Google News Luxembourg Open: Clara Tauson wins trophy; dents Jelena Ostapenko's title-defence bid
by ABBEY JOHNSON
Clara Tauson scored one last upset at the Luxembourg Open to clinch the title on Sunday. The Dane defeated the defending champion, third seed Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in two hours and three minutes in the final. Entering the final, the Latvian was the overwhelming favourite not having lost a match in the tournament since making her first appearance at the event in 2019.
She had a 9-0 record in the event prior to the final. However, when the match began it was Tauson who came out the better player and went up by a set, adding to Ostapenko’s pressure. The 2017 French Open champion retaliated by winning the second set but despite her levelling the match, the final set felt as though it could go either way.
In the decider, play remained on serve right up to the 10th game with Ostapenko trying to stay in the match. Mistimed shots coupled with a double fault put paid to Ostapenko’s hopes as she faced championship points before conceding the match on her serve.
Luxembourg Open: Clara Tauson survives them all
Tauson had 31 winners to Ostapenko’s 34. However, the biggest difference in the match – also reflecting their style of play – came about in the unforced error count.
Ostapenko had 23 unforced errors while Tauson had merely around one-fourth of this number, with just the six unforced errors for the match. Ostapenko was trying to win her fifth title in Luxembourg. The Latvian was also trying to be the fourth player to win back-to-back titles at the tournament.
The previous three players who’ve accomplished the feat are Jana Novotna, Martina Navratilova and Kim Clijsters. Meanwhile, this is Tauson’s second title, both this year and of her career. She’d won her maiden WTA title at the Lyon Open.
Following her success at the Luxembourg Open, Clara Tauson will reach a new career-high of no. 52 in the world when the WTA rankings are updated on Monday, coming within a distance of making a debut in the top-50 of the singles ranking. Photo Credit: Luxembourg Open