Tennis Canada Press Release, February 4, 2018

Playing in her first tournament in five years, Rebecca Marino from Vancouver won three matches in qualifying and another five in the main draw to capture the title at the $15,000 GD Tennis Cup in Antalya, Turkey.

This is Marino’s first event since February 2013, the same month she decided to step away from tennis after revealing she had been struggling with depression for several years. On Sunday, the now 26-year-old defeated Romania’s Cristina Ene, ranked no. 673 in the world, 6-3, 6-3 in the championship match.

“Rebecca worked very hard to be ready to return to competition. It’s not easy to come back after such a long time away, but she showed this week that her efforts in her training were well worth it,” said Sylvain Bruneau, Tennis Canada’s head national women’s coach and Fed Cup captain. “She wanted to play a lot to find her comfort level again in match play and that’s what she was able to do this week. It’s just the first step for, but this is obviously a very positive start.”

In 2011, Marino achieved a career-high WTA ranking of no. 38. She won three ITF Pro Circuit titles in the fall of 2010, including the Saguenay National Bank Challenger. In 2011, she reached her first WTA final in Memphis after reaching the third round at Roland-Garros.

Marino will continue her tournament swing in Turkey over the next few weeks.