Mirza Makes History; Gaudio, Johansson Shoot for 2nd 2005 Titles
Posted on February 13, 2005
Roddick Powers Past Haas to ATP San Jose FinalTop-seeded Andy Roddick powered past Germany's Tommy Haas 7-6(3), 6-3 Saturday night at the ATP stop in San Jose to gain his first final of 2005.
"I was just fortunate to get through the first set and I picked my game up in the second set," Roddick said. "Tommy wasn't serving as hard as he normally does...I picked up my serving today."
Haas broke in the first game of the second set but squandered his next service game, and failed to convert on two break points on Roddick's serve in the final game of the match.
In the championship Roddick will face unseeded Frenchman Cyril Saulnier, who came back from a set down to defeat No. 7 seed Jurgen "Tuna" Melzer 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-3.
"I'm very happy," Saulnier said. "It's taken a lot of work and a lot of fighting in my mind. Sometimes I didn't believe I could get to a final and now I am here. Last year was my best year. I've stayed mentally strong. I've played good matches against top guys. I'm telling myself I'm on the way."
Melzer twisted his ankle in the second set, with his movement noticeable hampered.
"I was playing all right. I was dictating the game," Melzer said. "After that happened, it was tough for me. I couldn't move to my forehand and it was tough on some backhands. My game wasn't the same as before. But some guys get tight and you might have a chance to get back in the match."
It is the career-first final for the 29-year-old Saulnier, who has lost to Roddick in three sets in both of their career encounters.
Johansson Shooting for Second 2005 Title at ATP Marseille
Swede Joachim "The Jackhammer" Johansson will attempt to become the first player to win two singles titles in 2005 when he takes on Croat Ivan Ljubicic in what promises to be a serving contest in the final of the ATP stop at Marseille.
The No. 3-seeded Johansson, who won Adelaide in January in his first event, came from a set down in the semifinals Saturday at San Jose to defeat No. 6 seed Feliciano "F-Lo" Lopez 6-7(1), 7-6(6), 6-4.
"I didn't serve very well the first two sets, whereas he started very strongly," said Johansson, who dropped 19 aces on the Spaniard. "But once I won the second set, I served a lot better, with more aces, and his level went down a bit."
Ivan Ljubicic outlasted countryman Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in the other semifinal.
"The key of the match was clearly break point conversions," Ljubicic said. "I think I saved 18 of 20 break points which is unbelievable. He wasn't able to take his chances and I was and that was the difference today."
Ljubicic has won both his career meetings with Johansson, both in 2004 on hardcourts.
Cinderella Puerta to Face Gaudio in ATP Buenos Aires Dirt Final
Argentine wildcard Mariano Puerta's Cinderella story continued Saturday at the ATP claycourt stop in Buenos Aires.
Puerta, the former Top 20-ranked player who last year competed almost solely on the challenger circuit and finished outside the Top 250 on the ATP Rankings, reached his first tournament final since 2000 by defeating Jose Acasuso 6-4, 7-6(5).
In the final Puerta will be hard-pressed to continue his run against No. 2 seed and current Roland Garros holder Gaston Gaudio, who defeated Spaniard Al Martin in straight sets.
Gaudio, attempting to become the first player to win two titles in 2005, has won four of his five career meetings with Puerta, all on clay.
Mauresmo, Safina Gain WTA Paris Finale
No. 2 seed Amelie Mauresmo will face unseeded Russian Dinara Safina Sunday in the finale of the WTA stop at Paris, the Open Gaz de France.
Mauresmo denied an all-Russian final by overcoming No. 4 seed Nadia Petrova 7-5, 6-3, while Safina won a slugfest with France's unseeded Tatiana Golovin 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(2).
"I'm just enjoying it," Mauresmo said. "I want to win this tournament for the second time in this wonderful atmosphere. In the first set, I was not moving very well on the court but after this, I was much better."
For Safina the week's results surpassed her expectations.
"I'm surprised -- I don't know how I did it," Safina said. "It's been an unbelievable week. When I came here, my goal was to qualify for the second round."
Mauresmo beat Safina 6-0 in the third set of their only meeting in January at the Australian Open, where Safina drew the ire of brother Marat.
Mirza Makes History in Home Event at WTA Hyderabad
18-year-old Sania Mirza outlasted the Ukraine's Alonya Bondarenko to win the WTA Hyderabad Open Saturday, becoming the first Indian woman to win a WTA Tour title.
Mirza raced to a 5-1 lead in the fifth, failing to serve the match out before eventually clinching 6-4, 5-7, 6-3.
"This win has made me believe more in myself and I can now hope to do better in the coming days," Mirza said. "I wanted to win this tournament very badly since it was in my hometown."
In the all-Chinese doubles final, Zi Yan and Jie Zheng shocked Olympic gold medal winners Ting Li and Tian Tian Sun 6-4, 6-1.
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