Kuznetsova Keeps Rolling with Second Straight TitleBALI, Indonesia - In the last eight days, Svetlana Kuznetsova has won two singles titles on two different continents, but hasn't had much luck in doubles finals.
The US Open champion won her second title in as many weeks on Sunday by defeating unseeded German Marlene Weingartner in the final of the Wismilak International in Bali, 61 64. Including her impressive two-week run in New York, Kuznetsova has now won 11 straight matches.
“It was tough to go all the way through after coming from the US Open,” said Kuznetsova. “I was just doing my best and didn’t want to lose. I was just trying to get into form, and I beat Nadia (Petrova) in a very good semi-final match, and I played well today."
Meanwhile, Kuznetsova and partner Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario didn't have the same luck in the doubles final, losing to the top seeded duo of Anastasia Myskina and Ai Sugiyama.
With the win, Kuznetsova continued the trend of US Open champions having success in their next event following their victory in New York. Since 1986, 13 of the last 19 US Open winners have gone on to also win their next Tour event.
The title by the Russian teenager was the fifth of her career and third of 2004. Kuznetsova was also victorious back in Bali in 2002 and her second win at the event marks the first time she's won multiple titles at one event.
Though she was showing some nerves by playing in her first WTA Tour final, Weingartner held serveral break point opportunities on Kuznetsova's service games in the first set. But the new Grand Slam winner held off all those opportunities to jump out to a 4-0 first set lead and eventually take the first set.
In the second set, Weingartner held a break point that would give her a 4-2 lead, but Kuznetsova used a backhand volley to eliminate the opportunity and remain on serve. Kuznetsova grabbed a break on the German's next service game and then held on to take the match.
“Today the key was to just stay in the match," Kuznetsova said. "I didn’t play my best, definitely. I played well the first set, but Marlene couldn’t find anything to play against me. In the second set she played better. She ran much more, but I was still making her run to see if she could handle it.”
With 51 victories this season, Kuznetsova trails only Lindsay Davenport (55) for the most by any player on Tour. Her 50th win of the year, recorded in Saturday's victory against Nadia Petrova, was good enough to elevate Kuznetsova to a career-best No.5 WTA Singles Ranking when the new rankings are released on Monday.
Though they were a potent doubles duo back in 2002, Kuznetsova and Sánchez-Vicario weren't able to win their first title in Bali after falling to Myskina and Sugiyama in straight sets.
Myskina and Sugiyama won the Bali title in their first time playing together. For Myskina, the win gives her a very first doubles title to go along with her eight singles titles she's won on Tour.
Sugiyama has now won 30 career doubles titles, moving her into sole possession of 18th place on the Most Career Doubles Titles list in the Open Era. It's her second victory of 2004 after winning Montreal doubles with Shinobu Asagoe last month.
For Kuznetsova, it's the second straight loss in a doubles final. Last Sunday, Kuznetsova fell with partner Elena Likhovtseva to Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suarez in the US Open doubles final.