Li Na Defeats Kerber for Cincinnati Title
Li Na of China fought back from a set down to win the 2012 Women’s Title at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, defeating Angelique Kerber of Germany 1-6, 6-3, 6-1. Li has been defeated in three finals this year, but this victory ends that streak, as just last week, Li lost to Petra Kvitova in Montreal. This is Li’s first win since her French Open win last year and her sixth career title. Earlier this week, she teamed up with the Carlos Rodriquez, the coach of Justine Henin.
Li was a set and a game down before she came back to win nine straight games to take the second set and a 3-0 lead in the third.
"I felt like she was playing unbelievable in the first set. I was trying to play flat and fast, but she had no mistakes and every ball came back to my side," Li said. "I tried to change something at the beginning of the second set but it didn’t work, but I just kept trying and finally it worked. I’m very happy to win this title and now I’ll take two days off – I’ve played a lot of tennis these two weeks."
Kerber was looking to win her third title this year. She became emotional and was close to tears when speaking to her coach, which she said she could not find a way to deal with Li.
"I was giving it my all and fighting until the last point, but she was just better than me," Kerber said. "I had a plan to play aggressively, which I did well in the first set, but then she started playing better and better. I tried to change things but it didn’t matter, she had the answers. She was doing everything well."
