MIAMI: Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova secured her maiden WTA title on Sunday, defeating Danka Kovinic of Montenegro in straight sets to claim the Charleston clay court title in South Carolina.
The 15th-seeded Kudermetova dominated from the outset to claim a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Kovinic, ranked 91 in the world.
The 23-year-old from Kazan broke Kovinic in the seventh game of the second set for a 5-2 lead and then held comfortably to complete a win in 1hr 36min.
“I feel very happy, amazing,” Kudermetova said afterwards. “I had a lot of ups and downs and now I’m here with the trophy,” added the Russian, who did not drop a set all week in Charleston.
Sunday’s title marked Kudermetova’s second appearance in a final this season, losing the WTA Abu Dhabi against Aryna Sabalenka in January.
Kudermetova’s Charleston victory came after a tournament which saw nine of the top 10 seeds exit before the quarterfinals on Friday, while world number one Ashleigh Barty exited in the last eight.
The Russian hit six aces on her way to the triumph, enough to overtake Barty and put her on top of this season’s ace chart with 130. It marked a fine finish to a stunning week for the world number 38. Kudermetova said: “It means a lot. It shows me that I can play really well, that I can beat good players, and if I play like this and keep working, I can be in the top 10.”
Kudermetova broke her opponent early and despite being pegged back, soon re-established her advantage to move one set away from victory. A break in the fifth game of the second set moved her closer to victory and after extending her advantage, she served out to seal her win in 96 minutes. — Agencies
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