WHITE NIGHTS INT’L – Four Tops Fall

Four top seeds fell on finals day at the 2010 White Nights International Challenge in Gatchina, Russia on Sunday.  Anastasia Russkikh, the most famous Russian player to miss last week’s Russia Open Grand Prix in Vladivostok, came home from her surprise runner-up performance in Jakarta to take the White Nights mixed title with partner Evgeniy Dremin.  The Russians sent top-seeded Ukraine pair Valeriy Atraschenkov / Elena Prus home empty-handed, winning 21-17, 21-14.  Next, Vitalij Durkin / Alexander Nikolaenko came up short for a second week in a row but this time it was Poland’s Adam Cwalina / Michal Logosz who did the damage, winning 21-19, 29-27.  Ivan Sozonov, was without his Grand Prix-winning doubles partner last week but made up for it by pulling off a huge upset in the men’s singles, where he stunned top seed and former world top-20 player Przemyslaw Wacha 22-20, 21-14.

The last top seeds to fall on the day were Petya Nedelcheva / Anastasia Russkikh.  Russkikh had, a day earlier, denied Valeria Sorokina a second double-gold performance to match the one she achieved in Vladivostok by beating her and Nikolaenko in the mixed semi-finals.  However, on Sunday, it was Sorokina and Nina Vislova who stood in Russkikh’s way of her own prospect at a second gold and the all Russian pair won it 21-15, 21-17.  Finally, Tatyana Bibik, who had already taken care of top seed Nedelcheva in the women’s singles semi-finals, beat compatriot Anastasia Prokopenko to win gold.