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USCTA
2009 Ladies’ World Championship
By Jane Lippincott
Rainy, cool weather did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm
of the 24 players who gathered in Newport for the
2009 Ladies’ World Championships presented by Roberto
Coin. A biennial event, the tournament attracts players
from around the world to determine, via a single elimination
draw, the World Champion for singles and doubles.
Rotating between Australia, France, the UK and the United
States, the tournament was last held in US in 2001.
No stranger to hosting World Championships, having
hosted the Ladies’ in 1995 and the 2004 Men’s World
Championship, the National Tennis Club put its best foot
forward and hosted a spectacular event! Ranging in age
from 14 to “I won’t admit,” the women arrived in Newport
for a week of tennis and socializing.
First to arrive was Charlotte Cornwallis, the current
World Champion and number 1 seed. Cornwallis, a professional,
having just completed the Grand Slam by winning
the Ladies’ British Open, arrived looking for her fourth
World Championship title. To do so, though, she would
have to get by potential challengers including the up-andcoming
#2 seed, Cambridge University’s Karen Hird, the
experienced veteran and #3 seed, Freddy Adam and Australia’s
determined #4 seed, Amy Hayball. In addition, to
the seeds, there were 16 others waiting for their chance to
break into the top four!
The tournament kicked off with an informal handicap
Players and Spectators at the 2009 Ladies’ World Championship. photo by Michael Do
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singles tournament on Monday. This allowed everyone to
get used to the court while playing some friendly, competitive
matches. After a full day of play, Sara Lacombe beat
fellow Washingtonian, Pat Homer, in the final.
On Tuesday, the action officially got underway. While
there were a few minor hiccups along the way, the week
belonged to Cornwallis and Hird. Cornwallis reached the
final losing only two games along the way! Hird breezed
through her half, but came up against some stiff competition
from Adam in the semifinal. For US observers, the
match was reminiscent of a match earlier in the season at
the US Open. Adam, down one set and losing in the second,
pulled herself together to win in three sets. For a few
games, it looked like Adam was going to repeat this feat.
Hird, probably remembering the match, focused and beat
Adam in straight sets. Thus, the final showdown was set
between Cornwallis and Hird.
The final was played on Saturday before a packed
house. Coming out of the gate, both players appeared to
be nervous – missing openings and hitting balls up on the
penthouse. The first game was tight – going to deuce, but
Cornwallis seemed to settle down and ran way with a decisive
first set 6/1. Hird, playing in her first World Championship
final, could not find her rhythm from previous
rounds and seemed flat. Nerves probably contributed to her
sluggish start.
The second set was a different story, with Hird com-