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FORTIS CHAMPIONSHIPS (Luxembourg; hard; WTA Tier II)
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Photos
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Daniela Hantuchová, Anna Chakvetadze, Klára Koukalová and others:
http://makeashorterlink.com/?S215417EB

The above players plus Roberta Vinci and others:
http://www.fortis-championships.lu/gallery.html

Daniela Hantuchová and Alyona Bondarenko:
http://inside-tennis.net/index.php?action=gallery&id=167

Daniela screencaps:
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/danifan/Dani_Lux.htm

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First round
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+ DANIELA HANTUCHOVÁ [5] d. Anabel Medina Garrigues,
6-7 (7/2) 7-6 (7/2) 6-0

Daniela saved two match-points on her serve at 5-6 in the second!
(after deuces). Daniela "needed all her skill" [CEEFAX] to see off
the feisty Spaniard who "ran down everything that was fired at her"
[www.wtatour.com].

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Second round
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+ DANIELA HANTUCHOVÁ [5] d. Anna Chakvetadze, 6-4 6-1

A most intriguing match, as Daniela is a member of my eternal
fanship while Anna is a candidate for such. They had never met
before in a professional singles match, so I wasn't sure what to
expect. Daniela is coming off an American hardcourt summer which saw
her near to her best form, while Anna is on an impressive
improvement-curve judging by her 2005 results.

Daniela overcame an ankle-problem and a choked 4-0 lead to see off
the ultra-cute Anna rather easily in the end.

I followed live scores at http://www.scortenn-live.com/ - here are
my comments as I wrote them at the time:


First Set
---------
HANT *@*@____*@ 6
CHAK ____@*@*__ 4

The match started at 16:15 CEST.

Dani serving 0-0: 40/0, 40/15, held.
Anna serving 0-1: 15/15, 40/15 -> 40/40, ad D, broken.

From what I've seen so far, Anna is pretty reliable at holding
serve - except when she has to serve for a set. It's a pretty big
blow against her to drop serve from 40/15 up, and I already get the
feeling that Daniela could run away with this match.

My feelings are pretty strange at the moment: I want Daniela to win
the match, but I don't want Anna to get badly thrashed - even by a
member of my eternal fanship.

Dani serving 2-0: held to love.

Daniela then took a medical timeout, even though she was 3-0 up, as
she explained after the match:
"I had inflammation of tendonitis and felt it three days ago so I
couldn't practise before the tournament. I had treatment on the
ankle, but the problem in the match was not the ankle - it was the
tape. It was too tight and I had no feeling in my foot. I tried to
forget about it but I couldn't. It's annoying to ask for the trainer
after just three games and I don't like to do it, but I had no
choice."

Anna serving 0-3: 15/0, 15/30, 30/30, 30/40 (BP), broken.

Daniela has now won 12 games in a row since saving match-points at
6-7 5-6 against Anabel Medina Garrigues.

Dani serving 4-0: broken to love.
Anna serving 1-4: 30/15, 40/15 -> 40/40, ad A, held.

An important hold for Anna after being broken from 40/15 up in the
second game. Daniela needs to be vigilant now - Anna is a tremendous
fighter.

Dani serving 4-2: 40/0 -> 40/40, ad A, broken.

Well, that attack of Alexandra Stevenson's syndrome (dropping serve
from 40/0 up) has completely changed the complexion of this match.
I'm no longer worried about Anna being thrashed - I'm worried about
Daniela having her fragile confidence shattered by losing this set
from 4-0 up.

Anna serving 3-4: held to love.
Dani serving 4-4: 15/15, 15/30, 30/30, 40/30, 40/40, held.
Anna serving to stay in the first set at 4-5: 0/15, 15/30, 30/30,
40/40, Daniela won the first set 6-4 at 16:57.

But Daniela has been much more resilient in the last three months
than she was from March 2003 to June 2005, and she's now firmly back
in the driving-seat for this match. I attribute her newfound
confidence to getting herself in top shape physically.


Second Set
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HANT * *@*@* 6
CHAK _*_____ 1

Dani serving 0-0: 40/0, 40/15, held.
Anna serving 0-1: 30/0, 40/15 -> 40/40, held.

Once again, Anna taken from 40/15 to 40/40. Daniela has a history of
wasting opportunities, but I think in this case it will get inside
Anna's head that she's not going to get an easy ride from 40/15 up.

Dani serving 1-1: 15/15, 40/15, held.
Anna serving 1-2: 15/0, 15/40 (2 BPs), 30/40, broken.
Dani serving 3-1: 30/0, 30/15, 40/15, held.
Anna serving 1-4: 15/40 (2 BPs), 30/40, broken.
Dani serving for the match at 5-1: held to love. Daniela won 6-4 6-1
at 17:21 (66 minutes).

I think Daniela has two big advantages over Anna: experience and
sheer brilliance.

I'm a bit disappointed that it was so one-sided, but maybe in four
years' time it will be Anna's turn to give a promising 18-year-old a
tennis-lesson.

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Quarter-finals
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- DANIELA HANTUCHOVÁ [5] lt. NATHALIE DECHY [4], 6-1 6-4

Teletext described Daniela's performance as "flaky". The fans on
WTAworld.com who watched the match on Eurosport were not so
complimentary. Apparently her movement was terrible and her body-
language very negative.

It's such a letdown after her thrashing of Anna Chakvetadze in the
previous round.

Daniela: "Everything went wrong with my game. She played really
smart, she didn't let me play my game and I couldn't find my rhythm."

HANTU _____*_ 1
DECHY *@*@* * 6

HANTU * *____@*_ 4
DECHY _* *@*@__* 6

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/hantu/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/danielahantuchova/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jeldani/