Errani Doubles Up at the Barcelona Ladies Open

Sara Errani captured her second tournament of 2012, when she defeated Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 6-2 to win the Barcelona Ladies Open on Sunday.

'I'm very happy because it's the second tournament I've won in an amazing season for me,' Errani said. 'It wasn't an easy tournament. There were really good players here. The last two matches were quicker than I thought they would be.'

'This tournament is for Piermario Morosini. It has been very hard. The images have impacted me a lot. It's amazing these things can happen. It really makes you think. It brings you back to reality and makes you realize many of the things we complain about in life are just pure nonsense. You have to enjoy every minute of life.'

 

'I felt I was rushing today,' Cibulkova said.  'Sara played very well ' I tried to move her around the court but my game wasn't very accurate. But it has been a positive week, my first final of the year and in my first matches of the year on clay. So I must have played well and it was a very positive result for me.'

Errani was a double winner as she also won the doubles title with Roberta Vinci.

'A title isn't something you always achieve, so each one is so important,' Vinci said. 'Sara and I had a great match today. Flavia and Francesca had a great week and I hope they achieve their best tennis in the weeks to come.'

Errani became the fourth consecutive Italian woman to take the Barcelona singles crown following Roberta Vinci in 2009, Francesca Schiavone in 2010,  and Vinci again in 2011.

BARCELONA LADIES OPEN
Barcelona, Spain
April 9-15, 2012
$220,000/International
Red Clay/Outdoors

Results ' Sunday, April 15, 2012
Singles ' Final
(7) Sara Errani (ITA) d. (3) Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) 62 62

Doubles ' Final
(1) Errani/Vinci (ITA/ITA) d. Pennetta/Schiavone (ITA/ITA) 60 62

Andujar Defends Casablanca Title

 

Pablo Andujar defended his Casablanca title by defeating fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos 6-1, 7-6(5) in a rain-delayed final at the Grand Prix Hassan II on Sunday.

'I'm very happy, as this is very special to me, noted Andujar. 'I didn't think that I could win here twice in a row. It was difficult with the three rain delays. Albert was a bit nervous at the beginning and I played very well during the first set. The second set could have gone in both directions. It wasn't easy to remain calm in the end.'

'Albert was a bit nervous at the beginning and I played very well during the first set. The second set could have gone in both directions. It wasn't easy to remain calm in the end.'

RESULTS ' SUNDAY, 15 APRIL, 2012

Singles ' Final
[3] P Andujar (ESP) d [7] A Ramos (ESP) 61 76(5)

Monaco Stuns Isner for Houston Crown

By Joe McGovern

HOUSTON ' It was a championship match between two buddies in Houston as Juan Monaco persevered over John Isner, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to win his first title ever on American soil and his fifth overall.  It was a particularly sweet day for the two tour friends, who have bonded over their love for American football.  Isner, despite his loss in the US Men's Clay Court Championship final, has moved into No. 9 in the rankings, positioning him as the number one ranked American, while Monaco's victory moves him up to No. 14, matching his career best.

 

'It was a great final, great final,' said Monaco. 'The third set was like a battle. We both fought until the last point and we both played a really good final.'

 

'I'm very happy for Pico,' said Isner. 'He's had a very good year, and so have I. We're both winning a lot of matches this year and he was just a little bit better than me today.'

 

Monaco had 15 break point chances on Isner's serve during the match, converting three of them'the only breaks the 6'9' American suffered over the course of his four matches at River Oaks.  'You can sometimes make the opportunities against Johnny, but it's very tough to convert them.'

 

Monaco departed Houston within an hour of the match's conclusion for an overnight flight to Europe.  He starts play at the Masters series tournament in Monte Carlo on Tuesday, less than 48 hours after his title bout in Texas.

 

'It sounds absolutely miserable,' said Isner of Monaco's itinerary. 'But that's the life of a tennis player and sometimes you just have to do it.'