WTA Oct 25-30: WTA Champ's

WTA Championships, Istanbul, Turkey
PREMIER $4,550,000 8RR/0q/4d
indoor: hard
Free Live Video (popup)
Live Scores - in popup window
draws: WTA: main - OOP
pics: DL - Y!: sports - news - WTA
interviews - Istanbul: forecast

Champ's qualifying standings
n1 Caroline Wozniacki
n2 Maria Sharapova
n3 Petra Kvitova
n4 Victoria Azarenka
n5 Na Li
n6 Vera Zvonareva
n7 Samantha Stosur
n8 Agnieszka Radwanska
alternates:
n9 Marion Bartoli
n10 Andrea Petkovic

Tourney pages: WTA Championships: 2010 - 2009 - 2008 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003

previous

other
tourney pages

next

Istanbul:

#4 Victoria Azarenka
5'10" 132lb RH 2H-BH

Istanbul:

#3 Petra Kvitova
6'0" 154lb LH 2H-BH

On Sunday at Istanbul, in the final of the WTA Championships, this year's champion at Wimbledon and Madrid, 21 year old #3 (career high: #3) Petra Kvitova from Fulnek, Czech Republic, defeated the 2011 champion at Luxembourg, Miami and Marbella, 21 year old #4 (career high: #3) Victoria Azarenka of Belarus (res: Monte Carlo, Monaco), 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 (Vika is shown during the match; Petra is shown holding the hardware afterward).

Petra's prize is $1,750,000; Victoria's prize is $775,000. Petra, who started the year ranked outside the top 30, will end the season ranked #2 behind Caroline Wozniacki. Victoria will be ranked #3, Maria Sharapova #4, and Na Li #5.

Petra struck 42 winners (3 aces) with 43 unforced errors (1 double fault) while scoring on 5 of the 12 break points she reached against Victoria and totaling 97 points in the match.

Victoria hit 23 winners (no aces), with 27 errors (3 DFs), while scoring on 4 of the 9 break points she reached against Petra and totaling 92 points in the match.

Petra said: "It was unbelievable tennis. We were both really fighting. Every game and every set was very close. Maybe I played better on the important points in the match. We both played some of our best here in Istanbul today." WTA story

Victoria said: "It's hard to lose, but I'm glad I lost to such a champion who deserved to win. Petra was amazing today. She really did a great job."

Petra now leads Vika 4-2 in career matches, and has won their last four encounters. Their previous meeting was on a chlorophyll court in the semifinals this year this year at Wimbledon, when Petra defeated Victoria 6-1, 3-6, 6-2.

2011 Wimbledon, Madrid, Brisbane, Paris Indoor & Linz champ Petra is now 7-2 in WTA singles finals. Petra has a 58-13 singles match record in 2011.

Victoria is now 8-8 in WTA singles finals. She won last week at Luxembourg, and also won this year at Miami and Marbella, and reached the final at Madrid, where she lost to Petra. Vika has a 54-18 singles match record this season.

2011 WTA Championships
Singles Round Robin Standings:
name in bold = clinched place in semifinals

Red Group	matches W-L	sets W-L
#3 Petra Kvitova	3-0	6-1
#6 Vera Zvonareva	1-2	3-5
#8 Agnieszka Radwanska	1-2	3-5
#1 Caroline Wozniacki	1-2	3-5

White Group	matches W-L	sets W-L
#4 Victoria Azarenka	2-1	5-2
#7 Samantha Stosur	2-1	4-2
#5 Na Li	1-2	2-4
#2 Maria Sharapova replaced by Bartoli after 2 matches	1-2	2-5

1st Alternate: #9 Marion Bartoli
2nd Alternate: #10 Andrea Petkovic

The WTA Championships System:

Eight top players are selected for singles play in the WTA Championships, based on all the ranking points they have earned during the current WTA Tour season (this differs slightly from the WTA Rankings, which only include a maximum of 17 tourneys in the point totals).

2 groups, White and Red (the colors used for names have changed four times in recent years), play in a round-robin format (12 matches), with two winners from each group becoming semifinalists who play off on Saturday. In the semis, the player who finishes first in each group will play the second place finisher from the other group.
If players win the same number of matches, the winner of their head-to-head match in the round robin is placed higher in the standings. 3-way ties will be resolved first by the percentage of sets won, then by the percentage of games won.

Players who qualify for the WTA Championships (in singles) all will receive at least $110,000; the champion receives $1,295,000, plus another $225,000 to $455,000, depending upon how many matches they won in the round robin.
4 doubles teams also play, with no prelims.

WTA SCOREBOARD: WTA Championships

s=seed, n=rank, *=upset
ranks are for the current week

WTA Championships, Istanbul, Turkey

tourney time:

= GMT +3 hours
= US ET +7hrs
= US PT +10hrs

Turkey News

Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar

WTA Championships: Eight players qualify for the WTA Championships: those who have amassed the most ranking points in the calendar year 2008. They play a 12-match round robin in 2 groups, and the top two players in each group advance to the semifinals.

click for broader view Sinan Erdem Dome, Istanbul
Latitude: 40.988183 Longitude: 28.853574 goto link for World Wind
venue map, .pdf

2011: On Sunday, October 23, in Istanbul, players including Caroline Wozniacki got prepped for the WTA Championships draw ceremony, and posed for pics; the lineup: Samantha Stosur, Petra Kvitova, Caro, Maria Sharapova, Li Na, Vera Zvonareva, and Agnieszka Radwanaska
(Victoria Azarenka was enroute from Luxembourg where she won the title on Sunday)... Always dapper Maria was looking good at the draw...
row 2: On Monday, players including Caro, Vika, Vera, Na, and Maria did the pre-tourney press thing...

Istanbul WTA Champ's round robin, Tue 5pm
n1 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d n8 Agnieszka Radwanska POL 5-7, 6-2, 6-4

Caroline and Agnieszka driving forehands, Caro following a backhand, and after match point

Caroline struck 32 winners (2 aces) with 27 unforced errors (1 double fault) while scoring on 7 of the 13 break points she reached against Agnieszka and totaling 101 points in the match.
Agnieszka hit 35 winners (1 ace), but with 39 errors (no DFs), while scoring on 5 of the 7 break points she reached against Caroline and totaling 89 points in the match.

Caroline said: "Agnieszka has been playing very well lately. It was a bit frustrating not to get the first set after having three set points, but I managed to keep my head cool and fight back. In a match like this, it's small points and small things that make a difference. I won most of the important points in the third set. I just kept focusing on one point at a time." WTA story

Agnieszka said: "I lost against the No.1 in the world, and it was a good match until the end. Of course I had my chances. I made a little too many mistakes sometimes in the important moments, and the surface is different and I'll have to get used to it, but I think I can play better in the next match. I didn't play badly, but I could feel more comfortable."

*n7 Samantha Stosur AUS d n2 Maria Sharapova RUS 6-1, 7-5

Samantha following a forehand, Maria following a backhand, Sam driving one, and after match point

Samantha struck 17 winners (no aces) with 18 unforced errors (no double faults) while scoring on 4 of the 6 break points she reached against Maria and totaling 68 points in the match.
Maria hit 18 winners (4 aces), but with 30 errors (6 DFs), while scoring on only one of the 7 break points she reached against Samantha and totaling 51 points in the match.

Samantha had been 0-9 against Maria in previous matches.

Samantha said: "Obviously it's a big feat for me. You never want to lose to someone 10 times in a row. I was feeling pretty focused, relaxed and ready to go. I did a few things differently and thankfully it paid off." WTA story

Maria had been sidelined since the Tokyo Pan Pacific Open, in September, where she tore an ankle ligament. Maria said: "Sam started off really well and played really well throughout the whole match. She was much more explosive than I was and used her slice really well...
"It's obviously tough to come back after a month and compete at this level but the good thing is I gave myself a chance and did everything I could to even be here, so in a way I'm happy. I still have a couple of matches to go and time to improve."

n3 Petra Kvitova CZE d n6 Vera Zvonareva RUS 6-2, 6-4

Petra driving a forehand, Vera following one, Petra following a backhand, and after match point

Petra struck 24 winners (3 aces) with 24 unforced errors (2 double faults) while scoring on 7 of the 10 break points she reached against Vera and totaling 57 points in the match.
Vera hit 8 winners (no aces), with 17 errors (3 DFs), while scoring on 4 of the 5 break points she reached against Petra and totaling 47 points in the match.

Petra said: "To tell the truth I was very nervous... It's a new experience for me here. But it's important for me that I won my first match and I hope to keep playing well." WTA story

Vera said: "Petra didn't really give me any chances in the first set, and even though I turned the second set around a little bit, I couldn't convert on a few chances I had... She was going for her shots and making a lot of them. She just outplayed me."

Istanbul WTA Champ's round robin, Wed 5pm
*n6 Vera Zvonareva RUS d n1 Caroline Wozniacki DEN 6-2, 4-6, 6-3

Vera stalking the elusive forehand, Caroline following a backhand, Vera driving one, and after match point

Vera hit 49 winners (4 aces), with 49 unforced errors (9 double faults), while scoring on 5 of the 8 break points she reached against Caroline and totaling 94 points in the match.
Caroline struck 13 winners (2 aces) with 18 errors (no DFs) while scoring on 2 of the 5 break points she reached against Vera and totaling 80 points in the match.

Vera said: "We always have tough matches and this one was very tough too, three sets as usual. I did well today. I played my game and went for my shots and was able to win this time. It was a great match for me." WTA story

*n5 Na Li CHN d n2 Maria Sharapova RUS 7-6(4), 6-4

Na driving a forehand, Maria about to swat one, Na following a backhand, and after match point

The match was close but sloppy. Both players struck 37 unforced errors. Na scored on 5 of the 8 break points she reached against Maria and totaled 76 points. Maria scored on 4 of the 10 break points she reached against Na and totaled 74.

Na said: "I'm so happy I was able to beat Maria because she's a top player, and also today was my first match at the Championships." WTA story

After the match, Maria, who badly sprained her left ankle in Tokyo in late September and had not played since, withdrew from the tourney. She will be replaced by the top alternate, #9 Marion Bartoli.

Maria said: "The swelling got a little worse. It just limits my movement a lot, and it’s not something I really want to risk, especially at the end of the season, knowing that I have some time to recover and let it heal naturally instead of really pushing it and damaging something else." AP story

n4 Victoria Azarenka BLR d n7 Samantha Stosur AUS 6-2, 6-2

Victoria driving a forehand, Samantha and Victoria driving backhands, and Vika after match point

Victoria struck 16 winners (no aces) with 13 unforced errors (2 double faults) while scoring on 4 of the 11 break points she reached against Samantha and totaling 59 points in the match.
Samantha hit 11 winners (2 aces), but with 26 errors (4 DFs), while failing to score on the one break point she reached against Victoria and totaling 39 points in the match.

Victoria said: "I wasn't expecting to play so well in my first match here... I served very well today and I wish I can continue to play like this." WTA story

Samantha said: "I definitely feel like I didn't play aggressively enough. I don't feel like I did anything. I kind of just got pushed around the court, and eventually was made to make an error, or she'd hit a winner."

Istanbul WTA Champ's round robin, Thu 5pm
n3 Petra Kvitova CZE d n1 Caroline Wozniacki DEN 6-4, 6-2

Petra driving a backhand, Caro driving one, and Petra driving another

Petra struck 7 aces with 3 double faults, while scoring on 3 of the 4 break points she reached against Caroline, and totaling 62 points in the match.
Caroline hit no aces with 2 DFs, while failing reach break point against Petra, and totaling 50 points in the match.

Caroline felt ill during the match, and had to call for the physio and have her blood pressure taken. Caroline said: "Of course she's a great player. She won Wimbledon, she has a good serve, she has heavy strokes. She hits the ball very strong. I went out there, I tried my best, but I couldn't do what I wanted to do. It's what happens. Petra played very well today." WTA story

The win clinched a place in the semifinals for Red Group leader Petra, while the loss eliminated #1 Caroline from contention for a semifinal position.

n4 Victoria Azarenka BLR d n5 Na Li CHN 6-2, 6-2

Victoria ready to swat a forehand, and Na and Vika driving backhands

Victoria put 80% of her 1st serves in the box, and won 78% of those points, while scoring on 4 of the 11 break points she reached against Na, and totaling 68 points in the match.
Na put 67% of her 1st serves in, and won 58% of those points, while failing reach break point against Vika, and totaling 47 points in the match.

Victoria said: "Li Na has such a good return, and likes to dominate from the beginning, so I tried to serve well and take that away from her." WTA story

The win clinched a place in the semifinals for White Group leader Victoria. Na is tied for 2nd with Samantha Stosur, and Na will play Sam on Friday evening. The winner of that match will receive the second semifinal post from the White Group.
Samantha leads Na 5-0 in career matches, and three of those meetings were this year.

*n8 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d n6 Vera Zvonareva RUS 1-6, 6-2, 7-5

Agnieszka following a forehand, Vera driving one and Aga watching her backhand fly

Agnieszka struck 1 ace with 1 double fault while scoring on 7 of the 10 break points she reached against Vera and totaling 87 points in the match.
Vera struck 4 aces with 7 DFs while scoring on 7 of the 12 break points she reached against Agnieszka and totaling 89 points in the match.

Vera failed to convert 3 match points. Agnieszka said: "On the third match point I just told myself to 'Keep getting the ball back to the other side, that's it!' It's always great to win matches like this, especially against a player like Vera, who is very consistent and always tough to beat." WTA story

Vera said: "I wasn't consistent enough to beat her today. 'Almost' doesn't count. I think it was a good match overall though. I played the way I wanted to play. I just wasn't consistent."

Agnieszka will play Petra Kvitova on Friday. If Agnieszka defeats Petra, or wins just one set, Aga will be in the semifinals.

If Aga loses in straight sets, then there will be a 3-way tie (in matches & sets) for 2nd in the Red Group. The 3-way tiebreaker is percentage of games won, and Vera Zvonareva (35-37) will have the best percentage (If Aga were to lose 5-7, 5-7, her record would be 37-45... Caro Woz? 34-41).

Istanbul WTA Champ's round robin, Fri 5pm
n3 Petra Kvitova CZE d n8 Agnieszka Radwanska POL 7-6(4), 6-3

Aga following a forehand, Petra driving a backhand, and after match point

Petra struck 4 aces with 1 double fault, while scoring on 4 of the 6 break points she reached against Agnieszka, and totaling 78 points in the match.
Agnieszka hit no aces with 2 DFs, while scoring on 3 of the 9 break points she reached against Petra, and totaling 67 points in the match.

Agnieszka, who needed only to win one set to gain a place in the semifinals, took a 5-1 lead in the 1st set. But Petra then took control of the match, broke back twice, and forced the 1st set tiebreaker which she won.

Petra said: "When I started today I was a bit confused. I didn't know what to do and was surprised Aga was moving so well. Luckily I was able to refocus." WTA story

Red Group winner Petra will face White Group runner-up Samantha Stosur in the semifinals on Saturday.

Petra leads Samantha 2-0 in career matches. Their most recent meeting was on a Plexicushion hardcourt in the 3rd round of this year's Australian Open, when Petra defeated Sam 7-6(5), 6-3.

Agnieszka's straight set loss resulted in a 3-way tie (in matches & sets) for 2nd in the Red Group, between Aga, Vera Zvonareva, and Caroline Wozniacki. The 3-way tiebreaker is percentage of games won, and Vera Zvonareva, at 35-37, has the best percentage (48.6%). Agnieszka's round robin game record is 36-44 (45%), and Caroline Wozniacki's is 34-41 (45.3%).

*n9 alt Marion Bartoli FRA d n4 Victoria Azarenka BLR 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
*n7 Samantha Stosur AUS d n5 Na Li CHN 6-1, 6-0

Samantha driving a forehand, Na driving a backhand, Sam volleying one, and after match point

Samantha put 60% of her 1st serves in the box, and won 68% of those points, while scoring on 6 of the 9 break points she reached against Na, and totaling 60 points in the match.
Na put 59% of her 1st serves in, and won 41% of those points, while scoring on 1 of the 4 break points she reached against Samantha, and totaling 33 points in the match.

Samantha said: "I'm very happy with the way I played. To come back from a disappointing loss in my last match and do this is great. Making it to the semifinals here last year will help me. I've learned a lot from all my previous experiences, so I'm hoping this year will be different." WTA story

The win gained a place in the semifinals for Samantha. Finishing second in the White Group, she will face the Red Group winner on Saturday.

alternates prizes: $50,000 • RR no wins prizes: $110,000 US; points: 210 - RR 1 win 2 losses prizes: $225,000 US; points: 370
RR 2 wins 1 loss prizes: $340,000 US; points: 530 - RR 3 wins prizes: $455,000 US; points: 690

Istanbul WTA Championships, SFs, Sat 3pm
loser's prize: RR prize + $30,000 US
n3 Petra Kvitova CZE d n7 Samantha Stosur AUS 5-7, 6-3, 6-3

Petra and Samantha driving backhands, Petra driving a forehand, and after match point

Petra struck 38 winners (7 aces) with 39 unforced errors (2 double faults) while scoring on 5 of the 11 break points she reached against Samantha and totaling 96 points in the match.
Samantha hit 16 winners (4 aces), with 18 errors (2 DFs), while scoring on 3 of the 6 break pointsshe reached against Petra and totaling 84 points in the match.

Petra said: "Sam was serving very well today, so it was key I was able to break her in the second and third sets. It was getting very tough at the end. I had 5-0 and then she was playing very fast, hitting many winners. It was getting tough to concentrate on my service games. You never know what will happen when you play top players. But I served great the last game." WTA story

n4 Victoria Azarenka BLR d n6 Vera Zvonareva RUS 6-2, 6-3

Victoria driving a forehand, Vera and Vika driving backhands, and Victoria after match point

Victoria put 77% of her 1st serves in the box, and won 65% of those points, while scoring on 5 of the 12 break points she reached against Vera, and totaling 71 points in the match.
Vera put 60% of her 1st serves in, and won 63% of those points, while scoring on 2 of the 7 break points she reached against Vika, and totaling 58 points in the match.

Victoria had already clinched a place in the semifinals before she lost to alternate Marion Bartoli (who replaced the injured Maria Sharapova) in their round robin match on Friday. Victoria said: "I really tried to change my mentality from yesterday. It was a bit of a disaster. I'm glad I turned it around and came out strong." WTA story

About playing Petra Kvitova in the final, Victoria said: "Tomorrow is about sudden death. It's the last match at a very important tournament. It's the first time in the final [of the WTA Championships] for both of us and we both want to win. It'll take everything out of us and I hope we can show the best tennis we can."

Istanbul WTA Championships, Final, Sun 5pm
loser's prize: RR prize + $435,000 US; points: RR points + 180
winner's prize: RR prize + $1,295,000 US; points: RR points + 405
n3 Petra Kvitova CZE d n4 Victoria Azarenka BLR 7-5, 4-6, 6-3

Petra serving, Vika driving a backhand, Petra driving a forehand, and after match point

Istanbul WTA Championships, Doubles SFs, Sat 1pm
loser's prize: $93,750
Kveta Peschke & Katarina Srebotnik d Vania King & Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3, 6-4
Liezel Huber & Lisa Raymond d Gisela Dulko & Flavia Pennetta v 4-6, 6-3, (10-7)

Istanbul WTA Championships, Doubles Final, Sun 2:30pm
loser's prize: $187,500
winner's prize: $375,000
Liezel Huber & Lisa Raymond d Kveta Peschke & Katarina Srebotnik 6-4, 6-4

Istanbul WTA Championships, Withdrawals
n2 Maria Sharapova RUS (after 2 RR) left ankle injury

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

Current WTA Results & Tennis News (tennis home page) - 2011 WTA Schedule with links & photos

Link to many postmatch interview & match highlight videos of WTA players at the 2010 WTA Player Videos page.

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

Find tennis shoes made by: adidas -- Nike -- Fila -- Reebok
Find tennis racquets made by: Yonex -- Wilson -- Head -- Prince -- Babolat
Find tennis balls made by: Wilson -- Dunlop -- Penn -- Tretorn -- Slazenger

This page's URL is: http://tennis.quickfound.net/wta_results_2011/istanbul_wta_championships_results_2011.html

2011 WTA Championships WTA Singles Results

tennis.quickfound.net

WTA Oct 25-30: WTA Champ's

The WTA Championships System: