A closer look at Saturday’s three finals, as Raducanu plays for a title again
It’s open season in early February: Three savory Saturday finals on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz.
The Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open showcases No. 2-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova versus rising 20-year-old Czech qualifier Sara Bejlek, looking for the first title of her career.
The Transylvania Open is blessed with not one but two players with roots in Romania. One of them, No. 1-seeded Emma Raducanu, is looking for her first title since winning the 2021 US Open.
The Ostrava Open features two veteran players ranked outside the Top 100 in a match with career-altering implications.
In a single day, a total of 1,000 points are up for grabs.
Let’s take a closer look:
Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open
No. 2 Ekaterina Alexandrova vs. qualifier Sara Bejlek (5 p.m. local; 1 p.m. GMT, 8 a.m. ET)
Head-to-head: 0-0
Alexandrova rallied to defeat Hailey Baptiste 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3, saving a match point in the second set.
“Before the start of the tournament, I didn’t think about playing the final here,” Alexandrova said afterward. “In the second set I really thought, `This is the end.’ … I’m super happy I could get past two sets. It feels amazing, obviously.”
These two have practiced together several times but never played an official match. Alexandrova -- in her 13th career final -- may have her hands full in this WTA 500. Bejlek, playing her seventh match in eight days, is running on pure adrenaline.
After winning two qualifying matches, she’s sent out Ashlyn Krueger, No. 7 seed Jelena Ostapenko, Sonay Kartal and, in Friday’s semifinals, No. 3 Clara Tauson -- 7-5, 3-6, 7-5. That one ran 2 hours and 49 minutes.
It was Bejlek’s first career win over a Top 20 player; Alexandrova could be the second.
“I’m out of all emotions because that was a roller coaster,” Bejlek said.
How is she feeling physically?
“Of course I’m a bit tired, but tomorrow is the last game,” she said. “Actually, when I’m winning the recovery is faster.”
Transylvania Open
No. 1 Emma Raducanu vs. No. 3 Sorana Cirstea (4:30 local; 2:30 GMT, 9:30 a.m. ET)
Head-to-head: 1-0, Raducanu, 2021 Wimbledon third round, 6-3, 7-5
Cirstea, 35 and the pride of Bucharest, was a 6-0, 6-3 winner over qualifier Daria Snigur in only 56 minutes. Raducanu -- whose father Ian was also Bucharest-born -- needed 2 hours and 48 minutes to dispatch Oleksandra Oliynykova 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.
It was Raducanu’s first three-set win after six straight losses.
Recovery may be the key to this one.
“It was a brutal match,” said the 23-year-old Raducanu afterward. “Ollie, what a competitor. It’s a really emotional feeling -- I haven’t been in the final for five years now. It’s an amazing achievement. The great work I’ve done in the past six months is really coming together.
“My only focus is to recover from that marathon.”
Raducanu called for the trainer at one point but said she hoped to be ready to go.
“I’m not used to playing four matches in a row,” she said. "For me, that’s an incredible thing. It just comes with the territory, I guess, because I haven’t been in this position very often. It’s just a bit of wear and tear.”
For Cirstea, who has said she’s retiring after the season, “This week has been a dream come true. I’m over-the-moon happy. I will remember for the rest of my life this week.”
Ostrava Open
Katie Boulter vs. Tamara Korpatsch (4 p.m. local; 3 p.m. GMT, 10 a.m. ET)
Head-to-head: 0-0.
Korpatsch, ranked No. 124, was a 6-4, 6-4 winner over Diane Parry, saving six of nine break points. No. 120 Boulter defeated Katie Volynets 6-1, 6-3.
The winner will vault into the Top 100 (mid-80s) come Monday.
“I think this week for me has been about trying to build momentum,” Boulter said, “and I feel like I’ve done that. After a tough year last year, it’s exactly the start I needed. I just have to get my body used to it again.
“Just really proud of myself getting through these last few matches.”
Boulter has dropped only one set in four matches.
Korpatsch, 30, is looking for her second career title, having won three years ago in Cluj-Napoca.