Womens Tennis: Internazionali BNL D'Italia

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The Internazionali BNL d'Italia is an annual tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. The men's competition is an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour. The women's competition is a Premier 5 event on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tour. The two competitions are currently held in separate weeks in May. The tournament is played on clay courts. The event was previously known as the Italian Open and changed to its current name in 2002.

The Italian tennis championship was first held in 1930 in Milan, where it was played until 1934 before being moved to the Foro Italico in Rome in 1935. No event was held between 1936 and 1949. The competition resumed in 1950. It became "open" to professional players in 1969.

 

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Past Winners

2009 Dinara Safina
2008 Jelena Janković
2007 Jelena Janković
2006 Martina Hingis
2005 Amélie Mauresmo
2004 Amélie Mauresmo
2003 Kim Clijsters
2002 Serena Williams
2001 Jelena Dokić
2000 Monica Seles
1999 Venus Williams
1998 Martina Hingis
1997 Mary Pierce
1996 Conchita Martínez
1995 Conchita Martínez
1994 Conchita Martínez
1993 Conchita Martínez
1992 Gabriela Sabatini
1991 Gabriela Sabatini
1990 Monica Seles
1989 Gabriela Sabatini
1988 Gabriela Sabatini
1987 Steffi Graf
1986 Not Held
1985 Raffaella Reggi
1984 Manuela Maleeva
1983 Andrea Temesvari
1982 Chris Evert
1981 Chris Evert
1980 Chris Evert
1979 Tracy Austin
1978 Regina Maršíková
1977 Janet Newberry Wright
1976 Mima Jaušovec
1975 Chris Evert
1974 Chris Evert
1973 Evonne Goolagong Cawley
1972 Linda Tuero
1971 Virginia Wade
1970 Billie Jean King
1969 Julie Heldman
1968 Lesley Turner Bowrey
1967 Turner Bowrey
1966 Ann Haydon Jones
1965 Maria Bueno
1964 Margaret Court
1963 Margaret Court
1962 Margaret Court
1961 Maria Bueno
1960 Zsuzsi Kormoczy
1959 Christine Truman Janes
1958 Maria Bueno
1957 Shirley Bloomer Brasher
1956 Althea Gibson
1955 Patricia Ward Hales
1954 Maureen Connolly Brinker
1953 Doris Hart
1952 Susan Partridge
1951 Doris Hart
1950 Annelies Ullstein-Bossi
1936-1949 Not Held
1935 Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling
1934 Helen Jacobs
1933 Elizabeth Ryan
1932 Ida Adamoff
1931 Lucia Valerio
1930 Lilí de Álvarez

Womens Doubles

2009 Su-Wei Hsieh
Shuai Peng
2008 Chan Yung-jan
Chuang Chia-jung
2007 Nathalie Dechy
Mara Santangelo
2006 Daniela Hantuchová
Ai Sugiyama
2005 Cara Black
Liezel Huber
2004 Nadia Petrova
Meghann Shaughnessy
2003 Svetlana Kuznetsova
Martina Navrátilová
2002 Virginia Ruano Pascual
Paola Suárez
2001 Cara Black
Elena Likhovtseva
2000 Lisa Raymond
Rennae Stubbs
1999 Martina Hingis
Anna Kournikova
1998 Virginia Ruano
Paola Suárez
1997 Nicole Arendt
Manon Bollegraf
1996 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
Irina Spîrlea
1995 Mary Joe Fernández
Natasha Zvereva
1994 Mary Joe Fernández
Natasha Zvereva
1993 Jana Novotná
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
1992 Monica Seles
Helena Suková
1991 Jennifer Capriati
Monica Seles
1990 Helen Kelesi
Monica Seles
1989 Elizabeth Smylie
Janine Thompson
1988 Jana Novotná
Catherine Suire
1987 Martina Navrátilová
Gabriela Sabatini
1986 Not Held
1985 Sandra Cecchini
Raffaella Reggi
1984 Iva Budařová
Helena Suková
1983 Virginia Ruzici
Virginia Wade
1982 Kathleen Horvath
Yvonne Vermaak
1981 Candy Reynolds
Paula Smith
1980 Hana Mandlíková
Renáta Tomanová

 

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Venus Williams wins her opener in Rome after layoff

Venus Williams played her first match in a month on Tuesday, but she did not show in any effects of the layoff.

Williams, who is ranked No. 4 in the world, knocked off veteran Patty Schnyder 6-2, 6-2 in Williams' first match on the Internazionali BNL D'Italia tennis tournament in Rome. The world's top nine ranked players are competing in this event, which is an important tuneup for the French Open later this month.

Williams' last match was a decisive loss to Kim Clijsters in the finals of the hardcourt tournament in Miami back on March 3.

This is Williams second clay-court tournament of the year, but the first was an event in Acapulco, Mexico, that did not have a great field. Williams won that tournament in late February but did not beat anyone ranked higher than 60th and had to go three sets in three of those matches. So this is an important test for Williams. She played well enough in her opener, which was a second-round match after receiving a first-round bye. The match lasted an hour and 15 minutes, and Willaims rallied from 15-40 down in the final game to finish it off.

http://www.examiner.com/x-23531-Oak...Williams-wins-her-opener-in-Rome-after-layoff

 

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Ana Ivanovic Back On Track In Rome

Going into the Internazionali BNL d'Italia this week in Rome, Ana Ivanovic had only won two of her last nine matches. The 2008 French Open Champion is currently ranked 58th in the world. After being ranked No. 1 in the world, Ana has made a slow and dreadful decline in the rankings.

Since making the quarterfinals of Wimbeldon and the French Open last year, Ana has really lost her game. She has, however, been doing quite well in her modeling career.

Maybe this week she decided that she wanted tennis more than modeling. Or maybe it's Steffi Graf's former coach, Heinz Gunthardt, who she picked up back in February. Nonetheless, it's tough to see such a gorgeous young lady lose.

Read more: http://technorati.com/sports/article/ana-ivanovic-back-on-track-in1/#ixzz0n7e8A8V6

 

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Wozniacki stunned in Rome, Jankovic through

Second seed Caroline Wozniacki suffered another disappointing loss on Clay when she lost her pre-quarterfinal match to Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez and bowed out of the Internazionali BNL D'Italia, a WTA premier cornerstone event being held in the historic Rome.

Wozniacki looked completely off-form during the entire match and failed to find answers to the Spaniard's experience and tenacity on the red clay, losing 4-6, 2-6 rather handily in just 79 minutes of play.

Earlier in the day, seventh seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic set up a blockbuster quarterfinal showdown with Venus Williams when she defeated Belgian Yanina Wickmayer 6-2, 6-0 in just under an hour. Williams, on the other hand, ended the challenge of Israeli Shahar Peer in two hard-fought sets, winning 6-3, 6-4 in 80 minutes of play.

http://www.tennisearth.com/news/tennisNews/Wozniacki-stunned-in-Rome-Jankovic-through-158309.htm

 

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Serena storms into Rome Quarterfinals

Serena Williams survived a temporary lapse in concentration against German Andrea Petkovic and made it to the quarterfinals of the 2010 Internazionali BNL D'Italia, a WTA premier cornerstone event being held in the picturesque Rome.

Williams opened the match well and pocketed a couple of early breaks to close the opening set by 6 games 2. A sudden rise in Petkovic's game then saw Williams lose her serve in the third game and eventually the set 6-3.

The decider turned out to be a lopsided affair when Serena reeled off 6 games in a row to complete the 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 win in one hour and 43 minutes of play.

http://www.tennisearth.com/news/tennisNews/Serena-storms-into-Rome-Quarterfinals-158413.htm

 

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Re: Serena storms into Rome Quarterfinals

World number one Serena Williams is in astonishing form since her return from a long injury layoff which saw her miss major events in Paris, Miami and Charleston. However, her current form seems good enough to get her a title triumph on Roman clay. Today she beat a feisty Russian Maria Kirilenko in straight sets to reach the semifinals of the 2010 Internazionali BNL D'Italia, a WTA cornerstone event being held in Rome, Italy.

Serena started the match on a bright note and broke Kirilenko's serve several times to close the opening set with a 6-1 scoreline. The second set saw Williams get a double break and a 4-1 lead with the help of her blistering groundstrokes. The Russian did make a mini-comeback when she got one of the breaks back but it was too late as Williams consolidated the single break lead and completed the 6-1, 6-4 match in 78 minutes of play.

http://www.tennisearth.com/news/tennisNews/Serena-storms-into-BNL-DItalia-Semifinal-550703.htm

 

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Ivanovic returns to top form in Rome, enters Semis

Former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic has been dogged by a series of injuries from the past one year. However, on her favourite surface clay, things seem to be returning back to normal. The Serbian star produced high quality tennis today to defeat Russian powerhouse Nadia Petrova and reached the semifinals of the Internazionali BNL D'Italia, a WTA Premier cornerstone event, being held in the historic Rome.

Ivanovic made a fine start to the match and quickly raced to a 5-2 lead. Another break of serve then fetched the Serbian star the first set by 6 games to 2. The second set saw Ivanovic get an early break for a 2-0 lead. Petrova however refused to go down without a fight and bounced back to level the match. Things continued on a similar pattern till 6-5 when Ivanovic got the golden break and completed the 6-2, 7-5 win in 76 minutes of play.

http://www.tennisearth.com/news/ten...ns-to-top-form-in-Rome-enters-Semis-96557.htm

 

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Jankovic stuns Serena to reach Rome final

Jelena Jankovic produced a stubborn performance to knock top seed Serena Williams out of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome.

In a match lasting over two-and-a-half hours, Jankovic produced an astonishing fightback to book her place in the final with a 4-6 6-3 7-6(5) victory.

Williams, playing in her first tournament since the Australian Open in January, struggled with her serve, hitting nine double faults as she was broken on seven occasions by her opponent. But in a match in which the momentum swung back and forth between the players, Williams looked to be on course to reach the final.

http://www.espn.co.uk/tennis/sport/story/21458.html

 

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Martinez Sanchez reigns supreme in Rome

Unseeded Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez today created history in her own terms when she struggled past the conquerer of Williams sisters - Jelena Jankovic, to win the biggest title of her career, the Internazionali BNL D'Italia, the second of the four WTA Premier cornerstone events held during the tennis calendar.