World number two Iga Swiatek staged a remarkable comeback to beat Ekaterina Alexandrova and win the Korea Open.
Wimbledon champion Swiatek won 1-6 7-6 (7-3) 7-5, having trailed 3-1 in the decider and been two points from defeat.
Russia’s Alexandrova won 11 points more in the match than Swiatek and had 15-30 on the Pole’s serve when leading 6-5 in the second set.
However, Swiatek recovered to hold serve, then dominated the second-set tie-break and broke Alexandrova late in the third set to secure victory.
Swiatek joked her victory made up for her father Tomasz’s failure to win a medal when he competed on the Polish rowing team at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.
“I’m happy that I could win here because of the family history,” she said.
“My dad couldn’t win the Olympics, but at least I won this tournament, so hopefully he’s going to come here next year to enjoy everything.”
It was Swiatek’s 57th match win of the year – the most of anyone on the WTA Tour.
Victory also gives Swiatek a third title of the year after Wimbledon and the Cincinnati Open, all of which have come in the past three months.
“Honestly, I don’t know how I won it, because you were just playing great,” Swiatek said to Alexandrova.
“I just tried to stay alive.”
Swiatek missed the majority of last year’s Asian swing, taking a break for fatigue before serving part of a one-month doping ban after testing positive for a banned substance.
A strong end to the year could see Swiatek challenge Aryna Sabalenka for the world number one ranking. Sabalenka is currently on 11,225 points, with Swiatek on 8,433.
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