QUEBEC CITY, September 19, 2016
Océane Dodin of France was crowned champion of the 24th edition of the National Bank Cup presented by Mazda thanks to a 6-4, 6-3 win over US-American Lauren Davis in Sunday’s final at the WTA International Series event.
The championship match at PEPS on the campus of Laval University was an encounter between two players with contrasting styles. Davis, at 5’2”, relies on her speed and determination while Dodin at 6’0” is all about power. In the end, Dodin was able to control much of the match with multiple winners. Despite being down a set and 3-0, Davis continued to fight, but Dodin controlled her emotions well in the important moments to come away with a straight sets victory and capture the first WTA singles title of her career. She’s now on a ten match win streak after winning the Barcelona Challenger earlier this month.
“In the second set, I scared myself. I had a lot of chances to get a big lead and go up 4-0 and 5-2, but my nerves got the best of me,” Dodin said. “I think in matches like tonight where you have to fight through some adversity, the win is worth ten times more!”
Just one month shy of her 20th birthday, Dodin is the youngest player to win a WTA singles title in 2016 and she is also the youngest champion in the history of the Quebec City tournament after
Maria Sharapova (2003), Mario Bartoli (2006), and Tamira Paszek (2010). The 280 points she earned for the title will allow her crack the Top 100 on the WTA rankings for the first time in her young career.
Hlavackova And Hradecka Take Home The Doubles Crown
Czechs Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka took home the National Bank Cup presented by Mazda doubles crown after defeating Russians Alexandra Panova and Alla Kudryavtseva 7-6(2), 7-6(2) in the final.
‘’It’s our first title since the U.S. Open in 2013. I won 2 tournaments this year on the WTA tour,” Hlavackova said after the match. “Lucie and I go way back, but we haven’t played together in a while, so it’s hard to achieve the perfect chemistry. This week proved that if you have fun together, you can win.”
