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Lina Match Review
Rogers AT&T Cup - Toronto FINAL Lina Krasnoroutskaya V Justine Henin-Hardenne 1-6 0-6 After an incredible run in this years tournament Lina Krasnoroutskaya's winning streak came to an abrupt end in todays final in Toronto. After producing the goods time after time in each of her previous rounds Lina eventually ran out of steam against an on fire Justine Henin Hardenne. With the sun beating down on Center Court Lina and Justine began their final match of the tournament. The crowd were expectant - Lina has been the surpirse package of the week and a victory for the 19 year old Russian would have capped off a wonderful week of Tennis in Toronto but having never got this far in a Tier 1 event before Lina soon discovered, how cruel an experience a final can be. The Match A full house on center court waited eagerly for a hard fought exciting final but they were to leave disappointed. Lina unfortunately couldnt find that same winning formula that took her through her previous rounds with such style, Henin Hardenne however showed all the attributes of a future world number 1. Lina only managed to win 1 game in the first set and although at times she got very close to breaking back she couldnt unlock the door to Justine's game. The tension and apprehension in Lina's game were evident for all to see and after losing the first 2 games of the set it looked as though they were destined to get the better of her. She held serve to keep Justine in sight at 2-1 but this was to be the last game Lina would win all match. At times though she did show us glimpses of the attacking forceful tennis we have all come to love but just as she appeared to be clawing her way back into the match Justine upped the level of her game and pulled away from her. With a little over 25minutes on the match clock and the score at 40-0 Henin-Hardenne smashed a backhand down the line to claim the 1set set 6-1 and move one set away from her 6th tour title this year. Following the disappointing 1st set Lina began the 2nd set in much better form, she managed to compete with Justine and began to force her style of play on the Belgian number 2. After some long rallies Lina was undone by a number of unforced errors - this ultimately would be her undoing today. She managed to dictate some of the play but just as she lined up for the winning shot she failed to hit the target and gifted Henin-Hardenne the point. With the 2nd game of the set about to start doubts were beginning to surfice about the fitness of Krasnoroutskaya. During a previous point in the last game Lina overstretched for an overhead and it became apparent that this stretch may have damaged an abdominal muscle. She was having problems moving for the rest of the set and it certainly took away any chance she had of winning this final, from then on the outcome was almost a foregone conclusion. Justine began to race away from Krasnoroutskaya during the 2nd set and although Lina fought well and at times during the set she came close to breaking, the result was never in doubt. At 0 - 40 in the final game Henin-Hardenne finished with a trademark backhand and claimed a well deserved 6th tour title of the year. The Future The future for Lina Krasnoroutskaya is looking a lot better than it was before Toronto, she has come on leaps and bounds this past week and has re-established herself as a world class performer. With the US Open looming on the horizon Lina's preparation has gone far better than even she could have imagined - a seeding at the US Open this year may not be out of the question either after her stunning performances in Toronto. She now however has a well deserved break for a week as she will not be entering the Pilot Pen Tournament in New Haven, it will give her time to recover from what must have been a tough week both mentally and physically and then to get her preparation just right for the last grandslam of the year. Predictions for Lina.....all coming up in Andy's US Open preview.
Well Done Lina
Richard Paveley Visit the Lina Krasnoroutskaya page here
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