Women's Tennis Blog » Barcelona Ladies Open

Top seed Marion Bartoli falls in round one of Barcelona Open

Marija — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 20:38:07 +0000

Marion Bartoli accepted a wildcard for the Barcelona Ladies Open and was a top seed at the event, but fell in the first round to Magdalena Rybarikova 6-4 6-1, who scored her first real victory over the Frenchwoman in their six meetings (Rybarikova had defeated Bartoli once, but it was a retirement).

Both Rybarikova and Bartoli won just 48% of points on their first serve, but the 72nd-ranked Slovak was much better in converting break opportunities, especially in the second set, and hence the decisive scoreline.

By beating the world No.13 Bartoli, Rybarikova scored her best win, ranking-wise, since Tokyo 2009, when she defeated Nadia Petrova, who was also ranked 13th. (photo: © Neal Trousdale)

Francesca Schiavone claims Barcelona Ladies Open title

Marija — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 17:08:47 +0000

Francesca Schiavone justified her status as top seed by routing fellow Italian Roberta Vinci 6-1 6-1 in the final of the Barcelona Ladies Open to win her third WTA title.

The world No.54 Vinci had won all nine of her previous matches at the Barcelona Ladies Open and on her way to winning the tournament last year she beat the world No.17 Schiavone in the semifinals. It has remained Vinci’s only victory over Schiavone in five meetings.

Today, Vinci didn’t convert any of the three break points she had in the first set, while in the second set she didn’t even have such chances. However, teamed up with Sara Errani, Vinci claimed doubles title on the Barcelona clay. The two defeated Timea Bacsinszky and Tathiana Garbin 6-1 3-6 10-2 in the final. (photo via Barcelona Ladies Open)

Roberta Vinci dethrones Maria Kirilenko, wins Barcelona Ladies Open

Marija — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:25:33 +0000

Unseeded Italian Roberta Vinci beat defending champion Maria Kirilenko 6-0 6-4 at the Barcelona Ladies Open to win her second Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title.

Vinci went trough her first three rounds in straight sets – including a second-round 6-1 6-2 victory over world No.14 Flavia Pennetta, her sixth win over a Top 20 player.

Vinci had little trouble in the final, beating the sixth-seeded Russian in just an hour and 11 minutes to win first title since Bogota two years ago.

The 26-year-old Vinci has climbed from No.61 to No. 52 in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour rankings. (source: Sony Ericsson Open, photo via Craig Hickman's Tennis Blog)

Maria Kirilenko wins Torneo Barcelona KIA

Marija — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 19:30:30 +0000

Second seed Maria Kirilenko won the Torneo Barcelona KIA on Sunday with a comfortable 6-0 6-2 victory over Spanish wild card Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in the final.

It is Kirilenko's second Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title of the year and the fourth of her career. This season the Russian also won at Estoril, Portugal, in April.

The 21-year-old Kirilenko, who will climb to 19th in the world rankings on Monday, dominated in the first set and closed it out in 39 minutes. Martinez Sanchez, who was playing her first WTA final, produced resistance only during Kirilenko's second service game.

Kirilenko collected $22,900 with her win. (via CBS Sports, photo via Sony Ericsson WTA Tour)