Sports news
Email   small font medium font large font

Davydenko, Chakvetadze win Kremlin Cup tennis titles

Nikolay Davydenko and Anna Chakvetadze each won Kremlin Cup titles in all-Russian finals Sunday.

Top-seeded Davydenko, the 2004 champion, beat Marat Safin 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 for his fourth title this season and Chakvetadze upset fifth-seeded Nadia Petrova 6-4, 6-4 for her second straight win.

Chakvetadze won her first title two weeks ago at the Guangzhou Open in China.

The fifth-ranked Davydenko made a decisive break in the sixth game of the first set.

He broke twice early in the second set, but Safin broke back and then saved three match points in the ninth game. Safin converted his only break point and evened the match at 1-1.

``If I had held in the first games of the third set, I would have a chance in the match,'' Safin said.

Petrova, playing with groin and chest injuries, saved four break points in the seventh game of the first set before dropping her serve. She broke back immediately, but lost her next service game and ultimately the set _ only the second set she had lost in five matches.

Chakvetadze continued to control play in the second set and broke twice to lead 4-1. Though Petrova broke back in the sixth game, Chakvetadze improved her record against her opponent to 3-0 this season.

``I was lucky today,'' Chakvetadze said. ``Petrova wasn't 100 per cent fit today.''

The 24th-ranked Chakvetadze will move into the top 20 for the first time in her career next week. Petrova, who will remain at No. 5, said injuries affected her chances.

``I had my chest and hips bandaged and it was difficult to serve and move _ I did all I could,'' Petrova said.

The loss was Petrova's first in six finals this season. She won her sixth career title at the Porsche Grand Prix last week in Stuttgart, Germany.


© The Canadian Press, 2007

Related news
It's an all-Russian final in the men's and women's events at the Kremlin Cup on Sunday. Top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko defeated Fabrice Santoro of France 6-4, 6-1 Saturday and will play either Marat Safin ...
Maria Sharapova, playing her first match since winning the U.S. Open, beat fellow Russian Ekaterina Bychkova 6-4, 7-5 Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals at the Kremlin Cup. Among the men, ...
Amelie Mauresmo was upset by Czech teenager Nicole Vaidisova and second-seeded Maria Sharapova pulled out with a foot injury Friday, depriving the Kremlin Cup of its top two seeded women. ...
Maria Sharapova reached the quarter-finals for the 13th time in 14 tournaments this year, beating Eleni Daniilidou of Greece 7-5, 6-1 Thursday in the second round of the Generali Ladies. ...
Russian Nadia Petrova won her fifth title of the year at the Porsche Grand Prix, beating 18-year-old Tatiana Golovin of France 6-3, 7-6 (4) Sunday. The seventh-ranked Petrova rode her powerful serve to ...
Nikolay Davydenko defeated Teimuras Gabashvili 6-4, 6-2 in an all-Russian contest Wednesday to advance to the quarter-finals at the Kremlin Cup. Top-seeded Davydenko, the 2004 champion, survived eight aces from ...
Nicole Vaidisova beat fellow teenager Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia 6-3, 6-3 Monday to reach the second round at the Kremlin Cup. Vaidisova, a 17-year-old Czech, dominated her 15-year-old opponent, breaking ...
A six-point lead at the top of the English Premier League and firmly in the hunt for the Champions League title. After two seasons lagging behind Chelsea, Alex Ferguson's Manchester ...

End: Davydenko, Chakvetadze win Kremlin Cup tennis titles
Google
Web SportsNews24h.com


Discount Magazine Subscription!

Up to 92% off the cover price!

Search for your favourite magazine now!

© 2006-2007 SportsNews24h.com except where otherwise noted.