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2nd-seeded Kontaveit beats Begu in Cleveland final

Posted August 28, 2021 7:00 am

By BRIAN DULIK

Estonia's Anett Kontaveit accepts her trophy after winning the Tennis In The Land singles championship against Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Cleveland. (Joshua Gunter/Cleveland.com via AP) The Associated Press

CLEVELAND (AP) - Second-seeded Anett Kontaveit of Estonia won the Tennis in the Land final Saturday for her second WTA Tour title, beating Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania 7-6 (5), 6-4.

The 30th-ranked Kontaveit entered the tournament on a four-match losing streak, then won five matches in six days in the inaugural WTA 250 event.

'œIt's been a rough year, so I was really enjoying myself,'ť Kontaveit said. 'œOf course, it's special to get a title as it's been a while, but the main thing for me was gaining more confidence on the court. The welcome we received was so warm, it felt like home here.'ť

Kontaveit didn't double-fault until the final game and completed the 115-minute contest with a forehand down the left sideline. She also won in 2017 in the Netherlands.

No. 74 Begu fell behind 5-2 in the opening set before succeeding on her fifth break point, then held serve to force the tiebreaker. She missed a drop-shot and made an unforced error, in order, to lose her first set at the tournament.

'œAnett, you played amazing and you deserved to win,'ť Begu said. 'œIt's been an amazing week for me, celebrating my (31st) birthday and having so many Romanians here cheering. This has been a wonderful experience.'ť

Begu advanced to her first final since winning in Bucharest in her homeland in 2017. She was seeking her fifth WTA Tour title.

'œIt was a really, really, really, really close match,'ť Kontaveit said. 'œPutting pressure on yourself is not necessary, so I went point by point, trying to stay as calm as I could. I'm very happy with the way I pushed myself and pushed through.'ť

In the doubles final, top-seeded Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara of Japan beat Christina McHale of the United States and Sania Mirza of India 7-5, 6-3.

Aoyama and Shibahara won for the fifth time this year and eighth overall.

'œAmerican crowds have such a big voice, I thank you for that,'ť said Aoyama, who has 17 career doubles title. 'œAnd thank you Ena for playing with me.'ť

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Estonia's Anett Kontaveit celebrates her victory in the Tennis In The Land singles championship against Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Cleveland. (Joshua Gunter/Cleveland.com via AP) The Associated Press

Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu competes in the Tennis In The Land singles championship against Estonia's Anett Kontaveit, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Cleveland. (Joshua Gunter/Cleveland.com via AP) The Associated Press

Estonia's Anett Kontaveit competes in the Tennis In The Land singles championship against Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Cleveland. (Joshua Gunter/Cleveland.com via AP) The Associated Press

Estonia's Anett Kontaveit, right, shakes hands with Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu after Kontaveit's victory in the Tennis In The Land singles championship, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Cleveland. (Joshua Gunter/Cleveland.com via AP) The Associated Press

Estonia's Anett Kontaveit tries to stay cool between sets as she competes in the Tennis In The Land singles championship against Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Cleveland. (Joshua Gunter/Cleveland.com via AP) The Associated Press

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