Maria crowned first Queen's Club women's champion in 52 years
German qualifier Tatjana Maria capped an incredible week in London as she defeated American eighth seed Amanda Anisimova 6-3 6-4 on Sunday to become the first woman to win a title at Queen's Club in over half a century.
The victory marked the end of an extraordinary nine-day stretch for the mother-of-two, ranked 86 in the world, having stunned second seed and Australian Open champion Madison Keys in the previous round.
The 37-year-old becomes the oldest player to claim a WTA title since Serena Williams in Auckland 2020. She dropped only one set en route to the title and her dream run also included victories over Kazakh fourth seed Elena Rybakina and Czech sixth seed Karolina Muchova.
Maria dominated Anismova with big serves and earned an early break in the first set. She won 12 points in a row as she raced to a 4-1 lead and then held off a brief Anisimova fightback to close out the set.
Maria carried her momentum into the second as she again surged into a 4-1 lead. Her seventh ace of the match helped her move up 5-3, and she served out the match two games later to clinch her first title in over two years.
"A dream come true. (When) I came here, I was never thinking I could hold the trophy at the end. When we arrived my little girl said 'wow that's a nice trophy, so big' and I said 'OK let's go for it I will try to win it'," Maria said.
"In the end I've won it, it's incredible. So happy. Everything is possible if you believe in it. You go your way, doesn't matter which it is but you have to keep going. I want to show this to my kids and hopefully they are proud. It's amazing."
Maria threw her arms up as she watched Anisimova's forehand sail wide on match point, before both players shared an affectionate embrace at the net.
"I wouldn't be surprised if we see you in the Wimbledon final because you really had me running out there today," Anisimova said.
Having started the week as world number 86, Maria is projected to move up to world number 43 when the new rankings are released on Monday.
The Wimbledon warm-up event at Queen's welcomed back female competitors for the first time since 1973, when the Soviet Union's Olga Morozova won the title.
Wimbledon runs from June 30 to July 13.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
9 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Carlos Alcaraz still in disbelief after Roland Garros triumph
Carlos Alcaraz says he still looks back on his extraordinary French Open triumph over world number one Jannik Sinner with a sense of disbelief, as the Spaniard prepares to shift focus to his bid for a hat trick of Wimbledon titles. The 22-year-old fought back from two sets down and saved three successive match points in an unlikely 4-6 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(3) 7-6(10-2) victory against the Italian in a match that mesmerised the Paris crowd. "(There are) a lot of videos from that match, from that moment, match point down and I still watch it sometimes, and I still don't believe that I come back from that moment," Alcaraz told reporters on Sunday. "So sometimes it's difficult to realise that I'm in this position, that I won the French Open, watching the videos from 40-love, in that moment. So I'm still watching those videos." The five-times Grand Slam champion recharged his batteries with a short trip to Ibiza but is back in harness ahead of his campaign at Queen's Club, where he faces countryman Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in his opener on Tuesday. Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam of the season, runs from June 30 to July 13.
Dubai Eye
14 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
Maria crowned first Queen's Club women's champion in 52 years
German qualifier Tatjana Maria capped an incredible week in London as she defeated American eighth seed Amanda Anisimova 6-3 6-4 on Sunday to become the first woman to win a title at Queen's Club in over half a century. The victory marked the end of an extraordinary nine-day stretch for the mother-of-two, ranked 86 in the world, having stunned second seed and Australian Open champion Madison Keys in the previous round. The 37-year-old becomes the oldest player to claim a WTA title since Serena Williams in Auckland 2020. She dropped only one set en route to the title and her dream run also included victories over Kazakh fourth seed Elena Rybakina and Czech sixth seed Karolina Muchova. Maria dominated Anismova with big serves and earned an early break in the first set. She won 12 points in a row as she raced to a 4-1 lead and then held off a brief Anisimova fightback to close out the set. Maria carried her momentum into the second as she again surged into a 4-1 lead. Her seventh ace of the match helped her move up 5-3, and she served out the match two games later to clinch her first title in over two years. "A dream come true. (When) I came here, I was never thinking I could hold the trophy at the end. When we arrived my little girl said 'wow that's a nice trophy, so big' and I said 'OK let's go for it I will try to win it'," Maria said. "In the end I've won it, it's incredible. So happy. Everything is possible if you believe in it. You go your way, doesn't matter which it is but you have to keep going. I want to show this to my kids and hopefully they are proud. It's amazing." Maria threw her arms up as she watched Anisimova's forehand sail wide on match point, before both players shared an affectionate embrace at the net. "I wouldn't be surprised if we see you in the Wimbledon final because you really had me running out there today," Anisimova said. Having started the week as world number 86, Maria is projected to move up to world number 43 when the new rankings are released on Monday. The Wimbledon warm-up event at Queen's welcomed back female competitors for the first time since 1973, when the Soviet Union's Olga Morozova won the title. Wimbledon runs from June 30 to July 13.
Dubai Eye
14 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
Spaun caps rainy US Open with monster putt for first major title
JJ Spaun drained a 64-foot birdie putt that snaked across a sodden 18th green to win the US Open by two shots from Robert MacIntyre on Sunday as the Californian claimed his first major after a chaotic final round at Oakmont Country Club. Spaun needed only a par at the closing hole to avoid a Monday playoff but went one better, sinking the huge putt in the rain to win the year's third major and erase the disappointment from his close call at The Players Championship in March. "Just to finish it off like that is just a dream," said Spaun, who closed with a two-over-par 72 that left him at one under for the week. "To have my own moment like that at this championship, I'll never forget this moment for the rest of my life." When the clinching putt dropped, Spaun tossed his putter, delivered a fist pump, hugged his caddie and then walked off the green with his two young daughters in tow on Father's Day to celebrate a career-defining win. "It was so cool to just have my whole family there on Father's Day," said Spaun. "It's just incredible. I have no words to describe the moment and them being able to see me as the winner." Spaun reached the driveable par-four 17th hole level with Scotland's MacIntyre, who was already in the clubhouse after a two-under 68, and delivered the shot of his life - a 309-yard strike that settled 17 feet from the cup. The 34-year-old American sent his eagle putt past the hole but made the comebacker and then went on to secure the win in style at the 18th, where he said he did not look at the scoreboard so as not to alter his plan. "I knew based off of, like, what the crowd was saying that I felt like if I two-putted I would probably win, but I didn't want to look," said Spaun. "I didn't want to do anything dumb trying to protect a three-putt or something." 'Best I had' The triumph comes three months after Spaun lost in a playoff to world number two Rory McIlroy at The Players Championship, a defeat which was hard to take but left him knowing he could mix it with the game's elite. Spaun had led the way after the first round of the US Open where he managed the only bogey-free round of the day despite playing an Oakmont layout that is considered one of the toughest courses in the world. In the final round he looked well out of contention after a carding five early bogeys but he never went away and as the leaders all failed to pull away he found himself back in the thick of things late on the back nine. Viktor Hovland (73) finished three shots back in third place, while Cameron Young (70) and LIV Golf players Tyrrell Hatton (72) and Carlos Ortiz (73) finished a further shot back in a share of fourth place. Sam Burns (78), who took a one-shot lead over Spaun and Adam Scott into the final round, struggled late in his round and finished five shots back. "I went out there and gave it the best I had," said Burns. "Golf's a hard game, especially on this golf course. At the end of the day, I can hold my head high." Heavy Rains Australian Scott, playing in his 96th consecutive major, dropped five shots over his closing five holes and finished in a share of 12th place after a closing 79. The final round was interrupted by a 96-minute weather delay after heavy rains forced puddles of water to form on the greens and fairways and forced the grounds crew at Oakmont to use squeegees to get the course ready. Twice major champion Jon Rahm, who began the day 11 shots back, closed with a three-under 67 that was the day's joint low round, the Spaniard finishing five shots back in a share of seventh with world number one Scottie Scheffler (70) and Burns. World number two Rory McIlroy also saved his best for last and carded a 67 to reach seven over. McIlroy, who had been struggling to find form since completing the career Grand Slam at the Masters, is looking forward to some downtime before the British Open being held next month at Royal Portrush in his home country of Northern Ireland. "I just need to get myself in the right frame of mind. I probably haven't been there the last few weeks," said McIlroy.
