Understanding the ITF Junior Tour #1

2005 US Open
Creative Commons License photo credit: ccho

In this ITF Junior Tennis Tour category post we will explore the girl’s and boy’s international junior tennis tours and make it easier for our readers to understand exactly how the tours work.

ITF stands for International Tennis Federation. The junior tennis tour is called the ITF Junior Tour and has only one age group, which is 18 years and under. 18 years and under means you can play to the end of the year in which you turn 18 but are ineligible to play from January 1st of year that you will turn 19 years of age. 

The ITF Junior Age Eligibility Rule states that a player must have turned 13 years old prior the 1st day’s play of the Main Draw in the ITF Junior tournament that they apply to participate in.

There will be more than 350 ITF Junior Tour tournaments held in 2010 spread out across 115 countries in the world. At the end of each year a Junior World Champion is honoured in both the girl’s and boy’s tours. 2005 Girls’ World Junior Champion Victoria Azarenka and 2004 Boy’s World Junior Champion Gael Monfils have transitioned into the top end of professional tennis rankings. 

There are 6 categories of events on the ITF Junior Tour. Grade A events offer the most ranking points with Grade 1 being the 2nd highest category and so on. Therefore, Grade 5 is the lowest category of ITF junior tournament. The following are the 6 categories:

There are 9 Grade A tournaments each year and they are the most important singles events that a junior ITF player can play. 4 of these are the Junior Grand Slam tournaments and are the:
 
  1. Australian Open Junior Championships (Hard Court);
  2. Roland Garros Junior Championships (Clay);
  3. The Junior Championships, Wimbledon (Grass); and
  4. US Open Junior Tennis Championships (Hard court).

The other 5 Grade A events on the ITF Junior Tour are: 

Pictured above is former WTA World No.1 and 7-time Grand Slam singles champion Justine Henin just after making contact with her forehand drive at the US Open in 2005. Henin made the quarter finals of both the US Open and Wimbledon junior singles events and won the Roland Garros junior singles tournament when she was 15 years old.

More ITF Junior Tour information will be covered in future posts on this tennis website. If YOU would like to know something about the ITF Juniors you can ask your question/s by making a comment below.

Click these links for further ITF Junior Tennis Tour posts: Understanding ITF Junior Tour Rankings #1, Tennis in Hong Kong: ITF Junior Event and Hong Kong ITF Junior Tennis Results.

©OnCourtAdvantage.com 2009

ATP World Tour Finals Draw

Fernando Verdasco

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Creative Commons License photo credit: emmett.hume

The 2009 ATP World Tour Finals in London are the pinnacle of the tennis calendar, with all events this year building to this showdown between the world’s best male players. The year end men’s singles World No.1 ranking will be decided during this tournament. In no other tournament are you required to beat at least 4 if not 5 of the world’s top 8 ranked players to win the title!

The event begins in a round robin format with 2 groups of 4 players, Group A and Group B. This tournament will also be held in London from 2010 to 2012. In the first 6 days of this 8 day tournament each of the 8 men will play against all 3 members of his group.

Group A is:

Group B is:

The draw on the O2 Arena for the round robin matches is:

Day 1 sees the 1st round of Group A matches on Sunday November 22. The opening match is the day session (GMT 12:30pm) between (5) Juan Martin Del Potro and (4) Andy Murray. The 1st night session match is at GMT 7pm and is between (1) Roger Federer versus (7) Fernando Verdasco.

Day 2 sees the 1st round of Group B matches on Monday November 23. The day session (GMT 12:30pm) match is (2) Rafael Nadal versus (8) Robin Soderling. The night session match is at GMT 7pm and is between (3) Novak Djokovic and (6) Nikolay Davydenko.

Day 3 sees the 2nd round of Group A matches on Tuesday November 24. The day session (GMT 12:30pm) match is (5) Juan Martin Del Potro versus (7) Fernando Verdasco. The night session match is at GMT 7pm and is between (1) Roger Federer and (4) Andy Murray.

Day 4 sees the 2nd round of Group B matches on Wednesday November 25. The day session (GMT 12:30pm) match is (3) Novak Djokovic versus (8) Robin Soderling. The night session match is at GMT 7pm and is between (2) Rafael Nadal and (6) Nikolay Davydenko.

Day 5 is the 3rd and final round of Group A matches on Thursday November 26. The day session (GMT 12:30pm) match is (3) Andy Murray versus (7) Fernando Verdasco. The night session match is at GMT 7pm and is between (1) Roger Federer and (5) Juan Martin Del Potro.

Day 6 is the 3rd and final round of Group B matches on Friday November 27. The day session (GMT 12:30pm) match is (3) Novak Djokovic and (2) Rafael Nadal . The night session match is at GMT 7pm and is between (6) Nikolay Davydenko versus (8) Robin Soderling.

Stay tuned for more coverage of London as we update you with round robin results, who qualifies for the semi-finals and the men’s singles final, plus who claims the mantle of 2009 ATP World Tour Champion.

For further details on this tennis website click these links -> ATP World Tour Finals in London, Understanding the Men’s Pro Tour #1 and Understanding the Men’s Pro Tour #2.

© OnCourtAdvantage.com 2009

ATP World Tour Finals in London

Synchronised shot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Creative Commons License photo credit: XabiX

The 2009 season ending tournament is called the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and is being held at the O2 Arena in London, UK for the 1st time. This year is the 4oth year of this World Tour Finals category event and it is the pinnacle of the tennis calendar.

The year end World No.1 ranking can and will be determined at this tournament which is played on indoor hard courts. The event is structured so only the best players in the world of men’s tennis can qualify for the 8 spots in the draw.

In order to qualify a player needs to finish ranked in the top 7. The 8th spot is given to any Grand Slam singles champion during that year who finishes the season ranked in the top 20. When all Grand Slam champions from that calendar year are ranked in the top 7 then the No.8 ranked player qualifies.

The player who finishes with the World No.1 ranking after the final match at the ATP World Tour Finals is played, is declared the 2009 ATP World Tour Champion. This event is held from Sunday November 22 through to the final on Sunday November 29.  

Last year Novak Djokovic won the ATP Tour year end Championship Final in Shanghai, China by defeating Nikolay Davydenko in the final 6-1 7-5. Djokovic lost just 1 of his 5 matches so won 1,300 ATP ranking points. However, the 2008 ATP World Tour Champion was Rafael Nadal (pictured above), who broke Roger Federer’s run of 4 years in a row of being the year end World No.1 ranked player. 

The event begins in a round robin format with 2 groups of 4 players, Group A and Group B. This tournament will also be held in London from 2010 to 2012. In the first 6 days of this 8 day tournament each of the 8 men will play against all 3 members of his group.

Throughout the round robin matches the world’s best men try to achieve a place in the semi-finals by finishing in the top 2 spots in their own group. On Day 7 the semi-finals are held where the players who finish at No.1 in their group play the player who finishes No.2 in the other group.

The top 9 players in the world for 2009 are:

  1. Roger Federer qualified as the No.1 player by winning the most ranking points on the ATP Tour in 2009 with 10,150.
  2. Rafael Nadal qualified 2nd with 9,205 ATP points.
  3. Novak Djokovic qualified 3rd with 7,910 points.
  4. Andy Murray qualified 4th with 6,630.
  5. Juan Martin Del Potro qualified 5th with 5,985.
  6. Andy Roddick qualified 6th with 4,410.
  7. Nikolay Davydenko qualified 7th with 3,630.
  8. Fernando Verdasco qualified 8th with 3,300 points.
  9. Robin Soderling finished in 9th place with 3,010 points.

Soderling replaced No.6 Roddick when he withdrew from this event due to an ongoing left knee injury. The American only played 1 match after the US Open which finished in mid-September.

Stay tuned for more coverage of London as we update you with the results and who qualifies for the semi-finals, finals and who becomes the 2009 ATP World Tour Champion.

For further details click these links -> Understanding the Men’s Pro Tour #1 and Understanding the Men’s Pro Tour #2.

© OnCourtAdvantage.com 2009

Paris Tennis Masters 1000 Results

IMG_5184m
Creative Commons License photo credit: matteo_dudek

The Paris Masters 1000 tournament concluded with a intense final that showcased great tennis, a fiercely competitive match and great excitement and support from the crowd. The Palais Omnisports was filled with 14,000 fans cheering on Frenchman Gael Monfils in a match that went the distance with only a final set tie-break separating Monfils and Novak Djokovic. 

Djokovic won 6-2, 5-7, 7-6, 1000 points and 450,000 Euros as the winner and confirmed his status as the form player on the ATP Tour leading into the end of year championships. Monfils won 600 points and 212,500 Euros as the runner-up but fell short of qualifying for the ATP Tour Finals.

The no.3 seed from Serbia won the deciding tie-break by 7 points to 3 to win his 1st Masters 1000 title in 2009 after being runner-up in 4 Masters 1000 finals this year. On the indoor green Gerflor hard courts Monfils stepped up when the French crowd began chanting his name when he was down 2-6 0-3 and it was Djokovic well and truly on top.

In the semi-finals Djokovic outplayed No.2 seed Rafael Nadal 6-2 6-3 whilst Monfils took 2 hours and 42 minutes to edge past No.13 seed Radek Stepanek 6-4, 5-7, 6-4. Nadal and Stepanek won 360 points and 105,500 Euros each.

The fate of the 7 players battling it out for the final 2 spots in the year end championships was decided after the quarter final results. Each of the quarter finalists won 180 ATP ranking points and 55,000 Euros. 

In the top half of the draw the quarter finals saw (15) Monfils defeat (12) Marin Cilic 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Monfils is strongest when playing in France, he said after this match that “When I play in front of my family and the French crowd, I feel immediately a lot better”. Monfils reached his 1st Masters 1000 final here in Paris and his best 2 performances in Grand Slams are making the semi-finals and quarter finals at the French Open.

(13) Radek Stepanek moved through when (5) Juan Martin Del Potro retired when he was 0-4 down in the 1st set due to an abdominal strain. Del Potro won 6-4 in the final set against Marat Safin who was playing his final tournament before retiring. Safin was the only wild card entrant to win a round.

The seeds performed especially well with 14 of the 16 seeds winning through to the last 16 in Paris. However, No.1 seed Roger Federer was the victim of the major upset in this event in his 1st match. The World No.1 was defeated by Frenchman Julien Bennetteau 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4.

The best result for a qualifier was making the round of 16 which was achieved by 31 year old local Arnaud Clement who was runner-up in the 2001 Australian Open men’s singles. The other 3 French qualifiers were Thierry Ascione, David Guez and Vincent Millot with Lukasz Kubot of Poland and Alejandro Falla fromColumbia also qualifying.

In the bottom half Djokovic won 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 against Sweden’s (9) Robin Soderling whilst  Nadal defeated (8) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 7-5 7-5. These results moved Nikolay Davydenko in as the 7th qualifier for the ATP Word Tour Finals and Fernando Verdasco in as the number 8 leaving Soderling as No.9 and the 1st alternate.

Pictured above is Monfils who is preparing to play his forehand drive. The 28 year old Frenchman electrified the crowds during the BNP Paribas Masters 1000 tournament. 

For more information on this hard court tournament see an earlier post on this tennis website by clicking here ->ATP Major Tournament: Paris Masters.

© OnCourtAdvantage.com 2009

Understanding ITF Junior Tour Rankings #1

Lisicki forehand
Creative Commons License photo credit: Not enough megapixels

The junior tennis tour is called the ITF Junior Tour and has only one age group, which is 18 years and under. ITF stands for International Tennis Federation. The ITF Junior Tour is restricted to players aged 18 years and under and to those who have turned 13 years old prior to the tournament that they wish to enter.

The ITF Junior Tour calculates the ITF junior tennis rankings over a rolling 12 month system. The rolling system is the amount of ranking points a player accumulates for the previous 52 weeks. Currently the rankings represent the points tallied from 10 November, 2008 through to 9 November, 2009.

The ITF introduced a new method for calculating the ITF Junior rankings on January 1, 2004. Since then a combined junior ranking is used which adds together ranking points won in both ITF junior singles and doubles events.

The combined ranking aims to motivate junior players to participate in more junior doubles events and later in professional tennis. Singles is the primary source of points with more points allocated to the singles events in each tournament and due to the fact that ONLY 25% of the points earned in doubles contribute to a players overall ranking.

The number of ranking points a player wins depends on how many rounds he or she progresses through and what category that particular tournament has been graded. The higher the tournament is graded (categorised), the more ranking points are awarded in each round of that event. The further a player wins through a tournament, the greater number of ranking points he or she receives for each victory. 

A players ranking only includes the points he or she wins from his or her best 6 singles results and best 6 doubles results within the previous 52 week period. Best results refers to the events in which the most ITF Junior ranking points were earned regardless of what grade or category tournament it was.

If the total of the 6 best singles results was 1000 ranking points and the total of the 6 best doubles results was also 1000, then 25% of 1000 = 250, therefore that players combined ranking points total would be 1000 (from singles) + 250 (from doubles) = 1,250.

A player cannot earn any ITF Junior ranking points until they have won a match in the main draw and won through to a round where points are being allocated. In lower grade tournaments players can win matches in the main draw but not earn any ranking points.

If a player moves through the 1st round of a main draw event due to a walkover or by receiving a bye then it is not counted as a win and no points can be awarded. If a player movers through due to their opponent retiring from the match after play had commenced then it is counted as a win and points will be awarded.

ITF Junior ranking points are awarded in a number of different tournament categories. These categories will be outlined in a future post on this tennis website. Click these links for further ITF Junior Tennis Tour posts: Understanding the ITF Junior Tour #1, Tennis in Hong Kong: ITF Junior Event and Hong Kong ITF Junior Tennis Results.

More ITF Junior Tour details to follow. If YOU would like to know something about the ITF Juniors please ask by making a comment.

Pictured above is 20 year old German Sabine Lisicki just after making contact with her forehand drive at Wimbledon this year where she made it to the quarter finals. Lisicki is currently the WTA World No.23 and played in the ITF Junior Wimbledon tournament in 2005 when she was 15 years old.

Today’s POST is dedicated to Ana Ivanovic. Ivanovic was born on this day in 1987. The Serbian has won one Grand Slam singles title at the French Open in 2008. She first achieved the World No.1 ranking on June 9, 2008.

©OnCourtAdvantage.com 2009

LEARN from these Images #7

Fernando Gonzalez - 1/2 finale de Roland Garros 2009 - semi final - tennis french open
Creative Commons License photo credit: y.caradec

This is the 7th part of our visual learning series. The photographs chosen at OnCourt Advantage are carefully selected to ensure they have great value for you to learn from and improve your game. See the photo directory below, it lists a brief description of which player is in the photo and what they are demonstrating.

To see part 1 click this link -> Learn Through Images: Photographic Memory, part 2 -> Learn from these Images #2, part 3 -> LEARN from these Images #3, part 4 -> LEARN from these Images #4 part 5 -> LEARN from these Images #5 and part 6 -> LEARN from these Images #6.

Clear your mind…RELAX…then work on recalling these images and make your sole focus trying to execute them in order to reproduce that movement in your own game.

In order to get the feeling for these movements and images you can practice off court and without a ball. Copy these images in front of a mirror so that you can really make sure you are achieving the same positions captured in these photos.  

Click on the underlined links to see the next 10 photos in this series:

  1. WTA Major Tournament #9: Beijing, China. This photo captures Zheng Jie demonstrating her forward swing to the ball as it approaches with her double handed backhand ground stroke.
  2. LEARN from these Images #5. This photo captures Rafael Nadal in the early preparation stage of his mighty forehand ground stroke. 
  3. Women’s Tennis Results in Tokyo, Japan. This photo shows Maria Sharapova preparing to play her double handed backhand drive. 
  4. ATP Major Tournament: Shanghai Masters. This photo shows Radek Stepanek after making contact with the ball for his serve. 
  5. Women’s Tennis Results in Beijing, China. This photo shows Agnieszka Radwanska prior to impact for her single handed backhand volley. 
  6. LEARN from these Images #6. This photo captures rising star Melanie Oudin in the early stages of her forward swing towards the impact point with her double handed backhand ground stroke.
  7. Shanghai Tennis Masters 1000: Results. This photo is a gem because it shows a side view of Nikolay Davydenko shortly after striking the ball during his service action. 
  8. Learn How to Volley in Tennis. This photo is fantastic as it shows Roger Federer positioning his upper body and head beautifully just prior to impact for this single handed backhand volley.
  9. Help Make TENNIS No.1 in the World. This photo captures Li Na well positioned as she swings forward and is almost at the point of impact with her forehand drive.
  10. Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha. This photo is magnificent because it captures  a relaxed yet concentrated Venus Williams setting the ball up in the early stages of her service motion.  

Pictured above is Chilean Fernando Gonzalez moving through his forward swing prior to contact for this forehand drive. Gonzalez was a semi finalist at the French Open earlier this year and is one of 7 players still in the running to qualify for the final 2 spots in the men’s end of year championships.

Become a fan on our Facebook page and register for your free OnCourt Advantage email subscription and and we will post your requests on our tennis website!

©OnCourtAdvantage.com 2009

LEARN from these Images #6

Oudin 7
Creative Commons License photo credit: fawlty128

This is the 6th part of our visual learning series. The photographs chosen at OnCourt Advantage are carefully selected to ensure they have great value for you to learn from and improve your game. See the photo directory below, it lists a brief description of which player is in the photo and what they are demonstrating.

To see part 1 click this link -> Learn Through Images: Photographic Memory, part 2 -> Learn from these Images #2, part 3 -> LEARN from these Images #3, part 4 -> LEARN from these Images #4 and part 5 -> LEARN from these Images #5.

Clear your mind…RELAX…then work on recalling these images and make your sole focus trying to execute them in order to reproduce that movement in your own game.

Click on the underlined links to see the next 10 photos in this series:

  1. US Open 2009 Men’s 2nd Semi. This photo captures Novak Djokovic around the moment of impact for his serve.
  2. Update: Topics To Be Covered Next…. This photo is fantastic because it captures Robin Soderling at the contact point of his mighty forehand ground stroke. His opponent is in big trouble! 
  3. US Open 2009 Singles Update. This photo shows Roger Federer at the moment of impact for his serve. 
  4. ATP Top 10 Rankings: Part 1. This photo shows Roger Federer demonstrating how to drive through the ball with his single handed backhand. 
  5. ATP Top 10 Rankings: Part 2. This photo shows Gilles Simon as he positions the ball in preparation to make contact with his serve. 
  6. WTA Top 10 Rankings: Part 1. This photo captures Dinara Safina showing how to drive through the ball with her double handed backhand ground stroke.
  7. Justine Henin to make a Comeback! This photo is a gem because it shows Justine Henin positioning herself beautifully to play an inside-out backhand or off-backhand return of serve. 
  8. WTA Top 10 Rankings: Part 2. This photo is taken of Vera Zvonareva as just after she has made contact with the ball for her serve.
  9. WTA Major Tournament #8: Tokyo, Japan. This photo is magnificent as it shows Kimiko Date Krumm positioning as she is moving forward to play a forehand volley.
  10. LEARN from these Images #4. This photo captures Samantha Stosur at the contact point of this open stance forehand drive.  

Become a fan on our Facebook page and register for your free OnCourt Advantage email subscription and and we will post your requests on our tennis website!

©OnCourtAdvantage.com 2009

LEARN from these Images #5

Rafael Nadal : Journée Benny Berthet à Roland Garros 2009

Creative Commons License photo credit: nicogenin

This is the 5th part of our visual learning series. The photographs chosen at OnCourt Advantage are carefully selected to ensure they have great value for you to learn from and improve your game. See the photo directory below, it lists a brief description of which player is in the photo and what they are demonstrating.

To see part 1 click this link -> Learn Through Images: Photographic Memory, part 2 -> Learn from these Images #2, part 3 -> LEARN from these Images #3 and part 4 -> LEARN from these Images #4.

Clear your mind…RELAX…then work on recalling these images and make your sole focus trying to execute them in order to reproduce that movement in your own game.

Click on the underlined links to see the next 10 photos in this series:

  1. US Open 2009 Men’s Singles Results. This photo captures Lleyton Hewitt playing his best shot, the forehand drive whilst he extends out to his target area.
  2. US Open 2009 Women’s Singles Results. This photo shows Maria Sharapova at the contact point of her mighty forehand ground stroke. 
  3. US Open Singles: Last 16 Women. This photo is fantastic as it captures Alona Bondarenko demonstrating her preparation for her forehand drive.
  4. US Open Singles Results: Men. This photo shows Tommy Robredo in the forward swing phase of his one handed backhand ground stroke.
  5. US Open 2009 Men’s Last 16. This photo shows Fernando Gonzalez as make contact with his off-forehand or inside-out forehand drive. 
  6. US Open 2009 Women’s Quarter Finals. This photo captures Caroline Wozniacki showing how to position yourself before you swing up to strike the ball when you are serving.
  7. US Open 2009 Men’s Quarter Finals. This photo is a gem because it shows Juan Martin Del Potro driving through the ball with his double handed backhand ground stroke.
  8. US Open 2009 Men’s Interviews. This photo is magnificent as it shows Marin Cilic just after impact with the ball for his double handed backhand drive.
  9. US Open 2009 Women’s Semi-finals. This photo is taken of Yanina Wickmayer as she prepares to strike her double handed backhand ground stroke.
  10. US Open 2009 Men’s 1st Semi. This photo captures Rafael Nadal preparing to play his strongest shot of all, his mighty forehand drive.  

Become a fan on our Facebook page and register for your free OnCourt Advantage email subscription and and we will post your requests on our tennis website!

©OnCourtAdvantage.com 2009

ATP Major Tournament: Paris Masters

Master BNP PARIBAS (Bercy) 31 octobre 2008
Creative Commons License photo credit: Baboune_Nutella

The next major tournament on the Men’s Pro Tour is the BNP Paribas Masters which is held in Palais Omnisports in Bercy, France. This is the final event this year before the end of year championships and there are still 2 spots remaining in the 8 player draw.

Nikolay Davydenko, Fernando Verdasco, Robin Soderling, Fernando Gonzalez, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Radek Stepanek and Marin Cilic are the 7 players who are still contending for the above mentioned 2 spots. The fact that 2 spots will be decided in Bercy is great for men’s tennis.

The BNP Paribas Masters is the 9th and final ATP World Tour Masters 100o tournament this year. There are 2,750,000 Euros up for grabs and this hard court event is held from Saturday November 7 through to the final on Sunday November 15.  

Last year in Paris local favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga delighted fans by winning the final 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 against the defending champion David Nalbandian. Tsonga who is pictured above during last years event will be looking to reach the final this year because that is what he needs to secure a spot in the 2009 end of year championships.

Tsonga beat James Blake whilst Nalbandian defeated Davydenko in the 2008 semi-finals. The quarter finalists were Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Andy Roddick and Roger Federer.

This year the draw is made up of 48 players, 39 direct acceptances, 3 wild cards and 6 spots were allocated to qualifiers. The final direct acceptance was Andreas Seppi of Italy with a ranking of No.57 on the ATP Tour. 

All of the 16 seeds have a BYE in the 1st round so the remaining 32 players play off to meet a seed in the 2nd round. The French Tennis Federation awarded 2 of the wild cards to French players Michael Llodra and Sebastien Grosjean and the final wild card to 3 time Paris Masters men’s singles champion Marat Safin playing in his final tournament before going into retirement.

The seeding and draw for the top 16 players, IF they all win through to the round of 16 are:

…which completes the head-to-head play-offs in the top half of the draw. In the bottom half of the draw, the players seeded to meet are:

Stay tuned for more coverage of the Paris Masters 1000 in France as we update you with results, who qualifies, what major upsets occur, how many ATP ranking points and how much prize money is awarded for each round.  

© OnCourtAdvantage.com 2009

WTA Tour Championships Final

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Creative Commons License photo credit: Carlos Andrés Restrepo

The final of the women’s singles in the 2009 WTA Tour Championships in Doha was between last years winner in Doha Venus Williams and her younger sister Serena. This match was their 23rd head-to-head battle on the WTA Tour, 2nd encounter this week and the 5th showdown in 2009.

The No.2 seed in Doha Serena Williams won the 1st set in 30 minutes with a strong serving display. Serena won all 4 of her service games in which she only conceded 4 points. The 2009 WTA Tour Champion broke serve twice in the 1st set to win by 6 games to 2.

The 2nd set was also a display of great serving and then following the serve up with an aggressive ground stroke in order to dictate the play and keep the returner in trouble. Both players held serve 6 times in a row so the set was decided by a tie-break.

Serena in her red and back dress surged to a 5-1 lead to move to only 2 points away from the title. Then No.7 seed Venus strung 3 points together to climb back to 4-5. Serena met the challenge by hitting 2 winners to win her 2nd WTA Tour Championships title via serving an ace and putting away a forehand to win the tie-break by 7 points to 4.

Serena capped off a dream week after her controversies in the latter part of 2009. Serena has now won their past 4 all Williams matches including this years Wimbledon final to take a 13-10 lead in their battles. Her victory was her 3rd title in 2009 the 1st in 2009 was the Australian Open. Besides Grand Slam titles Doha was the 1st tournament Serena won for over 18 months at Charleston, USA in April 2008.

Serena (pictured above) made a clean sweep of this event by winning all 5 of her matches to prove that she really deserved to be the year end World No.1. Her victories included 2 against World No.6 Venus and 3 straight set wins against World No.3 Kuznetsova, World No.4 Caroline Wozniacki and World No.5 Dementieva.

Serena won 1500 WTA ranking points, which is greatest number of points available in this event if you remain undefeated as well as taking home 1,550,000 US dollars. Serena’s performances in Doha meant that she overtook Dinara Safina who went into this event as the World No.1 ranked player and top seed. Venus also moved 1 place to finish the year ranked No.6 after winning 730 WTA ranking points as the runner-up and 780,000 US dollars.

The 2009 end of year rankings top 10 rankings for 2009 are:

  1. Serena Williams             28 years old from USA with 9,075 points
  2. Dinara Safina                  23 year old from Russia         7,800 
  3. Svetlana Kuznetsova   24 year old Russian                 6,141
  4. Caroline Wozniacki      19 year old from Denmark    5,875
  5. Elena Dementieva         28 year old Russian                 5,585
  6. Venus Williams              29 year old American             5,126
  7. Victoria Azarenka        20 year old from Belarus       4,820
  8. Jelena Jankovic            24 year old from Serbia          3,965
  9. Vera Zvonareva            25 year old Russian                  3,560 
  10. Agnieszka Radwanska 20 year old from Poland        3,450

For further details about this event on this tennis website click this link -> WTA Tour Champion 2009: Oct 27-Nov 1.

Today’s POST is dedicated to Ken Rosewall. Rosewall was born on this day in 1934. The Australian won 8 Grand Slam singles titles: 4 Australian Open titles (1953,1955,1971 & 1972), 2 US Open crowns (1956 & 1970) and 2 French Open championships (1953 & 1968). His career high ranking was No.1.

© OnCourtAdvantage.com 2009

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