2005 Tennisrulz Reader Awards

Well, the results are finally in. And we have a new "Supernova"... err, I mean "Princess" of the people.

No matter how you look at it, Sania Mirza is a star. So much so, she's "pulled a Sharapova" in the 2005 Tennisrulz Awards voting. A year after the Russian teenager walked away as the winner in a poll-best three categories in both of the last two years, it was the Indian teenager who led the way as a three-time winner in 2005. Sharapova's 2005 haul? Would you believe she didn't win a single category? Fickle are the hands of fate, I guess.

Tennisrulz head honcho Pierre Cantin wishes to send out a big thank-you to all the voters from the 103 different nations who participated in this year's voting, joined in full force (and with obvious effect) by all of you in India, who ranked fourth in total votes cast, behind the U.S., U.K. and Australia). Come on, guys... you can do better than that, right? I mean, Sania didn't win every category she was listed in, so there's still room for improvement.

So, without further ago, YOUR 2005 Tennisrulz Awards winners:

**PLAYER OF THE YEAR**
63%...Kim Clijsters
14%...Venus Williams
9%...Lindsay Davenport
9%..Justine Henin-Hardenne

**BREAKOUT PLAYER**
38%...Sania Mirza
26%...Anna-Lena Groenefeld
15%...Ana Ivanovic

**FAST RISING**
37%...Nicole Vaidisova
14%...Sania Mirza
9%...Anna-Lena Groenefeld
9%...Jelena Jankovic

**NEWCOMER**
26%...Sania Mirza
21%...Nicole Vaidisova
11%...Ana Ivanovic
11%...Sesil Karatantcheva

**MOST IMPROVED**
48%...Daniela Hantuchova
7%...Samantha Stosur
7%...Angela Haynes
7%...Maria Vento-Kabchi

**SURPRISE**
19%...Jill Craybas
14%...Zi Yan
11%...Alona Bondarenko
11%...Samantha Stosur

**VETERAN**
40%...Lindsay Davenport
31%...Mary Pierce
7%...Virginia Ruano-Pascual

**COMEBACK PLAYER**
49%...Kim Clijsters
15%...Venus Williams
13%...Mary Pierce

**DOUBLES PLAYER**
32%...Virginia Ruano-Pascual
29%...Martina Navratilova
7%...Cara Black
7%..Paola Suarez

**DISAPPOINTMENT**
23%...Svetlana Kuznetsova
20%...Vera Zvonareva
17%...Jelena Dokic

**TOP PERFORMANCE**
21%...Venus Williams (Wimbledon)
18%...Kim Clijsters (North American hardcourts)
15%...Mary Pierce (Roland Garros/US Open)

**TOP 15 in 2006**
23%...Sania Mirza
23%...Anna-Lena Groenefeld
15%...Maria Kirilenko


Full results can be found here.

=========================
=========================

[past Tennisrulz Awards winners]

**2003**
Player of the Year: Justine Henin-Hardenne
Breakout: Maria Sharapova
Newcomer: Maria Sharapova
Fast Rising: Maria Sharapova
Most Improved: Shinobu Asagoe
Surprise: Marlene Weingartner
Veteran: Lindsay Davenport
Comeback: Martina Navratilova
Doubles: Kim Clijsters
Disappointment: Daniela Hantuchova
Top Performance: Justine Henin-Hardenne (US Open)
Rebound '04: Jelena Dokic
Breakout '04: Myriam Casanova

**2004**
Player of the Year: Maria Sharapova
Breakout: Maria Sharapova
Fast Rising: Alicia Molik
Newcomer: Tatiana Golovin
Most Improved: Jelena Jankovic
Surprise: Jelena Jankovic
Veteran: Lindsay Davenport
Comeback: Mary Pierce
Doubles: Cara Black
Doubles Team: Ruano-Pascual/Suarez
Disappointment: Kim Clijsters
Missed Most: Kim Clijsters
Top Performance: Maria Sharapova (Wimbledon)
Comeback '05: Kim Clijsters
It Girl '05: Tatiana Golovin
2005 #1: Amelie Mauresmo