2008 Qatar Telecom German Open
2008 Qatar Telecom German Open | |
---|---|
Date | 5 – 11 May |
Edition | 39th |
Category | Tier I |
Draw | 56S / 28D |
Prize money | $1,340,000 |
Surface | Clay / outdoor |
Location | Berlin, Germany |
Venue | Rot-Weiss Tennis Club |
Champions | |
Singles | |
Dinara Safina | |
Doubles | |
Cara Black / Liezel Huber |
The 2008
World number one Justine Henin, the three-time French Open defending champion, was the tournament's top seed. She was hoping to win this event for the fourth time after collecting titles here in 2002, 2003 and 2005. Defending champion Ana Ivanovic was Henin's biggest threat for the title as the number two seed, with Jelena Janković and Svetlana Kuznetsova rounding out the top four seeds. Fifth seed Serena Williams was also a big threat for the title; she had won her last three tournaments and is a former French Open champion. Russian pair Anna Chakvetadze and Elena Dementieva brought the field up to seven of the world's top ten players.[1] Maria Sharapova and Daniela Hantuchová were also due to play the event but it was announced that both had pulled out on April 30.[2]
Review
The tournament was won by Dinara Safina, who started the tournament as the thirteenth seed. She enjoyed the best week of her career to win her first ever Tier I title.[3] In the third round, she beat top seed Justine Henin in a match that turned out to be the last before she retired, her second victory over a world number one, and followed it up by stopping Serena Williams's 17-match winning streak.[4] She defeated Elena Dementieva (who had defeated defending champion Ivanovic in the semi-finals) in the final, in the 14th all-Russian final on the WTA Tour, and the third of five in the 2008 season (Dementieva would go on to beat Safina in the final of the Olympics).[5]
World number ones Cara Black and Liezel Huber won the doubles title, beating the unseeded Spanish pairing Nuria Llagostera Vives and María José Martínez Sánchez, who had upset number two seeds Květa Peschke and Rennae Stubbs in a thrilling match tiebreak in the semifinals, which ended at 16–14.
Finals
Singles
Dinara Safina defeated Elena Dementieva, 3–6, 6–2, 6–2
- It was Safina's first title of the year and 6th of her career.
Doubles
Cara Black / Liezel Huber defeated Nuria Llagostera Vives / María José Martínez Sánchez, 3–6, 6–2, [10–2]
Prize money & points
Total prize money: $1,300,000[6]
Round | Singles | Doubles | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Prize money ($) | WTA ranking points | Prize money ($) | WTA ranking points | |
Winner | 196,900 | 430 | 59,000 | 430 |
Finalist | 100,000 | 300 | 30,000 | 300 |
Semifinal | 51,000 | 195 | 15,351 | 195 |
Quarterfinal | 26,050 | 110 | 7,800 | 110 |
Round of 16 | 13,285 | 60 | 3,980 | 60 |
Round of 32 | 6,775 | 35 | 2,030 | 1 |
Round of 64 | 3,455 | 1 | - | - |
Images
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Dementieva hitting a backhand.
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Preparing for a serve.
References
- ^ "Entry List 2008". German Open Official Site. Archived from the original on 2008-04-10. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
- ^ "Sharapova, Hantuchova pull out of German Open". Yahoo! Eurosport UK. 2008-04-30. Archived from the original on 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
- ^ "Safina secures German Open title". BBC Sport. 2008-05-11. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
- ^ "Safina ends Serena's winning streak". CNN.com. 2008-05-09. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
- ^ "Dementieva, Safina Set Up 14th All-Russian Final". Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. 2008-05-10. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
- ^ "Prize Money & Points". German Open Official Site. Archived from the original on 2008-05-06. Retrieved 2008-05-03.