Shahar Pe’er of Israel has won her first Women’s Tennis Associaton (WTA) Tour title in three years, beating Alberta Brianti 6-3, 6-4 of Italy in the Guangzhou Open final in China and gaining her fourth career title.
The 22-year-old’s first three WTA Tour titles came at Pattaya City, Prague and Istanbul in 2006, with Pe’er only reaching one more tour final since, losing to Venus Williams at Memphis in February 2007.
“I am very happy that I won a tournament. I waited for this for a very long time, and I went through some hard times,” said Pe’er, who won the event without losing a set and is now expected to move back into the world’s top-50 from her current ranking of 57.
“I feel like I have been playing well for a long time and that I am on the right path. I hope to take a lot from this week and keep the momentum going through the end of the year and into next year,” Pe’er added.