 Serena Williams at the Australian Open | |
| Full name | Serena Jameka Williams |
|---|---|
| Country |  United States |
| Calendar prize money | 131,705 |
| Singles | |
| Season record | 12–4 (75%) |
| Calendar titles | 0 |
| Year-end ranking | 95 |
| Ranking change from previous year |  84 |
| Grand Slam & significant results | |
| Australian Open | 3R |
| French Open | A |
| Wimbledon | A |
| US Open | 4R |
Serena Williams's 2006 tennis season was hampered by injury, She was only able to play 4 tournaments and was outside of the top 100 for the first time since 1997.
"All I could think was that I so didn't want to be there, at just that moment. On the court. In Melbourne. Fighting for points I didn't really care about, in a match I didn't really care about. So what did I do? I cried. Right there on court... It started during one of the changeovers, but it continued when I went back out to play, an it was such a low, desparing, desperate moment for me. I don't know how I managed to keep playing, but I kept playing, because that's just what I did."
Williams in her biography talking about her meltdown on court. [1]
Williams did not have any preparation into defending her title at the Australian Open. Williams faced China's Li Na and won in three sets dropping the second set in a tie-break, but winning the first and third set comfortably. In the second round she defeated Frenchwoman Camille Pin dropping just four games. Williams then faced Daniela Hantuchová in the round of 32. Williams dropped the first set by winning only a single game. In the second set Williams saved three match points in the twelfth game to push it to a tie-break. Hantuchová took the tie-break on her fifth match point. The loss meant that Williams will drop outside of the top 40 since entering it in 1998. [2]
She then withdrew from tournaments in Tokyo (citing her lack of fitness) [3] and Dubai and from the Tier I NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne (citing a knee injury and lack of fitness). [4] On April 10, her ranking fell out of the top 100 for the first time since November 16, 1997. Shortly after, she announced that she would miss both the French Open and Wimbledon because of a chronic knee injury. She said that she would not be able to compete before "the end of the summer", on doctor's orders. [5]
Williams came back ranked no. 139 at the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open and faced world no. 11 Anastasia Myskina, she won easily losing only four games. [6] She then faced Bethanie Mattek in the next round and won, once again just dropping four games. The following round, Williams defeated compatriot Amy Frazier, once again losing only four games for the third match in a row. In the semifinals, she took on Russian Vera Zvonareva and fell in straight sets. [7]
In her only third tournament of the year, she played the JPMorgan Chase Open. She cruised pass through her first two matches Maria Kirilenko and Ashley Harkleroad winning in straight sets. In the third round she faced Daniela Hantuchová and lost the first set winning only a game. However, Williams came back winning the next two at three. [8] In the quarterfinals, Williams faced compatriot Meghann Shaughnessy, the first set went to a tie-breaker, which Shaughnessy won. However, Williams came back and won the next two sets easily. [9] Williams then faced Jelena Janković in the semifinals. Janković broke Williams in tenth game of the first set to take the set. Janković took control of the second set by breaking Williams in the fourth game and that paved way for Janković to advance to the final. [10]
Williams was unable to enter US Open as a direct entry, but received a wildcard. [11] Williams began her Open against Spaniard Lourdes Domínguez Lino and quickly dispatched the 41 ranked player in straight sets. [12] For the third time in four tournaments Williams has played, she once again faced Daniela Hantuchová, Hantuchová served for the first set in the ninth game, but Williams pegged her back, breaking and winning the next three games. Williams then took the second set to advance. [13] Williams then faced a young up-and-comer in Ana Ivanovic and cruised through with a straight set win to become the first wildcard entry to advance to the round of 16. [14] In the fourth round, Williams faced top seed Amélie Mauresmo. Mauresmo took the first set with a single break, however in the second set Williams came back winning it in a bagel. In the final set Mauresmo broke in the fifth game of the third set and won the last three games to advance. [15]
| Tournament | Match | Round | Opponent | Rank | Result | Score |
| Australian Open Melbourne, Australia Grand Slam Hard, outdoor 16–29 January 2006 | 372 | 1R |  Li Na | #52 | Win | 6–3, 6–7(5–7), 6–2 |
| 373 | 2R |  Camille Pin | #130 | Win | 6–3, 6–1 | |
| 374 | 3R |  Daniela Hantuchová | #17 | Loss | 1–6, 6–7(5–7) | |
| Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open Cincinnati, United States WTA Tier III Hard 17–23 July 2006 | 375 | 1R |  Anastasia Myskina | #11 | Win | 6–2, 6–2 |
| 376 | 2R | Bethanie Mattek-Sands | #105 | Win | 6–3, 6–1 | |
| 377 | QF | Amy Frazier | #56 | Win | 6–2, 6–2 | |
| 378 | SF | Vera Zvonareva | 50 | Loss | 2–6, 3–6 | |
| JPMorgan Chase Open Los Angeles, United States WTA Tier II Hard 7–13 August 2006 | 379 | 1R | Maria Kirilenko | #21 | Win | 6–2, 6–1 |
| 380 | 2R | Ashley Harkleroad | #102 | Win | 6–3, 6–2 | |
| 381 | 3R | Daniela Hantuchová | #17 | Win | 1–6, 6–3, 6–3 | |
| 382 | QF | Meghann Shaughnessy | #77 | Win | 6–7(7–9), 6–1, 6–4 | |
| 383 | SF |  Jelena Janković | #28 | Loss | 4–6, 3–6 | |
| US Open New York City, United States Grand Slam Hard, outdoor 28 August – 10 September 2006 | 384 | 1R |  Lourdes Domínguez Lino | #41 | Win | 6–1, 6–2 |
| 385 | 2R | Daniela Hantuchová | #18 | Win | 7–5, 6–3 | |
| 386 | 3R | Ana Ivanovic | #17 | Win | 6–2, 6–4 | |
| 387 | 4R | Amélie Mauresmo | #1 | Loss | 4–6, 6–0, 2–6 |
Williams' 2006 singles tournament schedule is as follows:
| Date | Championship | Location | Category | Surface | Points | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 January 2006 – 29 January 2006 | Australian Open | Melbourne (AUS) | Grand Slam | Hard | 62 | Third Round lost to Daniela Hantuchová 1–6, 6–7(5–7) |
| 17 July 2006 – 23 July 2006 | Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open | Cincinnati (USA) | WTA Tier III | Hard | 55 | Semifinals lost to Vera Zvonareva 2–6, 3–6 |
| 7 August 2006 – 13 August 2006 | JPMorgan Chase Open | Los Angeles (USA) | WTA Tier II | Hard | 88 | Semifinals lost to Jelena Janković, 4–6, 3–6 |
| 28 August 2006 – 10 September 2006 | US Open | New York (USA) | Grand Slam | Hard | 96 | Fourth Round lost to Amélie Mauresmo, 6–4, 0–6, 6–2 |
| Total year-end points | 301 | |||||
Ordered by percentage of wins
Li Na 1–0 Camille Pin 1–0 Anastasia Myskina 1–0 Bethanie Mattek-Sands 1–0 Amy Frazier 1–0 Maria Kirilenko 1–0 Ashley Harkleroad 1–0 Meghann Shaughnessy 1–0 Lourdes Domínguez Lino 1–0 Ana Ivanovic 1–0 Daniela Hantuchová 2–1 Vera Zvonareva 0–1 Jelena Janković 0–1 Amélie Mauresmo 0–1| # | Event | Prize money | Year-to-date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australian Open | $32,483 | $32,483 |
| 2 | Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open | $7,700 | $40,183 |
| 3 | JPMorgan Chase Open | $25,060 | $65,243 |
| 4 | US Open | $66,462 | $131,705 |
| $131,705 | |||
Figures in United States dollars (USD) unless noted.
Daniela Hantuchová is a Slovak tennis commentator and retired player. She turned professional in 1999 and had her breakthrough year in 2002, when she won her first WTA Tour title at the Indian Wells Masters, defeating Martina Hingis in the final and becoming the lowest-ranked player to ever win the tournament. She also reached the quarterfinals of that year's Wimbledon Championships and US Open, ending the year in the top ten. She was part of the Slovak team that won the 2002 Fed Cup and the 2005 Hopman Cup.
Meghann Shaughnessy is an American former professional tennis player. She achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 11 in 2001 and won six titles on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour. Her best doubles ranking was world No. 4, and she won 17 WTA Tour doubles titles, including the WTA Championships in 2004. She is best known for her serve, which was one of the most powerful on tour, and has produced as many as 22 aces in a match.
Amélie Mauresmo defeated Justine Henin-Hardenne in the final, 6–1, 2–0 ret., to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2006 Australian Open. It was her first major title. Henin-Hardenne was suffering from stomach cramps resulting from the accidental misuse of anti-inflammatories for a chronic shoulder injury. This was Mauresmo's third match of the tournament where her opponent retired. Mauresmo and Henin-Hardenne would have a rematch in the Wimbledon final later that year, where Mauresmo would win in three sets.
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Maria Sharapova defeated Justine Henin-Hardenne in the final, 6–4, 6–4 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2006 US Open. It was her second major title. She lost just one set during the tournament. By reaching the final, Henin-Hardenne became the eighth woman to reach all four major finals in a calendar year.
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The 2004 WTA Tour was the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for the 2004 season. The 2004 WTA Tour calendar comprised the Grand Slam tournaments, the WTA Tier I-V Events, the Fed Cup, the Summer Olympic Games and the year-end championships.
The 2009 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 97th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 19 January through 1 February 2009. The tournament is remembered for containing many notable matches of the 2009 year, including the Nadal v Verdasco semi final and the Nadal v Federer final. It was the first hard court Grand Slam in which Nadal made the final or won.
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Serena Williams's 2005 tennis season was hampered by injury and was the first time that she didn't qualify for the Year-End Championships since 1999. Williams also failed to finish in the top 10 for the first time since 1998 despite winning a slam.
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98 WTA Titles: 73 singles, 23 doubles & 2 mixed doubles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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