“It’s a major step in my career,” says Bouzková as she wins first WTA tournament
Marie
Bouzková won her first WTA tournament on attempt #4. The 24-year-old Czech
tennis player played one of her best tournaments ever at this year’s Livesport
Prague Open, following up on a career-best performance at Wimbledon where she
made it all the way to the quarterfinals. “It’s a moment I’ll never forget,”
she said after winning the tournament without losing a single set.
“It’s amazing, I couldn’t have even dreamt of winning my first WTA title at a better tournament,” said Bouzková at the post-match press conference, “my three previous finals were all tough. They were all three-set matches, and I was always just off, but here, at my home tournament, I’ve finally managed to go all the way.”
Bouzková played both the semifinal and the final in front of a sold-out crowd – “Playing in front of fans who cheer you on after each rally was a new experience for me, I really can’t be any happier,” she explained.
“I’m just
so happy, I’m really trying to enjoy every minute of it. I won’t forget this
entire week.”
The young Czech player was clearly the better player of the Livesport Prague
Open final, beating Anastasia Potapova, who made numerous mistakes throughout
the match, 6:0 and 6:3 on sets. “My opponent started aggressively, I was
expecting a long match, but I took the first set and focused on my game,” said
Bouzková.
“Once I saw her starting to lose focus and make mistakes, I let her play and waited for my opportunity,” she added. “Winning a WTA tournament is a major step in my career.”
Bouzková will move up to 46th on the WTA Rankings on Monday, equalling her career best. Due to the fact she won’t be defending many more points this season it seems she could move up even more as the season progresses.
“I’m back to where I was some time ago,” she said, “It’s a great feeling, I’m really grateful, especially after a tough season last year. I’m really happy with all the work I put in day in, day out. I want to move up even higher on the Rankings,” she concluded with a big smile.
Photo: LIVESPORT PRAGUE OPEN / Pavel Lebeda (sport-pics.cz)
Author: eSports
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