Venus Williams rallied to win the US$1.34 million WTA Sony Ericsson Championships for the first time, defeating Vera Zvonareva 6-7 (5), 6-0, 6-2 at the season-ending event on Sunday.
The Wimbledon champion found her rhythm and took command in the last two sets with powerful serving, smashes and aggressive groundstrokes against her Russian opponent.
“I’m so excited,” Williams said. “That was a hard-fought match, every point, right down to the end.”
PHOTO: EPA
For the first time the event offered the same prize money as fot the men at the ATP’s season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai.
The first lady of Qatar, a conservative Muslim sheikdom, presented the trophy to Williams, shaking her hand and kissing her on both cheeks. Sheika Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned wore a traditional black head scarf and robe.
“Thanks to your Royal Highness for coming. Wow!” Williams said.
PHOTO: AFP
Such a public appearance by a ruler’s wife is unusual in the region. Billie Jean King sat with Mozah and other dignitaries during the match and joined Williams on the court for the awards ceremony.
The trophy is named for King.
Williams’ ranking will improve to No. 6 from No. 8, while the ninth-ranked Zvonareva also will move up two spots. The two were the lowest-ranked players at the event, which featured the top eight players in the world.
PHOTO: AFP
“I know I can go higher” in the rankings, said the 28-year-old Williams, who defeated top-ranked Jelena Jankovic in the semi-finals.
Zvonareva became increasingly frustrated and collapsed to the ground in tears when Williams broke her in the final set to go up 3-1. Williams, who lost in their first meeting at the 2003 French Open, now holds a 6-1 record against Zvonareva.
“She stayed aggressive,” said Zvonareva, who qualified for the championships in 2004 but did not win a match. “In the second and third, she was dictating.”
Zvonareva surged to 5-2 in the first set, and led 5-3, 40-0. But she was unable to convert four set points in that game, and Williams won it on her second break point.
In the tiebreaker, Zvonareva fell behind 1-5, but rallied to win it on her fifth set point when her backhand slice clipped the net cord and dropped over.
“I just played some bad shots and went from bad to worse,” Williams said. “I was a little disappointed, to say the least. But I realized the match wasn’t over.”
Williams qualified for the championships for the eighth time. She had reached the semi-finals twice and withdrew five times because of injuries and illnesses.
Williams’ career earnings rose to US$21,921,346.
Final WTA world rankings for 2008
• 1. Jelena Jankovic (SRB)
• 2. Serena Williams (USA)
• 3. Dinara Safina (RUS)
• 4. Elena Dementieva (RUS)
• 5. Ana Ivanovic (SRB)
• 6. Venus Williams (USA)
• 7. Vera Zvonareva (RUS)
• 8. Svetlana Kuznetzova (RUS)
• 9. Maria Sharapova (RUS)
• 10. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)
SOURCE: AFP
Carlos Alcaraz on Monday powered into the French Open second round with a resounding win to start his title defense, while world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and three-time defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek also progressed at Roland Garros. Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz struck 31 winners in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri and is to face Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan in round two. Alcaraz is now on an eight-match winning streak at the French Open and also took Olympic silver at Roland Garros last year, losing the final to Novak Djokovic. “The first round is never
TIGHT FINISH: Napoli only needed to do the same as or better than Inter, who won their game against Como 2-0 on the same day, leaving Napoli with a one-point lead The two players who Antonio Conte wanted more than any others secured Napoli their second Serie A title in three years on Friday. Scott McTominay scored with an acrobatic bicycle kick before halftime and Romelu Lukaku doubled the lead with a solo goal after the break in the decisive 2-0 home win over Cagliari. Conte became the first coach to win the Italian championship with three different teams. “Everyone contributed to this — but the coach most of all,” Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo said. “Napoli needed him to get back on top. He’s phenomenal.” Comparing it to his three Serie A titles won
The journey of Taiwan’s badminton mixed doubles duo Ye Hong-wei and Nicole Chan at the Malaysia Masters in Kuala Lumpur came to an end in the semi-finals yesterday after they suffered a 2-0 loss to China’s Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping. Ye, 25, and Chan, 20, teamed up last year and are currently ranked No. 23 in the world. The Taiwanese shuttlers took on China’s second seeds in the mixed doubles event, but proved no match for Feng and Huang, losing the match 10-21, 7-21. In the first half of the first game, the pairings were neck and neck at 6-7 until Ye
SSC Napoli coach Antonio Conte has dragged the team back from disaster and restored them to the top of Italian Serie A, but his future at the Scudetto winners is in doubt even after a triumphant season. The fiery 55-year-old has exceeded preseason expectations and bolstered his reputation as a serial winner by guiding Napoli to their fourth Scudetto, and second in three seasons. However, he might well be on his way in the summer after just one season at the helm as his charged relationship with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has simmered throughout the campaign. Conte has said
RSS