BEIJING: Taiwan’s Su-Wei Hsieh beat Briton Laura Robson in the WTA Guangzhou Open final yesterday, ending the teenager’s attempt to become the first British woman to win a main tour title in 24 years.
Hsieh won the match 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 in two hours and 48 minutes, leaving the 18-year-old Robson still waiting for a maiden tour win.
Robson, the world No.74, had defeated Chinese second seed Zheng Jie and Romanian third seed Sorana Cirstea on her way to becoming the first British woman to reach a main tour final since 1990.
But her attempt to follow up her Olympic mixed doubles silver with compatriot Andy Murray by taking her first senior tour title ended in failure.
She broke early on in the first set but her opponent hit back with a run of games to take a 5-2 lead, and Robson committed three double faults before finally holding serve in the eighth game.
Hsieh wrapped up the set in 49 minutes.
At first it was a similar story in the second set, with Robson breaking first but the 26-year-old Taiwanese, the world No.53, again hitting back with two breaks of her own.
Left-handed Robson looked to be on the ropes but fought long and hard to hold serve in the ninth game, saving several championship points.
She then won the next three games, including two breaks, to finally take the set 7-5 after a one-hour, seven-minute struggle and send the match into a decider.
A brief suspension for hot conditions did little to dispel Robson’s new-found momentum, and yet again she broke first, building up a 3-0 lead only for the Taiwanese to break back twice and draw ahead, an advantage she never surrendered.
The win gave Hsieh the second WTA title of her career and made her one of only two players from Taiwan, officially referred to in competition as Chinese Taipei, ever to win a WTA title.
Nonetheless British tennis appears to be in a historic purple patch, with Murray’s triumph at the US Open earlier this month making him the first men’s winner of a Grand Slam tournament in 76 years.
Reaching the final in Guangzhou was a landmark in a superb season for Australian-born Robson, who also made an impressive run to the last 16 of the US Open, beating Kim Clijsters and Li Na.
The teenager became British No.1 earlier this week and is the youngest player in the WTA top 100 rankings.
She was the first British woman to contest a WTA tour singles final since Jo Durie at the Virginia Slims of Newport tournament in the US, 22 years ago.
Sara Gomer was the last Briton to win a WTA singles title, taking the Northern California Open in 1988.
In the doubles final, Tamarine Tanasugarn and Zhang Shuai beat Jarmila Gajdosova and Monica Niculescu 2-6, 6-2, 10-8 to take the competition’s title.
Hsieh beats Robson to win Guangzhou Open
Hsieh beats Robson to win Guangzhou Open
Liverpool’s Wirtz will score many more after Wolves winner, says Slot
- Liverpool signed Florian Wirtz in June for a reported fee of £100 million, with a further £16 million in potential bonuses
- The 22-year-old had failed to find the net in more than 20 appearances for Liverpool before scoring the winner in Saturday’s match
Florian Wirtz is beginning to find his feet at Liverpool and will keep getting better, manager Arne Slot said after the German midfielder scored his first goal for the Premier League champions in their 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Liverpool signed Wirtz in June for a reported fee of 100 million pounds ($135 million), with a further 16 million pounds in potential bonuses.
The 22-year-old had failed to find the net in more than 20 appearances for Liverpool before scoring the winner in Saturday’s match, and Slot said his performances had been undervalued due to football’s obsession with statistics.
“I’m quite sure it was a relief for him. This I could see after his reaction after he scored the goal – and the same I saw with his teammates. I think they were really happy for him,” Slot told reporters.
“In football – rightly so, maybe – we mainly get judged on results, and individuals mainly get judged on goals and assists. Sometimes we tend to forget what else there is to do during a game.”
The Dutch manager called on Wirtz to keep going after ending his drought.
“He’s had multiple good games for us but I also feel he gets better and better every single game he is playing for us. He gets fitter and fitter and was getting closer and closer to his first goal,” he added.
“Then it was not a surprise to me that he scored one today, but he would probably be the first one to understand that one goal is not enough.
“He will score many more goals for us than only this one, but I also liked his performance during large parts of the game today. I think he was special in a lot of moments.”
Liverpool, fourth in the standings, next host 16th-placed Leeds United in a league match on January 1.
