Although defeated by Guillermo Canas in the first round, Bulgaria's tennis prodigy Grigor Dimitrov still showed his significant presence in Bastad by playing in a traditional beach volleyball tournament yesterday.
Dimitrov's team which included his coach Peter Lundgren did a pretty good job defeating a team consisting of beach volleyball players in the semifinal before losing in the final.
Apparently Dimitrov's mother Maria was a former volleyball player. He could be a volleyball player instead of a rising tennis star.
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez beat top-seeded and defending champion Caroline Wozniacki 7-5, 6-4 Saturday to win the Swedish Open for her second WTA Tour title.
The unseeded Spaniard won her first title in Bogota in February.
“This was the most enjoyable tournament for me so far this season,” Martinez Sanchez said.
“I felt right at home here and I hope to come back next year. I played very well today and I’m happy I played my own game.”
“I’m sorry I spoiled your (birthday) celebrations, but I promise I will buy you something instead,” Martinez Sanchez told Wozniacki at the post-match news conference.
Wozniacki, who turned 19 Saturday, is ranked ninth in the world and has won five WTA titles.
“Maria played better than me. She played smart and it was difficult to get a rhythm with her stop volleys,” Wozniacki said.
“But I’m still happy to have reached the final.”
In the doubles final, Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta denied Martinez Sanchez a double, who partnered with Nuria Llagostera Vives with a 6-2, 0-6, 10-5 victory.
The men’s Swedish Open starts Monday.
(Via AP; Images via Swedish Open Women's Flickr photostream)
Caroline Wozniacki, Sofia Arvidsson and Sorana Cirstea attended the "2009 Sport Fashion Award" held in conjunction with the Collector Swedish Open on Friday.
Luckily, Cirstea's sweet little pink dress and her Jennifer Aniston look saved the day.
(Image via Swedish Open Women's Flickr photostream)
Caroline Wozniacki is probably my second biggest WTA crush after Maria Sharapova.
She's back in Bastad to defend her title and has been getting tonnes of attention from the media there.
Last Sunday, Wozniacki attended a joint opening ceremony between the Collector Swedish Open Women and Catella Swedish Open.
She played in an exhibition teaming up with Swedish Sofia Arvidsson and Ellen Allgurin as Team Collector.
On the men's team, Team Catella was made up of Thomas Johansson, Magnus Gustafsson and Andreas Vinciguerra.
There was the lacoste team which was filled with Dominika Cibulkova, Daniel Berta and Anna Brazhnikova.
At the end of the event, Wozniacki had the priviledge to officiate the opening of the tournament together with former junior French Open champion Daniel Berta.
Although defeated by Guillermo Canas in the first round, Bulgaria's tennis prodigy Grigor Dimitrov still showed his significant presence in Bastad by playing in a traditional beach volleyball tournament yesterday.
Dimitrov's team which included his coach Peter Lundgren did a pretty good job defeating a team consisting of beach volleyball players in the semifinal before losing in the final.
Apparently Dimitrov's mother Maria was a former volleyball player. He could be a volleyball player instead of a rising tennis star.
