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Nusa Dua’s ‘One-of-a-Kind’ Tournament Delights Players, Fans
November 07, 2010

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Jakarta. Bali made sure its high-profile guests from the WTA would have good reason to remember their stay on the Island of the Gods.

In return, the tennis stars who competed in the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions put on a show Indonesia won’t forget any time soon.

Even before the first serve had been hit, all eight women’s players were describing the tournament to friends and fans as “memorable.”

From day one, organizers lined up the best Bali has to offer — from surfing clinics to spa pampering sessions — much to the delight of the athletes.

“It’s a one-of-a-kind tournament,” Russia’s Alisa Kleybanova said. “I hope I can come back here for a vacation, or I hope I can qualify here again next year.”

But it wasn’t just the tennis players who enjoyed their time in Bali.

An action-packed tournament filled with twists and turns delighted Indonesian fans, who descended on the island to witness the most prestigious international sports event held in the country.

The competition opened with a bang as fans were treated to some big upsets. Defending champion Aravane Rezai of France was eliminated and two wild cards — Kimiko Date Krumm and Daniela Hantuchova — made it through.

Rezai said a string of early exits in recent tournaments had affected her confidence.

“I tried to play the way I used to, but it’s been hard,” she said. “Last year, I really had nothing to lose. But this season, I felt the pressure because everybody was expecting me to be the best.”

However, it was Ana Ivanovic’s run through the competition that had tennis fans abuzz over the weekend.

Ivanovic, whose matches drew the biggest crowd at the Bali Convention Center, will surely remember her time in Nusa Dua.

With her win over Kleybanova in Sunday’s final, the former world No. 1 from Serbia made it into the top 20 in the world for the first time in two years.

On the eve of Sunday’s final, organizers held a charity dinner to benefit the Bali Smile Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides medical assistance to people with craniofacial disabilities.

Among the items auctioned off was a ceramic plate signed by all the players participating in the Tournament of Champions, Ivanovic’s outfit from last month’s Beijing tournament and T-shirts donated by Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic. Sandy Pramuji