Golubic eases past Erika Andreeva to win WTA 125 title in Rouen

Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic redeemed herself after last year’s finals loss by clinching the title at the Open Capfinances Rouen Métropole.

Viktorija Golubic, the 31-year-old Swiss and No. 9 seed, dominated the championship match with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over qualifier Erika Andreeva, securing her third career WTA 125 singles title.

Golubic faced a minor setback in her first set against France’s Elsa Jacquemot, but she bounced back and only dropped 25 games in her next 10 sets. Meanwhile, Andreeva, a 19-year-old qualifier, impressed by defeating former Top 25 player Jil Teichmann and seeded players Jodie Burrage and Alize Cornet to secure her spot in the final.

After last year’s defeat against Ukrainian-born Belgian Maryna Zanevska, Golubic was determined to avoid a repeat outcome in her second encounter with the older Andreeva sister. She quickly established 3-0 leads in both sets, and although she faltered while serving for the first set at 5-3, she eventually converted her third set point.

In an impressive display, Golubic broke Andreeva’s serve four times and dropped just five points in her four service games during the second set.

Golubic has now reached four WTA 125 finals, with three of them taking place in France. Her victory in Rouen adds to the title she won in Saint-Malo in 2021.

In the doubles final, the British-French pair of Maia Lumsden and Jessika Ponchet celebrated their first-ever WTA 125 title by defeating top-seeded Anna Bondar and Kimberley Zimmermann, 6-3, 7-6(4).

Both Lumsden, a 25-year-old Scot, and Ponchet, 27, had previously lost in all four of their WTA 125 doubles finals. However, their journey to the title included victories over second-seeded Alena Fomina-Klotz and Iryna Shymanovich in the second round, and fourth-seeded Aliona Bolsova and Natela Dzalamidze in the semifinals.