WTA July 23-29 Bank of the West Classic Stanford, CA Tier II $600,000 28 players - outdoor: hard Live Scores - in popup window results - TV: ESPN2 WTA .pdf: draws & OOP - notes pics: Sportsline - Yahoo! - WTA Stanford: radar - forecast sports: Chronicle - Stan Daily # 8 A Chakvetadze, # 11 M Bartoli # 12 D Hantuchova, # 16 P Schnyder Gastein Ladies, Bad Gastein, AUT Tier IV $175,000 32 players - outdoor: red clay Live Scores - in popup window WTA .pdf: draws & OOP - tour. OOP pics: WTA - webcam Austria: radar (Europe) - forecast # 31 F Schiavone, # 37 E Loit # 44 R Vinci, # 45 K Kanepi

Tourney pages: Stanford: 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 previous other tourney pages next Stanford: #38 Sania Mirza 5' 7" 132 lb, RH, 2H-BH Stanford: #8 Anna Chakvetadze 5' 7" 128 lb, RH, 2H-BH

    On Sunday at Stanford University, in the final of the Bank of the West Classic, 20-year-old top-seeded # 8 Anna Chakvetadze from Moscow, Russia, handily defeated 20-year-old unseeded # 38 Sania Mirza from Hyderabad, India, 6-3, 6-2 (photos shown). Anna's prize is $88,265; Sania's, $47,125.

    Although Anna only put 55% of her 1st serves in the box, and had 7 double faults, she won 83% of her 1st serve points (Sania: 63%, 2 DFs, 56%). It was Anna's 2nd title in a row; she also won last week in Cincinnati. Sania, who was sidelined by a knee injury (ACL) earlier this year, reached the final by scoring upset victories over # 16 Patty Schnyder, # 19 Tatiana Golovin, and # 24 Sybille Bammer.

    Anna said: "I had some trouble with my serve in the first set, but my win yesterday helped me, because I started to concentrate on every point. I was trying to move Sania around the court and it worked well for me today...
    "[Sania] had a great week this week. In Cincinnati [semis] we had so many unforced errors and it wasn't good to watch. But we were both playing better here." WTA story

    Sania said: "After I lost the first set [Anna] just dominated - hats off to her, she played her some great tennis this week. She comes up with her best in the final and I'm just really impressed."

    Both players prefer hard courts, but Anna now leads Sania 3-0 in career matches; and both of their prior meetings were earlier this year on hard courts, most recently in last week's Cincinnati semis, where Anna won, 6-2, 5-7, 6-3.

    Batting a thousand: Anna is now 6-0 in WTA singles finals, and has a 46-11 match record in 2007. Sania is now 1-2 in WTA singles finals and has a 20-12 match record for the year; she won her title in 2005 in the town where she resides, Hyderabad, India. Both players will be at career-highs when the new rankings come out on Monday, Anna at # 6, and Sania tying her previous best at # 31.

    Busy day: Both Sania (teamed with Shahar Peer) and Anna (with partner Victoria Azarenka) also reached the Stanford doubles final, which followed the singles after they rested a bit. This time Sania & Shahar prevailed, 6-4, 7-6(5) (Sania's 2nd doubles title in a row; she won in Cincinnati paired with Bethanie Mattek). The ladies can now move on down to San Diego, where Anna will be glad she has a 1st round bye; Sania will play her friend and doubles partner Shahar Peer in the 1st round, probably on Tuesday.

    "How 'bout a Fresca?" In the Bad Gastein final on Sunday, 27-year-old top-seeded # 31 Francesca Schiavone of Italy (residence: London, England) won her first WTA singles title, eliminating an unsightly bagel by defeating unseeded 23-year-old # 83 Yvonne Meusberger from Seefeld, Austria.
    Former # 11 Francesca is a fine player, but previously had the unfortunate distinction of being 0-8 in WTA singles finals; she has won 6 WTA doubles titles. Yvonne, currently at her career-high ranking, was playing in her 1st WTA singles final; she has won 9 ITF singles titles and 3 ITF doubles titles. Francesca and Yvonne had played only once before, in the 1st round of this year's French Open, where Francesca also won, 6-2, 6-4.

    Francesca said: "[Yvonne] started playing much better in the second set, and I said to myself, 'If she's going to play like this then I'll raise my level too, and if she beats me like that then that's okay.' But I never thought about maybe losing the ninth final. You just have to focus point by point and not think about the past or future, just the present. When I hit that last shot, I had strong emotions." WTA story
    Yvonne said: "I was really happy to play the final. I was a little bit nervous, but I played a really great match and had a lot of fun. I kept fighting and always believed I could win, but at the end [Francesca] was really strong and fighting too."

Bad Gastein player's blog by Agnes Szavay

    The Bad Gastein tourney, on red clay, is new in 2007. Bad Gastein is located about 90 kilometers (56 miles) from Salzburg.

WTA SCOREBOARD: Stanford & Gastein s=seed, #=rank, *=upset, LL=lucky loser ranks are for the previous week How do players get into the "draw"? The Bank of the West Classic  Stanford University, Palo Alto, California   Stanford current conditions     Stanford: The main draw for Stanford has 8 seeds, with 4 1st-round byes.     There are 4 qualifiers and 3 wild cards in the main draw.     Qualifying finals are on Monday.   Stanford University tennis courts - click for sat pic & street map Latitude: 37.430637 Long.: -122.16188 goto link for World Wind     The time at Stanford is UCT (GMT, Zulu...) -8 hours (=US PDT, EDT -3). SF Bay area news       2007 is the 37th year of the tourney that has become the Bank of the West Classic, the longest-running women’s-only pro tennis tournament. The Bank of the West Classic has been held at Stanford University’s Taube Tennis Stadium since 1997. 37,226 people attended the 13 sessions in 2005. The tourney is owned and operated by IMG (International Management Group); Bank of the West has been the tourney's title sponsor since 1992. On Monday, July 23, 2007, at Stanford, during the press "all-access hour," 4th-seed and 2006 finalist Patty Schnyder autographed goods to be auctioned for charity, thus avoiding reporters endless intimations that her hair might not be entirely naturally curly, but, rather, assisted in some way by some chemical process or something or other... leaving it to straighter-haired young ladies such as 2nd seeded Marion Bartoli, top-seeded Anna Chakvetadze, and 3rd-seeded Daniela Hantuchova to explain to the members of the media, as modestly as possible, that they are so pretty not only because they have such good hair, but also because they are such good girls...

Stanford, 1st Rd, Mon 1pm, Tue 11am Tue update losers' prize: $3,855 US (2006: $4,175); points: 1 #18 s5 Shahar Peer ISR d #85 q Camille Pin FRA 7-6(5), 6-2 Tue Shahar driving a forehand, and Camille's backhand #19 s6 Tatiana Golovin FRA d #192 q Viktoriya Kutuzova UKR 6-2, 6-2 Tue Tatiana's forehand drive     Tatiana has a new coach, seven-time Grand Slam tourney champion Mats Wilander. Tatiana said: "I'm just looking forward to it. I don't know what to expect and I don't know how it's going to work out."SF Chronicle story     About the right ankle injury which caused her to miss the clay court season, Tatiana said: "I still think about it, but hopefully it is a done deal." #23 s7 Katarina Srebotnik SLO d #35 Olga Poutchkova RUS 6-3, 6-4 Mon Katerina firing a forehand, and Olga swatting a backhand #24 s8 Sybille Bammer AUT d #30 Ai Sugiyama JPN 6-4, 6-2 Tue Sybille's lefty forehand, and Ai's backhand drive #38 Sania Mirza IND d #61 Akiko Morigami JPN 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(5) Tue Akiko's 2-handed forehand drive, Sania's backhand drive, and after winning the 2nd set     Both ladies have been playing well recently: Akiko reached the Cincinnati final on Sunday before losing to Anna Chakvetadze (the top seed there and at Stanford); Sania lost to Anna in the Cincinnati semis on Saturday, but won the doubles there on Sunday with Bethanie Mattek.     Sania said: "The whole match was a matter of a couple points either way. [Akiko] is in good form and playing well. She didn't miss. I had to try and change my game plan." SF Chronicle story *#41 Meilen Tu USA d #39 Meghann Shaughnessy USA 7-6(3), 6-1 Mon #40 Eleni Daniilidou GRE d #304 wc Amber Liu USA 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 Mon Amber lining up a backhand, and Eleni bearly reaching a forehand *#43 Maria Kirilenko RUS d #42 Victoria Azarenka BLR 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 Tue Maria and Victoria driving forehands, and Maria after match point     Maria said: "[Victoria] hits the ball hard, she knows what she's doing. I think she has a good future. She's young, still 18."     Maria has begun working with coach Eric Van Harpen, who once coached Anna Kournikova, among others. Maria said: "I feel that I'm improving." *#88 q Yaroslava Shvedova RUS d #46 Julia Vakulenko UKR 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 Tue #59 Shuai Peng CHN d #947 sr Elena Bovina RUS 6-3, 6-4 Mon Shuai was interviewed for local TV after the match *#112 wc Lilia Osterloh USA d #66 Jill Craybas USA 6-2, 7-5 Mon *#107 q Olga Govortsova BLR d #97 Catalina Castano COL 6-4, 6-2 Tue

Stanford, 2nd Rd, Wed-Thu 11am Wed WTA story - Wed update - Thu WTA story - Thu update losers' prize: $7,230 US (2006: $7,820); points: 35 #8 s1 Anna Chakvetadze RUS d #40 Eleni Daniilidou GRE 6-4, 6-1 Thu Eleni on the move, and Anna belting a backhand     Anna said: "That was my first match on that court, and I did not get used to it that quickly. I was moving slowly at the beginning, but in the second set I played much better than the first. I tried to move [Eleni] around a little bit. The court played a little faster than I expected...     "With this match today, I feel like I played better this week than I did the whole time in Cincinnati. Hopefully I can continue to play well throughout the week at this tournament." *#112 wc Lilia Osterloh USA d #11 s2 Marion Bartoli FRA 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 Wed Lilia and Marion driving backhands     Marion called on the trainer due to a right quadriceps strain during the 1st set, and considered retiring from the match, but decided to play on.     Lilia said: "I had the opportunity to close out the first set, but I could not quite get there. Later in the match, I was really focused on staying down, relying on my legs to get behind the ball, coming in when I could and serving some into [Marion's] body. I was able to execute better and I just tried to mix up my serve more." #12 s3 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d #59 Shuai Peng CHN 6-4, 6-2 Wed Daniela's running forehand, and posing with a bear with a big Head on Thursday     Daniela said: "I thought [Shuai] played very well. There were a couple of times there when she started to come back, but I kept fighting point after point, and that turned out to be the difference." #16 s4 Patty Schnyder SUI d #88 q Yaroslava Shvedova RUS 7-5, 6-2 Thu Yaroslava's backhand, Patty's forehand, and Patty bearing with the mascot's bad puns while signing autographs on Wednesday     Patty fired six aces with no double faults, and won 77% of her 1st serve points. Patty said: "I saw [Yaroslava] in her first round match against Vakulenko, but I saw the part where she was losing, so I assumed she was better than what I saw. She plays so loose from the backhand, has a good serve, and she's a really good player. I was focusing on my serve, and putting pressure on her with it; it really worked for me today...     "I am facing Mirza next, and she could have easily been a seeded player, so she will be just as dangerous... She looked great today, and those forehands will be tough to defend. She is a dangerous player, and you better put her on the backhand side and really make her move around." *#107 q Olga Govortsova BLR d #18 s5 Shahar Peer ISR 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 Thu Shahar following a forehand, and Olga driving one     Olga said: "I use to play with [Shahar] a lot in Juniors and we also played against each other a few times. Today was the first time I beat her. I lost the first set, played very aggressive in the second set and started to hit some winners...     "I think that I am improving now because I play a lot of matches regularly, every day against good players."     WTA feature: Getting to Know Olga Govortsova *#38 Sania Mirza IND d #19 s6 Tatiana Golovin FRA 6-4, 6-1 Thu no photos found!?!     Sania said: "Beating a top-20 player is always good, especially beating someone you have never beaten before. It is definitely one of my top wins... I went into the match thinking I wanted to dictate play. [Tatiana] retrieves the ball a lot, so my goal was getting on the offensive as soon as I hit my forehand. We have always played very tight matches...     "I have always done well on the hard court surfaces in the U.S. I have had some of my best results ever on the hard court. I feel really good right now. Today I just went out there to enjoy it, have fun and that is when I usually play my best." #23 s7 Katarina Srebotnik SLO d #43 Maria Kirilenko RUS 6-0, 7-6(5) Wed Katarina's backhand, and Maria reacting to an unfavorable call     Katarina said: "I felt I had to lift my game down 6-5 in the second set. Then I was strong early in the tiebreaker. [Maria] started to serve very well and made it tough for me on returns. I played well in the first set and did not make many mistakes. In the second set, she adjusted and it was a tough set...     "[My ranking is] really close to where I want to be. It's no secret that my goal was to be in the 20-30 range. Last year I was there, but now I want to stay right around 20. I am still trying to achieve more but the competition is really tough right now so I appreciate having this ranking. I am a very hard worker and trying to get 100-percent out of myself right now." #24 s8 Sybille Bammer AUT d #41 Meilen Tu USA 6-4, 6-2 Wed     Sybille said: "This was a very tough match for me. I have lost to [Meilen] before in Wimbledon and also in practice sessions. She was playing very aggressive and I thought she took some risks at times."

Stanford, QFs, Fri noon WTA story - tourney match update losers' prize: $13,500 US (2006: $14,600); points: 70 #8 s1 Anna Chakvetadze RUS d #23 s7 Katarina Srebotnik SLO 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 Anna serving, Anna after winning a point, and Katarina reacting to a lost point     Anna said: "The first set was very up and down... [Katarina] was making me run all over the court. Then I started to play more aggressive in the second set and I began to serve and return better also...     "On this kind of court, if you play aggressive then it is easier for you. Still I think she played solid today on a good level and she was a tough opponent."     About her semifinal opponent, Daniela Hantuchova, Anna said: "Daniela has a big serve and she is a great player. I think it will be an interesting match to watch. It all will depend on how we serve and return tomorrow." #12 s3 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d #107 q Olga Govortsova BLR 7-5, 6-3 Olga driving a forehand, and Daniela following one     Daniela said: "I had the right plan throughout the match, it was just a matter of when it would start working. I felt like I was putting more pressure and on almost every game and felt like I had a chance to break...     "I was very impressed by [Olga's] play, but I think she just needs a little bit more experience. Yes I think she is very good."     About her semifinal opponent, Anna Chakvetadze, Daniela said: "Anna is one of the smartest girls and plays the court very well. She is very intelligent, she doesn't always aim for the hardest shot. She is a bit like Martina Hingis." *#38 Sania Mirza IND d #16 s4 Patty Schnyder SUI 7-6(2), 6-1 Patty's backhand drive, and Sania after winning a point     Sania said: "I just needed some time to adjust to [Patty's] shots and her lefty spin. She was hitting a lot to my backhand but when you have so many backhands in a row, you're getting a rhythm. Even when I was down 5-2 it wasn't that I was playing horribly, I just wasn't used to her ball. Once I got used to it I was fine. I'm happy the way I converted my weakness into my strength."     Patty said: "Tonight the court played really different from my other matches. It was really slow and I could not get any spin on the ball. I think I underestimated the conditions...     "I tried to move [Sania] around because my spin was not working. I was early with my forehand, and it was always going cross-court instead of down the line. After that there was never really a chance to catch up."     About her semifinal against Sybille Bammer, Sania said: "Just because I was able to beat Golovin and Schnyder does not mean the road gets any easier tomorrow. Sybille is a great player and she is in the semifinals so she has been doing things right too. She has also been to a final this year. The only advantage, maybe, is that I played a left-hander today and now I will be playing another left-hander tomorrow." #24 s8 Sybille Bammer AUT d #112 wc Lilia Osterloh USA 6-2, 6-1 Lilia serving, and Sybille's backhand drive     Sybille said: ""I just tried to play my game. At the beginning, I did well but for a little while afterward I was not accurate enough. I was happy to be able to make the most out of the close games."

Stanford, SFs, Sat 1pm tourney match update - WTA story losers' prize: $25,240 US (2006: $27,300); points: 125 #8 s1 Anna Chakvetadze RUS d #12 s3 Daniela Hantuchova SVK 6(6)-7, 6-3, 6-2 Anna smiling before the match, Anna and Daniela firing forehands, and Anna ready to deliver some autographed balls to the crowd after match     Anna said: "I served very well, especially in the third set when it was 3-3... I think we both played well, but in the second and third sets I started to pull away. I am pleased with the way I played. Hopefully I will be fresh tomorrow after my doubles match tonight."     Daniela said: "Every game I felt I had a chance to win. [Anna] does not allow you to get into a rhythm. I had so many chances to break her and get back into it. Then I felt like I was going for too much sometimes and I should have just been more patient...She is very smart and can play big when she needs to."     About playing Sania Mirza in the final, Anna said: "[Sania is] hitting the ball very big, very good forehands; I'll just have to try to move her around and make her run. We played juniors together and we know each other's games so well, so no surprises for us tomorrow." *#38 Sania Mirza IND d #24 s8 Sybille Bammer AUT 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 Syblille's forehand, and Sania after winning a game     Sania said: "I think I should have finished the match in the second set; that's why I was a little edgy in the third set. I wasn't being aggressive enough and I started to be a bit too defensive. But I just started hitting the ball again and tried to win the points, and not waiting for [Sybille] to lose them. It worked well in the end."     Sybille said: "Sania played great tennis; she played very fast and high risk, and I couldn't play my game. In key points in the second set I was serving well where she was a bit shaky there. In the third set it was tough for me because she was playing great again."

Stanford, Final, Sun noon loser's prize: $47,125 US (2006: $51,000); points: 190 winner's prize: $88,265 US (2006: $95,500); points: 275 #8 s1 Anna Chakvetadze RUS d #38 Sania Mirza IND 6-3, 6-2 Sania flying to fetch a backhand, Anna driving a forehand, and after winning a game

Stanford, Doubles Final, Sun 2pm+ losers' prize: $14,900 US (2006: $16,120) winners' prize: $27,730 US (2006: $30,000) cdr71 s3 Sania Mirza & Shahar Peer d cdr207 Anna Chakvetadze & Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 7-6(5) Sania and Shahar after match point Stanford, Qual Finals, Mon Jul 23 11am losers' prizes: q1:$595 pts:1; q2:$1,105 pts:2; q3:$2,065 US (2006: $2,230) pts:3; qualifier points: 7 #85 Camille Pin FRA d #166 Angelika Bachmann GER 6-1, 6-4 #88 Yaroslava Shvedova RUS d #223 Vanessa Henke GER 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 #107 Olga Govortsova BLR d #185 Raquel Kops-Jones USA 6-3, 6-1 *#192 Viktoriya Kutuzova UKR d #150 Meng Yuan CHN 6-2, 7-6(5) Stanford, Withdrawals #7 Serena Williams USA left thumb sprain #19 Na Li CHN left rib injury #21 Vera Zvonareva RUS left wrist #36 Severine Bremond FRA gastroenteritis

Gastein Ladies,  Bad Gastein, Austria   Plan your trip Local Radar Detailed Forecast     Gastein: The main draw for Gastein has 8 seeds, with NO 1st-round byes. There are 4 qualifiers and 3 wild cards in the main draw. Qualifying finals are on Monday.     Bad Gastein, Austria, area - click for lo-res sat pic & street map Latitude: 47.119906 Longitude: 13.130722 goto link for World Wind     Gastein daylight time is GMT (UCT, ZULU) + 2 hours (US Pacific Daylight Time +9, EDT +6). Austria news On Sunday, July 22, 2007, Flavia Pennetta and Lourdes Dominguez Lino took a whirlybird ride from the airport to the tourney site... Also on Sunday, Austrian retired former WTA # 12 Judith (Weisner) Floimair attended the draw ceremony...

Bad Gastein, 1st Rd, Mon-Wed 10am Wed WTA story losers' prize: $1,205 US; points: 1 Tuesday: rain stopped play #31 s1 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #130 q Emmanuelle Gagliardi SUI 6-0, 6-4 ppd-Wed Francesca's backhand drive     Francesca said: "It was good to finally play my match because the rain has been a problem so far this week. I started very well and I think [Emmanuelle] took a little while to get used to the conditions. In the second set she was playing a lot better, but I raised my level as well and I was happy to win the match in two sets." *#83 Yvonne Meusberger AUT d #37 s2 Emilie Loit FRA 6-1, 6-3 Wed     Yvonne said: "I definitely didn't expect to have such an easy match today, but in tennis anything can happen. [Emilie is] the No.2 seed, but because I've been training at this altitude I don't think I had as many problems with the conditions. Maybe it wasn't her best day, but I think I was playing very well, and I'm obviously very happy." *#139 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER d #44 s3 Roberta Vinci ITA 6-4, 2-6, 6-0 Tue-rain-Wed #45 s4 Kaia Kanepi EST d #86 Iona Raluca Olaru ROM 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 Tue *#72 Edina Gallovits ROU d #51 s5 Aravane Rezai FRA 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 Mon #53 s6 Agnes Szavay HUN d #271 wc Tina Schiechtl AUT 6-0, 6-1 Wed #60 s7 Karin Knapp ITA d #549 wc Eva Hock AUT 6-2, 6-3 Tue #62 s8 Lourdes Dominguez Lino ESP d #95 Tatjana Malek GER 6-4, 7-5 ppd-Wed #121 Maria Emilia Salerni ARG d #71 Maria Elena Camerin ITA 6-4, 7-6(4) ppd-Wed #76 Dominika Cibulkova SVK d #79 Flavia Pennetta ITA 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 ppd-Wed #80 Virginia Ruano Pascual ESP d #132 Nika Ozegovic CRO 6-2, 6-3 Mon *#111 Eva Birnerova CZE d #82 Iveta Benesova CZE 7-6(5), 6-3 Mon #190 q Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP d #91 Jelena Kostanic Tosic CRO 6-4, 6-0 ppd-Wed #92 Klara Zakopalova CZE d #124 q Andreja Klepac SLO 1-6, 7-6(3), 6-1 ppd-Wed *#134 q Laura Pous Tio ESP d #101 Ekaterina Bychkova RUS 7-6(4), 6-7(5), 6-2 ppd-Wed #138 Renata Voracova CZE d #580 wc Melanie Klaffner AUT 6-4, 6-3 ppd-Wed

Bad Gastein, 2nd Rd, Thu 10am Thu WTA story losers' prize: $2,030 US; points: 20 #31 s1 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #80 Virginia Ruano Pascual ESP 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 Francesca's forehand drive     Francesca said: "I think after I lost my concentration a little bit in the second set, I really got my rhythm back in the third. I tried to keep the power in my shots and it worked towards the end.     "It was a bit up and down today, but luckily more up than down, so I'm happy to be in the quarterfinals. I've played Agnes [Szavay] twice and lost twice, so it's going to be a very tough match." #45 s4 Kaia Kanepi EST d #92 Klara Zakopalova CZE 6-3, 6-4 #53 s6 Agnes Szavay HUN d #76 Dominika Cibulkova SVK 7-5, 6-0 #60 s7 Karin Knapp ITA d #134 q Laura Pous Tio ESP 7-6(4), 6-1 #62 s8 Lourdes Dominguez Lino ESP d #121 Maria Emilia Salerni ARG 0-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 *#138 Renata Voracova CZE d #72 Edina Gallovits ROU 62 64 #83 Yvonne Meusberger AUT d #111 Eva Birnerova CZE 6-4, 6-1 *#190 q Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP d #139 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(6)

Bad Gastein, QFs, Fri 11am WTA story losers' prize: $3,740 US; points: 35 #31 s1 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #53 s6 Agnes Szavay HUN 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-4     Francesca said: "This is a great win for me today. I'd lost both times I'd played [Agnes] in the past, and against her you have to be focused on absolutely every point. I was proud of the way I came back in the third set, I love to fight in every match and I was rewarded for this today." #45 s4 Kaia Kanepi EST d #138 Renata Voracova CZE 6-4, 3-6, 6-0 #60 s7 Karin Knapp ITA d #190 q Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-1 *#83 Yvonne Meusberger AUT d #62 s8 Lourdes Dominguez Lino ESP 6-1, 6-4 Yvonne firing a cannonball serve     Yvonne said: "It was a really good match. I started very well and I was able to stay aggressive throughout the match, but I got a little dizzy towards the end with the altitude. I didn't eat enough because of the rain delay and then I had to wait a while before my match went on, but I'm really glad I was able to win it in two sets and I'm thrilled to be in my first Tour semifinal."

Bad Gastein, SFs, Sat noon WTA story losers' prize: $7,105 US; points: 65 #31 s1 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #45 s4 Kaia Kanepi EST 6-4, 6-2     Francesca said: "At the start she made me play much better, but I kept fighting for every point and then the second set was a little bit easier. Sometimes it was very tough as she would play well and then give me some easy points but in the end it was good. I hope to keep going now and play a good final." *#83 Yvonne Meusberger AUT d #60 s7 Karin Knapp ITA 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 Yvonne on Saturday     Yvonne said: "I was a little bit nervous - it was my first semi - but I thought I could win, and now I'm in my first final and I'm really happy. I like to play here because we don't have many tournaments in Austria. The people are great."     About playing Francesca Schiavone in the final, Yvonne said: "She's a tough player and has heavy spin; I want to win so I'm going to give my best and just fight. But I am also happy to play the final. I'll enjoy it."

Bad Gastein, Final, Sun noon loser's prize: $13,520 US; points: 100 winner's prize: $25,840 US; points: 140 #31 s1 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #83 Yvonne Meusberger AUT 6-1, 6-4

Bad Gastein, Doubles Final, Sun losers' prize: $4,020 US winners' prize: $7,620 US *cdr108 s3 Lucie Hradecka & Renata Voracova d cdr86 s1 Agnes Szavay & Vladimira Uhlirova 6-3, 7-5 Bad Gastein, Qual Finals, Mon Jul 23 10am losers' prizes: q1: $185 pts: 1; q2: $325 pts:3; q3: $605 US pts: 4; qualifier points: 8 #124 Andreja Klepac SLO d #198 Marta Domachowska POL 6-3, 6-3 #130 Emmanuelle Gagliardi SUI d #470 Magdalena Rybarikova SVK 6-2, 6-1 #134 Laura Pous Tio ESP d #187 Julia Goerges GER 7-6(3), 7-5 #190 Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP v #548 Stephanie Gehrlein GER c1 m4 Bad Gastein, Withdrawals #28 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP injury #58 Elena Vesnina RUS right arm strain #93 Timea Bacsinszky SUI wrist injury

    (Jul 19, 2007) # 7 Serena Williams has withdrawn from next week's Bank of the West Classic at Stanford due to a left hand injury she incurred at Wimbledon. Serena sprained her left thumb during her 4th round victory over Daniela Hantuchova on July 4.

See also: QuickShop: Sporting Goods - Martina Hingis - Anna Kournikova

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