No. 1 seed Elina Svitolina collected her first title in nearly two years on Sunday, hoisting the trophy at the WTA 250 Open Capfinances Rouen Métropole.
Ukraine's Svitolina topped No. 3 seed Olga Danilovic of Serbia 6-4, 7-6(8) in a closely-contested 1-hour and 58-minute final on the indoor clay of Rouen, France.
In the thrilling conclusion of the second set, Svitolina saved two set points down 6-4 in the tiebreak before she converted her fourth championship point, prevailing over Danilovic in their first career meeting.
"I feel very good, it was a good tournament for me," Svitolina said after her victory. "Not an easy final, but very happy I could win all my matches in two sets and play good matches. I’m happy with the start of the season."
With the win, former World No. 3 Svitolina extends her incredible record in WTA singles finals to 18-4.
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Back in the winner's circle: In May of 2023, less than two months into her comeback from maternity leave, Svitolina picked up the Strasbourg title. But she had not added to her title count after that -- until this week.
In fact, she had only reached one other final since then: a runner-up showing at Auckland in January of 2024, where she lost a close three-set battle to Coco Gauff.
But in her Rouen tournament debut, it all came together for Svitolina, who clinched the crown without dropping a set all week. Seven of her 18 titles have come on clay courts.
"I feel confident about my game, I trust my game," Svitolina said. "The way it was from the beginning of the tournament, some players played really well, but I stayed calm and kept fighting."
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Match moments: Svitolina lost serve in the very first game of Sunday's final, but she regrouped and won four of the last five games to take the one-set lead. The opener concluded with a Svitolina backhand winner for a break at love.
But the first set was merely an appetizer for a gripping second set, where 18th-ranked Svitolina grabbed her first championship point at 6-5, 30-40 on Danilovic's serve.
World No. 39 Danilovic, who won her second career title last year in Guangzhou, swatted that chance away and eked into the tiebreak.
In the breaker, Danilovic led 4-2 at the changeover after a bold forehand winner down the line. The No. 3 seed notched two set points at 6-4 when Svitolina missed a service return wide.
However, errors by the Serb on those chances kept Svitolina in the hunt for a straight-sets win, and the top seed held two more championship points at 7-6 and 8-7. Danilovic, though, slammed winners to erase those as well.
Svitolina was unfazed, and she fired her sixth ace to queue up her fourth championship point at 9-8. The No. 1 seed converted that one with a forehand winner to seal her latest trophy, with husband Gael Monfils proudly watching from the stands.
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Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia and Sabrina Santamaria of the United States won the Rouen doubles title
1 seeds Irina Khromacheva and Linda Noskova 6-0
Krunic and Santamaria have a 7-1 win-loss record as a team
In the only other event they have ever teamed up for
they finished as Auckland runners-up this January
This is Santamaria's third WTA doubles title
ShareSaveCommentBusinessSportsMoneyElina Svitolina Wins Rouen Open, Her First Title In Nearly Two YearsByManasi Pathak
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights
Manasi Pathak is a freelance sportswriter who mainly covers soccer.Follow AuthorApr 21
03:06am EDTShareSaveCommentUkraine's Elina Svitolina in action during the Miami Open last month
Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina won her first title in nearly two years after beating Serbian Olga Danilovic 6-4
7-6(8) in the Rouen Open final in France on Sunday
needed an hour and 58 minutes to beat third seed Danilovic to lift the trophy at the WTA 250 clay-court tournament
The last time Svitolina won a title was in Strasbourg in May 2023
less than two months into her comeback from maternity leave
Her only final since then came at the Auckland Open in January 2024 when she lost a three-set battle to Coco Gauff
Against Danilovic on Sunday, the Ukrainian had to dig deep in the second set
saving two set points down 6-4 in the tiebreak before converting her fourth championship point
"I feel very good, it was a good tournament for me," said Svitolina said after her victory
but very happy I could win all my matches in two sets and play good matches
The Rouen Open title is Svitolina’s 18th career title and seventh on clay
the former World extended her record in WTA singles finals to 18-4
I trust my game," the 30-year-old said
"The way it was from the beginning of the tournament
but I stayed calm and kept fighting,” Svitolina concluded
Finalist Danilovic also shared words of praise for champion Svitolina
“First of all Happy Easter everyone. Second of all, congrats to Elina. Great tournament. Great week. You are a champion. I’m not gonna use any more words for you, because you are amazing," the 24-year-old Serbian said.
Former WTA Finals champion Elina Svitolina heads the main-draw entry list for the 2025 Open Capfinances Rouen Métropole, and will be joined by Grand Slam winners Emma Raducanu and Sofia Kenin at the clay-court WTA 250 event starting on April 14. A further Grand Slam champion, Bianca Andreescu, has entered qualifying. (Note: The tournament announced on March 31 that Andreescu would receive a wild card.)
Andreescu, the 2019 US Open champion, is due to compete for the first time since reaching the Tokyo quarterfinals last October. The 24-year-old's latest setback was an emergency appendectomy that forced her to delay the start of her 2025 season. Andreescu returned from a nine-month layoff due to a back injury last May.
Former No. 11 Alizé Cornet, who is making a comeback to professional tennis after retiring at Roland Garros last year, has been announced as a wild card along with 2022 WTA Finals champion Caroline Garcia.
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The tournament was held at WTA 125 level in 2022 and 2023 before its inaugural tour-level edition in 2024
Defending champion Sloane Stephens has not entered this year
but last year's runner-up Magda Linette is on the entry list
Other notable names entered include 2024 Australian Open quarterfinalist Linda Noskova
reigning Cleveland and Hobart champion McCartney Kessler and French No
Rounding out the main-draw entry list are Elina Avanesyan
Come back closer to the match starting time for the WTA insider live blog
Suzan Lamens ended Bianca Andreescu's latest comeback at the first hurdle
34-minute thriller in the first round of the Open Capfinances Rouen Métropole
Rouen: Draws | Scores | Order of play
Andreescu was playing her first match since reaching the Tokyo quarterfinals last October. The Canadian's latest setback in a career thus far marred by injuries and illness was an emergency appendectomy, which she revealed at the start of February, and her ranking has fallen to No. 130 this week. This is the second season in a row which Andreescu has only started in the clay swing; previously, she was sidelined between August 2023 and May 2024 due to a back injury.
It didn't take long for Andreescu to deliver one of the trademark rollercoaster three-setters with which she captivated audiences during her 2019 breakthrough. Though the 24-year-old's rust showed in an error-strewn first set, once she got a foothold in the contest by breaking Lamens at the start of the second, it was a tightly contested nail-biter right to the end.
Andreescu's variety was on full display: knifing slices and high topspin balls broke up the rhythm of longer exchanges, and she threw every shot in the book at Lamens with frequent success. One of the best points of the match was also key to the second set: Andreescu ended an absorbing 20-stroke exchange with a superb forehand winner down the line to break for 5-4. A game later, she converted her second set point by drawing an error from Lamens with a sky-high topspin shot.
However, the No. 69-ranked Dutchwoman, who captured her first Hologic WTA Tour title last autumn in Osaka, was up to the task of hanging with Andreescu. Lamens' signature weapon is her heavy forehand, and it was the bedrock of her game through a third set in which neither player was broken. Her remarkable defense also foiled Andreescu on a number of occasions -- in the fourth game of the decider, she withstood a barrage of variety before coming up with a forehand pass at full stretch.
At 5-4 in the third set, Lamens held her first two match points on the Andreescu serve, only for the former No. 5 to save both in wild fashion: a fierce forehand winner, then a net cord that went her way. But Lamens held her nerve to dominate the ensuing tiebreak, closing it out with consecutive unreturned serves.
Less than a year after retiring from professional tennis at her home Grand Slam, Alizé Cornet is set to make a comeback.
The 35-year-old Frenchwoman has announced her provisional schedule for a return to action on clay over the coming months. She will begin at the La Bisbal d'Empordà WTA 125 event, starting on Mar. 31, and will subsequently return to tour level at the Open Capfinances Rouen Métropole, where she has received a wild card, on Apr. 14. Cornet will then compete in the WTA 1000 qualifying rounds of Madrid and Rome.
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"After 8 weeks of intense training (and 10 months of retirement 😂), here I am soon back on the courts 🤩!" Cornet wrote. "Even if it's only for a couple of tournaments, the desire to play and the excitement of the competition are beautiful and very much there✊️. I've worked very hard to put all the odds on my side but I've had a great pleasure doing it. For the love of tennis, for the desire of this last thrill that I hope to share with you 💪."
Former No. 11 Cornet has not played since falling in the first round of Roland Garros last year to Zheng Qinwen, after which her illustrious career was honored in an emotional on-court ceremony. Her last professional win was over Olivia Gadecki at the Paris WTA 125 event last May, where she reached the quarterfinals. Her last tour-level victory was over Yanina Wickmayer in the first round of Cluj-Napoca last February.
Cornet played her first professional match in 2004, and went on to capture six Hologic WTA Tour titles, compete in a record 69 consecutive Grand Slam main draws and notch 25 Top 10 wins, including victories over Serena Williams, Simona Halep, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek. She did not opt to remove herself from the PIF WTA Rankings after Roland Garros, and still holds a position of No. 523.
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The semifinals are set at the Open de Rouen
and two exciting matches await the fans in France
but two of the top three seeds are still going strong
we at LWOT will offer predictions for both the semifinal matches
But which players will advance to the finals
Olga Danilovic won her third straight three-setter match and reached her first tour-level semifinals this season
winning an ITF tournament last month and now two wins away from her third WTA title
playing three long matches must have taken something out of her
will look to capitalise on any weakness from the Serb
Elena-Gabriela Ruse was on a slump before this week, having not won a single main draw match in nearly three months. But just like last season, she is back to playing her best tennis in Rouen and is on a five-set win streak. However, Ruse has not played a top 100 opponent this week, and Elina Svitolina would be a significant step up in level
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
ATP Masters 1000 Rome 1/64-Finals Gaston – Jarry: Time TBA H2H: first meeting Hugo Gaston has lost three of his last five matches
ATP Masters 1000 Rome 1/64-Finals Bonzi – Halys: Time TBA H2H: 2-2 Benjamin Bonzi has lost three of his last five matches
ATP Masters 1000 Rome 1/64-Finals Altmaier – Comesana: 07.05.2025 Time TBA H2H: 1-0 Daniel Altmaier has won three of his last five matches
WTA Rome will kick off on Tuesday and is arguably the most important clay court tournament before the French Open
Day 3 at the WTA event in Rouen will certainly provide a lot of tight matches and exciting tennis
While the tournament doesn’t feature any of the top players in the world
it has a very balanced field where many people could realistically aim for the trophy and will give it their all to achieve it
as well as plenty of home players and clay court specialists
Main Photo Credit: Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union/USAToday Sports
The Internationaux de Strasbourg is an important stop on the road to Roland Garros
It serves as the final warm-up tournament before the clay-court Grand
Borna Coric became the first player to win four ATP Challenger Tour titles this season as he defeated Stan Wawrinka in a legendary final in
The 2025 Italian Open in Rome starts on Tuesday
It is the final 1000-level tournament on clay this season
Casper Ruud finally rewrote his story in the golden hour of a cool Madrid evening
as the crimson clay glistened under stadium lights
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
It promises to be an exciting opening day of WTA Rome action
ATP Masters 1000 Rome 1/64-Finals Diallo – Giron: Time TBA H2H: first meeting Gabriel Diallo has won four of his last five matches
ATP Masters 1000 Rome 1/64-Finals Nishioka – Struff: Time TBA H2H: 2-1 Yoshihito Nishioka has lost three of his last five matches
There are four matches on day one at the WTA Rouen Open and
we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for all four matches
as well as all of the day one action in Stuttgart
But who will book their place in the second round in Normandy
Lucia Bronzetti is ranked more than 200 places ahead of her opponent
but she should not be complacent before this match
Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah reached a career-high ranking last week
Anything near Bronzetti’s best tennis would almost certainly be enough to win
the sets might be more competitive than many are anticipating
The pair’s sole previous meeting was in 2015 on a hard court
meaning it has little bearing on this matchup
Anhelina Kalinina had a disappointing start to her clay court season against Caty McNally in Charleston
This should be an ideal match for her to gain some momentum
She is far more comfortable on clay than Nao Hibino
who has generally played her best tennis on hard courts but struggled to replicate that success elsewhere
Elsa Jacquemot missed over two months after the Australian Open
She only managed one victory across both events and was understandably rusty
The Romanian’s formidable topspin forehand is most damaging on the surface
Jacquemot is probably not ready to face up to that challenge so soon after returning from her absence
she can be very dangerous when her game clicks
This could be a challenging opening clay court match of 2025 for McCartney Kessler
The American is not as natural on the dirt as she is on hard courts
Kessler’s impressive level since breaking through by winning the event in Cleveland last August and her much superior ranking make her the favourite
It would not be surprising if Ferro got a set in front of her home fans
Main photo credit: Taya Gray/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
82 and is still looking for that tournament that would get her back on track
The WTA 250 in Rouen could be an opportunity
but she’d need to avenge her loss from the United Cup against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
Who do you think will advance to the next stage of the event
Main Photo Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
PARIS — French tennis player Lois Boisson fired back with humor after Britain's Harriet Dart complained on court about her body odor
posting a photoshopped image of herself mid-serve clutching a deodorant can and tagging Dove for a "much-needed collab."
Dart has since apologized for blurting out that her opponent "smells really bad" during her defeat at the Rouen Open on Tuesday
was captured on the broadcast asking the umpire to tell Boisson to use deodorant
She smells really bad," Dart was heard saying to the official as she struggled against the 21-year-old Frenchwoman in the first round
The comment sparked an immediate backlash on social media
prompting Dart to address the incident on Instagram
"It was a comment made in the heat of the moment and I truly regret it
It's not the way I want to behave and I take full responsibility," Dart wrote
"I have a lot of respect for Lois and the way she competed today
Australian firebrand tennis star Nick Kyrgios
weighed in saying: "Nah saying this when you are down and getting snipped is wild"
who was already out on court while Dart was still seated
appeared to be out of earshot when the Briton made her remark
The victory marked a stunning upset for the 303rd-ranked Boisson
making her first WTA Tour appearance of the season following injury
who failed to convert any of her six break points and dropped her serve four times
The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment
Top seed Elina Svitolina made a winning return to Tour-level tennis at the WTA Rouen to set up an all-Ukrainian showdown against Anhelina Kalinina
That is one of five second-round matches that will be played on Thursday
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
With several intruging first-round matches on the slate on day one at the WTA Rome event
Una publicación compartida de Open Capfinances Rouen Métropole (@openrouen)
This article first appeared on TennisUpToDate.com and was syndicated with permission
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pulled off an opening-round upset of sixth-seeded American Alycia Parks 6-2
6-3 at the Open Capfinances Rouen Metropole on Tuesday in Rouen
Rosatello saved all eight of her break points and converted four of her five chances to break Parks
while also winning 76.5 percent (26 of 34) of her first-serve points for her third career Top 100 win
Varvara Gracheva of France also notched an upset
3 seed Olga Danilovic dropped the first set against fellow Serbian Aleksandra Krunic
Also advancing were Lois Boisson and Jessika Ponchet of France
Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian and Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
5 seed Jasmine Paolini of Italy breezed to a 6-2
6-1 victory over German Eva Lys in the first round in Stuttgart
Paolini broke Lys three times in each set and won 72.4 percent (21 of 29) of her first-serve points in the 64-minute match
while Jule Niemeier outlasted Laura Siegemund 4-6
Ekaterina Alexandrova defeated fellow Russian Liudmila Samsonova 6-3
3-0 when Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska retired from the match
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