The 2006 Rogers Cup saw Ana etch her name alongside an impressive list of former champions, including Justine Henin, Steffi Graf, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. Moreover, in the final Ana defeated 1999 and 2000 champion Martina Hingis.
The win served as a major milestone in Ana’s career as it was her first Tier I title. In addition, the Rogers Cup is one of the most respected and storied championships on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour—only Wimbledon and the U.S. Open boast longer histories.
Ana opened the tournament by dismissing fellow teen Tatiana Golovin 6-4, 6-2, marking the fifth consecutive time Ana had defeated the Frenchwoman. Also of note is the fact that Ana chose not to take advantage of her first opportunity to employ on-court coaching, which was introduced at last year’s Roger’s Cup and received a somewhat ambivalent response from the players.
Ana faced a much stiffer challenge in the second round when she squared off against then world No. 27 Jie Zheng from China. After a grueling match that spanned over two hours and tested both players’ endurance, Ana emerged the victor. Despite losing the second set in disappointing manner in a tight tiebreak, Ana quickly turned the tables on Zheng by buckling down on her return game, ultimately breaking serve on every opportunity in the third set to win it 6-2.
In the quarterfinals, Ana raised her game to the next level, hitting an exorbitant amount of winners – 41 in two sets – to defeat Katarina Srebotnik 6-4, 6-4. She sustained her blistering form in the semi-finals where she ran through Dinara Safina in a 23-minute first set. When Safina battled back to take a 4-3 lead in the second, Ana returned from a rain delay to sweep the last three games for a 6-1, 6-4 victory over the Russian.
In the finals, Ana faced former No.1 Martina Hingis, who was in the midst of an impressive comeback after over four years away from the tour. On this day, however, Hingis probably wished she had never come out of retirement, as Ana, unfazed by her underdog status, blitzed the Swiss Miss in less than an hour.
The 19-year-old raced out to a 5-1 lead by blasting a barrage of screaming winners, eventually taking the opening set in decided fashion, 6-2.
In the second set, Hingis’ mother and coach, Melanie Molitor, emerged on-court, perhaps in an attempt to impart a strategy designed to neutralize Ana’s relentless power game.
The move proved unsuccessful; the second set virtually mirrored the first and Ana continued on cruise control, taking the set 6-3 to earn her biggest title to date and extend her record at the Rogers’ Cup to a perfect 7-0.
Afterwards, Hingis was exceedingly complementary of Ana’s budding talent . “She really impressed me,” said Hingis. “I hope I don’t have to player her at the U.S. Open…I think she has incredible potential.” For her part, Ana was thrilled to win such a prestigious event and to have played a rather impeccable final. “I played some good tennis the whole week and I’m really excited,” Ana said.
In order to repeat as Rogers Cup champion, Ana will have to fight her way through a formidable field which includes current world No. 1 Justine Henin, compatriot Jelena Jankovic, Stanford winner Anna Chakvetadze, and 2004 U.S. Open Champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, among others.
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By Jordan Butler
