Top News

Wozniacki falters in sight of honor

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-10-29 08:09

Samantha Stosur of Australia returns the ball to Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark on the second day of the WTA Championships in Doha on Wednesday. Stosur won 6-4, 6-3. [Photo/Agencies]

Dancers, sax player, feline add color to WTA Championships

DOHA, Qatar - Samantha Stosur's win over world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki was not the only surprise for an unsuspecting crowd at the WTA Championships, where music, dance and even a frightened feline vied with the tennis for attention.

An uninspiring opening match between Vera Zvonareva and Victoria Azarenka on Wednesday took a bizarre turn at the second change of ends when a breakdancing trio began busting moves on court at the Khalifa Tennis Complex.

A solo saxophone player serenaded the crowd during the Kim Clijsters vs Jelena Jankovic match, and then a curious cat padded on to the purple-colored court to hold up Wozniacki's game against Stosur.

The scaredy-cat scampered under the hoardings at the side of the court before making its escape.

Stosur, who opened her Maroon Group campaign at the $4.55 million tournament with a straight sets win over Francesca Shiavone, said her indifferent form coming into Doha had been a cause for concern.

"I guess when you haven't been playing so well leading up to a big event, there's maybe that a little bit of doubt," the Australian said.

"(But) I had always been practicing well and doing all the right things. I was hopeful that it would turn around soon."

With Wozniacki needing just one more win to seal the year-end world No 1 spot, few gave Stosur much hope of causing an upset in the Qatari capital.

However, the 26-year-old gave Wozniacki a taste of her own baseline medicine, attacking her weaker forehand and sending scorching winners past the startled Dane to record a 6-4, 6-3 win.

"Against someone like her, I have to go after the points and try and hit winners. Sometimes by doing that you do hit more errors," said Stosur.

"I think I was OK with that going into the match, that if I was making some mistakes it didn't matter because I probably would hit more winners.

"I guess it's a fine line between doing enough and going too crazy and doing too much."

With the win, Stosur has all but sealed her place in the semifinals of the prestigious season-ending tournament but would round out the group stage against Elena Dementieva on Thursday.

Wozniacki denied suggestions that she allowed the year-end No 1 spot to enter her mind.

"I didn't think about it at all," she claimed. "I just wanted to win. I was just trying to get my rhythm.

"She was serving very hard and hitting with a lot of spin and playing different from the other girls."

Wozniacki nevertheless retains a good chance of becoming year-end world No 1.

If she beats Francesca Schiavone, the French Open champion from Italy, in her next match it will happen - and maybe even if she doesn't but qualifies from the group with one win.

Wozniacki's difficulties began at four-all, 30-all, when she had the court at her mercy but from a position close to the net drove the ball long. She hurled down her racket hard in annoyance.

The following game saw Wozniacki serve a double fault to go set point down, and on her first big opportunity Stosur played a great point. She imposed a difficult angle upon the Wozniacki backhand and strode forward to finish the rally with a rousing drive volley.

Stosur broke serve again for 3-1 in the second set when Wozniacki's straight backhand drive veered off the parallel into the tramlines. It was damage which the favorite never repaired.

She did though get to break back point at 30-40, only for Stosur to deliver a fierce serve and follow up with a drive kill, then closing out the match with the help of two more heavy first serves.

Earlier, Kim Clijsters made a flawed but satisfactory start to her bid to win back the WTA Championship title she last won seven years ago, scoring a straight sets win over Jelena Jankovic.

Even though Clijsters had not competed since retaining her US Open title six weeks ago in New York, she moved well and competed confidently in a 6-2, 6-3 win over the former world No 1 from Serbia.

Reuters-AFP