2012 Tennis Thread

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Begu Ends Vekic Run, Wins First WTA Title

Irina-Camelia Begu continued her late-summer push back up the rankings with her first WTA title Saturday, putting a stop to the surprise run of 16-year-old Donna Vekic to win the Tashkent Open.

 

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Spain to meet Czech Republic in Davis Cup final

 

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Sometimes you go through some dark times, and your shining moment comes when you least expect it - and that's what might have just happened to Kirsten Flipkens, who after a very difficult and trying year captured her very first WTA title at the Bell Challenge in Québec City.
Flipkens became the giant-killer all week, taking out No.1 seed Dominika Cibulkova and No.3 seed Mona Barthel en route to her first WTA final, then holding off big-serving No.8 seed Lucie Hradecka for the title, 6-1 7-5.

 

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Laura Robson loses dramatic Guangzhou final

Laura Robson failed in her bid to win Britain's first WTA Tour title in 24 years as Hsieh Su-Wei clinched a hard-fought 6-3 5-7 6-4 victory in a topsy-turvy match in Guangzhou.

 

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Wozniacki wins first title of the year in Seoul

Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki dropped just one game against Kaia Kanepi in the lop-sided final of the Korea Open on Sunday for her first WTA title of the year.
The top-seeded Dane, currently ranked 11th, took just over an hour for a 6-1 6-0 victory over the Estonian.

 

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Slovak Kilzan wins first ATP title in St Petersburg
Slovakia's Martin Klizan secured his maiden ATP title when he eased past Italian Fabio Fognini 6-2 6-3 in the St Petersburg Open final on Sunday.


Tsonga overpowers Seppi to defend Metz title

Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga overpowered Italy's Andreas Seppi to retain his title at the Metz Open and score crucial points in the race to the World Tour Finals.
World number seven Tsonga, who currently occupies the eighth and last qualifying place for the London event in November, demolished the world number 28 6-1 6-2 in 50 minutes to clinch his second title this season after winning in Doha in January.

 

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Azarenka, Sharapova go out in Tokyo

World number one Victoria Azarenka pulled out of the Pan Pacific Open citing chronic fatigue, while Maria Sharapova was bundled out by Samantha Stosur as the tournament lost its top two seeds on Thursday.
French Open champion Sharapova, twice a Tokyo winner, was upset by Australian Stosur 6-4 7-6 in a quarter-final filled with drama and high-quality tennis.

 

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Petrova and Radwanska to contest Tokyo final

Defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska pulverised Angelique Kerber 6-1 6-1 to set up a final with Nadia Petrova at the Pan Pacific Open.
Russian Petrova upset eighth seed Samantha Stosur 6-4 6-2 in a surprisingly one-sided match to advance to her first final at the WTA premier five event in Tokyo.

 

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Petrova upsets Radwanska to win Tokyo title

Russia's Nadia Petrova upset defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska 6-0 1-6 6-3 in the Pan Pacific Open final in Tokyo.
It was the 30-year-old's second title of the year and the 12th of her career.

 

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Gasquet ends title drought at Thailand Open
Richard Gasquet claimed his first title in two-and-a-half years in a 6-2 6-1 win over Gilles Simon in an all-French Thailand Open final.
Gasquet's last trophy came in May 2010 with victory in Nice.


Monaco beats Benneteau in Malaysia final
Juan Monaco of Argentina defeated France’s Julien Benneteau 7-5 4-6 6-3 to lift the Malaysian Open title in Kuala Lumpur.
It was the fourth title Monaco has picked up this season after success in Vina del Mar, Houston and Hamburg, and returns him to the ATP top 10.
Benneteau, meanwhile, is now 0-7 in ranking finals despite pushing the contest to a deciding set with a stirring fightback.

 

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Australian Open increases prize money

The Australian Open has hiked total prize money by 15 per cent to a record A$30 million (£19m), with an eye on satisfying player demands for a better share of Grand Slam revenues, Tennis Australia CEO Steve Wood told Reuters on Tuesday.

 

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Former world number ones Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic have been knocked out of the China Open third round in Beijing.
Eleventh seed Ivanovic went down 6-4 6-3 to Swiss Romina Oprandi, ranked 69th in the world.
Jankovic was also defeated in straight sets, 7-5 6-4 by Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain.

 

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China's Zhang Ze caused a stir on home soil as he knocked Richard Gasquet out of the China Open in Beijing.
World number 165 Zhang, playing in the tournament on a wildcard, beat the world number 14 and fifth seed 6-4 3-6 6-4.

 

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Murray loses to Raonic in Tokyo semis
Andy Murray was stunned by Milos Raonic 6-3 6-7(5) 7-6(4) in the semi-finals of the Japan Open, ending the Briton's defence of his Tokyo title.
Local favourite Kei Nishikori became the first Japanese player to reach the final of the $1.28 million Tokyo event after thrashing Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 6-2 6-2 in just 61 minutes.

 

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Azarenka destroys Sharapova in China final
World number one Victoria Azarenka won her first tournament since March at the China Open after sweeping aside Maria Sharapova 6-3 6-1 in the final in Beijing.

Djokovic claims Beijing title
Top-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic beat Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6(4) 6-2 to win his third China Open tennis title in Beijing then celebrated by dancing with the ball boys and girls on court

Home favourite Nishikori wins Tokyo tournament
Kei Nishikori stunned big-serving Milos Raonic 7-6(5) 3-6 6-0 with an electrifying display of attacking tennis to become the host country's first Japan Open champion.

 

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Heather Watson moves into maiden WTA final

Heather Watson beat Japan's Misaki Doi 7-6(2) 7-5 to qualify for her first WTA Tour final in Osaka, the second time a Briton has done so in as many months.
Watson will face another player making her first WTA final appearance after Chang Kai-Chen upset Samatha Stosur 6-4 4-6 7-6(3) in the second semi-final.

 

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Murray downs Federer to reach Shanghai final

Two-time defending champion Andy Murray was in inspired form as he beat world number one Roger Federer 6-4 6-4 to reach the final of the Shanghai Masters.

 

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Watson wins Japan Open to end 24-year wait for title

Britain's Heather Watson won the Japan Open title in Osaka after coming through an epic battle against Taiwan's Chang Kai-Chen to win 7-5 5-7 7-6(4).
The British number two succeeded where Laura Robson had failed in Guangzhou last month to become the country's first winner on the women's tour since Sara Gomer in 1988.
The Bollettieri-trained Watson did it the hard way, saving four match points at 5-4 down in the third set.
Watson, ranked 71 in the world, came through a nervy tiebreak 7-4 to finally see off her 134th-ranked opponent in a tense end to the final of the $220,000 hardcourt event.
Before Robson and Watson the last Briton to reach a WTA final was Jo Durie at Newport in 1990 - before either player was born.

 

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Murray loses Shanghai epic to Djokovic

Andy Murray blew five match points as he lost a thrilling Shanghai Masters final against Novak Djokovic.
The Serbian world number two fought back from the dead to beat the Scot 5-7 7-6(11) 6-3 and prevent Murray from winning the title for a third successive season.

 

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Red-hot Azarenka romps to WTA Linz title

Victoria Azarenka continued her superb run of form to beat Julia Georges 6-3 6-4 and win the WTA Linz event in Austria.
The Belarus world number one has now not lost a set since losing the US Open final to Serena Williams – winning 13 matches since New York.
Azarenka is also the season leader in wins – with her victory over Georges representing her 67th WTA win of the season.
Azarenka had four breaks of serve in the match to just one from the fifth seeded German to secure the win in one hour and 17 minutes.
Despite the relative ease of the victory it was the toughest test she has had this week with Georges being the first player who has won three or more games against her in a match.