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 The
2003 Acura Classic celebrated its 20th year and a new tournament
champion marked the occasion.
French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium made her
tournament debut at the La Costa Resort and Spa and thrilled fans
all week long with one of the best backhands in the game.
The third-seeded Belgian easily defeated Eleni Daniildou of Greece,
6-1, 6-1, in her opening match.
In the third round, Henin-Hardenne was nearly eliminated from the
tournament as she found herself down a set and a service break to
Russia’s Elena Dementieva before coming back to win, 4-6,
6-4, 6-1.
Henin-Hardenne reached the singles final as she dispatched Nadia
Petrova of Russia, 6-0, 6-2 in the quarterfinals. In her semifinal
match, she ousted another Russian, Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-1, 6-3.
On the other side of the draw, Henin-Hardenne’s fellow Belgian
was making a strong run to the finals.
Second-seeded Kim Clijsters defeated Spain’s Virginia Ruano
Pascual, Marion Bartoli of France and Lisa Raymond and Lindsay Davenport
of the United States in straight sets.
Clijsters lost a total of 14 games in four matches on her way to
her first career Acura Classic singles final.
The scene was set for an All-Belgian final before a capacity crowd
of 6,500 on Stadium Court at the La Costa Resort and Spa.
In a rematch of the French Open final, the Belgians put on quite
a show as they dueled for one-hour and 49-minutes before Henin-Hardenne
hit a drop shot winner on match point to win, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.
“I’m very happy right now, it’s been an amazing
week,” said Henin-Hardenne. “I’m so happy to win
a title on the hard courts. I’m proud of what I did this week.”
Following her victory, Henin-Hardenne was awarded the winners’
check for $165,500. The win marked her 11th career WTA Tour title.
Despite the loss to her countrywoman, Clijsters did not leave the
tournament without a title as she teamed with Japan’s Ai Sugiyama
for a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Lindsay Davenport and Lisa Raymond in
the doubles final.
- Venus Williams, the three-time defending Acura Classic champion,
could not defend her title at the La Costa Resort and Spa due
to a left abdominal injury.
- Serena Williams, the top-ranked player in the world at the time,
entered the tournament and was scheduled to make her Acura Classic
singles debut. However, the top seed withdrew with a recurring
left knee injury. Williams ultimately underwent surgery to repair
a partially torn tendon in her left knee.
- Fifth-seeded Jennifer Capriati was down 4-1 in her opening
match against Elena Likhovtseva of Russia, when she was forced
to retire with a right pectoral strain.
- Conchita Martinez, a former tournament champion, was presented
with the Acura Classic Loyalty Award for her 12 appearances in
the event since 1991.
- Tennis legend Martina Navratilova competed in the doubles main
draw as she teamed with Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova. After
winning their first round match, Navratilova and Kuznetsova were
defeated in the quarterfinals by Cara Black and Elena Likhovtseva,
3-6, 7-5, 6-1.
- The 2003 Acura Classic offered a total of $1 million in prize
money. The figure represented an all-time high in the tournament’s
history.
- The Acura Classic Benefit for Breast Cancer gala, held during
tournament week at La Costa, raised $257,192 for the Scripps Polster
Breast Care Center.
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