WTA Oct 12-19 Tennis.com Zurich Open, Zurich, SUI Tier II $600,000 28 players - indoor: hard Live Scores - in popup window WTA pdf: draws & OOP - notes draws, .html - sched-results pics: Y!: sports - news     tourney - WTA quotes - EuroTV sched Zurich: weather - map - venue Tages-Anzeiger.ch:    Tennis (in German) English # 1 Jelena Jankovic # 5 Ana Ivanovic # 8 Venus Williams # 9 Vera Zvonareva # 10 Agnieszka Radwanska # 11 Patty Schnyder # 12 Anna Chakvetadze # 13 Daniela Hantuchova # 14 Nadia Petrova # 15 Marion Bartoli

Tourney pages: Zurich: 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 previous other tourney pages next Zurich: #18 Flavia Pennetta 5'7¾" 128lb RH 2H-BH Zurich: #8 Venus Williams 6'1" 160lb RH 2H-BH

    On Sunday in Switzerland, in the final of the Zurich Open, this year's Wimbledon champion, 28-year-old 3rd-seeded # 8 Venus Williams from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, defeated 26-year-old # 18 Flavia Pennetta of Italy (residence: Verbier, Switzerland), 7-6(1), 6-2 (Flavia is shown during the match, and Venus with the transparent trophy afterward). Venus's prize is $95,500; Flavia's is $51,000.

    Venus had lost to Flavia in their last three meetings, two of which were this year. Flavia defeated Venus last week in the 1st round in Moscow, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, and also defeated Venus in the 3rd round at Roland Garros this year, 7-5, 6-3.

    Venus said: "I was very consistent today and I had a great service game—my service is a weapon, when it gets in, it helps... Flavia plays well, but I had a lot less errors today, and I felt good today too." tourney quotes

    Flavia still leads 7-time Grand Slam tourney champ and former # 1 Venus 3-2 in career matches.

    Flavia said: "[Venus's] serve was working unbelievably today. Normally her serve isn't as consistent against me. She gave me no break points whatsoever and I had to fight very hard in the rallies.

    "The first set was an exceptionally high level from both of us. We were fighting like crazy and I think the crowd enjoyed it." WTA story

    Venus is now 38-22 in WTA singles finals; Wimbledon is the only other final she has reached this year (she won last year at Wimbledon, Memphis and Seoul). Venus has a 35-11 match record in 2008; the ranking points she has earned this week will give her a good chance of qualifying for the season-ending WTA Championships in Doha, Qatar.

    Flavia is now 6-8 in WTA singles finals; she won earlier this year at Vina del Mar and Acapulco, but all of her titles have been at Tier III and Tier IV tourneys. She had never reached a Tier II final until this season, during which she has reached two. Flavia has a 48-23 match record this year.

WTA SCOREBOARD: Zurich s=seed, #=rank, *=upset, LL=lucky loser ranks are for the previous week How do players get into the "draw"? Zurich Open,  Zurich, Switzerland   tourney time:        = GMT +2 hours        = US EDT +6 hours        = US PDT +9 hours Switzerland News Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar     Zurich: The main draw for Zurich 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.   click for broader view   Hallenstadion, Zurich, SUI Latitude: 47.411529 Longitude: 8.551859 goto link for World Wind Zurich Open venue address: Hallenstadion, Wallisellenstrasse 45, 8050 Zürich, Switzerland 2008: On Monday, October 13, in Zurich, Daniela Hantuchova posed for pretty pics for Schweizer Illustrierte magazine... also on Monday, Swiss # 1 Patty Schnyder & Venus Williams were looking good at the player party, # 1 Jelena Jankovic amused the media at the "All Access Hour," and Swiss resident Ana Ivanovic served smiles & autographs to fans... On Tuesday, Ana received the annual Michael Westphal Award for the best "tennis personality" (of which Ana has plenty) as voted by readers of Germany's Tennis Magazine...

Zurich, 1st Rd, Mon noon, Tue-Wed 2pm & 1pm WTA story loser: $4,175 US; 1 point #10 s5 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #77 q Vera Dushevina RUS 6-4, 6-1 Tue *#59 q Petra Kvitova CZE d #11 s6 Patty Schnyder SUI 4-6, 6-3, 4-6 Tue Lefties Petra and Patty driving backhand and forehand     Patty said: "It was very hard to get into a rhythm against [Petra] tonight. For most of the match it was either a winner or an error from her side and I was just trying to stay in the rallies. She has great potential and a very good lefty serve...     "I'm disappointed; I've had so many terrific memories here, especially winning the title in 2002, saving match point against [Lindsay] Davenport in the final. But as long as there is tennis in Zürich, I'll be back here playing."     Petra said: "I knew I had to keep the points short because Patty likes rallies; when I was 3-0 and 4-2 down in the third I kept telling myself that I can do this. It gives me a lot of confidence beating someone like Patty, who's ranked No.11. I have to work on my consistency as that will help me move up the rankings. I'm glad I have a day off tomorrow and I can look forward to my next match." *#67 q Monica Niculescu ROU d #12 s7 Anna Chakvetadze RUS 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 Tue Monica's Bartoli-style (backhand grip) forehand, and Anna driving a backhand     The loss dropped Anna's match record to 27-22 for the season; she is 1-5 since reaching the New Haven final in August.     Monica uses the 2-handed backhand grip on both sides, thus her forehand looks rather bizarre. Monica (and Marion Bartoli, Shuai Peng, and Aiko Nakamura—who uses the 2-handed forehand grip on both sides) do fairly well with this violation of biomechanical sensibility, but don't try this at home. Please. *#32 Maria Kirilenko RUS d #13 s8 Daniela Hantuchova SVK 7-5, 6-2 Mon Daniela about to swat a backhand, and Maria driving one *#18 Flavia Pennetta ITA d #14 Nadia Petrova RUS 6-1, 6-1 Wed Flavia and Nadia driving forehand and backhand, and Flavia after match point #15 Marion Bartoli FRA d #27 Agnes Szavay HUN 6-4, 6-0 Tue Marion's 2-handed forehand (with backhand grip)—her backhand is her favorite shot *#23 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #16 Caroline Wozniacki DEN 7-6(3), 6-2 Tue #17 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #25 Amelie Mauresmo FRA 6-2, 6-1 Mon Vika and Amelie about to swat backhands *#33 Alona Bondarenko UKR d #19 Alize Cornet FRA 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(6) Mon Alona and Alize driving forehand and backhand #21 Katarina Srebotnik SLO d #49 wc Timea Bacsinszky SUI 6-3, 6-3 Wed Timea "reacting," as they say in photo captions, and Katarina after winning a point *#60 q Sofia Arvidsson SWE d #24 Sybille Bammer AUT 0-6, 7-5, 6-4 Wed *#30 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP d #29 wc Na Li CHN 6-3, 6-4 Tue

Zurich, 2nd Rd, Wed-Thu 2pm Thu WTA story loser: $7,820 US; 35 points *#18 Flavia Pennetta ITA d #1 s1 Jelena Jankovic SRB 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 Thu Flavia's service toss, Jelena's forehand drive, Flavia driving a backhand, and after match point     Flavia broke Jelena's serve to take a 5-3 lead in the 3rd set, and then, while serving out the match, finished with an ace.     The loss ended a 12-match winning streak for US Open finalist Jelena, who had won her last 3 tournaments in a row, and defeated Flavia last week in the Moscow quarterfinals, 7-6(6), 6-3.     Flavia said: "Last week I didn't have a lot of luck, and today I was more aggressive... I am very happy to have won because it was a very tough match. There was a big fight at the beginning, I had a good serve and I was aggressive on returns. The difference was one or two points." BBC story - tourney quotes     Flavia, this year a US Open quarterfinalist, finalist in Los Angeles, and champion in Acapulco and Vina del Mar, is having the best season of her career. It was Flavia's first-ever win over a current # 1 player, and her first victory over Jelena, who still leads Flavia 6-1 in career matches. Flavia's best prior win (by rank) was over then # 5 Justine Henin, in the 2nd round in Filderstadt in 2005, 6-4, 6-3.     Jelena appeared to injure her left wrist late in the 1st set, and her right knee was bleeding after a fall in the 2nd.     But Jelena did not blame the loss on injuries. Jelena said: "I didn't have any gas in the tank. I am not a machine. Flavia took advantage, she was the better one today."     Despite the loss, Jelena is still very likely to finish the season holding the # 1 ranking, and now will have almost three weeks to recover before the WTA Championships in Doha, Qatar, November 4-9. WTA story #5 s2 Ana Ivanovic SRB d #15 Marion Bartoli FRA 6-2, 6-4 Thu Ana about to slice a backhand, Marion about to drive one, and Ana after match point     It was Ana's 6th win in 12 matches since she won the French Open. Part of the problem was a right thumb injury she incurred while practicing in July.     Ana said: "I think that's the best match I've played since the French Open. I played well for sets in Beijing and Moscow, but not the whole match. It's been tough trying to find my consistency again after the injury but I know it will come back. I’m not putting pressure on myself, I’m just taking it step by step and I know I will eventually get back to where I was...     "It's so nice to play here, I live in Basel and to have all my family, friends and my manager who also lives here is amazing. It's a good atmosphere for me to play in and I really hope I go all the way this year since it's the last time the tournament is here maybe [Zurich is not on the 2009 WTA schedule]." #8 s3 Venus Williams USA d #33 Alona Bondarenko UKR 6-3, 6-4 Wed Alona and Venus driving backhands     Venus said: "I played OK, and when the points became important I was winning those, especially on my serve... I was trying to put more into coming in [to the net] on different kinds of shots. I'll be looking to improve my level with every round." BBC story *#30 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP d #9 s4 wc Vera Zvonareva RUS 6-3, 3-0 retired - dizziness Thu *#21 Katarina Srebotnik SLO d #10 s5 Agnieszka Radwanska POL 2-6, 7-6(6), 6-3 Thu Katarina volleying a forehand, and Agnieszka driving a backhand #17 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #67 q Monica Niculescu ROU 6-0, 6-0 Thu #23 Francesca Schiavone ITA d #32 Maria Kirilenko RUS 6-3, 7-5 Wed #59 q Petra Kvitova CZE d #60 q Sofia Arvidsson SWE 6-2, 6-1 Thu

Zurich, QFs, Fri 2pm loser: $14,600 US; 70 points #5 s2 Ana Ivanovic SRB d #59 q Petra Kvitova CZE 6-1, 6-4 Ana about to swat a forehand, Petra watching her lefty backhand fly, Ana volleying a backhand, and after winning a point #8 s3 Venus Williams USA d #23 Francesca Schiavone ITA 6-3, 6-3 Francesca and Venus driving 1-handed and 2-handed backhands     Venus said: "[Francesca] is a good competitor. She went for a lot out there today, sometimes maybe a little too much... I think I played more consistent than in my first match." AP story #30 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP d #17 Victoria Azarenka BLR 4-6, 6-3 retired—right shoulder injury Vika about to slice a backhand, and Anabel driving one #18 Flavia Pennetta ITA d #21 Katarina Srebotnik SLO 7-5, 6-2 Flavia lining up a forehand, and Katarina's backhand drive

Zurich, SFs, Sat 1:30pm WTA story loser: $27,300 US; 125 points *#8 s3 Venus Williams USA d #5 s2 Ana Ivanovic SRB 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 Ana driving a forehand, Venus about to swat a backhand, and after match point     Venus said: "Ana has the ability to take the game away from me, so it was important for me to take the game away from her. And I think I did that pretty well." tourney quotes     Her opponent in the final, Flavia Pennetta, has defeated Venus in their last three matches. Venus said: "Every time [Flavia] has played well and I haven't played my best, but congratulations to her. I made a lot of errors in Moscow, so I have to make sure I don't make anything like as many this time." #18 Flavia Pennetta ITA d #30 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP 6-3, 7-6(6) Flavia's forehand drive, Anabel volleying a backhand, and Flavia after match point     Flavia said: "It was a nice match, but tough from the beginning. [Anabel and I] know each other very well, we spend so much time together, so it was tough to play a good friend... I think I was a little bit more consistent, and physically I was more fast and strong." tourney quotes     About the final, Flavia said: "I beat Venus last week, but this is another week and another tournament. Last week I lost against [# 1 Jelena] Jankovic and this week I won, so you see everything can happen."

Zurich, Final, Sun 1:30pm loser: $51,000 US; 190 points winner: $95,500 US; 275 points #8 s3 Venus Williams USA d #18 Flavia Pennetta ITA 7-6(1), 6-2 Venus firing a cannonball serve, Flavia lining up a forehand, Venus driving a backhand, and after match point

Zurich, Doubles Final, Sun 11am before singles losers' prize: $16,120 US winners' prize: $30,000 US cdr2 s1 Cara Black & Liezel Huber d cdr140 Patty Schnyder & Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-1, 7-6(3) Zurich, Qual Finals, Mon Oct 13 noon q1 $640 1pt; q2 $1,195 5pts; q3 $2,230 US, 10pts; qualifier: 15 points *#77 Vera Dushevina RUS d #31 Ai Sugiyama JPN 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 #59 Petra Kvitova CZE d #83 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER 6-3, 7-5 *#60 Sofia Arvidsson SWE d #41 Iveta Benesova CZE 6-1, 6-1 *#67 Monica Niculescu ROU d #61 Kateryna Bondarenko UKR 6-1, 6-1 Zurich, Withdrawals #6 Maria Sharapova RUS torn r shoulder tendon, out for the season #20 Dominika Cibulkova SVK neck injury? #38 Shahar Peer ISR

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