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2009 Tour Archive | Amgen Tour of California amgentourofcalifornia.com | CowaLUNGa 2009 Bike Tour - 13th Annual Tour - Respiratory Health... cowalunga.com | Personal Training - Team MBS USA 2009 photogallery 2: INBF World... michaeltabban.com.au |
The 2009 WTA Tour Championships (also known as Sony Ericsson Championships – Doha 2009) was held in Doha, Qatar from October 27 to November 1. It was the second time the Khalifa International Tennis Complex hosted the WTA Tour Year-End Singles and Doubles Championships. Women's Tennis Association(WTA) rank No. 2 Serena Williams reached her fourth year-end championships finals and won her second year-end championships title, defeating sister, defending champion, world no. 7 Venus Williams in the final 6–2, 7–6(4). Dinara Safina, the world no. 1 at the beginning of the tournament, surrendered the year-end no. 1 title to Serena when she retired in her first match and eventually withdrew from the tournament. The Spanish duo of Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez won the doubles event on their debut by 7–6(0), 5–7, 10-7. They defeated world no. 1s in doubles and defending champions, Cara Black and Liezel Huber, in the final. Cara Black and Liezel Huber secured their world no.1 title by defeating Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs in the semifinal.
[edit] Qualifying[edit] Singles
On August 5, the first qualifier for the year-end championship was announced in Dinara Safina.  Dinara Safina enjoyed a spectacular start to the year reaching the finals of ASB Classic losing to Elena Dementieva 6–3 2–6 6–1 and it was followed by her second Grand Slam finals and first in a hardcourt in the Australian Open but was thrashed by Serena Williams 6–0 6–3. Safina then became the world no. 1 after Serena's Charleston points were dropped, in a widely-criticized rankings move. She then made her 3rd final in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix but once again ended up on the losing side to Svetlana Kuznetsova 6–4 6–3. She then claimed two titles back-to-back in the Internazionali BNL d'Italia defeating Kuznetsova and avenging her lost winning 6–3 6–2 and in Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open defeating Caroline Wozniacki 6–2 6–4[7]. She then competed in her 4th straight finals and her 6th of the year in the French Open but once again lost to Kuznetsova 6–4 6–2. She then reached the Semifinals of the Wimbledon Championships but was once again questioned for her credibility as the world no. 1 as Venus Williams crushed her in the most dominating scoreline that a current world no. 1 has ever lost 6–1 6–0. However she bounce back from that shameful lost by winning the Banka Koper Slovenia Open defeating Sara Errani 6-7(5) 6-1 7-5 in the final[8] and reaching her 8th finals in Cincinnati but lost to Jelena Janković 6–4 6–2 from that point on things started going sour for the Russian as she struggled in the US Open having to fight off in the first and second rounds to much lower ranked players but ended up losing to Petra Kvitová in the third round 6–4 2–6 7–6(5) [9]. She then lost Zhang Shuai ranked 226 at that time, Zhang is now the lowest ranked woman ever to defeat a world No 1 [10]. This is Safina's 2nd appearance and trying to win her first match as she came 0-3 last year and trying to outlast serena to stay at no. 1.  Serena Williams began the year by reaching three semifinals in Medibank International Sydney losing to Elena Dementieva 6–3 6–1, in Dubai Tennis Championships losing to sister Venus Williams 6–1 2–6 7–6(3) and in Open GDF Suez withdrawing from her match against Dementieva. However her biggest tournament was the Australian Open where she defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova 5–7 7–5 6–1, Dementieva 6–3 6–4 and Dinara Safina 6–0 6–3 in just 59 minutes[11], which was considered by many as one of the most dominating performance in a final, this also gave her the no. 1 ranking. She then reached the final of the Sony Ericsson Open after defeating Venus 6–4 3–6 6–3, however in the final she lost 6–3 6–1 due to a hampered left thigh, as Azarenka quoted she didn't think of it was a win win and comended Serena for playing despite her injury[12]. The loss to Azarenka proved to be the first of four consecutive losses Williams suffered, losing her opening match at her first three clay-court events of the year and providing Williams with the longest losing streak of her career. The run also meant Williams lost the World No. 1 ranking to Safina on April 20 and it ensured she went into the French Open without having won a match on clay during the year [13]. Despite that lack of preparation, Williams reached the quarterfinals of the tournament before losing to the eventual champion Kuznetsova 7–6 (4), 5–7, 7–5, which ended her 18-match Grand Slam winning streak. However she rebounded at Wimbledon defeating Elena Dementieva 6–7(4) 7–5 8–6 [14], which was named by many as the best match of the year, she then claimed her third title by defeating Venus 7–6(3) 6–2 [15]. In the US Open, she was considered by many as the favorite despite her bad run at the US Open Series as she passed by swiftly to the semifinals where she lost a very controversial match against Kim Clijsters where she lost the match by a point-penalty [16]. She reclaimed the no. 1 spot for two weeks from Safina after outperforming Safina in the China Open. This is Serena's sixth appearance and trying to reclaim the world no. 1 from Dinara Safina. Serena won the event in 2001 and was the runner-up in 2002 and 2004. Serena has a 10-5 in year-end championships. On the 4th of September, Caroline Wozniacki and Elena Dementieva were the third and fourth to qualify, respectively   Elena Dementieva has enjoyed a remarkable season that was begun by winning 15 consecutive matches including titles in ASB Classic and Medibank International Sydney where she defeated the top two seeds Serena Williams and Dinara Safina[17], she then reached the semifinals of the Australian Open losing to eventual champion Serena 6–3 6–4. She then reached the finals of Open GDF Suez losing to Amélie Mauresmo 7–6(7) 2–6 6–4. She then reached the fourth round of the Sony Ericsson Open losing to Caroline Wozniacki but despite this she reached a career high of no. 3. She also had a great performance at the Family Circle Cup and Porsche Tennis Grand Prix by reaching the semifinals. At the French Open she was upset by Samantha Stosur after winning her match against Jelena Dokić despite being behind in the match due to Dokić's retirement. Dementieva played one of the most memorable matches on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in 2009 when she was defeated by Serena Williams in the semifinals of Wimbledon (6–7(4) 7–5 8–6) in a marathon that lasted nearly three hours. Dementieva's successful hard court season was highlighted by winning the Rogers Cup in Toronto defeating Maria Sharapova 6–4 6–3 in the finals [18] and clinching the title of US Open Series winner [19]. However she was upset by Melanie Oudin in the second round of the US Open. Dementieva also reached the finals of the Open GDF Suez and the semi-finals at Charleston, Stuttgart and Cincinnati. Dementieva also claimed her career high this year of no. 3 for 7 weeks. This is Dementieva's 9th appearance with her best showing coming from 2000 and 2008 reaching the semifinals. She has 5-16 record in the championship coming to this years event. Caroline Wozniacki season was highlighted by 3 titles on 3 different surfaces in MPS Group Championships [20] a green clay event defeating Aleksandra Wozniak 6–1 6–2, In AEGON International a grass event defeating Virginie Razzano 7–6(5) 7–5[21] and in Pilot Pen Tennis[22] a hardcourt event defeating Elena Vesnina 6–2 6–4. Wozniacki also reached 5 other finals in the Cellular South Cup losing to Azarenka 6–1 6–3, the Family Circle Cup losing to Sabine Lisicki 6–2 6–4, the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open losing to Safina 6–2 6–4, the Swedish Open losing to María José Martínez Sánchez 7–5 6–4 and her biggest achievement so reaching the finals of the US Open her first time to reach a spot greater that the fourth round, losing to Kim Clijsters 7–5, 6–3[23] and reaching world no. 5. She will be competing in her 1st year-end championship. On October 5, Svetlana Kuznetsova became the fifth qualifier.  Svetlana Kuznetsova began the year with a Quarterfinal appearance at the Australian Open where she lost to eventual champion Serena Williams 5–7 7–5 6–1 throwing of a lead in the second set. She then reached the semifinals of the Sony Ericsson Open losing to eventual champion Victoria Azarenka 6–3 2–6 7–5. In the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Kuznetsova won her first title in two years defeating Safina 6–4 6–3[24], the following week she once again faced Safina in the final of Internazionali BNL d'Italia however this time she lost 6–3 6–2. At the French Open Kuznetsova made easy work on Safina in the final 6–4 6–2 in just 74 minutes despite struggling against Serena and Samantha Stosur the previous rounds[25]. The 2009 French Open is her 2nd Major, her first being the 2004 US Open. She then had a patch of bad run then on including a third round lost at Wimbledon losing to Lisicki 6–2 7–5 and 4th round lost to Caroline Wozniacki 2–6 7–6(5) 7–6(3) at the US Open. She then won the 2009 China Open over Agnieszka Radwańska 6–2 6–4 this helped her regain the no. 3 ranking from Venus [26]. Kuznetsova other efforts include a runner-up finish in Rome, reaching the semi-final in Miami and fourth round finishes at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. This is Kuznetsova's 5th appearance and trying to rub of a 8 match losing streak at the championship. Kuznetsova has a 1-10 record in the tournaments history. On October 9 Venus Williams and Victoria Azarenka qualified together as sixth and seventh qualifiers.   Venus Williams is the defending champion. Venus won back-to-back titles in the Dubai Tennis Championships defeating Virginie Razzano 6–4 6–2.[27] En route, she defeated Dementieva and Serena and a title in the Abierto Mexicano Telcel defeating Flavia Pennetta 6–1 6–2 and her first clay title since May 2005[28]. She then went to Wimbledon as the defending champion, losing in the finals to her sister Serena 7–6(3), 6–2 after crushing world no. 1 Dinara Safina 6–1 6–0 the biggest win against a reigning world no. 1[29]. She also reached the final in Stanford losing to Marion Bartoli[30]. She also reached the Semifinals of Sony Ericsson Open losing to Serena 6–4 3–6 6–3 and Internazionali BNL d'Italia losing to Safina 6–7(3) 6–3 6–4, many critics stated that she lost the match rather than her opponent winning the match. In the Grand Slams Venus' performance was not good losing in the 2nd round of Australian Open, 3rd round of the French Open and 4th round of US Open. This is Venus' 4th appearance and she has never lost before the semifinals. Venus has an impressive record of 9-2 in the event Victoria Azarenka is enjoying her best season so far by reaching a career high no. 6. She began the year with her first career title in Brisbane International[31] defeating Marion Bartoli 6–3 6–1, then followed it up with titles in Cellular South Cup defeating Wozniacki 6–1 6–3[32] and Sony Ericsson Open, defeating five-time Miami champion Serena Williams[33]. She also managed to reached the quarterfinals of the French Open losing to Safina 1–6 6–4 6–2 and Wimbledon losing to eventual champion Serena 6–2 6–3. She will be competing in her 1st year-end championship. On October 22 Jelena Janković claimed the last spot as Radwańska and Zvonareva fell early at the Kremlin Cup.  Jelena Janković who is having a not so satisfying year, still managed to win the red clay tournament in Andalucia Tennis Experience defeating Carla Suarez Navarro 6–3 3–6 6–3 [34] and Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open defeating Safina 6–4 6–2 also defeating Azarenka and Dementieva en route[35]. She also became the runner up at Tokyo, retiring in the final against Maria Sharapova due to wrist injury[36]. In Grand Slams Janković the furthest she has reached in a slam was a fourth round. She made the semi-finals in Paris and quarter-finals in Stuttgart, Rome, Madrid and Stanford. Janković failed to make it past the fourth round of a Grand Slam in 2009. This Janković's 3rd appearance having her best result last year finishing in the semifinals with a 2-5 record coming to the event. The two alternate spots were taken by Vera Zvonareva, who had a fascinating first half of the year by reaching the semifinal of Australian Open losing to Safina 6-3 7-6(4) and winning two titles in Pattaya Women's Open defeating Sania Mirza 7–5 6–1[37] , an international tournament, and Indian Wells defeating Ana Ivanović 7–6(5) 6–2 also defeating Wozniacki 6-4 6-2 and Azarenka 6-3 6-3 en route, a Premier Mandatory tournament[38]. She withdrew from Internazionali BNL d'Italia, Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open and Roland Garros with a right ankle injury[39]. In the US Open she lost to Flavia Pennetta in the Fourth Round when she lost 6-0 in the third when she started whipping on court. This will be her 3rd appearance if one of the players withdraw, she has a 4-4 record at the event. The other alternate is Agnieszka Radwańska, who had consistent results throughout the year, reaching at least the quarterfinals in twelve tournaments, including a runner-up finish at the China Open losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2 6-4[40], she also managed to score a semifinal finish in the Generali Ladies Linz and Toray Pan Pacific Open. She scored 2 top 10 wins in the year over Ana Ivanović and Elena Dementieva. This will be Radwanska's second appearance if a second player withdraws she has a 1-0 record at the event. [edit] Doubles
On September 9 - Cara Black and Liezel Huber, the defending champions, were the first to qualify for the championships after their runner-up finnish in Wimbledon. Cara Black and Liezel Huber have been the no. 1 doubles team since 2007. Performing consistently during the slams, they had a quarterfinal finish at the Australian Open losing to eventual runner-ups Hantuchová and Sugiyama. They then made a semifinal appearance at the French Open losing to eventual champions Medina Garrigues and Ruano Pascual and Wimbledon losing to eventual champions the Williams sisters, and reached their first major final of the year in the US Open losing again to the Williams Sisters. Outside the majors, they won back-to-back titles at the Open GDF Suez defeating Peschke and Raymond and Dubai Tennis Championships defeating Kirilenko and Radwańska. They also won Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open once again outlasting Raymond and Peschke, AEGON Classic defeating the American team of Kops-Jones and Spears, and Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open over Llagostera Vives and Martínez Sánchez. They were the only team to win at least a title on all 3 different surfaces. On September 29 were the second team to qualify was the Williams Sisters, Serena Williams and Venus Williams Serena Williams and Venus Williams are competing in their first year-end championships, who were considered to be the biggest threat in the doubles even though they were ranked low at the beginning of the year. They had an impressive record of 24-1 through the year, with their only lost at the French Open to Petrova and Mattek-Sands. They won three of the four Grand Slams with victories at the Australian Open defeating Hantuchová and Sugiyama, Wimbledon defeating Stosur and Stubbs, and at the US Open defeating Black and Huber, all in straight sets. They maintained their record for never losing in any grandslam doubles finals. They also won the Bank of the West Classic defeating Chan and Niculescu, their first non-Slam title since 1999. On October 5, The third team to qualify was Nuria Llagostera Vives and María José Martínez Sánchez. Nuria Llagostera Vives and María José Martínez Sánchez, even though they did not have a good run at the slams with a first round exit at the French Open and three quarterfinal exits at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, they won the most doubles titles of the year with six titles, with back-to-back titles at Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas defeating Pennetta and Dulko and Abierto Mexicano Telcel in an all Spanish finals prevailing over compatriots Domínguez Lino and Parra Santonja and back-to-back titles as well at Rogers Cup prevailing over Stosur and Stubbs and Pilot Pen Tennis defeating the Czezh team of Benešová and Hradecká. They also won the Barcelona Ladies Open outlasting Cîrstea and Klepač and Internazionali Femminili di Palermo prevailing over Koryttseva and Kustova. They also reached the finals of the Swedish Open losing Pennetta and Dulko, the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open losing to Black and Huber. On October 12, The last qualifiers were Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs. Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs were the only qualfiying team not to ever win a title in 2009. However their runner-up finishes at the AEGON International losing to Sugiyama and Amanmuradova, Rogers Cup losing to Llagostera Vives and Martínez Sánchez, and Wimbledon losing to Serena and Venus helped them to qualify. They also reached the semifinals of US Open and the third rounds of Australian Open and French Open. [edit] GroupingsThe stellar eight-woman line-up includes four players who have been No.1, three Grand Slam champions, and four who've been to at least one major final. Two of the field made their Top 10 debuts this season and are at the championships for the first time. Between them, they pocketed 21 of the 53 titles that were on offer during this landmark 'Roadmap' season. As last year, the competitors have been divided into two groups named for the colors of the Qatari flag. The White group comprises No.1 seed Dinara Safina, No.4 seed Caroline Wozniacki, No.6 seed Victoria Azarenka and No.8 seed Jelena Janković. The Maroon Group is made up of No.2 seed Serena Williams, No.3 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, No.5 seed Elena Dementieva and No.7 seed Venus Williams. Last year's runner-up, Vera Zvonareva, and Agnieszka Radwańska wait in the wings as alternates. At the White Group featured more fresh-faced players than the other group with none of them having won a Grand Slam. Each player's respective head to head records against one another is as follows: Dinara Safina is 8-4, Caroline Wozniacki is 1-5, Victoria Azarenka is 4-8 and Jelena Janković is 8-4. With Dinara Safina leading the group, she has a decent head-to-head with each player she is 1-0 against Wozniacki, with their only meeting coming from the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open finals with Safina winning 6-2 6-4, She also has a very good record against Azarenka leading 4-1 with her only loss to Azarenka coming from this year's Indian Wells Open. They have also played 3 setters in their last 3 meetings. However Safina's record against Janković is 3-3 an even record with Janković winning their last meeting in the finals of Cincinatti 6-4 6-2. The next head-to-head features the two new comers Azarenka and Wozniacki, which Azarenka has a slight lead of 2-1, with, winning their last two meetings. Like Safina, Janković has a good record against Wozniacki and Azarenka, she is 2-0 against Wozniacki, both matches having an intersting scoreline due to fact that Janković lost the first set in both meetings but eventually won the match. Janković is also 3-1 against Azarenka with Janković winning their last three matches and Azarenka's win dating back to 2006 in Miami. The Maroon Group features more accomplished and veteran players with all of them reaching a Grand Slam final and 3 of them, aside from Dementieva, have won a Grand Slam at least twice. In their respective records reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon champion Serena Williams is 22-16, French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova is 12-12, Elena Dementieva is 10-21 and Venus Williams is 22-17. As their head-to-heads are broken down the leader of the Maroon Group, Serena, is the only one that has a winning record against each of her group mates. She is 5-2 against Kuznetsova, this year they met twice at the Australian Open which eventual champion Serena won and in the French Open which eventual champion Kuznetsova won. Serena is 6-4 against Dementieva and 2-2 this year with Dementieva's wins coming from Medibank International Sydney and Rogers, and Serena's victories coming from the Australian Open and their stellar match in the 2009 Wimbledon Championships. Serena is 11-10 against her sister Venus and 2-1 in the year. Venus won their first encounter of the year at the Dubai Tennis Championships with Serena winning their last two meetings in Miami and Wimbledon. Unlike Serena, Dementieva is on the losing side with her head-to-heads besides being 4-6 against Serena, she is also 4-6 against Kuznetsova, with Kuznetsova winning their only meeting this year in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and winning 4 of their last 5 meetings. Dementieva is also down against Venus 2-9 with Venus getting the upper hand 2-0 this year against Dementieva with wins in Dubai and Stanford. Adding to that Venus is in a 6 match winning streak against Dementieva with Dementieva's win dating back to 2004 in Miami. On the head-to-head between Kuznetsova and Venus, Kuznetsova leads it 4-3 with them splitting their last two meetings and with their last meeting dating back to March 2008 in Miami with Kuznetsova prevailing. [edit] Player Head-to-Heads
[edit] Prize money & PointsThe total prize money for the 2009 Sony Ericsson Championships is 4.5 million United States dollars[44].
[edit] Round Robin[edit] Day 1 The action with the 2009 Year-end championship started with the White Group between debutant Victoria Azarenka and last year's semifinalist Jelena Janković, with Janković a heavy favorite as she had won 3 matches in a row against the Belarus player, their last meeting coming from Cincinnati where Janković won 7–5 7–6(4). Azarenka got off to a flying start, breaking in the opening game. Janković finally got on the scoreboard in the third game but not before Azarenka had again come up with a backhand winner to force the Serb to deuce. But Belarussia's Azarenka, continued to look comfortable, holding with ease and testing Janković on the return before breaking for a second time in the seventh game when the Serb sent an inside out forehand wide into the tramlines. Azarenka had no trouble in serving out the set at 6-2, cruising through another solid service hold to leave a clearly frustrated Janković taking out her anger on coach Carlos Sanchez at the change of ends. The early stages of the second set followed much the same path as the first as Azarenka broke in the third game. This time though the Serb did muster some kind of a fight and she broke back two games later. Azarenka broke back immediately to restore her second set advantage, before going on to save break points in the eighth game and hold. The Serb completely fell apart in the final game, throwing in a double fault and a couple of forehand errors before Azarenka wrapped up the win at the first attempt with a forehand down the line with Azarenka finally claiming the set and match 6-3. Azarenka also significantly made only 15 unforced errors to Janković's 33 unforced errors[45].  They followed on court by the Maroon Group where defending champion Venus Williams faced Elena Dementieva. Venus, seeded seventh in Doha, opened with a nervy service game, including a couple of second serves dropped very short, before going on to hold to 30 when Dementieva hit a forehand into the net.But the American quickly recovered and immediately grabbed the advantage by breaking in just the second game when Dementieva again slapped a forehand into the net. The rest of the set went with serve and Venus had little trouble in serving out to love, when Dementieva sent a forehand just long of the baseline after 38 minutes and 6-3.The early stages of the second set were almost a carbon copy of the first as Dementieva slapped down consecutive double faults to hand Venus triple break points in the opening game of the set saving all of them. But another double fault later - Dementieva's fourth of the game - and Venus had a fourth chance. The American quickly took advantage of the chance, securing the break by rifling a backhand winner straight down the line. A battling hold in the third game, when she saved another break point, seemed to encourage the Russian, who immediately looked stronger and reeled off three games in a row. Venus recovered to hold and appeared to have the match wrapped up when she broke again in the 11th game, with Dementieva once again producing a double fault. But the Russian somehow found a way back into the match for a second time, breaking straight back with a cross court backhand winner to force the tie-break. Dementieva sealed the set at the fourth opportunity when Venus produced a shocking double fault. As Dementieva's quality of play rose Venus completely capitulated, and the Russian broke in the first and third games of the set as Venus put first a critical forehand and then a backhand into the net. Venus did eventually hold in the fifth game before enjoying break points just one game later. But Dementieva produced a series of first serves to hold before wrapping up the win two games later with a running backhand winner whipped across court. This signifies that Dementieva has broken the 6 straight wins of Venus over her, even a 6–0 6–1 lost in Stanford. One significant factor of this lost was Venus' first serve percentage from 67% in the first to 46% and 47% in the 2nd and 3rd sets respectively[46]. The match of the night featured a match between Wimbledon and Australian Open champion Serena Williams and French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. These was the 8th meeting between them, with Serena looking for her 6th win over Kuznetsova, while Kuznetsova looking for her 3rd, with their last meeting falling back in the French Open with Kuznetsova winning in three 7–6(3) 5–7 7–5 where Serena was leading 3–1 in the decider with Kuznetsova coming back and winning the match. Serena who has not played a match for two weeks before entering the Kalifa Tennis Centre, a fact that showed early in the match as the American struggled to find her range. The struggle allowed Kuznetsova to grab an early break, battering a forehand winner straight down the line in the third game to take the advantage. But a poor game from the Russian just three games later, sealed by a backhand winner down the line from Serena, allowed the American right back into the set as she got things back on serve. The two players also traded breaks late in the set, with Kuznetsova slapping a forehand wide down the line to concede her serve whilst serving for the set in the 10th game. Perhaps inevitably, with so little between the two players, the first set was to be decided on a tie-break with Serena being forced to save two set points before sealing the set with a backhand winner off a shorter ball from Kuznetsova. The second set followed much the same pattern with Kuznetsova snatching the early break only to be pegged back by Serena once again. The Russian once again the broke in the fourth game before being broken straight back. And eventually it was Williams who lifted her level when it was required breaking for the lead in the 11th game with a forehand winner and Kuznetsova double-faulted twice, before serving out the match to love with a backhand winner into the open court winning the set 7-5. The match featured a good serving from the American as she served 11 aces with 8 of them coming from the second set and 0 double fault to the Russian's 4[47].
[edit] Day 2The first match featured first timers Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki. Azarenka, the No.6 seed at the season-ending event, came out firing early on, losing the opening game of the match but winning the next six straight, finishing the first set with 11 winners to just five unforced errors. The 80-minute second set featured some very tight games, including an incredible 14-deuce fifth game where Azarenka fended off seven break points to hold serve for a 3-2 lead. Although Azarenka broke straight back, Wozniacki slapping long off the forehand wing, the break seemed to instil confidence in Wozniacki as she held seven break points in an epic fifth game that lasted 20 minutes on its own. All seven chances went begging for Wozniacki as Azarenka just held on with a forehand winner off a shorter ball but the Dane continued to apply the pressure and finally broke in the ninth game with a blistering forehand winner straight into the corner of the court. And, despite Azarenka holding break back points in the very next game, Wozniacki held her nerve to serve out the set to force the deciding set, albeit after a 10-minute break due to the heat rule. The break seemed to have benefitted Azarenka as Wozniacki struggled with her movement after the re-start and the Belarussian broke immediately, in the second game, when Wozniacki sent consecutive forehands long. But Azarenka also battled for consistency and she promptly dropped her own serve and exchanging another two breaks of serve with Wozniacki before securing a seventh straight break of serve with an off-forehand winner down the line to leave herself serving for the match. Again, though, Wozniacki recovered and broke back to 15, after consecutive cross court forehands wide from Azarenka, before saving a match point in the 10th game and going on to hold for the first time in the set. Wozniacki then took full advantage of a mental breakdown from Azarenka to break in the 11th game when the Belarussian received a warning for hitting a frustrated ball into the crowd, swiftly followed by a point penalty on break point for smashing her racquet gave Wozniacki the break and a 6-5 lead. Azarenka completely dissolved in the final change of ends and Wozniacki calmly served it out, a service winner on match point sealing it[48].  In the second match of the day, top seed Dinara Safina had to withdraw 1-1 and 30-15 in the first set with Jelena Janković before a lower back injury flared up and she was forced to quit in tears. The crowd saw a very emotional Dinara Safina. She later withdrew from the tournament and will be replaced by Vera Zvonareva. Her withdrawal will now ensure Serena Williams the year-end no. 1 ranking[49]. The main match featured a sister act Serena Williams and Venus Williams in a 160 minutes thriller. Both players started tentatively, perhaps surprised by the unexpectedly early start to their clash, with the serve in particular suffering. Venus, slightly the calmer of the two players, broke in just the second game of the match with an inside out forehand winner across court.Venus quickly gifted her younger sister the break back, slapping down three double faults in the one game but broke for a second time in the fourth game. Serena broke back for a second time before the two players went on to exchange solid service holds. But it was only a temporary respite for Serena as Venus broke once again in the 12th game, sealing the set when Serena once again hit a forehand skidding into the net. Venus, narrowly the better of the two players in the opening set, fell apart in the second, handing Serena a break in the opening game. Serena further extended her lead in the seventh game of the set when Venus hit into the net and, despite being broken back in the very next game, Serena won the set 6-4, the third set was equally dire with the five out of the first six games going against serve. But despite Venus trailing for much of the set, and even serving to stay in it at 5-3 down it was the older of the two sisters who first held a match point, battering a forehand return of serve across court in the 12th game. Serena saved it with some ferocious hitting, sending Venus scampering around the baseline before going on to hold and force the decisive tie-break. And eventually it was Serena who took control, racing out to a 4-2 lead at the change of ends before sealing it with an ace out wide on her first match point, although it was a cat on the court mid-way through the breaker that caused the crowd their most enjoyment of the night. Serena once again produced 11 aces, however this time she produces 3 double faults to Venus' 6 aces and 10 double faults. The match featured 14 breaks of serve with each them breeaking 7 times[50].
[edit] Day 3The first on court featured a marathon between Caroline Wozniacki and Safina's replacement Vera Zvonareva. Wozniacki, the No.4 seed, won 11 of the first 13 games against a discouraged Zvonareva, who got into the White Group as an alternate after Dinara Safina's withdrawal a day before. But the Russian summoned the form that took her to the final of the season finale a year ago, rallying to even it up at a set all, even saving two match points at 5-6. After a 10-minute break due to the heat rule Wozniacki came out strong again, building a 3-1 lead in the third. But the leg that caused her to withdraw from Luxembourg last week began hurting again and as she began struggling with her movement Zvonareva began surging again, winning four of the next five games to take a 4-3 lead. But the Dane wasn't done, holding then breaking for 5-4, then fighting off severe cramps - and the subsequent tears - to serve it out. The match saw Zvonareva serving 9 double faults to her opponents 4. The major downfall for Zvonareva in the match was her poor 1st serve percentage in the 1st and 3rd set which she subsequently lost she serve below 50% 1st serves in [51].  The second match saw Serena Williams pitting against Elena Dementieva, the two had a memorable encounter at Wimbledon. Dementieva, who had won four of the last six meetings between the two players, made the brighter start and broke in just the second game when Serena sent an off-balance forehand into the net. But the American, who played with heavy strapping on her left thigh, broke back immediately, when Dementieva hit wide off the backhand wing. And Serena then ran away with the first set, breaking again in the sixth and eighth games and sealing it with a brutal forehand winner across court. Serena appeared to be continuing her domination of the clash early in the second set, breaking in just the second game when Dementieva hit long down the line. The Russian, though, did manage to find some fight and broke back at the fifth attempt in the third game with a blistering inside out cross court forehand winner into the corner.The rest of the set went with serve, with Dementieva even looking like she could push the match into a decisive third set, especially in the seventh game when she tested Serena by drawing her into the net before sending her scampering back again. But, as is so often the case, it was the serve that eventually let Dementieva down as she slapped down her 10th double fault in the 10th game of the set to hand Serena three match points.The Russian managed to save the first two, ironically, with heavy first serves that Serenacould do nothing with, but the American wrapped up the win at the third attempt when Dementieva send a forehand skidding into the net 6-2 6-4. The match also saw Dementieva double faulted 10 times, which was the first time she scored a double digit double faults in their last 3 meetings, this win meant that Serena clinches the first berth in her group[52]. The final match saw defending champion Venus Williams trying to win her first match of this year's tournament and Svetlana Kuznetsova trying to win her first match in 2 years. Venus, who went undefeated at this tournament last year and is the No.7 seed this year, had a losing record against Kuznetsova coming into the match, having lost four of their seven previous meetings. But any thoughts of fatigue against Kuznetsova were quickly dispelled as the American grabbed the first break, in the fourth game, when her opponent slapped a tame forehand into the bottom of the net. And the one break was all Venus needed as she cruised through the rest of the set, sealing it in the eighth game with a break to love when Kuznetsova again hit into the net claiming the set at 6-2. The second set was much more competitive and this time it was the Russian who grabbed the early break, producing a scintillating forehand winner down the line to take the lead in the third game. Despite holding break points in the sixth game, Venus was forced to wait until the 10th before being able to level the scores with a scorching forehand. But Kuznetsova held her nerve to force the first tie-break between the pair in seven meetings. Kuznetsova wining the tie-break with another forehand down the line ensuring the match went to a decisive third set. Inevitably the final set was a cagey affair with neither player producing their best tennis as they traded early breaks.In the end it was Venus who held her nerve, despite the world number seven having a track record of fading in the latter stages of three-set matches this season. The American re-established her break lead in the ninth game when Kuznetsova hit into the net after Venus had punished a slower first serve from the Russian. She was broken at love, and Venus prepared to serve out the match. The toss problems appeared again, but Venus got through it. Kuznetsova saved two match points at 40-15, but Venus finally converted on the third time around after 2 hours and 28 minutes. The match saw Venus serve 11 aces and minimized her double fault to 5 while Kuznetsova had 3 aces and 1 double fault[53].
[edit] Day 4 The 1st match of the last day of the Round Robin Stage featured Jelena Janković and Caroline Wozniacki who is trying to snag the 1st berth in their group, and if Wozniacki wins she takes Azarenka with her. The first set saw Janković producing some good serving losing only 5 points on serve. She also produced some good returns as she converted 2 of 3 break chances compared to Wozniacki not converting any of her 3 chances Jankvoic won the first set 6-2. The second set was the same the Serbian dominating over the Dane converting 3 of 4 break points with her own serve getting broken once the set went to Janković 6-2 and won the match and first berth in her group. The match only took 68 minutes as Wozniacki looked visibly exhausted after her 2 3 setters the previous days. While Janković looked fresh and in tune, hitting 17 winners to 19 errors, the No.4-seeded Wozniacki hit seven winners to 22 errors, including two wild groundstroke misses on the last two points. this win means Janković will represent her Group as the top berth[54]. The next match featured Russians Elena Dementieva and Svetlana Kuznetsova. Dementieva needed to win the match to clinch a berth or Venus Williams will get it while Kuznetsova is looking to end her 8 match losing streak at the Championship and looking in good shape as she is 6-4 against her compatriot. Kuznetsova stated before the match that she asked Venus before the match "Would you give me something if I win?" She was like, "If you win, it's good for yourself!". Kuznetsova just gave Venus a favor as she crushed her compatriot in 74 minutes.With nothing left to play for but pride, a loose Kuznetsova re-discovered the kind of form that took her to the Beijing title at the beginning of October and battered Dementieva into submission. Dementieva, on the other hand, looked tense from the start and was forced to defend a break point in just the second game of the match before being allowed to get off the mark. Just like the rest of the tournament, it was the serve that really cost Dementieva, and it didn't take long for Kuznetsova to take advantage of the situation, breaking in the sixth game when her opponent slapped two doubles in the one game. Dementieva successfully saved two set points in the eighth game but Kuznetsova made no mistake behind her own serve, sealing the set to 15 when Dementieva dumped an attempted cross court forehand into the net. Kuznetsova won the 1st set 6-2. The second set followed much the same pattern, with Kuznetsova breaking in the opening game when the Dementieva forehand again went astray. The French Open champion secured a second break of serve in the fifth game when Dementieva fired an inside out forehand wide across court before serving out with when Kuznetsova produced 3 of her 7 aces in the last game of the match. As a proof of Kuznetsova's dominance she didn't face a break point nor a deuce service game in the entire match[55]. This win signifies that Kuznetsova's ending her 10 match-losing streak, first win since 2006 at the championship and Venus advances to the semifinals.  The last match featured in the round robin stage Agnieszka Radwańska who replaced co-alternate Vera Zvonareva and Victoria Azarenka, with Azarenka needing to win the match to clinch the berth or Wozniacki will get it. Wozniacki joked after her match against Janković "I hope Radwańska wins because if she does I'll get through," and added "For sure, I'm going to be cheering for her! All three of us are friends. Usually I wouldn't cheer for either of them, but in this situation, I think it's normal I'll cheer for Agnieszka!". Azarenka appeared to be cruising to the straight sets win that would have seen her top the white group when she took a 6-4 5-2 lead over Radwańska, who was took up her place in the tournament after the withdrawal of Vera Zvonareva, herself a replacement for Dinara Safina. The early signs from Azarenka were good as she broke in the opening game. And, although Radwańska broke back in the second game, the opening game set the tone for much of the first set as the Belarussian broke again in the 5th and 6th games to race out to a 5-2 lead. Azarenka did suffer a minor blip in concentration towards the end of the first set as she allowed Radwańska get one of the breaks back, it was only a temporary lapse as the Belarussian served it out at the second attempt with a forehand winner close to the net. Azarenka then ran away with the early stages of the second set, breaking in the first and third games as Radwańska struggled to cope with the power of her opponent. But the Pole, who will undergo surgery to her hand in Krakow on Monday, refused to give up and was rewarded for her patience when she broke back in the sixth game when Azarenka sent a backhand down the line wide and long. Azarenka looked like she had recovered her composure once again by immediately breaking back and setting up a chance to serve out the match, but the Belarussian undid all her good work with consecutive double faults to hand all the momentum back to Radwańska. This time the Pole was not going to let the opportunity slip and raced through the next five games to seal the second set and level the match, much to Azarenka's consternation. The match was just one game into the third set when Azarenka was forced to take a medical timeout to have her left thigh heavily strapped, although appeared that the Belarussian would be able to cope with the injury and finish the match as she held to level up at one game a piece. But just two games later Azarenka was left break points down and in tears after trying to race up the court to a drop shot. The Belarussian did save the first break point, somehow managing to get up the court to lash a drop shot down the line for a forehand winner, but again she was left sobbing and kneeling on the ground next to the side hoardings before going on to double fault and hand her opponent the break. One more medical timeout and one and a half games later and Azarenka decided she could not continue, conceding the match just after Radwańska had sent another drop shot over the net, albeit with a spot of help from the net itself. Radwańska won 4-6 7-5 4-1, Azarenka retired due to cramping. Radwańska is now 2-0 in the championship with both her wins coming as an alternate one this year and one last year. Radwańska said after the match "Caroline and I are best friends. I think I just gave her a great present and I'm very happy about that". This now means that Wozniacki will face Serena and Janković will face Venus[56].
[edit] Finals[edit] Day 5The day was started with the first doubles match, meeting Cara Black & Liezel Huber and Samantha Stosur & Rennae Stubbs. The team of Black & Huber, the world no.1s in doubles, must win the match to guarantee their world no.1 title in their hands for the rest of the year. The firts set saw The team of Stosur and Stubbs in cruise control as they break early take the set 6-3. The second looked liked it was going away from Stosur and Stubbs when they were down 5-2 and two set points, however they went back to win the next 3 games and push it to a tie-break, which they eventually lost 7-3. The third set was decided by a tie-break format were Black and Huber cruised trough to a 8-3 lead, then stosur and stubbs stroke back, but eventually lost the match 10-8. This means that black and Huber has secured the year-end no. 1.[57].  The second match featured the first singles semifinal, meeting the champion of white group, Jelena Jankovic and the runner up of maroon group, Venus Williams. the start saw Jankovic having the better of Venus breaking early the Venus serve, however Venus broke back to level the set 3-3, it was not until the 11th game of the 1st set that Jankovic broke the Venus serve and eventually closed the set 7-5. The second saw Venus facing 0-40 and three break points in the 5th game of the 2nd set, wherein Venus delivered 2 double faults, but was able to hold serve thanks to some error from the Serbian. The Serb then saved two break points in the next game but Venus seized her chance when the a third opportunity arose breaking the Jankovic serve, pounding away a forehand. From then on Venus held serve comfortably and level the match by 1 set a piece. The third set saw Jankovic take an early lead as she rallied to a 2-0 lead just to let Venus back through with Venus taking the next 3 games. Jankovic then fought back and broke the Venus serev to level it to 3-3, just to let Venus back through when her serve got broken. Venus then serve at 5-4 for the match and Venus' luck continues as she clinched the win courtesy of a fortunate net cord . After a 2 hours 34 minutes match, Venus eventually won 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 to make her second consecutive final in the tournament. Both players finished with more unforced errors than winners — 49 to 43 for Williams and 34 to 17 for Jankovic. Williams' serve was equally inconsistent, mixing 10 aces with 11 double faults. This win continues Venus success on the championship as she has never lost before the semifinals.[58]. Then, the second singles semifinal took place, meeting the champion of maroon group and undefeated, Serena Williams and the runner up of white group, Caroline Wozniacki. In the first set, Serena made many unforced errors, giving away points for Wozniacki. The set also saw 7 break of serve with Serena breaking serve 4 times to Wozniacki's 3. Serena eventually closed the set 6-4. In the second set, Wozniacki got an early break as she broke Serena's serve in the first game played. However, when she was approaching a ball in the net she felt pain in her mid section, the Dane retired from the match citing abdominal injury. Serena advanced to the final where she will meet her sister, Venus, for the second time in one week.[59]. The last doubles match was then played between the Williams sister Serena and Venus and the Spanish duo of Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. The first set saw both team holding serve up until 2-2 when the Williams sister won the the next four games to close the set 6-2. The second set saw the Spanish team breaking the Venus' serve early and that was all they needed as they won the set 6-4. the third set tie-break saw the Williams sister trailing 6-3 but gutted out some long points to claw back to 8-8. From there the Spaniards' teamship shone, as Llagostera Vives poached a backhand volley into the open court for 9-8 and Martínez Sánchez hit a forehand volley winner to seal the deal.[60].
[edit] Day 6 The last day saw another showdown between sisters Serena Williams and defending champion Venus Williams for the title. Serena progressed to the finals by winning all her round robin matches over Elena Dementieva, Svetlana Kuznetsova and her final opponent Venus Williams and defeating Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals. Venus progressed to the finals by defeating Kuznetsova while having a bad start losing a close three setter to Serena and Dementieva, but due to a lucky break of Dementieva losing to Kuznetsova, Venus progressed to the semis where she defeated Jelena Jankovic. Sere is currently 12-10 against Venus winning their last 3 meetings. The first set saw Serena as dominating as it can get losing only 4 points on serve and not facing a singles break point with a little help from Venus' that is, while Venus' service which was bothering her in a major part of the year, start wobling again as Serena took advantage of her sister's poor service game coverting two of six break points in the 3rd and 7th game and took the first set 6-2. As disappointing as the first set was the second was a lot more of a contest as no service break nor break points were held as they pushed through the tie-break. In the tie-break Serena got the mini-break on the first point and rallied to a 5-1 lead just to see Venus cut it back to 5-4, but Serena eventually won the tie-break 7-4 and the title. This win meant that Serena will be the first player female to surpass the 6 million mark. The doubles finals was then held featuring Year-end no. 1's Cara Black and Liezel Huber taking on the Spanish duo of Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. Both teams won their semi-final matches through a Match tie-break, which they both won 10-8 with The team of Black and Huber defeating Stosur and Stubbs while Llagostera Vives and Martinez Sanchez defeated the Williams Sisters. The match some illustrious break, as the 1st set saw 3 breaks a piece to go to a tie-break that eventually went to the Spanish duo 7-0. The second saw the world no. 1 doubles team take it by 6-5. as the same as the last two semifinals this went to a 3 set tie-break which the Spanish duo won by 10-7. Going into the final they were 0-6 against the Zimbabwean-American duo; but with a variety of lobs, passes and clutch serving, they made it seventh time lucky in by far the biggest match of their partnershipedging the top-seeded world No.1s in a match tie-break, 7-6(0) 5-7 10-7.
[edit] Champions[edit] SinglesMain article: 2009 WTA Tour Championships - Singles
[edit] DoublesMain article: 2009 WTA Tour Championships - Doubles
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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