Dementieva Beats Sharapova for WTA Toronto Title

August 23rd, 2009

Dementieva Beats Sharapova for WTA Toronto Title

by Staff

Elena Dementieva beat Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-3 for her 14th singles title on Sunday at the Rogers Cup in Toronto.

The straight-setter in the final came after Dementieva did likewise to Serena Williams in the semifinals.

“I just feel I played a huge day,” Dementieva said. “I was fighting for every point, so many long rallies. It was not the way I like to play — it was a more defensive game today — but against her, it’s very hard to be aggressive because she puts a lot of pressure on the first two shots, so you need to work on defense before you have your chances to go for your shots.”

Dementieva rose to 3-1 in tour finals this year.

Sharapova came into the final unseeded, upsetting No.10 seed Nadia Petrova, No.7 seed Vera Zvonareva and No.14 seed Agnieszka Radwanska.

“Elena is a grinder and gets a lot of balls back, so the most important thing against her is execution. I just wasn’t able to do that,” said Sharapova, who had 48 unforced errors. “I wasn’t as fresh as I was in the first round, but it was the final, and you can’t really think about it. It was a really great week for me, though. Playing six matches was great leading up to the US Open. This was really good preparation.”

Also Check Out:
Henin, Sharapova Face Serbian Challenge at French Open
Venus Beats Serena, Joins Jankovc, Zvonareva in Doha Championships Semifinals
Rezai Adds Sharapova Scalp to Venus at WTA Istanbul
Shaky Safina, Sharapova Win at US Open
Clijsters Fights Off 3 Match Points, Beats Sharapova for WTA Cincinnati Crown

Filed under: Tennis
Tags: Elena Dementieva, Maria Sharapova, Toronto, WTA

10 Comments for Dementieva Beats Sharapova for WTA Toronto Title

tenisbebe Says:

Only caught the last game of the match as was returning from Bryan/Nestor.Z doubles. How did mAria’s serve look?

August 25th, 2009 at 1:02 am

jane Says:

Tenisbebe, Maria’s serve was pretty good throughout the three matches I saw her play (against Zvonereva, Radwanska and Dementieva). The best match I saw from her was the quarterfinal match. She was using the court very well, showing a lot of variety (lobs, swinging volleys, great angles). I was impressed with her form. However, she seemed to struggle more in the next two matches, maybe a bit tired. But she fought so hard, as usual. Her serve was a weapon, at times, but she threw in a number of doubles too. Same with her return; at times it was jaw-dropping good, and other times way off the mark (too many errors, possibly from fatigue).

I enjoyed all the WTA matches I saw, actually; Dementieva did really well against Serena and Sharapova. I have some renewed hope for what could transpire at the USO on the women’s side.

August 25th, 2009 at 1:16 am

Tennis online Says:

Maria - good luck in US Open. Elena was great in Toronto

August 25th, 2009 at 3:55 am

Giner Says:

Why can’t she beat these players in a slam?

August 25th, 2009 at 8:31 pm

tenisbebe Says:

Jane - many thanks for your analysis. Maria’s been having such a difficult time adjusting to her new service motion & let’s face it, when you don’t serve well the rest of your game can go away quickly. Elena was the exception to that rule but now that she has her 1st serve problems solved, I’ve enjoyed watching her play. Glad to hear Maria’s game is coming along - the WTA needs her.

August 25th, 2009 at 9:07 pm

jane Says:

Giner it would certainly be nice to see Dementieva win a slam; she was awfully close to beating Serena at Wimbledon, so I think she can beat these players in a slam. Women’s slam matches are 3 sets as well, so it’s not a question of 3 vs. 5 sets, like with the men. So I think it’s a matter of time. Elena has choked a lot in the past because of her serve, but it seems to be better now if not fantastic, so maybe she can get her first major.

Tenisbebe - I agree. Even though a lot of fans don’t like Maria, a lot of fans do like her, and she’s a multiple slam winner and high profile player. I think her presence on the tour can only benefit.

August 25th, 2009 at 10:11 pm

David Says:

Jane:

I agree that Dementieva has a strong shot at the Open this year. Did you see any of her match though against Venus earlier this summer? I was surprised she lost that badly.

August 25th, 2009 at 10:21 pm

kamret Says:

I am from Toronto and it was a real pleasure to watch Elena Dementieva play and win. I was really impressed by her game. But what impressed me even more was her friendliness to her fans. She is as sweet as she is beautiful!

August 26th, 2009 at 12:03 am

Giner Says:

What I totally see happening is she loses to one of the Williams sisters in a semi. Again. She can beat them outside of a slam, but they lift their game (like Federer) on the biggest stage.

It would be great for her if she manages to bag one by the end of her career, but I don’t expect her to win a slam, ever. She’s almost 28 so time is running out.

August 26th, 2009 at 7:07 pm

jane Says:

Too bad: Dementieva and Sharapova could meet as early as the third round at the Open. I’d hate to see either of them go out that soon. I’d pick Elena to win, though, based on present form.

August 27th, 2009 at 10:55 pm