2006

2006 SEASON

2006 opened for Mara with a trip to Hobart in Tasmania. The Czech player Iveta Benesova halted her in the semi-final after a tough battle with a score of 4-6 7-5 6-1, but the premises were positive for a good Australian Open.

Mara began well at Melbourne, beating number 24 of the series, the French player Golovin, followed by the Slovenian Srebotnik, but she was brought to a halt by the winner of the 2005 US Open, Svetlana Kuznetsova.

The Land of the Rising Sun awaited Mara for the Pan Pacific Open and, after getting brilliantly through the qualifications, Santangelo succumbed to the Russian teenager Maria Kirilenko.The Asian tour continued in Thailand, in wonderful Pattaya.

Here our favourite passed the first round easily but was defeated in the second by the Finnish player Emma Laine per 6-1 7-5.

The long tour which started at the beginning of January ended in India with her first WTA success where in the first round she beat the Slovakian player Nagyova by 6-2 6-3 and the Israeli Obziler after a tough match ending 5-7 6-4 6-3.

The player from Trento repeated her success with Fedak of Ukraine (6-4 6-3) and profited from the withdrawal of the American player King, who suffered a physical indisposition.

Morally refreshed and charged to the full for the first final of her career in a WTA tournament, Mara was awaited on the other side of the net by the Croatian Kostanic, a player against whom she had never won in her career. With the Croatian at two points from the match in the tiebreak of the second set, Mara fought back with leonine force, winning the match in the third set.

3-6 7-6 6-3 was the final result with tears from the blonde player to crown an unforgettable day.

After the first rounds at Indiam Wells and Miami, Mara overcame the Italian Vinci at Amelia and reached the eighth finals at Charleston, playing a balanced match against world-ranking no. 9 Patty Schnyder and losing after a game of almost three hours (2/6 7/6 6/3).

In April Mara was called for the Federation Cup for the fourth time by the Captain Corrado Barazzutti for the important challenge against the favoured France of world-ranking no. 1 Mauresmo.

For the first time in history Italy beat France by 4 to 1 and Mara contributed to this result by winning the doubles in a couple with Roberta Vinci.

The season on red ground began, and the second rounds in Berlin and Rome, the quarter-final in Istanbul and the second round at Roland Garros resulted in her best ranking as the 35th player in the world.

 English lawn tennis found her a protagonist in Birmingham, with an excellent quarter-final, and in Eastbourne where she had to leave prematurely on account of a less than perfect physical condition, defeated by the Czech player Peshcke.

In her first round in Wimbledon, the temple of tennis, she was opposite the veteran Amy Frazier, who beat her with 3-6 6-3 7-5. Mara returned to Italy for a few days to recharge her batteries and to treat a few small physical irritations, before leaving for a long tour on the other side of the Atlantic.

Sunny California did not bring her much luck, since both at San Diego and at Los Angeles the best she could get was a second round. At Montreal, after beating Bammer at the end of a long marathon, she had to give way before Martina Hingis. The latter, however, had to bring out her finest form to beat Mara. 7-5 7-6 was the final result of a match which was in doubt to the very end.

An excellent result in New Haven where Mara, after succeeding brilliantly in the qualifications, took the head of world-ranking no. 10, Anastasya Myskina.

In the next match Mara faced Henin, who defeated her with 6-2 6-3.A good US Open for Mara who reached the third round after winning a return match with Raymond and after beating the Austrian player Bammer. Her defeat by Mauresmo, no. 1 of the series, nevertheless reinforced her conviction that she could meet the top ten on equal terms.

The final scene of the Federation Cup took place in the fiery Palasport of Charleroi. With a result of 2 to 1 for Belgium, the Italian Captain Corrado Barazzutti told Mara an hour before the beginning of the match that she would be substituting Flavia Pennetta, who was indisposed. After a first set dominated by the tension created by so important and decisive match against Flipkens, the player from Trento broke free and brought home a draw amid the enthusiasm of her companion and the team.

This success reached its apotheosis in the double with Francesca Schiavone and Roberta Vinci, with Mara and the other Italians wrapped in the national flag and singing the National Anthem.

The final phase of the year saw our standard-bearer afflicted with some small physical problems and by the seasonal illnesses which prevented her from giving her best.

In spite of this Mara provided an excellent performance, though losing in the first round against the talented Polish player Radwanska (5-7 7-6 6-3) in Luxemburg and against Marat Safin's sister at Stuttgart (6-1 5-7 7-6).

The tiny left-handed Czech player Iveta Benesova beat her by 3-6 6-3 7-5 on the fast court of Moscow with Mara holding her ground in spite of a very high fever. Not yet entirely cured and in uncertain form, Mara played an easy first round at Zurich against Kleinova but had to raise the white flag before the slender Czech player Ondraskova, withdrawing at the beginning of the third set.

Mara closed 2006 with her best world ranking ever, no. 31.

For continually updated and detailed results consult the link below:

http://home17.inet.tele.dk/wta/sp/sant2572.htm

To see the statistics of my matches:

http://home17.inet.tele.dk/wta/sp/sant2572.htm