Tamara Korpatsch of Germany captured the first Hologic WTA Tour title of her career on Sunday with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Romanian hope Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the Transylvania Open final.
"This victory means a lot to me," Korpatsch said after her win. "It’s my first WTA 250 title and I’m so happy about it. I had a very hard week, a very nice week also, and it’s a very nice tournament."
Contesting the first tour-level final of her career, 28-year-old Korpatsch needed 1 hour and 52 minutes to hold off Ruse in front of her compatriot crowd and hoist the trophy.
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World No.105 Korpatsch won 70 percent of points returning the Ruse second serve, which helped the German convert six of her 10 break points in the match.
There's no feeling like your first WTA title 🏆
— wta (@WTA) October 22, 2023
Tamara Korpatsch defeats Ruse 6-3, 6-4 to prevail in Cluj-Napoca!#TO2023 pic.twitter.com/SD6GMvoi9f
Currently ranked No.188 and a wild card into the tournament, Ruse got off to a hot start in the final, breaking Korpatsch twice in a row to lead 3-0. However, Korpatsch moved into a purple patch of her own and then some, reeling off six straight games to take the first set.
Despite multiple visits from the trainer to attend to her left leg, Ruse continued to battle on home soil, and she fought back from an early break down in the second set to reach 2-2. However, Korpatsch regularly found winners down the line, claiming the next three games to lead 5-2 and serve for the match.
A deft volley by Ruse allowed the Romanian to break Korpatsch in that game, and Ruse consolidated for 5-4. However, Korpatsch did not falter on her second chance to serve for the title, converting her first championship point after a wide return by Ruse.
Pure joy 😀@jilteichmann & @jodieburrage win the doubles title in Cluj-Napoca wih a 6-1, 6-4 win over Jeanjean & Strakhova.#TO2023 pic.twitter.com/8pjT0Eo6Ze
— wta (@WTA) October 22, 2023
Earlier on Sunday, Jodie Burrage and Jil Teichmann captured the Transylvania Open doubles title with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Leolia Jeanjean and Valeriya Strakhova in 1 hour and 6 minutes.
Playing their first-ever tournament as a team, Burrage and Teichmann had the upper hand in the final, winning 74 percent of their service points and converting five of their seven break points.
This is the first Hologic WTA Tour title for Burrage, in her first tour-level doubles final. It is Teichmann's second career WTA doubles title, having previously teamed with Jasmine Paolini to win Hamburg in 2021.