Ivanovic, Radwanska Take Different Routes to Main Draw Victories
Wildcard headliner Ana Ivanovic and third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska took different paths to posting opening round singles victories on Monday at the 2010 Bank of the West Classic.
Playing in the evening’s featured match, Ivanovic notched a 6-3, 6-2 victory over recent nemesis Alisa Kleybanova. Tied at 3-3 in the first set, Ivanovic rattled off three straight games to close out the first set 6-3. Leading 2-1 in the second frame, Ivanovic secured the match by winning four of the next five games. Ivanovic’s win was even more satisfying considering Kleybanova entered the night with a 3-1 record all-time against Ivanovic since 2009.
Radwanska, the only seeded player in action on Monday, labored through a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 victory against Chanelle Scheepers during the afternoon in a match that took two hours and 14 minutes to complete. Radwanska built a 5-1 lead in the first set, only to hold on for a 7-5 victory. Trailing 4-3 in the second set, Scheepers rallied to win the final three games and force a third set. Tied at 3-3, Radwanska closed out the match by winning the final three games.
Meanwhile, Olga Govortsova coasted through her first round match and routed Alla Kudryavtseva 6-1, 6-1 to move into the second round. Dominika Cibulkova also posted a straight-set victory as she defeated three-time Stanford All-American Hilary Barte 6-2, 6-2.
Kimiko Date Krumm edged Dinara Safina 4-6, 7-6 (0), 6-2 in a marathon nightcap that moved slowly and lasted two hours and 22 minutes.
Four qualifiers punched their ticket to the main singles draw: Kai-Chen Chang, Mirjana Lucic, Christina McHale and Olga Savchuk.
Monday also marked the start of doubles play, with the teams of Lilia Osterloh/Riza Zalameda and Victoria Azarenka/Maria Kirilenko prevailing.
Tuesday’s schedule is highlighted by a must-see night session featuring Maria Sharapova against Jie Zheng while Melanie Oudin takes on Aleksandra Wozniak.
Tickets for the 2010 Bank of the West Classic can be purchased by calling the box office at 866-WTA-TIXS (866-982-8497) or by logging on to www.BankoftheWestClassic.com. Single-session tickets for the tournament's opening round start at just $26.
In addition to individual session tickets, full-week packages start at just $575 and include tickets to all 13 sessions, a pass to the exclusive Grand Marnier Plaza Club and an invitation to the Meet the Players Party. Those who purchase a pair of seats will also receive a weeklong VIP parking pass and a Bank of the West Classic Tournament program.
The Bank of the West Classic is also offering several weekend packages starting at $240.
Entering its 40th year the Bank of the West Classic is the longest running women-only professional tennis tournament in the world. The list of past champions of the event reads like a “Who's Who” of women's tennis including Lindsay Davenport, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Andrea Jaeger, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters.
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 Olympus US Open Series. A Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Premier event, the Bank of the West Classic features a 30-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw with total prize money of $700,000. 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: Based in San Francisco, $61 billion-asset Bank of the West (www.bankofthewest.com) offers a full range of business, corporate, personal, trust and international banking services. For the third year in a row, Bank of the West has been ranked "highest in customer satisfaction in retail banking" in California by J.D. Power and Associates. The Bank operates more than 700 branch locations and commercial banking offices in 19 Western and Midwestern states. Bank of the West's holding company, BancWest Corporation, is a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, among the six strongest banks in the world, according to Standard & Poor's.
