Pune: Poland's top seed Magda Linette clinched the women's singles title after edging past Kazakhstan's unseeded Kamila Kerimbayeva 7-5 7-6 (5) in the summit clash of the USD 25,000 NECC-ITF tennis tournament at Deccan Gymkhana, here today.
Linette needed just under 90 minutes for the winner's cheque of USD 2,940 and 50 WTA ranking points. Kerimbayeva had to settle for USD 1,666 and 34 WTA ranking points. In a hard-fought battle between two players slugging it out from the baseline, Linette stayed solid when it mattered most, especially towards the closing stages of both the sets.
After exchanging early breaks, Linette broke the Kazakh in the ninth game to go up 5-4. She was unable to hold her serve though, as Kerimbayeva made it 5-5 Linette got another break to go up 6-5, and this time managed to serve out the set with ease.
Kerimbayeva came out all guns blazing in the second set, and raced to a 5-1 lead in no time. Linette, however, started to get her rhythm back, and broke her rival twice in a row to level things up at 5-5. The top seed then broke Kerimbayeva again in the 11th, but once again failed to serve out the set. She held her nerve though to win the tie-break 7-5, and with it, her fifth ITF USD 25,000 level title of the year.
