Masarova finds form just in time for Billie Jean King Cup Finals | ITF
Article 24 Oct 2022

Masarova finds form ahead of Billie Jean King Cup Finals

Jamie Renton

24 Oct 2022

Rebeka Masarova appears to be finding form at the right time with the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals just around the corner.

The 23-year-old Spaniard, who has been named in Spain’s team for the Women’s World Cup of Tennis in Glasgow on 8-13 November, matched her career-best triumph by winning the W60 Hamburg title on the ITF World Tennis Tour on Sunday.

In defeating Ysaline Bonaventure 6-4 6-3 in the title match, she collected her sixth ITF singles title and first since she won on home soil at W60 Vitoria-Gasteiz in July 2021.

"I'm very happy that I was able to win the title this week," said Masarova. "I had very difficult matches every day and I'm even happier that I was able to achieve my best level today. I play a 100 ITF near Barcelona (next) – so at home – and then I should play the [Billie Jean King Cup Finals] and then I have two ITF 80 on clay in Spain.

"I liked the tournament in Hamburg very much, the organisation was great, everyone was very nice, you really felt that they made an effort to make the players feel very comfortable."

Masarova is one of four ITF W60 title winners over the weekend, along with American Madison Brengle, India’s Karman Thandi and Briton Lily Miyazaki.

Brengle collected her third straight W60 title after defeating Panna Udvardy 6-3 6-1 at W60 Macon, while Thandi and Miyazaki won the biggest titles of their careers at W60 Saguenay and W60 Glasgow, respectively.

Thandi overcame Canadian Katherine Sebov 3-6 6-4 6-3 for her second tournament win of the year and third overall, while Miyazaki turned around a 5-7 1-5 deficit to stun Heather Watson, who is set to feature in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Glasgow, 5-7 7-6(5) 6-2.

The impressive triumph sees Miyazaki rocket 75 places in the WTA rankings to No. 215, while Thandi leapt further – rising 91 spots to a career-high 217.

Rising stars Brenda Fruhvirtova, 15, Liv Hovde, 16, and Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, 17, also all claimed titles this weekend.

Fruhvirtova secured an astonishing eighth ITF singles title this season after defeating Ylena In-Albon 6-0 6-1 in the final at W25 Santa Margherita di Pula.

The Czech sensation, who has won all of her titles this year at W25 level, is closing in on the record number of titles won in a calendar year on the ITF World Tennis Tour – a feat achieved by Arantxa Rus when she pocketed 10 tournament victories in 2019.

Wimbledon girls’ champion Hovde, meanwhile, won her second professional title in Texas – winning W25 Fort Worth just a month after securing her maiden crown at W15 Lubbock.

Jimenez Kasintseva ended a longer gap between silverware, following up her maiden pro title on Brazilian clay last November with a hard-court triumph on Portuguese soil at W25 Loule on Sunday.

Click here for all the weekend’s results on the ITF World Tennis Tour

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