2011 Sony Ericsson Open WTA Part 16: Andrea Petkovic and Alisa Kleybanova
World Number 23 Andrea Petkovic
Andrea Petkovic is currently the highest ranked German tennis player on the Women’s Tennis Association, at World Number 23. She is 23 years old and joined the professional tour almost five years ago in 2006. She is right-handed,
and has won one WTA singles title so far. She has never been ranked higher than her current position.
Petkovic made her Miami debut in 2009, when she was much lower on the charts at World Number 213. The player took part in the qualifying draw, but lost in the first round to Mariya Koryttseva of Ukraine. She could not participate
in the main draw.
However, the player had improved significantly by the time the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open came around. She was ranked World Number 44, and was a direct main draw entry. Her first opponent was Austrian pro Anastasia Rodionova, whom
she ousted in straight sets to set up a second round match against tenth seed Flavia Pennetta. She defeated the Italian player, but struggled against Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova in the third round, eventually losing the match.
This year, Petkovic is seeded twenty-first at the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open. It is her first time as a seeded player in Miami, and she has reached the fourth round of the tournament after defeating Jamie Hampton and Iveta Benesova
in her first two matches. She will now play against current World Number 1 Caroline Wozniacki in her next match.
World Number 26 Alisa Kleybanova
Alisa Kleybanova is a Russian tennis player, currently ranked World Number 26 by the Women’s Tennis Association. She has been playing tennis on a professional level since 2003, having joined the WTA circuit over seven years ago.
The player has won two WTA singles titles over the course of her career, and her highest ranking so far is World Number 20.
The Russian pro made her first appearance in the main draw of the Miami tournament in 2006, when she was ranked World Number 233. The player gained entry into the tournament as a wildcard, and fell to French pro Virginie Razzano
in straight sets in her first match on the hard courts.
Her best performance in the tournament was in 2009, when she was seeded twenty-fourth. The player received a bye in the first round and went on to defeat players Galina Voskoboeva and Anastasiya Yakimova before falling to eighth
seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in the fourth round.
This year, Alisa Kleybanova was seeded twenty-second at the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open. She received a bye into the second round, where she suffered an early defeat at the hands of compatriot Ekaterina Makarova.
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