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www.sonyericssonwtatour.com NOTES & NETCORDS Volume 31, Issue 10 | THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE SONY ERICSSON WTA TOUR | March 19, 2007 IN THIS ISSUE Hantuchova Ends Title Drought in the Desert Dismisses Kuznetsova in straight set final for 1 Indian Wells Wrap second career title at Tier I Pacific Life Open 2007 Finals Results INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA - In 2002, a teen- 3 Quotes of the Week aged Daniela Hantuchova came out of relative Win of the Week obscurity in Indian Wells, earning her first career Photos of the Week title at the Pacific Life Open. How ironic that a 4 Weeks at No.1 five year title drought has now come to an end Ranking Movers in that very desert; on Saturday, the Slovak, Birthdays now 23, beat Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight 5 News Briefs sets for her second career title, capping an 2007 By The Numbers incredibly popular return to the winner's circle. Hantuchova, seeded No.14 at the Tier I 9 This Week on Tour event, was in solid form all fortnight, and things Miami were no different on Saturday; her penetrating Upcoming Tournaments groundstrokes were on target, the serve was Upcoming Player Schedules impeccable, and she even mixed in some drop 10 Tournament Previews shots in a 63 64 win, her third in eight encoun- Miami ters with Kuznetsova, who was the No.2 seed. Injury Report Hantuchova's performance was calm yet 11 Prize Money Leaders confident and virtually nerveless, reminiscent of Race to the Championships her final victory at the event five years ago. “I had exactly the same feeling I had against Hantuchova rose from No.18 to No.12 with the title run, 13 This Week’s Rankings her highest singles ranking since September 2003. Martina in 2002. I knew I was going to enjoy © Action Images / Reuters Singles Top 100 myself out there and not for one second did I Doubles Top 50 not believe in myself. I was just so confident “There is something special about this place I 16 Tournament Draws from the first point, I didn't really think about the love so much. I don't know what it is. I can't Indian Wells, Miami score. I went out there, tried to play my game describe it. But if I had this feeling all the time, I and just enjoyed every moment on the court.” think I'd have a few more titles behind me. The championship duel featured two flashy, “All the best things in life are worth waiting aggressive players playing at a high level, and for and all the hard work and everything I went the critical difference came on the most critical through makes the victory that much sweeter.” points. Hantuchova won three of four break And during the five years without a title, her points, while Kuznetsova was one for two. passion for the sport of tennis never wavered. “To beat her today, I had to play the key “There was never a doubt that I wanted to moments better than I did,” said Kuznetsova, do this. This is what I chose since I was a little who gave away the critical breaks in the fourth kid. Even though there were some tough times game of the first set and the fifth game of the I still enjoy the game. That's something I've second. “When she was on a roll it was pretty never lost; I never thought about not loving it.” hard to stop her. She was playing very well.” But it's not as though this was the same For Hantuchova, the 2007 Pacific Life Open player that won the title as an 18-year-old; this victory marks her coming full circle, from one of was a more patient, more accepting, and, in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's brightest up- light of the evolution of the sport over the and-comers five years ago to one of its former years, much better player. Hantuchova ac- Top 10 players, and now back to one of its knowledged how things are different now than brightest prospects. A former No.5, the Slovak in 2002, where she upset Hingis for the title. moves from No.18 to No.12 with the result. “The first one was so much easier, because I had nothing to lose. No one really knew my Roland Garros announces “People have been saying that I haven't won equal prize money a tournament since 2002, but if I had the game. I was just young and swinging around, (See Page 5) choice, I'd much rather pick this one than hav- everything was going in and there was no ing to win little tournaments,” Hantuchova said. [Cont. Page 2] NOTES & NETCORDS | THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE SONY ERICSSON WTA TOUR Hantuchova Ends Title Drought in the Desert (cont.) the flag for China with a semifinal run as well; and former phenom Mirjana Lucic played a main draw for the first time in four years, winning a match before dropping a tight one to Chakvetadze. But Hantuchova's Cinderella run stole the Indian Wells show, and when questioned by the press about potentially rising to the No.1 world ranking, the newfound belief in herself was evident. “I'm starting to feel that slowly,” she said. “I have people around me always believing that and telling me that, but slowly I'm starting to believe it, too. Especially winning a tournament like this really proves I can play with anyone, as long as I do the right things and play my game. It's definitely something that's inside me.” Raymond, Stosur successfully defend doubles crown Daniela Hantuchova isn't the only one to hold Indian Wells close to her heart; on Sunday, Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur de- fended their doubles title, dismissing Chinese Taipei's Chan Yung- Jan and Chuang Chia-Jung in the championship final, 63 75. Raymond and Stosur, the top seeds during the two-week Kuznetsova was one of two Top 8 seeds who survived a round of 16 exodus in Indian Wells, making it all the way to the final before falling to Hantuchova. event, tucked the first set away relatively quickly but were forced to © Action Images / Reuters buckle down as their No.5-seeded opponents refused to budge on their service games throughout most of the second set. They were [From Page 1] too tough in the end, however, gaining the critical break in the sec- pressure. Now everyone knows how I play. But the final was the ond-to-last game and serving it out for the straight set victory. same. I wasn't nervous and was just playing my game.” Chan and Chuang plowed through their half of the draw to Kuznetsova also emerges with a significant jump in the rank- make the final, taking out, among others, No.2 seeds Yan Zi and ings. She rises from No.4 to No.3, making her the fourth Russian, Zheng Jie and No.4 seeds Nathalie Dechy and Vera Zvonareva. after Anastasia Myskina, Maria Sharapova and Nadia Petrova, to Needless to say, their No.1-seeded final opponents on guard. crack the world’s Top 3. With her title defense coming up in Miami “It was good to get a win over them,” Raymond said after the next week, Indian Wells has given her a much-needed boost. match. “They are a very good team, a formidable team.” “To not make this final would make me feel very low,” the 21- An accurate choice of words, considering they have now year-old said. “At least I made it. But still I have to play next week reached the final at all six Tour draws they've contested, including and I'm going to face top players there, and it's going to be very victories at Seoul in 2005 and Bangalore earlier this year, as well as important. I'm going to have a rest and improve my mistakes.” a runner-up finish at the Australian Open in January. They were the The two finalists were not the only players to make the head- first from their country to be a part of a Grand Slam title match. lines in the desert. Many top players lost in a fourth round exodus, But it was Raymond and Stosur who came away with their 16th with Sharapova, Hingis, Nadia Petrova, Jelena Jankovic and Anna title together, and second this season after a title run at another Chakvetadze all falling on a manic Monday; Sybille Bammer snuck Tier I in Tokyo. The 2007 title was Raymond's sixth career title in into the seedings list at No.33 upon Elena Dementieva's with- the desert, having also won it with Lindsay Davenport on three drawal then made a shock run to her first Tier I semifinal; Li Na flew occasions (1994, 1995, 2003) and with Rennae Stubbs (2002). 2007 SONY ERICSSON WTA TOUR FINALS (as of March 19, 2007) Week of Tier Tournament Singles final Doubles final JANUARY 1 Gold Coast-AUS III $175,000 Mondial Australian Women’s Hardcourts (HO) (2) Safina d. (1) Hingis 63 36 75 (2) Safina / Srebotnik d. Benesova / Voskoboeva 63 64 Auckland-NZL IV $145,000 ASB Classic (HO) (1) Jankovic d. (5) Zvonareva 76(9) 57 63 (1) Husarova / Suárez d. Hsieh/S.Uberoi 60 62 JANUARY 8 Sydney-AUS II $600,000 Medibank International (HO) (3) Clijsters d. Jankovic 46 76(1) 64 (4) Groenefeld / Shaughnessy d. Bartoli / Tu 63 36 76(2) Hobart-AUS IV $145,000 Moorilla Hobart International (HO) (1) Chakvetadze d.