Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany.
The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament.
Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well.
Photo: AFP
They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3.
In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but the Taiwan-Russia duo upped their game, winning seven consecutive points to take the set 10-2 and secure the title.
This is only the second tournament Chan and Kudermetova have competed in together.
Photo: Reuters
Chan has now won two women’s doubles tournaments this season, after she and her sister, Chan Yung-jan, claimed the Hobart International women’s doubles title in Australia on Jan. 12.
In the women’s singles, world No. 4 Elena Rybakina had little trouble in seeing off Marta Kostyuk 6-2 6-2.
Rybakina said she was pleased with the consistency she has shown in recent months after winning her third title of the season.
“I’m really happy with all the matches I played here throughout the week, especially in the final. Was very solid from me,” Rybakina said. “I think just the consistency, of course, and how I’m managing to play all these tournaments till the end, because it’s really tough with the schedule which we have, with all the jet lag and changes of the surface.”
“It’s been a lot of matches, and I’m happy that, for now, I’m managing to fight through all these tough matches and be able to be in the finals,” she said.
Asked if her run of good results had given her belief in her ability to win next month’s French Open, Rybakina said: “I always believe in myself, of course, but it not only depends on me. There is a lot of great players, tough opponents.”
“But I know if I feel fresh, if I’m physically ready, healthy, I’m playing my game, of course I have all the chances to win a Grand Slam on any surface,” she said.
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