New Haven: Gavrilova wins maiden WTA trophy

Daria Gavrilova will crack the top 20 after storming to her first career WTA title at the Connecticut Open in New Haven.

The Australian rallied to beat Dominika Cibulkova in a thrilling two-hour, 45-minute final, winning 4-6 6-3 6-4 after sealing victory with a forehand winner.

Gavrilova had fallen in her first two WTA finals – Moscow in 2016 and Strasbourg in May this year – but broke through at the third time of asking in a huge confidence boost ahead of next week’s US Open.

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It was a magnificent week in New Haven for the 23-year-old, who in the semifinals beat top seed and defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska before overcoming second seed Cibulkova.

The week marked something of a return to form for the Slovak, who since winning the WTA Finals in Singapore last year had failed to progress to another final.

Gavrilova lead by a break in the opening set but from 3-2 she lost four of the next five games to surrender the opening set.

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In a match of high intensity and physical rallies, Gavrilova broke Cibulkova in the fifth game of the second set and didn’t look back, maintaining her advantage to send the match into a third.

Cibulkova scored the first break of the final set only for Gavrilova break back to level scores at 4-4, revving the crowd up with a finger wave.

Two games later, she brought up her third match point with a scintillating running forehand winner, and jumped for joy as she sent another forehand winner past the Slovak to clinch the title.