TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (AP) — Unseeded Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania beat Croatian teenager Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-4 in the Tashkent Open final on Saturday to take home her first WTA title.
Vekic, a 16-year-old qualifier who had won seven straight matches coming into the final, was looking to become the youngest winner on the WTA tour in six years. But she struggled to keep up with Begu. The 22-year-old Romanian won 74 percent of her first serve points compared to only 48 percent for Vekic.
Begu beat third-seeded Alize Cornet of France and eighth-seeded Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan on her way to the final. She broke Vekic in seventh game on her way to winning the first set and took a 4-2 lead in the second.
