Home »Sports News » World » Krajicek grabs Tashkent Open title

Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands, the fifth seed at the 140,000-dollar Tashkent Open Tennis Tournament, grabbed her first career WTA title, beating Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan in the final here on Sunday.

The 16-year-old Krajicek won 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 in one hour, 41 minutes to record a win over Amanmuradova in their first ever meeting. Krajicek, who is 82nd in the WTA rankings, came into the match completely focused and was in command right from the start, taking the opening set to love in 21 minutes.

No big serves were produced in the second set until the ninth game, when the local crowd's favourite Amanmuradova, who is 257th in the world, broke to level at one set all after 58 minutes on court.

But in the deciding set the Dutch player moved up a gear and broke her 21-year-old rival's serve twice to win the set and the match. Krajicek pocketed 22,000 dollars, a silver trophy and an Uzbeki traditional robe embroidered with gold, while runner-up Amanmuradova earned 12,000 dollars.

At the award ceremony, Krajicek praised the crowd for their support, adding she was set to return to Tashkent next year to defend her title.

"I'm sorry to upset the fans with a win over their favourite but I'm so happy to win my first ever title here," Krajicek said. "Your support was great and I'll be happy to come back next year to defend my title."

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2005


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