Pliskova overhauls Tsurenko to win Brisbane title

Monday, 7 January 2019 00:06 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

BRISBANE, AFP: Karolina Pliskova used all her big match experience as she came from a set down to overhaul Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko and win the Brisbane International on Sunday.

The unseeded Tsurenko looked headed for the biggest win of her career when serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set, only for Pliskova to come storming back to win 4-6,7-5, 6-2 and claim her second Brisbane title.

The Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova poses with the winner’s trophy following her victory over Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine in their women’s singles final match at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on 6 January – AFP

Pliskova, the tournament’s fifth seed, started slowly and paid the penalty against Tsurenko, who was serving superbly and winning the battle from the baseline.

Tsurenko took the first set in 38 minutes, firing 10 winners and making 81 percent of her first serves.

She took that form into the second set and broke Pliskova early.

However, serving for the match at 5-4, she tightened up and Pliskova won 13 of the next 14 points to level the match.

The third set was all Pliskova as she broke Tsurenko twice to wrap up the final in two hours, 12 minutes.

The Brisbane title is the 12th of the world number eight’s career and sets her in good stead ahead of the Australian Open.

The 26-year-old has long been touted as a future winner of a Grand Slam, but despite a stint as world number one, her best result in a major was runner-up to Angelique Kerber at the 2016 US Open.