8 unknown Women's singles champions: Part I
Similar to any other event, there were a number of unexpected participants that competed as outer court players in the US Open 2010. Outer court players are a vital part of any tournament; they level out the playing field by ensuring an equal opportunity
for the more popular players along with those who are only beginning to stand on their feet. In the women’s singles tournament at Flushing Meadows this year, for example, there were no less than eight champions. A brief introduction and career achievements
of four of these players is listed in the first instalment.
Anastasia Rodionova: This Australian player was born in Russia and has quite a reputation on court (not least because of her doubtful fashion sense). She has climbed to the World Number 62 spot in WTA rankings. She is currently ranked at
the Number 65 place. At Wimbledon this year, Rodionova defeated Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova during the second round of Wimbledon 2010 - this match is also considered to be a controversial encounter because a bitter Kuznetsova refused to shake her opponent’s
hand after the match, demonstrating a great breach of good sportsmanship. The 28-year-old Anastasia Rodionova has made it to the quarters of the WTA tournaments in Kuala Lumpur, Estoril, Strasbourg and Istanbul. She defeated Bojana Jovanovski in her first
round at the US Open, but fell to Samantha Stosur in the second round in straight sets.
Regina Kulikova: This 21-year-old player is possibly the best female player from Kazakhstan in the game these days, out ranked only by Yaroslava Shvedova. The 6 foot tall player has done quite well in 2010, defeating Kuznetsova in Dubai
and defeating Shvedova at the Wimbledon Championships. Her career high ranking is Number 65, with her current ranking falling to 77. She was beaten by another outer court player, Anastasija Sevastova (also on this list) during the first round of the US Open.
Ekaterina Makarova: This 22-year-old Russian was completely unknown when she won Eastbourne this year, defeating top ranked players Flavia Pennetta, Nadia Petrova, Kuznetsova, Stosur and Victoria Azarenka in the process. She also made it
to the Fed Cup semi-finals, where she fell to Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Her first round match at the US Open was against Ana Ivanovic, who defeated her in straight sets. However, Makarova performed well at her next tournament, the Hansol Korea Open, where she
made it to the semi-finals before suffering defeat at the hands of Alisa Kleybanova. Her current WTA ranking is Number 43, with her highest ranking climbing to the World Number 35 spot.
Petra Martic: 19-year-old Petra Martic has a career high ranking of World Number 43, and her achievements this year include a crushing defeat to Britain’s Number 1, Elena Baltacha. She reached the second round at Indian Wells before losing
to Jelena Jankovic, and the third round at the Miami matches, losing to Yanina Wickmayer. However, at the US Open 2010, Baltacha played against her in the first round and came off victorious, making up for her loss earlier in the year.
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