John Isner claimed his second Auckland Open title with a 7-6(4) 7-6(7) victory over an inspired Lu Yen-Hsun in a tight final at the Australian Open warm-up event on Saturday.
|Last Updated: Jan 11, 2014, 11:04 AM IST|Source: Reuters
Sydney: John Isner claimed his second Auckland Open title with a 7-6(4) 7-6(7) victory over an inspired Lu Yen-Hsun in a tight final at the Australian Open warm-up event on Saturday.
The tall American, ranked 14th in the world, crashed down 23 aces but it was always going to take more than just his big serve to corral the Taiwanese, who put on a brilliant display of shot-making from around the court in his first ATP final.
While Lu ultimately came up short in his first final, Spanish qualifier Garbine Muguruza hammered Czech Klara Zakopalova 6-4 6-0 in hers to clinch a maiden WTA title at the Hobart International.
Ranked number 62 in the world, 30-year-old Lu ended David Ferrer`s three-year reign as champion in Friday`s semi-finals but Isner held his nerve when it mattered to edge two tiebreaks and avoid another upset.
Lu saved one match point with a brilliant backhand down the line and another when Isner went long with a forehand but, on the third, was unable to get enough racket on a thunderous serve from the American.
"I played exceptionally well today and I needed every bit of it to come out on top," said Isner, who is seeded 13th for Melbourne Park and meets a qualifier in the first round.
"It was close like all my matches this week but I got more and more comfortable the more I played on this court," added the American, who also won the Auckland crown in 2010.
TEARS
In the Hobart International, Muguruza took 70 minutes to wrap up her first title. The tall 20-year-old`s dominance and aggression reduced her experienced opponent to tears of frustration in the second set of the 70-minute contest.
It was the second day in a row that a qualifier had won her first WTA title at an Australian Open warm-up tournament after Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova claimed the Sydney International women`s title.
"I can`t explain in words how happy I feel," Muguruza said after receiving her trophy. "Last year I was injured for six months and it`s amazing to be here.
"I won my first doubles title in Hobart last year so I guess I`m in love with Hobart now."
Muguruza failed to drop a set over the entire week and her first round opponent at Melbourne Park, 24th seed Kaia Kanepi, will have her work cut out on Saturday`s evidence.
The world number 58 clambered all over Zakopalova`s service, reducing the Czech to a 33 percent and 41 percent success rate on her first and second serves.
It was appropriate then that, having burst into tears at the final handover and fended off one match point, the 31-year-old should concede the match with her third double fault.
Later on Saturday, world number five Juan Martin Del Potro meets Australian defending champion Bernard Tomic in the Sydney International men`s final.
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.