Jankovic, Kunitsyn win Kremlin Cup titles

By LEONID CHIZHOV, Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP)—Top-ranked Jelena Jankovic won her third title in three weeks Sunday, beating Russia’s Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 6-4 in the final of the Kremlin Cup.



Igor Kunitsyn won the men’s tournament, upsetting fellow Russian Marat Safin for his first ATP Tour title. Kunitsyn, who survived seventh-seeded Safin’s 21 aces to win 7-6 (6), 6-7 (4), 6-3, said he had prepared a speech to congratulate his opponent on the victory.

“I was hoping to win a couple of games and that’s it,” Kunitsyn said. “I still don’t know how I was able to outplay Marat, but I guess it happens. I still don’t understand how I won.”

Jankovic was coming off back-to-back wins at the China Open and the Porsche Grand Prix in Germany. She earned her fourth title of the season and eighth of her career.

The 23-year-old Serb also was runner-up twice this season, losing to Serena Williams in Miami and at the U.S. Open.

“I’m quite close to finishing the year as the No. 1 player in the world, so it’s really a huge achievement for me,” she said.

Jankovic broke the ninth-ranked Zvonareva twice in the first set. The two were tied at 4 in the second set when Jankovic earned another break.

Jankovic, who beat Zvonareva in her two previous events, said she knew she was going to have to work hard for every point.

“I was really expecting a tough match,” Jankovic said. “I was really focused from the start of the match. I went out there aggressive and really played my game and I was really going after the shots.

“Especially the first set I played quite well. I was dominating. But then the second set my level of tennis went down a little bit and I let her come back into the match. At the end of the second set I focused a little bit and changed the match in my favor.”

Jankovic said she is committed to playing in Zurich next week but will then take two weeks off to prepare for the season-ending tournament in Doha.

Jankovic took the top ranking from Williams on Monday and will retain it next week because Williams, the runner-up in Moscow last year, pulled out with an injury.

The 71st-ranked Kunitsyn was playing in his first ATP Tour final.

Safin, who hasn’t won a tournament since beating Lleyton Hewitt in the final of the Australian Open in January 2005, was playing in his first final since losing to Nikolay Davydenko in Moscow in 2006.

Kunitsyn was in control of the match and constantly kept Safin on the baseline. He prevailed in a first-set tiebreaker when Safin made two unforced errors and broke his racket in frustration.

“Had I won the first set it could have gone a different way,” Safin said.

Safin won five consecutive points in the second-set tiebreaker to stay in the match.

In the third set, Kunitsyn got a break in the sixth game and served out the match at love, closing it with an ace.

“I was chasing him all the time,” Safin said. “I could not capitalize on my chances. But he converted every time he had a chance and didn’t make many mistakes. There’s no surprise he won.”

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