Camila Giorgi, of Italy, holds up her trophy following her victory over Karolina Pliskova, of the Czech Republic, at the final of the National Bank Open women's tennis tournament final in Montreal, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Associated Press
MONTREAL (AP) - Camila Giorgi completed a stunning run at the National Bank Open, beating Wimbledon finalist Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 7-5 on Sunday to win the title in her first WTA 1000 final.
Giorgi, who was unseeded and came in ranked 71st, used a strong service game to best the sixth-ranked and fourth-seeded Pliskova, winning 71% of her first-serve points and finishing with seven aces.
Tears welled in Giorgi's eyes as she broke Pliskova's serve to close out the match.
The Italian took out No. 9 seed Elise Mertens in the first round, No. 7 seed Petra Kvitova in the round of 16 and No. 15 seed Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals.
She seized the momentum Sunday by breaking Pliskova's serve to go up 4-3 in the first set, a result that led Pliskova to throw her racket to the court.
Pliskova was playing in her first tournament since a three-set loss to top-ranked Ash Barty in the Wimbledon final.
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Camila Giorgi, of Italy, poses with her trophy following her victory over Karolina Pliskova, of the Czech Republic, at the final of the National Bank Open women's tennis tournament final in Montreal, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Associated Press
Karolina Pliskova, of the Czech Republic, reacts following her loss to Camila Giorgi, of Italy, at the final of the National Bank Open women's tennis tournament final in Montreal, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Associated Press
Camila Giorgi, of Italy, returns to Karolina Pliskova, of the Czech Republic, during the final of the National Bank Open women's tennis tournament in Montreal, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Associated Press
Camila Giorgi, of Italy, reaches to return the ball to Karolina Pliskova, of the Czech Republic, during the final of the National Bank Open women's tennis tournament in Montreal, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Associated Press
Karolina Pliskova, of the Czech Republic, reacts during her match with Camila Giorgi, of Italy, during the final of the National Bank Open women's tennis tournament in Montreal, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Associated Press