"It's really a strange week for me," Bartoli said. The 10th-ranked Bartoli bounced back after becoming the first player in the tournament's 35-year history to lose 6-0, 6-0 the day before to Henin. "I have trouble breathing and I'm suffering on the court and I can't play my game." "I have a virus and I've been sick for a couple of days," said Jankovic, who finished 0-3 in her first appearance. "I just want to try to keep my concentration up," he added.īartoli led Jankovic 6-1, 1-0 when the Serb retired. "I'm quite positive tomorrow's match will be a lot different from our last match and our circumstances will be different than last time," Ivanovic said. Ivanovic and Henin last met in the French Open final. "I'm very pleased I could (beat two top players) when a couple of weeks ago I didn't think I would be able to play here." "My chances are pretty good," Sharapova said. Sharapova leads 5-0 overall for the loss of only one set. Sharapova, who won the title on debut in 2004, and Chakvetadze will meet for the fourth time this year. "I really wanted to get my revenge whether this match counted or not," she added. "We're both really big competitors and we both wanted to win this match and I don't like losing to the same player twice in a row," said Sharapova, who fell to the Serb in the semifinals at Roland Garros. Sharapova won 29 of her 40 service points and the 20-year-old former Number 1 didn't face a break point.įirst-time qualifier Ivanovic hit only eight winners to Sharapova's 22, including the forehand pass that clinched it.
She hadn't enjoyed three successive wins since mid-August because of a shoulder problem. Sharapova broke Ivanovic to open their clash and never relented, keeping her opponent on the run with an array of crosscourt winners for her third straight win at the WTA's season-ending championships. "I don't have to worry about who I play against - if I play like today I'll be fine," Sharapova said.Įarlier, Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli, the mid-tournament replacement for an injured Serena Williams, beat third-ranked Jelena Jankovic when the Serb retired in the second set because of a virus.ĭaniela Hantuchova defeated Number 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-6 (7), 6-0 to complete the group play. Instead, Ivanovic will face Henin in Saturday's semifinals, and Sharapova will play fellow Russian Anna Chakvetadze. Formula 1 motor racing in particular has a long tradition of partnering with big names in IT including Computer Associates, Hewlett-Packard, SAP and Siemens.Maria Sharapova rolled over Ana Ivanovic 6-1, 6-2 at the Sony Ericsson Championships on Friday and avoided a matchup with defending champion Justine Henin in the semifinals. Sony Ericsson joins a long list of technology firms that have engaged in major sport sponsorships. Miles Flint, president of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, a 50:50 joint venture between Sony and Ericsson, said the mobile phone firm would be looking at “opportunities that can integrate technology, design, music, sport and fashion into a compelling entertainment proposition for consumers”. “They want to look at tennis as a platform to showcase how technology can bring fans closer to sports as entertainment.” “Women’s tennis is on the cutting edge between sport and entertainment, sport and fashion, sport and design, and this deal will allow us to promote that,” WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott commented.
WTA Tour stars include such household names as Venus and Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Lindsay Davenport, Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin-Hardenne, Amélie Mauresmo, Anastasia Myskina and Jennifer Capriati. It is understood the company will also supply some technology, including handsets that will allow match umpires to post match scores live to the internet.Īs men’s tennis has become labelled as ‘boring’ and dominated by power players – with rare exceptions such as current Wimbledon champion Roger Federer – the women’s game has been growing in popularity and is being seen as particularly attractive to advertisers and media owners. The phone maker’s branding will appear on nets and other on-court equipment. Under the deal, Sony Ericsson will sponsor the end-of-season WTA Tour Championships held each November and featuring the world’s top eight singles players and top doubles teams. The six-year deal is the largest global sponsorship in the history of women’s sport. Mobile phone manufacturer Sony Ericsson has coughed up US$88m to become the worldwide sponsor of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour.
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