(Reuters) – American Alison Riske recovered from an opening set bagel and saved five championship points as she stunned home favorite Kiki Bertens 0-6 7-6(3) 7-5 to lift the Libema Open title in Rosmalen on Sunday.
Bertens had three match points at 5-4 in the second set, but her American opponent came through with a string of volleys at the net to hold for 5-5.
The Dutch top seed then had two more match points in the 12th game, but Riske saved one of them with a volley, and then produced a sublime lob shot to force a tiebreak. Riske raced ahead 3-0 in the tiebreak and eventually won it 7-3.
Alison Riske @Riske4rewards saves three championship points!#LibemaOpen pic.twitter.com/agaJcv0i2L
— WTA (@WTA) June 16, 2019
Both players exchanged early breaks in the decider before rain interrupted play at 3-3.
Riske returned stronger to break her Dutch opponent in the final game to clinch her first title, five years after her first in Tianjin.
The defeat comes as a blow for world number four Bertens, who was chasing her third title of the season following victories in St Petersburg and Madrid earlier this season.
