Tennis: Tsurenko downs Mladenovic for Acapulco WTA title
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
Lesia Tsurenko (right) and Kristina Mladenovic pose after the Mexican Tennis Open WTA final match in Acapulco on March 4, 2017.
PHOTO: AFP
Acapulco, Mexico (AFP) - Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko nabbed her third WTA Tour title Saturday, toppling second-seeded Kristina Mladenovic 6-1, 7-5 in the Mexican Open final at Acapulco.
Tsurenko, the seventh seed who advanced when top-seeded Mirjana Lucic-Baroni retired from their semi-final with illness, got off to a hot start and held on to notch her fourth win over France's Mladenovic in five career meetings.
Tsurenko has now won a title in each of the past three years - emerging triumphant in all three of her career finals appearances.
Tsurenko rolled to a 5-0 lead and in the second set, she earned what proved to be the decisive break in the 11th game and then held for the win.
Mladenovic was denied a second career title to go with the St Petersburg trophy she lifted last month.
