2006 Serena Williams tennis season

2006 Serena Williams tennis season
	Serena Williams at the Australian Open
Full name	Serena Jameka Williams
Country	United States
Calendar prize money	$131,705
Singles
Season record	12–4 (75%)
Calendar titles	0
Year-end ranking	95
Ranking change from previous year	84
Grand Slam & significant results
Australian Open	3R
French Open	A
Wimbledon	A
US Open	4R

Serena Williams' 2006 tennis season was hampered by injury. She was only able to play four tournaments and fell outside the top 100 for the first time since 1997.

Year summary

Australian Open

"All I could think was that I so didn't want to be there, at just that moment. On the court. In Melbourne. Fighting for points I didn't really care about, in a match I didn't really care about. So what did I do? I cried. Right there on court... It started during one of the changeovers, but it continued when I went back out to play, and it was such a low, despairing, desperate moment for me. I don't know how I managed to keep playing, but I kept playing, because that's just what I did."

Williams in her biography, talking about her meltdown on court.^[1]

Williams did not have any preparation for defending her title at the Australian Open. She faced China's Li Na and won in three sets, dropping the second set in a tiebreak but winning the first and third sets comfortably. In the second round, she defeated Frenchwoman Camille Pin, dropping just four games.

Williams then faced Daniela Hantuchová in the round of 32. She lost the first set, winning only a single game. In the second set, Williams saved three match points in the twelfth game to push it to a tiebreak, but Hantuchová won on her fifth match point. The loss meant that Williams dropped outside of the top 40 for the first time since entering it in 1998.^[2]

Early hard courts, clay court and grass season

She then withdrew from tournaments in Tokyo (citing a lack of fitness),^[3] Dubai, and the Tier I NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne (citing a knee injury and lack of fitness).^[4]

On April 10, her ranking fell out of the top 100 for the first time since November 16, 1997. Shortly after, she announced that she would miss both the French Open and Wimbledon due to a chronic knee injury. She stated that, on doctor's orders, she would not be able to compete before "the end of the summer."^[5]

US Open Series

Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open

Williams returned to competition ranked No. 139 at the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open. In the first round, she faced world No. 11 Anastasia Myskina and won convincingly, dropping only four games.^[6]

She then defeated Bethanie Mattek in the next round, once again losing just four games. In the quarterfinals, Williams faced compatriot Amy Frazier and won in similar fashion, marking the third consecutive match in which she dropped only four games.

In the semifinals, she took on Russian Vera Zvonareva but was defeated in straight sets.^[7]

JPMorgan Chase Open

In only her third tournament of the year, Williams competed at the JPMorgan Chase Open. She cruised past her first two opponents, Maria Kirilenko and Ashley Harkleroad, winning both matches in straight sets.

In the third round, she faced Daniela Hantuchová and lost the first set, winning only one game. However, Williams mounted a comeback, winning the next two sets 6–3, 6–3.^[8]

In the quarterfinals, Williams faced compatriot Meghann Shaughnessy. The first set went to a tiebreak, which Shaughnessy won, but Williams responded by dominating the next two sets to secure the victory.^[9]

Williams then faced Jelena Janković in the semifinals. Janković broke Williams in the tenth game of the first set to claim it. She then took control of the second set by breaking Williams in the fourth game, paving the way for her to advance to the final.^[10]

US Open

Williams was unable to enter the US Open as a direct entry but received a wildcard.^[11]

Williams began her US Open campaign against Spaniard Lourdes Domínguez Lino and quickly dispatched the world No. 41 in straight sets.^[12]

For the third time in four tournaments, Williams faced Daniela Hantuchová. Hantuchová served for the first set in the ninth game, but Williams broke back and won the next three games to take the set. She then secured the second set to advance.^[13]

In the third round, Williams faced rising star Ana Ivanovic and cruised to a straight-set victory, becoming the first wildcard entry to reach the round of 16.^[14]

In the fourth round, Williams faced top seed Amélie Mauresmo. Mauresmo took the first set with a single break. However, Williams responded by dominating the second set, winning it 6–0. In the final set, Mauresmo broke Williams in the fifth game and won the last three games to secure the victory and advance to the quarterfinals.^[15]

All matches

Singles matches

Tournament	Match	Round	Opponent	Rank	Result	Score
Australian Open Melbourne, Australia Grand Slam Hard, outdoor 16–29 January 2006	372	1R	Li Na	#52	Win	6–3, 6–7^(5–7), 6–2
	373	2R	Camille Pin	#130	Win	6–3, 6–1
	374	3R	Daniela Hantuchová	#17	Loss	1–6, 6–7^(5–7)
Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open Cincinnati, United States WTA Tier III Hard 17–23 July 2006	375	1R	Anastasia Myskina	#11	Win	6–2, 6–2
	376	2R	Bethanie Mattek-Sands	#105	Win	6–3, 6–1
	377	QF	Amy Frazier	#56	Win	6–2, 6–2
	378	SF	Vera Zvonareva	50	Loss	2–6, 3–6
JPMorgan Chase Open Los Angeles, United States WTA Tier II Hard 7–13 August 2006	379	1R	Maria Kirilenko	#21	Win	6–2, 6–1
	380	2R	Ashley Harkleroad	#102	Win	6–3, 6–2
	381	3R	Daniela Hantuchová	#17	Win	1–6, 6–3, 6–3
	382	QF	Meghann Shaughnessy	#77	Win	6–7^(7–9), 6–1, 6–4
	383	SF	Jelena Janković	#28	Loss	4–6, 3–6
US Open New York City, United States Grand Slam Hard, outdoor 28 August – 10 September 2006	384	1R	Lourdes Domínguez Lino	#41	Win	6–1, 6–2
	385	2R	Daniela Hantuchová	#18	Win	7–5, 6–3
	386	3R	Ana Ivanovic	#17	Win	6–2, 6–4
	387	4R	Amélie Mauresmo	#1	Loss	4–6, 6–0, 2–6

Tournament schedule

Singles schedule

Williams' 2006 singles tournament schedule is as follows:

Date	Championship	Location	Category	Surface	Points	Outcome
16 January 2006 – 29 January 2006	Australian Open	Melbourne (AUS)	Grand Slam	Hard	62	Third Round lost to Daniela Hantuchová 1–6, 6–7(5–7)
17 July 2006 – 23 July 2006	Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open	Cincinnati (USA)	WTA Tier III	Hard	55	Semifinals lost to Vera Zvonareva 2–6, 3–6
7 August 2006 – 13 August 2006	JPMorgan Chase Open	Los Angeles (USA)	WTA Tier II	Hard	88	Semifinals lost to Jelena Janković, 4–6, 3–6
28 August 2006 – 10 September 2006	US Open	New York (USA)	Grand Slam	Hard	96	Fourth Round lost to Amélie Mauresmo, 6–4, 0–6, 6–2
Total year-end points					301

Yearly records

Head–to–head matchups

Ordered by percentage of wins

Earnings

#	Event	Prize money	Year-to-date
1	Australian Open	$32,483	$32,483
2	Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open	$7,700	$40,183
3	JPMorgan Chase Open	$25,060	$65,243
4	US Open	$66,462	$131,705
			$131,705

Figures in United States dollars (USD) unless noted.

References

^ Williams, Serena; Paisner, Daniel (2009). "Change It Up". My Life: Queen of the Court. Pocket Books. pp. 174–175.
^ "Rust and Hantuchová Catch Up to Serena Williams". New York Times. January 21, 2006.
^ "Serena & Davenport to miss Tokyo". BBC News. January 27, 2006. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
^ "Injured Serena pulls out of Miami". BBC News. March 17, 2006. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
^ "Serena targets late-summer return". BBC News. May 3, 2006. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
^ "SERENA WILLIAMS RETURNS". New York Times. July 26, 2006.
^ "Zvonareva beats Srebotnik to lift Cincinnati title". Rediff. July 24, 2006.
^ "Nadal's Loss Ends Hopes of Final Against Federer". Reuters. August 11, 2006.
^ "TENNIS: ROUNDUP; Resurgent Serena Williams Advances at JP Morgan". New York Times. August 12, 2006.
^ "Final Eludes Sharapova and Williams". Reuters. August 23, 2006.
^ "Wrist Injury May Keep Clijsters Out of Open". New York Times. August 17, 2006.
^ "No Rain, No Upsets, Little Suspense. Just Top-Seeded Players Playing Well". New York Times. August 31, 2006.
^ "Triumphant Serena Williams Savors Her Role as an Underdog". New York Times. September 1, 2006.
^ "Davenport, Prepared for Own Goodbye, Extends Her Stay". New York Times. September 4, 2006.
^ "Mauresmo beats Serena to advance to U.S. Open quarterfinals". Yahoo. September 5, 2006. Archived from the original on June 20, 2013.

External links

[1] Williams, Serena; Paisner, Daniel (2009). "Change It Up". My Life: Queen of the Court. Pocket Books. pp. 174–175.

[2] "Rust and Hantuchová Catch Up to Serena Williams". New York Times. January 21, 2006.

[3] "Serena & Davenport to miss Tokyo". BBC News. January 27, 2006. Retrieved January 27, 2011.

[4] "Injured Serena pulls out of Miami". BBC News. March 17, 2006. Retrieved January 27, 2011.

[5] "Serena targets late-summer return". BBC News. May 3, 2006. Retrieved January 27, 2011.

[6] "SERENA WILLIAMS RETURNS". New York Times. July 26, 2006.

[7] "Zvonareva beats Srebotnik to lift Cincinnati title". Rediff. July 24, 2006.

[8] "Nadal's Loss Ends Hopes of Final Against Federer". Reuters. August 11, 2006.

[9] "TENNIS: ROUNDUP; Resurgent Serena Williams Advances at JP Morgan". New York Times. August 12, 2006.

[10] "Final Eludes Sharapova and Williams". Reuters. August 23, 2006.

[11] "Wrist Injury May Keep Clijsters Out of Open". New York Times. August 17, 2006.

[12] "No Rain, No Upsets, Little Suspense. Just Top-Seeded Players Playing Well". New York Times. August 31, 2006.

[13] "Triumphant Serena Williams Savors Her Role as an Underdog". New York Times. September 1, 2006.

[14] "Davenport, Prepared for Own Goodbye, Extends Her Stay". New York Times. September 4, 2006.

[15] "Mauresmo beats Serena to advance to U.S. Open quarterfinals". Yahoo. September 5, 2006. Archived from the original on June 20, 2013.

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