Sony Ericsson WTA Tour – Malaysian Open 2010
Sony Ericsson WTA Tour – Malaysian Open 2010
It was an exciting climax to the Golden Horses Health Sanctuary Malaysian Open 2010 – Sony Ericsson WTA Tour at Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Resort in Malaysia on 28 February. Fourth seed of the tournament, Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) overcame fellow Russian and first seed Elena Dementieva (RUS) to clinch the singles crown of the inaugural event and the first WTA Tour title of her career. Earlier in the day, top seeds Chan Yung-Jan (TPE) and Zheng Jie (CHN) overcame sisters Anastasia Rodionova (AUS) and Arina Rodionova (RUS) to claim the doubles trophy.
Dementieva came in to the final as the favourite having achieved 16 career singles titles to date, including the gold at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Meanwhile, 20-year-old Kleybanova was featuring in her first WTA Tour final and knew she had to impose herself from the get go against her illustrious opponent.
The match was briefly interrupted just after the start with the score at 1-1. It was Kleybanova who took the initiative when the match resumed. Utilising her huge serve and forehand, Kleybanova powered her way to win the first set 6-3, condemning Dementieva to her first set loss in the tournament. The second set started the same way the first ended, with Kleybanova playing with conviction and refusing to make it easy for Dementieva. After racing to a 3-0 lead, Kleybanova continued to outplay Dementieva and took her chances. Dementieva had no answer to Kleybanova’s powerful strokes in the end, and the younger Russian claimed the second set 6-2 and the biggest win of her career.
Brimming with joy, Kleybanova said,” I’m just so happy to win tonight. It’s a great way to end the week. I’ve been working and training hard this past few years and it’s great that I was able to put a great game together today. I would like to thank all the sponsors and everyone involved in the event for helping me feel at home this past week. I also want to thank all the fans and I wish to be back next year!”
The first final of the day saw Anastasia Rodionova (AUS) and Arina Rodionova (RUS) take on top seeds Chan Yung-Jan (TPE) and Zheng Jie (CHN) at 2pm on Centre Court. After a tight first set with both pairs of players matching each other closely, the Rodionova sisters edged ahead to win 7-6 (4) after the tiebreak. The top seeds did not let their focus drop in the second set however, and bounced back quickly to win it 6-2. In the end, the final set was down to the pair that could control their nerves the best and it was Zheng and Chan who prevailed to win the final set 10-7.
For champions Chan and Zheng, it was their first doubles final together as well and they were elated with their title. “Our coach told us to be aggressive and not to pressure ourselves. We’ve had a wonderful tournament and we are happy to see so many people watching. We want to thank all the sponsors and fans for their support this week,” said Chan. “We were initially surprised that the sisters were playing very well today, and it was our toughest match this week so we are delighted to win,” she added.
Zheng too was appreciative of the support received throughout the tournament. “I am lucky to have a very good partner. It has been a very nice experience for me in Kuala Lumpur where many of the Chinese fans have supported me. I hope to come back next year and I thank all the sponsors and fans”, she said.
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