2024 ATX Open Recap

Austin, Texas delivered a week of glorious weather (with two chilly days squeezed in the middle) for the second annual ATX Open.

Resident peacocks paraded (and serenaded) the grounds of the Westwood Country Club as players and fans enjoyed another year of competition at the intimate venue.

Yuan Yue Claims Maiden WTA Tour Title

25-year-old Yuan Yue dropped the first set of the tournament and decided that was enough. She didn’t lose another set the rest of the way.

Yuan, the number eight seed, played aggressive tennis all week. It paid off with her first-ever WTA Tour title, as she defeated her good friend and sixth-seed Wang Xiyu 6-4 7-6(4) in the all-Chinese final.

Yuan’s game plan in the championship match was “to play more aggressive, because if I [wait] for her mistake and if she plays aggressive, I cannot return her ball. Her ball is very heavy, so I want to attack her.”

The win moves Yuan to No. 49 in the world rankings, eclipsing the top fifty for the first time in her career. But she isn’t focused on rankings.

“I think it’s normal,” she said. “Sometimes if you work hard [and] if you play some great games, some great matches, for sure your ranking will be higher.”

Incredibly, she won this tournament with a brand new coach who she only met this week, José Hernández-Fernández.

“It’s [an] amazing week for both of us,” she said, adding that it’s “a really great memory for us.”

She might want to keep that coaching relationship going if this is the type of result they get after one week.

Yuan actually defeated two compatriots along the way, besting her doubles partner Wang Yafan two rounds earlier in the quarterfinals, 6-3 7-5.

The all-Chinese final marked the first time in history that a North American WTA Tour final was contested by two Chinese players, and only the third time in WTA Tour history worldwide.

Coming on the heels of Qinwen Zheng‘s run to the Australian Open final and subsequent entry into the top ten last month, Chinese tennis is on the upswing.

Wang Xiyu’s Strong Runner-Up Showing

It was also a terrific week for Wang Xiyu. The powerful lefty entered the finals without losing a set all tournament, including a 6-3 7-6(4) victory over the No. 1 seed Anhelina Kalinina in the semifinals.

“I think it brings me confidence,” said Wang. “It pushed me to the higher level of tennis. I hope that I can step-by-step [keep] improving my tennis and get more experience until the end of the year.”

She nearly pulled off an improbable comeback in the final. Down two breaks at 5-2 in the second set, she reeled off four consecutive games, saving three championship points from 0-40 down on her serve at 3-5.

Then again, trailing 6-1 in the second set tiebreaker, she saved three more championship points before finally succumbing.

The Austin fans rallied around her comeback bid. “I feel [the fan energy] all week. It’s not only today. The crowd is amazing,” said Wang. “They support all the players. It’s a really nice environment to play here.”

Wang was all smiles after the match. She was happy to see her friend win the title. They plan to take the same flight to Indian Wells together and intend to play doubles on tour soon, too.

Olivia x Olivia = Doubles Champs

Playing together for the first time, Olivia Gadecki (AUS) and Olivia Nicholls (GBR) won the doubles title, defeating Katarzyna Kawa (POL) and Bibiane Schoofs (NED) 6-2 6-4.

After winning a comfortable first set, the pair trailed 4-0 in the second before winning six games on the trot, punctuated by a forehand service return winner by Gadecki to put the match away.

This was the first WTA Tour title for Gadecki and the second for Nicholls.

The ladies shared a message for their fans after the win:

🗣️ Special message from the dubs champs! pic.twitter.com/jlPZFQT9VC

— ATX Open (@AtxOpen) March 4, 2024

Around the Tourney