Greta Arn secured only her second WTA title as she shocked defending champion Yanina Wickmayer in the final of the Auckland Classic.
Hungarian shocks defending champion Wickmayer in final
Greta Arn secured only her second WTA title as she shocked defending champion and number two seed Yanina Wickmayer in the final of the Auckland Classic.
Unheralded Arn, 31, recorded an emphatic 6-3 6-3 straight sets victory, ending her Belgian opponent's nine-match winning streak at the tournament.
Arn had arrived in Auckland expecting to play qualifying matches to get into the event, but the Hungarian was promoted to the main draw after a string of withdrawals.
She took full advantage of her opportunity, beating eighth seed Sofia Arvidsson and former world number one Maria Sharapova on her run to the final four.
Having accounted for fourth seed Julia Goerges in the semis, she then found Wickmayer off the pace in the final with the Belgian coming up with a host of unforced errors.
Nerves
However, Arn almost came unstuck when serving for the match as nerves threatened to get the better of her.
She lost the first two points of her service game and served two double faults, including one on match point, before eventually sealing victory.
"When I had the match point I was shaking," she stated afterwards. "I told myself just hit it. If it's in, it's in, if it's out' it's going to be out anyway, so just hit it.
"The feeling, I couldn't believe it, I cannot describe it. That's what you've wanted and you've got it. It's a dream come true."
