MADRID - Kiki Bertens won the biggest title of her career on Saturday, beating Simona Halep 6-4 6-4 in the Madrid Open final while also becoming the first woman ever to win the championship without dropping a set.
Making up for her loss in last year’s final to Petra Kvitova, the clay court triumph ensured the Dutchwoman Bertens will move to a career-best fourth in the world rankings on Monday and become the highest ranked Dutchwoman in history. The defeat was extra painful for Halep, though, who would have regained her number one ranking had she won the showpiece. Bertens came back from 4-2 down in the first set against French Open champion Halep by winning the next three games, striking the first blow in a gripping final full of drama which lasted one hour and 27 minutes.
Bertens, who hit four aces among her 25 winners in an excellent performance, got off to an ideal start in the opening game of the second by breaking Halep, who was playing in her third Madrid final after triumphs in 2016 and 2017. The Romanian stayed in contention but was dealt a terrible dose of luck in the eighth game which handed more momentum to Bertens.