Elena Vesnina vs Svetlana Kuznetsova (6-7 [6-8], 7-5, 6-4)
Elena Vesnina knows how to make an epic comeback, and she proved just that as she took down her countrywoman Svetlana Kuznetsova in a marathon battle that lasted a little over three hours.
Betting tips pegged her with the underdog tag ahead of the BNP Paribas Open title match, but she wouldn’t be stopped – not after defying betting odds and defeating the likes of online betting sweethearts Angelique Kerber and Venus Williams on her way to the finals.
It was indeed a remarkable finish for the new World No.13 as it looked all but over for her when Kuznetsova led 4-1 in the second set.
However, her mental toughness and aggressiveness allowed her to push her way through, winning four consecutive games and seizing the set to extend the match to a decider.
The third and final set proved to be no different, though cagier, for Vesnina as she saw herself down again. Kuznetsova leapt to 4-2, thanks to multiple service breaks that just worked to her advantage. Nonetheless, Vesnina crawled her way back again to tie at 4-4 and took the lead with a vicious service winner.
Serving for the match, Vesnina held on to win the biggest and most important singles title of her career.
“I won the title, and this sounds like a miracle for everybody, for you guys, for me, for, I think, all the girls out there,” Vesnina said. “I think nobody could pick me at the beginning of the tournament that I could win this title. Me, also. I couldn’t pick myself!”
Vesnina finished with 46 winners, though her 49 unforced errors highlighted her struggles early in the match; especially during the first set where she made 18 errors and blew a 2-0 and 4-2 lead.
The victory gave the 30-year-old Russian her third WTA title and allowed her to crack into the Top 8 on the Road To Singapore leaderboard.
Moreover, Vesnina’s win wrote a beautiful ending to her return to the Indian Wells Masters and to the Tennis scene after losing in the first round of the qualifying draw of last year’s tournament and even dropping out of the Top 100.
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