Brazilian Triumphs Over Top Seed Kasatkina to Secure Her First WTA Title of the Season
Beatriz Haddad Maia delivered an incredible comeback to capture the Korea Open title in Seoul on Sunday, marking her first WTA victory of the 2024 season. The third-seeded Brazilian rallied from a set down to defeat top-seeded Daria Kasatkina of Russia 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 in an intense final held at Olympic Park Tennis Center.
Haddad Maia, currently ranked World No. 17, now boasts four WTA singles titles in her career. Despite a sluggish start where she dropped the opening set in just 26 minutes, Haddad Maia found her rhythm and mounted an impressive recovery. Kasatkina, the World No. 13, dominated the first set with sharp serves and controlled rallies, swiftly breaking Haddad Maia to take a commanding 5-1 lead before closing out the set with ease.
Kasatkina continued her strong form in the second set, breaking Haddad Maia early to build a 3-1 lead. However, the momentum shifted when Haddad Maia broke back to level the score at 3-3. With renewed confidence, the Brazilian held serve and applied pressure on Kasatkina, eventually breaking her again to claim the second set 6-4 with a decisive forehand winner that caught the baseline.
In the final set, Haddad Maia seized control, breaking Kasatkina twice and holding her serve with authority. At 5-1, she broke the Russian one last time to clinch the match and the Korea Open title, sealing the victory when Kasatkina’s return sailed long.
Haddad Maia earned 500 WTA ranking points and a prize of US$142,000 for her victory, with the Korea Open having been elevated to a WTA 500 event this year.
In doubles action earlier on Sunday, Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova claimed the doubles crown with a dominant 6-1, 6-0 victory over Japan’s Miyu Kato and China’s Zhang Shuai. The match, which lasted only 50 minutes, marked Melichar-Martinez’s third doubles title of 2024 and Samsonova’s first.
