| Current Tournament |
Flushing Meadows, New York
August 27-Sep 9
Grand Slam
Singles:
2R: Bammer[19] def Dementieva[14] 6-1 6-2
2R: Dementieva[14] def Cetkovska 6-3 6-2
1R: Dementieva[14] def Cohen-Aloro 6-4 6-3
Doubles:
2R: Dementieva/Pennetta vs Raymond/Stosur[2]
1R: Dementieva/Pennetta def Laine/Wozniacki 6-4 6-1
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| Next Tournament/s |
US Open Aug 27-Sep 9
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| WTA Rankings |
1. Henin, Justine [1]
2. Sharapova, Maria [2]
3. Jankovic, Jelena [3]
4. Kuznetsova, Svetlana [5]
5. Ivanovic, Ana [4]
6. Chakvetadze, Anna [6]
7. Mauresmo, Amelie [7]
8. Petrova, Nadia [9]
9. Williams, Serena [8]
10. Bartoli, Marion[11]
11. Hantuchova, Daniela[10]
12. Schnyder, Patty [12]
13. Dementieva, Elena [15]
14. Williams, Venus[13]
15. Vaidisova, Nicole [14]
16. Safina, Dinara [16]
17. Hingis, Martina [17]
18. Golovin, Tatiana [18]
19. Peer, Shahar[19]
20. Bammer, Sybille [20]
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| Sony Ericsson Race |
1. Henin 3675
2. Jankovic 3475
3. Ivanovic 2707
4. Kuznetsova 2546
5. Sharapova 2340
6. Williams, S. 2141
7. Chakvetadze 2106
8. Williams, V. 1740
9. Petrova 1698
10. Hantuchova 1684
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16. Dementieva 1357
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| Past Tournament |
New Haven, Connecticut
August 20-26
Tier 2
Singles:
QF: Kuznetsova[1] def Dementieva[6] 4-6 6-3 3-0 ret. (nausea)
QF: Dementieva[6] def Bartoli[3] 6-4 6-2
2R: Dementieva[6] def Harkleroad 6-1 7-6(6)
1R: Dementieva[6] def Santangelo 6-2 3-6 6-0
Doubles:
Not entered
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| Sunday, January 28, 2007 |
| Time to Defend Tokyo |
A year ago, no one would ever think that Elena Dementieva would win her first Tier 1 title at Tokyo. After losing at the first round of the Aussie Open in 2006, everyone thought that Dementieva is going downhill. And then she won Tokyo, crushing then-omeback kid Martina Hingis 2 and 0.
A year later, she comes in seeded 3rd at the Tokyo Pan Pacific Open behind Maria Sharapova and Martina Hingis. Seeded 4th is Jelena Jankovic who started the year on fire. The top 4 seeds received a 1st round bye.
Here are Elena's possible opponents for this tournament:
- 2R: Elena Likhovtseva or Gisela Dulko
- QF: Daniela Hantuchova or Marion Bartoli
- SF: Vera Zvonareva or Martina Hingis
On the top haldf resides Maria Sharapova, Jelena Jankovic and Shahar Peer. I think that Elena's draw is quite manageable. But as we all know, Elena is Elena. I hope she's really motivated right now. She has a lot of points to defend here and a lot of girls are catching up. Losing the early round here is not an option. I hope she prepared well for this. I don't want to see her dropping out of the Top 10.
Go Elena! |
posted by mjgrace22 @ 9:47 PM   |
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| Sunday, January 21, 2007 |
| Dementieva fails to reach the quarters |
So how do I start this? I just finished watching the match and I'm a bit depressed. Okay, here it goes...
Nicole Vaidisova did a very good job today, beating Elena Dementieva 6-3 6-3. She did a very good job returning and breaking Elena's serve. It was really heartbreaking. I just don't get it why all of Elena's second serve goes to the forehand of her opponent. I wish Elena could really improve her serve.
Here are my other observations...
Is it just me or did Elena lost some weight? She seemed thinner to me and her muscles in her arms are gone. And it seemed like she's not hitting the ball as hard anymore.
Vaidisova had a much better point construction today. Elena was just hitting the ball back to Vaidisova for most of the match.
Maybe Elena just woke up on the wrong leg. It was just really disappointing that she had to lose today. We were just a step away from the quarterfinals... Oh Elena... Anyway, I still love you. But I really, really hope that you can do something about your serve.
Good luck Elena for the rest of the season. We have a lot of time ahead of us, ou can still show everyone that you can really win a Gand Slam. Be hungrier, be more feisty. You can do it Elena! Vamos! |
| posted by mjgrace22 @ 4:34 PM |
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| Friday, January 19, 2007 |
| Oz Open: Elena through to the second week, Vaidisova next |
Elena Dementieva did not wast any time today and just needed an hour to put herself into the fourth round of the Australian Open 2007. She demolished Maria Elena Camerin 6-1 6-3. She only dropped her serve once during the entire match and that was when she was serving for the match at 5-1 in the second set. She had a pretty clean match today as she only served 4 double faults and hit 21 winners compared to her opponent's measly 3. It's good that Elena won pretty easily, she should have some confidence coming into the second week.
This marks the third time that Dementieva has reached the fourth round of the Australian Open. She reached the fourth round here in 2002 and 2005 but hasn't gone past this round. Elena Dementieva has reached the quareterfinals or better of all slams except the Australian Open. She will try to do it this year but tenth seed Nicole Vaidisova awaits her in the fourth round.
Only once in their career had Vaidisova and Dementieva met. It happened last year at Tokyo, Elena won in 3 sets after losing the first set. But that match happened before Vaidisova entered the Top 10. Although Vaidisova is only ranked 12th right now, she has a lot more experience now than last year.
Vaidisova has a good serve and a good baseline game. This is actually a very interesting matchup. Elena should clean up her game and stay away from making a lot of unforced errors if she wants to reach the quarters. Vaidisova is a tier higher than those that Elena faced in the previous rounds. So let's hope that Elena does herself justice on Sunday and show everyone what she's got. Let's make it to the quarters Lena!
Doubles news
Yesterday, Elena Dementieva and Flavia Pennetta defeated the Japanese duo of Akiko Morigami and Aiko Nakamura 4-6 6-3 6-4. It was a pretty workout for them and they will face Tsevetana Pironkova and Martina Sucha tomorrow. Their match is second at Show Court 7. Let's go Elena and Flavia!
Davai Elena! |
| posted by mjgrace22 @ 8:19 PM |
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| Wednesday, January 17, 2007 |
| Oz Open: Dementieva through to the 3rd round |
Elena Dementieva survived a scare earlier today, beating Martina Muller 7-5 3-6 6-0. Unlike her 1st round match, Elena seemed a bit out of it today, especially in the second set. It was a bit obvious that her serve was far from being on today as she served 16 double faults. And I also don't think that her groundies were really working today as well, as she committed 54 unforced errors compared to only 15 winners. But winning inspite of all this only tells us how much of a fighter Elena is. Even in the worse times, she finds a way to win. And what about that bagel in the final set? Just Amazing!:)
Next up for Elena is Maria Elena Camerin of Italy, currently ranked at no. 55. Their only previous meeting was in 2004 Hasselt which Elena won in straight sets. Her best showing at a Grand Slam was last year her at Oz where she reached the third round. She matched that this year and she will try to go to the fourth-round, in the way of Elena.
Camerin bested Elena Vesnina today 8-6 in the third. It was a good test for her but with all the heat in Melbourne, it might affect her on Friday. But whatever, Elena should pull out this one and move on to the fourth round.
I noticed that Elena has been coming to the net more often and I think that's a good sign. Remember in 2004 when she was coming a lot to the net? Yeah, she reached 2 Grand Slam finals that year. But after she split with her former coach, Olga Morozova, the net game was gradually phased out. I'm actually glad to see her net statistics here at the Open. Though she may not be the best volleyer on tour, she definitely have a decent volley and her footwork is very good so I believe it's good for her. Keep it up Lena!
Tomorrow, Elena Dementieva and Flavia Pennetta will face Akiko Morigami and Aiko Nakamura in the first round of the doubles tournament. The pair reached the third round last year and I hope they can improve this year. Flavia's wrist is still suspect but I hope she gets back on form soon so she can win on singles as well. And I wish them all the luck tomorrow. I hope they finish their match (with a win, of course) quickly tomorrow so Elena would have a lot of time to rest and prepare for her 3rd round match.
Davai Elena! |
| posted by mjgrace22 @ 11:52 PM |
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| Monday, January 15, 2007 |
| Oz Open: Elena easily advances to the 2nd round |
Elena Dementieva just needed an hour to dispatch Stephanie Foretz 6-2 6-1 giving Dementieva her 1st win in Oz since 2005. Although she served 6 double faults, she also served 3 aces and 17 winners came from her racket.
I am so relieved that Elena got through the first round. It is usually in the opening rounds where Elena is so vulnerable. Now that she went unscathed in the opening round of the Australian Open, she will try to go a round further when she faces 36th-ranked German, Martina Muller on Wednesday's second-round action. Dementieva leads Muller in career meeting 1-0. Their only match coming from FedCup in 2002. Interestingly, Muller has not gone past the second round of any Grand Slam since 2005. So Muller is probably really hungry right now and she'll take any chance she could get to advance further.
But Elena shouldn't give her a chance. She has a pretty good draw and she must take her chance to reach at least the quarterfinals of the Oz Open. Muller doesn't really have a big game and doesn't have as much experience as Elena. If Elena stays focused and on target, I do not see her falling in this match.
Davai Elena! |
| posted by mjgrace22 @ 8:12 PM |
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| Saturday, January 13, 2007 |
| Oz Open Preview: How ould Elena fare at Oz? |
Hear ye! Hear ye!
The first Grand Slam of the season is almost upon us, which means that players are gritty to compete at their best level. The Australian Open starts on Monday with the absence of 06 finalist and currently world no. 1 Justine Henin-Hardenne (or is it just Henin now?).
In the women's draw, Maria Sharapova is the top seed followed by defending champion Amelie Mauresmo, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Kim Clijsters (who is unbeaten this season, winning both the Hong Kong exo and Tier 2 Sydney). Seeded 5-8 are Nadia Petrova, Martina Hingis, Elena Dementieva and Patty Schnyder.
So now, let's get down to Elena's business...
Is there any other slam where Dementieva fans are so worried of an early exit, say 1st round? Yes, my dear friends, it is at the Australian Open that we fear Elena will flame out early. And it is not without historical basis. Since 2003, only once did she not exit in the first round. In 2005, she reached the 4th round but failed to Patty Schnyder after being up a set and a break. Last year, she was the first seed to fall.
Is Elena cursed in Oz? Or is it just the heat in Melbourne?
...we will find out during the fortnight of the Oz Open...
Our first round opponent is 112th-ranked Stephanie Foretz. Although the 2 are separated by 96 girls in the rankings, this girl might be capable of upsetting Elena. I said might because I really don't think she will, of course unless the really crappy Elena shows up on court on Monday. This will be their first meeting and their match is second in Show Court 3.
I hope Elena doesn't spend too much time on court on Monday so she could save some of her energy for the next rounds. She could face Martina Muller or a qualifier on the 2nd round, then Anabel Medina Garriguez in the 3rd round. If Elena keeps on winning up to this point, then it will start to get really interesting. In the 4th round, she might face Czech phenom Nicole Vaidisova whom Elena just beat in the Hong Kong exo. Officially, Elena leads 1-0 in career meetings. Possible quarterfinal opponent is Mauresmo. In the opposite side of their half are Nadia Petrova, Kuznetsova, and the streaking Jelena Jankovic.
So there it is! Good luck to Elena! I know she'll do her best!:)
Vamos Elena! |
| posted by mjgrace22 @ 4:49 PM |
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| Tuesday, January 09, 2007 |
| Li defeats Elena |
Oh my God! What a match! Unfortunately, Elena Dementieva lost to Na Li 6-3 1-6 5-7 after holding a number of match points. She just couldn't convert and hold her serve at the end.
Oh well... On to Melbourne now. Good luck at the Australian Open Lena. Hope you have good run there.
Davai Elena! |
| posted by mjgrace22 @ 12:37 PM |
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As the 2007 season goes into full swing, controversies and rumours starts milling around the WTA tour. Here's one I got from TR.net:
TennisReporters.net friend and Russian reporter Alexi Tolkachev passed this
important piece of news along: At the end of the year, when asked in a
Russian-language interview whether she was aware that Maria Sharapova had joined the Russian Fed Cup team, Elena Dementieva reportedly replied, "No, I haven't heard about that. Is what she said in a press conference? At this point, it's
hard for me to picture myself on the same team with Sharapova. She had said so
many times that she would play for Russia, and there were always some reasons
why she couldn't. I would not be surprised if she changed her mind again closer
to the match." That's' completely in line with what Dementieva said to Tolkachev and I before Sharapova made herself available, but is a bit surprising given that the comments came after Sharapova said she'd play the April tie. Plus, Dementieva has always had high praise for Sharapova's game. What we do know is that Sharapova took it upon herself to announce for the team before she even told captain Shamil Tarpischev. It would look awful if she backed out, so unless she's injured, I'd slot her in for the April tie. But will Dementieva show up if Maria plays?
We are all very aware of the animosity between Maria Sharapova and the Russian players and we all know that Elena and Maria are far from being friends but they were never really enemies. Anyway, to answer Cronin's question... I still believe that Elena will play for Fedcup even if Maria is on the team too. We all know how patriotic Elena is, and the presence of a fellow Russian such as Maria won't stop her from helping bring glory to her mother land.
The thing about Cronin's news is that it was originally in the russian language and was translated to English so context-wise, what Elena said might have been misinterpreted particularly this line: "At this point, it's hard for me to picture myself on the same team with Sharapova. She had said so many times that she would play for Russia, and there were always some reasons why she couldn't." Could it be that what she meant with that statement is that while Sharapova had committed herself to the tie, it's very hard to see them play together because as in the past, Sharapova had made herself available but never played. Maybe Elena thinks that there's a possibility that Maria would back out again in the last minute so she thinks they won't be playing on the same team. There may be some animosity between the two but I think, in the end, they'll play together if both of them were nominated in the tie.
I'll just add that in previous interviews, Elena has already stated that she will play no matter who's on the team as long as she is nominated and she also said that it will be great for their country if Maria will play for Russia. Elena has high regards for Maria's game and I believe that there is no hatred between them.
Update: The 2nd round match between Dementieva and Li in Sydney is underway and going far. They are tied a set piece and Elena just broke Li in the first game. Good luck Elena! |
| posted by mjgrace22 @ 11:56 AM |
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| Monday, January 08, 2007 |
| Post #100: Dementieva wins opening match in 3 |
First off, this blog has reached a milestone: 100 posts!!! Congrats to myself and everyone who has been reading this blog! It's been enjoyable for me and I will continue this as long as I can. :)
Now, let's get down to business. Elena Dementieva outlasted Ai Sugiyama in their very windy first round match today 6-7(3) 7-6(3) 6-0.What a match huh?! I lost rack of how many double faults they served but it definitely was a lot (15 from Lena, 17 from Ai). Not a very pretty match too. But the third set was a real treat for us Elena fans. Elena just came out firing on all cylinders.
The next match will be tougher. It'll be against Li Na who is currently ranked just outside of the top 20. The conditions today was really bad but conditions can't be blamed for Lena's horrendous serving today. Anyway, there's time to improve on that and I hope she serves well against Li ad charge to the quarters.
Well done Lena! |
| posted by mjgrace22 @ 4:24 PM |
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| Sunday, January 07, 2007 |
| Elena kicks off 2007 season against Sugiyama |
First off, I'd like to say sorry for not being able to update my blog for quite a while. I was going through a lot of personal stuff the past couple of months so blogging here was briefly interrupted. I was supposed to go to Hong Kong where Elena played last week but due to personal reasons, I wasn't able to attend the tournament.
Anyway, Elena Dementieva is seeded sixth in the Medibank International which is held at Sydney. She will face Ai Sugiyama in her opening round match on Monday. Hopefully, Elena would have little problems with Sugiyama tomorrow. Even though she didn't win Hong Kong, she had terrific three-set matches against Vaidisova (which she won) and Sharapova (lost unfortunately). I wasn't able to catch the matches on TV but I hope she's in a good form.
If Elena succeeds against Sugiyama tomorrow, waiting for her in the 2nd round is Na Li. Possible quarterfinal opponent is 2nd seed Svetlana Kuznetsova. A tough draw for Elena but certainly not impossible.
Elena is defending only a single point until the Australian Open so there's definitely a lot of chances for her to improve her ranking. Let's start this year with a positive note! Let's go Elena! |
| posted by mjgrace22 @ 10:02 PM |
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| About Me |
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Name: mjgrace22
Home: Philippines
About Me: Obviously, I'm a big fan of tennis. My favorite female tennis player is Elena Dementieva. I'm just a simple person with simple dreams.
See my complete profile
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