Serbia's Ivana Jorovic, a former junior world number one, showcased superior court-craft to outwit a higher-ranked Barbara Haas in straight sets and win the USD 50,000 QNET Open ITF Women's Circuit at the DLTA Complex here today.
The 17-year-old Jorovic won 6-2, 6-2 in a battle of unseeded teenagers.
A string of good performances secured her the biggest pro crown of her nascent career which has seen her claim four USD 10,000 ITF titles.
The finalists had both come through tough three-set semifinals but Jorovic, ranked 502 on the women's circuit, showed that she had recovered better and was ready to outslug and out-think her rival.
She broke Haas' serve in the opening game itself, riding on a remarkable drop shot and a stunning backhand down the line.
She sustained her quality of play and ran away to a 4-0 lead before the Austrian, ranked 150 slots higher, could win a game. Haas broke Jorovic's serve early in the second set but did not build on the gains as the younger player produced winners at critical moments and quickly recovered lost ground.
The Serb committed a series of double faults in two successive service games in the second set but pulled herself together to stop the match from being stretched into the third set. Jorovic picked up a cheque of USD 7600 and 80 ranking points.
"I was a bit stiff at the start but then I loosen up a bit and played better. I felt a bit pressurised at the end because it was the winning game. I was very nervous," Jorovic said.
