STANFORD, Calif. (www.BankOfTheWestClassic.com) – In a tournament that has already seen four qualifiers win at least one match in the main draw and three of the top eight seeds fall victim to an upset, Wednesday’s action at the 2008 Bank of the West Classic was perhaps the most dramatic yet.
Serena Williams, the tournament’s top seed and the No. 5 ranked player in the world, shook off a sluggish first set and stormed back to defeat pesky qualifier Michelle Larcher de Brito 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 before a crowd of 2628 on the third night of competition at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
Playing in her first match since falling to sister Venus just weeks ago at Wimbledon, Williams drew an unknown qualifier in Larcher de Brito for her first round match following a bye. However, the 15-year-old from Portugal pleased the crowd with the same non-stop hustle and powerful groundstrokes that helped her win three qualifying matches before defeating Gisela Dulko in the main draw on Tuesday afternoon.
Williams looked out of sync early, with Larcher de Brito taking the first set 6-4. Trailing 2-0 in the second set, Williams took control and eventually won 12 of the next 15 games to avoid what would have been an unthinkable result.
Williams ripped off 14 trademark aces (10 of those coming in the final two sets) while Larcher de Brito- who was playing for the fifth straight day- tallied six double-faults.
“It was definitely encouraging to know I can bounce back,” said Williams. “I haven’t been down a set in awhile. That’s the type of practice I need and the type of things I need to work on going forward.”
“I started really well and I played pretty good throughout the whole match, but I kind of slowed down a little bit because I came through the qualifiers a little tired,” explained Larcher de Brito. “She played such a great game, she is Serena Williams. I gave it all because I had nothing to lose.”
Fourth-seeded Daniela Hantuchova was not as fortunate, dropping a 6-3, 6-1 decision to Bank of the West Classic veteran Ai Sugiyama. Playing in her first match of the tournament and eighth Bank of the West Classic of her career, Hantuchova became the third seeded player to be eliminated before the tournament’s midway point. Sugiyama trailed 3-0 in the first set before winning six in a row to take the first set and cruise 6-1 in the second set.
Meanwhile, second-seeded Anna Chakvetadze looked sharp in her tournament opener by registering a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Shahar Peer. Dominika Cibulkova opened the day’s schedule with a quick 6-2, 6-3 win over Kateryna Bondarenko that took just 1:08 to complete.
Four doubles matches were decided as well. In the nightcap, the fourth-seeded duo of Tatiana Poutchek and Anastasia Rodionova topped wild card entrants Anne Yelsey and Riza Zalameda 6-3, 6-1. Yelsey and Zalameda, college rivals during their respective careers at Stanford and UCLA, won their opening round contest on Monday.
The three other winning doubles teams were all unranked. The team of Elena Vesnina and Vera Zvonareva defeated Liga Dekmeijere and Abigail Spears 6-4, 6-3, the tandem of Eva Hrdinova and Vladimira Uhlirova posted a 6-3, 6-4 win over Anna Chakvetadze and Sania Mirza while the duo of Akgul Amanmuradova and Kateryna Bondarenko cruised past Ashley Harkleroad and Alina Jidkova 6-1, 6-2.
Tickets for the tournament’s opening rounds start at just $23. For more information, or to purchase tickets, call the box office at 866-WTA-TIXS (866-982-8497) or log on to www.BankoftheWestClassic.com.
The Bank of the West Classic, a Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event, will be played July 14-20 at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium at Stanford University and features a 28-player singles draw as well as a 16-team doubles draw. The event is owned and operated by IMG and serves as the opening women’s event of the Olympus US Open Series.
ABOUT THE BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC: The Bank of the West Classic is the longest-running women-only professional tennis tournament in the world and is the first stop of the US Open Series. A Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Tier II event, the Bank of the West Classic features a 28-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw with total prize money of $600,000. Held on Stanford University’s campus at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium since 1997, former champions include: Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Andrea Jaeger, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport and Venus Williams. The Bank of the West Classic is owned and operated by IMG.
ABOUT BANK OF THE WEST: Founded in 1874 and headquartered in San Francisco, $62 billion-asset Bank of the West is the second-largest commercial bank based in California. Bank of the West offers a full range of business, trust, international and personal banking services. The bank currently operates more than 700 commercial and retail banking locations in 19 Western and Midwestern states. In 2008, Bank of the West ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction among Retail Banks in the West” by J.D. Power and Associates. Bank of the West's holding company, BancWest Corporation, is owned by BNP Paribas, a leading global financial services institution ranked by Standard & Poor's as one of the world's four strongest banks. More information is available at www.bankofthewest.com.
MAIN DRAW SINGLES AGATE (7/16/08)
Singles – Second Round
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) d. Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) 6-2, 6-3
Anna Chakvetadze (RUS) d. Shahar Peer (ISR) 6-3, 6-4
Ai Sugiyama (JPN) d. Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 6-3, 6-1
Serena Williams (USA) d. Michelle Larcher De Brito (POR) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
MAIN DRAW DOUBLES AGATE (7/16/08)
Doubles – Quarterfinals
Tatiana Poutchek (BLR)/Anastasia Rodionova (RUS) d. Anne Yelsey (USA)/Riza Zalameda (USA) 6-3, 6-1
Doubles – First Round
Elena Vesnina (RUS)/Vera Zvonareva (RUS) d. Liga Dekmeijere (LAT)/Abigail Spears (USA) 6-4, 6-3
Eva Hrdinova (CZE)/Vladimira Uhlirova (CZE) d. Anna Chakvetadze (RUS)/Sania Mirza (IND) 6-3, 6-4
Akgul Amanmuradova (UZB)/Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) d. Ashley Harkleroad (USA)/Alina Jidkova (RUS) 6-1, 6-2
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