Wimbledon 2012 Winners List, Prize Money Earnings

The Wimbledon 2012 has now come to a close and the biggest prizes went to a pair of 30 year old tennis legends who won their first Grand Slam titles in more than two years. Roger Federer won a record equaling 7th Wimbledon title to increase his record Grand Slam titles to 17. With his title win, Federer becomes the new world no 1 in ATP men's tennis rankings. Serena Williams won her 5th Wimbledon title and has the most Grand Slam titles amongst active women players with 14. Serena also won the ladies doubles title with her sister, Venus Williams, and so she will take home the most prize money earnings from this year's Wimbledon amongst all the players who participated, both men and women. Below is a list of this year's Wimbledon 2012 winners and their prize money earnings.

Gentlemen's Singles

Winner: £1,150,000 - Roger Federer SUI (3)
Runner-up: £575,000 - Andy Murray GBR (4)
Semi-Finalists: £287,500 - Novak Djokovic SRB (1); Jo-Wilfried Tsonga FRA (5)

Ladies' Singles

Winner: £1,150,000 - Serena Williams USA (6)
Runner-up: £575,000 - Agnieszka Radwanska POL (3)
Semi-Finalists: £287,500 - Victoria Azarenka BLR (2); Angelique Kerber GER (8)

Gentlemen's Doubles (per pair)

Winners: £260,000 - Jonathan Marray GBR and Frederik Nielsen DEN
Runners-up: £130,000 - Robert Lindstedt SWE and Horia Tecau ROU (5)
Semi-Finalists: £65,000 - Bob Bryan USA and Mike Bryan USA (2); Jurgen Melzer AUT and
Philipp Petzschner GER (10)

Ladies' Doubles (per pair)

Winners: £260,000 - Serena Williams USA and Venus Williams USA
Runners-up: £130,000 - Andrea Hlavackova CZE (6) and Lucie Hradecka CZE (6)
Semi-Finalists: £65,000 - Liezel Huber USA and Lisa Raymond USA (1); Flavia Pennetta ITA and Francesca Schiavone ITA

Mixed Doubles (per pair)

Winners: £92,000 - Mike Bryan USA and Lisa Raymond USA (2)
Runners-up: £46,000 - Leander Paes IND (4) and Elena Vesnina RUS (4)
Semi-Finalists: £23,000 - Bob Bryan USA and Liezel Huber USA (1); Nenad Zimonjic SRB and Katarina Srebotnik SLO (3)

Boys' Singles

Winner - Filip Peliwo CAN (4)
Runner-up - Luke Saville AUS (1)

Girls' Singles

Winner - Filip Peliwo CAN (4)
Runner-up - Luke Saville AUS (1)

Boys' Doubles

Winner - Eugenie Bouchard CAN (5)
Runner-up - Elina Svitolina UKR (3)

Finalists:

Winner - Andrew Harris AUS (4 ) and Nick Kyrgios AUS (4)
Runner-up - Matteo Donati ITA and Pietro Licciardi ITA

Girls' Doubles

Winner - Eugenie Bouchard CAN (1) and Taylor Townsend USA (1)
Runner-up - Belinda Bencic SUI (7) and Ana Konjuh CRO (7)

Congratulations to Wimbledon 2012 winners for their prize money earnings.

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Federer wins 7th Wimbledon title, takes no. 1 Ranking

Roger Federer won the Wimbledon 2012 men’s singles title to extend his record to 17 Grand Slams when he beat local favorite Andy Murray 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4. The win enabled Federer to equal Pete Sampras' record of 7 Wimbledon titles and also to grab the world no. 1 ranking from Novak Djokovic. Federer started the tournament ranked third in the world but jumped two spots after the top two players and last year's Wimbledon finalists - Djokovic and Rafael Nadal - failed to reach the finals this year. Nadal was eliminated in the second round while Federer eliminated Djokovic in the semifinals. Federer will take home the £1,150,000 men's singles champion prize money while Murray will take home the runner-up prize money of £575,000.

Watch the Wimbledon 2012 mens' singles championship match highlights and interviews with both Roger Federer and Andy Murray here.

Roger Federer (SUI) vs Andy Murray (GBR) - Finals Match Statistics

12 Aces 16
3 Double faults 1
90 of 131 = 69 % 1st serves in 88 of 157 = 56 %
68 of 90 = 76 % 1st serve points won 61 of 88 = 69 %
20 of 41 = 49 % 2nd serve points won 33 of 69 = 48 %
130 MPH Fastest serve 133 MPH
116 MPH Average 1st serve speed 121 MPH
98 MPH Average 2nd serve speed 88 MPH
53 of 68 = 78 % Net points won 24 of 39 = 62 %
4 of 12 = 33 % Break points won 2 of 7 = 29 %
63 of 157 = 40 % Receiving points won 43 of 131 = 33 %
62 Winners 46
38 Unforced errors 25
151 Total points won 137

Congratulations to Roger Federer for winning the Wimbledon 2012 men's singles title.

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Serena Williams wins Wimbledon 2012; 14 Grand Slam title

Exactly two years ago in July 2010, Serena Williams was no. 1 in the world and recently won her 13th Grand Slam title in the Championships at Wimbledon. Earlier in the year, she won her 12th Slam by taking the Australian Open title in January. But, things unraveled fast and because of a freak accident and an emergency hospitalization, Serena would be out and away from the WTA tour for 11 months. Then, she started her comeback. In last year's Wimbledon, the usually steely Serena poured her out when she cried on court during her first round match. It was her first Grand Slam in a year, and though she failed to make the quarterfinal round, her comeback has started.

In the summer of 2011, Serena was on a rampage racking up wins in two US Open tune-ups and beating six opponents to reach the US Open final. She was the heavy favorite against Samantha Stosur in the final, but somehow, the Australian brought out her best game at the right time to win her first ever Grand Slam title. Serena would not play in another tournament for the year, and she surfaced back at the Australian Open in January failing to make a dent by quietly being eliminated in the fourth round.

Serena played Miami, a favorite tournament for the American and a place where she has been successful in the past. She went out in the quarterfinals to Caroline Wozniacki - a player she has never lost to prior to their encounter. Then came this spring's clay court season. Serena racked 17 straight wins and won two clay court tournaments becoming the prohibitive favorite to win her second French Open title. She however went out spectacularly, suffering her worst Grand Slam result ever, in a first round upset by Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano. It was considered one of the more shocking results in both ATP and WTA tennis tours in recent memory.

When Wimbledon came, all eyes were on the current world no. 1 - Maria Sharapova - who won her first Grand Slam title in Roland Garros to complete a career Grand Slam. Serena was certainly considered a favorite, but in the earlier rounds, she struggled big time against lower ranked opponents in the third and fourth rounds, losing a set in each match. But, as Serena has done through the years, she elevated her game in the final stages of the Grand Slam. She beat defending champion Petra Kvitova and world no. 2 Victoria Azarenka in back-to-back straight set victories in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Again, she reached the Wimbledon final as a top favorite to win her fifth Wimbledon title - she was after all facing a first time major finalist in world no. 3 Agnieszka Radwanksa, a player known for her consistency more than her grass court game.

So, when Serena won the first set 6-1 in just over 30 minutes and went up 4-2 in the second set, the whole tennis world expected Serena to wrap up the championship quickly. But, Radwanska had other ideas. Serena displayed a mental lapse that is somehow rare at this stage of this Grand Slam and before the audience knew it, Radwanska had battled back by winning the second set 7-5 and holding a 2-1 lead in the third set. Not to be unfazed, Serena replied with a service game of four aces and that allowed her to relax a bit. She would then win the next three games to wrap up her fifth Wimbledon crown and 14th Grand Slam title. And, she goes home with the top singles prize of £1,150,000. Congratulations and well done to Serena.

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Azarenka vs Cibulkova 2012 French Open Match Highlights

Dominika Cibulkova upset world no. 1 Victoria Azarenka in what is arguably the second most shocking upset in the women's singles draw before the quarterfinals of Roland-Garros 2012. Watch the fourth round match highlights of the French Open match between Azarenka and Cibulkova here. The loss meant that world no. 6 Samantha Stosur, a previous French Open finalist, is the highest remaining player in the top half of the draw. Earlier in the day, Sara Errani eliminated 2009 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 60 75 and world no. 10 Angelique Kerber beat Petra Martic 63 75 to advance against each other to the quarterfinals round. Cibulkova will next face the winner of the Stosur-Sloane Stephens match that is scheduled later in the day.

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Cibulkova upsets Azarenka in Roland-Garros 2012 4th Round

Dominika Cibulkova, the no. 15-seed, eliminated world no. 1 Victoria Azarenka from the French Open 2012 currently being held at Roland-Garros in Paris. Cibulkova, a 2009 semi-finalist, used her clay court skills to full advantage to register a straight set 6-2 7-6(4) and improve to just 2-7 against Azarenka. The loss stopped Azarenka's 10-match winning streak at Grand Slams as the Belarussian won the Australian Open in January for her first major and catapulted her to the world no. 1 ranking. Cibulkova will now face the winner of the fourth round match between American teenager Sloane Stephens and world no. 6 Samantha Stosur of Australia.

The loss of Azarenka eliminated two of the three title favorites before the quarterfinal round. Earlier in the tournament, Azarenka was touted as potential French Open champion along with world no. 2 Maria Sharapova and no. 5 Serena Williams. Serena was eliminated in a first round shocker to an unseeded Virginie Razanno of France. Only Sharapova remains in the draw but she is playing her fourth round match on Monday, June 4. In Azarenka's top half of the draw, the highest remaining seed is no. 6-seed US Open champion Stosur. World no. 3, Agnieszka Radwanska, who was in Azarenka's half of the draw was eliminated in the third round.

Azarenka vs Cibulkova: French Open 2012 Match Statistics

Cibulkova won by being the steadier player in the match and having a +8 winner-unforced errors ratio. The first set was over in 44 minutes, and the second set took over an hour to complete. Total match time is 107 minutes. Cibulkova registered 3 aces against 0 to Cibulkova. She had more winners - 28 to 19, and less unforced errors 20 to 25. Cibulkova only had a 47% first serve percentage but won 68% of first serve points. Azarenka had a higher 79% first serve percentage but only won 52% of first serve points. Cibulkova won a total of 84 points against 68 won by her opponent.

The loss means that Azarenka may lose her world no. 1 ranking to Maria Sharapova if the Russian wins the French Open title. Anything less means that Azarenka will get to keep her top ranking. Cibulkova will now advance to her second Roland-Garros quarterfinal in six attempts. She lost in the first round last year and will improve her ranking with her performance this year.

Subject: Cibulkova upset Azarenka in Roland-Garros 2012 4th Round

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Brussels Open 2012 Prize Money: Radwanska earns $107K for 10th Title

World no. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska won her 10th WTA title on Saturday at the Brussels Open 2012 in Bruxelles, Belgium. Radwanska edged unseeded Simona Halep in a closely contested first set before pulling away to register a 75 60 victory to add to her Dubai and Miami titles won earlier in the year. With the win, Radwanska earned the top $107,000 prize money and 470 ranking points. As runner-up, Halep won $57,000 in prize money and 320 ranking points. The losing semi-finalists - no. 8-seed Kaia Kanepi and unseeded Sofia Arvidsson both earned $30,500 in prize money and 200 ranking points. This is the second year that the WTA premier-level Brussels Open is being held and because of its proximity to the French Open, a lot of top players skipped this tune-up tournament.

It was a very good week for the top-seeded Radwanska who didn't lose a set en route to the final. Halep actually served for the first set at 5-4 - but Radwanska rolled from there, winning nine games in a row, and the last 10 points. With the win, Radwanska now has 36 match wins for the year, the most for any WTA player. World no. 1 Victoria Azarenka is second with 35 wins. "On clay I think I need longer to warm up, not just the five minutes before the match," Radwanska said afterwards. "At the end I won nine games in a row - it was a good comeback, I think. And it's always great to win a tournament. I'm happy to get some good preparation in ahead of the French Open."

The victory moved Radwanska past the $2 million mark in terms of year-to-date prize money won. She is no. 3 in the list behind Azarenka who has $4.5 million and no. 2 Maria Sharapova who has won $2.7 million. Halep's earnings moved her to no. 40 in the prize money rankings this year with a total of $218,132.

WTA 2012 Year-to-Date Prize Money Earnings

1 Azarenka, Victoria BLR $4,518,016
2 Sharapova, Maria RUS $2,680,090
3 Radwanska, Agnieszka POL $2,012,323
4 Williams, Serena USA $1,267,640
5 Errani, Sara ITA $819,759
6 Wozniacki, Caroline DEN $682,324
7 Li, Na CHN $662,763
8 Kvitova, Petra CZE $630,152
9 Vinci, Roberta ITA $631,070
10 Kerber, Angelique GER $612,443
11 Goerges, Julia GER $553,718
12 Bartoli, Marion FRA $551,319
13 Stosur, Samantha AUS $519,449
14 Clijsters, Kim BEL $513,691
15 Makarova, Ekaterina RUS $491,432
... ...
36 Pennetta, Flavia ITA $230,486
37 McHale, Christina USA $223,653
38 Schiavone, Francesca ITA $220,387
39 Barthel, Mona GER $219,324
40 Halep, Simona ROU $218,132

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Nice Open 2012 Prize Money: Almagro earns €72K for 2nd Title

Nicolas Almagro of Spain put an exclamation mark to his preparations for this year's Roland Garros 2012 French Open major by defending his title at the 2012 Open de Nice Côte d'Azur in Nice, France. The no. 3-seed defeated American qualifier and world No. 216 Brian Baker 6-3, 6-2 in 70 minutes to end the latter's dream run to his first ever ATP final. Almagro has now won 12 ATP titles and improved his record to 12-5 in ATP tournament final matches. This also marks his third time to defend a title after doing the same in the Valencia Open in 2006-07 and the Abierto Mexicano Telcel at Acapulco in 2008-09. The 26 year old Spaniard received €71,900 in prize money and 250 ranking points, while Baker took home €37,860 and 150 points.

The win in Nice is Almagro's second title for the season after also lifting the crown in Sao Paulo, Brazil earlier this year. He also reached the finals at Buenos Aires before falling down to fellow Spaniard and world no. 6 David Ferrer. Almagro was seeded third in this tournament behind American John Isner and Gilles Simon of France. Almagro dominated the tournament and won the title without the loss of a set. He now improves his record to a still perfect 8-0 in the tournament. In an interview, Almagro said "I am very happy with my serve and my forehand. I moved on the court very, very well. Today, was one of those matches you want to keep in your mind for the rest of the season, because I couldn't have played much better. Today was amazing. I am happy with my form, my tennis and my team. We will aim to keep working hard, so I play, in future, as I did today."

Baker became the ninth player this season trying to capture his first ATP title and also the ninth player to fail in doing so. He was also trying to become the first American to win a title this year as the only final appearances by Americans were when John Isner reached the title matches in Indian Wells and Houston. Still, it's been a fairy-tale run for Baker as he reached his first ever ATP title after failing to go beyond the second round in an ATP-level event before this tournament. With his performance this week, Baker will rise to a career high ranking within the world's top 150 players, and he also more than doubled his prize money for the season.

With the win, Almagro will overtake Janko Tipsaveric as no. 10 in this year's prize money leaders list. In the ATP 2012 singles race to London rankings, Almagro will pass Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to rise to the no. 8 position. See the lists below.

ATP 2012 Year-to-Date Prize Money Leaders - As of May 21, 2012

1 Djokovic, Novak $4,006,402
2 Nadal, Rafael $3,368,954
3 Federer, Roger $3,229,009
4 Ferrer, David $1,238,783
5 Murray, Andy $1,229,361
6 Berdych, Tomas $1,123,515
7 Del Potro, Juan Martin $1,092,185
8 Isner, John $803,736
9 Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried $733,051
10 Tipsarevic, Janko $649,315
11 Almagro, Nicolas $629,202
12 Stepanek, Radek $606,613
13 Simon, Gilles $604,122
14 Verdasco, Fernando $582,808
15 Raonic, Milos $561,938

ATP 2012 Singles Race to London Rankings - As of May 21, 2012

1 Djokovic, Novak (SRB) 4,920
2 Nadal, Rafael (ESP) 4,750
3 Federer, Roger (SUI) 4,225
4 Ferrer, David (ESP) 2,580
5 Berdych, Tomas (CZE) 2,325
6 Murray, Andy (GBR) 2,240
7 Del Potro, Juan Martin (ARG) 2,060
8 Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried (FRA) 1,385
9 Almagro, Nicolas (ESP) 1,315
10 Raonic, Milos (CAN) 1,265
11 Tipsarevic, Janko (SRB) 1,250
12 Isner, John (USA) 1,200
13 Simon, Gilles (FRA) 1,195
14 Monaco, Juan (ARG) 1,055
15 Verdasco, Fernando (ESP) 1,030

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Sharapova vs Li Na Live Online in Rome 2012 Finale

After a couple of withdrawals by tournament favorites and a mid-match retirement by a hometown favorite, tournament organizers are still breathing a sigh of relief because the 201http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2614786968084658568#editor/target=post;postID=13487780839538314302 Internazionali BNL d'Italia women's singles final will still be contested by high profile WTA stars. World no. 2 and defending champion Maria Sharapova and last year's French Open winner Li Na both advanced to the women's singles finals of the 2012 Rome tennis tournament. Sharapova will attempt to win her second Rome title in two years, while Li is going for her first title since winning her first grand slam at Roland Garros.

Watch the Sharapova vs Li Na women's singles finals live online directly from Rome's Foro Italico here. Live online broadcast will start on Sunday, May 20, with the women’s final scheduled to start no earlier than 2.15 p.m. local time. Newly Available: Watch Sharapova vs Na Li - Rome 2012 Match Highlights and Interviews.

The no. 8-seed Li was the first to advance to the final after the season's hottest clay court player Serena Williams was forced to withdraw due to a back injury. It was a sorry ending for Serena as she was riding her best career clay court winning streak at 17 matches. Li was sympathetic with Serena's injury, and thought before the match that she'd have a chance to play against the "best player in the world". Li told reporters that she was happy to be in the final, and wished Serena a good recovery. "I hope she can get healthy again in time for the French Open and come back to the court." Li had previously won 5 WTA titles in 11 finals contested. She will be aiming for title no. 6 on Sunday.

At a later match, Sharapova followed Li into the final with a straight set 63 64 win over no. 12-seed German Angelique Kerber. Kerber, by virtue of reaching the semi-finals assured herself of being a top 10 player for the first time in her career. The win for Sharapova avenged a loss to Kerber in their last meeting in the quarterfinals of Paris in February; Kerber won that match for her first top 10 win, and would notch up five other top 10 wins including one over no. 4-seed Petra Kvitova in the previous round.

Against Li, Sharapova will be contesting her 42nd WTA title and fifth for the year. She has an impressive 25-16 record in finals and will be aiming to defend a clay-court title for the first time in her career. The Russian leads Li in their head-to-head series 6-4 including an easy 63 60 win in their last encounter at the quarterfinals of this year's Miami tournament. Li however, won their last match on clay, at the semifinals of the French Open on her way to her first grand slam win.

Sharapova vs Li Career head-to-head: Sharapova leads 6-4:

2005 AUSTRALIAN OPEN HARD R32 M.Sharapova 6-0 6-2
2006 MIAMI HARD R64 M.Sharapova 6-2 6-4
2006 BIRMINGHAM GRASS R16 M.Sharapova 6-2 6-4
2006 US OPEN HARD R16 M.Sharapova 6-4 6-2
2009 FRENCH OPEN CLAY R16 M.Sharapova 6-4 0-6 6-4
2009 BIRMINGHAM GRASS S N. Li 6-4 6-4
2010 BIRMINGHAM GRASS F N. Li 7-5 6-1
2011 FRENCH OPEN CLAY S N. Li 6-4 7-5
2011 WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS HARD R1 N. Li 7-6(4) 6-4
2012 MIAMI HARD Q M.Sharapova 6-3 6-0

Watch Sharapova vs Li Na live online for the women's singles championship in Rome's 2012 Internazionali BNL d'Italia.

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Rome 2012: Serena, Sharapova, Venus, Kvitova advance to Final Eight

It may be too early to say so, but the Williams sisters’ progress in Rome’s 2012 Internazionali BNL d'Italia tennis tournament is starting to look like they’re peaking right in time for the French Open 2012 to be held less than 10 days from today. Or, maybe it’s older sister Venus who is peaking, and that younger sister Serena is the one at risk of peaking too early. On Thursday, both Venus and Serena dominated opponents to reach the quarterfinals of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in straight set victories.

Serena is enjoying her longest winning streak on clay court events. She has now won 16 matches in row taking titles at Charleston and Madrid, and helping the US Fed Cup team beat Ukraine last month. She has beaten three top five players during that run including world no. 1 Victoria Azarenka, no. 2 Maria Sharapova, and no. 5 Samantha Stosur. She didn’t just win those encounters; she blew her opponents away losing a maximum number of four games in those three matches.

With the withdrawal of Azarenka, and with no. 3-seed Agnieszka Radwanska falling to Petra Cetkovska in the previous round, Serena’s half of the draw seemed to have opened up. Her quarterfinal opponent would be Italian veteran Flavia Pennetta and if she gets past that, she will be going up against either last year’s French Open champ and no. 8-seed Li Na or no. 14-seed Dominika Cibulkova for a shot at the finals. Serena has previously expressed her longing of being able to add another French Open trophy to her lone victory ten years ago, and with the way she has been playing, it’s getting more convincing that she could be the top favorite to clinch this year’s Roland Garros title.

As for Venus, her progress has been slow and steady since returning to tennis action in this year’s Miami tennis tournament. Venus, currently ranked a modest no. 63 dealt world no. 5 Samantha Stosur a 64 63 beating to advance to the quarterfinal round. The victory avenged Venus’ quarterfinal loss to Stosur in Charleston and improves her record against the Australian to five wins against a single loss. Stosur is a formidable opponent on clay having reached the semifinals and finals of the French Open previously.

Venus will now advance to the quarterfinals where she will face a former world no. 1. She will play the winner of the late evening match between Sharapova and no. 13-seed Ana Ivanovic and as of this writing, the pair are locked up in a 6-6 4 points all tie in the first set. [Update: Sharapova downed Ivanovic 76(4) 63.] Venus’ win against Stosur assured her of an automatic place in the US Olympics team as she will now rise to at least world no. 52 when new rankings are released on Monday.

Other winners in Rome on Thursday included no. 4-seed and Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and promising German Angelique Kerber. Kvitova needed three sets to beat Sorana Cirstea 62 57 62, while Kerber had an easier time disposing of fellow German Julia Goerges 64 61. Kvitova and Kerber will battle to decide who will contest final slot against the winner of the Sharapova-Venus quarterfinal. If Kerber wins, she would have won six of her past 10 meetings with Top 10 players and will guarantee her a top 10 ranking for the first time in her career.

Rome 2012 Internazionali BNL d'Italia - WTA Tennis Results
Singles - Third Round
(4) Petra Kvitova (CZE) d. Sorana Cirstea (ROU) 62 57 62
(WC) Venus Williams (USA) d. (5) Samantha Stosur (AUS) 64 63
(9) Serena Williams (USA) d. Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) 63 61
(12) Angelique Kerber (GER) d. Julia Goerges (GER) 64 61
Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. Petra Cetkovska (CZE) 60 61
(8) Na Li (CHN) d. Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) 76(3) 62
(2) Maria Sharapova d. (13) Ana Ivanovic (SRB) 76(4) 63

Doubles - Second Round
Pennetta/Schiavone (ITA/ITA) d. (2) Peschke/Srebotnik (CZE/SLO) 62 64
(3) Errani/Vinci (ITA/ITA) d. Dulko/Suárez (ARG/ARG) 63 64
Hampton/Tatishvili (USA/GEO) d. (6) Goerges/King (GER/USA) 63 76(3)
Cibulkova/Husarova (SVK/SVK) d. (7) Grandin/Uhlirova (RSA/CZE) 63 62
Makarova/Vesnina (RUS/RUS) d. Craybas/Stephens (USA/USA) 64 62
Chuang/Dushevina (TPE/RUS) d. (WC) Camerin/Knapp (ITA/ITA) 36 61 105

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