WTA Sep 12-18: QC & Tashkent Bell Challenge Quebec City, CAN INTL $220,000 32m/32q/16d indoor: hard Uniturf PEPS, Laval University campus Live Scores - in popup window draws: WTA: Q - main - D - OOP html: OOP - results photos: Y!: sports - news | WTA Quebec: radar - forecast Canada News and Links n23 D Hantuchova, n26 L Safarova n37 T Paszek, n41 R Marino Tashkent Open, Tashkent, UZB INTL $220,000 32m/32q/16d outdoor: hard Plexipave Free Live Video (popup) Live Scores - in popup window draws: WTA: Q - main - D - OOP photos: WTA - weather Uzbekistan News and Links n52 K Pervak, n54 B Jovanovski n62 P Parmentier, n66 A Sevastova

Quebec City: 2010 - 2009 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 Tashkent: 2008 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 previous other tourney pages next Quebec City: #71 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 5'4½" 132½lb RH 2H-BH Tashkent: #52 Ksenia Pervak & #123 Eva Birnerova 5' 7" 132lb LH 2H-BH       5' 7" 130½lb RH 2H-BH

On Sunday in Quebec City, in the final of the Bell Challenge, 25 year old 6th seeded #71 (career high: #39) Barbora Zahlavova Strycova from Pilzen, Czech Republic, won her first WTA singles title by defeating 23 year old #90 (career high: #49) Marina Erakovic from Auckland, New Zealand. 4-6, 6-1, 6-0 (Barbora is shown getting acquainted with the hardware after the match).     Barbora's prize is $37,000; Marina's prize is $19,000.     Barbora struck 3 aces, with no double faults, and scored on 6 of the 8 break points she reached against Marina while totaling 88 points in the match.     Marina also had 3 aces, with 1 DF, but converted only 2 of the 13 break points she reached against Barbora while scoring 69 points in the match.     Barbora said: "After the 1st set I tried to change a little bit, and it worked; I played a pretty solid two sets... And I think at the end of the 3rd set [Marina] was very tired, because she had a tough match yesterday, and I kind of felt it, so I kept the ball in the court...     "I was also going to the net in the 3rd set, I was putting a lot of pressure on her and she was making more mistakes. The 1st set she was playing very, very good."     It was Barbora and Marina's first meeting in pro singles.     Barbora is now 1-1 in WTA singles finals; she reached the Prague final last year. She has won 8 ITF singles titles and 8 ITF doubles titles. Barbora's 2011 singles match record is 27-26.     Marina was playing in her first WTA singles final. She has won 12 ITF singles titles, 4 WTA doubles titles, and 8 ITF doubles titles. Marina's singles match record this year is 50-15.

    On Saturday in Uzebekistan, in the final of the Tashkent Open, this year's finalist in Baku, Azerbaijan, 20 year old top seeded #52 (career high: #51) Ksenia Pervak from Moscow, Russia, won her first WTA singles final by defeating 27 year old #123 (career high: #59) Eva Birnerova from Plzen, Czech Republic, 6-3, 6-1 (both ladies are shown with the hardware after the match).

    Ksenia's prize is $37,000; Eva's prize is $19,000.

    Ksenia said: "Both of us were nervous, but being the top seed was a little more pressure on me. This win is very special for me as it's my first win on the WTA circuit. It was a pleasure to play here and get big support from the crowd.
    "I'll take a lot of positives from here. I know how to fight off pressure better." WTA story

    Eva said: "I went into the match a little tired after playing some three set matches this week, but full credit to Ksenia for her win. I think Ksenia has improved. Her concentration is good and she's very consistent...
    "I was expecting nothing coming here, so this means a lot to me. I was injured and off the tour, and made a comeback from zero. This will give me a big boost and will help me end my year in the Top 100."

    Ksenia and Eva had never before met on the field of combat.

    Ksenia is now 1-1 in WTA singles finals; she lost to Vera Zvonareva in the Baku final earlier this year. She has won 7 ITF singles titles and 3 ITF doubles titles. Ksenia's 2011 singles match record is 38-22.

    Eva was playing in her first WTA singles final. She has won 8 ITF singles titles, 2 WTA doubles titles, and 9 ITF doubles titles. Eva's singles match record this year is 26-23.

Daniela Hantuchova's Québec Blog: Friday

WTA SCOREBOARD: Quebec City & Tashkent s=seed, n=rank, *=upset, LL=lucky loser ranks are for the previous week How do players get into the "draw"? Bell Challenge,  Quebec City, Canada   tourney time:        = GMT -5 hours        = US EST        = US PST +3 hours Canada News Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar     Quebec City: The main draw for Quebec City has 8 seeds, with no 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   PEPS, Laval University, Quebec City Latitude: 46.784634 Longitude: -71.277645 goto link for World Wind Bell Challenge venue address: Pavillon de l'Éducation physique et des sports, Laval University, Quebec City 2011: Canadians Aleksandra Wozniak and Stephanie Dubois were interviewed at the Quebec City player party on Sunday night... other young ladies looking good at the party included Lucie Safarova, Andrea Hlavackova, Sofia Arvidsson, Misa Krajicek, Lucie's sister Veronika, and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova...

Quebec City, 1st Rd, Mon-Tue 11am loser's prize: $1,725 US; points: 1 n23 s1 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d n161 Ajla Tomljanovic SRB 6-0, 2-6, 6-4 Tue Daniela following a forehand     Daniela said: "I had my first match of the tournament today, against a talented young girl, Ajla Tomljanovic. I felt I did everything right in the first set. I lost serve in the beginning of the second set—after that she started so serve really well and go for her shots. I was down 5-2 in no time and lost the second set, but I'm glad about the way I kept fighting for it. I was playing much better in the third—even though I was down a break early in the third set, I felt confident I could still turn it around. I waited for my chances and took them when they came." player's blog by Daniela Hantuchova n26 s2 Lucie Safarova CZE d n111 Jill Craybas USA 6-2, 6-1 Tue n37 s3 Tamira Paszek AUT d n205 q Ashley Weinhold USA 6-0, 4-6, 6-2 Tue Tamira fielding a backhand n41 s4 Rebecca Marino CAN d n97 Stephanie Dubois CAN 6-2, 6-4 Mon Rebecca volleying a backhand n67 s5 Sofia Arvidsson SWE d n318 q Elena Bovina RUS 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 Tue n71 s6 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE d n98 Shuai Zhang CHN 6-4, 6-2 Tue n79 s7 Irina Falconi USA d n117 Alison Riske USA 6-3, 6-3 Mon *n314 q Julie Coin FRA d n85 s8 Anna Tatishvili GEO 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 Tue *n165 Melinda Czink HUN d n134 Kathrin Woerle GER 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 Mon n96 Mirjana Lucic CRO d n129 Jamie Hampton USA 6-4, 6-2 Tue n101 Varvara Lepchenko USA d n347 wc Eugenia Bouchard CAN 6-1, 6(6)-7, 6-3 Tue n102 Heather Watson GBR d n152 Anne Kremer LUX 6-2, 6-4 Mon n109 Andrea Hlavackova CZE d n113 Melanie Oudin USA 6-1, 6-3 Tue *n165 Melinda Czink HUN d n134 Kathrin Woerle GER 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 Mon n133 wc Aleksandra Wozniak CAN d n236 q Gail Brodsky USA 6-2, 6-1 Tue n183 Michaella Krajicek NED d n332 wc M-E Pelletier CAN 7-6(1), 6-3 Mon

Quebec City, 2nd Rd, Wed-Thu 11am loser's prize: $2,950 US; points: 30 n23 s1 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d n165 Melinda Czink HUN 6(4)-7, 6-4, 6-3 Thu     Daniela said: "Today's match I want to dedicate to one of the biggest sports heroes our country ever had, Pavol Demitra, to whom all our nation had to unfortunately say goodbye to today...     "As for the match... Melinda played very well in the first set, and I had to dig deep and fight hard to win. Dealing with my foot injury was not easy, but like I said, today it had a different meaning so I kept fighting as much as I could." player blog by Daniela Hantuchova *n109 Andrea Hlavackova CZE d n26 s2 Lucie Safarova CZE 7-6(1), 7-5 Thu n37 s3 Tamira Paszek AUT d n101 Varvara Lepchenko USA 6(2)-7, 6-3, 7-6(4) Wed n41 s4 Rebecca Marino CAN d n133 wc Aleksandra Wozniak CAN 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 Wed *n102 Heather Watson GBR d n67 s5 Sofia Arvidsson SWE 7-5, 6-3 Wed n71 s6 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE d n96 Mirjana Lucic CRO 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 Thu *n90 Marina Erakovic NZL d n79 s7 Irina Falconi USA 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 Thu n183 Michaella Krajicek NED d n314 q Julie Coin FRA 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 Wed

Quebec City, QFs, Fri noon loser's prize: $5,340 US; points: 70 n90 Marina Erakovic NZL d n23 s1 Daniela Hantuchova SVK 6-4, 6-4 n37 s3 Tamira Paszek AUT d n102 Heather Watson GBR 6-4, 7-6(5) *n183 Michaella Krajicek NED d n41 s4 Rebecca Marino CAN 6-1, 6-3 n71 s6 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE d n109 Andrea Hlavackova CZE 6-3, 7-5

Quebec City, SFs, Sat 1pm & 7pm WTA story loser's prize: $10,200 US; points: 130 *n90 Marina Erakovic NZL d n37 s3 Tamira Paszek AUT 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 Tamira reaching for a backhand, and Marina driving one     Marina said: "In the third set I started to play better and better. It's a good match-up—I have a good forehand and she has a great backhand. Sometimes she comes up with impressive backhand winners, either down the line or crosscourt, but I was just trying to use my forehand and work the ball around when I could.     "I was feeling my legs, but I think she was feeling hers too. This was my first win against Tamira. She's a really tough player." n71 s6 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE d n183 Michaella Krajicek NED 6-4, 6-3 Barbora hitting balls to the crowd after match point     Barbora said: "I didn't feel as good as I did yesterday, but I tried to stay cool like yesterday and it worked well. Michaella wasn't serving as well as she did the rest of the week. I'm happy I was able to make my second final...     "It's funny, because I came here without thinking of making the final—I thought I'd win one or two rounds and be happy. I feel very relaxed here. My first matches went well and I'm happy how I've been playing."

Quebec City, Final, Sun 1:30pm+ loser's prize: $19,000 US; points: 200 winner's prize: $37,000 US; points: 280 n71 s6 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE d n90 Marina Erakovic NZL 4-6, 6-1, 6-0 Marina and Barbora driving forehands, and Barbora after match point

Quebec City, Doubles Final, Sun noon loser's prize: $5,750 US winner's prize: $11,000 US Raquel Kops-Jones & Abigail Spears d Anna Tatishvili and Jamie Hampton 6-1, 3-6, (10-6) Abigail and Raquel Quebec City, Qual Finals, Mon Sep 12 11am losers' prizes: q1 $265 1pt; q2 $460 6pts; q3 $860 10pts; qualifier 16 points *n236 Gail Brodsky USA d n181 Michelle Larcher de Brito POR 6-3, 6-4 *n318 Elena Bovina RUS d n186 Chichi Scholl USA v 6-3, 7-5 n205 Ashley Weinhold USA d n320 Abigail Spears USA 6-2, 6-3 *n314 Julie Coin FRA d n211 Petra Rampre SLO 6-3, 6-2 Quebec City, Withdrawals n39 Bethanie Mattek-Sands USA n55 Christina McHale USA n100 Anne Keothavong GBR

Tashkent Open,  Tashkent, Uzbekistan   tourney time:        = GMT +5 hours        = US EDT +9 hours        = US PDT +12 hours Uzbekistan News Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar Tashkent: The main draw for Tashkent has 8 seeds, with no 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   Tashkent Tennis Centre, Tashekent, UZB Latitude: 41.350639 Longitude: 69.343772 goto link for World Wind Tashkent Open venue address: massiv Yalangoch, Tashekent, UZB 2011: Akgul Amanmuradova (Uzbek #1) did the bongo thing at the Tashkent players party on Tuesday...

Tashkent, 1st Rd, Mon 11:30am, Tue 10am loser's prize: $1,725 US; points: 1 n52 s1 Ksenia Pervak RUS d n87 Galina Voskoboeva KAZ 6-2, 7-5Tue *n94 Sorana Cirstea ROU d n54 s2 Bojana Jovanovski SRB 6-3, 6-1 Mon Sorana serving *n88 Eleni Danilidou GRE d n62 s3 Pauline Parmentier FRA 7-5, 6-1 Tue n66 s4 Anastasija Sevastova LAT d n142 Mariya Koryttseva UKR 6-0, 7-6(1) Mon n70 s5 Magdalena Rybarikova SVK d n466 wc N Abduraimova UZB 6(5)-7, 6-4, 6-3 Tue n77 s6 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS d n91 Vesna Dolonts RUS 6-2, 7-5 Tue n83 s7 Evgeniya Rodina RUS d n108 Iryna Bremond FRA 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 Mon *n118 Akgul Amanmuradova UZB d n86 s8 Aravane Rezai FRA 6-4, 6-3 Tue n104 Misaki Doi JPN d n127 Mandy Minella LUX 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 Mon *n139 Vitalia Diatchenko RUS d n110 Olga Govortsova BLR 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-4 Mon Vitalia following a backhand n114 Urszula Radwanska POL d n281 q Jana Cepelova SVK 6-1, 6-4 Tue *n261 q Victoria Larriere FRA d n121 Zuzana Kucova SVK 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 Tue n123 Eva Birnerova CZE d n159 Junri Namigata JPN 6-4, 6-1 Tue *n137 Valeria Savinykh RUS d n135 Lesia Tsurenko UKR 6-4, 6-3 Mon *n589 wc Sabina Sharipova UZB d n210 q Eirini Georgatou GRE 6-4, 6-1 Tue cC m1 10am n254 q Aleksandra Krunic SRB d n1175 wc Kamilla Farhad AZE 6-0, 6-1 Tue

Tashkent, 2nd Rd, Wed 11am WTA story loser's prize: $2,950 US; points: 30 n52 s1 Ksenia Pervak RUS d n589 wc Sabina Sharipova UZB 6-3, 6-3 *n137 Valeria Savinykh RUS d n66 s4 Anastasija Sevastova LAT 7-5, 3-6, 6-3     Valeria said: ""I have lost so many close matches from winning positions this year, and this match looked no different. I just took some time and said to myself that 'I'm not going to lose this match,' and just went for winners. This match has given me back my lost confidence." *n261 q Victoria Larriere FRA d n70 s5 Magdalena Rybarikova SVK 6-4, 6-4 Victoria following a forehand     Victoria said: "I just learned today that you don't have to play unbelievable tennis to win, but just play the game and be consistent. Having coming through qualifying here and playing my first-ever WTA and first time against a Top 100 player, I was under pressure, but as the match progressed I felt comfortable and went for my shots." n77 s6 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS d n139 Vitalia Diatchenko RUS 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 *n123 Eva Birnerova CZE d n83 s7 Evgeniya Rodina RUS 6(4)-7, 6-4, 6-1 Eva ready to swat a forehand     Eva said: "It's a great win for me. Now I have won two matches in a row, and each match has been a very good experience for me." n88 Eleni Danilidou GRE d n104 Misaki Doi JPN 7-6(5), 6-4 Eleni driving a forehand n94 Sorana Cirstea ROU d n254 q Aleksandra Krunic SRB 6-3, 6-4 n114 Urszula Radwanska POL d n118 Akgul Amanmuradova UZB 6(2)-7, 6-4, 6-3 Urszula showing slice on a backhand

Tashkent, QFs, Thu 11am loser's prize: $5,340 US; points: 70 n52 s1 Ksenia Pervak RUS d n261 q Victoria Larriere FRA 6-1, 6-2 n77 s6 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS d n94 Sorana Cirstea ROU 7-6(5), 6-4 *n114 Urszula Radwanska POL d n88 Eleni Danilidou GRE 6-3, 4-6, 6-4     Urszula said: "I knew from the beginning that the match was going to be tough; I had lost to Eleni from being up a match point last time, and this was on my mind. A few games in the third set made me a little jittery, but I stuck on, played sensibly. Also the conditions were tough, it was windy, and also Eleni served and utilised her backhand slice very well." postmatch interview n123 Eva Birnerova CZE d n137 Valeria Savinykh RUS 6-4, 4-6, 6-3

Tashkent, SFs, Fri 11am loser's prize: $10,200 US; points: 130 n52 s1 Ksenia Pervak RUS d n114 Urszula Radwanska POL 6-2, 6-4 Ksenia driving a forehand     Ksenia said: "It was a very tough match for me, coming back from being down 1-4. I’m happy to have made it. I was actually very tired from yesterday’s long doubles match, but it was important that I won today." postmatch interview *n123 Eva Birnerova CZE d n77 s6 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS 3-6, 5-3 retired—left hamstring strain     Eva said: "It's unfortunate that Alla had to pull out due to injury, but I'm thrilled to be in the first final of my career. I'll enjoy it and try to go all out." WTA story

Tashkent, Final, Sat 2pm loser's prize: $19,000 US; points: 200 winner's prize: $37,000 US; points: 280 n52 s1 Ksenia Pervak RUS d n123 Eva Birnerova CZE 6-3, 6-1 Eva and Ksenia driving backhand and forehand

Tashkent, Doubles Final Sat 11:30am loser's prize: $5,750 US winner's prize: $11,000 US s2 cdr148 Vitalia Diatchenko & Eleni Daniilidou d Lyudmyla Kichenok & Nadiya Kichenok 6-4, 6-3 Tashkent, Qual Finals, Mon Sep 12 10am losers' prizes: q1 $265 1pt; q2 $460 6pts; q3 $860 10pts; qualifier 16 points *n281 Jana Cepelova SVK d n164 Madalina Gojnea ROU 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 n210 Eirini Georgatou GRE d n376 Polina Pekhova BLR 6-3, 6-3 *n254 Aleksandra Krunic SRB d n229 Marta Sirotkina RUS 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(2) n261 Victoria Larriere FRA d n374 Dalila Jakupovic SLO 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 Tashkent, Withdrawals n68 Monica Niculescu ROU n73 Jelena Dokic AUS right shoulder injury n76 Carla Suarez Navarro ESP n92 Angelique Kerber GER low back injury n119 Maria Elena Camerin ITA n151 Anna Chakvetadze RUS

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

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