Sugiyama Regains Gold Coast Title GOLD COAST, Australia - As if her semifinal Houdini act wasn't enough, world No.10 Ai Sugiyama proved again on Saturday she has nerves of steel, coming from behind to defeat Russian No.2 seed Nadia Petrova 16 61 64 to win the Uncle Tobys Hardcourts title on the Gold Coast. The top-seeded Sugiyama, who recovered from a 1-3 third set deficit to beat local wildcard Samantha Stosur in Friday's semifinals, trailed 0-3 and 1-4 in the final set against 12th-ranked Petrova before storming to victory, much to the delight of the scores of Japanese supporters. From 4-1 in the third set, Petrova appeared to be hampered by a left gluteal strain which she says occurred during the second set. Her movement not a shadow of what it normally is, Sugiyama took full advantage and secured her sixth WTA Tour singles title and second on the Gold Coast, having won here in 1998. "First, I was happy to make it to the final," said Sugiyama. "I had some tough matches along the way. I almost lost my match yesterday and again today, but I just didn't give up. The key was that I just kept playing my game. Even though I was down 4-1 in the third, I kept my concentration. It was one of my best comebacks. I surprised myself." Sugiyama said her second victory on the Gold Coast was sweeter than the first. "It was a lot different for me. This one means a lot more to me. Last time, I wasn't the top seed or ranked in the Top 10. The level of competition was much higher this year." Petrova made an explosive start to her second career final, winning 100% of points on her first serve in the first set, which she snatched 6-1. But the t ide of the match changed dramatically when Petrova lunged for a ball and injured herself, while Sugiyama made only one unforced error in taking the second set by the same score. Petrova's injury didn't appear to trouble her at the start of the deciding set, but she called for the WTA Tour primary health care provider for treatment after the seventh game. "I was OK at the beginning of the third, but at 3-0, we had a very long game, and I hurt it again," said a disappointed Petrova. "I was still lucky to get to 4-1, but after that, I was finished, and Ai kept playing some unbelievable tennis. "After my injury, I couldn't serve very well and couldn't get the power out of my serve because I use my left leg a lot for my serve. I was very disappointed because I had the match in my hand." Petrova had also lost to Sugiyama in her debut finals appearance in Linz, Austria last November. For her efforts this week, Sugiyama takes home US$27,000 while Petrova earns US$14,500. In the doubles final, top seeds Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Likhovtseva restored some pride for Russia, defeating No.2 seeds Liezel Huber of South Africa and Bulgarian Magdalena Maleeva 63 64. -- ---禅心已作沾泥絮，莫向春风舞鹧鸪--- --

※ 发信站: 批踢踢实业坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 218.174.156.40