Oeiras, Portugal – Carla Suarez Navarro made it third time lucky at the Portugal Open on Saturday as she finally lifted the title after losing the last two finals
The Spanish top seed beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in two hours, 10 minutes for her first career trophy at after finishing on the losing side in her first five finals.
Sanchez Navarro came from 1-4 down in the final set when it looked like two-time Grand Slam winner Kuznetsova from Russia had finally the fluctuating match under control.
But Carlos Navarro, who had lost three of her previous four matches against the 29th-ranked Kuznetsova, refused to give up.
Kuznetsova dropped serve in the sixth and eighth games and went down to the loss on the first of two match points for her Spanish opponent.
The 15th-ranked Suarez Navarro leapt in the air in delight and rushed to bear-hug her coaching team in the stands.
The Spaniard was playing this week after recovering from a wrist inflammation which forced her to abandon a match last week in Stuttgart. – Sapa-AFP