Czech qualifier Bejlek beats Russian Alexandrova, claims first title in AD

Young Czech qualifier Sara Bejlek won the first WTA title of her career on Saturday as she beat Russian second seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 in the final of the Abu Dhabi Open.

After battling her way through the qualifiers, the 20-year-old left-hander recorded her seventh consecutive victory on the Emirati hard courts in just under one hour and 40 minutes against the world number 11.

After defeating former Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in the second round and Denmark’s 16th-ranked Clara Tauson in the semi-finals, Bejlek had already had a week to remember before the final of the 500-level event.

At 4-3 in the first set, Alexandrova called for a medical time-out.

The Russian saved two set points at 6-5, but was unable to fend off another in the tie-break, eventually going down 7-5 after more than an hour and 10 minutes. Against a visibly struggling Alexandrova, Bejlek ran away with the second set in less than 30 minutes.

The Czech, whose best ranking to date was 75th, will enter the top 50 for the first time thanks to her victory.

Despite her defeat, Alexandrova will return to the top 10 in the next WTA rankings.

Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu was swept aside 6-0, 6-2 by Romanian Sorana Cirstea on Saturday in the final of the Transylvania Open, the Briton’s first title match since her shock victory at the US Open in 2021.

Four and a half years after becoming the first player in the Open era to win a Grand Slam from the qualifying rounds in New York, the tournament’s top seed got off to a disastrous start in the Romanian city of Cluj, conceding the first eight games to her opponent.

Trailing 6-0, 2-0, Raducanu won her first game on her opponent’s serve, before asking to have her blood pressure taken at the changeover.

Clearly not at her best, the 23-year-old nevertheless managed to level the match at two games all before conceding the last four and losing in just over an hour.

Cirstea, who at 35 has already said this will be her last season on tour, won the fourth title of her career, and first in her home country.

The world number 36 previously picked up titles in Tashkent in 2008, Istanbul in 2021 and Cleveland in 2025.

Agencies