Jil Teichmann and Kiki Bertens contested the final of the clay-court tournament in Palermo, Italy.
Having started the 2019 season ranked No. 148 in the world, Teichmann of Switzerland made tremendous strides up the rankings during the clay-court season: first, by winning an ITF event in Italy, then a month later, by battling through the qualifying rounds at the WTA tournament in Prague to claim the championship. That first title allowed her to make her debut in the Top 100.
Her progress stalled for a period after that as she lost in the first rounds of the French Open and Wimbledon. Before she started her hard-court campaign, though, she entered the clay-court tournament in Palermo, Italy, a revived stop on the WTA calendar. Seeded eighth, she advanced to the final without the loss of a set. In the championship match, she’d face the top seed and world No. 5, Bertens of the Netherlands, who was trying to win her third title of the year and had a 6-2 record in her career in clay-court finals.
Much had changed for both players since they faced each other in the qualifying rounds in Luxembourg in 2015, a match won by Bertens in straight sets. The Dutchwoman had become a consistent member of the Top 10, while her Swiss opponent had finally made her own breakthrough with the recent title in Prague. In this match, it was Teichmann who gained an early advantage, enabling her to stay a break ahead for much of the first set. Relying on her experience in championship matches, Bertens managed to fend off three set points to force a tiebreak. However, in the mini-frame, a series of miscues from the Dutchwoman—including a double fault on set point—tilted the match in Teichmann’s favor.
After exchanging holds in the first two games, Teichmann broke Bertens’ serve at love to go up 2-1. Consolidating the break, Teichmann soon extended her advantage, going up 4-1 after Bertens dropped serve again. The top seed forced Teichmann to serve for the match: Up 5-2, 40-0, the 22-year-old clinched her second tournament triumph of the year with a clean forehand winner on match point.
1
Teichmann’s win over Bertens was her first against a member of the Top 10.
2
Bertens lost two final-round appearances in a row for the first time in her career. In June, she was defeated in the championship match at home in Rosmalen.
'15
The last time a WTA player from Switzerland won two singles titles in a season was 2015, when Belinda Bencic and Timea Bacsinszky both accomplished the feat.
