Bernarda Pera wins first WTA singles title in Budapest

None of that mattered for the 27-year-old once the week was done: beginning the tournament in qualifying, Pera won seven straight matches in the Hungarian capital to capture her first-ever WTA singles title. She defeated Serbia's Aleksandra Krunic in straight sets on Sunday, 6-3, 6-3, to take home the trophy in her first-ever championship appearance.

She had previously been 0-4 in WTA semifinals before this event.

"It’s still so overwhelming," Pera said after the match. "I’m still a little bit shocked how it turned out, but I felt I played some good tennis and I’m so excited for the win.

"The beginning of the season was tough for me with a small injury that kept me off for two months. So it’s been a tough year, not many wins, but it turns so quickly."

Pera is the third qualifier to win a WTA tour-level title this season, and the fourth first-time title-winner through nearly seven months. She's also the sixth left-hander to win a singles title this year, joining Leylah Fernandez (Monterrey), Martina Trevisan (Rabat), Angelique Kerber (Strasbourg), Beatriz Haddad Maia (Nottingham and Birmingham) and Petra Kvitova (Eastbourne).

In seven wins, she didn't lose a set. The top seed in qualifying, Pera lost just five games in two matches to reach the main draw; there, she upset No. 5 seed Aliaksandra Sasnovich in Round 2 and No. 9 seed Anna Bondar, the highest-ranking Hungarian, in the semifinals. 

Road to the Championship - Bernarda Pera

QR1: def. Katarina Zavatska (UKR) 6-1, 6-1

QR2: def. Sofia Shapatava (GEO) 6-1, 6-2

R1: def. Marina Bassols Ribera (ESP) 6-2, 7-5

R2: (5) Aliaksandra Sasnovich - 7-5, 6-2

QF: Elisabetta Cocciaretto (ITA) - 6-4, 6-3

SF: def. (9) Anna Bondar (HUN) - 6-3, 6-4

F: def. Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) - 6-3, 6-3