Djokovic, Wozniacki win China Open titles

In the women's final, top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark beat No. 3 Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.Djokovic, the world No. 2, cruised through the first set of the match that had been postponed because of rain yesterday, but fell behind 4-2 in the second as his pace flagged slightly.

At 4-3, the eighth-ranked Ferrer battled to hold serve and defend his lead, but Djokovic was relentless, breaking him to take the set and, two games later, the match.

"I started off really well but then I lost the momentum I kind of lost the rhythm, got him back into the match with some unforced errors," said Djokovic, who converted four of six break points while being broken only once to wrap up the match in 1 hour, 24 minutes.
"It wasn't a really nice looking match from both sides. We made a lot of unforced errors, especially him. He made my life a little bit easier at the end of the second set, where, with his unforced errors, I got back into the set," the Serb said.

Djokovic, who was runner-up at last month's US Open, said he was pleased with his improved serve, which he says is largely responsible for the run of success he's experienced since Wimbledon.

The 23-year-old had somewhat more difficulty accounting for his success in Beijing, where he won the Olympic bronze medal in 2008 in addition to his back-to-back China Open titles. The playing surface -- and the local cuisine -- seem to suit his style of play, Djokovic said.

"There's something special about this place."The win improves Djokovic's record against Ferrer to five wins and four losses.

Djokovic next faces either Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia or Chinese qualifier Zhang Ze on Wednesday at the ATP Masters in Shanghai.

"This is definitely a confidence boost for me. The last two, three months ... feeling much more comfortable and confident on the court, playing the aggressive game and service is working for me which is a great thing to have," he said. "Let's see if I can keep it up. Energy-wise I'm fresh."

Ferrer has less time to rest, meeting France's Michael Llodra in Shanghai tomorrow. He also pointed to the eighth game of the second set as having decided today's match.
"I had my chance there, but didn't do it," said the 28-year-old, who entered the final after beating Ljubicic in three sets in Saturday's semifinals. "Maybe when I lost this game, I lost a little bit my concentration and couldn't come back and play regular again."
Wozniacki converted three of her four breakpoints, one more than her Russian opponent.
Zvonareva led 3-1 in the first set before losing five straight games. Employing her formidable two-handed backhand to devastating effect, Wozniacki broke Zvonareva in the second game of the third set then held serve to take a 3-0 lead.

"I thought in general I played a really, really good match," Wozniacki said. "I just stayed focused, I kept running, I tried to keep the pressure on her, tried to keep her moving and I thought we played a really, really good match."

The China Open is Wozniacki's sixth title this season, the result, the 20-year-old said, of greater attention to a number of small aspects of her game.

"I'm really happy and pleased by how I'm playing at the moment," she said.
Following her rise to the top spot, Wozniacki says a Grand Slam title is her next goal.
"I feel like I'm at a very high level and can beat anyone," Wozniacki said. "If it doesn't happen next year, I'm still young and have a lot of years ahead of me."

Wozniacki said she plans to rest a few days before warming up for the season-ending WTA Championships in Doha, Qatar later this month."I feel like I'm not burned out," she said. "I feel I've done really well in my latest tournaments and I'm looking forward to Doha."