Siniakova dips into ITF World Tennis Tour to end singles title drought
Katerina Siniakova claimed her first singles title in over five years on the ITF World Tennis Tour in Poland on Sunday.
The 26-year-old Czech, whose last taste of singles silverware came at the WTA event in Bastad in July 2017, defeated Magda Linette 6-4 6-1 in the final at W100 Grodzisk Mazowiecki for the 10th professional singles title of her career, and eighth at ITF level.
"I am really satisfied with my stay [here]," said Siniakova. "This week has been fantastic for me. I played some really good matches, I had very good training conditions, and I'm excited that I managed to win here.
"I started the final at a very high level.... I know Magda Linette and I knew I had to try to take the initiative."
Siniakova, the current doubles world No. 3 (and reigning Australian Open, Wimbledon and Olympic champion alongside Barbora Krejcikova), dropped down to compete on the ITF World Tennis Tour for the first time since December 2020 (when she finished runner-up to Sorana Cirstea at W100 Dubai).
"I made the decision that I had to play a few matches and this tournament turned out to be a bull's eye," she said. "I was playing in Warsaw last week so I was very close, but the main thing was to play hard courts before flying to the United States."
By virtue of her win in Poland, Siniakova climbed 14 spots in the WTA singles rankings on Monday to No. 66.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Katie Swan and Croatian Lea Boskovic secured the biggest titles of their respective careers at ITF W60 events over the weekend, while Arantxa Rus secured her third career W60 crown.
Swan, whose last match-win came against Sloane Stephens at the WTA Bad Homburg Open in June, won five matches on the spin to win her 11th ITF singles title, and first above W25 level, at W60 Lexington.
The 23-year-old overcame fellow Brit Jodie Anna Burrage (also going for her first title above W25 level) 6-0 3-6 6-3 in the title match.
Boskovic secured her first title in almost two years – and her sixth ITF singles crown overall – after defeating 18-year-old German Noma Noha Akugue 7-5 3-6 6-4 in the title match at W60 Hechingen.
Rus added her second title of 2022 at W60 San Bartolome (Gran Canaria), increasing her career singles tally on the ITF World Tennis Tour to 29.
Catch-up on all the women's ITF World Tennis Tour results from the weekend here.