Agnieszka Radwanska eases past Venus Williams to win Rogers Cup
Agnieszka Radwanska tamed Venus Williams 6-4 6-2 to win the Rogers Cup in Montreal on Sunday, the third seeded Pole setting herself up as a player to watch at the U.S. Open.
|Last Updated: Aug 11, 2014, 09:02 AM IST|Source: Reuters
Montreal: Agnieszka Radwanska tamed Venus Williams 6-4 6-2 to win the Rogers Cup in Montreal on Sunday, the third seeded Pole setting herself up as a player to watch at the US Open.
The first win of the season for Radwanska, it provided a timely jolt of confidence going into Flushing Meadows and the year`s final grand slam with 11 of her 14 career titles having come on hard courts.
"One of my biggest title," said Radwanska, who has registered a long line of firsts for tennis in her country, including Poland`s first grand slam finalist and first Pole to win a WTA Tour title. "As you can see in the draw had pretty all top players. So very, very special title for me.
"I think she (Williams) played great tennis whole week, playing and beating a lot of good players on the way to the final.
"I think I even happier to beat Venus when she`s really on fire."
Williams, a twice U.S. Open champion, will also be buoyed by her performance in Montreal with a projected return on Monday to the world rankings top 20 for the first time since March 2013.
The tournament also pushed Williams past the $30 million in career earnings, joining an elite club that includes her sister Serena and Maria Sharapova.
"I totally wanted to be in the top 20 like earlier this year," said Williams. "I`ve been having goals. It`s always a goal in mind for myself and hopefully most tennis players.
"I would love to hit the top 16 and just keep going forward after that. Obviously, if I can continue this level of tennis, it will be something that can happen for me."
After a grinding and emotional three-set win over top ranked sister Serena in Saturday`s semi-finals, the 34-year-old American appeared to have little left against an energetic and focused opponent almost 10 years her junior.
"It`s been a really long week, I played like six matches in a row," said Williams. "Against her you really have to be patient.
"I just fell a little short today. I wanted to give more but I just didn`t have it.
"I really would like to think under circumstances where I could give everything I have, that the results could have been a little different.
"She just was a little too good today."
Radwanska took control early on a sunny centre court, breaking Williams twice to race in front 4-1.
Williams would break back but the world number five would not buckle and easily took the opening set.
She opened the second set with another deflating break to quickly put the pressure on Williams and then broke the dejected American again to go up 5-2 before holding serve and finishing off the match with an emphatic ace.
"I was playing much better every match," said Radwanska. "I didn`t start that well from my first match. I think every match was much better. That`s why I think I sitting right here now."
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.