By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, June 12, 2016
CoCo Vandeweghe won the final four games topping Kristina Mladenovic, 7-5, 7-5, to capture her second career title on the grass of 's-Hertogenbosch.
Photo credit: Ricoh Open
Grass-court season is prime time for CoCo Vandeweghe.
In a final interrupted by a few rain delays, Vandeweghe showed her versatility and vicious serve winning the final four games defeating Kristina Mladenovic, 7-5, 7-5, to capture her second career title on the grass of 's-Hertogenbosch.
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"It was a difficult match," Vandeweghe said. "Rain delays take a lot out of you. Warm-up, relax and now warm-up again. I'm very happy."
Vandeweghe closed in style, cracking two of her seven aces in the final game, including a ace out wide on championship point.
The sixth-seeded American did not drop a set in her five tournament victories.
It is Vandeweghe's second 's-Hertogenbosch title in the last three years.
In 2014, she edged Mladenovic in the final round of qualifying reeling off seven straight wins, including a quarterfinal sweep of Garbiñe Muguruza, to collect her first career title.
Vandeweghe, who won just one match in clay-court events in Madrid, Rome and Paris, found her comfort zone in her return to grass.
Grass rewards Vandeweghe's best assets: the booming serve, blistering ground strokes and her skill moving forward to close at net.
The world No. 43 won 30 of 37 points played on her first serve and saved two of three break points in the match.
Roland Garros doubles champion Mladenovic fought off three break points with a hard-fought hold for 5-4.
Two games later, Vandeweghe charged in for a backhand volley winner for another break point. Hammering a return right back at her opponent's body, Vandeweghe broke for 6-5.
Vandeweghe served out the set at 30.
"Move your freaking feet," Vandeweghe barked at herself midway through the second set.
Cracking her forehand with damaging intent, Mladenovic exploited the American's lone lapse in the eighth game. Committing her only double fault of the match to end a horrid game, Vandeweghe donated the break at love to trail 3-5.
Mladenovic couldn't make the break stand. A double fault put her into a double-break point bind. Vandeweghe moved in for a beautiful half volley breaking back for 4-5. That sparked a run of eight straight points for the explosive American.
Clanking her third double fault, Mladenovic dropped serve for the second straight time.
Serving for the title, the Wimbledon quarterfinalist whipped an ace wide for double championship point. On her second championship point, she blasted another ace wide, nearly in the same spot, to seal the title.
Vandeweghe spent some time the day before the final pumping out push-ups on the grass court to pay off a lost bet.
After powering through five tournament wins in straight sets, she had more than enough strength to do the heavy lifting required to raise one of the bigger trophies on the WTA Tour.