.
After almost 5 years in the lower echelons, Elena Dementieva is again a Champion
After almost 5 years in the lower echelons, Elena Dementieva is again a Champion
Three female players entered the Australian Open needing only a semifinal for a promotion to Ozeki (=Champion): French Open champion Ana Ivanovic, who had just lost Ozeki status after disappointing performances at Wimbledon and the US Open; world #1 Jelena Jankovic, who had been at the lower sanyaku ranks for more than 2 years, had repeatedly toyed with an Ozeki promotion and came to Australia as the US Open finalist; and Dementieva, who had quietly restablished herself as an elite player, reaching back-to-back semifinals at Wimbledon and the US Open.
In the end it was Dementieva--maybe the longest shot of the three--how suceeded. Ivanovic and Jankovic exited early and will be demoted to Komusubi (=Junior Champion II). By contrast, Dementieva sailed through the field, stopping the Spanish sensation Carla Suarez Navarro in the quarterfinals in two one-sided sets. Dementieva regains therefore Ozeki status she had first earned in 2004, after reaching the finals at the French and the US Open. At the time she could not hold on to the rank for long, hopefully she will do better this time. In the semifinals Dementieva will meet Yokozuna (=Grand Champion) Serena Williams, who looked vulnerable in her quarterfinal against M1W and former Ozeki Svetlana Kuznetsova.
The other female player who can still become Ozeki is Dinara Safina, who would need a victory in her semifinal against M1E Vera Zvonareva. However, Zvonareva has shown outstanding performances thus far, and a semifinal victory for her, together with a promotion to Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I), seems at least as plausible.
In the mens' tournament, an all-Yokozuna final is well within each. After Roger Federer's quarterfinal triumph of yesterday, Rafael Nadal shook of the pesty Frenchman Gilles Simon (M1W) in three sets. Nadal's surprise opponent will be his countryman Fernando Verdasco (M5E), who followed up on his victory over Sekiwake Andy Murray with the elimination of the 2008 finalist, M1E and former Sekiwake Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and has therefore earned the first sanyaku promotion of his career.
In the end it was Dementieva--maybe the longest shot of the three--how suceeded. Ivanovic and Jankovic exited early and will be demoted to Komusubi (=Junior Champion II). By contrast, Dementieva sailed through the field, stopping the Spanish sensation Carla Suarez Navarro in the quarterfinals in two one-sided sets. Dementieva regains therefore Ozeki status she had first earned in 2004, after reaching the finals at the French and the US Open. At the time she could not hold on to the rank for long, hopefully she will do better this time. In the semifinals Dementieva will meet Yokozuna (=Grand Champion) Serena Williams, who looked vulnerable in her quarterfinal against M1W and former Ozeki Svetlana Kuznetsova.
The other female player who can still become Ozeki is Dinara Safina, who would need a victory in her semifinal against M1E Vera Zvonareva. However, Zvonareva has shown outstanding performances thus far, and a semifinal victory for her, together with a promotion to Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I), seems at least as plausible.
In the mens' tournament, an all-Yokozuna final is well within each. After Roger Federer's quarterfinal triumph of yesterday, Rafael Nadal shook of the pesty Frenchman Gilles Simon (M1W) in three sets. Nadal's surprise opponent will be his countryman Fernando Verdasco (M5E), who followed up on his victory over Sekiwake Andy Murray with the elimination of the 2008 finalist, M1E and former Sekiwake Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and has therefore earned the first sanyaku promotion of his career.
No comments:
Post a Comment