11/05/2008

Player of the week: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

1991-born Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is one of the most promising player in the WTA Tour. The youngest player on WTA Top 100, Pavlyuchenkova has shown a great progression this season, climbing more than 200 places in the ranking, reaching the 3rd round in Wimbledon and 2nd round in Roland Garros and US Open.


But she has shined also on the ITF circuit, and last week she got her 4th title of the season after winning $100,000 event in Bratislava, just a week after getting the title in $75,000 in Poitiers. In Bratislava the draw was harder than in some WTA events, as on her way to the final she had to defeat solid Top 100 players such as Lucie Safarova (former WTA #22), Elena Vesnina (former WTA #41), Petra Kvitova (WTA #45) and Monica Niculescu (WTA #55). There she swept former WTA #31 Michaella Krajicek by 6/3 6/1.


With these two ITF titles, Anastasia has climbed 22 places in the WTA ranking, breaking into the Top 50 and reaching her career-high ranking at #45. But we are sure that, if she keeps playing like last two weeks, she will reach much higher.

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