BEIJING, 19 September 2005 — Top seed Rafael Nadal beat No. 2 Guillermo Coria 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 to win the China Open yesterday, securing his 10th title of the year.
The 19-year-old Spaniard hit back with venom after dropping the first set, racing through the second as his Argentine opponent suffered a complete meltdown.
A pummelling backhand gave Nadal the crucial break in the third game of the final set and the French Open champion went on to wrap up victory in a shade under two hours.
The world No. 1 has now beaten Coria in three finals this year following Masters Series titles on clay in Monte Carlo and Rome.
Nadal tied Roger Federer for tournament wins in 2005 and improved his match record for the year to 72-10 to move past the world No. 1 in victories. Federer’s record for the year stands at 71-3. Nadal’s first trip to Asia netted him $69,200 in prize money.
Davenport Wins Bali
International
In Bali, Lindsay Davenport won her fourth title of the year yesterday when she defeated Italian Francesca Schiavone 6-2, 6-4 in the final of the Bali International.
Top seeded Davenport, who also won in Dubai, Amelia Island and New Haven, did not drop a set all week. The victory earned her $35,000, but not enough points to regain the No. 1 ranking she conceded following the US Open. Fourth seeded Schiavone, who was seeking her first career title after reaching finals in Tashkent and Canberra, was always in the match but produced no real threat.
Davenport made a perfect start by breaking Schiavone in the opening game, coming in to put away a double-handed backhand winner when the Italian hit short.
Schiavone, a crowd favorite after the tenacity and character she had shown all week, was loudly cheered after she fought back from 0-40 to hold serve in the fifth game, forcing an error from Davenport at the end of a long rally.
The American then had to stave off two break points in the next game, but eventually held with an ace and then broke again for 5-2 when Schiavone made a backhand error.
Davenport also broke in the opening game of the second set, but Schiavone continued to offer a challenge and was rewarded with a break for 2-2. Davenport might have regained the advantage in the next game but hit a poor return on break point, and she had to wait until the match was delicately poised at 4-4 to make her vital breakthrough.
Russia Beat France 3-2 to
Retain Fed Cup Title
In Paris, Elena Dementieva and Dinara Safina teamed up to help Russia retain the Fed Cup title yesterday, beating Amelie Mauresmo and Mary Pierce of France 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 in doubles to give the Russians a 3-2 win.
Dementieva, who also won both of her singles matches, sank to her knees in celebration after Mauresmo hit a forehand long on match point at Roland Garros.
Russia beat two-time champion France 3-2 in the final last year in Moscow.
Earlier, Mary Pierce came back from 4-1 down in the second set after losing the first to beat Anastasia Myskina 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to even the best-of-five series at 2-2.
Pierce, who lost to Dementieva on Saturday and was nearly dropped for Sunday’s reverse singles match, won five straight games and 11 of 13 to get the win.
Myskina’s unforced errors again cost her, causing her to shout at herself in frustration. She also argued with team captain Shamil Tarpischev and then slumped in her chair at 3-1 down in the deciding set.
Pierce, a French and US Open finalist this year, won the match with a forehand winner down the line from Myskina’s weak second serve. Pierce then punched the air in celebration while Myskina shook her head solemnly.
In the first reverse singles match, Dementieva put Russia ahead by beating Mauresmo 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 - Mauresmo’s first Fed Cup singles loss since July 2002, and her third straight loss to Dementieva. Neither player could hold serve until Dementieva served to lead 5-3. Both players struggled with consistency.
In the deciding set, Mauresmo saved two break points at 2-4 but double-faulted to allow Dementieva to serve out the match.
Mauresmo lost her serve eight times overall and made 48 unforced errors, compared to 50 for Dementieva, who had her serve broken six times.
