[情報] Sugiyama Regains Gold Coast Title
Sugiyama Regains Gold Coast Title
GOLD COAST, Australia - As if her semifinal Houdini act wasn't enough, world
No.10 Ai Sugiyama proved again on Saturday she has nerves of steel,
coming from behind to defeat Russian No.2 seed Nadia Petrova 16 61 64 to win
the Uncle Tobys Hardcourts title on the Gold Coast.
The top-seeded Sugiyama, who recovered from a 1-3 third set deficit to beat
local wildcard Samantha Stosur in Friday's semifinals, trailed 0-3 and 1-4 in
the final set against 12th-ranked Petrova before storming to victory, much to
the delight of the scores of Japanese supporters.
From 4-1 in the third set, Petrova appeared to be hampered by a left gluteal
strain which she says occurred during the second set. Her movement not a
shadow of what it normally is, Sugiyama took full advantage and secured her
sixth WTA Tour singles title and second on the Gold Coast, having won here in
1998.
"First, I was happy to make it to the final," said Sugiyama.
"I had some tough matches along the way. I almost lost my match yesterday
and again today, but I just didn't give up. The key was that I just kept
playing my game. Even though I was down 4-1 in the third, I kept my
concentration. It was one of my best comebacks. I surprised myself."
Sugiyama said her second victory on the Gold Coast was sweeter than the first.
"It was a lot different for me. This one means a lot more to me. Last time,
I wasn't the top seed or ranked in the Top 10. The level of competition was
much higher this year."
Petrova made an explosive start to her second career final, winning 100% of
points on her first serve in the first set, which she snatched 6-1. But the t
ide of the match changed dramatically when Petrova lunged for a ball and
injured herself, while Sugiyama made only one unforced error in taking the
second set by the same score.
Petrova's injury didn't appear to trouble her at the start of the deciding
set, but she called for the WTA Tour primary health care provider
for treatment after the seventh game.
"I was OK at the beginning of the third, but at 3-0, we had a very long game,
and I hurt it again," said a disappointed Petrova. "I was still lucky to get
to 4-1, but after that, I was finished, and Ai kept playing some unbelievable
tennis.
"After my injury, I couldn't serve very well and couldn't get the power out
of my serve because I use my left leg a lot for my serve. I was very
disappointed because I had the match in my hand."
Petrova had also lost to Sugiyama in her debut finals appearance in Linz,
Austria last November.
For her efforts this week, Sugiyama takes home US$27,000 while Petrova earns
US$14,500.
In the doubles final, top seeds Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Likhovtseva
restored some pride for Russia, defeating No.2 seeds Liezel Huber of South
Africa and Bulgarian Magdalena Maleeva 63 64.
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