Ferro wins first French tennis exhibition in Nice

NICE, France - World No.53 Fiona Ferro was crowned champion in the first of three scheduled exhibition events in France with a come-from-behind victory over Kristina Mladenovic. 

In Saturday's final, the 23-year-old French No.3 defeated Mladenovic in a match tiebreak, 3-6, 6-4, 10-7, to conclude the first week-long competition between France's best players. 

The non-WTA event series, which will continue in Cannes and Villeneuve-Loubet, was set up by the FFT to prepare its men and women for the tours' resumptions next month.

In the women's bracket, 12 players are divided into four round-robin groups, with the top-two finishers in each group advancing to the knockout rounds.

Ferro topped Group B with a 2-0 record, beating Amandine Hesse, 6-0, 4-6, 10-4, and Jessika Ponchet, 6-3, 6-3, while Mladenovic was defeated by former junior World No.1 Clara Burel, 6-2, 7-6(5), before beating Chloe Paquet, 7-6(4), 7-5 in Group A.

In the knockout rounds, Ferro beat Alizé Cornet in the quarterfinals, 6-3, 6-3, and Myrtille Georges in the semifinals, 6-4, 6-4. On the other side of the draw, Mladenovic beat Pauline Parmentier, 2-6, 6-4, 11-9, before cruising past Ponchet, 6-1, 6-1. 

"I am very satisfied with my game, I felt good throughout the week," Ferro said after the event. "I trained during this whole period without tournaments, so I was physically ready, but nothing can replace competition.

"In the semifinal, I was very tense. I managed this stress better in the final, but it's good to be confronted with that. Like everyone else, I missed this."

Next week, play will take place at the ASLM Tennis Cannes club from July 13-18, before concluding in Villeneuve-Loubet from July 20-25.