Svetlana Kuznetsova has managed to clinch the Kremlin Cup by defeating her compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the title match in the Russian capital Moscow.
It was a cake walk for Kuznetsova which was expected considering the fact that her opponent had been playing some non-stop Tennis prior to this game and she had even admitted in the pre game interview that weariness was going to be a major factor for her.
Seeing Pavlyuchenkova’s movements, one could easily figure out that she was not match fit and was out there just to go through the motions. She was finding it extremely difficult even to keep her serves.
For the first few games in the first set, it was all in balance with the scores being equalized at 2-2, but, after that, Kuznetsova came into her own claiming 9 games in a row.
It was the first tournament that Kuznetsova won this season, while, fifteenth in her career.
Kuznetsova, who was very close to becoming the no. 1 player in the world in 2007, has won two Grand Slams so far, but, in the recent past, she has not impressed at big stages, getting removed at early stages in many of the majors.
The last time that Kuznetsova had won a Slam was in 2009 when she had lifted the trophy at Roland Garros. That was quite a while back. There’s not been much joy for her fans ever since as she has struggled for consistency.
She presently sits at the 25th position in the singles rankings of the World Tennis Association.
She would surely want her next season to be a bit more successful so that she can get back to top 10. She might have been past her peak, but, she still has some quality.