World Tennis Magazine

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tsvetana pironkova

Two Qualifiers – Garbiñe Muguruza and Tsvetana Pironkova – Win Their First WTA Titles To Head Into Australian Open

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By Bob Greene 

 

STARS

Tsvetana Pironkova beat Angelique Kerber 6-4 6-4 to win the Apia International Sydney women’s singles in Sydney, Australia

John Isner beat Lu Yen-hsun 7-6 (4) 7-6 (7) to win the Heineken Open in Auckland, New Zealand

Juan Martin del Potro beat Bernard Tomic 6-3 6-1 to win the men’s singles at the Apia International Sydney in Sydney, Australia

Garbiñe Muguruza beat Klara Zakopalova 6-4 6-0 to win the Hobart International in Hobart, Australia

 

SAYING

“I won my first doubles title in Hobart last year so I guess I’m in love with Hobart now.” – Garbiñe Muguruza, who won her first WTA singles title by beating Klara Zakopalova in Hobart, Australia.

“My forehand worked perfect, I made a lot of winners, many aces, played good slices. Every long rally we played, I won all of them, which is good for my confidence.” – Juan Martin del Potro, after easily beating Bernard Tomic to win the Apia International Sydney men’s singles title.

“I got killed. There was nothing I could do.” – Bernard Tomic.

“Under pressure, I’ll probably choke. Expect that to happen.” – Pat Rafter, a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame who at the age of 41 will play doubles at the Australian Open with fellow Australian Lleyton Hewitt.

“He is human. He does make mistakes, obviously not as much as the other players, but I’ve got to play very, very good tennis to have any chance.” – Bernard Tomic, on his first-round Australian Open opponent, top-ranked Rafael Nadal.

“I was trying to concentrate so hard that I only saw the ball – I was only watching the ball. I was like, ‘OK, just watch the ball and follow every point.” – Tsvetana Pironkova, who won her first WTA title at the Apia International Sydney tournament.

“I gave everything but she was too good.” – Angelique Kerber, following her loss to Tsvetana Pironkova in the women’s singles final in Sydney, Australia.

“I wish it didn’t have to be so close at the end. It gives me a lot of grey hairs.” – John Isner, who edged Yu Yen-hsun in three tiebreak sets, winning the third 9-7 to capture the Heineken Open.

“He just served incredibly. There was one period of time when I couldn’t read his serve. Even sometimes, when I guess right, I still couldn’t really get the ball back.” – Yu Yen-hsun, after falling in the Heineken Open final to John Isner.

“I love playing tennis. I feel that’s just where I’ve been blessed with talent. It’s something I’ve done since I was young. I just haven’t accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish because of injuries. It’s kind of always having that goal in mind. That’s kind of what brings you back. I love playing tennis. I love competing. I want to say that’s what keeps me motivated.” – Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who at 41st in the world is at her highest ranking since September 2011.

“It would have been the end of the world if I didn’t get through.” – Heather Watson of Britain, commenting on qualifying for the Australian Open where she reached the third round last year.

“Eighteen in a row, and in the singles main draw as well. I wouldn’t have dreamt of that at my first one in 1997 as a 15-year-old, that’s for sure.” Lleyton Hewitt, on playing in his 18th consecutive Australian Open.

“The knee that I had hurt at the end of last year is feeling good, so that injury is fine. I just have to be careful. I’ve probably injured every part of my body at some point in my career. I just have to be smart about it. I want to keep playing throughout this whole year.” – Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

 

SUCCESSFUL QUALIFIER

It was the best week of Tsvetana Pironkova’s career. The Bulgarian battled her way through both qualifying and the main draw at the Apia International in Sydney, Australia, to capture the first WTA singles title of her career in her first trip to a final. It’s not that it was unexpected. Pironkova, after all, has reached seven semifinals, including at Wimbledon in 2010. With her victory in Sydney over fifth-seeded Angelique Kerber, Pironkova became the first qualifier to win a Premier-level title since Ekaterina Makarova captured Eastbourne in June 2010. The Bulgarian was joined later in the day when another qualifier, Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain, won in Hobart, Australia. Pironkova defeated three Top 10 players – Kerber, Petra Kvitova and Sara Errani – en route to the title. “Winning a WTA title is something I’ve been waiting for so long and something that I’ve missed so much,” Pironkova said. “Now that I finally have it, it’s all surreal. I still cannot believe it, honestly.”

 

SIZZLING DEL POTRO

Juan Martin del Potro showed he was ready for the Australian Open as he completed his preparations at the Sydney International with a 6-3 6-1 trouncing of defending champion Bernard Tomic. Del Potro wrapped up the 53-minute match with his eighth ace and committed only four unforced errors to capture his 18th career title. “I think Bernard was a little frustrated to see me very focused on the match and hitting the ball so well,” del Potro said. The Argentine right-hander has won five straight tournaments when he is the top seeded player. Against Tomic, del Potro lost only six points on his serve. “Juan played too good,” Tomic admitted. “There was nothing I could do. I knew it was going to be like that where either he plays very good or gives me more chances.” The 25-year-old del Potro is the first Argentine to win the Sydney title since David Nalbandian captured the crown in 2009.

 

SPEEDY COURT?

Rafael Nadal is unhappy with the courts at the Australian Open. The world’s top-ranked player believes they have made the courts faster this year. “The conditions of play are very different from the ones I remembered in this tournament,” Nadal said. “Many things have changed. I think that the court is faster and so is the ball. So it makes it a different tournament for me. I didn’t remember it like that. It’s a little bit a pity for me.”

 

SWAT-MEISTER

The big serve has been John Isner’s calling card his entire career. Taiwan’s Lu Yen-hsun now knows all about it. The big American pounded out 23 aces to edge Lu in three tiebreak sets and capture the Auckland Open title. “This is the only title I’ve won outside the U.S.,” Isner said. “This is an amazing feeling. I will cherish this one for sure. I’m going to go into the Australian Open with a lot of confidence, which players will tell you is sometimes hard to come by.” It was Isner’s eight career title, but his first outside the United States. He was taken to break point in his very first service game. After that, he serve was never seriously threatened. Lu twice had to fight back from 0-40 to hold serve in the second set, which he won in the tiebreak. Ranked 62nd in the world, Lu was playing in his first ATP World Tour final, having upset third-ranked David Ferrer in the semifinals.

 

STAYING AWAY

So what if Garbiñe Muguruza had to play qualifying to gain a spot in the main draw of the Hobart International? When the tournament was over, the tall 20-year-old Spaniard was the champion, defeating Czech Klara Zakopalova in the title match. “I was like a big bull,” Muguruza said after capturing her first WTA singles title. Following Wimbledon last year, Muguruza underwent surgery on her right ankle and recovery took longer than expected. “I didn’t expect to win a lot of matches in the second tournament of the year,” she said, “but I just know that I’d worked so hard before.” Muguruza didn’t drop a set the entire week, including the qualifying. “I can’t explain in words how happy I feel,” Muguruza said after receiving her trophy. “Last year I was injured for six months and it’s amazing to be here.”

 

SENIOR PAIRING

Eight years after being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Pat Rafter is returning the Australian Open as a player. The two-time US Open winner will team up with fellow Australian Lleyton Hewitt to play doubles in the year’s opening Grand Slam tournament. At 41 years old, Rafter is by far the elder of the two. The 32-year-old Hewitt is also in the singles draw where he is seeking his first Australian Open and third Grand Slam title. Rafter hasn’t played since Davis Cup appearance in 2001. Hewitt said the doubles pair will be out for “just a bit of fun.” Rafter agreed. “I’ll have fun,” he said. “I’m playing with one of the best players in the competition. Figure it’s like eating chocolate or having broccoli, sort of equal it out.”

 

SITTING IT OUT

A hip injury has forced American Jamie Hampton to withdraw from the Australian Open. Hampton will be replaced in the women’s singles draw by another American, Irini Falconi. Her 27th seeded spot will go to Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia.

 

SEEKING HELP

Novak Djokovic is seeking his fourth straight and fifth overall Australian Open title. Still, he decided he needed a little help, so he called in a former world number one, Boris Becker, as a coach. Djokovic will be playing the year’s first Grand Slam tournament without Marian Vijda, his coach for the last eight years. Vijda wanted to spend more time with his family after 35 years of traveling the tennis circuit and suggested Becker. “I’m really excited about this cooperation,” Djokovic said. “I’m excited about this partnership that I have with Boris that also has been approved and supported by Marian, who is still on the time.” Becker won six major titles in the 1980s and 1990s. The game has changed since then, but Djokovic is not worried. “I believe with his great volleys, that aggressive kind of mindset also, from that point of view he can help me,” the Serbian right-hander said.

 

SPECIAL EXHIBITION

The International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum (ITHoF&M) has opened a special exhibition in Barcelona, Spain, titled “Tennis and the Olympic Games.” The exhibition is on display at the Olympic and Sports Museum Joan Antoni Samaranch, where it is open to the public through April 2014. “Tennis and the Olympic Games” will offer a comprehensive look at the most successful tennis Olympians in history.  The exhibition, presented by the ITHoF&M in partnership with the Barcelona Olympic Foundation, features Olympians from many nations, including a full listing of every Olympic and Paralympic tennis medalist in history. There is special emphasis on Spain’s celebrated players, such as Hall of Famer Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Rafael Nadal, Conchita Martinez and Sergi Bruguera.

 

SET FOR FED CUP

Tara Moore will make her Fed Cup debut when Great Britain will compete in the 17-nation Europe/Africa Group I in Hungary next month. Moore is ranked 212th in the world and was named to the squad along with Laura Robson, Johanna Konta and Heather Watson. All four are 22 years old or younger. Great Britain has not played a Fed Cup home tie since 1993, and lost at the playoff stage against Sweden and Argentina in the past two years. “Our aim in 2014 is to win through to the World Group II, which would give us a number of home and away ties,” Great Britain captain Judy Murray said. “That would really help us to promote women’s tennis through this fun team competition.”

 

SUGARPOVA

Maria Sharapova’s premium candy line – Sugarpova – is partnering with the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. Sugarpova is now the official sponsor and an underwriter of the Hall of Fame’s Kids Free program, which provides free admission to the museum for children ages 16 and under. The International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum is the world’s most comprehensive museum dedicated to the sport of tennis. In addition to sponsoring the Kids Free program, Sugarpova candy will be featured in the three retail stores on the Hall of Fame property in Newport, and Hall of Fame fans will have access to special offers throughout the year. The retail stores will offer all 15 variations of the brand, which includes gumballs, gummy candies, sours and more. Sharapova created her own candy business in 2012. A portion of sales from Sugarpova are donated to the Maria Sharapova Foundation.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Auckland: Julian Knowle and Marcelo Melo beat Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares 4-6 6-3 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Hobart: Klara Zakopalova and Monica Niculescu beat Lisa Raymond and Zhang Shuai 6-2 6-7 (5) 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Sydney (men): Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic beat Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and Rohan Bopanna 7-6 (3) 7-6 (3)

Sydney (women): Timea Babos and Lucie Safarova beat Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci 7-5 3-6 10-7 (match tiebreak)

 

SURFING

Melbourne: www.ausopen.com

Heilbronn: www.Heilbronn-open.de

ATP World Tour: www.atpworldtour.com/

WTA Tour: www.wtatennis.com/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

 

MEN & WOMEN

$14,600,000 Australian Open (first week), Melbourne, Australia, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$14,600,000 Australian Open (second week), Melbourne, Australia, hard

$145,540 Heilbronn Open, Heilbronn, Germany, hard

 

WOMEN

$14,600,000 Australian Open (second week), Melbourne, Australia, hard

 

 

 

Pironkova
Pironkova

ANALYZING WIMBLEDON LOSSES FROM VENUS AND ANDY

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By Charles Bricker

This was a surprising loss by Venus Williams on Tuesday, but it was not shocking and anyone who is “stunned” or in “disbelief” that the older of the sisters won’t win Wimbledon this year hasn’t been watching her closely enough.

There are nine super-major tournaments on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour schedule (the four Slams, Key Biscayne, Indian Wells, Madrid, Beijing and the playoff championships at the end of the season). Williams hasn’t won any of the last 13.

In May, just before the French Open, I wrote: “Is she still a world class player? Yes. Is she still a threat on one of those ‘any given Sundays? Or Mondays? Or Tuesdays? Yes. But she’s 29 (now 30). The forehand is in and out and there are players who can exploit it. There is now a major dropoff between her first and second serves. That second serve at times looks as big as a pumpkin.”

With Wimbledon temperatures into the 80s for a second straight day, Williams once again displayed nothing even remotely close to an adequate second serve and was soundly beaten by the No. 82 player in the world, Tsvetana Pironkova, a tall, lean Bulgarian and career qualifier who has been around long enough not to get nervous at the mere sight of a Williams sister. The score was 6-2, 6-3.

Venus was only 12-15 on her second serve (6-9 in the second set).She had only three break-point opportunities, cashing in just one. Meanwhile, Pironkova was 4-for-12 on break-point chances.

Venus Williams
Venus Williams

Let’s go over the litany of Williams non-title performances in the biggest women’s events, going backward.

* 2010 Wimbledon: Out in the quarters to No. 82 Pironkova.

* 2010 French Open: Out in the round of 16 to No. 20 Nadia Petrova.

* 2010 Madrid: Runner-up to No. 24 Aravane Rezai.

* 2010 Key Biscayne: Runner-up to No. 16 Kim Clijsters.

* 2010 Indian Wells: Did not play, personal choice.

* 2010 Australian Open: Out in the quarters to No. 17 Li Na.

* 2009 WTA Championships: Runner-up to No. 2 Serena Williams.

* 2009 Beijing: Out in the round of 32 to No. 39 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

* 2009 U.S. Open: Out in the round of 16 to unranked Kim Clijsters.

* 2009 Wimbledon: Runner-up to No. 2 Serena Williams.

* 2009 French Open: Out in the round of 32 to No. 31 Agnes Szavay.

* 2009 Madrid: Out in the round of 32 to No. 26 Alisa Kleybanova.

* 2009 Key Biscayne: Out in the semis to No. 1 Serena Williams.

* 2009 Indian Wells: Did not play, personal choice.

* 2009 Australian Open: Out in the round of 64 to Ni. 46 Carla Suarez Navarro.

* 2008: WTA Championships: Winner, defeating No. 9 Vera Zvonareva in final.

You could argue a case that she’s been runner-up at four of these tournaments, losing twice times to Serena, which is certainly no upset. No one is saying Venus Williams doesn’t continue to be a major threat at an event, but I wouldn’t have made her the favorite at this Wimbledon if her sister was unable to play.

She remains a top player, but she’s not, as the rankings currently suggest, No. 2, and I doubt if most of the players on tour would consider her No. 3, either.

The Andy Roddick loss on Monday to Yen-Hsun Lu, however, WAS shocking. Roddick’s best set was the fifth, and he lost it when he was broken for the only time in the match.

I thought he was hurt by two major problems in this match. First, as well as he served, he was surprisingly flat too much of the time on service returns. I didn’t see a lot of bounce in his step, as if he was waiting for Lu to make an error.

Second, the backhand which he had improved so greatly over the last three years, looked like 2005 all over again. It was never going to be a lethal backhand in ground stroke rallies, but Roddick had turned his backhand into a passing-shot weapon and, in the baseline rallies, it had become a solid, reliable stroke.

He wasn’t going to beat you with his backhand, but he wasn’t going to hurt himself with it, either. It had developed into a backhand that kept him in rallies, allowing him to become more of a grinder, which greatly aided his game.

Against Lu, however, there were so many unforced, really unfathomable backhand errors. And his lack of confidence with the stroke, as the match wore on, gave Lu more chances to seize control of the rallies.

Andy will go home to Texas, blow off some steam and get ready for the U.S. hardcourt season. If the next two months don’t get him pumped up higher, it will be time to start thinking he’s going into a fade.

*

Rafael Nadal vs. Robin Soderling on Wednesday and it’s a toss-up. Nadal played spectacularly on Monday in beating Paul-Henri Mathieu, while Soderling, who hadn’t been broken in his first three matches, lost serve four times to David Ferrer, whom he struggling enormously to defeat in five. Soderling’s serve went seriously south in that match, but he’s had a day to get it ironed out. And he’s got to return better to win this.

Charles Bricker can be reached at nflwriterr@aol.com

BIGGEST WOMEN’S UPSET EVER AT WIMBLEDON

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Tsvetana Pironkova’s stunning 6-2, 6-3 upset over five-time Wimbledon champion and No. 2 seed Venus Williams Tuesday in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon is the biggest upset in the history of the tournament.

Consider that Pironkova is ranked No. 82 in the world and prior to this year at Wimbledon had never advanced beyond the second round at a major tournament. The Bulgarian handed Williams, arguably one of the top three women players ever at Wimbledon, her worst ever loss at the All England Club.

Bud Collins, the Hall of Fame tennis historian and journalist, in his authoritative book THE BUD COLLINS HISTORY OF TENNIS ($35.95, New Chapter Press, www.NewChapterMedia.com) documents the greatest upsets in Wimbledon history below.

Where does Pironkova over Williams rank?

EARLIEST LOSS OF A No. 1 SEED

* 1962 Unseeded Billie Jean Moffitt (King) d. 1st seed Margaret Court, 1-6, 6-3, 7-5, 2nd rd. (1st defeat for 1st seed in 1st match)

* 1994 Lorl McNeil (No. 22) d. 1st seed defending champ Steffi Graf, 7-5, 7-6(7-5), 1st rd. (only 1st rd defeat of a No. 1 seeded defending champion)

* 1999 Jelena Dokic (Q) def. No. 1 seed Martina Hingis, 6-2, 6-0 in 1st rd.

* 2001 Virginia Ruano Pascual (No. 83) d. 1st seed Martina Hingis, 6-4, 6-2, 1st rd.

EARLIEST LOSS OF A DEFENDING CHAMPION

* 1994 Lori McNeil (No. 22) d. 1st seed defending champ Steffi Graf, 7-5, 7-6(7-5), 1st rd. (only 1st rd defeat of a No. 1 seeded

defending champion)

OTHER UPSETS

* 1921 Non-seed Betty Nuthall d. 6th seed Molla Mallory, 2-6, 6-2, 6-0, 3rd rd.

* 1928 Non-seed Helene Contostavlos Nicolopoulo d. 5th seed Kea Bouman, 12-10, 8-6, 3rd rd.

* 1929 Non-seed Mary Hart McIlquham d. 2nd seed Lili de Alvarez, 1928 finalist, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 4th rd.

* 1959 Non-seed Yola Ramirez d. 1st seed Christine Truman, 6-3, 6-2,QF

* 1962 Non-seed Vera Puzejova Sukova d. 6th seed defending champ Angela Mortimer, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, 4th rd.: 2nd seed Darlene Hard, 6-4, 6-3, QF; 3rd seed Maria Bueno, 6-4, 6-3, SF

* 1974 8th seed Olga Morozova d. 1st seed defending champ Billie Jean King, 7-5, 6-2, QF

* 1983 Non-seed Kathy Jordan d. 2nd seed Chris Evert, 6-1, 7-6 (7-2), 3rd rd. (only time Evert failed to make SF at Wimbledon) Non-seed Liz Sayers Smylie d. 3rd seed Hana Mandlikova, 6-1, 7-6(7-5), 3rd rd. Also qualifier Molly Van Nostrand (No. 154) d. 4th seed Manuela Maleeva, 7-5, 6-2 in 4th rd.

* 1986 Anne Hobbs (No. 51) d. No. 9 seed Zina Garrison, 6-4, 0-6, 6-4,(Court Two), 2nd rd.

* 1990 5th seed Zina Garrison d. 3rd seed Monica Seles. 3-6, 6-3, 9-7 in the QF; 1st seed and defending champ Steffi Graf, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in the SF

* 1991 9th seed Jennifer Capriati, d. 3rd seed and defending champ Martina Navratilova, 6-4, 7-5, QF

* 1996 Katarina Studenikova (No. 59) d. 2nd seed Monica Seles, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4, 2nd rd.

* 1997 Anna Kournikova (No. 43) d. 4th seed Iva Majoli, 7-6 (7-1), 6-4, QF. Also, Denise Chladkova (No. 89) d. 5th seed Lindsay Davenport, 7-5, 6-2, 2nd rd.

* 1998 Non-seed Natasha Zvereva (No. 22) d. 4th seed Steffi Graf, 6-4, 7-5, 3rd rd.; and 6th seed Monica Seles, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 in the QF. Also, wild card Samantha Smith (No. 94) d. Conchita Martinez (No. 7), 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, (Court Two), 3rd rd.

* 1999 Mirjana Lucic (No. 134) d. 8th seed Nathalie Tauziat. 4-6. 6-4, 7-5, in QF. Also, Jelena Dokic (No.129) d. No. 1 Martina Hingis, 6-2, 6-0, 1st rd and No. 9 Mary Pierce, 6-4, 6-3, (Court Two) QF

* 2001 Lilia Osterloh (No. 51) d. No. 13 seed Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5, (Court Two), 2nd rd.

* 2004 No. 13 seed Maria Sharapova d. Serena Williams (Seeded No. 1, defending champion), F, 6-1, 6-4. Also, Karolina Sprem (No. 30) d. No. 3 seed Venus Williams 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6) in 2nd rd. Also, No. 31 seed Amy Frazier d. No. 2 seed Anastasia Myskina 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in 3rd rd

* 2005 No. 85-ranked Jill Craybas d. No. 3 seed Serena Williams 6-3, 7-6 (4) in 3rd rd. (Court Two), Also, No. 76 Eleni Daniilidou d. No. 7 seed Justine Henin Hardenne 7-6 (6), 2-6, 7-5 in 1st rd, ending 24-match winning streak

2007 No. 18 seed Marion Bartoli d. No. 1 seed Justine Henin 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 in SF. Also, Laura Granville (No. 77) d. Martina Hingis (Seed No. 9), 6-4, 6-2, (Court Two), 3rd rd.

ANOTHER EPIC COLLAPSE FOR SAFINA

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By Blair Henley

Dinara Safina  added another epic collapse to her French Open resume, but this time it was in the first round against 39-year-old Kimiko Date Krumm instead of the final.

Safina, who just split with coach Zeljko Krajan, was up two breaks at 4-1 in the third set when her veteran opponent took an injury timeout for an already heavily taped calf. Date Krumm proceeded to reel off four straight games before finishing off the two-time finalist 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.

“I am very sad for her, very happy for me,” Date-Krumm said humbly. “I just tried.”

Date-Krumm spent 12 years in retirement before making a comeback in 2008. She is the second oldest female ever to win a match at the French Open, and celebrated by tearfully kissing her German race car driver husband, Michael Krumm, in the stands. Virginia Wade of Britain was three months older than Date when she won her last French Open singles match.

Four-time French Open champion, Justine Henin, overcame some serve tightness to beat hard hitting Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova 6-4, 6-3 and extend her unbeaten streak at Roland Garros to 22 matches. Her record is a Nadal-like 31-1 dating back to 2003.

“I didn’t know really what to expect and how I was going to deal with my emotions,” she said. “As I walked in and I was into my match, I felt a lot of things were coming back. It was just fantastic to share this again with the crowd, as they gave me one more time great support. So it was very good to be back.”

Henin is likely the most-feared No. 22 seed the tournament has ever seen. Despite reaching the final at the Australian Open and winning in Stuttgart last month, the Belgian has not played enough matches since coming out of her 20-month retirement to guarantee her a top spot.

Lucky loser Bethanie Mattek-Sands and her trademark knee socks easily took out fellow American Vania King 6-2, 6-2. No. 18 seed, Shahar Peer advanced along with No. 13 Marion Bartoli, No. 16 Yanina Wickmayer, No. 21 Vera Zvonereva, No. 23 Daniela Hantuchova, No. 25 Jie Zheng and No. 29 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.