In the first set of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, it looked for all the world like Svetlana Kuznetsova had her confidence back in a big match. She played superbly against Jelena Jankovic in the semifinals, and this looked like it might be another exciting, well-played match. But after the first set, the old Kuznetsova made an appearance--the one who gets tight when things are going wrong and just hits and hits and hits, without regard for accuracy or patience. It was not hard for Dementieva to capitalize on her opponent's weaknesses.
Dementieva def. Kuznetsova, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 (and check out the trophy!)
Cara Black and Liezel Huber won the doubles title, defeating Yan Zi and Zheng Jie, 7-5, 6-2.
I'm very happy for Elena, one of my favs. I wonder if she's serving better since winning in Moscow? That had to be such a high! And Svetlana's finals woes continue unabated. Let's see, I think she's 1 for 8 in finals in 2007/2008. Check out the other players in the top 8 over the same period: Anna C is 5 of 5, Justine is 12 of 13, Venus is 3 of 4, Jankovic is 4 of 8, Ivanovic and Sharapova are 3 of 6, and Hantchukova is 2 of 2. Do you think Sveta is a permanent headcase, or what's the deal Diane?
ReplyDeleteThe Tennis Channel commentators said that since her U.S. Open win, Sveta has been a finalist 16 times (counting today), and has won only 5 titles.
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings about Dementieva. I think she's a wonderful tennis player and is very pleasing on court, but I still have trouble getting past her attacks on Kuznetsova after Sveta was treated so viciously by the drug-testers. The narcissism in Dementieva's remark was stunning, and Sveta was already in a lot of pain. Hopefully, Dementieva has matured since then.
And to answer your question, Jen--yes, at this point, I think Sveta is a permanent head case. Too bad. She should have won the French Open by now.