Women's tennis circuit
2008 WTA Tour Jelena Janković finished the year as
WTA world No. 1 for the first time in her career, though
Serena Williams was named the Player of the Year. Janković won four tournaments during the season, including two
Tier I events, and finished runner-up at a
major at the
US Open . Williams won four tournaments during the season, including a major at the US Open, and two Tier I events.
Duration December 29, 2007 – November 9, 2008 Edition 38th Tournaments 59 Categories Grand Slam (4)WTA Championships Summer Olympics WTA Tier I (9)WTA Tier II (14)WTA Tier III (17)WTA Tier IV (13)Most tournament titles Serena Williams (4) Dinara Safina (4) Jelena Janković (4)Most tournament finals Vera Zvonareva (8)Prize money leader Serena Williams (US$3,852,173)Points leader Jelena Janković (4,786)Player of the year Serena Williams Doubles team of the year Cara Black Liezel Huber Most improved player of the year Dinara Safina Newcomer of the year Caroline Wozniacki Comeback player of the year Zheng Jie
The 2008 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour was the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for the 2008 tennis season. The 2008 WTA Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments (supervised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF)), the WTA Tier I-IV Events, the Fed Cup (organized by the ITF), the year-end championships, and the tennis event at the Beijing Summer Olympic Games.
The season was characterised by its frequent changes in the world No. 1 ranking , with Justine Henin , Maria Sharapova , Ana Ivanovic , Jelena Janković and Serena Williams all holding the position at some point during the season. Janković finished the season as the world No. 1 player despite not winning a Grand Slam tournament. She did however reach the final of the U.S. Open, and won four tournaments throughout the season.
Four players won the Grand Slam titles. Maria Sharapova won her third major title at the Australian Open, Ana Ivanovic won her maiden title at the French Open, Venus Williams won her seventh Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, and Serena Williams won her ninth Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open. Dinara Safina also reached her first Grand Slam final at the French Open, and won four events during the season.
One of the big stories of the year was the shock retirement of Justine Henin on May 14, less than two weeks before she was set to defend her French Open title.[ 1] She became the first player to retire while ranked at No. 1 in the world. Henin later returned for the 2010 season.
Justine Henin started the season as the No. 1 ranked player in the world. Following her impressive 2007 season and victory at the warm-up tournament in Sydney, she was considered the outright favourite to win the Australian Open. However, she was beaten in emphatic fashion by Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals, who then defeated Jelena Janković and Ana Ivanovic to win her third Grand Slam title. Daniela Hantuchová also reached her first Grand Slam semifinal. Sister team Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko pulled off an unexpected title run in the women's doubles, while Sun Tiantian teamed up with Nenad Zimonjić to win her first Grand Slam tournament of any kind in the mixed doubles event.
Maria Sharapova started the year on an 18-match winning streak.
Sharapova continued to impress by winning the tournament in Doha, before her 18-match win streak was snapped by Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semifinals of Indian Wells. Kuznetsova went on to lose to Ivanovic in the final. It was then the turn of Serena Williams to build a win streak, claiming the titles in Bangalore, Miami—her fifth title at the event, tying Steffi Graf for the most singles titles at this tournament—and then Charleston. Her 17-match winning run was eventually ended in Berlin by Dinara Safina , who had already beaten Henin in that tournament, and subsequently went on to lift the title.
During the Rome tournament Henin announced her shock retirement from professional tennis, becoming the first player ever to retire whilst ranked at No. 1 in the world. Henin's removal from the rankings meant that then-No. 2 Maria Sharapova became the new No. 1 by default. Jelena Janković eventually won the tournament in Rome.
With Henin's retirement the French Open was considered to be wide open. World No. 1 Sharapova was stopped by Safina in the fourth round, who fought back from match points down to win, before doing the same against Elena Dementieva in the quarterfinals. She eventually reached her first Grand Slam final. On the other side of the draw Ana Ivanovic came through after an all-Serbian semifinal with Jelena Janković, which meant that Ivanovic would move to the No. 1 position regardless of the result in the final. She ended up beating Safina for her first Slam title. In the women's doubles tournament Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual were victorious, the first Slam for Medina Garrigues and the tenth for Ruano Pascual. Victoria Azarenka won her second Grand Slam in the mixed doubles event.
The third Grand Slam of the year at Wimbledon brought with it some surprises: for the first time in the Open Era none of the top four seeds managed to reach the semifinals. World No. 1 Ivanovic surrendered to Zheng Jie in the third round, who went on to become the first Chinese women to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam in singles. Tamarine Tanasugarn knocked out Janković en route to her only major quarterfinal. Sharapova was upset by Alla Kudryavtseva , and Kuznetsova lost to Agnieszka Radwańska , who had shown prior form winning the warm-up tournament in Eastbourne. Serena Williams and her sister Venus Williams reached the final, the first Grand Slam final between the two since Wimbledon five years ago. Venus would defeat her sister for her fifth Wimbledon title. They also teamed up to win the doubles title, their seventh as a team. In the mixed doubles event Samantha Stosur won with Bob Bryan.
Dinara Safina won four titles and improved to No. 3 in the world during the season.
Ivanovic lost her No. 1 ranking in August, as fellow Serbian Jelena Janković ascended to the top position for the first time. Dinara Safina proved strong on the summer hardcourts, winning titles in Los Angeles and Montréal. She then made it to the final match at the Beijing Olympics, but lost to Dementieva, who achieved her biggest career victory with the gold medal. With Vera Zvonareva also winning the bronze medal it meant that Russia swept the podium in the singles event. Li Na almost made a strong run at home, but lost in the bronze medal match. In doubles Serena and Venus Williams won their second gold medals together, after winning at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Ivanovic regained the No. 1 position following the Olympics, and held it heading into the U.S. Open. There it was up to grabs with five women—Ivanovic, Janković, Safina, Kuznetsova, and Serena Williams—being in contention for the top spot. Ivanovic was upset in the second round by Julie Coin , one of the worst losses for a top-ranked player ever. Serena would defeat Jelena Janković in the final. By virtue of winning her eighth major title Williams ascended to the top ranking for the first time since 2002. In the doubles tournament Cara Black and Liezel Huber won their fourth Grand Slam as a team, with Black also victorious in the mixed doubles with Leander Paes.
The fall season saw Jelena Janković return to the No. 1 position after winning events in Beijing, Stuttgart and Moscow, and thus securing the year-end No. 1 ranking. Dinara Safina won the title in Tokyo, beating Petrova and Kuznetsova en route. Both had a solid indoor season with Petrova making the final of Stuttgart and winning Quebec, and Kuznetsova finishing runner-up in Beijing and Tokyo. Vera Zvonareva also had a strong finish to the year, reaching the final of Moscow and Linz, where she lost to Ivanovic, and the WTA Tour Championships in Doha, where she lost to Venus Williams. Williams won her first title at the year-end championships. Other players at the final event were semifinalists Elena Dementieva and Jelena Janković, Dinara Safina, Serena Williams, Ana Ivanovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova, plus alternates Agnieszka Radwańska and Nadia Petrova . In the doubles event Black and Huber successfully defended the title they won in 2007.
The table below shows the 2008 WTA Tour schedule .
Key
Grand Slam events
Summer Olympic Games
Year-end championships
Tier I events
Tier II events
Tier III events
Tier IV events
Team events
Week
Tournament
Champions
Runners-up
Semifinalists
Quarterfinalists
31 Dec
Hopman Cup Perth , Australia Hopman Cup Hard (i) – A$1,000,000 – 8 teams (RR)
United States 2–1
Serbia
Round robin losers (Group A)
France Chinese Taipei Argentina
Round robin losers (Group B)
India Australia Czech Republic
Mondial Australian Women's Hardcourts Gold Coast , Australia Tier III event Hard – $175,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Li Na 4–6, 6–3, 6–4
Victoria Azarenka
Patty Schnyder Shahar Pe'er
Nicole Vaidišová Amélie Mauresmo Dinara Safina Dominika Cibulková
Dinara Safina Ágnes Szávay 6–1, 6–2
Yan Zi Zheng Jie
ASB Classic Auckland , New Zealand Tier IV event Hard – $145,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Lindsay Davenport 6–2, 6–2
Aravane Rezaï
Marina Erakovic Tamira Paszek
Vera Zvonareva Katarina Srebotnik Sara Errani Maria Kirilenko
Mariya Koryttseva Lilia Osterloh 6–3, 6–4
Martina Müller Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová
7 Jan
Medibank International Sydney , Australia Tier II event Hard – $600,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Justine Henin 4–6, 6–2, 6–4
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Ana Ivanovic Nicole Vaidišová
Kaia Kanepi Katarina Srebotnik Jelena Janković Francesca Schiavone
Yan Zi Zheng Jie 6–4, 7–6(7–5)
Tatiana Perebiynis Tatiana Poutchek
Moorilla Hobart International Hobart , Australia Tier IV event Hard – $170,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Eleni Daniilidou Walkover
Vera Zvonareva
Flavia Pennetta Ashley Harkleroad
Casey Dellacqua Sania Mirza Edina Gallovits Elena Vesnina
Anabel Medina Garrigues Virginia Ruano Pascual 6–2, 6–4
Eleni Daniilidou Jasmin Wöhr
14 Jan 21 Jan
Australian Open Melbourne , Australia Grand Slam Hard – $8,000,000 – 128S/96Q/64D/32XSingles – Doubles – Mixed doubles
Maria Sharapova 7–5, 6–3
Ana Ivanovic
Jelena Janković Daniela Hantuchová
Justine Henin Serena Williams Venus Williams Agnieszka Radwańska
Alona Bondarenko Kateryna Bondarenko 2–6, 6–1, 6–4
Victoria Azarenka Shahar Pe'er
Nenad Zimonjić Sun Tiantian 7–6(7–4) , 6–4
Mahesh Bhupathi Sania Mirza
28 Jan
Fed Cup: Quarterfinals HaSharon , Israel , hard California , United States, hard Beijing , China, hard (i) Naples , Italy, hard (i)
First round winners Russia 4–1 United States 4–1 China 3–2 Spain 3–2
First round losers Israel Germany France Italy
Week
Tournament
Champions
Runners-up
Semifinalists
Quarterfinalists
4 Feb
Open Gaz de France Paris, France Tier II event Hard (i) – $600,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Anna Chakvetadze 6–3, 2–6, 6–2
Ágnes Szávay
Marion Bartoli Elena Dementieva
Amélie Mauresmo Virginie Razzano Kateryna Bondarenko Daniela Hantuchová
Alona Bondarenko Kateryna Bondarenko 6–1, 6–4
Eva Hrdinová Vladimíra Uhlířová
Pattaya Women's Open Pattaya , Thailand Tier IV event Hard – $170,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Agnieszka Radwańska 6–2, 1–6, 7–6(7–4)
Jill Craybas
Ekaterina Bychkova Akgul Amanmuradova
Tamarine Tanasugarn Vesna Manasieva Chan Yung-jan Andreja Klepač
Chan Yung-jan Chuang Chia-jung 6–4, 6–3
Hsieh Su-wei Vania King
11 Feb
Proximus Diamond Games Antwerp , Belgium Tier II event Hard (i) – $600,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Justine Henin 6–3, 6–3
Karin Knapp
Timea Bacsinszky Li Na
Alisa Kleybanova Daniela Hantuchová Patty Schnyder Sofia Arvidsson
Cara Black Liezel Huber 6–1, 6–3
Květa Peschke Ai Sugiyama
Cachantún Cup Viña del Mar , Chile Tier III event Clay (red) – $200,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Flavia Pennetta 6–4, 5–4 ret.
Klára Zakopalová
Pauline Parmentier Mariya Koryttseva
Kaia Kanepi Martina Müller Nuria Llagostera Vives Lourdes Domínguez Lino
Līga Dekmeijere Alicja Rosolska 7–5, 6–3
Mariya Koryttseva Julia Schruff
18 Feb
Qatar Total Open Doha , Qatar Tier I event Hard – $2,500,000 – 56S/32Q/28DSingles – Doubles
Maria Sharapova 6–1, 2–6, 6–0
Vera Zvonareva
Agnieszka Radwańska Li Na
Dominika Cibulková Caroline Wozniacki Jelena Janković Sybille Bammer
Květa Peschke Rennae Stubbs 6–1, 5–7, [10–7]
Cara Black Liezel Huber
XVI Copa Colsanitas Santander Bogotá , Colombia Tier III event Clay (red) – $185,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Nuria Llagostera Vives 6–0, 6–4
María Emilia Salerni
Betina Jozami Carla Suárez Navarro
Martina Müller Sara Errani Catalina Castaño Mariana Duque Mariño
Iveta Benešová Bethanie Mattek 6–3, 6–3
Jelena Kostanić Tošić Martina Müller
25 Feb
Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships Dubai , United Arab Emirates Tier II event Hard – $1,500,000 – 28S/48Q/28DSingles – Doubles
Elena Dementieva 4–6, 6–3, 6–2
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Francesca Schiavone Jelena Janković
Justine Henin Ana Ivanovic Anna Chakvetadze Amélie Mauresmo
Cara Black Liezel Huber 7–5, 6–2
Yan Zi Zheng Jie
Abierto Mexicano Telcel Acapulco , Mexico Tier III event Clay (red) – $180,000 – 32S/16Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Flavia Pennetta 6–0, 4–6, 6–1
Alizé Cornet
Kaia Kanepi Jill Craybas
Edina Gallovits Sorana Cîrstea Iveta Benešová Mariya Koryttseva
Nuria Llagostera Vives María José Martínez Sánchez 6–2, 6–4
Iveta Benešová Petra Cetkovská
Cellular South Cup Memphis , United States Tier III event Hard (i) – $175,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Lindsay Davenport 6–2, 6–1
Olga Govortsova
Marina Erakovic Shahar Pe'er
Alla Kudryavtseva Caroline Wozniacki Sofia Arvidsson Julia Görges
Lindsay Davenport Lisa Raymond 6–3, 6–1
Angela Haynes Mashona Washington
Week
Tournament
Champions
Runners-up
Semifinalists
Quarterfinalists
3 Mar
Canara Bank Bangalore Open Bangalore , India Tier II event Hard – $600,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Serena Williams 7–5, 6–3
Patty Schnyder
Yan Zi Venus Williams
Jelena Janković Akgul Amanmuradova Anastasia Rodionova Vera Zvonareva
Peng Shuai Sun Tiantian 6–4, 5–7, [10–8]
Chan Yung-jan Chuang Chia-jung
10 Mar 17 Mar
Pacific Life Open Indian Wells , United States Tier I event Hard – $2,100,000 – 96S/48Q/32DSingles – Doubles
Ana Ivanovic 6–4, 6–3
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Jelena Janković Maria Sharapova
Vera Zvonareva Lindsay Davenport Daniela Hantuchová Agnieszka Radwańska
Dinara Safina Elena Vesnina 6–1, 1–6, [10–8]
Yan Zi Zheng Jie
24 Mar 31 Mar
Sony Ericsson Open Key Biscayne , United States Tier I event Hard – $3,770,000 – 96S/48Q/32DSingles – Doubles
Serena Williams 6–1, 5–7, 6–3
Jelena Janković
Svetlana Kuznetsova Vera Zvonareva
Justine Henin Venus Williams Elena Dementieva Dinara Safina
Katarina Srebotnik Ai Sugiyama 7–5, 4–6, [10–3]
Cara Black Liezel Huber
Week
Tournament
Champions
Runners-up
Semifinalists
Quarterfinalists
7 Apr
Bausch & Lomb Championships Amelia Island , United States Tier II event Clay – $600,000 (green) – 56S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Maria Sharapova 7–6(9–7) , 6–3
Dominika Cibulková
Lindsay Davenport Alizé Cornet
Alona Bondarenko Ágnes Szávay Virginie Razzano Amélie Mauresmo
Bethanie Mattek Vladimíra Uhlířová 6–3, 6–1
Victoria Azarenka Elena Vesnina
14 Apr
Family Circle Cup Charleston , United States Tier I event Clay – $1,340,000 (green) – 56S/24Q/28DSingles – Doubles
Serena Williams 6–4, 3–6, 6–3
Vera Zvonareva
Elena Dementieva Alizé Cornet
Jelena Janković Patty Schnyder Ágnes Szávay Maria Sharapova
Katarina Srebotnik Ai Sugiyama 6–2, 6–2
Edina Gallovits Olga Govortsova
Estoril Open Oeiras , Portugal Tier IV event Clay (red) – $145,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Maria Kirilenko 6–4, 6–2
Iveta Benešová
Maret Ani Klára Zakopalová
Camille Pin Olga Savchuk Karin Knapp Tathiana Garbin
Maria Kirilenko Flavia Pennetta 6–4, 6–4
Mervana Jugić-Salkić İpek Şenoğlu
21 Apr
Fed Cup: Semifinals Moscow, Russia, clay (i)Beijing , China, hard (i)
Semifinals winners Russia 3–2 Spain 4–1
Semifinals losers United States China
28 April
Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem Fez , Morocco Tier IV event Clay (red) – $145,000 – 32S/24Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Gisela Dulko 7–6(7–2) , 7–6(7–5)
Anabel Medina Garrigues
Gréta Arn Aravane Rezaï
Olga Savchuk Petra Cetkovská Alisa Kleybanova Sorana Cîrstea
Sorana Cîrstea Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6–2, 6–2
Alisa Kleybanova Ekaterina Makarova
ECM Prague Open Prague , Czech Republic Tier IV event Clay (red) – $145,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Vera Zvonareva 7–6(7–2) , 6–2
Victoria Azarenka
Katarina Srebotnik Klára Zakopalová
Roberta Vinci Iveta Benešová Karolína Plíšková Shahar Pe'er
Andrea Hlaváčková Lucie Hradecká 1–6, 6–3, [10–6]
Jill Craybas Michaëlla Krajicek
Week
Tournament
Champions
Runners-up
Semifinalists
Quarterfinalists
5 May
Qatar Telecom German Open Berlin, Germany Tier I event Clay (red) – $1,340,000 – 56S/32Q/28DSingles – Doubles
Dinara Safina 3–6, 6–2, 6–2
Elena Dementieva
Victoria Azarenka Ana Ivanovic
Serena Williams Alona Bondarenko Jelena Janković Ágnes Szávay
Cara Black Liezel Huber 3–6, 6–2, [10–2]
Nuria Llagostera Vives María José Martínez Sánchez
12 May
Internazionali BNL d'Italia Rome, Italy Tier I event Clay (red) – $1,340,000 – 56S/48Q/28DSingles – Doubles
Jelena Janković 6–2, 6–2
Alizé Cornet
Anna Chakvetadze Maria Sharapova
Tsvetana Pironkova Serena Williams Venus Williams Patty Schnyder
Chan Yung-jan Chuang Chia-jung 7–6(7–5) , 6–3
Iveta Benešová Janette Husárová
19 May
İstanbul Cup Istanbul , Turkey Tier III event Clay (red) – $200,000 – 30S/26Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Agnieszka Radwańska 6–3, 6–2
Elena Dementieva
Akgul Amanmuradova Tsvetana Pironkova
Jill Craybas Nadia Petrova Olga Govortsova Andreja Klepač
Jill Craybas Olga Govortsova 6–1, 6–2
Marina Erakovic Polona Hercog
Internationaux de Strasbourg Strasbourg , France Tier III event Clay (red) – $175,000 – 30S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Anabel Medina Garrigues 4–6, 7–6(7–4) , 6–0
Katarina Srebotnik
Chan Yung-jan Timea Bacsinszky
Peng Shuai Ai Sugiyama Flavia Pennetta Alona Bondarenko
Tatiana Perebiynis Yan Zi 6–4, 6–7(3–7) , [10–6]
Chan Yung-jan Chuang Chia-jung
26 May 2 Jun
French Open Paris, France Grand Slam Clay (red) – $9,711,335 – 128S/96Q/64D/32XSingles – Doubles – Mixed doubles
Ana Ivanovic 6–4, 6–3
Dinara Safina
Svetlana Kuznetsova Jelena Janković
Elena Dementieva Kaia Kanepi Carla Suárez Navarro Patty Schnyder
Anabel Medina Garrigues Virginia Ruano Pascual 2–6, 7–5, 6–4
Casey Dellacqua Francesca Schiavone
Bob Bryan Victoria Azarenka 6–2, 7–6(7–4)
Nenad Zimonjić Katarina Srebotnik
Week
Tournament
Champions
Runners-up
Semifinalists
Quarterfinalists
9 Jun
DFS Classic Birmingham , Great Britain Tier III event Grass – $200,000 – 56S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Kateryna Bondarenko 7–6(9–7) , 3–6, 7–6(7–4)
Yanina Wickmayer
Marina Erakovic Bethanie Mattek
Petra Cetkovská Alona Bondarenko Melanie South Nicole Vaidišová
Cara Black Liezel Huber 6–2, 6–1
Séverine Brémond Virginia Ruano Pascual
Barcelona Open Barcelona , Spain Tier IV event Clay (red) – $145,000 – 32S/28Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Maria Kirilenko 6–0, 6–2
María José Martínez Sánchez
Nuria Llagostera Vives Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro
Sara Errani Lucie Šafářová Ekaterina Ivanova Edina Gallovits
Lourdes Domínguez Lino Arantxa Parra Santonja 4–6, 7–5, [10–4]
Nuria Llagostera Vives María José Martínez Sánchez
16 Jun
International Women's Open Eastbourne , Great Britain Tier II event Grass – $600,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Agnieszka Radwańska 6–4, 6–7(11–13) , 6–4
Nadia Petrova
Samantha Stosur Marion Bartoli
Caroline Wozniacki Ekaterina Makarova Gisela Dulko Alisa Kleybanova
Cara Black Liezel Huber 2–6, 6–0, 10–8
Květa Peschke Rennae Stubbs
Ordina Open 's-Hertogenbosch , Netherlands Tier III event Grass – $175,000 – 30S/16Q/15DSingles – Doubles
Tamarine Tanasugarn 7–5, 6–3
Dinara Safina
Elena Dementieva Alona Bondarenko
Sorana Cîrstea Katarina Srebotnik Michaëlla Krajicek Anna Chakvetadze
Marina Erakovic Michaëlla Krajicek 6–3, 6–2
Līga Dekmeijere Angelique Kerber
23 Jun 30 Jun
Wimbledon Championships London, Great Britain Grand Slam Grass – $10,524,070 – 128S/96Q/64D/32XSingles – Doubles – Mixed doubles
Venus Williams 7–5, 6–4
Serena Williams
Zheng Jie Elena Dementieva
Nicole Vaidišová Agnieszka Radwańska Nadia Petrova Tamarine Tanasugarn
Serena Williams Venus Williams 6–2, 6–2
Lisa Raymond Samantha Stosur
Bob Bryan Samantha Stosur 7–5, 6–4
Mike Bryan Katarina Srebotnik
Week
Tournament
Champions
Runners-up
Semifinalists
Quarterfinalists
7 Jul
Budapest Grand Prix Budapest , Hungary Tier III event Clay (red) – $175,000 – 30S/31Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Alizé Cornet 7–6(7–5) , 6–3
Andreja Klepač
Karolina Šprem Gréta Arn
Petra Kvitová Katalin Marosi Klára Zakopalová Anna-Lena Grönefeld
Alizé Cornet Janette Husárová 6–7(5–7) , 6–1, [10–6]
Vanessa Henke Ioana Raluca Olaru
Internazionali Femminili di Palermo Palermo , Italy Tier IV event Clay (red) – $145,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Sara Errani 6–2, 6–3
Mariya Koryttseva
Flavia Pennetta Anabel Medina Garrigues
Margalita Chakhnashvili Carla Suárez Navarro Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova Tathiana Garbin
Sara Errani Nuria Llagostera Vives 2–6, 7–6(7–1) , [10–4]
Alla Kudryavtseva Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
14 Jul
Bank of the West Classic Stanford , United States Tier II event Hard – $600,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Aleksandra Wozniak 7–5, 6–3
Marion Bartoli
Serena Williams Ai Sugiyama
Patty Schnyder Samantha Stosur Dominika Cibulková Anna Chakvetadze
Cara Black Liezel Huber 6–4, 6–3
Elena Vesnina Vera Zvonareva
Gastein Ladies Bad Gastein , Austria Tier III event Clay (red) – $175,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Pauline Parmentier 6–4, 6–4
Lucie Hradecká
Ágnes Szávay Mariya Koryttseva
Iveta Benešová Yvonne Meusburger Tereza Hladíková Patricia Mayr
Andrea Hlaváčková Lucie Hradecká 6–3, 6–3
Sesil Karatantcheva Nataša Zorić
21 Jul
East West Bank Classic Carson , United States Tier II event Hard – $600,000 – 56S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Dinara Safina 6–4, 6–2
Flavia Pennetta
Jelena Janković Bethanie Mattek
Nadia Petrova Victoria Azarenka Sybille Bammer Yuan Meng
Chan Yung-jan Chuang Chia-jung 2–6, 7–5, [10–4]
Eva Hrdinová Vladimíra Uhlířová
Banka Koper Slovenia Open Portorož , Slovenia Tier IV event Hard – $145,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Sara Errani 6–3, 6–3
Anabel Medina Garrigues
Caroline Wozniacki Julia Görges
Maria Kirilenko Vera Dushevina Elena Bovina Petra Martić
Anabel Medina Garrigues Virginia Ruano Pascual 6–4, 6–1
Vera Dushevina Ekaterina Makarova
28 Jul
Rogers Cup Montreal , Canada Tier I event Hard – $1,340,000 – 56S/48Q/28DSingles – Doubles
Dinara Safina 6–2, 6–1
Dominika Cibulková
Victoria Azarenka Marion Bartoli
Tamira Paszek Svetlana Kuznetsova Ai Sugiyama Jelena Janković
Cara Black Liezel Huber 6–1, 6–1
Maria Kirilenko Flavia Pennetta
Nordea Nordic Light Open Stockholm , Sweden Tier IV event Hard – $145,000 – 32S/16Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Caroline Wozniacki 6–0, 6–2
Vera Dushevina
Agnieszka Radwańska Katarina Srebotnik
Camille Pin Anabel Medina Garrigues Virginia Ruano Pascual Iveta Benešová
Iveta Benešová Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová 7–5, 6–4
Petra Cetkovská Lucie Šafářová
Week
Tournament
Champions
Runners-up
Semifinalists
Quarterfinalists
11 Aug
Summer Olympic Games Beijing , China Hard – $0 – 64S/32DSingles – Doubles
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Fourth place
Sybille Bammer Serena Williams Venus Williams Jelena Janković
Elena Dementieva 3–6, 7–5, 6–3
Dinara Safina
Vera Zvonareva 6–0, 7–5
Li Na
Serena Williams Venus Williams 6–2, 6–0
Anabel Medina Garrigues Virginia Ruano Pascual
Yan Zi Zheng Jie 6–2, 6–2
Alona Bondarenko Kateryna Bondarenko
W&S Financial Group Women's Open Mason , United States Tier III event Hard – $175,000 – 32S/16Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Nadia Petrova 6–2, 6–1
Nathalie Dechy
Amélie Mauresmo Maria Kirilenko
Vania King Aleksandra Wozniak Sabine Lisicki Lilia Osterloh
Maria Kirilenko Nadia Petrova 6–3, 4–6, [10–8]
Hsieh Su-wei Yaroslava Shvedova
18 Aug
Pilot Pen Tennis New Haven , United States Tier II event Hard – $600,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Caroline Wozniacki 3–6, 6–4, 6–1
Anna Chakvetadze
Amélie Mauresmo Alizé Cornet
Sorana Cîrstea Ágnes Szávay Marion Bartoli Daniela Hantuchová
Květa Peschke Lisa Raymond 4–6, 7–5, [10–7]
Sorana Cîrstea Monica Niculescu
Forest Hills Tennis Classic Forest Hills , United States Tier IV event Hard – $74,800 – 16SSingles
Lucie Šafářová 6–4, 6–2
Peng Shuai
Carla Suárez Navarro Iveta Benešová
Vera Dushevina Martina Müller Ekaterina Makarova Jamea Jackson
25 Aug 1 Sep
U.S. Open New York City, United States Grand Slam Hard – $9,350,000 – 128S/96Q/64D/32XSingles – Doubles – Mixed doubles
Serena Williams 6–4, 7–5
Jelena Janković
Dinara Safina Elena Dementieva
Flavia Pennetta Venus Williams Patty Schnyder Sybille Bammer
Cara Black Liezel Huber 6–3, 7–6(8–6)
Lisa Raymond Samantha Stosur
Leander Paes Cara Black 7–6(8–6) , 6–4
Jamie Murray Liezel Huber
Week
Tournament
Champions
Runners-up
Semifinalists
Quarterfinalists
8 Sep
Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic Bali , Indonesia Tier III event Hard – $225,000 – 30S/8Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Patty Schnyder 6–3, 6–0
Tamira Paszek
Daniela Hantuchová Nadia Petrova
Chan Yung-jan Flavia Pennetta Francesca Schiavone Marta Domachowska
Hsieh Su-wei Peng Shuai 6–7(4–7) , 7–6(7–3) , [10–7]
Marta Domachowska Nadia Petrova
Fed Cup: Final Madrid , Spain, clay
Russia 4–0
Spain
15 Sep
Toray Pan Pacific Open Tokyo, Japan Tier I event Hard – $1,340,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Dinara Safina 6–1, 6–3
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Katarina Srebotnik Nadia Petrova
Jelena Janković Elena Dementieva Kaia Kanepi Agnieszka Radwańska
Vania King Nadia Petrova 6–1, 6–4
Lisa Raymond Samantha Stosur
Guangzhou International Women's Open Guangzhou , China Tier III event Hard – $175,000 – 32S/21Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Vera Zvonareva 6–7(4–7) , 6–0, 6–2
Peng Shuai
Zheng Jie Camille Pin
Karin Knapp Tamira Paszek Jill Craybas Arantxa Rus
Mariya Koryttseva Tatiana Poutchek 6–3, 4–6, [10–8]
Sun Tiantian Yan Zi
22 Sep
China Open Beijing , China Tier II event Hard – $600,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Jelena Janković 6–3, 6–2
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Vera Zvonareva Zheng Jie
Daniela Hantuchová Anabel Medina Garrigues Dominika Cibulková Ana Ivanovic
Anabel Medina Garrigues Caroline Wozniacki 6–1, 6–3
Han Xinyun Xu Yifan
Hansol Korea Open Seoul , South Korea Tier IV event Hard – $145,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Maria Kirilenko 2–6, 6–1, 6–4
Samantha Stosur
Kaia Kanepi Jill Craybas
Pauline Parmentier Yanina Wickmayer Ekaterina Makarova Shahar Pe'er
Chuang Chia-jung Hsieh Su-wei 6–3, 6–0
Vera Dushevina Maria Kirilenko
29 Sep
Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Stuttgart , Germany Tier II event Hard (i) – $650,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Jelena Janković 6–4, 6–3
Nadia Petrova
Victoria Azarenka Venus Williams
Li Na Elena Dementieva Dinara Safina Vera Zvonareva
Anna-Lena Grönefeld Patty Schnyder 6–2, 6–4
Květa Peschke Rennae Stubbs
Japan Open Tennis Championships Tokyo, Japan Tier III event Hard – $175,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Caroline Wozniacki 6–2, 3–6, 6–1
Kaia Kanepi
Jarmila Gajdošová Aleksandra Wozniak
Tamarine Tanasugarn Klára Zakopalová Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova Samantha Stosur
Jill Craybas Marina Erakovic 4–6, 7–5, [10–6]
Ayumi Morita Aiko Nakamura
Tashkent Open Tashkent , Uzbekistan Tier IV event Hard – $145,000 – 32S/16Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Sorana Cîrstea 2–6, 6–4, 7–6(7–4)
Sabine Lisicki
Peng Shuai Magdaléna Rybáriková
Monica Niculescu Urszula Radwańska Michelle Larcher de Brito Ioana Raluca Olaru
Ioana Raluca Olaru Olga Savchuk 5–7, 7–5, [10–7]
Nina Bratchikova Kathrin Wörle
Week
Tournament
Champions
Runners-up
Semifinalists
Quarterfinalists
6 Oct
Kremlin Cup Moscow, Russia Tier I event Hard (i) – $1,340,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Jelena Janković 6–2, 6–4
Vera Zvonareva
Elena Dementieva Dinara Safina
Flavia Pennetta Nadia Petrova Dominika Cibulková Svetlana Kuznetsova
Nadia Petrova Katarina Srebotnik 6–4, 6–4
Cara Black Liezel Huber
13 Oct
Zurich Open Zürich , Switzerland Tier II event Hard (i) – $600,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Venus Williams 7–6(7–1) , 6–2
Flavia Pennetta
Anabel Medina Garrigues Ana Ivanovic
Katarina Srebotnik Victoria Azarenka Francesca Schiavone Petra Kvitová
Cara Black Liezel Huber 6–1, 7–6(7–3)
Anna-Lena Grönefeld Patty Schnyder
20 Oct
Generali Ladies Linz Linz , Austria Tier II event Hard (i) – $600,000 – 28S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Ana Ivanovic 6–2, 6–1
Vera Zvonareva
Agnieszka Radwańska Marion Bartoli
Flavia Pennetta Nadia Petrova Alona Bondarenko Alizé Cornet
Katarina Srebotnik Ai Sugiyama 6–4, 7–5
Cara Black Liezel Huber
Fortis Championships Luxembourg Kockelscheuer , Luxembourg Tier III event Hard (i) – $225,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Elena Dementieva 2–6, 6–4, 7–6(7–4)
Caroline Wozniacki
Sorana Cîrstea Li Na
Amélie Mauresmo Daniela Hantuchová Anabel Medina Garrigues Iveta Benešová
Sorana Cîrstea Marina Erakovic 2–6, 6–3, [10–8]
Vera Dushevina Mariya Koryttseva
27 Oct
Bell Challenge Quebec City , Canada Tier III event Carpet (i) – $175,000 – 32S/32Q/16DSingles – Doubles
Nadia Petrova 4–6, 6–4, 6–1
Bethanie Mattek
Angela Haynes Aleksandra Wozniak
Melinda Czink Nathalie Dechy Galina Voskoboeva Melanie Oudin
Anna-Lena Grönefeld Vania King 7–6(7–3) , 6–4
Jill Craybas Tamarine Tanasugarn
Prize money continued to increase to a record of approximately $67 million.[ 2]
The J&S Cup , the Acura Classic , and the PTT Bangkok Open were all removed from the calendar.[ 3]
The Bangalore Open was promoted to a Tier II event, from its former Tier III status.[ 3]
The Zurich Open was demoted from Tier I to Tier II, and the Fortis Championships Luxembourg from Tier II to Tier III, with prize money also being reduced in both events to accommodate the change in status.[ 3]
One new event was created: the Cachantún Cup, held in Viña del Mar, Chile.[ 3]
The Toray Pan Pacific Open was moved from its normal February position in the calendar to September. It also changed from an indoor event to an outdoor event.[ 3]
Fed Cup quarterfinals and semifinals were held earlier, with the final still following the U.S. Open in September.[ 3]
The Qatar Total Open was elevated from Tier II status to Tier I, with prize money increasing to $2.5 million.[ 3]
Lastly, the WTA Tour Championships were relocated from their previous location of Madrid, Spain in 2006 and 2007, to Doha, Qatar for 2008. The prize money was also raised from $3 million to $4.5 million.[ 3]
List of players & singles titles won, last name alphabetically:
Jelena Janković – Rome, Beijing, Stuttgart and Moscow (4)
Dinara Safina – Berlin, Los Angeles, Montréal and Tokyo (Tier I) (4)
Serena Williams – Bangalore, Key Biscayne, Charleston, and US Open (4)
Elena Dementieva – Dubai, Beijing Olympics , and Luxembourg (3)
Ana Ivanovic – Indian Wells, French Open , and Linz (3)
Maria Kirilenko – Estoril, Barcelona and Seoul (3)
Agnieszka Radwańska – Pattaya, Istanbul, and Eastbourne (3)
Maria Sharapova – Australian Open , Doha, and Amelia Island (3)
Venus Williams – Wimbledon , Zürich, and WTA Tour Championships (3)
Caroline Wozniacki – Stockholm, New Haven, and Tokyo (Tier III) (3)
Lindsay Davenport – Auckland and Memphis (2)
Sara Errani – Palermo and Portorož (2)
Justine Henin – Sydney and Antwerp (2)
Flavia Pennetta – Viña del Mar and Acapulco (2)
Nadia Petrova – Cincinnati and Quebec City (2)
Vera Zvonareva – Prague and Guangzhou (2)
Kateryna Bondarenko – Birmingham (1)
Anna Chakvetadze – Paris (1)
Sorana Cîrstea – Tashkent (1)
Alizé Cornet – Budapest (1)
Eleni Daniilidou – Hobart (1)
Gisela Dulko – Fes (1)
Nuria Llagostera Vives – Bogotá (1)
Anabel Medina Garrigues – Strasbourg (1)
Li Na – Gold Coast (1)
Pauline Parmentier – Bad Gastein (1)
Lucie Šafářová – Forest Hills (1)
Patty Schnyder – Bali (1)
Tamarine Tanasugarn – 's-Hertogenbosch (1)
Aleksandra Wozniak – Stanford (1)
The following players won their first title:
Titles won by Nation
Russia – 18 (Australian Open , Paris, Doha, Dubai, Amelia Island, Estoril, Prague, Berlin, Barcelona, Los Angeles, Montréal, Olympics , Cincinnati, Tokyo, Guangzhou, Seoul, Luxembourg, and Quebec City)
United States – 9 (Auckland, Memphis, Bangalore, Key Biscayne, Charleston, Wimbledon , US Open , Zürich, and WTA Tour Championships )
Serbia – 7 (Indian Wells, Rome, French Open , Beijing, Stuttgart, Moscow, and Linz)
Italy – 4 (Viña del Mar, Acapulco, Palermo, and Portorož)
Denmark – 3 (Stockholm, New Haven, and Tokyo (Tier III))
Poland – 3 (Pattaya, Istanbul, and Eastbourne)
Belgium – 2 (Sydney and Antwerp)
Spain – 2 (Bogotá and Strasbourg)
France – 2 (Budapest and Bad Gastein)
Argentina – 1 (Fes)
Canada – 1 (Stanford)
China – 1 (Gold Coast)
Czech Republic – 1 (Forest Hills)
Greece – 1 (Hobart)
Romania – 1 (Tashkent)
Switzerland – 1 (Bali)
Thailand – 1 ('s-Hertogenbosch)
Ukraine – 1 (Birmingham)
Singles Championship Race (3 November 2008)
Rk
Name
Nation
Points
Tour
1
Jelena Janković
SRB
4,786
21
2
Dinara Safina
RUS
3,823
20
3
Serena Williams
USA
3,681
12
4
Elena Dementieva
RUS
3,400
18
5
Ana Ivanovic
SRB
3,353
17
6
Vera Zvonareva
RUS
2,626
24
7
Svetlana Kuznetsova
RUS
2,623
18
8
Venus Williams
USA
2,522
13
9
Maria Sharapova
RUS
2,515
9
10
Agnieszka Radwańska
POL
2,256
23
11
Nadia Petrova
RUS
1,914
24
12
Flavia Pennetta
ITA
1,814
26
13
Caroline Wozniacki
DEN
1,756
23
14
Patty Schnyder
SUI
1,596
23
15
Alizé Cornet
FRA
1,499
23
16
Victoria Azarenka
BLR
1,497
20
17
Marion Bartoli
FRA
1,487
25
18
Dominika Cibulková
SVK
1,447
25
19
Katarina Srebotnik
SLO
1,410
24
20
Anna Chakvetadze
RUS
1,370
23
Singles Year–end Ranking
Rk
Name
Nation
Points
Change
1
Jelena Janković
SRB
4,710
2
2
Serena Williams
USA
3,866
5
3
Dinara Safina
RUS
3,817
12
4
Elena Dementieva
RUS
3,663
7
5
Ana Ivanovic
SRB
3,457
1
6
Venus Williams
USA
3,272
2
7
Vera Zvonareva
RUS
2,952
15
8
Svetlana Kuznetsova
RUS
2,726
6
9
Maria Sharapova
RUS
2,515
4
10
Agnieszka Radwańska
POL
2,286
16
11
Nadia Petrova
RUS
1,976
3
12
Caroline Wozniacki
DEN
1,713
48
13
Flavia Pennetta
ITA
1,670
26
14
Patty Schnyder
SUI
1,590
2
15
Victoria Azarenka
BLR
1,494
15
16
Alizé Cornet
FRA
1,492
39
17
Marion Bartoli
FRA
1,410
7
18
Anna Chakvetadze
RUS
1,363
12
19
Dominika Cibulková
SVK
1,337
32
20
Katarina Srebotnik
SLO
1,272
7
Points distribution [ edit ]
Category
W
F
SF
QF
R16
R32
R64
R128
Q
Q3
Q2
Q1
Grand Slam (S)
2000
1400
900
500
280
160
100
5
60
50
40
2
Grand Slam (D)
2000
1400
900
500
280
160
5
–
48
–
–
–
WTA Championships (S)
+450
+360
(230 for each win, 70 for each loss)
–
–
–
–
–
WTA Championships (D)
1500
1050
690
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
WTA Premier Mandatory (96S)
1000
700
450
250
140
80
50
5
30
–
20
1
WTA Premier Mandatory (64S)
1000
700
450
250
140
80
5
–
30
–
20
1
WTA Premier Mandatory (28/32D)
1000
700
450
250
140
5
–
–
–
–
–
–
WTA Premier 5 (56S)
800
550
350
200
110
60
1
–
30
–
20
1
WTA Premier 5 (28D)
800
550
350
200
110
1
–
–
–
–
–
–
WTA Premier (56S)
470
320
200
120
60
40
1
–
12
–
8
1
WTA Premier (32S)
470
320
200
120
60
1
–
–
20
12
8
1
WTA Premier (16D)
470
320
200
120
1
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Tournament of Champions
+280
+170
(125 for each win, 35 for each loss)
–
–
–
–
–
WTA International (56S)
280
200
130
70
30
15
1
–
10
–
6
1
WTA International (32S)
280
200
130
70
30
1
–
–
16
10
6
1
WTA International (16D)
280
200
130
70
1
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
The winners of the 2008 WTA Awards were announced on 25 March 2009, during a special ceremony at the Sony Ericsson Open .[ 4]
Women's tennis seasons
Seasons (1881-1912) ILTF World Circuit (1913-72) ILTF Independent Circuit ILTF Grand Prix Circuit Virginia Slims Circuit Virginia Slims/Colgate Series Avon/Colgate Series Avon/Toyota Series Virginia Slims World Championship Series WTA Tour
Grand Slam events Tier I tournaments Tier II tournaments
Sydney (S , D )
Paris (S , D )
Antwerp (S , D )
Dubai (S , D )
Bangalore (S , D )
Amelia Island (S , D )
Eastbourne (S , D )
Stanford (S , D )
Los Angeles (S , D )
New Haven (S , D )
Beijing (S , D )
Stuttgart (S , D )
Zürich (S , D )
Linz (S , D )
Tier III tournaments
Gold Coast (S , D )
Viña del Mar (S , D )
Bogotá (S , D )
Memphis (S , D )
Acapulco (S , D )
İstanbul
Strasbourg (S , D )
Birmingham (S , D )
Rosmalen (S , D )
Budapest (S , D )
Bad Gastein (S , D )
Cincinnati (S , D )
Bali (S , D )
Guangzhou (S , D )
Tokyo (S , D )
Luxembourg City (S , D )
Quebec City (S , D )
Tier IV tournaments
Auckland (S , D )
Hobart (S , D )
Pattaya (S , D )
Estoril (S , D )
Fes (S , D )
Prague (S , D )
Barcelona (S , D )
Palermo (S , D )
Portorož (S , D )
Stockholm (S , D )
Forest Hills
Seoul (S , D )
Tashkent (S , D )
Team events