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The big winner of the 30th edition of Upper Austria Ladies Linz is Aryna Sabalenka! Eleventh place in the world ranking She also lived up to her role as the favorite in a thrilling final against two Belgian seeds Elise Mertens and won after 1:42 hours with 7: 5 and 6: 2. For Sabalenka it is the eighth WTA title of her career. and the third in 2020. No player has won more tournaments this calendar year.
“It’s just going really well right now. I am very happy to have won the last two tournaments of the year. Now I can go on vacation and prepare for the season completely relaxed. Thank you so much to everyone in charge here, you really did a great job. I really felt very comfortable in Linz, ”Sabalenka said at the grand award ceremony of the anniversary tournament.
The tension in the grand finale was noticeable for both of them at first. Both Sabalenka and Mertens had big problems with the second serve, especially in the early stages, and both were broken. The seeded Belarusian subsequently attempted to stop the match, but Mertens continued to deftly counterattack and a high-class and extremely balanced final developed, with the first set lasting 79 minutes. While Sabalenka (four) and Mertens (five) initially failed to seize their chances in the decisive phase, Aryna Sabalenka prevailed with her resounding returns and took 7: 5 with her first set.
This set victory should be a true milestone for Sabalenka on his way to the title. She now acted even more uncompromising, Mertens relaxed mentally and physically, so Sabalenka quickly walked away with a double break to 3-0, made a preliminary decision and did not want to miss the tournament win at the Linz tennis classic. With great willpower, irrepressible energy and great penetration, he pushed Mertens time and time again behind the baseline and transformed his first match point with an uncompromising longline shot.
“There were many ups and downs in the first sentence. Elise played very smart, we put a lot of pressure on each other and it was a very difficult match. It was important that he win this set, after that he was much more relaxed and played more freely, ”the Belarusian analyzed the final.
“I had some tough games during the week and I didn’t have the energy in the second set, even if I tried everything,” Elise Mertens said after the game. The Belgian said about the tournament: “I would love to come back here. The tournament is great, everyone took great care of us and I felt very safe. My goal was to be in the top 20 with this tournament, and I did it! “Her good friend and double partner also praised her a lot:” Congratulations to Elise for a great tournament. I hope we will meet in many finals, ”Sabalenka said in the direction of his final opponent with whom he has already won three doubles titles.
And how will Sabalenka celebrate this title now? “I’m going to be really fine now. Maybe with cake, candy, white donuts, or pizza. No, seriously: I think I’ll have a nice dinner with my family. “
The winner will receive US $ 20,161 in prizes, while the finalist will have a financial consolation of US $ 11,290. Even before the final, it was clear that Aryna Sabalenka would finish the season in the top 10 for the first time. Elise Mertens, on the other hand, is in the top 20 for the third time in a row at the end of a tennis year.
Rus / Zidansek win doubles anniversary titles
Surprisingly, Arantxa Rus from the Netherlands and Slovenian Tamara Zidansek had already secured the title in the doubles competition at Upper Austria Ladies Linz.
Rus / Zidansek prevailed in the final against seed Lucia Hradecka / Katerina Siniakova from the Czech Republic with 6: 3 and 6: 4. Siniakova had won the title last year alongside Barbora Krejcikova. In the second round, Rus / Zidansek were already leading 5: 2 and were briefly in trouble again, but they finally made it all clear with the sixth match point. For the two, it is the second joint title on the WTA tour. In the summer of this year, they already won the clay court tournament in Palermo. The win is sweetened by a prize money of US $ 7,258 and 280 world ranking points.
“Fans, we miss you!” – A great solidarity at all levels was the guarantee of the success of Upper Austria Ladies Linz 2020
Instead of a final press conference, this year’s tournament director Sandra Reichel will broadcast her results from the Upper Austria Ladies Linz tournament in this way and is especially aimed at long-lost fans of the tennis classic.
Dear fans
When we enter TipsArena for the 30th anniversary of Upper Austria Ladies Linz these days, we feel quite alone over and over again. Without you, the experience at the Linz Women’s Tennis Classic was not the same and we are already looking forward to seeing you all again next year.
However, even in hindsight, it was the right decision for us to celebrate our anniversary tournament in these difficult times. With the unique support of the city of Linz, the province of Upper Austria and our many other partners behind us, we gave players the opportunity to pursue their passion and profession. Additionally, we were able to offer our loyal sponsors and partners extraordinary national and international media reach as the only WTA tournament this week and as the last women’s tennis event in the 2020 calendar year.
Feedback we received from many different places over the course of the week also confirmed our decision. The players felt safe and in good hands with us and were able to fully concentrate on the sport. In the end, this week of the tournament left nothing to be desired in sporting terms. With Aryna Sabalenka and Elise Mertens we lived a dream ending on Sunday. For the sixth time in the history of the Linz tournament, the top two seeds are in the final, and I’m sure we’ll hear a lot from both in the future! For Sabalenka, reaching the final already meant returning to the top 10: she eliminated Serena Williams from the elite circle.
We have also set standards in terms of security. With a detailed hygiene concept we created the bases for the implementation of the tournament and we were always aware of our great responsibility. Ultimately, we did not have to record a single positive crown test during tournament week. For me this is one of the biggest successes in recent days.
My big thanks to my team, with whom we only had four weeks this time to organize Austria’s largest women’s sporting event, and to our partners and sponsors large and small, including Raiffeisenlandesbank Oberösterreich, Linz AG, bet-at-home and Porsche, who, like us, have shown the necessary courage that is needed in this time. Upper Austria and the city of Linz showed at Upper Austria Ladies Linz 2020 what is possible with team spirit, passion, perseverance and great solidarity, and it is precisely these values that currently need to be focused more. We can only tame the pandemic in which we find ourselves right now together.
And if we succeed, we hope to see you all again at Upper Austria Ladies Linz 2021.
Until then: everyone stays healthy!
your
Sandra Reichel
Presseinfo Upper Austria Ladies Linz
11.15.2020
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