-4 Mon #35 s17 Marion Bartoli FRA d #74 Maria Elena Camerin ITA 6-1, 6-4 Mon     Marion said: "I'm finding my power... I liked the way I played in the last game to close the match out. I've had some tough draws recently, but I think I've improved a lot the past year." *#195 q Kateryna Bondarenko UKR d #39 Evgenia Linetskaya RUS 6-0, 6-3 Tue #46 Shuai Peng CHN d #77 Maria Vento-Kabchi VEN 7-6(5), 6-0 Tue Shuai Peng #47 Lisa Raymond USA d #139 wc Lilia Osterloh USA 6-0, 6-2 Mon #48 Conchita Martinez ESP d #55 Mashona Washington USA 6-1, 6-4 Tue #50 Maria Kirilenko RUS d #100 wc Marissa Irvin USA 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 Mon *#107 q Angela Haynes USA d #52 Marta Domachowska POL 6-4, 7-5 Mon #53 Samantha Stosur AUS d #79 Alina Jidkova RUS 6-3, 6-2 Mon #54 Iveta Benesova CZE d #59 Sania Mirza IND 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 Tue Iveta delivering a cannonball to Sania #56 wc Jill Craybas USA d #117 Virginia Ruano Pascual ESP 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 Tue #63 Eleni Daniilidou GRE d #144 q Maria Emilia Salerni ARG 7-6(2), 7-5 Tue #64 Karolina Sprem CRO d #105 q Yuliana Fedak UKR 6-4, 7-6(11) Tue #68 Amy Frazier USA d #80 Abigail Spears USA 7-6(6), 6-0 Mon Amy Frazier *#103 q Rika Fujiwara JPN d #71 An. Serra Zanetti ITA 6-0, 6-2 Mon #81 q Tathiana Garbin ITA d #137 LL Bethanie Mattek USA 6-2, 6-2 Tue *#132 LL Varvara Lepchenko UZB d #129 LL Galina Voskoboeva RUS 6-1, 7-6 Mon *#204 q Tian Tian Sun CHN d #146 LL Maria Fernanda Alves BRA 6-0, 6-1 Tue Tian Tian Sun

Los Angeles, 2nd Rd, Tue-Wed Wed WTA story - AFP story losers' prize: $3,270 US; points: 14 #2 s1 Maria Sharapova RUS d #50 Maria Kirilenko RUS 7-6(7), 6-2 Tue Maria S displaying her usual fine forehand form; her good friend Maria K, forced to gun down the chair umpire with her Yonex RDX 300 after a bad call; and Maria S waving to the fans after match point     Maria Sharapova said: "It was tough to close out the first set. I was up 0-40 on [Maria K's] serve at 6-5 and she came up with some good shots. The first set really could have gone anywhere, so I was really happy to win it... I've known her for such a long time, we're such good buddies. It's hard to play a good friend, especially in the first round, but I'm sure we'll have a lot of opportunities to play each other more." WTA story *#63 Eleni Daniilidou GRE d #4 s2 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS 6-4, 6-4 Wed Eleni Daniilidou     Svetlana said: "I need to start practicing more and work on getting my brain together. I just need to get everything better. Work on getting the ball in. I hate losing, so I will have to work much more and practice much more." #6 s3 Elena Dementieva RUS d #53 Samantha Stosur AUS 6-4, 6-3 Wed Elena instructing the ball not to move before she hits her serve     Elena said: "I'm very happy to win this match. I was struggling with my serve the whole match, and [Jill] was putting so much pressure on her serve. I couldn't really do what I wanted in the right motion... But I didn't want to stay and play three sets. It was hot, and she was in good shape. So I started go for winners... It's good for me to play more matches on the hard courts so I can feel more comfortable and be ready for the US Open." #9 s4 Nadia Petrova RUS d #56 wc Jill Craybas USA 6-3, 6-1 Wed Nadia Petrova     Nadia was troubled by a sore elbow when she lost her first match last week in San Diego. Nadia said: "When I went on today, I was certain about my arm and was not thinking about it at all. I didn't feel a thing... Coming here, I did have more time to practice, as I took off after Wimbledon and came to San Diego to practice before [last week's] tournament. I had not so much confidence since it was my first match in five weeks. I needed to just work one point at a time. It was a good mental win today and tomorrow I need to raise myself to the next level." #10 s5 Kim Clijsters BEL d #64 Karolina Sprem CRO 6-2, 6-1 Wed Kim Clijsters     Kim said: "It is nice to have another win, but it was tough to find a good rhythm out there tonight and I did what I had to do to win in straight sets." #23 s9 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d #107 q Angela Haynes USA 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 Wed Daniela Hantuchova #26 s12 Dinara Safina RUS d #103 q Rika Fujiwara JPN 6-2, 7-5 Wed #28 s13 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #46 Shuai Peng CHN 4-6, 7-6(1), 6-4 Wed Francesca Schiavone *#48 Conchita Martinez ESP d #30 s14 Gisela Dulko ARG 64 62 Wed Conchita does not toss the ball any higher than necessary when she serves (this is the recommended form, but many pros use a high toss anyway) #33 s15 Klara Koukalova CZE d #68 Amy Frazier USA 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 Tue #34 s16 Anna Chakvetadze RUS d #54 Iveta Benesova CZE 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 Wed #35 s17 Marion Bartoli FRA d #204 q Tian Tian Sun CHN 6(4)-7, 6-3, 6-1 Wed Marion Bartoli #47 Lisa Raymond USA d #84 q Aiko Nakamura JPN 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 Wed *#195 q Kateryna Bondarenko UKR d #78 Jie Zheng CHN 4-6, 7-5, 6-0 Wed #81 q Tathiana Garbin ITA d #163 LL Saori Obata JPN 6-4, 6-1 Wed #132 LL Varvara Lepchenko UZB d #158 LL Silvija Talaja CRO 6-4, 6-2 Tue

Los Angeles, 3rd Rd, Thu 11am WTA story losers' prize: $6,380 US; points: 25 #2 s1 Maria Sharapova RUS d #34 s16 Anna Chakvetadze RUS 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 Anna and Maria's forehands     Maria won despite a bad cold and an inflamed right pectoral muscle. Her right armpit was taped, and she had trouble with her serves and forehands.     Maria said: "It wasn't me out there today. I'm serving 93 miles per hour and not hitting my forehand. With that, it's tough to come out against a player that has nothing to lose."     Anna said: "Maria was a fighter and she fought all the way. That's why she won."     If Maria wins her Friday quarterfinal against Daniela Hantuchova, next week she will be ranked # 1 for the first time. But she might withdraw to give her arm time to heal. About her injury, Maria said: "It's been an on and off problem for me. I don't think the pain is going to go away with me trying to play and hit as hard as I can."     If Maria does withdraw, she will likely reach # 1 anyway, one week later, because current # 1 Lindsay Davenport has been losing points while not playing due to a low back injury. About the possibility of withdrawing, and the rankings, Maria said: "There's no pressure at all." #6 s3 Elena Dementieva RUS d #35 s17 Marion Bartoli FRA 6-3, 7-6(4) Elena after match point     Elena said: "I'm trying to get the confidence on my serve. I feel better about my serve and that’s why I am playing doubles-- to work on my serve. I will step on the court tomorrow and do what I need to do." #9 s4 Nadia Petrova RUS d #33 s15 Klara Koukalova CZE 6-2, 6-4 Nadia Petrova #10 s5 Kim Clijsters BEL d #26 s12 Dinara Safina RUS 6-0, 7-5 Kim after winning a game in the 2nd set #23 s9 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d #195 q Kateryna Bondarenko UKR 6-4, 6-4 Daniela Hantuchova #28 s13 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #132 LL Varvara Lepchenko UZB 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 Francesca Schiavone *#81 q Tathiana Garbin ITA d #47 Lisa Raymond USA 6-4, 6-3 Tathiana Garbin #48 Conchita Martinez ESP d #63 Eleni Daniilidou GRE 6-1, retired-- r ankle sprain Conchita Martinez

Los Angeles, QFs, Fri WTA story losers' prize: $12,450 US; points: 49 #23 s9 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d #2 s1 Maria Sharapova RUS walkover-- right pectoral strain Maria talking to the press after her withdrawal-- but she will very likely be # 1 on August 22 anyway     Maria said: "I'm extremely disappointed to have withdrawn because of the re-injury of the muscle strain that I sustained late last year, and which has been bothering me all week... I'm not a big fan of pulling out. If you saw me play yesterday, you would say that I shouldn't have been playing. Like I said yesterday, if I woke up with pain and couldn't play 100 percent, I wouldn't play. That's what has happened. I can't serve or hit a forehand."     Maria still hopes to play in the Tier I Rogers AT&T Cup in Toronto next week. With a 1st round bye, her first match would probably not be scheduled until Wednesday evening.     However, Maria said: "The percentage of my playing next week [in Toronto] is not very big right now. Of course I'm disappointed. In the back of my mind I know I need to be 100 percent healthy. I'm not the kind of person that goes out on court and wants to pull out in the middle [of a match]."     Daniela said: "I'm sorry it happened, I was looking forward to playing [Maria], and you never want to win match like that." Reuters story #6 s3 Elena Dementieva RUS d #81 q Tathiana Garbin ITA 6-1, 6-1 Elena Dementieva     Elena said: "I felt confident with every shot I was making. I was ready for every single shot... I played too fast for [Tathiana]. Everything I tried worked, even my drop shots... I was happy to finish a match like that in less than a hour, so now I have a nice rest before my semifinal match tomorrow." Reuters story *#10 s5 Kim Clijsters BEL d #9 s4 Nadia Petrova RUS 6-4, 6-2 Kim serving to Nadia     Kim is now 13-1 against Russians in 2005. Kim said: "I tried to mix it up and tried not to hit three balls into one corner. I kept [Nadia] moving from side to side. I've always said the Russians play a similar type of game. They hit it hard. They hit it flat and deep. I enjoy playing against them." #28 s13 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #48 Conchita Martinez ESP 7-5, 6-4 Francesca Schiavone

Los Angeles, SFs, Sat 1pm WTA story losers' prize: $24,300 US; points: 88 *#23 s9 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d #6 s3 Elena Dementieva RUS 6-3, 6-4 Daniela serving to Elena, and two photos of happy Daniela after match point     Daniela said: "This was one of the best matches I've played against [Elena]. I tried to step it up a little bit, went for my shots and be aggressive, but at same time be a little smarter." AP story     Elena said: "[Daniela] was very aggressive from the first ball. She moved me around very well. I was playing kind of defensive all the time and that's what I don't like to do... She mixed it up with her serve very well and I couldn't break her. She has a great serve, a very solid game, all she needs is to move like she did today. She could be in the top five." #10 s5 Kim Clijsters BEL d #28 s13 Francesca Schiavone ITA 6-2, 6-4 Kim Clijsters     Kim said: "Today was the best I've felt so far in this tournament. I was a little tired in my previous matches, but today I felt better. I've had some tough matches against [Francesca] and it was a tough one... she entertains the crowd and I enjoyed it."     Francesca said: "I played really well, and then I started to not feel so relaxed. If you don't play so well with Kim, it is not so easy to beat her."

Los Angeles, Final, Sun loser's prize: $47,500 US; points: 137 winner's prize: $93,000 US; points: 195 #10 s5 Kim Clijsters BEL d #23 s9 Daniela Hantuchova SVK 6-4, 6-1 Daniela drove for the lines, but Kim collected the glassware

Los Angeles, Doubles Final, Sun losers' prize: $14,920 US winners' prize: $29,000 US cdr105 Elena Dementieva & Flavia Pennetta d cdr465 Angela Haynes & Bethanie Mattek 6-2, 6-4 Elena Dementieva & Flavia Pennetta Los Angeles, Qual Finals, Sun Aug 7 loser's prize: $860 US #81 Tathiana Garbin ITA d #137 Bethanie Mattek USA 6(2)-7, 7-5, 6-1 #84 Aiko Nakamura JPN d #132 Varvara Lepchenko UZB 6-3, 6-4 #103 Rika Fujiwara JPN d #272 A Rodionova RUS 6(1)-7, 6-2, 6-3 #105 Yuliana Fedak UKR d #158 Silvija Talaja CRO 6-4, 7-5 #107 Angela Haynes USA d #146 M Fernanda Alves BRA 6-4, 6-0 *#144 Maria Emilia Salerni ARG d #129 Galina Voskoboeva RUS 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 *#195 Kateryna Bondarenko UKR d #163 Saori Obata JPN 6-1, 6-3 *#204 Tian Tian Sun CHN d #196 Seiko Okamoto JPN 6-3, 6-2 Los Angeles, Withdrawals #1 Lindsay Davenport USA low back #7 Serena Williams USA l ankle #14 s6 Mary Pierce FRA r thigh strain #16 s7 Vera Zvonareva RUS l ankle sprain #17 s8 Elena Likhovtseva RUS gastro ill. #25 Tatiana Golovin r ankle sprain #30 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER r hand #38 Ai Sugiyama JPN l thigh strain #56 Magdalena Maleeva BUL r elbow #58 Shahar Peer ISR r shoulder #60 Meghann Shaughnessy USA low back strain #61 Akiko Morigami JPN r knee t-itis #66 Mariana Diaz-Oliva ARG r thoracic strain #107 Paola Suarez ARG hip #168 Chanda Rubin USA l ankle inflam

left: Swedish wild card Sofia Arvidsson and Nordic Light Open director Jenny Lindstrom right: Top seed Anastasia Myskina arrived at Stockholm airport on Wednesday, August 3rd Stockholm, 1st Rd, Mon-Tue 10:30am losers' prize: $1,000 US; points: 1 #12 s2 Anastasia Myskina RUS d #134 LL Viktoriya Kutuzova UKR 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 Tue Anastasia Myskina     Anastasia had trouble with her serve, and fell behind 0-4 in the 1st set before winning a game. Viktoriya, whom Anastasia said played surprisingly well, broke Anastasia's serve in the first game of the 2nd set, and went on to lead 6-4, 4-2. Then Anastasia won 10 straight games and the match. Anastasia said: "At 6-4, 4-2, I really had nothing to lose. I was just trying to fight for every point... [On Wednesday, with no match to play] I'm definitely going to practice more because I want to win here." Nordic Light story #31 s3 Vera Douchevina RUS d #202 q Ivana Lisjak CRO 6-4, 6-2 Tue #32 s4 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP d #96 Michaela Pastikova CZE 6-4, 7-6(3) Mon #60 s5 Katarina Srebotnik SLO d #91 Denisa Chladkova CZE 6-3, 6-4 Mon #72 s6 Martina Sucha SVK d NR wc Caroline Wozniacki DEN 7-6(5), 6-1 Tue #73 s7 Catalina Castano COL d #122 Stephanie Foretz FRA 6-3, 7-6(3) Tue *#90 Emilie Loit FRA d #76 s8 Laura Pous Tio ESP 6-0, 6-2 Mon #82 s9 Alyona Bondarenko UKR d #126 Selima Sfar TUN 6-3, 6-2 Tue #89 Julia Schruff GER d #98 Eva Birnerova CZE 6-3, 6-1 Tue #92 Severine Beltrame FRA d #344 q Alla Kudryavtseva RUS 6-1, 6-2 Tue *#102 Camille Pin FRA d #94 Stephanie Cohen-Aloro FRA 62 62 Mon #97 Mara Santangelo ITA d #162 Sandra Kleinova CZE 6-4, 6-1 Mon #101 Eketerina Bychkova RUS d #123 Ludmila Cervanova CZE 6-4, 6-2 Mon *#131 q Emma Laine FIN d #106 M Sanchez Lorenzo ESP 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(5) Tue *#116 wc Sofia Arvidsson SWE d #112 Barbora Strycova CZE 6-4, 6-4 Tue #114 Arantxa Parra Santonja ESP d #152 q Olga Savchuk UKR 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 Tue

On Wednesday in Stockholm, Anastasia Myskina visited the tourney Sony Ericsson booth, and was apparently pleased with their fine products Stockholm, 2nd Rd, Wed-Thu 11:30am losers' prize: $1,825 US; points: 12 #12 s2 Anastasia Myskina RUS d #102 Camille Pin FRA 6(3)-7, 6-4, 6-1 Thu Camille and Anastasia's backhands     Anastasia again had trouble finding the right gear early in the match. At 3-3 in the 1st set, she committed 3 consecutive double-faults to lose her service game. Anastasia said: "My serve was really bothering me. I hope it is not going to be like this often."     When asked who she would prefer to play in her next match, Anastasia said: "For the [good of the] tournament I would prefer Sofia to play in the quarterfinals." Nordic Light story #31 s3 Vera Douchevina RUS d #89 Julia Schruff GER 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 Thu Vera Douchevina *#114 Arantxa Parra Santonja ESP d #32 s4 A Medina Garrigues ESP 7-6(1), 6-4 Wed #60 s5 Katarina Srebotnik SLO d #101 Eketerina Bychkova RUS 6-0, 6-1Wed #72 s6 Martina Sucha SVK d #92 Severine Beltrame FRA 6-3, 6-3 Thu #73 s7 Catalina Castano COL d #131 q Emma Laine FIN 7-6(5), 6-1 Wed #90 Emilie Loit FRA d #97 Mara Santangelo ITA 6-2, 1-6, 6-2 Wed #116 wc Sofia Arvidsson SWE d #82 s9 Alyona Bondarenko UKR 6-2, 6-3 Thu

Stockholm, QFs, Fri losers' prize: $3,400 US; points: 24 #12 s2 Anastasia Myskina RUS d #116 wc Sofia Arvidsson SWE 7-5, 6-2 Anastasia Myskina #31 s3 Vera Douchevina RUS d #72 s6 Martina Sucha SVK 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 #60 s5 Katarina Srebotnik SLO d #73 s7 Catalina Castano COL 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 #90 Emilie Loit FRA d #114 Arantxa Parra Santonja ESP 6-2, 7-5

Stockholm, SFs, Sat 2pm losers' prize: $6,300 US; points: 43 #12 s2 Anastasia Myskina RUS d #90 Emilie Loit FRA 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 Anastasia's backhand     Anastasia said: "I wasn't happy with my game, but I was never in serious trouble... It wasn´t my best match, that´s for sure. Because of Loit´s style [lots of spin and changes of pace], it´s hard to play your best tennis...     "The only thing that will stop me fom winning [the final] tomorrow is myself. If I play my best tennis, I will win." Nordic Light story BBC story #60 s5 Katarina Srebotnik SLO d #31 s3 Vera Douchevina RUS 6-0, 7-5 Sat-rain-Sun Vera & Katarina between rain breaks on Saturday

Stockholm, Final, Sun loser's prize: $12,000 US; points: 67 winner's prize: $22,000 US; points: 95 #60 s5 Katarina Srebotnik SLO d #12 s2 Anastasia Myskina RUS 7-5, 6-2 Anastasia struggled with forehand errors, while Katarina appears to have utilized special weaponry and tactics (actually she is protesting a line call)

Stockholm, Doubles Final, Sun losers' prize: $3,475 US winners' prize: $6,500 US cdr59 s1 Katarina Srebotnik & Emilie Loit d cdr135 s2 Eva Birnerova & Mara Santangelo 6-3, 6-4 Katarina Srebotnik & Emilie Loit won their second doubles together 2 weeks after their first Stockholm, Qual Finals, Mon Aug 8 losers' prize: $550 US #131 Emma Laine FIN d #181 Elena Vesnina RUS 6-4, 6-0 *#202 Ivana Lisjak CRO d #134 Viktoriya Kutuzova UKR 6-2, 6-3 #152 Olga Savchuk UKR d #299 Erica Krauth ARG 6-4, 6-0 #344 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS d #422 Jana Kandarr GER 6-2, 6-2 Stockholm, Withdrawals #8 s1 Venus Williams USA flu #21 Silvia Farina-Elia ITA shoulder #83 Zuzana Ondraskova CZE r ankle sprain #110 Emmanuelle Gagliardi SUI r hip

    (Aug 10, 2005) 6th-seeded # 14 Mary Pierce of France withdrew from the JPMorganChase Open on Wednesday due to a right thigh strain incurred in practice. She was replaced by "Lucky Loser" # 163 Saori Obata of Japan, who then lost to qualifier # 81 Tathiana Garbin of Italy. In addition to the 8 qualifiers, there have been 6 Lucky Losers in the LA main draw (the 6 highest-ranked losers in qualifying finals), which is probably a record (which hopefully will never be broken). Two of the Lucky Losers got 1st round byes, but both lost in the 2nd round.
    (Aug 8, 2005) Ai Sugiyama, a finalist last week at San Diego, has withdrawn from LA due to an ongoing left thigh strain. Elena Likhovtseva also withdrew, due to gastrointestinal illness. The LA draw had already been reshuffled because s7 Vera Zvonareva sprained her left ankle in her doubles semifinal at the Acura Classic on Saturday and cannot play; Akiko Morigami (right knee tendonitis) and Chanda Rubin (left ankle inflammation) have also withdrawn.
    (Aug 6, 2005) # 1 Lindsay Davenport has withdrawn from the JPMorgan Chase Open which begins August 8 in Los Angeles. Lindsay has been having pain and spasms on the lower left side of her back ever since she strained it during her 4-6, 7-6(4), 9-7 loss to Venus Williams in the Wimbledon final early this month.
    # 7 Serena Willams also withdrew from the tourney. Serena is still troubled by a injured left ankle which she incurred last April in the quarterfinals of the Bausch & Lomb Championships at Amelia Island, Florida. The injury caused Serena to miss the French Open. After losing in the 3rd round at Wimbledon in June, Serena said that the injury had been a hairline fracture, and that is was still troubling her, although it was not the cause of her defeat.
    Lindsay and Serena are withdrawing for the second week in a row; # 2 Maria Sharapova also withdrew (also due to a low back strain) from this week's Acura Classic, but she is in the draw for LA.
    Meanwhile, # 8 Venus Williams withdrew from the Nordic Light Open which begins August 8 in Stockholm, after the draw had already been posted with Venus as the top seed. Venus is suffering from the flu.

WTA WOUNDED:
a partial list of players inactive due to injury or illness
during the week of Aug 8, 2005, with current rankings
(many more are playing with injuries)
# 1 Lindsay Davenport USA low back
# 5 Justine Henin-Hardenne BEL hamstring
# 7 Serena Williams USA left ankle
# 11 Mary Pierce FRA r thigh strain
# 13 Alicia Molik AUS inner ear infection
# 16 Elena Bovina RUS r shoulder
# 17 Vera Zvonareva RUS l ankle sprain
# 21 Silvia Farina-Elia ITA shoulder
# 25 Tatiana Golovin FRA r ankle sprain
# 26 Ai Sugiyama JPN l thigh strain
# 30 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER r hand
# 42 Akiko Morigami JPN r knee t-itis
# 55 Jennifer Capriati USA r shoulder
# 56 Magdalena Maleeva BUL r elbow
# 58 Shahar Peer ISR r shoulder
# 60 Meghann Shaughnessy USA low back strain
# 66 Mariana Diaz-Oliva ARG r thoracic strain
# 83 Zuzana Ondraskova CZE r ankle sprain
# 107 Paola Suarez ARG hip
# 108 Emmanuelle Gagliardi SUI r hip
# 201 Chanda Rubin USA l ankle inflam
# 264 Magui Serna ESP left shoulder
# 402 Rita Grande ITA right elbow

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