The singles champion was crowned on Sunday at the Saguenay National Bank Challenger. Sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the tournament offers $60,000 USD in prize money and was held from October 21 to 27 at the Saguenay Indoor Tennis Club.
Robin Anderson of the United States, the third seed, and Indy De Vroome of the Netherlands were competing for the singles title at the 14th edition of the tournament. On route to the final, both players took part in some tightly fought matches, including important victories over Canadian players. Anderson got the better of Leylah Annie Fernandez in her quarter-final match while De Vroome eliminated Françoise Abanda in a three-hour marathon in the semi-finals.
After an expeditious opening set in which Anderson needed only 31 minutes to complete, the match got tighter in the second as the players exchanged a number of breaks. Despite committing a few double faults, De Vroome relied on her booming serve to finally hold and got a late break to level the score. In the decider, it was the American who took the lead and found herself serving for the match. Her opponent, however, did not back down. De Vroome not only saved a match point in dramatic fashion, but stormed back to cause the upset and capture the title with a 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory.
“I am very happy with my win today and with my week in general. This was my first time playing here in Saguenay and I really enjoyed myself. The tournament is well organized, and the people are very welcoming. I would also like to thank the fans who came to watch the matches all week. You guys were amazing and made a great atmosphere for our matches,” stated De Vroome after her win.
This is the biggest title of De Vroome’s career, as she had previously won five ITF titles at tournaments offering between $10,000 and $25,000 in total prize money. The 23-year-old also had six doubles titles to her name.
The Saguenay National Bank Challenger was the final Challenger tournament held in Quebec in 2019. The tournament was preceded by the National Bank Challenger tournaments in Drummondville, Gatineau and Granby earlier this year.
*Feature photo: Valérie Simard
