WTA July 27-Aug 2: Stanford & Istanbul Bank of the West Classic Stanford, CA PREMIER $700,000 32m/32q/16d outdoor: hard - Free Live Video Live Scores - in popup window draws: WTA: S - Q - D - OOP     tourn. draws: S - Q - D - schedule pics: Y!: sports - news | WTA Stanford: radar - forecast sports: Chronicle - Stan Daily #2 S Williams, #3 V Williams #4 E Dementieva, #6 J Jankovic Istanbul Cup Istanbul, TUR INTL $220,000 32m/32q/16d outdoor: hard - Free Live Video Live Scores - in popup window draws: WTA: S - Q - D - OOP     tourn.draws: S - Q - D - OOP pics: Y!: sports - news | AF - WTA Istanbul: weather forecast #7 V Zvonareva, #19 P Schnyder #20 A Medina G, #38 S Errani

Tourney pages: Stanford: 2008 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 Istanbul: 2008 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 previous other tourney pages next Istanbul: #49 Vera Dushevina 5' 10¾" 161lb RH 2H-BH Stanford: #15 Marion Bartoli 5' 6¾" 128lb RH 2H-FH&BH

On Sunday at Stanford University, in the final of the Bank of the West Classic, 24-year-old 8th-seeded #15 Marion Bartoli of France (residence: Geneva, Switzerland) won one of the biggest victories of her career, defeating 28-year-old 2nd-seeded #3 Venus Williams from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 (Marion is shown with her new fine glassware after the match). Marion's prize is $107,000; Venus's prize is $57,000.     The match lasted 2 hours and 43 minutes. Venus was plagued by her most common problem, forehand errors, and also had troubles with her 2nd serve. Although she struck 8 aces, she committed 12 double faults, and won only 35% of her 2nd serve points (Marion: 1 ace, 5 DFs, won 53% of 2nd serve points).     Marion broke Venus's serve at the start of the match, and wound up converting 6 of 14 break points. Venus converted 4 of 12 break points against Marion.     Marion said: "When I served for the match, [Venus] sensed I was tight, and she started coming up with big winners. I just tried to stay positive and focused in the third set. We had some great rallies in the third set. It was so hard to win the last game." WTA story - AP story     Venus said: "Marion played really well today... It was a tough day. I had to fight through it and in the end I ran out of time. My last few matches were so good, but today I just couldn't execute the way I wanted."     Venus and Marion had met only once before, in the final of The Championships at Wimbledon in 2007, when Venus defeated Marion 6-4, 6-1.     Marion, who also reached the Stanford final last year (and lost to Aleksandra Wozniak, 7-5, 6-3) is now 5-5 in WTA singles finals; she also won the Monterrey title earlier this year. Marion has a 35-14 match record in 2009.

    7-time Grand Slam tourney champion Venus is now 41-24 in WTA singles finals; she won the Dubai and Acapulco titles earlier this year. Venus has a 31-8 match record for the season.

    On Sunday in Turkey, in the final of the Istanbul Cup, 22-year-old 5th-seeded #49 Vera Dushevina from Khimki, Russia (suburb north of Moscow), won her first WTA singles title by obliterating 24-year-old 8th-seeded #69 Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic, 6-0, 6-1 (Vera is shown holding the hardware after the match). Vera's prize is $37,000; Lucie's is $19,000.

    Vera and Lucie had never before met on the field of combat. Lucie did not reach break point against Vera during the match, which lasted only 41 minutes and 54 seconds. Only 67 points were played (52 is the fewest points possible in 13 games): Vera won 51 and Lucie 16.

    Vera said: "I was serving very well today. I tried to be aggressive and push forward so [Lucie] didn't have any chance to attack. If she played better it would have been a much tougher match, but it wasn't easy for me - it was a final." WTA story

    Lucie said: "Vera played very well today... She didn't make any mistakes... Before the tournament, if somebody came and told me I'd play the final of singles and win the doubles, I'd have said they were joking."

    Vera is now 1-3 in WTA singles finals; she reached the Stockholm final in 2007 and 2008, and the Eastbourne final in 2005. She also won the 2007 Warsaw doubles title, partnered with Tatiana Perebiynis. Vera has a 28-13 match record in 2009.
    Lucie is now 0-3 in WTA singles finals; she reached the Strasbourg final earlier this year, and the Bad Gastein final last year. Lucie has won 6 WTA doubles titles (including the Istanbul title on Saturday partnered with Renata Voracova), plus 14 ITF singles and 24 ITF doubles titles. Lucie's 2009 match record is 28-17.

Istanbul player's blog by Aravane Rezai

WTA SCOREBOARD: Stanford & Istanbul 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   NWS weather radar tourney time:        = GMT -7 hours        = US EDT -3 hours        = US PDT San Francisco Area news - California news Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar   click for broader view   Stanford University tennis courts Lat.: 37.430637 Lon.: -122.16188 goto link for World Wind     Stanford: The main draw for Stanford 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. Bank of the West Classic venue address: Taube Family Tennis Stadium, Stanford, CA 94305     2009 is the 39th year of the tourney that has become the Bank of the West Classic, the longest-running women-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. 2009: On Monday, July 27, top seed Serena Williams, 2nd seed Venus Williams, and 4th seed Jelena Jankovic played Meet the Press at Stanford... 3rd seed Elena Dementieva took a field trip for photos at the, uh, Foggy Gate Bridge...

Stanford, 1st Rd, Mon-Tue 11am Mon quotes - Tue quotes losers' prize: $4,580 US; points: 1 #2 s1 Serena Williams USA d #18 Na Li CHN 6-3, 7-6(6) Tue Na and Serena driving backhands     Serena said: "I was too anxious and ready to go home, and I’m playing a tough player who never gives up, and [Na has] always played me really well and given me some tough matches. So it’s important not to be over-anxious...     "She’s a really good player and one of those players who keeps improving over time. It is [a tough first round match-up] but it’ s good for me because I have to bring my ‘A’ game from the first round on, so to win in straight sets was good, because she is definitely no pushover." #3 s2 Venus Williams USA d #105 wc Stephanie Dubois CAN 6-2, 6-3 Tue Stephanie driving a backhand, and Venus firing a forehand on the run     Venus said: "It was a great match. I really got in my rhythm, hit a lot of balls and worked on my shots. [Stephanie is] a young player who’s coming up, and she’s going to do really good things as long as she keeps working hard." #4 s3 Elena Dementieva RUS d #54 Anne Keothavong GBR 6-1, 6-4 Mon Anne and Elena driving backhands     Elena said: "I think it was a good match. I am playing well. I hope to have a practice tomorrow and improve my game for the next round...     "I really like to play here. Yesterday I realized I played here 10 years ago in the Fed Cup final and it is really nice to be back...     "When you lose a match, I think that’s the way to learn something. As a professional you have to learn and improve and just be positive because there is always another week, always another try." #6 s4 Jelena Jankovic SRB d #128 q Angela Haynes USA 6-3, 6-1 Tue Jelena and Angela driving backhand and forehand #10 s5 Nadia Petrova RUS d #81 Bethanie Mattek-Sands USA 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 Mon Nadia's backhand drive *#21 Samantha Stosur AUS d #12 s6 Dominika Cibulkova SVK 6-4, 6-3 Tue Samantha and Dominika driving forehand and backhand #14 s7 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #29 Sorana Cirstea ROU 6-0, 6-1 Mon     Agnieszka said: "I felt very good today and even with the weather, you know, it was very hot, but actually everything worked today, and I’m very happy that I played such a good match, and I just played two sets and I am still fresh and ready to play another match...     "The tournaments are very strong here [in the US], and the competition is always very high. So for the first round it was not that easy and especially now I am very happy that I played well...     "I am just pressing hard all of the time, and I think this is the key to being on the top." #15 s8 Marion Bartoli FRA d #64 Ayumi Morita JPN 7-6(6), 6-3 Tue Ayumi and Marion driving backhands #26 Sabine Lisicki GER d #199 q Lilia Osterloh USA 6-2, 6-3 Tue #27 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d #37 Aleksandra Wozniak CAN 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 Tue 2008 Stanford champ Aleksandra driving a forehand, Daniela driving a backhand, and after match point *#52 Melinda Czink HUN d #36 Alisa Kleybanova RUS 6-0, 7-5 Mon *#51 Maria Kirilenko RUS d #48 Anna Chakvetadze RUS 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(5) Tue *#61 Maria Sharapova RUS d #53 Ai Sugiyama JPN 6-4, 6(7)-6, 6-1 Mon Ai following a backhand, Maria driving one, and after match point     Maria said: "Unfortunately, I didn’t close it out [the second set]. I came out in the third set, and I did turn it around in the third set. I didn’t do too many things wrong, but give Sugiyama credit. I thought she stepped up and I couldn’t raise my level when I had to. I think in the third set I was steady and did the right things...     "[I am feeling] good. I have been training hard the past two weeks. Physically I am feeling good and like I could have gone a few sets more." *#91 q Alla Kudryavtseva RUS d #63 Julie Coin FRA 6-1, 7-6(5) Tue #71 q Melanie Oudin USA d #NR wc Hilary Barte USA 6-2, 6-1 Tue #72 Monica Niculescu ROU d #NR sr61 Meghann Shaughnessy USA 6-1, 6-0 Mon

Stanford, 2nd Rd, Wed-Thu 11am Wed quotes - Thu quotes losers' prize: $8,590 US; points: 60 #2 s1 Serena Williams USA d #52 Melinda Czink HUN 6-3, 7-6(7) Thu Serena and Melinda driving backhand and forehand, and Serena after winning a point     Serena said: "I was just off today, and really I’ve been off this whole week. Hopefully I can get on track. In the second set, I just wanted to focus on winning the next point. I made some key errors, although it was good that I ended up winning that sixth game [during the second set] because it helped me at the end...     "[Melinda] served really well, toward the end especially, and started mixing it up and serving big. I definitely could have returned better, but this was still good practice... I would have been fine going three sets. I thought I desperately needed to hold, that way if we did go to three sets, I would at least start out serving. I would have definitely been into it and ready."     In the Stanford quarterfinals on Friday, Serena will play 25-year-old #21 Samantha Stosur from Gold Coast, Australia. They have met only twice before, both times on hardcourts. In the 2nd round of the Beijing Olympics last year, Serena defeated Samantha 6-2, 6-0. But early this year, in the 1st round in Sydney, the score was much closer, as Serena won 6-3, 6(4)-7, 7-5.     Serena said: "[Samantha] has improved by leaps and bounds, and I just hope I can stay in the match. Hopefully I will be playing a little better tomorrow." #3 s2 Venus Williams USA d #91 q Alla Kudryavtseva RUS 6-1, 7-5 Thu Alla following a forehand, and Venus driving one     Venus said: "I wish I would have played a little more consistent today. I had a chance in the second set to close it out at 5-3. Overall I think everything is going well for me so far."     About playing Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals, Venus said: "I feel like that is a really good matchup for me, and I always enjoy playing against Maria. It’s going to be a good match. The key for me is just to continue to play the way I do, and execute my game the best I can." #4 s3 Elena Dementieva RUS d #51 Maria Kirilenko RUS 6-1, 6-2 Wed Maria and Elena following backhands     Elena said: "I think it was a good match and I made some good points. It was nice to play at night today. It was a pretty hot day. I’m satisfied with the way I’m playing and looking forward to the next round...     I just played [Maria] a couple of weeks ago so I knew what to expect from her. I was just trying to focus on my game and go out to the net and take advantage of the short balls and do something at the net. She has a good swing. She likes to mix it up. She has some variety in her game." #6 s4 Jelena Jankovic SRB d #26 Sabine Lisicki GER 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 Thu Jelena serving, Sabine following a backhand, Jelena driving one, and after match point     Jelena said: "This was a really tough match for me, especially since I haven’t played for awhile. I felt that I was a little rusty out there, and I need to keep playing matches and experience those situations. I had not played at night for awhile and it took me a little longer to adjust my eyes and reaction time. Early on, I was having trouble with the shadows, and certain times I couldn’t see where the ball was going when [Sabine] was serving or I was returning." *#61 Maria Sharapova RUS d #10 s5 Nadia Petrova RUS 6-1, 6-2 Wed Maria serving, Nadia driving a forehand, Maria driving a backhand, and after winning a point     Maria said: "Against an opponent like [Nadia], I have to go out there and expect her to play really good tennis. She has a really big game, she’s very explosive and she goes for shots a lot. It’s important to take care of your service game, and try to get some looks on the second serve. I thought I did many things well today. I was aggressive the whole way through and not too many letdowns...     "Before the first round I hadn’t played in a few weeks. And they are different opponents. I took that [first] match and I knew what I had to improve. The goal today was just to go out there and have a good start. That was important. I thought I started pretty lousy in the first one."     In the Stanford quarterfinals on Friday, Maria will play the winner of the Thursday match between 2nd-seeded #2 Venus Williams and qualifier #91 Alla Kudryavtseva.     Maria leads Venus 3-2 in career matches; they have not played each other since 2007.     Maria and Alla are tied at 1-1 in career matches. Alla won their last meeting, in the 2nd round at Wimbledon last year, 6-2, 6-4, and then, in her postmatch press interview, made fun of Maria's attire. Unbeknownst to Alla (or anyone), Maria had been playing the match with a torn right shoulder rotator cuff tendon, which Maria had incurred in March, but which was not detected [in MRI scans from April] until the end of July.     About the possibility of playing Venus Williams in the quarterfinals, Maria said: "I’m excited. I love to play against [Venus] and it’s been awhile. It’s always great to be coming back and have the chance to play against a player like her who is at the top of her game right now and is playing really well. And I’m definitely looking forward to it.     "You have to go in to the match thinking she is going to do everything well, which she is very capable of doing. That is why she is a champion and that why she has that many more Grand Slams than I do. Going into a match against her I know I have to perform well, I have to start well, be aggressive, not have any letdowns against her and just worry about my side of the net. You’ve got to expect her to play great tennis." *#27 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d #14 s7 Agnieszka Radwanska POL 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-1 Wed Agnieszka driving a backhand, and Daniela following a serve #15 s8 Marion Bartoli FRA d #71 q Melanie Oudin USA 7-5, 6-4 Thu Marion and Melanie driving forehand and backhand     Marion said: "I also played Melanie in Charleston this year, and that was also a difficult match. She is a young player on the rise, she played well at Wimbledon and has enjoyed a good run here through the qualifying session. I knew it would be tough, but I was able to play the big points well and finish in two sets."     Melanie said: "[Marion] was tough to break today, especially in the first set. During the second set I had some chances, but she came through with some big serves on my break points, so there was not much I could do about that. Overall I thought it was a good match. If I could have played like I did when I was down, I think I could have won the first set." #21 Samantha Stosur AUS d #72 Monica Niculescu ROU 6-1, 7-5 Wed Samantha driving a forehand, and Monica following one

Stanford, QFs, Fri noon quotes losers' prize: $15,925 US; points: 120 *#21 Samantha Stosur AUS d #2 s1 Serena Williams USA 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 Samantha serving, Serena and Samantha driving backhands, and Samantha after match point     Samantha and Serena had met only twice before, both times on hardcourts. In the 2nd round of the Beijing Olympics last year, Serena defeated Samantha 6-2, 6-0. But early this year, in the 1st round in Sydney, the score was much closer, as Serena won 6-3, 6(4)-7, 7-5.     Samantha said: "I knew I had my chances in Sydney and I wanted to get in the same position, and this time I got over the line... I think I forced [Serena] to stay back, and I also played aggressively, so I was able to walk away with a win today."     Serena said: "I thought [Samantha] just played well. She didn’t do anything bad. That’s one thing about her... She went for broke no matter what." #3 s2 Venus Williams USA d #61 Maria Sharapova RUS 6-2, 6-2 Venus driving a forehand, Maria following a backhand, and Venus after match point     Venus said: "I enjoy playing against Maria. It’s one of my favorite match-ups. I really want to keep bringing up my game. I thought I could have played a little more consistently but I can’t complain too much. I’m just going to keep elevating my game throughout the tournament."     Maria said: "[Venus] did many things a lot better than I did today. She was aggressive the whole way through and played a lot better than I did. I certainly had my chances. There were just a few things I didn’t capitalize on when I had my chances...     "Against Venus you have go a little bit more for your shots. You can’t be expecting her to make the errors. You’ve got to do something yourself. My goal going into the match was to create my own opportunities and create the chances I might have had and I didn’t do that." #4 s3 Elena Dementieva RUS d #27 Daniela Hantuchova SVK 6-2, 6-4 Elena serving, Daniela and Elena driving backhands, and Elena after match point     Elena said: "I felt like it was hot out there and I was struggling with my serve. But I was happy to win in two sets, save my energy for the semifinal, and very excited to play my tennis." *#15 s8 Marion Bartoli FRA d #6 s4 Jelena Jankovic SRB 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-3 Marion serving, Jelena showing slice on a backhand, Marion driving one, and after match point     Jelena failed to convert two match points in the 2nd set.     Marion said: "It was tough. Jelena was playing well, she was serving well and she didn’t give me a lot of opportunity to get back in to the game in the first set. I had to defend two match points and I guess when I won the second set I knew I had the better chance to win the match."     Jelena said: "I played quite well in the first set and that is something positive I can take from this match. I’m starting to do some good things but there are a lot of things I can do better and I can improve. After this tournament I have a week to train and clean up some things and hopefully I will be better in Cincinnati."

Stanford, SFs, Sat 1pm tourney quotes losers' prize: $30,000 US; points: 200 #3 s2 Venus Williams USA d #4 s3 Elena Dementieva RUS 6-0, 6-1 Venus serving, Elena firing a forehand on the run, Venus following one, and after match point     Venus now leads Elena 9-2 in career matches and has won their last six consecutive meetings; Elena has not defeated Venus since 2004.     Elena had a terrible day. Although she double faulted only once, she put only 43% of her 1st serves in the box, and won only 25% of those points. Thus, in the entire match, Elena won only 4 points on her 1st serve (Venus: 62% in, 78% won, 25 points won on 1st serve).     Elena said: "I don’t have a good history against Venus. I think she’s one of the toughest players on the tour. It’s always tough to play against her. I think today she was playing very solid—just too good."     Venus said: "I think I can get my first serve percentage up a little more. Definitely keep my errors down a little bit. I’m always looking for ways to play better. I’m definitely focused on what I can do better my side of the net regardless of the score." #15 s8 Marion Bartoli FRA d #21 Samantha Stosur AUS 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 Marion and Samantha driving forehands, Marion driving a backhand, and after match point     Marion said: "In the second set [Samantha] was hitting winners on both sides. She was serving so well and I couldn’t do anything. I was waiting for the openings to come in the third set and when I had the chance in the third set to break her, I broke her, and I think I was a lot more comfortable. I was able to win some tough points on defense, running well, and I think she started to feel a bit tired...     "It was a nice match point I think. I think it was a nice match overall. We had some tough rallies and we had some great points on both sides and I think it was a good match. I am happy to come up with the win and be in the final one more time. The draw was so tough so this year. The field was incredible and to be in the final again is great."

Stanford, Final, Sun noon loser's prize: $56,000 US; points: 320 winner's prize: $107,000 US; points: 470 *#15 s8 Marion Bartoli FRA d #3 s2 Venus Williams USA 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 Marion serving to Venus, Venus and Marion driving forehands, and Marion after match point

Stanford, Doubles Final, Sun after singles & rest losers' prize: $17,800 US winners' prize: $34,000 US cdr20 s2 Venus Williams & Serena Williams d Yung-Jan Chan & Monica Niculescu 6-4, 6-1 Venus and Serena Stanford, Qual Finals, Mon Jul 27 11am losers' prizes: q1 $700 1pt; q2 $1,320 8pts; q3 $2,460 12pts; qualifier 20 points #71 Melanie Oudin USA v #114 Yung-Jan Chan TPE 6(7)-7, 6-1, 6-0 #91 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS d #147 Chanelle Scheepers RSA 6-2, 6-3 *#199 Lilia Osterloh USA d #108 Alexa Glatch USA 6-2, 6-3 #128 Angela Haynes USA d #134 Stephanie Foretz FRA 7-5, 6-2 Stanford, Withdrawals #22 Sybille Bammer AUT groin injury #40 Shuai Peng CHN #83 wc Sania Mirza IND

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 no 1st-round byes. There are 4 qualifiers and 3 wild cards in the main draw. Qualifying finals are on Monday.   click for broader view   ENKA Sadi Gülçelik Sports Center Latitude: 41.113245 Longitude: 29.036736 goto link for World Wind Istanbul Cup venue address: ENKA Arena, ENKA Sadi Gülçelik Spor Tesisleri, Istinye Bayırı Cad., Istinye/Sarıyer/ISTANBUL     The 2011-2013 WTA Championships, which will also be held in İstanbul, are to take place at the Ataköy Sinan Erdem Sports Center, which is still under construction for the 2010 World Basketball Championships. 2009: On Sunday, July 27, top seeds Anabel Medina Garrigues, Vera Dushevina, Aravane Rezai, Patty Schnyder, and Vera Zvonareva, along with Turkish players Ipek Senoglu and Cagla Buyukakcay, were looking good outside the Istanbul Archaeological Museum...

Istanbul, 1st Rnd, Mon-Tue 10am loser's prize: $1,725 US; points: 1 *#126 Mariya Koryttseva UKR d #7 s1 Vera Zvonareva RUS 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 Tue Vera driving a forehand (you can see the ball stretching the Gamma strings of her Prince O3), and Mariya about to connect with one     Vera was playing her match since Wimbledon, where she had reinjured ankle ligaments she had torn at Charleston in April. *#92 Rossana de los Rios PAR d #19 s2 Patty Schnyder SUI 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3 Tue Rossana studying a backhand, and Patty about to connect with a forehand #20 s3 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP d #96 q Anastasiya Yakimova BLR 6-4, 6-2 Tue Anabel about to swat a backhand #39 s4 Aravane Rezai FRA d #78 Victoriya Kutuzova UKR 7-6(3), 6-2 Mon Viktoriya lining up a forehand, and Aravane following a backhand #49 s5 Vera Dushevina RUS d #185 q Yuliana Fedak UKR 6-1, 6-4 Tue #65 s7 Olga Govortsova BLR d #85 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 Mon #69 s8 Lucie Hradecka CZE d #325 wc Cagla Buyukakcay TUR 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 Tue #70 Urszula Radwanska POL d #87 Stefanie Voegele SUI 6-2, 7-6(4) Tue Urszula and Stefanie driving forehands *#135 Marta Domachowska POL d #75 Patricia Mayr AUT 1-6, 6-2, 6-0 Mon Marta driving a forehand, Patricia following a slice backhand, and Marta watching the trajectory of her backhand *#84 Timea Bacsinszky SUI d #80 Polona Hercog SLO 6-2, 6-2 Mon Polona and Timea driving forehands #89 Julia Goerges GER d #101 Masa Zec Peskiric SLO 6-2, 6-3 Tue Julia ready to drive a forehand #98 Andrea Petkovic GER d #116 Sandra Zahlavova CZE 6-1, 6-2 Tue #100 Maria Elena Camerin ITA d #946 wc Ipek Senoglu TUR 6-0, 6-2 Mon *#422 wc Pemra Ozgen TUR d #103 Arantxa Rus NED 6-3, 6(2)-7, 6-2 Mon Pemra about to slice a backhand while becoming the first Turkish player ever to reach the 2nd round of the Istanbul Open #117 Angelique Kerber GER d #267 q Alina Jidkova RUS 6-2, 6-3 Tue Angelique following a backhand drive *#180 q Ekaterina Dzehalevich BLR d #148 LL Darya Kustova BLR 6-4, 7-6(9) Tue

Istanbul, 2nd Round, Wed-Thu noon loser's prize: $2,950 US; points: 30 #20 s3 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP d #422 wc Pemra Ozgen TUR 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 Thu *#135 Marta Domachowska POL d #39 s4 Aravane Rezai FRA 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 Wed #49 s5 Vera Dushevina RUS d #100 Maria Elena Camerin ITA 6-0, 6-1 Wed Vera driving a backhand, and Maria Elena following one #65 s7 Olga Govortsova BLR d #117 Angelique Kerber GER 6-4, 6(7)-7, 6-4 Wed #69 s8 Lucie Hradecka CZE d #89 Julia Goerges GER 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 Thu #70 Urszula Radwanska POL d #180 q Ekaterina Dzehalevich BLR 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 Thu Urszula following a backhand #84 Timea Bacsinszky SUI d #126 Mariya Koryttseva UKR 6-2, 3-6, 4-1 retired—right elbow injury Wed Timea preparing to fire a forehand, and Mariya following a backhand *#98 Andrea Petkovic GER d #92 Rossana de los Rios PAR 6-1, 6-0 Thu Rossana congratulating Andrea after match point

Istanbul, QFs, Fri loser's prize: $5,340 US; points: 70 *#49 s5 Vera Dushevina RUS d #20 s3 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP 6-1, 6-2 *#98 Andrea Petkovic GER d #65 s7 Olga Govortsova BLR 6-3, 6-3 Andrea about to swat a forehand, and Olga's backhand drive #69 s8 Lucie Hradecka CZE d #135 Marta Domachowska POL 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 Marta at ready, and Lucie ready to launch a backhand #84 Timea Bacsinszky SUI d #70 Urszula Radwanska POL 6-0, 6-1 Urszula driving a forehand, and Timea following a backhand

Istanbul, SFs, Sat 2pm loser's prize: $10,200 US; points: 130 #49 s5 Vera Dushevina RUS d #84 Timea Bacsinszky SUI 6-2, 6-4 Vera about to swat a backhand, and Timea driving one #69 s8 Lucie Hradecka CZE d #98 Andrea Petkovic GER 6(5)-7, 7-5, 7-5 Andrea congratulating Lucie after match point

Istanbul, Final, Sun 6pm loser's prize: $19,000 US; points: 200 winner's prize: $37,000 US; points: 280 #49 s5 Vera Dushevina RUS d #69 s8 Lucie Hradecka CZE 6-0, 6-1 Vera tossing the ball for her serve, Lucie driving a backhand, Vera about to swat one, and after match point

Istanbul, Doubles Final, Sat 8pm+ loser's prize: $5,750 US winner's prize: $11,000 US *cdr129 Lucie Hradecka & Renata Voracova d cdr100 Julia Goerges & Patty Schnyder 2-6, 6-3 (12-10) Istanbul, Qual Finals, Monday Jul 27 10am losers' prizes: q1 $265 1pt; q2 $460 6pts; q3 $860 10pts; qualifier 16 points #96 Anastasiya Yakimova BLR d #151 Ekaterina Ivanova RUS 6-4, 6-1 *#267 Alina Jidkova RUS d #148 Darya Kustova BLR 6(8)-7, 7-6(4), 6-1 *#185 Yuliana Fedak UKR d #158 Renata Voracova CZE 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-4 #180 Ekaterina Dzehalevich BLR d #182 Anna Tatishvili GEO 6-4, 6-3 Istanbul, Withdrawals #38 Sara Errani ITA left knee & right ankle #45 Roberta Vinci ITA #44 Katarina Srebotnik SLO right shoulder injury #50 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER right shoulder injury #57 s6 Yaroslava Shvedova KAZ right arm injury #76 Jelena Dokic AUS illness #97 Galina Voskoboeva KAZ right shoulder & back #115 Karolina Sprem CRO illness

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Current WTA Results & Tennis News (tennis home page) - 2009 WTA Schedule with links & photos

Link to many postmatch interview & match highlight videos of WTA players at the 2008 WTA Player Videos page.

WTA PhotoRankings: the current top 20 Women's Tennis rankings with player photos, links, and bio info.