Tomorrow, at 18:00 o’clock (Tbilisi time) Georgian best tennis player Anna Tatishvili will start competition at Charleston international tournament, which is underway in South Carolina, the USA (prize money of the tournament 740 000 USD). As far as you know the first opponent of Georgian tennis player is Dutch Arantxa Rus.
Before this match, new ranking of WTA was published, where 22-year-old Tatishvili is in the 80th place with 804 points. As we reported, Last year Tatishvili started participation from the qualifying draw. She beat Gabriela Paz of Venezuela (7:5, 6:4) and Tetiana Luzhanska of Ukraine (6:2, 6:2). In the main draw, Anna defeated Jelena Dokic of Australia (7:5, 2:6, 6:4) and Maria Kirilenko of Russia (5:7, 7:5, 6:3). In 1/8 final, Tatishvili lost to Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 4:6, 5:7, that’s why she has to defend her points at this following tournament. As for her rival Arantxa Rus, she progressed from the 105th place to the 87th with 701 points. She reached her career peak in January, 2012. 21-year-old Rus was in the 77th place. 22-year-old Tatishvili has played against Arantxa at WTA tournaments for three times and has good balance. In 2009 Anna lost to Arantxa 4:6, 5:7 in 1/16 final of Zagreb tournament. Last year Anna defeated Rus twice: in the qualifying draw of Brisbane – 6:2, 6:4 and in final of Cuneo tournament – 6:4, 6:3.
In case of beating Rus, Tatishvili had to play against winner between Nadia Petrova of Russia and one of the winners of the qualifying draw, but unexpectedly some changes were done in the schedule of the tournament.
According to the renovated draw, if Anna wins the first round, she will play against New Zealander Marina Erakovic (No.45 seed in WTA ranking) or one of the winners of qualification draw – Czech Karolina Pliskova (No.125 seed in WTA ranking). Of course it increases chances of Tatishvili.
Petrova is No.13 seed at the tournament. Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland who won Miami tournament is leading favorites. Radwanska is No.1 seed. The following tennis players come after her: Samantha Stosur (Australia), Marion Bartoli (France), Vera Zvonareva (Russia), Serena Williams (USA), Sabine Lisicki (Germany), Jelena Jankovic (Serbia), Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia), Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) and Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain).
It must be mentioned that there are nine Georgian tennis players in WTA ranking, those are the following: 80 (77). Anna Tatishvili - 804 points; 186 (181). Maka Chakhnashvili- 338; 268(264). Sopho Shafatava -206; 376 (365). Sopho Kvatsabaia -117; 418(418). Ekaterine Gorgodze-93; 423 (377). Oksana Kalashnikova-89; 488(485). Tatia Mikadze-70; 709 (824). Natia Gegia-30; 1025(1016). Ani Gogvadze-10;
Maka Chakhnashvili will play as No.8 seed at the main draw of international tournament, which is underway in the city of Belgium, Tessenderlo. It is already known, that Georgian tennis player plays against one of the winners of qualification draw in the first circle. Sopgo Shapatava starts competition in the main draw of the tournament, which is underway in the city of US, Jackson Mississippi (prize money 25 000 USD).
Kleopatra Karumashvili is to compete at Antalya tournament (prize money 10 000 USD). In the first round of qualification Anna Shepita of Russian did not come for playing against Karumashvili, in the second circle Kleopatra plays against No.3 seed Pole Natalya Kolat.
