The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Sania's quest for second WTA title proves elusive

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 29, 2005

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Sport - Tennis

Sania's quest for second WTA title proves elusive

NEW YORK: Sania Mirza's quest for her second WTA title proved elusive as she was beaten 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 by the 60th ranked Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic in the final of the $74,800 Forest Hills Women's Tennis Classic.

The 50th ranked Sania collected 84 WTA points including 17 bonus points and $12,000. The effort should see her better the career-best ranking of 48 when the next list is released on Monday.

The 18-year-old Hyderabad lass led 6-3, 5-4, but the Czech girl, serving to stay in the match, played better to tilt the balance in her favour.

"Sania played very well. Her ground strokes and volleys were high quality. She couldn't serve that well as she did feel the strain on the abdominal muscle, especially in the third set," said Sania's father Imran Mirza.

Coach disappointed

Coach John Farrington was disappointed that Sania came a little short in the match in which there was not much difference between the two teenagers, but said that he was pleased with the girl getting adequate match practice before the U.S. Open.

"We haven't done all that we wanted to, in terms of preparation. She has worked hard and pushed enough during the matches itself," said Farrington.

Back from injury

At New Haven, Lindsay Davenport won the Pilot Pen championship on Saturday, defeating Amelie Mauresmo of France 6-4, 6-4 after missing nearly two months with a back injury.

It was Davenport's first title in New Haven, where she had lost four times in the final — three times to Venus Williams and once to Jennifer Capriati.

Davenport took control of the match early, breaking Mauresmo in the opening game. She also continued to improve her serve, which had been shaky early in the week. Davenport said she felt her service rhythm returning during the semifinals and it showed as Mauresmo struggled at times to return cleanly. Davenport improved to 10-3 in matches against Mauresmo.

Blake in final

In the men's section, American James Blake overcame rain and Romanian Victor Hanescu here to squeeze into the final. In a match interrupted by several rain delays, the 25-year-old American outlasted the unseeded Romanian 7-6(4), 6-7(3), 6-1 in little over two hours.

The results: At New Haven (Pilot Pen International): Women: final: Lindsay Davenport bt Amelie Mauresmo 6-4, 6-4. Men: semifinals: Feliciano Lopez bt David Ferrer 4-6, 6-3, 6-2; James Blake bt Victor Hanescu 7-6(4), 6-7(3), 6-1. — Agencies

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