PETE ZIEBRON
The 2011 Goldwater Women's Tennis Classic, NOV 6-13 at the Phoenix Country Club Pete Ziebron Images
The 3rd Annual Goldwater Women's Tennis Classic is scheduled to get underway on November 6 at the Phoenix Country Club. The $75,000 ITF tournament is the last opportunity in the United States for players to gain valuable points for automatic entry into the 2012 Australian Open.
Several participants from the 2010 Goldwater field have enjoyed significant success in 2011, including Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa, Christina McHale of the United States and Canadian Rebecca Marino.
World #38 Chanelle Scheepers in 1st round action at the 2010 Goldwater Classic. Pete Ziebron Images
Scheepers, who was ranked #107 in the world entering last year's Goldwater Classic, won her first WTA title last month in Guangzhou, China. As a result of this result as well as a solid 2011, Scheepers is currently ranked #38.
Chanelle Scheepers notable accomplishments in 2011:
- Champion in Guangzhou
- 3rd Round appearance at the Australian Open
- 3rd Round appearance at the US Open
- Defeated #26 Maria Kirilenko in Dubai
- Defeated #28 Maria Kirilenko in Guangzhou
Christina McHale, rising in the rankings in 2011 Pete Ziebron Images
American Christina McHale also enjoyed remarkable victories throughout 2011. This March, McHale defeated 2-time Grand Slam Champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the 2nd round at Indian Wells. Following the clay court and grass court seasons, McHale once again played the role of giant killer, stunning world #1 Caroline Wozniacki in the 2nd round in Cincinnati. McHale was able to parlay that result into an upset over #9 Marion Bartoli at the US Open.
Christina McHale entered the 2010 Goldwater Classic at #115 and is currently ranked #42 as a result of these accomplishments in 2011:
- 3rd round appearance at the US Open
- Defeated #13 Svetlana Kuznetsova in Indian Wells
- Defeated #1 Caroline Wozniacki in Cincinnati
- Defeated #9 Marion Bartoli at the US Open
Canadian #1 Rebecca Marino at the 2010 Goldwater Classic. Pete Ziebron Images
Rebecca Marino of Canada is a prime example of a player who was able to gain direct entry at the 2011 Australian Open as a result of participating in the 2010 Goldwater Classic. Her one victory in Phoenix guaranteed that she would be included in the main draw in Melbourne.
Marino continued to enjoy success on the WTA Tour in 2011, advancing to the Final in Memphis in February. Meanwhile, Marino showed that her game also translates well on clay as she advanced to the 3rd round at Roland Garros. After struggling for much of the summer, Marino was able to rebound and upset #15 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in Luxembourg earlier this month.
Rebecca Marino was ranked #101 last November at the Goldwater Classic. She is currently #60 primarily due to these accomplishments this year:
- Finalist in Memphis
- 3rd round appearance at Roland Garros
- Defeated #15 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in Luxembourg
Several additional players who participated in the 2010 Goldwater Women's Tennis Classic and have committed to play this year also enjoyed a meteoric rise in the rankings in 2011, including:
- Irina Falconi - United States from #217 to #76
- Heather Watson - Great Britain from #209 to #87
- Anna Tatishvili - Georgia from #134 to #88
- Caroline Garcia - France from #280 to #139
- Monica Puig - Puerto Rico from #695 to #262
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