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Kuznetsova toughs out Carlsbad win
CARLSBAD, Calif., Unseeded Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia toughed out a three-set victory over Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska Sunday to claim the Mercury Insurance Open title.
Kuznetsova notched her 13th career singles championship in a hard fought 6-4, 6-7 (7-9), 6-3 win over the fourth-seeded Radwanska, marking the first time she has advanced beyond the quarterfinals of any event this year.
Radwanska sent the match into a third set after taking an exciting tie-breaker, then broke serve for a 2-1 lead in the final set. But Kuznetsova won the next four games en route to the victory.
Her win will likely put Kuznetsova back into the world Top 20 after she dropped out of it last month for the first time since February 2004. Her victory marked just the second time a player ranked outside the Top 10 has taken the San Diego event.
Radwanska, meanwhile, came up short in her bid to gain a fifth career title.
CARLSBAD, Calif., Unseeded Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia toughed out a three-set victory over Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska Sunday to claim the Mercury Insurance Open title.
Kuznetsova notched her 13th career singles championship in a hard fought 6-4, 6-7 (7-9), 6-3 win over the fourth-seeded Radwanska, marking the first time she has advanced beyond the quarterfinals of any event this year.
Radwanska sent the match into a third set after taking an exciting tie-breaker, then broke serve for a 2-1 lead in the final set. But Kuznetsova won the next four games en route to the victory.
Her win will likely put Kuznetsova back into the world Top 20 after she dropped out of it last month for the first time since February 2004. Her victory marked just the second time a player ranked outside the Top 10 has taken the San Diego event.
Radwanska, meanwhile, came up short in her bid to gain a fifth career title.
