By Erik Gudris | @ATNTennis | Saturday, August 27, 2022
Several players ended the U.S. hard court swing with well earned titles before the start of the US Open. That includes two WTA players who each earned a pair of titles this summer.
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Kasatkina Defeats Friend Saville to win Granby WTA 250
Top seed Daria Kasatkina continued her stellar form this summer by winning the inaugural Championats Banquet National de Granby in Quebec, Canada.
Kasatkina fended off her good friend and No. 9 seed Daria Saville 6-4, 6-4, in a close final.
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The World No. 10 Kasakina remained in command for most of the match. That was until she served for the title late in the second set while up 5-3.
Saville, current ranked World No. 73, put up a spirited defense that allowed her to break serve and get back into the set. Both players battled in several grueling rallies in the next game with Saville saving multiple match points.
Yet Kasatkina, on her fifth match point, finally closed out the win in just under two hours.
This is the second title of 2022 for Kasatkina and sixth overall who earlier won San Jose in a tough final with Shelby Rogers.
In addition, Kasatkina is now the eighth WTA player this season to win multiple titles.
Samsonova Wins Cleveland During 10-Match Win Streak
One of those WTA players who is also a multiple title winner this season is Liudmila Samsonova.
The big-hitting Samsonova secured her second title in a row by winning the Tennis in the Land WTA 250 event in Cleveland, Ohio over No. 7 seed Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-1, 6-3.
Samsonova did not drop a set all event on her way to the title.
The World No. 45 Samsonova, who earlier won the Citi Open title in Washington, D.C. is now on a 10-match win streak heading into New York.
"It’s unbelievable to win two titles in a row for me here in the United States, I didn’t expect it," Samsonova said to the WTA after the win. "I like so much to play here because the surface is pretty fast, I love it. It was helping me in tough situations."
Mannarino Claims Winston-Salem Open For Second Career ATP Title
France’s Adrian Mannarino became the surprise winner of this year’s Winston-Salem Open with a convincing 7-6(1), 6-4 victory over Serbia’s Laslo Djere.
The ATP 250 event featured a number of marquee name players including top seed Grigor Dimitrov and former US Open champion Dominic Thiem.
Yet it was Mannarino and Djere who found themselves in Saturday’s final.
The 34-year-old Mannarino almost didn’t survive his opening round match earlier in the week in which he saved four match points before winning that and then later defeating No. 2 seed Botic Van de Zandschulp in the semifinals.
Djere himself saved match points in his quarterfinal win over France’s Richard Gasquet.
In the first set, Mannarino denied the World No. 89 Djere the chance to go up a double break lead. Both men entered into a tiebreak that Mannarino easily won 7-6(1).
Mannarino secured his own service break late in the second set. Leading 5-3, Mannarino held his first championship point but missed an overhead long.
Djere soon held and forced Mannarino to serve it out.
The 65th ranked Mannarino had no trouble doing so as he closed out the match to love and sealed the victory with a backhand volley winner. Winston-Salem is now Mannarino’s second career ATP title.