Tararudee, Timofeeva capitalise on opportunity at new ITF W40 level

Emerging young players are already making the most of the new W40 grade tournaments on the ITF World Tennis Tour – with standout successes for teenagers Lanlana Tararudee and Maria Timofeeva this weekend.

Eighteen-year-old Tararudee, of Thailand, picked an opportune event to win her maiden professional singles title, leaping 111 places in the WTA rankings to a career-high No. 416 after clinching the title as a wild card at W40 Nonthaburi with a 2-6 6-1 6-0 triumph over compatriot Manachaya Sawangkaew.

It marks a strong fortnight on home soil for the former Top 50-ranked junior, who also reached the semi-finals at the same event a week earlier, falling to the eventual champion, 36-year-old Kateryna Bondarenko.

Timofeeva, meanwhile, won a title for the fifth successive season, and her biggest yet, with victory at W40 Monastir.

Also a strong junior, having peaked at No. 33 in the girls’ rankings in 2020, Timofeeva overcame Japan’s Sakura Hosogi 7-5 6-4 in the title match and leapt 55 places to a career-high No. 250 as a result.

Former world No. 12 Yanina Wickmayer also triumphed at the Tour’s new W40-level, claiming her first title in five years at W40 Tallinn when Lina Gjorcheska, of North Macedonia, retired from their final while trailing 6-1 2-0.

The Belgian has now won 18 professional singles titles overall, including 12 at ITF level.

Catch up on all the results from the ITF World Tennis Tour this week here