Karolina Pliskova emerged victorious against local favorite Ana Bogdan on Sunday to claim the championship title at the 2024 Transylvania Open, held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The former top-ranked player triumphed in straight sets (6-4, 6-3), displaying an impressive performance throughout the entire tournament without dropping a single set.
En route to her triumph, Pliskova defeated Sinja Kraus, Camila Osorio, Sara Errani, Harriet Dart, and, of course, Ana Bogdan. This victory at the Transylvania Open marks the end of a four-year drought for Pliskova, who last secured a title at the Brisbane International in 2020, where she overcame Madison Keys in a grueling three-set match (6–4, 4–6, 7–5).
In customary fashion, Pliskova extended her congratulations to Bogdan during her winner’s speech, while also expressing her admiration for the tournament. “Although not a grand-scale event, it certainly carries the atmosphere and significance of one. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here,” remarked Pliskova regarding the Transylvania Open, which has earned the distinction of being the best WTA250 tournament in the world for two consecutive years. Pliskova confidently predicts that the tournament will retain this accolade for the current year as well. During the trophy presentation, Patrick Ciorcila, the tournament director, proudly announced that the Transylvania Open has secured a permanent spot on the WTA calendar.
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With every point won by Ana, the crowd erupted in applause and cheers, providing her with an extra boost of motivation. Encouraged by the enthusiastic support, Bogdan swiftly claimed her first service game. Pliskova, however, struggled under the pressure and committed several unforced errors, including a double fault, resulting in the loss of her own service game.
Undeterred, Bogdan capitalized on her momentum and secured a commanding 3-0 lead. Nevertheless, Pliskova managed to regain her composure in the fourth game, successfully holding her serve. Building on her improved gameplay, Pliskova seized the opportunity and earned her first two break points on Bogdan’s serve at 3-1.
With a determined effort, Karolina broke her opponent’s serve, narrowing the gap to 3-2. Bogdan persisted in applying pressure to Pliskova’s service game and obtained two break points. Yet, the Czech player displayed resilience, leveling the score at 3-3. Bogdan countered with an assertive 40-0 lead, but Pliskova once again equalized the score (4-4).
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Former WTA number one, Ana Bogdan, fought valiantly against Karolina Pliskova in the Transylvania Open final. Despite equalizing the score and obtaining three break points on Bogdan’s serve, Pliskova eventually managed to break and take a 5-4 lead. With a strong service game, Pliskova concluded the first set with a 6-4 victory.
Coming off a grueling semifinal match against Jaqueline Cristian, Bogdan found herself trailing and facing a potential loss. The crowd could sense the shift in momentum as their cheers grew quieter. However, Bogdan showed resilience by winning the first game of the second set. Pliskova quickly responded with an equalizing game, but Bogdan managed to take a 2-1 lead. Unfortunately for the Romanian, Pliskova regained her composure and dominated on serve.
After one hour and three minutes of intense play, the score stood at 6-4, 2-2. Pliskova capitalized on Bogdan’s weak serve, achieving three break points and ultimately breaking to extend her lead. It was evident that Bogdan’s energy was waning, having spent a total of four hours on the court thus far.
Pliskova continued to showcase her strength on serve, securing a 40-0 service game and widening the gap to 4-2. Despite struggling, Bogdan managed to narrow the deficit to 4-3. However, Pliskova remained unfazed and leveled the score to 5-3. In a pivotal moment, Pliskova obtained three championship points on Bogdan’s serve. Although Bogdan saved one, Pliskova ultimately emerged victorious, winning the Transylvania Open.
Reflecting on her triumph, Pliskova expressed her determination to secure the trophy in Transylvania after a long drought. She acknowledged that the crowd would likely support Bogdan but remained focused on her own goal. Meanwhile, Bogdan, although disappointed by her loss, climbed 11 places in the rankings and received recognition as the most popular player in the tournament. She thanked the crowd for their support and vowed to continue working towards lifting the coveted trophy in the future.
According to the Source tennisworldusa.org