Continuing her season-ending comeback, Anna Kalinskaya won the first WTA 125 singles title of her career on Sunday, defeating Jana Fett 7-5, 6-4 in the Dow Tennis Classic final in Midland, Michigan, U.S.A.
The 24-year-old Kalinskaya took 1 hour and 28 minutes to outlast Fett in two tight sets and pick up her second victory in their two career meetings.
The highest-level singles title of Kalinskaya's career continues her surge back to top form, after the former World No.51 had leg injuries this summer and missed nearly four months of tournaments. She has seen her ranking slide from No.53 in May to its current position of No.115.
After returning to action at the US Open, Kalinskaya boosted her end-of-year rise with a statement result just last week, when she made her first career WTA 125 final in Tampico, Mexico. In that final, she was barely edged out by Emina Bektas in a third-set tiebreak.
This week, Kalinskaya went one better, although she had to get through two tricky matches on the way to the trophy. Kalinskaya saved three match points in her 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(5) quarterfinal win over Hailey Baptiste, then squeaked out a 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-3 semifinal victory over Alycia Parks.
Kalinskaya's final win over Fett, a former Top 100 player currently ranked No.198, was more straightforward. Kalinskaya shook off her eight double faults en route to the two-set victory, where she won 80 percent of points returning the Fett second service.
In Saturday's doubles final, Americans Hailey Baptiste and Whitney Osuigwe prevailed on home soil, overcoming their No.3-seeded countrywomen Sophie Chang and Ashley Lahey 2-6, 6-2, [10-1] to capture the Dow Tennis Classic doubles title.
Baptiste and Osuigwe needed 65 minutes to pull off the comeback win. With the victory, Baptiste notches her first career WTA 125 doubles title in her second WTA 125 doubles final of the season. This event marks Osuigwe's first WTA 125 doubles final and title.
