AUTHOR javno100



MELBOURNE

JANUARY 31 2009 09:55h

Pervak's Vctory Uderscores Russian Srength

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Third-seeded Pervak said she had been simply too good for the Briton.

Ksenia Pervak showed Russia's conveyer belt of female tennis talent is still in full flow by winning the Australian Open girl's title on Saturday.

Hot on the heels of three Russian women making the semi-finals at Melbourne Park, the 17-year-old Pervak beat Britain's Laura Robson 6-3 6-1, breaking her fellow lefthander's serve six times to race to victory in 78 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.

Third-seeded Pervak, who is ranked inside the top 200 and plays mostly senior tournaments on the tour, said she had been simply too good for the Briton.

"I played really good today," Pervak told reporters. "Everything was down the lines and I moved well. That was the key.

"I think she's much younger than me, like three years or something. I think she's okay, but I was better today."

Pervak, who sometimes practices with top-20 player Anna Chakvetadze, said there was no secret as to why Russian women were now so successful on the WTA tour.

"Tennis is very popular in Russia," she said. "I think like everybody plays tennis, so that's why we have a lot of good players in like top 10 and top 100."

Robson, who won junior Wimbledon last year as a 14-year-old, admitted she had been outplayed.

"I think she won because she played more consistent than me," said Robson, who arrived at the media conference wearing Fernando Verdasco's sweatshirt after she had borrowed it from the Spaniard to keep warm while waiting to undergo a doping test.

"So it's definitely disappointing to lose, but I thought I played as well as I could have."

India's top seed Yuki Bhambri won the boy's title with a similarly easy 6-3 6-1 victory over Germany's Alexandros-Ferdinandos Georgoudas.

The 16-year-old took just 57 minutes to win, breaking Georgoudas's serve twice in each set, while not being down a break point on his own serve at any stage of the match.

"Winning the Australian Open is obviously a very big achievement," said Bhambri. "I dreamed of winning it, and it's come true."