JAPAN: TENNIS - Dinara Safina and Venus Williams ready for Pan Pacific Open tournament

Record ID: 464869

  • Title: JAPAN: TENNIS - Dinara Safina and Venus Williams ready for Pan Pacific Open tournament
  • Date: 27th September 2009
  • Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (SEPTEMBER 25, 2009) (REUTERS) (*** FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ***) FIRST-SEEDED RUSSIAN TENNIS PLAYER DINARA SAFINA, THIRD-SEEDED AMERICAN TENNIS PLAYER VENUS WILLIAMS, JAPANESE TENNIS PLAYER AI SUGIYAMA AND JAPANESE TENNIS PLAYER AYUMI MORITA SITTING DURING NEWS CONFERENCE OF TORAY PAN PACIFIC OPEN TENNIS TOURNAMENT "TORAY PAN PACIFIC OPEN TENNIS TOURNAMENT" SIGN (SOUNDBITE) (English) FIRST-SEEDED RUSSIAN TENNIS PLAYER, DINARA SAFINA, SAYING: "I had a great success last year and had a great memories so this year I'll try to bring my best tennis again and I hope the crowd can enjoy with me and I just wish the best for the, all the tournament. " CAMERA SHOOTING (SOUNDBITE) (English) FIRST-SEEDED RUSSIAN TENNIS PLAYER, DINARA SAFINA, SAYING: "I just want to bring the best out of my game you know compete against all the players and you know I'll give my 100 percent and if somebody will steal this from me, well, I'll shake their hand and I'll say 'good, well done' but I won't give it so easy." REPORTERS LISTENING IN PLAYERS SITTING (SOUNDBITE) (English) THIRD-SEEDED AMERICAN TENNIS PLAYER, VENUS WILLIAMS, SAYING: "I'm looking forward to this week and against great competition, against all the players." CAMERA SHOOTING AND TENNIS PLAYERS POSING MORE OF TENNIS PLAYERS POSINGS
  • Embargoed: 12th October 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA5939PYPP9WXAFY4W6WC8VWH87
  • Story Text: Top tennis players Dinara Safina and Venus Williams held a news conference in Tokyo, Japan on Friday (September 25), ahead of next weeks Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis Tournament.
    World number one Safina, who was joined by Williams and two Japanese tennis players Ai Sugiyama and Ayumi Morita, said she hopes to hold onto the crown by winning the Toray tournament again this year.
    "I had a great success last year and had a great memories so this year I'll try to bring my best tennis again and I hope the crowd can enjoy with me and I just wish the best for the all the tournament," said Safina, who won the tournament in 2008 against Svetlana Kuznetsova.
    Safina's status has been a sore point all through the run-up to the tournament especially after the U.S. Open, where her top-ranking credentials were questioned given she has yet to win a grand slam title.
    However, the 23-year-old Russian said she is ready to show the world that she is still at the top.
    "I just want to bring the best out of my game you know compete against all the players and you know I'll give my 100 percent and if somebody will steal this from me, well, I'll shake their hand and I'll say 'good, well done' but I won't give it so easy," said Safina.
    Safina has won three tournaments after advancing to eight finals this season.
    Third-seeded twice champion Williams said she is also looking forward to playing against top players.
    "I'm looking forward to this week and against great competition, against all the players," said Venus.
    Venus and her sister Serena Williams won the U.S. Open women's doubles crown earlier this month with a dominating 6-2 6-2 victory over top seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber.
    The Williams sisters never lost serve in the 89-minute match in winning their second Open doubles title, and third grand slam crown of the year after doubles triumphs at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
    Over 48 players, including fourth-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva and popular Maria Sharapova, will compete in a 56-draw tournament.
    Qualifying tournaments began on Friday (September 25) and the final tournaments will start from September 27 with a final match set on October 3.
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