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Copyright © 2016. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.
Photo courtesy WTA
Svetlana Kuznetsova was champion of the Miami event when the tournament was called the Sony Ericsson Open ten years ago. And the former US Open and French Open champion seems on course to reclaim a place in the world’s top ten for the first time since May 2010 in a great tale of tennis renaissance.
The 30 year-old Russian, who at her peak was ranked world no.2 in world, is playing at Crandon Park for the 14th time in her career and won her way through to this year’s final with a 7-5,6-3 win over the 19th seeded Timea Bacsinszky.
Kuznetsova, who ended Serena Williams title aspirations, is the lowest ranked finalist in Miami since Kim Clijsters won the title 11 years ago, said: “I am happy that I could hang in there and never let my hands down.
“I have not been feeling my best but I have been fighting every ball and just trying to run as much as I could. I enjoyed the fight and I’m happy I’m still able to play against the best in the world.”
If Kuznetsova does prevail in tomorrow’s final, she will have won her 16th WTA singles title and clearly gets rejuvenated by the breezes blowing up off the Biscayne Bay as she has progressed to at least the semi-final stages of the competition four out of the last five years.
And she was quite clear on what fuels her determination. “The fighting spirit, I would say,” she maintained in explanation. “I was just hanging in there, playing long rallies, trying to do what I do best.”
Kuznetsova showed signs of a return to the big time by winning the Kremlin Cup title in Moscow late last year and ended the season qualifying for the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai. However she had a disappointing Australian Open, losing in the second round and was also beaten early at Indian Wells.
“My coach [Argentine Hernan Gumy] laughs about it,” she said of her inconsistent form. “He says you don’t have the medium term. You go very bad or very good. After I had the loss in Indian Wells, I tried to work a lot and training every morning a lot just to get confidence back, get my fitness.”
However she was not in a mood for a marathon in brutally hot and humid Miami conditions. “I was praying to finish it in two sets so I would have a little more time to rest,” she concluded.
Copyright © 2016. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.