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By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, April 30, 2016

 
Lucie Safarova

Lucie Safarova rallied for a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Samantha Stosur in the Prague final slamming her 14th ace to seal her seventh career title.

Photo credit: TK Sparta Praha/Pavel Lebeda (sport-pics.cz)

There's no place like home, but for one set Samantha Stosur treated Lucie Safarova like an unfortunate trespasser in Prague muting the Czech faithful in the process.

Then Safarova found the rhythm on her serve and range on her forehand reclaiming home soil in style.

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In a battle of former French Open finalists, the second-seeded Safarova slammed 14 aces, including successive aces to seal a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory in the Prague final.

It is Safarova's seventh career championship and her first title since she swept former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka to win Doha in February, 2015.

The left-handed Czech arrived in Prague with an 0-5 record on the season, managing to win just one set in those five matches. She staged a red clay revival, beating the former US Open champion for the 11th time in 14 career meetings.

A focused Stosur broke serve in the second game, surging out to a 4-1 lead to quiet the pro-Safarova Czech crowd.

Safarova began to get a better read on the Aussie's churning kick serve, earning a break point in the seventh game. Stosur saved it and eventually worked through a tricky hold with a quiet "come on" snatching a 5-2 lead. Stosur served out the 45-minute opener at love.

The grounds crew swept the court clean after the first set. Safarova dusted her opponent in the second set.

A horrific four double fault game from Stosur saw her donate the break and a 2-0 second-set lead. That spurred Safarova who slid an ace out wide holding at love for 3-0.

The 2015 French Open finalist reeled off 14 consecutive points building a 5-0 lead after only 17 minutes of the second set.

Thumping her forehand with conviction, Safarova smacked her eighth ace for a second set point. Lacing a forehand winner down the line, Safarova forced the decisive set.

Tension escalated in the third set until Safarova broke it open in the seventh game.

Another forehand winner down the line followed by a Stosur backhand that ballooned beyond the baseline gave Safarova triple break point. Picking on Stosur's weaker backhand wing, Safarova provoked another backhand error breaking at love for 4-3.

Serving for the title, Safarova hammered a flat inside-out forehand in the corner for championship point. Stosur saved it with a deep drive.

Shaking it off, Safarova swatted her 13th ace out wide for a second championship point. This time, she sealed it in style slamming her 14th ace down the middle to close in one hour, 58 minutes.

 

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