Elena Dementieva started her singles’ campaign in Hong Kong on her right foot, or basically, hadn’t she lost the first set to Nicole Vaidisova.
Yet this was what generally is called a win à la Dementieva. After quickly falling behind early in the first set, entering a hole of four games to Vaidisova and love to herself, Dementieva knew she was in trouble, again! She ended up losing the first set 6-2. But thumbing her nose at the ones who already believed she was on the Silver Group, she turned the tables around, marvellously, as only she can and in the second set she raced to a 3-0 lead and then 5-2 eventually closing it 6-3. In the second more of the same came along as Nicole stood by Elena up until 2-2 before the Russian blasted away to victory, claiming yet another three-setter after failing to win the first set. She will now face Maria Sharapova who disposed of Chinese hope Zi Yan.
And it was precisely Yan and her partner, Jie Zheng who were responsible for Dementieva’s exit in the doubles competition. Dementieva, initially scheduled to play with Nicole Vaidisova against the Chinese pair, was later partnered with Dane Caroline Wosniacki, a WTA Tour newcomer who has just left the juniors competition. For two players playing together for the first time they still gave the Australian and Wimbledon doubles’ champions a good contest. In an eight-game pro match the Chinese still allowed the suspicious team of Dementieva/Wosniacky a total of five games. The score: 8-5.
But now it’s when things will really heat-up for Dementieva has she takes on old nemesis Sharapova. In eight previous meetings at the WTA level the elder Russian has only managed to claim two matche the first coming in 2003 (Shangai) and the second coming last year in Los Angeles en route to the title. In both occasions Dementieva had won the first set. But the last time they played, in Madrid, Sharapova won convincingly enough, overpowering an erratic Dementieva, who only started playing better in the last few games of the contest – naturally.
If Dementieva loses this semifinal match she can already pack her bags and head to Sydney for the Medibank International where she should be the 4th or 4th seed, now that Justine Henin has withdrawn for personal reasons.
