Nadal leaves mark, Wozniacki flops
Source: Agencies |
April 26, 2011, Tuesday
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RAFAEL Nadal underlined his crushing dominance on clay when he overwhelmed Spanish compatriot David Ferrer 6-2, 6-4 to win a sixth Barcelona Open title in seven years on Sunday.
The world No. 1 followed up his victory over Ferrer in last week's Monte Carlo Masters final with a display of brutal hitting and near-impeccable defense to become the first player in the Open era to win two tournaments at least six times.
His run in Barcelona, where he beat Ferrer in the 2008 and 2009 title matches, was interrupted by his withdrawal last year due to injury, while his triumph in Monaco was his seventh straight title at the event.
"It's incredible to come back here to my tournament and my fans after not being able to play last year," Nadal said on Spanish television before hoisting aloft the huge Conde de Godo trophy.
"I am very, very happy for the win and sorry for David, who is having a fantastic year and deserves a title."
Nadal's latest success on the red dust was the 24-year-old Mallorcan's 31st clay title, putting him one clear of Bjorn Borg and Manuel Orantes on the all-time list and third behind Guillermo Vilas (45) and Thomas Muster (40).
In breezy conditions, Nadal was only troubled for brief periods by the zippy Ferrer, who made too many unforced errors against his relentless Davis Cup teammate.
The 29-year-old had beaten Nadal in the quarterfinals of this year's Australian Open, ending his hopes of holding all four grand slam titles at the same time. He mounted something of a fightback to take a 4-2 lead in the second set before Nadal upped his game and sealed victory on his first match point when Ferrer sent the ball into the tramlines.
Nadal's semifinal win over Croat Ivan Dodig was his 500th career win, making him the second-youngest man ever to reach the milestone after Borg.
In Stuttgart, Germany, rank outsider Julia Goerges of Germany stunned world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki 7-6 (3), 6-3 at the Porsche Grand Prix on Sunday to win her first title of the year in front of an ecstatic home crowd.
Goerges outplayed her opponent, winner of three titles already this year, on the fast indoor claycourt, giving the Dane no chance of a title she has yet to win.
After converting her second match point, Goerges sank to her feet and then lay flat on the red clay as the crowd cheered for the first German winner of the country's biggest women's tennis event since Anke Huber in 1994.
Goerges won US$111,000 and a sports car.
The 22-year-old won in Bad Gastein, Austria, last year but had never captured a title in one of WTA's premier events.
"I don't quite know how I did it," she beamed in a courtside interview. "Against Caroline it feels like you always have a mountain to climb and I did it."
Goerges, who briefly had trouble starting the car she was given, had lost both previous encounters with the 20-year-old Dane.
On Sunday, however, 32nd-ranked Goerges pinned Wozniacki back from the start, playing the Dane's backhand constantly and forcing her into making errors.
By breaking into the top 30, Goerges gave Germany two slots that high for the first time since August 1999. The other is Andrea Petkovic, who was at No. 15 when the new rankings came out yesterday.
Goerges had reached the semifinals in Auckland this year and the third round at the Australian Open.
Petkovic and Goerges have helped a German women's tennis revival and both were in the Fed Cup team that beat the United States 5-0 last weekend to secure a place in the top-tier World Group.
The world No. 1 followed up his victory over Ferrer in last week's Monte Carlo Masters final with a display of brutal hitting and near-impeccable defense to become the first player in the Open era to win two tournaments at least six times.
His run in Barcelona, where he beat Ferrer in the 2008 and 2009 title matches, was interrupted by his withdrawal last year due to injury, while his triumph in Monaco was his seventh straight title at the event.
"It's incredible to come back here to my tournament and my fans after not being able to play last year," Nadal said on Spanish television before hoisting aloft the huge Conde de Godo trophy.
"I am very, very happy for the win and sorry for David, who is having a fantastic year and deserves a title."
Nadal's latest success on the red dust was the 24-year-old Mallorcan's 31st clay title, putting him one clear of Bjorn Borg and Manuel Orantes on the all-time list and third behind Guillermo Vilas (45) and Thomas Muster (40).
In breezy conditions, Nadal was only troubled for brief periods by the zippy Ferrer, who made too many unforced errors against his relentless Davis Cup teammate.
The 29-year-old had beaten Nadal in the quarterfinals of this year's Australian Open, ending his hopes of holding all four grand slam titles at the same time. He mounted something of a fightback to take a 4-2 lead in the second set before Nadal upped his game and sealed victory on his first match point when Ferrer sent the ball into the tramlines.
Nadal's semifinal win over Croat Ivan Dodig was his 500th career win, making him the second-youngest man ever to reach the milestone after Borg.
In Stuttgart, Germany, rank outsider Julia Goerges of Germany stunned world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki 7-6 (3), 6-3 at the Porsche Grand Prix on Sunday to win her first title of the year in front of an ecstatic home crowd.
Goerges outplayed her opponent, winner of three titles already this year, on the fast indoor claycourt, giving the Dane no chance of a title she has yet to win.
After converting her second match point, Goerges sank to her feet and then lay flat on the red clay as the crowd cheered for the first German winner of the country's biggest women's tennis event since Anke Huber in 1994.
Goerges won US$111,000 and a sports car.
The 22-year-old won in Bad Gastein, Austria, last year but had never captured a title in one of WTA's premier events.
"I don't quite know how I did it," she beamed in a courtside interview. "Against Caroline it feels like you always have a mountain to climb and I did it."
Goerges, who briefly had trouble starting the car she was given, had lost both previous encounters with the 20-year-old Dane.
On Sunday, however, 32nd-ranked Goerges pinned Wozniacki back from the start, playing the Dane's backhand constantly and forcing her into making errors.
By breaking into the top 30, Goerges gave Germany two slots that high for the first time since August 1999. The other is Andrea Petkovic, who was at No. 15 when the new rankings came out yesterday.
Goerges had reached the semifinals in Auckland this year and the third round at the Australian Open.
Petkovic and Goerges have helped a German women's tennis revival and both were in the Fed Cup team that beat the United States 5-0 last weekend to secure a place in the top-tier World Group.
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