Qualifier Hsieh Crowned BMW Malaysian Open Champion

KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 (Bernama) -- Taiwan's Hsieh Su Wei created history on Sunday when she became one of the few qualifiers in Women Tennis Association (WTA) tournaments to make her way into the final and later win the championship. With world ranking at 123, she was crowned 2012 BMW Malaysian Open singles champion after defeating world number 66 Petra Martic of Croatia 2-6, 7-5, 4-1 when her opponent decided to retire due to fatigue. Martic, who braced two tight games, ousted second seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia 6-7, 7-5, 7-6 in a three-hour semifinal match at noon before facing Hsieh in the final this evening. Hsieh, who is the first Asian to grab the title since its inaugural edition in 2010, also won her first WTA singles title. "I might be a little bit lucky today, but it's still a tough ride for me. I had a hard game in the first round and I haven't had enough sleep. "I also tried very hard today. Martic is a tough opponent," she said after the game at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Resort here Sunday. The 26-year-old received US$37,000 (RM111,000) and a trophy from Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia (LTAM) president Abdul Razak Latiff. Hsieh, who advanced to the main draw after passing the qualifying round, upset eighth seed Anne Keothavang of Great Britain in the first round before knocking out Casey Dellacqua of Australia in the second. She escaped a quarterfinal match against top seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland who conceded a walkover due to elbow injury, then went on to edge out Eleni Daniilidou of Greece in the semifinal. Meanwhile in the doubles, Chang Kai Chen and Chuang Chia Jung of Taiwan emerged champions after defeating scratch pair Chan Hao Ching of Taiwan and Rika Fujiwara of Japan 7-5, 6-4. They took home US$11,000 (RM33,000) and trophies. -- BERNAMA