TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Cup, Turkey

Women’s Final: [60] Danka Kovinic (MNE) vs. [118] Cagla Buyukakcay (TUR)

They both had the same objective, win their first career WTA singles title.  Kovinic has been to a singles final before in 2015 at the Tianjin Open in China; however, she lost easily to Agnieszka Radwanska.  Buyukakcay had never made it to a singles final and to do so at her home tournament had to be special.  What would be even more special would be to win the tournament.  Things looked to be against her after she lost the first set 4-6.  Would she be able to put the disappointment behind her and use the energy from the crowd as motivation?  Would Kovinic let the pressure of the moment ruin her focus?

The emotions going through both players in the third set must have felt like a tsunami.  Kovinic was feeling the frustration of dropping the second set and wondering if she could fight through her emotions, the crowd and her injury.  Buyukakcay was wondering if she could come back after dropping the second set and fight through her own emotions.  Each player was fighting two battles: the obvious one taking place on the court and the internal battle to conquer the emotions of trying to win their first singles title.  Buyukakcay used the crowd to her advantage and Kovinic wilted ever so slightly under the pressure.  Buyukakcay fought through a little nerves at the end and claimed her first WTA title on home soil with the 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 defeat of Kovinic.