Errani/Vinci dumps Kirilenko/Petro to lift the Grand Slam doubles crown – French Open 2012
Italian ‘princess of upsets’ Sara Errani is having a memorable run at the French Open this season. While reaching the final of the singles draw, the Italian teamed up with her compatriot, Roberta Vinci, claimed the doubles title
at the Grand Slam venue in Paris, France, on Friday. The fourth seed duo hunted down the Russian veterans, Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova, in the doubles final to come out as the champions at the Roland Garros.
It was Errani and Vinci’s 11th WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) championship title and the sixth one this year. Monterrey, Acapulco, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and Paris are the venues which have witnessed the brilliance
of these two Italians this circuit but a Grand Slam victory is certainly above them all. The fourth seeded Italians came to Roland Garros as the hot favourite for winning the title and accomplished the mighty task by settling the scores at 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, in
the final against the Russians.
Kirilenko and Petrova have also been absolutely brilliant in throughout the tournament so far, ousting a number of superior-seeded opponents in the draw but couldn’t repeat their magic in the crunch game. They had an excellent
beginning to the title match on Friday and cruised through the opening set with commanding ease to get the upper hand early. However, the seventh seeded Russians gradually lost their steam in the later parts of the match and allowed their opponents to strike
back at them.
Errani and Vinci regrouped after dropping the opener and came out firing at the Russians in the second set. Nailing two out of seven break points and winning 15 of the 23 first serve points, the fourth seed Italians clinched the
second set to bring the contest back on even terms. Once getting into their winning groove, Errani and Vinci powered their way through the decisive set with three serve breaks and closed out their emphatic Grand Slam victory at 6-2.
"It was not hard - I just woke up today and have been thinking only about the doubles," Errani said after her triumph. "Tomorrow I will think about the singles. I don't want to think about tomorrow now - it's not a good idea. I
prefer to relax. Tomorrow we will see what happens."
Errani has to face the three-time Grand Slam champion and the second seed, Maria Sharapova of Russia in the singles final of the French Open on Saturday.
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