Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia came from a set down to capture her 4th WTA career title at the Hana Korea Open on Sunday, after beating Russia’s Daria Kasatkina in a thrilling final, and collecting her first WTA 500 singles trophy of her career.
Beatriz Haddad Maia
The last woman standing, who was seeded 3rd, came out on top of a contest that lasted just 10 minutes short of 2 hours, 1-6 6-4 6-1.
“I know that tennis changes everything very fast,” said Haddad Maia. “I was competing better at the end of the second set, and then my tennis appeared. I finished in the way that I wanted and I think I deserved this win.
“I want to come back again next year,” the 28-year-old added.
First started in 2004, the Korea Open began as a WTA 125 event in 2021, and was upgraded to a WTA 250 competition the following year, before becoming a WTA 500 tournament this year.
Neither player had dropped a set on their way to the Seoul final, and both had to play two matches on Saturday, after heavy rain wiped out the previous day’s play.
Kasatkina won her quarter-final after her opponent, Britain’s Emma Raducanu, retired with a left foot injury after the first set.
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In front of a massive crowd of Korean fans at Seoul Olympic Park Tennis Center in southern Seoul, Kasatkina came out of the blocks on fire, winning the first set after losing just 1 game, and taking 87.5% of points on her first serve, which was considerably higher than Haddad Maia, who could only capture 46.2%.
While the Russian World No 13 won 5 games in a row to clinch the first set in just 26 minutes, Haddad Maia struggled with her serve, winning only 9 of her 20 service points.
Kasatkina broke on the first game of the second to lead by a set and a break after winning 8 of the opening 9 games of the match, but, from that moment on, the momentum and the rhythm of the final completely changed, as the 3rd seed bagged 12 of the next 14 games to create a stunning come-back victory.
Haddad Maia began to put up a better fight, securing her first break of the match to level at 3-3, making a frustrated Kasatkina chase her returns to the ends of the court.
“I was just trying to play every point,” she said. “I was improving, and, I think, that was the key, to be calm and just play tennis.”
It was a stunning recovery by the US Open quarter-finalist in the second, in which Haddad Maia’s first serve delivery improved significantly, to 73.9%, considerably higher than Kasatkina’s 60%.
She saved a crucial break point to take a 5-4 lead, looking increasingly comfortable in the long rallies, and breaking in the next game to take the set with a strong forehand and level the final at a set all.
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Down by a set and a break, the World No 17 suddenly started to play much better and responded with back-to-back breaks to win the next 5 games and overturn the deficit to force a decider.
Kasatkina managed to save a break point in the second game of the third, and tied it at a game apiece, but a now transformed Haddad Maia took full control of the decider, winning 17 of her 22 service points and breaking twice in a row to secure victory.
“I feel stronger, I feel that I’m very competitive now,” said Haddad Maia. “I’m in a good moment, ready for the next week. I feel that I’m doing very good things, working hard.
“Let’s see what the end of the season brings to me,” she added.
Since the beginning of Cleveland, Haddad Maia has now won 12 of her last 14 matches.
After making her first final of the season in Cleveland, she went on to make the US Open quarter-finals and now takes home her first title since winning the 2023 WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai last autumn.
This week, the Brazilian World No 17 has proven unstoppable, ending with a perfect 100% points on her first serve as the Russian’s delivery dropped to a dismal 38.5%.
“Another tough match. Hope we have many more to come,” Kasatkina told Haddad Maia after losing her second match to the Brazilian, having won their first two clashes. “Losing in the final can feel worse than losing in the first round.
“It’s tough, especially being up in the final, but she definitely raised the level after the first set. The match was pretty good, but then she was better in the third set.”
The Russian remains with just one title won in 2024, and has now lost 4 of her 5 finals, but has 7 career titles to her name.
The victory was a special one for Haddad Maia as it was her first title of the season, and just the 4th of her career at WTA level.
Earlier, in the doubles final, American Nicole Melichar-Martinez & Liudmila Samsonova from Russia lifted the trophy after easily beating the pair of Japan’s Miyu Kato & Zhang Shuai from China, the No 3 seeds, 6-1 6-0.
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