Women's tennis circuit
2008 WTA Tour Jelena Janković finished the year as
WTA world No. 1 for the first time in her career, though Serena Williams was named the Player of the Year. Janković won four tournaments during the season, including two
Tier I events, and finished runner-up at a major at the
US Open . Williams won four tournaments during the season, including a major at the US Open, and two Tier I events.
Details Duration December 29, 2007 – November 9, 2008 Edition 38th Tournaments 59 Categories Grand Slam (4) WTA ChampionshipsSummer Olympics WTA Tier I (9)WTA Tier II (14)WTA Tier III (17)WTA Tier IV (13) Achievements (singles) Most tournament titles Serena Williams (4) Dinara Safina (4) Jelena Janković (4)Most tournament finals Vera Zvonareva (8)Prize money leader Serena Williams (US$3,852,173)Points leader Jelena Janković (4,786)Awards Player of the year Serena WilliamsDoubles team of the year Cara Black Liezel HuberMost improved player of the year Dinara Safina Newcomer of the year Caroline Wozniacki Comeback player of the year Zheng Jie
The 2008 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour was the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for the 2008 tennis season. The 2008 WTA Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments (supervised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF)), the WTA Tier I-IV Events, the Fed Cup (organized by the ITF), the year-end championships, and the tennis event at the Beijing Summer Olympic Games.
The season was characterised by its frequent changes in the world No. 1 ranking , with Justine Henin , Maria Sharapova , Ana Ivanovic , Jelena Janković and Serena Williams all holding the position at some point during the season. Janković finished the season as the world No. 1 player despite not winning a Grand Slam tournament. She did however reach the final of the U.S. Open, and won four tournaments throughout the season.
Four players won the Grand Slam titles. Maria Sharapova won her third major title at the Australian Open, Ana Ivanovic won her maiden title at the French Open, Venus Williams won her seventh Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, and Serena Williams won her ninth Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open. Dinara Safina also reached her first Grand Slam final at the French Open, and won four events during the season.
One of the big stories of the year was the shock retirement of Justine Henin on May 14, less than two weeks before she was set to defend her French Open title.[ 1] She became the first player to retire while ranked at No. 1 in the world. Henin later returned for the 2010 season.
Summary Justine Henin started the season as the No. 1 ranked player in the world. Following her impressive 2007 season and victory at the warm-up tournament in Sydney, she was considered the outright favourite to win the Australian Open. However, she was beaten in emphatic fashion by Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals, who then defeated Jelena Janković and Ana Ivanovic to win her third Grand Slam title. Daniela Hantuchová also reached her first Grand Slam semifinal. Sister team Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko pulled off an unexpected title run in the women's doubles, while Sun Tiantian teamed up with Nenad Zimonjić to win her first Grand Slam tournament of any kind in the mixed doubles event.
Maria Sharapova started the year on an 18-match winning streak. Sharapova continued to impress by winning the tournament in Doha, before her 18-match win streak was snapped by Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semifinals of Indian Wells. Kuznetsova went on to lose to Ivanovic in the final. It was then the turn of Serena Williams to build a win streak, claiming the titles in Bangalore, Miami—her fifth title at the event, tying Steffi Graf for the most singles titles at this tournament—and then Charleston. Her 17-match winning run was eventually ended in Berlin by Dinara Safina , who had already beaten Henin in that tournament, and subsequently went on to lift the title.
During the Rome tournament Henin announced her shock retirement from professional tennis, becoming the first player ever to retire whilst ranked at No. 1 in the world. Henin's removal from the rankings meant that then-No. 2 Maria Sharapova became the new No. 1 by default. Jelena Janković eventually won the tournament in Rome.
With Henin's retirement the French Open was considered to be wide open. World No. 1 Sharapova was stopped by Safina in the fourth round, who fought back from match points down to win, before doing the same against Elena Dementieva in the quarterfinals. She eventually reached her first Grand Slam final. On the other side of the draw Ana Ivanovic came through after an all-Serbian semifinal with Jelena Janković, which meant that Ivanovic would move to the No. 1 position regardless of the result in the final. She ended up beating Safina for her first Slam title. In the women's doubles tournament Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual were victorious, the first Slam for Medina Garrigues and the tenth for Ruano Pascual. Victoria Azarenka won her second Grand Slam in the mixed doubles event.
The third Grand Slam of the year at Wimbledon brought with it some surprises: for the first time in the Open Era none of the top four seeds managed to reach the semifinals. World No. 1 Ivanovic surrendered to Zheng Jie in the third round, who went on to become the first Chinese women to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam in singles. Tamarine Tanasugarn knocked out Janković en route to her only major quarterfinal. Sharapova was upset by Alla Kudryavtseva , and Kuznetsova lost to Agnieszka Radwańska , who had shown prior form winning the warm-up tournament in Eastbourne. Serena Williams and her sister Venus Williams reached the final, the first Grand Slam final between the two since Wimbledon five years ago. Venus would defeat her sister for her fifth Wimbledon title. They also teamed up to win the doubles title, their seventh as a team. In the mixed doubles event Samantha Stosur won with Bob Bryan.
Dinara Safina won four titles and improved to No. 3 in the world during the season. Ivanovic lost her No. 1 ranking in August, as fellow Serbian Jelena Janković ascended to the top position for the first time. Dinara Safina proved strong on the summer hardcourts, winning titles in Los Angeles and Montréal. She then made it to the final match at the Beijing Olympics, but lost to Dementieva, who achieved her biggest career victory with the gold medal. With Vera Zvonareva also winning the bronze medal it meant that Russia swept the podium in the singles event. Li Na almost made a strong run at home, but lost in the bronze medal match. In doubles Serena and Venus Williams won their second gold medals together, after winning at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Ivanovic regained the No. 1 position following the Olympics, and held it heading into the U.S. Open. There it was up to grabs with five women—Ivanovic, Janković, Safina, Kuznetsova, and Serena Williams—being in contention for the top spot. Ivanovic was upset in the second round by Julie Coin , one of the worst losses for a top-ranked player ever. Serena would defeat Jelena Janković in the final. By virtue of winning her eighth major title Williams ascended to the top ranking for the first time since 2002. In the doubles tournament Cara Black and Liezel Huber won their fourth Grand Slam as a team, with Black also victorious in the mixed doubles with Leander Paes.
The fall season saw Jelena Janković return to the No. 1 position after winning events in Beijing, Stuttgart and Moscow, and thus securing the year-end No. 1 ranking. Dinara Safina won the title in Tokyo, beating Petrova and Kuznetsova en route. Both had a solid indoor season with Petrova making the final of Stuttgart and winning Quebec, and Kuznetsova finishing runner-up in Beijing and Tokyo. Vera Zvonareva also had a strong finish to the year, reaching the final of Moscow and Linz, where she lost to Ivanovic, and the WTA Tour Championships in Doha, where she lost to Venus Williams. Williams won her first title at the year-end championships. Other players at the final event were semifinalists Elena Dementieva and Jelena Janković, Dinara Safina, Serena Williams, Ana Ivanovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova, plus alternates Agnieszka Radwańska and Nadia Petrova . In the doubles event Black and Huber successfully defended the title they won in 2007.
Schedule The table below shows the 2008 WTA Tour schedule .
Key Grand Slam events Summer Olympic Games Year-end championships Tier I events Tier II events Tier III events Tier IV events Team events
January Week Tournament Champions Runners-up Semifinalists Quarterfinalists 31 Dec Hopman Cup Perth , Australia Hopman Cup Hard (i) – A$1,000,000 – 8 teams (RR) United States 2–1 Serbia Round robin losers (Group A)
France Chinese Taipei Argentina Round robin losers (Group B)
India Australia Czech Republic Mondial Australian Women's Hardcourts Gold Coast , Australia Tier III event Hard – $175,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Li Na 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 Victoria Azarenka Patty Schnyder Shahar Pe'er Nicole Vaidišová Amélie Mauresmo Dinara Safina Dominika Cibulková Dinara Safina Ágnes Szávay 6–1, 6–2 Yan Zi Zheng Jie ASB Classic Auckland , New Zealand Tier IV event Hard – $145,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Lindsay Davenport 6–2, 6–2 Aravane Rezaï Marina Erakovic Tamira Paszek Vera Zvonareva Katarina Srebotnik Sara Errani Maria Kirilenko Mariya Koryttseva Lilia Osterloh 6–3, 6–4 Martina Müller Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová 7 Jan Medibank International Sydney , Australia Tier II event Hard – $600,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Justine Henin 4–6, 6–2, 6–4 Svetlana Kuznetsova Ana Ivanovic Nicole Vaidišová Kaia Kanepi Katarina Srebotnik Jelena Janković Francesca Schiavone Yan Zi Zheng Jie 6–4, 7–6(7–5) Tatiana Perebiynis Tatiana Poutchek Moorilla Hobart International Hobart , Australia Tier IV event Hard – $170,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Eleni Daniilidou Walkover Vera Zvonareva Flavia Pennetta Ashley Harkleroad Casey Dellacqua Sania Mirza Edina Gallovits Elena Vesnina Anabel Medina Garrigues Virginia Ruano Pascual 6–2, 6–4 Eleni Daniilidou Jasmin Wöhr 14 Jan 21 Jan Australian Open Melbourne , Australia Grand Slam Hard – $8,000,000 – 128S/96Q/64D/32XSingles – Doubles – Mixed doubles Maria Sharapova 7–5, 6–3 Ana Ivanovic Jelena Janković Daniela Hantuchová Justine Henin Serena Williams Venus Williams Agnieszka Radwańska Alona Bondarenko Kateryna Bondarenko 2–6, 6–1, 6–4 Victoria Azarenka Shahar Pe'er Nenad Zimonjić Sun Tiantian 7–6(7–4) , 6–4 Mahesh Bhupathi Sania Mirza 28 Jan Fed Cup: Quarterfinals HaSharon , Israel , hard California , United States, hard Beijing , China, hard (i) Naples , Italy, hard (i) First round winners Russia 4–1 United States 4–1 China 3–2 Spain 3–2 First round losers Israel Germany France Italy
February Week Tournament Champions Runners-up Semifinalists Quarterfinalists 4 Feb Open Gaz de France Paris, France Tier II event Hard (i) – $600,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Anna Chakvetadze 6–3, 2–6, 6–2 Ágnes Szávay Marion Bartoli Elena Dementieva Amélie Mauresmo Virginie Razzano Kateryna Bondarenko Daniela Hantuchová Alona Bondarenko Kateryna Bondarenko 6–1, 6–4 Eva Hrdinová Vladimíra Uhlířová Pattaya Women's Open Pattaya , Thailand Tier IV event Hard – $170,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Agnieszka Radwańska 6–2, 1–6, 7–6(7–4) Jill Craybas Ekaterina Bychkova Akgul Amanmuradova Tamarine Tanasugarn Vesna Manasieva Chan Yung-jan Andreja Klepač Chan Yung-jan Chuang Chia-jung 6–4, 6–3 Hsieh Su-wei Vania King 11 Feb Proximus Diamond Games Antwerp , Belgium Tier II event Hard (i) – $600,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Justine Henin 6–3, 6–3 Karin Knapp Timea Bacsinszky Li Na Alisa Kleybanova Daniela Hantuchová Patty Schnyder Sofia Arvidsson Cara Black Liezel Huber 6–1, 6–3 Květa Peschke Ai Sugiyama Cachantún Cup Viña del Mar , Chile Tier III event Clay (red) – $200,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Flavia Pennetta 6–4, 5–4 ret. Klára Zakopalová Pauline Parmentier Mariya Koryttseva Kaia Kanepi Martina Müller Nuria Llagostera Vives Lourdes Domínguez Lino Līga Dekmeijere Alicja Rosolska 7–5, 6–3 Mariya Koryttseva Julia Schruff 18 Feb Qatar Total Open Doha , Qatar Tier I event Hard – $2,500,000 – 56S/32Q/28DSingles – Doubles Maria Sharapova 6–1, 2–6, 6–0 Vera Zvonareva Agnieszka Radwańska Li Na Dominika Cibulková Caroline Wozniacki Jelena Janković Sybille Bammer Květa Peschke Rennae Stubbs 6–1, 5–7, [10–7] Cara Black Liezel Huber XVI Copa Colsanitas Santander Bogotá , Colombia Tier III event Clay (red) – $185,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Nuria Llagostera Vives 6–0, 6–4 María Emilia Salerni Betina Jozami Carla Suárez Navarro Martina Müller Sara Errani Catalina Castaño Mariana Duque Mariño Iveta Benešová Bethanie Mattek 6–3, 6–3 Jelena Kostanić Tošić Martina Müller 25 Feb Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships Dubai , United Arab Emirates Tier II event Hard – $1,500,000 – 28S/48Q/28DSingles – Doubles Elena Dementieva 4–6, 6–3, 6–2 Svetlana Kuznetsova Francesca Schiavone Jelena Janković Justine Henin Ana Ivanovic Anna Chakvetadze Amélie Mauresmo Cara Black Liezel Huber 7–5, 6–2 Yan Zi Zheng Jie Abierto Mexicano Telcel Acapulco , Mexico Tier III event Clay (red) – $180,000 – 32S/16Q/16DSingles – Doubles Flavia Pennetta 6–0, 4–6, 6–1 Alizé Cornet Kaia Kanepi Jill Craybas Edina Gallovits Sorana Cîrstea Iveta Benešová Mariya Koryttseva Nuria Llagostera Vives María José Martínez Sánchez 6–2, 6–4 Iveta Benešová Petra Cetkovská Cellular South Cup Memphis , United States Tier III event Hard (i) – $175,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Lindsay Davenport 6–2, 6–1 Olga Govortsova Marina Erakovic Shahar Pe'er Alla Kudryavtseva Caroline Wozniacki Sofia Arvidsson Julia Görges Lindsay Davenport Lisa Raymond 6–3, 6–1 Angela Haynes Mashona Washington
March Week Tournament Champions Runners-up Semifinalists Quarterfinalists 3 Mar Canara Bank Bangalore Open Bangalore , India Tier II event Hard – $600,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Serena Williams 7–5, 6–3 Patty Schnyder Yan Zi Venus Williams Jelena Janković Akgul Amanmuradova Anastasia Rodionova Vera Zvonareva Peng Shuai Sun Tiantian 6–4, 5–7, [10–8] Chan Yung-jan Chuang Chia-jung 10 Mar 17 Mar Pacific Life Open Indian Wells , United States Tier I event Hard – $2,100,000 – 96S/48Q/32DSingles – Doubles Ana Ivanovic 6–4, 6–3 Svetlana Kuznetsova Jelena Janković Maria Sharapova Vera Zvonareva Lindsay Davenport Daniela Hantuchová Agnieszka Radwańska Dinara Safina Elena Vesnina 6–1, 1–6, [10–8] Yan Zi Zheng Jie 24 Mar 31 Mar Sony Ericsson Open Key Biscayne , United States Tier I event Hard – $3,770,000 – 96S/48Q/32DSingles – Doubles Serena Williams 6–1, 5–7, 6–3 Jelena Janković Svetlana Kuznetsova Vera Zvonareva Justine Henin Venus Williams Elena Dementieva Dinara Safina Katarina Srebotnik Ai Sugiyama 7–5, 4–6, [10–3] Cara Black Liezel Huber
April Week Tournament Champions Runners-up Semifinalists Quarterfinalists 7 Apr Bausch & Lomb Championships Amelia Island , United States Tier II event Clay – $600,000 (green) – 56S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Maria Sharapova 7–6(9–7) , 6–3 Dominika Cibulková Lindsay Davenport Alizé Cornet Alona Bondarenko Ágnes Szávay Virginie Razzano Amélie Mauresmo Bethanie Mattek Vladimíra Uhlířová 6–3, 6–1 Victoria Azarenka Elena Vesnina 14 Apr Family Circle Cup Charleston , United States Tier I event Clay – $1,340,000 (green) – 56S/24Q/28DSingles – Doubles Serena Williams 6–4, 3–6, 6–3 Vera Zvonareva Elena Dementieva Alizé Cornet Jelena Janković Patty Schnyder Ágnes Szávay Maria Sharapova Katarina Srebotnik Ai Sugiyama 6–2, 6–2 Edina Gallovits Olga Govortsova Estoril Open Oeiras , Portugal Tier IV event Clay (red) – $145,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Maria Kirilenko 6–4, 6–2 Iveta Benešová Maret Ani Klára Zakopalová Camille Pin Olga Savchuk Karin Knapp Tathiana Garbin Maria Kirilenko Flavia Pennetta 6–4, 6–4 Mervana Jugić-Salkić İpek Şenoğlu 21 Apr Fed Cup: Semifinals Moscow, Russia, clay (i)Beijing , China, hard (i) Semifinals winners Russia 3–2 Spain 4–1 Semifinals losers United States China 28 April Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem Fez , Morocco Tier IV event Clay (red) – $145,000 – 32S/24Q/16DSingles – Doubles Gisela Dulko 7–6(7–2) , 7–6(7–5) Anabel Medina Garrigues Gréta Arn Aravane Rezaï Olga Savchuk Petra Cetkovská Alisa Kleybanova Sorana Cîrstea Sorana Cîrstea Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6–2, 6–2 Alisa Kleybanova Ekaterina Makarova ECM Prague Open Prague , Czech Republic Tier IV event Clay (red) – $145,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Vera Zvonareva 7–6(7–2) , 6–2 Victoria Azarenka Katarina Srebotnik Klára Zakopalová Roberta Vinci Iveta Benešová Karolína Plíšková Shahar Pe'er Andrea Hlaváčková Lucie Hradecká 1–6, 6–3, [10–6] Jill Craybas Michaëlla Krajicek
May Week Tournament Champions Runners-up Semifinalists Quarterfinalists 5 May Qatar Telecom German Open Berlin, Germany Tier I event Clay (red) – $1,340,000 – 56S/32Q/28DSingles – Doubles Dinara Safina 3–6, 6–2, 6–2 Elena Dementieva Victoria Azarenka Ana Ivanovic Serena Williams Alona Bondarenko Jelena Janković Ágnes Szávay Cara Black Liezel Huber 3–6, 6–2, [10–2] Nuria Llagostera Vives María José Martínez Sánchez 12 May Internazionali BNL d'Italia Rome, Italy Tier I event Clay (red) – $1,340,000 – 56S/48Q/28DSingles – Doubles Jelena Janković 6–2, 6–2 Alizé Cornet Anna Chakvetadze Maria Sharapova Tsvetana Pironkova Serena Williams Venus Williams Patty Schnyder Chan Yung-jan Chuang Chia-jung 7–6(7–5) , 6–3 Iveta Benešová Janette Husárová 19 May İstanbul Cup Istanbul , Turkey Tier III event Clay (red) – $200,000 – 30S/26Q/16DSingles – Doubles Agnieszka Radwańska 6–3, 6–2 Elena Dementieva Akgul Amanmuradova Tsvetana Pironkova Jill Craybas Nadia Petrova Olga Govortsova Andreja Klepač Jill Craybas Olga Govortsova 6–1, 6–2 Marina Erakovic Polona Hercog Internationaux de Strasbourg Strasbourg , France Tier III event Clay (red) – $175,000 – 30S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Anabel Medina Garrigues 4–6, 7–6(7–4) , 6–0 Katarina Srebotnik Chan Yung-jan Timea Bacsinszky Peng Shuai Ai Sugiyama Flavia Pennetta Alona Bondarenko Tatiana Perebiynis Yan Zi 6–4, 6–7(3–7) , [10–6] Chan Yung-jan Chuang Chia-jung 26 May 2 Jun French Open Paris, France Grand Slam Clay (red) – $9,711,335 – 128S/96Q/64D/32XSingles – Doubles – Mixed doubles Ana Ivanovic 6–4, 6–3 Dinara Safina Svetlana Kuznetsova Jelena Janković Elena Dementieva Kaia Kanepi Carla Suárez Navarro Patty Schnyder Anabel Medina Garrigues Virginia Ruano Pascual 2–6, 7–5, 6–4 Casey Dellacqua Francesca Schiavone Bob Bryan Victoria Azarenka 6–2, 7–6(7–4) Nenad Zimonjić Katarina Srebotnik
June Week Tournament Champions Runners-up Semifinalists Quarterfinalists 9 Jun DFS Classic Birmingham , Great Britain Tier III event Grass – $200,000 – 56S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Kateryna Bondarenko 7–6(9–7) , 3–6, 7–6(7–4) Yanina Wickmayer Marina Erakovic Bethanie Mattek Petra Cetkovská Alona Bondarenko Melanie South Nicole Vaidišová Cara Black Liezel Huber 6–2, 6–1 Séverine Brémond Virginia Ruano Pascual Barcelona Open Barcelona , Spain Tier IV event Clay (red) – $145,000 – 32S/28Q/16DSingles – Doubles Maria Kirilenko 6–0, 6–2 María José Martínez Sánchez Nuria Llagostera Vives Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro Sara Errani Lucie Šafářová Ekaterina Ivanova Edina Gallovits Lourdes Domínguez Lino Arantxa Parra Santonja 4–6, 7–5, [10–4] Nuria Llagostera Vives María José Martínez Sánchez 16 Jun International Women's Open Eastbourne , Great Britain Tier II event Grass – $600,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Agnieszka Radwańska 6–4, 6–7(11–13) , 6–4 Nadia Petrova Samantha Stosur Marion Bartoli Caroline Wozniacki Ekaterina Makarova Gisela Dulko Alisa Kleybanova Cara Black Liezel Huber 2–6, 6–0, 10–8 Květa Peschke Rennae Stubbs Ordina Open 's-Hertogenbosch , Netherlands Tier III event Grass – $175,000 – 30S/16Q/15DSingles – Doubles Tamarine Tanasugarn 7–5, 6–3 Dinara Safina Elena Dementieva Alona Bondarenko Sorana Cîrstea Katarina Srebotnik Michaëlla Krajicek Anna Chakvetadze Marina Erakovic Michaëlla Krajicek 6–3, 6–2 Līga Dekmeijere Angelique Kerber 23 Jun 30 Jun Wimbledon Championships London, Great Britain Grand Slam Grass – $10,524,070 – 128S/96Q/64D/32XSingles – Doubles – Mixed doubles Venus Williams 7–5, 6–4 Serena Williams Zheng Jie Elena Dementieva Nicole Vaidišová Agnieszka Radwańska Nadia Petrova Tamarine Tanasugarn Serena Williams Venus Williams 6–2, 6–2 Lisa Raymond Samantha Stosur Bob Bryan Samantha Stosur 7–5, 6–4 Mike Bryan Katarina Srebotnik
July Week Tournament Champions Runners-up Semifinalists Quarterfinalists 7 Jul Budapest Grand Prix Budapest , Hungary Tier III event Clay (red) – $175,000 – 30S/31Q/16DSingles – Doubles Alizé Cornet 7–6(7–5) , 6–3 Andreja Klepač Karolina Šprem Gréta Arn Petra Kvitová Katalin Marosi Klára Zakopalová Anna-Lena Grönefeld Alizé Cornet Janette Husárová 6–7(5–7) , 6–1, [10–6] Vanessa Henke Ioana Raluca Olaru Internazionali Femminili di Palermo Palermo , Italy Tier IV event Clay (red) – $145,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Sara Errani 6–2, 6–3 Mariya Koryttseva Flavia Pennetta Anabel Medina Garrigues Margalita Chakhnashvili Carla Suárez Navarro Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova Tathiana Garbin Sara Errani Nuria Llagostera Vives 2–6, 7–6(7–1) , [10–4] Alla Kudryavtseva Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 14 Jul Bank of the West Classic Stanford , United States Tier II event Hard – $600,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Aleksandra Wozniak 7–5, 6–3 Marion Bartoli Serena Williams Ai Sugiyama Patty Schnyder Samantha Stosur Dominika Cibulková Anna Chakvetadze Cara Black Liezel Huber 6–4, 6–3 Elena Vesnina Vera Zvonareva Gastein Ladies Bad Gastein , Austria Tier III event Clay (red) – $175,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Pauline Parmentier 6–4, 6–4 Lucie Hradecká Ágnes Szávay Mariya Koryttseva Iveta Benešová Yvonne Meusburger Tereza Hladíková Patricia Mayr Andrea Hlaváčková Lucie Hradecká 6–3, 6–3 Sesil Karatantcheva Nataša Zorić 21 Jul East West Bank Classic Carson , United States Tier II event Hard – $600,000 – 56S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Dinara Safina 6–4, 6–2 Flavia Pennetta Jelena Janković Bethanie Mattek Nadia Petrova Victoria Azarenka Sybille Bammer Yuan Meng Chan Yung-jan Chuang Chia-jung 2–6, 7–5, [10–4] Eva Hrdinová Vladimíra Uhlířová Banka Koper Slovenia Open Portorož , Slovenia Tier IV event Hard – $145,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Sara Errani 6–3, 6–3 Anabel Medina Garrigues Caroline Wozniacki Julia Görges Maria Kirilenko Vera Dushevina Elena Bovina Petra Martić Anabel Medina Garrigues Virginia Ruano Pascual 6–4, 6–1 Vera Dushevina Ekaterina Makarova 28 Jul Rogers Cup Montreal , Canada Tier I event Hard – $1,340,000 – 56S/48Q/28DSingles – Doubles Dinara Safina 6–2, 6–1 Dominika Cibulková Victoria Azarenka Marion Bartoli Tamira Paszek Svetlana Kuznetsova Ai Sugiyama Jelena Janković Cara Black Liezel Huber 6–1, 6–1 Maria Kirilenko Flavia Pennetta Nordea Nordic Light Open Stockholm , Sweden Tier IV event Hard – $145,000 – 32S/16Q/16DSingles – Doubles Caroline Wozniacki 6–0, 6–2 Vera Dushevina Agnieszka Radwańska Katarina Srebotnik Camille Pin Anabel Medina Garrigues Virginia Ruano Pascual Iveta Benešová Iveta Benešová Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová 7–5, 6–4 Petra Cetkovská Lucie Šafářová
August Week Tournament Champions Runners-up Semifinalists Quarterfinalists 11 Aug Summer Olympic Games Beijing , China Hard – $0 – 64S/32DSingles – Doubles Gold Silver Bronze Fourth place Sybille Bammer Serena Williams Venus Williams Jelena Janković Elena Dementieva 3–6, 7–5, 6–3 Dinara Safina Vera Zvonareva 6–0, 7–5 Li Na Serena Williams Venus Williams 6–2, 6–0 Anabel Medina Garrigues Virginia Ruano Pascual Yan Zi Zheng Jie 6–2, 6–2 Alona Bondarenko Kateryna Bondarenko W&S Financial Group Women's Open Mason , United States Tier III event Hard – $175,000 – 32S/16Q/16DSingles – Doubles Nadia Petrova 6–2, 6–1 Nathalie Dechy Amélie Mauresmo Maria Kirilenko Vania King Aleksandra Wozniak Sabine Lisicki Lilia Osterloh Maria Kirilenko Nadia Petrova 6–3, 4–6, [10–8] Hsieh Su-wei Yaroslava Shvedova 18 Aug Pilot Pen Tennis New Haven , United States Tier II event Hard – $600,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Caroline Wozniacki 3–6, 6–4, 6–1 Anna Chakvetadze Amélie Mauresmo Alizé Cornet Sorana Cîrstea Ágnes Szávay Marion Bartoli Daniela Hantuchová Květa Peschke Lisa Raymond 4–6, 7–5, [10–7] Sorana Cîrstea Monica Niculescu Forest Hills Tennis Classic Forest Hills , United States Tier IV event Hard – $74,800 – 16SSingles Lucie Šafářová 6–4, 6–2 Peng Shuai Carla Suárez Navarro Iveta Benešová Vera Dushevina Martina Müller Ekaterina Makarova Jamea Jackson 25 Aug 1 Sep U.S. Open New York City, United States Grand Slam Hard – $9,350,000 – 128S/96Q/64D/32XSingles – Doubles – Mixed doubles Serena Williams 6–4, 7–5 Jelena Janković Dinara Safina Elena Dementieva Flavia Pennetta Venus Williams Patty Schnyder Sybille Bammer Cara Black Liezel Huber 6–3, 7–6(8–6) Lisa Raymond Samantha Stosur Leander Paes Cara Black 7–6(8–6) , 6–4 Jamie Murray Liezel Huber
September Week Tournament Champions Runners-up Semifinalists Quarterfinalists 8 Sep Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic Bali , Indonesia Tier III event Hard – $225,000 – 30S/8Q/16DSingles – Doubles Patty Schnyder 6–3, 6–0 Tamira Paszek Daniela Hantuchová Nadia Petrova Chan Yung-jan Flavia Pennetta Francesca Schiavone Marta Domachowska Hsieh Su-wei Peng Shuai 6–7(4–7) , 7–6(7–3) , [10–7] Marta Domachowska Nadia Petrova Fed Cup: Final Madrid , Spain, clay Russia 4–0 Spain 15 Sep Toray Pan Pacific Open Tokyo, Japan Tier I event Hard – $1,340,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Dinara Safina 6–1, 6–3 Svetlana Kuznetsova Katarina Srebotnik Nadia Petrova Jelena Janković Elena Dementieva Kaia Kanepi Agnieszka Radwańska Vania King Nadia Petrova 6–1, 6–4 Lisa Raymond Samantha Stosur Guangzhou International Women's Open Guangzhou , China Tier III event Hard – $175,000 – 32S/21Q/16DSingles – Doubles Vera Zvonareva 6–7(4–7) , 6–0, 6–2 Peng Shuai Zheng Jie Camille Pin Karin Knapp Tamira Paszek Jill Craybas Arantxa Rus Mariya Koryttseva Tatiana Poutchek 6–3, 4–6, [10–8] Sun Tiantian Yan Zi 22 Sep China Open Beijing , China Tier II event Hard – $600,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Jelena Janković 6–3, 6–2 Svetlana Kuznetsova Vera Zvonareva Zheng Jie Daniela Hantuchová Anabel Medina Garrigues Dominika Cibulková Ana Ivanovic Anabel Medina Garrigues Caroline Wozniacki 6–1, 6–3 Han Xinyun Xu Yifan Hansol Korea Open Seoul , South Korea Tier IV event Hard – $145,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Maria Kirilenko 2–6, 6–1, 6–4 Samantha Stosur Kaia Kanepi Jill Craybas Pauline Parmentier Yanina Wickmayer Ekaterina Makarova Shahar Pe'er Chuang Chia-jung Hsieh Su-wei 6–3, 6–0 Vera Dushevina Maria Kirilenko 29 Sep Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Stuttgart , Germany Tier II event Hard (i) – $650,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Jelena Janković 6–4, 6–3 Nadia Petrova Victoria Azarenka Venus Williams Li Na Elena Dementieva Dinara Safina Vera Zvonareva Anna-Lena Grönefeld Patty Schnyder 6–2, 6–4 Květa Peschke Rennae Stubbs Japan Open Tennis Championships Tokyo, Japan Tier III event Hard – $175,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Caroline Wozniacki 6–2, 3–6, 6–1 Kaia Kanepi Jarmila Gajdošová Aleksandra Wozniak Tamarine Tanasugarn Klára Zakopalová Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova Samantha Stosur Jill Craybas Marina Erakovic 4–6, 7–5, [10–6] Ayumi Morita Aiko Nakamura Tashkent Open Tashkent , Uzbekistan Tier IV event Hard – $145,000 – 32S/16Q/16DSingles – Doubles Sorana Cîrstea 2–6, 6–4, 7–6(7–4) Sabine Lisicki Peng Shuai Magdaléna Rybáriková Monica Niculescu Urszula Radwańska Michelle Larcher de Brito Ioana Raluca Olaru Ioana Raluca Olaru Olga Savchuk 5–7, 7–5, [10–7] Nina Bratchikova Kathrin Wörle
October Week Tournament Champions Runners-up Semifinalists Quarterfinalists 6 Oct Kremlin Cup Moscow, Russia Tier I event Hard (i) – $1,340,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Jelena Janković 6–2, 6–4 Vera Zvonareva Elena Dementieva Dinara Safina Flavia Pennetta Nadia Petrova Dominika Cibulková Svetlana Kuznetsova Nadia Petrova Katarina Srebotnik 6–4, 6–4 Cara Black Liezel Huber 13 Oct Zurich Open Zürich , Switzerland Tier II event Hard (i) – $600,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Venus Williams 7–6(7–1) , 6–2 Flavia Pennetta Anabel Medina Garrigues Ana Ivanovic Katarina Srebotnik Victoria Azarenka Francesca Schiavone Petra Kvitová Cara Black Liezel Huber 6–1, 7–6(7–3) Anna-Lena Grönefeld Patty Schnyder 20 Oct Generali Ladies Linz Linz , Austria Tier II event Hard (i) – $600,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Ana Ivanovic 6–2, 6–1 Vera Zvonareva Agnieszka Radwańska Marion Bartoli Flavia Pennetta Nadia Petrova Alona Bondarenko Alizé Cornet Katarina Srebotnik Ai Sugiyama 6–4, 7–5 Cara Black Liezel Huber Fortis Championships Luxembourg Kockelscheuer , Luxembourg Tier III event Hard (i) – $225,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Elena Dementieva 2–6, 6–4, 7–6(7–4) Caroline Wozniacki Sorana Cîrstea Li Na Amélie Mauresmo Daniela Hantuchová Anabel Medina Garrigues Iveta Benešová Sorana Cîrstea Marina Erakovic 2–6, 6–3, [10–8] Vera Dushevina Mariya Koryttseva 27 Oct Bell Challenge Quebec City , Canada Tier III event Carpet (i) – $175,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles Nadia Petrova 4–6, 6–4, 6–1 Bethanie Mattek Angela Haynes Aleksandra Wozniak Melinda Czink Nathalie Dechy Galina Voskoboeva Melanie Oudin Anna-Lena Grönefeld Vania King 7–6(7–3) , 6–4 Jill Craybas Tamarine Tanasugarn
November
Calendar changes Prize money continued to increase to a record of approximately $67 million.[ 2] The J&S Cup , the Acura Classic , and the PTT Bangkok Open were all removed from the calendar.[ 3] The Bangalore Open was promoted to a Tier II event, from its former Tier III status.[ 3] The Zurich Open was demoted from Tier I to Tier II, and the Fortis Championships Luxembourg from Tier II to Tier III, with prize money also being reduced in both events to accommodate the change in status.[ 3] One new event was created: the Cachantún Cup, held in Viña del Mar, Chile.[ 3] The Toray Pan Pacific Open was moved from its normal February position in the calendar to September. It also changed from an indoor event to an outdoor event.[ 3] Fed Cup quarterfinals and semifinals were held earlier, with the final still following the U.S. Open in September.[ 3] The Qatar Total Open was elevated from Tier II status to Tier I, with prize money increasing to $2.5 million.[ 3] Lastly, the WTA Tour Championships were relocated from their previous location of Madrid, Spain in 2006 and 2007, to Doha, Qatar for 2008. The prize money was also raised from $3 million to $4.5 million.[ 3]
Statistics
List of players & singles titles won, last name alphabetically:
Jelena Janković – Rome, Beijing, Stuttgart and Moscow (4) Dinara Safina – Berlin, Los Angeles, Montréal and Tokyo (Tier I) (4) Serena Williams – Bangalore, Key Biscayne, Charleston, and US Open (4) Elena Dementieva – Dubai, Beijing Olympics , and Luxembourg (3) Ana Ivanovic – Indian Wells, French Open , and Linz (3) Maria Kirilenko – Estoril, Barcelona and Seoul (3) Agnieszka Radwańska – Pattaya, Istanbul, and Eastbourne (3) Maria Sharapova – Australian Open , Doha, and Amelia Island (3) Venus Williams – Wimbledon , Zürich, and WTA Tour Championships (3) Caroline Wozniacki – Stockholm, New Haven, and Tokyo (Tier III) (3) Lindsay Davenport – Auckland and Memphis (2) Sara Errani – Palermo and Portorož (2) Justine Henin – Sydney and Antwerp (2) Flavia Pennetta – Viña del Mar and Acapulco (2) Nadia Petrova – Cincinnati and Quebec City (2) Vera Zvonareva – Prague and Guangzhou (2) Kateryna Bondarenko – Birmingham (1) Anna Chakvetadze – Paris (1) Sorana Cîrstea – Tashkent (1) Alizé Cornet – Budapest (1) Eleni Daniilidou – Hobart (1) Gisela Dulko – Fes (1) Nuria Llagostera Vives – Bogotá (1) Anabel Medina Garrigues – Strasbourg (1) Li Na – Gold Coast (1) Pauline Parmentier – Bad Gastein (1) Lucie Šafářová – Forest Hills (1) Patty Schnyder – Bali (1) Tamarine Tanasugarn – 's-Hertogenbosch (1) Aleksandra Wozniak – Stanford (1) The following players won their first title:
Titles won by Nation
Russia – 18 (Australian Open , Paris, Doha, Dubai, Amelia Island, Estoril, Prague, Berlin, Barcelona, Los Angeles, Montréal, Olympics , Cincinnati, Tokyo, Guangzhou, Seoul, Luxembourg, and Quebec City) United States – 9 (Auckland, Memphis, Bangalore, Key Biscayne, Charleston, Wimbledon , US Open , Zürich, and WTA Tour Championships ) Serbia – 7 (Indian Wells, Rome, French Open , Beijing, Stuttgart, Moscow, and Linz) Italy – 4 (Viña del Mar, Acapulco, Palermo, and Portorož) Denmark – 3 (Stockholm, New Haven, and Tokyo (Tier III)) Poland – 3 (Pattaya, Istanbul, and Eastbourne) Belgium – 2 (Sydney and Antwerp) Spain – 2 (Bogotá and Strasbourg) France – 2 (Budapest and Bad Gastein) Argentina – 1 (Fes) Canada – 1 (Stanford) China – 1 (Gold Coast) Czech Republic – 1 (Forest Hills) Greece – 1 (Hobart) Romania – 1 (Tashkent) Switzerland – 1 (Bali) Thailand – 1 ('s-Hertogenbosch) Ukraine – 1 (Birmingham)
Rankings Singles Championship Race (3 November 2008) Rk Name Nation Points Tour 1 Jelena Janković SRB 4,786 21 2 Dinara Safina RUS 3,823 20 3 Serena Williams USA 3,681 12 4 Elena Dementieva RUS 3,400 18 5 Ana Ivanovic SRB 3,353 17 6 Vera Zvonareva RUS 2,626 24 7 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS 2,623 18 8 Venus Williams USA 2,522 13 9 Maria Sharapova RUS 2,515 9 10 Agnieszka Radwańska POL 2,256 23 11 Nadia Petrova RUS 1,914 24 12 Flavia Pennetta ITA 1,814 26 13 Caroline Wozniacki DEN 1,756 23 14 Patty Schnyder SUI 1,596 23 15 Alizé Cornet FRA 1,499 23 16 Victoria Azarenka BLR 1,497 20 17 Marion Bartoli FRA 1,487 25 18 Dominika Cibulková SVK 1,447 25 19 Katarina Srebotnik SLO 1,410 24 20 Anna Chakvetadze RUS 1,370 23
Singles Year–end Ranking Rk Name Nation Points Change 1 Jelena Janković SRB 4,710 2 2 Serena Williams USA 3,866 5 3 Dinara Safina RUS 3,817 12 4 Elena Dementieva RUS 3,663 7 5 Ana Ivanovic SRB 3,457 1 6 Venus Williams USA 3,272 2 7 Vera Zvonareva RUS 2,952 15 8 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS 2,726 6 9 Maria Sharapova RUS 2,515 4 10 Agnieszka Radwańska POL 2,286 16 11 Nadia Petrova RUS 1,976 3 12 Caroline Wozniacki DEN 1,713 48 13 Flavia Pennetta ITA 1,670 26 14 Patty Schnyder SUI 1,590 2 15 Victoria Azarenka BLR 1,494 15 16 Alizé Cornet FRA 1,492 39 17 Marion Bartoli FRA 1,410 7 18 Anna Chakvetadze RUS 1,363 12 19 Dominika Cibulková SVK 1,337 32 20 Katarina Srebotnik SLO 1,272 7
Number 1 ranking
Points distribution Category W F SF QF R16 R32 R64 R128 Q Q3 Q2 Q1 Grand Slam (S) 2000 1400 900 500 280 160 100 5 60 50 40 2 Grand Slam (D) 2000 1400 900 500 280 160 5 – 48 – – – WTA Championships (S) +450 +360 (230 for each win, 70 for each loss) – – – – – WTA Championships (D) 1500 1050 690 – – – – – – – – – WTA Premier Mandatory (96S) 1000 700 450 250 140 80 50 5 30 – 20 1 WTA Premier Mandatory (64S) 1000 700 450 250 140 80 5 – 30 – 20 1 WTA Premier Mandatory (28/32D) 1000 700 450 250 140 5 – – – – – – WTA Premier 5 (56S) 800 550 350 200 110 60 1 – 30 – 20 1 WTA Premier 5 (28D) 800 550 350 200 110 1 – – – – – – WTA Premier (56S) 470 320 200 120 60 40 1 – 12 – 8 1 WTA Premier (32S) 470 320 200 120 60 1 – – 20 12 8 1 WTA Premier (16D) 470 320 200 120 1 – – – – – – – Tournament of Champions +280 +170 (125 for each win, 35 for each loss) – – – – – WTA International (56S) 280 200 130 70 30 15 1 – 10 – 6 1 WTA International (32S) 280 200 130 70 30 1 – – 16 10 6 1 WTA International (16D) 280 200 130 70 1 – – – – – – –
Awards The winners of the 2008 WTA Awards were announced on 25 March 2009, during a special ceremony at the Sony Ericsson Open .[ 4]
See also
External links Women's Tennis Association (WTA) official website
References ^ "Henin announces shock retirement". BBC News. 2007-05-14. Retrieved 2010-06-06 . ^ "2008/2009 Calendar Press Release" (PDF) . ^ a b c d e f g h "2008 WTA Tour". ^ Williams, Safina, Ivanovic Among WTA Award Winners
2008 WTA Tour « 2007
2009 »
Grand Slam events Tier I tournaments Tier II tournaments Sydney (S , D ) Paris (S , D ) Antwerp (S , D ) Dubai (S , D ) Bangalore (S , D ) Amelia Island (S , D ) Eastbourne (S , D ) Stanford (S , D ) Los Angeles (S , D ) New Haven (S , D ) Beijing (S , D ) Stuttgart (S , D ) Zürich (S , D ) Linz (S , D ) Tier III tournaments Gold Coast (S , D ) Viña del Mar (S , D ) Bogotá (S , D ) Memphis (S , D ) Acapulco (S , D ) İstanbul Strasbourg (S , D ) Birmingham (S , D ) Rosmalen (S , D ) Budapest (S , D ) Bad Gastein (S , D ) Cincinnati (S , D ) Bali (S , D ) Guangzhou (S , D ) Tokyo (S , D ) Luxembourg City (S , D ) Quebec City (S , D ) Tier IV tournaments Auckland (S , D ) Hobart (S , D ) Pattaya (S , D ) Estoril (S , D ) Fes (S , D ) Prague (S , D ) Barcelona (S , D ) Palermo (S , D ) Portorož (S , D ) Stockholm (S , D ) Forest Hills Seoul (S , D ) Tashkent (S , D ) Team events Summer Olympic Games, Beijing (S , D ) WTA Championships, Doha (S , D )
Grand Slam Tours Team events