Dominika Cibulkova pulled off a gritty 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland on Sunday to win the WTA premier hardcourt tournament at Stanford. Slovakian third seed Cibulkova shook off the memory of four prior defeats against Radwanska, including a 6-0, 6-0 thrashing in the final at Sydney in January, to claim a third career WTA title.
She broke world number four Radwanska for a 5-4 lead in the third set, then clawed through a final game lasting more than 10 minutes to seal the triumph on her fifth match point. ‘It seemed like forever,’ Cibulkova said of the final game. ‘When I missed the first match point, I was like ‘No way’. Then it was second, third, she had a break point to come back.’
Maria pulls out of Rogers Cup
TORONTO: World number two Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the WTA Rogers Cup hardcourt event in Toronto next month because of a nagging left hip injury, organizers said on Sunday. ‘I am extremely disappointed that I am unable to play in Toronto next week as it’s one of the best and most important tournaments of the year,’ Sharapova said.
‘I was looking forward to making a healthy return to the courts in front of my Canadian fans but unfortunately I’m just not fit yet.’