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Petrova Rips Dechy In Cincy Final

Sunday, August 17, 2008

(Sports Network) - Second-seeded Nadia Petrova rolled to a straight-set win Sunday over Nathalie Dechy in the championship match at the $175,000 Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open, a hardcourt U.S. Open tune-up.

"I expected a much more difficult match today," Petrova said. "I served well and hung in the rallies well. I was very focused today. I knew I had to play very clean and not give her any chances. I think it was a very clean match from my side."

Petrova, who rallied for a 1-6, 6-2, 6-1 win in an all-Russian semifinal bout with third-seeded Maria Kirilenko that lasted one hour and 47 minutes, needed only a little more than 70 minutes to down Dechy on Sunday 6-2, 6-1.

"I tried my best out there but I couldn't do it today," Dechy lamented. "All the credit to Nadia though. She was serving really well, volleying well and hitting all of her shots really deep. I could never play my game. I was always under pressure. And my serve wasn't very effective either, so she was also doing well returning."

The win gave the 26-year-old Russian her eighth career WTA title, and her first since Paris in 2007. Dechy, who outlasted fifth-seeded Amelie Mauresmo in an all-French semifinal match 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, was playing in her first career WTA final.

For winning Petrova collected $28,000.

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