Petrova wins Sofia Tournament of Champions

SOFIA (AFP) –

Nadia Petrova of Russia kisses her trophy after beating Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark during the WTA Tournament of Champions final tennis match in Sofia.

Russia’s Nadia Petrova routed top-seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 6-2, 6-1 to clinch the season-ending Tournament of Champions in emphatic style here on Sunday in one hour and 27 minutes of play.

“It’s been a really big pleasure playing here,” Petrova said, thanking her coach Ricardo Sanchez.

“We’ve been through ups and downs this season. But what a great finish!” she said.

Petrova arrived in Sofia from the WTA Championship in Istanbul, where she won the doubles title together with fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko.

“It’s a great way to finish the season with a title in doubles and today in singles so now I’m just looking forward to a rest and getting strong and healthy for next year,” Petrova said.

“Today didn’t go the way that I’d hoped for, obviously. But Nadia played a very good match,” Wozniacki shrugged.

Petrova soon found her game, breaking Wozniacki’s first serve and winning her own service game, despite two double faults before the Dane recovered to hold to love.

The Russian however kept calm to take her next service and broke Wozniacki’s serve again in the fifth with extremely powerful cross-court drives to the sides that denied the Dane time and room to set the pace.

Petrova then managed to prevent Wozniacki from converting a break point in the sixth game.

Wozniacki won her next service game but failed to disrupt the Russian’s very solid play, allowing her to take the set in 50min.

Despite massive support for her from the crowd in Sofia’s Arena Armeec Hall, Wozniacki allowed Petrova to break her serve again at the start of the second set and win her own service game, Wozniacki only stopping the rot in the fifth game and then conceding serve again as she conceded the encounter.

Petrova won $270,000 for her win and clinched 12th spot in the end of year WTA ranking by pushing down Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic.

In reaching the final, Wozniacki also grabbed a year-end top ten ranking, moving up from 11th spot above Marion Bartoli of France, who was not competing here.

The Tournament of Champions featured the six highest-ranked players who have won a title during the season but did not qualify for the WTA Championships, along with two wild cards.

It closed out the WTA calendar.