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2010 MPS Group Championships
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By Ellen Newton Story Updated April 11, 2010
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL—Caroline Wozniacki, known on the WTA Tour as ‘Sunshine’ won her second Sony Ericsson WTA MPS Group Championships title defeating unseeded Olga Govortsova 6-2, 7-5 in 1 hour and 49 minutes.
It took the 19 year old 44 minutes to tuck away the first set 6-2 suffering only one break of serve, much improved from her semi-final performance. The second set proved more challenging for the Dane, once again trading breaks of serve until she was ahead 6-5 and Govortsova was serving to stay in the match. She would win only one point on her serve. Wozniacki took the game and the match from Govortsova.
Tennis will hopefully return to Ponte Vedra in 2011, but since the MPS Group sold to the Swiss company the Adecco Group, the tournament will most likely have a new name. 2011 will be the third and final year of sponsorship for the Adecco Group and it is unclear if they will renew.
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Semifinal Saturday at MPS
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By Ellen Newton Story updated April 10, 2010
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL--Breaks of serve are almost a common occurrence when playing on clay courts and today’s two semifinal matches at the Sony Ericsson MPS Group Championships at Ponte Vedra were no exception, scoring a total of 22 breaks between the two match ups.
In the day’s first semifinal, unseeded Olga Govortsova, who took out the number 2 seed Alona Bondarenko in the first round in three sets, needed just two sets to dismiss the number 3 seed Dominika Cibulkova 6-4, 7-5. Cibulkova came into the match with her right thigh heavily taped and when she was down a set and 6-5 in the second set she called for the trainer to have her left ankle taped. Neither the injury nor the tape job seemed to hamper her movement on court, however, seeing the trainer didn’t help to lift her game. Govortsova served for the match; she had to dig herself out of a double fault and down love 30 to turn it around and go up 40-30. She only needed one match point to seal the deal.
Govortsova will meet Caroline Wozniacki, the number 1 seed in the final. Wozniacki defeated the number 4 seed Elena Vesnina 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-4, in the day’s second semifinal.
In the first set the number 1 seed’s serve was broken three times, holding serve only once. She certainly didn’t appear to be the world number 2 ranked player. The second set for her was a bit of a turn around, holding serve until the 8th game of the set where she was broken to go down 3-5; this would not be the last service break of the set. Wozniacki and Vesnina drew even at six games all and played a tight tie break that Wozniacki won 7-5 forcing a third set.
Each player traded breaks in the third set but it was Wozniacki who broke Vesnina in the Tenth game of the third set needing only one match point for victory, sending her to the finals for the second straight year.
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Oudin Survives Another Round
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| Melanie Oudin |
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By Ellen Newton Story Updated April 8, 2010
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida—Thursday’s night match at the MPS Group Championships at Ponte Vedra Beach featured the number 8 seed eighteen year old American Melanie Oudin, and unseeded Shuai Peng from China.
The match may have started at 7 p.m., but Oudin didn’t mentally show up until 7:30. Oudin’s game was completely broken down in the first set, unable to break her opponent’s serve and capturing only two of her own service games. Oudin lost the first set 2-6 in just 27 minutes. It looked as if the woman from China was going to make short work of the American.
The second set was a completely different match. Oudin not only showed up but found an aggression, a fire to put behind every shot. After one hour and twenty six minutes Oudin had broken Shuai Peng and won the second set 7-5. The crowed showed support for every winning shot Oudin made, going wild as she made the shot to take the second set.
The third set would be the same struggle for the American, fighting for every point. Finally, after over two hours Oudin hit a return winner that brought her the victory 2-6, 7-5, 7-5, and a spot in the quarterfinals where she will meet Russia’s Elena Vesnina.
Of the match Oudin said, “I was like, oh my gosh, this girl is just hitting winners all over the place on me. What am I supposed to do? I was looking forward to getting a point in the beginning.”
“It’s really hard to play like she was an entire match, for anyone no matter who you are, so my key thing going into the second was just trying to stay in there with her and make her hit as many balls as she could, and she started missing some.”
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| Angelique Kerber |
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| Elena Vesnina |
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| Julia Goerges |
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| Olga Govortsova |
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| Anna Tatishvili |
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| Vavara Lepchenko |
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| Angelique Kerber |
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| Elena Vesnina |
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| Julia Goerges |
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| Vavara Lepchenko |
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| Alona Bondarenko |
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| Angelique Kerber |
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| Caroline Wozniacki |
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| Caroline Wozniacki |
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| Dominika Cibulkova |
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| Melinda Czink |
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| Alona Bondarenko |
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| Angelique Kerber |
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| Olga Govortsova |
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| Alona Bondarenko |
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| Patty Schnyder |
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| Vania King |
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2009 MPS Group Championships
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Wozniacki Knocks out Wozniak
in the MPS Final
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April 12, 2009
Pontre Vedra Beach, FL—Aleksandra Wozniak upset top seed Nadia Petrova only to fall in the final to 18 year old sensation and second seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 61, 62 at the Sony Ericsson MPS Group Championships.
In doubles top seeds and North East Florida’s favorite Gator Lisa Raymond and Kveta Pesche were defeated by Chia-Jung Chuang and Sania Mirza 63,46,(10-7).
I honestly wish I had more for you than just box scores but during the week I developed bronchitis. I held on for five days to try to bring you as many photos as possible but it was 85 degrees in the shade and at least 100 degrees plus the humidity on court. Shade was scarce and my fatigue factor was high.
This is a new tournament for the Sony Ericsson tour picking up the torch from the Bausch and Lomb tournament held at Amelia Island for the past 29 years. The MPS Group Championships have done some things right, the stadium court, although providing no shade for spectators was small and intimate for the players and fans but could use a little more grand stand seating, and there are some things they certainly need to work on such as no ADA (Americans with Disability Act) availability to courts 1 and 2, or to any vendor tents, and only one restroom. You may not appreciate this unless you are disabled, if you are you will understand, if not, please try.
The tournament drew only one top ten name, world tenth ranked Nadia Petrova, but also showcased young talent like fourteen year old American Madison Keys who received a wild card entry into the tournament. I’m still not sure why Marion Bartoli had to go through qualifying but maybe I just missed something, I m mean she is ranked thirteenth in the world…..isn’t she? And of course the tournaments winner eighteen year old Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark.
The MPS Group is signed on for two more years of sponsorship and Sawgrass Country Club will likely host the event. This year we saw players we knew and got to know some we didn’t. I look forward to future successful professional women’s tennis in northeast Florida.
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| Caroline Wozniacki |
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| Wozniak and Wozniacki |
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| Jung Chuang |
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| Madison Keys |
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| Dominika Cibulkova |
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| Nadia Petrova |
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| Madison Keys |
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| Anastasia Rodionova |
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| Aleksandra Wozniak |
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| Lisa Raymond |
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April 7, 2009
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL—Daniela Hantuchova survived a first round scare at the MPS Group Championships dropping the first set 26 to Anastasija Sevastova. Daniela would rally in the second set 64 and take the match in the third 76(75) in a nail biter.
Hantuchova entered the tournament as a wild card replacing Jelena Dokic who withdrew at the last minute due to fatigue.
Down match point Daniela regained the lead in the third set tie break at six games all 5,4 but Sevastova came right back and tied the match at five points all. Hantuchova would take the match at 26 64 75(75).
In other matches Aleksandra Wozniak def Jill Craybas 64 64, and number one seed Nadia Petrova def Olga Govortsova 62 64.
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| Daniela Hantuchova |
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| Daniela Hantuchova |
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| Anastasija Sevastova |
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| Aleksandra Wozniak |
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| Jill Craybas |
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| Jill Craybas |
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| Nadia Petrova |
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| Nadia Petrova with her coach |
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| Nadia Petrova |
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| Olga Govortsova |
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