Alona Bondarenko wins Moorilla Hobart International

Alona Bondarenko wins Moorilla Hobart International

Ukraine’s Alona Bondarenko claimed her second career WTA title by beating Israel’s Shahar Peer 6-2 6-4 in the final of the Moorilla Hobart International.

Despite dropping serve twice in the second set Bondarenko won her first title since Luxembourg in 2006.

Peer wasn’t satisfied with her performance, saying she couldn’t find her rhythm throughout the match. Last year Peer won back-to-back titles in Guangzhou and Tashkent, after a three-year drought.

Bondarenko is seeded 31st and Peer 29th at the Australian Open which starts on Monday. (photo via Sony Ericsson WTA Tour)

Jelena Dokic to play Moorilla Hobart International

Jelena Dokic

Jelena Dokic will warm-up for the 2010 Australian Open, hopefully equally successful for her as the last one, at the January 8-16 Moorilla Hobart International.

At the 2009 Australian Open the former world No.4 reached the quarterfinals as a wildcard and 187th-ranked player, defeating three seeded players on the way. Since that unprecedented success Dokic hasn't made such major headlines concerning her on-court results, but she did win two ITF tournaments, in Athens (Greece) in September and Poitiers (France) in October.

The 26-year-old Dokic is currently ranked 57th. (source: Reuters, photo: Ralf Reinecke)

Petra Kvitova wins Moorilla Hobart International for first WTA title

Petra Kvitova wins Hobart International for first WTA titleCzech Petra Kvitova made her first WTA final a winning one, beating countrywoman Iveta Benesova 7-5 6-1 at the Moorilla Hobart International.

The 18-year-old Kvitova and the 25-year-old Benesova are close friends, Fed Cup teammates, they have the same coach, and they even shared a room during the Hobart tournament.

The world No.49 Kvitova broke Benesova's serve twice to win the first set, before powering away from her more experienced rival in the second set.

The 2009 Hobart International final was the first all-Czech WTA final since 2005. (sources: CBS Sports, photo via Moorilla Hobart International)

Flavia Pennetta upset, no seeds left in Hobart

Flavia PennettaTop seed Flavia Pennetta was defeated in the second round of the Moorilla Hobart International, along with fourth seed Zheng Jie and seventh seed Alona Bondarenko, which leaves the tournament’s quarterfinals without seeded players.

The world No.13 Pennetta was upset by No.57-ranked Magdalena Rybarikova 7-5 6-3, who scored her first Top 20 win.

Earlier in the day, the Chinese No.1 Zheng lost to Gisela Dulko 6-3 6-3, while the Ukrainian No.1 Bondarenko lost to Petra Kvitova 6-2 6-1.

Other seeds at the Moorilla Hobart International were all defeated in the first round already, and they were No.2 seed Patty Schnyder, No.3 seed Anna Chakvetadze, No.5 seed Agnes Szavay, No.6 seed Aleksandra Wozniak and No.8 seed Tamarine Tanasugarn. (photo by Dima Korotayev/Epsilon/Getty Images via Sony Ericsson WTA Tour)

Anna Chakvetadze upset in Hobart, seeds falling

Anna ChakvetadzeThree seeds fell on the second day of the Moorilla Hobart International, and most notably No.3 seed Anna Chakvetadze.

The world No.18 Chakvetadze was up in the third set, but Carla Suarez Navarro eventually beat her 7-6(5) 1-6 7-5 in the first round. Suarez Navarro became better known at Roland Garros last May when she reached the quarterfinals as a qualifier. Her win over Chakvetadze is her best career victory.

Chakvetadze was playing her first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event of the season. In 2008, the Russian lost six of her last eight matches and fell from the Top 10 to where she is now.

Other seeds sent packing were No.5 seed Agnes Szavay, who was defeated by Anne Keothavong 6-3 7-5, and No.6 seed Aleksandra Wozniak, who saved seven match points in the second set but eventually lost to Polish qualifier Urszula Radwanska 3-6 7-6(3) 7-5. (source: Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, photo: annachakvetadze.com)


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