Ekaterina Alexandrova defeats Aryna Sabalenka to claim Libema Open title

Seventh-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova delivered a stunning performance in her first final on grass as she defeated top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka in the Libema Open 2022 final in 's-Hertogenbosch.

The seventh seed clinched the title 7-5 6-0.

In the first set, Alexandrova trailed 4-2 and then lost only one more game. The World No.30 rallied from a breakdown in the opening set to win 11 of the last 12 games to seal her first title of the season.

Alexandrova lost just one set en route to her first final of the season. She defeated Dayana Yastremska, Anhelina Kalinina, Caty McNally, and Veronika Kudermetova. She lost a total of just five games in her last two matches heading into Sunday's showdown.

"Grass is a difficult surface for everyone because the bounce is unpredictable. You just need to try to do your best in every single shot because you don't know what's going to come next," Alexandrova said after the match.

"When I played the first match here, I would never expect to play finals here and win the title. It was so bad, that I couldn't hit anything inside the court. But match after match, it was easier to find the rhythm and find the game. In the last match, I found it, and I just tried to keep it during the whole match," she added.

( With inputs from ANI )

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