In the second set it was nearly the same story as Radwanska broke Kvitova twice to go 4-0 up and then Kvitova finally held her serve to save herself from the bagel.
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“I was really feeling good this week”, Radwanska said. She’s very tricky as well. I wanted to use the spin, to get a grip on the ball seeing as she’s playing so flat and low all the time.
She said it was a disappointing first set, but an otherwise encouraging week. “Everything was working for me tonight”. It’s hard. I wasn’t really feeling my best. The total amount she could earn from winning the Bonus Challenge and the U.S. Open is $4.5 million.
The 21-year-old Svitolina, from the Ukraine, held off two set points in the sixth game, but Radwanska was able to serve out the set in 29 minutes.
“When I didn’t have the legs prepared, I couldn’t really reach the net and play more volleys or something like that”.
Said Radwanska: “I was trying to mix it up”. I just knew from her turn, everything is going so fast. And me, I was a bit up and down all the time.
The fast-starting Radwanska won the first five games of the match and then reeled off the opening four of the second set to stay in control throughout.
Radwanska accepted a wild card into the event because she wanted to tune up for the U.S. Open that starts on Monday and the 27-year-old Pole will head to Flushing Meadows brimming with confidence after collecting her 19th career WTA title. Hall of Famer Justine Henin is coaching her, and her game is flourishing, as evidenced by her win over Serena Williams at the Olympics.
“I think being in the final in another tournament is always very exciting”, she said. Now ranked No. 15 in the world, it’s her lowest ranking since May, 2011 (No. 18).
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And after a long embrace with tournament director Anne Worcester in the middle of her postmatch press conference, Kvitova pledged her continued love for the tournament and hoped to return next year. It’s the first time I played her ever. “It’s not the best, but I think that I played good tournament here”. This will be the second match on hard court.
