Alison Van Uytvanck reacts to stunning Yulia Putintseva for Astana Open title

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Belgium's Alison Van Uytvanck admitted the start of the Astana Open final was extremely tough for her but she was happy that he managed to find a way and claim a comeback win over Yulia Putintseva. Van Uytvanck, seeded at No.

2, surprised top-seeded Putintseva 1-6 6-4 6-3 to lift her first WTA title since 2019. Putintseva was the top favorite to win it all in front of her home fans in Nur-Sultan but Van Uytvanck had other plans. "She started off unbelievable without making any mistakes," said Van Uytvanck afterwards.

"I was trying to be aggressive but it was not working. I had struggles, but I tried to be positive and get myself into the match. Even the second set was tight, but I felt more comfortable coming into net and being more aggressive.

"I was struggling physically, I kept saying to myself, it's the last set, push it, push it, push it. I didn't expect winning today and I just gave everything - I'm so tired but so happy."

Van Uytvanck refused to give up and it paid off

Van Uytvanck served out the opening game of the match but then Putintseva claimed three consecutive breaks to win six games in a row and claim the opener in style.

Van Uytvanck ended Putintseva's run by breaking the Kazakh in the opening game of the set but she got broken back in the fourth game. Van Uytvanck earned her second break of the match in the seventh game but got broken immediately in the following game.

Van Uytvanck claimed another break in the ninth game but this time held on to her serve to force a decider. After losing the second set, Putintseva regrouped at the start of the third set as she started the decider with a 2-0 lead.

After taking a 2-0 lead, Putintseva shut down suddenly as Van Uytvanck claimed three breaks and won six of the following seven games to complete a comeback win.