Saturday, January 7, 2012

Kanepi ends impressive Brisbane run with championship win

Unseeded Kaia Kanepi has won the 2012 title at the Brisbane International, making her the first player to win the tournament in its new premiere status. Kanepi easily defeated Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 6-1 in the final. This was the fourth time the two had played each other, and the first loss for Hantuchvoa.

In the semifinal, Kaneip defeated 3rd seed Francesca Schiavone, allowing Schiavone only three games. In the quarterfinals, she defeated 2nd seed Andrea Petkovic in straight sets. And in the second round, Kanepi allowed only three games to 7th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Kanepi's first round win, over Alexandra Panova, was her only match to go three sets.

Throughout the week, Kanepi hit 31 aces, and she sustained mean first and second serve win percentages of 82 and 62. The Tall One from Tallinn will be seeded number 26 at the Australian Open. She made her best showing in Melbourne in 2009, when she reached the third round.

4th seeds Nuria Llagostera Vives and Arantxa Parra Santonja won the Brisbane doubles title. In the final, they defeated Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears 7-6, 7-6.

No comments: