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Aegon Classic, Birmingham
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Author:  Alex Isabel [ 16. June 2013 18:44 ]
Post subject:  Re: Aegon Classic, Birmingham

:!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :) :) :) DANIELA #6!!!!!! :beer: :beer: :haha: :wink: :wink: :wav: :wav: :-D :-D

Can anyone say they saw this coming? I'd be dishonest if I said I did. But it's so much like our wonderful woman to do this sometime, somewhere when we least expect it! And it was so Danielaian to secure match point as my family was a block away from our church, just under the wire! :mrgreen: This is so fantastic. It's so deserved for Daniela to get that elusive win on the grass that she loves to play on, and to get one in Britain. (That she got her 1st title ever during my birth month and week and on Father's Day is beside the point, except for me, of course ;) )
I've got a lot of numbers to go with this title; that'll be a separate post. I want to say that I marvel at what Daniela did this week under the conditions. The 1st win ever for her at Indian Wells still stands as her best win because it was the first and because she took out Henin and Hingis along the way. But this one is clearly the one that she dug the deepest into herself to get. It truly is a triumph of the heart and the spirit. All the things that we lamented for months, the tiebreaks, rain delays, opponents that play way over their heads, matches not starting until hours after they were supposed to....Dani overcame them all this week! 6 matches in 6 days for her 6th title; that speaks for itself. Every time that a match was in doubt, she won all the big points! The 0-3/0-3/0-3 comebacks against Schaivone; that's almost beyond belief. What a week! What a win! What a woman!
I wrote this to Daniela on FB: You guys know how much I have despised the malignment our gal has taken from fans and media and their misrepresentations of her. And as you can imagine, I read almost everything there is to read about her. Over the past 2 1/2 years, with all that she has accomplished on the court (the place she always has said she should be judged on) and with all that has come out about her giving, charitable heart, I think it is safe to say that Daniela has outlasted the critics! I rarely see any of the old crap anymore. People are seeing who Daniela really is and always was. And what's apparent from the last few years, and most particularly this week, is that her passion and competitive spirit for the sport have not waned at all. They have actually increased!
Congratulations, Daniela!

Author:  chungwit [ 16. June 2013 19:05 ]
Post subject:  Re: Aegon Classic, Birmingham

HANTUCHOVA CONQUERS BIRMINGHAM
Daniela Hantuchova survived some very close brushes with defeat en route to the final then beat Donna Vekic in straight sets for her sixth WTA title. Who is the former World No.5's Wimbledon pick?
Published June 16, 2013 12:01
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BIRMINGHAM, England - Her down-the-lines deadly and her fighting spirit fierce, Daniela Hantuchova went all the way to the title at the Aegon Classic this past week, surviving some very close brushes with defeat en route to the final and then beating Donna Vekic in straight sets for her sixth WTA title.

Unseeded, Hantuchova knew she would have to lift her game at the Edgbaston Priory Club, and she did just that, taking out a slew of seeds en route to the final, namely No.7 seed Laura Robson, No.12 seed Kristina Mladenovic and No.15 seed Francesca Schiavone. The last two were particularly tricky, as she had to rally from 2-0 down in the second and third sets to beat Mladenovic, 36 76(6) 64, then come back from 4-1 down in the second and 3-0 down in the third to edge Schiavone, 67(8) 64 76(3).

After another three set win over American qualifier Alison Riske in the semifinals, Hantuchova took on fellow unseeded player Vekic in the final, Vekic having also taken out three seeds along the way. But the Slovak veteran was just too tough for the Croatian teenager by that point, squeaking out the first set in a tie-break then rallying from an early break down to close it out in straight sets, 76(5) 64.

"I'm always so happy coming back here year after year, and it feels great to finally get the title," Hantuchova said. "The first week on grass is always really demanding on the body, so I'm proud of how I made it through so many long matches throughout the week. And when I really needed to, I was tough mentally. Like in the match with Schiavone a few days ago, which was one of the most exciting matches of my career - when I was down, I stayed calm. I felt like everything came together this week.

"I've been playing here since '99, I think - it was about time I got the title!"


Hantuchova now has six WTA titles to her name, her first five coming at Indian Wells in 2002, Indian Wells and Linz in 2007, then Pattaya City in back-to-back years in 2011 and 2012. This one could be especially meaningful, though, given it was her first since missing the entire clay court season last year with a foot injury - in fact, she hadn't even been to a final since that lay-off, until this week.

"It shows me I can still compete at the highest level, both physically and mentally," Hantuchova said. "It's actually so nice to see so many players from my generation doing so well, starting with Serena, obviously - what she's done over the last few years is just amazing. And Francesca, Roberta - it's nice to see the old way of playing still being so successful right now, and I'm glad to be a part of it."

And what about the big one? "Hopefully I get a better draw at Wimbledon than at Roland Garros," she said. "On grass I always feel it's my best chance. Unless it's Serena - I think we all know she's the favorite there. She's done so well there, and the way she's playing at the moment is unbelievable."

Vekic was trying to become the youngest player to win a WTA title since a 15-year-old Tamira Paszek won in Portoroz in 2006. She is now 0-2 in WTA finals, having been runner-up at Tashkent in 2012.

"I have mixed emotions right now," Vekic said. "I can't be happy after losing a match, but it was a great week for me and I'm happy I could reach the finals. And I gave it my all today - maybe it wasn't my best tennis, but it was the best I could do today, and Daniela was just the better player out there.

"I was happy to be playing the finals - hopefully I'll have many more matches like that."


Hantuchova was impressed. "She's a very talented girl," the former World No.5 said. "She moves very well and has a great serve, and that makes her play very well on grass. I haven't seen her play on the other surfaces, but she has a great team around her and I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot about her."
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Author:  ever_the_optimist [ 16. June 2013 20:10 ]
Post subject:  Re: Aegon Classic, Birmingham

I may never or hardly ever post on here anymore, but I always keep a close eye on how Daniela is getting on week in week out and I'm as pleased as all you guys are to see her pick up her sixth career title and to notch up 500 career victories on tour this week which is a great achievement for anyone and fully deserved.

In the past when I've seen Daniela doing well in tournaments I've tuned in and it's all gone wrong - maybe I was a bad omen - so today I made sure I didn't watch a single ball until it got to 5-4 in the second set today not to jinx it, so I caught the clinching game and it was a delight to see Daniela's beaming smile once again.

I know it's been an incredibly tough and testing year so far but hopefully she can transfer this form onto the courts in Den Bosch and then onto Wimbledon where I know she loves playing so much. I'll keep my fingers crossed that the day I'm down there (the first Tuesday) that she'll playing and I won't bring her any bad luck...I didn't the last time I saw her live and in person at Wimbledon in 2007 so hopefully I'll see her win again there this year.

Scott

Author:  eddy [ 16. June 2013 21:09 ]
Post subject:  Re: Aegon Classic, Birmingham

Hey Scott! Welcome back! Hope you can stick around a little longer as your posts were always insightful.

Eddy

Author:  Helio [ 16. June 2013 22:22 ]
Post subject:  Re: Aegon Classic, Birmingham

So, she's playing Tuesday in Den Bosch?

Author:  eddy [ 16. June 2013 22:24 ]
Post subject:  Re: Aegon Classic, Birmingham

In den Bosch, Oprandi withdrew and is replaced by Tsurenko, revenge time from Brisbane please.

Author:  chungwit [ 16. June 2013 22:28 ]
Post subject:  Re: Aegon Classic, Birmingham

Daniela Hantuchová
Liked · about an hour ago

So soooo happy with another tournament win today, I can't believe it has been 14 years since I played this tournament for the first time and it makes it even more special winning here at @aegon classic where I played my first wta tournament! Have enjoyed the whole week playing so many great matches:) Time to have some fun tonight! Thank you all for your incredible support, you guys keep me going. With love dani'

@ Daniela's facebook

Author:  Alex Isabel [ 16. June 2013 22:50 ]
Post subject:  Re: Aegon Classic, Birmingham

I asked my wife to watch the last game with me. She observed that in her mind, Daniela is younger looking than the 16 yr. old Vasic! We would be remiss to not congratulate Simona Halep on her first tour win. It gives perspective to the struggles our gal has with her. OK. Some of the numbers this week are obvious, like 500 and 6 wins in 6 days for 6 titles. So here are a few different ones. Like 28. That's the number of spots Dani has raised her rank since it bottomed out at 76. In her previous wins, Dani won 6 matches twice, both at Indian Wells, where we know the schedule is spread out. This is the first time she has ever won on 6 straight days. In both IW cases, she went 3 sets 3 times ala this week. But never did she come from behind 3 times to win 3 setters on the way to a title. Never before has she won 4 tiebreaks in a tourney she won. (For those accomplishments, she should jump in a pool with her mum twice :) ) Finally, Finally, the epic win over Schaivone makes the total number of wins over players once in the top 10 180 out of the 504. Pomeeeeeee, Daniela!

Author:  ArturJFC [ 16. June 2013 23:12 ]
Post subject:  Re: Aegon Classic, Birmingham

The draw was really nice to Daniela in Den Bosch. Another long run is quite possible, if the ankle doesn't bother her.

Author:  chungwit [ 16. June 2013 23:43 ]
Post subject:  Re: Aegon Classic, Birmingham

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Hantuchova triumphs on the Eastbourne grass
16 June 2013 Share on email

The unseeded Slovak player completed a fantastic week full of comebacks to take the sixth WTA title of her career by beating Donna Vekic in the final of the English tournament.

The Slovak Daniela Hantuchova once again demonstrated her enormous fighting spirit on the court this week to take the crown at Eastbourne after coming through clashes which were all but lost.

After her victory over seventh seed Laura Robson, Hantuchova, who was unseeded, had to dig deep to beat French player Kristina Mladenovic in the last sixteen before an incredible comeback in the quarters against Francesca Schiavone. Those wins boosted Hantuchova’s morale and helped her to an easier victory in the final, 7-6, 6-4, against another unseeded player, Croat Donna Vekic.

This is the sixth singles title in Daniela Hantuchova’s career, and at 30 she continues to demonstrate why she is not ready to hang up her racquet yet. “I am always excited to come here, and I am very happy to finally win the title. The first week on grass is always very demanding, so I am very proud to have come through such complicated matches here this week. I’ve been playing since 1999, so I think it was just a question of time until I took the trophy”, joked the Slovak player, who will soon start her campaign at Wimbledon where she once reached the semi-finals.
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Author:  Helio [ 16. June 2013 23:58 ]
Post subject:  Re: Aegon Classic, Birmingham

The draw was really nice to Daniela in Den Bosch. Another long run is quite possible, if the ankle doesn't bother her.

Tsurenko can be quite tough though.

Author:  Alex Isabel [ 17. June 2013 00:08 ]
Post subject:  Re: Aegon Classic, Birmingham

Got your tickets yet, Helio? Hope you're as lucky as I was and get an autograph and a picture!

Author:  eddy [ 17. June 2013 00:10 ]
Post subject:  Re: Aegon Classic, Birmingham

Haha to above article saying it was Eastbourne and not Birmingham :lol:

Author:  ArturJFC [ 17. June 2013 00:43 ]
Post subject:  Re: Aegon Classic, Birmingham

Tsurenko can be quite tough though.

On other surfaces, yes, but on grass, she never won a match in a main draw of WTA, and even in Den Bosch she lost in Qualis (and lost to Keys 7-6 in the 3rd set on the 1st round here), so, if Daniela plays like this week, she should be an easy opponent

Author:  monmon [ 17. June 2013 04:49 ]
Post subject:  Re: Aegon Classic, Birmingham

I was so happy with this win!..the last time she won Pattaya I was also able to watch her live on tv. I was switching channels from time to time and everytime she faces a breakpoint coz I dont want to jinx her. She keeps stronger and stronger until the end of the game and the way she finished it with matchpoint. When she made it I raise may two arms as high as I can and I cant shout since my dad is sleeping but I said'yes'!..I cant explain the feeling as a Dani fan. Im just hoping she take a rest and mainain her level in denBosch as well in Wimbledon..we need a deep run at grandslam!! :x :D :x :D

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