Below are excerpts from a variety of articles during the ASB Classic.

Smashnova excited by draw

ASB Classic number two seed Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi is excited about playing Ashley Harkleroad in the second round of the Classic on Wednesday afternoon.

Smashnova-Pistolesi struggled to defeat Julia Vakulenko 1-6 6-4 6-3 on Tuesday afternoon and will now play the promising Harkleroad on Wednesday on court four in what is likely to be a match of contrasting styles.

"I'm looking forward to this match actually, because she's young and an up and comer," Smashnova-Pistolesi said. "She's a fighter and a good player and she did well last year. I hope it's a good match and I'm really looking forward to it."

Roundup: U.S. reaches Hopman Cup final; Harkleroad for real?

Harkleroad climbs to first WTA final

AUCKLAND, New Zealand — American teen Ashley Harkleroad rallied from a set down Friday to reach her first WTA final at the ASB women's classic.

By Dean Treml, AFP Ashley Harkleroad will take on Eleni Daniilidou for a shot at her first WTA crown.

She will face Eleni Daniilidou of Greece, who won one of the longest tiebreakers in WTA history in her 7-6 (15-13), 6-4 win over top-seeded Paola Suarez in the semifinals.

Harkleroad, 19, beat Marion Bartoli of France 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. Bartoli jumped out to a 5-0 first-set lead but Harkleroad broke serve twice before the Frenchwoman served out the set.

Following a rain delay, Harkleroad came back to win three straight games to take the second set. She dominated the third set, just one day after playing two matches to reach the semifinals.

"I think the rain helped today," Harkleroad said. "She was hitting winners left and right before the delay and my legs were tired. It definitely helped me today."

_________________________________________________________________

For Harkleroad, who is renowned for her even temperament and ability to fight back in difficult situations, the road to the final was a little less straightforward.

The 18-year-old easily dismissed fellow American Teryn Ashley in her first game, but Harkleroad had to pull out some of her best shots to beat second seed Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi in the second round, promising Anca Barna in the quarter-finals and then young Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli in the semis.

Competing in her first Women's Tour Association final, Harkleroad, who is known to let loose the odd ear-piercing scream during matches, showed she can handle the big stuff and may just reach her goal of securing a spot in the top 10 by the end of the year.

_________________________________________________________________

Memorable win for Daniilidou

By Dale Budge at the ASB Bank Tennis Centre ASB Classic champion Eleni Daniilidou is making New Zealand a home away from her native Greece, after claiming her second consecutive title at the Auckland event on Saturday. Daniilidou beat American Ashley Harkleroad in straight sets 6-3 6-2 in a little over an hour of play. "I will never forget it. It was very exciting and I am happy to be back here," Daniilidou told reporters after the match. "I didn't really expect to play in the final. "Today I felt very tight but after game three I got much better." Daniilidou dominated with her forehand from the baselines and produced a classy performance to beat a jaded Harkleroad. It had been a long tough week in the hot and humid conditions at the ASB Bank Tennis Centre for both players, and both were backing up from two particularly big days prior to Saturday's final. But Daniilidou seemed to handle the back-up the better of the two. "Yesterday I was very tired but today I felt good," she said. It was also the first tournament of the new season for both players, which is generally used to iron out a few problems. "It is very tough at the beginning of the year but today I was very focused and I was hitting the ball well," Daniilidou said. "I played more aggressive." It is the first time that a player has won successive titles since 1989. "I love to be here," here she announced following her back-to-back titles. "I really tried to enjoy the day today because it is a really special day." Harkleroad never looked likely in the final. She had been down and out in her previous encounters but had shown a fighting spirit that overcame her opponents. But there was no sign of that in the final. Daniilidou did not allow her to get into the match. It was a disappointing way to end an astonishing tournament for Harkleroad. "I'm happy with it, it has been a great start to 2004. I can take confidence into my next tournament," the 18-year-old American said. "Today I just didn't have it. She was making me run from side to side, she didn't miss many shots and played very well. There was nothing I could do about it," Harkleroad told reporters. But like Daniilidou, Harkleroad expects to return to Auckland in 2005 "I think I will pretty much definitely be back here next year. I have a lot of support here. It is a beautiful place and a nice place to play tennis." Source: nzoom   Date published: Jan 10, 2004

________________________________________________________________

Rain delay helps Harkleroad

By Dale Budge at the ASB Tennis Centre A rain delay during her semifinal win over Marion Bartoli helped Ashley Harkleroad to overcome fatigue and qualify for the final of the ASB Classic on Friday. Having lost the first set and being down a break midway through the second, Harkleroad looked down and out after a massive day on Thursday, where she had won two tough encounters in the humid conditions in Auckland. But when play was halted as the rain fell on centre court, Harkleroad was able to gather her thoughts and conserve a bit of energy before bouncing back to win the second set. The rain came a second time after the second set, stopping the match for just over an hour. "I think it (the rain) helped me quite a bit. She was on a roll and my legs were kinda tired. The rain delay helped me get my thoughts together," she said following the match. "Usually I don't like rain delays but today I did," she joked to reporters. The 18-year-old seemed frustrated at times in the first set, letting out a loud scream at one point and, at 5-0 down, she must have had plenty of thoughts running through her head. "I thought 'ok Ashley, get one game. Just work at one game at a time.' And I did." Harkleroad put her slow start down to being tired after her huge day on Thursday and not being able to sleep the night before. "It's kinda hard for your body to wind down after playing two matches," she explained. So Harkleroad will play in her first WTA final on Saturday. "I'm pretty excited about it. Hopefully I am just going to get some rest and get ready for tomorrow," she said. "It would be an awesome thing to win this tournament because I do love it here. "That's why I like it here so much. I have a lot of support here and it is fun playing in front of people that support you." Her opponent in the final will be either defending champion Eleni Daniilidou or Paola Suarez, the top seed. "Either one of them is going to be a hard match. They have proved themselves by being in the top 15," she admitted. But one can't help but feeling that this has been her tournament so far and Saturday might just bring one more big match out of her. Source: nzoom   Date published: Jan 09, 2004

________________________________________________________________

Harkleroad wins twice to reach semifinals at ASB Classic

 

(01-08) 02:44 PST AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) --

American teenager Ashley Harkleroad and defending champion Eleni Daniilidou won two matches each on Thursday to reach the semifinals of the ASB women's tennis classic.

A backlog of matches caused by rain Wednesday forced the unseeded Harkleroad and No. 3 Daniilidou of Greece to play their second-round and quarterfinal matches on the same day.

Harkleroad, 19, beat two seeded players to reach her third WTA Tour semifinal, where she will meet Marion Bartoli of France.

Top-seeded Paola Suarez of Argentina beat Kristina Brandi 6-4, 6-2 in her quarterfinal to set up a semifinal against Daniilidou.

Harkleroad pulled the upset of the tournament in her first match Thursday when she beat former champion and No. 2 seed Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi of Israel 7-6 (7), 6-2.

The young American, ranked No. 51 in the world, went back onto the stadium court at Stanley Street in the evening to oust eighth-seeded Anca Barna of Germany 7-5, 6-3.

Barna also played twice in Thursday's packed program.

"It was tough," Harkleroad said. "My legs are tired. It's been a long day but I've had two great wins.

"I'm glad to get through and now I just want to take a rest and come back fresh tomorrow."

Daniilidou beat Emmanuelle Gagliardi of Switzerland 7-6 (3), 6-2, and then beat Meilen Tu of the United States 7-5, 6-2.

Tu, the 2001 champion, was the least fortunate player in Thursday's schedule, having to play three matches in succession.

First, she won a long second-round match, beating seventh-seeded Marlene Weingartner of Germany 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4). She then had to squeeze in a postponed doubles match before returning to face Daniilidou.

Harkleroad beats former champ

By Dale Budge at the ASB Tennis Centre Ashley Harkleroad has won through to the quarterfinals of the ASB Classic after a titanic encounter with Israel's Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi that the 18-year-old American won 7-6 (9-7) 6-2. Harkleroad found herself down midway through the second set but fought back well. She was far more animated than Smashnova-Pistolesi throughout the match and a solid crowd, the biggest on court four this week, got behind her as she produced winner after winner. The ninth game of the first set was probably the turning point of the match. Smashnova-Pistolesi was called for a foot fault and was livid at the umpire. The world number 16 let out a loud scream and paused on her knees for a few seconds. She took all of 30 seconds to find some composure but as Harkleroad levelled the match at 5-5, it was clear that she was still fuming. The set went past the hour mark as the tiebreak began and Smashnova-Pistolesi looked to have the set won at 5-2. But as was the story of the first set, Harkleroad fought back to win the tiebreak 9-7 and claim the first set. The second set was more one-way traffic, though some long rallies had both girls out on their feet. Harkleroad produced some classy winners but there were still many unforced errors that made her sweat. Harkleroad found herself with two match points on Smashnova-Pistolesi's serve in the seventh game of the second set. The 2002 ASB Classic champion saved one of those match points and on the second Harkleroad hit a winner wide. The chair umpire over-ruled and the bubbly American took the point and the match to reach the quarterfinals. Source: nzoom   Date published: Jan 08, 2004