==================
ACURA CLASSIC 2006
(San Diego, California, USA; outdoor hard; WTA Tier I)
================== http://www.acuraclassic.com/
Photos
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http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news/?c=news_photos&p=hantuchova

Search Getty Images for "hantuchova"

Off-court video of the Slovak Fed Cup team (interviews in Slovak
with Daniela, Dominika Cibulková and Magdaléna Rybáriková):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcBwtjiAbcE

If Dani, Domi and Magda walked right past me looking as glamourous
as they do in this video, I think I would faint! ;-)

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Daniela pre-tournament quotes
-----------------------------

[Re. that elusive second WTA singles-title]
"I guess it's that when you win the first time, people don't know
you really well. It's not difficult to play your game and hurt your
opponents. When you're trying to win your second one, everyone knows
you. They know exactly how you're playing, so you have to try to
find different things. Obviously, there is more pressure as well;
people expect more from you.

"At the moment, I really feel confident."

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First round (Tuesday 1st August)
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+ DANIELA HANTUCHOVÁ [11] d. Kveta Peschke,
6-1 4-0 retired (right thigh)

I followed live scores casually. The only game Daniela lost was on
her own serve at 4-0 in the first.

There was a long delay at 3-0 in the second - presumably a medical
time-out for Peschke. When they resumed, Daniela saved three break-
points at 0/40, eventually holding for 4-0, whereupon Peschke
retired.

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Second round (Wednesday 2nd August)
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+ DANIELA HANTUCHOVÁ [11] d. Olga Savchuk [Q], 6-2 6-4

It's a good feeling, this result, because Daniela had lost 4-6 3-6
to Savchuk at Antwerp.

Daniela served for the match at 6-2 5-2, but was broken to love. Was
it to be the return of Daniela HantuCHOKEová? ;-)

Daniela serving for the match at 5-4: 0/30, 15/30, 15/40 (2 BPs) ->
40/40, ad Daniela (MP #1), Deuce #2, ad Daniela (MP #2),
GSM Daniela. Phew!

From www.acuraclassic.com:
>>>
Bright sunshine and warm temperatures were the order of the day as
11th seeded Daniela Hantuchová of Slovakia met Olga Savchuk of the
Ukraine on the Grandstand in a second-round Acura Classic match on
Wednesday morning.

Hantuchová came out strong and got off to a quick start in the first
set, as she hit two of her five aces to jump out to a 4-0 lead.

Savchuk, who qualified for the main draw, held serve easily in the
fifth game and had three break points in the next game. Hantuchová
erased each break point with her crafty shot making and sizzling
serve and went on to hold serve and eventually put the set away 6-2.

Hantuchová was poised to breeze through the second set easily as she
built a 5-2 lead on the strength of three service breaks, but
Savchuk was not ready to go down without a fight.

The Slovakian served for the match but was broken. Savchuk then held
serve at love to pull within one game at 5-4.

Serving for the match a second time, Hantuchová nearly lost her
serve again as she fought off two break points and finally got to
match point.

She then served and put away a volley winner to seal the match and
advance to the third round.
<<<

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Third round (Thursday 3rd August)
-----------

Two very nice players:
+ NICOLE VAIDIŠOVÁ [7] d. DANIELA HANTUCHOVÁ [11], 6-4 6-2

Nicole is the latest player that I have inducted into my Eternal
Fanship, so although I'm disappointed that Daniela once again
couldn't cut it with a player of this calibre, I'm very excited by
the progress that Nicole continues to make.

When I saw Daniela and Nicole on a practice-court at Birmingham
2005, it was obvious that they were very good friends from the way
they were smiling and laughing together.


The match was first on Court 1, and started at 13:25 PDT - two hours
later than originally scheduled because of a rain-delay.

I followed live scores on the Internet; here are my notes as I wrote
them at the time:


First Set:
HANTUCHOV __* * * *_ 4
VAIDIŠOVÁ @* * * * * 6

Daniela serving 0-0: 0/40 (3 BPs), 15/40, broken.

Oh dear. If Daniela can't hold serve with Nicole, she could be in
for a very short afternoon. :-o

Nicole serving 1-0: 15/0, 15/15, 30/15, 30/30, 40/30, held.

Good resistance from Daniela, but Nicole does have a huge serve -
possibly the biggest at this point in women's tennis! :-)

Daniela serving 0-2: 30/0, 30/15, 40/15, held.

Well done Daniela. It's quite a relief to get on the scoreboard
against such a brilliant player as Nicole, who has the capacity to
humiliate you.

Nicole serving 2-1: 15/0, 15/40 (2 BPs) -> 40/40, ad Nicole,
Deuce #2, ad Nicole, Deuce #3, ad Nicole, held.

Just when I was about to say "wow, Daniela broke back!", she reminds
us of her unfortunate habit of squandering break-point
opportunities. :-( She still gave Nicole a good workout in that
game, but there was an air of inevitability about it after Nicole
recovered from 15/40.

Daniela serving 1-3: held to love.
Nicole serving 3-2: 15/0, 15/15, 40/15, 40/30, held.
Daniela serving 4-2: held to love.

Daniela's holding serve rather more easily than Nicole in the last
few games. If she can just hold on and make Nicole have to serve for
the set at 5-4, as Svetlana Kuznetsova did in the middle set of that
French Open semi-final, that's when Nicole's chokeability may come
into play.

Nicole serving 4-3: 0/30, 15/30, 15/40 (2 BPs) -> 40/40, ad Nicole,
held.

That's the second time in this match that Daniela has let Nicole
recover from 15/40. :-(

(My comments may seem biased towards Daniela at the moment, but it's
only because she's the underdog in this match. It's hard to say who
I want to win: five years of loyal Daniela-fanship versus the
excitement of a new power rising in women's tennis.)

Daniela serving 5-3: 15/0, 15/15, 40/15, held.
Nicole serving for the first set at 5-4: 0/15, 15/15, 40/15 (2 SPs),
Nicole won the first set 6-4 at 14:01 (36m).

Well, Daniela did set the test for Nicole that I asked for at 4-3,
but Nicole passed it with flying colours. Daniela just has to
say "too good" to Nicole, although the set would have had a very
different complexion if Daniela hadn't wasted break-points at 15/40
at both 2-1 and 4-3.

Daniela needs to keep up the good work in the second set so that she
can at least come away with a respectable scoreline - and who knows
how Nicole might react if Daniela can both maintain the scoreboard-
pressure (as she did in the first set) AND take her opportunities
(as she has failed to do so far).


Second Set:
HANTUCHOV *___*___ 2
VAIDIŠOVÁ _*@* *@* 6

Daniela serving 0-0: 30/0, 30/15, held.
Nicole serving 0-1: held to love.
Daniela serving 1-1: 0/30 -> 30/30, 30/40 (BP), broken.

That's a real shame for the competitiveness of this match. Daniela
hasn't broken Nicole's serve so far, and there's not much indication
that she can do so now - except for the fact that she had four break-
points in the first set, and Nicole has been known to choke.

But the big difference between them is in their break-point
conversions: Daniela 0/4, Nicole 2/3.

(And Nicole has served 11 aces to just one by Daniela.)

Nicole serving 2-1: 0/15, 15/15, 30/15, 30/30, held.
Daniela serving 1-3: 15/0? 15/15, 30/15, 30/30, 40/30, held.

At least Daniela isn't wasting opportunities on her own serve, as
she could so easily have done in that game. But being a set and a
break down against a server of Nicole's calibre is a huge hole to be
in, and I can't really see a way back for Daniela in this match. All
she can do is play the waiting-game (keep holding serve), as
Kuznetsova did from exactly this position in that French Open semi-
final...

Nicole serving 3-2: 0/15, 15/15, 40/15, held.
Daniela serving 2-4: 30/0 -> 30/30, 30/40 (BP), broken.

Oh dear - that really does pop Daniela's balloon! :-( Nicole has now
converted 3/4 break-points, Daniela 0/4. That's why Daniela only has
one WTA singles-title on her CV, while Nicole already has six at the
age of 17!

Daniela has deserved a better scoreline than 4-6 2-6. If only she
wasn't such a waster of opportunities. :-(

Nicole serving for the match at 5-2: 0/30, 15/30, 15/40 (2 BPs) ->
40/40, ad Daniela (BP #3), Deuce #2, ad Nicole (MP #1), Deuce #3,
ad Nicole (MP #2), Nicole won 6-4 6-2 at 14:33 (1h08m).

And that last game really sums up the match: three more break-points
for Daniela, all squandered, but as soon as Nicole gets a match-
point... well, she needs another, but you get the general idea.


Statistics
----------

The big difference was that Daniela had 7 break-points and wasted
them all, while Nicole broke 3 times from 4 break-points, hence the
6-4 6-2 scoreline (in points it was much closer: 60-50).

Nicole's serve-percentages were only slightly better than Daniela's:
55% of first serves in (Daniela 54%), 86% of points won on first
serve (Daniela 80%), and 45% won on second serve (Daniela 43%).

But Nicole served a whopping 16 aces next to one by Daniela! I hope
that some of these were on Daniela's break-points.

Daniela served 3 double faults, while Nicole served six - which is a
bit high, but that hardly matters when her first serve did so much
damage!

-------
Doubles
-------

DANIELA HANTUCHOVÁ/SUGIYAMA,AI [3]:
1r bye
2r + Ana Ivanovic/Maria Kirilenko, 6-7 (6/8) 6-1 6-3
qf - DINARA SAFINA/KATARINA SREBOTNIK [7], 1-6 3-6

California, rest in peace
Simultaneous release
California, show your teeth
She's my priestess, I'm your priest

[Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Dani California"]

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

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