2010 Friday news
AEGON International | Eastbourne
PREVIEW 18 June 2010
Sam Stosur lost to Ekatrina Makarova
6-7 5-7 
|
Last meeting
| Player 1 | Player 2 | Result | Round | Date | Tournament | Surf. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. Stosur | E. Makarova | 6-3 | 6-4 | 1/4 | 26 Sep 08 | Hansol Korea Open - Seoul | Hard |
Marion Bartoli lost to Victoria Azarenka
3-6 5-7 
|
Last meeting
| Player 1 | Player 2 | Result | Round | Date | Tournament | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V. Azarenka (2) | M. Bartoli (3) | 6-3 | 6-1 | Fin. | 10 Jan 09 | Brisbane International - Brisbane |
2009 Friday matches
Eastbournetennis.com | 19 June
Semi-finals
| player one | result | player two |
|---|---|---|
| V. RAZZANO | 6-4, 2-0 |
M. BARTOLI |
| C. WOZNIACKI [6] | 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 | A. WOZNIAK |
2009 Friday news
2009 AEGON
International | 19
June
Caroline
Wozniacki is the overwhelming favourite to be crowned as the new
tournament
champion for 2009 with unseeded French ace Virginie Razzano the only
hurdle for the great Dane.Wozniacki (pictured) has a 2-0 win-loss 2009 record against Razzano, having reeled off victories at Charleston at Charleston events in the United States, and former Eastbourne champion Martina Navratilova told eastbournetennis.com in London that the Danish 18-year-old is the only outsider for 2009 Wimbledon.
Razzano watched her first final on grass and a sixth Sony Ericsson WTA Tour final, courtesy of a controversial triumph over Bartoli in the all French semi-final.
With Bartoli seemingly back to her best, the former Wimbledon semi-finalist had been expected to steamroller past Razzano. But Bartoli found it difficult to adjust to the increibly blustery weather, only to start limpiing after narrowly losing the opening set.
And having lost her serve in the second set, Bartoli conceded the contest after failing to immediately break back and falling to a right quad strain while trailing 4-6 0-1. Bartoli then added insult to injury to compatriot Razzano by blanking her and refusing to shake hands.
Razzano (pictured) said: “I’m
in the
finals and I would just like to try to win tomorrow. If
not, it’s already been a great tournament for me. I beat ]Elena]
Dementieva and
Radwanska, so tomorrow is a bonus for me. I think it
will be
a very nice
final."
She added: “I was happy to win today becauseI played my game, tried to hit every ball, tried to fight for every ball because I wanted to win. I was better with my mentality today and played a very good game."
Wozniacki bounced back from a slow start on gusty Centre Court and explained: "In the beginning I maybe made too many unforced errors. It was a little bit tough conditions today, but it was the same for both players."
And the Danish ace said: “I am pleased to get so far in this tournament. Being in the final gives you a lot of confidence on grass, especially as there have been so many great players who have won the title here. Virginie has played really well on grass, it’s going to be a tough match tomorrow but I will go out there and try and enjoy it."
FRIDAY REPORTS
Stosur lost to Makarova
6-7 5-7
vs
Ekatrina
Makarova, the Russian qualifier, continued her surge through the strong
draw without dropping a set to shock French Open finalist Sam Stosur
7-6 (5), 7-5.Hard-hitting Stosur powered into a 3-0 lead and appeared to be well on her way to a first final at Devonshire Park.
But world no100 Makarova consulted with her coach and whatever was said certainly paid dividends, as the 26-year-old's change of tactics saw her outmuscle the Australian and fire off a string of sensational winners.
Once back on level terms, Makarova and Stosur traded breaks of serve to move into a tiebreaker. But the Russian went for winners to wrap up the opening set.
The lead instilled added confidence for Makarova and with subdued Stosur getting more erratic it was a question of when the Australian would be broken.
The world no7 slipped up in the 12th game to drop her serve and gift hard-working Makarova a deserved victory.
Stosur said: "On the whole it's still good preparation for Wimbledon despite having played as many matches as I have. Physically I feel fine, but I will take a day off tomorrow and then have a day or two to prepare for the first round of Wimbledon."
But Makarova said: "When you play good tennis and you are winning all the time, it is not hard to recover - you just want to play the next match and the next match while you are at the top of your game."
Bartoli lost to Azarenka
3-6 5-7
vs
Azarenka has faced an incredibly tough draw to march into the final, storming past many leading players in the process with her trademark loud shrieking annoying opponents and fans alike.
Part Arizona-based and part Paris-based Azarenka sparkled against the no8 seed in the opening set, with breaks in the third and ninth games earning her a deserved lead.
But the French ace, playing in her fourth consecutive semi-final at Devonshire Park, was in no mood to give up despite the Centre Court favouring the 20-year-old.
The Belarussian's powerful serves and breathtaking groundstrokes were flashes of the form and ability that saw her breakn into the world's top 10 in 2009.
Both the players dazzled the appreciative crowd with surging shots and only traded one break each until deadly accurate Azarenka piled on the pressure in the 12th game of the second set to claim an emphatic triumph.
Azarenka, the world no15, saw off 2008 Eastbourne winner Agnieszka Radwanska in the opening round and 2005 Eastbourne champion Kim Clijsters at the quarter-final stage.
She admitted: "It was a very tough match, she kept moving me from side to side. I was serving really well today and putting a lot of pressure on her, but that was the biggest key today.
"I'm pleased to be at Eastbourne after having to pull out the last two years as it has been a while since I won so many matches at a tournament."
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