Singapore Indoor Stadium, 30th December 2007 - While most eyes were on Maria Sharapova and Anna Chakvetadze last night, few may have noticed that the boys and girls manning the lines and picking the balls were Singapore's national age-group tennis elites. ...

  Singapore Indoor Stadium, December 30th, 2007 - About an hour before the match between Russian tennis stars Maria Sharapova and Anna Chakvetadze started, long queues were already forming outside the entrances of the stadium. The heavy rain did not dampen their spirits as the crowds came with their various coloured umbrellas, huddling close to each other to avoid the rain splashes. ...

 Singapore Indoor Stadium, December 30, 2007 - A near-capacity mostly middle-aged crowd watched Maria Sharapova beat Anna Chakvetadze 6-0, 7-6 yesterday evening at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in a game that hit few high notes. ...

It's been an eye-opening year covering the local sporting scene, especially school sports. Nothing beats the atmosphere of a school final, not even watching a football game at the National Stadium with 55,000. Why do I say that? ...

Keppel Club, Singapore, December 30th, 2007 - "Anna is hot, much prettier in person." So declared 17-year-old Sylvester Wee of Raffles Junior College. 16 of Singapore's elite tennis youth got to trade a few volleys with world number six Anna Chakvetadze this morning at Keppel Club. ...

 Fullerton Hotel, Singapore, December 29, 2007 - In a short 15 minute press conference, you realise that Maria Yuryevna Sharapova, aged 20, is a confident, realistic and practical person without any illusions of what life is and that the millions she has in endorsements and prize money can disappear if she gets injured. ...

20-year-old Anna Chakvetadze is in town to play Maria Sharapova in an exhibition match tomorrow night at the Singapore Indoor Stadium and has won seven singles titles and one doubles title in her career. Born in Moscow, she picked up tennis at age eight and turned pro in 2003. ...