Britain’s Heather Watson collected her third WTA singles title by beating Belgian’s Kirsten Flipkens in the Monterrey Open final. 23-year-old Watson lost the first set, but came back to crush her 30-year-old opponent 3-6 6-2 6-3.
In the deciding set, the Belgian threatened a revival, forcing two break points as Watson served for the match. Watson, who ranks number two in Britain and number 84 in the world, held her nerve to add the title to the 2012 Japan Open and 2015 Hobart International titles.
Commenting on her victory, Guernsey-born Watson said it was a tough match, she was so nervous coming into the match because she’d never beaten Flipkens before. Flipkens is a great player and really makes her work. She further pointed out that in the first set, she thought Flipkens was quite flawless and she was getting frustrated, but she just had to stay calm and try her best.
BBC tennis correspondent Russel Fuller commented by saying that Heather Watson won the Monterrey Open without the benefit of a coach, though during the first set of the final, her mom came onto court to give her a motivational talk.
As now Watson heads to Indian Wells, she is projected to rise to number 53 in the world rankings. Her current ranking had been too low to gain direct entry into the tournament, but last year she was granted a wildcard after reaching the fourth round of the tournament.
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