The game’s best player is back on top. It took a while for Serena Williams to overtake Dinara Safina. But the 28 year-old American who won two grand slams (Australian, Wimbledon) this year finally is No.1 on the WTA Tour again after a straight sets second round win over Ekaterina Makarova, 6-3, 6-2 at the China Open Tuesday.
“I won two grand slams, and I should have got more. But you know what, I’m just excited to have those two, which is great,” a pleased Williams said of becoming the No.1 ranked player for the fourth time in her career.
“I just played consistent for all the year. I felt like especially the beginning of the year I did well. I was bothered a little bit by injury but I kept fighting.
“I kept showing up and doing the best I could do. Sometimes there were unfortunate losses, but I really tried. And I think at end of the day that’s what matters.”
That effort has been rewarded with her replacing the struggling Safina who suffered two more excruciating early defeats in Tokyo and China following a disappointing third round exit at the U.S. Open last month. While the 23 year-old Russian had a good season making her first two slam finals that included a rout in which she got only three games against Williams down under, it ended bad enough that her inconsistent play cost her the top spot.
As for Serena, perhaps getting away from home was for the best following a controversial Open semifinal exit to Kim Clijsters in which she lost it completely, cursing out a lineswoman who called a footfault. The outrage from the incident portrayed the 11-time slam champ in a negative light with questions still being asked after her and big sis Venus took the doubles crown at Flushing.
Many experts including CBS/ESPN analyst Mary Carillo felt she should’nt even have been allowed to play and deserved a suspension. Our only beef with Serena is that she didn’t say sorry, instead issuing a statement of apology. That’s not the same as saying the two words, “I’m sorry,” which would’ve been better received.
At least she’s gotten away from the heated topic by getting back to tennis. Something she does quite well as her 45-11 record says after two wins in China with a better third round test coming versus Russian Nadia Petrova. She’ll still be favored to advance and come out of a bracket that lost resurgent Maria Sharapova, who won at Pan Pacific last week over Jelena Jankovic when the Serb was forced to quit. If she comes through, Serena might see Svetlana Kuznetsova, who qualified for the season ending championship. The 2009 French Open winner will play the hot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who ousted Serena’s older sis a second straight week.
As for Williams being back on top, the Palm Beach Gardens, Florida resident seems more at ease.
“I definitely feel better,” she expressed. “I’d be lying if I sat here and said I didn’t.
“But I just feel like I would say the ranking will come, you know, I’m not focus on being number one. And I would rather have won the titles that I have won this year, as opposed to have the ranking.
“But fortunately now, for next week at least, I have it.”
Dinara Safina’s struggles continued. A week following an early exit at The Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, the No.1 ranked Russian fell this time in the second round at The China Open to hometown wildcard Zhang Shuai 7-5, 7-6 (5).
Last week, she fell in the second round after a bye in three tight sets to 132 ranked Kai-Chen Chang. At least the enigmatic younger sister of Marat Safin could take solace knowing Pan Pacific was marred by many upsets including Venus Williams, Elena Dementieva and Caroline Wozniacki, who got sick.
This time, Safina lost to No.226 in the world by committing 20 unforced errors and a dozen double faults which were her undoing. It probably spells the end of her reign as No.1 with second ranked American Serena Williams needing only a Round Two win over Ekaterina Makarova to take over the top spot. Perhaps the recent disappointments that also included a third round Open exit to Czech Petra Kvitova have finally taken their toll on the emotional Russian who was reduced to tears and cancelled her post match press conference.
“I’m just having some bad losses right now,” she said in a statement.
“So many matches that are very close, ones that I should win, having set points or match points every time. It’s very disappointing. I would like to take a break now, and I’m very upset with myself.”
Who could blame her? It’s been an emotional roller coaster that included her rise to No.1 getting to two grand slam finals before wilting, plus a Wimbledon semifinal appearance. Perhaps that’s what she needs.
“I wasn’t thinking about the result, I was just thinking about learning as much as I could from her,” a more pleased 20 year-old Zhang said. “She was not on her best form, she was impatient and made lots of mistakes.”
Staying with the upset theme, Venus was eliminated by Russian teen Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. Ironically, it was the second consecutive week Pavlyuchenkova sent the seven-time slam winner out of a tournament.
The prior week, the No.3 ranked player fell in two tightly played straights. However, this time she came out firing capturing the opening set.
“She started way aggressive today. She wanted to kill me, I guess,” Pavlyuchenkova said. “I had nothing to lose. I just tried to move her around as much as I could, just hit as hard as I could in the court and just enjoy the match.”
It was the younger Russian who controlled the final two sets by playing cleaner tennis while Venus went off. In particular, her serve unraveled with the 29 year-old American finishing with an uncharacteristic 14 doubles.
“She played really well, unfortunately sometimes I made errors too soon in the play,” Williams lamented.
For Pavlyuchenkova who’s highly thought of, it was another step in the right direction as she prepares for a big 2010.
“I want to win a Grand Slam really so much,” she expressed after advancing to a third round encounter against Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak, who bested Frenchwoman Alize Cornet 7-5, 6-4. “[Maria] Sharapova won it when she was 17, really quite young also. And others before. So, why not? I can do this.”
Another first round upset victim was Wozniacki, who fell in three sets to Spaniard Maria Jose Sanchez Martinez, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (2), 6-0. Perhaps the U.S. Open runner-up wasn’t fully recovered from her sickness that forced her to retire last week in a loss to Wozniak. Open semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer fared no better dropping a three set decision to Russian Alisa Kleybanova 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.
Daniela Hantuchova advanced to a second round meeting against Nadia Petrova by posting a straight sets win over Carla Suarez Navarro. Meanwhile, advancing to the third round were two-time slam champ Svetlana Kuznetsova and China’s Li Na as did Alona Bondarenko.
One player not participating is Ana Ivanovic, who’s had a forgetful season. She pulled out with an upper respiratory problem. It’s just as well.
