By Christopher Lancette
The buzz at the inaugural Citi Open in College Park, Maryland this week centered around a number of players. People raved about top-seed Shahar Peer and rising newcomers like Irina Falconi. No one, it seemed, had Nadia Petrova’s name as the last one on their brackets. It had been three years, after all, since the former world No. 3 had taken home a trophy.
That changed Sunday, when the 29-year-old Russian beat No. 24 Shahar Peer 7-5, 6-2, relying on a powerful ground game and a strong serve that put a new piece of hardware in her hands.
“I’ve been waiting patiently for this,” she said. “I’m very happy to win my tenth title.”
A rare smile edged on to her face as she continued. “I love crystal and I already have a nice collection of it.”
The three-year gap between titles made her a little rusty on what to do after a win, though. Long after her post-match press conference, she returned to the press room to retrieve the trophy she had accidentally left behind.
Crystal in hand, she’s flying out quickly to get back to what she loves most – her new French bulldog. “I saw this little Frenchie and I just fell in love with her,” she said. “I’ve been waking up and counting the days until I see her.”
Despite suffering her sixth consecutive loss to Petrova, Peer also found some good things in her game at the Citi Open.
“I’m very encouraged,” she said. “It’s good momentum for me to win tough matches, to fight through a lot of good matches.”
Peer also appreciated the fan support that turns out for her wherever she goes, in part because of her willingness to embrace challenging issues off the court – as she did in World Tennis Magazine’s video interview with her.
“It is a very good feeling to have a lot people behind you,” said Peer, who planned to take in a Washington Nationals game before leaving town.
The championship match went by fairly quickly. Peer started strong in each set, breaking Petrova’s serve and taking early leads. Petrova regained command each time, though, controlling points and running Peer from sideline to sideline.
“I lost the first game of each set but I was able to turn it around,” Petrova said. “I knew she was not going to be able to hurt me with her first serve.”
Petrova recovered and set the tone with her serve for the rest of each set. She consistently placed serves ranging in speed from 106 to 110 miles per hour in tight places – just inside the T and out wide. She was also able to overcome a few unforced errors she made, including a wide-open overhead that she buried in the bottom of the net in the first set.
“I congratulate Nadia,” Peer said on court after the match. “There aren’t many players I haven’t beaten on this tour and I’ve lost already six times to her. She’s a great player and a great champion.”
For the Citi Open, the fact that the top seeds reached the finals was not the only bright spot.
- Though fan-favorite Melanie Oudin disappeared early, former college No. 1 and Georgia Tech star Irina Falconi beat three players in the top 100 this week and will herself move into that company when the new rankings are released.
- Sloane Stephens, another up-and-coming American talent, showed glimpses of her power and her potential. (WTM “The Changeover” video interview coming soon.)
- Canadian Stephanie Dubois advanced to her first WTA quarterfinal in six years.
- Tamira Paszek, the 20-year-old effervescent No. 42, turned in a solid week. “I got four good matches in my body and I know I can stay out there in the heat,” she said. “I found my game and played the way I should be playing.” (Stay tuned for a WTM video interview with her, too.)
Championship Sunday, however, belonged to Petrova – even if she didn’t read any of the buzz that other players were considered favorites or hopefuls.
“I brought my laptop with me but I haven’t opened it once,” she said.
She might want to now. The pictures of her with the first-ever Citi Open tournament trophy came out great.
Photo credits © by Won-ok Kim
