Experience Trumps Youth in Luxembourg Title Match

Two of this year's form players took the court for the FORTIS Championships Luxembourg on Sunday, but of course only one would lift the trophy. And this time it was experience that prevailed over youth, as Russia's Elena Dementieva edged Danish teenager Caroline Wozniacki for her third Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title of the year, 26 64 76(4).
 
Dementieva, the No.1 seed at the Tier III tournament, was blown out in 28 minutes in the first set but put on the rally cap she has worn so many times in her career, breaking early en route to winning the second set then fighting back again in the third - having trailed 2-0 to start, and digging out of 15-30 whilst serving at both 3-4 and 4-5 - to prevail over the No.4 seed.
 
"I feel like I just won a Grand Slam," Dementieva said. "I think it was the most difficult final I've ever played. Caroline was playing so well - she has such a good defensive game, but was also hitting really good drop shots and passing shots. I had to stay positive and aggressive and I'm so happy I was able to win today."
 
"You don't feel great after you've lost 7-6 in the third, but Elena has had a great tournament and played a great match today, and really deserved to win here," Wozniacki said. "I knew it was going to be tough. I was fighting for every point. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to win the match today. But she played great."
 
Although she didn't drop a set en route to the final, Dementieva's path to the final had a rocky beginning. Germany's Tatjana Malek held a set point against her in her first set of the week before falling, 76(5) 62; that win may have propelled the Russian to greater heights, as she lost only 12 games in her next three victories, beating Gisela Dulko, No.5 seed Amélie Mauresmo and No.8 seed Sorana Cirstea, all in straight sets and losing no more than four games in any set.
 
"It feels so good coming here and winning this title," Dementieva said. "I feel I was playing well all week, and even with the pressure of playing in a final I was happy with how I performed today. Now I'm going to Monaco to start practicing outdoors for the last tournament of the year in Doha next week."
 
Meanwhile, Wozniacki had more trouble moving into the final on the bottom half of the draw, winning competitive two-setters against Timea Bacsinszky, Peng Shuai and No.7 seed Anabel Medina Garrigues in her first three rounds, then surviving a three-setter against No.6 seed Li Na in the semifinals. She moved into her fourth singles final of the year and was looking to improve to 4-0 in those, having won her first three at Stockholm, New Haven and Tokyo [Japan Open]; Dementieva was a spoiler on the day and blemished that record, however.
 
"It has been a fantastic year for me; I would have loved to win my fourth title here, but it just wasn't my day today," Wozniacki said. "Everything happens for a reason. Elena was just too good today. But I'll be back next year, for sure. I need to get the title now, after coming so close this year!"
 
Li and Cirstea made impressive runs to the semifinals but that meant No.2 and No.3 seeds Anna Chakvetadze and Daniela Hantuchova were shut out, with Chakvetadze falling to Iveta Benesova in the second round to conclude her late-season slump, and Hantuchova falling to Cirstea in the quarterfinals, 76(2) 62, but not before holding a 5-2 first set lead with set point at 6-5.
 
Another headline-maker early on in the week was the Tour-level debut of Australian-born Brit Laura Robson, this year's Wimbledon junior champion. The 14-year-old received a wildcard into the main draw and won the first set on Benesova before falling in a decisive three-setter, 16 62 63.
 
"It's been really good and everyone's so friendly on the Tour," said Robson, who had played just three events on the ITF Circuit in France and England before the match. "It has been a really good experience. I started really well then in the second set maybe it didn't go as well as I planned, but then she started playing better as well. It's a tough loss but I still felt I played well."
 
In the doubles final, which immediately followed the singles final, No.3 seeds Vera Dushevina and Mariya Koryttseva met No.4 seeds Cirstea and Marina Erakovic, and it was the underdogs who won, winning in a match tie-break, 26 63 108. Cirstea took home her second Tour doubles title while Erakovic won her third.

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