The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Radek Stepanek beats Blake to take title

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Tuesday, Jul 24, 2007
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Sport - Tennis

Radek Stepanek beats Blake to take title

Chakvetadze takes honours at Cincinnati; Darcis triumphs

LOS ANGELES: Czech Radek Stepanek banished memories of a nightmare end to last year by upsetting James Blake 7-6(7), 5-7, 6-2 in the final of the Los Angeles Classic on Sunday.

The 28-year-old from Karvina broke the second-seeded American twice in the third set to seal victory in two hours 20 minutes at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.

Despite taking a medical timeout late in the match to have treatment on his left hamstring, Stepanek outplayed his more powerful opponent with guile and impressive speed about the court.

Out of action for six months last year because of a neck injury that he felt might curtail his career, the unseeded Czech celebrated his second ATP title in exuberant fashion.

He performed a break dance in front of the crowd before throwing his racket into the stands and falling to the ground.

“I don’t know what I did, I just couldn’t believe that I was able to win it,” a beaming Stepanek told reporters. “I felt a release in the body and then I just fell down.

“It is an incredible feeling. At one point, I was scared I was not going to play tennis any more. But I came back and I can’t complain today.

“I went through a very tough time in my career so this title means for me a lot more than the first one,” the Czech added, referring to his only other ATP success in Rotterdam last year.

Top-seeded Anna Chakvetadze won her third title of the year when she downed seventh-seeded Akiko Morigami 6-1, 6-3 in the final of the Cincinnati Women’s Open.

The 20-year-old from Moscow remained perfect in WTA Tour finals with a 5-0 record after winning titles in Guangzhou and Moscow last year, and at Hobart and ’s-Hertogenbosch this year. “I didn’t think it would be that easy,” said Chakvetadze, the WTA’s eighth-ranked player.

Belgian qualifier Steve Darcis clinched his first significant title when he beat Austrian Werner Eschauer 6-1, 7-6(1) in the final of the Amersfoort Open on Sunday.

Horna advances

At Kitzbuehel, Luis Horna beat Jeremy Chardy of France 7-5, 6-3 on Monday to advance to the second round of the Austrian Open.

The results: