Kostyuk's Farewell Tour: Romania Triumphs at Home, Dark Horse Beleck Wins in Abu Dhabi

On February 7 local time, three WTA tournaments concluded first this week, with champions crowned at the WTA500 Abu Dhabi, WTA250 Cluj-Napoca, and WTA250 Ostrava events. From February 8 to 14, the women's tennis tour will shift focus to Doha.

WTA Abu Dhabi: Beleck's Underdog Run Leads to First Career Title

In the WTA500 Abu Dhabi singles final, qualifier and dark horse Beleck faced second seed Aleksandrova. Beleck won in straight sets 7-6(5), 6-1 to capture her first career title. In doubles, Aleksandrova teamed up with Jonté again and overturned the fourth-seeded Mihalikova/Nicholls pair 3-6, 7-6(5), 10-8, making up for her singles loss.

Beleck Photo: Visual China

Due to WTA schedule adjustments, this year’s Abu Dhabi event took place just one week after the Australian Open, which weakened the player field. Before the tournament started, the only top 10 player and defending champion Bencic withdrew, further opening up the competition. Despite being only 159cm tall and just 20 years old, the Czech youngster posed a huge threat to last year’s year-end top 10 Aleksandrova in the final. Her varied shot selection and tactical play disrupted Aleksandrova’s rhythm, enabling her to win in straight sets.

Though the field was modest, qualifier Beleck impressively defeated last year’s runner-up Krug, seventh seed Ostapenko, third seed Tauson, and second seed Aleksandrova on her way to the title. After earning 525 ranking points and $196,000 in prize money, Beleck’s world ranking soared to No.38.

Beleck’s Path to the Title

Qualifying

First Round: 6-3, 6-0 vs Ovcharenko

Final Qualifying Round: 6-2, 6-2 vs Paquet

Main Draw

First Round: 6-3, 6-0 vs Krug

Second Round: 6-4, 6-3 vs Ostapenko[7]

Quarterfinals: 6-0, 6-2 vs Qatar[Q]

Semifinals: 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 vs Tauson[3]

Final: 7-6(5), 6-1 vs Aleksandrova[2]

WTA Cluj-Napoca: Kostyuk Claims Home Victory, Raducanu Falls Short

In the WTA250 Cluj-Napoca singles final, third seed Kostyuk dominated top seed Raducanu in just 63 minutes, winning 6-0, 6-2 to claim the title on home soil without dropping a set. In doubles, the Chinese pair Wang Xinyu/Zheng Saisai missed chances in the first set and lost a 3-0 lead in the second, falling 6-7(7), 3-6 to Rashimova/Tomo, finishing as runners-up.

Halep Attends Singles Award Ceremony Photo: Visual China

In this final, Raducanu perhaps struggled to recover from her exhausting semifinal battle, showing signs of fatigue on court. Kostyuk maintained her strong form throughout the tournament, with aggressive baseline play quickly securing her victory. Kostyuk had previously announced that 2026 would be her final professional season. At the award ceremony, the organizers prepared a special highlight video to honor her. Notably, Romanian tennis legend Halep, who retired at this event last year, attended and presented the trophy to Kostyuk.

For Raducanu, who is half Romanian, this week marked the end of a dry spell since her 2021 US Open title, as she reached a final again. She expressed heartfelt thanks: “Honestly, I haven’t had a chance to speak like this for a long time. I want to thank everyone for their support over the past four or five years; it really means a lot.”

Kostyuk’s Road to the Title

First Round: 6-4, 6-4 vs Rashimova

Second Round: 6-1, 6-0 vs Zidansek[L]

Quarterfinals: 7-5, 6-4 vs Potapova[5]

Semifinals: 6-0, 6-3 vs Snigur[Q]

Final: 6-0, 6-2 vs Raducanu[1]

WTA Ostrava: Bolt Ends 18-Month Title Drought

In the WTA250 Ostrava singles final, British player Bolt battled through three sets to defeat German Kopatsch 5-7, 6-2, 6-1, winning her first tour singles title since the WTA Nottingham in June 2024. In doubles, fourth seeds Desiuk/Santa Maria defeated local wildcard pair Havlikova/Sharkova 6-4, 7-6(4) to claim the championship.

Bolt Profile Photo: Visual China

Bolt began working with a new coach this season, and the partnership showed results early this week. At the trophy ceremony, she said: “I want to thank my coach; we’ve only worked together for a few weeks and already brought home a title, which is especially meaningful since it’s your birthday week.” After earning 250 ranking points and $37,390 in prize money, Bolt will re-enter the Top 100 at No.84 next week, marking her return after nearly three months.

Bolt’s Path to the Title

First Round: 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 vs Havlikova[W]

Second Round: 6-2, 6-2 vs Grubusic[5]

Quarterfinals: 6-3, 6-2 vs L. Frywirthova

Semifinals: 6-1, 6-3 vs Vorenets

Final: 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 vs Kopatsch

(Written and Edited by: Dato)