 |
|
||
 |
|||
 |
 |
 |
   | 
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Mauresmo one win from world No. 1
 Mauresmo made the final after proving far too powerful for Hingis DOHA, Qatar (Reuters) -- Amelie Mauresmo pummelled Martina Hingis 6-2 6-2 on Friday to reach the Qatar Open final and move within one victory of the world number one spot. Mauresmo, who has already won three titles this year including the Australian Open, will face Russian second seed Nadia Petrova in Saturday's final. Victory in that match will catapult the Frenchwoman to the top of the rankings, past Belgian Kim Clijsters who is out of action with an ankle injury. It was a commanding performance from the fluent Mauresmo, never letting former world number one Hingis find her rhythm. Hingis managed to hold her first two service games, but was then broken six times in a row as Mauresmo's ferocious topspin and extreme angles began to wreak havoc in the baseline exchanges. "I am happy that I am in the final," said Mauresmo, who had not faced Hingis since 2001. "I think I got it right out there. I served well and returned well. I was seeing the ball well...having said that I know there are certain areas of my game where I need to concentrate more." Mauresmo said it would take a while for Hingis to return to the form that gave her five grand slam titles. "(Martina) Hingis is a great player. I don't think she has to prove anything. Perhaps, coming back after a long gap and hitting top form would take some time, I feel," she said. Petrova, ranked eighth in the world, overcame stiff resistance in the second set before completing a 6-1 7-6 success 7/2 in the tiebreaker, battering a backhand down the line on her first matchpoint. 
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
| © 2007 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us. Site Map. |
|
External sites open in new window; not endorsed by CNN.com
Pay service with live and archived video. 
