Jelena Dokic hungry for more success

			AUSTRALIA'S Jelena Dokic will be hungry for more success after capturing her sixth WTA Tour title after almost nine years with a splendid performance at the BMW Malaysian Open. Jelena displayed renewed confidence built from her sensational run through the tournament as she defeated the Czech Republic's Lucie Safarova 2-6, 7-6 (11-9), 6-4 in a thrilling final on Sunday. The 28-year-old has now climbed to 61 in the women's rankings -- her highest since January 2010 - after her breakthrough in the Malaysian Open which the Australian kick-started with a stunning win over Italy's top seed and World No 5 Francesca Schiavone in the first round. "I surprised myself... and when you start winning matches and titles your appetite only gets bigger," said Jelena at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Club on Sunday. Jelena had only played once before in Kuala Lumpur, 10 years ago, and the title was her first since winning in Birmingham in 2002. Her other titles were in Rome, Tokyo and Moscow in 2001 and Sarasota in 2002. She was ranked World No 4 in 2002 but dropped out of the top 100 five years ago as she struggled with her form. Over the past few years, Jelena has shown glimpses of her potential, most memorably her run to the quarter-finals of the 2009 Australian Open. "I seem to improve really quickly. The more matches that I win. I gain confidence fast and that helps my game," said Jelena, who is travelling without a coach. The Malaysian Open was also a breakthrough event for many players, most notably Luxembourg qualifier Anne Kremer, who made her first tour quarter-final appearance since 2007, before losing to the Netherlands' Michaella Krajicek. The 36-year-old hopes her outing in KL will give her more confidence in her pursuit to play in more Premier tournaments. Russia's former World No 1 Dinara Safina was hoping to make an impact in the singles but failed to do so. She, however, clinched her first doubles title since 2008 with Kazakhstan's Galina Voskoboeva. "My hope is to get back into the game strongly. I feel I am progressing in terms of performance," said Dinara. On the local front, S. Theiviya was Malaysia's sole representative in the tournament, but the hapless youngster was sent packing in the first round of the qualifiers. The Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia handed the other wild card to Vietnam's Trang Huynh Phuong Dai, who also lost in the qualifying round. - March 8, 2011