NUREMBERG — Title holder Kiki Bertens swept aside Czech qualifier Barbora Krejcikova 6-2, 6-1 Saturday to win her second consecutive Nuremberg Cup in a successful dress rehearsal for the French Open starting Sunday.
The Dutch world No. 19, who won the title last year after battling through the qualifiers, has enjoyed a memorable clay court season so far, reaching the quarter-finals in Madrid and the last four in Rome last week.
“I did not expect to win but I am really happy,” Bertens, a semi-finalist at Roland Garros last year, said in a courtside interview. “Tomorrow I will take a plane to Paris. I will try my best. It was important to get confidence for the French Open. It could not be better this week.”
She faced only brief resistance early in the first set from the 21-year-old Krejcikova, ranked 254th in the world, before breaking twice to race through it in half an hour.
Bertens, 25, fired seven aces, including one on her first match point, and constantly pinned her opponent to the baseline as she earned her first title of the year.
Mathieu hits out at French federation boss Giudicelli
Paul-Henri Mathieu has hit out at French federation president Bernard Giudicelli for saying the 35-year-old, who played some memorable matches at Roland Garros, did not deserve a wild card for the French Open.
Mathieu, however, will be in the main draw after winning his three qualification matches and he will take on Belgian David Goffin in the first round.
“Enough with the farewell wildcards. ‘Paulo’ is not the future, his career is more behind than ahead of him,” Giudicelli, who also denied two-time champion Maria Sharapova a wild card after she returned from a doping ban, said earlier this week.
Mathieu, who reached the fourth round twice in Paris and led Andre Agassi two sets to love in 2002 as he came close to a quarterfinals spot, hit back Saturday.
“Someone who says that knows nothing about high level,” the Frenchman, who reached a career high ranking 12 in 2008, told French sports daily L’Equipe.
“I got injured — hip and calf — and could not play for six to eight weeks but that, they don’t know. I can’t understand the way they acted, it was totally disrespectful.”
Nine-time champion Rafa Nadal maintains one of his biggest scare at Roland Garros was in a third-round 5-7 6-4 6-4 6-4 win against Mathieu in 2006 that lasted almost five hours. — Agencies
