MADRID: Kiki Bertens has won the biggest title in her career after upsetting two-time champion Simona Halep 6-4, 6-4, at the Madrid Open.
The 27-year-old Dutch player outmaneuvered her opponent, who struggled for consistency with her serve throughout the final. Despite trailing their head-to-head 2-3 and being ranked lower, Bertens had the formula to take down a frustrated Halep. Who failed to produce the magic which she showed earlier in the week with four bagel sets.
The clinical performance at one stage saw the Dutch player dominate by winning 21 out of 25 points between the two sets. Her performance featured 24 winners to 29 unforced errors as she converted five out of eight break point opportunities. Meanwhile, Halep’s winner-error ratio stood at 9-21.
“I think I played very solid today. I think at the beginning, I was a little bit searching for my game still, but I think the rest of the match I played really solid, really smart, and I was just going for my shots.” Said Bertens.
An erratic start by both players saw continuous changes of momentum throughout the opener. At one stage there were four straight breaks of serve before Bertens finally held to level 4-4. In the end, it was Halep’s serve that was her undoing as she won just 13 out of 30 points during the first set. Allowing Bertens to weather the storm to close in on victory.
The battle between the two continued into the second set with both player’s struggling for consistency on the court. Fortunately, as the match progressed, the quality of their shot-making elevated. Breaking twice, Bertens moved to a set away from the Madrid trophy. However, closing the match out proved to be a far from simple take. Leading 5-4, three championship points came and went. Eventually, it was fourth time lucky for Bertens, who produced a perfectly placed drop shot to draw an error from Halep.
Claiming her biggest-ever title on the clay, Bertens has rewritten the history at both the tournament and on the WTA Tour. She is the first woman to lift the title at the Caja Magica without dropping a set. Furthermore, on Monday she will rise to fourth in the world rankings. Becoming the highest ranked Dutch woman of all time. The previous record was held by Betty Stove, who peaked at fifth.
