Dunlop’s Cibulkova Wins First WTA Title
October 25, 2011
Greenville, S.C. — Dunlop Tour Team member Dominika Cibulkova captured her first ever WTA tour title yesterday, defeating Kaia Kanepi 3-6, 7-6 (1), 7-5 in the final of the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, Russia.
With her Biomimetic 600 Lite in hand, Domi traded vicious ground strokes with Kanepi for more than two and a half hours, but it was two short periods of clutch play that won the title for the 22 year old Slovakian star. Late in the second set, Cibulkova fought off a break point at 5 games all, and then dominated the tie break to get the match to a third set. Then late in the third, with both players struggling on serve (five successive breaks), it was Cibulkova who showed her mettle by holding serve to win the match.
“This is the best feeling I’ve ever had. It’s the best day for me,” Cibulkova said. “I’ve been waiting for my first WTA title for so long. It’s also special because I had so many tough moments, against Zvonareva in the quarterfinals and against Kaia today. It didn’t come easily. I really had to fight for my first title.”
“All of us at Dunlop are so happy to see Dominika capture her first ever WTA title,” said Kai Nitsche, VP of Racket Sports for Dunlop. “She has made some fantastic runs at the Grand Slams, so we knew it was only a matter of time before she broke through to get a tournament win. Domi’s been a member of the Dunlop family for several years now, and it has been a pleasure to work with her and see her game grow. She’s already a fan favorite, and with wins like this her popularity is sure to grow even more.”