| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
Samantha Stosur has won her second career WTA title defeating 7th seed Vera Zvonareva 6-0, 6-3 in the final of the $700,000 Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina.
The Australia's No.1 player dominated the first set surrendering only five points to her Russian opponent and winning it in just 18 minutes. She then raced to a 3-0 lead in the second before Zvonareva, behind 15-40 in the fourth game, destroyed her racquet on court and then came back to save the two (double) break points. The Russian went on to win the game but trailed 3-1, such was Stosur's dominance that it had taken Vera 35 minutes to register her first game.
The match then tightened with the next two games going on serve and the players trading breaks in the seventh and eighth games. The No.4 seed, Stosur, kept her calm, eventually serving out the match to love.
Stosur who wore a left wristband bearing the words 'attitude' and 'composure' was pleased with her performance. "To be able to play that well in a final is a great feeling," Stosur said. "You always hope you'll do that, but to actually go and perform that way is very, very pleasing.
"Vera and I played a few weeks ago in Indian Wells and I was able to do it there too. Obviously I wasn't taking anything for granted here, and I definitely had to play well."
Post match the No. 7 seed Zvonareva said she was disappointed. "Right now I'm a little bit disappointed about the match. Overall I think it's a good start to the claycourt season though. It was my first claycourt tournament in about two years, so I should be happy.
"Hopefully I can keep improving my game and play well the rest of the claycourt season."
This win is Stosur's second Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title having won the first on hard courts at Osaka last year. "The first title I won is always going to be very special. It took me a while to get that," Stosur said.
"This is bigger than Osaka though. To do it on clay and playing well all week is just a great feeling. You can't really compare the two, but this is definitely a bigger event and I'm pleased I was able to play so well."
The 26-year-old Australian hit 36 winners in the final of the Family Circle Cup and at 52 minutes it was the quickest final in the history of the tournament (first held in 1973). Stosur is the first Australian to win the event and is expected to return to No.10 in the new rankings released on Monday 19 April.
Zvonareva has now lost to Stosur five times in a row and will slip to 10-12 in Tour singles finals while Stosur is 2-5 in Tour singles finals.
File Photograph Copyright: Charlie Cowins
- 20/04/2010 08:47 - Defending Champ Nadal withdraws from Barcelona Open; Gasquet, Almagro enter 2nd Round
- 19/04/2010 12:53 - Nadal ends 11-month wait for title, drubs Verdasco in Monte Carlo Final
- 19/04/2010 08:38 - Leg injury forces Bhupathi retirement in Monte-Carlo Doubles Final











