Markéta Vondroušová wins Berlin Open for first WTA title since Wimbledon 2023
Both players held their own respective droughts they wished to wipe clean in the searing Berlin heat. Vondroušová, having been plagued with injury since her triumph two years ago at the All England Club, her left shoulder clad with tape, looked to put a definitive end to a 24-month period which threatened to curtail her career. Wang, meanwhile, was playing in her maiden WTA final.
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The nerves were palpable throughout before Vondroušová streaked away with the deciding set, taking the match 7-6 (12-10), 4-6, 6-2.
The pair traded holds in the opening set until the Chinese world No. 49 found an advantage for 4-3, overturning three game points to force a deuce and a break of her opponent's left-swinging serve. It looked to be a foothold Wang would retain as she served for the set. It was to be the first occasion in which Vondroušová benefitted from her counterpart seemingly seizing up in the decisive moments of the first set, claiming an important break from 30-0 behind.
Suddenly, serving advantage evaporated in the scorching German sun. Wang again earned the right to serve for the set by breaking the Czech, but again fumbled, this time rather more emphatically.
The 23-year-old exhibited multiple unforced errors from advantageous positions. First, a glorious backhand opportunity which sat just on top of the net with the court at her mercy. It got worse for Wang when, again with the entire court to aim at, she fired long, as the opening set went the distance.
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In the end, Wang couldn't find the breakthrough in the match's decisive moments. She looked to be halfway towards a maiden WTA title when she gave herself four set-point opportunities in the tie-break. Vondroušová, though, won all four points to level the tiebreak. While Wang put up a creditable defence, saving two set points before going on to establish two of her own, she eventually crumbled with Vondroušová claiming a decisive mini-break for 10-12.
The Chinese No. 1 subsequently headed off court, returning from the break to be immediately broken and on the back foot. But she immediately returned the favour, and the match finally seemed to find some stability with both sides holding their serve until Wang, 5-4 up, found her opportunity to restore parity. An almost routine break to 15 showcased a sort of confidence which had eluded her in the opener, pushing the match to a decider.
While the tide of the proceedings would suggest Wang would be riding the wave of momentum, it was Vondroušová who came out firing in the final set. A dominant break to love put her in control, while the Czech soon gained a double-break advantage for 4-1. From there, Vondroušová's first title in two years seemed a foregone conclusion, and claiming the match with a hold to love showed the superiority with which she dispatched the decider.
Vondroušová's comeback has taken its time to come to full fruition. But battling past Madison Keys, Ons Jabeur and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in her Berlin run suggests she may finally be back.
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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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