The 2008 Family Circle Cup

Family Circle Cup

The Family Circle Cup is a WTA Tour affiliated professional tennis tournament for women, held every year since 1973. The tournament is currently played on the green clay courts at the Daniel Island Tennis Center in Charleston, South Carolina, USA...

was a women's tennis Tier I event on the 2008 WTA Tour

2008 WTA Tour

The 2008 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour was the 36th season since the founding of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced on December 31, 2007, and concluded on November 9, 2008 after 59 events.The season was characterised by its frequent changes in the No...

, which took place from April 14 to April 20, 2008. The event was hosted at the Family Circle Tennis Center

Family Circle Tennis Center

Family Circle Tennis Center is a tennis center on Daniel Island in Charleston, South Carolina. Built in 2001, the center has 17 courts, including the 10,200-seat Family Circle Magazine Stadium. It annually hosts the WTA Tour's Family Circle Cup. The Hootie & the Blowfish album Live in Charleston...

, in Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and was the second event of the clay court season, played on green clay. The total prize money offered at this tournament was US$1,340,000.

Defending champion Jelena Janković

Jelena Janković

Jelena Janković is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from Serbia. She reached the final of the 2008 US Open and won the 2007 Wimbledon Mixed Doubles title. Janković is ranked world no...

 led the field as the number one seed. Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova

Maria Yuryevna Sharapova ,. is a Russian professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. A US resident since 1994, Sharapova has won 24 WTA singles titles, including three Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open...

, Anna Chakvetadze

Anna Chakvetadze

Anna Djambulilovna Chakvetadze is a Russian professional tennis player . On September 10, 2007, she reached her career-high professional singles ranking of World No. 5. She has won eight WTA Singles Titles and appeared in the 2007 US Open semifinals. As of July 4, 2011, Chakvetadze is ranked World...

, Elena Dementieva

Elena Dementieva

Elena Viatcheslavovna Dementieva is a retired Russian professional tennis player. Dementieva is most notable for winning the singles gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. She won 16 WTA singles titles and reached the finals of the 2004 French Open and 2004 US Open. Dementieva achieved a...

 and eventual champion Serena Williams

Serena Williams

Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...

 joined her as the other four of five top ten players in the field. Other notable names that participated were 2007 Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli

Marion Bartoli

Marion Bartoli is a French professional tennis player and the current French no. 1. She has won seven Women's Tennis Association singles titles and three doubles titles. She was also a runner-up at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships....

 and Charleston standout Patty Schnyder

Patty Schnyder

Patty Schnyder is a retired Swiss professional tennis player. She played on the WTA tour from 1993 to 2011 and is a former World No. 7. She defeated several World No...

, a two-time runner-up at this event.

Singles

  Serena Williams

Serena Williams

Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...

def.   Vera Zvonareva

Vera Zvonareva

Vera Zvonareva is a professional tennis player from Russia. She was introduced to tennis at the age of six and turned professional in 2000. Her career high is World No. 2 by the WTA, and she is currently ranked as the World No. 7. Zvonarёva has won twelve WTA Tour singles titles and reached the...

, 6–4, 3–6, 6–3

• It was Williams' 3rd title of the year and 31st of her career.

Doubles

  Katarina Srebotnik

Katarina Srebotnik

Katarina Srebotnik is a Slovenian professional tennis player. Srebotnik is right-handed, 1.80 m, weighs 65 kg and lives in Dubai. She reached a career-high ranking of No. 20 on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour on August 7, 2006.Srebotnik won 4 singles titles on the WTA-tour and was a steady top 30...

/   Ai Sugiyama

Ai Sugiyama

is a retired Japanese professional tennis player. She reached No. 1 in women's doubles on the WTA Tour. Her career-high singles ranking was No. 8, achieved on February 9, 2004. She turned professional in 1992...

def.   Edina Gallovits

Edina Gallovits

Klaudia Edina Gallovits-Hall is a Romanian female tennis player of Hungarian descent on her father's side. She is currently ranked 75th in the world and her career highest ranking of No. 54 was achieved on April 28, 2008...

 /   Olga Govortsova

Olga Govortsova

Olga Govortsova is a professional Belarusian tennis player. As of May 10, 2010 her highest singles ranking on the WTA is World Number 35, which she achieved on June 23, 2008.-Career:...

, 6–2, 6–2

External links

• Official website