Sorana Cirstea claimed her first WTA singles title on Sunday with a battling win 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) over Germany’s Sabine Lisicki in the final of the Tashkent Open.

“Breaking her in the first game of the second set was the turning point of the match,” said Cirstea, who was also forced to hit a second serve down that match point. “I thought now or never, and just went for it. From then I just went for my strokes. Staying tough in the important moments of the match really helped me, and I hope to continue this form at tournaments in the coming weeks.”

Cirstea was a runner-up in her first career final, losing to Gisela Dulko in three sets on the clay courts of Budapest last spring. But it was second time lucky in Tashkent this year, as the 18-year-old came back from the brink to emphatically beat her 19-year-old opponent, who was playing in her first career final.

“I’ll cherish the title in Tashkent forever as it is my first title; I was desperate to take my first title!” Cirstea added. “I’ve been improving a lot since my first final, and I’m looking for many more titles. I’m also extremely happy to wear the traditional Uzbek dress, which has become the trademark of this event.”

“I made some mistakes and missed too many easy shots; it was my first final and I’m happy to have come so far, but I’m sad to lose,” Lisicki said. “Although I might have missed a lot of shots today, in the future these shots will be my weapons. My goal is to be a Top 10 player and I’m going to work even harder.”

Source:  sonyericssonwtatour.com

Tags: Interview, Tashkent 2008

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