Rezai tops Hradecka in Strasbourg for first title

Aravane Rezai of France tuned up for the French Open with a straight-set victory over Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic in Saturday's final at the Strasbourg International.
Rezai posted a 7-6 (7-2), 6-1 victory for her first career WTA singles crown. She had previously finished as the runner-up at Istanbul in 2007 and last year in Auckland.
After rallying from a 3-5 deficit to win the first set in a tiebreak, Rezai quickly dropped the opening game of the second set before running off six in a row to finish the match.
"It wasn't easy to handle the pressure," said Rezai. "At the start, I was a bit scared. Mentally, this was my toughest match of the week."
Ranked 79th in the world, Rezai became the first Frenchwoman to win this title. She will open against Japan's Ai Sugiyama in the first round of the French Open next week.
Hradecka, ranked 84th, was also trying for her first career WTA singles crown in her second title match. She was the runner-up in Bad Gastein, Austria last year. Her opponent in the first round at Roland Garros will be Austrian qualifier Yvonne Meusberger.
Saturday's victory for Rezai was worth $37,000.