At this week`s WTA 125 events, accepting a wild card entry in France proved perfect for Naomi Osaka, while Dalma Galfi and Bianca Andreescu claimed titles in Spain.
Here is a rundown of the action at the clay-court WTA 125 events over the weekend:
Wild Card Entry Osaka Claims Saint-Malo Title
Former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka of Japan secured the first WTA 125 title of her career on Sunday, defeating Kaja Juvan of Slovenia 6-1, 7-5 to win the L`Open 35 de Saint Malo tournament in Saint-Malo, France.
Naomi Osaka is, of course, a significant champion, having won four Grand Slam titles and three additional titles on the Hologic WTA Tour. However, she had not claimed a singles title at any level since her last Grand Slam victory at the 2021 Australian Open.
This week marked a change when Osaka entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed via a wild card. Osaka dropped a set each against French players Diane Parry and Leolia Jeanjean but otherwise advanced smoothly through the draw.
Interestingly, this was not Osaka`s first WTA 125 final. She was the runner-up to Yaroslava Shvedova at WTA 125 Hua Hin in 2015, over nine years ago.
Meanwhile, a notable mention goes to former Top 100 player Juvan, who returned to the tour after a 12-month break in January and has already reached a WTA 125 final.
The Saint-Malo doubles title was secured by the No. 1 seeds, Maia Lumsden and Makoto Ninomiya. They defeated the No. 2 seeds, Oksana Kalashnikova and Angelica Moratelli, 7-5, 6-2 in Saturday`s final.
Galfi Wins Vic Title, Extends Winning Streak to 10 Matches
Hungary`s Galfi had never won a WTA 125 title until she lifted the trophy in Oeiras last month. She now holds two.
On Saturday, Galfi comfortably defeated Rebeka Masarova of Switzerland 6-3, 6-0 to claim the Catalonia Open title in Vic, Spain. Galfi is currently on a 10-match winning streak.
This week proved completely dominant for the in-form Galfi. She did not drop more than four games in any single set throughout her run in Vic.
Galfi, a former junior World No. 1 a decade ago, is arguably in the finest form of her professional career. Just three weeks ago, she was ranked No. 149, but is now projected to re-enter the Top 100 in Monday`s updated PIF WTA Rankings.
Meanwhile, another Grand Slam champion also utilized a wild card entry this week and concluded it with a title. 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu partnered with Aldila Sutjiadi to secure the Vic doubles title.
In Friday`s Catalonia Open doubles final, Andreescu and Sutjiadi defeated Lulu Sun and yet another Grand Slam finalist, Leylah Fernandez, 6-2, 6-4.
