Berdych, Radwanska lift Beijing titles

Oct 9, 2011, 15:09 GMT

Beijing - Czech Tomas Berdych claimed his first ATP title in two and a half years as he fought back to defeat Marin Cilic 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 for victory in the final of the China Open on Sunday.

The women's title was decided in a two-and-a-half-hour thriller with Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, winner of last week's Tokyo trophy, securing an Asian title double with her 7-5, 0-6, 6-4 win over German Andrea Petkovic.

Berdych now stands seventh in the provisional entry for the ATP World Tour Finals in London next month.

Radwanska will be on eighth for the WTA Championships in Istanbul with Petkovic still in with a chance on provisional ninth. The Pole now owns three 2011 trophies and stands seven wins from nine career finals.

Berdych now owns six career trophies.

'I was really hanging in there,' said the winner. 'When I lost the first set, I knew I needed to start to play a little more aggressively or change something.

'When I lost my serve and I was two breaks down, I was still positive,' he said. 'I think the key moment was a break at 5-4. Marin was serving and I made a set point and won the second set. From that moment I started to feel great; I had more energy for the third set.'

Cilic was denied in Beijing for the second time in three editions after losing the 2009 final to Novak Djokovic.

The Croatian said he was disappointed after going since February of last years without a trophy and losing four successive finals since.

'I'm feeling a little bit disappointed by the loss today. I would say that I was playing really great tennis from the beginning of the match.

'I felt it psychologically in the critical moments, especially at the end of the second set and the beginning of the third, I missed a few chances here and there. So I would say that was the reason.'

On the women's side, Petkovic took nearly 90 minutes to win a break-littered opening set - seven breaks of serve from 12 games including four of the last five.

The German took a taping midway through the eighth game when she felt something give in her right knee.

But she soldiered on, winning the second set to level in just 24 minutes and falling at the end of the third as she lost serve for 4-5, saved a break point in the next game but went down on Radwanska's second effort.

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