Katerina Siniakova captures maiden title with Shenzhen Open win
Czech world number 52 beats American Alison Riske 6-3 6-4 having already beaten top 10 players Simona Halep and Johanna Konta on her way to the final
Katerina Siniakova overcame a slow start to win her maiden WTA Tour title with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Alison Riske in the Shenzhen Open final on Saturday.
The Czech world number 52 had beaten top 10 players Simona Halep and Johanna Konta on her way to the final and fulfilled her promise as a junior with a first senior title after losing her two previous WTA finals in Bastad and Tokyo last year.
The 20-year-old Siniakova suffered an early break, but fought back against her American opponent by reeling off four straight games to take control of the opener before she broke twice in the second set on the way to a 78 minute triumph.
“It’s been a really great week for me and I’m so glad that I won this time because this match was really tough. I didn’t play my best, but I’m really happy that I did it,” Siniakova said.
“It’s a great start to the year for me. I hope my performance continues to go up and get better.”