Wimbledon 2009: Ladies' Singles Quiz

Answer: None

The fact that Dinara Safina was ranked as the best woman in world tennis without winning a major in the prior 52 weeks was controversial. In fact, Safina managed to get to the number one spot without even winning a major at all! This fact was a particular source of consternation for Serena Williams, at the time the world number two, as she had managed to win both the US Open in 2008 and the Australian Open in 2009.

This sparked off a debate as to what actually constitutes the best player in the world, is it someone who shows consistency all year or one who performs the best at the major tournaments?

Answer: Marion Bartoli

Marion Bartoli's ascent to the final round of the 2007 Wimbledon ladies' singles event was quite a shock. Prior to that success, the furthest she had gotten in any major tournament was the fourth round. Anyhow, Bartoli lost in the final of the 2007 Wimbledon competition to the highly decorated Venus Williams.

In 2008, Bartoli only made it to the third round which would have been very disappointing for her. So in 2009 it was a chance to find her former self and it certainly looked promising after her 6-0 and 6-0 win in the first round.

However, she would go on to fall at the same hurdle, crashing out in round three.

Answer: No

To the despair of the home crowd there would be no female player left in the Wimbledon singles event for 2009. Thus in the ladies' singles and the men's singles of Wimbledon 2009, the combined total of British players that made it to round three was pitifully low, just the one.

Answer: Maria Sharapova

The incredible second round match between Gisella Dulko and Maria Sharapova went to the third and final set where Dulko took the match by two sets to one, 6-2, 3-6, and 6-4. Since the 2004 Wimbledon ladies' singles tournament, where a young Maria Sharapova destroyed the field, the Russian has failed to make it to the final. Sharapova made it to the semifinals in 2005 and 2006 but lost on both occasions. From then on, her performance at Wimbledon had been withering making just the fourth round in 2007 and the second round in 2008. An injury ruled Sharapova out of the 2008 US Open and stopped her from defending her title at the 2009 Australian Open.

Her first major after her injury was at Roland Garros where she reached the quarterfinal, which is a good return to the sport for anybody.

However, she couldn't maintain that standard as she was eliminated in the second round at the 2009 Wimbledon competition.

Answer: Caroline Wozniacki

Every match that Wozniacki played in throughout the 2009 Wimbledon ladies' singles event was great to watch. After her impressive win against Medina Garrigues, she faced a fourth round match against an unseeded German, Sabine Lisicki. In one of the great upsets of the tournament, Lisicki managed to topple ninth seed Wozniacki in straight sets, 6-4 and 6-4.

Answer: Serbia

This match was one of the most dramatic of the early rounds of the 2009 Wimbledon ladies' singles tournament. Unseeded Melanie Oudin, from the American state of Georgia, beat the 2008 US Open finalist Jelena Jankovic by two sets to one, 6-7, 7-5, and 6-2. Let us just say that a very excited Oudin was very vocal throughout the match, screaming her way to an impressive victory that guaranteed her spot in the fourth round. Oudin would go on to lose that fourth round match against Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska by two sets to love, 6-4 and 7-5.

Answer: Yes

Amelie Mauresmo didn't manage to claim the scalp of the then world number one, Dinara Safina, but she certainly came close. Mauresmo took the first set after just 39 minutes of play and an upset was on the cards but the 2006 Wimbledon champion could not capitalise.

The final two sets would go to Safina and the match finished with Safina winning 4-6, 6-3, and 6-4. The game was very tight and there wasn't much separating these two powerful players. An interesting statistic is that throughout the match Safina won 95 points and Mauresmo won 86 points.

In real terms there was only nine points between the players, but it's sets what count.

Answer: Agnieszka Radwanska

Quite incredibly Venus Williams and Serena Williams stormed though to the semifinal stages of the 2009 Wimbledon ladies' singles event in a combined time of 141 minutes. That is just over an hour per sister! The result of Serena's match was a quick win, 6-2 and 6-3 whilst Venus won her match with a score of 6-1 and 6-2.

The speed these ladies were racing through their matches would make anyone think they were in a rush to get out of there.

Answer: Dinara Safina

Dinara Safina, the number one seed and the then world number one, was defeated by Venus Williams in what I can only describe as the most one sided semifinal I have ever witnessed. It is certainly a rare occasion where the current world number one is beaten in straight sets, 6-1 and 6-0 in a match that lasts just 51 minutes! The most striking statistic is that Dinara Safina made sixteen unforced errors whilst Venus Williams made just one. The other semi-final, between Serena Williams and Elena Dementieva, was a much tighter affair.

The first set of this match alone was just one minute shorter than the whole of the other semifinal! Serena Williams would win the match to set up yet another Williams-Williams final. The score was (Serena-Dementieva) 6-7, 7-5, and 8-6.

Answer: Serena Williams

The 2009 Wimbledon ladies' singles final was an all Williams affair just as it was in 2008. It may have been the same fixture, but it certainly had a different outcome. In 2008, Venus lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish after beating her sister Serena by two sets to love, 7-5 and 6-4.

In 2009, Serena forgot all about that defeat and reversed the result taking the Venus Rosewater Dish away from her sister. Serena beat Venus in the 2009 final by two sets to love, 7-6 and 6-2.