Tennis: Clara Burel wins the ITF W35 in Nice and signs her comeback with a sixth title

After more than a year away from the courts due to two injuries, Clara Burel won the ITF W35 in Nice on Sunday. The 25-year-old Breton thus claims the sixth title of her professional career and regains points in the WTA rankings.

Clara Burel is back on the path to success. The player from Côtes-d’Armor won the ITF W35 in Nice on Sunday by defeating her fellow French player Jenny Lim, ranked 508th in the world, in a hard-fought final decided in three sets (6-1, 3-6, 6-3).

Back to competition in April after an anterior cruciate ligament rupture of her right knee followed by an injury to her right forearm, Clara Burel was competing in the Alpes-Maritimes in her first ITF tournament since her return. A choice that proved worthwhile with five consecutive victories and a first trophy since the end of 2023.

A flawless run in Nice

The Nice tournament allowed Clara Burel to regain rhythm and momentum. In the first round, the French player defeated Astrid Lew Yan Foon, ranked 465th in the world, before beating Italian Deborah Chiesa, ranked 389th in the world, in three sets. In the quarterfinals, Clara Burel prevailed over Russian Alevtina Ibragimova, ranked 310th in the world, then over Romanian Maria Sara Popa, ranked 477th in the world, in the semifinals.

The final against Jenny Lim was the most closely contested match of the week. After controlling the first set, Clara Burel conceded the second set before regaining the advantage in the third set to clinch victory after nearly two hours of play.

This success marks the sixth title of Clara Burel’s professional career following Grenoble (W25) in 2020, Saint-Gaudens (W60) and Cherbourg (W25) in 2021, Montpellier (W60) and Angers (WTA 125) in 2023.

Thanks to this victory, Clara Burel adds 35 points to her WTA ranking. At the end of this tournament week on the Côte d’Azur, she should climb back into the top 800 in the rankings, having been ranked 42nd in the world at her best in 2024. An important reward after a long period of absence that had resulted in the loss of all her points.

On Instagram, Clara Burel reacted to this winning return: “not my biggest title but by far the most beautiful. What a joy to finally be able to string matches together after so many months of struggle.”

Since returning to competition in Saint-Malo in April, no match had yet resulted in a victory. The Nice tournament therefore marks an important step in the French player’s return to the circuit.