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PARIS, Feb 12: Australian Open champion Amelie Mauresmo continued her rich vein of form by beating Mary Pierce in the all-French final at the Paris Open here on Sunday.
It was the in-form Mauresmo’s second victory at the tournament, having also lifted the title in 2001, as she defeated her compatriot 6-1, 7-6 (7/2) in a repeat of last year’s Masters final.
The world number two, who broke her Grand Slam duck in Melbourne last month, has won four of her last five tournaments and 19 of her last 21 matches.
It was her 21st career title as she hones in on Kim Clijsters, the world number one whom she could face next week in Antwerp where she will be the defending champion.
For Pierce, her run to the final signified a return to form and helped erase the memory of her capitulation in the second round at Melbourne.
Pierce struggled with consistency in the first set but took Mauresmo to the wire in the second before losing that on a tie-break.
Mauresmo completed a remarkable turn-around having faced a second-set match point against another compatriot, Tatiana Golovin, in the semi-finals.
It was her fifth Paris Indoor final, having lost in 1999, 2003 and last year.
FIRST TITLE FOR PEER
PATTAYA (Thailand): Israel’s Shahar Peer won her first career title at the Pattaya Open on Sunday when she defeated Jelena Kostanic 6-3, 6-1.
The 18-year old from Israel did not drop a set all week, and after a hesitant start always held the upper hand against an opponent who failed to repeat the consistency that had taken her to the final.
The Croat made a fine start, breaking to lead 2-0 and suviving another break point for 3-0. But in the fourth game she missed an easy overhead and Peer eventually held for 1-3 on her third game point.
After her early struggle, Peers more aggressive game began to pay dividends as she broke Kostanic in the fifth game and never looked back.
Another break, when Kostanic sent a forehand wide, gave the fourth seed her first lead at 4-3, and after holding off a break point in the next game she broke a third time for the set when Kostanic netted a backhand.
Kostanic responded well despite the disappointment of losing six straight games, and broke her opponents serve to begin the second set.
But she was unable to maintain her advantage, and after a short break when some light rain fell Peer was able to level at 1-1.
Looking increasingly confident, Peer then broke again with a well-executed forehand, and a forced forehand into the net at 4-1 left her serving for victory.—Agencies
