Silvia Farina Elia of Italy overcame some inclement
weather to successfully defend her title at the Strasbourg International
claycourt tournament on Saturday.
Farina Elia needed one hour and 48 minutes to defeat top seed Jelena Dokic of
Yugoslavia 6-4 3-6 6-3 in the final tune-up before the French Open.
Both are seeded in the top 10 at Roland Garros, with Dokic seventh and Farina
Elia ninth.
"It was difficult to play, it was windy and cold," said Farina Elia after
claiming her second career title.
"I was very calm and I didn't want to take any risks and she wanted to go
fast.
"She made a lot of mistakes and didn't play her best tennis. I wanted to keep
my title."
The top two seeds clashed in the final of a tournament for the first time this
year.
"The weather conditions were difficult," admitted Dokic, who has four career
titles.
"I'm disappointed because I had so many chances and just didn't take them.
She played the biggest points better and that made the difference.
"I did not play well enough and I'm not happy because I wanted to win here. I
wanted to play better just before Roland Garros."
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