I confess that I used to suspect Maria Kirilenko of not having what it takes to close out big matches. Although she announced herself as the next big tennis champion, the Russian quickly faded from the limelight, failing to deliver on the big stages.
Renowned more for her looks and fashion credentials, Maria underwent a major transformation last season, stepping it up a notch. And the results were quick to show. She reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, she stunned Petra Kvitova to make the semis at the London Olympics, and, most impressively, she achieved her highest ranking, peaking at number 12 in August. She also established herself as a force to be reckoned with in doubles, where she teamed up with compatriot Nadia Petrova. The duo won the Olympic bronze medal, as well as the Seasons Ending Championships in Istanbul. Still, she was desperately searching for a crown to end the five year hiatus.
Asia has always been a special place for Maria, who won three of her five career titles there. Last season the Russian was close to conquering another one in Pattaya City, but she stumble at the last hurdle, losing a marathon final to Slovak Daniela Hantuchova. After that match I reinforced my idea that she is one of those players who cannot complete a victory. This season, wanting to redeem herself, she returned to Thailand as the second seed. Maria has been in control throughout the week, easily booking her place in the grand finale and a showdown with big hitting German, Sabine Lisicki.
After a slow start, the Russian found her grove early in the second set, racing to a 5-2 lead in the decider. Sabine hit back, levelling the dispute at 5 all. At this point, Maria seemed headed for another disappointing loss. She refused to give up though, kept her composure and ended up winning this battle.
The victory marked a nice change of faith for Kirilenko, who finally beats some of her demons to claim a long-awaited sixth crown. Congrats to Maria for proving me wrong!
photo: GETTY IMAGES
No comments:
Post a Comment