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| November 8, 2005 | Tuesday | Shawwal 5, 1426 |
Tennis: Mauresmo beats Dementieva to lift title
NEW YORK, Nov 7: Amelie Mauresmo of France won her third consecutive Advanta Championship by beating Russian Elena Dementieva 7-5 2-6 7-5 in the final in Philadelphia on Sunday.
The third-seeded Mauresmo, the world’s fourth-ranked player, won for the third time this season on the eve of the WTA Tour Championships, which start on Tuesday in Los Angeles.
“It’s a great effort to win this three times in a row,” Mauresmo said as the tournament ended a 21-year run in Villanova.
Mauresmo had lost in the opening round in both Moscow and Zurich prior to re-establishing her solid play at the tournament, where she has never lost a match.
Top-ranked players Lindsay Davenport and Maria Sharapova withdrew from the tournament, paving the way for Mauresmo to win her 18th career WTA title.
It was not easy for her, however, as she blew a 4-1 third set lead and was two points away from losing the match before Dementieva double-faulted twice in the 10th game, allowing Mauresmo to tie the final set at 5-5.
Mauresmo battled back and won the last two points to deny the Russian her first tournament win of the year.
Dementieva was her own worst enemy with 14 double faults.
“I’m trying to get better,” Dementieva said.
Mauresmo joins Steffi Graf as the other three-times winner of the event, which moves to Madrid next year. Graf was champion in 1992, 1995 and 1998.
All of the world’s top players are due to take part in the WTA Tour Championships.
QUEBEC CITY,(Canada): US veteran Amy Frazier downed up-and-coming Swede Sofia Arvidsson 6-1, 7-5 here on Sunday in the final of the 170,000-dollar WTA Bell Challenge.
Frazier, seeded sixth, captured her eighth career title, and her first since she won at Hobart in January of 2004.
“Winning any tournament is very exciting,” said Frazier, 33. “I have good memories here, it is such a nice event.”
The American, who is studying to become a math teacher, said she would keep playing tennis as long as she enjoys it.
“I play for fun, and that’s the only reason I play,” she said.
Frazier, who upset top seed Nathalie Dechy of France in the semi-finals on Saturday, claimed the first prize of 27,000 dollars.
Arvidsson, the eighth seed who was leading in her semi-final against third seed Marion Bartoli when the French player withdrew, was appearing in her first WTA Tour final.
The 21-year-old Swede admitted to some nerves, but said she had learned a lot in reaching her first career final.
“This is my best result in my career up to now,” she said. “I know what I have to do now, and I will work on it and come back and do better next year.” —AFP
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