Romanian tennis player Monica Niculescu won the tournament in Luxembourg on Saturday, October 22, after a 6-4, 6-0 victory over top seed Petra Kvitova.

This is Niculescu’s first WTA title of the year. Moreover, the victory was even more important as it came on her mother’s birthday.

"It was my best match this year!" Niculescu said after the match, which lasted one hour and eight minutes.

"I felt fantastic on the court, and after I took the first set I felt even better. I was feeling very light on the court and was catching every ball. I felt like nothing surprised me.”

Monica Niculescu managed to win the title in Luxembourg on her third attempt. She previously played the tournament’s finals in 2011 and 2012, but she failed to secure the title on both occasions.

Niculescu currently ranks 37th in the WTA ranking of best women's tennis players in the world, up from 51st last week. She has won three singles titles and seven doubles tournaments in her career.

Meanwhile, Simona Halep, the best-ranked Romanian tennis player (number four in the WTA ranking), started the WTA Finals Singapore with a 6-2, 6-4 win over American Madison Keys. She plays against German number one Angelique Kerber on Tuesday.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Wtatennis.com)