TENNIS : RESULTS

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2009 Club Championship Winners and Runner's up 

International News & Results

Regional Digest: Tursonov, de Voest win Dubai doubles title
Published: Mon 2 March '09-12:00am-Page2C The doubles champions of Saturday's $2,233,000 Dubai Tennis Championships in the United Arab Emirates have Sacramento-area ties.

South Africa's Rik de Voest, who won the singles title in the inaugural (2005) Swanston Challenger at themidtown Sutter Lawn Tennis Club, and Dmitry Tursunov, a Moscow native living in Folsom, prevailed in their first tournament together.

In the final between unseeded teams, they defeated Martin Damm of the Czech Republic and Robert Lindstedt of Sweden 4-6. 6-3, 10-5 tiebreaker to split $94,000. ATP World Tour Doubles News February 28, 2009.

De Voest & Turnunov Clinch Dubai Title; Cermak & Mertinak Win Acapulco © Barclays Dubai T.C. First-time pairing Dmitry Tursunov and Rik de Voest captured the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships title with a 4-6, 6-3, 10-5 victory over Martin Damm and Robert Lindstedt in the final of the ATP World Tour 500 tennis tournament on Saturday.

De Voest and Tursunov now scoop 500 ATP World Tour Ranking points and share $94,000 in prize money. Damm and lIndstedt receive 300 ATP World Tour Ranking points and split $48,500.

A sand storm thoughout Saturday ensured tricky conditions for the players as the court had a light covering of sand and dust. Damm and Lindstedt enjoyed the better start to the match, breaking in the third and fifth games. De Voest and Tursunov rallied to earn a break of serve to love in the sixth game but could not prevent their opponents from taking the opening set as Lindstedt served out the 6-4 lead as Tursunov netted a backhand return.

After saving a break point in their opening service game of the second set, Tursunov and de Voest won three straight points on Damm's serve for 0-40 advantage - whcih Tursunov converted into a break of serve with a lob winner. The duo later went on to level the score-line at one-set apiece with a service hold to love at 5-3.

In the Match Tie-Break, de Voest and Tursunov combined excellent service placement with sharp returns to open up a 4-1 lead. An unreturned de Voest serve gave the rookie duo four match points at 9-5 and they clinched victory on first opportunity as Lindstedt's forehand return foudn the net after one hour and 28 minutes of play.

"We had a lot of chances in the first set and they played one good game to break us. We eventually broke backa nd knew that we could break them so it was just a case of making a lot of shots," said de Voest. "Dmitry hits the ball pretty hard and anything's possible off his racquet, so you're never out of it when he's playing."

The 28-year-old de Voest claimed his second ATP World Tour doubles title, to join the tophy he won with Ashley Fishet at 2007 Beijing. De Voest was contesting his second ATP World Tour final of the season after finishing runner-up with Fisher at Johannesburg (1. to Cerretani-Norman)

Tursunov, 26, won his first ATP World Tour doubles title since triumphing with Tomas Berdych in Rotterdam last year. He improved to a 3-3 career mark in finals; his first title came at 2006 Moscow with marat Safin (d. Cibulec-Zovko).

"You just have to go with the flow and hope that he's (Lindstedt) going to stop making good shots and start making some errors, which is what happened I think," said Tursunov.

"I think it got a little bit tighter towards the end of the second, and then int he tiebreak, and it worked for us."

Damm and Lindstedt, currently sixth in the 2009 ATP Doubles Team Rankings, were bidding for their third ATP World Tour doubles title of the season after triumping at Auckland )d. Lipsky-Paes) and Zagreb (d. Kas-Wassen).

The 36-year-old Damm was looking for his second title in Dubai and his 40th ATP World Tour doubles title from 60 finals, while the 31-year-old Lindstedt was bidding for his ATP World Tour doubles title and slipped to a 5-4 mark in finals.