By Magdalena
Stanislav
 |
| Agnieszka Radwanska stuns defending champion Petra Kvitova at WTA Championships 2012 |
ISTANBUL, Turkey
(TheSportsNEXT) October 24, 2012: Maria Sharapova of Russia, Agnieszka Radwanska,
and Serena Williams of United States won their first matches at the year-ending
WTA Championships in Istanbul on Tuesday.
Maria Sharapova defeated Sara Errani by 6-3 6-2 in what was a
repeat of the French Open final, Agnieszka Radwanska battered struggling
titleholder Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic by 6-3 6-2, whereas Serena Williams
made short work of Angelique Kerber by 6-4 6-1.
Serena Williams, who won Wimbledon and US Open titles, is
looking in great form but won’t be able to surge towards the WTA world number
one ranking as she had to sit out of the tennis action for the best part of the
season owing to injuries but another feather in crown would be just the perfect
motivation for her.
It is important to mention here that Serena Williams, who
has won 15 Grand Slam titles, has ended WTA season as world number one only
twice in her career and those came in 2002 and 2009.
Serena has featured in the Istanbul WTA Championships six
times and won the title here twice in 2001 and 2009. Since winning her second
title in Istanbul, the American top tennis ace is featuring in this tournament
for the first time.
The TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships 2012 features two
eight players in the world and this year Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova,
Serena Williams, Agnieszka Radwanska, Angelique Kerber, Petra Kvitova, Sara
Errani, and Li Na are participating in the event.
Maria Sharapova, Sara Errani, Petra Kvitova, and Agnieszka
Radwanska are pooled in Whites Group while the other group has Serena Williams,
Victoria Azarenka, Angelique Kerber, and Li Na.
Playing in her first match since winning the US Open title,
Serena Williams showed no signs of rustiness as she breezed to victory against
Angelique Kerber. Talking to reporters after her victory, Serena Williams said,
“Obviously, I would rather win majors. I've been No. 1 and I would love to be
No. 1 again. I think maybe one day I will. We'll see. I just feel if I keep
winning tournaments, majors, tournaments like this, and playing well and
consistently, the ranking will come”.
Serena Williams may not have the chance to vie for the world
number one spot but Maria Sharapova kept her in numbers game when she raced to
6-3 6-2 victory over Sara Errani in her first match of the competition.
Victoria Azarenka, who holds the top position in the WTA
Tour Rankings, will feature in her first match at the TEB BNP Paribas WTA
Championships 2012 on Wednesday.
Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic, who won the TEB BNP Paribas
WTA Championships title last year, got off to a disappointing start against
Agnieszka Radwanska on Tuesday.
Petra Kvitova, who entered into this tournament on a
25-match winning streak indoors, looked far from her best and seemed nervous
like a rookie as she lost her first three games before recovering to draw at
3-3. However, Radwanska broke her again and sealed the deal in the first set.
After losing the first set, Petra Kvitova looked even more drained
out against a fitter and steadier Agnieszka Radwanska as the Czech fell to her
first loss in four matches against Radwanska and overall her second loss in 28
indoor matches in the last two years.
Agnieszka Radwanska told reporters after her impressive
inaugural day show, “I am just happy that I could play my best tennis today and
close that match in two sets. It's a good start”.
Petra Kvitova, who had won the WTA Championships last year
without losing a single match, told reporters, “I was nervous all match. I had
a lot of errors”.
All is not lost for Petra Kvitova as the TEB BNP Paribas WTA
Championships 2012 tournament has a round-robin format and she has two more
matches to get her a place in the last-four.
No comments:
Post a Comment