Kirilenko Enters Pilot Pen Tennis
Russian Maria Kirilenko has entered the New Haven Open and will attempt to capture a second career tour title. Maria, who went on a five-match losing streak, finally broke that rubicon when she claimed a first-round match versus Kostanic in Montreal before falling to Dechy in the following round.
Kirilenko will begin her campaign with, first, top twenty Chinese player Na Li. Li has experienced great results lately, going all the way to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon as well as in Stockholm. Kirilenko leads the series 1-0 with the featured win coming in the 2005 Hyderabad Open.
Should she advance, she would certainly face a countrywoman, either Anastasia Myskina the number 8 seed, or Dinara Safina, who is currently in the process of battling for a final spot in the Tier I event in Montreal with Ana Ivanovic. Kirilenko has yet to face Myskina in an official match, and with Safina, the young blonde holds a 0-1 record from a match played in the 2005 s’Herttogenbosch.
Going even deeper in the draw, Justine Henin-Hardenne looms ahead. The Belgian hasn’t played since Wimbledon due to an injury. In the head-to-head record, Henin leads by 2-0 with two contrasting scores. The first match was a three-set battle, but the second one was a complete route by the Belgian who only lost a single game.
Also playing in this year’s edition of the Pilot Pen Tennis , are world number’s one and three, Amelie Mauresmo and Justine Henin-Hardenne respectively. Elena Dementieva is also in as the number three seed, since she’s ranked fifth in the world. Kuznetsova, Davenport, Myskina, and Schnyder are the other headlines of the tournament.
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