Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark won the rain-delayed Rogers Cup on Monday, beating Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-2.
Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark celebrates the first of her two victories Monday, this one coming against Svetlana Kuznetsova in the Rogers Cup semifinals in Montreal. Wozniacki followed this win up an hour later with a victory in the final against Vera Zvonareva.
The 20-year-old Wozniacki is ranked second in the world and, with No. 1 Serena Williams out with an injury, likely will be the top seeded player when the U.S. Open starts Aug. 30. She is seeking her first Grand Slam title.
"I never think about that -- I just try to win every match," she said. "We'll have to see what happens. Right now, I want to enjoy winning this tournament. It gives me a lot of confidence to win a tournament like this -- it's a huge tournament."
The Rogers Cup final was held a day late after a weekend of relentless rain.
Zvonareva, a Wimbledon finalist, was clearly off her game. The eighth-seeded Russian at times let out shrieks after misfiring on routine shots. Wozniacki's groundstrokes, meanwhile, were hitting the lines with their usual sharpness.
She picked up her third title of the year, after wins at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, and at her home tournament in Copenhagen.
"I did what I had to do," said Wozniacki, a first-time Rogers Cup champion.
Leading 5-3 in the first set, Wozniacki fell behind 0-40. But she responded with five straight points to close the set.
After breaking serve for a 5-2 lead in the second, Wozniacki wrapped it up with four straight points on her serve, gave a little fist pump and walked up to shake hands with her opponent.
Wozniacki took the $350,000 winner's prize while Zvonareva got $175,000.
The semifinals were played in the morning. Wozniacki beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2, 6-3, and Zvonareva advanced when her opponent, 10th-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, retired with a blister on her left foot. Zvonareva led 7-6, 1-0.
Trainers worked on Azarenka's foot for several minutes. She got up and tried to walk, but immediately sat back down.
She said the injury was not severe enough to keep her out of the U.S. Open.
"I don't see how I got a blister after sitting on my (rear end) for two days," said Azarenka, who was in tears as she spoke to reporters after the match. "I tried to deal with it, but I couldn't continue."
Wozniacki and the 11th-seeded Kuznetsova completed a semifinal that began Saturday and was stopped due to rain with Wozniacki leading 2-0, 0-15.
Zvonareva played her semifinal on the National Bank Court, a smaller venue adjacent to Centre Court, contributing to her problems in the final.
"It was a different court, different conditions," she said. "It was difficult to keep my concentration. I was preparing to play Victoria for two days and they have absolutely different styles. In the final, I was still playing shots I would use in the semifinals. My head was not in the final."
SOURCE: The Associated Press
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