Murray, Lisicki toast crowns
Source: Agencies |
June 14, 2011, Tuesday
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ANDY Murray claimed his first title of the season by beating fifth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4 in the final of the Queen's Club championship yesterday.
The match was played a day late because rain postponed play on Sunday in west London.
Murray earned the only break in the third set, taking a 3-2 lead when Tsonga sent a forehand wide.
Murray, who also won the title in 2009, is the first Briton to win the Wimbledon warmup at least twice since Francis Gordon Lowe won in 1913-14 and 1925. Tsonga was the fifth Frenchman to reach the Queen's final in the Open era. Guy Forget lost to Pete Sampras in 1995, Sebastien Grosjean lost to Andy Roddick in 2003 and 2004 and Nicolas Mahut was beaten by Murray in 2009.
"It was an unbelievable week for me," the second seed said. "I started off not playing great but managed to find my way through, and the last two matches were so much fun."
In Birmingham, Sabine Lisicki, who slipped outside the world's top 200 last year after seven weeks on crutches, beat fourth-seeded Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia 6-3, 6-2 to win the Aegon Classic yesterday.
The 21-year-old German, whose only previous tour victory was in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2007, secured her second career title after the final had been postponed from Sunday due to rain.
In a performance showing how well she has recovered from an ankle injury and how ideally her game is suited to grass, Lisicki broke her opponent in the fourth game.
From there, her booming serve and fierce ground strokes always made her the likely winner.
Yesterday's success in the grasscourt event comes a week before the start of Wimbledon, where Lisicki reached the quarterfinals in 2009. It also confirmed the wisdom of the Wimbledon committee which decided on Sunday to give Lisicki one of two remaining wildcards for the championships.
"I am in disbelief," Lisicki said. "I am shaking. It's an amazing week. At the start of it I never thought I would be standing here today. The comeback from injury was so difficult, it means so much to me."
In Eastbourne, American Venus Williams marked her return from an abdominal injury with an impressive 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 victory over German eighth seed Andrea Petkovic at the Eastbourne International yesterday.
The five-time Wimbledon champion, playing her first match since January's Australian Open third round when she retired after one game also against Petkovic, looked completely at home on grass.
The match was played a day late because rain postponed play on Sunday in west London.
Murray earned the only break in the third set, taking a 3-2 lead when Tsonga sent a forehand wide.
Murray, who also won the title in 2009, is the first Briton to win the Wimbledon warmup at least twice since Francis Gordon Lowe won in 1913-14 and 1925. Tsonga was the fifth Frenchman to reach the Queen's final in the Open era. Guy Forget lost to Pete Sampras in 1995, Sebastien Grosjean lost to Andy Roddick in 2003 and 2004 and Nicolas Mahut was beaten by Murray in 2009.
"It was an unbelievable week for me," the second seed said. "I started off not playing great but managed to find my way through, and the last two matches were so much fun."
In Birmingham, Sabine Lisicki, who slipped outside the world's top 200 last year after seven weeks on crutches, beat fourth-seeded Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia 6-3, 6-2 to win the Aegon Classic yesterday.
The 21-year-old German, whose only previous tour victory was in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2007, secured her second career title after the final had been postponed from Sunday due to rain.
In a performance showing how well she has recovered from an ankle injury and how ideally her game is suited to grass, Lisicki broke her opponent in the fourth game.
From there, her booming serve and fierce ground strokes always made her the likely winner.
Yesterday's success in the grasscourt event comes a week before the start of Wimbledon, where Lisicki reached the quarterfinals in 2009. It also confirmed the wisdom of the Wimbledon committee which decided on Sunday to give Lisicki one of two remaining wildcards for the championships.
"I am in disbelief," Lisicki said. "I am shaking. It's an amazing week. At the start of it I never thought I would be standing here today. The comeback from injury was so difficult, it means so much to me."
In Eastbourne, American Venus Williams marked her return from an abdominal injury with an impressive 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 victory over German eighth seed Andrea Petkovic at the Eastbourne International yesterday.
The five-time Wimbledon champion, playing her first match since January's Australian Open third round when she retired after one game also against Petkovic, looked completely at home on grass.
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