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Kremlin Cup Tournament Starts Today
Russia’s most prestigious tennis tournament, the Kremlin Cup, begins today. The women are especially strong this time, perhaps the most powerful group of women players ever assembled, in spite of the absence of Serena Williams That is not surprising, since every tournament can lead to a change in the top ranking. The Kremlin Cup is not in the most prestigious category for men, nor is its $1-million prize fund distinguished. The men’s lineup is less interesting, with only Nikolay Davydenko coming from among the top ten players.
The Kremlin Cup is the last tournament of the season before the final in Doha in November. The women’s prize fund is $1.34 million. Serena Williams was the top-rated women’s tennis player in the world yesterday, but now Jelena Jankovic has replaced her there. Jankovic and fellow Serb Ana Ivanovic, who was also top-rated at one point this year, will play at the Kremlin Cup. Nonetheless, the Russian players will attract the most attention. Dinara Safina and Elena Dementieva have good chances of becoming champion of the year.
Dementieva is the current Kremlin Cup holder and she needs to make a good showing this year as well to stay in the race for champion. Handicapping Dementieva is not an easy task. She achieved her main goal of the year when she won at the Olympics. She made it to the semifinal of the U.S. Open, but was easily dispensed with in Tokyo last month. Safina won the title in Tokyo, and it was her fourth since her unlucky performance at Wimbledon. She is third-ranked in the WTA. Success in Moscow is especially important for Svetlana Kuznetsova, since her place in the final tournament is not yet secure. She will face tough Chinese player Li Na in the first round.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Oct. 06, 2008
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