Murray clinches Brisbane crown

By Luke Pentony at Pat Rafter Arena

Updated January 07, 2013 08:19:19

World number three Andy Murray completed a successful defence of his Brisbane International title with a straight-sets victory over Grigor Dimitrov at Pat Rafter Arena.

Murray triumphed 7-6 (7-0), 6-4, although the scoreline perhaps did not indicate the thorough examination of the US Open and Olympic champion carried out by the 48th-ranked Dimitrov.

The 21-year-old Bulgarian served notice he is a star of the future, breaking Murray’s serve in each set, but the experience of the Scot told when it counted and he proceeded to collect his 25th career title.

Murray will no doubt be pleased to have the Roy Emerson Trophy in his possession again, but it was hardly a convincing performance.

His seven aces were balanced with four double faults, his second serve often proving to be a weakness during the match.

Nevertheless, he is confident enough about his chances at the Australian Open, especially since he will arrive at Melbourne Park with a victory at a major under his belt.

“I do feel more relaxed one week out from a slam than previously, that’s for sure,” Murray said.

While there is rustiness to be removed from Murray’s game prior to the season’s opening major, credit must be given to Dimitrov for testing his opponent.

The 21-year-old was contesting his first ATP World Tour final and he displayed a powerful all-court game throughout the tournament.

Murray noted the improvement in Dimitrov’s game since they last met in 2011, highlighting his ability to “play a lot of different shots”.

“He has a lot of variety,” Murray said.

“He seems a bit stronger since I last played him ... and he seemed to enjoy the occasion.”

Dimitrov led the men’s draw for aces heading into the final and his confidence in his serve was on show when he won the opening game of the tournament decider.

A key moment of the first set followed in the next game when Dimitrov broke the Murray serve to lead 2-0, with two clean forehand winners illustrating the strength of his ground strokes.

His single-handed backhand also has the potential to become a weapon, while his work at the net on both the volley and smash was impressive, considering he is most at home on the baseline.

Dimitrov won his next service game for a 3-0 advantage before Murray finally got on the board to establish a pattern of games going on serve.

Leading 5-3, Dimitrov served for the set but the pressure exerted by Murray and some rash shot-making from his counterpart saw the latter earn two break points.

He converted on the second and set up a 5-5 scoreline by winning his service game, although Dimitrov did not concede any free points.

He fought back from 15-40 and saved game point on four occasions before Murray finally held serve amid great frustration.

Dimitrov moved ahead 6-5 in the next game prior to having a set point on the Murray serve, but the tournament’s top seed again found enough to hold and force the tie-break.

The saved set point seemed to inspire Murray, who sent down a thundering ace to close out the tie-break in emphatic fashion, winning 7-0.

The second set began in unremarkable fashion with games going on serve until the seventh.

Murray saved two break points before Dimitrov converted on his third to lead 4-3 but the score was level again the following game.

Dimitrov had led 30-0 on his serve prior to Murray reeling off four consecutive points to break with a brilliant passing shot.

He then served to love to lead 5-4 and the momentum he had quickly gained saw him again break Dimitrov to clinch the victory.

Tags: sport, tennis, brisbane-4000, qld

First posted January 06, 2013 17:38:33

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Serena wins fourth US Open crown

Updated September 10, 2012 15:40:26

Serena Williams captured her 15th grand slam title and fourth career US Open crown with a 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 victory over world number one Victoria Azarenka on Monday (AEST).

In the first three-set final at the US Open since 1995, American fourth seed Williams joined her sister Venus and Steffi Graf as the only women to win Wimbledon, the Olympics and the US Open in the same year.

Pushed to her limit for the only time in the Flushing Meadows fortnight, Williams was down a break twice in the third set but battled back to win after two hours and 18 minutes when Azarenka swatted a backhand long.

"I honestly can't believe I won," Williams said.

"I was preparing my runner-up speech. I'm so shocked. It's remarkable."

Williams, who turns 31 on September 26, became the second-oldest US Open women's champion in the Open era. Australian Margaret Court was one month past her 31st birthday when she won the 1973 title.

Not since Martina Navratilova in 1987 had a woman won the US Open title past her 30th birthday.

Taking home a top prize of $1.8 million, Williams won her 45th career title after finishing second to Australia's Samantha Stosur in 2011 following a year of health problems that included blood clots on her lungs.

Williams won prior US Open titles in 1999, 2002 and 2008 and added Grand Slam crowns at the 2002 French Open, the 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010 Australian Opens and Wimbledon in 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010 and 2012.

Olympic bronze medallist Azaranka, whose 1-9 record against Williams in prior matches included losses in this year's Olympic and Wimbledon semi-finals, won her first grand slam title at this year's Australian Open.

But no women's top seed has won a US Open title since Justine Henin in 2007 and none has won a Grand Slam title since Serena Williams in 2010 at Wimbledon.

"Serena deserves to win. She showed how true a champion she is," Azarenka said.

"I definitely gave it all today. Stepping off this court I will have no regrets."

Williams, in a third set at the US Open for the first time since 2006, exchanged early breaks with Azarenka in the final set.

Azarenka, unbeaten in 12 prior three-set matches this year, broke Williams at love for a 4-3 lead, but was broken back when she served for the match in the 10th game, netting a forehand to pull Williams level at 5-5.

The American held serve and then watched as Azarenka twice hit errant shots when she was a point from forcing the first third-set tie-breaker in a US Open women's final since 1985. Williams then won on her first match-point chance.

The 13-year gap between Williams winning her first Slam title at age 17 at the US Open and now marks the longest span between first and most recent titles in US Open history and for any Grand Slam in the Open era that began in 1968.

No US Open women's final had gone to a third set since Steffi Graf went the distance to defeat Monica Seles 7-6 (8-6), 0-6, 6-3 some 17 years ago.

Williams stretched her match-win streak against world number one players to five in a row, last losing to a rankings leader in 2007 when Justine Henin beat her, and 15 for her career, three shy of Navratilova's all-time record.

It was the fourth time Williams defeated a world number one in a Grand Slam final after Martina Hingis in the 1999 US Open, Venus Williams in 2002 Wimbledon and Lindsay Davenport in the 2005 Australian Open.

AFP

Tags: sport, tennis, united-states

First posted September 10, 2012 09:18:18

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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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Kanepi storms to Brisbane crown

Updated January 08, 2012 08:38:44

Estonia's Kaia Kanepi produced a stunning display of attacking tennis and a formidable serve to blitz Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova and win the Brisbane International.

Kanepi, ranked 34th, was in irresistible form as she destroyed her opponent, ranked 10 places above her, 6-2, 6-1 in 74 minutes on Pat Rafter Arena.

The 26-year-old Kanepi overpowered Hantuchova with the ferocity of her groundstrokes, her backhand particularly damaging throughout.

"I can't believe what I have done, and how well I have played and who I have beaten and by what score," a delighted Kanepi said.

While her serve was not as effective as in previous rounds, she still did not face a single break point during the final.

"A year ago my coach said that I wasn't serving that well and that in half a year I had to be serving like a top 10 player.

"So we have been working very hard on the serve, the technique and everything and I think the work we've done a year ago is paying off right now."

Kanepi broke Hantuchova twice in the first set as her fierce returns placed enormous pressure on the Slovakian, and when she raced away to a 4-0 lead in the second the final was as good as over.

Hantuchova went out fighting however and managed to save three match points, but on the fourth a tired looking backhand into the net handed the title to the Estonian.

"I felt like I played a great match from the start to the end but she didn't give me too many chances," Hantuchova said.

"She was better in all the departments of the game and she really deserved to win.

"When she's on her game it's really hard to do anything and she's been playing like this all week, and when she puts it all together she's a dangerous player.

"If she can do this week in and week out she can be up in the top 10 very soon."

Kanepi went into the match on the back of an impressive semi-final defeat of third seed Francesca Schiavone, where she dropped just three games.

The Estonian also knocked out second seed Andrea Petkovic in the quarters and seventh-ranked Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the second round.

Ironically, her toughest match came in the first round when she took three sets to defeat Russian qualifier Alexandra Panova.

"It doesn't happen too often in a tournament that I won the matches I did with those scores - it was my week and I played really well," she said.

The win gives Kanepi her second title on the WTA tour, her first coming in Palermo in 2010.

It also means she will return to the world's top 30 after falling down the rankings in 2011 due to an Achilles injury.

"History has shown that nothing comes easy for me so I have to continue working hard," she said.

Last year's Brisbane International winner was Petra Kvitova, who like Kanepi was ranked 34th at the time.

The Czech Republic star has since won Wimbledon and is now world number two, hot on the heels of top player Caroline Wozniacki.

Asked if she could follow in her footsteps, Kanepi was in confident mood.

"If I'm playing like this I think I can," she said.

AFP

Tags: tennis, sport, brisbane-4000, qld, australia

First posted January 07, 2012 21:55:12

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Wozniacki claims Brussels crown

Posted May 22, 2011 06:26:00

Danish world number one Caroline Wozniacki has warmed up for the French Open in style with a three-set win over Chinese hope Shuai Peng in the WTA Brussels Open final.

Wozniacki, yet to land a grand slam, started nervously as Peng landed the first set 6-2 but righted herself to win 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 and take her 16th career title.

The Dane had already gained a boost in the semis with her three-set win over reigning French Open champion Francesca Schiavone.

Wozniacki now heads for Paris where she faces Japan's Kimiko Date-Krumm in her first round match on the red clay.

Peng, ranked 31 in the world, had seen off number two seed Vera Zvonareva of Russia in her semi but was unable to capitalise on her strong start as Wozniacki roared back for her fourth title of the season having had treatment to her left thigh in the opening set.

"I needed this tournament to finalise my preparations for Roland Garros," said Wozniacki, who finally outlasted Peng after two hours and 35 minutes to add Brussels to title wins this campaign at Dubai, Indian Wells and Charleston.

- AFP

Tags: sport, tennis, belgium

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