Pliskova off the mark in malaysia

Published on 04/03/2013 00:00

UNSEEDED Czech Karolina Pliskova won her maiden WTA singles title beating American wildcard entrant Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the Malaysian Open final yesterday.

The 20-year-old, playing in her first singles final, dropped her first set in the tournament but rallied past Mattek-Sands for a 1-6 7-5 6-3 victory.

“I was a little nervous at the start and couldn’t get my serves in. That contributed to the heavy (first set) loss,” Pliskova said.

“I woke up in the second set and began to serve better. This helped turn the tide. It was a tough match but I’m delighted to win my first singles title. I still can’t believe it.”

Pliskova, who served ten aces in the match, collected $40,000 in prize-money.