Serena Williams won the tiny Swedish Open in Bastad on Sunday, defeating Sweden’s Johanna Larsson 6-4, 6-1.
“Johanna played well, and I made a lot of unforced errors in the beginning — I just hit everything out,” said Williams, who was down a break twice in the first set. “I had to kind of come back and do a little better. You just have to stay positive. I wasn’t playing well at Wimbledon when I lost, so I thought, ‘Okay, just remember what I did wrong there, and don’t make the same mistake here.’ I really wanted to do better here in Bastad this week.”
ADHEREL
Larsson fell to 0-3 in career finals.
In Bad Gastein, Austria, Austrian No. 1 Yvonne Meusburger won her first career WTA title after a 7-5, 6-2 win over Andrea Hlavackova in the final of the N�RNBERGER Gastein Ladies event.
“Last week I was in the final of Budapest and I came into Bad Gastein with a very good feeling,” Meusburger said. “I think I played well from the first match and I’m so happy to be the champion now.”
It was the first WTA final for Hlavackova, who will crack the Top 100 for the first time.
On the men’s side Fabio Fognini was the unlikely trophy-raiser at Hamburg, yet claiming his second title in two weeks by defeating qualifier and Federer-killer Federico Delbonis 4-6, 7-6(8), 6-2 at the bet-at-home Open German Tennis Championships.
“I was, I think, a little bit lucky,” said Fognini who saved three match points. “I was nervous. Today, I didn’t play really good, but I fought hard. I think that was the key. Another trophy, that’s the important thing. I want to enjoy [this] as soon as possible. I fly to Umag tomorrow and have another chance to play.”
In the tiebreaker Delbonis failed to convert on three match points at 6-5, 7-6 and 8-7. Earlier in the tournament Delbonis saved two match points to beat No. 14 seed Fernando Verdasco 6-7(5), 7-6(8), 6-4, and in the semis defeated Roger Federer.
The winner in Bogota was Ivo Karlovic, in only his second tournament back after a lengthy layoff due to viral meningitis, beating Alejandro Falla 6-3, 7-6(4) for the title at the inaugural Claro Open Colombia.
“Only happiness, that after all these injuries and illnesses I was able to be back here,” the 34-year-old said of his emotions following the win.
Karlovic never dropped serve during the tournament, reaching his first final in three years.
“It was my weapons, which is volleys and serve and I was more calm in the crucial points,” said Karlovic on the keys to victory. Karlovic improved to 5-3 in career finals.
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