WTA Feb 11-17: Doha

Qatar Total Open, Doha, Qatar
PREMIER 5 $2,369,000 56/32q/28d
outdoor: hard Plexipave
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draws: WTA: Q - main - D - OOP
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n1 Victoria Azarenka BLR
n2 Serena Williams USA
n3 Maria Sharapova RUS
n4 Agnieszka Radwanska POL
n6 Angelique Kerber GER
n7 Sara Errani ITA
n8 Petra Kvitova CZE
n9 Samantha Stosur AUS
n10 Marion Bartoli FRA
n11 Caroline Wozniacki DEN
n12 Nadia Petrova RUS
n13 Maria Kirilenko RUS
n14 Ana Ivanovic SRB
n16 Roberta Vinci ITA

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Doha:

#2 Serena Williams
5'9" 150lb RH 2H-BH

Doha:

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

On Sunday at Doha, in the final of the Qatar Total Open, the 2012 QTO champion (and 2013 Australian Open champ), 23 year old top seeded #1 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus (residence: Monte Carlo, Monaco), won again, defeating the 2012 Wimbledon, Olympic, & US Open champion, 31 year old 2nd seeded #2 (this week; #1 next week, and former #1) Serena Williams from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, 7-6(6), 2-6, 6-3 (Serena is shown during the match; Vika is shown holding the gold falcon of the Qatar Tennis Federation afterward).

Victoria's prize is $426,000; Serena's prize is $213,000.

Victoria struck 30 winners (including 3 aces), with 27 unforced errors (including 7 double faults), and scored on 2 of the 6 break points she reached against Serena while totaling 105 points in the match. Serena hit 51 winners (11 aces), with 48 unforced errors (6 DFs), and converted 3 of the 7 break points she reached against Vika while totaling 103 points.

Vika had lost to Serena the last 8 times they played. Victoria said: "I won't say I didn't feel pressure, I was just really into the match and really focused on what I had to do. Near the end she saved a match point with a good serve. That's what you normally expect to get from Serena when she's in trouble—a bullet. But it wasn't a big deal, really. I just had to keep my composure and make another opportunity and create another match point." video

Despite the loss, due to the ranking point system Serena will displace Victoria as #1 in the WTA singles rankings on Monday. At 31, Serena will be the oldest #1 player since the computer ranking system was initiated.

Serena said: "This whole week I just don't think I played my best tennis... I can't play that quality game against a top player like Victoria. I have to be able to pick up my game, and I wasn't able to do that today."

Victoria is now 16-11 in WTA singles finals, and has a 14-0 singles match record this season. Serena, who still leads Victoria 11-2 in career matches, is now 47-16 in WTA singles finals, and has a 12-2 singles match record this season, losing only to Vika and to Sloane Stephens in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.

WTA SCOREBOARD: Doha

s=seed, n=rank, *=upset, LL=lucky loser
ranks are for the previous week
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Qatar Open, Doha, Qatar

tourney time:

= GMT +4 hours
= US ET +7hrs (final +8hrs)
= US PT +10hrs (final +11hrs)

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Doha: The main draw for Doha has 16 seeds, with 8 1st-round byes. There are 8 qualifiers and 5 wild cards in the main draw. Qualifying finals are on Monday.

click for broader view Khalifa Tennis Complex
Latitude: 25.313125 Longitude: 51.51507 goto link for World Wind

Khalifa Tennis Complex opened on December 16, 1992. Expanded for the 2008-2010 WTA Championships, centre court holds 6,911 spectators. There are 27 outer courts.

2012: On Sunday in Doha, ladies looking good at the players party included Elena Vesnina, Ana Ivanovic, Sorana Cirstea, and top seed Victoria Azarenka...

Doha, 1st Rd, Mon-Tue 3:30pm
losers' prize: $6,415 US; points: 1
n10 s9 Marion Bartoli FRA d n54 Francesca Schiavone ITA 7-6(5), 6-3 Tue

Marion fielding a backhand

Marion said: "The first set was extremely tough. I think we went for an hour and 20 minutes, which is extremely long for just one set. It was a hard battle. I knew coming from indoor clay I wouldn't play my best tennis for the first 30 minutes. And [Francesca] played really well at the beginning of the match, all credit to her. But I felt I really fought hard and didn't show any frustration. I just kept trying and trying. We had some great rallies. It was quite an entertaining match." WTA story

n11 s10 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d n204 LL M Jugic-Salkic BIH 6-1, 6-2 Mon

Caroline's backhand drive

Caroline said: "As I've said before, it's tough to play your first match at any tournament, and tough to play an opponent you haven't played before, but I just tried to focus on my game. I felt like I served well and returned well during the match, so I was happy with how things went today...

"I feel I'm hitting the ball well right now. I can do what I want to do out there on the court and have a purpose every time I step out there. It's a good feeling to have."

n12 s11 Nadia Petrova RUS d n70 Andrea Hlavackova CZE 6-2, 6-3 Tue
*n209 q Ekaterina Bychkova RUS d n13 s12 Maria Kirilenko RUS 3-0 retired—shoulder injury Tue
n14 s13 Ana Ivanovic SRB d n29 Tamira Paszek AUT 6-1, 6-2 Mon

Ana serving

Ana said: "I actually expected a very tough match with Tamira, It was a very tough first round, because we've had some battles in the past. But I started really well and was aggressive, and I just tried to do the things I've been working on. I did that well today. I felt like I was doing a lot of damage with my forehand, so I just tried to keep that game plan, and it all worked very well for me today." WTA story

n16 s15 Roberta Vinci ITA d n22 Yanina Wickmayer BEL 6-2, 2-1 retired—low back injury Tue
n17 s16 Sloane Stephens USA d n59 Anna Tatishvili GEO 6-2, 6-2 Tue

Sloane said: "I felt good. I hadn't really been serving since my ab was a little sore recently, so I didn't serve that great today. And actually last weekend I got like a stomach virus or something like that, I don't know what I had. But other than that it was good today. I'm just happy I can play now."

n18 s17 Lucie Safarova CZE d n97 Eleni Daniilidou GRE 6-2, 6-3 Tue
n20 Ekaterina Makarova RUS d n30 Carla Suarez Navarro ESP 6-1, 6-2 Tue
*n24 Klara Zakopalova CZE d n21 Varvara Lepchenko USA 7-6(8), 3-0 retired—upper respiratory illness Tue
n25 Su-Wei Hsieh TPE d n185 q Tadeja Majeric RUS 6-4, 6-4 Tue
*n61 Monica Niculescu ROU d n26 Jelena Jankovic SRB 6-4, 6-1 Tue
n27 Sorana Cirstea ROU d n259 wc Ons Jabeur TUN 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 Tue
n28 Mona Barthel GER d n99 q Yulia Putintseva KAZ 6-4, 6-2 Mon
n37 Urszula Radwanska POL d n221 q Nadiya Kichenok UKR 6-1, 6-0 Tue
n43 Christina McHale USA d n134 q Vera Dushevina RUS 6-1, 6-2 Tue
*n67 Romina Oprandi SUI d n44 Tsvetana Pironkova BUL 7-6(2), 7-5 Tue
*n58 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d n45 Laura Robson GBR 6-4, 6-1 Tue
*n129 q Anastasia Rodionova AUS d n46 Jie Zheng CHN 6-2, 6-3 Mon

Anastasia reaching for a backhand, and Jie following a forehand

n49 Simona Halep ROU d n56 Olga Govortsova BLR 6-1, 6-0 Mon
n52 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d n177 q Bethanie Mattek-Sands USA 7-6(1), 6-4 Mon
*n164 LL Daria Gavrilova RUS d n63 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 Mon
n79 Timea Babos HUN d n161 wc Heidi el Tabakh CAN 6-2, 6-3 Tue
n173 q Caroline Garcia FRA d n435 wc Fatma al Nabhani OMA 6-2, 6-3 Mon

Doha, 2nd Rd, Tue, Wed 3:30pm
losers' prize: $12,480 US; points: 70
n1 s1 Victoria Azarenka BLR d n67 Romina Oprandi SUI 6-2, 6-3 Wed

Vika driving a backhand

2012 Doha champ Victoria trailed 0-2, 0-30 at the start of the match, then won the next nine games. Vika said: "I started to go for my shots too much at the beginning. Then I started to be more patient, work the points more, got more into the game and started to play much better. I'm really glad I could turn it around." WTA story

n2 s2 Serena Williams USA d n164 LL Daria Gavrilova RUS 6-2, 6-1 Tue

Serena serving

n3 s3 Maria Sharapova RUS d n173 q Caroline Garcia FRA 6-3, 6-2 Tue

Maria and Caroline driving forehand and backhand

Maria said: "I was quite happy with the way I played, because [Caroline] has already played a few matches here, so she's been able to get in that match atmosphere. So I wanted to start really strong. I had a tough match against her in my previous encounter where I played three sets. I really wanted to start better this time as opposed to last time." AP story

n4 s4 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d n129 q Anastasia Rodionova AUS 6-3, 6-2 Wed

Aga's backhand drive

Agnieszka said: "I felt pretty good out there today. For sure the conditions weren't easy. It was really windy, and the wind changed every couple of minutes. But I'm very happy I could play some really good tennis in the important moments and finish this match in two sets."

*n28 Mona Barthel GER d n6 s5 Angelique Kerber GER 6-1, 6-2 Tue
n7 s6 Sara Errani ITA d n79 Timea Babos HUN 6-4, 6-0 Wed

Sara driving a backhand

n8 s7 Petra Kvitova CZE d n20 Ekaterina Makarova RUS 6-4, retired Wed
n9 s8 Samantha Stosur AUS d n61 Monica Niculescu ROU 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 Wed
*n52 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS d n10 s9 Marion Bartoli FRA 6-4, 6-4 Wed
n11 s10 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d n27 Sorana Cirstea ROU 7-6(7), 6-0 Wed
n12 s11 Nadia Petrova RUS d n25 Su-Wei Hsieh TPE 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 Wed
n14 s13 Ana Ivanovic SRB d n49 Simona Halep ROU 6-3, retired Wed
*n37 Urszula Radwanska POL d n16 s15 Roberta Vinci ITA 6-2, 5-7, 6-0 Wed
&n24 Klara Zakopalova CZE d n17 s16 Sloane Stephens USA 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(5) Wed
*n43 Christina McHale USA d n18 s17 Lucie Safarova CZE 6-4, 6-2 Wed
n58 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d n209 q Ekaterina Bychkova RUS 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 Wed

Doha, 3rd Rd, Thu 3:30pm
losers' prize: $24,300 US; points: 125
n1 s1 Victoria Azarenka BLR d n43 Christina McHale USA 6-0, 6-0

Christina serving, and Vika driving a backhand

Victoria said: "I felt like I came out very focused, with a good mindset and a good game plan. There were a few close games, but I felt like I was really taking advantage of every opportunity I had and not letting [Christina] play her game.
"That was the key for me today, to not let her play her game, because she's a very good mover, a very good grinder. She also has a big weapon that can come from anywhere with her forehand." WTA story

n2 s2 Serena Williams USA d n37 Urszula Radwanska POL 6-0, 6-3

Serena's backhand drive

n3 s3 Maria Sharapova RUS d n24 Klara Zakopalova CZE 6-3, 6-3

Maria driving a forehand

High winds affected play, as is often the case at Doha. Maria said: "Today was one of those days where you go out there and almost know you might not be playing your best tennis. I certainly didn't play my best tennis today. But it's good to get through in these conditions. And Klara is a really tricky player to play against. I've definitely had trouble against her in the past—three-setter at Roland Garros last year. She can play. She hits the ball pretty big out there." WTA story

n4 s4 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d n14 s13 Ana Ivanovic SRB 6-1, 7-6(6)

Agnieszka after match point

Agnieszka said: "Ana really started to play much better in the second set. She wasn't making any easy mistakes in the second set. I really needed to just play my game. She wasn't giving me any free points and it was really close. So I'm very, very happy I could close this and win in two sets, because you never know what's going to happen if you end up going to a third set."

n7 s6 Sara Errani ITA d n58 Daniela Hantuchova SVK 7-5, 5-7, 6-2
n8 s7 Petra Kvitova CZE d n12 s11 Nadia Petrova RUS 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
n9 s8 Samantha Stosur AUS d n52 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS 6-4, 7-5
n11 s10 Caroline Wozniacki DEN d n28 Mona Barthel GER 7-6(6), 6-3

Caroline said: "It wasn't great tennis out there today. The wind was a huge factor. It seemed the wind took more on my court than it does on center, because you have the fence behind and when the ball is higher than the fence when you throw the ball up to serve, it goes anywhere. I mean, it was very windy out there. To be honest it was just about getting the ball in play today. I was just trying to get it in and hoping for the best. It was a struggle, but I got through it."

Doha, QFs, Fri 3:30pm
losers' prize: $49,040 US; points: 225
n1 s1 Victoria Azarenka BLR d n7 s6 Sara Errani ITA 6-2, 6-2

Vika driving a backhand, and Sara fielding a forehand

Vika said: "The score never tells the whole story, really. We had a lot of really long rallies, and I was expecting that. I know Sara's game a little bit. She's a very good fighter, and she always brings a lot of balls in. So you have to be ready for even your best shot coming back. I was ready for that, and I really felt like I took big advantage of the important moments, stayed aggressive and really dictated with my game, which was the key for me to go ahead today.

"I had to disturb her defensive game, because she can stay there forever. I don't want to stay there forever! She likes to make her opponents travel all over Doha, really." WTA story

n2 s2 Serena Williams USA d n8 s7 Petra Kvitova CZE 3-6, 6-3, 7-5

Petra serving, Serena driving a backhand, and after match point

The win guaranteed that Serena will be #1 in Monday's WTA singles rankings regardless of how the rest of the tourney turns out. At age 31, Serena will be the oldest player ever to be ranked #1 (in the computer rankings era). The previous oldest, Chris Evert, was 30 years old when she was #1 the week ending November 24, 1985.

After winning the 1st set, Petra led 4-1 in the 2nd. Serena said: "I don't know how I did it. I really don't know. I just hung in there, and she was playing so well. Every time I looked around she was hitting a winner. I just tried to stay in there...

"The crowd was so amazing. When I was down I could hear people cheering for me, and I don't get that all the time, so it was really nice." WTA story

About playing Maria Sharapova in the semifinals, Serena said: I'm playing a great player, and hopefully I can play better than I did today. I'm happy to still be in the tournament at this point, and I just have to refocus now. I have a tough match tomorrow. We'll see what happens. It's not over yet."

n3 s3 Maria Sharapova RUS d n9 s8 Samantha Stosur AUS 6-2, 6-3

Maria following a forehand, and Samantha running one down

Maria said: "Sam certainly stepped up her level in the second set, and I really started playing well when I had to and was aggressive at the right times. And after not serving well for about a set and the beginning of the second, on the important points, when I really had to, I came up with some really great first serves. That really did help me win the match today. Sam is an experienced player. You give her a little bit and she can take it and run away with it."

Samantha said: "The first set and a bit [Maria] was playing well, but my shots were a little short, and I didn't do enough to stop her playing so well. From 3-0 I tried to return better and started serving a bit better. I was able to put pressure on her, and I found myself back in that second set and had break points to get it back to 4-all. But then she served very well to get out of those. She really came up with the goods."

About playing Serena Williams in the semifinals, Maria said: "Obviously I haven't beaten [Serena] in a while, but I had really tough ones against her last year. I'm looking forward to it. No matter how many losses you have, a good thing is you have another chance against them. It will give me an opportunity to change a few things."

n4 s4 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d n11 s10 Caroline Wozniacki DEN 6-2, 7-5 m4

Caroline and Agnieszka driving backhands

Doha, SFs, Sat 3:30pm
losers' prize: $106,435 US; points: 395
n1 s1 Victoria Azarenka BLR d n4 s4 Agnieszka Radwanska POL 6-3, 6-3

Victoria serving, Agnieszka launching a forehand on the run, and Vika after match point

Victoria said: "I think it was a really high performance match from both of us. It was a little bit shaky in the beginning. I think I did a little bit too many unforced errors and rushed a little bit into the rallies, but I started to be patient and more aggressive and dominant, really going for my shots when there was an opportunity, and taking advantage of every short ball she gave me. I'm glad I could turn it around." WTA story

About the final, Victoria said: "We all know [Serena] has a great serve. She's really aggressive and really consistent. So for me it's important to just focus on myself and execute my game. That's it."

n2 s2 Serena Williams USA d n3 s3 Maria Sharapova RUS 6-3, 6-2

Maria serving, Serena driving a backhand, and after match point

Serena said: "Maria is always playing really well, and so consistent, but I'm trying to be consistent as well."

Maria's record against Serena dropped to 2-11. Maria said: "I'm certainly capable of beating a player like Serena. That's why I'm always eager to get better and make my game better in order to go out onto the court and beat her."

About the final, Serena said: "I love it here in Doha. I've never played this particular tournament but I've played in Doha before and had some good results, and I hope to have a good result in the final tomorrow, too."

Doha, Final, Sun 6pm
loser's prize: $213,000 US; points: 620
winner's prize: $426,000 US; points: 900
n1 s1 Victoria Azarenka BLR d n2 s2 Serena Williams USA 7-6(6), 2-6, 6-3

Victoria driving a forehand, and Serena & Vika driving backhands

Doha, Doubles Final, Sun 3:30pm
losers' prize: $61,600 US
winners' prize: $122,000 US
s1 Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci d s2 Nadia Petrova & Katarina Srebotnik 2-6, 6-3, (10-6)

Doha, Qual Finals Sun Feb 10 3:30pm
losers' prizes: q1 $1,840 1pt; q2 $3,560 20pts; qualifier 30 points
n99 Yulia Putintseva KAZ d n333 Irina Buryachok UKR 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
n129 Anastasia Rodionova AUS d n268 Michaela Honcova SVK 6-2, 6-4
n134 Vera Dushevina RUS d n204 Mervana Jugic-Salkic BIH 6-0, 6-1
*n185 Tadeja Majeric RUS d n164 Daria Gavrilova RUS 6-2, 6-4
n173 Caroline Garcia FRA d n231 Valentyna Ivakhnenko UKR 6-1, 6-4
n177 Bethanie Mattek-Sands USA d n651 Abigail Spears USA 6-3, 6-4
n209 Ekaterina Bychkova RUS d n254 Zarina Diyas KAZ 6-1, 6-3
n221 Nadiya Kichenok UKR d n336 Veronika Kapshay UKR 6-4, 7-6(2)

Doha, Withdrawals
n5 Na Li CHN left ankle injury
n15 s14 Dominika Cibulkova SVK calf injury
n23 Venus Williams USA back injury
n35 Shuai Peng CHN right shoulder injury
n39 Bojana Jovanovski SRB back injury
n48 Aleksandra Wozniak CAN right shoulder injury
n66 Petra Cetkovska CZE left foot injury

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2013 Doha WTA Singles Results

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WTA Feb 11-17: Doha