Tennis: Dulgheru wins Warsaw Open in WTA Tour debut
Associated Press
WARSAW, Poland — Alexandra Dulgheru, a Romanian qualifier ranked No. 201, won the Warsaw Open on Saturday in her WTA Tour debut by beating Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-0.
In a match played in strong wind and twice interrupted by rain, the 19-year-old Dulgheru used an array of groundstrokes and drop shots to break her eighth-seeded opponent eight times. Bondarenko, ranked No. 39, was the runner-up in this tournament in 2007.
Bondarenko had two chances to serve out the first set but couldn't capitalize, with Dulgheru breaking to force a tiebreaker. Bondarenko rallied with two breaks in the second to lead 4-0 before the match was delayed about 25 minutes because of rain.
Dulgheru broke serve to lead 2-0 in the final set before rain again sent the players from the court. After play resumed about 10 minutes later, Dulgheru reeled off four straight games to close the match.