(FILA Global) - FILA sponsored tennis player Kiki Bertens is coming off of a strong 2018 season that led her to achieve her career-best ranking of World No. 8. On Sunday, Bertens captured her first WTA singles title of the 2019 season at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy, defeating Croatian Donna Vekic in the final 7-6(2), 6-4.
The No. 2-seeded Bertens was down 2-5 in the first set of the championship match, but rallied to win 17 of the next 18 points and never looked back. The 27-year-old tallied 27 winners and eight aces in the match and improved her career record in finals to an impressive 8-2.
Bertens powered through a talented draw in St. Petersburg, taking out Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarterfinals, followed by a strong win over the No. 4 seed Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals. With the win, Bertens collects her eighth career WTA singles title, and her third Premier-level championship in the past 12 months.
Additionally, FILA sponsored tennis player Irina Begu won the doubles title in Thailand, alongside partner Monica Niculescu. The No. 2-seeded duo took down Anna Blinkova / Wang Yufan 2-6, 6-1, 12-10 in the finals of the Toyota Thailand Open. The win marks the ninth career doubles title for Begu, and her second victory with Niculescu.