Nadia Petrova beats Stosur to reach Eastbourne final

Petrova beats Stosur to reach Eastbourne final
By Clare Fallon

Eighth seed Nadia Petrova produced a “boom-boom ending” to beat Australian Samantha Stosur 6-3 6-3 on Friday and reach the final of the Eastbourne International tournament.

The Russian surrendered only two points in the final two games and finished off with a thundering ace to book her place in Saturday’s final of the grasscourt event against either second seed Marion Bartoli or number four Agnieszka Radwanska.

“That was a boom-boom ending,” Petrova told a courtside interviewer. “I am very happy that we had the new balls and it really helped me to finish off in a beautiful way.”


Rain twice interrupted the first set on a chilly day at the English seaside. The second suspension came immediately after Petrova had broken Stosur to lead 4-3 and seemed to unsettle the Australian doubles specialist.

When the match resumed, Stosur, who returned to tennis in April after seven months out with serious illness, earned only one point in the next two games and surrendered the set on another break.

Petrova, a semi-finalist here last year before having to pull out with injury, began making errors at the start of the second set and had to save two break points in the first game.

Luckily for her, Stosur, who has won 22 doubles titles but none in singles, was even more error-prone and failed to convert two more break points in the seventh game.

The unseeded Stosur had a simple summary of the 79-minute match. “She got more serves in and I didn’t make enough returns. There is not that much to it,” the Australian told a news conference.

(Editing by MIles Evans)



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