Jun 22

Polish teenager Agnieszka Radwanska continued her solid season Saturday by defeating Russia’s Nadia Petrova in the final at the International Women’s Open.

The 19-year-old Radwanska, the fourth-seed here, posted a 6-4, 6-7 (9-11), 6-4 victory over the eighth-seeded Petrova to claim her third title of the year and fourth overall. Radwanska needed 2 hours and 37 minutes to hold off Petrova and claim the first prize of $95,500 at the Tier II grasscourt event.

Radwanska won last month in Istanbul as the No. 2 seed, defeating defending champion Elena Dementieva in the final. She also captured the title at Pattaya City in February and has climbed into the top 20 in the world rankings. The only other players with three titles this year are Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams.

“I am very happy after today,” Radwanska said. “This is my best result on the tour so far. I have had a good run this year, and I am slowly making my way up to the rankings. First, my goal was Top 30, then Top 20, and now I am aiming at top 10, but I just had a good week and I am very happy to win my first Tier II.”

Radwanska advanced to her first career Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open, upsetting Russian seeds Svetlana Kuznetsova in the third round and Petrova in the fourth round. She then reached the fourth round at the French Open in the year’s second Grand Slam.

Apr 2

Jelena Jankovic reached the semi-finals of the Sony Ericsson Open after world number 11 Elena Dementieva retired with a back injury on Wednesday.

Jankovic was suffering badly from a cold but did not have to stay on court too long as Dementieva quit midway through the second set.

Jankovic will play world number 20 Vera Zvonareva after the Russian earned a 7-5 6-4 win over Dinara Safina. Defending champion Serena Williams will take on Svetlana Kuznetsova in the other semi-final.

Serbian Jankovic was leading 6-1 3-1 when Dementieva, who had her injury treated on court earlier in the match, decided she could not carry on.

“I’m fighting. I’m sick,” Jankovic told reporters. “I cannot play, I cannot breathe on the court. I don’t want to go on to the court. But I’m hanging in there and trying to be strong.

“I’m more focused than usual because I know that I’m not 100 percent with my health. I’m coughing a lot. My nose is running.”

Jankovic, who earlier in the tournament saved five match points against Sweden’s Sofia Arvidsson in the second round, said she had managed to unsettle her opponent.

“I was dictating the points, I didn’t let her play her game,” the world number three said.