The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Kirilenko is champion at Estoril

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 21, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Sport

Sport - Tennis

Kirilenko is champion at Estoril

James Blake in U.S. men’s claycourt championship final

— Photo: AP

PRIZED POSSESSION: Maria Kirilenko kisses the trophy after her straight-set win over Iveta Benesova in the Estoril Open.

OEIRAS (Portugal): Maria Kirilenko beat Iveta Benesova 6-4, 6-2 on Sunday to win the Estoril Open tennis tournament and her third career title.

The second-seeded Russian broke Benesova’s serve five times on the clay court, helped by the Czech’s five double faults. It was the third straight tournament that Benesova lost in the final.

Neither players held serve confidently in the first set with two breaks apiece going into the 10th game and Kirilenko leading 5-4.

But Kirilenko picked her spot for a forehand winner along the line for 30-30. Benesova then shot wide to set up a first set point before rain forced an interruption.

After the 41-minute delay, Benesova, who sits 100 spots below Kirilenko in the rankings, netted from a long rally to hand the 32nd-ranked Russian the first set.

Federer through

In the men’s section, Roger Federer reached his first final of the year on Saturday, rallying to beat Denis Gremelmayr of Germany 2-6, 7-5, 6-1.

Federer has not had to play five tournaments to get a shot at his first trophy of the season since 2000. Federer’s previous best result in 2008 had been a semifinal loss to eventual champion Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.

Serena in final

In Charleston, fifth seed Serena Williams, seeking her third WTA title of the year, reached the Family Circle Cup final by beating French teenager Alize Cornet 7-5, 6-3 on Saturday.

Easy for Blake

Meanwhile at Houston, top-seeded American James Blake booked his berth in the final of the U.S. men’s claycourt championship on Saturday with a straight-set victory over eighth-seeded Oscar Hernandez.

Blake, 28, defeated the Spaniard 6-3, 7-6(3) to give himself a chance to add a first career claycourt title to the 10 singles titles he has claimed on other surfaces.

The results:

At Estoril (ATP & WTA Estoril Open): Final: Women: Maria Kirilenko bt Iveta Benesova 6-4, 6-2. Semifinals: Men: Roger Federer bt Denis Gremelmayr 2-6, 7-5, 6-1; Nikolay Davydenko bt Florent Serra 6-2, 6-2.

Women: Kirilenko bt Klara Zakopalova 2-6, 6-3, 7-5; Benesova bt Marat Ani 6-2, 6-1.

At Valencia (ATP Valencia Open): Semifinals: David Ferrer bt Tommy Robredo 2-6, 6-2, 6-3; Nicolas Almagro bt Evgeny Korolev 6-1, 6-4.

At Houston (ATP U.S. claycourt Championship): Semifinals: James Blake bt Oscar Hernandez 6-3, 7-6(3); Marcel Granollers-Pujol bt Wayne Odesnik 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.

At Charleston (WTA Family Circle Cup): Semifinals: Serena Williams bt Alize Cornet 7-5, 6-3; Vera Zvonareva bt Elena Dementieva 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-3. — Agencies

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport