Marina Erakovic of New Zealand finally earned her first WTA singles title on Saturday after winning the International-level US Indoor Tennis Championships in Memphis. She defeated Sabine Lisicki of Germany after the latter retired due to illness while the former was leading, having won the first set 6-1.
“It’s very unfortunate I wasn’t able to finish the match,” Lisicki said. “I put all the energy I had left in my body into the match, but I just couldn’t keep going. I had been sick the last three days already. But Marina had a great tournament and I want to congratulate her for her first WTA title.”
Erakovic became the first tennis player from New Zealand since 1989 to win a title.
“I think it means quite a bit for New Zealand,” she said. “We’re a small place, we’ve got about four million people, and tennis isn’t the most popular sport – but whenever I’m somewhere else in the world and someone asks me where I’m from, and I say New Zealand, they always say they love New Zealand. And there are always a lot of Kiwis supporting me around the world. So this is great.
