Lauren Davis claimed the ASB Classic in a dominant straight-sets victory that went against all predictions over Ana Konjuh.
Reading 6-3, 6-1, it was Davis’ maiden WTA Singles title win, and by all accounts, an upset.
Konjuh has risen up the WTA Tour ranks in the past three years and had gone into the final as the clear favorite. But her performance on Centre Court against Davis was poor from the start. Konjuh hit far too many unforced errors to be within a chance of winning, and in the end it was a relative cruise for Davis.
Konjuh didn’t appear to have a plan B for when things went awry. A total of 47 unforced errors made for poor reading on the scoreboard.
Lauren Davis Beats Ana Konjuh To Win ASB Classic
Davis managed to get Konjuh moving around the court early in the First Set, the American was first to the break as Konjuh couldn’t hold her serve in the sixth game, and Davis had a 4-2 lead. Somewhat against the predictions, Konjuh hit 14 unforced errors early as her speed and footwork couldn’t match that of Davis.
Konjuh’s biggest problem was mishitting the ball, sending many flying into the crowd despite having plenty of time to play the shot. Davis took her opportunities and cruised to a 6-3 First Set victory.
Konjuh found herself two games down in the Second Set, and by this point she had hit three double faults. Desperate to get on the scoreboard, all aspects of Konjuh’s game were falling apart, but the skill of Davis shone through.
It was quickly becoming a rout at the ASB Centre, and with just an hour in the final on the clock, Davis was within an inch of winning in straight sets.
In just over an hour, Davis sealed the deal as Konjuh mishit the ball again, securing her maiden WTA Singles title.
Interesting Facts In The Build-up To Women’s Final
Ironically, this final took place at the same venue that gave Konjuh her big break on the WTA scene, and it was just her second final appearance.
Konjuh was only 15 years of age when ASB Classic Tournament Director Karl Budge signed her as a wildcard. Budge requested that Konjuh appear at the Classic for the next three years as part of the deal, and Konjuh has risen up the WTA Tour ranks ever since.
Davis had beaten Konjuh once before on the only other occasion the pair had met. But her victory in Auckland on January 7th meant so much more.
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