Siegemund Triumphs In Bastad

Posted: Jan 01, 1970

BASTAD, Sweden – No.6 seed Laura Siegemund captured her maiden WTA title after a stunning week at the Ericsson Open, dispatching rising Czech star Katerina Siniakova, 7-5, 6-1.

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“This is one of my favorite tournaments, and I can’t believe I won this one!” Siegemund said after the match.

“I was in good shape, and was playing well last week as well. I knew I could do well here but winning the whole thing is something you might not really expect or think about.”

Siegemund, who made her main draw debut in Bastad back in 2010, first showed off her clay court prowess earlier in the season at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix – where she defeated Simona Halep, Roberta Vinci, and Agnieszka Radwanska to reach her first WTA final as a qualifier.

“I remember being a qualifier was a big deal back then, and I’ve always played well here from some reason. I guess it has to do with really liking the place and enjoying your off-court time.”

But the 28-year-old came full circle in Bastad, outlasting former Stuttgart finalist and countrywoman Julia Goerges in the semifinals and surviving a tricky opening set against Siniakova to run away with the win in 83 minutes.

“I tried to find my game from the beginning. I wanted to be aggresisve and play some clay court tennis because she certainly likes to hit and be inside the court to dominate. I wanted to make her move; it didn’t work quite as well as I’d hoped, and at times I wasn’t happy with my game, but it’s not about perfection, it’s about making it work in that moment. Obviously, it worked out in the end.”

Set to make her Olympic debut at the Summer Games in Rio, Siegemund is projected to not only crack the Top 40, but also tentatively reach a career-high ranking of No.32, putting her in contention for a seed at the upcoming US Open.

“I got a new perspective on tennis; it’s a great sport, and that kind of gave me some freedom on the court to try things and change my game.

“When I’m tight, like today in the final, I take a minute to sit on the bench, close my eyes. If it all gets too much, I think about how this is amazing, and who wouldn’t want to be here? It’s great weather, your favorite place to be, and all these people are here to watch you play and do what you love to do. It might be a feeling of thankfulness, and trying to stay out of that narrow, unhappy perspective. I try to see the big picture more now, than before.”