Tennis at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's singles

Last updated

Women's singles
Tennis at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Final
ChampionFlag of Belgium (civil).svg  Justine Henin  (BEL)
Runner-upFlag of France.svg  Amélie Mauresmo  (FRA)
Score6–3, 6–3
Events
Singles men women
Doubles men women
  2000  · Summer Olympics ·  2008  

Women's singles tennis
at the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad
TennisAt2004SummerOlympics-1.jpg
Tennis at the 2004 Olympics
Venue Athens Olympic Tennis Centre
Dates15–21 August 2004
Competitors64 from 32 nations
Medalists
Gold medal icon.svg Justine Henin Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
Silver medal icon.svg Amélie Mauresmo Flag of France.svg  France
Bronze medal icon.svg Alicia Molik Flag of Australia.svg  Australia
  2000
2008  

Belgium's Justine Henin defeated France's Amélie Mauresmo in the final, 6–3, 6–3 to win the gold medal in Women's Singles tennis at the 2004 Summer Olympics. It was Belgium's only gold medal at the 2004 Games. Henin lost only one set during the tournament (to Russia's Anastasia Myskina in the semifinals). [1] In the bronze medal match, Australia's Alicia Molik defeated Myskina, 6–3, 6–4. The medals were the first in women's singles for Belgium and Australia, and the first for France since 1924. The United States' three-Games gold medal streak at the event ended, with no American players reaching the quarter-finals.

Contents

The tournament was held from 15 to 21 August at the Athens Olympic Tennis Centre in Athens, Greece. There were 64 competitors from 32 nations, with each nation having up to 4 players (up from the 3 allowed in prior Games). [2]

Venus Williams was the reigning gold medalist from 2000, but she lost in the third round to France's Mary Pierce. [3]

Background

This was the 10th appearance of the women's singles tennis. A women's event was held only once during the first three Games (only men's tennis was played in 1896 and 1904), but has been held at every Olympics for which there was a tennis tournament since 1908. Tennis was not a medal sport from 1928 to 1984, though there were demonstration events in 1968 and 1984. [2]

Returning from the 2000 Games were gold medalist Venus Williams of the United States and silver medalist Elena Dementieva of Russia. Williams had struggled with injuries before the Games, and came in as the #6 seed. Justine Henin of Belgium was the #1, with Amélie Mauresmo of France #2. Three Russian players rounded out the top 5: Anastasia Myskina, Dementieva, and Svetlana Kuznetsova. [2]

Former World No. 1 Serena Williams had committed to playing this event, but withdrew one week before the tournament began due to a left knee injury. [4]

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia, Puerto Rico, Serbia and Montenegro, and Ukraine each made their debut in the event. France made its ninth appearance, most among nations to that point, having missed only the 1908 Games in London (when only British players competed).

Qualification

Qualification for the single tournament was restricted to four players per National Olympic Committee (NOC), an organisation representing a country at the Olympics. National Tennis Associations who were members of the ITF before 1 January 2004 were allowed to nominate players for entry into the competition. The tournament featured a total of 64 players with 48 qualifying on their WTA World Ranking on 14 June and two received invitations from the Tripartite Commission. Any NOC who had more than four players able to qualify by this method were encouraged to choose their highest ranked players eligible to compete in the tournament. The remaining 14 qualified via wild card places: eight were selected on their world ranking and the remaining six were chosen on the basis of her world ranking, whether her country has representation in tennis, the number of players who were in Athens and her geographical location. [5] [6]

Players who earned automatic entry into the draw and who withdrew from the competition due to illness, injury or bereavement before midnight on 7 August were replaced by one from her own country or the next highest ranking entry. Had this not been the case, then the ITF selected the highest ranked nominated player or eligible competitor if a country had more than four players to the tournament. [7] [6]

Competition format

The competition was a single-elimination tournament with a bronze medal match. Matches were all best-of-three sets. The 12-point tie-breaker was used in any set, except the third, that reached 6–6.

Schedule

All times are Greece Standard Time (UTC+2)

The schedule was condensed compared to previous Games, taking only 8 days rather than 11 to complete.

DateTimeRound
Sunday, 15 August 2004
Monday, 16 August 2004
Round of 64
Tuesday, 17 August 2004Round of 32
Wednesday, 18 August 2004Round of 16
Thursday, 19 August 2004Quarterfinals
Friday, 20 August 200417:00Semifinals
Saturday, 21 August 200417:00
 
Bronze medal match
Final

Seeds

  1. Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Justine Henin  (BEL)(champion, gold medalist)
  2. Flag of France.svg  Amélie Mauresmo  (FRA)(final, silver medalist)
  3. Flag of Russia.svg  Anastasia Myskina  (RUS)(semifinals, fourth place)
  4. Flag of Russia.svg  Elena Dementieva  (RUS)(first round)
  5. Flag of Russia.svg  Svetlana Kuznetsova  (RUS)(quarterfinals)
  6. Flag of the United States.svg  Venus Williams  (USA)(third round)
  7. Flag of Argentina.svg  Paola Suárez  (ARG)(second round)
  8. Flag of Japan.svg  Ai Sugiyama  (JPN)(quarterfinals)
  9. Flag of Russia.svg  Nadia Petrova  (RUS)(second round)
  10. Flag of Switzerland.svg  Patty Schnyder  (SUI)(third round)
  11. Flag of Italy (2003-2006).svg  Francesca Schiavone  (ITA)(quarterfinals)
  12. Flag of Croatia.svg  Karolina Šprem  (CRO)(third round)
  13. Flag of Israel.svg  Anna Smashnova  (ISR)(first round)
  14. Flag of Italy (2003-2006).svg  Silvia Farina Elia  (ITA)(second round)
  15. Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Magdalena Maleeva  (BUL)(second round)
  16. Flag of the United States.svg  Chanda Rubin  (USA)(third round)

Draw

Finals

Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
               
1 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Justine Henin  (BEL)66 
 Flag of France.svg  Mary Pierce  (FRA)4 4  
1 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Justine Henin  (BEL)75 8
3 Flag of Russia.svg  Anastasia Myskina  (RUS)5 76
3 Flag of Russia.svg  Anastasia Myskina  (RUS)66 
11 Flag of Italy (2003-2006).svg  Francesca Schiavone  (ITA)1 2  
1 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Justine Henin  (BEL)66 
2 Flag of France.svg  Amélie Mauresmo  (FRA)3 3  
8 Flag of Japan.svg  Ai Sugiyama  (JPN)3 4  
 Flag of Australia.svg  Alicia Molik  (AUS)66 
 Flag of Australia.svg  Alicia Molik  (AUS)683  Third place
2 Flag of France.svg  Amélie Mauresmo  (FRA)76 
5 Flag of Russia.svg  Svetlana Kuznetsova  (RUS)6562 3 Flag of Russia.svg  Anastasia Myskina  (RUS)3 4  
2 Flag of France.svg  Amélie Mauresmo  (FRA)74 6 Flag of Australia.svg  Alicia Molik  (AUS)66 

Top half

Section 1

First round Quarter-finals 3rd Round Quarterfinals
1 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  J Henin  (BEL)66
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  B Strýcová  (CZE)3 4 1 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  J Henin  (BEL)66
 Flag of Venezuela (1954-2006).png  M Vento-Kabchi  (VEN)66 Flag of Venezuela (1954-2006).png  M Vento-Kabchi  (VEN)2 1
 Flag of Luxembourg.svg  A Kremer  (LUX)3 4 1 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  J Henin  (BEL)66
 Flag of Australia.svg  N Pratt  (AUS)67 Flag of Australia.svg  N Pratt  (AUS)1 0
 Flag of Switzerland.svg  M Casanova  (SUI)3 5  Flag of Australia.svg  N Pratt  (AUS)1 76
 Flag of Italy (2003-2006).svg  T Garbin  (ITA)66 Flag of Italy (2003-2006).svg  T Garbin  (ITA)6652
13 Flag of Israel.svg  A Smashnova  (ISR)2 1 1 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  J Henin  (BEL)66
9 Flag of Russia.svg  N Petrova  (RUS)66 Flag of France.svg  M Pierce  (FRA)4 4
 Flag of Slovakia.svg  M Suchá  (SVK)3 3 9 Flag of Russia.svg  N Petrova  (RUS)2 1
 Flag of Spain.svg  A Medina Garrigues  (ESP)3 5  Flag of France.svg  M Pierce  (FRA)66
 Flag of France.svg  M Pierce  (FRA)67 Flag of France.svg  M Pierce  (FRA)66
 Flag of Slovenia.svg  M Matevžič  (SLO)776 Flag of the United States.svg  V Williams  (USA)4 4
 Flag of Japan.svg  S Obata  (JPN)635  Flag of Slovenia.svg  M Matevžič  (SLO)0 0
 Flag of Hungary.svg  M Czink  (HUN)1 2 6 Flag of the United States.svg  V Williams  (USA)66
6 Flag of the United States.svg  V Williams  (USA)66

Section 2

First round Quarter-finals 3rd Round Quarterfinals
3 Flag of Russia.svg  A Myskina  (RUS)66
 Flag of Spain.svg  M Serna  (ESP)0 1 3 Flag of Russia.svg  A Myskina  (RUS)63 6
 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg  K Brandi  (PUR)76Flag of Puerto Rico.svg  K Brandi  (PUR)2 64
 Flag of Croatia.svg  J Kostanić  (CRO)5 1 3 Flag of Russia.svg  A Myskina  (RUS)76
 Flag of Colombia.svg  C Castaño  (COL)2 1 Flag of Greece.svg  E Daniilidou  (GRE)5 4
 Flag of Greece.svg  E Daniilidou  (GRE)66Flag of Greece.svg  E Daniilidou  (GRE)2 66
 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  K Koukalová  (CZE)1 4 15 Flag of Bulgaria.svg  M Maleeva  (BUL)64 4
15 Flag of Bulgaria.svg  M Maleeva  (BUL)663 Flag of Russia.svg  A Myskina  (RUS)66
11 Flag of Italy (2003-2006).svg  F Schiavone  (ITA)6711 Flag of Italy (2003-2006).svg  F Schiavone  (ITA)1 2
 Flag of Japan.svg  S Asagoe  (JPN)3 6411 Flag of Italy (2003-2006).svg  F Schiavone  (ITA)2 76
 Flag of Estonia.svg  K Kanepi  (EST)611 Flag of South Korea (1997-2011).svg  Y-j Cho  (KOR)6604
 Flag of South Korea (1997-2011).svg  Y-j Cho  (KOR)7611 Flag of Italy (2003-2006).svg  F Schiavone  (ITA)6566
 Flag of Serbia and Montenegro.svg  J Janković  (SCG)4 1 Flag of Colombia.svg  F Zuluaga  (COL)71 3
 Flag of Colombia.svg  F Zuluaga  (COL)66Flag of Colombia.svg  F Zuluaga  (COL)4 76
 Flag of France.svg  N Dechy  (FRA)7657 7 Flag of Argentina.svg  P Suárez  (ARG)6611
7 Flag of Argentina.svg  P Suárez  (ARG)6179

Bottom half

Section 3

First round Quarter-finals 3rd Round Quarterfinals
8 Flag of Japan.svg  A Sugiyama  (JPN)4 68
 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  J Zheng  (CHN)63 6 8 Flag of Japan.svg  A Sugiyama  (JPN)76
 Flag of Ukraine.svg  T Perebiynis  (UKR)66 Flag of Ukraine.svg  T Perebiynis  (UKR)5 4
 Flag of Madagascar.svg  D Randriantefy  (MAD)3 4 8 Flag of Japan.svg  A Sugiyama  (JPN)76
 Flag of Thailand.svg  T Tanasugarn  (THA)62 1 12 Flag of Croatia.svg  K Šprem  (CRO)661
 Flag of Indonesia.svg  A Widjaja  (INA)1 66 Flag of Indonesia.svg  A Widjaja  (INA)3 1
 Flag of Argentina.svg  G Dulko  (ARG)665 12 Flag of Croatia.svg  K Šprem  (CRO)66
12 Flag of Croatia.svg  K Šprem  (CRO)778 Flag of Japan.svg  A Sugiyama  (JPN)3 4
14 Flag of Italy (2003-2006).svg  S Farina Elia  (ITA)66Flag of Australia.svg  A Molik  (AUS)66
PR Flag of France.svg  S Testud  (FRA)2 0 14 Flag of Italy (2003-2006).svg  S Farina Elia  (ITA)1 2
 Flag of Slovakia.svg  Ľ Kurhajcová  (SVK)4 63  Flag of the United States.svg  L Raymond  (USA)66
 Flag of the United States.svg  L Raymond  (USA)64 6 Flag of the United States.svg  L Raymond  (USA)4 4
 Flag of Spain.svg  M Sánchez Lorenzo  (ESP)3 64  Flag of Australia.svg  A Molik  (AUS)66
 Flag of Slovenia.svg  K Srebotnik  (SLO)60 6 Flag of Slovenia.svg  K Srebotnik  (SLO)5 4
 Flag of Australia.svg  A Molik  (AUS)4 66 Flag of Australia.svg  A Molik  (AUS)76
4 Flag of Russia.svg  E Dementieva  (RUS)60 3

Section 4

First round Quarter-finals 3rd Round Quarterfinals
5 Flag of Russia.svg  S Kuznetsova  (RUS)66
 Flag of Argentina.svg  M Díaz Oliva  (ARG)3 3 5 Flag of Russia.svg  S Kuznetsova  (RUS)76
 Flag of Japan.svg  A Morigami  (JPN)66 Flag of Japan.svg  A Morigami  (JPN)652
 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  I Benešová  (CZE)1 4 5 Flag of Russia.svg  S Kuznetsova  (RUS)66
 Flag of Slovakia.svg  D Hantuchová  (SVK)6610 Flag of Switzerland.svg  P Schnyder  (SUI)3 3
 Flag of Luxembourg.svg  C Schaul  (LUX)1 1  Flag of Slovakia.svg  D Hantuchová  (SVK)61 4
 Flag of Hungary.svg  P Mandula  (HUN)3 4 10 Flag of Switzerland.svg  P Schnyder  (SUI)3 66
10 Flag of Switzerland.svg  P Schnyder  (SUI)665 Flag of Russia.svg  S Kuznetsova  (RUS)6562
16 Flag of the United States.svg  C Rubin  (USA)66862 Flag of France.svg  A Mauresmo  (FRA)74 6
 Flag of Australia.svg  S Stosur  (AUS)2 70 16 Flag of the United States.svg  C Rubin  (USA)63 6
 Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  C Black  (ZIM)65 6 Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  C Black  (ZIM)4 63
 Flag of Slovenia.svg  T Pisnik  (SLO)3 74 16 Flag of the United States.svg  C Rubin  (USA)3 1
 Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg  M Jugić-Salkić  (BIH)3 4 2 Flag of France.svg  A Mauresmo  (FRA)66
 Flag of Italy (2003-2006).svg  ME Camerin  (ITA)66 Flag of Italy (2003-2006).svg  ME Camerin  (ITA)0 1
 Flag of Spain.svg  C Martínez  (ESP)1 4 2 Flag of France.svg  A Mauresmo  (FRA)66
2 Flag of France.svg  A Mauresmo  (FRA)66

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amélie Mauresmo</span> French tennis player

Amélie Simone Mauresmo is a French former world No. 1 tennis player and tournament director. Mauresmo won two major singles titles at the 2006 Australian Open and Wimbledon Championships, and also won the silver medal in singles at the 2004 Summer Olympics and the singles title at the 2005 year-end championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justine Henin</span> Belgian tennis player

Justine Henin is a Belgian former world No. 1 tennis player. She spent a total of 117 weeks as the world No. 1 and was the year-end No. 1 in 2003, 2006 and 2007. Henin, coming from a country with limited success in tennis, helped establish Belgium as a leading force in women's tennis alongside Kim Clijsters, and led the country to its first Fed Cup crown in 2001. She was known for her all-court style of play and for being one of the few female players to use a single-handed backhand.

This page covers all the important events in the sport of tennis in 2004. Primarily, it provides the results of notable tournaments throughout the year on both the ATP and WTA Tours, the Davis Cup, and the Fed Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eleni Daniilidou</span> Greek tennis player

Eleni Daniilidou is a Greek former tennis player from the island of Crete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennis at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's singles</span> Tennis at the Olympics

The United States' Venus Williams defeated Russia's Elena Dementieva in the final, 6–2, 6–4 to win the gold medal in Women's Singles tennis at the 2000 Summer Olympics. In the bronze medal match, the United States' Monica Seles defeated Australia's Jelena Dokic, 6–1, 6–4. Williams' victory was the third consecutive gold medal in the women's singles for the United States, all by different players.

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.

Justine Henin-Hardenne defeated compatriot and rival Kim Clijsters in the final, 6–3, 4–6, 6–3 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2004 Australian Open. It was her third major title, each time defeating Clijsters in the final. Clijsters would eventually win the title seven years later.

Justine Henin-Hardenne defeated Kim Clijsters in the final, 7–5, 6–1 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2003 US Open. She lost only one set during the tournament.

Serena Williams defeated Lindsay Davenport in the final, 2–6, 6–3, 6–0 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2005 Australian Open. It was her second Australian Open singles title and her seventh major singles title overall. Williams saved three match points en route to the title, in the semifinals against Maria Sharapova.

Justine Henin-Hardenne defeated Kim Clijsters in the final, 6–0, 6–4 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2003 French Open. It was her first major singles title, and she became the first Belgian to win a major; Clijsters was attempting to achieve the same accolade. The final made Belgium the third country in the Open Era to have two countrywomen contest a major final.

Anastasia Myskina defeated Elena Dementieva in the final, 6–1, 6–2 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2004 French Open. It was her maiden major singles title, and she became the first Russian woman to win a major. Myskina became the first woman in the Open Era to win the French Open after saving a match point, doing so in the fourth round against Svetlana Kuznetsova. This marked the first time two maiden major finalists contested a final since the 1979 Australian Open. The final also made Russia the fourth country in the Open Era to have two countrywomen contest a major final.

Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated Elena Dementieva in the final, 6–3, 7–5 to win the women's singles tennis title at the 2004 US Open. She lost only one set during the tournament. Kuznetsova became the third Russian woman, after Anastasia Myskina and Maria Sharapova, to win a major that year and overall. This was also the second-ever all-Russian major final.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Wimbledon Championships</span> Tennis tournament

The 2006 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament played on grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London in the United Kingdom. It was the 120th edition of the Wimbledon Championships and were held from 26 June to 9 July 2006. It was the third Grand Slam tennis event of the year.

Amélie Mauresmo defeated Justine Henin-Hardenne in the final, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4 to win the ladies' singles tennis title at the 2006 Wimbledon Championships. It was her second major title, having won the Australian Open earlier in the year. Mauresmo also became the first Frenchwoman to win Wimbledon since Suzanne Lenglen in 1925. Henin-Hardenne was attempting to complete the career Grand Slam.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 WTA Tour</span> Womens tennis circuit

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennis at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's singles</span> Tennis at the Olympics

Russia's Elena Dementieva defeated compatriot Dinara Safina in the final, 3–6, 7–5, 6–3 to win the gold medal in Women's Singles tennis at the 2008 Summer Olympics. In the bronze medal match, Russia's Vera Zvonareva defeated China's Li Na 6–0, 7–5. This was the first Olympic medal sweep in tennis since 1908, when three British women won medals in the outdoor women's singles tournament. It was the fifth podium sweep in tennis in Olympic history, all previous sweeps were by British athletes. It was Russia's first victory in the women's singles. Dementieva became the third woman to win multiple Olympic singles medals, following Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, and the first to do so in non-consecutive Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elena Dementieva</span> Russian tennis player

Elena Viacheslavovna Dementieva is a Russian former professional tennis player. She won the singles gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, having previously won the silver medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. She won 16 WTA singles titles, reached the finals of the 2004 French Open and 2004 US Open and reached seven other Grand Slam semifinals. Dementieva was also part of the Russian team that won the 2005 Fed Cup. In doubles, she won the 2002 WTA Championships with Janette Husárová and was the runner-up in two US Open doubles finals – in 2002 with Husárová and in 2005 with Flavia Pennetta. Dementieva achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 3, which was accomplished on 6 April 2009. She announced her retirement on 29 October 2010, after her final match at the 2010 WTA Championships. Between 2003 and 2010, she only ended one year, in 2007, outside the top 10. She is considered to be one of the most talented players never to have won a Grand Slam tournament.

Lindsay Davenport defeated Anastasia Myskina in the final, 6–1, 6–1 to win the singles tennis title at the 2004 Southern California Open.

Amélie Mauresmo won the singles tennis title at the 2004 WTA German Open by walkover, as her opponent Venus Williams withdrew due to a left ankle strain. It was the first title of the year for Mauresmo, and the 11th title of her career.

References

  1. Henin-Hardenne tops Mauresmo in final - Olympics, ESPN
  2. 1 2 3 "Singles, Women". Olympedia. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  3. Williams title defence over, BBC SPORT
  4. Knee pain negates her promise to play - Olympics, ESPN
  5. "Qualification" (PDF). International Tennis Federation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 August 2004. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  6. 1 2 "Olympic Tennis Event 2004 – Regulations" (PDF). International Tennis Federation. pp. 4–7, 11 & 17–18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 August 2004. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  7. "Tennis Event at the 2004 Olympic Games – Media Guide" (PDF). International Tennis Federation. 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 August 2004. Retrieved 20 March 2020.