Ana Bohdan (defending champion, 49th in the world) reached the final of the WTA 125 tournament in Iasi on Saturday, beating second favorite Raluka Sherban (a player who was born in Romania, but since 2019 represents Cyprus – 166th WTA), with a score of 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

Ana BohdanPhoto: Klansek Velej / Sportida / Sipa Press / Profimedia

Ana Bohdan, hard-fought victory over Raluka Sherban in the WTA semi-finals in Iasi

The first set was one in which both athletes had big problems with serving, recording no less than four breaks. A winner in three straight sets after the rematch, Ana won her match 6-3.

Although she started the second set better (2-0), Ana Bohdan could no longer find her rhythm, made more and more mistakes and lost the initiative in many duels on the main line.

Raluka (as his name is written on the WTA website) took advantage of these conditions and turned the match into a deciding set (he won 6-4).

The decisive event continued in the same coordinates, the athlete representing Cyprus was in the lead (she managed to press hard with the help of crossed backhands): Sherban went on a streak of three games in a row, and the table showed 2-0 in her favor.

This was the moment when Ana woke up from her lethargy and became more aggressive in her expression. She tied the score, and her winning streak was five games in a row (5-2). By the end of the match, Raluka collected one more game on serve, and the semifinal ended after two hours and 45 minutes (6-3, 4-6, 6-3).

Know:

  • Getting to the finals will automatically bring Ania Bohdan a check for 6,960 euros and 95 points in the WTA singles ranking.
  • Raluka Sherban will receive 4,608 euros and 57 points in the WTA singles ranking for reaching the semifinals.
  • In the second semifinal, Iryna Begu (main favorite) and Tamara Zidansek (139 WTA – semi-finalist at Roland Garros in 2021) meet.
  • The winner of the WTA 125 tournament from Iasi will receive a check for 13,040 euros and 160 points in the WTA singles ranking.

The BCR Iași Open runs from July 17 to 23 on clay, is part of the WTA 125 category, has a total prize pool of $115,000, and started with 32 players in the main draw. The titular champion (from the 2022 class) is Ana Bohdan.