By Tennis Now | Sunday, June 16, 2019
Alison Riske saved five championship points stunning home favorite Kiki Bertens, 0-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5, to win her second career title at the Libéma Open.
Photo credit: @LibemaOpen
Blown out in the opening set, Alison Riske responded with a brilliant comeback rising to her second career title.
Riske repelled five championship points in the second set stunning Dutch home favorite Kiki Bertens, 0-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5, to win the Libéma Open with an inspired comeback on the grass of 's-Hertogenbosch.
More: No. 1 Up For Grabs in Birmingham
The 61st-ranked Riske won her first title since her first final in the 2014 Tianjin tournament, snapping a streak of six straight finals setbacks.
Credit Riske for playing some of her most aggressive tennis while facing championship points. Riske fought off three championship points holding for 5-all then staved off two more championship points to force the second-set tie breaker.
Empowered by her match-point defiance, Riske raced out to a 3-0 lead in the tie breaker, eventually extending to 5-2 before sealing it to force a decider.
The top-seeded Bertens burst through six straight games to start the final, often jerking the American side-to-side.
The Madrid champion won 10 of the first 11 games building a 6-0, 4-1 lead.
A resilient Riske was just getting warmed up.
Riske reeled off eight of 11 points breaking for the first time all day in the seventh game then holding for 4-all.
Bertens, who took treatment for an apparent leg injury after slipping to the court in the second set, broke first snatching a 3-1 lead in the decider.
The flat-hitting Riske broke back for 3-all and won 12 of the final 13 points played on her serve. Riske converted her first championship point breaking at 15 to close a remarkable rally.
It was Riske's second career Top 5 triumph. Riske surprised then world No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska at the 2017 Shenzhen.