In the first set, Radwanska served to stay in the set at 4-5¸ but fell behind 0-40. She fought off two set points, but at 30-40 Petkovic slammed a forehand winner to secure the set.

 

Petkovic admitted to coming onto the court feeling sick from lunch she had eaten prior to the match. It became evident that she felt ill in the second set, dropping four consecutive games to Radwanska. Rushing off the court at 0-40 in the fifth game, Petkovic took an emergency off-court medical timeout. 

 

Winning 10 consecutive games, Radwanska quickly went up 4-0 in the third set. After regaining focus, Petkovic held serve for the remainder of the match. However, Radwanska refused to give away free points, and won the third set 6-4. 

 

There was good news for Petkovic despite her semi-final loss. On Monday when the WTA rankings are released, the German will be ranking in the Top 10 for the first time in her caree.

 

Radwanska will play for the Mercury Insurance Open singles championship on Sunday in a match scheduled not before 2 p.m. (PT). She will face the Vera Zvonareva, who defeated Ana Ivanovic 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

 

“Vera is obviously (the) top player right now, playing some good tennis,” Radwanska said. “Ana is coming back also. I think it's going to be very interesting match.”

 

Individual tickets are now on sale for the 2011 Mercury Insurance Open, July 30 to August 7 at the La Costa Resort and Spa.  Reserved grandstand and box seat tickets, which range from $10-$125, are now available online at mercuryinsuranceopen.com or through Ticketmaster at ticketmaster.com.  Tournament ticket packages are also on sale and begin at $70.

 

The Mercury Insurance Open, a Premier 700 Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) event offering $721,000 in prize money, will feature a 56-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw in 2011. The women’s professional tennis event returned to the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad in 2010 after a two-year hiatus.  Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova won the singles title last summer when she defeated Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in the final. The tournament will be televised on the Tennis Channel and ESPN 2.

 

The Mercury Insurance Open is a participating tournament in the Olympus US Open Series. The US Open Series, now in its eighth year, is a six-week summer tennis season that links 10 ATP World Tour and WTA tournaments together. The series leads into the US Open. The Mercury Insurance Open is the second women’s event within the series. For additional information about the Mercury Insurance Open Presented by Tri-City Medical Center, log onto http://www.mercuryinsuranceopen.com/, join us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/SDTennis) or follow frequent updates on Twitter (http://twitter.com/MercuryInsOpen).  Text “CARLSBAD” to 55333 to join the tournament’s VIP text club and receive up-to-the-minute news, tournament information and player announcements right on your mobile device. Standard text message rates apply.   

              

About Mercury Insurance

Mercury Insurance (MCY) is a multiple-line insurance organization predominantly offering personal automobile and homeowners insurance through a network of independent agents and brokers in California, Florida, New Jersey, Texas, Arizona, New York, Georgia, Oklahoma, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Founded in 1962, Mercury specializes in providing quality insurance at affordable prices – core values that distinguish Mercury in the marketplace. For more information about Mercury Insurance, visit www.mercuryinsurance.com.

 

About Tri-City Medical Center

Tri-City Medical Center is a Joint Commission gold seal accredited, full-service, acute care hospital with three advanced clinical institutes and physicians practicing in 60 specialties. Administered by the Tri-City Healthcare District which includes Oceanside, Vista and most of Carlsbad, Tri-City is celebrating 50 years caring for the community. For more information about Tri-City Medical Center, please visit www.tricitymed.org. 

 

About Octagon Tennis

Octagon’s history and tradition in tennis dates back nearly 40 years. Octagon has played an important role in the globalization of professional tennis. Our long-standing reputation for integrity is the foundation of our leadership position in the industry. Our mission is to serve as the pre-eminent management and marketing agency worldwide for the representation of tennis players. For more information, visit www.octagontennis.com.