Early February brings excitement with three thrilling Saturday finals on the WTA Tour, presented by Mercedes-Benz.
The Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open features No. 2 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova facing off against rising 20-year-old Czech qualifier Sara Bejlek, who is in pursuit of her first career title.
At the Transylvania Open, there are two players connected to Romania. No. 1 seed Emma Raducanu aims for her first title since her victory at the 2021 US Open.
The Ostrava Open will present a match between two experienced players ranked outside the Top 100, which could significantly affect their careers.
On this exciting day, a total of 1,000 ranking points are available.
Let’s delve deeper into each matchup:
Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open
No. 2 Ekaterina Alexandrova vs. qualifier Sara Bejlek (5 p.m. local; 1 p.m. GMT, 8 a.m. ET)
Head-to-head: 0-0
Alexandrova managed to defeat Hailey Baptiste with a score of 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3, saving a match point in the process.
“Before the tournament began, I didn’t anticipate advancing to the final,” Alexandrova shared afterward. “In the second set, I thought, ‘This is the end.’ … I’m incredibly happy I pushed through two sets. It’s an amazing feeling, of course.”
Transylvania Open
No. 1 Emma Raducanu vs. No. 3 Sorana Cirstea (4:30 local; 2:30 GMT, 9:30 a.m. ET)
Head-to-head: 1-0, Raducanu, 2021 Wimbledon third round, 6-3, 7-5
Cirstea, at 35 years old, proudly represented Bucharest with a swift victory against qualifier Daria Snigur, winning 6-0, 6-3 in just 56 minutes. Meanwhile, Raducanu, whose father Ian is also from Bucharest, took 2 hours and 48 minutes to overcome Oleksandra Oliynykova with a score of 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.
This match marked Raducanu’s first three-set victory after a streak of six losses. Recovery will be crucial as she noted, “It was a tough match. I felt very emotional—it’s been five years since I last reached a final. This achievement means a lot to me.”
Ostrava Open
Katie Boulter vs. Tamara Korpatsch (4 p.m. local; 3 p.m. GMT, 10 a.m. ET)
Head-to-head: 0-0.
Korpatsch, ranked No. 124, secured a 6-4, 6-4 win over Diane Parry after saving six of nine break points. Meanwhile, No. 120 Boulter defeated Katie Volynets 6-1, 6-3.
The winner of this match will break into the Top 100 rankings (mid-80s) by Monday. Boulter remarked, “This week has been focused on building momentum, and I feel I’ve made progress. After a challenging last year, this was the perfect start. I just need to get my body acclimated again.”
