Czech qualifier Sara Bejlek defeated No. 2 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia 7-6 (5), 6-1 to capture her first title on Saturday at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open in the United Arab Emirates.
The 20-year-old Bejlek, ranked No. 101 in the world, pulled away after a competitive first set to win the WTA 500 trophy in one hour and 39 minutes.
After rallying from a 4-2 deficit in the tiebreak, Bejlek dominated the second set by breaking Alexandrova’s serve three times. Bejlek became the first qualifier and first Czech to win the tournament in its five-year history.
Transylvania Open
Third-seeded Sorana Cirstea thrilled a partisan home crowd with a 6-0, 6-2 win against top-seeded Emma Raducanu of Great Britain in the final in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Cirstea only needed 63 minutes to secure her fourth career title, denying Raducanu her first tournament win since the 2021 U.S. Open. It was a special sendoff for Cirstea, 35, who announced earlier this year that 2026 would be her final season in professional tennis.
Cirstea delivered six aces, while Raducanu endured six double faults. In her disastrous opening set, Raducanu only managed one winner and 19 unforced errors. Cirstea swept the last four games to finish the match.
Ostrava Open
Great Britain’s Katie Boulter rallied for a 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 win against Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch to claim the title in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
It’s the fourth WTA Tour title for Boulter, 29, and her first since the 2024 Nottingham Open. She converted 6 of 9 break points and finished the match in just under two hours.
Korpatsch finished the first set with consecutive service breaks and led 1-0 in the second set before dropping 12 of the next 14 games.
–Field Level Media
Comments