Buzarnescu captures first career singles title at San Jose
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) Mihaela Buzarnescu won her first career singles title at age 30, beating Maria Sakkari 6-1, 6-0 in the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic.
The fifth-seeded Romanian threw her arms in the air in triumph and hit a ball into the stands Sunday after closing out the match with a 107 mph ace on a day several Romanian flags were held in the stands at San Jose State University. She raised her racket and acknowledged those fans, too.
Buzarnescu, a left-hander who ranked No. 142 only a year ago, mixed her shots beautifully with laser groundstrokes to send Sakkari chasing down balls in the corners while adding some slice and drop shots.
The tournament missed the star power of the Williams sisters. Serena and Venus Williams both suffered early exits - including Serena's career-worst 6-1, 6-0 loss in her opener to Johanna Konta.
Buzarnescu rallied from a set down to beat fourth-seeded Elise Mertens 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals.
Buzarnescu will climb to at least No. 21 in the WTA rankings when they're released Monday, perhaps up to 20th. This marked her first championship victory in three tries after a runner-up showing this year in Prague.
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