At the age of just 18, #DayanaYastremska became a two-time #WTA title winner after an entertaining and thrilling win over four-time WTA finalist #AjlaTomljanovic in the final of the Toyota #ThailandOpen. The Ukrainian youngster, one of the biggest rising stars on the tour, retrieved from a huge 2-5 deficit in the deciding set and lifted her second title in five tournaments, rising to a new career-high ranking of 34.
Yastremska, known for her explosive but yet inconsistent game, blasted 33 winners although she experienced patches of low moments during the match as well, committing 53 unforced errors in this fun two-hour, 22-minute contest which gave the inaugural Thailand Open a perfect closure. It was clear from the start that the match was on Yastremska’s racquet — and the match statistics showed it.
Tomljanovic only managed to find just seven winners throughout the encounter and hit 32 unforced errors which proved to be costly ultimately. Both players had a poor serving day, combining together for 19 double-faults and winning less than half of their second serves.
There was controversy as Tomljanovic was leading 5-2 in the deciding set, having a double-break advantage. During the changeover, Yastremska called for a medical time-out for her knee and ankle, much to the displeasure of her opponent. Since then, the Ukrainian was able to go all out and rattle off four consecutive games before claiming the win in a final-set tiebreak.
Yastremska rolls all over Tomljanovic in the first set
Yastremska had to get herself out of a tricky situation in the opening game of the match — surviving a two-deuce game to get onto the scoreboard with a confidence-boosting service hold which calmed the youngster down and relieved most of her nerves. It seemed like it was going to be a tight match but Tomljanovic lagged behind after throwing in an unfortunate double-fault on break point, allowing Yastremska to grab the early break.
It seemed as though this was going to be an extremely tight match with Tomljanovic earning a break point opportunity but was unable to convert as Yastremska consolidated the break for a commanding 3-0 lead. Tomljanovic completely lost the plot — losing nine consecutive points which saw her trail by five games after being totally outclassed.
The nerves finally crept in while Yastremska attempted to serve out the set, causing her to miss her target by miles and allowed Tomljanovic to salvage the one-sided scoreline. However, a changeover helped the hard-hitting youngster to mentally recover from that slight momentum shift, grabbing the first set 6-2 eventually.
Tomljanovic produces a stunning reply
Yastremska was forced to fend off a break point in the first game of the second set, but a powerful first serve completed the job for her. Unable to find the rhythm on her serve, the Ukrainian sent in a series of vulnerable serves which were punished by her opponent. She was broken in the third game with a double-fault although Tomljanovic handed back the favour immediately.
From 2-2, Tomljanovic rattled off nine of the following 10 points as Yastremska missed everything possible — finding herself having a sizeable lead within a blink of an eye. Serving for the set, Tomljanovic did not blink as she defied the nerves to level the scores despite being completely overpowered earlier on.
Yastremska claims the huge win
As many tennis fans would have known, Yastremska’s game is built on momentum; if she hits one great shot, she will get into the zone and fire winners at her own will, but if she cannot find her range, a series of unforced errors will follow. Bouncing back from her earlier disappointment, Yastremska surged out to an early 2-0 lead after a wild backhand from Tomljanovic.
Five consecutive games came and went, and all of them went in the favour of Tomljanovic as Yastremska completely lost the plot. She had game point chances in six of the seven games in the decider, but her inability to stay calm and remain composed on the important points saw her trailing 2-5.
After a medical time-out for Yastremska just before Tomljanovic attempted to serve out the match, it was the Australian’s turn who felt the pressure as she experienced a mental breakdown and started to get frustrated with herself, although her body language was not showing it.
Yastremska, who seemed to have regained her focus through the brief timeout, surged towards a 6-5 lead with all the momentum running in her. Although Tomljanovic was able to stop the rout with a dominant love service hold, Yastremska once again produced a comeback in the tiebreak as she claimed five straight points from 2-3 down to grab the inaugural Hua Hin trophy.
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