Robson's true grit falls short

Sunday 23 September 2012

Laura Robson was thwarted in her bid to become Britain's first WTA Tour singles champion for 24 years in a dramatic clash with Chinese Taipei's Hsieh Su-wei in the final of the Guangzhou International Open.

Laura Robson has had a brilliant week despite her defeat in the final of the Guangzhou International Open, leaving three top 50 players in her wakePhotograph: Lu Hanxin/PA Laura Robson has had a brilliant week despite her defeat in the final of the Guangzhou International Open Photograph: Lu Hanxin/PA

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The 18-year-old, enjoying a breakthrough year that has seen her game blossom, looked set to lose in straight sets, but she saved five match points and then went 3-0 up in the decider only for world No 53 Hsieh to fight back and triumph 6-3 5-7 6-4 in hot and humid conditions.

Robson was not even born the last time Britain had a singles finalist –that was Jo Durie in 1990 – but Sara Gomer's reign as the last British winner in 1988 remains.It has, nevertheless, been a brilliant week for Robson, who has built on her superb run to the fourth round of the US Open and will climb into the world's top 70 for the first time when the new rankings are revealed tomorrow.The British No 1 left three top-50 players in her wake on her way to the final, and she made the perfect start with a break of serve in the third game, Hsieh struggling to deal with the teenager's power.But the player from Chinese Taipei is a wily opponent and, with Robson struggling for consistency on her serve and forehand, Hsieh reeled off four games in a row and quickly wrapped up the set. Robson was given some words of advice and encouragement from new coach Zeljko Krajan and responded by winning the first two games of the second set only for Hsieh to hit back with another run of four straight games.Hsieh was reading her opponent's game extremely well now, offering the teenager very little pace and never the same ball twice, but Robson dug very deep to save five match points on her serve at 3-5.That still left her opponent serving for the match, but the teenager has a new confidence about her and she turned the tables to win three games in a row and level the match.It was a crushing blow for Hsieh and another example of what makes Robson so exciting, and it got better for the Londoner as she made it seven straight games to move 3-0 up in the decider.Hsieh was not finished, though, and for the third time in the match she put together a run of four straight games, and then added a fifth.Robson again forced her to serve it out, but this time there was no twist, Hsieh clinching victory on her sixth match point when her opponent drilled a backhand wide after two hours and 47 minutes.There was better news, though, in Tokyo, where British No 2 Heather Watson beat higher-ranked Czech Andrea Hlavackova to qualify for the main draw.

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Robson's true grit falls short

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