Prettier faces have advantage of playing on Wimbledon Centre Court

Svetlana Kuznetsova at Wimbledon 2009Beauty of a player is among the things taken into consideration when deciding on the court selection at Wimbledon and it has been confirmed by All England Club spokesperson Johnny Perkins.

"Good looks are a factor," said Perkins, and added that court selection is "a great big mixture of where the players are in the draw, who they're playing, what their ranking is".

Svetlana Kuznetsova was among those bewildered by the situation:

It's weird. If you look at the schedule, it's not only about me. It's about Dinara on Court No 2, Venus (Williams) on Court No 1 and the girls who are not very highly seeded they play on Centre. I respect them. They're great players for sure. But this is what's weird for me; what's their strategy, what's their plan of making the schedule?

Kuzzy, I’m illustrating this article with your photo! :)

Despite the frustrations of the supposedly less-pretty top players, BBC is benefiting from Wimbledon’s scheduling policy.

A BBC source said:

No one has heard of many of the women now, so if they are pretty it definitely gives them an edge. Our preference would always be a Brit or a babe as this always delivers high viewing figures.

(source Daily Mail via Down the Line, photo courtesy of Life)

Birthday girl Kuznetsova loses to Sabine Lisicki in Wimbledon third round

Svetlana KuznetsovaFifth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova did not let sixth seed Jelena Jankovic hold the title of the biggest upset in the first week of Wimbledon for long, as she quickly followed her out by losing to Sabine Lisicki 6-2 7-5.

The world No.41 Lisicki won the first set in 37 minutes and established a 5-2 lead in the second. Kuznetsova then fought back and even served at 5-6, 40-love for the tiebreak, but Lisicki broke Kuznetsova and finished the match on her fifth match point.

Unseeded Lisicki reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time by beating Kuznetsova, who has today turned 24.

In the fourth round Lisicki will play ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki, who easily defeated 20th-seeded Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-2 6-2. (photo courtesy of our reader Jacob)

Svetlana Kuznetsova to donate a portion of Roland Garros earnings to church

Svetlana KuznetsovaThe 2009 French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova revealed in an interview for sovsport.ru what she will spend her prize of €1 060 000 on. The Russian is planning to buy an accommodation in Moscow and a luxurious watch, while the most part she will donate to church.

Here’s what Kuznetsova said:

I am planning to buy an accommodation in Moscow, I am still renting an apartment. Also, I have promised to myself to buy a good expensive watch. The majority of the money I am going to donate to my church. There the director of orthodox temple is my spiritual father. I try to be there as often as possible, to think about something personal, something eternal. But I have a very busy schedule. Occasionally, the father himself visits me. No matter how strange it sounds, I am a very religious person and I try to attend church even in other countries.

Considering the prices of apartments in Moscow, I keep wondering how it's possible that she will give a majority of the money to church. However, all the respect for Kuznetsova, honorable move. (source: Tennis Info Blog, photo: Stephane Martinache)

Ladies glam up for Ralph Lauren Sony Ericsson Pre-Wimbledon Party

Elena Dementieva at Ralph Lauren Sony Ericsson Pre-Wimbledon PartyAna Ivanovic at Ralph Lauren Sony Ericsson Pre-Wimbledon Party

Some of the WTA Tour players dressed elegantly last night for the annual Ralph Lauren Sony Ericsson Pre-Wimbledon Party hosted by Richard Branson at The Roof Gardens.

Venus Williams at Ralph Lauren Sony Ericsson Pre-Wimbledon PartySerena Williams at Ralph Lauren Sony Ericsson Pre-Wimbledon Party Read more »

Calm Svetlana Kuznetsova quickly beats No.1 Dinara Safina to win Roland Garros 2009

Calm Svetlana Kuznetsova quickly beats No.1 Dinara Safina to win Roland Garros 2009

The 2009 French Open championship match was much shorter and less thrilling than we had expected, with Svetlana Kuznetsova quickly defeating favorite Dinara Safina 6-4 6-2 in an-all Russian final. To make things worse, the world No.1 Safina double-faulted on the championship point.

The top-seeded Safina opened the match which began with an exchange of breaks. In the eighth and ninth game there was another exchange of breaks, and both players had a 40-0 lead on their opponent’s serve. Despite being quickly broken back in the ninth game, Kuznetsova broke Safina yet again in the tenth game, and took the first set.

In the second set, the seventh-seeded Kuznetsova earned breaks in the sixth and eighth games, to prevent the 23-year-old Safina from claiming her maiden Grand Slam title.

Safina has failed to crown her spectacular clay-court season, including her impressive run to the French Open finals, by losing her third Grand Slam final and second successive at Roland Garros. The 23-year-old Kuznetsova won her second Grand Slam title in her fourth major final.

Moreover, we are still having a shaky and slamless player on top of the rankings. Safina had an excellent chance, as well as ability, to make herself stand out from the rest, but she wasted the opportunity and hence failed to restore balance in women’s tennis.

The 74-minute match is the eighth consecutive straight sets women's final at Roland Garros. (photo: Stephane Martinache)


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