Czech second seed Barbora Strycova has claimed her first tour title since 2011 after dismissing an injury-stricken Magdalena Rybarikova 6-4, 6-1, in the final of the Linz Open.
The 31-year-old was contesting the seventh WTA final of her career, settling for runner-up twice last year in Dubai and Birmingham. Coincidentally top seed Rybarikova was also playing in her seven tour final, but with the goal of lifting her fifth title.
Two places separate the players in the world rankings, but on the court the difference was more noticeable. Wimbledon semi-finalist Rybarikova struggled with a right leg injury, allowing the Czech to exert her dominance in the match. Strycova was also not free from physical problems. Midway through the opening set she took a medical time out to have tape applied to her left thigh.
A positive start from Strycova allowed her to break immediately in the match. Claiming 21 out of 24 first service points, the world No.26 remained solid behind her serve to seal the opening set with relative ease.
The chances of a comeback from the Slovakian was nowhere in sight as her injury began to affect her game more and more. A one-way second set saw Strycova break three consecutive times to a 5-0 lead. Her opponent managed to avoid the bagel, before the Czech sealed the title following a Rybarikova error on match point.
“I would like to congratulate Magdalena for the great week and also the great year that you have had. After coming back from the injuries, it’s a great effort from you.” Strycova said to Rybarikova during the trophy ceremony.
Strycova is set to rise to 23rd in the world, closing in on re-entering the top-20 for the first time since June. She now has a win-loss record of 42-24 on the tour this year and improved her record in finals to 2-5. An achievement she attributes to the hard work of her coach.
“The journey we had together, it was amazing. Thank you for everything you did to me and we did together. It was really something special.” She said to her mentor.
It is the third time a Czech player has won the Linz title since the event was changed to an international tournament in 2009. The first two were Petra Kvitova (2011) and Karolina Pliskova (2014).
