In pictures: The story of St. Petersburg 2020
From Oceane Dodin's resurgence to Elena Rybakina's first Premier final and Kiki Bertens' stellar title defence, all the best pictures from the 2020 St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
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Former World No.2 Vera Zvonareva, who had missed the Australian Open due to a wrist injury, returned to WTA action with a 6-2, 6-2 qualifying win over Margarita Gasparyan.
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Tereza Martincova won a one-sided qualifying clash against 16-year-old junior World No.7 Polina Kudermetova 6-1, 6-1.
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The roles were reversed in the final qualifying round as Kristie Ahn dispatched Martincova by the same scoreline, 6-1, 6-1.
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2017 semifinalist Natalia Vikhlyantseva got off to a good start in qualifying, defeating Anastasiya Komardina in straight sets.
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Vitalia Diatchenko came from a set and a break down to overcome Daria Mishina in the first qualifying round, then beat Vikhlyantseva to reach the main draw.
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Anastasia Potapova lost just nine games in two qualifying victories over Martina Di Giuseppe and Pauline Parmentier.
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Alizé Cornet came through a qualifying clash between former Top 20 players, defeating Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-4 to make the main draw.
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On the comeback from a hiatus from the game due to medical vertigo, Oceane Dodin qualified for her first WTA main draw since Birmingham 2018 in two tiebreaks over compatriot Fiona Ferro.
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Donna Vekic was among the players who visited the Russian Museum, where she admired Karl Bryullov's "Last Day of Pompeii" and Boris Orlovsky's "Faun and Bacchante".
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Kristie Ahn, Kaitlyn Christian and Hayley Carter were also appreciative of the artworks in the Russian Museum.
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Vekic had some fun mimicking a sculpture at the Russian Museum.
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On court, Katerina Siniakova took on Elena Rybakina for the fourth time in the past year in the first round.
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Rybakina - seeded for the first time at a Premier event - levelled the head-to-head at 2-2 against Siniakova with a 6-3, 6-4 win.
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Liudmila Samsonova came through qualifying for the third time in as many WTA-level events this year, and took on fellow qualifier Anastasia Potapova in round one.
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18-year-old Potapova overcame Samsonova 6-2, 6-4 to seal her first WTA main draw win in St. Petersburg.
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Vitalia Diatchenko, bidding for both her first WTA-level win and Top 30 scalp since Wimbledon 2018, held a 5-2 final-set lead and one match point over Maria Sakkari.
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However, Sakkari battled back to stave off the upset 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3).
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Hometown heroine Svetlana Kuznetsova took some time to help out at a kids' clinic.
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Belinda Bencic and Donna Vekic strike a pose in opulent surroundings before the players' gala dinner.
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Kristina Mladenovic attended the gala dinner with her family, including coach and brother Luka, and Galina Voskoboeva.
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Kiki Bertens and Alison Van Uytvanck also attended the gala dinner.
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2017 champion and 2018 runner-up Mladenovic took on Van Uytvanck in the first round the following day.
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Van Uytvanck delivered a virtuoso performance to oust Mladenovic 6-4, 6-1.
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Ajla Tomljanovic has won all four first-round matches she has played in 2020, upsetting fifth seed Marketa Vondrousova 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
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Yulia Putintseva served for the match in a first-round barnburner against Veronika Kudermetova.
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However, Kudermetova fought back to take the high-quality round one clash 7-6(4), 1-6, 7-5 over Putintseva.
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Oceane Dodin continued to surge in the main draw, dismissing Viktoria Kuzmova 6-2, 6-2 to seal her first WTA main draw win since Miami 2018.
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Donna Vekic overcame Kristie Ahn in straight sets in a first-round battle between fellow Russian Museum visitors.
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Fiona Ferro made the main draw as a lucky loser following Anastasija Sevastova's withdrawal and took full advantage, upsetting compatriot Caroline Garcia in the first round.
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Svetlana Kuznetsova was delighted to score a 6-3, 6-1 win over the in-form Jennifer Brady in front of her home crowd.
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Kiki Bertens, Maria Sakkari and Petra Kvitova also took in the cultural delights of St. Petersburg at the Hermitage Museum.
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Jelena Ostapenko, fresh from a stellar Fed Cup performance in Everett, WA, struggled a few days later on the other side of the world.
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Alizé Cornet dropped just three games to Ostapenko in the final first-round match to be completed.
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Anastasia Potapova battled past Ajla Tomljanovic 7-6(2), 6-3 to reach her first Premier quarterfinal.
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Oceane Dodin continued to power through the quick indoor conditions, upsetting No.4 seed Johanna Konta in the second round for her first Top 20 win since Madrid 2017.
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Top seed and 2016 finalist Belinda Bencic got her campaign off to a fine start, overcoming Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-6(4), 6-4 in a high-quality encounter.
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Eighth seed Elena Rybakina made her first WTA quarterfinal here in 2018, and reached that stage again with a straight-sets defeat of Fiona Ferro.
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Maria Sakkari maintained her unbeaten record against Alizé Cornet, winning for the third time in three encounters to reach the quarterfinals.
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2018 champion Petra Kvitova needed three sets to get past Alison Van Uytvanck in the second round.
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Ekaterina Alexandrova delivered a stunning performance to upset Donna Vekic in the second round - her 33rd win in her past 38 indoor matches, and 16th in her past 17 on any surface.
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Defending champion Kiki Bertens got her campaign under way by losing just three games to Veronika Kudermetova in the second round.
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The quarterfinals started frustratingly for Maria Sakkari, who lost the first set 6-2 to Belinda Bencic.
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However, Sakkari turned the match around to upset Bencic 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 - sealing her third career Top 5 win.
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Elena Rybakina came through a dramatic quarterfinal over Oceane Dodin, losing a 5-2 lead and squandering four set points in the first set - but coming from 1-3 down and saving two match points in the second to win 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-2.
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Anastasia Potapova pushed defending champion Kiki Bertens hard in the last eight, holding two set points to force a decider.
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However, Bertens held firm to quell the teenager Potapova in straight sets.
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Maria Sakkari took a one-set lead and was a game away from reaching her second career Premier final over Elena Rybakina.
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It was the 20-year-old Rybakina who roared through a 6-1 final set, though, to make her fifth career final (all in the past eight months), third in 2020 and first at Premier level.
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Ekaterina Alexandrova had received a walkover from Petra Kvitova in the quarterfinals, and was a set away from a home final in the semifinals against Kiki Bertens.
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Defending champion Bertens had to overcome moments of frustration against Alexandrova.
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As in the first semifinal, Bertens also gathered herself to speed through a 6-1 deciding set to make her second straight final in St. Petersburg.
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![In doubles, Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara lifted their third WTA trophy together - and second in Russia - after defeating Kaitlyn Christian and Alexa Guarachi 4-6, 6-0, [10-3].](https://photoresources.wtatennis.com/photo-resources/2020/02/17/97f2faac-5492-4396-80fb-9c2f863a7c16/Doubles_Ceremony_Aoyama-Shuko-JPN-Shibahara-Ena-JPN-vs-Christian-Kaitlyn-USA-Guarachi-Alexa-CHI-46.JPG?width=1440)
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In doubles, Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara lifted their third WTA trophy together - and second in Russia - after defeating Kaitlyn Christian and Alexa Guarachi 4-6, 6-0, [10-3].
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Elena Rybakina was bidding for her third career Top 10 win over Kiki Bertens in the final, but could not hit through the second seed's defence.
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Bertens delivered a brilliant performance in the most important match of the week, shutting Rybakina down 6-1, 6-3.
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Bertens completed the second successful title defence of her career following Nurnberg 2016-17, while Rybakina's final run sees her crack the Top 20 for the first time.
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