Advertising

Seven years after reaching her first WTA final, Petra Martic finally won maiden career WTA trophy. On Sunday, the 28-year-old Croatian defeated Marketa Vondrousova to claim Istanbul Cup. With her win, she rose four spots to No. 36 in the WTA rankings.

"It’s huge. I have no words, still," Martic said after her breakthrough win. "I’m full of emotions and I can’t believe I even managed to turn this match around. Winning my first title is incredible, and it’s the best day of my career. I hope it’s going to give me more confidence in the rest of the season, and maybe win another!"

Elsewhere, Petra Kvitova topped Anett Kontaveit in Stuttgart to capture her fifth clay-court title, and 27th overall. For her effort, she returned to her career-high ranking of No. 2, pushing Simona Halep to the No. 3 spot. The 29-year Czech became the first WTA player to claim multiple trophies this season, after conquering Sydney in January.

Next week, Kvitova will aim to defend her Madrid title, which she has won three times.