Jelena Ostapenko hailed the decisive support of the crowd as she won the LTA’s Rothesay Classic Birmingham with a straight sets victory over Barbora Krejcikova.
Ostapenko beat her fellow former French Open champion 7-6(8) 6-4, edging a mammoth tiebreak before eventually clinching the second.
It is the only match the Latvian has won in two sets all week, with all four of her matches en route to the final, including a hard-fought battle against Venus Williams, going the distance.
Another decider looked possible when she failed to serve for the title at 5-2 in the second set but Ostapenko regained her composure to serve out the match.
“Every match was a really tough one but it is great preparation for Wimbledon,” she said.
“I am really happy with the way I played but there are still a couple of things I can do better as I get ready for Wimbledon.
“It [the tiebreak] was the key moment because when you win a first set that tough, you get confidence.
“The atmosphere in this court was really amazing throughout the week, I love the support and felt it today.”
For Krejcikova, disappointment in defeat comes with plenty of positives. An appearance in her first WTA grass court final proved enough to raise her ranking back into the world top 10 ahead of Wimbledon in just over a week’s time.
She said: “I have definitely had a great week. It was really nice to be here, I really enjoyed it, I enjoyed the crowd every day I played here.
“It is special to play on a centre court and have fans, enjoy the support and play for them. I am definitely looking forward to coming back.”
There would be at least partial redemption for the Czech, who claimed the doubles title a few hours later alongside Marta Kostyuk as they beat Alycia Parks and Storm Hunter 6-2 6-7(7) 9-7.
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