 Vera Zvonareva (RUS) | 
Vera Zvonareva has joined the list of players who have staked a claim for a place in the season-ending Tournament of Champions, holding off a strong challenge from India’s Sania Mirza to win the PTT Pattaya Open International Series event. The Russian world number five won 7-5 6-1, with her victory coming against an opponent who because of a wrist injury has only played two tournaments since the Beijing Olympics last August. But in those two tournaments she has won the mixed doubles title at the Australian Open and followed that up by reaching a singles final. "I was able to take a 5-2 lead, but it didn't really mean much because every game was very tough - it was close from the beginning," said Zvonareva, who claimed her eighth career title. "She was able to lift her game up a little bit, and maybe I wasn't exactly playing as aggressively as I normally do. The rhythm changed and it was 5-all. "I'm very happy with the way I lifted my own game at that point. After I won the first set I really started to play my game and didn't give her a chance to play how she wanted to play. I'm really happy with the way I finished the match." Despite her defeat, Mirza considered she had played well. "The first set could have gone either way, but when you're playing against someone who's so good, if you don't take your chances - the one or two that you get - you will pay a price for it," said Mirza. "She played a great match. I felt like I played okay as well. I was striking the ball well." |
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Maria Jose Martinez
Sanchez (ESP)
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Victoria Azarenka has taken the lead on the Road To Bali by winning her second title of the year with a 6-1 6-3 win over Caroline Wozniacki in Memphis. Her victory comes after she also won Brisbane in the opening week of the season.
""I started well, putting a lot of pressure on her," said the 19-year old from Belarus. "I did everything I should have done. I was commanding the points. I think I got more confidence as the match went on, too. I was down 2-0 in the third set in my semifinal, and winning that tough match really helped me against Caroline in the final today." Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez also earned a place on the Leaderboard when she defeated Gisela Dulko 6-3 6-2 to lift the title in Bogota, Colombia. It is her first career title, after she lost her first final in Barcelona last year. "I'm very happy to win my first singles title on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour," said the delighted Spaniard. "The final was more difficult than the score suggests, but on the important points I think I played better. It feels great." By a strange coincidence, both winners also won the doubles, with Azarenka even partnering the player she beat in the singles final, Wozniacki.
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About The Tournament:
After two years as title sponsor of the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic Tennis Tournament, initiated in June 2007, Commonwealth Bank has stepped up its sponsorship to the newly created COMMONWEALTH BANK TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS. This is in keeping with the launch of the revamped Sony Ericsson WTA Tour effective January 2009. The Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions will feature top Tour players and next generation champions competing in an innovative 12 woman round robin singles format, offering $600,000 in prize money. The top 10 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour players who have won at least one International tournament during the year and who are not participating in singles at the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships will qualify for the event, along with two wild cards. The 12-woman event will feature four groups of three players in a round robin format, then a single-elimination semi-finals and final.
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