Bejlek wins prestigious Abu Dhabi tennis title in style
Czech Republic’s Sara Bejlek holds aloft the trophy as she celebrates after winning the final match against Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova. PHOTO | REUTERS
Abu Dhabi. 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.
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.
Ekaterina Alexandrova rallies to advance to Abu Dhabi finals
Second-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova dropped the first set but battled back to defeat Hailey Baptiste of the United States on Friday, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3, to secure herself a spot in the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open final in the United Arab Emirates
The Russian competitor saved a match point in the second set down 5-4, controlled her serve and won the tiebreak before ultimately winning in the third set. Alexandrova saved the final three break-point opportunities Baptiste had in the game en route to her 13th career WTA Tour final.
Sara Bejlek of the Czech Republic pulled off the upset over Denmark's third-seeded Clara Tauson 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 to claim the other spot in the final. Bejlek, who had to come through qualifying to even make the tournament, has dropped just one set in the main draw and will be competing in her first WTA final.
Great Britain's Katie Boulter cruised into the finals after taking down Katie Volynets in straight sets 6-1, 6-3 in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
Boulter converted five of her 11 break-point chances.
