Maria Sharapova rallied to beat 10th-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 on Sunday and win her third Italian Open title. The victory gives Sharapova confidence on clay as she prepares to defend her title at Roland Garros, which starts next weekend.
“It’s a special victory,” Sharapova said during the trophy presentation. “It isn’t my first time but when I’m able to hold the trophy again it brings back memories of winning it the first time.” Sharapova struggled for long stretches to figure out Suarez Navarro’s variation of spins, slices and heavy topspin shots — with a one-handed backhand that was difficult to read.
But once the second-seeded Sharapova started stepping into the court, attacking the Spaniard’s serve and finding the corners, she took control. For her 35th career title, and 11th on clay, Sharapova celebrated mildly with a smile and a few fist pumps.
“I remember coming to Italy as a girl and this was one of the tournaments I dreamed of playing. Now to win it for a third time is very special.”
Djokovic beats federer
Top-ranked Novak Djokovic bolstered his clay-court credentials a week ahead of Roland Garros with a convincing 6-4, 6-3 win over Roger Federer to capture his fourth Italian Open title.
Extending his winning streak to 22 matches, Djokovic proved too consistent and too quick for Federer, who has never won the title at the Foro Italico in 15 appearances.
“It was a great week and today was my best match,” Djokovic told the crowd in Italian. “It’s always a pleasure to play against Roger and obviously I’m very pleased by today. Along with 2011, this is the best year of my career. I don’t know how (to) continue at Roland Garros but obviously I have a lot of confidence. I hope I can continue like this.”
Djokovic produced a spectacular return to set up the decisive break at the end of the first set then got an early break in the second.
“Novak was too strong today,” Federer said.
The French Open is the only Grand Slam that Djokovic has never won, and he will enter as the favorite this year considering Rafael Nadal’s struggles.
Djokovic also won the Rome title in 2008, 2011 and last year.
Handed a marker to sign a TV camera lens after the match, Djokovic wrote in Italian, “Grazie ancora Roma” — Thanks again Rome — surrounded by a heart.
The first set was decided by just a few points. leading 5-4, Djokovic produced a spectacular forehand return cross-court winner that landed on the line to set up a break point, then closed it out when Federer netted a backhand after a long rally.
Organisers want to move Italian Open to new location
Running out of room and with ticket demand soaring, local organizers want to move the Italian Open from its historic Foro Italico venue to a new location near Rome’s main airport.
“We can’t fit in here anymore,” Italian tennis federation president Angelo Binaghi said. “The hunger for tennis makes this the biggest event in Italy.” The 10,500-seat Foro Italico stadium, inaugurated in 2010, isn’t big enough, Binaghi added.
Total attendance for the tournament was set to surpass 200,000 on Sunday, up from 175,000 last year, with about 10 million euros (more than $11 million) in ticket sales, up 23 percent from 2014.
With Rome bidding for the 2024 Olympics, Binaghi suggests building an entirely new tournament venue and national training center near the leonardo Da Vinci airport, which could also be used for the games.
The Foro Italico, built under Benito Mussolini in the 1920s and 30s, has hosted the Italian Open since the year 1935. The tournament is run by both the federation and the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI).
Sania, Hingis finish runners-up in Rome
Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis ended runners-up at the WTA Internazionali BNl d’Italia,following defeat in the final against Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic, here on Sunday.
Playing their fourth final together since joining forces in March, the top seeded Indo-Swiss pair lost 3-6, 4-6 against the third seeded team.
Sania and Martina had numerous break chances but the Hungarian-French pair fought off its fancied rivals with solid play. The top seeds had two break chances in the opening set but could convert none. In the second set, they lost serve thrice and broke their rivals one time.
However, courtesy their appearance in the final, Sania and Hingis reclaimed their top spot in the Road to Singapore leaderboard.