Dubai (Aletihad)

Anastasia Tikhonova brushed aside Dutch girl Arianne Hartono 6-1, 6-4 to be crowned the new singles champion at the 26th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge that ended at the Habtoor Grand Resort, on Sunday.
The 27-year-old Hartono – who had to encounter tough three-setters on a couple of occasions earlier in the draw – simply did not seem to have anything left in her tank against her 22-year-old opponent.
Tikhonova, on the other hand, simply went about with her task to register a couple of breaks and win the first set 6-1 in 39 minutes. She maintained he grasp on the match in the second set as well, but Hartono was in no mood to give up easily.
Eventually, Tikhonova found a way through to serve out for the set and match in nearly an hour and a half to be crowned the new champion at the Habtoor Grand Resort. “I felt so empty on court,” Hartono shrugged after the final.
“And even if I didn’t end with a cherry on top of the cake with the title, it doesn’t mean this week wasn’t good for me. I’ve got a few positives to take away for sure,” Hartono said.
“This week has shown that I am capable of playing at a high level. I think that every day I have delivered a top-50 player sort of performance. This week has given me this extra belief that I can push my potential further up,” she added.
But cherishing her first-ever Hospitality 100-plus category win on the WTA along with prize money of $15,239 (Dhs 55,500) was 22-year-old Tikhonova.
“Honestly, I had nothing much to prove to anyone coming here this week. I just wanted to prove my true potential against some of the best players on the women’s circuit. I think I did well in pushing myself throughout the week,” Tikhonova said.
“This is the biggest title of my career and I am glad that I could achieve it here in Dubai. For now, I cannot believe I have won. I am glad to be finishing the season on a high and with the biggest title of my career so far,” she added.
Meanwhile, the top-seeded pair of Timea Babos successfully defended her doubles crown along with former world No. 2 Vera Zvonareva as they won 6-1, 2-6, 1-0 (7) against Great Britain’s Olivia Nicholls and Heather Watson.
Babos had won the doubles last year 6-1, 6-3 along with her regular partner Kristina Mladenovic with whom she has won four Grand Slam titles in doubles.
This year, she chose Zvonareva – a five-time major winner in doubles – and came through easily against the British pairing of Nicholls and Watson.
“This year’s title here is more special for me as it is like a dream for me to partner a great player like Vera, who was already top in women’s tennis when I was a kid,” Babos said of her senior partner.