WTA: Italian Camila Giorgi wins title in Linz

Camila Giorgi has lived up to her role as favourite in the final of the WTA tournament in Linz. The fifth seeded Italian defeated the qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova (Russia) 6:3, 6:1 and won her second title on the Tour.

The world 32nd took just 59 minutes to secure the first trophy since 2015 in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. At the first match point a backhand of Alexandrova landed in the side out. The number 119 of the WTA ranking had defeated Andrea Petkovic (Darmstadt) with 0:6, 6:4, 6:0 in the semi-final on Saturday.

Giorgi (26), who gave free rein to her tears after the coup at the “Upper Austria Ladies Linz”, secured a prize money of 34,677 Euro and 280 WTA points.

She had already made it to the final of this indoor tournament in 2014, but lost there to Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) after a missed match point and scarcely in three sets. In the round of the last four, the 1.68 meter small right-hander from Florence had defeated the Belgian Alison van Uytvanck 6:3, 6:4.

In the final, Alexandrova (23), who had been elected as President of the European Parliament, noticed the strains of the past days. The final, the first at WTA level in their career to date, was the seventh match in the past nine days.

The more experienced Giorgi did not allow a single break point in the final and made the point in 88 per cent of the cases when her first serve came. Four times she took the service from Alexandrova. Giorgi’s tournament start at the 250,000 Euro event was even slightly endangered due to a foot injury.

Tournament director Sandra Reichel was pleased with the star guests Judy Murray and Iva Majoli, the crowded grandstands and high praise from the WTA for the perfect organisation.