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EASTBOURNE (England), June 22: Polish teenager Agnieszka Radwanska won the biggest prize of her career when she beat Russian Nadia Petrova in a close-fought final at the Eastbourne International tournament on Saturday.
The fourth-seeded Radwanska triumphed 6-4, 7-6, 6-4 in a final that stretched over two hours 37 minutes at the grasscourt Wimbledon warm-up event.
Petrova, seeded eighth, saved three match points to take the second set to a tiebreak which she won 13-11 after recovering from 4-1 down.
Both women took time out for medical treatment – Radwanska for cramp and Petrova for a hip problem – in the deciding set which went with serve until the ninth game.
Petrova, rattled by line rulings against her in the previous game, saved one break point but put a forehand long on the second to leave the 19-year-old Radwanska serving for the title and the first prize of $95,500.
Petrova, the world number 22, summoned her coach on court at the changeover, her fourth such consultation of the match.
A lucky net cord helped her to save another match point in the tenth game but she then put a backhand into the net to give Radwanska, a former Wimbledon and French Open junior champion, her first Tier II title on the WTA Tour.
KARLOVIC RETAINS TITLE
LONDON: Croatian Ivo Karlovic won the Nottingham Open for the second successive year on Saturday, beating Spain’s Fernando Verdasco 7-5, 6-7, 7-6 in a closely-fought final.
The match was moved indoors after heavy rain made play impossible on the outdoor grass.
Serving dominated the final and in the first set the only break of serve came in the 12th game.Third seed Verdasco had the upper hand in the second set, producing powerful and accurate serves to keep Karlovic at bay and winning the tiebreak 7-4.
After an exchange of breaks in the deciding set, the title came down to another tiebreak. A double fault from world number 21 Verdasco at 8-8 gave fourth seed Karlovic the opportunity to seal victory.
TANASUGARN WINS FINAL
DEN BOSCH (The Netherlands): Thai qualifier Tamarine Tanasugarn defeated French Open finalist and world number nine Dinara Safina 7-5, 6-3 to win the Ordina Open on Saturday.
Tanasugarn, ranked 85, won her first title on grass after surviving a break in the first set and winning a hard-fought second set in which she saved eight break points.
In the men’s final, Spanish top seed David Ferrer disposed of unseeded Marc Gicquel of France 6-4, 6-2.
Meanwhile, India’s Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi saw their hopes of winning a 24th doubles title together dashed in the doubles final here.
The second seeded Indian pair, who have agreed to bury their differences and play together at the Beijing Olympics, lost to unseeded Mario Ancic and Jurgen Melzer 7-6 (7-5), 6-3.—Agencies
