Tennis: Fiona Ferro comes close to the title at Hechingen

Still no fourth career title for Fiona Ferro. Despite a very convincing week, the Valbonnaise came close once again in the final in Hechingen this Sunday.

Struggling with numerous injuries in recent months, Fiona Ferro is rediscovering good sensations. Still far from her best career ranking (39th in March 2021), the Valbonnaise appears to be on the right track this summer. Within inches of the title last week at the WTA 125 in Palermo, the French player was back this week in Germany for the ITF 75 in Hechingen.

A clay court tournament with a draw well within her reach. Seeded No. 2 thanks to her new ranking (159th), Fiona Ferro showed consistency at each round. Facing Sapfo Sakellaridi in the first round (23 years old, 441st in the world), the match was over quickly with a victory in two straight sets (6-1/6-3) in just over an hour of play. A solid start that continued in the next round against a young Italian, Noemi Basiletti (20 years old, 310th in the world). This time, the match lasted 1h15 for a victory (6-1/6-4). An identical score to the quarterfinal against German Tessa Johanna Brockmann (20 years old, 267th in the world).

Qualified without difficulty for the semifinals, Fiona Ferro faced another young German player, Eva Bennemann (18 years old, 317th in the world). An encounter that was more closely contested, particularly in the first set won 7-5 by the Maralpine. Shaken at the start of the second set, Fiona Ferro proved authoritative in the middle of the set to finish in 1h49 (7-5/6-2).

Fiona Ferro comes close to the title

This Sunday, she was in the final for the second time in a week. In a match with a particular context, Fiona Ferro faced Czech Barbora Palicova (22 years old, 342nd in the world), who had beaten the No. 1 seed the day before. Against a more consistent player on her serve, service was key. The Côte d’Azur player quickly took the lead in the first set before being caught up at 4-4. Without flinching, she managed to get two new break points to close out the first set 7-5.

The second set was tighter. Neither player managing to make a difference, the set was decided in the final games. Despite an advantage at 5-4 on her serve, the Valbonnaise failed to finish the match. Broken and then broken in turn, she lost the second set while being just two points away from the title: 7-5.

The match was hard-fought and went past the two-hour mark without it being clear who would prevail. The tension of the final playing a role, both opponents struggled to secure their serves. Midway through the final set, Fiona Ferro and Barbora Palicova could no longer hold their serves. In turn, breaks followed one another until the penultimate game. The Czech player managed to regain her solidity to lead 5-4. Fiona Ferro then had to hold to hope to win… in vain. Two match points were enough for Barbora Palicova to win the ITF 75 in Hechingen in 2h48 with a score of (5-7/7-5/6-4).

Fiona Ferro’s second final loss, though she nonetheless appears to be returning to a very good level. There is no doubt that she should be able to return to the Top 100 by the end of the year and, why not, participate in the qualifying tournament for the US Open during August.

Next week, we will follow the other Maralpine player on the circuit, Diane Parry, who will compete in Toronto for the start of her American tour.