Germany’s Mona Barthel proved that she has what it takes to join the tennis elite after winning her first Premier title at the Open GDF SUEZ in Paris on Sunday afternoon. The 45th-ranked Barthel defeated seventh-ranked Sara Errani in the final 75 76(4).
Barthel had a tough road to the final but overcame the tough challenge from higher-ranked players such as fifth-seeded Roberta Vinci and third-seeded Marion Bartoli.
“I was a little bit nervous – it was my first final in such a big tournament and she was making it so difficult for me in the end – but I just tried to keep stepping in and going for my shots, and I had to keep telling myself I was still in a position to win the match despite all of those things,” she said.
Even the young tennis star could not believe that she made it all the way through the title.
“When I came here I wasn’t expecting to win the title at all,” she said.
“I was just taking it round by round, hoping to win the first round, then hoping to win the second round, and so on. When I got to the final I knew it would be tough, because Sara had such an amazing year last year and is playing so well – she just doesn’t give anything away,” she added.
This is Barthel’s second WTA title with her maiden title coming from the Hobart International tournament in 2012.
Meanwhile, Errani did not leave the tournament empty handed. She won the doubles event with Vinci. The duo defeated second-seeded Andrea Hlavackova and Liezel Huber in the final. Errani and Vinci also won the Australian Open 2013 doubles title.
