In Manama, in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Fiona Ferro had a meeting in the final of the W75 tournament. Unfortunately, the French player couldn’t hold her own against Alina Korneeva.
There will be no new title this week for Fiona Ferro. After a remarkable run, just a few days after her failure in the Australian Open qualifiers, the player from Valbonne was competing in the W75 final in Manama, in the Kingdom of Bahrain. This tournament does not bring many points in the WTA ranking, but the draw was quite competitive, with many players who have been in the Top 100 during their careers.
In her quest to return to the top of world tennis, Fiona Ferro needs to accumulate points in the WTA rankings. Currently ranked 369th in the world with 168 points, every tournament matters to try to climb places and thereby directly enter increasingly prestigious events.
With this final, the player from the Côte d’Azur could accumulate an additional 75 points this Sunday. To do so, she needed to defeat her opponent of the day, the young Russian Alina Korneeva (18 years old, 212th in the world). A player chosen as the best junior in 2023, who nearly broke into the Top 100 in 2024 (highest ranking: 128th), before an arm injury disrupted her progress. Since then, the Russian has been working hard to regain her best level. Although her journey to the final was very strong with only one set lost in five matches, nothing predetermined her for an easy victory.
Yet that’s what happened. Probably a bit nervous at the beginning of the match, she gave the first break to Fiona Ferro. On the other side of the net, service issues hadn’t completely disappeared, as the player from Maral was easily broken back, not helped by the gusts of wind on the court. In such conditions, the match generally goes to the one who adapts the best. Despite her experience, Fiona Ferro couldn’t find the solution. After leading for almost the entire first set, she lost her serve at 4-4, handing the set to Alina Korneeva (6-4).
Far from being defeated, Fiona Ferro returned to the fight at the start of the second set. In a very contested first game, she eventually conceded another break after saving four break points. The advantage was taken by the Russian, who wouldn’t let it go. Worse, the points slipped away rapidly. Fiona Ferro didn’t score a single point on her serve until the end of the match. The result was fair. Final score: 6-4 / 6-0 in favor of Alina Korneeva.
With this tournament run, Fiona Ferro is not leaving empty-handed, as she gained 49 points, which should elevate her around the 300th spot globally. A significant jump in the rankings.
