Dutch tennis player Bertens stuns world number one Halep for Cincinnati title

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Dutch surprise Kiki Bertens saved a championship point before going on to earn a shock Cincinnati Masters, also known as the Western and Southern Open, final triumph 2-6, 7-6(6), 6-2 over a fatigued world number one Simona Halep of Romania on Sunday.

Both aged 26, Bertens came back from the brink against Halep in an exhausting second set tiebreaker, then won five of the final six games in the decider to lift the sixth and biggest title of her career.

A gutsy forehand by Bertens saw her stave off a match point in the tiebreaker before she went on to take control in the third set and eventually served a sixth ace to finish the contest after an absorbing two hours and five minutes.

“I cannot find words for this moment. I’m so happy,” a tearful Bertens, whose previous titles had all come on clay, said in the on-court interview.

Kiki Bertens (R) shakes hands with Simona Halep after the championship match of the Western and Southern Open singles final at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio on August 19, 2018. /VCG Photo

The victory was Bertens’ first ever over a world number one and her sixth consecutive triumph over a top-10 opponent and will see her move up to a career-high number 13 in the world rankings.

It also ended a nine-match winning streak by Halep, who lost in the Cincinnati final for the third time.

“I was a little bit tired this week, but it was a pleasure to come here and play,” said Halep.

“Definitely, I want to congratulate Kiki. You played amazing, and you definitely deserve this title.”

Despite the loss, Halep will still go into the US Open later this month with the number one ranking.

Source(s): Reuters