Almost seven months after sharing the trophy with the American Ann Li in the Grampians Trophy and in his third final of 2021, Anett Kontaveit was finally able to celebrate a title on the track and after winning with all the laws in the last match. It was this Saturday at the Tennis in the Land in Cleveland, where the 25-year-old Estonian and 30th in the world, who had just eliminated the Spanish Sara Sorribes in the semifinals, beat the Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu (31st and 74th) by 7-6 (5) and 6-4 at 1:55.
At the beginning of February, the WTA 250 that was added in Melbourne to benefit the players who had to spend 14 days in confinement without being able to train, was extended due to the suspension of a day due to the positive case for COVID-19 of a worker at the tennis players’ hotel and did not allow time for the final to be played at least one day in advance of the Australian Open. So Kontaveit and Li, winners in the semifinals, shared the prize. Surreal. Anett later played the final in Eastbourne, on grass, and lost to Latvian Ostapenko.
At last, in the state of Ohio, she was able to celebrate a success that was won hard in a tournament in which she was the best, with victories against Davis, Garcia, Siniakova, Sorribes and Begu that put her in 28th place in the ranking. Her first WTA title was won, also fair and square, in 2017, in Hertogenbosch.