Caroline Garcia started running in Cincinnati: champion coming from qualifying

The trophy of Cincinnati WTA1000, the last big stop before the US Open, was left in unexpected hands. At least, if the predictions made before the start of the competition are revised. why the French Carolina Garciahailing from the rankings, she was crowned champion by beating Czech Petra Kvitova 6-2 and 6-4 in the final and became the first previous stage player to win a tournament in this category since she started racing in 2009.

Garcia amassed nine days of action, eight games and 20 sets played and nearly 15 hours on the pitch to reach the US tournament title, the tenth of his career – she is the first winner in her country, behind Amélie Mauresmo (25), Maria Pierce (18) and Julie Halard (12) – and the most important of his personal precedents.

Her win against Kvitova, 28 in the world, allowed the native of Saint-Germain-en-Laye to extend a very positive streak and confirm herself as the player with the most victories on the women’s circuit since June. The 35th in the ranking, 28, has 28 wins and only 6 losses since the beginning of the sixth month of the year, including her coronations in the Bad Homburg WTA 250 (from 19 to 25 June, on grass) e warsaw (July 25-31, on clay) and this Sunday in Cincinnati.

“It’s pure joy. Just happiness. Every win is very important. Every title is very special, it’s always very difficult to describe. It doesn’t happen that often and you have to really enjoy yourself. I’m very grateful for this great week of tennis, and winning another title. , it’s very special, “commented those who hadn’t won a singles trophy since their triumph in Nottingham in 2019.

After that victory on the English court three seasons ago, the Frenchwoman – who had reached the fourth step of the world rankings in September 2018 – began to put together erratic performances, with ups and downs in her tennis. And he went from being 22nd in the standings, weeks after her celebration in Nottingham, to occupying the 79th step last May.

His recovery began after saying goodbye in the second round of Roland Garros, when he fell into the hands of the American madison keys. In Warsaw you also had the pleasure of beating Polish Iga Swiatek, world number one, in view of the title. But he had arrived in Cincinnati after an unexpected fall at the debut of toronto in front of his compatriot Alize Cornet and, with the obligation to play the qualifying phase to earn a place in the main draw, no one has counted her among the big favorites.

Garcia, however, quietly worked her way up to become the first player from qualifying to reach the final of the tournament. In the main drawingbeat Croatian petramatic, lucky loser, in the first round; fell to Greek Maria Sakkar, fourth seed, in the second; and then defeated the Belgian elisa mertens (33rd in the standings), American style Jessica Pegula (8th) and Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka (7th) meet Kvitova in the decisive duel.

“Every game, every day was a new day, a new challenge. Every time I had to focus on myself, on my game, on what I could do, on how I could be more aggressive, on how I could improve. Day after day, and I am ended up here, in the final, to raise the trophy “, said the Frenchwoman.

“In a WTA1000, everything goes very fast. You have to refocus every morning. It is a difficult challenge, but I am very happy to have ended the week like this,” he added.

This title was his third trophy in a WTA1000. She had won two in 2017, in Wuhan Y beijingChina, when the category had another name and covered the Premier Required and the Premier 5. The one in Cincinnati, the same, is the one that has the most weight among the three, traditionally of a tournament with so much history, which precedes the last Grand Slam of the season.

Thanks to the victory, Garcia will also return to the top 20: on Monday he will be in 17th place in the world rankings. and it will come Flushing Mews with great confidence, with his high level tennis and with many possibilities to make history again.