PRO TOUR NEWS - WOMEN
* Tough day in Dubai for Doha finalists -- Halep retires hurt, Kerber loses to Ivanovic
* Both may still move up in rankings
* Wozniacki knocks Lisicki out of Top Fifteen
* Pennetta costs Kanepi chance to clinch Top 25 spot
* Serena overcomes slow start to end Makarova's Top Twenty chances
* Errani/Vinci win first match since losing top doubles rankings; Black/Mirza upset
* Mirza may lose Top Ten doubles ranking
* Schiavone loses opener in Rio de Janeiro; won't make Top Forty
* 2013 semifinalist Pereira returns to form with upset of #4 seed Cadantu
* #7 Zahlavova Strycova, #8 King also upset as more than half of seeds in Brazil lose openers; top seed Zakopalova wins
Dubai
A quartet of current and former No. 1 players made winning starts, with top-ranked wild card Serena Williams leading the way. The winner of 11 title in 2013 who has never done better than the semi-finals in the Gulf, defeated Ekaterina Makarova 7-6 (10-8), 6-0 in a hard-fought second-round battle at the Aviation Club after a bye.
Williams struggled in a long first set, but opened it up on the second as she swept to victory in just over 90 minutes with seven aces and five breaks of her Russian opponent. Makarova saved a match point in the contest before falling. "Body is fine," said recent back pain victim Williams. "I just had to get my feet moving, but it was okay."
Ex-No. 1 plays Jelena Jankovic, Caroline Wozniacki and Ana Ivanovic all advanced to the second round as weekend winner Simona Halep was forced to retire hurt. Fifth seed Jankovic, who finished atop the rankings in 2008, beat Maryna Zanevska of the Ukraine 6-4, 6-3. Eighth seeded Dane Wozniacki won a battle between players of Polish descent, defeating Germany's Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Ivanovic of Serbia beat weekend Doha finalist Angelique Kerber, seeded sixth, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) to next play Venus Williams. "It's a very tough draw, you know. We played (the Auckland) final few weeks ago. It's going to be tough, tough match. She's, I feel, playing a lot better again," said Ivanovic.
Halep had to quit trailing France's Alize Cornet 6-1, 1-1 in an opening match less than 48 hours after winning the WTA title in Doha, Qatar. The Romanian ranked ninth had felt pain from an inflamed Achilles tendon last week but the problem proved to be too much for her in Dubai.
Wozniacki won the Dubai title in 2011, the second and last season that she finished top of the rankings.
The Dane trailed a set and a game before finding a solution against the big-hitting Lisicki in windy conditions. German qualifier Annika Beck beat 2011 US open winner Samantha Stosur 1-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Rio De Janiero
Top seed Klara Zakopalova beat beat Mariana Duque of Colombia for a 6-4, 6-4 winning start at the small, first-time event. But second seed Francesca Schiavone of Italy was upended 6-4, 6-4 against Lourdes Dominguez Lino of Spain.
The same fate before fourth seed Alexandra Cadantu, beaten 6-3, 6-4 bt Brazil's Teliana Pereira. The day's third seed was beaten as German Dinah Pfizenmaier put out No. 7 Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 anmd Irina Begu completed the upsets by defeating eighth seed Vania King of the US 6-4, 6-0. South African Chanelle Scheepers advanced over Timea Babos 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.
THIS WEEK ON THE WTA:
Dubai (Premier/Hard). Defending Champion: Petra Kvitova
Rio de Janeiro (International/Clay). Defending Champion: New Event
NEXT WEEK ON THE WTA:
Florianopolis (International/Clay). Defending Champion: Monica Niculescu
Acapulco (International/Hard). Defending Champion: Sara Errani
************ STATS AND FACTS ************
Rankings
Estimated WTA Rankings As of February 18, 2014
Rank &
Prior
Rank ...Name ............. Points
1 (1) SWILLIAMS 12380*
2 (2) Li 6690
3 (3) ARADWANSKA 5705*
4 (4) Azarenka 5681
5 (5) Sharapova 5206
6 (8) KERBER 4490
7 (9) HALEP 4435
8 (7) JANKOVIC 4380*
9 (6) KVITOVA 4365*
10 (10) ERRANI 4195*
11 (12) IVANOVIC 3155*
12 (13) Cibulkova 3056
13 (11) WOZNIACKI 3055*
14 (14) VINCI 2940
15 (16) SUAREZ NAVARRO 2685*
16 (15) LISICKI 2650
17 (17) STOSUR 2605
18 (18) STEPHENS 2415
19 (19) BOUCHARD 2366
20 (20) FLIPKENS 2285*
21 (21) Pavlyuchenkova 2240
22 (22) PENNETTA 2214*
23 (24) MAKAROVA 2065
24 (23) Kirilenko 2046
25 (25) KANEPI 1991*
26 (26) CORNET 1985*
27 (27) CIRSTEA 1940*
28 (28) SAFAROVA 1820*
29 (29) Kuznetsova 1598
30 (30) Hampton 1532
Draws
Dubai -- week of February 17, 2014
1 S Williams
--bye
Kleybanova
Makarova
Stephens
Safarova
Qualifier
5 Jankovic
3 Kvitova
--bye
Suarez Navarro
Petrova (WC)
Flipkens
Qualifier
Cornet
7 Halep
8 Wozniacki
Lisicki
Stosur
Qualifier
Cirstea
Vinci
--bye
4 Errani
6 Kerber
Ivanovic
V Williams (WC)
Vesnina
Kanepi
Qualifier
--bye
2 A Radwanska
Rio de Janeiro -- week of February 17, 2014
1 Zakopalova
Duque-Marino
Soler-Espinosa
Pigossi (WC)
Piter
Haddad Maia (WC)
Pfizenmaier
7 Zahlavova Strycova
4 Cadantu
Pereira
Shvedova
Mayr-Achleitner
Cepede Royg (Q)
Goncalves (WC)
Begu (Q)
8 King
6 Torro-Flor
Burnett (Q)
Larsson
van Uytvanck (Q)
Kovinovic (Q)
Bertens
Gibbs (Q)
3 Ormaechea
5 Nara
Hsieh
Friedsam
N Kichenok
Babos
Scheepers
Dominguez Lino
2 Schiavone
******** SCORES ********
TUESDAY
Dubai
Singles - Second Round
(1/WC) Serena Williams (USA) d. Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 76(8) 60
Singles - First Round
(5) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. (Q) Maryna Zanevska (UKR) 64 63
Ana Ivanovic (SRB) d. (6) Angelique Kerber (GER) 36 63 76(6) (saved 1mp)
Alizé Cornet (FRA) d. (7) Simona Halep (ROU) 61 11 ret. (right ankle injury)
(8) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) d. Sabine Lisicki (GER) 26 63 63
Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) d. (Q) Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 61 75
(Q) Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. Kaia Kanepi (EST) 75 64
(Q) Annika Beck (GER) d. Samantha Stosur (AUS) 16 61 64
Doubles - First Round
(1) Errani/Vinci (ITA/ITA) d. Pavlyuchenkova/Petrova (RUS/RUS) 64 64
Hlavackova/Safarova (CZE/CZE) d. (4) Black/Mirza (ZIM/IND) 76(5) 57 119 (Match TB)
Kudryavtseva/Rodionova (RUS/AUS) d. Jankovic/Kleybanova (SRB/RUS) 76(4) 62
Rio De Janiero
Singles - First Round
(1) Klara Zakopalova (CZE) d. Mariana Duque-Mariño (COL) 64 64
Lourdes Domínguez Lino (ESP) d. (2) Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 64 64
Teliana Pereira (BRA) d. (4) Alexandra Cadantu (ROU) 63 64
Dinah Pfizenmaier (GER) d. (7) Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) 26 64 63
(Q) Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU) d. (8) Vania King (USA) 64 60
Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) d. Timea Babos (HUN) 26 63 62
Patricia Mayr-Achleitner (AUT) d. Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) 64 63
(Q) Veronica Cepede Royg (PAR) d. (WC) Paula Cristi Goncalves (BRA) 75 76(8)
Doubles - First Round
(1) Zahlavova Strycova/Zakopalova (CZE/CZE) d. Hsieh/Hsieh (TPE/TPE) 60 62
Kichenok/Kichenok (UKR/UKR) d. (WC) Alves/Haddad Maia (BRA/BRA) 62 61
Begu/Irigoyen (ROU/ARG) d. Cadantu/Soler-Espinosa (ROU/ESP) 75 61