Unseeded Swiss player Viktorija Golubic has won the biggest title in her career after battling past Kiki Bertens 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, in the final of the Ladies Championships Gstaad.
Golubic was playing in her first ever WTA final compared to Bertens, who was playing in her third. The opening set saw experiance triumph as Bertens battled from behind to clinch the early lead. An error-stricken service game by the French Open semifinalist, consisting of back-to-back forehand errors, rewarded Golubic the early break for 4-3 at the start of the match. The blip triggered a surge in Bertens’ performance on the court, as she battled back by winning three straight games to close the set out with the help of an error from her opponent.
The roller coaster events of the first set continued into the second with both players struggling to hold their serve, especially third seed Bertens. It was the home player who was the first to capitalize on a break of service when she extended her lead to 3-1. Golubic’s aggressive play aided her to break Bertens three consecutive times as she took advantage of her weak second serve. A forehand shot into the net resulted in the Swiss player sealing the second set, forcing proceedings into a decider.
Cheered on by her home crowd, the world No.105 kept valiantly battling throughout the deciding set. Golubic was one point away from going behind 0-2 before battling back to level 1-1. The closeness between both players continued until the closing stages of the match with neither managing to grab a decisive break. As Bertens served to stay in the match, Golubic launched her final and most significant attack. Applying pressure on her Dutch rival, a backhand shank rewarded Golubic with her first match point. The 23-year-old only required one chance to seal the win after a backhand winner gifted the Swiss player the biggest title of her career.
The triumph will take Golubic in the top-100 for the first time in her career when Monday’s rankings are published. She is projected to rise from 105 to 83rd in the rankings.
Star of the Day #ViktorijaGolubic!! #wtagstaad #supporttheswiss pic.twitter.com/qvXdYPrJWz
— Ladies Open Gstaad (@WTA_Gstaad) 17 July 2016
