"I'm so happy to win the title. It's been a long time. I'm happy at the way season has progressed." @luciesafarova pic.twitter.com/lhm88CVHsP
— Tennis (@tennis_photos) February 28, 2015
At the conclusion of today's Doha final, there was a fireworks display that occurred as part of the trophy ceremony. The smiling face of Lucie Safarova, surrounded by shimmering streaks of fireworks, stood out against the sky. Safarova was not the lefty Czech who was top-seeded; rather, she was the lefty Czech who was unseeded.
In the course of her Doha run, Safarova defeated Sam Stosur, Ekaterina Makarova, Andrea Petkovic, Carla Suarez Navarro, and finally, Victoria Azarenka (6-4, 6-3). Makarova, Petkovic and Suarez Navarro were seeded 5th, 6th and 9th, respectively. The Doha win marks Safarova's first premier-level title, but the run was no surprise, given the improvement she has made in the mental part of her game. Wild card Azarenka was dealing with a leg injury, which didn't help her cause, but nothing should really be taken from Safarova and her amazing Doha win.
When the rankings are published tomorrow, Lucie Safarova will be number 11 in the world.
Top seed Petra Kvitova was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Suarez Navarro, and defending champion Simona Halep withdrew before the tournament began.
Top doubles seeds Hsieh Su-Wei and Sania Mirza lost the doubles final to 4th seeds Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears, who defeated them 6-4, 6-4.
4 comments:
I am so pleased for Lucy! She has always had the game and now if she has the belief and consistency she will be where she should be ranked in the WTA.
It was a long time coming. I think Fed Cup has really helped her to take this latest step.
Hmmm... Petra, Lucie, Karolina (and maybe even BZS, after her QF in '14). How many Czechs can make the Wimbledon SF THIS year?
Ha! Czechs becoming a micro-tour, having to beat each other in order to advance. Good thing there's a lot of mental stability there :D
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