Sunday, February 21, 2010

Sharapova cruises to Memphis championship

MEMPHIS, Tennessee - Top-seed Maria Sharapova breezed to a 6-2 6-1 victory over Swedish qualifier Sofia Arvidsson to easily win the Memphis Championships women's title Saturday.

The dominant Russian did not drop a set during the tournament as she won her 21st career title.

"I feel great. I came here for matches - I got five and I got the win, so it was a good week," Sharapova told reporters.

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"I served and returned well, two things that are very important indoors."

Arvidsson, who won at Memphis in 2006, lost nine successive games from 2-2 in the first set.

In the men's draw, U.S. Davis Cup team mates Sam Querrey and John Isner set up an all-American showdown with contrasting semi-final victories.

Eighth seed Querrey held off Latvian Ernests Gulbis 6-3 6-4 after the sixth-seeded Isner beat German Philipp Petzschner 7-5 4-6 6-3.

The pair will face off Sunday before teaming up to represent the United States in a Davis Cup World Group tie against Serbia in Belgrade on March 5-7.

Querrey, who beat top seed and defending champion Andy Roddick in the quarter-finals, broke Gulbis in each set while saving all nine break point opportunities.

"I came up big on the break points," the world number 31 said. "I think I made a high percentage of first serves on most of them and I just kind of willed out that last game at 5-4."

World number 25 Isner converted three of 11 break points and smashed 13 aces to win his first meeting with Petzschner.

The tall American has a 12-1 record this year, which includes his first ATP tour title at Auckland in January.

"I had some chances early in the second to pull away a little bit, didn't do it," Isner said.

"It went to a third set and I told myself not to get rattled, which I didn't.

I knew that I still had my serve in my pocket - I'm going to hold serve, take my chances on the return game, and I like my chances in the third set no matter who I'm playing.

"I usually play pretty well in the third."

Copyright 2010 Reuters. Click for restrictions.

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