Medina, Cho in WTA Canberra Final
Posted on January 12, 2006Tournament favorite Anabel Medina Garrigues battled through a stubborn opponent while unheralded Yoon Jeong Cho kept on winning, as semifinal action was completed at the Richard Luton Properties Canberra International, a $145,000 Tier IV Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event leading up to next week's Australian Open.
Medina Garrigues, the top seed this week, fought until the bitter end against No.4 seed Shahar Peer in scorching hot temperatures, advancing to her seventh career Tour singles final with a marathon 67(4) 75 64 victory over the talented Israeli teenager. After dropping a one-hour-and-a-half first set, Medina Garrigues was in deep trouble at 4-all in the second, going down 0-40 on her serve, but managed to hold steady and push the match to a deciding third. The Spaniard raced out to a 5-1 lead in the final set, but almost let it slip away by allowing Peer to close to 5-4. However, she closed it out in the 10th game by breaking her younger opponent's serve.
"It was a very tough match and she played very well," said Medina Garrigues, who will be seeking her fifth career Tour singles title, having won at Palermo three times and at Strasbourg once. "I had chances in the first set, but when I lost it I just told myself, okay, I have two to go. It was difficult because it was very hot and there were many long points, but I am a Spanish player and all our matches are long. I am very pleased to win."
"You have seen me play and I don't ever like to lose," said Peer, who was contesting her career-first Tour singles semifinal. "But I am not unhappy with how I played. She is a very good player and she played well today. I think I had my chances, perhaps next time I will take them."
Awaiting Medina Garrigues in the final will be Cho, who upset No.6 seed Catalina Castano 63 26 63 in the feature night match on Thursday. Cho will be contesting her third career Tour singles final on Friday, having finished runner-up at Pattaya City in 2002 and at Auckland in 2003.
"I think it means more to make this final, because of the tough times I have had," said Cho, who was off the Tour for three months after the 2005 US Open due to a back injury. "I will need to play well tomorrow, but I think my form is good. I have confidence from winning some tough matches here."
Medina Garrigues and Cho have experienced similarly-tough paths to the Canberra final. The Spaniard has gone to three tough sets twice, in the first round against Swiss lucky loser Emmanuelle Gagliardi and on Thursday against Peer. Cho has gone to three sets twice as well, in the quarterfinals against Hungary's Melinda Czink and against Castano. This will be their first meeting on the Tour.
In Friday's doubles final, No.3 seeds Marta Domachowska and Roberta Vinci will face No.4 seeds Claire Curran and Liga Dekmeijere. Domachowksa and Vinci ousted No.2 seeds Gagliardi and Tathiana Garbin 75 06 64 in the semifinals, while Curran and Dekmeijere beat Virginie Razzano and Antonella Serra Zanetti 61 64. (WTA)
Medina Garrigues, the top seed this week, fought until the bitter end against No.4 seed Shahar Peer in scorching hot temperatures, advancing to her seventh career Tour singles final with a marathon 67(4) 75 64 victory over the talented Israeli teenager. After dropping a one-hour-and-a-half first set, Medina Garrigues was in deep trouble at 4-all in the second, going down 0-40 on her serve, but managed to hold steady and push the match to a deciding third. The Spaniard raced out to a 5-1 lead in the final set, but almost let it slip away by allowing Peer to close to 5-4. However, she closed it out in the 10th game by breaking her younger opponent's serve.
"It was a very tough match and she played very well," said Medina Garrigues, who will be seeking her fifth career Tour singles title, having won at Palermo three times and at Strasbourg once. "I had chances in the first set, but when I lost it I just told myself, okay, I have two to go. It was difficult because it was very hot and there were many long points, but I am a Spanish player and all our matches are long. I am very pleased to win."
"You have seen me play and I don't ever like to lose," said Peer, who was contesting her career-first Tour singles semifinal. "But I am not unhappy with how I played. She is a very good player and she played well today. I think I had my chances, perhaps next time I will take them."
Awaiting Medina Garrigues in the final will be Cho, who upset No.6 seed Catalina Castano 63 26 63 in the feature night match on Thursday. Cho will be contesting her third career Tour singles final on Friday, having finished runner-up at Pattaya City in 2002 and at Auckland in 2003.
"I think it means more to make this final, because of the tough times I have had," said Cho, who was off the Tour for three months after the 2005 US Open due to a back injury. "I will need to play well tomorrow, but I think my form is good. I have confidence from winning some tough matches here."
Medina Garrigues and Cho have experienced similarly-tough paths to the Canberra final. The Spaniard has gone to three tough sets twice, in the first round against Swiss lucky loser Emmanuelle Gagliardi and on Thursday against Peer. Cho has gone to three sets twice as well, in the quarterfinals against Hungary's Melinda Czink and against Castano. This will be their first meeting on the Tour.
In Friday's doubles final, No.3 seeds Marta Domachowska and Roberta Vinci will face No.4 seeds Claire Curran and Liga Dekmeijere. Domachowksa and Vinci ousted No.2 seeds Gagliardi and Tathiana Garbin 75 06 64 in the semifinals, while Curran and Dekmeijere beat Virginie Razzano and Antonella Serra Zanetti 61 64. (WTA)