Elena Batacha Was Probably Cheering For The Current British number One. But “BALLY ” epitomized Guts and Grit so she would Be proud of Donna Vekic hugging Her Trophy that she fought hard to Win

Written by: Staff on 18th June 2017

Elena Batacha Was Probably Cheering For The Current British number One. But "BALLY " epitomized Guts and Grit so she would Be proud of Donna Vekic hugging Her Trophy that she fought hard to Win |

Croatian World No. 70 Donna Vekic came from a set down to overcome World No. 8 Johanna Konta 2-6 7-6(3) 7-5 in the Aegon Open Nottingham final and collect her second WTA title.

In front of a sell-out crowd at the Nottingham Tennis Centre, 20-year-old Vekic upset the WTA International tournament top seed and British No. 1 in just under two-and-a-half hours.

After lifting the Elena Baltacha Trophy, which is named after the late former British No. 1, Vekic said: “It is something I have been dreaming of since I got my first title and something that kept me going, because this feeling is amazing. There’s no way to describe it. It just keeps me motivated to work even harder.

“To be honest, I really didn’t expect to win today. I was just hoping to get into the match, especially after the first set because I was struggling to find rhythm. I was just trying to focus on myself, serve as well as I can and try to be aggressive.”

On winning her first grass-court crown, Vekic added: “It’s pretty amazing. I’m really happy. The last time I won a final, I wasn’t allowed to have champagne.”

Having powered through the week without dropping a set before the final, Konta considers her time in the East Midlands a success despite defeat on Sunday – with both players winning an equal number of points in the final.

Konta, 26, said: “Credit to her for playing incredibly well, especially at the end. I’m very happy that I got to play five great matches on the grass. We just want to get as much time on the surface as possible heading into Wimbledon. I’m really happy that I got to come back and play here in Nottingham.

“Overall, I think I fought and played the best that I could today. There are things that I would have liked to have done better, but I think the majority of the credit has to go to Donna. She continuously raised her level as the match went on. She served better and better so I do think she definitely won it in the end.”

Earlier on Sunday, British pair Laura Robson and Jocelyn Rae also lost out 6-4 4-6 10-4 in the WTA International doubles decider to Australians Monique Adamczak and Storm Sanders, who won the women’s doubles ITF event at Surbiton in the previous week, while the ATP Challenger singles final saw Israeli third seed Dudi Sela come from a set down to defeat fourth seed Thomas Fabbiano of Italy 4-6 6-4 6-3.

AEGON OPEN NOTTINGHAM – NOTTINGHAM, GBR
10-18 JUNE, 2017

RESULTS – JUNE 18, 2017

Women’s

Singles – Final
D. Vekic (CRO) d [1] J. Konta (GBR) 26 76(3) 75

Doubles – Final
M. Adamczak (AUS) / S. Sanders (AUS) d J. Rae (GBR) / L. Robson (GBR) 64 46 10-4

Men’s

Singles – Final
[3] D. Sela (ISR) d [4] T. Fabbiano (ITA) 46 64 63

Editors Note : Big congrats to the doubles winners. We are very fond of both Aussie Ladies. Both have come back over and over from various injuries. Great to see back to back titles. Bally would be proud of you both too.

Topics: Aegon Open, Donna Vekic, Johanna Konta, Nottingham tennis, Tennis News, Wta