Yastremska returns to winner's circle with Kozerki 125 title

Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska won her highest-level title in over four years on Saturday, overcoming Greet Minnen of Belgium 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 to triumph at the WTA 125 Polish Open in Kozerki.

No.8 seed Yastremska charged back from a set down to outlast No.4 seed Minnen in 1 hour and 54 minutes at the hardcourt event, claiming her first career WTA 125 title.

It is a long-awaited return to the winner's circle for 23-year-old Yastremska. The former World No.21 won three WTA 250 titles as a teenager, but this is her first title of any stripe since 2019.

"It means the world to me, because so many years, I didn't really have wins, I didn't have a really great time," Yastremska said afterwards. "But I'm happy that I could go through these tough moments and I could realize some of my goals into reality by at least winning this tournament.

"I'm sure a lot of people were watching me from Ukraine and supporting [me], so I'm grateful to everybody for giving me this kind of energy."

In Saturday's final, Minnen started strongly, going 3-for-3 on break points to sweep through the first set. But Yastremska countered with a dominant display of groundstrokes to cruise through the second set and level the match.

In the third set, Yastremska consolidated a break lead with a love hold for 4-2, punctuated by a backhand winner. Another love hold, capped off with an ace, gave Yastremska a 5-3 lead, and she broke Minnen to wrap up the win, with Minnen double faulting on championship point.

Poland can also boast a champion this week, as homeland hope Katarzyna Kawa paired with France's Elixane Lechemia to win the Polish Open doubles title.

In Friday's final, unseeded Kawa and Lechemia defeated fourth-seeded Britons Naiktha Bains and Maia Lumsden 6-3, 6-4. Teaming up for the very first time this week, Kawa and Lechemia needed 1 hour and 10 minutes to prevail in the championship match.

"We were playing for the first time together, and I didn't really know what to expect, but I'm really happy we made it," Kawa said afterwards. "We played really good matches this week."

This marks the first WTA 125 doubles title for Lechemia, in her second WTA 125 doubles final. It is Kawa's third career WTA 125 doubles title, and her second of the year, having also won 2023 Cali alongside Weronika Falkowska in February.