A round-up of Saturday’s tennis action from the ATP and WTA Tours.
Brisbane International
Grigor Dimitrov upset top seed and defending champion Milos Raonic to set up a title clash against Kei Nishikori.
Seventh seed Dimitrov saved a set point in the opener on his way to a 7-6(7) 6-2 win over world No 3 Raonic in 88 minutes in the second semi-final at the Pat Rafter Arena.
World No 5 Nishikori had an almost identical win against US Open champion Stan Wawrinka, who went down 7-6(3) 6-3 in the first semi-final of the warm-up event for this month’s Australian Open.
There was little to separate Dimitrov and 2016 Wimbledon finalist Raonic in the first set, both players making the most of their big serves and not offering a single breakpoint opportunity.
Dimitrov has never won against his opponent in Sunday’s final with Nishikori enjoying a 3-0 head-to-head record.
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Nishikori, the 2014 US Open finalist, won five of the final six points in the tiebreaker to claim the first set. After an early exchange of breaks in the second, he got the decisive break in the seventh game.
In the women’s event, Karolina Pliskova thrashed Alize Cornet 6-0, 6-3 demolition in the final.
The third-seeded Czech played almost perfect tennis in the first set, racing through it in just 18 minutes with the shell-shocked Cornet only winning five points.
But while the Frenchwoman recovered in the second set, Pliskova was far too strong and took the match in just 66 minutes on her second championship point.
Pliskova sent down four aces in the first set and three in the second and was able to serve her way out of trouble on the few occasions Cornet was able put any pressure on her.
As a result of the win, Pliskova will leapfrog Dominika Cibulkova to become world number five when the next rankings are released on Monday.
She will likely be one of the favourites to win the Australian Open and go one better than her runner-up effort to Angelique Kerber at last year’s US Open.
Shenzhen Open
Katerina Siniakova overcame a slow start to win her first WTA Tour title with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Alison Riske in the Shenzhen Open final.
The Czech world No 52 fulfilled her promise as a junior with a first senior title after losing her two previous WTA finals in Bastad and Tokyo last year.
Siniakova, 20, suffered an early break but fought back against her American opponent by reeling off four straight games to take control of the opener before she broke twice in the second set on the way to a 78-minute triumph.
“It’s been a really great week for me and I’m so glad that I won this time because this match was really tough. I didn’t play my best but I’m really happy that I did it,” Siniakova said at the presentation.
World No 39 Riske lost her fourth final, including a third defeat in a title decider in China, as her wait for a first trophy since 2014 continues.
“She was the better player today and for sure deserved to win the title,” Riske said.
Auckland Classic
Lauren Davis won her first WTA title by defeating Croatian teenager Ana Konjuh 6-3 6-1 in the Auckland Classic final.
The early exits of Serena and Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki meant the tournament had lost much of its fizz and the final was left to two players ranked 47th and 61st in the world.
Davis, who lost two finals in 2016, dominated her erratic opponent from the outset with her consistency and powerful serve.
“The feeling is indescribable, it’s definitely an incredible feeling to win my first WTA title at my favourite tournament,” Davis said. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for quite a few years.”
Konjuh said the loss was tough to take but was happy to have reached a final so early in 2017.
“Of course I’m disappointed to lose in a final, but it’s not a bad way to start the season,” she said.
Hopman Cup
Richard Gasquet has led France to their second title at the mixed teams Hopman Cup in Perth.
Gasquet, 30, gave the French the lead in the tie with 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (8-6) a win in the singles, before dominating the deciding mixed doubles as he and Kristina Mladenovic beat the United States 2-1.
After Gasquet’s heroics, Coco Vandeweghe then beat Mladenovic in straight sets to level the tie. The tournament came down to the mixed doubles, played under the Fast Four format, and both sides were unbeaten in the format going into the final.
However, it was Gasquet who again rose to the occasion with some brilliant shots as the French won 4-1, 4-3 (5/0). It was France’s second success at the Hopman Cup after Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Alize Cornet won in 2014.
* Agencies
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