Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark successfully defended her Pilot Pen title by beating Elena Vesnina of Russia 6-2, 6-4 in the final Saturday. The 19-year-old Wozniacki won her sixth career title, and third this year, and goes into next week's US Open having won every set she played in the New Haven tuneup. She broke Vesnina's serve in the final's first game, and didn't look back, winning in 1 hour, 16 minutes. Later, Fernando Verdasco of Spain was scheduled to play Sam Querrey of the United States in the men's final. Both played semifinals indoors early Saturday because of rain that has plagued the area for two days. Verdasco beat Igor Andreev of Russia 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), while Querrey beat Argentina's Jose Acasuso, 6-3, 6-4. The rain stopped in the afternoon, allowing the women to play for the championship outside in the 13,000-seat Connecticut Tennis Center stadium. Verdasco and Andreev were tied 4-4 in the first tiebreaker before Verdasco won the last three points. In the second set, Verdasco fought off three set points in the 13th game to hold serve. Tied again 4-4 in the tiebreaker, Verdasco won three of the next four points to advance. “In the second tiebreaker, I made a lot of mistakes, and I didn't play well,” Andreev said. “In the first tiebreaker, he just outplayed me.” Querrey made the most of his big serve. The American once knocked the numbers from the small hand-turned scoreboard in the corner of the court at Yale University's Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center. He broke Acasuso in the second game of the match, and broke again in the ninth game of the second set, prompting Acasuso's racket-smashing outburst. Acasuso won just four points on Querrey's serves in the second set. “I had only one break point, and he served good that point,” Acasuso said. The semifinals had been scheduled for Friday, but were rained out. With rain forecast for most of Saturday, and the US Open starting Monday, the decision was made to move the two matches inside. The indoor center has a capacity of about 300. Spectators watch from a balcony overlooking the courts or from adjacent courts, where they stood behind a rope. In the women's semifinals played inddors, Wozniacki beat Flavia Pennetta of Italy 6-4, 6-1 and Vesnina upset former Wimbledon and Australian Open champion Amelie Mauresmo 5-7, 6-1, 6-2. “I was so focused on the match, I didn't really think too much about the other things,” Wozniacki said. “I like to play indoors, so I didn't mind playing indoors. The most important thing is that I won. All the other things really doesn't matter.”
