MIDLAND -- There is a point in every tennis player’s life when the “R” word enters the mind. Some burn out from the on-court grind and the off-court travel, as Justine Henin did in 2008. Others simply seek a different kind of love, like Lindsay Davenport did in beginning a family three years ago.
For 26-year-old Elena Baltacha of Great Britain, retirement thoughts were inevitable after accumulating an injury list long enough to fill the River Thames.
Besides bouts with mono, tonsillitis and chicken pox, Baltacha lost years of her career with back and liver troubles, prompting her to ponder other pursuits.
But a new coach inspired her renewed interest in the sport, which was evident Sunday at the Dow Corning Tennis Classic as Baltacha outhit and outhustled defending champion Lucie Hradecka, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3, to win the biggest title of her professional career.
“I want to thank my coach, Nick Severino,” Baltacha said during the on-court ceremony. “About a year-and-a-half ago, I was actually going to retire and this fantastic man persuaded me to keep playing and keep fighting. It's amazing what's happened in about a year-and-a-half.”
What’s happened is a revelation. A much-scrutinized junior who grew up in Scotland, Baltacha turned pro at 14 and made her Wimbledon pro debut at 16. Her run to the third round there at 18 helped kick-start her career, before illness and ill fortune nearly slowed her down for good.
After recovering from back surgery and a finger injury, Baltacha began the best stretch of her career last September. Starting with a $75,000 ITF Women’s Circuit title in England, Baltacha has won 25 of 31 singles matches, including a pair at the Australian Open.
She flew to Midland immediately after playing for the British Fed Cup team in Portugal.
“I was saying to Nino last night when we were eating that it feels as if it's halfway through the year because I've had so many matches already,” said Baltacha. “I just can't believe it's the middle of February and I've already done so much.”
Baltacha entered Sunday’s final having held serve in all 32 of her service games at the Dow Corning Tennis Classic. After breaking Hradecka to open the match, the Brit’s service streak immediately ended when the Czech hit a down-the-line forehand winner.
The third-seeded Baltacha made three more errors in the third game to help Hradecka to take a 2-1 lead.
“I don't think it was a very good start from both of us really,” said Baltacha. “It was a final and there were a lot of people as well. I think usually finals are not really great anyway… but we both kind of worked our way into it and by the end it was a good final.”
Any nerves Baltacha felt appeared to be shaken off in the sixth game, when she held at Love with two penetrating forehands, a down-the-line backhand winner and an ace.
Baltacha forced four deuces on Hradecka’s serve in the ninth game, but failed to earn a break point before the No. 1 seed took a 5-4 lead.
After each player held, Baltacha served to stay in the first set for a second time and started feeling the effects of Hradecka’s flat, two-handed groundstrokes. Hradecka saved a game point for Baltacha by crushing a down-the-line backhand return winner. She clinched the set on her second chance by hitting two more backhands behind Baltacha, opening up the court for a swinging crosscourt backhand volley that was out of the Brit’s reach.
During the set break, Baltacha went to the bathroom and cleared her mind of any disappointment she may have had.
“What I didn't want to happen was to give her an easy start in the second,” said Baltacha. “She's the kind of player that when she gets swinging and when she's making a lot of winners, her confidence builds and builds. And then it could have been a 6-1 [set].”
At 1-1 in the second set, Hradecka fell behind Love-30 and took a seat on Stadium Court, a sign of vulnerability that Baltacha picked up on. The Brit broke when the Czech made her fourth forehand error of the game.
“She started showing a little bit that she was tired,” said Baltacha. “Her head dropped a little bit. Also, I remembered that she's in the doubles [final] as well. Obviously, going into the match, physically, I was fresher.”
Bouncing on her heels, Baltacha belted a backhand passing shot two games later to take a 4-1 lead.
Though Hradecka did get one break back, she donated another in the seventh game when she double-faulted two consecutive times, her seventh and eighth doubles of the match.
“I was without energy and I wasn’t concentrating on what I had to do with my service,” said Hradecka. “When it was 1-4 or 2-5, I decided it was better if I go out and concentrate for the third set, and save a little bit of power. In the final set, I tried my best but she had more energy than me.”
Baltacha was playing her 18th singles match of the season, so she, too, could have felt fatigued as the match entered a final set. Yet, the Brit held for 1-1 after producing the craftiest combination of the match: chipping an inside-out forehand to pull Hradecka wide and then slicing an inside-out backhand with so much tailspin that it bounced twice before Hradecka could reach it.
“I had to stay really focused and try and build, do something different,” said Baltacha. “I started hitting more slices, more chipping, even on the forehand side. I saw that there was a weakness there and I capitalized on that.”
After opening up a 2-1 lead, the Brit saved three break points with three crucial first serves, holding for 3-1 when the Czech did the splits while watching her forehand fall into the net. In all, Baltacha made 62 of 91 first serves in the match – a staggering 68.1 percent.
But in her next service game, Baltacha donated four errors to allow Hradecka to even the set at 3-3.
With momentum back on her side of the court, Hradecka flexed her right leg in pain after winning the second point of the seventh game. At 30-40, Baltacha ran Hradecka ragged with five straight deep strokes before putting her away with an on-the-rise crosscourt forehand winner.
The Brit had managed to do what no one in Midland had done the past two years: overpower the mighty Hradecka.
“If you'd have told me before the match that Bal would outhit Lucie, I'd have gone, 'I don't think so,'” said Severino. “Maybe out-think her, but not outhit her.”
Back up 4-3, Baltacha won eight of the last 11 points to clinch her first championship at a tournament with a purse of at least $100,000. For about 30 seconds, she desperately motioned for Severino to climb down from the stands and hug her. After snapping photos of Baltacha from the moment Hradecka’s final shot hit the net, Severino finally embraced his player.
"It's amazing,” said Baltacha. “I've never won a $100K before, and to beat such a good player in the final as well. We were looking at the 75 spot, and after the quarters, we were like, 'Okay, we've done it. In the semis, you can relax and enjoy it. And then I thought, 'I want to win the title.' To win the title, to beat Hradecka and to make Top 75 is just so special."
For her efforts, Baltacha will fly to a WTA event in Memphis tonight with $15,200 in prize money, a 14k diamond bracelet valued at $3,500, and a new career-high ranking around No. 66.
Hradecka’s day didn’t begin well, but it finished on a high note. After losing the singles final, the Czech teamed with Laura Granville to win the doubles title, defeating Anna Tatishvili and Lilia Osterloh, 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, [12-10]. Hradecka and Granville saved two championship points in the match tiebreak.
Hradecka leaves Midland as a two-time tournament champion, adding to her 2009 singles title. Granville now has two Dow Corning Tennis Classic doubles titles (2007 and 2010) to go with her two singles crowns (2005 and 2008).
Dow Corning Tennis Classic
Midland Community Tennis Center
Midland, Mich.
Purse: $100,000
Surface: Hard-Indoor
Sunday, February 14 – RESULTS
Singles – Final
(3) Elena Baltacha, Great Britain, def. (1) Lucie Hradecka, Czech Republic, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3
Doubles – Final
(1) Laura Granville, United States, and Lucie Hradecka, Czech Republic, def. (4) Lilia Osterloh, United States, and Anna Tatishvili, Georgia, 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, [12-10]