Atawo, Groenefeld claim Stuttgart doubles title

Raquel Atawo, shown in 2012, won her 18th WTA
doubles title today. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Fourth-seeded Raquel Atawo of San Jose and Anna Lena Groenefeld of Germany beat unseeded Nicole Melichar of Stuart, Fla., and 42-year-old Kveta Peschke of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-7 (5) [10-5] today to win the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany.
   Atawo (formerly Kops-Jones) won her 18th WTA doubles title and first with Groenefeld. Atawo was born in Fresno and starred at Cal, winning the 2003 NCAA doubles title with Sacramento native Christina Fusano.
   In the Stuttgart singles final, fifth-seeded Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic downed wild card CoCo Vandeweghe of Rancho Santa Fe in the San Diego area 7-6 (2), 6-4.
   Pliskova and Vandeweghe, both 26, combined for three runner-up finishes in the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford. Pliskova lost to Angelique Kerber in 2015, and Vandeweghe fell to Serena Williams in 2012 and Madison Keys last year.
   The Bank of the West Classic will be replaced by the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic, July 30-Aug. 5 at San Jose State, after 21 years at Stanford.