EmblemHealth Bronx Open Women’s Pro Tournament

The 2011 EmblemHealth Bronx Open was held in August at Crotona Park, Bronx. This year's EmblemHealth Bronx Open was a $50,000 USTA sanctioned Challenger Event, attracting some of best Women Tennis Professional players in the world as they prepared for the US Open Championships at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

About The EmblemHealth Bronx Open

EmblemHealth is the title sponsor of the EmblemHealth Bronx Open, an USTA sanctioned $50,000 women's tennis tournament Challenger Event. The tournament is held at Crotona Park, in the Bronx, New York from August 7-14, 2011. Fans have the opportunity to watch WTA Tour professionals from around the world ranked in the top 200, some of whom will be competing in the main draw at the 2011 US Open.

General admission to the EmblemHealth Bronx Open is FREE. There is a $10.00 charge for the finals on Sunday, August 14, 2011. Play begins daily at 11 am except for Thursday which starts at 1 pm. NYJTL will provide free tennis lessons for children daily, Monday through Saturday, from 12 noon to 3 pm daily. All proceeds of the EmblemHealth Bronx Open benefit NYJTL tennis programs and educational services.

About EmblemHealth Bronx Open Free Events: August 7-14, 2011

Tennis players, enthusiasts and spectators are invited to a fun-filled week of free special events at Crotona Park, the Bronx, from August 7-14, 2011.

Activities include adult and junior tennis clinics, EmblemHealth Fitness Day For Kids, Seniors' Day, New York's Bravest (New York Fire Department) vs. New York's Finest (New York Police Department) Tournament, and the Disney Kids' Around the World Day Parade displaying the enthusiasm and artistic talents of NYJTL participants proudly marching with their 10-foot banners.

2011 EmblemHealth Bronx Open Women's Singles Final Recap:

Heavy rain all morning forced the match indoors at the Tennis Club of Riverdale (NY) where both players struggled at first to settle into the new conditions.

“I didn’t start very well,” Hlavackova, 25, said. “I got broken in the first game because everything was new, and I was not prepared for the conditions.”

Still, Hlavackova’s maturity helped keep the Czech focused while the younger Barthel, 21, seemed to let her constant questioning of umpires’ calls distract her from her game.

“Even though I need to work on it still, I think my attitude made the difference today. We both argued with the umpire, but tennis players always do that because there is so much pressure on us,” said Hlavackova.

Experience was also a deciding factor. Hlavackova boasts an impressive resume, reaching 13 singles finals, claiming five of those titles, and winning her first career Grand Slam title this May at the French Open capturing the women’s doubles. By comparison, 21-year-old Barthel has played in six singles finals, winning three.

Hlavackova, currently ranked world No. 127, won an up-and-down first set 7-6 (8) after a thrilling tie-breaker. The match began with a focus on serving, as both Barthel and Hlavackova struggled to find any sense of rhythm in the indoor bubble. After winning the first game thanks in part to Hlavackova hitting her first three forehands into the net, Barthel showcased her beautiful serve, scoring two aces to jump out to a 2-0 lead.

Hlavackova quickly responded with two powerful aces of her own to win the third game and cut the lead to 2-1. What was possibly more surprising, however, was both players’ inability to successfully return the serves they did reach. In fact, only one rally in the first five games lasted more than 10 seconds as Hlavackova and Barthel mishit return after return wide of the court or into the net.

The shaky play continued during the next two games. Hlavackova committed two double faults to give Barthel a 3-2 lead. However, Barthel, world No. 101, immediately returned the favor, committing two double faults of her own in the proceeding game to tie the set at 3-3. Coming back from a 4-5 deficit, Barthel won a marathon 11^th game that included some expertly placed forehands to the corner by Hlavackova to force deuce four times to go ahead 6-5. Despite a medical timeout to have her left hamstring taped up, Hlavackova was able to tie the set at six all. The two then began a tiebreak that stayed neck-and-neck until Hlavackova was able to break away and win 10-8.

“The tiebreaker was super close,” she said. “It was very well played. She served well in the tiebreak but I played it well and had good baseline play and I think that’s why I won the tiebreak.”

After the two broke each other’s serves in the first two games of the second set, Barthel’s inconsistency again cost her as she double faulted to give Hlavackova a 2-1 lead. The Czech would not look back. Employing her booming forehand and excellent accuracy, Hlavackova was able to run down Barthel and take the set--and championship-- 6-3.

“In the second set I had better confidence right from the beginning,” Hlavackova said. “It was about putting the best fight I could and that’s what I did and I think that’s why I won.”

Hlavackova finished with 11 forehand winners, five backhand winners, and two aces while Barthel had eight forehand winners, seven backhand winners, and four aces.

The loss was a disappointing finish to an otherwise remarkable tournament for Barthel. Before Sunday’s final, the German had lost only one set the entire tournament. Using her crafty serves and strong backhand, she was able to plow through the first four rounds of the tournament with little difficulty. The German, who has been playing professionally for only two years, is expected to be the top seed in next week’s US Open qualifying.

Hlavackova’s victory should be especially helpful for her confidence as she, too, prepares to qualify for the US Open.

“It does alot for my confidence going into the US Open because the cut here was even tougher than the qualifiers for the US Open,” she said. “I won five tough matches where I didn’t always play great. But it taught me that sometimes winning ugly is just as good.”

Championship Singles Match:
Andrea HLAVACKOVA [2], Czech Republic, def. Mona BARTHEL [1], Germany, 7-6 (8), 6-3

Championship Doubles Match:
Ahsha ROLLE and Megan MOULTON-LEVY, United States, def. Jing-Jing LU and Xinyun HAN, China, 6-3, 7-6 (5).

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