Bernarda Pera beats Anett Kontaveit to win Hamburg European Open
Croatian-American tennis player Bernarda Pera beat top seed Anett Kontaveit to win the Hamburg European Open. The former won 6-2, 6-4 to clinch the second WTA title of her career. Pera had captured her maiden WTA title last week in Budapest. The American defeated seventh seed Maryna Zanevska 6-2, 6-4 in the European Open semi-finals. Here are the key stats.
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Pera has won 12 straight matches
Pera now has an 12-0 record in main draw matches. The 27-year-old now owns 12 straight match-wins. She has also won 24 consecutive sets in this period. Pera qualified for her second final in a row. Earlier, she had quashed her five-match losing streak while entering Budapest. She was a runner-up at the WTA 125 level for the first time in Karlsruhe.
Hamburg European Open: A look at Pera's run
Pera started with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the third round. The American then claimed a 6-1, 6-1 win over Joanne Zuger. In the quarter-final, Pera defeated Katerina Siniakova 6-3, 6-1. A 6-2, 6-4 win against Maryna Zanevska advanced Pera to her second WTA final in a row. And, Pera ends her week with another one-sided win, this time against Kontaveit.
Second Top 10 win of her career
After beating Kontaveit, Pera claimed the second Top 10 win of her career. Her first came against former world number 10 Johanna Konta (first round of the 2018 Australian Open). The former had reached the third round as a lucky loser.
A look at the notable stats
Pera has become the fifth player to win multiple WTA singles titles in 2022. He has joined the likes of Iga Swiatek, Ons Jabeur, Beatriz Haddad Maia, and Ashleigh Barty. Interestingly, Pera was ranked 130th when she entered the Budapest tournament last week. Pera will attain a career-best ranking on Monday. She is expected to enter the Top 60 (previous-best is number 59).
Her exploits in Budapest
In her first-ever WTA final, Pera overcame Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia 6-3, 6-3 to win the Hungarian Grand Prix title. Before this tournament, Pera was 0-4 in the semi-finals (WTA tour). However, she proceeded to the final with a victory over Hungarian number one Anna Bondar. Pera became the third qualifier to win a tour-level title this season, joining Tatjana Maria and Anastasia Potapova.
