WTA Year-End Championships 2005
The draw is out.
Green group: Davenport - Sharapova - Schnyder - Petrova
Black group: Clijsters - Mauresmo - Pierce - Dementieva
Semifinal predictions: Davenport vs Mauresmo; Clijsters vs. Petrova
(Why: Davenport and Clijsters historically have their best results indoors; Mauresmo and Petrova have just played matches in Philadelphia on the same surface, so they're ready.)
Final predictions: Davenport vs. Clijsters
(Why: as above. Mauresmo tends to choke in the clinch, and although Petrova has improved her results this year and ought to have the weapons to beat anybody, she tends to self-destruct at inopportune moments, and one title seems unlikely to change that completely overnight.)
Winner: Clijsters
(Why: all else being equal, the better mover wins. Davenport and Clijsters are both great on indoor surfaces, both hit hard, serve well, and can move into the net and put away volleys. Davenport has the edge in power and on the serve. But Clijsters has a big edge in movement.)
Tonight:
Clijsters vs Pierce: Clijsters and Pierce both won the last tournaments they played, and both have had a great year (Pierce: FO final, US final, won San Diego and Moscow); Clijsters: won US, Indian Wells, Miami, coming back from a year of injuries to #2 in the world). Clijsters in straights.
Sharapova vs Schnyder: both pulled out of Philadelphia with injuries (Schnyder - left hand; Sharapova right thumb strain). Schnyder beat Sharapova in Rome on clay, but Sharapova likes faster surfaces. Sharapova in two.
Davenport vs Petrova: two more Philadelphia pull-outs (Davenport with flu; Petrova bruised her heel in the quarterfinals). Petrova should be on a roll having won her first title in Linz a couple of weeks ago, but Davenport historically has had her best results indoors and on hard courts. Davenport in straights.
wg