TAIWANESE SHUTOUT: The hosts’ hopes were crushed on Saturday after the three Taiwanese left in the doubles crashed out, only posting four points between them
Taipei Times
Date: Feb 05, 2018
By: AP, TAIPEI
Fourth-seeded Timea Babos yesterday defeated Kateryna Kozlova 7-5, 6-1 to win the
Timea Babos yesterday celebrates winning a point against Kateryna Kozlova during the Taiwan Open singles final in Taipei. Photo: Louis Chi, EPA
singles final, while Chinese pair Duan Yingying and Wang Yafan fought to claim the doubles trophy at the Taiwan Open.
After a tight first set, Babos took control with a hard-hitting display to claim her third WTA singles trophy of her career at the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium.
After dropping the first set, the 23-year-old Kozlova had a misstep serving at 1-0 in the second set, when she hit two unforced errors and a double fault to be broken right away.
Babos pounced, holding serve for a commanding 3-0 lead.
Kozlova won the next game, but Babos held to go up 4-1 and broke her opponent again before serving for the win after 1 hour, 25 minutes.
Kozlova, contesting her first WTA final, had beaten Babos in their only previous meeting in the qualifying of the 2015 Qatar Total Open in Doha.
Babos added to previous title runs at the Abierto GNP Seguros in Monterrey in 2012 and the Hungarian Ladies Open in Budapest last year. [FULL STORY]
