Doubles – Final: (5) Qureshi/Rojer def. (8) Fyrstenberg/Matkowski 6-4 6-1
This can’t have gotten anyone too excited. It took less than an hour, and Qureshi/Rojer were never broken. But it is perhaps no surprise; Fyrstenberg and Matkowski haven’t won a title since Madrid last spring, and they came here having fallen out of the Top Twenty. This will probably change that, but now they have all those clay points to defend!
For Aisam Qureshi, it’s his first title since he and Rojer won Halle last year, and matches his best ever. He now has eight titles in the last four years. Jean-Julien Rojer’s numbers are almost exactly identical: Eight titles, first since Halle, at least one title for four years running. No wonder they play together! And they now have their biggest title together.
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Complete Friday Results
Doubles – Semifinal: (WC) Raymond/Robson def. (1) Errani/Vinci 6-1 6-2
Amazing. Lisa Raymond must really like playing with new blood. Errani and Vinci will stay at #2 and #1, but the domination they showed last summer and fall seems to have faded just a little.
Raymond, who came in at #11, hasn’t moved yet, but Laura Robson has now more than tripled her points; she will go from #278 to around #90.
Doubles – Semifinal: (3) Petrova/Srebotnik def. Kuznetsova/Pennetta 6-3 3-6 10-6
They may be seeded #3, but there isn’t much doubt that Petrova/Srebotnik are the #2 team in the world right now. To come this close is quite promising for Kuznetsova/Pennetta. It will be interesting to see if they stay together.
Saturday
Singles – Final: (1) Serena Williams def. (3) Maria Sharapova 4-6 6-3 6-0
At first, it looked as if Maria Sharapova finally break her jinx and win the Miami title in her fifth final — a very big deal, because this is certainly the biggest title she has never won. But, of course, this is the back yard of Serena Williams. Serena won the last ten games, picking up her record sixth title here. She has won six of the last twelve. And she only played nine of the twelve! In that dozen years, her record here is 47-3.
It doesn’t affect the rankings; Serena was already #1, and of course will stay there. And Sharapova was #2, and she will stay there. But the gap is getting wider, and Sharapova has a pile of clay points to defend. Miami was the last real chance Sharapova had to regain #1. Victoria Azarenka’s chances are a little better, but she is hurting. This feels as if it will keep Serena #1 until Wimbledon. As a side benefit, it gives her her first title since Brisbane.
Topics: Errani, Fyrstenberg, Kuznetsova, Maria Sharapova, Matkowski, Miami Sony Open, Miami tennis news, Pennetta, Petrova, Qureshi, Raymond, Robson, Rojer, Serena Williams, Srebotnik, Vinci