Kirilenko launches clay campaign against Hingis
30th April 2006
Maria Kirilenko will start her 2006 red-clay campaign in Warsaw, where she drew former world number one and five time grand slam champion Martina Hingis.
Kirilenko, currently ranked twenty second in the world, will have her hands full with Hingis, to whom she already lost this year in Tokyo [Pan Pacific Open]. Back then Kirilenko experienced, possibly for the first time, how it feels to play someone who will not overpower you, but simply outsmarts you. No wonder she ended up losing 6:2 and 6:1.
But now Maria should be ready to face once again the Swiss miss since she has forced big names such as Davenport, Kuznetsova and Sharapova to go through three sets before losing.
She also featured last week’s Russian squad for Fed Cup playing alongside with Dementieva, Petrova and Safina. She was assigned a rubber versus Kim Clijsters, her first ever Fed Cup rubber, but the nerves hit her during the first set which she eventually dropped 6:1. She regrouped in the second and went toe-to-toe with the Belgian until 4 all when she finally lost.
She may take advantage of Hingis’ layoff since Miami and eventually cause an “upset” as some would say, although she is the highest ranked of the two! But considering she beats the Swiss she probably won’t be able to celebrate much since Venus Williams will possibly be waiting in the second round.
After that the ranks tell that Kuznetsova will be her next opponent so not good news again since she lost to Kuznetsova back in Doha in three sets. Further in the draw Schnyder seems the player to beat, although others like Groenefeld and Kirilenko’s doubles partner Ivanovic will try to stop the Swiss player and seed number two this week.
For the final Kim Clijsters or Elena Dementieva will probably be the target.
Looking at things like that it doesn’t inspire much confidence but Maria has proven she can fight with anyone out there, sometimes winning sometimes losing, but always fighting.
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