Poland’s Magdalena Frech Claims First WTA Title at WTA 500 Guadalajara Showdown
Magdalena Frech, a 26-year-old tennis pro from Poland, accomplished a career high when she won her maiden WTA championship at the esteemed WTA 500 competition in Guadalajara.
With her victory, Frech joins a select club of Polish women, including Agnieszka Radwanska, Magda Linette, and Iga Swiatek, who have all won tour-level titles this century.
On Sunday night, Magdalena Frech of Poland completed an incredible week in Guadalajara by winning her first WTA championship of the career with a 7-6 (5), 6-4 victory over Australian qualifier Olivia Gadecki.
And that too at a WTA 500 competition.
The 26-year-old Frech joins Agnieszka Radwanska (20), Magda Linette (three), and Iga Swiatek (22) as the only other Polish women to win a tour-level tournament this century.
In the semifinals on Saturday, Frech, the No. 5 seed in Guadalajara, defeated Caroline Garcia, the No. 4 seed, in a close two-setter 7-6 (4), 7-5. It was Frech’s biggest victory of the week.
Gadecki faced a formidable opponent in her last match; despite entering the draw ranked 152nd, she had defeated both No. 2 seed Danielle Collins and former US Open champion Sloane Stephens to reach the championship match.
In addition to having to serve twice to stay in the set at 4-5 and 5-6, Frech was also two points away from losing it in the tie-break at 4-5. Nevertheless, she managed to eke out the final three points of the 73-minute opening set, with Gadecki missing a forehand slice approach shot into the net on her first set point.
In the second set, Gadecki came out firing, breaking first and holding for a 2-0 lead, but Frech came roaring back, taking six of the following eight games to win the match in straight sets.
The Pole broke during her match-winning serve at 5-3, but she broke back quickly at love to complete the victory, which included a flawless backhand passing stroke down the line on match point. Then, in celebration, she dropped to the court.
After competing in her maiden WTA final in the WTA 250 event in Prague earlier this summer, when she lost to Linette in an all-Polish final, Frech was competing in her second WTA final of her career.
Gadecki wasn’t only competing in her first WTA final; prior to this, she had never even made it to a WTA semifinal or quarterfinal. With her incredible run, she will also make her first appearance in the Top 100.
