WTA Round Up: Stephens Wins Acapulco For Second Title of 2016
Sloane Stephens became the first player in the WTA to win two titles in 2016, knocking off Dominika Cibulkova 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(5) to win the Abierto Mexicano Telcel title in Acapulco.
Stephens looked to be on her way to a routine victory, opening up a set and a break lead. But the 2014 champion Cibulkova raced back to get back the break and take the second set.
The third set would go to a tiebreaker, and Stephens quickly jumped out to a 5-2 lead, finally converting on her third match point to capture the title.
“We had a great week and a great start to the year, and I’m looking forward to keeping it going,” said Stephens. “I don’t think I’ve ever played in front of a crowd quite like this. Thank you for letting me experience this in Acapulco because it’s something I’ll remember forever.
Spaniard Carla Suarez-Navarro won the biggest title of her career, coming back from a set down to beat Latvian teenager Jelena Ostapenko 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 to win the Qatar Total Open.
“I started a little bit nervous and she started really good,” said Suarez-Navarro afterwards. “It’s not easy to play like this, and I lost the first set but I believed, I fought, I run, and finally I won.”
