2011 BNP Paribas Open: Women’s Tennis Association seeds Part XIV
The 2011 BNP Paribas Open will begin today, and this article is a continuation of the series which will provide readers with a brief review of the top 32 players in the draw.
World Number 28 Alexandra Dulgheru
Alexandra Dulgheru is a Romanian tennis player who joined the Women’s Tennis Association [WTA] six years ago in 2005. She is currently ranked World Number 28, and seeded 27th at the 2011 BNP Paribas Open. Although she is more highly ranked than
26th seed Daniela Hantuchova, she is seeded lower due to the fact that the main draw participants were announced before the rankings changed.
The right-handed player has taken part at the Indian Wells Masters just once before, in 2010. She was ranked as World Number 51 at the time, and joined the tournament as an unseeded player. She played her first match on the hard courts against Portuguese
tennis player Michelle Larcher de Brito, who was ranked World Number 116 at the time. Dulgheru defeated her opponent to proceed to the second round, where she faced Spanish tennis player and then-World Number 33 Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. The 28th
seed ousted Dulgheru in three sets.
The Romanian tennis player has been performing at a very mediocre level; she participated in the Dubai tournament only to be ousted by ninth seed Shahar Peer in the second round, after which she took part in the Doha event. She was unable to move past the
first round at this tournament, falling to World Number 33 Klara Zakopalova in straight sets. She will probably suffer a second round defeat at Indian Wells this year.
World Number 29 Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez
Spanish tennis pro Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez is seeded 30th at the tournament. The discrepancy in her seeding is again because of the gap between the release of the main draw and the change in the rankings. The Spanish player has been part of
the WTA Tour for almost fifteen years, having joined the tour in 1996. She has participated in the Indian Wells event in 2002, 2009 and 2010.
In 2009, Martinez Sanchez was unable to make it past the first qualifying round of the tournament. At World Number 53, she was upset by Number 126 Masa Peskiric of Slovakia.
However, the Spanish player managed to redeem herself at the event in 2010. As World Number 33, she was seeded 28th at the tournament. She received a bye into the second round, where she took on Dulgheru and defeated the player in three sets.
This led her to a third round match against third seed Victoria Azarenka, whom she upset in straight sets. She then took on thirteenth seed Yanina Wickmayer, and defeated her in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals of the event. Australian pro Samantha
Stosur ended her run at the tournament here.
Although her past greatness may help her, Martinez Sanchez has performed poorly so far this year. She was ousted in the first round of her last event at Doha, losing the match to then-World Number 56 Vera Dushevina. The chances of her performing well at
the Indian Wells event are up for grabs.
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