Thrilling matches, exciting semifinals, top-class entertainment and a fantastic atmosphere defined yet another edition of the WTA tournament in the city beneath Biokovo.
Czech player Sara Bejlek has won the WTA Makarska Open hosted by Valamar.
The Andorran simply couldn’t find her game. The fatigue from Saturday’s marathon semifinal against Serbia’s Lola Radivojević undoubtedly left its mark on her game. The match, which remained uncertain until the very end and lasted nearly three and a half hours, had taken its toll.
“I would like to congratulate Sara and thank everyone who came to watch the match. I have had an incredible week here and I am grateful for everything. It has been wonderful,” said Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva.
Both Bejlek and Jimenez Kasintseva are 19 years old, both played a brilliant tournament and fully deserved their place in the final. But Bejlek was the favourite in many people’s eyes. On her way to the trophy, she defeated Petra Martić in the second round and top seed Australian Maya Joint in the semifinals.
“Congratulations to Viki, you were incredible and you should be proud of yourself. Thank you to the crowd for supporting me throughout the week. Thank you to everyone who was part of this — the organisers, the sponsors, the supervisor, the ball kids… What you have all created here this week has been truly incredible. You are all amazing! I almost forgot my coach — thank you for the entire week,” said Bejlek.
The winner’s trophy was presented by Ante Sanader, member of parliament and representative of the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, while the runner-up received her trophy from Josip Pavić, State Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Sport and representative of the Prime Minister. Makarska Mayor Zoran Paunović presented the players with flowers.
A GRAND SPECTACLE ANNOUNCED FOR NEXT YEAR
“Thank you to everyone who came. You have truly shown that Makarska is a world-class host and that it embraces women’s sport. The entire week has been fantastic. The semifinal matches were incredible — Grand Slam level. See you next year for the twentieth edition of the WTA tournament. I promise you a spectacle,” said tournament director Feliks Lukas, who was presented with a plaque by WTA supervisor Maria Cristina Barbarano on behalf of the WTA association, marking ten years since the organisation was granted its tournament licence in Croatia.
The final day got off to a celebratory tone. Ahead of the match, Sven Maretić and Ante Kolunđija took to the court for a wheelchair tennis exhibition. This has already become a tournament tradition. The Makarska visit also welcomed Šime Elez and Miloš Mićović, the gentlemen from the popular RTL show Gospodin Savršeni (The Bachelor). They too took to the centre court for a game of tennis. They were helped along by well-known Kaštela tennis player Tena Lukas and Australian Maya Joint. The winner of HRT’s The Voice Kids Croatia, Marino Vrgoč, also performed for the crowd. After the match he brought the house down with Mate Miše Kovač’s song “Ako me ostaviš”, and the entertainment continued with a concert by Frajle.
See you next year!
