Beatriz Haddad Maia won the first-ever WTA singles event of her career at the Nottingham Open on Sunday after defeating Alison Riske in the final. The seventh-seeded southpaw won 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 after two hours of play.
The Brazilian outplayed the American in the first set but struggled in the second set which allowed the sixth seed to grab a foothold in the match and level it at a set-all. In the deciding set, Riske went up a break at the start of the set but Haddad Maia came back to not only break her back but also secure a second break to win the title.
Haddad Maia won 72% of her first-serve points to Riske’s 68% and 48% of her second-serve points to the latter’s 44%. Haddad Maia saved six of the nine break points she faced while Riske went on to save 13 of the 16, she faced.
Nottingham Open: Beatriz Haddad Maia’s trophy debut
Post-match, Haddad Maia said, “It’s an amazing week, I couldn’t expect a better start on grass. I was just fighting, I was just pushing myself every single point, every single match. Grass is a special moment, we don’t have a lot of tournaments on grass, so it’s time to improve and be aggressive. On grass courts, it’s better to do that, so I will just keep doing that for my (doubles final), and after the doubles, next week in Birmingham, Eastbourne, and Wimbledon.
Later, Beatriz Haddad Maia and her teammate, Shuai Zhang – who were the top seeds – defeated the fourth-seeded team of Caroline Dolehide and Monica Niculescu, 7-6(2), 6-3 to win the doubles title at the Nottingham Open. Following her win, Haddad Maia joined former world no. 1 Ashleigh Barty in winning both the singles and doubles events at a WTA tournament in 2022. The now-retired Barty claimed the Adelaide Open titles at the start of the season.
Photo Credit: WTA Twitter