(Reuters) – Anett Kontaveit arrived in Australia at the start of the year brimming with confidence after her memorable end-of-season run but she was back to the drawing board after a second round exit at the year’s first Grand Slam.
Kontaveit was ranked 30th in August but title wins in Cleveland, Ostrava, Moscow and Cluj in the second half of the season catapulted her into the top 10 and helped her qualify for the WTA Finals in Guadalajara where she finished runner-up.
The 26-year-old seemed to be carrying the momentum into the new season when she made the semi-finals at the WTA 500 event in Sydney but then she exited the Australian Open early with an upset loss to Dane Clara Tauson in straight sets.
“It was definitely a tough one to take. Of course I was expecting so much more from myself and from this Australian Open,” Kontaveit told the WTA. “I came back home and I worked really, really hard.
“A bit of the pre-season training that I couldn’t do because of the season being so long and having health issues, I managed to do a really good training block and get myself in a little bit better shape.
“I think tennis is great because we get a new chance almost every week.”
The hard work bore fruit and Kontaveit was back in the winners’ circle on Sunday, rallying from a set down to beat top-seeded Maria Sakkari of Greece 5-7 7-6(4) 7-5 to clinch the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy for her sixth WTA singles title.
It was also Kontaveit’s 20th consecutive win in an indoor match, meaning she has now emerged victorious in the last four indoor tournaments she has participated in.
Kontaveit was at a loss to explain her indoor success.
“I’m not sure what to say about that,” said Kontaveit, who rose to a career-high ranking of sixth on Monday.
“I like to hit the ball. Indoors there’s no wind, there’s no sun, there’s nothing that’s affecting you. But I think that would also help everyone else.
“I can’t really put my finger on it. I’m not sure if there’s something specific about those indoor courts that go well with my game so much or if it’s just a coincidence.”
(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; Editing by Karishma Singh)
