Jelena Ostapenko staved off a late comeback to beat top-seeded Barbora Krejcikova in the Birmingham Classic final on Sunday to win her second title on grass.
In a battle of the top two seeds and former French Open champions, it was the second-seeded Latvian who came out on top, winning 7-6 (8), 6-4.
Krejcikova hadn’t dropped a set all week coming into the championship match. But it was Ostapenko who secured a tight opening set at her fourth opportunity in the tiebreaker.
Ostapenko then raced to a 5-1 lead to leave her on the brink of victory before Krejcikova responded by winning three games in a row.
“I was really close from 5-1 to 5-4 but then I managed somehow and I’m really, really happy about it,” said Ostapenko, who had four three-set matches before the final.
“I was fighting every match. I played five great matches, this was the only match in two sets. It’s a great preparation for Wimbledon and there’s still a couple of things I can do better.”
It was Ostapenko’s sixth singles title and her second on grass after triumphing at Eastbourne in 2021.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - Associated Press)