MY ACCOUNT
Bernarda Pera secured her first WTA Tour title after defeating Aleksandra Krunic 6-3 6-3 at the Budapest Grand Prix.
Pera, who won two qualifying rounds to reach the main draw in the tournament, will likely re-enter the top 100 in the world rankings after her triumph.
The pair advanced to Sunday’s showpiece in Hungary without dropping a set, teeing up a mouth-watering clash between the world number 105 Krunic and 130th-ranked Pera.
Pera, the lowest-ranked contender to play for the title in Budapest since world number 112 Yvonne Meusburger lost to Simona Halep in 2013, raced out the blocks to claim an early 3-0 lead, with the Serbian winning just one point.
Krunic then squandered four break-point opportunities in the fifth game before the American required five attempts to claim the first-set lead, with both missing a plethora of chances.
Moscow-born Krunic seemed to regain her composure, with the pair exchanging breaks to leave the match finely poised at 3-3 in the second set.
But Pera, appearing in her first tour-level final, broke again once more in the following set before holding out on her serve to seize the initiative.
The 27-year-old required just one opportunity to wrap up the match and her maiden title, while she achieved her third career win over Krunic in as many meetings.
