Sony Ericsson WTA Tour : 2006


Petrova Wins Second Tour Singles Title in Doha and Mauresmo continues No 2

Russian No.2 seed Nadia Petrova defied the odds Saturday to beat the hottest player on Tour this year and in doing so denied that player a return to the world No.1 ranking

Petrova handed top seed and Australian Open champion Amelie Mauresmo her third loss of 2006, with a 63 75 win in the final of the $600,000 Qatar Total Open. The one-hour, 45-minute victory prevented Mauresmo, winner of three titles already in 2006, from regaining the top ranking for the first time since October 2004.

It was Petrova\'s second career Tour singles title, having made her title breakthrough last October in Linz, Austria after losing her first four finals.

\"I played a very good match today,\" said Petrova, who will rise one spot to No.7 on Monday\'s Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Singles Rankings. \"I felt fit and felt like I was dictating from the beginning. I\'m pleased that I took the first opportunity to close the match. I have learned this week that now I know I have to be more aggressive.\"

Petrova, who won her second match in six meetings with Mauresmo, adopted a unique approach to her tournament preparation this week - not playing tennis.

\"I felt over-practiced at the start of the week so I decided to take a few days off without playing any tennis and just relaxing a bit. I felt like I played a very good first match and that gave me confidence. I also looked at the draw and saw I had a pretty good chance to get to the final.\"

Mauresmo lost for only the third time in 22 matches this

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