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Venus Williams once again impressed tennis fans after winning her 41st career title at the Abierto Mexicano TELCEL tournament. Meanwhile, Spaniard Nicolas Almagro successfully defended his title at the men’s event.
Williams defeated consistent finalist Flavia Pennetta (6-1, 6-2) in one hour and two minutes to win title number 41 and the $37,000 paycheck. The world number five is currently enjoying a ten match winning streak after winning the Dubai Tennis Championships last week.
It wasn’t an easy road to the finals for Williams. She was pushed to three sets in her first three matches before cruising easily to the finals with a quick two set victory over Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova in the semifinals.
Pennetta was the defending champion of this event. She’s become a popular fixture in the tournament since she made it to the finals for six consecutive years, winning two of them in 2005 and last year.
On the men’s side, Almagro avoided the same fate as Pennetta when he upset higher-ranked Frenchman Gael Monfils (6-4, 6-4) to defend the claycourt title he won last year and the hefty $300,000 prize money. This serves as Almagro’s fifth career title. All of his titles are won on clay, where he’s considered an expert.
