Czech teen Linda Fruhvirtova claimed her first career WTA singles title in dramatic fashion as she came back from a break down in the final set to beat Magda Linette and win the WTA 250 Chennai Open.
The 17-year-old Fruhvirtova showed heart and grit as she defeated the third seed from Poland 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in a late evening thriller played in front of a packed Chennai crowd.
After the players split the first two sets, Linette, a two-time WTA singles champion, drew first blood in the decider to go ahead 4-1. But just as she did in her semifinal, Fruhvirtova produced some of her best with her back against the wall. The teenager won five games on the trot to complete the victory in two hours and 40 minutes.
With the win, Fruhvirtova is projected to break into the top 75 of the world rankings for the first time on Monday while Linette is projected to return to the world’s top 50.
Earlier in the evening, top seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani captured the doubles title in Chennai with a clinical 6-1, 6-2 win over Anna Blinkova and Natale Dzalamidze in 57 minutes.
Stefani was playing her first tournament since the 2021 US Open, after which she suffered a knee injury that required surgery.
This is the duo’s second title as a team, a fourth career WTA doubles title for Stefani and the 12th for Dabrowski.
WTA Chennai Open Singles Final Results (September 18, 2022)
- Linda Fruhvirtova beat (3) Magda Linette 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
WTA Chennai Open Doubles Final Results (September 18, 2022)
- Gabriela Dabrowski/ Luisa Stefani beat Anna Blinkova/ Natale Dzalamidze 6-1, 6-2
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