POLISH STAR WINS TITLE IN PRAGUE BUT LEARNS OF GREAT PARIS 2024 ‘CELINE DION’ DISAPPOINTMENT
Magda Linette came out on top in the first all-Polish final of the Open Era on the WTA Tour, when she defeated No 6 seed Magdalena Frech 6-2, 6-1 in 1 hour and 20 minutes to claim the Livesport Prague Open trophy on Friday.
The title is the third of Polish star Linette’s career, but her first on clay and first at any level since she took the Hua Hin title in 2020.
The World No 48 was contesting her eighth career final and second of 2024 after falling to Sloane Stephens in the championship match in Rouen.
“I knew how tough it was going to be,” said Linette after the final.
“I needed to play my best to beat her — I really have to play my best — and I’m glad I took all my chances today.”
Linette suffered a great disappointment this week after learning that Celine Dion would not be performing at the Olympic Games opening ceremony having tried to catch the diva in concert several times before.
“Honestly, when I heard that Céline Dion would be performing, I almost started crying,” she said.
“Because it’s my absolute dream to see her live. Four times I’ve had tickets, and four times the show has been cancelled. That’s a fifth time. I think maybe it’s just not meant to be!”
The 26-year-old Frech made personal history this week by making her first tour-level final after making it to the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time at the Australian Open earlier this year. The one time they had faced each other before, in the 2022 Saint-Malo 125 quarterfinals, she had defeated Linette 7-5, 6-7(2), 6-2.
But in the rematch, Linette had an almost faultless performance to win easily. In a commanding first set, she dropped just five games on the serve; in the second, she thwarted Frech’s chances of a comeback by saving all four of her break points.
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Outwitting Frech and utilising precisely timed and accurate forehands to close off rallies, Linette finished with 24 winners tallied compared to only 9 unforced errors. In contrast, even in the lengthier exchanges, Frech was unable to maintain her customary consistency off the ground, recording 17 unforced errors to only 10 winners.
Both players go on to the Paris Olympics where Linette faces a tough opening match of the tournament against tenn prodigy Mirra Andreeva, whom some have tipped as an outside medal hope.
Bulgaria’s Viktoriya Tomova awaits Frech in Paris and she could clash with No 11 seeded American Emma Navarro in the second round.
2024-07-26T14:38:00Z dg43tfdfdgfd