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When the
Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open began last
Monday, it wasn't so obvious that Patty Schnyder would
coast to the championship.
Though
she had nine WTA Tour titles to her name, it wasn't as if
Schnyder eclipsed the rest of the field in terms of name
recognition as Lindsay Davenport did in 2004 when she was
the No. 1 seed and won the title as a resounding favorite.
But
much like Davenport's triumph last year, Schnyder wasn't
just the best player on Sunday in winning the tournament
championship; she was the premier player here throughout
the week. Schnyder came into Cincinnati as the
highest-ranked player in the field and backed up that No.
12 ranking during the tournament, losing just one set from
start to finish.
"I
think when my game was on, I dominated," Schnyder said.
Her
counterpart in Sunday's title match at the Lindner Family
Tennis Center, Japan's Akiko Morigami, agreed after losing
the title match to Schnyder 6-4, 6-0.
"You're
going to have to have a huge, huge weapon to play against
her," said Morigami, who hadn't lost a set in the
tournament until Sunday.
"She's
dominating like unbelievable, Lindsay Davenport or
something. She's hitting aces and winners all over the
place."
And
then, unlike Davenport, Schnyder announced to the Center
Court crowd of 3,875 that she would be returning to
Cincinnati next year.
"I mean
it, because I like it here," Schnyder said. "I had a great
time. Everything was great. Why shouldn't I say it when I
think I will come back?"
Davenport, ranked No. 1, was unable to return to
Cincinnati this year because of a schedule conflict,
leaving the tournament without its defending champion or a
Top 10 player.
Cincinnati probably will always remain significant to
Morigami.
She
made her first WTA Tour finals appearance here. Afterward,
the No. 72-ranked player followed up Schnyder's 2006
commitment with her own, pledging to return next season.
"It's a
great tournament here," Morigami said. "It's organized
perfect."
The
championship increased Schnyder's year-to-date prize money
by $27,000 to $601,165, but for the No. 12 player in the
world, money wasn't the primary objective of entering the
W&S Women's Open.
Foremost on her wish list is a Grand Slam title and a
berth in the eight-player WTA Tour Championships at the
end of the season in Los Angeles.
The
best Schnyder has ever finished a season was in 1999 when
she closed the year at No. 11. She began this year at No.
14.
Schnyder's performance this week was the type of start to
the American summer hardcourt season that she wanted in
advance of the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 29.
"It's
definitely more about preparing, and for me the (Tour)
Championships," said Schnyder, 26, whose title was her
first in North America. "It's a big goal of mine to be
able to go to L.A. and be in the Top 8. So far, it looks
good, but it's a big challenge for me to get there."
Schnyder's only serious threat in the W&S Women's Open
came in the second round when she lost a set to Aiko
Nakamura, a player with whom Schnyder was unfamiliar.
In the
semifinals and finals, however, Schnyder lost a total of
just nine games.
In a
match that took one hour, nine minutes Sunday, Schnyder
served six aces and broke Morigami's serve six times.
"This
week I definitely had an answer," Schnyder said. "It's a
lot of hard work, and the next few weeks there are other
players. I wish I had an answer every tournament." |
