Top-seeded Iga Swiatek bounced back from a rough start to post a 1-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5 victory over second-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova on Sunday in the final of the Korea Open in Seoul.
Swiatak, of Poland, recorded her third win of the season and 25th in her career in two hours, 41 minutes despite committing nine double faults and being edged 6-2 in aces by her Russian adversary.
Alexandrova, the 2022 champion of this event, won the first set in 30 minutes before Swiatek found her groove. The six-time Grand Slam champion and Alexandrova exchanged service breaks to start the second set, then held serve to force a tiebreaker. Swiatek won the first three points in the tiebreaker and increased her advantage to 5-2 before winning to force the decider.
Alexandrova took a 3-1 lead in the third set, however Swiatek battled back to pull even. She broke the Russian’s serve in the final game of the set on her second match point to seal the win.
Billie Jean King Cup
Italy defended its title after Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Jasmine Paolini won their respective singles matches against the United States in Shenzhen, China.
Cocciaretto broke the serve of Emma Navarro on three occasions in a 6-4, 6-4 victory, and Paolini dispatched Jessica Pegula following her fourth match point.
A decisive doubles match was not required for the Italians, who became the first back-to-back champions in the event since the Czech Republic won three in a row from 2014-16.
The Americans last won in 2017 when the event was known as the Federation Cup..
–Field Level Media
