FILDERSTADT, Germany, 8 October 2005 — Kim Clijsters blew a chance to take the world No. 1 spot from Maria Sharapova this week after losing at the Filderstadt Grand Prix yesterday.
The second seed was beaten 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 by Elena Dementieva while defending champion Lindsay Davenport overcame another Russian, Anastasia Myskina, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 to reach the last four.
Clijsters’ defeat ended a 21-match winning streak stretching back to mid-August when she lost to China’s Shuai Peng in San Diego. The Belgian had since won four consecutive titles in Toronto, Los Angeles, at the US Open and Luxemborg.
Clijsters had been on course to regain the No. 1 ranking she first earned in 2003 but had to beat Dementieva and Amelie Mauresmo to gain enough points.
The Frenchwoman was to play sixth-seeded Russian Nadia Petrova in the last quarter-final later yesterday.
Top seed Davenport meets Daniela Hantuchova in the semis after the Slovak beat Italy’s Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 6-4.
No player strikes the ball as hard as Dementieva and the No. 5 seed eventually pounded Clijsters into submission.
Her powerful groundstrokes and relentless ability to return the ball in the furiously-contested rallies eventually took their toll on the world No. 3
“Of all the matches I’ve played with her so far this is the best she’s ever played against me,” said Clijsters, who will now take a break until Hasselt in Belgium starting on Oct. 24.
In the final set, Davenport reduced her errors and her aggressive groundstrokes again gave her the edge.
She swiftly built a 5-0 lead, failed to win a match point as Myskina finally held serve, and then comfortably served out for the match.
Hantuchova was the steadier player against Pennetta, who had earlier upset fourth seed Justine Henin-Hardenne.
Pennetta played well in the rallies to keep herself in the match and Hantuchova had to fight off three break points as she served for the opening set.
The second set was decided by one break, with Pennetta’s fourth double fault giving Hantuchova a 5-4 lead. The Slovak then served out the match to love, finishing with her sixth ace.
Moodie Sinks Second-Seed
Stepanek
In Tokyo, unseeded South African Wesley Moodie knocked second seed Redek Stepanek out of the Japan Open yesterday with a tight 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (8-6) victory in the quarterfinals.
Playing late in the evening at Tokyo’s Ariake Colosseum due to rain delays during the week, Moodie used booming serve and powerful backhand to keep his Czech opponent at bay throughout an absorbing match.
The end came after Stepanek planted a soft forehand into the net at 6-6 in the second tiebreak. That gave Moodie his second matchpoint, which he converted with another unreturnable serve.
In the women’s tournament, India’s Sania Mirza upset top seed Vera Zvonareva 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 in the quarterfinals.
The 18-year-old recovered from a sloppy start to storm through the second set and kept up the pressure in the third to beat the Russian in just under two and a half hours.
“I think I played one of my best matches,” said the eighth-seeded Mirza, who won her first WTA Tour title in February. She will take on third seed Tatiana Golovin of France in the semifinals.
Golovin defeated Japan’s Ai Sugiyama 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. Fourth seed Maria Kirilenko of Russia beat American Jill Craybas 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 and will now meet Czech Nicole Vaidisova who overcame Sweden’s Sofia Arvidsson 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.
With top seed Mariano Puerta falling in the third round on Thursday, Germany’s Bjorn Phau put paid 6-4, 6-3 to the next highest-ranked player, third seed Robby Ginepri of the US. Fifth seed Mario Ancic of Croatia ended the run of Puerta’s conqueror Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, winning 6-1, 7-6 (7-4).
Finn Jarkko Nieminen rounded off a long day with 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7-3) win over fourth-seeded American Taylor Dent.
In the semifinals, Ancic will face Phau, while Nieminen will meet Moodie.
Meantime, French teenager Richard Gasquet, one of only three men to have beaten world No. 1 Roger Federer this year, admitted yesterday that a wrist injury is becoming a major worry.
Gasquet, the second seed, suffered a 7-6 (7 3), 6-2 defeat at the hands of countryman Gael Monfils in the quarterfinals of the ATP tournament in Metz, France yesterday.
“My defeat tonight is not that important, it is the state of my wrist which is important,” said the Frenchman, the world No. 12.
Gasquet, who saw off Federer in the Monte Carlo Masters in April, first felt the pain in his right wrist during the US Open in September and it returned again yesterday.
“The pain hasn’t disappeared. I will try and not play too much in the weeks to come,” he said.
Gasquet could be forced to pull out of the Stockholm event next week.
