Summary Camille Serme became the first Frenchwoman to win British Open title.
KINGSTON UPON HULL (AFP) - Camille Serme caused a sensation on Sunday by becoming the first Frenchwoman ever to win the British Open title.
The 26-year-old from Creteil, near Paris, who has never broken into the world s top four, was too physically fresh and tactically astute for home hope Laura Massaro, defeating the third-seeded former world and British Open champion 11-3, 11-5, 8-11, 11-8 in a stunning display.
It was possible Massaro had been feeling the effects of her 77-minute victory from match-point down against Nicol David, the legendary titleholder, on Saturday but Serme capitalised boldly and commendably as she surged to victory on the show court in Hull, northern England.
Serme took the ball in short wherever possible, especially with drops which clung to the walls, and then lobbed or drove to the back, trying to make Massaro s legs do more work than they wanted to. Serme also volleyed challengingly.
It worked, except for a spell from 6-5 in the third game until she was 6-8 down in the fourth when Massaro, with characteristic, tenacity refused to admit defeat.
At the end, Serme did not know whether to laugh or cry and, during the immediate post-match interview, she had to apologise for being briefly lost for words.
"I feel so much now," she said. "But strangely I didn t really feel nervous during the match. I was so focussed. I just had to go on court and use my tactics.
"In the third game Laura put up such a fight. I always admire her spirit. I knew she was not going to give up. She showed that yesterday (in Saturday s semi-final against David).
"I really wanted to close it out as best I could," explained Serme. "I tried to refocus, and refind my tactics which I didn t do all the time, but did it enough on the important points."
The points which Serme won from 6-8 down in the fourth may have saved not only that game, but the match. She scored twice with tight drops, then with a cut-off volley and kill combination, and finally on match point made another cut-off volley winner when Massaro tried a risky cross-court drive.
"I only came here to go further than the second round, which was all I managed last year," Serme said with a laugh. "And now this is so big for me, such a big title. I can still hardly realise it."
Serme made history when she stepped on court on Sunday by becoming the first Frenchwoman ever to play in a British Open final while, together with Gregory Gaultier, she ensured this was also the first time that French players had contested both the women s and men s finals of the prestigious tournament.
"I will now sit down and watch and cheer Gregory and hope he can win it for France too," Serme said.
Gaultier, the second-seeded titleholder from Aix-en-Provence, was due to take on Mohamed El Shorbagy, the top-seeded Egyptian who recently took the number one ranking spot away from the Frenchman.
