Russian Elena Dementieva suddenly became a strong contender in the upcoming U.S. Open after she won the prestigious Rogers Cup title last Sunday, beating compatriot Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-3. The title win also propelled the Russian atop the US Open Series rankings.
This served as the first time for an all-Russian final in the tournament’s history. Dementieva stormed into the finals after defeating no. 2 Serena Williams, a sweet revenge after the former lost their previous encounter at the Wimbledon semifinals last month.
“It’s great to have so many good matches against so many top-10 players here. I hope it’s going to be good preparation. For sure, this kind of win gives you a lot of confidence, so right now it’s all about recovering and getting ready for New York,” Dementieva said after the win.
Sharapova was upbeat by her performance for the past few weeks.
“I think it was a really great week for me. Playing six matches was great leading up to the U.S. Open. I think this was really good preparation,” she was quoted as saying.
Dementieva pocketed $350,000 for the title win while Sharapova settled for $175,000.
