Rezai impresses French crowds, wins title in Strasbourg

Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai impressed her home crowd after winning the title in Strasbourg, France at the Internationaux de Strasbourg against Lucie Hradecka in straight sets.

Rezai, ranked 57th in the world, had a tough first set win, but handled Hradecka, ranked 67th in the world, easily in the second set, winning with a score of 76(2) 61.

"It's incredible. I'm so happy to win my first title in France," said Rezai, the first French champion in the tournament's 23 years. "I've been working hard for so many years for this and it's hard to put into words what I feel. I want to come back here every year, I love this tournament. This title has given me a lot of confidence but now I'm just going to focus on my first match at Roland Garros."

"I was a little bit unlucky in the first set, because it just came down to one or two points," Hradecka said. "In the second set I made some mistakes and she played really well. I'm still happy about reaching the final this week though."

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Singles - Final

Aravane Rezai (FRA) d. Lucie Hradecka (CZE) 76(2) 61