Hamburg European Open: Anett Kontaveit wins Hamburg title- American Bernarda Pera won her second career title, and second in the last two weeks, on Saturday at the Hamburg European Open with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over top seed Anett Kontaveit. Follow Latest Tennis updates on InsideSport.IN
After sprinting through qualifying all the way to her first title last week in Budapest without the loss of a set, Pera’s white-hot form continued in Hamburg: She stretched her winning streak to 12 matches, and 24 sets, to take the title.
Hamburg European Open: Bernarda Pera shocks top seed Anett Kontaveit to win Hamburg title
That’s back-to-back titles!!! 🏆
🇺🇸 @bernarda_pera continues her incredible run with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Kontaveit 💫#HamburgOpen pic.twitter.com/357HjGJdoK
— wta (@WTA) July 23, 2022
Her week began with a 6-0, 6-4 win over No. 9 seed and defending champion and Elena-Gabriela Ruse and ended with a 74-minute win over World No.2 Kontaveit, her best-every victory by ranking.
The win against No.2 Kontaveit is Pera’s second career Top 10 win; her first came over then-No.10 Johanna Konta in the first round of the 2018 Australian Open, when she reached the third round as a lucky loser.
The result flipped the script of the pair’s first-ever meeting, which came just last month at Wimbledon; in Round 1 there, Pera served for the first set before falling 7-5, 6-1. On Saturday, the American left-hander was in command throughout.
She broke Kontaveit’s serve four times in her first eight service games to open up a lead of 6-2, 5-2, and only faced (and saved) one break point herself over that time.
Outstanding stuff from 🇺🇸 @Bernarda_Pera as she takes the first set 6-2 against Kontaveit!#HamburgOpen pic.twitter.com/rc7c3YSPAF
— wta (@WTA) July 23, 2022
Though she failed in serving out the match her first attempt, she made no mistake on the second: after losing the first point of the 10th game, she won the next four to seal the title.
Pera is the fifth player to win multiple Hologia WTA Tour singles titles this year, joining Iga Swiatek, Ons Jabeur, Beatriz Haddad Maia, and the now-retired Ashleigh Barty.
Hamburg European Open: Bernarda Pera shocks top seed Anett Kontaveit to win Hamburg title
Ranked No. 130 when she came to Budapest last week, Pera will be at a new career-high on Monday; she’s projected to rise into the Top 60, bettering her previous career-best of No. 59.
A three-set win for Sophie Chang and Angela Kulikov in the doubles final assured gave Americans a sweep on championship Saturday: The unseeded pair won their third three-setter in four matches to take home their first-ever Hologic WTA Tour doubles title.
Chang and Kulikov were bageled in the opening set of their semifinal match against Anastasia Potapova and Yana Sizkova before rallying to reach the final in a match tiebreak; against No. 3 seeds Aldila Sutjiadi and Miyo Kato, they won the first set, but again needed a match tiebreak to take the title, 6-3, 4-6, [10-6].
Chang and Kulikov also beat the British pairing of Alicia Barnett and Olivia Nicholls in the opening round in a match tiebreak. Chang and Kulikov
The duo came to Hamburg on a winning run in ITF World Tennis Tour events this year: The all-American pair reached five previous finals at ITF level this year, winning four of them. Their biggest previous title came in April at the W100 event in Palm Harbor Beach, Fla., also on clay.
Hamburg European Open: Bernarda Pera shocks top seed Anett Kontaveit to win Hamburg title
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