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The first love is unforgettable. Maybe even the first WTA title is. For sure, Kurumi Nara will remember this Sunday for a long time. The 22-year-old was the underdog in the final of the inaugural Rio Open in Rio De Janeiro.
Waiting on the other side of the net was top seed and world No.35 Klara Zakopalova. Despite having won all her 4 previous titles in the ITF circuit Nara was the best player on court today. The Japanese started the better, taking a 4-0 lead to win the first set by 6-1.
Zakopalova came back to win the second by 6-4, with the Japanese who missed important chances of closing the match in straight sets. Finally, in the third it was Nara who managed to break the Czech and close the match and the final by 6-1 4-6 6-1 after 2 hours and three minutes.
For world No.62 Kurumi is the first ever WTA title, a lift to drive her to the top 50 players of the rankings.