WTA Finals: France's Caroline Garcia has thumped Belarus' Tennis star Aryna Sabalenka in the WTA Finals in a closely fought summit clash. Garcia edged past Sabalenka in straight sets in 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 to mark her brilliant return to professional tennis. With this win, the Frenchwoman has become the first from her country to lift the WTA title after Amélie Mauresmo achieved the feat in 2005. She is also the oldest to win a WTA title after Serena Williams lifted the trophy in 2014.
The match which was completed in 1 hour and 40 minutes, displayed some brilliant tennis between the two players. In the first set, both the players were on the mark with their serves as there was no break point. The set was poised at 5-5 and later went into the tiebreaker. The tiebreaker was later won by Garcia by 7-4. The second set was also a close affair and when the scoreline read 5-4 with a championship point, Sabalenka sent Garcia's backhand out of the court, which made the 29-year-old clinch the title.
To everyone, I have been able to share the past up and to win this trophy. I met a lot of people along the path; some are here, and some met me when I was a 12-year-old. I took memories and positives from all those experiences. All these experiences made me a better player and a better person," Garcia said after winning the match.
Meanwhile, Sabalenka heaped praise on the Frenchwomen. "I really hate you right now Caroline," Sabalenka joked before lauding her. "But you played brilliant tennis and not only tonight. This year, you played unbelievable tennis, so congratulations on the results so far. I’m very sure there are many more glories to come, and I hope we play more finals. We’ll see what happens next time!"
Garcia last featured in the WTA Finals in 2017 as injuries kept her away. But she made a brilliant comeback after winning three titles this summer and reaching the 2022 US Open semis. She will now be ranked No.4 in the World following her win.
