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Elena Dementieva - Source: Photosport -
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Elena Dementieva is the 2009 ASB Classic champion after defeating compatriot Elena Vesnina 6-4, 6-1 on Saturday.
After a tight first set, Dementieva upped the ante in the second
set as Vesninas game unravelled to win an entertaining match in one
hour and twenty six minutes.
The world number four has been a class above all week, not dropping
a set in her triumphant march to the title.
While Vesnina fought hard and played above herself, particularly in
the first set , Dementieva showed her mettle in saving nine of the
eleven break points on her serve during the match.
It is her 12th WTA tour title and continues a rich vein of form for the 27-year-old Russian, who won three titles in 2008.
Vesnina had her own reason to celebrate, the US$19,000 that she banked as runner-up will make her the 16th Russian women to surpass the US$1 million mark in career prize money.
Nobody gave the world number 76 Vesnina a chance and early on it looked like they were spot on
Dementieva took the first game to love in less than a minute on a grey Auckland afternoon.
Indeed it took till the seventh point of the match for the 22-year-old to win a point.
But Vesninas nerves were understandable, given it was her first WTA final while Dementieva has 24 under her belt.
When she settled the younger Russian began to play some great tennis.
She gained the first break in the third game, and took a 3-1 lead with a stinging crosscourt forehand.
Forays to the net and a well placed drop shot showed the confidence flowing through Vesnina.
The next games can fairly be marked down as turning points.
Serving to stay in the set at 1-3, top seed Dementieva was 0-40 down but dodged a bullet saving all three break points.
Vesnina admitted that she had missed an opportunity.
"On my serve I was a little bit passive [and] everything changed in those two games."
Vesninas frustration only increased in the next service game
when she blew a 40-0 lead and was eventually broken, levelling the
match at 3-3.
The world number four was ruthless from here, as her younger
compatriot failed to hold serve for the rest of the set.
Vesnina brought the crowd alive when she managed to break back and take the set to 5-4, but Olympic gold medallist Dementieva won the next game to love and the first set 6-4 in 48 minutes.
The second set was not quite the procession that the 6-1 scoreline indicates, though more errors came into Vesninas game, and she only managed a 42% first serve percentage.
There were still some wonderful rallies, with Vesnina competing strongly from the baseline against her experienced opponent.
Vesnina had two break point opportunities in the third game, but Dementieva was simply too classy.
In the best rally of the match, the 27-year-old managed an unbelievable retrieval of a deep, wide forehand then at full stretch a clean winner on the run.
Dementieva afforded herself a smile, and Vesnina could only stop and applaud her opponent.
At 5-0 down, Vesnina broke a streak of six consecutive games to threaten a comeback as Dementieva managed some rare unforced errors.
It looked more possible when Vesnina held three break points in the next game, but Dementieva composed herself to steady and serve out the match.
