Estoril, Portugal will see the women of pro tennis compete this week for the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. It all happens May 4^th through the 9^th as players compete for $220,000 in prize money. This tournament is part of the Tier 4 Series of the 2009 WTA Tour. The tournament is in it's 20^th year this season and fans are swarming into Portugal to see the women of professional tennis compete on the outdoor clay courts.

Last year in the singles tournament we saw Greta Arn , the defending champion decide not to compete which left it wide open for everyone else. The Semi-Finals saw Maret Ani pitted against Iveta Benesova. Benesova took both both matches with ease the first set 6-2 and the second 6-2. Next, Klara Zakapalova fought it out with Maria Kirilenko who lost to Zakapalova in the first set but took the second 6-3. The final set Maria took her match with two points over Zakapalova. This put Iveta Benesova against Maria Kirilenko in the finals. The first set was a hard fought battle ending up in Kirilenko's favor 6-4. She had a bit of an easier time in the second set, with a score of 6-2, winning her the Singles title for 2008. 

The doubles final was against Italian Flavia Pennetta and Maria Kirilenko, being opposed by Mervana Jugic-Salkic from Bosnia and Ipek Senoglu. They fought it out on the clay ending the first round in Kirilenko and Pennetta's favor 6-4. The second set was a repeat of the first with the same exact score and Pennetta and Kirilenko. 

This year the ladies of tennis will fight even harder for the 2009 titles and the $220,000 in prize money as the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour starts on May 4^th. Your membership gives you full access to all the event action, just by clicking on the link above or below.