Radwanska Continues Streak Against Zvonareva To Win Tokyo

By Robert Martin                          Photo Credit: Koji Watanabe/Getty Images

(October 1, 2011) There are two things that give World No. 4 Vera Zvonareva troubles; finals and Agnieszka Radwanska, who defeated the Russian for the third straight time. The 6-3, 6-2 victory gave Radwanska her second Premier-level title of the year, with her first coming in Carlsbad where she also defeated Zvonareva.

Radwanska struggled to reach the final, needing three sets in three of her previous matches, but after a slow start she commanded the final, easily dispatching Zvonareva behind five breaks of serve. Zvonareva had a 2-0 lead and a point to extend the lead, but Radwanska quickly turned the momentum, winning eight of nine games before settling in to a relaxing finish to the final.

The win gives Radwanska a 6-2 record in tour finals while dropping Zvonareva to a dismal 12-18. A resident of Krakow, Poland, Radwanska was happy with the way she played, saying, “I was a little bit nervous at the start, but I woke up after those first two games. I had some tough matches this week – and I was playing without a bye, so I had a lot of matches in a row – but I kept trying my best.”

With the WTA Championships in Istanbul coming up at the end of the month, Radwanska will need to gain as many points as possible in the next weeks to secure a place. When asked about the event, she said, “Before this tournament my chances of qualifying for the Championships were very small, but now they’ll be better.”

Zvonareva did not seem to have any answers after the match, saying, “I started well and broke her, but after that I don’t know what happened to me. I’ve played with Agnieszka a lot and know how she plays, and if I played to my usual standard I could have won, but I just couldn’t today. It happens.”

Perhaps even more importantly, Zvonareva reflected on recent events, saying, “Given everything that has gone on here in Japan, the players had a responsibility to support the people and the tournament. I hope the spectators enjoyed the match, even though it wasn’t a great one for me. I hope to continue to support the victims of the tsunami and earthquake.”