World No.45 Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine squeezed past Belgian teenager Yanina Wickmayer in the final of the DFS Classic in Birmingham to win her first WTA Tour title. Twelfth-seeded Bondarenko needed two tie-breaks to defeat Wickmayer 7-6 (9-7) 3-6 7-6 (7-4) in a match lasting nearly three hours.
The 18-year-old Wickmayer, ranked 66th in the world, injured her knee in the second set, but was a tough opponent nevertheless. The Belgian No.1 blamed her defeat on her lack of experience and expressed hope that the injury will not ruin the rest of her grasscourt season.
Here’s what former Wimbledon junior champion Kateryna Bondarenko said after the DFS Classic final:
“It feels great, finally I have my own title,”
“I never expected it to be on grass. It was a really tough match. I think we both played really well. Maybe I got lucky in the tie-break.”
