Russian Chakvetadze Wins 1st Title at WTA Guangzhou
Posted on October 2, 2006GUANGZHOU, China -- After reaching the semifinals at several high-profile events and notching a cluster of victories against the game's elite, she was being touted as one of the next big things in the women's game. But over the weekend in Guangzhou, Anna Chakvetadze finally placed herself at the forefront of the young Russian movement, winning her first ever Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title, capping the run with a 61 64 win over Anabel Medina Garrigues.
Chakvetadze, the No.3 seed at the Tier III event, was navigating uncharted territory by even reaching the final, where she was facing an opponent who already had six titles to her name. But her unblemished head-to-head against Medina Garrigues, which included straight set wins in all three of their previous encounters, was kept intact on Sunday. Chakvetadze belted the ball with conviction and accuracy throughout the one-hour, 35-minute affair, dominating the Spaniard in the first set and holding her off in the second for her career-first Tour title.
"I knew I had to be really aggressive today, and it worked," said the victor who has still never been pushed beyond 6-4 in a set against Medina Garrigues. "Maybe the score looked easy but it was a very difficult match. She is a top player and it was not easy to beat her. I just took my chances; fortunately I came out on top today."
Towards the end of the match, it seemed as though Medina Garrigues was finding her range and hanging tough with Chakvetadze, mixing in a larger variety of pace and spins to bring a halt to the momentum. But even a rain delay didn't phase the Russian from attaining her goal.
"When the rain started, I wanted to keep playing but she wanted to stop; I just felt like I didn't want to lose the momentum," Chakvetadze said. "In the end the rain stopped after only a few minutes so fortunately we were able to continue and I managed to win in straight sets."
Although the rankings have become increasingly populated with young, up-and-coming Russians, Chakvetadze is one of only two teenagers from her nation this year to stand in the winner's circle at a Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles event, joining fellow 19-year-old Maria Sharapova, who has made title runs this year at Indian Wells, San Diego and, of course, at the US Open. Needless to say, Chakvetadze was excited to be in such exclusive company.
"I am so happy to win my first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title," Chakvetadze added. "I have been working and hoping for this for a long time."
Medina Garrigues fell to 6-3 lifetime in Tour singles finals with the loss. The Spaniard has been one of the few multiple titlists this year, winning Tier IV tournaments at Canberra and Palermo, and was searching for her second Tier III title, having won in Strasbourg last year. But perhaps her marathon semifinal win over Tzipora Obziler caught up with her in the final.
"I was really tired from the three hour match yesterday," said the Spaniard, who stopped the surprise semifinal run of Israeli veteran Obziler in three tough sets. "Anna also was playing really well. The heat was affecting me and I just felt like she deserved to win today."
Coming in ranked No.26, Chakvetadze is projected to surpass her previous high of No.24 come Monday's rankings, at No.22 or No.23. World No.31 Medina Garrigues will re-enter the Top 30.
The Guangzhou International Women's Open crowds had been anticipating a championship match-up between top seeds Jelena Jankovic and Li Na, but in the end that wasn't to be. Jankovic was forced to stop during her semifinal against the eventual champion as the hot, humid weather finally took its toll on the explosive Serbian; Li, who has set several records for Chinese tennis throughout the last few months, was a quarterfinal victim to Obziler.
In the doubles draw, Chinese pair Li Ting and Sun Tiantian delighted the home crowd with an epic 64 26 75 championship victory over Vania King and Jelena Kostanic. The No.2-seeded home favorites edged the unseeded, first-time pairing in a thrilling third set battle to capture their ninth Tour doubles title as a team, adding to an already fantastic resume highlighted by their 2004 Athens Olympics gold medal run.
-- WTA
Chakvetadze, the No.3 seed at the Tier III event, was navigating uncharted territory by even reaching the final, where she was facing an opponent who already had six titles to her name. But her unblemished head-to-head against Medina Garrigues, which included straight set wins in all three of their previous encounters, was kept intact on Sunday. Chakvetadze belted the ball with conviction and accuracy throughout the one-hour, 35-minute affair, dominating the Spaniard in the first set and holding her off in the second for her career-first Tour title.
"I knew I had to be really aggressive today, and it worked," said the victor who has still never been pushed beyond 6-4 in a set against Medina Garrigues. "Maybe the score looked easy but it was a very difficult match. She is a top player and it was not easy to beat her. I just took my chances; fortunately I came out on top today."
Towards the end of the match, it seemed as though Medina Garrigues was finding her range and hanging tough with Chakvetadze, mixing in a larger variety of pace and spins to bring a halt to the momentum. But even a rain delay didn't phase the Russian from attaining her goal.
"When the rain started, I wanted to keep playing but she wanted to stop; I just felt like I didn't want to lose the momentum," Chakvetadze said. "In the end the rain stopped after only a few minutes so fortunately we were able to continue and I managed to win in straight sets."
Although the rankings have become increasingly populated with young, up-and-coming Russians, Chakvetadze is one of only two teenagers from her nation this year to stand in the winner's circle at a Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles event, joining fellow 19-year-old Maria Sharapova, who has made title runs this year at Indian Wells, San Diego and, of course, at the US Open. Needless to say, Chakvetadze was excited to be in such exclusive company.
"I am so happy to win my first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title," Chakvetadze added. "I have been working and hoping for this for a long time."
Medina Garrigues fell to 6-3 lifetime in Tour singles finals with the loss. The Spaniard has been one of the few multiple titlists this year, winning Tier IV tournaments at Canberra and Palermo, and was searching for her second Tier III title, having won in Strasbourg last year. But perhaps her marathon semifinal win over Tzipora Obziler caught up with her in the final.
"I was really tired from the three hour match yesterday," said the Spaniard, who stopped the surprise semifinal run of Israeli veteran Obziler in three tough sets. "Anna also was playing really well. The heat was affecting me and I just felt like she deserved to win today."
Coming in ranked No.26, Chakvetadze is projected to surpass her previous high of No.24 come Monday's rankings, at No.22 or No.23. World No.31 Medina Garrigues will re-enter the Top 30.
The Guangzhou International Women's Open crowds had been anticipating a championship match-up between top seeds Jelena Jankovic and Li Na, but in the end that wasn't to be. Jankovic was forced to stop during her semifinal against the eventual champion as the hot, humid weather finally took its toll on the explosive Serbian; Li, who has set several records for Chinese tennis throughout the last few months, was a quarterfinal victim to Obziler.
In the doubles draw, Chinese pair Li Ting and Sun Tiantian delighted the home crowd with an epic 64 26 75 championship victory over Vania King and Jelena Kostanic. The No.2-seeded home favorites edged the unseeded, first-time pairing in a thrilling third set battle to capture their ninth Tour doubles title as a team, adding to an already fantastic resume highlighted by their 2004 Athens Olympics gold medal run.
-- WTA