By Tennis Now | Saturday, October 21, 2017
World No. 73 Carina Witthoeft defeated Monica Puig, 6-3, 7-5, to capture her first career WTA title in Luxembourg.
Photo credit: BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open
Carina Witthoeft crafted a major breakthrough in her final tournament of the season.
Witthoeft defeated Monica Puig, 6-3, 7-5, in the Luxembourg Open final to capture her first career WTA title.
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It was Witthoeft's first Tour-level final. Earlier this season, she advanced to the Budapest semifinals.
The daughter of two tennis coaches citest her serve as her favorite shot and Witthoeft served with aggression throughout.
Showing few signs of nerves, Witthoeft whipped eight aces and won 72 percent of her first-serve points.
The victory completes a week in which the 73rd-ranked German knocked off a pair of seeded opponents—eighth-seeded Varvara Lepchenko and second-seeded Kiki Bertens—before powering past Olympic gold-medal champion Puig in the 91-minute final.
Playing her first final since she won the gold medal at the Rio Olympic Games last August, an emotional Puig showed pure class in defeat praising Witthoeft and breaking down in tears while dedicating her run to the final to the people of her native Puerto Rico, who are trying to rebuild after the devastation of Hurricane Maria.
"To everybody that's watching in Puerto Rico, this tournament's for you," Puig said. "I know we've had our ups and downs, but I hope it's gonna get better. And I'm gonna stand by your side and I'm gonna be there to support every step of the way. And we're gonna come back stronger."