Rampant Radwanska victorious in Sydney
Agnieszka Radwanska won the Apia International in Sydney with a 6-0, 6-0 demolition of Dominika Cibulkova in a 63 minute final.
The top seeded Pole survived two break points in the opening game before breaking Cibulkova at the third time of asking in the second game and then sweeping through the opening set.
The World No.4 soaked up a number of heavy forehands from the unseeded Slovak, who had defeated three top 10 opponents to reach the final, as she moved clear in the second set.
At 0-5 Cibulkova saved one match point with a forehand winner only to double fault on the second to give Radwanska her second title of 2013. Read about Radwanska’s victory in Auckland here
Stat Attack – Radwanska
- The Pole is the first woman to win two WTA titles heading into the Australian Open since Elena Dementieva in 2009 (won Auckland and Sydney)
- Radwanska has now won eight of her twelve career WTA singles finals
Stat Attack – Cibulkova
- Since turning professional in 2004 Cibulkova had never before lost 6-0, 6-0 in 428 matches
Tomic battles to win maiden crown
Bernard Tomic won the first ATP World Tour title of his young career at the Apia International in Sydney with a 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-3 victory over Kevin Anderson.
Appearing in his first final the 20 year-old Australian broke the big serving South African in the second game with a forehand passing shot and went onto take the opening set.
A tight second set went to a tie-break which Anderson dominated to level proceedings. In the decider Tomic claimed the vital break in the eighth game serving it out with a crosscourt forehand winner on match point.
Stat Attack – Tomic
- Tomic is the youngest man ranked in the top 100 - aged 20 years and 2 months, 6 months younger than Ryan Harrison
- The Australian had won their pair’s only previous meeting on the main tour 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 6-3 at the Shanghai Masters 1000 in 2011
Stat Attack – Anderson
- Anderson had won two of his three previous finals on the ATP World Tour
Ferrer extends Auckland reign
David Ferrer won the Heineken Open in Auckland for the third consecutive season, and fourth time in total, with a 7-6(5), 6-1 over Philipp Kohlschreiber.
The German second seed twice led by a break in the opening set and served for it at 5-4 before being pegged back by the World No.5. Ferrer took the lead after Kohlschreiber’s backhand return went long on the thirteenth point of the tie-break.
The top seeded Spaniard then eased through the second set to seal the victory after an hour and 18 minutes and become just the second man after Roy Emerson to win four Auckland crowns.
Stat Attack – Ferrer
- Victory in the final gave Ferrer a 495th career match win and could reach 500 with a run to the semi-finals in Melbourne
- With 19 career singles titles Ferrer is 4th in the Open Era amongst Spanish players behind Carlos Moya (20), Manuel Orantes (32) and Rafael Nadal (50)
Stat Attack – Kohlschreiber
- The German now holds a 4-4 record in career singles finals
Vesnina dethrones Barthel in Hobart
Elena Vesnina lifted her first career title at the Moorilla Hobart International after defeating reigning champion Mona Barthel 6-3, 6-4.
Vesnina began strongly winning the first two games before Barthel broke back and led 3-2. The unseeded Russian responded strongly with a run of five consecutive games to take command of the final.
No.9 seed Barthel broke to lead 2-1 in the second set but Vesnina struck back and converted her first match point in the tenth game after an hour and 23 minutes.
Stat Attack – Vesnina
- Vesnina lost her first six WTA singles finals between 2009 and 2012
- The Russian reached her career high ranking of 22nd in October 2009
Stat Attack – Barthel
- The German was attempting to become the first two-time winner in Hobart and first champion to defend their title