Sony Ericsson WTA Tour : 2006


Mauresmo Prevails in All-French Final in Paris

In a battle between France\'s two top players, and the first all-French final in the 14-year-history of the Open Gaz de France, it was Amélie Mauresmo who prevailed, defeating Mary Pierce 61 76(2) for her 21st career Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title

Playing for the first time as a Grand Slam champion, Mauresmo delivered in front of her home crowd this past week at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin in Paris. She breezed through her first two rounds, routing Russian teenager Vera Dushevina 62 62 and avenging last year\'s championship defeat to No.7 seed Dinara Safina by an identical scoreline. The 26-year-old Frenchwoman then battled valiantly in Saturday\'s semifinals against unseeded teen-aged compatriot Tatiana Golovin, coming back from a 4-2 second set deficit to win 67(5) 75 62 in 10 minutes shy of three hours.

Mauresmo held her nerve in the later stages of the final against No.2 seed Pierce after squandering a large second set lead, cruising through the tie-break for her second straight win against her 31-year-old compatriot, after winning in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships final in November.

\"I was tired but it’s the final match of a tournament and you just play,\" Mauresmo said. \"I did my best to recuperate after my long semifinal, and while I’ve felt better physically, I think you just play through when it’s the last one. When Mary elevated her level of play and started to win, it was hard for me to keep my pace. I was on the defensive and didn’t have much opportunity to win points.



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