World Tennis News – Williams comeback seals record Miami title

Williams comeback seals record Miami title

World No.1 Serena Williams won a record sixth Sony Open Tennis crown in Miami after recovering from a set and a break down to defeat Maria Sharapova 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.

In her fifth Miami final Sharapova made an impressive start. The Russian broke in the fifth game only to see Williams break straight back.

Sharapova responded with a run of three games to take the lead and her first set against the American for almost five years.

Williams rebounded by taking a 2-0 second set lead but was rocked back by more heavy hitting from the second seed. Sharapova moved ahead 3-2 after two breaks.

Williams' response was immediate. The five-time champion broke back to love and a further break gave the 31 year-old a 5-3 lead. Sharapova netted a backhand return on set point and Williams was level.

The American had hit top form and raced through the decider for the loss of just 10 points. A service winner on match point clinched Williams her 48th singles title after 2 hours and 8 minutes.

Stat Attack - Williams

·         With her 3 top 5 wins in Miami Williams increases her head to head record against the current top 10 to 56-10

·         Williams is the 4th woman in the Open Era to win the same title at least 6 times after Martina Navratilova (at 10 events), Steffi Graf (6 events) and Chris Evert (4 events)

Stat Attack - Sharapova

·         The third set was only the third 6-0 set Sharapova has lost in 48 WTA singles finals - two of those have come against Williams and one against Azarenka

Murray battles to thrilling Miami victory 

British No.1 Andy Murray lifted his second Sony Open Tennis title by saving a match point to overcome David Ferrer 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(1) in an absorbing Miami final.

Victory gives the US Open and Olympic champion a ninth Masters 1000 shield and ensures Murray returns to the No.2 ranking for the first time since August 2009.

Murray held two break points in the opening game but failed to convert and Ferrer capitalised and moved into a surprise 5-0 lead.

The British second seed halted the Spaniard's momentum with two games but was then broken to love as Ferrer took the opener.

Murray responded with an early break in the second and survived two break points to lead 4-2.

3rd seeded Ferrer fought off two break points in the seventh game and drew level when Murray netted a drop shot in game eight. Murray bounced straight back with 8 of the next 10 points to level the match.

In a gripping decider the first six service games went against serve before Ferrer held for 4-3. Murray broke in the ninth game but was broken as he served for the match at 5-4.

Having edged ahead Ferrer came one point from victory on Murray's serve in the twelfth game.

On match point the Spaniard challenged a Murray forehand which hit the baseline. Murray survived to force a tie-break.

The 2009 champion dominated the tie-break and raced into a 6-1 lead. A powerful backhand return gave Murray victory after a pulsating two hours and 45 minutes.

Stat Attack - Murray

·         Murray is the 7th man to win multiple Miami titles after Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and Murray's coach Ivan Lendl

 ·       With the Brit regaining the No.2 ranking it is the first time since 11th November 2003 that neither Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal are ranked in the top two.

Stat Attack - Ferrer

·         Ferrer now moves into his 14th career week ranked at No.4

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2014 Stats

  • Men

    • Most singles titles

      7 – Djokovic

    • Singles Champion by seed

      No.1 (18) Nadal (Doha, Rio De Janeiro, Madrid, ROLAND GARROS), Wawrinka (Chennai), Del Potro (Sydney), Fognini (Vina Del Mar), Ferrer (Buenos Aires), Nishikori (Memphis), Dimitrov (Bucharest), Kohlschreiber (Dusseldorf), Djokovic (WIMBLEDON, Beijing, Paris, ATP World Tour Finals), Nishikori (Kuala Lumpar), Berdych (Stockholm), Federer (Basel)
      No.2 (8) Djokovic (Indian Wells, Miami, Rome), Gulbis (Nice), Federer (Halle, Cincinnati), Raonic (Washington), Murray (Shenzhen, Vienna), Cilic (Moscow)
      No.3 (10) Isner (Auckland), Berdych (Rotterdam), Gulbis (Marseille), Wawrinka (Monte Carlo), Lopez (Eastbourne Aegon International), Bautista Agut ('s-Hertogenbosch, Stuttgart), Hewitt (Newport), Federer (Shanghai), Murray (Valencia)
      No.4 (5) Federer (Dubai), Dimitrov (Acapulco, London Aegon Championships), Verdasco (Houston), Nishikori (Barcelona, Tokyo)
      No.5 (2) Cilic (Zagreb), Monfils (Montpellier)
      No.7 (2) Cilic (Delray Beach), Rosol (Winston-Salem)
      No.8 (3) Wawrinka (AUSTRALIAN OPEN), Garcia-Lopez (Casablanca), Goffin (Metz)
      No.13 (1) Tsonga (Toronto)
      No.14 (1) Cilic (US OPEN)
      Unseeded (7) Hewitt (Brisbane), Delbonis (Sao Paulo), Berlocq (Oeiras). Cuevas (Bastad), Mayer (Hamburg), Tomic (Bogota), Goffin (Kitzbuhel)
      Qualifier (1) Klizan (Munich)

    • Lowest ranked singles Champion

      124 - Tomic (Bogota)

    • Fewest games lost en route to title

      16 – Djokovic (ATP World Tour Finals)

    • Most games lost en route to title (non-Grand Slam)

      74 – Klizan (Munich)

    • Longest winning streak (ATP main draw)

      14 - Nishikori, Federer

    • Most Match Wins

      73 – Federer

    • Most Aces

      1,185 - Ivo Karlovic

    • Longest completed match (games)

      71 – Australian Open 1st round Simon bt Brands
      6-7(4), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 16-14
      71 - Wimbledon 2nd round Tsonga bt Querrey
      4-6, 7-6(2), 6-7(4), 6-3, 14-12

    • Shortest completed match (games)

      12 games - 6-0, 6-0 on 2 occasions

    • Match points saved en route to title

      5 - Shenzhen F: Murray bt Robredo 5-7 7-6(9) 6-1
      Murray saved 5 mp 2nd set tie-break
      5 - Shanghai 2nd round: Federer bt Mayer 7-5 3-6 7-6(7)
      Federer saved 2 mp 4-5 3rd set and 3 mp 3rd set tie-break
      5 - Valencia F: Murray bt Robredo 3-6 7-6(7) 7-6(8)
      Murray saved 2 mp 2nd set tie-break and 3 mp 3rd set tie-break
      2 - Rio Open SF: Nadal bt Andujar 2-6 6-3 7-6(10)
      Nadal saved 2 mp 3rd set tie-break
      2 - Atlanta 2nd round: Isner bt Ginepri 4-6 7-6(5) 7-5
      Isner saved 2 mp 4-5 3rd set
      2 - Winston-Salem F: Rosol bt Janowicz 3-6 7-6(3) 7-5
      Rosol saved 2 mp 4-5 3rd set
      1 - Aegon Championships F: Dimitrov bt Lopez 6-7(8) 7-6(1) 7-6(6)
      Dimitrov saved 1 mp 5-6 2nd set

    • Youngest Singles Champion

      Dimitrov (Acapulco) 22 years, 9 months & 14 days

    • Oldest Singles Champion

      Hewitt (Newport) 33 years, 4 months & 19 days

  • Women

    • Most singles titles

      7 - S.Williams

    • Singles Champion by seed

      No.1 (14) Li (Shenzhen), S.Williams (Brisbane, Miami, Rome, Stanford, Cincinnati, US OPEN, WTA Finals), Cibulkova (Acapulco), Suarez Navarro (Oeiras), Ivanovic (Birmingham Aegon Classic), Halep (Bucharest), Wozniacki (Istanbul), Lisicki (Hong Kong), Stosur (Osaka)
      No.2 (6) Ivanovic (Auckland, Monterray), Bouchard (Nurnberg), Svitolina (Baku), Kvitova (New Haven), Ka.Pliskova (Seoul)
      No.3 (5) Zakopalova (Florianopolis), Radwanska (Montreal), Knapp (Tashkent), Ivanovic (Tokyo), Kvitova (Wuhan)
      No.4 (6) Li (AUSTRALIAN OPEN), Makarova (Pattaya City), Cornet (Katowice), Petkovic (Bad Gastein, Sofia), Sharapova (Beijing)
      No.5 (2) Nara (Rio De Janeiro), Garcia (Bogota)
      No.6 (5) Sharapova (Stuttgart), Kvitova (WIMBLEDON), Kuznetsova (Washington), Riske (Tianjin), Pavlyuchenkova (Moscow)
      No.7 (4) Halep (Doha), Vekic (Kuala Lumpar), Sharapova (ROLAND GARROS), Ka.Pliskova (Linz)
      No.8 (1) Sharapova (Madrid)
      No.14 (1) Petkovic (Charleston)
      No.20 (1) Pennetta (Indian Wells)
      Unseeded (9) Pavlyuchenkova (Paris), V.Williams (Dubai), Torro-Flor (Marrakech), Puig (Strasbourg), Keys (Eastbourne Aegon International), Barthel (Bastad), Lucic-Baroni (Quebec City), Niculescu (Ghangzhou), Beck (Luxembourg)
      Qualifier (3) Murgurza (Hobart), Pironkova (Sydney), Vandeweghe ('s-Hertogenbosch)

    • Lowest ranked singles Champion

      107 – Pironkova (Sydney)

    • Fewest games lost en route to title

      15 – Murgurza (Hobart)

    • Most games lost en route to title (non-Grand Slam)

      65 – Vekic (Kuala Lumpar)

    • Longest winning streak

      13 – Li

    • Most Match Wins

      58 – Ivanovic

    • Most Aces (main draw)

      452 - S.Williams

    • Longest completed match (games)

      41 – Wimbledon 1st round - Ka Pliskova bt Knapp
      6-7(4), 6-4, 10-8
      41 - Wimbledon 3rd round - Smitkova bt Jovanovski
      4-6, 7-6(5), 10-8

    • Shortest completed match (games)

      12 games - 6-0, 6-0 on 11 occasions

    • Match points saved en route to title

      1 - Australian Open 3rd round: Li bt Safarova 1-6 7-6(2) 6-3
      Li saved saved 1 mp 5-6 2nd set
      1 - Katowice Final: Cornet bt Giorgi 7-6(3) 5-7 7-5
      Cornet saved 1 mp 4-5 3rd set
      1 - Linz Final: Ka.Pliskova bt Giorgi 6-7(4) 6-3 7-6(4)
      Pliskova saved 1 mp 5-6 3rd set

    • Youngest Singles Champion

      Vekic (Kuala Lumpar) 17 yrs, 9 months & 23 days

    • Oldest Singles Champion

      V.Williams (Dubai) 33 yrs, 8 months & 5 days

Statistics sourced with the help of the ATP and WTA.