Maria Kirilenko

Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem
Fes, Morocco
Surface: Red Clay/Outdoors
Official Web Site: http://www.frmtennis.com

SINGLES
1º RONDA: Maria Kirilenko (RUS)[4] Perdió Con. Marta Domachowska (POL) 4-6 4-6

DOBLES
1º RONDA: Maria Kirilenko(RUS)/Sorana Cirstea(ROU)[1] Def. Fernandez-Brugues(ESP)/Thorpe(FRA) 6-4 6-4
2º RONDA: Maria Kirilenko(RUS)/Sorana Cirstea(ROU)[1] Vs. Czing(HUN)/Keothavong(GBR)

Domachowska beats Kirilenko in 1st round

FEZ, Morocco (AP)—Marta Domachowska of Poland beat fourth-seeded Maria Kirilenko of Russia 6-4, 6-4 Monday in the first round of the Grand Prix SAR.

Domachowska broke Kirilenko, who reached the Barcelona Open final two weeks ago, five times. The 109th-ranked Domachowska will next face either Petra Cetkovska of Czech Republic or Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium at the clay-court tournament.

Sixth-seeded Ekaterina Makarova of Russia also advanced, beating Ioana Raluca Olaru of Romania 7-6 (5), 6-4.

Israeli player Shahar Peer, who was denied a visa for a tournament in the United Arab Emirates earlier this year, will play in Morocco this week, organizers confirmed Monday. The 48th-ranked Peer will face Aravane Rezai of France in the first round.

Peer will be playing in an Arab country for the first time since she was denied a visa for the Dubai Tennis Championships in February. At the time, Dubai authorities cited security fears to justify their decision, which came as many Arab countries stepped up their boycott against Israel in the wake of its deadly military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Three of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's brightest stars took some time out during the Barcelona Ladies Open last week to participate in a unique photo shoot, “A Tear For Africa”. During the shoot, a professional make-up artist painted a black tear on the faces of Anabel Medina Garrigues, Carla Suárez Navarro and Maria Kirilenko, then images were snapped.

“I agreed to do it right away,” Medina Garrigues said. “It was so nice, and it's important to participate in these kind of things. It was a true pleasure for me.”

“It was really nice to be part of such a project and to be among other athletes,” Suárez Navarro said. “I hope we can help and make a little diference.”

“I enjoyed the photo shoot and I am happy that I did it,” Kirilenko said. “It was for a good cause and that is always important.”

The aforementioned Tour players are among a number of professional athletes who have taken part in the initiative. The photos will be shown and sold at an exhibition this coming September, and proceeds will go to the Association for Integral Health and Human Development of Mozambique in Africa.

Suárez Navarro and Kirilenko would eventually meet in the semifinals of the Barcelona Ladies Open, with the Russian emerging victorious in three sets before falling to Roberta Vinci in the final. Medina Garrigues was forced to withdraw from the tournament before it started due to injury, but participated in several off-court activities - including this photo shoot - during the week.

Roberta Vinci dethrones Maria Kirilenko, wins Barcelona Ladies Open

Unseeded Italian Roberta Vinci beat defending champion Maria Kirilenko 6-0 6-4 at the Barcelona Ladies Open to win her second Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title.
Vinci went trough her first three rounds in straight sets – including a second-round 6-1 6-2 victory over world No.14 Flavia Pennetta, her sixth win over a Top 20 player.
Vinci had little trouble in the final, beating the sixth-seeded Russian in just an hour and 11 minutes to win first title since Bogota two years ago.
The 26-year-old Vinci has climbed from No.61 to No. 52 in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour rankings.

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Vinci arrebata la corona a Kirilenko

La italiana Robert Vinci, 61 del mundo, se convirtió ayer en la única capaz de acabar con el reinado de la rusa Maria Kirilenko, sexta favorita, en el Barcelona Ladies Open, un reinado que se ha prolongado durante nueve partidos, desde que la rusa ganara el título en 2008. Ayer, la italiana derrotó a Kirlienko en la final del torneo barcelonés, que se disputó en el David Lloyd Club Turó, por un contundente 6-0 y 6-4.

Y es que Vinci, que ya suma dos títulos del circuito Sony Ericsson WTA tras su victoria en 2007 en Bogotá, se ha postulado como una temible rival en la final. La italiana no ha perdido ninguno de los once partidos por el título que ha jugado a lo largo de su carrera, dos de ellos WTA y otros nueve ITF.

Así, la campeona se mostró muy superior a una Kirilenko que fue verdugo de dos españolas, María José Martínez en cuartos y Carla Suárez en semifinales, y que se mostró inoperante. "Estoy muy contenta. Es genial volver a ganar. Hacía mucho tiempo que no jugaba bien", destacó Vinci, quien indicó que el gran partido que protagonizó la semana pasada en los cuartos de final de Marbella ante Jelena Jankovic le dio "mucha confianza de cara a Barcelona".

Kirilenko se medirá con Vinci en la final de Barcelona

Maria Kirilenko venció el sábado 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 a la española Carla Suárez Navarro y enfrentará a la italiana Roberta Vinci en la final del Abierto de Barcelona.
La rusa Kirilenko, campeona defensora del torneo, perdió el primer set y luego le quebró el saque a Suárez Navarro en siete de las nueve oportunidades que tuvo.
Fue el segundo partido del día para Kirilenko, que superó 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 a la española María José Martínez Sánchez en la reanudación de un duelo por los cuartos de final que fue suspendido el viernes por lluvia.
Vinci derrotó 0-6, 7-6 (2) , 6-4 a su compatriota Francesca Schiavone.

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Kirilenko and Vinci to play in Barcelona final

BARCELONA, Spain (AP)—Maria Kirilenko will defend her Barcelona Open title against Roberta Vinci, advancing to the final with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory over fifth-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro on Saturday.
After dropping the first set, the sixth-seeded Kirilenko broke Suarez Navarro on seven of her following nine chances.
It was the Russian's second match of the day against a Spanish opponent. Earlier she had defeated Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 in a rain-suspended quarterfinal.
Vinci overcame fellow Italian Francesca Schiavone 0-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4.
The 37th-ranked Kirilenko holds a 2-1 advantage in career matchups against Vinci after winning the last two, including their only meeting on clay at Berlin in 2006.

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Kirilenko/Vinci, l'affiche de la finale de Barcelone (WTA)

Avant de se retrouver en 1/2 finales, Kirilenko et Suarez-Navarro ont dû jouer leur 1/4 de finale dans la matinée. La Russe a battu Martinez Sanchez 6/1 3/6 6/0, l'Espagnole s'étant littéralement effondrée dans la dernière manche. Suarez Navarro n'a pas eu trop de mal à se défaire de Malek, même si le premier set a été assez serré (6/4 6/0).

Plus tard, Kirilenko, en battant Suarez Navarro, a signé sa plus belle performance de l'année, après un début de saison catastrophique, qui a eu pour conséquence de la séparer de son entraîneur Robert Van't Hof. Revenue dans le giron de son père, la Russe semble en tout cas exceller dans ce genre de petites épreuves sur terre battue. Face à la tête de série N°5, elle a réussi à alterner entre balles molles et agressivité, plutôt que de s'obstiner à frapper dans la balle en cadence.

Elle rencontrera Roberta Vinci en finale, qui a profité de la nette défaillance de sa compatriote Schiavone, qui a coincé à partir du moment où elle a servi pour le match à 6/0 5-4. Malgré les 3 matches remportés à Barcelone, cette dernière est donc toujours aussi fragile sur le plan mental. Vinci atteint donc la deuxième finale de sa carrière, après avoir gagné le tournoi de Bogota en 2007 (on se souvient que Garbin menait en finale 3-0 dans le dernier set, avant de devoir abandonner ...).