Serena tops ailing Errani to claim 3rd Rome crown
Print Edition
SERENA Williams won her third Italian Open title, crushing local favorite Sara Errani 6-3 6-0 in Rome yesterday.
The world No. 1 looked on top form against the 10th- seeded Errani, who was cheered on by a passionate home crowd but suffered a thigh injury towards the end of the first set and never recovered.
All the action was in the first set, which lasted longer than the 46-minute hammering Williams dished out to the Italian in the semifinals of the French Open last year, when Errani won only one game.
The 27-year-old Errani, who has lost to Williams, in all seven of their meetings, had to leave court after losing her serve in the eighth game of the first set to get attention for her injury.
She was clearly less mobile after that, and the American rattled off seven easy games in a row to finish the match in 1 hour, 11 minutes, leaving Errani tearful in defeat.
“I’m sorry for Sara because she didn’t deserve it to end like this, but I’m very happy for the win,” said Williams in Italian on court.
Yesterday’s triumph was William’s 60th WTA title and she dropped only one set on her way to victory, in Saturday’s powerful semifinal display against Ana Ivanovic of Serbia.
Of Williams’s victories, 23 have come since she returned from a life-threatening pulmonary embolism in 2011.
“I’m like a fine wine I guess, or at least my tennis game is. It gets better with age. Hopefully that’s how it goes,” the 32-year-old said.
Errani, who had been bidding to become the first Italian woman since Raffaella Reggi in 1985 to win the title, told the crowd: “I’m sorry, you’ve been brilliant all week.”
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
