SARA ERRANI CONQUERS OF THE RIO OPEN 2015

Schmiedlova had never even been to the quarterfinals of a WTA event before this week, let alone a final, and she put up all kinds of resistance in a marathon 73-minute first set, holding set point on Errani's serve at 5-4 and, after missing out on that opportunity, pushing the set to a tie-break. 

 That's when the No.1-seeded Errani came alive, storming through that tie-break and then jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the second set, eventually closing out the No.6-seeded Schmiedlova, 7-6(2), 6-1. "The first set was tough. We played more than an hour," Errani said. 
"We were both fighting hard in that set - she was playing very well and not giving me anything, really. It was also the first time I played her so I needed some time to find my tactics. I was happy I managed to win that set, and in the second set things started going much more my way. I think I was just physically stronger in the end. 
 "Winning a title is always special. This tournament was great and I leave with only good memories." "She was moving really well and she's a really great player," Schmiedlova said. "I played some very good tennis in the first set - the second set was worse, but I'm so happy I was in the final. "This week gave me a lot of confidence. I hope it helps me in my next tournaments." Errani came away with her eighth WTA title. Her first seven WTA titles came in 2008 (Palermo and Portoroz), 2012 (Acapulco, Barcelona, Budapest and Palermo) and most recently 2013 (Acapulco).

RIO OPEN RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL FEB 16 - FEB 22, 2015. TOURNAMENT INFO

TOURNAMENT INFO 
 TIER: International 
PRIZE MONEY: $250,000 
SURFACE: Clay 
DIRECTOR: Luiz Carvalho 

Not only is the Rio Open presented by Claro the first clay tournament on the WTA calendar, it is the only combined ATP World Tour 500 and WTA International event in South America. The tournament is held on the eight clay courts of the iconic Jockey Club Brasileiro, which includes a 6,200-seat stadium court, specially built for the occasion. 
 This is a historic time for Brazilian tennis, one example of that being Teliana Pereira becoming the first Brazilian player to crack the Top 100 in 23 years in 2013.

NEWS 18 FEBRUARY 2014. RIO OPEN 2014

Nastassja Burnett defeated Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor in straight sets 7/5 6/4 in one hour and 46 minutes and Alison Van Uytvanck breezed past Johanna Larsson 64 63 after one hour and 19 minutes of play. They are going to face each other in the second round. Although she was tired after three matches in three days, Burnett considers she entered the main event better adapted to courts and weather than her opponent, the sixth seed of the WTA International event held in Rio. “After the Australian Open I have practiced at home for too many days, I was missing some matches. I didn't have a day off to recover after the qualifying, but these matches in a row were important to find a good rhythm on court. They definitely helped”, said Burnett. Nastassja Burnett has an unusual name for an Italian. She says she was named after the famous German actress Nastassja Kinski. “My mother really liked her”, explained the number 160 in the WTA rankings. Her last name comes from a British family background. 
And defending this multicultural name she wants to break into the top 100 soon. “When I get there, let's see what else can I do to advance. My dream is to be a top 10 player” The qualifier Danka Kovinic were not so fortunate as Burnett and Van Uytvanck in front of Kiki Bertens. The player from Montenegro felt a bit tired in the second set and lost 5/7 0/6. The first Brazilian player to go on court in the Rio Open presented by Claro hdtv main draw wasn't also successful. The 19-year-old Laura Pigossi, who was awarded a wild card by the event’s organization, surrendered to the more experienced Silvia Soler-Espinosa in two easy sets 6/0 6/1 in a match that lasted less than an hour.
 “There are no easy matches on tour. I was practicing well and tried to take the control of the match since the very beginning", said Soler-Espinosa. 
"This is an spectacular tournament, Rio is incredible, very beautiful, the people are lovely and for the Spanish players to play on clay is much better, so I am feeling very comfortable on court here.” 

 Results - 1st round 

Silvia Soler-Espinosa (ESP) d. Laura Pigossi (BRA) 6/0 6/1 
Nastassja Burnett (ITA) d. Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor (ESP) 7/5 6/4
Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) d. Johanna Larsson (SWE) 6/4 6/3 
Kiki Bertens (NED) d. Danka Kovinic (MNE) 7/5 6/0

Rio Open, Main Draw Singles. 17-23 February 2014.

RIO OPEN, RIO DE JANEIRO, 17-23 FEBRUARY 2014. TOURNAMENT INFO

TOURNAMENT INFO
Tier: International 
Prize Money: $250,000
Surface: Clay 
Director: Luiz Carvalho

Not only is the Rio Open presented by Claro hdtv the first clay tournament on the WTA calendar, it is the only combined ATP World Tour 500 and WTA International event in South America. The tournament will be held on the eight clay courts of the iconic Jockey Club Brasileiro, which includes a 6,200-seat stadium court, specially built for the occasion. Rio de Janeiro will be in the spotlight throughout 2014, as in addition to hosting a WTA event for the first time in February, Carnival starts a few days later and the FIFA World Cup a few months later. It is a historic time for Brazilian tennis, in that Teliana Pereira became the first Brazilian player to crack the Top 100 in 23 years in 2013.