Errani: It’s a magic period for me
Originally published on: 15/07/12 00:00
The French Open finalist beat Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-1 6-3 on home soil at the Italiacom Open, adding to her Acapulco, Barcelona and Budapest titles. It is the first time that she has won more than two titles in a year, though her first two career wins – in Palermo and Portoroz – came back in 2008.
Errani only lost 20 games on the way to her second Palermo title, and her sixth overall, but insisted her victory was far from straightforward.
“It wasn’t easy like the score looks – Barbara was playing very aggressively and it was tough for me,” she said. “In some moments of the match I was a little bit nervous, and she was able to come back into the match at those times, but at the end of the match I played very well and was able to close it out.”
Roberta Vinci, her close friend and doubles partner, picked up three titles last year but Errani said the prospect of bettering her compatriot and making history had no impact on her performance in the final.
“During the match, I didn’t think much about the fact that I would be winning a fourth tournament this season,” the 25-year-old said. “On court, I only thought about playing.”
All four of Errani’s 2012 titles have come on clay but she is still looking to improve her game away from the dirt, despite reaching the quarter-finals at the Australian Open this year and equaling her career-best Wimbledon showing in reaching the third round.
“It’s a magic period for me,” she said. “This year I’ve played some fantastic tennis on clay, losing only a few matches, but I really want to improve my results on hard and grass.”
Before heading back to London for the Olympic event on July 28, Errani will have an eye on winning her fifth title of the year in Bastad at the Swedish Open.
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