2005

Something About Mary

Mary Pierce, a long-time crowd favorite, rewarded her faithful fans as she defeated Japan's Ai Sugiyama, 6-0, 6-3, to win the 2005 Acura Classic.

The two-time Grand Slam champion put on an impressive display of championship tennis as she dominated Sugiyama from the very start. Pierce won the first set in 22 minutes and went on to build a 5-1 lead in the second set.

Sugiyama would win the next two games, but Pierce secured the championship when she served a 109 mph ace on her seventh match point. The victory, which took one-hour and 15 minutes, represented Pierce's fourth career WTA Tier I title and her 17th career tournament title.

Following her victory, Pierce was presented a check $189,000 which made her the 16th woman in WTA Tour history to surpass $8 million in career earnings. She was also awarded a new Acura RL.

“It's great to win my first Tier I win in a while,” Pierce said. “I've put a lot of emphasis on my serves and returns. That's where the point starts, and I think in the important moments, I was really serving well and attacking.”

After the on-court ceremony was completed following the singles final, there was an extended break to give Sugiyama adequate rest before she teamed with Daniela Hantuchova to play in the doubles final.

Pierce knew there was time to fill until the doubles final began, so she approached
co-tournament promoter Jane Stratton and volunteered to hit tennis balls with kids on Stadium Court. The children, who were invited to come down from the stands, got the thrill of a lifetime as they traded groundstrokes with the newly crowned Acura Classic champion.

It was back in 1993 when Pierce, a Canadian-born Frenchwoman, made her first appearance in Carlsbad. She lost to Steffi Graf in the quarterfinals that year and would come close to winning the title several times.

Pierce lost in the semifinals to Conchita Martinez in 1995 and Martina Hingis in 1997. In 1998 she eliminated Martinez and Hingis in reaching the final, but fell short against Lindsay Davenport.

On one occasion during a post-match press conference, Pierce was asked what it would mean to win the Acura Classic. She responded,  “It would be really special. I love this tournament. I love playing here.”

In her ninth career appearance at the La Costa Resort and Spa, Pierce was finally crowned champion of the Acura Classic.

A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE

Tennis fans had an opportunity to see the future of women's professional tennis as three
talented teenagers made their first career Acura Classic appearance in 2005.

Eighteen-year-old Sania Mirza became the first player from India to break into the top 50 following her second career victory over a Top 10 player. After reaching the main draw of the Acura Classic as a qualifier, Mirza defeated ninth-ranked Nadia Petrova of Russia in straight sets and reached the third round where she lost to Japan's Akiko Morigami. The popular Indian improved her WTA Tour ranking to 48 in the world following the Acura Classic.

Bulgarian teenager Sesil Karatantcheva reached her career-first Tier I quarterfinal at the
Acura Classic as she eliminated 13th-seeded Shinobu Asagoe, Americans Lisa Raymond and Mashona Washington. Karatantcheva, who celebrated her 16th birthday on August 8, improved her WTA Tour ranking to 38 in the world. She fell to Sugiyama in the quarterfinals.

Most tennis fans were unfamiliar with China's Shuai Peng, but after the Acura Classic, the tennis world took notice of the up-and-coming superstar. The 19-year-old, who lives in Delray Beach, Fla., thrilled fans all week long as she eliminated third-seeded Elena Dementieva in the second round.

In her quarterfinal match, Peng did something very few players are capable of doing — ­­ defeating former No. 1 in the world, Kim Clijsters, from the baseline. Peng played near flawless tennis as she upset the Belgian, 6-4, 6-4. In advancing to her first Tier I semifinal, Peng snapped Clijsters personal 26-match winning streak in the United States.

After the match, Clijsters said, “She's probably one of the best hitters I've played so far. I
don't think I played bad. In fact, I don't put any blame on myself; she just played so well and didn't miss.” Peng, whose ranking moved to 32 in the world, fell to Pierce in the semifinals.

MARTINEZ / RUANO PASCUAL WIN DOUBLES

Spain's Virginia Ruano Pascual usually pairs with Paola Suarez of Argentina to play doubles, but when the Argentine could not play in the Acura Classic due to a hip injury, Conchita Martinez, a fellow Spaniard and part-time San Diego County resident, teamed with Ruano Pascual.

The Spaniards, who were seeded third, defeated fifth-seeded Sugiyama and Hantuchova, 6-7 (7) 6-1, 7-5, in a thrilling final to win the 2005 Acura Classic doubles title.

Martinez and Ruano Pascual came back from a 5-3 third-set deficit and saved multiple match points to wrap up the final in three-hours and 13-minutes.

The victory represented the 34th career doubles title for Ruano Pascual and the 13th career doubles title for Martinez.