Kateryna Bondarenko beat off a determined challenge by injured Yanina Wickmayer to land the DFS Classic final in Birmingham.
Ukrainian prevails after close-fought match
Kateryna Bondarenko beat off a determined challenge by injured Yanina Wickmayer to claim her first WTA tour title in the DFS Classic final in Birmingham on Sunday.
The 21-year-old former Wimbledon junior champion needed two tie-breaks to beat Belgian teenager Wickmayer 7-6 (9-7) 3-6 7-6 (7-4) in a match which lasted 12 minutes short of three hours.
Wickmayer's movement was restricted for most of the final by a knee injury picked up in the second game of the second set.
She needed a medical time-out before continuing in obvious discomfort, but battled all the way.
Big serve
The 5ft 11in youngster - dubbed the "Belgian Sharapova" in her native country - tried to win as many points as possible through her big serve, but a tally of nine double faults eventually proved costly.
The victory marked a significant milestone for the 12th-seeded Ukrainian as she had never previously been past the quarter-finals of a singles event.
But she was made to work hard, with Wickmayer saving three break points in the fifth game of the first set.
Wickmayer then fought back from a mini break down in the first set tie break and also had a set point.
Dropped serve
But the Belgian dropped her serve on the 16th point to lose 9-7 and bring the set to a close after an hour.
She then bounced back to take the second set 6-3, twice breaking her opponent to level the match.
Four of the opening six games in the third set went against serve before both players regained their touch to force another tie break, with the victory eventually going to the 12th seed.
