Taiwan’s Chuang Chia-jung and her doubles partner, Olga Govortsova of Belarus, won the New Haven Open title on Saturday, giving the duo some momentum heading into the US Open, the final Grand Slam event of the year.
The third-seeded pair won the US Open warm-up event by beating Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci 7-5, 6-2, as they captured their second title together following a win in Beijing in October last year.
It was also Chuang’s second doubles title this year. She partnered with Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan in May to grab the women’s doubles championship at a WTA event in Strasbourg, France.
Photo: AFP
Chuang, ranked 31st in doubles at the beginning of the week, but likely to move into the top 25 with the win, was only partnering with Govortsova for the seventh time this year, and the two had lost three of four matches during the summer hardcourt season, before finding their form in New Haven.
Govortsova told the Hartford Courant that the two were starting to get a better feel for each other.
“I think we did pick up like every game, [getting] better and better,” Govortsova said. “So I think we’re in pretty good shape.”
WOZNIACKI WINS SINGLES
AP, NEW HAVEN, Connecticut
A little rain could not stop top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki from winning her fourth consecutive New Haven Open title in defeating Czech qualifier Petra Cetkovska 6-4, 6-1 on Saturday .
Wozniacki, the top seed at next week’s US Open, improved to 17-0 at the tournament.
“I just have a good momentum every time I play here,” she said. “The balls are good. The tournament is nice. You always play better when you like to be around a tournament. I’m really pleased to be in this situation — win four straight times in a row, it’s really unbelievable.”
Cetkovska, who is ranked 40th, had won seven consecutive matches since the start of qualifying. She beat fifth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, fourth-seeded Marion Bartoli and second-seeded Li Na. However, she could not stop Wozniacki.
“I’m really happy to be here, to go so long, so far in the tournament,” Cetkovska said. “Now when we are in the final, we want to always go further. So obviously I wanted to try to win, to do even better, but today it was just a little bit too much. Caroline, she’s just playing great.”
The final, brought forward four hours to avoid Hurricane Irene, was played outdoors at the Connecticut Tennis Center. It included a 1 hour, 40 minute rain delay in the first set. After the band of rain moved through the area, officials said they believed they would have a window of about one-and-a-half hours for tennis.
Wozniacki’s four consecutive championships ties the New Haven record set by Venus Williams from 1999 to 2002. This year, the tournament changed its name from the Pilot Pen and became a WTA-only event.
Wozniacki broke Cetkovska six times, including the final game of the first set, and dominated the second set.
It was the Danish star’s sixth tournament title this year, but the first since winning in Copenhagen in June. The 26-year-old Cetkovska was playing in her first WTA final.
Wozniacki’s boyfriend, US Open golf champion Rory McIlroy, spent the week with her on the Yale campus and watched the match from the player’s box.
“When you have that little bit of confidence, that little bit of belief in yourself, it can take you a long way,” he said after the match. “It looked like Caroline found that belief and confidence this week and it obviously is great prep going into the Open next week.”
The Danish star played with her right thigh wrapped, after feeling a twinge during Friday’s semi-final. She said it would not affect her play at the Open, which is scheduled to start today.
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