Tennis Blog

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Daniela Hantuchova, on the comeback trail after being sidelined with a foot injury earlier this year, was crushed 6-4 6-2 by German qualifier Anna-Lena Groenefeld in the U.S. Open first round on Tuesday.

The 11th-seeded Slovakian, who reached the last four at the Australian Open in January, struggled to find her range against the big-serving German and was swept aside in 71 minutes.

Groenefeld, world-ranked 141st after reaching a career-high 14th in 2006, kept her opponent on the back foot by dominating from the baseline and firing down seven aces.

"I really didn't get the chance to get into the match," world number 12 Hantuchova told reporters. "She was serving incredibly well and her first serves were around 125 (mph) which gave me no chance. I felt I was always under pressure."

The Slovakian said she had not fully recovered from the foot injury which kept her out of action for two months in the build-up to this year's Wimbledon.

"I don't feel 100 percent fit," she added. "The foot feels much better but I lost the feeling of playing and that takes time to get back."

Groenefeld, slowly working her way back up the world rankings after a protracted contractual battle with her former coach, was delighted to upset Hantuchova.

SECOND CHANCE

"It's a kind of a second chance for me in my career and I have a lot more influence now on what I am doing," said the 23-year-old, who stopped playing competitively for nine months when at her lowest ebb.

"I have just beaten Daniela so that's a great start. Ranking-wise, that's the best match I have played this year. Every win gives you more confidence and I believe I am on my way back.

"My serve is a great weapon of mine and I think I have improved it this year," she said after winning 96 percent of her first serve points.

"I was very happy with my first serves because I knew I had to play aggressively against her."

Groenefeld, who had to compete on the lower Challenger circuit after her ranking plummeted, said she had no desire to dwell on the past.

"I didn't play for eight to nine months because of everything that was going on behind the tennis lines," she added. "I had time off to re-group mentally. The final cut came just a couple of months ago.

"Everything is now over. I don't really want to think about the past again. I am much more relaxed and happy outside of the court."

Groenefeld will meet a wildcard opponent, either Australian Jessica Moore or American Melanie Oudin, in the second round.

Daniela Hantuchova just won her 2nd round match against Govortsova . Hantuchova, the No.2 seed this week, survived a two-hour, 29-minute scare against Olga Govortsova, advancing with a 36 62 76(4) victory. Govortsova had beaten Hantuchova in her opening match at Los Angeles three weeks ago in straight sets and seemed headed for a repeat upset as she won the first set, 6-3; but the Slovak, who dipped out of the Top 10 just recently, battled back to win in a third set tie-break. Govortsova had all sorts of chances in the third set - she led 5-3 and held three match points leading 6-5, then led 4-2 in the tie-break before Hantuchova reeled off the last five points of the match.
In doubles, Daniela is once again teaming with Davenport and won their first match against Craybas and Govortsova 6-3 6-4.

Dinara Safina advances into 3rd round with a straight sets win over Spain's Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 7-6 6-1. She now awaits the winner of the match between China's Jie Zheng and Spain's Nuria Llagostera Vives.

Meanwhile, Daniela Hantuchova lost to Caroline Wozniacki 1-6 3-6.

Daniela Hantuchova into the second round after beating Ai Sugiyama in straight sets 6-2 7-5.

Daniela was leading 6-2 3-0 against Ai Sugiyama in the 1st round singles match when rain started. Play will resume tomorrow.

My last days before the Olympic
2008-08-01

Hi guys!Last week i have visited the nike base in Portland which was incredible experience..the whole place is absolutely fantastic it makes you understand why nike is the biggest and best sport company in the world..all the people i had...

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The WTA Tour announced on Friday that world number 12 Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia had withdrawn from the Montreal Cup due to a change in her schedule.

Sixth seed Hantuchova ousted by Govortsova in second round
July 22, 2008
CBSSports.com wire report

CARSON, Calif. -- Sixth seed Daniela Hantuchova, the runner-up in the East West Bank Classic three years ago, made an unexpectedly early exit on Tuesday night, losing to Olga Govortsova 6-2, 6-4 as the second round of the WTA Tour event began without Serena Williams.

Williams, the tournament's No. 2 seed, withdrew early in the day with a left knee injury.

Govortsova, 19, of Belarus, squandered three match points on her serve in the ninth game of the second set, then capitalized on the fourth one with a forehand to the open court at 30-40 on Hantuchova's serve. Govortsova, who is ranked No. 43, admitted to some nerves after taking a 5-1 lead in the second set, especially since the 12th-ranked Hantuchova had rallied in a similar situation to win their first meeting last year.

"When I was up 5-1, I started to think I'm going to win the match, then she started to play more aggressive," Govortsova said. "Then at 5-4, I started to hit the ball again and finally won. She hits the ball really deep and has a good serve. To beat her, you have to be aggressive."

Hantuchova, who still is trying to find her form after a long layoff from a stress fracture in her right heel, said that her game is "not there yet. I just have to be patient, keep practicing and keep working hard. It's a long way back."

CARSON, CA - JULY 21: Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia answers questions during a news conference during day one of the East West Bank Classic at the Home Depot Center on July 21, 2008 in Carson, California. (Photo by Jonathan Moore/Getty Images)

Source:Yahoo!

Atp Rogers Cup Oop Singles: Centre Court not before 7:30 pm

Frank DANCEVIC (CAN) orMario ANCIC (CRO) vs. Novak DJOKOVIC (SRB)
followed by
Marat SAFIN (RUS) vs. Sam QUERREY (USA) 1st rd

WTA East West Bank Classic Singles : Stadium not before 7:00 pm

Daniela HANTUCHOVA (SVK) vs. Olga GOVORTSOVA (BLR) 2nd rd

Daniela Hantuchova and Flavia Pennetta won their doubles match against Amanmuradova/Bondarenko 6-2 7-5.

Lots of luck for Marat and Daniela!!!

Rogers Cup Main Draw

EastWest Bank Classic Main Draw

Jelena Jankovic SRB (1) - BYE
Vania King USA vs Angela Haynes USA (Q)
Olga Savchuk UKR vs Gisela Dulko ARG
Melinda Czink HUN (LL) vs Virginie Razzano FRA (13)
Nadia Petrova RUS (9) vs Alina Jidkova RUS (Q)
Akgul Amanmuradova UZB vs Jamea Jackson USA (WC)
Anne Keothavong GBR vs Jill Craybas USA
Vera Zvonareva RUS (5) - BYE

Dinara Safina RUS (4) - BYE
Shuai Peng CHN vs Julie Ditty USA
Anastasia Rodionova AUS vs Alla Kudryavtseva RUS (Q)
Monica Niculescu ROU vs Dominika Cibulkova SVK (15)
Shahar Peer ISR (12) vs Samantha Stosur AUS
Elena Vesnina RUS vs Regina Kulikova RUS (Q)
Yung-Jan Chan TPE vs Aravane Rezai FRA
Victoria Azarenka BLR (8) - BYE

Patty Schnyder SUI (7) - BYE
Sabine Lisicki GER vs Ai Sugiyama JPN
Aiko Nakamura JPN vs Tamira Paszek AUT
Aleksandra Wozniak CAN vs Flavia Pennetta ITA (10)
Sybille Bammer AUT (14) vs Ahsha Rolle USA (Q)
Ashley Harkleroad USA vs Stephanie Dubois CAN
Marta Domachowska POL vs Coco Vandeweghe USA (WC)
Anna Chakvetadze RUS (3) - BYE

Daniela Hantuchova SVK (6) - BYE
Darya Kustova RUS (Q) vs Olga Govortsova BLR
Bethanie Mattek USA (WC) vs Abigail Spears USA (Q)
Ayumi Morita JPN vs Nicole Vaidisova CZE (11)
Sania Mirza IND (16) vs Eva Hrdinova CZE (Q)
Kateryna Bondarenko UKR vs Meng Yuan USA
Petra Kvitova CZE vs Alisa Kleybanova RUS
Serena Williams USA (2) - BYE

Two things you can take from the smooth-hitting Slovak.

1. Keep it simple. I often see club players try to imitate the wristy ground strokes that many top players use. That’s fine for the pros because they have the time to continually perfect and groove their swings, but it’s not a good idea if you don’t play a lot. Why? The more elements you have in a stroke, the more difficult it will be to produce when the pressure is on. One of the key fundamentals of tennis is creating a solid technical foundation so that when the match gets tight, your strokes don’t fall apart. Daniela Hantuchova, whose ground strokes are some of the cleanest in the game, obviously did a great job of that in her formative years. Hantuchova hits the ball much like Lindsay Davenport, using long, fluid, uncomplicated strokes. Her forehand and backhand have gradual low-to-high sweeps to them, not extreme low-to-high movements, giving her topspin for safety but enabling her to drive through the ball. In fact, her technique is so sound that it’s easy for her to hit penetrating shots even when she’s under pressure.

To get a feel for hitting clean, deep drives, try this in practice. Using a moderately low-to-high stroke, hit the ball 3 feet past the baseline while not allowing it to clear the net by more than 2 or 3 feet. It’s difficult to do because you really have to hit through the ball. If your mechanics are correct, your follow-through won’t be much above shoulder height. Also, make sure you get in good position; if you don’t set up so you can make contact between your knees and rib cage—which Hantuchova does beautifully—you won’t have much success with this drill.

2. Round out your game. Whether she’s blasting forehands and back-hands or hitting volleys, Hantuchova is comfortable in all parts of the court. I think a big reason for this is that she has played so much doubles. (In case you didn’t know, Hantuchova owns a career Grand Slam in mixed doubles.) Balancing your singles game with a regular dose of two-on-two will teach you different ways to win points. When Hantuchova competes in singles, she frequently finishes points with volleys because her ground strokes create opportunities for her to approach the net. This is a skill that doubles has helped her refine. Another thing that doubles has done for Hantuchova’s game—and it should do the same for yours—is force her to have an aggressive mentality on her returns. When returning in doubles, you have to pick a target and go for it in order to avoid the person at net. This has taught Hantuchova to be offensive from the first hit. In today’s game, even at the club level, if you can instill fear in your opponent that you will attack weak second serves, it will pay big dividends. It may not win you the point right away, but it will become a factor later on in the match when the pressure is on.

Article by Paul Annacone - Tennis.com

Some beautiful photos of Daniela (by Julian Hargreaves) in the article of Federico Ferrero "Vacanze" More on her official site.

"Sugi's performance was very solid, she was patient and wasn't making errors, while in my own game were too many errors and negatives. After long pause caused by the injury I need to get match play. However, I am glad that I finally could practice the way I normally do and play tennis without feeling any pain."

"I led 3-0, had some chances then, but my opponent played well, while I made mistakes at important moments."

July 16,2008

2nd round results:
Ai Sugiyama (JPN) def Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 6-3 6-1

Fourth seed Daniela Hantuchova was sent crashing out of the WTA Stanford event. She was playing in just her third match since mid-April due to a stress fracture in her foot.

Results - Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Doubles - First Round:
(4) Poutchek/Rodionova (BLR/RUS) d. Hantuchova/Petrova (SVK/RUS) 64 63

Order of Play - Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Stadium (from 11.00hrs)
1. Cibulkova vs. K.Bondarenko
2. Peer vs. Chakvetadze (NB 13.00hrs)
3. Sugiyama vs. Hantuchova
4. Hrdinova/Uhlirova vs. Chakvetadze/Mirza
5. S.Williams vs. Larcher de Brito (NB 19.00hrs)
6. Poutchek/Rodionova vs. Yelsey/Zalameda

Countdown to Beijing 2008 24 Days > Hantuchova’s game for a medal

From: Malay Mail

SLOVAK tennis star Daneile Hantuchova is looking forward to a memorable outing at the Beijing Olympics next month by winning a medal. SLOVAK tennis star Daneile Hantuchova is looking forward to a memorable outing at the Beijing Olympics next month by winning a medal.

She will be competing in both the singles and doubles with Jannette Husarova.

Some tennis players have debated the Olympics' worth, as it falls in the middle of the Tour season and ahead of the US Open this year.

But Hantuchova said while some see the Beijing Games as a deterrent to playing well in Flushing Meadows, she sees it as another highranked hard court tournament to help fine-tune her game.

“Beijing will be the highlight of my year, so all the schedule around it will be so good that I will be as fresh as I can for the Olympics,” she said. “Nothing changes around the Grand Slams. Those are still the biggest events in tennis, and I will probably approach the Olympics as a fifth one, in terms of preparation. “Right after the Beijing Games is the US Open, which I don’t think is a big problem. “Hopefully, I will be in good form playing a lot of matches.

“The rest of the season won’t change for me either.” Another good reason why Hantuchova is so adamant about playing in the Olympics is that she wouldn’t be a tennis player if not for the world’s biggest multi-sports event.

“Definitely this is the reason why I started playing tennis,” Hantuchova said. “When I was five years old, the first time I saw tennis on TV was when I saw my countryman (Czechoslovakian) Miloslav Mecir win the 1988 Olympics. “For me that was the No 1 reason why I started playing tennis.

“So, it means so much to me, and I just can’t wait to be out there.” Hantuchova said she would play in the doubles at the Beijing Games if the opportunity presented itself. The last Games i n Athens was a short stay for Hantuchova as she was ousted in the second round, but that didn’t stop her from experiencing the Olympics in the time she had.

“My first time around, I was going all over the places there,” she said.

“I was following my fellow athletes to all venues and I had a very good time. “It was crazy but I think this time I am going to concentrate on my sport. This time I’ll try and go for the medal.” The only sport she said in terms of wanting to go and see was short-distance swimming.

Hantuchova, after a Grand Slam lull in her career from the 2003 Roland Garros through to the 2005 US Open, has recorded six fourth-round appearances since 2006, including her semi-final appearance in the Australian Open in Melbourne last January. After her quarter-final win at the Australian Open, Hantuchova revealed that she used to play the piano after practices and matches to soothe her nerves.

“It was a great way to relax, especially after a tough practice, tough day at school. “I was always so tired and sometimes falling asleep there.

“I used to play all the classics — Mozart, Beethoven, Bach.

“That kind of stuff,” the Slovak added.