Maria Kirilenko’s title drought continues this season; lost New Haven final – Tennis News
Booming Russian tennis diva, Maria Kirilenko, sustained her title drought of the running season at New Haven Open last weekend, as she squandered away another title-winning opportunity to stay away from glory. The 25-year-old received
a straight sets defeat, 6-7(5), 5-7, at the hands of the world number five, Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic, in the final of the event on Saturday’s eve.
Improving two spots in the WTA Premier Rankings, Kirilenko has captured the world number 12 spot despite of her loss in the title match of New Haven Open. The Russian beauty queen is enjoying her career best ranking at the moment
but she is still to enter the winners’ circle this year.
Kirilenko has been in supreme form this season but her knack of falling in the crunch matches still prevails. She had the easiest of the voyages to the final of the New Haven Open, as she received a walkover through the German
tennis ace, Mona Barthel in the second round and then again in the semi-finals when the former world number one, Caroline Wozniacki, pulled out of the contest with a gruelling injury.
The Russian was expected to put up a great display of tennis against the former world number two and she actually did. Kirilenko stretched Kvitova to her limits before submitting to her might in the second set. The opener went
to the tie-breaker and the following set was also heading towards it but the Czech number one came up with a stunning break of serve to end all hopes of Kirilenko in the contest.
"I was surprised I lost the tie-break," Kirilenko said after the match. "The last five or six tie-breaks I've won - I haven't lost one the last four or five months. But it was really close, and I already served for the set and
just didn't make the right decisions, and it's okay. I was 5-2 up in the second set and again she came back. Even though I lost I still feel positive. I played really well this week. I played a good match today. Unfortunately, I was unlucky in the final today."
25-year-old Kirilenko already defeated Kvitova in the quarter-final rounds of the Olympic Games this month but couldn’t repeat her heroics in New Haven this time. The Czech tennis ace now levels the head-to-head series to 3-3 against
Kirilenko and hopes to attain a lead in battles to come in the future.
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