Radwanska claims Dubai crown

Updated February 26, 2012 08:18:46

Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska signalled herself as a growing threat on Saturday when she clinched her eighth career title courtesy of a 7-5, 6-4 win over Germany's Julia Goerges in the final of the Dubai Open.

The 22-year-old's win underlined her as one of the game's cleverest players, her subtle changes of pace and direction luring her more powerful opponent into self-destruction.

Goerges nevertheless did well enough, during a week in which she also beat former world number one Caroline Wozniacki, to suggest that her flat-hitting, net-attacking game may play a more prominent role in future.

"I had to play my best to beat her," said Radwanska, who has lost only to world number one Victoria Azarenka this year. "She hits so well it is hard to see the ball.

"But I try to be calm, because, if you're not, everything gets worse. I'm happy to have been playing great tennis at the start of this year. I just hope I can play this tennis the rest of the year."

There were two moments when the match might have taken a different course.

One came towards the end of the first set when a Goerges break-back threatened to develop into dangerous momentum, and the other happened when a Hawkeye decision went against her, preventing her reaching break point at the start of the second set.

After Goerges recovered from a bad start and went from 2-4 to 5-4 she would also have reached 6-5, motoring well, had she converted any of her four game points in the 12th game.

But Radwanska skilfully denied her all four of them, and at break point down Goerges reached a decent position at the net, only to volley wide.

Goerges also began the second set encouragingly and thought she had earned a chance to reach 2-0 when at deuce a line judge called Radwanska's inside-out drive wide.

But the Pole demanded a video replay which showed the ball catching the outside of the line as it slithered into the tramlines.

Perhaps the disappointment affected the unseeded player, for Goerges dropped serve in the next game and was never quite able to repair the damage.

Radwanska held serve all through the second set, weaving attractive ground stroke patterns behind mostly well-placed deliveries, and sturdily surviving a break back point at 30-40 in the final game.

The closeness of that finish suggested Goerges is capable of improving on the career-best ranking of 16 which she will achieve next week, and perhaps of pushing into the top ten.

One of her improvements is in her mind.

"When something didn't go in the direction I wanted to, it really used to affect me mentally," Goerges admitted. "Now I try to get out of it and take the challenge."

The week also saw Radwanska score her 300th win on tour, beat Jelena Jankovic, the former world number one from Serbia in the semi-finals, and earn her biggest pay packet, $417,686.

AFP

Tags: sport, tennis, united-arab-emirates

First posted February 26, 2012 08:15:40

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Murray defeats Djokovic in Dubai

Updated March 03, 2012 15:37:43

Andy Murray defeated world number one Novak Djokovic 6-2, 7-5 to reach the final of the ATP Tour's Dubai Open, where he will meet Roger Federer in the title match.

It was Djokovic's first defeat of the season after picking up his fifth Grand Slam title at the Australian Open where he had beaten Murray in a thrilling five-set semi-final.

Federer beat Juan Martin del Potro 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (8-6) in his semi-final with the Swiss great saving four set points in the second set tie-break.

Sunday's match (AEDT) will be Federer's 102nd career final where he will also get the chance of extending his record of Dubai Open titles to five at his second home.

Federer scored his third win this year over the dangerous Del Potro, who returned to the world's top 10 last month for the first time since wrist surgery in 2010 consigned him to a ranking close to 500.

But it required Federer to make a fine comeback in the second set tie-break, in which he was 2-6 down with four set points against him before producing a wonderful six-point streak to close the match out.

"I hung in there and I thought I played a good match," said Federer. "He almost pulled the first set 'breaker back from 2-6, and there was little between us tonight. I just fought well and got a little lucky.

"It's good to see Juan back and it's good to be in another final. It's also nice to play again against Andy as I don't think we played at all last year."

The earlier semi-final was an unpredictable match, with two or three surprising twists and turns, and with Djokovic attacking the net far more than usual, but Murray the better server and more consistent player.

"It's obviously great any time you beat the world number one," Murray said. "I just tried to do some of the same things I did in Australia.

"I was very close there against one of the greatest players ever, and today I did what I needed to - even though it nearly got away from me at the end."

Djokovic said he had simply lost to the better player on the day.

"But generally I feel good, physically, mentally, you know. It's just the start of the season. You know, there are some 1000 events (Indian Wells and Miami) coming up which are really important, and I need to get ready."

AFP

Tags: sport, tennis, united-arab-emirates

First posted March 03, 2012 09:20:51

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Jankovic upsets Stosur to reach Dubai semis

Updated February 24, 2012 09:52:30

Former world number one Jelena Jankovic has returned to somewhere nearer her best form to upset Samantha Stosur and reach the semi-finals of the Dubai Open in her adopted home city.

It is the eighth-seeded Serb's first semi-final of the year and also her best win for 12 months as she beat the fourth-seeded US Open champion from Australia 6-4, 6-2.

Jankovic achieved it despite a slowly healing muscle tear in her left thigh which, she says, was originally "5.5 centimetres long."

She mostly adopted a more assertive style than she once had, controlling more of the rallies, and reducing the amount of court she needed to cover.

Stosur, by contrast, appeared subdued, looked travel-weary, and sounded as if she might be suffering from a cold.

Having a base locally may have aided the livelier Jankovic significantly.

"I tried to make as many returns as possible, because her serve is one of the best, if not the best in the game, and it is not a typical serve," Jankovic said.

"I was trying to read it and lean to one side a little earlier. I think I did that pretty well and was in control much of the time.

"It's a long time since I have been in the final here, and that's what I'm looking to try to do."

It is seven years since Jankovic faced Lindsay Davenport in the final, and if she wins Friday's semi against Agnieszka Radwanska, the fifth-seeded Pole, it will give Jankovic a chance of going one better than she did against the former Wimbledon and US Open champion in 2005.

Jankovic survived a mini-crisis on her serve game in the seventh game when she came through three deuces, going on to make an important breakthrough for 5-3 in the next game.

She broke much earlier in the second set, in the third game, but was unable to consolidate it.

Three break of serves in a row followed before Jankovic held for 4-2 and then broke again with the help of a Stosur double fault.

"I felt flat, and maybe it is all catching up with me," said Stosur, referring to the travel from Australia to Switzerland for the Fed Cup and now Dubai.

"But I can't make that an excuse."

Stosur nevertheless felt that this week and last (in Doha), which brought five wins in the Middle East, is an improvement on her recent form which has yet to deliver another title since her great triumph in New York in September.

Later a ruthless Radwanska came through to face Jankovic in little more than an hour.

She allowed only three games to Sabine Lisicki, even though the Wimbledon semi-finalist from Germany is this week at a career-high world ranking of 13.

"I was playing much better than on other days," Radwanska said after her 6-2, 6-1 success.

"I was returning very well. She's a great server so I made sure I was prepared.

"I haven't played Jankovic for a few years, so it will be a challenge," she added, strangely overlooking the win she had over the Serb en route to winning the Pan-Pacific Open title in Tokyo five months ago.

Their head-to-head record is 1-1.

AFP

Tags: tennis, sport, united-arab-emirates

First posted February 23, 2012 23:33:15

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