Kuznetsova Crowned Mercury Insurance Open Champion

8/8/2010

Carlsbad, Cailf. – Fans could not have asked for a more exciting final for the 2010 Mercury Insurance Open Presented by Tri-City Medical Center.

 It took three sets and five match points for Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova to overtake Agnieszka Radwanska from Poland, 6-4, 6-7(7), 6-3 Sunday afternoon at the La Costa Resort and Spa.

The last meeting came in the finals of Beijing in October, which is the last final in which either player appeared.  Kuznetsova won that match.

On Sunday, the opening set began with both players holding serve.  Kuznetsova earned the first break of serve when Radwanska hit a backhand out wide at 30-40 in the third game.

Kuznetsova challenged a call on her opening serve of the fourth game. The call was overturned to give her the ace. Kuznetsova went on to hold serve at love.

Despite having four game points to hold serve, Radwanska was broken to give the Russian a 4-1 lead. Kuznetsova easily held in the next game to go up 5-1.

Serving to stay in the set, Radwanska held at love, hitting her first ace of the match. Kuznetsova, up 5-2, served for the set but was broken at love.  Radwanska then held serve, relinquishing only one point to make the score 5-4.
Serving at 5-4, Kuznetsova slammed a forehand winner on set point to put away the first set.

The second set began with both players holding serve until the fifth game.  At 2-2, the fans were treated to another entertaining game, which had a total of 16 points. Despite Radwanska hitting two more of her six aces, Kuznetsova earned the first break of the set. 

Both players held serve for the next four games.  Kuznetsova served for the match at 5-4 but ran into some difficulties closing it out. When the Russian hit a backhand into the net to give Radwanska the service break, the crowd cheered enthusiastically for a third set.

Back on serve, the women held serve, to get to the tiebreaker.

Kuznetsova came out strong in the tiebreak to race ahead 4-0. Radwanska got on the scoreboard when the Russian hit a lob long.  At 4-2 Radwanska challenged a call on the baseline, which was overturned, earning her point to get to 4-3. Radwanska saved her first match point when Kuznetsova double faulted at 6-3. She then won the next two points to even the score. 

Radwanska hit a double fault to give Kuznetsova her third match point, however the Russian blew the opportunity again as she double faulted  once again. Finally up in the tiebreak, Radwanska hit a great shot and took the set 9-7.  

In the final set it seemed like neither player wanted to hold serve as they traded breaks in the third and fourth game.  Kuznetsova consolidated the break in the fifth game and broke the Polish player one more time to take the lead, 5-2.

Serving to stay in the match, Radwanska held at love.  But that would be the last game she would win. 
Once again Kuznetsova served for the match, but this time, on her fifth match point, she smacked a forehand winner down the line to become the 2010 Mercury Insurance Open champion.