 |
 |
Israeli duo win silver at International Skating competition |
| By: Associated Press |
| Published: February 13, 2006 |
| |
Israeli teenager Shahar Peer claimed her first WTA title Sunday with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Jelena Kostanic of Croatia in a rain-affected Pattaya Women's Open final.
The fourth-seeded Peer, 18, recovered from a slow start to beat an off-form Kostanic at the Dusit Resort Hotel after a 90-minute delay caused by an unexpected downpour.
Kostanic, whose previous best result at a WTA tournament was runner up at Helsinki in 2003, got off to a flying start and used her net attack and flat forehands to go up 3-0 in the first set.
But Peer then settled down, saving a break point to hold her game for the first time at 1-3. She then turned the match around by playing aggressively as Kostanic was overwhelmed with errors.
"I was trailing 0-3 but after that it was like God wanted me to win," said Peer. "I changed my game, became more aggressive and used some tactics and made her hit more shots."
Rain interrupted again early in the second set, after Kostanic broke her young opponent for a 1-0 lead.
Returning to the court after a 10-minute break, Peer again took command and helped by a string of unforced errors from Kostanic, scooped six straight games to win her first pro title since joining the tour in 2004.
In an all-Chinese doubles final, Athens Olympics gold medalists and second-seeded Li Ting and Sun Tiantian defeated top-seeded Australian Open champions Yan Zi and Zheng Jie, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (5). |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Click on the blue headline to read a Talkback comment and respond to it. Click on the  icon to send a private email to the talkback writer. The icon appears only if the writer has decided to be contacted. If no popup window appears, please make sure your popup blocker allows israelinsider.com.
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
