WTA: May 19-24 2008 Istanbul Cup Istanbul, TUR Tier III $200,000 30 players - outdoor: red clay Live Scores - in popup window WTA pdf.: draws & OOP pics: Yahoo! - WTA - tourney Istanbul: weather forecast # 7 E Dementieva, # 16 A Radwanska # 25 N Petrova, # 40 O Govortsova Internationaux de Strasbourg Strasbourg, FRA Tier III $175,000 30 players - outdoor: red clay Live Scores - in popup window WTA pdf.: draws & OOP - notes pics: Yahoo! - tourney - WTA France news Strasbourg:     weather sat-radar - forecast #11 M Bartoli, #24 A Bondarenko #28 V Razzano, #29 F Pennetta

Strasbourg & Istanbul: 2007 - 2006 - 2005   Strasbourg: 2004 - 2003 previous other tourney pages next Istanbul: #16 Agnieszka Radwanska 5' 7" 123lb RH 2H-BH Strasbourg: #31 Anabel Medina Garrigues 5' 6½" 130lb RH 2H-BH

    On Saturday in Istanbul, Turkey, in the final of the Istanbul Cup, 19-year-old 2nd-seeded # 16 Agnieszka Radwanska from Krakow, Poland, defeated the 2007 tourney champ, 26-year-old top-seeded # 7 Elena Dementieva from Moscow, Russia, 6-3, 6-2 (photo shown). Agnieszka's prize is $30,500; Elena's is $16,450.

    Agnieszka said: "In the warm-up I couldn't put the ball in the court because I was so nervous, so the first few games were more like my warm-up. Then I started playing my game and being more aggressive. After winning the first set I won the first few games of the second set and things got better, and I did it." WTA story

    Elena said: "Against Agnieszka you have got to be really concentrated and really focused, because she has a great defensive game and the ball will probably come back. She didn't miss much from the ground and she did really well at the net today too; she just played really well."

    Agnieszka and Elena had played twice before, both times in 2006. On clay in the quarterfinals in Warsaw, Elena defeated Agnieszka 5-7, 6-3, 6-1. But on a indoor hardcourt in the Luxembourg quarters later that year, Agnieszka defeated Elena, 7-5, 6-2.

    Agnieszka is now 3-0 in WTA singles finals; she also won the Pattaya City title earlier this year, and the Stockholm title in 2007. Agnieszka has a 29-10 match record this season.
    Elena is now 9-13 in WTA singles finals; her most recent title was earlier this year in Dubai. Elena has a 23-7 match record in 2008.

    In the Strasbourg final on Saturday, the 2007 and 2005 Strasbourg champ, 25-year-old 6th-seeded # 31 Anabel Medina Garrigues from Valencia, Spain, dropped the 1st set, then waited through rain delays before winning the title a third time, defeating 27-year-old 5th-seeded # 30 Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia (residence: income tax-free Dubai, United Arab Emirates), 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-0 (photo shown). Anabels's prize is $28,000; Katarina's is $15,000.

    Anabel said: "I was down 6-4, 6-5 and Kata was playing so well, so I'm even happier I was able to win the title today. I think I was playing defensively in the beginning and she was taking advantage of it. It was hard to concentrate, with all of the rain delays, but I really tried to hit deeper and be more aggressive. That was what helped me get back into the match." WTA story

    Katarina said: "I had a couple of funny finals but I would say this was the toughest; it stopped and started, I don't even know how long we were out there. It was the same for both of us. Who knows what would've happened if there was no rain - but what I do know is that she was just too good today."

    Anabel and Katarina are now tied at 3-3 in career matches, but Anabel leads Katarina 3-1 on clay, and also won their previous meeting, last year in the 2nd round in Rome, 6-3, 6-2.

    Anabel is now 8-4 in WTA singles finals; her previous title was last year in Strasbourg. 7 of Anabel's 8 titles came on red clay, 4 of them at Palermo and 3 at Strasbourg. Anabel has a 24-13 match record in 2008.
    Katarina is now 4-6 in WTA singles finals; her last win was in Stockholm in 2005. Katarina has a 23-12 match record this season.

WTA SCOREBOARD: Istanbul & Strasbourg s=seed, #=rank, *=upset, LL=lucky loser ranks are for the previous week How do players get into the "draw"? Istanbul Cup,  Istanbul, Turkey   tourney time:        = GMT +3 hours        = US EDT +7 hours        = US PDT +10 hours Turkey News Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar     Istanbul: 32-player The main draw for Istanbul has 8 seeds, with 2 1st-round byes. There are 4 qualifiers and 3 wild cards in the main draw. Qualifying finals are on Monday.   click for broader view   Koza Plaza, Istanbul site before construction Latitude: 41.069492 Longitude: 28.866084 goto link for World Wind Istanbul Cup venue address: Tennis Courts TEM Otoyolu Atışalanı Mevkii Tekstil Kent Koza Plaza Esenler / Istanbul 2008: On Sunday, May 19, top seeds Nadia Petrova, Elena Dementieva and Agnieszka Radwanska posed for pretty pics at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul; 2007 tourney champ Elena is also shown looking good while playing Meet the Press on Sunday...

Istanbul, 1st Rnd, Mon-Tue 10am losers' prize: $1,370 US; points: 1 #25 s3 Nadia Petrova RUS d #120 Lilia Osterloh USA 6-1, 6-2 Tue Nadia examining a backhand which she appears to have just volleyed, and Lilia and Nadia driving backhands #40 s4 Olga Govortsova BLR d #734 wc Ipek Senoglu TUR 6-3, 6-2 Mon *#148 Andreja Klepac SLO d #54 s5 Sofia Arvidsson SWE 6-3, 7-6(2) Mon #58 s6 Akgul Amanmuradova UZB d #90 Martina Muller GER 6-4, 6-1 Tue #63 s7 Jill Craybas USA d #98 Tzipora Obziler ISR 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 Mon #64 s8 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL d #229 q Polona Hercog SLO 6-4, 7-5 Tue *#248 Nathalie Vierin ITA d #67 Anastasia Rodionova RUS 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 Mon *#73 Aiko Nakamura JPN d #71 Akiko Morigami JPN 3-6, 7-6(6), 4-1 retired Mon #76 Marta Domachowska POL d #80 Marina Erakovic NZL 7-6(2), 6-3 Mon #81 Sorana Cirstea ROU d #289 q Masa Zec Peskiric SLO 6-3, 6-4 Tue *#107 Stephanie Dubois CAN d #102 Julie Ditty USA 6-2, 6-3 Mon *#114 Vania King USA d #108 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS 6-1, 6(1)-7, 6-3 Mon #239 q Liana Ungur ROU d #438 wc Cagla Buyukakcay TUR 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(2) Tue #294 q Veronika Chvojkova CZE d #381 wc Pemra Ozgen TUR 7-5, 6-4 Tue

Istanbul, 2nd Round, Wed 10am losers' prize: $2,550 US; points: 20 #7 s1 Elena Dementieva RUS d #239 q Liana Ungur ROU 6-2, 7-6(4) Elena's backhand drive #16 s2 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #81 Sorana Cirstea ROU 6-0, 6-0 #25 s3 Nadia Petrova RUS d #76 Marta Domachowska POL 6-2, 6-2 #40 s4 Olga Govortsova BLR d #248 Nathalie Vierin ITA 7-6(3), 6-1 #58 s6 Akgul Amanmuradova UZB d #73 Aiko Nakamura JPN 6-3, 6-3 #63 s7 Jill Craybas USA d #114 Vania King USA 6-4, 6-2 #64 s8 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL d #294 q Veronika Chvojkova CZE 6-2, 6-1 *#148 Andreja Klepac SLO d #107 Stephanie Dubois CAN 4-6, 6-2, 7-5

Istanbul, QFs, Thu 10:30am losers' prize: $4,745 US; points: 35 #7 s1 Elena Dementieva RUS d #63 s7 Jill Craybas USA 6-1, 6-4 Jill and Elena following backhands, and Elena after winning a point #16 s2 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #148 Andreja Klepac SLO 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 *#58 s6 Akgul Amanmuradova UZB d #25 s3 Nadia Petrova RUS 7-6(0), 1-6, 6-4 Akgul alerting the media after the match *#64 s8 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL d #40 s4 Olga Govortsova BLR 7-6(4), 7-6(2)

Istanbul, SFs, Fri noon losers' prize: $8,840 US; points: 65 #7 s1 Elena Dementieva RUS d #58 s6 Akgul Amanmuradova UZB 6-2, 6-4 Akgul driving a backhand, and Elena, possibly after match point #16 s2 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #64 s8 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-1

Istanbul, Final, Sat after doubles loser's prize: $16,450 US; points: 100 winner's prize: $30,500 US; points: 140 *#16 s2 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #7 s1 Elena Dementieva RUS 6-3, 6-2 Agnieszka driving a forehand, and Elena & Agnieszka fielding forehands on the fly

Istanbul, Doubles Final, Sat noon losers' prize: $4,900 US winners' prize: $9,150 US cdr153 s3 Jill Craybas & Olga Govortsova d cdr421 Marina Erakovic & Polona Hercog 6-1, 6-2 Jill & Olga, and Marina & Polona Istanbul, Qual Finals, Monday May 19 10am losers' prizes: q1 $215 1pt; q2 $395 3pts; q3 $735 4pts; qualifier 8 points #229 Polona Hercog SLO d #293 Dia Evtimova BUL 7-6(8), 6-1 #239 Liana Ungur ROU d #338 Sofia Shapatava GEO 6-1, 6-2 *#294 Veronika Chvojkova CZE d #240 Anna Floris ITA 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 *#289 Masa Zec Peskiric SLO d #251 Arina Rodionova RUS 6-2, 6-2 Istanbul, Withdrawals #10 Daniela Hantuchova SLO right heel stress fracture #49 Kaia Kanepi EST fatigue #55 Alisa Kleybanova RUS #65 Meghann Shaughnessy USA left knee #72 Ekaterina Makarova RUS #88 Yvonne Meusberger AUT shoulder #105 Ekaterina Bychkova RUS

Internationaux de Strasbourg,  Strasbourg, France   tourney time:        = GMT +2 hours        = US EDT +6 hours        = US PDT +9 hours France News Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar     Strasbourg: The 30-player main draw for Strasbourg has 8 seeds, with 2 1st-round byes. There are 4 qualifiers and 3 wild cards in the main draw. Qualifying finals are on Monday.   click for broader view   Centre Sportif de Hautepierre Latitude: 48.599033 Longitude: 7.691063 goto link for World Wind Internationaux de Strasbourg venue address: Centre Sportif de Hautepierre, Rue Baden Powell, F-67200, Strasbourg, France 2008: Darned good looking healthy young ladies at the 2008 Strasbourg player party included Chunmei Ji, Zi Yan & Shengnan Sun, clay court experts Anabel Medina Garrigues & Flavia Pennetta, and Sabine Lisicki...

Strasbourg, 1st Round, Mon 10am-Tue 11am losers' prize: $1,340 US; points: 1 *#86 Yung-Jan Chan TPE d #28 s3 Virginie Razzano FRA 6-1, 6-0 Tue Yung-Jan at ready, and Virginie following a flying forehand #29 s4 Flavia Pennetta ITA d #79 wc Nathalie Dechy FRA 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 Mon Flavia at ready #30 s5 Katarina Srebotnik SLO d #89 q Sabine Lisicki GER 6-3, 6-1 Tue Sabine and Katarina doing the ready thing #31 s6 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP d #56 Klara Zakopalova CZE 7-6(3), 7-5 Mon Anabel fielding a backhand, and Klara serving #35 s7 Ai Sugiyama JPN d #62 Mariya Koryttseva UKR 7-5, 7-5 Mon #41 s8 Zi Yan CHN d #103 Mara Santangelo ITA 5-6 retired-- left foot Tue *#97 Petra Kvitova CZE d #51 Kateryna Bondarenko UKR 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 Mon #52 Casey Dellacqua AUS d #60 Sara Errani ITA 7-5, 6-3 Mon *#57 q Tatiana Perebiynis UKR d #59 Ashley Harkleroad USA 6-2, 6-1 Tue #61 Edina Gallovits ROU d #75 Julia Vakulenko UKR 6-1, 4-1 retired-- right wrist Tue *#94 Stephanie Cohen-Aloro FRA d #66 wc Camille Pin FRA 7-6(4), 6-2 Mon #69 Timea Bacsinszky SUI d #431 wc Jelena Dokic AUS 6-4, 6-2 Tue #70 Shuai Peng CHN d #74 Iona Raluca Olaru ROU 6-2, 7-6(3) Mon *#247 q Ana Vrljic CRO d #91 q Rossana de Los Rios PAR 6-0, 6-4 Tue Ana following a backhand

Strasbourg, 2nd Round, Wed 10am losers' prize: $2,260 US; points: 20 *#70 Shuai Peng CHN d #11 s1 Marion Bartoli FRA 6-1, 1-0 retired-- right wrist injury Shuai and Marion demonstrating readiness; Marion's position is rather unique, although both employ the unusual backhand-grip-for-forehand-and-backhand methodology     Marion said: "Now I am worried because I never felt any pain in my wrist. We absolutely need to find the cause of the pain less than a week before Roland Garros. We suppose it is a tense nerve because I cannot bend my fingers anymore." Reuters story #24 s2 Alona Bondarenko UKR d #61 Edina Gallovits ROU 6-4, 6-4 Alona serving #29 s4 Flavia Pennetta ITA d #94 Stephanie Cohen-Aloro FRA 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 #30 s5 Katarina Srebotnik SLO d #57 q Tatiana Perebiynis UKR 7-6(4), 6-0 #31 s6 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP d #247 q Ana Vrljic CRO 6-1, 6-1 Anabel surveying #35 s7 Ai Sugiyama JPN d #97 Petra Kvitova CZE 6-4, 6-3 *#69 Timea Bacsinszky SUI d #41 s8 Zi Yan CHN 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 *#86 Yung-Jan Chan TPE d #52 Casey Dellacqua AUS 2-6, 6-1, 6-1

Strasbourg, QFs, Thu 11am losers' prize: $4,270 US; points: 35 *#69 Timea Bacsinszky SUI d #24 s2 Alona Bondarenko UKR 7-6(6), 6-2 *#31 s6 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP d #29 s4 Flavia Pennetta ITA walkover-- left thigh strain #30 s5 Katarina Srebotnik SLO d #70 Shuai Peng CHN 6-4, 7-5 Shuai about to serve, and Katarina driving a forehand *#86 Yung-Jan Chan TPE d #35 s7 Ai Sugiyama JPN 6-4, 6-2

Strasbourg, SFs, Fri 2pm losers' prize: $7,730 US; points: 65 #30 s5 Katarina Srebotnik SLO d #86 Yung-Jan Chan TPE 6-1, 6(8)-7, 6-4 Katarina meeting the press after the match #31 s6 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP d #69 Timea Bacsinszky SUI 6-3, 6-3 Anabel, likewise entertaining the media

Strasbourg, Final, Sat 2pm after doubles loser's prize: $15,000 US; points: 100 winner's prize: $28,000 US; points: 140 #31 s6 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP #30 s5 Katarina Srebotnik SLO 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-0 Katarina's forehand, Anabel driving a backhand, and after match point

Strasbourg, Doubles Final, Sat 11:30am losers' prize: $4,400 US winners' prize: $8,250 US *cdr60 s2 Zi Yan & Tatiana Perebiynis d cdr21 s1 Yung-Jan Chan& Chia-Jung Chuang 6-4, 6(3)-7, (10-6) Zi and Tatiana Strasbourg, Qual Finals, Mon May 19 10am losers' prizes: q1 $200 1pt; q2 $350 3pts; q3 $650 4pts; qualifier 8 points #57 Tatiana Perebiynis UKR d #123 Yuliana Fedak UKR 7-5, 6-1 #89 Sabine Lisicki GER d #131 Mathilde Johansson FRA 6-3, 6-4 #91 Rossana de Los Rios PAR d #137 Yaroslava Shvedova RUS 7-6(3), 7-5 *#247 Ana Vrljic CRO d #228 Yevgenia Savranska UKR 6-2, 7-5 Strasbourg, Withdrawals #18 Shahar Peer ISR right shoulder #21 Tatiana Golovin FRA WTA says "back injury;" still recovering from March surgery? #39 Karin Knapp ITA left foot #53 Tathiana Garbin ITA right achilles

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