Share

Li claims WTA Cincinnati final

Cincinnati - China's Li Na earned her first title since winning the French Open 15 months ago, beating Germany's Angelique Kerber 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 to claim the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters on Sunday.

The 30-year-old Li rallied from a crushing first-set loss with some superb serving as she won 80 percent of her first-serve points in a dominating third set.

This was her first tournament under new coach Carlos Rodriguez, who only came on board mid-week.

Li ended her fight-back victory with six breaks of Kerber's serve from 21 chances, with the fatigued Kerber starting to feel the effects of a leg injury.

The Chinese player said she was inspired by Roger Federer's win earlier in the men's final.

"I wanted to do the same," she said. "I was feeling OK on court. I wanted to win this title because this year, I got in the final three times but I never won one title. I was really hungry for the title."

Li also paid tribute to her new mentor in her victory speech: "Carlos you are the best." She needed 100 minutes to oust Kerber and her victory means she will maintain her current ninth world ranking.

Kerber "was playing unbelievable in the first set. I was trying to play flat, play fast, but she had no mistakes," Li said. "I just continued to try, and finally, it worked."

The Chinese number one was playing her second final in as many weeks after losing a title bid in Montreal to Petra Kvitova.

"It's amazing this year." said Li. "It was great to be in the final and finally win after such a long time.

"I was able to recover after a very bad first set and find my game. I hope this is how it's gonna be with Carlos now."

Kerber is now 2-2 in 2012 finals after winning the Paris Indoors and in Copenhagen and losing after holding championship points at Eastbourne in June.

The German player now heads to Dallas for another US Open tune-up event. "I'm very happy that I was in the final, but today she was better than me," Kerber said.


We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1223 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
30% - 1419 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2153 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE