Finally, Radwanska wins big

SINGAPORE — For two hours and five minutes, Agnieszka Radwanska was a picture of immovable resilience during the biggest game of her career. 

Known in tennis circles as “the Ninja”, Radwanska’s gallant display against Petra Kvitova to win the BNP Paribas WTA Finals 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 was more like a samurai. Forced into a corner many times during tonight’s (Nov 1) epic battle of wits, finesse, resilience and skill at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, Radwanska swung her racket like a warrior wielding a blade, warding off her Czech opponent while patiently waiting for that moment to deliver the fatal blow.

When that moment came, it was Kvitova who fell on her own sword in a tightly-contested third set, hitting a return into the net to present Radwanska her biggest win since she turned pro in 2005.

Hands cupped over her mouth in disbelief as tears welled up, Radwanska could hardly believe her feat. After all, never in the history of the WTA Finals — since it switched to a round-robin format in 2003 — has a player lost two games in the group stage and gone on to win the title.

“I think this is the biggest thing in my life, so thank you guys for being with me tonight,” said the 26-year-old Pole, who will pocket the winner’s prize of US$1.75 million (S$2.5 million), at the courtside interview. 

The odds were stacked against her: Kvitova is a two-time Wimbledon champion who boasted a superior 6-2 win-loss record against her coming into the final. 

Also, the WTA Finals has not been won by a player who did not have a Grand Slam title to her name since Amelia Mauresmo in 2005.

Those facts, though, were not about to deter her. With her right thigh, shoulder and back heavily strapped, it was clear Radwanska was ready for a hard battle.

The Pole settled quickly into the match, storming to a 5-1 lead in just 24 minutes. Kvitova struggled to keep up with her fast game, her 16 unforced errors gifting Radwanska a huge advantage as the first set ended 6-2. 

But there was always the possibility Kvitova would launch a late come-back — as she did after going down 5-1 in the second set during the semi-final clash against Maria Sharapova yesterday. 

Coming from 2-0 down at the second set, Kvitova caught fire and broke to draw level at 4-4, before forcing the match into a third set-decider by closing it 6-4 with 20 winners. 

Feeling the rhythm, the world No 6 went 2-0 up with a series of good serves and powerful, flat groundstrokes that were missing from her game earlier. Radwanska, however, was not to be deterred, keeping her opponent at bay and, finally, registering her first WTA Finals triumph after eight appearances in the final.

“Well done to Aga, who had an amazing week,” said Kvitova, who suffered a whopping 53 unforced errors against Radwanska. 

“It was also an amazing week for me. To the fans, thank you very much for supporting me. I hope to come back next year.”