Dominika Cibulkova holds the winner’s trophy after defeating Agnieszka Radwanska 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the finals of the Bank of the West Classic tennis tournament on Sunday, July 28, 2013, in Stanford, Calif. AP
STANFORD— Dominika Cibulkova pulled off a gritty 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland on Sunday to win the WTA premier hardcourt tournament at Stanford.
Slovakian third seed Cibulkova shook off the memory of four prior defeats against Radwanska, including a 6-0, 6-0 thrashing in the final at Sydney in January, to claim a third career WTA title.
She broke world number four Radwanska for a 5-4 lead in the third set, then clawed through a final game lasting more than 10 minutes to seal the triumph on her fifth match point.
“It seemed like forever,” Cibulkova said of the final game, but she was beaming after firing a backhand winner to take the match, her father racing onto the court to congratulate her moments after.
“When I missed the first match point, I was like ‘No way’. Then it was second, third, she had a break point to come back. It wasn’t easy,” the 25th-ranked Cibulkova said.
“That’s why I’m really proud I got this win.”