France’s world No.53 Fiona Ferro twice came back from a set down in the second set to upset Estonian fourth seed Anett Kontaveit in the Palermo Ladies Open final and win her second WTA title.
The 23-year-old Ferro flawlessly took the first set, without dropping serve, converting 2/2 break point opportunities and hitting 23 winners to seven unforced errors.
In the second set she faced much more resistance from the world No.22 Kontaveit, leveling from 2-0 down and 5-3 down, then breaking once more for a 6-5 lead and serving out the match on her second match point for a 6-2 7-5 victory.
At the Palermo Ladies Open, Ferro broke serve 28 times across wins over qualifier Nadia Podoroska in the first round, Ekaterina Alexandrova in the second round, Italian stars Sara Errani and Camila Giorgi in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively, and Kontaveit in the final.
Ferro had also won her only previous WTA final appearance at 2019 Lausanne, beating compatriot Alize Cornet in the final. Leading up to the tour’s resumption following the hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the Frenchwoman performed well at a series of exhibitions in the south of France, posting a 10-0 record, including wins over Kristina Mladenovic and Alize Cornet.
Ferro will now crack the Top 50 for the first time in her career and is expected to climb as high as No.44. Kontaveit will return to the Top 20.
