Commonwealth Bank Tennis announced the players who receive the wild cards for the Tournament of Champions. As I have been suggesting, Sabine Lisicki of Germany is one of the recipient. To the surprise of many tennis fans, Kimiko Date-Krumm named the other player to receive the wild card.
Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour said, "The event promises to be a fantastic finale for the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s International tournaments. With the field featuring some of the Tour’s leading players and next generation stars, a great week of tennis and fierce competition is guaranteed."
The tournament news states: "Featuring top Sony Ericsson WTA Tour players and next generation champions competing in an innovative, 12-woman round robin singles format (four groups of three players), it will offer both $600,000 in prize money and an opportunity to earn a $1-million bonus."
How could WTA and the tournament owner claim to promote next generation stars, while at the same time they give a wild card to 39-year-old player? I like Kimiko Date and would love to see her in person, but is she considered a next generation champion?
I try to guess the reasoning of this choice. They want to promote Asian players. First priority would be Indonesian players, but none of them have participated in the international events or shows any significant results during the year. Then they looked at the Asian women participating in WTA tour. We have Li Na, Peng Shuai, Zheng Jie, Tamarine Tanasugarn, Sania Mirza, and Mrs. Krum in the Top 100 of WTA rankings. Chang Kai Chen could also be added due to her phenomenal achievements in the recent months, including an epic win over World No. 1 player, Dinara Safina.
Among the Asians, Tanasugarn and Date-Krumm are the only winners of international tournaments. Tanasugarn would not sell the tournament as people in Bali and Indonesia have seen her around many times. While the Japanese heroine had recorded an unlevelled achievement for Asian tennis players by being ranked No. 4 in singles back then in 1995. Having retired from professional tennis for almost 12 years her magic is still there. Her WTA tour title in Korea is considered a start of a bright new live of the Japanese player.
Maybe, WTA would use the participation of Date-Krumm as a momentum to emphasize her legacy and let Asian younger players see her as a role model for being a professional tennis player. Kimiko have shown how strong commitment for a professional life have conquerred the age and marriage barriers to be a reborn champion.
Her participation in Bali could hopefully bring older fans who miss her and the kids who want to see the Asian legend.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Sony Ericsson Championships
The best eight women this year will compete at the Sony Ericsson Championships in Khalifa Tennis Complex, Doha, Qatar, from 27 October to 1 November 2009. They are divided into two groups of four players and will compete in round robin format.White Group
1 Dinara Safina (RUS)
4 Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)
6 Victoria Azarenka (BLR)
8 Jelena Jankovic (SRB)
Maroon Group
2 Serena Williams (USA)
3 Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)
5 Elena Dementieva (RUS)
7 Venus Williams (USA)
The winner of the White Group will play the runner up of Maroon Group and the runner up of White Group will play the winner of Maroon Group in the semifinals.
Doubles
Along with the singles event, four doubles pairs are set to play in semifinals and final elimination matches. Only the best pairs of 2009 are qualified for the championship.
The Williamses, winner of most Grand Slam titles of 2009 (Australian Open, Wimbledon, and US Open), leads the contenders for the year-end tournament. They are followed by co-number one doubles players, Cara Black (ZIM) and Liezel Huber (USA). Spanish pair of Nuria Llagostera Vives and María José Martínez Sánchez join the elité eight for the first time. They have won six doubles titles throughout the year and will be a serious threat to the top doubles players. Australian duo of Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs are in Doha not only to complete the list of players. They have won the championships twice together (Stubbs' won in 2001 with Lisa Raymond) and will try to get the third.
Dates of Play
Round Robin (Singles) 27 - 30 Oct 2009
Semi-Finals / Finals (Singles and Doubles) 31 Oct - 1 Nov 2009
Prize Money Breakdown
Singles
$1,550,000 Winner
$780,000 Finalist
RR (3 wins) $400,000
RR (2 wins) $300,000
RR (1 win) $200,000
RR (no wins) $100,000
Doubles
Winner $375,000
Finalist $187,500
Semifinalists $93,750
Ten Players are Qualified for CBTC
As Sabine Lisicki lost to Timea Bacsinszky at the Luxembourg final , none of them acquired direct acceptance to Tournament of Champion in Bali. Bacsinszky only managed to reach 55 at the WTA ranking this week.
1. Vera Zvonareva (9, RUS)
2. Marion Bartoli (12, FRA)
3. Samantha Stosur (13, AUS)
4. Yanina Wickmayer (19, BEL)
5. Anabel Medina Garrigues (27, ESP)
6. María José Martínez Sánchez (31, ESP)
7. Shahar Peer (32, ISR),
8. Melinda Czink (39, HUN)
9. Agnes szavay (42, HUN)
10. Aravane Rezai (44, FRA)
-------------------------------------------------------
11. Magdalena Rybarikova (46, SVK)
12. Vera Dushevina (49, RUS)
Two players who have won at least one international tournament and ranked immediately below Rezai will be the alternates in CBTC and will automatically replace any of the above ten if the player is injured or ill. Let's see who will be nominated for wild cards at this event. I am hoping that Sabine Lisicki will be given one.
Should the tournament or WTA does not nominate any wild card players, Rybarikova and Dushevina will fill in the last two places and the players below them, Andrea Petkovic (54, GER) and Timea Bacsinszky (55, SUI) will be the alternates.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Vera Zvonareva (9, RUS)
2. Marion Bartoli (12, FRA)
3. Samantha Stosur (13, AUS)
4. Yanina Wickmayer (19, BEL)
5. Anabel Medina Garrigues (27, ESP)
6. María José Martínez Sánchez (31, ESP)
7. Shahar Peer (32, ISR),
8. Melinda Czink (39, HUN)
9. Agnes szavay (42, HUN)
10. Aravane Rezai (44, FRA)
-------------------------------------------------------
11. Magdalena Rybarikova (46, SVK)
12. Vera Dushevina (49, RUS)
Two players who have won at least one international tournament and ranked immediately below Rezai will be the alternates in CBTC and will automatically replace any of the above ten if the player is injured or ill. Let's see who will be nominated for wild cards at this event. I am hoping that Sabine Lisicki will be given one.
Should the tournament or WTA does not nominate any wild card players, Rybarikova and Dushevina will fill in the last two places and the players below them, Andrea Petkovic (54, GER) and Timea Bacsinszky (55, SUI) will be the alternates.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions (“CBTC”) will be held in Nusa Dua, Bali, from November 4 to 8, 2009 at the Bali International Convention Centre adjacent to The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali. CBTC will present 10 top tennis players who have won at least one International Tournament of Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) in 2009 and 2 wild cards. The winner of this event will receive USD 600.000 prize money.
Among the winners of 2009 International Tournaments, 10 highest ranked players who are not participating in the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha this week are qualified for CBTC. They will be joined by 2 wild cards to be nominated by the tournament owner or WTA. The 12 participants will be divided into four groups of three players to compete in round-robin singles format. The winners of the groups will play in single elimination semifinals for the places in the final.
Official Website of the tournament: http://www.commbanktennis.com/
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions
The biggest bonus in the history of any sports in Indonesia will be provided at the 2009 season-end tournament, The Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions (“CBTC”) to be held in Nusa Dua, Bali, from November 4 to 8, 2009 at the Bali International Convention Centre adjacent to The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali. CBTC will present 10 top tennis players who have won at least one International Tournament of Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) in 2009 and 2 wild cards. The winner of this event will receive USD 600.000 prize money. A bonus of USD 1 million will be added if the winner has won three of the total 30 International Tournaments in 2009.
Among the winners of 2009 International Tournaments, 10 highest ranked players who are not participating in the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha are qualified for CBTC. They will be joined by 2 wild cards to be nominated by the tournament owner or WTA.
The 12 participants will be divided into four groups of three players to compete in round-robin singles format. The winners of the groups will play in single elimination semifinals for the places in the final.
Qualified Players
The following players are likely to be the participants of CBTC.
Jelena Jankovic (9, SRB) or Vera Zvonareva (7, RUS)
Marion Bartoli (11, FRA)
Samantha Stosur (13, AUS)
Yanina Wickmayer (20, BEL)
Anabel Medina Garrigues (26, ESP)
María José Martínez Sánchez (34, ESP)
Shahar Peer (38, ISR),
Melinda Czink (40, HUN)
Aravane Rezai (43, FRA)
Magdalena Rybarikova (45, SVK)
Agnes szavay (46, HUN).
Actually five of the Top 10 women players are qualified to play in Bali, but they are scheduled to play in Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, Qatar, next week. Dinara Safina (2, RUS), Venus Williams (4, USA), Elena Dementieva (5, RUS), Caroline Wozniacki (6, DEN), and Victoria Azarenka (8, BLR) have won at least one International Tournament this year, but they are likely to play in Doha for a bigger prize money and an unofficial best of the bests title.
Officially WTA have announced Wickmayer and Medina Garrigues for the tickets to Bali. The upset of Bartoli in Osaka and Stosur win in Linz last week have given them two tickets to Bali as they are ranked above Wickmayer and Medina Garrigues. It means that there are six tickets available for the other winners of 2009 International Series tournaments.
Flavia Pennetta (12, ITA), who have won the Internazionali Femminili di Tennis di Palermo would not be playing in Bali as Italy will play USA in Fed Cup final in Italy. Any of Jankovic and Zvonareva who are now competing for the last ticket to Doha would not be in Bali.
Last Chance for Other Players
There are five women who have not won an International Tournament that have the last chance to join ‘The 10 Champions’ in Bali. They are Kim Clijsters (18, BEL), Daniela Hantuchova (23, SVK), Sabine Lisicki (28, GER), Alona Bondarenko (29, UKR), Carla Suarez Navarro (32, ESP), and Patty Schnyder (47, SUI) who are now competing at the BGL Luxembourg Open
. Clijsters, the winner of 2009 US Open and former world number one player, has a big chance to win in Luxembourg and grab the last ticket to Bali.
Bonus
There are four winners who have won two International Tournaments this year, namely Victoria Azarenka, Yanina Wickmayer, María José Martínez Sánchez, and Shahar Peer. Two of them, Wickmayer and Peer, keep their chances for taking home one million dollar bonus by cruising through the BGL Luxembourg Open. They need to win in Luxembourg and Bali. Not an easy task though.
Among the winners of 2009 International Tournaments, 10 highest ranked players who are not participating in the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha are qualified for CBTC. They will be joined by 2 wild cards to be nominated by the tournament owner or WTA.
The 12 participants will be divided into four groups of three players to compete in round-robin singles format. The winners of the groups will play in single elimination semifinals for the places in the final.
Qualified Players
The following players are likely to be the participants of CBTC.
Jelena Jankovic (9, SRB) or Vera Zvonareva (7, RUS)
Marion Bartoli (11, FRA)
Samantha Stosur (13, AUS)
Yanina Wickmayer (20, BEL)
Anabel Medina Garrigues (26, ESP)
María José Martínez Sánchez (34, ESP)
Shahar Peer (38, ISR),
Melinda Czink (40, HUN)
Aravane Rezai (43, FRA)
Magdalena Rybarikova (45, SVK)
Agnes szavay (46, HUN).
Actually five of the Top 10 women players are qualified to play in Bali, but they are scheduled to play in Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, Qatar, next week. Dinara Safina (2, RUS), Venus Williams (4, USA), Elena Dementieva (5, RUS), Caroline Wozniacki (6, DEN), and Victoria Azarenka (8, BLR) have won at least one International Tournament this year, but they are likely to play in Doha for a bigger prize money and an unofficial best of the bests title.
Officially WTA have announced Wickmayer and Medina Garrigues for the tickets to Bali. The upset of Bartoli in Osaka and Stosur win in Linz last week have given them two tickets to Bali as they are ranked above Wickmayer and Medina Garrigues. It means that there are six tickets available for the other winners of 2009 International Series tournaments.
Flavia Pennetta (12, ITA), who have won the Internazionali Femminili di Tennis di Palermo would not be playing in Bali as Italy will play USA in Fed Cup final in Italy. Any of Jankovic and Zvonareva who are now competing for the last ticket to Doha would not be in Bali.
Last Chance for Other Players
There are five women who have not won an International Tournament that have the last chance to join ‘The 10 Champions’ in Bali. They are Kim Clijsters (18, BEL), Daniela Hantuchova (23, SVK), Sabine Lisicki (28, GER), Alona Bondarenko (29, UKR), Carla Suarez Navarro (32, ESP), and Patty Schnyder (47, SUI) who are now competing at the BGL Luxembourg Open
. Clijsters, the winner of 2009 US Open and former world number one player, has a big chance to win in Luxembourg and grab the last ticket to Bali.Bonus
There are four winners who have won two International Tournaments this year, namely Victoria Azarenka, Yanina Wickmayer, María José Martínez Sánchez, and Shahar Peer. Two of them, Wickmayer and Peer, keep their chances for taking home one million dollar bonus by cruising through the BGL Luxembourg Open. They need to win in Luxembourg and Bali. Not an easy task though.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
