Tianjin Open, China

Women’s Final:  [CR35] Belinda Bencic (SUI) vs. [CR62] Alison Riske (USA)

Riske finally won her first WTA Tour title and there were tears of joy.  Bencic may have shed a few tears a couple of times in the match, but they were tears of frustration, not joy, with her game.  Though she had moments of brilliant play, there were far too many periods of sloppy errors.  Her racquet bore the brunt of her disgust and was thrown several times when she was overwhelmed by her emotions.

Nerves, the companion of every athlete, easily controlled by some and poorly managed by others, affected Bencic the entire match.  Bencic was too emotionally volatile to remain focused on her objectives. Riske on the other hand was very calm, she stuck to her plan and struck every ball with authority, keeping them deep in the court and frustrating her opponent even more.  Riske had a few anxious moments, but she calmly overcame them to defeat Bencic in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.

Congratulations Alison, we wish you many more WTA Tour titles.