Unseeded French player Fiona Ferro beat No 4 seed Anett Kontaveit 6-2, 7-5 in the final to win the 31st Palermo Ladies Open, the tournament marking the return of tennis after a five-month shutdown due to coronavirus.
Ferro needed one hour and 43 minutes to seal the straight-sets victory. Her solid serving saw Ferro deliver four aces in the match helped her ease to a 6-2 win in the first set.
However, Kontaveit who had ousted top seed Petra Martic in the semi-finals started to come into her own at the end of the first set.
The gain in momentum was evident when she broke early to get into a 2-0 lead but Ferro upped her game to break straight back.
The Frenchwoman won three games on the bounce to make it fives apiece before a service winner saw her through.
It was Ferro’s second WTA title win as she maintained fine form since the coronavirus lockdown when she had gone unbeaten in two exhibition tournaments before the Palermo Open.
She won the first WTA event after the pandemic dropping just one set.
“This title means a lot, especially after five tough months of practice. I was already feeling so happy just to be back on court and competing, so this is an even nicer way to finish the week with the win,” Ferro said after the game.
“I was feeling relaxed; I don’t know why because it was a final! I wasn’t really feeling the pressure. It was a tough match because she’s a really consistent player who doesn’t give you too many points. I had a good intensity throughout the whole match, I didn’t miss a lot, made a lot of winners, so I’m really happy to have the trophy with me,” she added.
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