Alexandra Dulgheru beats Bondarenko to win Warsaw Open in WTA Tour debut

Alexandra Dulgheru beats Bondarenko to win Warsaw Open in WTA Tour debut

Alexandra Dulgheru, ranked No. 201, defeated Alona Bondatenko 76 36 60 to win the Warsaw Open in her WTA Tour debut.

In a match played in strong wind and twice interrupted by rain, Dulgheru used an array of groundstrokes and drop shots to break Bondarenko times.

Bondarenko had two chances to serve out the first set but couldn’t capitalize, with Dulgheru breaking to force a tiebreaker. Bondarenko rallied with two breaks in the second to lead 4-0 before the match was delayed about 25 minutes because of rain.

Dulgheru broke serve to lead 2-0 in the final set before rain again sent the players from the court.
After play resumed about 10 minutes later, Dulgheru reeled off four straight games to close the match.

“My first plan was to try and pass the (qualifications) of the tournament, and doing that was a great achievement for me,” Dulgheru said. “I did not expect this and I’m really happy that I won.”

“After every game I was feeling more and more tired, so I’m very happy that I managed to pull through in the end,” Dulgheru added.