The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Kirilenko clinches maiden WTA title

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 26, 2005

Sport

Sport - Tennis

Kirilenko clinches maiden WTA title

BEIJING: Russia's Maria Kirilenko won the China Open — her first WTA singles title — by defeating Germany's Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday.

Kirilenko, ranked No. 45 in the world, lifted both arms in jubilation as Groenefeld's final shot sailed wide. ``I'm so happy,'' she said. ``It's unbelievable, my first WTA title.''

Kirilenko had advanced to the final when World No. 1 Maria Sharapova withdrew midway through their semifinal match on Saturday with an injury.

She didn't drop a single set on her way to the title, cruising past Jamea Jackson of the United States in the first round and Aiko Nakamura of Japan in the second and then ousting China's Sun Tiantian in the quarterfinals. Sun had earlier upset defending champion Serena Williams, with Williams blaming a leg injury for her poor performance.

No. 30-ranked Groenefeld served hard in their final, but Kirilenko returned harder — slamming shots down the line to break Groenefeld's service game repeatedly.

Groenefeld, who won a doubles tournament in Bali last week, was also competing for her first WTA singles title.

It was an injury-plagued tournament. In addition to top-ranked Sharapova, top seeds Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport also withdrew with injuries. — AP

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

Sport