The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

The finale of the second Bahamas Open Women's Tennis Tournament featured a thrilling, two-set match that went down to the wire. And it ended with a title win from Canada's highest ranked singles player.

In a very entertaining singles final, Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada beat Alize Cornet of France 6-4, 7-5.

In the opening set, Wozniak jumped out to a commanding 4-0 lead. Cornet shook off early signs of frustration to rebound and take the next three games to come within striking distance.

With a 5-4 lead heading into the deciding game, Wozniak played some of her best tennis of the set and took the game and set with an ace for set point.

Cornet took the opening game of the second set and the pair alternated games until Wozniak separated herself at a 5-5 tie. She was the first to take consecutive games and the 7-5 win.

In the doubles final, Janette Husarova of Slovakia and Katalin Marosi of Hungary defeated Eva Birnerova of the Czech Republic and Anne Keothavong of Great Britain.

The runner-up trophy was presented by Bahamian tennis hall of fame inductee Edith Powell and the winners' trophy was presented by Tommy Turnquest - the tourney was held in honour of his mother, the late Lady Edith Turnquest.

Wozniak's path to the finals included varying finishes in each match, ranging from lopsided straight-set wins to tough finishes.

In round one, she defeated Olga Savchuk of the Ukraine, 7-6 (2), 6-1. Wozniak advanced to face and defeat Rika Fujiwara of Japan, 6-3, 6-2 in the quarterfinal and earned a trip to the semifinal when American Gail Brodsky retired after Wozniak took a 6-0, 3-0 lead.

In the semifinal, she faced her toughest test in a three-set thriller over Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-1.

Cornet was unranked coming into the main draw.

In round one, she upended Julia Cohen of the United States 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

In round two, Cornet defeated No.8 seed Mandy Minella of Luxembourg 6-1, 6-2 and reached the final with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Kristyna Pliskova.

Wozniak became the highest ranking Canadian player of all time when she achieved a career best singles ranking of 21 back in June 2009. It was her first tour win since August 2011.

Tournament director Ty Olander applauded the entire field for their play over the course of the week which ended with a thrilling finale.

"This was an exceptional match between two marquee players and some of the best players in the world," he said. "It is not only a great pleasure but a privilege for us to be able to experience this type of tennis action here in the Bahamas."