Special report: 2008 Olympic Games
BEIJING, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Two of the best teams of the season have
geared up for the Aug. 8-24 Beijing Olympic Games as they hoisted WTA doubles
trophies on Sunday in Los Angeles, the United States and Portoroz, Slovenia
separately.
Chan Yung-Jan/Chuang Chia-Jung were the No. 1 seeds in the Tier II Los
Angeles Open, but it was by no means a smooth path to the title.
They won their first two matches in straight sets but were pushed to the
limits by No. 4 seeds Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur in the semifinals,
winning that in a match tie-break 7-6(3),3-6, 10-7.
There was more resistance in the final from unseeded Czech duo Eva Hrdinova
and Vladimira Uhlirova, who went up 6-2, 4-2 before Chan and Chuang kicked into
gear for another match tie-break victory at 2-6, 7-5 and 10-4.
"It was a very tough match for us but it was a great experience," Chan
said. "Hrdinova's serve is heavy and fast and she serves very well. We were just
trying to return her serve and go from there. We didn't sleep enough last night
and in the beginning it was tough for us, but after a little while our bodies
woke up."
Chan and Chuang took home their second Tour doubles title of the year,
following a Tier I triumph at Rome in May.
They have now won seven doubles titles together, with their 2008titles
being the biggest.
In the Slovenia Open, Spanish team Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia
Ruano Pascual took the title but followed a different path.
Unlike Chan and Chuang's run in Los Angeles, the Spanish duo were barely
tested, not dropping a set in any of their four matches. They clinched the title
with a 6-4, 6-1 win over unseeded Russian duo Vera Dushevina and Ekaterina
Makarova.
It was their third doubles title of the year, following a Tier IV triumph
at Hobart and Grand Slam glory at Roland Garros.