By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday February 9, 2025
Anastasia Potapova defeated Lucia Bronzetti at the Transylvania Open for her third career title, and first since 2023.
Photo Source: TC
Lucia Bronzetti was a set to the good, and seemingly closing in on her first career win in five tries against Anastasia Potapova in Sunday’s Transylvania Open final in Cluj-napoca.
It was fun while it lasted.
As it happens, the woman who ended Simona Halep’s career in the first round, had won her last set of the week…
Seeded No.1 for the first time at a WTA event, Potapova held her nerve – and serve – as she rallied for the title.
Catching fire in the second set, top-seeded Potapova flipped the script and turned the tables on the 72nd-ranked Italian, winning 12 of the final 15 games to lock up her third career title, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
Seeded No.1 for the first time at a WTA event, Potapovaa Facing a top-100 player for the first time this week in Romania, Potapova needed some time to find her groove, but when she did she was unplayable at times, as she wrenched searing groundstrokes into the corners and demonstrated a relentless mindset from the baseline.
"Everytime is an amazing battle with you," Bronzetti said after falling to 0-5 lifetime against Potapova. "I don't want to pay anymore with you."
"I will bring this week to my memory forever, I played against Simona in her last match, and I feel lucky for this."
The match still hung in the balance during a tense fifth game of the third set, in which the pair traded blows in a five-deuce game. Finally Potapova took advantage of her fifth break point, slipping a clean winner down the line to lead 4-1, and for all intents and purposes, the title was hers.
Potapova, who was broken twice in the opening set as she squandered a 4-2 lead. Went unbroken in sets two and three. In the final set she lost just six points on serve.
She closed out the match moments later, converting her fourth match point when a Bronzetti backhand return sailed well long.
Potapova improves to 3-3 lifetime in WTA finals with her win, and claims her first title since 2023 Linz. The former junior No.1 is once again closing in on her career-high ranking. The 23-year-old will be just outside the Top-30 in Monday’s WTA rankings. Her career high of 21 was reached last year.
Bronzetti drops to 1-3 lifetime in WTA finals. The 26-year-old last won a title at 2023 in Rabat.