Anna starts with a win in Doubles
Today Anna played her first doubles match in Tokyo with a totally unknown player called I. Tulyaganova!But:Both won against the well-known pair Cara Black/Elena Likhovtseva in 3 tough sets 7-6,2-6,6-3!
Tomorrow Anna plays her 1st Singles match vs. the unknown Obata Saori!
Good luck Anna!
January 28, 2001
Toray Pan Pacific Open - Tokyo
The draw isn't released already which is really a little bit strange.We will inform you as soon as possible.
The matches start on Tuesday and Eurosport starts its coverage with the quarterfinals on Friday!
January 24, 2001
Anna and Barbara were upset by the Williams-Sisters
First of all this match had to be removed to Vodafone Arena due to bad weather outside.So the roof had to be closed and in the beginning it looked pretty good for Anna and Barbara because they were able to break Venus and Serena and managed to win the first set 6-3!But after that the match turned and although Venus and Serena played tough quarterfinal-matches in Singles straight in front of this doubles match,they didn't seem to be tired or unconcentrated.Both hit some aces,had a good percentage of first serves and they were able to break Anna and Barbara twice in set 2 and 3 and this was enough.Finally the Williams-Sisters won 3-6,6-1,6-1 and here are some stats which show the difference between the two pairs:
| Anna/Barbara | Williams' | |
| Double Faults | 2 | 5 |
| Aces | 0 | 6 |
| Winners | 0 | 9 |
| unforced errors | 3 | 10 |
| 1st serve wins | 63% | 75% |
| 2nd serve wins | 36% | 57% |
Next Tournament for Anna probably will be the Toray Pan Pacific Open held in Tokyo every year!As soon as the draw is released we will inform you!
January 23, 2001
Anna is out in Singles
Anna showed a very solid performance in her second Grand Slam quarterfinal against Lindsay Davenport,World No.2!Her serve was very good although she didn't serve any aces but her serve was long,solid and she varied a lot!In the first set Anna was broken in the 5th game and this was enough for Davenport to maintain her lead to finally win the set 6-4!In the second set Anna had some break points to expand her lead up to 3-1 but Davenport hit very good groundstrokes when she had to and so she was able to level the match!After that it was similar to the first set with Davenport advancing to a 5-2 lead and unfortunately Anna couldn't break her and in the end it was all Davenport!
The World No.2 won the match after just an hour and made an end to Annas 2nd best Grand Slam-Result ever.
By the way - If Anna had won this match,it would have been not more difficult in the semifinal because Jennifer Capriati beat Monica Seles and Anna won their previous two matches in New York and Zurich!But okay,Lindsay won the match and not Anna but it would have been a huge chance for Anna to reach her first Grand Slam Final!Maybe in a few month in Roland Garros...
Read the post-match Interview...
Still upcoming for Anna is the Doubles quarterfinal where she and Schett will face the Williams Sisters which is supposed to become a great match.This match is scheduled as 4th match on Showcourt1 and Venus and Serena have to player their quarterfinal matches in the Singles competition right before.So there is maybe a little advantage for Anna and Barbara because the Williams' may be a little but tired.We will see.For all viewers in Europe this match will take place at about 4:00/5:00 AM (CET) tomorrow morning and eventually the german television channel ARD broadcasts a little bit.Maybe!
January 22, 2001
Anna in Doubles-QF but almost hit by flare...
It was a really very close match on Showcourt 1!Anna and Barbara faced Shinobu Asagoe/ Yuka Yoshida in the 3rd round of the doubles competition and lost the first set 2-6!At 2-5 it looked like a smokebomb which was thrown onto the court...unbelievable (you can see the Netcam-Pic quite soon)!After a few minutes the match could proceed and at 4-3 in the 2nd set Anna and Barbara could break Asagoe/Yoshida to lead 5-3 and the second set went towards Anna and Barbara!In the third set it was also close but now Anna and Schett were able to win their breakpoints to lead 5-2 and finally after more than 1 and a half hours Anna and Barbara defeated Asagoe/Yoshida 2-6,6-3,6-3 to book a place in the doubles quarterfinal!
Next up for Anna will be the Singles quarterfinal,her match vs. Lindsay Davenport! Their last meeting went well for Anna because she was able to win it in 3 sets almost 5 months ago in San Diego!Let's hope Anna can perform as well as in San Diego again and hopefully her stomach injury is no handicap for her!
Right
now we have more news from this orange signal flare
which was thrown on the court while Anna was
serving.It misses her quite close and it was an
15-year-old boy who did this.He and 5 other
teenagers were caught by police but already released
again.Unbelievable.
According to Anna she didn't knew what was going
on.Something flew on the court and she went away she
said but in our opinion the security level isn't
high enough and this will cause more security for
Anna.
How can incidents like those still happen??Everybody knows what Monica Seles suffered in Hamburg 93!Why is the security level so low?How can it be that an 15-year-old boy can carry a signal flare into the court???Unbelievable.
January 21, 2001
Anna advances to the quarterfinal
Anna showed her most solid performance so far at the Australian Open this day when she beat Barbara Rittner from Germany easily in straight sets 6-3,6-1!Anna had only some problems in the first set but managed to get through and after that there were no problems at all for the 8th seed!
With this victory Anna delivers her best performance ever her at the Australian Open by advancing to the quarterfinals where she will meet Lindsay Davenport,a player who she met in the Round of 16 last year!
Unfortunately Anna and Max were ousted in the Mixed competition which was totally unexpected because both were runner-ups at the US Open 2000.It was an depressing 3-6 3-6 defeat by Coetzer/Adams,so Anna is still competing in Singles and Doubles,no longer in the Mixed competition.
January 20, 2001
Anna wins 2nd Doubles match
Anna and Barbara marched through the 2nd round of the doubles competition absolutely easy!They beat the pair of Molik/DeLone 6-2,6-2 and will now face Shinobu Asagoe/Yuka Yoshida in the 3rd round in Doubles!
Just a few hours left for Anna to prepare for her 4th round match against Barbara Rittner from Germany!This match is scheduled 2nd in Vodafone Arena which means that it will start at about 3:00 AM (CET)!The german television ARD will broadcast this match LIVE for sure but Eurosport will also show a summary tomorrow!
Anna
also has to play her first match in Mixed Doubles
tomorrow!Anna teams up again with Max Mirnyi (both
reached the US OPEN00-Final) and they face Coetzer/Adams
in the 1st round!
This match is scheduled to take place on Showcourt 1
at about 7:00 AM / 8:00 AM,it will be the fifth
match on this court!
January 19, 2001
Anna struggles through to the fourth round
It was an incredible performance Anna should today in her 3rd round match against her doubles partner Barbara Schett!In the first set it seemed that Anna wasn't on the court at all.Whenever Anna made a point it was an unforced error made by Schett and mostly Annas shots landed beyond the lines.After just 15 minutes Annas was 0-5 behind and couldn't manage to come back!The first set went to Schett 6-2!
It was nearly the same throughout the second set!If Anna had lost this match in 2 straight sets with the performance she showed in the first 1 and a half set,it had been one of her most frustrating defeats ever.But fortunately Anna came back in the 9th game of the second set.Suddenly she started to keep the ball in the game and didn't try to go for the winner immediately!Annas good serve with many aces helped her as well.She was able to win the second set 6-4!
The third set showed the tennis everyone expected.The ralleys became longer and the there weren't just mistakes from both players!Anna could break Schett twice and this was enough for her to finally beat her doubles partner 2-6,6-4,6-3.
Next up for Anna is the Round of 16 and there she will meet Barbara Rittner of Germany!Anna has already beaten her some years ago - 1997 in Wimbledon!
Read the Interview after the match...
January 18, 2001
Anna wins first doubles match
Anna and Barbara had an easy first round match vs. Dawn Bush and Tina Hergold!They needed just about one hour to secure an undisputed 6-1,6-2 victory!
You will be able to see exclusive AKFS Slamcam- and Netcam-Pics from this match very soon!
Much more important and difficult for Anna is her 3rd round match in the Singles competition tomorrow!She will face her doubles Partner Barbara Schett on Showcourt 1 where the enthusiastic crowd will support Anna as much as they can for sure.It is going to be a tough match for Anna if she continues to play like she did the previous two rounds. If she plays like in New York in Madison Square Garden back in November 2000,she will have no problems at all and the fourth round would be relatively easy but who knows?!
This match will probably be broadcastet by ARD live (german television) at about 2:30/3:00 AM (CET) because it is scheduled as second match on Showcourt 1 after a Men's Doubles match!
January 17, 2001
Anna advances to the 3rd round
It wasn't Annas best performance ever she showed in the Rod Laver Arena vs. her hungarian opponent Rita Kuti-Kis but it Anna played well enough to beat her in straight sets 6-3,6-4!Similar to her first round match she was behind 1-4 in the second set but managed to come back with a solid first service and good percentage of winning break points!Overall Anna should come to the net more often because from the baseline she committed some unnecessary unforced errors.
Waiting for Anna in the 3rd round is her doubles partner Barbara Schett from Austria and she has to perform better than she did in her first two matches.
Anna also competes in the Mixed Doubles competition again with her familiar partner Max Mirnyi.Both reached the final of last years US Open and they are the 2nd seed!In their first match they face the pair of Coetzer/Adams!
In Doubles Anna and Barbara face Bush/Hergold and this match is scheduled as third match in Vodafone Arena on Thursday where the matches begin at 10:00 AM!
January 16, 2001
Anna faces Kuti Kis
Only a few hours left until Anna has to play her second round match at the Australian Open!She face Rita Kuti-Kis,who has thrown out Jelena Dokic from last years Aussie Open!But if Anna stays concentrated and focused,everything will be good and she'll win!
If
you want to stay in touch with everything what's
going on in Melbourne visit the
official Tournament website where you will also
find Live-Scoreboard,Video Interviews,photos,
articles and much more!
For all viewers in Europe Annas second match will be broadcasted LIVE on Eurosport for sure tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM!!
January 15, 2001
Anna won her 1st match
Anna has already played her first match and it was a successful one!Finally,the score was 6-2,7-5 for Anna but especially in the first set Anna was performing well with solid groundstrokes,many winners and few unforced errors.In the second set it was a little but vice versa.The 17-year-old Hantuchova played well and Anna fell behind by producing too many unforced error and she also seemed to be a little bit out of condition!After lying behing 0-3 and 1-4 Anna found back into the match and managed to win the set 7-5!
Next up for Anna is Rita Kuti Kis!
Read the Interview...
January 14, 2001
Anna vs Hantuchova
The Australian Open 2001 start tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM and different to 2000 Anna wasn't scheduled to play at the night session starting at 7:00 PM!Anna has to play the first match on Showcourt 1 which starts at 10:00 AM!In Europe it means 0:00 CET,just a few hours to go!
If everything goes normal Anna will have no problems with her opponent who is ranked beyond the top 100!
Today Anna did play an exhibition match vs. Amanda Coetzer.We don't know the score already but we found a picture.
Throughout the tournament the german tv station ARD will broadcast almost all night long and Eurosport is in Melbourne almost the whole day!
You can also check out the official tournament website to see Interviews,Videos,Slamcam- and Netcam-Pics,Live Scoreboard and much more!
January 13, 2001
Anna/Schett defeat Nr.1 seeds
Anna and Barbara showed a very solid performance in the doubles final of the Adidas International Tournament in Sydney.Both beat the Nr.1 seeded pair of R.Stubbs and L.Raymond (2000 Australian Open champions)!
Next up for Anna is the first Grand Slam of the year - the Australian Open! Anna had good luck with the Draw,take a look at it (plus our meaning of how far Anna should come at least)! If everything goes on normally Anna easily will reach the quarterfinal!
January 11, 2001
Anna is out in Singles...
It was a very disappointing match for Anna yesterday.Morariu played very aggressively and managed to "destroy" Anna in just 46 minutes.The nearly unbelievable score:2-6,1-6 for Anna!What happened to Anna?Probably just a bad day for Anna like she said afterwards.
But Anna could reach the doubles final together with her old and new partner Barbara Schett.Yesterday both won Pratt/Shaughnessy in 3 sets 6-2,4-6,7-5 and today the pair defeated Coetzer/Po in the semis in straight sets:6-2,6-4!
January 9, 2001
Anna wins her first matches
Anna advances to the Round of 16 with her convincing win over Elena Bovina in her first WTA Tournament match of the new season!After the match Anna said:
"I was very concentrated in the match, which was important because I'd never played (Bovina) before so it was difficult to know what to expect"!
Anna managed this fact very good and is also proud of her recent improvements in her game:
"The last few months have been really a big improvement for me," said Kournikova. "I was ranked 14, now I'm No.8."
Anna looks forward to reach a place in the top 5 at the end of the season.
She also played doubles together with former partner Barbara Schett and was successful,too:Both defeated Erika De Lone and Jelena Kostanic 6-1,6-2 and will now meet Nicole Pratt and Meghann Shaughnessy in the quarterfinal.
Next for Anna in Singles is Corinna Morariu!
January 6, 2001 (II)
Anna lost the final....
Sad news for Anna!Once again she lost a final!Oh no!It seems that Jelena was playing too good but no matter if Anna played not good enough or Jelena was simply too strong,Anna lost 6-7,3-6!
What's
up with the doubles competition?
Good question,the result vs. Huber/Jing-Qian is
still missing,we don't have it so far.
Anna will now fly to Sydney to prepare for the Adidas International starting on Monday,8th 2001!
January 6, 2001
Anna meets Dokic,then Sydney
After her tough win over Jennifer Capriati in the semifinal Anna said that Capriati played "'extremely well in the first set. She was killing me and I had to hang in there.''But Anna was able to find the key to success:"I played point for point and it paid off for me,'' Kournikova said.
That's true!
Ahead of the Adidas International Tournament in Sydney which will run from January,8th-14th the draw has been released.You can see it here
January 5, 2001
Anna marches into the final
Great Anna!She defeated Jennifer Capriati for the 3rd time in a row in Hongkong after a hard fight.Capriati played great in the first set but after all Anna was too good and could beat her doubles partner from the US Open 2000 6-0 in the third set.
In the other semifinal Jelena Dokic defeated Elena Dementieva which means that Anna has to play the Australian teenager for the first time since their match in the Fed Cup 2000.Anna lost this match but she seems to be in much better shape right now.Tomorrow we will see if Anna wins this exhibition.
Afterwards she will fly to Australia,Sydney to perform in the Adidas International Tournament which starts on Monday,8th.The draw is still not available but as soon as it is we will show it!
January 5, 2001
Anna and Omega once again
Anna is the star in the third campaign with the swiss watchmaker OMEGA!The presentation of the "New Constellation Carre Gold Collection" took place in Hongkong on January,2nd 2001!See the pictures and read the story.
In the Watson's Water Challenge Exhibition Anna advanced to the semis by beating Barabanschikova two days ago and today she has to play against Jennifer Capriati who she beat two times in 2000.
Good luck Anna!
January 3, 2001
Anna won against Olga
Anna had a good start into the new season.She defeated fellow Russian Olga Barabanschikova in the quarterfinal of the Watson's Water Challenge Exhibition 6-4,6-1 and will now face either Anke Huber or Jelena Dokic in the semifinal.
Tomorrow Anna has her first doubles match in 2001!She meets the pair of Huber/Jing-Qian with her new doubles partner Lisa Raymond.
January 1, 2001
Anna and Martina definitely not again
As expected Martina and Anna won't compete in Doubles in the new year after the dispute in Chile some weeks ago.
There it is reported that Martina was upset after a close line call.The point was given to Anna and then Martina should have said "You think you are a queen but you know that I am a real queen".If this quote is accurate or not isn't quite clear but it seems that both don't want to play together anymore whatever happened in Chile!
This
is what Hingis recently said:"I would like to
be more independent now," Hingis said. "This
is going to be a big year for me on the singles
Tour, and I want to concentrate on that side of my
career.
"It has nothing to do with Anna, but I don't
want or need a regular doubles partner anymore,
although I will keep playing doubles when I can."
"Monica and I are teaming up for the (Australian)
Open, which will be a great experience for me."
It seems that the very successful partnership of Anna and Martina is definitely over.
As a tribute to this Dreamteam we made a Screensaver.