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Monday October 12, 2009

Joker jives in China

BEIJING: Novak Djokovic captured his third ATP title of the year at the China Open yesterday, outlasting giant killer Marin Cilic of Croatia in a blistering baseline battle, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4).

The Serbian second seed took advantage of a 90-minute rain delay, which came at 2-2 in the first set, coming back on centre court at the Beijing Olympics tennis venue with sharper ground strokes and well-placed serves.

The big-hitting Cilic - who beat fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko and top seed Rafael Nadal en route to the final - kept up a barrage of huge shots from the backcourt but Djokovic mixed up the pace to throw him off, forcing errors.

Victory to savour: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic biting the trophy after winning the China Open final against Croatia’s Marin Cilic yesterday. — Reuters

After holding serve to go up 3-2 in the first, Djokovic broke Cilic straight away and then a second time to take the set, with the 21-year-old Croatian the victim of two unlucky net cords in the final game.

In the second, Cilic - a wild card entry here - and the 22-year-old Serb traded breaks three times to force a tiebreak, with the Croatian failing to serve out the set twice.

Djokovic took control mid-tiebreak, winning a rally after Cilic slipped and fell to go up 4-2. The Serb closed it out on his second match point when the Croatian sent an inside-out forehand sailing wide.

Both players agreed that the light rain shower had been a factor in the outcome of the final.

“I certainly played much better after the rain delay,” said Djokovic, who went home with the US$500,000 winner’s cheque. “I kind of got my nerves together... I was very fresh on the court after that.”

“Even though it was a straight-set win, it wasn’t easy at all. Marin could have had at least a set under his belt,” the Serb said, congratulating Cilic on a great week in Beijing.

The Croatian said he had trouble adjusting to the cooler temperatures and the slower on-court conditions after the break.

“I didn’t find the right range. I was a little bit struggling with that,” Cilic said. “He was defending really well and so it was tough to get some free points. I think I didn’t serve well today... In the crucial moments, he played well.”

Djokovic, by reaching the final, is assured of taking over the world number three ranking on Oct 19, surpassing injured Scot Andy Murray. He has already qualified for the season-ending championship in London in November.

Both men will head straight to Shanghai for the next leg of the ATP Tour’s swing through Asia.

In the women’s final, Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova crushed Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska in straight sets to ensure her return to the WTA’s top five. Sixth seed Kuznetsova, who won in Beijing in 2006 and was runner-up last year, overcame the number 12 seed, 6-2, 6-4 at the US$6.6mil combined ATP/WTA event.

Kuznetsova, who defeated Radwanska earlier this year en route to the French Open title, dominated the first set, breaking the 20-year-old Pole three times and running her around the court with her penetrating pinpoint ground strokes.

In the second, the 24-year-old Russian also went up an early break and never looked back, keeping Radwanska on the run by hitting difficult angles from the baseline.

She easily served out the match, ending with a wide serve Radwanska could not handle. The win ensures that Kuznetsova, currently world number six, will move into the top five when the new WTA rankings come out today. — AFP

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