Tursunov wins at Eastbourne

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 12:35

The world number 27, who recently returned to the tour following ankle surgery, was too good for the qualifier and did not face a break point against him as he powered to a 6-3 7-6 (7/5) success.

Despite requiring the attentions of the trainer midway through the match, victory will give hope to Tursunov, who has reached the third round or better in each of the last five Wimbledons, including a 1997 win over Tim Henman.

Tursunov grabbed the crucial break in the eighth game of the first set before serving out to take the lead.

In a second set which went entirely with serve, he held his nerve to take a tight tie-break.

Tursunov said: “It’s a good win and it doesn’t matter what surface it is on. Playing on grass can be tough because we only get three or four weeks on it, but it seems like a good surface for me.

“It’s human nature to want to beat someone whether it’s Eastbourne, Wimbledon or a Futures or Challenger event. And it’s given me some practice on grass which is very important in the lead-in to Wimbledon.”

Earlier, 18-year-old Dane Caroline Wozniacki clinched her fifth career title with a straight-sets victory over Virginie Razzano in the women’s section of the AEGON International competition.

Wozniacki kept her nerve to edge a quality final 7-6 (7/5) 7-5 against her more experienced opponent, who twice came back from a break down in the second set and missed a set point of her own.

Now get the WORLD’S BEST TENNIS MAGAZINE here