WTA Feb 13-19: Antwerp & Bangalore Proximus Diamond Games Antwerp, BEL Tier II $600,000 - 28 players - indoor: greenset Antwerp Sportpaleis Live Scores, OOP & Results WTA pdf.: draws & OOP - match notes - .html draw Antwerp: weather - city map & sat pic centered on Sportpaleis Antwerp Gazette: Tennis (in Dutch) translation via World Lingo # 1 Kim Clijsters, # 2 Amelie Mauresmo # 7 Nadia Petrova, # 8 Elena Dementieva KSLTA courts, Cubbon Park, Bangalore- click for interactive satellite photo Bangalore Open, Bangalore, IND Tier III Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association $175,000 - 32 players - outdoor: hard WTA pdf.: draws & OOP - match notes Bangalore: weather - city map # 32 Sania Mirza, # 45 Shahar Peer # 57 Mara Santangelo, # 65 Sybille Bammer

Tourney pages: Antwerp & Bangalore: 2007 Antwerp: 2005 - 2004 previous other tourney pages next Antwerp: #2 Amelie Mauresmo 5' 9", 152 lbs RH, 1H-BH Bangalore: #57 Mara Santangelo 5' 11¼"", 150 lbs RH, 2H-BH Photos: Antwerp: Yahoo! - tourney gallery - WTA Bangalore: WTA

    On Sunday in Antwerp, Belgium, in the final of the Proximus Diamond Games, the 2005 champ, 26-year-old 2nd-seeded # 2 Amelie Mauresmo of France (residence: Geneva, Switzerland) won again, defeating 22-year-old top-seeded # 1 Kim Clijsters from Bree, Belgium, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 (Amelie is shown with the Proximus hardware after the match-- the first player to win the tourney three times in a row will keep the diamond-encrusted racquet, so Amelie will be playing for it next year).
    Amelie said: "I had a difficult start, because Clijsters started furiously, it wasn't easy to slow her down. But I kept my cool and after my rebreak in the second set - the key moment of this final - my confidence grew and I got a better feeling. In the third set I noticed that Kim had some physical difficulties." tourney quotes page
    Kim has not yet completely recovered from the right ankle injury she sustained during her Australian Open semifinal against Amelie (and although she did not mention it after the final Kim aggravated the injury during the tourney, leading her to withdraw from her next scheduled event, the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, where she would have been defending her 2005 title). Kim said: "I started the match very well, and even took a break ahead at the start of the second match, but from then on Amélie started playing better and making less mistakes. She constantly put a lot pf pressure onto me... Mauresmo clearly is in good shape. She is very considerate in building her rallies, but you won't see her play a lot of winners. Since the end of last year she has become a lot stronger mentally. I believe she has earned the victory. It is frustrating sometimes to know what you are capable of, but not able to do for the time being."
    2005 US Open champ Kim has won 30 WTA singles titles in 44 finals; 2006 Australian Open champ Amelie has now won 22 WTA singles titles in 39 finals. Kim still leads Amelie 8-5 in career matches, but Amelie has now won the last three times they have played..

    In the Bangalore, India final on Sunday, 3rd-seeded # 57 Mara Santangelo from Cavalese, Italy, playing in her first WTA singles final, won her first title by narrowly defeating 24-year-old 6th-seeded # 69 Jelena Kostanic from Split, Croatia, 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 (photo shown).
    Mara said: "I did not expect to win as I had a muscular pull... After the first set, I was worried as I was not aggressive. In the second, I started coming in to the net, hitting hard and being positive. It paid off...
    "I was worried in the morning before playing as I hate [Jelena's] game. She has a strong forehand and backhand." AFP story
    Jelena is now 0-3 in WTA singles finals, but she has been playing very well recently, also reaching the final last week in Pattaya. She was slowed, like other players this week, by a gastrointestinal problem.
    Jelena said: "When you are tired you cannot produce. But I am happy with the way I was moving in the court. It is much better than last year. I am still working on my fitness. In the beginning of the second set, I had no energy to play. My shots were not quick. My mind was rushing as I was fighting food poisoning. Still, I am satisfied with my game. It is good luck that I reached the final."

    (Feb 14, 2006) # 6 Mary Pierce has withdrawn from the Antwerp tourney, apparently due to the right foot achilles tendon pain that troubled her during the final in Paris. Lucky Loser # 108 Eleni Daniilidou (the highest-ranked player available of those who lost in the qualifying finals) has replaced Mary in the main draw.

    Antwerp time is GMT (UCT, ZULU) +1 hours (Pacific Time+9, ET+6). Early round play starts at noon local time.
    The Bangalore tourney is new this year, replacing the tourney in Hyderabad. Bangalore time is GMT (UCT, ZULU) +5½ hours (Pacific Time+13½, ET+10½).

WTA SCOREBOARD: Antwerp & Bangalore s=seed, #=rank, *=upset, LL=lucky loser ranks are for the previous week How do players get into the "draw"? At the player party on Monday, tourney director Bob Verbeeck (of Octagon) assured Patty Schnyder that apple sauce does make a good mix with carrot juice, while Kim Clijsters avoided all such intoxicants. Later, Elena Dementieva explained to Bob that if he really wanted a date with her mom, he should check with her dad first.

Antwerp, 1st Rd, Mon-Wed noon losers' prize: $4,175 US; points: 1 #8 s5 Elena Dementieva RUS d #100 q Maret Ani EST 6-3, 6-2 Tue Elena appears to be about to slice a forehand-- something seldom seen in photos of WTA play... On Wednesday, Elena visited the Ducd'O factory, and obtained just enough chocolate for a nice snack after dinner #9 s6 Patty Schnyder SUI d #52 wc Michaella Krajicek NED 6-0, 6-4 Tue *#28 Katarina Srebotnik SLO d #12 s8 Francesca Schiavone ITA 6-4, 6-2 Mon Francesca lining up a slice backhand, and Katarina shoveling a backhand drive #14 s9 wc Daniela Hantuchova SVK d #82 LL Zuzana Ondraskova CZE 6-1, 6-0 Tue Although she lost only one game in the match, Daniela was not entirely satisfied with her play-- she was looking more cheerful later in the day, however #17 Dinara Safina RUS d #40 Virginie Razzano FRA 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 Mon #19 Ana Ivanovic SCG d #41 Roberta Vinci ITA 6-3, 6-3 Tue Ana's forehand #24 Tatiana Golovin FRA d #209 wc Kirsten Flipkens BEL 6-1, 7-6(3) Tue Tatiana following a forehand     Tatiana said: "I was so focused in that first set, I hardly made a mistake. The match turned into a difficult one later on as I lost some of that focus in the second set. An extra problem was the fact that the audience backed up Flipkens... It's part of the game." tourney quotes *#53 Marta Domachowska POL d #25 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP 6-4, 6-2 Tue #29 Klara Koukalova CZE d #31 Lucie Safarova CZE 6-2, 6-4 Mon Lucie's lefty backhand volley, and Klara awaiting a serve #35 Kveta Peschke CZE d #81 q Karolina Sprem CRO 6-1, 6-2 Wed Kveta's forehand, and Karolina thinking things over #39 Iveta Benesova CZE d #80 Maria Vento-Kabchi VEN 6-3, 6-2 Iveta fetching a backhand on the run #116 q Olga Savchuk UKR d #122 q Stephanie Cohen-Aloro FRA 2-6, 7-5, 7-5 Wed

Antwerp, 2nd Rd, Wed-Thu noon losers' prize: $7,820 US; points: 25 #1 s1 Kim Clijsters BEL d #24 Tatiana Golovin FRA 4-6, 7-6(4), 7-5Wed Kim's backhand, after match point, and Kim with the cake at the champagne party thrown for her after the match     Kim said: "It was a very exciting match and then you'd rather win of course. Golovin was very strong, but I kept on fighting. The audience was a huge support. In the tiebreak of the second set they really shouted me towards winning it.     "It was my first match since the Australian Open and my ankle was fine. Only, I lack a lot of competition right now and the only way to compensate that is to play a lot of matches...My footwork was lacking and I was not in right position and missing forehands. I was waiting too long and using too much arm. I didn't make her play hard enough." tourney quotes page - Reuters story     Tatiana said: "Of course I am disappointed, I was so close. But it is better to lose after such a match than after twice 6-0. Kim was absolutely solid at decisive points and was playing very aggressively throughout the whole match. I also think she was serving very well, especially during the second set." #2 s2 Amelie Mauresmo FRA d #39 Iveta Benesova CZE 6-3, 6-3 Thu Amelie lining up a slice backhand, and Iveta's forehand #7 s4 Nadia Petrova RUS d #19 Ana Ivanovic SCG 7-5, 6-3 Wed Ana & Nadia's backhands #8 s5 Elena Dementieva RUS d #53 Marta Domachowska POL 6-3, 7-6(5) Thu Elena's service toss, Marta's backhand, Elena slicing a backhand, and Marta indicating how many points she scored in the tiebreak: two too few #9 s6 Patty Schnyder SUI d #35 Kveta Peschke CZE walkover- r wrist sprain *#116 q Olga Savchuk UKR d #14 s9 wc Daniela Hantuchova SVK 6-4, 6-3 Thu Daniela's service toss, and Olga launching a backhand volley #17 Dinara Safina RUS d #28 Katarina Srebotnik SLO 6-2, 6-4 Wed Dinara running down a backhand, and Katarina fielding a forehand *#108 LL Eleni Daniilidou GRE d #29 Klara Koukalova CZE 6-4, 6-1 Wed

Antwerp, QFs, Fri noon WTA story losers' prize: $14,600 US; points: 49 #1 s1 Kim Clijsters BEL d #17 Dinara Safina RUS 7-6(1), 6-4 Kim apparently launching a drop shot, Dinara firing a forehand, and Kim's backhand drive     Kim said: "I started off better tonight than in the first match. I had three really good games, but then I couldn't keep it going. I'm still not consistent enough, and I haven't been getting enough first serves in. I'm still suffering from a bit of a cold, which hasn't helped. But tonight Dinara put me under a lot of pressure, so I definitely had to play a level higher than in the last round." #2 s2 Amelie Mauresmo FRA d #9 s6 Patty Schnyder SUI 6-2, 6-4 Amelie's backhand, Patty's forehand (Patty was slowed by a case of the flu), and Amelie after match point #7 s4 Nadia Petrova RUS d #116 q Olga Savchuk UKR 6-3, 6-3 Nadia and Olga lining up slice backhands, and Nadia's topspin backhand drive #8 s5 Elena Dementieva RUS d #108 LL Eleni Daniilidou GRE 6-4, 7-5 Elena's forehand, and Eleni's backhand

Antwerp, SFs, Sat 1pm losers' prize: $27,300 US; points: 88 #1 s1 Kim Clijsters BEL d #8 s5 Elena Dementieva RUS 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 Kim serving to Elena, Elena lining up a slice backhand, and Kim's backhand drive #2 s2 Amelie Mauresmo FRA d #7 s4 Nadia Petrova RUS 6-4, 7-5 Amelie's backhand, Nadia following a forehand, and Amelie after match point

Antwerp, Final, Sun 2pm loser's prize: $51,000 US; points: 137 winner's prize: $95,500 US; points: 195 *#2 s2 Amelie Mauresmo FRA d #1 s1 Kim Clijsters BEL 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 Amelie's backhand, Kim chasing a forehand, and both with the hardware after the match

Antwerp, Doubles Final, Thu losers' prize: $16,120 US winners' prize: $30,000 US cdr48 s2 Dinara Safina & Katarina Srebotnik d cdr193 Michaella Krajicek & Stephanie Foretz 6-1, 6-1 Antwerp, Qual Finals, Sun Feb 12 10am losers' prize: $2,230 US #81 Karolina Sprem CRO d #150 Anne Kremer LUX 6-4, 6-1 *#100 Maret Ani EST d #82 Zuzana Ondraskova CZE 6-4, 6-4 *#122 Stephanie Cohen-Aloro FRA d #108 Eleni Daniilidou GRE 2-6, 7-6, 7-6 #116 Olga Savchuk UKR d #186 Angelika Bachmann GER 7-5, 6-2 Antwerp, Withdrawals #6 s3 Mary Pierce FRA achilles? #10 s7 Venus Williams USA r arm sprain #22 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER #26 Marion Bartoli FRA #37 Serena Williams USA

Bangalore, 1st Rd, Mon-Wed 2pm-11am WTA Mon story loser's prize: $1,300 US; points: 1 #32 s1 Sania Mirza IND d #104 Martina Muller GER 6-2, 6-2 Tue Sania's forehand     Sania said: "It was a good match for me. I wanted to wrap it up early and have an early night. But [Martina] fought well." AFP story *#95 Maria Elena Camerin ITA d #45 s2 Shahar Peer ISR 6-4, 6-2 Wed     Maria Elena said: "I was more on the inside of the court and did not give her any space. I was also good with my forehand and did not hesitate to go to the net." AFP story     Shahar said: "I was tired mentally after the Pattaya Open. It was humid there and the weather is dry here. But I have no excuses as Camerin played really well today." #57 s3 Mara Santangelo ITA d #145 Henrieta Nagyova SVK 6-3, 6-2 Tue *#115 Anastassia Rodionova RUS d #65 s4 Sybille Bammer AUT 6-4, 5-7, 6-0 Tue     Anastassia said: "In the second set [Sybille] clawed back with good serves. I remained consistent with my game. It was not easy to beat a seeded player." *#123 Mariya Koryttseva UKR d #68 s5 Aiko Nakamura JPN 0-6, 6-3, 6-3 Mon     Mariya said: "[Aiko] played really fast and hard in the first set. Playing her was very difficult for me, so I just started to enjoy it and that seemed to help.     "I was fighting for every ball, but in the first set, I was hitting too short and making too many errors. In the second set, I didn't change my game, just got more consistent. I knew what I wanted to do; it just had to come together." #69 s6 Jelena Kostanic CRO d #224 q Daniela Kix AUT 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 Wed *#126 Nicole Pratt AUS d #74 s7 Elena Vesnina RUS 6-3, 6-4 Mon     Nicole said: "I had to apply constant pressure on the serve; that was the key to the match, not giving [Elena] the same ball, and mixing it up. It's such a power game now, and the girls hit through the ball so hard. I'm not that big and I can't get the winners that way, so I have to rely on experience and a few tricks I have up my sleeve." *#127 Yuliana Fedak UKR d #78 s8 Emma Laine FIN 6-3, 2-1 retired-- tonsillitis Tue #94 Kaia Kanepi EST d #361 Ankita Bhambri IND 7-5, 6-3 Tue #96 Alona Bondarenko UKR d #124 Kateryna Bondarenko UKR 6-4, 7-5 Mon #111 Camille Pin FRA d #NR Angelique Widjaja INA 6-4, 6-0 Mon #119 Melinda Czink HUN d #370 Rushmi Chakravarthi IND 6-1, 6-2 Mon #131 Tzipora Obziler ISR d #120 Su-Wei Hsieh TPE 6-3, 6-4 Tue *#141 Vania King USA d #139 q Tatiana Poutchek BLR 6-1, 6-3 Tue *#213 q Alla Kudryavtseva RUS d #147 Tamarine Tanasugarn 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 Tue #482 wc Isha Lakhani IND d #287 q Katarina Kachlikova SVK 4-1 retired-- eye infection Tue

Bangalore, 2nd Rd Wed-Thu Thu AFP story loser's prize: $2,200 US; points: 16 *#111 Camille Pin FRA d #32 s1 Sania Mirza IND 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 Wed Sania's forehand, and Camille's backhand     Camille said: "I was down 6-1, 5-3, and I just tried to do something different. She hits the ball so hard and she is a great offensive player... I told myself the game is not over in the first set. I stayed focused. I have never played in India or on a center court. So it took time to adjust. I had to try something against the powerful strokes of Sania. So I went for 'moon balls' or high lobs. [Sania] does not like that... I also moved back and played more spin as I normally hit a flat ball." WTA story - AFP story     Sania said: "I take my hat off to her. [Camille] played the game she needed to play to win. I didn't know what to do out there, as she gives you no pace at all. I had to generate everything." #57 s3 Mara Santangelo ITA d #131 Tzipora Obziler ISR 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 Thu     Mara said: "It was a very tough match. I had a lot of chances in the first set. Sometimes you do the right thing and end up losing. That is what happened in the first set. I tried to hang on there and try and fight every point. I tried to be aggressive and made it a point not to lose my concentration. It worked. It was tougher than expected." #69 s6 Jelena Kostanic CRO d #94 Kaia Kanepi EST 6-1, 6-4 Thu Jelena's backhand, and her service toss     Jelena said: "I am coming in from Thailand where the Pattaya Open was held. It is tiring. During the second set, I lost a bit of focus. Otherwise, I must say I cannot wish for something better than this win. I hope I continue to play like this for the rest of the year." #95 Maria Elena Camerin ITA d #213 q Alla Kudryavtseva RUS 6-1, 7-5 Thu #96 Alona Bondarenko UKR d #115 Anastassia Rodionova RUS 6-2, 6-1 Wed #119 Melinda Czink HUN d #123 Mariya Koryttseva UKR 6-2, 6-2 Wed     Melinda said: "It was tough as Koryttseva's game was unpredictable. She kept committing a lot of errors. My serving was good throughout the game." *#141 Vania King USA d #126 Nicole Pratt AUS 6-0, 6-1 Wed #127 Yuliana Fedak UKR d #482 wc Isha Lakhani IND 6-3, 6-3 Thu Isha's left-handed and Yuliana's right-handed backhands

Bangalore, QFs, Fri loser's prize: $4,050 US; points: 30 #57 s3 Mara Santangelo ITA d #127 Yuliana Fedak UKR 6-4, 6-3 #69 s6 Jelena Kostanic CRO d #95 Maria Elena Camerin ITA walkover- gastrointestinal illness *#119 Melinda Czink HUN d #96 Alona Bondarenko UKR 6-2, 6-7(4), 7-6(6) Alona serving to Melinda, Melinda's forehand, and Melinda after winning a point *#141 Vania King USA d #111 Camille Pin FRA 6-2, 7-6(7) Vania dispatching a forehand volley     Vania won despite suffering from gastrointestinal illness, and withdrew from her doubles match later in the day. Vania said: "It was a tough match. I wasn't feeling great out there. I don't think I lost concentration in the second set after having 4-2; I think it was more that [Camille] started to make some good shots.     "I was really struggling. I don't know if I could have played another set, but luckily, I didn't have to find that out." WTA story     Camille said: "I think I gave it all in my [2nd round win over top-seeded Sania Mirza]. I managed to come back a little in the second set at 2-4, but I didn't have the energy to pull off [the] turnaround that I managed on Wednesday."

Bangalore, SFs, Sat 5pm WTA story loser's prize: $7,700 US; points: 55 #57 s3 Mara Santangelo ITA d #141 Vania King USA 5-0 retired-- gastrointestinal illness     About playing Jelena Kostanic in the final, Mara said: "It's going to be very tough for me. I've never beaten her and she's full of confidence as this is her second final in two weeks. I'm going to have to play my best tennis for sure." #69 s6 Jelena Kostanic CRO d #119 Melinda Czink HUN 6-0, 7-6(2) Lefty forehands: Melinda's and Jelena's     Jelena said: "In the first set, [Melinda] wasn't playing like she could, then she settled down and started to play like I expected her to. Then I got tired and lost concentration and lost my serve. Other than that I served well in the match.     "She likes it when you play hard and flat, so I mixed it up and played a lot of slice, she didn't like that so much."

Bangalore, Final Sun 6pm loser's prize: $14,650 US; points: 85 winner's prize: $28,000 US; points: 120 #57 s3 Mara Santangelo ITA d #69 s6 Jelena Kostanic CRO 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 Jelena and Mara launching backhands, and Mara with her first WTA trophy after the match

Bangalore, Doubles Final after singles loser's prize: $8,000 US winner's prize: $4,150 US cdr114 s2 Liezel Huber & Sania Mirza d cdr189 s4 Anastassia Rodionova & Elena Vesnina 6-3, 6-3 Liezel and Sania during their semifinal win Bangalore, Qual Finals, Mon 10am loser's prize: $650 #139 Tatiana Poutchek BLR d #162 Shiho Hisamatsu JPN 6-4, 6-4 *#213 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS d #143 Aleksandra Wozniak CAN 6-3, 7-6(6) *#224 Daniela Kix AUT d #167 Akgul Amanmuradova UZB 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 *#287 Katarina Kachlikova SVK d #246 Napaporn Tongsalee THA 7-5, 6-3 Bangalore, Withdrawals #62 Yoon Jeong Cho KOR #72 Julia Schruff GER #92 Hana Sromova CZE #93 Arantxa Parra Santonja ESP #97 Tathiana Garbin ITA #105 Martina Sucha SVK #107 Galina Voskoboeva RUS #110 Rika Fujiwara JPN #116 Sandra Kloesel GER

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